Diamond's Evil Journey 2: Outbreak

Filthy Rich sat opposite of Twilight Sparkle in her castle with a coffee table between them. He brought his teacup up to his lips and took a small sip “Thanks for making some time to talk so late, Princess.” he said.

She gave him a small smile “It's no bother, I always have time for friends.” her smile then faded to a concerned frown “So what was it you needed to talk about. Does it have to do with your daughter?” she asked.

Filthy laid his cup on the table and sighed sadly “We had another fight.” he said shamefully.

Twilight walked over to his side and draped a wing over him in comfort “What was it about this time?” she asked.

“Princess Luna had a mission for her tonight. I told her how worried I was about her and she didn't take it well. She even said she'd love it if I stopped caring about her.” he said.

“I'm sure she didn't mean that. She was just frustrated.” she assured.

Filthy hung his head low “I just don't know how to get her to quit all of this guardspony business. I've tried everything.” he said.

Twilight gave a sympathetic hum “Have you ever tried, being supportive of her?” she asked.

Filthy gave her a shocked look “You can't be serious. I would love to be supportive of my daughter but I can't support this.” he said.

“Maybe you're looking at this the wrong way?” she suggested.

“How else am I supposed to look at it? No parent ever plans on attending their child's funeral. But now because of all this, that has become not only a concern but a real possibility.” he said.

At those words, Twilight gained an idea “How about this? Close your eyes.” she said.

“Close my eyes? Wh-” he tried to say before Twilight interrupted.

“Humor me.” she said.

Filthy sighed and nodded before shutting his eyes “Alright, what now?” he asked.

Twilight took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was going to say “This might be hard but I want you to imagine your daughter dying on a mission.” she said.

Filthy opened his eyes and glared at her “What is this exactly?” he questioned.

“I'm only trying to help, and I think this might. Give it a try, please.” she pleaded. Filthy thought for a moment before quietly closing his eyes again. Twilight gave a soft smile before continuing “I want you to think about every aspect. The funeral, the emotions, what you would do, but most importantly I want you to think about what you'd regret.”' she said.

After about a minute, Filthy's eyes started to water. He shook his head and opened his eyes “I can't do this.” he said as he turned to leave.

Twilight tried to stop him “Wait, are you okay?” she asked.

He tried to wipe the tears from his eyes “I'm f-fine. I just have some important work to finish. I have to go.” he said and continued out.

In Canterlot Castle's throne room, Time Step was hyperventilating while trying to explain to Luna. She silences him with a raised hoof “I cannot understand a word you say like that. Take a breath and try again.” she said.

Time Step nodded and calmed himself with a breath “We were wrong, it's not a sickness going around. The ponies of Manehattan have started to mutate. T-they're monsters.” he said.

Luna's eyes widened “Mutation? Did you learn anything about the cause?” she questioned.

Time Step shook his head “Nothing concrete. Diamond Tiara said that it seemed familiar. She said it was like...las...something? I forget what she said.” he said.

“Las Plagas” Luna guessed.

“Yeah that was it!” he said.

Luna hummed in concern “If that's true then we have a real problem on our hooves.” she said.

Time Step then remembered the other reason why he was sent “Oh yeah, Captain Glaive requested reinforcements, and Diamond Tiara had a...strange request.” he said.

Luna raised an eyebrow “Strange how?” she asked.

“She requested help from the humans. Specifically one named Leon Kennedy. She said that President Graham would be willing to help.” he said.

“Leon Kennedy. I do know the one.” she said before turning around “Alright, we're going through the portal then.” she said.

Luna looked back at Time Step as if she expected him to follow. He blinked a few times before realizing “Wait, me too?” he asked.

She gave him a nod “Indeed.” she said.

“Y-yes ma'am.” he said before following after her.

In the oval office, President Graham sat at his desk. Beside him was his daughter, Ashley. They were talking and laughing until a black woman in a pantsuit walked in “Mr President, someone's here to see you.” she said.

Graham raised an eyebrow at her “Can it wait Laila, my daughter came for a visit.” he said.

Laila shook her head “I'm afraid not sir. They say it's urgent.” she said.

“Well who is it?” he asked.

“Princess Luna of Equestria, and her guard Time Step.” she said.

Ashley smiled “From Equestria? Send them in.” she said. Laila nodded and stepped out of the way.

Luna and Time Step walked in “Greetings President Graham.” she said.

Graham shook off the shock from seeing them and cleared his throat “I'm surprised to see you. We usually schedule these meetings. Is your sister going to join us?” he asked.

Luna shook her head “No, this is not like our other visits. We have come to ask for your assistance. One of our cities have been struck by something similar to Las Plagas. A high ranking member of my royal guard has requested the assistance of Leon Kennedy.” she explained.

Ashley gasped “Las Plagas!” she turned to her father “We're gonna help, right dad?” she asked.

Laila walked up to the other side of him “Don't do it. The American people know next to nothing about Equestria. Imagine what they'd think if they heard that we're getting involved in their affairs.” she said.

Graham hummed in thought as he weighed his options. Time Step whispered something into Luna's ear that reminded her of something “You're right.” she said before addressing the president again “Perhaps it would help to mention who made the request, Diamond Tiara.” she said.

Ashley's eyes widened in joy “Diamond!” she then remembered something else Luna had said “Wait, you said it was someone in your royal guard didn't you?” she asked.

Luna nodded “She is.” she said.

Ashley giggled with a smile “Wow, that's amazing. I'm so proud of her.” she said.

Laila turned to Graham to see that he was starting to look convinced “Sir, you can't really be thinking of agreeing to this.” she said.

He sat back in his chair “I don't think I have a choice. I owe Diamond Tiara a great deal for saving the life of my daughter. I promised that I would do my best to help her with anything she needed.” he said.

Laila gave a exasperated sigh “You can't send an agent into another world we don't know much about just because you made a promise.” she said.

“What's agent Kennedy's status?” he asked.

Laila rolled her eyes but took out a tablet “He's not currently on a mission. I'd assume he's at home.” she said.

Graham nodded and turned back to Luna “I'll contact him immediately but it could take some time since we'll have to fly him out here.” he said.

Luna shook her head “We might not have all that time. I should still remember the feeling of his energy. I can teleport to him once I find him.” she said. Without waiting for Graham to agree, she lit her horn up and began scanning for Leon.

After a few seconds, she smiled “I have a lock on him, we'll be back.” she said.

Time Step gave her a questioning look “We? Does that mean that I'm co-” he was cut off by the spell teleporting the two of them.

Leon was at home in a white tank top and jeans. He started walking over to his couch but was interrupted by a flash of light in front of him. He covered his eyes to shield them and when he uncovered them, Luna and Time Step were in front of him. He shook his head as if he was hallucinating “Aren't you one of the princesses of Equestria? Princess...Luna?” he recalled.

She nodded at him “You are correct. And this is one of my guards, Time Step.” she introduced.

Leon rubbed the back of his neck “Sorry, this is the first time royalty suddenly appeared in my living room. Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

She shook her head “No time, I have a mission for you. Something similar to Las Plagas has appeared in Equestria and one of my guardsponies asked for your assistance.” she said.

Leon rubbed his chin in thought “Las Plagas? I hoped I wouldn't have to hear that name again. How could it be found in Equestria?” he asked.

A thought crossed Luna's mind that worried her “I might have an idea, but that can wait.” she said.

Leon nodded “Who was the guard that asked for me?” he questioned.

She managed a smile “It was my second-in-command, Diamond Tiara.” she said.

Leon took a step back in surprise “What, Really? A guard, and second-in-command no less.” he said.

Luna smiled “Indeed, will you come to our aid?” she asked.

He nodded “Let me get dressed.” he said before walking off into another room.

After a few minutes, Leon came out in all of his equipment. He had his handgun holstered at his side with his shotgun and rifle strapped to his back. He also had multiple grenades on his belt “Alright, I'm ready when you are.” he said.

“Gather around, I shall bring us back to President Graham. We can enter through the portal from there.” she said. Leon walked to her side and they all disappeared in a flash.

They appeared back in the oval office and Leon was immediately tackled in a hug by Ashley “Leon! It's been awhile.” she said happily.

Leon was taken off guard but returned the hug “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I was visiting my dad when Princess Luna came.” her smile shrunk “Did she mention that Diamond Tiara was asking for help?” she asked. Leon nodded and Ashley gave a concerned expression “Please watch out for her.” she said.

Leon chuckled “Remember who you're talking about. She didn't let Las Plagas stop her before, it won't now.” he said.

Graham stood up and got Leon's attention “Agent Kennedy. I don't know much about the situation but I'm trusting you to be able to handle it.” he said.

Leon gave a small bow “Of course sir, I'll do my best.” he said.

Luna cleared her throat to get Leon's attention “We should hurry.” she said.

“Right.” he said before following her and Time Step out of the room.

Once they entered through the portal, Leon glanced around at the castle he was in. Luna snapped him out of his thought “Before we do anything else, there is something I would like to confirm. Please follow me.” she said before walking down a hallway.

Leon followed quickly with Time Step confused if he was supposed to come too. The three of them descended a few flights of stairs to end up deep in the castle. They came to a large door where Luna stopped to explain “Three years ago when Diamond Tiara came back from your world, she accidentally brought something back. A sample of Las Plagas.” she said.

Leon's eyes widened “So that's what happened to the sample. I forgot that she had it.” he said.

“So I took it upon myself to secure it. It lies behind this door. At least, I hope it still does.” she said. She then pushed though the door. Beyond the door was a long hallway. Along the left wall was multiple statues of Celestia while the right had multiple statues of Luna. At the end was a pedestal that had a purple vial on it.

They walked up to it and Time Step wiped some sweat from his brow in relief “It's still here. That's good, right?” he asked.

Luna shook her head “This is not the sample. It is but a decoy to protect the real sample. I would not allow something so dangerous to be out like that.” she said.

Leon glanced around the room until something caught his eye. He pointed to a nearby statue of Celestia “It's behind that statue.” he said.

Luna stared at him in shock “How could you possibly have guessed that?” she questioned.

He walked to the space next to the statue and knelt down to feel the floor “Scratch marks. An obvious sign that the statue has been moved back and forth multiple times. I didn't see this near any of the other statues.” he said.

Luna was disappointed that he figured it out so fast. She walked up to the statue and touched it's nose, causing it to slide out of the way. Behind it was a hole in the wall with an empty pedestal. Luna gasped “No! H-how? Nopony even knew about it except for those in the castle.” she said.

Leon walked up to the pedestal and examined it. He saw that the entire surface was covered in dust “It's been gone for a while. This thick dust would have left an imprint if it was taken recently.” he said.

Time Step shrunk down in fear “So those monsters really are because of this Las Plagas thing?” he asked.

Leon ponder that “We haven't confirmed anything yet, but it is likely.” he said.

Luna turned to them “No more wasting time. Time Step! Gather a team for reinforcements.” she ordered. He gave a salute before running off. She then turned to Leon “Diamond Tiara is currently in Manehattan. I will teleport you to her and let her brief you.” she said.

Leon held up a finger “Hold on.” he reached into a pocket to pull out a small black device “Communication is important during a mission. This is an earpiece. Put it in your ear. If you need to speak to me or Diamond, just press the button on the back.” he said.

Luna levitated the device in her magic and placed it in her ear “Thank you, I'll send you to Diamond now.” she said.

Diamond Tiara stood atop an apartment building. She held her rifle in her hooves and aimed down at a mutated earth pony. She killed it with a bullet to the head but the noise got the attention of an infected pegasus. It flew at her with it's bladed fore legs swinging at her. She performed a sideways somersault to dodge before taking her revolver out and shooting into it's wing. It fell to the roof and she quickly jumped onto it's back to stab into it's head with her knife.

A flash of light appeared behind her. She quickly turned and threw her knife at it. Leon took his knife in hand and blocked the projectile, causing it to fall to the floor. She stared at him in shock as he holstered his knife “That's one hell of a greeting. Is that how you treat all of your friends?” he asked.

Diamond ran and jumped to wrap her fore legs around his neck “Leon! You came!” she exclaimed happily.

He reciprocated the hug “I heard that a guardsman needed my help. How could I turn that down.” he said. They separated and Leon smirked “So, second-in-command huh? I'm proud of you.” he said.

Her cheeks reddened a bit “T-thanks.” she shook her head to clear it “Either way, we have a mission to focus on.” she said.

Leon nodded and changed his expression to a more serious one “True. Princess Luna said that you'd brief me.” he said.

“We came to Manehattan because of reports of a sickness that turned ponies violent. We didn't know much else of the sickness. When we arrived,” she gestured to the mutated pegasus corpse “We found these monsters.” she said. Leon knelt down near the body to examine it as Diamond continued “You see it too right? The similarities to Las Plagas?” she asked.

After a few seconds, he stood and hummed in agreement “I also have some bad news from the castle. The sample's gone.” he said.

Diamond's eyes widened “Gone! What do you mean gone?” she questioned in a panic.

“Most likely stolen. I think it's safe to say that whoever is behind this is the same who stole the sample.” he said.

Diamond ground her hoof into the roof in anger “Damn it! Who could be behind this?” she wondered.

“Calm down. We need to take this one thing at a time. What are your orders?” he asked.

Diamond stared up at him in confusion “My...orders?” she asked.

“This is your mission, and you out rank me. You're the boss here.” he said.

Diamond chuckled a bit “Oh yeah, I guess seeing you again took me back to three years ago.” she cleared her throat and composed herself “We need to search for any uninfected and get them to safety. We'll take out as many infected as possible and then we can work on finding the one responsible for all of this.” she said.

Leon crossed his arms with an impressed smile. She still looked so young but sounded like an experienced agent, which she kind of was. Diamond raised an eyebrow at him “What's that look for?” she asked.

He was brought out of his thought and shook his head “Nothing, just thinking.” he then reached into his pocket and pulled out an earpiece “Before we go, take this. I gave one to Luna too, so we can keep in contact with her.” he said.

She took it from him and placed it in her ear “Always prepared, aren't you? I knew calling for you was the right choice.” she said. She then pressed the button on the earpiece “Luna? Are you there?” she asked.

After a second, a voice came through “I'm here. Is that Diamond Tiara?” she asked.

“Yes, Leon made it here safely too.” she said.

“That's good to know. Time Step is readying the reinforcements as we speak. What's the status of the rest of the investigation team?” she asked.

Diamond frowned slightly “Razor Wing is dead. The rest of us split up to cover more ground. I don't know about their conditions.” she reported.

Diamond heard a sad sigh from the earpiece “Alright then. Let me know if you learn anything about the one behind all of this.” Luna said.

Leon glanced down at the streets below “Finding survivors huh? Where do we start?” he asked.

Diamond started scanning the city from their high vantage point “We might have more luck somewhere that would normally be really busy.” she then spotted something that caught her eye “Wait, I see a few hotels over there. We should start there.” she said.

Leon nodded “Alright, but we should be prepared. Any place that was highly populated would probably be filled with infected.” he warned.

“I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Come on, every minute we wait is another life lost.” she said before walking towards the stairway.

Leon smiled slightly “Yes ma'am.” he said before following.