“You’ve got to be kidding me… Tiffany Silverstein, Magic affinities: Light, Wind, Earth, Holy magic, age 15, magic points 10,940… relationship with caster… pristine... Well that’s not what I had in mind” thought Spike

“ALL NEW STUDENTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE AMPHITHEATER, THE OPENING CEREMONY WILL BEGIN IN 15 MINUTES!” came Celestia’s voice, over the loudspeaker.

“Oh, that’s us, come one!” Twilight said as she grabbed Spike’s hand and pulled him towards the amphitheater.

SECOND LATER

“Here we are!! Come on, these seats are free,” said Twilight as she once again pulled Spike with her all the way to the seats “Aren't you excited about entering the academy?” She said as they sat down.

“So happy, I could scream,” said Spike with a fake smile “Was she always this obnoxious?... well, I did save her life… and she did act the same way back then,” he thought until...

“Hey there Spike, good morning to you!” came a female voice he knew rather well

“Rainbow, Good morning… time to use it again… Roxanne Daniels, magic affinities: wind, water, age 15, magic points 7,000… relationship with caster… very good ... ok, again, I don’t see much of an explanation… maybe if I give it some more power… BINGO! She is a wind magic prodigy, only known living being to have successfully created a Sonic Rainboom… loves playing the guitar, rock music, and sports… hates it when people call her weak, short, or confuse her for a member of the LGBTQ2 community despite being a heartfelt supporter of it… ok, that was enlightening,” thought Spike as she sat down to his right

“Indeed it is… and who are you?” she asked as she noticed Twilight staring daggers at her.

“My name is Tiffany Silverstein, and you are?” said Twilight with a minor hostility in her tone

Spike turned to look at Twilight and his “Discerning eye” began to work again “... All round magic prodigy, called on by Princess Celestia to be one of the next rulers of Equestria, has a minor issue with OCD, which causes her to act in weird manners, loves reading, studying, and order, dislikes disorder, bullies, snakes, spiders, and bats… has to improve social skills, also, has demonstrated a strong attachment to Silvio Decker, almost on the level of obsession … ok, don’t know what to make of that,” thought Spike

“Morning Rainbow Dash, oh, Hi Spike, morning to you too,” said a quiet voice Spike remembered from yesterday.

“Morning Fluttershy, sleep well?” asked Rainbow Dash

“Yup, like a baby,” said Fluttershy as she sat next to Rainbow Dash

“Florence Scavo, magic affinities: wind, Holy magic, age: 15, magic points: 6,999, relationship with caster… good... She is an animal lover and her dream is to become a vet or medic… shy, easily frightened, and minor anger issues, but all around friendly… she loves animals, especially her pet bunny Angel, she also loves Garden Salads, and babies… she dislikes rude people, animal torture, being placed in socially awkward situations, and, just about anyone that makes a reference to her body in a perverted way… Oh!... I think I fucked it up with this one,” thought Spike

“Oh, hello,” she said when she noticed Twilight

“Hi, My name is Tiffany, nice to meet you Florence,” said Twilight

“Call me Fluttershy… if you want,” she said

“Ok, then, you can call me Twilight Sparkle, or Twilight,” she said

“I assumed you were going to be here,” came another female voice Spike recognized

“Sunset?!, I thought you turned the academy down?” said Twilight as she jumped up to hug her

“I was about to, but then I thought about it and decided to accept the offer,” she said as she sat down

“Well, these are my new friends, Roxanne Daniels, Florence Scava, and…” Twilight began

“Oh! Spike, I didn’t see you there, how are you doing… and Rainbow Dash, I believe you still want that “revenge” from Saturday,” said Sunset as she noticed Spike and Rainbow Dash sitting nearby

“You know each other?” asked Twilight, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

By this point, Spike had already used “Discerning eye” on Sunset Shimmer “Sofia Sanchez, magic affinities Light, and Fire, age 15, magic points… 10,430, relationship with caster, very good... Sunset was once considered to be the number 1 prodigy before Tiffany Silverstein appeared in the picture… she had a troubled young life, growing up in a single parent house (Father never recognized her), causing her to be tomboyish and mean… grow out of that stage after befriending her once called “Mortal Rival'' Tiffany Silverstein… she loves playing guitar, horror movies, RomComs, and videogames, especially sports and warfare type video games… she disliked people who are mean to Tiffany or any of her friends, perverts, and feeling alone… she also has a minor dislike for pork… wow, just like with Rainbow Dash, we have a lot of things in common,” Thought Spike.

“Yeah, I met them both playing soccer last Saturday… I heard about what happened on Thursday… thank God you’re ok, and that Spike was nearby to intervene,” said Sunset

“Yup, he’s my hero,” she said as she pressed her body around his left shoulder, this made Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash tick and made Fluttershy feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Mornin’ there Spike, Thanks again for helping us out the other day with the… truck… am I interruptin’ something?” said a female voice with a southern accent Spike knew too well, and at this point was making him sweat in fear

“Oh! Hello, my name is Tiffany Silverstein, and I’m…” Twilight began

“One of the members of the Crystal Empire royal family members that Spike saved a few days back, he told me all about it,” said Applejack “Oh, but where are my manners, my name is Audrey Smith, but please feel free to call me Applejack,” she said

“Then please call me Twilight,” she said

“Sofia Sanchez, call me Sunset Shimmer,” said Sunset

“Florence Scaba, you can call me Fluttershy… if you want that is,” said Fluttershy a bit louder than a whisper

“Nice to meet y’all… YOU!!!!” said Applejack as she made eye contact with Rainbow Dash

“Ha, miss perfect-boots… nice to see you again,” said Rainbow Dash with a competitive

“Likewise,” said Applejack with a competitive smile

“Well… she is an amazon through and through… Audrey Smith, magic affinities, Earth, age 15, magic points 9,500, relationship with caster… very good ... Although only able to use one type of Magic, she can also hold her own in hand to hand combat and has a bunch of strength, many times combining both abilities during fighting… she loves the outdoors and working on her family’s farm… she hates dishonest people, pervs, and overly girly things… well, if I want to live longer I better not say any dumb shit near her,” thought Spike

“So, you guys ready for the match up?” asked Applejack

“Oh yeah! Just imagine, Me, Fluttershy and Spike on the same team, we’d be unstoppable,” said Rainbow Dash

“A stronger team would include Me, Spike, and Sunset,” argued Twilight

“Not to mention, if we joined up with Spike, we’d be even stronger,” said Applejack’

“What do you think Spike?” they all said as they turned to look at him

“How did I get involved in all this,” thought Spike “Well…” he was about to say when they all heard a commotion behind them.

“This is outrageous!!!” said another familiar voice

They all turned to look at the owner of the voice as she walked over to them and sat down without even saying hello

“Good morning Miss Rarity, is something wrong?” said Spike

This caught her attention and noticed who it was

“Oh, hello Ms. Decker… and company, I see a few familiar faces as well as new ones…” said Rarity

“Hello, Rarity, it’s been a while,” said Rainbow Dash with a fake friendly tone

“Nice to see you again,” said Applejack, in the same way as Rainbow Dash

“Yes, indeed… well, for the new faces, my name my name is Ruby Crystal Blythe, but my friends call me Rarity, I’m the eldest daughter of Duke Harrison Blythe,” she said

“Hi, Tiffany Silverstein, youngest daughter of Sir Nelson Silverstein, sister-in-law of Princess Cadance, but feel free to call me Twilight Sparkle,” said Twilight

“Sofia Sanchez, call me Sunset Shimmer,” she said

“Florence Scava, you can call me Fluttershy… if you’d like,” said Fluttershy

“Charmed,” said Rarity with a fake smile

“What seems to be the problem?” asked Spike while using “Discerning eye” “Ruby Blythe, magic abilities: Water, Earth, Wind, Holy magic, age 15, magic points, 10,300, relationship with caster… neutral… Growing up in a rich household, Ruby was usually given everything she wanted, even more so when she demonstrated having magical affinities and power, this caused her to grow up believing she is a very important person, almost a princess, therefore the reason for her mannerisms, unfortunately, this caused her to grow self-centered and become a narcissist who hates when people out best her… despite all this, she also has a generous soul and like helping others out… as long as they treat her with respect… She loves fashion with a passion, and her dream is to become a world-renowned designer… she opened her first boutique in Ponyville, but placed it on hold to attend the academy to increase her popularity and fame… she also loves cats, and diamonds, and is an extremely good actress… she hates being bested in fame and popularity, ugly clothes, and disrespectful people, especially those that are disrespectful towards her… she’s gonna be a handful… even more than Twilight… but somehow I feel bad for her,” thought Spike

“I was on my way to sit with the “Posh” crowd when I was denied entry by one of them, saying that I wasn’t “Pretty” or “Popular” or “Rich” enough to join them,” said Rarity

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, if you combine, my, Twilight’s and Applejack’s families, we have more money than all of them combined,” said Spike

“Thank you for trying to cheer me up… Oh, well, I guess I just have to demonstrate to them how powerful I am, and after that, they are not going to have a choice but to accept me!” she said as she put on her AirPods and started to apply makeup.

“Good for you,” said Spike with an awkward smile, before being grabbed by Applejack and Rainbow Dash and pulled away from the seats.

“What?!” he asked

“Spike, stay away from her, she’d be a very bad influence,” said Applejack

“Yeah, she is obnoxious, rude, and extremely self-centered… I’ve never seen her care for anyone but her, and we went to school with her for 3 years,” said Rainbow Dash

“Not to mention, she is a very interested girl… she was always trying to date, the extremely attractive douchebags, or the extremely popular bullies so that she could earn some popularity… she even fat-shamed another girl… What was her name?” said Applejack’

“Samantha Davies… I think that was her name,” said Rainbow Dash

“Yeah, I believe you… but, there is something about her that makes me feel bad for her, like… if she doesn’t know any better,” said Spike

“Dude, I can tell you have a “heart of gold” but… your sympathy is wasted on her, she’ll chew you up and spit you out at her own convenience, that’s why no one likes her,” said Rainbow Dash

“I’ll take your word for it,” said Spike as they returned

“Now that’s a smart move,” said Applejack

“Well, they are all here… except that weird bouncy girl… wonder where she is?” thought Spike as they returned to their seats.

“Thinking about me?” said the female voice Spike was trying to avoid.

The sudden voice behind them caused Spike, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rarity, and Sunset Shimmer to jump out of their seats.

“PINKIE PIE!!! What did we say about scaring people?” said Rainbow Dash

“Tee hee! Sorry, it’s just so fun to do it,” said Pinkie Pie

“Well, at least you didn’t kill anyone this time,” said Applejack

This caused them all to look at her

“It’s just an expression!” said Applejack

“Actually no, you have to say it like this…” Twilight began

“Hi, my name is Persia Diane Patterson, but you can call me Pinkie Pie,” she said once again, as she jumped up and down around them

After a short introduction with the new faces, Spike decided to use his “Discerning eye” on her

“Persia Patterson, magic affinities, Earth, Technomancy, and… DARK Magic!!!... that explains why she can use Discerning eye… Age 15, magic points: 7,000… relationship with caster… excellent… Grow up on a farm south of here, developed an early affinity to Black magic and Technomancy… despite her cheery personality, she has demonstrated symptoms of psychopathy, but they have more to do with the fact that her diet contains a high level of sugars, which causes her to act like that… she is a good baker and party planner… she has also been commended for her high level of stamina and speed, and her ability in stealth… she loves sweets, parties, and making people happy… she dislikes sadness, salary, and failing to make someone happy… huh, no wonder she gave me the creeps, better keep an eye on her,” thought Spike

“Did you use “Discerning eye” on?” she whispered into his ear

“How did you… oh right,” said Spike

“HEY!!! Don’t you think you are getting too close?” said Twilight as she got in between them

“Oh no, Princess, this is nothing… but if you want us to get closer…” said Pinkie as she sat on Spike’s lap “How ‘bout this?” she said

Twilight’s head turned red with anger, as Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s too

“I could also get even closer… get a room… spend the night making sweet music,” said Pinkie as she got even closer to Spike.

Spike looked over to the girls and noticed they had murder in their eyes

“Why me, of all people?” he said as Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack forcefully removed Pinkie off of Spike.

At that same moment this happened, the speakers boomed signaling for attention.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Canterlot Academy, I am one of your vice-principals, Devin Karius, and allow me to introduce the lovely ladies that complete our team… Princess Celine Solaris, and Princess Lara Solaris,” said Discord as the 2 princesses walked into the stage.

“Yes, well, thanks for the introduction, now, I’d like to personally welcome all of our new students, be it scholarship students or others,” said Celestia

“Alright, allow us to explain some things about this institution… first, despite us being an academic institution, we also are a special military institution, what does this mean, it means that we will be deploying all of you in different missions, that the regular army can’t take care of for various different circumstances,” said Luna

“Correct, there are… in this academy: reserves, MP, infantry, task force, intelligence, and Special Ops… and we’ll be dividing you into those groups, this won’t affect your classes, since they are going to be the same for everyone,” said Celestia

“Now, to give you a small idea of each, the reserves are, as the name suggests, students who didn’t qualify for a higher division, regardless of this, you are seen as the core of the institution since if, God forbid, something happened to a member of another squad or team, they can go to you to ask you to join them temporarily or permanently…” said Discord

“The MP or military police, usually work close by with the city's police force, and on school grounds as a disciplinary committee…” said Luna

“Infantry is the division were you become somewhat of a “jack of all trades”, sometimes working with PD or going out with task forces or intelligence, but, we can guarantee that there is never a dull moment in that division...” said Celestia

“The Task force is, for lack of a better word, the same as the infantry, except that members of the task force usually head out to aid the special ops only, mission and training in this division are way tougher than than infantry and intelligence,” said Discord

“Intelligence, as the word say, work in coordinating and assisting missions for every other division; Many members of intelligence division also work as spies, so, acting and drama classes are a must,” said Luna

“And finally, you have Special ops; the special ops division is actually the smallest of all, conformed of just 25, 4 person, teams; missions at this level are considered suicidal, and you will be deployed on various mission behind enemy lines, and even have tasks of ending wars from the shadows… members of this division that can’t keep up with the requirements are also free to demote themselves to intelligence and task force,” said Celestia

“By this point, I’m pretty sure you’re all wondering “How are we going to know which category we belong to?” well, the answer is simple, we will be putting you in teams of three or 4 and opening various portals to fake dimensions, which will work as your entrance exams...” said Discord, and immediately people started to murmur and form groups.

“... hold your horses everyone, we said “WE” will be putting you into teams and sending you to the entrance exam…” said Discord

“The point is, you have to be willing to be working with complete strangers, maybe you get lucky and land in a team with your old friends, or create even more friends, or you might land in a team with people you hate, but all this is part of being in the academy… so, without further ado, Samantha Davis, Laura Heartstring, and Silvio Decker, please make your way to the stage and prepare to enter the portal… oh, and don’t worry about failing the mission, you can always take a redo or join the reserves,” said Celestia as the 3 named students made it to the stage.

“Now before you go in, we must tell you that, we won’t be able to see you in there, the spell will eject you as soon as it feels your lives are actually in danger or there is no way for you to complete the mission, then it will grade you and… you can put the rest together, now you have 5 minutes to get to know each other while the system loads,” said Luna

Spike walked over to the 2 girls and said

“Hi, feel free to call me Spike,”

One of the girls with cobalt blue and fuchsia mixed hair looked at Spike and turned her face away from him like if he was some sort of trash; Spike notices that she wasn’t particularly tall, anywhere between 5’2” and 5’4”, she was slim but still had enough fat on the areas that needed it.

“Hi, Spike, my name is Laura, but you can call me Lyra, since I like singing; just ignore Bon Bon, she tends to act this way sometimes,” said Lyra

Spike looked at her and immediately realized 2 things “Wow, she’s pretty...like… supermodel pretty… and she’s really friendly,” Lyra had pale, light grayish cyan long hair with white highlights and she was about 4’11” tall.

“Nice to meet you,” said Spike

He was about to use “Discerning eye” on them, when

“Alright, please stand in this 3 circles and get ready to begin,” said Celestia

They did as they were told and the portal suddenly scanned them

“Team leader… Silvio Decker...3...2...1…” said a female robotic voice as the 3 of them were engulfed by a bright light and sucked into the portal.

“Ok, next…” said Discord

A FEW SECONDS LATER

“Where… where are we?” said Bon Bon

“No idea” said Lyra

“Mission update… survive till further update… BEGIN!” said the robotic female voice

“So, it’s a simulation,” said Bon Bon

“Looks like it,” said Spike

“What should we do first?” asked Lyra

“Risk assessment,” both Spike and Bon Bin said at the same time

“Right, follow me,” said Bon Bon as she walked on with Spike and Lyra nearby.

1 HOUR LATER

The trio investigated everything and everywhere they could but couldn’t find anything; now, in many occasions that’s a good sign, but in this case, it was unnerving.

“Did you find something?” asked Spike as he walked up to Lyra

“No… did you?” she asked Bon Bon

“Nothing… What is going on here?” Bon Bon said

“Shhhhht!” said Spike

“What?” asked Bon Bon in an annoyed tone

“Quiet! Listen” said Spike as they all went silent

“I hear nothing,” said Lyra

“Yeah, maybe your neurons are all fried,” said Bon Bon

Spike gave Bon Bon sucha look

“Are you going to take this seriously or not?” he asked her

She just looked away

“What I meant is that… it’s too quiet… way TOO quiet,” said Spike

“You’re… you’re right… no birds are singing,” said Lyra

At that second, Bon Bon began to walk towards a hill

“Bon Bon, where are you going?” asked Spike

“Shut up!” she said as she continued to walk up the hill followed by Spike and Lyra.

When they reached the top, they found a residential neighborhood not too far away.

“Aha! We can find help there!” said Bon Bon as she began to walk towards the neighborhood

“Bon Bon, that doesn’t look like a good idea,” said Spike

This caused her to stop in her tracks and turn around, her eyes red with rage as she stumped all the way up the hill until she was in front of Spike.

“Ok, listen “man”, don’t call me Bon Bon, second, you aren’t the boss of me, now, you want to run along thinking that you are the team captain, fine, but don’t even think about ordering me to do anything, or you will regret it… am I clear!!” she said

“Crystal” said Spike as she stumped away towards the neighborhood

“I’m sorry about that Spike, she’s cool and all, but, she distrust people who claim to be on top of her,” said Lyra

“You seem to know a lot about her,” said Spike

“Well, I’ve known her since we were 5,” said Lyra as she walked away following Bon Bon

“Should I use Discerning eye on them?... no, I don’t think it’s right,” he thought as he walked away behind them.

A few moments later, they arrived at the neighborhood

“15 houses… doble floored… high-middle class neighborhood,” said Spike

“How do you know?” asked Lyra

“My mom is an architect and real estate agent, who tend to mumble this things without realizing it,” said Spike

While he was saying that, Bon Bon walked over to one of the houses and knocked on the door.

“Hello! Is anyone home?!” she said

“Samantha, you’re wasting your time, there is no one here,” said Spike

“What makes you say that?” she asked

“No cars, grass growing out of the asphalt, houses with many broken windows, unattended, and various broken windows,” said Spike

“You’re right, plus, they all have furniture inside,” said Lyra

“Which means… people move out of this place… they left in a hurry,” said Spike as he opened another house.

“So, what now?” asked Lyra

Spike looked at Bon Bon for a few seconds, and she looked back at him

“Search the homes, every single one of them, taking anything useful, first aid kits, water, canned foods… weapons, you never know, let us meet here in 1 hour,” said Spike as he entered the house.

1 HOUR LATER

“Did you find something?” asked Bon Bon

“Yeah, one of the houses I entered had a small garden far full of vegetables and fruits. I placed the ones that were edible in this backpack, you?” said Lyra

“A few first aid kits, most of them full and unused… maybe Spike was right, people did leave in a hurry,” said Bon Bon

“Look, there he comes,” said Lyra

“So, did you find anything?” asked Bon Bon

“Yup, some canned foods, first aid kits, and these…” said Spike as he tossed 2 baseball bats at the girls “... At least we have something to defend ourselves with… but we need to find water, clean water, and by the looks of it, it’s not going to rain anytime soon,” said Spike as he placed the backpack full of things in his back.

“Now, what?” asked Lyra

“Well, maybe we can stay in one of these houses and wait for further instruction,” said Bon Bon

“That’s actually a very good idea...” said Spike

This caused Bon Bon to go mute for a second and feel her chest tighten

“...in the meantime, we can find out what is going on around here…” said Spike looking around, and doing a quick double take.

“Something wrong?” asked Lyra

“There’s… there’s a car down the street, over there,” he said pointing

“Maybe there is someone inside… let’s go check,” said Bon Bon as she began to walk towards it with Spike and Lyra close behind.

“Hello?!” she said as she knocked on the window

“Empty,” said Lyra

“And by the looks of it, it’s been here for a year… maybe 2,” said Spike

“You’re right… what do you think happened to the owner?” asked Bon Bon

“Maybe they came back here looking for something… but where?” said Spike

Bon Bon opened the hood of the car

“Battery’s missing,” she said

“Been missing for sometime,” said Spike

“Agreed, there are signs of forced removal… maybe 1 year… maybe more,” said Bon Bon

“Uhm… guys!!!” said Lyra

“Yeah!” they said as they headed over to her

“I found… something,” said Lyra

Spike and Bon Bon walked up next to her and noticed the 2 corpses lying in the grass

“I think I’m going to be sick,” said Bon Bon

“Male… late 30’s… female… mid 30’s… cause of death… blunt force trauma to the head… they were murdered,” said Spike

“How do you know?” asked Bon Bon

“Discerning eye… it comes in helpful with these situations,” said Spike as he looked at them without turning the ability off.

“Laura Heartstring, magic affinities: wind, earth magic, age 15, magic points: 8,000… relationship with caster… good… Lyra was born to a family of musicians and from an early age developed a very deep love for music, aided by her wind magic, she can play any instrument in the world and make it sound Heavenly-like; Despite this and her early rise to fame by her music, Lyra is a very friendly person and loves to befriend new and interesting people… unfortunately, she can be a tad resentful of people, especially if her trust is broken… Samantha Davies, magic affinities: wind, technomany, age 15, magic points: 9,846… relationship with caster… bad… Samantha had a rough upbringing, from an early age, her magical prowess was exploited by her father to increase their families net worth, something that she hated, especially when she discovered that her father and relatives had saved that money to create an empire, right after that, her father divorced her mother… that’s just wrong, way wrong,” thought Spike

“So, this ability of yours let’s you see, what… stats? Hidden locations and artifacts?” said Lyra

“Yup… but that’s not important right now,” said Spike

“Then what is?” said Bon Bon

“Finding a safe place to spend the night,” said Spike

“What?!!!” they both said

“Well, after seeing this… I don’t know if this area is safe for us to spend the night,” said Spike

“Oh, you just love making things complicated don’t you,” said Bon Bon

“I’m not trying to…” said Spike

“Guys, stop arguing, Spike is right, I don’t feel safe here… and the sun is going down, we need to find a safer place,” said Lyra

“Alright, if you say so,” said Bon Bon

“So, captain, where to?” asked Lyra

Spike looked around for a few seconds before noticing something

“Say… when you look at those mountains, what does it make you feel like?” he said

Lyra and Bon Bon looked at the mountains he was talking about and said

“Camping and hiking,”

“Exactly! Now, it just so happens that, when I was in one of the houses, #1347 to be exact, I found old camping gear and a pamphlet with this information on it,” said Spike as he showed them the pamphlet.

“Paradise Mountains, best place to camp in town, come here and camp or rent on of our finest lodges for a family friendly fee,” they read

“Well, if that is advertisement, they did a terrible job,” said Bon Bon

“Yeah… but, at the back, there is a map of the place and… a picture of the mountains from afar, which just so happens to resemble…” said Spike as he aligned the pamphlet image to the mountain in the horizon “... that mountain right there,” he finished

“It’s a walk away, maybe 10 km, but it’s better than being in the open, plus, we can set up traps to alert us about enemies and still have the higher ground,” said Lyra

“Well, what d’ya know, you aren’t that use less after all… maybe we can even find a natural spring up there,” said Bon Bon as they both began walking away

“Thanks… At least we are working as a team, despite the fact that Bon Bon keeps confronting me, but still… I think my on;y major concern with them is that… THEY HAVE ALMOST ZERO SURVIVIAL SKILLS!” thought Spike as he followed them.

ALMOST 1 AND A HALF HOUR LATER

Lyra, Bon Bon, and Spike had been walking towards the mountain at a good pace, even to their surprise, they thought it was going to take far longer.

“Wow, this was closer than we thought,” said Lyra

“Yeah, it must have been around 9 or 8 KM,” said Bon Bon

Spike however remain silent, there was something biting at him, something was awfully wrong… it was too peaceful and quiet

“Something on your mind Spike?” asked Lyra

“Just thinking,” said Spike

“Well, don’t overfry the last neurons you have left, cause I won’t carry a brain dead person,” said Bon Bon in an annoyed tone

“It’s not that… Don’t you girls think, it’s a bit too quiet and peaceful?” said Spike

“Well, it is called Paradise Mountain, maybe it’s an analogy to the serenity,” said Lyra

“Well, if that’s the case, that’s a great analogy…” said Spike

“There is more to it, right?” said Bon Bon

“Well… if you look to the left… at the distance, you can see the metropolitan area… small as it may be, I hear no traffic… no birds singing… no… city or mountain critters running around… it’s too quiet,” said Spike as they reached the beginning of the trail leading to the lodges.

“You’re just being paranoid about it,” said Bon Bon

“Really… then why haven’t we seen anybody else?... Why is there no electrical power?... What about the corpses?...” said Spike before being interrupted by Bon Bon

“Maybe, since it is an abandoned area, no one has gone there looking for them,” she said

“Then… what about the bite marks?” said Spike

“Bite marks?” said Both Lyra and Bon Bon

“Something had been eating away at does 2 corpses, and the bite marks don’t look animal-like… they resemble a human jaw,” said Spike

“Oh, that is ridiculous, you really fried your brain after all, well, I’m heading up hill, make sure not to get lost, cause I am not coming back to look for you,” said Bon Bon

“But… you’re a terrible hiker,” said Spike

“THAT IS NOT FOR YOU TO SAY!!!!” she said as she began walking

“Don’t worry Spike, I believe you,” said Lyra as they followed her up the trail

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“...Don’t tell me you’re taking his side!” whispered Bon Bon

“Bon Bon, even if you hate to admit it, Spike is making a very good point, it’s too quiet,” whispered Lyra

“Oh, great… you like him, don’t you?” said Bon Bon

“WHA-WHA-WHAT?!!!” whispered Lyra

“Well, there is no other reason why you would back up someone like him,” whispered Bon Bon with an angry tone

“Someone like him? What is that supposed to mean?” asked Lyra

“Look at him, he is cynical, self-centered, and sees us as a nuisance,” Bon Bon answered

“Really?... cause for the last couple of ours you’ve been so nice to him, haven’t you,” said Lyra

“I don’t trust his type,” said Bon Bon

“And yet, he has been 5 time more respectful towards you than you have been to yourself all your life,” said Lyra

“More respectful? More respectful?! He hasn’t even said anything constructive to us all this time!” Bon Bon said

“You told him not to talk to you… he is respecting your wishes!” said Lyra

“You know, if you like him that much, why don’t you jump him then!” Bon Bon whispered

“This has nothing to do with that!!! All I am saying is, we need to be more weary of our surroundings, that’s all,” said Lyra

“And all this because we haven’t crossed paths with another person… gosh, this is just… hey, there is someone over there!” Bon Bon said, the last part loud enough for Spike to hear.

Spike turned around and looked in the direction Bon Bon was pointing.

“There definitely is,” said Lyra

“Yeah… hang on a second… We should keep going,” said Spike

“Oh, come on, you wanted to see another living being, now, we run into one, and you want to avoid her? Men, you’re all so stupid… look I’ll go talk to her,” said Bon Bon as she walked towards the young woman sitting with her back to them.

“Samantha, no, come back!!!” whispered Spike loud enough for her to hear

“Listen, Spike, shut up, for the love of God, you’re really annoying!” she said as she continued to walk towards.

When she was about 10 ft. from the lady, Bon Bon said

“Excuse me!! Are you ok?!!”

At that second, the woman turned around, at that moment, they all noticed the woman’s incredibly pale and rotten skin, her long and unkept black hair, and most unnerving of all, her lifeless, white eyes.

That same second, the woman let out a blood curling, high pitch, long scream; it was so loud that Bon Bon, Lyra and Spike had to cover their ears.

Seconds later, the 3 of them began to hear grunts and various footsteps coming towards the scream.

Spike looked to the left and noticed a massive move of people coming towards them, but, scariest of all, these people weren’t alive.

“Run...run!... RUN!!!! GO GO!!!” he screamed as he rushed frozen-in-fear Bon Bon, yanking her away from there.

The three of them continued running up hill as fast as they could, with the mob of undead people getting closer and bigger.

“THIS WAY!!!” said Spike as he motioned Lyra and Bon Bon to turn left

“LIKE HELL I WOULD!!” said Bon Bon as she disobeyed Spike’s orders and continued straight

“SAMANTHA!!! NO!!!!!” both Spike and Lyra screamed as they continued running in the opposite direction

“WE HAVE TO GO GET HER!!!” said Spike

“SHE’S ASKING FOR EVERYTHING SHE’S DOING!!!” answered Lyra “SHE DESERVES IT!!”

“I THOUGHT YOU GIRLS WERE FRIENDS!!!” said Spike

“IT COMES A POINT WHERE YOU GET FED UP OF HER SHIT, AND REACHED THAT POINT!!!” Lyra answered

“REGARDLESS, I’M GOING AFTER HER!!!” said Spike he changed direction and ran after Bon Bon

“God, why do I like selfless, suicidal, down to earth guys?!!!” Lyra thought as she ran in the same direction Spike did.

A FEW METERS AWAY

Bon Bon was running at full speed, not paying attention to where she was running, the only thing on her mind was outrunning the zombies, outrunning Spike, and proving to Lyra that she was better than him.

She bent a corner, heard a loud CLICK, then a SNAP, and when she finally realized what had happened, she noticed that she had stepped on a hunting trap, and it had broken her leg; there was blood everywhere and she could see the bone poking out of her skin.

The pain was increasing with every second, and so was the sound of the mob of zombies, getting closer to her.

She began to jank at the hunting trap, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Bon Bon!” she heard as she had exhausted her adrenaline, looking over and seeing Lyra and Spike running towards her

“Holy shit, we have to get you free,” said Lyra

“Move!” said Spike as he got near her

“Don’t touch me!” Bon Bon screamed

“Argh! I don’t have time for your shit right now!” exclaimed Spike as he grabbed the hunting trap and broke it in 2 freeing Bon Bon’s leg

“We have to keep moving!” Lyra said

“With this injury, you’re as good as dead, unless...” said Spike as he got near the injury only for Bon Bon to scoot away

“I said don’t touch me!” Bon Bon repeated

“It’s not the time for this Bon Bon,” said Lyra

That same second, they noticed a bright white light emanating from Spike’s hands as his eyes also turned white.

Moments later, Bon Bon’s leg stopped bleeding

“You healed her!” said Lyra

“No, I stopped the bleeding, it’ll take to long to cure a broken bone, so, we’re going to have to carry her,” said Spike

“I’ll do it,” said Lyra as she lifted Bon Bon for her to use her as a human cane.

“OUCH!! AHHHHHHH!” said Bon Bon when she saw the big mob nearing them

Spike quickly manifested his water magic on his left hand and his fire magic on his right, and quickly shot it towards the zombies, boiling many of the leading ones to death, while creating a massive cloud of smoke allowing them to run to safety to one of the cabins nearby.

After a few minutes, the 3 of them watched the mob of remaining zombies, running past the cabin and heading up the mountain path.

“We’ll be safe here, for now at least… ok, let me heal your leg,” said Spike

“Do I have to repeat myself again?!” said Bon Bon in a threatening fashion

“And do you have to be a liability every 5 minutes? Trust me, I hate doing this as much as you hate it,” said Spike as he began to cast his holy magic on the injury, healing it completely a few moments later.

“Thanks,” said Lyra

“Don’t mention it,” said Spike as he got up and started to unpack his backpack

“So, I take it we’ll spend the night here,” said Lyra

“Yup… or at least a few hours to recharge our energy,” said Spike

Lyra then turned to her backpack and did the same.

Bon Bon however remained silent, her eyes glued to the window.

A FEW HOURS LATER

It was around 2 AM, both Spike and Lyra had gone to sleep, after hearing that Bon Bon had volunteered to take first watch.

What they didn’t know, however, was that she wasn’t planning on staying with them.

“Quietly…” she thought as she crept through the rotten wood floor.

After a few seconds, she made it to the front door and walked out, jogging away from the cabin.

After a few more seconds, she made it to the crossroad they had gone through earlier

“If I turn right and follow the path I’m pretty sure I can make it higher up the mountain and have a vantage point on the 2 of them and the zombies… I’ll show them, I’ll show him I am better at this by myself,” thought Bon Bon as she got ready to continue the path.

“Where are you going?” came a female voice from behind her, causing her to jump in fear

“Lyra! What are you doing here?!” said Bon Bon

“I saw you creep out of the cabin by yourself, so, I decided to follow you… to discover that you were planning to abandon us like animals,” said Lyra as she got closer to Bon Bon

“No, you don’t understand, I just…” Bon Bon said

“Don’t understand, don’t understand! Then help me understand!!! What were you planning to do?” Lyra said

“I… I don’t know…” said Bon Bon

“Really? After everything that Spike has done for us?... he saved your ass from your own mistake, he healed your wounds… he kept you in the game to enter the academy… And that’s how you pay him?!” Lyra said

“Spike… Spike… Spike! That’s all you can think about!!!! Spike this! Spike that! What is wrong with you?!!!” said Bon Bon

“Excuse me?!!” said Lyra

“Ever since this started, you’ve taken his side no matter what,” said Bon Bon

“Well, unlike you, I’m not an immature, self-centered, egotistical bitch, that doesn't trust someone who has saved my life from my own mistakes only because of an infantile trauma!!!!” screamed Lyra

“YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!!!” Bon Bon screamed back at Lyra

“REALLY, THEN PROVE ME WRONG!!!” said Lyra

Just as Bon Bon was about to answer, they heard a branch break nearby

“Spike? Is that you?” asked Lyra as they both looked around in the pitch black darkness

Seconds later another branch broke, and then another, and another

“Spike, this isn’t funny!!” exclaimed Lyra

As soon as she finished saying that, Bon Bon turned on the flashlight she had made.

“You had that all this time?!!!” whispered Lyra

“Yeah,” said Bon Bon as she used the new light to look around and find the culprit of the noise.

And surely enough, they found it, but they surely wished they hadn’t.

It was the same woman from earlier, who once again let out the same scream, as the floor began to shake around them, Lyra and Bon Bon decided to do the only thing the thought of

“RUN!!!!!” screamed Lyra, as the mob of undead people began to appear behind the woman.

Lyra and Bon Bon ran as fast as they could through the forest, but due to the darkness they couldn’t see very well where they were going.

“This way!!” said Lyra as she and Bon Bon turned left at a path and darted down the small incline, unknowingly heading towards a cliff.

“Come one, faster!!!” screamed Bon Bon as they both picked up the pace, not realizing where they were until it was too late

“AHHHHHHH!” screamed Lyra as she fell over the edge of the cliff only to fall into a hanging root.

“LYRA!!! Are you ok?!!!” screamed Bon Bon as she go to the edge

“GET ME UP!!!!” screamed Lyra

“RIGHT, GIVE ME YOUR HAND!!!” screamed Bon Bon as she bent over trying to reach, her friend.

Unknown to the 2 of them, the earth underneath Bon Bon was corroded and weak, and was about to become loose, all it needed apart from Bon Bon and Lyra’s combined weights, was a little amount of vibrations, vibrations being caused by the undead stamped.

“Almost got you, just a bit more,” said Bon Bon as she was able to get a hold of Lyra’s arm

At that same moment, the land beneath her loosed up enough, and both of them began to plummet to the darkness below.

Their screams,muted by the cheer realization of what was about to happen to them.

Just as the girls were preparing to accept their situation, they felt a sudden yank and halt from the free fall, accompanied by a male voice, screaming in agony.

Both girls looked up to see that Spike had grabbed onto a branch near the edge of the cliff and catched Bon Bon’s leg before they were too far gone to be saved.

With one massive yank, Spike was able to throw the girls over the edge of the cliff to safety before he used his other arm to climb over the edge.

Lyra and Bon Bon just sat there in shock, as Spike finished climbing over the edge, gave one final scream of pain and began to pace around back and forth while a blinding white light surrounded his shoulders.

“Spike… are you ok?” asked Lyra

“BOTH MY SHOULDERS HAVE BEEN DISLOCATED, WHAT DO YOU THINK!!!” said Spike as he continued to pace around.

A few seconds later, they all heard 2 loud SNAPS coming from Spike’s shoulders, as they were popped back into place by his holy magic.

Spike breathed out a sigh of relief before turning to the duo sitting on the floor, still in shock.

“Anyone planning on explaining what happened?!” he said

Bon Bon was about to open her mouth to answer but was interrupted by Spike

“It was a rhetorical question, Bon Bon, I know what happened, the only thing I don’t know is… WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!!!” he said

“I… I wasn’t,” said Bon Bon

“YEAH! WE CAN TELL!” said Spike

Bon Bon looked down at the floor in shame

“Listen, I don’t know what is wrong with you… ever since we began this simulation, you have acted like if I was the world's most wanted criminal… you disregarded orders, threatened me, caused all of the E’s in the area to come after us… TWICE… AND NOW, YOU ALMOST GOT YOURSELF AND LYRA KILLED!!!! Why?!” asked Spike

“I just… don’t like being ordered around by a… by a…” Bon Bon stutterd

“BY A?” Spike said

“By a man,” said Bon Bon

“That’s it?... THAT’S WHY YOU WERE A PAIN IN THE ASS THIS WHOLE TIME?!!!” said Spike

Bon Bon didn’t reply

“Samantha, I assume you came to this academy on your own ideals and knowledge, and I can assume, that you know damn well that you are to become some sort of soldier, which means that sooner or later, you’re going to be ordered around by a male superior… let’s assume you were the leader of a squad, and you were given orders by a male superior, but because you don’t like him for being a man, you’re going to disregard those orders and possibly get yourself and your team killed or worst captured… and don’t tell me no, cause right now, until this point, you haven’t proven otherwise,” said Spike

Bon Bon tried to answer back but the words wouldn’t come out

“Samantha… what do you think is my main responsibility as squad leader?” asked Spike

Bon Bon was about to say “to order us around like slaves” but instead said

“I… I don’t know,”

“My main responsibility, is to make sure that the 2 of you, my team, get back home safely… to stand in for you when you make a mistake, every mistake done by one of you, I must take it as my own and take the punishment… the position might sound cool, but it’s a damn stressful job, which is made worse when I have to be babysitting people like you, people who judge a path by it’s soil, that judge a flower by it’s color… who judge a book by it’s cover, and are unable to see the bigger picture,” Spike finished

“Spike, I think she understood,” said Lyra stepping in

“I surely hope so, cause like I said, I am not her personal babysitter, she has to do her part… or she’ll fail the entrance exam… let’s go back to the cabin,” said Spike as he began walking away.

“Wait! What about the zombies that were chasing us?” asked Lyra

“What do you think happened to them?” said Spike as he threw a small magic flare up into the sky to illuminate the surrounding area.

What the girls saw with the added light, made shivers run through their bodies.

It was a massacre, a carnage, not one, not even the “Howler” survived Spike’s rescue

Bon Bon looked at it and back at Spike

“Wow, he is… he is really powerful, he wouldn’t have any trouble offing me, and yet…” she thought as she began to walk towards the cabin.

1 HOUR LATER

Spike and the girls had safely made it back to the cabin

Lyra, still tired, decided to go to sleep again

Spike stated that he would take the next watch, and told Bon Bon to catch some Z’s… but she couldn’t, she just laid there in place looking at Spike.

Until her head had enough and she got up

“Spike?” she said

“Go to sleep Samantha, you’ll need your energy,” said Spike

“I… I need to talk to you,” she said

“About?” asked Spike

“About what happened,” said Bon Bon

“Listen… what happened, happened, let it go,” said Spike

“It’s just that… ever since I was a kid, I was ordered around by everyone, and I was forced to do things I didn’t like,” said Bon Bon as she sat down next to him

“Does this have something to do with your father?” asked Spike

“Who did you?” asked Bon Bon

“I accidentally used Discerning eye on the both of you, so, I kind of know a few things about you,” said Spike

“How much do you know?” asked Bon Bon

“Your father and relatives used your technomancer abilities to create an empire and then casted you and your mom aside like trash,” said Spike

“Well, that’s half of the reason… the rest of it happened while I was in school, since my wind magic was fairly weak, I excelled with my technomancy, but, due to the stigma attached to this type of magic, I was constantly bullied by other students, mostly my male classmates who used to trip me, throw stuff at me, and call me names, on time, the threw me into a puddle of mudd, and tossed my backpack into the river saying “Use your water magic to get it back, OH WAIT! You don’t have it,” and they would just walk away laughing… Lyra was the only person that was always there for me, and that’s how are friendship began,” said Bon Bon

“So… you’re an idiot,” said Spike

“Excuse me?!” said Bon Bon

At that moment Spike began to tell her about his childhood, not ignoring not even the smallest detail.

His story made Bon Bon cry a little.

“... and you can actually use anytype of magic?” said Bon Bon

“Yup… but, it’s not that great as it sounds, if I don’t train all of my affinities at the same time, it may cause an imbalance in my body and that might probably lead to my death,” said Spike

“Wow… I’m sorry I doubted you, you’re actually a very nice person,” said Bon Bon

“There is good and bad in everyone Samantha, just like there is good and bad people, you should never generalize that everyone in one particular side is evil,” said Spike

“Bon Bon,” she said

“What?” said Spike

“Call me Bon Bon,” she said

“Are you sure?” said Spike

“Positive, I mean… if it’s ok with you… I’d like to be friends,” said Bon Bon

“Sure… now go to sleep, you’ll need your energy for tomorrow,” said Spike

“Right… goodnight Spike,” said Bon Bon

“Goodnight… Bon Bon,” said Spike

This caused her heart to skip a beat again as she went to bed.

A FEW HOURS LATER

“Girls… Girls wake up,” said Spike

“What is it?” asked Lyra

“Look,” whispered Spike as he pointed to the window

Both Lyra and Bon Bon looked out and saw a massive boar-like creature heading to the area of the massacre.

“What is a Grizzly boar doing here?” asked Lyra

“Well, they are carnivores and they eat humans, no matter if they are alive or dead,” said Bon Bon

“Exactly, but what worries me is the fact that this guys never hunt alone, they are always in a pack of 10 to 15 members,” said Spike

“Which means, if there is one here…” said Lyra

“There are 9 to 14 in the vicinity” said Bon Bon

“Update: escape without being detected,” said the female robotic voice

“What do we do Spike?” asked Bon Bon

Spike looked around and saw a big patch of high grass behind the cabin, which had some Grizzly boars nearby.

“The high grass, if we move quietly and quickly, we will be undetected,” said Spike as he grabbed the backpack containing the first aid kits and remaining food and led the way.

Spike and the girls moved swiftly through the high grass, to avoid detection by the boars, until they were far enough to make a run for it.

The group ran for a few minutes, until they made it to a stream

“Is it drinkable?” asked Lyra

“Only one way to find out,” said Spike as he cupped his hands to catch some water and drink it.

“So is it?” asked Bon Bon

“Yeah, it’s fresh,” said Spike as Lyra and Bon Bon began to hydrate themselves.

A few instants later, they all got up and looked around

“Do you think we made it?” asked Lyra

“No, there hasn’t been an update,” said Bon Bon

“Yeah, well, we’re only about 500 meter away from the cabin,” said Spike

“Well, should we continue to head north? Up the hill?” asked Bon Bon

“Makes sense… let’s go,” said Spike.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Spike and the girls had successfully trekked through the forest, avoiding run-ins with Zombies and wild animals, but now they faced a different conundrum.

“Where did this fog come from?” asked Lyra as they tried to advance through it

“Well, the air is getting colder, maybe it has something to do with it,” said Spike

“Can you turn on a magical flare?” asked Bon Bon

“No, it may attract attention to us, just keep close and… BANG… OUCH!!!” said Spike as he walked into the side of the mountain.

This caused the girls to laugh.

“Ok… this… this is limestone, which means… we’re in a quarry,” said Spike

“Is that good or bad?” asked Lyra

“Quarry’s usually have only one entrance and one exit… and… I think we should look for another way out,” said Spike

“Why?” they asked

Spike just pointed behind them

The girls turned and saw the outlines of various boars roaming the area

“Oh, we’re fucked,” said Lyra

“Hey, what is that?” asked Bon Bon as she pointed to a device in the distance.

The group made their way over to asid device

“It a manual elevator,” said Spike

“A manual elevator?” asked Lyra

“Sometimes electricity is scarce in a quarry, so many of this elevators were made for tools and people to move around without being concerned regarding the aforementioned,” said Spike

“And you know this because?” asked Bon Bon

“Discovery channel I’m… addicted,” said Spike

“Let me guess, Gold rush,” said Bon Bon

“Guilty,” said Spike

“Uhm… sorry to interrupt your date, but, we have a mission,” said Lyra, a tad annoyed

This comment made Bon Bon turn red, but she remained silent

“Ok so, what’s the plan?” asked Lyra

“The 2 of you get on the elevator, and I’ll hoist you up,” said Spike

“What about you?” asked Lyra

“There has to a station at the top too, and between the 2 of us, lifting Spike shouldn’t be that much of a problem,” said Bon Bon as she got on the elevator followed by Lyra

“Why did that offend me… anyway, ready?” said Spike as he removed the academy jacket, allowing the girls to see his toned body under the shirt.

“Yeah” they nodded as Spike began to lift them up.

They were almost at the end, when the elevator malfunctioned

“Jump!!” screamed Bon Bon as the elevator fell to the bottom of the quarry

“Are you girls ok?” asked Spike

“Yeah, what about you?” asked Spike

“I’ll think of something,” said Spike

“Spike look out!!” screamed Lyra

Spike turned and noticed a group of boars looking at him

“Oh, great, I’m screwed,” said Spike as the boars charged

They were about to run Spike over, when, his back convulsed and grow wings, before he knew it he landed safely next to Lyra and Bon Bon.

Spike looked at the wings and back at the girls

“Ok, for the record, I did not know I could do that,” he said

The girls however had their eyes glued on him

“What?” he asked, looking down and noticing that his wings had ripped his shirt to threads “Oh!” he said as he untied the jacket off his hips and zipped it up.

“Better than being naked,” he said with a grin

“Yeah… anyway, let’s go,” said Lyra.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“Congratulations, you have finished the mission successfully, get ready for extraction” said the robotic voice.

Seconds later Spike and the girls found themselves back at the school’s auditorium

“Well, done kids, you have completed the exam with Special Ops ability, welcome to the academy!” said Discord

This made Lyra, Bon Bon and Spike hug, making a certain group in the audience jealous

“Now… all that is missing is for you to name your squad and make it official,” said Luna

“A what?” asked Spike

“A name, each squad must have a name,” said Celestia

“Can… can we get back to you on that one,” said Spike

“Sure… by the way, these are for you,” said Celestia as she gave the 3 of them a pair of keys.

“What are they for?” asked Lyra

“They are the keys to your home,” said Luna

“What?” Asked Spike

“Well, since you are a team, you are required to live together,” said Celestia

“Wait… WHAT!!!” everyone said

Author's Note

Squad names welcome, comment down below the best name for Spike's team