//-------------------------------------------------------// Hearts of the Taken -by Professor Equinox- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Twilight //-------------------------------------------------------// Twilight (Done with the Mane 6 and some OC's from a forum, so that's the explanation for unrecognized characters.) Twilight sat alone in her treehouse, everyone was gone, and it was all her fault. The Elements of Harmony shattered, demons taking ponies, and all her friends leaving her behind. Even Spike, who would rather be with Rarity. She sighed sadly. Her psyche broken, verging on the point of insanity, till a knock was heard, followed by several gunshots. "Help... I'm hurt... I can't hold them off... Please let me in!" said an unfamiliar voice. "Who are you, why should I let you in?" Twilight asks through the door. "I'm Equinox, I'm bleeding out, now let me in dammit." he shouts, shooting more demons. "Fine," Twilight reluctantly opened the door, and shut it before anyone else got in. She walked away immediately not saying a word. Equinox scoffed and went into the bathroom. He began to bandage himself up. "So what's your name?" he asked her snipping at bandages. "Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." she says going to sit back down. "Well, it's nice to meet you Twilight, even in lou of the circumstances." he says coming out and grabbing a book. "Well, it's nice to meet you Equinox." she says beginning to smile. "PhD." he finishes. "Ooooh, educated." she says to him, a shine in her eye. "Well, at least he's company." she thinks to herself slowly drifting off to sleep. //-------------------------------------------------------// Applejack //-------------------------------------------------------// Applejack Applejack walked alone through the Everfree, she was wearing a tattered black trenchcoat, and her signature hat, she now had an amulet shaped like an apple to remember how her entire family was taken by demons, she had to kill them in order to survive. She kept her shotgun at hooves reach, ready for anything. She heard a rustle in the bushes nearby. "Git yer behind's out where I can see ya, or out of my firin' reach!" she says pumping the shotgun. Sawdust popped out with her head tilted slightly, and tears in her eyes. "Awww, Sugarcube I didn't mean to scare ya." she says walking towards her. "What's yer name?" Sawdust backed up quickly and was shaking. "S-s-saw-d-dust." Applejack felt bad now. "Ahm' Applejack." she said trying to get nearer to her again. Sawdust was still shaking and started whimpering. She stopped in her tracks, mostly due to the fact that she was cornered by a tree. When Applejack was about a foot away. Shinygear stuck his head out quietly and gave her the signal. Sawdust immediately swiped Applejacks shotgun and aimed it at her head. "Whoa, whoa, what're ya doin?" she says backing up nervously. "Following my own advice, never trust anyone." Sawdust answers At that very moment Shinygear and several demon hunters popped out of the bushes, aiming their guns at her. Shinygear walked up to Applejack. "Oh gravy!" she says stamping her foot and dropping her weapons to the ground. "Guess what? You're a hostage now." he says to her. //-------------------------------------------------------// Rarity //-------------------------------------------------------// Rarity Rarity and Spike wandered the plains together. Spike was adolescent and could breathe fire able to kill, not to mention his claws. Rarity had found a katana on an obese pony back in another town. Who knew that cutting fabric with scissors for years could make a pony so proficient with a blade. "Where are we going to go anyway?" Spike asked, for maybe the seventh time, his voice was also significantly deeper. "I don't know Spike, is there anywhere safe you know of?" she said impatiently "Don't get snippy, this isn't my fault." he said glaring at her. The bushes nearby rustled and snapped. A dark pony stepped out and looked at them both, he attempted to step back. Rarity drew her blade and leaped at the pony, he rhythmically sidestepped and slid away. He drew his blade and the two became locked in an swarm of sparks and swinging metal. They finally were entrapped in sword on sword lock. Another rustle was heard in the bushes. Spike turned and blew a fireball in that direction. "NO!" he kicked Rarity, and swiped the fireball. It was reflected at Spike, knocking him down. He was prepared to stand when the dark pony pointed the blade at him. Rarity stood up and lunged at him, but he was too fast and disarmed her. Vines erupted from the earth, and bound Rarity. A silver unicorn stepped out from the bushes. Her horn was aglow with magic. Spike tackled the dark pony, and was about to claw him. Click! A familiar sound of a flintlock pistol being armed. Spike felt a poke in his stomach. "Checkmate!" he said smiling, he kicked him off. "For the sake of social convention, I'm Wonder, and this is Ivy." he said bowing She bowed as well. "So, where do we go from here?" she clapped her hooves together. //-------------------------------------------------------// Fluttershy //-------------------------------------------------------// Fluttershy Fluttershy was in her hut with Angel. She was cowering in her bed with her knives as usual. "Is it safe yet?" she asked Angel Angel simply sat munching on a carrot. He was getting a bit of an attitude lately, but Flutter pretended not to notice. "I didn't think so either." she said shoving the covers over her head. She sniffed the air, a quite unusual scent. Angel sprinted away and out the window. Fluttershy rushed up, right next to the window. "Angel, stop! It's too dangerous!" she yelled with distress He kept going on and onto the Everfree and out of eyes view. Flutter's eyes welled up with tears as her last and only friend was gone. She had forgotten all about the strange scent. Her nose was so plugged up she could no longer smell, her eyes were so clouded she could'nt see the red eyed ponies walk in. The one thing she could make out clearly was a sight NOPONY could forget. That bright blaze of orange that crept into her bedroom. Wildfire! She jumped out of the window with a grunt and ran into the Everfree. She heard a rustle and threw her knife towards it. Zero stumbled out, a knife in his stomach. "Oh my!" she said rushing over to aid him, seeing his eyes were yellow, not red. //-------------------------------------------------------// Rainbow Dash //-------------------------------------------------------// Rainbow Dash Rainbow was flying the sky with a mare she'd met awhile back. Her name was Hurricane, she was traveling with a unicorn named Goldenheart. Over the past few days she had grown accustomed to the adorable couple traveling with her, though she would never admit it. Goldenheart had to run, but he was no slouch. He was keeping up their pace easy breezy, mostly due to his coat. Whenever they turned around to see if he was there, he would be a few steps out in front. They had come actors a few demons but they never presented a problem, what with Rainbow's compound bow, Hurricane's storms, and Goldenheart throwing them across Equestria, they didn't have muh difficulty. "Quick question.... Where are we going?" Goldenheart asked "Appleoosa. I heard they've set up a stronghold there." Rainbow replied Hurricane stopped them. "But then we'll have to cut through the desert. We'll either boil alive, or die of malnutrition." "No we won't." Rainbow flew around her Goldenheart levitated her down. "Yeah, we will. It's a desert, not candyland." he said trying to get his point sacross Everyone was on edge in lieau of the cirumstances. They must've been making a lot of noise, because a number of Pegasi and Earth ponies surrounded them. "Damn it! What do we do now?" Golden asked "Simple, we fight!" Hurricane replied //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Pie //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Pie Pinkie was a crazy pony, or so ponies thought. In reality, she was sane, but she couldn't help when she blew things up on accident. She flung dynamite about like nothing, but she was too childish to realize the danger. She blew up the old ruins of ponys' homes. "Better safe than sorry." she thought. The demons generally just turned to ash. She still never looked though. She was going to the biggest amusement park she could find. She wanted to live out her life, partying and having fun until she couldn't open her eyes. She only had to find it. A demon leaped onto her back, she bucked it off and tried to run. It got up and gave chase. "Come back little morsel, this won't hurt long." it said in a raspy voice. It jumped on her again, this time pinning her. " Get off me." she said struggling. A shot rang out as the creature seized up. It fell to the ground. She crawled under a tree and sat up. The demon had a hole right between it's eyes. She peeked around the tree to see a shadow run across a cliff. She stood up, still in shock, but managed to run after it. She was almost there when a rope with two steel balls attached flew out and tied her feet. "Agh, what?" she said trying to look at her feet. A pony flipped her over, she had just enough time to see that it was a filly before the bag went over her head. //-------------------------------------------------------// Twilight //-------------------------------------------------------// Twilight One Week later... The professor awoke to scratches and low growls at the door. He saw Twilight was awake, and watching the door. A chill ran down his spine, he got up and walked to the door. "Damn that's creepy..." he pulled out a crossbow and opened the door. His crossbow was self reloading, and fired automatically. "FUCK OFF!" he shouted as he skewered the hellspawn, over and over. He walked away after shutting the door, Twilight who was still watching, spoke up. "I can see how you got hurt..." "Well, why not live? I'm not living again, am I? So, I make the most of every moment. Even the dangerous ones." he said, almost to a beat, as though he were speaking a line that was rehearsed, over and over. Twilight was intrigued. "And the casual profanity?" Equinox had a look of hatred, "I hate those bloodthirsty things, they took my brother, he's probably dead." he threw his forehooves in the air as he sat in the chair across from her. "I wouldn't be able to cope if my brother died." a tear slipped down her cheek. Equinox instinctively wiped it away. She shifted in her seat. "I feel safer around him... But why?" she thought to herself "It's okay. He isn't dead, right?" he asked. "No, he's trying to hold what's left of Canterlot." she admitted. "May I please sit with you?" "Umm, sure." he shifted in his seat as Twilight sat close to him. "You're okay right?" "Never better." she nuzzled him. He was confused, but he didn't object. The silence was broken by a light knock on the door leading to the upper telescope standing. A familiar voice spoke through. //-------------------------------------------------------// Applejack //-------------------------------------------------------// Applejack One day later... After 24 hours of complete silence, Applejack decided to speak up. "Might I ask where y'all is takin me?" "That's for us to know, and you to shut up and walk." Shinygear retaliated, still staring forward. He spoke without feeling, no emotion. Only then Applejack realized the true toll that this mess took on Equestria, and everypony in it. Applejack decided to play a few mind games. "So ya don't have ANY idea where we're goin'?" she asked "I never said that." he said shaking his head "Is that really for all of y'all to know or just you?" she kept at it "She has a point chief!" shouted a burly hunter "No, she does not have a point. She is a prisoner, and that is how she will stay." Shiny said, putting down he subject. Applejack tried to get it started again. "All I'm sayin is-" she was cut off by a strike from Shinygear "What you should be saying is NOTHING, absolutely nothing." Shinygear cracked his hooves. AJ was beginning to believe that this pony was off his rocker. Applejack continued to push her luck. "Nothing, absolutely nothing." "You are severely trying my patience." he said through gritted teeth "Oh cheer up friend." she slumped her fore hoof over his shoulder "I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND!" he hit her in the face with the butt of his gun. She was knocked unconscious. Shiny exhaled deeply, and turned to see his whole crew looking at him in surprise. "Get a stretcher, she's coming with." he said against his better judgement