'Human' in Equestria: Maverick and Hunter

Chapters

Prologue
A Foreign World
Prophecy
The Third
Uncertain Truth
War in Equestria
With Hatred, Comes Death (Part One)
With Hatred, Comes Death (Part Two)
A Forgotten Soul
The Return
Dangers of the Night
Remorse
VERY BIG Announcement

Prologue

[Read the author notes at the bottom before hand. No, seriously, I put them there for a reason.]

“Dear Mom and Dad,

I know I haven’t written ever since I got off the transport ship, but I just want to send you one last letter. It’s been about a year and a half here on Umbra, but in earth time that would be about three years. The planet is beautiful, it resembles earth a lot, but nothing beats home. There are several planets neighboring Umbra that are visible from the ground, the colonists still have yet to see if they are habitable or not. The indigenous creatures seem to be passive, though I’m not quite sure that they are happy with our coming to Umbra. I just wanted you to know that I’m alright, you can stop worrying now. I won’t be able to write after this, the military is only taking one more letter from me to send back home. It’ll take about six earth days to reach you guys.

I love you,

-Maverick"

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July 4, planet ‘Umbra’

Maverick glanced up from the letter and out the window. The night sky was clear, a few fireworks exploding in the distance. Even on a new planet and seven hundred and fifty five years later, the colonists on Umbra still celebrated Independence Day. Maverick smirked at the display in the sky, but the expression was quickly wiped off his face as he remembered what was coming for him and his partner.

It felt like only yesterday he was on top of a building looking down the scope of a sniper with Hunter beside him doing the same. Two weeks have passed since the incident, and their fate has been sealed. Maverick turned his head from the window to Hunter. He was laying down on the bed of the cell, lightly snoring with a blanket over his body. Maverick still couldn’t believe that Hunter was born from his DNA, he was nothing like him aside from their physical appearance.

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Born out of a test tube, Hunter never had the feeling of a parent’s love, and never had the feeling of that love being stripped from him as he was taken from his home to become a killing machine for the military.

Maverick could still remember the day he was taken. The soldiers informed Maverick and his family three days in advance before they would come to take him to Umbra and serve in the army. Maverick was only sixteen at the time, however, age was not an issue for the military. Realizing it would be useless to run or hide, Maverick and his family hesitantly agreed to Maverick’s draft. Three days later, the military took Maverick away and shipped him off to planet Umbra. But what the military had planed for Maverick was not told to the sixteen year old boy or his family. For the next three years, Maverick was experimented on, developing into an Alpha unit, a super soldier taken from their home and augmented with genetic mutations and enhancements. Maverick was lucky, few Alpha units could handle the experiments and the majority of the unsuccessful Alpha units would either die or go insane within the first year of development.

Seeing how Maverick’s DNA could easily co-exist and accept the enhancements given to him, the military would continue on with Maverick to create a Beta unit.

Beta units are super soldiers born from test tubes, clones of a sort, the DNA taken from successful Alpha units to create a Beta unit. Hunter McNamara, Maverick’s Beta unit, was born four years into Maverick’s training, Hunter first introduced to Maverick a year after his birth. As anyone would have been, Maverick was furious with the military’s actions without his consent.

However, over the course of the year, Maverick accepted Hunter as a brother he never had, both of them serving as soldiers in the military.

Hunter was taught by Maverick, teaching Hunter everything he knew about normal life and the capabilities of a super soldier. Hunter eventually became a full fledged soldier like his Alpha unit, Maverick, after two years of training, Maverick twenty three years old and Hunter only three.

But both of them wold prove to be too big of a hazard to keep alive. Out of anger towards the military for making a Beta unit of him, Maverick equipped himself and Hunter with fully loaded sniper rifles, giving an excuse of further training Hunter on fire arms. Unknown to the military, Maverick’s true intentions were to eliminate the lives of several of the higher ranked officers in the military. On top of the training facility, Maverick and Hunter aimed down their scopes at the ceremony below, both of their crosshairs on two different officers. But before they could pull the trigger, a group of military operatives that had followed them in suspicion captured them and took them down to the holding cells.

Two weeks went by and Maverick and Hunter were sentenced to execution for treason by a new device the military had been working on.

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“Maverick?” Hunter asked. Maverick turned his head back to Hunter. He was sitting up in the bed, rubbing his eyes and fiddling with the ruby pendant around his neck.

“Yeah, Hunter?”

“What are they going to do to us?” Maverick sighed at the question, staring down at his hands. Maverick didn’t know how to answer the question without upsetting Hunter.

“They’re going to send us to another world, Hunter. Don’t you worry, though, I won’t ever leave your side.”

“What for?”

“We did something bad... and now we are going to have to pay the price.” Hunter stayed silent and laid back down in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. A group of soldiers walked up to the cell’s door and tapped on it with their flashlights.

“Let’s go, you two. The general is waiting.” One of the soldiers said. Maverick got up and helped Hunter onto his feet. The soldiers opened the cell door, cuffed the two super soldiers, and started taking them down the hallway. The general was waiting at the other end of the hall, his hands behind his back. He opened the door as Maverick and Hunter got closer and followed the group into the room. The general and the group of soldiers walked into a door on the other side of the room, which sealed shut as they walked through it. Maverick and Hunter were left in the chamber outside of the room the general went in, their hands still cuffed. A voice spoke through a speaker on the side of the room, distorted through the magnetic interference in the chamber.

“Maverick Blackburn and Hunter McNamara. You two are here to be executed for the attempt to eliminate several high ranking officers of the military. Do you have any last words?” Hunter and Maverick stayed silent, impatiently waiting for the soldiers to start the execution.

“Then start the machine.” The speaker turned off and the two super soldiers were left standing in the room in silence. A low hum started to come from the chamber and a glow started to form on the ground beneath Hunter and Maverick. Hunter looked around frantically, but was calmed by Maverick slightly leaning against him. The lights in the room started to dim as the glow on the floor grew brighter, the hum growing in volume with each second. But death would not come for the two super soldiers yet.

There was a loud pop and the chamber shook violently, Hunter and Maverick falling on their backs. The glow was still growing in intensity along with the hum, fear starting to set into Maverick and Hunter's hearts.

“What is wrong with the machine!? What did you do!?” A voice yelled over the speaker, yelling at the soldiers outside of the chamber Hunter and Maverick were in. There were faint voices in the background, but they weren’t audible over the hum of the machine below the chamber.

“Maverick, what is happening!?” Hunter yelled as he got up, but was knocked down by another violent shake.

“I don’t know! I don’t think they planned this!” Maverick yelled over the hum of the machine. The glow on the floor of the chamber turned red for a split second, and there was a bright flash of light. The lights in the chamber burst, the chamber becoming pitch black. The hum of the machine faded and the chamber became silent. The general walked through the door and into the chamber, furious at the events that had just taken place.

Hunter and Maverick were gone, the only evidence of them being there were their hand cuffs laying on the floor.

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Author Notes

(Don’t get mad at me, but this is a human in Equestria fic)

Hello! Here are some things I want to say before you go into the story if you choose to:

If you find any mistakes in spelling or grammar (grammar I could care less about), please inform me of them (preferably through a private message) and I will fix them as soon as possible.
While this story has some language and violence, I can assure you that you won’t be forever scarred by it. (Meaning it won’t be too graphic. The violence, at least. {there will be a few brief moments of gore, just letting you know now})
Events happening in the story will be explained, so if you find yourself getting confused, just keep reading. If you still find yourself confused, just ask me and I’ll try to explain as best as I can.
The prologue is meant to be shorter than the other chapters, it’s just explaining the situation.
[Adventure] for... well, adventuring.
Constructive criticism is ENORMOUSLY appreciated, do not hesitate to tell me if you liked the story/chapter or didn’t like it and what made you think that way. Just don’t be a dick about it [Ex: LOL, THIS STORY WAS TERRIBLE BECAUSE IT SUCKED], or I will be very angry and disappointed with you. >:(
Hunter’s last name, McNamara, has no specific way of pronunciation, so pronounce it however you see fit, whether it be ‘Mac-nam-air-ah’, ‘Mic-nom-ar-ah’, or a different pronunciation.
While this fic is placed during the year 2531 in our world, time has not really progressed too far in Equestria

That’s all I have for you guys right now, I hope you like it!

A Foreign World

Maverick opened his eyes and looked around the area in front of him. There were trees surrounding him, one of them knocked down by Hunter and Maverick’s entrance. Maverick stood up, but something didn’t feel right. He looked down and his eyes opened as wide as they could. His hands were missing, hooves in replace of the fingers he once had. He tried to let out a yell, but all that came out was a neigh and Maverick covered his mouth. He looked around frantically, trying to figure out what had happened. Maverick’s breathing settled down as he spotted Hunter laying on his side behind a tree to the right of him.

“Hunter! Hu- what the hell!? I can talk!?” Maverick said loudly in confusion. He put aside the thought and ran over to Hunter, only to be frightened once again. Hunter was a pony as well, and Maverick almost fainted at the sight of it. Maverick sat down and stared at Hunter.

“Where the hell are we?” Maverick though to himself. The dense forest around them had an eerie feeling to it, the darkness starting to take its toll on Maverick. Hunter started to wake up and Maverick scooted his way over to him.

“Hunter, Hunter! Are you alright?” Maverick asked. Hunter opened his eyes, which almost popped out of their sockets at the sight of Maverick.

“What the hell!? A talking pony!?” Hunter yelled as he pushed his way up against the tree.

“Hunter, it’s me, Maverick! Calm down!” Maverick yelled, blocking the dirt and other debris Hunter was kicking up. Hunter stopped moving around and stared at the pony in front of him.

“...Maverick? You’re a pony?” Hunter said, the most confused and frightened look on his face ever since he was awakened from his test tube.

“I don’t know what is happening either, but we’re going to have to find out somehow.”

“Is this what you meant by another world?” Hunter looked around confused at the trees around them, poking at the vine dangling down in front of his face. His eyes grew wide again at the sight of his hooves, and gave a confused look to Maverick.

“Heh, it’s not exactly what I meant...” Maverick reached out to look at the red pendant around Hunter’s neck. It was still intact, only a hairline crack through the middle of it. Maverick had given it to him when he was first introduced to Hunter after he calmed down.

“Where are we?” Hunter asked, looking down at Maverick’s hoof.

“I don’t know. Something must have happened during the execution... but I’m not exactly sure what would make us into ponies.” Maverick got up and helped Hunter onto his hooves. Hunter looked down at himself, examining his new body.

“How do we get out of here?” Hunter asked, staring off into the distance. The night sky above didn’t help with the fact that barely any light made it through the canopy above, only the outlines of the trees and bushes visible.

“Hang on, Hunter this is only going to hurt for a second... if it’s there, at least.” Maverick said. He turned Hunter around and looked at the back of Hunter’s neck. Sure enough, the switch that had been implanted in their heads was there.

“Alright, I’m going to turn flick on the night vision, hold still.” Maverick said. He brought one of his hooves up to Hunter’s neck and flipped the switch upwards. Hunter cringed for a second and he closed his eyes, but he settled in with the sudden adjustment, opening and closing his eyes.

“What did you do? I can see perfectly.” Hunter said, looking around the forest. His eyes were glowing with a faint green aura, lighting up a small area in front of him.

“I flipped on the night vision that was implanted in your during your training as a Bet-” Maverick quickly stopped what he was saying and covered his mouth.

“During my training as a what, Maverick?” Hunter asked, turning to his Alpha unit. Although Hunter knew he was a super soldier for the military, he did not know he was a Beta unit from Maverick’s DNA. Maverick decided to keep that bit of information from Hunter, fearing that Hunter would start to question what he really was and run away, or worse. Hunter continued to stare at Maverick, a slight smile on his face.

“A... super soldier, Hunter. During your training as a super soldier. Now, flick my night vision on and we can find a way out of here.” Maverick said as he turned around. Hunter moved Maverick’s mane out of the way and pushed against Maverick’s night vision switch. Maverick’s eyes jolted in pain and he closed his eyes, but the pain subsided as the night vision settled in. Maverick opened his eyes and looked around. He could see the detail of the forest, from the trees of the dense forest around them to the little bugs crawling across the forest floor.

“What do you see?” Hunter asked.

“Nothing yet, I’m just scanning the area.” Hunter turned around and started to walk away a little, looking for something that would help them get out of the forest.

“Maverick?” Hunter asked.

“What is it?” Maverick asked as he turned around.

“What are those?” Hunter had his hoof pointed behind a tree. There was a large animal of some sort standing behind it, staring at them with glowing yellow eyes. There were multiple of them, watching as Maverick walked up next to Hunter.

“Hunter... do you remember the first time we encountered the modukai on Umbra?” Maverick said quietly to Hunter as the strange looking creatures emerged from behind the trees. They seemed to be made of wood, their movements occupied by the sound of sticks cracking.

“The indigenous wolf type animals to Umbra?” Hunter asked, still staring at the timberwolves.

“Exactly... remember what I taught you?” The timberwolves started to growl as they got closer to Maverick and Hunter, forming a circle around them.

“Grab the head...” Hunter started to say.

“And twist”

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Twilight Sparkle walked along the edge of Ponyville overlooking the border between it and Everfree, heading to Fluttershy’s for a slumber party with Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. The forest seemed peaceful as Twilight stopped to look at the trees swaying blissfully in the breeze.

“I wonder if Zecora could take me on a tour through Everfree sometime, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” Twilight thought to herself as she sat down. The howl of a timberwolf came from deep within the forest, partially startling Twilight.

“I’m sure they wouldn’t come this far out of Everfree just to attack... I’ll be fine.” Twilight thought, trying to comfort herself. She started to get a little worried, however, as she spotted movement around the edges of the forest. Twilight stood up and squinted her eyes, trying to see what was moving around. She could hear somepony talking as the movement grew closer to the edge of Everfree, Twilight ready to flee if it was a pack of timberwolves.

Twilight was almost about to run at the sight of two ponies emerging from the darkness of the forest, their eyes glowing green, Twilight mistaking them for timberwolves. Something made her stay there for a second, only enough time to realize what they actually were. One of the ponies fell to the ground as they made it to the halfway point across the field to Ponyville, the other sitting down and trying to help the pony up. Twilight built up her courage and ran to the two ponies, setting aside her fear of the dangers of Everfree.

Hunter looked back at Twilight and she slid to a stop at the sight of his eyes, still glowing green from the night vision unit installed in them.

“Please, help...” Hunter said quietly. He moved out of the way to show Twilight his Alpha unit, who was laying on the ground with a deep cut in his side from the timberwolves, the cut bleeding profusely. Twilight was speechless for a second.

“Please, get help!” Hunter said louder.

“I... I’ll be back! Stay right there!” Twilight finally spoke as she found her voice. She turned and ran across the field, heading for Fluttershy’s house. Hunter looked back down at Maverick. He was breathing heavily, his condition growing worse every second.

“You’ll be alright, Maverick just hang on.” Hunter said, grabbing onto Maverick’s hoof. Maverick tried to move his head to face Hunter and he cringed from the pain in his side, resting his head back on the ground. His eyes started to close and Hunter yelled at him.

“Maverick! Don’t go, she’ll be back with help, just... hang on!” Hunter said, shaking Maverick’s hoof. Maverick’s eyes closed completely as Twilight came back to the field along with the other ponies that were at Fluttershy’s, Maverick blacking out.

______________________________________________________________________

Maverick opened his eyes slowly, his head pounding and his vision blurry. He was laying down in a bed, a white blanket over the bottom half of his body. Hunter was sitting beside the bed on a chair, biting his hoof as he awaited Maverick to wake up. Maverick’s vision became clear at the sight of his Beta unit and he spoke softly.

“Hunter... where are we?” Hunter looked up from the ground and took his hoof out of his mouth, his mouth curving into a giant grin as Maverick awoke.

“Maverick! You’re okay!” Hunter shouted with joy, getting up from the chair and putting his front hooves around his Alpha unit. Maverick heard a quiet ‘Aww’ from the other side of his bed and he turned his head to see six other ponies staring at them adoringly, their heads tilted slightly.

“Who are you?” Maverick asked the six ponies as Hunter let go of him.

“I think we should be asking you the same question.” Twilight replied.

“My name is Maverick Blackburn, this is Hunter McNamara.”

“Well nice to meet’cha, Maverick! Mind I ask where you are from?” Applejack said, shaking Maverick’s hoof.

“We came from Umbra, but...” Maverick stopped and thought for a second. He knew that he wasn’t in his world anymore, seeing as he and Hunter had been turned into ponies when they first awoke.

“Umbra? Never heard o’ that region, where is it?” Applejack asked.

“You wouldn’t know. Anyways, what exactly am I doing in a... hospital?” Maverick asked, looking at the red cross on the wall above the door.

“You were pretty badly injured by a pack of timberwolves and your... brother here brought you to Ponyville. I’m just surprised you were able to survive.” Twilight explain. Maverick sat up in his bed and looked at the bandage around his body.

“So, exactly who are you?” Twilight asked. Maverick turned his head to Hunter, who only smiled at him.

“It’s a bit of a long story...” Maverick said, turning back to the six ponies.

“Stories!? Oh, I love stories!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

“Alright, Pinkie, calm down. Go ahead Maverick, we don’t mind.” Twilight said, putting a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder as she settled down. Maverick sighed and began his story.

______________________________________________________________________

I was only sixteen years old when they came, the military. They told me that I would be taken from my home to go to the new planet that was discovered and become a soldier. Normally, I would run away from my problems, but... there was no escaping this one. I spent the last three days sitting in my house, waiting for the military to come and take me, and sure enough, there they were at my door step three days later. I bid my family a bid farewell and the soldiers took me to the transport ship. The sight of Earth leaving my sight as the transport ship traveled through space was heartbreaking, but there was nothing I could do. It took six earth days to get to Umbra, but on Umbra that was only three.

Unfortunately for me... the military wasn’t completely honest with me and my family. What they had told me and my family was only half of the truth... for the next three years I would be experimented on. They gave me genetic enhancements, mutations, augmentations... anything to make me stronger. I was lucky, only a few Alpha units were able to undergo the procedures without either dying or going insane within the first years of development.

That’s when I met Hunter. Our looks are just a coincidence, we aren’t related. He was a super soldier recovering his memory from an explosion during a battle with another colony already on Umbra. He was assigned as my partner, and I was to teach him for the next three years until he recovered his memories. Of course, that still has yet to happen, Hunter here can’t remember anything. Still, we continued on with his training to become a fully operating super soldier once again. Until, that is, we... tried something that wasn’t exactly legal... and we were sent to execution. However, something went wrong in the progress that... well, you can see the result.

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“I hope that can explain everything.” Maverick said as he rapped up his story. He looked up at the six ponies, who were speechless, giving Maverick and Hunter a look of confusion and surprise. Twilight was finally able to mutter a few words.

“Do you mean... you two... what!?” Twilight said, frustration taking over her.

“We aren’t meant to be here. Something happened during the execution and we were transported to this world. I think that the machine that was going to be used to execute us... malfunctioned somehow, and it took us here. That’s all I can put together right now, I can’t even begin to explain to you how this all happened.” Maverick said. Twilight and the other ponies stayed silent for a second, Twilight thinking harder than the time she heard of Pinkie’s ‘Pinkie sense’.

“You’re saying... that you two aren’t ponies?” Twilight asked, looking up from the ground at Maverick.

“Ever heard of humans?” Maverick replied, a slight smirk on his face.

“You’re... humans?” Twilight’s expression turned from a puzzled look to a look of disbelief and shock.

“So you have some knowledge on what we are.”

“Yeah... but, how did you manage to get to our world?”

“I’m just as confused as you are on that one.” Twilight stopped for a second and got up from the chair she was in. She walked over to Maverick and looked at his eyes. Hunter had turned his night vision off, but Twilight still remembered what they looked like not only five hours ago.

“So... what exactly are you? I know from the books I’ve read that you humans aren’t born with night vision...” Twilight said.

“Genetically engineered, augmented, mutated, and enhanced super soldiers fitted with several minor mechanical units trained by the military to become weapons. If you consider the things we have had done to us and how much we have transformed, I could barely call us human anymore.” Maverick said. Twilight turned to Hunter, who nodded in agreement with Maverick. Twilight sighed and walked back over to the five ponies she had brought with. They whispered amongst themselves for a second and turned back to Maverick and Hunter.

“Once you get better, Maverick, I think it would be best if you two have a visit with the princess, maybe she can understand what is happening more than we can.” Twilight suggested and the other ponies nodded.

“We’ll do anything to find out what is going on.” Maverick said, nodding in agreement.

Prophecy

Maverick opened his eyes again, finding himself in the bed he had awoken in just six hours ago. Hunter was still sitting in the chair next to the bed, sleeping with a blanket around him. The six ponies had left back to Fluttershy’s the night before after making sure that Maverick and Hunter would be alright by themselves. Maverick turned to the clock on the wall. Ten thirty seven in the afternoon. The door to the hospital room opened and a nurse walked in, pushing a cart with medicinal supplies on top of it.

“Oh! You’re awake, how are you feeling?” The nurse asked cheerily as she pushed the cart next to the bed.

“Better than I did last night. When can I be released?” Maverick asked as the nurse handed him a cup of jello.

“Well, your wounds have healed at an... abnormally fast rate for an earth pony. Where did you say you were from?” The nurse asked.

“Umbr-... you wouldn’t know. So, who are these princesses the ponies that brought me in were talking about?” Maverick asked. He fumbled around with the jello cup in his hooves, the cup falling back onto his stomach every time he picked it up.

“Are you kidding me? You don’t know who Princess Celestia and Luna are?” The nurse asked in disbelief.

“I’m not exactly from around here, would you mind telling me who they are?” Maverick continued to try and open the jello cup, but frustration took over and he lightly tossed it at Hunter, the cup landing in a dent in the blanket around Hunter.

“Only the most regal and sacred of all ponies! They are in control of the whole land of Equestria, those two! Even if you aren’t from Equestria, I think you would know who they are, at least.”

“Well, we’re not exactly from this world...”

“What was that?”

“...Nothing, don’t worry about it. So, when will I be able to leave?”

“Your wounds are actually completely healed since we last checked them, you can leave whenever you’re ready. Just check out at the desk down the hall.” The nurse grabbed onto the cart she came in with and walked out of the room, the door shutting behind her. Maverick sighed and turned to Hunter, who was still asleep and snoring lightly. Maverick smiled and got up from the bed. He unwrapped the bandage around his body and looked at where he had been cut. The wound was sealed shut, no sign of a cut ever being there. Maverick smiled and walked over to Hunter.

“Hey, wake up. We’re leaving.” Maverick said as he shook his Beta unit awake. Hunter opened his eyes and looked at Maverick.

“Maverick! You're already healed?” Hunter said as he got up and threw the blanket off of him, the jello cup flying across the room. Hunter put his front legs around Maverick, who hugged him back.

“I didn’t think you were going to make it.” Hunter said, his face buried in Maverick’s shoulder.

“You should know better than that, Hunter. I’ve sustained far worse injuries. Come on, let’s go find those ponies so they can tell us where these princesses are.” Maverick said. Hunter let go of Maverick and they walked through the door. They both walked down the hallway and into the hospital lobby, the nurse who had checked in on Maverick sitting behind the desk. She looked up from the paperwork in front of her and greeted them with a smile.

“You ready to head out?” The nurse asked as she levitated a pen in the air, the pen having a light green aura around it along with her horn. Hunter watched as she brought the pen down to the papers in front of her, amazed at what she was doing.

“Alright, you’re good to go. Have a wonderful day.” The nurse said happily, looking up at the two stallions in front of her.

“And you as well.” Maverick and Hunter turned from the desk and walked out of the hospital. The sun was shining down on the town of Ponyville, ponies of all sorts outside playing and talking. The town had a cheery atmosphere, a filly or colt laughing every once in a while and the sound of the leaves being blown around in the wind.

“Maverick, Hunter!” A faint voice called out in the distance. Maverick turned to look where the voice was coming from to see Twilight Sparkle standing in front of her house, waving at them. Maverick and Hunter walked over to the purple pony and looked up at her house.

“You live... in a tree?” Maverick said, him and Hunter giving the library and Twilight a confused look.

“I know it may seem weird to a human such as yourself, but it’s not too bad in there. Come inside.” Twilight said as she started to walk into the library. Hunter and Maverick shrugged and followed her in. They looked around, astonished that such a species could accomplish these tasks.

“So... Twilight, you’re a pony. Exactly how is it that you can... talk?” Maverick asked as he walked up to one of the bookshelves.

“What do you mean?” Twilight replied as she took a book down with a telekinesis spell.

“You know, you’re a pony. Ponies don’t usually talk.” Maverick turned to face her, only to have a book shoved in his face. Maverick backed away from it and stared at the title. He read the title out loud, becoming even more confused.

“Humans: Legends and Myths...”

“That’s right. According to pony history, I should be the one asking YOU all the questions. So tell me, Maverick, where exactly did you come from?”

“Doesn’t that book tell you anything about us?”

“The book is only, quoting the title, ‘legends and myths’, you aren’t a natural occurring thing here in our world.”

“That’s absurd, you’re a pony! A talking and telekinesis using pony, rather, a unicorn! According to human history, you’re a legend and a myth!” Maverick raised his hoof point at her horn.

“What, this? This right here is natural. There are four types of ponies in our world: unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, and two very rare alicorns. Want to elaborate on your side a little more so we can understand each side?” Maverick sighed and looked over at Hunter. He was leaned against the bookshelf, grabbing a book between his teeth.

“Hey, Hunter, why don’t you go upstairs. Twilight and I will be up there in a bit.” Maverick said. Hunter nodded and he walked upstairs, the book still in his mouth. Maverick turned back to Twilight, who was waiting impatiently for him to start.

“Hunter and I are humans, but we have absolutely no idea how we got here. Well, we aren’t completely human, but you get where I am coming from.”

“No, I don’t.” Maverick let out another sigh.

“... We are genetically engineered, augmented, and enhanced bio-weapons for the military in our world. We have minor mechanical units placed throughout our body to improve our combat skills out and inside of battle, as you saw with the night vision unit placed in our eyes. Hunter... he is different though. Can I trust you that you will not tell him about this?”

“You have my word.”

“... Hunter doesn’t know it, but he is what our world’s military would call a Beta unit, a human super soldier born from a DNA sample of an Alpha unit, which is a human taken from their homes and augmented from there. Beta units are usually trained to do one thing and one thing only, kill. Hunter is an exception due to my teaching him.” Twilight walked away for a second and put the book she had taken down back on the shelf.

“So, what you’re telling me, is that you two are humans, but were transformed into ponies when you entered through... a portal?”

“I don’t know what had happened. We were placed in a room with a machine under the floor. When the soldiers activated the machine, there was a loud humming noise and the floor began to glow. But, as the machine powered up, something happened and we woke up here. That’s all I know.” Twilight stood in silence for a second, placing a hoof on her chin.

“Maybe this really does need the intervention of Celestia and Luna...” Twilight thought to herself. She turned back to Maverick, a determined look on her face.

“Tell Hunter to come down here. We’re going to see the princesses.” Twilight spoke in a tone that matched her expression. Maverick nodded and called Hunter down. Hunter appeared as he descended down the stairs, the book he had brought with him in his mouth again.

“Hunter, come over here. Get rid of the book.” Maverick said. Hunter dropped the book in his mouth and he walked up next to Maverick.

“Alright, here goes nothing.” Twilight said as she walked over to the two super soldiers. She placed a hoof on each of them and her horn sparked, all three of them disappearing from the room.

______________________________________________________________________

The three ponies appeared in front of the royal Canterlot palace, Hunter and Maverick landing on the ground with a heavy thud. Both of their heads were pounding and Twilight giggled at the sight of both of them falling over as they tried to get up.

“You can teleport too!?” Maverick shouted as he got up, almost tripping over Hunter, who was laying on the ground in front of him.

“Magic, Maverick. You have a lot to learn about us ponies.” Twilight said. Hunter and Maverick regained their composure and followed Twilight into the giant doors of the palace. Hunter and Maverick looked around in astonishment, amazed at the architecture built by mere ponies.

“Up here, guys.” Twilight said from the top of the stairs. Hunter and Maverick snapped back into reality and followed Twilight as she walked into the palace hall. Another time, Hunter and Maverick were astonished by the work of the ponies, the stained glass intriguing them even further.

“Hunter and Maverick, I understand that you are the two humans that I was told about.” A voice said loudly from the other side of the hall. Maverick and Hunter turned their heads to the origin of the voice. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were standing at the end of the hall, their manes flowing majestical around their heads.

“I would assume that you two are the princesses, right?” Maverick asked as he, Hunter, and Twilight walked in front of them.

“I don’t think you should be worried about us as much as we should be worried about you. Twilight has written to me about what you told her last night, is there anything else we should know?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. Maverick slightly glanced at Hunter out of the corner of his vision.

“Nothing important. I wouldn’t think that you two would know anything more of what is going on than us, would you?”

“Quite on the contrary. My sister and I have heard about humans in Equestria before, but there have never been any confirmed incidents. This is the first that we have ever experienced in person.”

“What? Celestia, Luna, when did this happen?” Twilight asked, her mouth opened wide in surprise.

“It has been occurring for years Twilight, long before you were even a filly. Maverick and Hunter, you are certain that you two are human beings?” Luna asked.

“I do not see any reason for us to lie to you. What you hear is the truth, and nothing but the truth.” Maverick replied, staring Celestia in the eyes. The two princesses sighed and their heads fell.

“Then it is beginning sooner than we expected.” Celestia said as she walked over to the window with Luna.

“What is beginning?” Twilight asked.

“Legends have it that two humans would come to Equestria, bringing a terrible plague with them that would destroy our world and the humans would rule in place of pony-kind. For years we have dreaded this day, hoping that the rumors of humans in Equestria to be false, but they have found us, and once they hear of us, there is no turning back.” Celestia said gravely.

“What are you talking about? What legends say this?” Twilight asked, a sense of panic growing inside of her.

“Ancient carvings in the caves far into the mountains, scrolls ten thousand words long, all of the stories of humans, all coming true with the coming of Hunter and Maverick.”

“Are you saying...?”

“The fall of pony has begun, and there will be no stopping it.”

“But... there has to be a way! This can’t be it, not like this!” Twilight said, panic taking over as she started to look around frantically.

“Twilight, calm down. Celestia, two humans are not going to be able to destroy all of your race!” Maverick said, Hunter starting to grow anxious as he watched Twilight run around, muttering to herself.

“No, not you two. The third.” Celestia spoke briefly.

“What are you talking about!? We are the only ones to have come through, there is no third!” Maverick yelled.

“Not yet. In due time... he will come.” Celestia paused for a second and took a last glance out the window. Celestia and Luna turned to face the two stallions in front of them.

“Until then... we can only wait. Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia spoke. Twilight stopped running around and turned to face the princess, fear slowly fading from her eyes.

“Take them back to Ponyville, do not speak of this to anypony else, we don’t want too much panic in the streets.” Twilight nodded and slowly walked back over to Hunter and Maverick, still shaking slightly. She grabbed onto the two stallions and disappeared from the room with a teleportation spell. Celestia and Luna stayed in place, staring at the spot Hunter and Maverick were in.

“Are you sure this is it?” Luna asked. Celestia stayed silent for a second, deep in thought.

“... Only time will tell.”

______________________________________________________________________

[Two days after Hunter and Maverick’s failed execution]

July 6, military base on Umbra

After proceeding to research further into what had happened to Maverick and Hunter, the military was able to piece together what became of the two super soldiers. Although they are unaware of the world Hunter and Maverick have ended up in, inspection into the machine that had malfunctioned during the two super soldier’s execution had brought about the creation of an inter-dimensional unit, a machine able to further travel into the unknown. With the new found technology, the military base on Umbra has created a new Beta unit as a test subject on the machine.

______________________________________________________________________

“Bring him in!” The general yelled over the speakers. The doors opened in the chamber that Hunter and Maverick were tried to kill in and two soldiers walked in, each of them holding another soldier’s arms, a hood over his head. The two soldiers let go of his arms and took the hood off, the hood falling to the floor.

“Is he ready?” The general asked.

“He has been trained to kill and to kill only. His telekinesis unit is in tact and his mechanical parts are syncing perfectly with his brain waves. Are you sure that you want to do this?” The soldiers said. The Beta unit the soldiers had brought in stood in place, waiting for orders from the general.

“I am sure. Get out of there before I start it with you two in there.” The soldiers quickly walked over to the door they had came in and sealed it behind them as they walked out.

“Stealth Alpha unit Zulu, if this is successful, you are to find out what had happened to Beta unit Hunter McNamara and his Alpha unit Maverick Blackburn. If you succeed in finding them, proceed to eliminate them and find out everything you can about where you end up. Do not, I repeat, do not engage the indigenous population if there should be any. Godspeed, Zulu.” The general activated the machine below the chamber and the floor began to glow as it did during Hunter and Maverick’s execution. The Beta unit stayed still, awaiting the inter-dimension unit to spark. The glow on the floor turned red for a split second, followed by a blinding flash. The general walked through the operating room for the machine and looked around. The Beta unit was gone, his hood left on the floor.

______________________________________________________________________

~ Alright, I know these first two chapters seem really rushed, but they are just setting up for later events.

The Third

“Hunter, can you pass me the book next to you?” Maverick said, looking up from the book in front of him. Hunter picked up the book and threw it at Maverick, the book landing in his hoof. Maverick and Hunter were reading the books about humans in the library, trying to find out everything they could that the ponies knew about them.

“Surprisingly, most of the things that I’ve read have been correct, aside from a few smaller details.” Hunter said, giving the book in front of him an intriguing look.

“Yeah, it’s amazing how much these legends and myths are... true.” Maverick said as he opened the book Hunter had thrown to him.

“How are you two holding up?” Twilight asked as she walked down the stairs from her room. Her mane was in a mess, along with a strange looking doll balancing on her back.

“I think we should be the one asking you that question, you don’t look exactly... stable.” Maverick said, pointing at her mane and her shrunken pupils.

“I know... I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.” Twilight said as she fixed her mane and threw the doll back upstairs. Twilight walked down to the soldiers sitting on the floor and looked at the book in front of Hunter.

“Anything useful?” Twilight asked as she walked over to Maverick.

“Not yet, most of it is just stories of rumored incidents and a few... surprisingly true statements about humans.” Maverick said, still looking into the book. Twilight walked over to the door after a light knock on it, along with a faint chattering coming from outside. Twilight opened the door to find Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie standing in front of the door.

“Hi! What’s up?” Twilight asked the five ponies.

“Are Maverick and Hunter here? I heard that they just came back from Canterlot not too long ago.” Applejack said, looking over Twilight.

“Yeah, they’re just inside reading some of the legends on humans. Come inside.” The five ponies followed Twilight into the house, the door shutting behind them.

“Hey girls. What are you doing over here?” Maverick asked, looking up from the book.

“Oh nothing. We just thought we could stop by and see how you two are doing.” Rainbow Dash said. Something in her voice seemed off and Maverick sighed.

“You want to know what went on with the princesses, don’t you?” Maverick asked, giving the five ponies a blank stare.

“Could you!? - That’d be awesome! - Yes, please!” The ponies erupted into excitement. Maverick looked at Hunter, who only stared at him and shrugged. Maverick sighed again and turned back to the five ponies, most of them still jumping up and down in excitement. Maverick and Hunter laughed to themselves slightly at the sight of the excited ponies.

“Alright, just have a seat somewhere and-” Maverick was cut off by the screams of a mare down the street. Maverick and Hunter exchanged glances and ran out into the night, the six ponies following them. Maverick was met by Rose, who bumped into him and latched onto him in spite of fear. Maverick looked up from the terrified mare shivering from fear and down the street; both him, Hunter, and the six ponies realizing what had happened. There was a unicorn standing at the end of the block, staring at Hunter and Maverick with glowing yellow eyes. It’s coat had been torn off in different areas, revealing a metal skeleton under the skin.

“Targets sighted, Maverick Blackburn and Hunter McNamara. Engaging targets.” The unicorn said, its voice having a robotic sound to it. Hunter glanced at Maverick, not sure of what was going on.

“What is that thing?” Twilight asked as the unicorn started to walk towards Hunter and Maverick. The unicorn had trouble walking, stumbling a little like Maverick and Hunter did when they first appeared in Equestria.

“The third...” Maverick said quietly to himself.

“Twilight, take Rose and get her somewhere safe. Hunter, come here.” Maverick said, prying Rose’s front legs off of him. Twilight used her magic to bring Rose over to her, Rose still cowering in fear. The other five ponies followed as Twilight carried Rose away, not sure what to do.

“Maverick, who is that?” Hunter asked as the unicorn walked closer.

“I don’t know, but it sure as hell isn’t friendly.” Maverick said. The unicorn used its magic to bring a sword out of its sheath that was slung around the unicorn’s body, the sword and the unicorn’s horn glowing with a yellow aura. Maverick kicked against Hunter and they both flew to the side, the sword landing in the dirt where Hunter was standing.

“Hunter, it has a telekinesis unit installed, whatever you do, do not let it get ahold of you!” Maverick yelled as Hunter got up. Maverick charged at the unicorn and dashed to the side as the unicorn swung the sword at him. Maverick twisted into the air and extended his back legs, the collision between his hooves and the unicorn’s skull making a loud ‘clunk’ sound. The unicorn stumbled back and tripped over Hunter, who was laying on the ground. Maverick jumped over Hunter and landed next to the unicorn, placing his front hoof on its neck. The unicorn’s horn glowed and Maverick’s back hooves were pulled behind him, both of them with a yellow aura around them. Maverick was flung into the tree behind him, almost snapping it in half. Hunter jumped into the air and the unicorn rolled sideways, Hunter’s front hoof making a large hole in the dirt where the unicorn was.

The unicorn stood up and grabbed onto the sword with telekinesis, bringing it back to him. Maverick tackled the unicorn, only have a hoof come back into his face. Maverick landed back on the ground, rolling and getting up as fast as he could. The unicorn threw the sword at Hunter, who lifted his hoof up and brought it down, the sword implanting itself into the dirt in front of him. Hunter grabbed the sword with his mouth and swung his head, the sword flying back at the sender. The unicorn stopped the sword in front of it with magic, only to have the sword brought forward into its eye by Maverick’s hoof. The metal eye shattered and the unicorn stumbled backwards, pulling the tip of the sword out with magic and pointing it back at Maverick and Hunter.

The unicorn’s head jerked forward slightly as a rock made contact with the back of his head. The unicorn diverted his attention away from Maverick and Hunter and looked behind him. The six ponies, Rose, and a number of other ponies of Ponyville were standing in a group away from the three soldiers, staring angrily at the unicorn. He looked back at Hunter and Maverick, both of them waiting for the unicorn to make a move. The unicorn shook its head and dashed to the side, heading for the Everfree forest. Hunter and Maverick watched as the unicorn rushed into the trees, disappearing from the moonlight. Hunter and Maverick let out a sigh and they walked over to the group of ponies.

“Are you alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah... we’re fine. Everything is fine, there’s nothing to worry about, everybody just go back to your houses.” Maverick said, looking up at the group. They all exchanged glances and hesitantly walked back to their shops and houses for the night. As the group dispersed, the six ponies that had been at Twilight Sparkle’s caught up to the two soldiers as they walked to look at the forest.

“Maverick, do you know what that thing was? It looked mechanical!” Twilight asked as she stopped next to Hunter and Maverick.

“That was a stealth unit, a soldier combined with mechanical parts to the point where they are barely recognizable as humans under their deceiving shell. I actually recognize that one... he had a wife and children. Unfortunately, the military doesn’t care who they experiment on, as long as the experiments are successful...” Maverick said, staring off into the distance.

“Do you think that was what Celestia was talking about? The third?” Twilight asked, turning her head to Maverick.

“Wait, what are you talking about, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked, a slight touch of fear coming over her that Celestia had to intervene with something. Maverick sighed and turned to the six ponies and Hunter.

“Let’s get back to the library, I’ll explain everything there.” Maverick said.

______________________________________________________________________

Zulu came to a stop at a small clearing in the Everfree forest, the sword slightly falling out of its sheath around the stealth unit's body. Zulu walked to the middle of the clearing and he spoke out loud.

“Activating inter-dimensional unit number three, transport machine ‘Umbra’ one. Interference shield, deploy.” A bright white orb formed around Zulu, flowing around as if it were fire.

“Engage inter-dimension transport.” The orb around Zulu turned red, followed by a flash of light. Zulu was gone from the forest, heading for Umbra.

______________________________________________________________________

“We’re getting feedback from the inter-dimensional unit in chamber five!” One of the soldiers shouted.

“It’s Zulu, don’t be alarmed.” The general said calmly. There was a loud pop in the chamber next door and the sound of footsteps afterwards. The general walked to the door and opened it, Zulu standing in the middle of the room.

“How is he, sir?” The soldiers asked over the speakers.

“He seems to be alright aside from a shattered eye and a few scratches and cuts. Get out here and extract the footage from his eyes, lets have a look at where Zulu ended up.” The general said. A group of soldiers came through the door and walked behind Zulu, opening a hatch on the back of his head and plugging in a flash drive. The red light on the end of the flash drive turned green after a moment and the soldiers took the flash drive back into the room they came out of.

“Did you complete your mission, Zulu?” The general asked the stealth unit in front of him.

“Indigenous population became an obstacle, Zulu followed your orders to not engage and Zulu had to retreat. Alpha unit Maverick Blackburn and Beta unit Hunter McNamara are still alive.” Zulu said. The general sighed and inspected Zulu’s shattered eye.

“Umm... sir? You’re going to want to have a look at this.” One of the soldiers said over the speakers. The general walked through the door and over to the terminal the soldiers were standing around, staring at the screen in amazement.

“What is it?” The general asked as he leaned forward to look at the monitor.

“Here, I re-winded it to before Zulu left the base.” The soldier clicked on the play button. From Zulu’s perspective, he was standing in the room as the machine activated, but the footage grew a little fuzzy as the machine grew in power, and eventually lost contact as he was transported through dimensions.

“Is that it? That’s what you wanted to show me?” The general asked.

“Just wait, sir. There’s a whole lot more.” The soldier skipped ahead and Zulu was laying down in the Everfree forest, staring into the woods. The general leaned in closer, a feeling of confusion and excitement coming over him. Zulu stood up and looked around at the forest around him, scanning the area. While the general had been astonished before because the machine worked, he was even more so at the sight when Zulu glanced downwards. His hands were hooves and Zulu inspected himself even further. If he had the ability to talk outside of responses and mechanical activations, he would’ve been shouting in confusion and horror at what had happened to him.

“He’s... a pony?” The general asked, staring at the screen with wide eyes. The footage continued to Zulu running through the forest from strange beasts, the sound of sticks brushing against each other and cracking behind him. He came out into a clearing after running through the woods for a while, a town across the field. Zulu glanced back at the forest, the strange looking wolves staring at him and slowly backing into the forest. The soldier at the terminal fast forwarded again, this time stopping at the battle with Hunter and Maverick. The sword was blocking one of the eyes, but was soon shattered as Maverick forced it into Zulu. The footage on the right side of the screen went blank. Zulu stumbled back and pulled the sword out of his eye, putting it in its sheath as he looked back at the group of ponies. Zulu looked back at Maverick and Hunter and the general paused the footage, the two soldiers staring at the camera.

“Do you think that is them?” One of the soldiers asked, looking back at the general.

“Zulu’s orders were to engage Maverick and Hunter and them only. There’s no doubt in my mind that they are still alive. Though I am quite shocked they are... ponies. Search the footage further and try to find out anything else about this world. Report to me if you find anything.” The soldiers nodded their heads and turned back to the monitor, rewinding back to Zulu’s entrance into Equestria. The general walked back out to Zulu, who was trying to fix his eye as he fiddled around with it.

“Leave that be, Zulu, we’ll get it fixed. Did you happen to find anything... peculiar, other than the indigenous population?” The general asked.

“Zulu was able to find copious amounts of gem stones, foreign foods, and land while Zulu was exploring the area. Zulu is also... unsure about the indigenous population, they were ponies that were able to talk and use some sort of magic. Zulu was also transformed into a unicorn upon arrival, a horn sticking out of his head. Zulu was able to access a portion of their world’s magic, but only what seemed to be some sort of telekinesis spell. What are Zulu’s next orders?” The general was unsure about what Zulu was telling him, but it was also hard to deny because of the footage from Zulu’s vision. The general looked back up at the stealth unit in front of him.

“Once your eye is fixed, you are to go back to the world and keep an eye on Maverick and Hunter. Do not engage them or the indigenous population, we don’t want any unneeded attention.” Zulu nodded and replied with a ‘Yes, sir’, lifting his mechanical arm and saluting the general.

Uncertain Truth

Maverick opened his eyes slowly, stretching and yawning in the bed he had made on the floor. Twilight had offered to let them stay for the night at her place again, Hunter and Maverick making beds down in the basement. Maverick sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. Hunter was laying on the floor next to him, wrapped in a sleeping bag. Maverick smiled at the sight of his Beta unit snoring lightly next to him, the sleeping bag moving up and down with Hunter’s breathing. The smile on Maverick’s face faded as he remembered the events of last night. Questions would rise within Ponyville and the ponies will find out the truth, and with that there will be panic. Maverick sighed and got up quietly, trying not to wake up Hunter. Maverick quietly walked upstairs to find Twilight standing in front of her desk, reading one of the books about humans.

“Twilight, are you ready?” Maverick asked.

“Yeah, hang on. Let me get something.” Twilight said as she closed with book. She walked away from her desk and went upstairs, coming back down a second later with a saddle pack on her.

“Alright, let’s get going.” Twilight said. Maverick nodded and Twilight walked up to him, both of them disappearing with a teleportation spell.

______________________________________________________________________

Maverick and Twilight appeared in front of the royal Canterlot palace, Maverick once again dizzy as he tumbled around, trying to stand up straight.

“How the hell do you get used to this?” Maverick said as he fell back on the ground.

“Takes a few times to not get dizzy anymore. Come on, get up.” Twilight said, using her magic to lift Maverick up. She set him down on his hooves, Maverick finally standing up right. He nodded at Twilight and they started walking into the palace. The royal guards that were normally at the entrance were inside with Celestia and Luna, their talking faintly heard through the palace. Maverick and Twilight walked up to the palace hall and opened the doors to reveal Celestia, Luna, and a small group of royal guards standing in front of them, listening to the princesses. Celestia looked up at Maverick and Twilight, both of them patiently waiting for her and Luna to finish.

“Alright, you are dismissed.” Celestia said, looking back down at the guards in front of her and Luna. The royal guards responded with a ‘Yes, ma’am’ and they walked past Maverick and Twilight and out of the palace hall. Maverick and Twilight walked up to Celestia and Luna, both of the princesses with a worried look on their faces.

“We’ve heard of what has happened in Ponyville. Where is Hunter?” Celestia asked.

“He’s back at the library, I thought it would be best if he stayed there for now.” Maverick said.

“Why is that?”

“There are some things that I still have yet to tell him.”

“Then that is your choice. Now, Maverick, exactly what was that thing that appeared in Ponyville?”

“A stealth unit, mainly mechanical and typically equipped with a telekinesis unit. They are highly dangerous and kill without mercy, but I am quite confused on why it decided to leave so early...” Celestia motioned her head to Maverick and Twilight to follow as she and Luna walked towards the end of the hall. Celestia stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall and knelt down, inserting her horn into a small slot on the door. Lines of light streamed off from the slot and coursed through the door, the six circles on the door lighting with a bright blue glow. The glows inside of the door flared and the doors slowly opened, revealing a small chest on a pedestal within the small room.

“These, Maverick, are the elements of harmony, the most powerful magic known to pony kind.” Celestia said as she took the chest out of the room.

“What about them?” Maverick asked as Celestia opened the decorated chest. The elements shined within the chest with a magical aura, illuminating the area around the four ponies.

“They are the most sacred and most powerful source of magic in Equestria and they were able to stop Equestria from destruction three times in the past. But now... I need to ask you, will they be able to stop... them?” Celestia said, motioning her head slightly towards the elements with a concerned look on her face.

“Quite frankly, I don’t think I am able to answer that question with a definite answer. The military in our world has developed weapons able to conquer entire planets, I’m not sure that just one weapon against our military’s thousands would sustain against an entire army...” Maverick said as he leaned in closer to examine the elements. Celestia sighed and she lightly shut the chest lightly, the glow around them fading.

“Them I am afraid we are out of options, if that is the case. Luna, go to the Equestrian military headquarters, take a few royal guards with you and tell them to prepare defenses around Everfree.” Celestia said. Luna nodded and she started off out the palace hall, a few royal guards following her as she exited the palace.

“Wait, how do you know they are even coming back? For all we know, the stealth unit could still be here.” Maverick said.

“The night you two arrived in Equestria, I sensed something, a feeling I had never gotten before. When I heard of you and Hunter’s appearance in Ponyville and where you had come from, I knew that something was wrong. The feeling came to me again before the... stealth unit arrived, and yet again last night around an hour later. Unless more of your kind have come to Equestria, I think your friend may have gone back to your world, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t tell your military about ours.” Celestia said.

“Then what do we do? Hunter and I can’t exactly go back without the help of the machine that sent us here...” Maverick said as he and Twilight watched Celestia walk over to the window.

“Until then, we can only wait for them to show. Our military will be ready, but there is no guarantee we will be able to fight back successfully. Maverick, are you and Hunter willing to help us with our task of fending off your military?” Celestia asked as she turned to Maverick.

“Hell, we’re already wanted dead by them, I don’t think it would matter if we tried to get on their side again. You can count on us to help defend.” Maverick replied with a salute and a nod, a smirk on his face.

“Good. Twilight, I am trusting you with these, take them to Ponyville and give them to your friends.” Celestia said as she levitated the chest with the elements inside over to Twilight.

“You can count on us.” Twilight said, nodding with a determined look on her face.

______________________________________________________________________

Hunter opened his eyes slowly, the light of the candle on the machinery in the basement flickering against the walls. He glanced at the machinery in the basement, a clock on one of the terminals. Twelve seventeen. Hunter sat up and looked around, noticing Maverick missing from the bed next to him.

“Maverick?” Hunter said quietly as he got up. No answer. Hunter shrugged slightly and he walked up stairs, squinting his eyes as the day light coming through the windows poured into the basement doorway. Hunter’s eyes adjusted and he walked into the main floor of the library.

“Maverick? Twilight?” Hunter called out again. Silence yet again. Hunter sighed and he walked over to the window. The ponies of Ponyville were outside, some of them playing and others talking to one another on the streets. Hunter smiled a little and his stomach rumbled.

“Maybe I should get something to eat. Maverick and Twilight are probably just out shopping.” Hunter thought to himself. Hunter walked over to the door and pushed it open, the sound of birds chirping and ponies talking amongst themselves in the distance filling Hunter’s ears. There was a peaceful yet joyful atmosphere in Ponyville as Hunter started off towards Sugar Cube Corner, the sun shining on the town through the clear sky above. There were a few pegasi flying through the air, their shadows cast on the ground as they cleared the afternoon sky of any lingering clouds.

Hunter walked up to the doorstep of Sugar Cube Corner and pushed it open, a cheery ‘ching’ sounding as the door brushed past the bell above the door.

“Hiya, Hunter!” Pinkie said from behind the desk, waving at him as he walked up to the desk.

“Hey Pinkie. Where are Mrs. and Mr. Cake?” Hunter asked, glancing at the door to the back rooms of Sugar Cube Corner.

“They went to make a delivery and they left me in charge!” Pinkie said cheerily, raising a hoof to salute, but knocking over a cake decorator in the process.

“Uh huh... well, do you think I could get something to eat?”

“Sure! What’ll it be?”

“A muffin would be nice.”

“Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie Pie said and she bounced off into the other room. There was a loud crashing sound and Hunter leaned forward to peak in the room Pinkie had gone into.

“Pinkie? Are you alri- oh.” Hunter said as the bouncing pink pony came back into the room, Pinkie balancing a muffin on her head and a few other muffins in her mane. She set the muffin down on the desk and looked up at Hunter with a grin. Hunter stared at the muffin, which had teeth marks in it and a few specks of lint stuck to the apple bits on the muffin’s top. Hunter looked up at her with an awkward smile and set down two bits on the desk.

“Uh... thanks, Pinkie Pie. I’ll see you around.” Hunter said as he put the muffin in his mouth.

“No problem, Hunter!” Pinkie said happily, waving good bye to him as he walked out the door. Hunter shut the door behind him and he put the muffin in his hoof, giving it a slightly disgusted look. He shook his head slightly and laughed to himself as he set the muffin down on the ledge next to the door. Hunter began to walk away from the store, but was stopped by three young fillies walking up to him, each of them with a curious look on their face. Hunter stopped and looked down at the three fillies, who only stared at him.

“May I help you three?” Hunter asked, his mouth curving into a slight smile.

“Come on, you ask him.” Scootaloo said quietly as she nudged Sweetie Bell on the side.

“I’m not doing it! You ask him!” Sweetie Bell said, nudging Apple Bloom.

“Ahm not gonna do it! You ask him!” Apple Bloom said quietly.

“Hey now, calm down. Ask me what?” Hunter asked as he lightly pushed Apple Bloom away from Scootaloo. The three fillies exchanged nervous glances and Apple Bloom finally muttered a few words out of her mouth.

“Are... you the...” Apple Bloom said, but stopped and glanced back at Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo. They had excited looks on their faces, motioning for the red haired filly to continue with the question. Apple Bloom looked back up at Hunter, who was still waiting patiently for her to ask him.

“The... the human that came here a while ago?” Apple Bloom finally said, an awkward smile on her face.

“It’s only been three days, but yes, that would be me.” Hunter said. The three filly’s eyes lit up and they rushed in front of Hunter.

“What is it like in your world!? - What did you look like before you were a pony!? - What is it like being a... Beta unit!?” The fillies shouted out questions, overwhelming Hunter.

“Well, if you could just-” Hunter stopped what he was saying and stared down at Apple Bloom. The three fillies settled down and looked at Hunter. He continued staring at Apple Bloom with an angry, yet confused expression on his face.

“You... what did you just say?” Hunter asked, a sense of surprise and sternness in his voice.

“I... I just asked what it is like to be a... Beta unit...” Apple Bloom said meekly as she slightly backed away from the soldier in front of her. Hunter stood in place, and something snapped inside of him. He rushed towards Apple Bloom and picked her up, holding her in front of his face.

“Where did you hear this!? Who told you!?” Hunter yelled angrily at the filly in his hooves.

“Let go of me!” Apple Bloom yelled as she struggled to get out of Hunter’s grasp.

“Hunter! What are you doing to mah sister!?” Applejack called out as she walked away from her apple kiosk, heading towards Hunter and Apple Bloom. Hunter looked away from the filly in his hooves and he turned his head to the crowd that had gathered around him. They were all staring at Hunter, almost all of them looking worriedly at him. Hunter put down Apple Bloom and she dashed over to Applejack as quickly as she could, wrapping her front legs around her big sister. Applejack and the crowd around Hunter stood in silence, Hunter staring at the two apple family members.

“I’m... I...” Hunter started to say. He shook his head and turned around, pushing his way through the crowd as he headed back for the library. The ponies that had gathered around him watched as he ran out of sight, his hoof steps disappearing from earshot. Apple Bloom was still shaking in fear, staring where Hunter had ran off to. Applejack sighed and spoke out to the crowd.

“It’s alright, everypony, you can go back to what you were doin’.” The ponies glanced at each other and shrugged slightly, dispersing from the area a few seconds later.

“Apple Bloom, what did you say to Hunter to make him do that?” Applejack asked as she knelt down to look at her younger sister.

“I... I just asked him what it was like being a Beta unit.” Apple Bloom said, digging lightly at the dirt beneath her with her hoof.

“Who did you hear that from?”

“Twilight. She said not to mention it to Hunter... but I guess it just... slipped out. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s alright, Apple Bloom.” Applejack hugged her little sister, Apple Bloom returning the gesture.

“Though... I’m not sure it will be alright with Maverick.” Applejack thought to herself.

______________________________________________________________________

Hunter bursted through the door of the library, the slam of the door echoing throughout Twilight’s home. Hunter slammed the door shut, walked into the middle of the room, and sat down. His emotions were mixed; anger, confusion, and sadness playing their part as Hunter sat in thought.

“Me... a Beta unit? No... that can’t be...” Hunter thought to himself. Hunter fell backwards and he stared up at the ceiling, his mind racing at the thought of what Apple Bloom had said.

“But what if it is true... what if I really am one of them. It’s been three years since the explosion... I think I would have recovered my memories by now. No, I can’t let myself think this, Maverick would never lie to me!” Hunter put a hoof on his chest and lifted the pendant Maverick had given him, the ruby gleaming in the sunlight coming through the windows.

“Or would he... every time the military brought up Beta units Maverick always seemed to get on edge...” Hunter sat up at the sound of the library door starting to open.

“Hunter! Twilight and I are- oh! You’re awake. Did you sleep good last night?” Maverick asked as he walked in through the door with Twilight, the chest containing the elements of harmony levitating in the air. Hunter stared at Maverick with an angry expression on his face, the pendant still in his hoof.

“Hunter? Are you alright?” Maverick asked, giving an unsure look at his Beta unit sitting on the floor. Hunter stayed silent, continuing to stare at Maverick.

“Hunter...?” Maverick said again, starting to get slightly worried something had happened. Hunter looked away from Maverick and down at the pendant around his neck. He fiddled around with it for a little bit and stood up, the ruby pendant twirling around slightly.

“Yeah... I’m fine. Where did you two go?” Hunter asked, his mouth curving into an unsure smile.

“Twilight and I went to visit the princesses and... well, looks like we may have one last fight to pick with our commanding officers.” Maverick said.

“What do you mean?”

“Celestia and Luna believe that the stealth unit has returned back to Umbra and is reporting his findings of Equestria. Chances are, they’re not going to let that information go unnoticed. Celestia believes that there will be a full scale attack very soon, and there is not a single cell in my body that doubts that, considering the military’s actions towards Umbra and a select few of the other planets. I think this might be Lambda all over again.” Maverick said as he walked over to Twilight, who was setting the chest on her desk.

“What is that?” Hunter asked.

“The elements of harmony, the most powerful source of magic throughout Equestria.” Twilight said with excitement in her voice as she opened the chest. The light from the five necklaces and crown illuminated the area despite the sunshine.

“And what are you planning to do with those?”

“They’re going to help us fend off our military.” Maverick said, a smirk on his face.

______________________________________________________________________

The general stood at the edge of the military base perimeter, staring out at the land that surrounded it. The still yet to be explored landscape was quiet expect for an occasional howl of the indigenous creatures of Umbra. The sun was smiling down on the planet, giving a light hearted feeling to the military base. The weather was fair for summer on Umbra, a slight rain fall coming down on the blissful planet. The silence was broken as the general heard footsteps coming up from behind him and he turned around, the man coming to a halt as he approached the general.

“Sir, Colonel Isaac Etheridge reporting from dimension unit one.” The colonel said, raising his right hand to salute the general.

“At ease, colonel. What is it that you wish to tell me?” The general asked.

“The soldiers that you requested are ready to be transported through the machine. We are awaiting your orders.”

“Good, we will leave at sun down. Have everyone go back to their quarters and rest for the time being. Did you have their weapons altered so they are operable by horses?”

“Yes sir, the hoof strap and foldable barrel are working perfectly.”

“And what of the Alpha and Beta units that are tagging along with them?”

“They are getting their final touches in and will be ready by night fall.”

“Excellent, good work colonel, you may go back to your quarters.”

“Yes sir.” The colonel saluted the general once again and started off back towards the military base. The general turned back to get one last look at the landscape, the sunlight radiating from above illuminating the dense forest surrounding the military base.

War in Equestria

Maverick looked up at the setting sun from the library balcony, the horizon painted red. The weather had picked up slightly, a light rainfall landing on the umbrella set over the soldier watching the night sky edging its way closer. The balcony door opened and Maverick looked back, Hunter making his way over to his Alpha unit. Hunter sat down under the umbrella next to Maverick and stared at the twilight sky, stars starting to become visible.

“Reminds you of Umbra, doesn’t it?” Maverick asked, turning his head to look at his Beta unit. Hunter stayed silent for a second, keeping his glance at the horizon.

“Where did you live before you came to Umbra, Maverick?” Hunter asked, his eyes shifting towards the houses and shops of Ponyville below. Most of the ponies had gone inside, a few still out in the streets making their way to their homes. A few rays of moonlight made their way through small holes in the clouds above, a flash of lightning followed by a low rumble in the distance occasionally disrupting the quiet night.

______________________________________________________________________

Well, I can tell you now that it wasn’t like Umbra. Years and years of manufacturing and factory emissions finally took their toll on the planet. Earth was finally coming to a stand still, resources running low and the toxins in the air killing millions over the years. You would have to wear a filter almost every second of the day if you didn’t want to suffocate. Earth was turning into a living hell.

Then we found Lambda, the eleventh planet we found that could be suitable for human habitation. The other planets we had spotted out either had very extreme conditions to the point where you would only be able to survive a year or so, and with that, Lambda was the planet of choice. Of course, there was always the problem with the creatures that were already living there. The military decided to go ahead and barge in with no consent from the indigenous population. Lambda was based mainly on animal and insect type creatures, no sign of intelligent life on the planet, but that didn’t stop them from fighting back. The military barged in and killed everything in its path, taking everything for themselves and continuing on without mercy. After a few decades of development and construction, civilians were finally let in to Lambda in the year twenty two ninety six.

Of course, history tends to repeat itself, and soon enough wars started to break out, the new Lambda population beginning to fight over territory and other aspects of the new planet. After a while, things started to settle down and humans started to become the majority of the lifeforms on Lambda, along with the animals from Earth that had been brought along with. Not too long after the discovery of Lambda, we spotted another planet fit for humans, the planet Umbra. We didn’t take long to fly out there and start to establish colonies, the military taking no hesitation to find another world to explore.

However, this time the indigenous population wasn’t as willing to give up to us. They seemed to be passive when humans started to build, but as time went on they started to become more protective over their home land. Unfortunately, so did some of the civilians that were brought to Umbra were as well. Riots and public assassinations began to increase in number as the people saw what the military was doing to the peaceful planet, and the Umbra Revolution came into play in twenty five twenty six. I was only eleven when I heard of the news that the military were beginning to recruit soldiers to come to Umbra and fight along side them, and what do you know, five years later they come to my doorstep and take me off to Umbra. Although I missed home and my family, seeing that planet was beautiful, a new planet barely touched by the toxins that had overwhelmed Earth.

______________________________________________________________________

“But... that’s all behind me now, the military wants both of us dead and I don’t think we’re going to go back to Umbra without a gun pointed to back of our heads. This is our home for now, Hunter, this world filled with... ponies, pegasi, and unicorns.” Maverick said, chuckling to himself a little as he finished. Hunter’s eyes had sank a little, a slightly sad expression on his face. Maverick looked at him with a worried expression.

“Maverick... can I ask you something?” Hunter asked. There was a flash of light in the distance, coming from the Everfree forest, followed by a small pop.

“You know you can ask me anything, Hunter. Go ahead.” Maverick replied. Hunter sighed and looked down at his hooves. Hunter’s heart was pounding within his chest, eager to ask Maverick about what he was, but scared of the answer.

“...Am I... a Bet-” Hunter was cut off by Twilight yelling from downstairs for Maverick and Hunter to come down. Hunter closed his mouth and sighed, looking out at the horizon again. The sun was gone, the rainfall beginning to pick up as Hunter and Maverick sat on the balcony.

“Are you a what?” Maverick asked.

“...Nothing, don’t worry about it. Let’s go see what Twilight wants.” Hunter said as he and Maverick got up. Maverick watched as Hunter walked inside and let out a worried sigh.

“Something’s up... I just don’t know what.” Maverick thought to himself as he bit down on the umbrella handle, taking it back inside. Maverick set it down next to the balcony door and walked downstairs, Hunter standing next to Twilight and Spike. Maverick walked down the stairs and over to the group, a letter levitating in the air in front of them.

“It’s a letter from Princess Celestia, she says to go to the Everfree forest entrance as soon as possible.” Twilight said, keeping her eyes on the letter.

“What for?” Maverick asked.

“I’m not sure, it doesn’t quite say why.” Twilight said as she rolled the letter up.

“Alright, let’s get going then. Come on.” Maverick said as he and Hunter walked towards the door. Twilight followed them, Spike staying behind for safety measures.

______________________________________________________________________

Maverick, Hunter, and Twilight walked up to the bridge leading across the stream that connected the path from Ponyville to Everfree. The rain had picked up to a minor downpour, barely anything visible on the outskirts of Ponyville. The three ponies stared at the Everfree path as something started to walk towards them, the sound of hoof steps in the mud growing closer.

“Stay where you are, don’t come any closer!” Maverick yelled into the darkness of the Everfree forest, his voice echoing in the distance. The hoof steps stopped and Hunter turned on his and Maverick’s night vision.

“Hunter, Maverick, is that you?” A familiar voice called out in the direction of the pony on the outskirts of Everfree, responding to the sight of Hunter and Maverick’s glowing green eyes. Maverick squinted his eyes to find another pony along side the other.

“General, nice to see you here, what do you want?” Maverick asked.

“Zulu here has informed the military of his findings, and I must say, this world is quite a sight.” The general said as he started to walked across the bridge with Zulu.

“Stay right there, general. Answer my question.” Maverick said in a more stern tone. The general smirked and came to a halt in the middle of the bridge, Zulu standing at his side, staring at Hunter and Maverick with a new mechanical right eye.

“This world intrigues me, not only that the population is intelligent life, also that it seems to have quite a large amount of land and resources. I would like to further explore this world, that is, if you allow us to. I have almost the entire military base ready to come through that inter-dimension unit back on Umbra and wreak havoc on this planet. If you cooperate, we will not engage the indigenous population and you two will be taken with a group of troops back to Umbra. If you choose to push back against us, we will open fire and we will take this world by force. Your choice.” The general said. Hunter and Maverick looked back at Twilight, who shook her head.

“Looks like you’re going to have to put up with a bit of a fight, general.” Maverick said as he and Hunter looked back at the two soldiers on the bridge. The general’s smirk turned into a slight frown and he nodded at Zulu.

“Zulu to dimension reception, orders from general are to bring the soldiers through the dimension unit on Umbra and begin the march through the forest to the town. Expect resistance.” Zulu said. The radio in the stealth unit cracked and a quiet ‘Yes sir’ came through.

“Good luck, Maverick, you’re going to need it.” The general said, turning around and heading back into the forest with Zulu.

“Aren’t you going to stop them?” Twilight Sparkle asked as the general and Zulu disappeared into the Everfree forest.

“The order to begin the attack has already gone out, there’s no use in stopping them right now. Besides, we have to get back to Canterlot and warn the princesses, I would assume that they want to begin preparing for our military.” Maverick said. Twilight nodded and she put her hooves on the two soldiers next to her, the three of them disappearing with a teleportation spell a second later.

______________________________________________________________________

[Four hours later]

“Alright, ponies! We are facing a threat unlike any before!” The sergeant yelled at the squadron in front of him. “They are intelligent and they do know how to fire back! Do not hesitate to put a bullet in their skull when you see one! While they may be in the form of ponies, their uniforms are not like ours, so open fire on them at any time! Luckily, we have two of their soldiers gearing for battle to fight along side us, they will inform us about any threats that could be beyond our handling!” The door behind the sergeant opened and Maverick and Hunter walked out, both of them wearing a dark blue uniform.

“Here they are, Hunter and Maverick. Have at it, colts.” The sergeant said and he stepped out of the way.

“Alright, there are several types of soldiers that I do want to warn you about.” Maverick said. “They are highly dangerous and should be taken out first. The first is a stealth unit, a mainly mechanical, highly trained killing machine that can be tapped into to do whatever the operator tells it to. They are extremely stealthy and focus on using melee weapons. Do NOT let them get close to you or let them get their weapons in your path. Second, there are Alpha and Beta units. They will be distinctive due to their glowing green eyes, since it is night time and they will need the night vision. They are highly lethal, very strong, and can heal completely within the first hour of receiving a bullet wound. Once they are wounded, make sure to finish the job.

The third, I will not spend that much time on, but I will go over it in case they do decide to bring one in. The third is a Giga unit, an immensely powerful being able to uproot trees and haul them at over one hundred miles an hour. They are noticeably bigger from the rest of the soldiers and will NOT hesitate to kill you. Though I doubt they will bring one in, keep your eyes open for them. There is one other type of super soldier, but they are extremely rare and are only used in very desperate situations, so I won’t go over them. Other than those three, the regular soldiers shouldn’t be too much trouble if you take them on one by one. Good luck, everypony.” Maverick finished up his little speech and was met with the Equestrian soldiers stomping their hooves on the ground. The group of soldiers dispersed and began getting into position at the edge of Ponyville facing the Everfree forest.

“Nice work, Maverick, you seem to know your stuff on your military.” The Equestrian military sergeant said as he walked up to Hunter and Maverick.

“I was stationed there for about seven years, I’m pretty sure I know most of the things that go on in the base.” Maverick replied.

“I guess that seems fair. Now, about this other unit that you are talking about, how do you know that it will not be sent in to attack us?”

“This special type of unit is very rare and extremely difficult to find a perfect specimen for to make it without any consequences to the test subject. They are only deployed on last stands and very desperate situations. Their violent nature and enormous strength can put the soldiers that are deployed with in it danger and may end up in more friendly casualties than enemy.”

“I see, I will have to take your word on that.”

“Have the ponies of Ponyville been evacuated?”

“Yes, they are on their way to Whitetail woods at this very second. What of the elements of harmony? Where are they?”

“The six mares are back in Sugar Cube Corner for now, in case something should happen and any of them are hurt. They should be safe there for now.” Maverick said.

“Sir! We’re seeing something coming from Everfree!” A soldiers yelled from the outskirts of Ponyville. Maverick and Hunter nodded at the sergeant and they ran over to the front line where the Equestrian arm had set up. There were multiple flashes of light followed by loud pops coming from the Everfree forest. They were different from lightning flashes, and the pop following afterwards did not sound like thunder.

“Do you think that is them?” Hunter asked Maverick.

“No doubt that it isn’t. Everypony get to your positions and fire when I give the command!” Maverick yelled. The two Umbra soldiers flipped forward the barrel on their guns and locked it to the rest of the gun, the straps on their rifles wrapped around their front right legs. Maverick and Hunter raised their right fore legs and set them on the sandbags in front of them, aiming at the Everfree forest. There was a distant sound hoof steps splashing through mud, accompanied by the sound of multiple weapons being loaded and machines being set up. Hunter and Maverick flipped on their night vision and peered into the darkness of the forest across the bridge. There were multiple platoons of Umbra soldiers setting up spotlights and sandbags.

“Hunter, turn off your night vision. Get ready to fire on my mark.” Maverick said as he pushed down on the switch on the back of his neck. Hunter nodded and he did the same, the green glow fading from both of their eyes. The spotlights that had been set up by the Umbra soldiers exploded with light, revealing the numerous amount of soldiers aiming their guns at Ponyville.

“FIRE!” Maverick yelled. The rainy night quickly transitioned to a night of bloodshed and terror, one world fighting for their home land, the other fighting to strip it away from them.

______________________________________________________________________

“Get some heat on those troops to the far right, they’ve got us pinned down over here!” Shouted an Equestrian soldier as he ducked under cover, multiple bullets flying over him and implanting into the mud. The night sky was lighting up with every shot fired from each army along with an occasional strike of lightning.

“I’m on it!” Maverick yelled over the gun shots coming from the borders of Everfree and Ponyville. Maverick leaped over the sandbags he was taking cover behind and aimed down his sights, pulling the trigger back on the automatic rifle attached to his right fore leg as he stabilized on another pile of sandbags. The bullets flew across the empty space between the two armies and made contact with several of the Umbra soldiers, a red mist forming in the air around them.

“They’re down!” Maverick shouted as he ducked down behind the sandbags in front of him.

“Maverick, Alpha unit at your ten out in the open!” Hunter yelled as he ran from behind a pile of sandbags to one of the buildings close to the border of Ponyville. Maverick nodded and peeked over the sandbags, spotting a pony running out of cover, his eyes glowing vibrantly green. Maverick quickly set up again, aimed, and pulled the trigger, the Alpha unit falling to the ground with a bullet in his head.

“How many of them are there!? We’ve been out here for almost an hour!” One of the Equestrian soldiers said as he dashed from cover to cover, eventually setting down next to Maverick.

“The military base we were sent from had approximately one thousand and five hundred soldiers either still in training or fully fit for combat and around three hundred Alpha and Beta units ready for combat. They probably didn’t want headquarters or any of the other military bases to know about their discovery so they could keep this world to themselves, so they have to run out of troops eventually!” Maverick yelled. A grenade landed on the ground next to Maverick, and instinctively, he swung his fore leg down at it, sending the grenade off across the battlefield from where it came from. There was a loud explosion, followed by multiple yells of pain from the Umbra soldiers.

“Maverick, they’ve started to switch to plasma and laser weaponry! They must be running out of men!” Hunter yelled as a thin beam of red laser flew past him, creating a small explosion as it made contact with the ground further into Ponyville.

“Alright, I think it’s time to bring in the elements to show the general what Equestria can really do! Keep the Umbra soldiers occupied!” Maverick yelled as he pushed off of the sandbags and started running towards Sugar Cube Corner.

______________________________________________________________________

“Fluttershy, come out here! They’ll be here any second to get us!” Twilight Sparkle shouted as she pounded on the closet door, Fluttershy hiding within it. The yellow pegasus didn’t say anything, her frightened mumbling continuing from the inside of the supply closet. The door to Sugar Cube Corner burst open and Maverick ran in, only to be tackled by Rainbow Dash as he began to speak. They rolled across the floor and came to a stop, Rainbow Dash’s hoof on Maverick’s neck.

“Oh no, you’re not getting-! Oh, Maverick.” Rainbow Dash said, thinking that it was an Umbra soldier.

“Yes, it’s me! Who else would it be!?” Maverick shouted, lightly pushing the blue pegasus off of him as he got up.

“Anyways, the Umbra soldiers seem to be on their last soldiers and they’ve switched to a more lethal tactic. We need you six in order to end this, I see you all already have the elements on. Where is Fluttershy?” Maverick said, looking around the room.

“She’s in here! Come on, Fluttershy, we need you!” Twilight yelled, pulling at the closet door handle. Maverick impatiently stepped over to the door and Twilight moved out of the way, the door ripping off of its hinges a second later in Maverick’s hooves to reveal Fluttershy’s backside sticking out of a box, her head buried in the cake making supplies within her cardboard shelter.

“I’ll pay for that, don’t worry about it. Come on, Fluttershy!” Maverick said as he picked up Fluttershy and put her on his back, the yellow pegasi looking around frantically and stretching out her hooves to grab the box she was in. Maverick and the six ponies ran out into the rain, Rarity hesitating a little before stepping into the mud outside of Sugar Cube Corner. They ran through Ponyville, the sounds of the battle growing as they winded through the streets. Maverick and the six ponies came to a stop at the corner of the street leading to the battle between the two armies, the sound of gunshots and high pitch laser pulses coming from down the stretch of road. Maverick set the yellow pegasi on his back on the ground, Fluttershy still shivering slightly with fear.

“Alright, what I need you six to do is activate the elements and aim for the border of Everfree, that is where most of the Umbra soldiers are. Hurry!” Maverick yelled over the explosions coming from the outskirts of Everfree and Ponyville. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight walked out to the middle of the street, each of them with a scared yet determined expression on their faces. Maverick turned around to find Fluttershy curled up in a ball, shivering from fear.

“Oh for the love of- Fluttershy! We need you, get over here!” Maverick yelled, his patience beginning to flat line. Maverick picked up Fluttershy again and put her on his back, walking to the far left of the street, the elements in a line formation.

“Fire when ready, girls!” Maverick shouted, the yellow pegasus on his back slightly more concentrated.

“Alright, ladies, let’s show them what Equestria is made of!” Twilight yelled, and the six ponies began to glow, Twilight’s horn emitting a vibrant magical aura.

______________________________________________________________________

“What in the hell is that!?” The Umbra soldier yelled, his jaw almost dropping as he stared at the blinding glow piercing through the gloomy night.

“I don’t know, it doesn’t look like any sort of artificial light source! Men, switch your attention to the light in the town, focus all mortar and gun fire on the target! Take it out!” Colonel Etheridge shouted over the gunfire landing around him. Isaac took out his radio and fumbled around with it for a second, trying to open it with his hooves, the radio snapping open after falling in the mud.

“General, the ponies seem to be... charging some sort of weapon! What are your orders!?” Isaac yelled.

“Remain in your positions and keep fighting! I want that town locked down by sunrise! Do you hear me soldier!?” The general yelled through the radio.

“Yes... sir!” Isaac yelled unsurely and he closed the radio.

“Colonel, look!” The soldier next to Isaac yelled, pointing his hoof at the sky above Ponyville. Isaac peaked his head over the sandbags and the gun fire stopped, the colonel beginning to understand why. Almost every single soldier on the battlefield was staring at the rainbow beam streaming from the end of the road, arcing its way towards the Umbra soldiers position.

“Everyone get your ass down!” Isaac yelled at the top of his lungs. The majority of the Umbra soldiers knelt down and covered their heads, the other soldiers still staring in awe at the mortar like rainbow heading directly for them. The rainbow shot made contact with the ground, but not with the expected results from the Umbra soldiers. The beam soaked into the ground and disappeared, seeming to have been erased from existence.

“Was... that it?” The soldier next to the colonel asked, uncovering his head and looking around. Isaac looked up from the ground and around the edge of the forest, the rest of the Umbra soldiers doing the same. A low hum of laughter started to emerge, along with a few mutters that the attack was a failure. The colonel began to laugh himself, but was interrupted by a small shock of multicolored lightning erupting from the ground and making contact with the rifle strapped to his fore leg, the rifle disintegrating after the element of harmony discharge bursted on the weapon. The colonel gave his fore leg a confused look and looked at the soldiers around him, their weapons disintegrating as well as more and more bolts of rainbow lightning made contact with their weapons.

“Ponies, open fire!” Hunter yelled from behind the building at the border of Ponyville. Gunfire pierced the silence of night and the Umbra soldiers went back into cover behind the sandbags and trees. Isaac opened the radio beside him in the mud and yelled into it over the cracks of lightning, rainfall, and gunshots.

“General, the ponies have... god damn it, I don’t know! Our weapons have been destroyed along with the mortars and we have to way to protect ourselves! We are heading back to your position in the forest!”

“What!? How the hell did that manage to happen!? Never mind, just haul your asses back to the dimension reception area! Move!” The general shouted through the radio, a sense of frustration and anger in his voice. Isaac shut the radio and put it in his uniform pocket.

“Retreat! Get back to the general’s position!” Isaac shouted. The Umbra soldiers began to run back through the forest, but another obstacle appeared that they were not expecting. Loud barks and growls came from deeper in the forest as the Umbra soldiers fell back and timberwolves began to emerge from the darkness of Everfree, their glowing yellow eyes filled with the lust to kill.

______________________________________________________________________

“We did it!” Hunter yelled as he watched the Umbra soldiers seep into the dense forest and the Equestrian soldiers burst out into celebration, even the wounded. Hunter turned his attention back towards the end of the street, Maverick and the six ponies making their way towards the overjoyed army. Maverick walked up to Hunter with a smile and set Fluttershy down, the once frightened pegasus now calm and slightly bouncing up and down with excitement along with her friends.

“That was one hell of a battle, probably even more fierce than some of the revolts back on Umbra, but we managed to pull through. Good job, Hunter, you did good out there.” Maverick said, hugging his Beta unit and Hunter returning the gesture. A quiet ‘Aww’ came from the six spirits of harmony, each of their heads tilted sideways. Aside from Rainbow Dash, who was slightly amused at the two soldier’s display of emotions in public. Maverick let go of hunter and turned to face the six ponies, all of them still equipped with the elements of harmony.

“And we couldn’t thank you six anymore than we can the soldiers that fought along side us, you saved a lot of lives. Unfortunately... we did lose some ponies during the battle. I’m sure they will all be missed.” Maverick said.

______________________________________________________________________

The general stood at the doorway of the dimension transfer chamber, patiently awaiting for the soldiers to return from Equestria. There was a bright flash of light followed by a loud pop and a group of thirty soldiers fell onto the ground of the dimension transfer chamber, all of them soaking wet and muddy.

“Where is the rest of the men I sent in?” The general asked as he walked into the room. Isaac stood up and wiped off some of the mud on his uniform.

“We lost a very large portion of the men that were sent in during the battle, and we lost even more when we were heading back to the dimension reception area because of some... creatures made of sticks. They resembled the modukai here on Umbra, somewhat. They moved like them too, fast and agile. All lot of the soldiers that were caught in their grasp didn’t make it...” Isaac said, coughing a little afterwards, a small blotch of mud landing on the floor. The general let out a slightly frustrated grunt and clenched his fist.

“Isaac, I want you to take the remaining soldiers from the attack and transfer them to Delta base along with the soldiers that stayed behind on Umbra. Speak nothing of the world we have discovered to the Delta base soldiers and tell them we were overwhelmed by an attack by the protesters.” The general said.

“Sir, what about you?” Isaac asked.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll stay behind and keep and eye on the base for a day or so. Get moving, colonel.” The general said. Isaac raised his hand and saluted the general, leading the soldiers that had come through with him out of the dimension chamber a second later. The general was left alone in the dimension chamber, the footsteps of the soldiers slowly fading as they walked through the hallways and out into the quiet Umbra night.

“I will not except defeat so easily...” The general said quietly to himself. He walked out of the room and down the hall to the left, making his way to the Beta and Alpha unit enhancement lab.

“UAMS, prepare the rapid enhancements for a Giga unit.” The general said as he walked into the room at the end of the hall. UAMS (Umbra Automated Military System) spoke through the speakers within the room.

“General, the rapid enhancements are only used in dire situations and may end in failure, are you positive that you want to begin the process of creating a Giga unit?” UAMS asked.

“Don’t question me, just prepare the enhancements.”

“Yes sir.” A small tray flipped out from the wall, multiple syringes with a blue liquid inside laying on the padded table top. The general walked over to the table and picked up one of the syringes.

“Let’s see you stand up to this, Hunter and Maverick.”

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I did not take the time to read over this one and scan for errors, so there may be a few spelling or grammatical errors in there, but just inform me of them through a message if there aren't too many.

With Hatred, Comes Death (Part One)

With Hatred, Comes Death

(Part One)

The weather had calmed down since the night before, the storm slowly traveling away from Ponyville as the sun started to rise. The sun was starting to rise over the horizon, the night subsiding and making room for the morning to come. Maverick sat at the edge of the Everfree forest, inspecting the damage that had been done by the battle between human and pony. The buildings on the edge of Ponyville had taken the most amount of damage, but most of the houses and shops further into the town were untouched.

Maverick let out a sigh and looked up at the clouds moving over head. He had not gotten any sleep last night, the thought of what would have happened if the elements of harmony had not existed and what would have happened if Hunter was hurt keeping him up the hole night. His eyes were heavy as he sat in the wet grass and he laid back, a feeling of sleepiness finally starting to take over him.

______________________________________________________________________

Maverick opened his eyes slowly, the light radiating from the window making him squint a little. Maverick looked around the room he was in. It was his old bedroom back on earth, posters of various types of metal and hard rock bands occupying the white walls. Maverick lifted his arm to his face, and to his surprise, instead of a hoof, fingers brushed against his forehead. He sat up in the bed he was in and studied himself. He was sixteen again, his medium black hair hanging down to his ears and his bangs covering his forehead. He felt his chin, the soft hair running in between his finger tips.

“What the hell is going on...?” Maverick thought to himself. He got up off the bed and walked over to the window, ducking down to look past the shades hanging down in front of it. The blue sky had a dim yellow tint to it, results of the old planet taking on years of pollution from factories and other things. Maverick walked over to his dresser in the corner of the room and opened it, revealing the different shirts and pairs of jeans in the top drawer. He grabbed a pair of pants and put them on, slipping into a dark grey shirt afterwards. Maverick walked out of his room and into the hallway, a flight of stairs leading to the entrance of the small house he lived in with his parents. The confused teenager walked down the stairs and past the entrance of the house, masks with filters in them for when someone wanted to leave.

Two of the three masks were gone, Maverick’s mask sitting by itself on the wooden platform above the coat hangers. Maverick turned around and started down the hallway next to the stairs, leading further into the main floor of his home. He turned into the first doorway in the hall, a small kitchen layout with a dining room further back. Maverick turned around and walked to the end of the hall, a dim light radiating from under the dark wooden door. He studied the door for a little bit. Even though he had been away from home for seven years, he did not remember the door looking like this.

Maverick wrapped his fingers around the golden handle and turned it, the door seeming to open by itself. He let go of the handle the door slowly creaked its way open, revealing a storage closet and a small glowing chest on the floor. Maverick glanced behind him and knelt down to chest, turning his head from the hall back to the closet. He reached out and picked up the small glowing chest. It was light and some what warm to the touch, the golden lining of the edges seeming to let off a small amount of light. Maverick put his thumbs on the top of the chest and pushed forward, a small envelope laying in the red fabric that lined the inside. He set the chest down on the floor and focused his attention on the letter, which seemed to be the source of the light. Maverick flipped it over in his hands and read the back of the envelope quietly.

“To Carter and Serenity Blackburn.” The words scribbled on the paper read. Maverick turned the envelope back over and wedged his finger between the folded down part of the envelope, sliding his finger across the length of the it to unseal it. He took out the piece of paper inside of the envelope and unfolded the letter.

“Carter and Serenity Blackburn. Your son, Maverick Blackburn, has been selected to be transferred the newly discovered planet Umbra to become a soldier for the army in order to keep peace on the planet. Your son will be given special treatment once he arrives, but do not panic. If you refuse to cooperate, your son will be taken by force and you will be prosecuted for disobeying the law. You have one month to get him ready for transfer. We will give you another notice three days before his leave.

-Signed, General Gallimore”

“One... month?” Maverick said quietly to himself.

“Did my parents... keep this from me? But...why?” Maverick bit his lip and folded the paper again, placing it in the pocket of his jeans. He pushed the chest back into the closet and shut the door, the glow that previously occupied the closet resting inside Maverick’s pocket.

“Maverick, are you alright?”

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Maverick slowly opened his eyes to find Twilight Sparkle standing over him, her mane hanging down in front of his face.

“Wha... what?” Maverick asked as he rubbed his eyes. It caught him off guard to have a hoof rub against his eye lids, Maverick slightly poking himself in the face.

“Are you alright? You’ve been out here for quite a while, it’s almost four.” Twilight said as she walked next to him and sat down. Maverick sat up and looked towards the town ahead of him. The ponies of Ponyville were back in the town, a small group of them rebuilding one of the damaged shops and a few pegasi clearing the clouds to let the sun through. The grass between the Everfree forest and Ponyville was gleaming in the sunlight, the rain from last night glazing the field. Maverick sighed and looked down at his hooves.

“Yeah... I’m fine.” Maverick said quietly. The dream was still fresh in his mind, Maverick feeling as if he could reach into a pair of jeans around his hind legs and pull out a small piece of paper with the truth on it. Something about it triggered something inside of him, feeling as if he needed to do something. His parents had kept the information of his draft into the Umbra military for his own good. No sixteen year old know that they have to be sent to war, rather, be converted into a weapon to be used by the military. Maverick had been doing the same thing with Hunter, his only ‘brother’ and closest friend, yet he never could bring himself to tell Hunter that he was a Beta unit. Hunter’s heart would be shattered if he knew the truth, born from a test tube with no parents or any siblings, aside from Maverick. Yet, the truth would have to come out eventually. Hunter would find out one way or another, and there would be no telling what his reaction to it would be. Twilight remained quiet as Maverick sat in silence, sensing something was wrong.

“Twilight... is Hunter still at the library?” Maverick asked.

“No, he left earlier to take a walk through Ponyville, I’m not sure where he is right now.” Twilight said.

“Alright, I’ll see you later, Twilight.” Maverick said as he got up. Twilight watched as the distraught stallion walked off towards Ponyville, dragging his hooves as he made his way across the field.

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Hunter walked up slowly to the fountain in the middle of Ponyville town square, resting his front hooves on the edge of it. He looked down at his reflection in the gently moving water, the sad expression on his face flowing around in the ripples. Apple Bloom’s question still raced around in his mind, Hunter beginning to question Maverick.

“He wouldn’t lie to me... he was the one that taught me everything I know, there can’t be any reason for him to keep such a thing from me... or is there?” Hunter thought to himself. Hunter glanced down at the ruby pendant around his neck, the red crystal swinging back and forth in the gentle breezes in Ponyville.

“Why would he give this to me? He told me this was the only thing he had from his parents... yet he gives it to me, a soldier that lost his memory in an Umbra riot with the civilians. What makes me so special to him that he decided to give the last thing he has of his family... to me?” Hunter continued to stare at his reflection in the water, which was soon joined by another. Hunter shifted his eyes to his left, Maverick leaning against the fountain and staring into the clear water. Maverick stayed silent for a second, but finally built up the courage to speak to Hunter.

“Hunter... there is something I need to tell you... something I should have told you a long time ago, but I never had the heart to get it out.” Maverick said, keeping his sight towards the water in the fountain.

“I’m a Beta unit... aren’t I?” Hunter asked slowly.

“...Yes, Hunter, and I’m sorry. I know I should have told you sooner...”

“Then why didn’t you? I have lived my entire life, thinking that someone actually loved me once, thinking that love was stripped away from someone when I was taken... but it was all lies?” Hunter’s tone started to become more angry with every word he said.

“I didn’t want you to know because I knew that this would happen. Deep inside, I knew that I would have to tell you some day, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you the truth.” Hunter pushed himself off of the fountain and turned to Maverick, a slight angry expression on his face.

“So, what, you lied to me because you didn’t want to confront me about it!? What did you expect to happen if you waited this long to tell me, for me to accept that no one has ever cared for me!?” Hunter yelled.

“My parents hid the fact that I was being transferred into the Umbra military for one month, both of them knowing it would tear me apart that I would have to leave them to become a weapon! I did not tell you because no one should know that they were born from a test tube and their sole purpose is to kill! I never wanted this, the military took their own actions without my consent!” Maverick yelled as he pushed off the fountain and turned to face Hunter. The ponies in the town square were starting to stare at the two soldiers fighting, but Maverick and Hunter seemed to take no notice of them.

“The least you could have done is ended my life when the military presented me to you! Do you think I wanted to be born like this!? Why don’t you tell me what my TRUE past is!?”

“You were born three years ago from a test tube in the base I was stationed at to become an Alpha unit! I did everything I could to keep the information from you that you were a Beta unit because I was afraid of what your reaction would be! You never lost your memory, you were never taken away from your home, and no one ever cared for you!” Hunter grabbed a hold of the ruby hanging from the necklace around his neck and held it out in front of him.

“What about this!? You gave me the only thing that you have from your parents! Why!? If no one cares for me, why would you trust me with the only thing that reminds you of them!?” Tears started to form in Hunter’s eyes, a drop or two flowing down his cheeks.

“You were born from my DNA, Hunter, you were the closest thing I had to family on Umbra for three years! I treated you like a brother I never had, someone that I could relate to and talk to if I ever needed the comfort! I cared for you when no one else would, and this is how you react to the love I had for you!? You were a partially failed Beta unit, the military would have discarded you if it hadn’t have been for my actions to take you in and teach you everything I knew!”

“You should have let them kill me! I don’t want this, I never will! I am not your brother!” Hunter ripped the ruby pendant from the necklace and threw it into the fountain, the red gem slightly cracking as it slammed against the stone. He gave Maverick one last glanced and he turned around, running from the fountain to get away from Maverick.

“Hunter!” Maverick yelled, but his Beta unit continued to run in no particular direction, his only desire to get Maverick out of his sight. Maverick sat down and put a hoof up to his face, the tears he was holding back pouring out of his eyes and onto the ground.

“I never wanted it to be this way... I’m sorry Hunter...” Maverick said quietly to himself as he sat in the middle of Ponyville town square, crying as hard as the day he was taken from his home. Maverick felt a pat on his back and he turned his head, Twilight Sparkle’s hoof resting on him. The ponies that were in town square continued to watch as Maverick sobbed, Twilight taking him back to the library.

______________________________________________________________________

Hunter slid to a stop in the Everfree forest, feeling hatred and anger like never before.

“Why!? Why did you keep me alive!?” Hunter yelled, taking his anger out on the trees and vegetation surrounding him. Hunter continued to kick and punch, slowly chipping away as his energy. The upset soldier eventually reduced to tears once more, laying down on his stomach and resting his head on his folded fore legs, surrounded by the destroyed environment around him.

“I have no purpose other than to kill... yet Maverick continued to nurture me out of love... did he ever stop to think that I didn’t want this?” Hunter said quietly through his sobs. There was a light pop in the distance and Hunter lifted his head from the ground. Though it was only audible for a brief second, the pop sounded familiar. Hunter got up and wiped the tears from his face, staring in the direction where the sound came from. There was a distant sound of trees tumbling over and machinery moving around, the ground rumbling slightly as the sounds grew louder. Hunter flipped on his night vision and looked into the darkness of Everfree, his eyes growing wide at the sight of what was tearing through the forest, heading straight for him.

______________________________________________________________________

Maverick stared out the window at the setting sun, Twilight standing next to him with a worried look on her face. Hunter was still gone, and Maverick’s worry began to take over his sanity, Maverick quietly mumbling to himself as his eyes gleamed with tears still. Twilight took no further actions to try and bring Maverick back to himself again, the hours she had tried to before proving to be useless.

“This is my fault... I did this... Hunter...” Maverick continued on talking to himself, his lips barely separating as he spoke.

“Maverick, he’ll be back, don’t worry. I’m sure he’s just walking it off, he’s fine.” Twilight said in a final attempt to calm Maverick, her hoof lifting to rest on Maverick’s back. Maverick shook a little as Twilight’s hoof touched him and she sighed, turning back to head upstairs and get ready for bed. She was stopped, however, by the sound of someone crying out in the distance and Twilight looked back at Maverick, his eyes wide open.

“Maverick!” A distant voice called out, pain and helplessness radiating from the cry. Without hesitation, Maverick bolted out the library door, Twilight following him out of curiosity and worry. Maverick ran through the streets, following the origin of the voice. He came to a stop at the entrance of Everfree, and he froze with the display set in front of him. There was a rather large unicorn standing at the entrance of the Everfree forest, approximately the size of an Ursa Minor, Hunter laying on its back, his back left leg twisted at a disturbing angle. His eyes were staring at Maverick, Hunter bruised and cut beyond belief. The unicorn holding Hunter spoke in a familiar voice, a transmission coming from further back in Everfree.

“Such a shame he had to find out this way, Maverick. I’m just surprised that you managed to keep him from finding out for this long.” The general spoke through the Giga unit holding Hunter, his voice slightly distorted as it spoke through the machinery.

“General, you bastard! Let go of Hunter!” Maverick yelled. Twilight Sparkle was standing further back into Ponyville, watching as Maverick stared into the glowing orange eyes of the Giga unit presented in front of him.

“If you say so.” The Giga unit tilted sideways and Hunter slid off of its back, the Beta unit landing on his broken leg, Hunter yelling in pain. Maverick was only angered further, trying to avert his eyes from Hunter’s suffering.

“You’re going to regret what you have done.” Maverick spoke.

“We’ll see about that.” The general said. Maverick and the Giga unit charged at each other, the ground rumbling as the large unicorn galloped across the field between Ponyville and Everfree. Maverick jumped in the air as he got close to the Giga unit, a giant hoof gliding across the grass below him with unrelenting force. Maverick made his way under the unicorn and pushed off as hard as he could from the ground, latching onto the unicorn’s tail. The Giga unit wiped around, Maverick lifted further from the ground as the Giga unit’s tail flowed through the air. Maverick let go as the unicorn’s tail slapped against its side, digging his teeth into the flesh to steady himself. He lifted his fore legs and pulled himself up on top of the Giga unit.

“Maverick! Catch!” Twilight yelled in the distance, a long metal pole gliding through the air. Maverick carefully jumped up and curved his hooves around the pole, landing back on the Giga unit with the pole in his hoof. The Giga unit began to buck, trying to get Maverick off of it as it kicked the air violently. Maverick held onto the Giga unit’s mane and jumped off, hanging at the right side of its head.

“This one’s for Hunter!” Maverick yelled, swing the long metal pole with all his force into the side of the Giga unit’s head. The pole made its way through the Giga unit’s head and the end of the pole punctured through the other side, resting stable in the unicorn’s skull. The Giga unit roared in pain and swung its head around, the motion of its mane flinging Maverick into the air above. Maverick regained his balance in the air and he looked back down at the Giga unit below, the unicorn trying to get a grip on the metal pole stuck in its head. Maverick began to fall, and he took the opportunity to make the final blow. As he came closer to the Giga unit, he lifted his hoof, and swung down. The force of his hoof slamming on the end of the metal pole flung the other end up into the air, the Giga unit’s neck creating a loud snap noise along with the sound of metal ripping apart. Maverick landed back on the ground, his hooves digging into the dirt with the force of him falling. The Giga unit fell over sideways, the ground trembling enough to make the trees in the Everfree forest shake. Maverick stood up and shook his hoof, stinging a little from punching the metal pole.

“Good riddance.” Maverick said, spitting in the direction of the deceased Giga unit. He turned his attention towards Hunter, who was still laying at the edge of Everfree, breathing heavily. Maverick ran across the field and stopped next to the injured soldier, Twilight teleporting next to Maverick.

“Hunter, you’re going to be alright, just hang in there.” Maverick said, examining Hunter’s hind leg. Hunter stayed quiet, paying no attention to Maverick as he slowly lost conscious.

“Hunter!” Maverick yelled, shaking him a little. No response. Maverick put his hoof up to his Beta unit’s neck and checked for a heartbeat. There was a faint pulse, relieving Maverick of some of his worries.

“Twilight, go get help. He won’t be able to recover from this on his own.” Maverick said. Twilight nodded and headed back towards Ponyville, a small group of ponies already forming at the edge of the town to see what had happened.

______________________________________________________________________

Maverick sat on the chair beside the hospital bed, Hunter resting peacefully. The door to the hospital room opened and Twilight Sparkle and her friends walked in.

“How is he doing?” Twilight asked, standing at the end of the bed and looking at Hunter.

“He’s going to make a full recovery, but his leg took some serious damage, the doctors don’t think he’ll be able to walk without assistance for a while, even with his healing capabilities.” Maverick said. Maverick had gone back to the fountain to get the ruby gem that Hunter had thrown, the pendant resting in Maverick’s hoof. He stared at the red gem hanging from the chain around his hoof, the ruby swinging back and forth slightly.

“I knew I should have told him earlier. If I had... this would have never happened. This is all my fault.” Maverick said sadly, putting a hoof up to his face.

“Don’t say that. You did what you thought was right out of your love for Hunter, doesn’t that mean anything?” Applejack asked.

“But what does it matter? Hunter was almost killed because of me, I won’t be able to let that go!” Maverick said, his voice raising with every word he spoke. Maverick sighed and got off of the chair. He wrapped the chain around Hunter’s hoof and set the pendant down on Hunter’s chest.

“Make sure to watch over him, I’ll be back.” Maverick said calmly as he made his way to the hospital room door.

“What? Where are you going?” Twilight asked as she turned to face him.

“If the general wanted to get the Giga unit back to Umbra, he would have put an inter-dimensional unit inside of it so it could return. I doubt he would want to waste a perfectly operating Giga unit that he could tap into. I’m going to put an end to this. If Hunter wakes before I get back, if I get back, don’t let him leave.” Maverick said as he walked out of the hospital room, shutting the door behind him. The six ponies exchanged glances and and walked over to the window. Maverick was running back to the field separating Ponyville and Everfree, hatred and a thirst for vengeance coursing through his veins.

With Hatred, Comes Death (Part Two)

[Just a warning, this chapter does get a little violent at points]

Maverick made his way to the middle of the field between Ponyville and Everfree, a large group of ponies surrounding the defeated Giga unit.

“Excuse me, pardon me.” Maverick said as he made his way through the crowd, lightly pushing the ponies out of the way. He emerged from the crowd and arrived at the Giga unit, the metal pole still resting in its head.

“You might want to stand back!” Maverick yelled out loud and he drove his hoof into the Giga unit’s side, digging around the machinery and flesh a little and pulling a small device out a second later. It was in the shape of an X, a small, glowing red circle in the middle of the intersection. Maverick put the device in his mouth and started off towards Everfree, the crowd of ponies watching him with surprise and disgust at the same time.

______________________________________________________________________

After wandering aimlessly through the Everfree forest, Maverick came to a clearing in the forest, various different Umbra mechanisms laying on the ground. Maverick walked to the middle of the clearing and set the inter-dimensional unit in his mouth on the dirt. Maverick stared at the small mechanism at his hooves, wondering how to activate it. He looked up from the ground and noticed some paper work laying next to a radio transmitter. Maverick walked over to the paperwork and picked it up, reading it aloud.

“Inter-dimensional unit X prototype is a success, voice activated to prevent accidental physical activation. Yeah, yeah, yeah...” Maverick said, flipping through the pages one by one.

“Here we go, voice activation code.” Maverick said to himself and he walked back over to the dimension unit. He set the papers down on the ground and read the activation code out loud.

“Activating inter-dimensional unit prototype X, transport machine ‘Umbra’ one. Interference shield, deploy.” Without warning, a bright white orb formed around the frightened Alpha unit within it, flowing around like a wild fire. Maverick looked around worriedly, beginning to wonder if this was supposed to happen. He looked back down at the sheet of paper and read the last line.

“...Engage inter-dimension transport.” The orb that had formed around Maverick turned white and burst with a flash, Maverick and the dimension unit disappearing from the forest.

Maverick opened his eyes slowly, hoping that it had worked. What met him, was a different outcome than he expected at the time. Maverick was seeming to float in mid air, the red air around him rushing at unimaginable speeds. He was in some sort of tunnel which seemed to go on forever, a pitch black hole off in the distance. Maverick was in awe at the sight. He had not seen the inter-dimension transition before when he was sent to Equestria, the sudden turn of events taking him and Hunter by surprise.

“This is what it is like between our world and theirs? A tunnel with each of our worlds on each side, so close yet so far away. And this is accessible by this thing?” Maverick said quietly to himself, reaching out to grab the dimension unit in front of him. But, to his surprise, he no longer had hooves. Instead, ten fingers wrapped around the dimension unit, the lower half of the X resting in his palms. Maverick looked around as the tunnel started to shake. He turned his head to the black dot in the distance as it grew closer, and eventually met the Alpha unit floating between worlds.

Maverick appeared in a small room with a loud pop and a flash, falling face first into the solid concrete floor.

“Ah, son of a-!” Maverick cut himself off as he put his hand up to his face, accidentally poking himself in the eye. Again, Maverick put a hand up to his face, remembering not to further injure himself this time. Maverick sat up and looked around the room he was in. It was the chamber that was supposed to be his and Hunter’s execution sight, the walls slightly burnt from the multiple dimension transfers. Maverick got up and brushed himself off as he walked towards the door. He opened it slowly, only leaving a sliver of space between the door and the wall. The coast seemed to be clear, the military base as quiet as a graveyard. Maverick pushed the door open fully and walked out into the hallway of the deserted military base. He started down the hall in front of him, the Beta and Alpha unit enhancement chamber down the hall to his left. The only sounds that filled the halls were the sounds of the wind blowing and Maverick’s footsteps echoing in the military base.

Maverick made his way to the end of the hall, a door leading to the link that connected the section of the base Maverick was in now to the rest of it. Maverick opened the door and started to walk through, only to have a metal pipe close line him, Maverick falling to the floor on his back, and a booming voice pierce the silence of the military base.

“Welcome back, Mr. Blackburn! Did you have fun betraying your own kind in pony-land!?” The general yelled, lifting the metal pipe up to swing at Maverick again. Maverick rolled out of the doorway and into the link, the metal pipe in the general’s hands destroying the concrete where Maverick was.

“I was not about to let the military take over another world and destroy everything just to keep us humans alive! I’m sure that there are plenty of other planets that you can take over, but I will not allow you to take Equestria!” Maverick yelled as he got up. The general charged at Maverick and swung the pipe at him, Maverick wrapping his fingers around it and pushing back as the general pushed as well.

“What makes you so protective of those ponies!?” The general yelled. Maverick kicked away the general and ripped the metal pipe out the general’s hands, the general sliding a little ways away from Maverick.

“Unlike my own kind, they saw that I was just another soul whose anger got out of control, but they saw past that and they took me in like one of theirs! They didn’t try to execute me because of the actions I was about to take!” Maverick yelled. Maverick snapped the metal pipe in his hands and brought it forward as the general ran at him, the sharp edges of the metal pipe sections implanting into the general’s arm as he raised it to block Maverick’s attack. The general brought his other arm forward and his fist collided with Maverick’s face, Maverick stumbling back a little.

“You are a human, Maverick, don’t forget that! Humanity’s violent nature will pull through and you will put them in danger along with yourself! Those ponies are just as worthless as the creatures here on Umbra, they do not deserve any special treatment!” The general yelled as he took the metal pipes out of his arm and he threw them to the ground. Maverick and the general ran at each other, Maverick jumping into the air and extending his foot out in front of him. The bottom of Maverick’s foot rammed into the general’s throat and the general fell on his back, raising his hands to try and lift Maverick’s foot from his neck.

“They have done nothing to deserve what you were trying to do to them! You do not have any right to take their world away from them for your own benefit!” Maverick yelled, pushing down harder with his foot.

“Look at yourself, Maverick! You have been fighting against the people that wanted Umbra to be free from the military’s grasp, why don’t you join them!?” The general shouted, lifting Maverick’s foot from his neck and throwing it aside and kicking Maverick away from him. Maverick picked up the sharp metal pipe section from the ground and lunged at the general, who lifted his hands and stopped the pointed end of the metal pipe from piercing his neck.

“You have killed numerous of the people that believe what you believe, what makes you have a sudden change of heart!?” The general yelled, trying his hardest to keep the metal pipe away from harming him.

“I have seen what it is like to have someone try and take my world from me and I will not allow it anymore!” Maverick pushed harder, the end of the metal pipe edging closer and closer to the general.

“What about Hunter!? Have you ever thought of what he wanted!?” The general yelled in an attempt to disrupt the Alpha unit trying to kill him. Maverick’s mind went blank for a second, thinking of what had happened because of his fear to tell Hunter was he was.

In that moment of hesitation, the general was able to pull the metal pipe from Maverick’s hands and ram the blunt end of the pipe into the Alpha unit’s head. Maverick’s head jerked backwards and felt a sharp pain in his stomach as he regained composure. The sharp end of the metal pipe was sticking into his abdomen, the general’s hand attached to the other end of it.

The general walked closer to Maverick and put his other hand on Maverick’s back, pulling the Alpha unit closer to him. The pipe drove further into Maverick, the pipe just barely sticking out of his back. Maverick spit out a bit of blood, dripping onto the general’s shoulder.

“You knew this was coming when you grabbed that sniper, Maverick, don’t tell me you didn’t. You knew the consequences if you tried to betray the military, and now those consequences have caught up with you. Once I’m done with you, Hunter is next.” The general said quietly. Maverick lifted his hand up to the metal pipe stuck in him and grabbed onto the portion the general’s hand wasn’t on.

“No... he’s not.” Maverick said briefly. Maverick yanked the metal pipe out of him and backed away, getting down on one knee and bringing his fist forward into the sharp end of the pipe. The blunt end of the pipe flew backwards and pierced through the general, a small spray of blood coming from the wound. The general let out a little grunt of pain and he fell to his knees, grabbing onto the pipe in him with both of his hands.

Despite his injuries, Maverick quickly got up and started running for the dimension transport unit back where he came from. Maverick yelled out loud, his voice traveling through the abandoned military base.

“Activating inter-dimensional unit prototype X, transport machine Umbra one. Interference shield, deploy!” The sound of a machine releasing a shield came from the down the hallway as Maverick pushed open the door from the link.

“Maverick! Get back here!” The general yelled as he got up, tearing the blunt end of the pipe out of himself and starting to run after the Alpha unit. Maverick kicked open the door to the dimension transport chamber as he reached the end of the hall, the general not too far behind him.

“Engage inter-dimension transport!” Maverick yelled as he stepped into the bubble that formed from the device on the floor, Maverick and the inter-dimension device disappearing from the military base.

The general came to a stop at the doorway of the inter-dimension chamber and he looked down the hallway to his right, starting to walk towards the Beta and Alpha unit enhancement chamber.

“UAMS, prepare the rapid enhancements to convert soldiers into enhanced Giga units immediately!” The general yelled as he opened the door of the enhancement chamber.

“General, the tests have already been taken when you were assigned your rank, you will not be able to undergo the change without consequences.” The Umbra Automated Military System said through the speakers in the chamber.

“I don’t care what the tests said, just do it!” The general yelled angrily.

“Yes sir, bringing out enhancements now.” UAMS unfolded a supply table from the wall, multiple syringes laying on the padded surface of the table. The general picked up one of the syringes and inspected the red liquid inside of it.

“General, are you sure you want to do this?” UAMS asked.

“Oh I’m sure...” The general said, his mouth curving into a smirk. The general took the syringe and slid the needle into his arm, pushing down on the end of the syringe a little bit later. Once all the liquid was depleted from the syringe, the general tossed it aside and took another needle, injecting the liquid inside of it into himself. The more syringes that had been used, the more the general started to feel empowered, a strength like no other coursing through his veins.

But, as he injected the last syringe, something inside of him activated, and the general let out a scream of pain. He could feel his bones shifting around in his body, feeling as if they would rip their way through his skin as they moved around. The general fell to the floor, jerking around violently and spitting blood. He began to laugh hysterically as he felt the enhancements beginning to activate within him. He continued to wriggle around on the floor, jerking his head left and right as more an more blood poured out of his mouth. In due time, bones started to emerge through his skin, the sharp jagged edges pushing their way out of his shoulders and limbs. The general could feel his limbs elongating, his arms reaching past his knees and the lower part of his legs pushing further away from him.

The general came to a stop and he laid on the floor of the Beta and Alpha unit enhancement chamber in a small pool of blood. He had been mutated beyond human recognition as he panted on the floor, lifting his arm to inspect the damage.

“General, you were not supposed to use all of the syringes, you have taken an overdose... yet you seem to be co-existing with the changes. The amount of the enhancements that you have given yourself have taken you beyond the Giga unit classification.” UAMS spoke. The general sat up and looked at his hands, multiple bones sticking out of his skin.

“UAMS... prepare the mechanical alterations for Giga units.”

______________________________________________________________________

Maverick sat against one of the trees that lined the clearing of the dimension reception area from Umbra, covering the wound in his stomach with his hooves.

“Damn it...” Maverick said quietly as he uncovered the wound slightly. It had already healed slightly, but it was still bleeding as much as it was back on Umbra. He covered the wound again and looked back up at the clearing as a low rumble began to form.

Maverick put a hoof up to shield his eyes from the flash of light coming from the clearing, the sound of hooves setting down on the grass a second later. Maverick lowered his hoof, the general standing in the clearing, staring directly at him. He was in the shape of an alicorn, but he was somewhat disfigured, the skin ripping at some points and a few bones sticking out. His right foreleg was mechanical, a transformable laser rifle arm for specialized Giga units.

“Did you think you could get away just by returning to your ‘home’?” The general asked as he started to walk over to the Alpha unit sitting against the tree.

“I didn’t think you would be that desperate just to kill me and Hunter.” Maverick said, slowly getting up. Maverick felt a floating sensation and he looked down at his hooves. He had a glowing red aura around him and he was lifted into the air, turning his line of sight back to the general. The general’s horn was glowing with the same aura that surrounded Maverick, slowly bringing to Alpha unit closer to him.

“Oh, this isn’t just for you and Hunter. With this power, I will be able to take over this land myself and rule over these worthless beings. But first, I have to take care of you.” The general said as Maverick floated through the air, stopping a few feet away from him. Maverick felt a tugging sensation in his right fore leg, the general’s mouth curving into a slight smirk.

Maverick’s leg was ripped from him, the Alpha unit letting out a yell of pain. The general let go of the magical grasp on Maverick and he fell to the ground, landing on his side. The general lifted his right fore leg and pointed it at Maverick, the mechanism unfolding into the shape of a high power laser rifle.

“Hunter will be with you shortly.” The general said, and he fired the rifle. Maverick flinched and closed his eyes, waiting for the shot to pierce through him. But nothing happened. A little confused, Maverick opened his eyes and looked back at the general, but something was blocking his view.

A stallion was standing in front of Maverick, staring directly at the alicorn on the other side him. Maverick moved his head to the side to get a view of the general. The alicorn was standing in place, his leg still extended outwards and pointing at Maverick. He had a small hole in his head, the skin around the wound burnt from a laser shot. The general fell the ground, lifeless.

“What made you think that I would stay in the hospital if I knew you were going back to Umbra?” The stallion in front of Maverick said as he turned around.

“...Hunter? How did you know I was going back?” Maverick asked as he recognized the stallion, the red pendant around his neck swaying back and forth a little. It appeared to have a mark from a laser shot reflecting off of it, Maverick realizing what had happened.

“The six ponies that were there when I woke up told me that you were heading back to get revenge. I knew something like this would happen, I at least wanted to give you back your last memory of your family.” Hunter said, reaching out to help Maverick up. Maverick laughed a little and lifted his hoof to grab Hunter’s but something caught his eye. There was a small gleam in the air behind Hunter and Maverick’s heart sank as it dropped down into the Beta unit in front of him. Hunter lurched forward a little, stopping himself from falling onto Maverick, the tip of a sword barely sticking out between his front two legs.

“Hunter...?” Maverick said quietly as Hunter fell onto his side, staring blankly into the forest behind Maverick. A stallion materialized into the air, the sound of a cloaking unit turning off. Zulu stood behind Hunter, the magical glow from his horn and the sword disappearing.

“Beta unit Hunter McNamara terminated. Proceeding to-” Zulu was cut off by a laser shot piercing through his head, the stealth unit dropping to the ground a second later. The yellow glow from Zulu's eyes disappeared, the stealth unit at rest.

Maverick set down the laser rifle attached to the general and let out a sigh. Maverick pulled his way along the ground over to Hunter, the Beta unit still staring off into the forest. Maverick reached over his Beta unit and turned him over with his hoof, Hunter’s eyes meeting with Maverick’s.

“Hunter... you’re going to be alright... just, hang in there, okay? I’ll get you back to Ponyville, just stay with me.” Maverick hurriedly said as he tried to stand up.

“Maverick... your leg. You’re not going to be able to get me back in time.”

“Don’t say that! I can get you back there, just give me a chance!”

Hunter put a hoof up to his neck and grabbed onto the pendant hanging from the chain. He reached over and grabbed Maverick’s hoof as he fell down again.

“Maverick... take this, I won’t be needing it anymore.”

Hunter stretched Maverick’s hoof out and put the pendant in the Alpha unit's hoof, the ruby detaching from the chain and falling into Maverick’s hoof. Maverick looked up at Hunter, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

“Hunter... please, just stay with me for a little longer. I... I can...”

“I’m sorry Maverick... but I’m not going anywhere.”

Maverick sat up and put his hoof on Hunter, shaking him lightly as Hunter’s eyes started to close.

“Hunter! Don’t leave! I need you, don’t leave me here!”

The beaten Beta unit lifted his hoof up to Maverick’s and he lightly grabbed onto the the distressed Alpha unit’s hoof, tears swelling in his eyes as well.

“Goodbye... brother...”

Hunter’s hoof slowly let go of Maverick’s and the Alpha unit let his tears go, his head hanging down. Hunter’s eyes closed completely and Maverick put his hoof up to his face, tears still running down Maverick’s face.

“I’m sorry...” Maverick managed to mutter through his sobs.

The Alpha unit tilted his head to the night sky and let out a yell, both a scream of sadness as well as for help.

______________________________________________________________________

Umbra, 2531

Maverick opened the door to the Beta unit growth chamber and looked at the vile in his hand, the vile containing a DNA sample from himself. Maverick sighed and walked over to the first Beta unit tube on the left side of the room. He got up on the stool next to it and held the vile upside down over the open top of the Beta unit growth tube, the DNA sample resting on the cork sealing the vile closed.

“I know you won’t know who I am or what you are once you’re fully developed... but this is for me...” Maverick cleared his throat, trying his best to stop the tears forming in his eyes. “You’ll be ready around a year from now... but don’t you worry, I’ll be at your side this entire time. Well, not the ENTIRE time, Ponyville wants to see me again for some information on our world. Can’t hurt, can it?” Maverick stared at the vile in his hand, half expecting an answer. He chuckled to himself a little and pinched the cork holding the DNA sample inside the vile.

“See you in a year, Hunter.” Maverick twisted the cork out of the vile and the DNA sample fell into the Beta unit growth tube. The automated system inside the Beta unit tube worked its way over to the DNA sample and plugged into it. Maverick got down from the stool and walked over to the table next to the entrance of the Beta unit growth chambers. He picked up the roll of tape on the table and ripped a strip off. Maverick walked back over to the test tube he had put his DNA sample in and gently pressed the strip of tape on the glass Beta unit tube. Maverick took out a marker from his pocket and raised it up to the strip of tape as the Beta unit growth tube lowered into the floor.

“Hunter McNamara.” Maverick wrote on the strip of tape. Maverick brought his hand back as the Beta unit growth tube lowered completely into the ground. He stood up and walked over to the computer operating the tube’s life support system. Maverick sighed with relief as he read that the Beta unit growth tube was accepting the DNA sample. He walked over to the table next to the entry way and sat down on top of it, scooting his way to sit up against the wall, his legs hanging off the edge of the table.

“You won’t believe what I managed to do, Hunter... here, watch this.” Maverick said out loud. Maverick had made himself a mechanical right arm in replace of his old one, but he made some adjustments of his own. Maverick aimed his mechanical arm at an empty vile on the computer desk and concentrated. His eyes started to glow with a red aura and the vile levitated its way over to his hand, the vile and his mechanical arm glowing with a red aura as well. Maverick let go of the levitation spell he had on the vile and he grabbed onto the vile as it fell, the metal of his arm clinking as it made contact with the glass vile.

“I couldn’t believe it for myself when I tried it... but, what do you know, magic can be done in this world. I took the general’s alicorn horn and combined it with the metal I used to create this arm, and this happened. It takes a lot of energy and concentration, but it sure gets the job done. Of course, there was the unexpected... side effect from combining the arm with my body...” Maverick said. Maverick’s pupil and irises had formed into a very odd shape when he attached the arm to his body, also turning them a bright red hue in the process.

“It’s been a month since then and I still have yet to understand how to fully operate the magic’s potential... maybe Twilight can help me out with that.” Maverick continued on. He stopped and looked up at the area the Beta unit growth tube he had put his DNA sample in. Maverick laughed to himself and put his palm up to his face.

“I’m going crazy... talking to a DNA sample...” Maverick thought to himself as he got up from the table. He walked over to the floor and knelt down, placing his palm down on the top of the Beta unit tube level with the floor.

“I’ll see you around, Hunter.” Maverick stood up and walked out of the Beta unit growth chamber, heading for the dimensional unit to bring him to Equestria.

End of 'Human' in Equestria: Maverick and Hunter [Part 1]

______________________________________________________________________

Kind of ironically, I was listening to the new 'Smile smile smile' song while I was writing the scene in Everfree and the back in the Beta and Alpha unit chamber at the end.

(Also, I never really specified this, but Maverick and Hunter were wearing clothes during the story, so Maverick was not naked when he arrived back in Umbra. That would just be weird.)

But, on another note, WOO, part one done.

A big thank you for all of you that stuck through to the end, it really helped me continue through and finish part one.

A little preview in part two: It will kind of deviate from the military aspect and focus more on a few other soldiers that are sent to Equestria. The story will revolve around a female soldier, Heather Culpepper, and her visit to Equestria when something goes haywire with Maverick.

Big ups to the people that are still here, and I (hope) will see you in part two!

A Forgotten Soul

[Chapter one of 'Human' in Equestria: Maverick and Hunter Part Two]

The sunrise on Umbra was a peaceful sight, the sun’s light piercing through the darkness of night as it slowly peaked over the planet’s horizon.

The sound of the helicopter’s blades spinning through the air filled Heather Culpepper’s ears as the metal machine carrying her and the team she was assigned to across the lively lands of Umbra. She turned her head to look out the window of the helicopter, the trees in the forest below rushing past as Heather and the personnel in the helicopter with her soared through the sky towards their destination. The sergeant stood up at the end of the helicopter and talked loudly over the blades of the helicopter as they spun around, his voice barely audible over them.

“Alright, men. As you all know, our destination is on the other side of the forest, the abandoned military base that we received a number of soldiers from about a year back. Our target is Maverick Blackburn, an Alpha unit that was scheduled to be executed back before the military base was deserted. We are also to keep a look out for his Beta unit, Hunter McNamara. We lost contact with the base about five months ago, a power failure disabling contact with the military base, not that we would get anything back in the first place. The objective is to find Blackburn and take him back to Delta base, and if we can, take back his Beta unit as well. If Blackburn shows resistance, we are permitted to fire upon him, but do not kill him, he is wanted alive. If needed, you have permission to dispose of McNamara, he is of no value to us.”

Heather turned her head to look out the window again. The base was coming up in the distance, the outline of it emerging from the dense fog on Umbra. It appeared to be just like the base she was just coming from, aside from the lack of soldiers on duty.

“Culpepper, check your equipment, we’re going to be landing soon.” The soldier next to Heather said, nudging her on the side a little. Heather looked back down at her rifle and other equipment on her hands, everything seeming to be in check. The helicopter started to slow down a little, the team inside of it arriving at their destination.

“Don’t expect immediate signs of Maverick or Hunter, they may have left the area and moved onto different parts of Umbra. Keep your eyes peeled for any signs of where they could be.” The sergeant said as the helicopter touched down. The sound of the blades spinning slowly died and the back door of the helicopter opened, a slight fog on the pavement of the landing pad.

“Pile out, soldiers. Let’s get this search underway. Bernard, MacReady, and Roy, you three are coming with me. Blake, Kessler, Ramirez, and Culpepper, you four are to search the training facilities and the Alpha and Beta unit sectors. I want all of us back at the chopper at o’ nine hundred, go that?” The sergeant said as he stood up, putting his hand on the edge of the helicopter frame. Culpepper and the rest of the team nodded and replied with a ‘yes sir’. The sergeant motioned his head out the helicopter and the team followed him out, the fog floating above the ground on the helicopter pad separating as they stepped out of the helicopter.

The military base was quiet for what it is, the sound of firearms being tested, the soldiers training, and equipment being worked on gone from the base. Though it was partially eerie, the quietness of the base brought a sense of calmness to Heather, the quiet of the base a nice break from the constant noise from the base she came from.

“Culpepper, get over here. We’re heading out.” Kessler said as he, Blake, and Ramirez started off for the training facility. Heather turned her head to get one last look at the sunrise and she caught up with the three soldiers.

______________________________________________________________________

“Where are we? This place is gigantic.” Kessler said, turning his head to look out the window of the mess hall. The sun was higher in the sky, a few storm clouds beginning to move in with a few flashes of lighting every once and a while.

“If the base is any similar to Delta base, we should be just below the crew quarters and we should be above the Alpha and Beta unit training facilities.” Blake said, taking a look out the window for himself.

Heather walked away from the rest of the group, searching the rest of the mess hall for any signs of Maverick or Hunter. The base was quiet other than the occasional low rumbles of thunder in the distance and the other three soldiers talking quietly, staring out at the storm in the distance. Heather walked to the serving line of the mess hall and behind it, examining the pots and pans set out. She walked up to one of the pots and knelt down, tilting it towards her. It looked like it had been used recently, a small mixture of some type of soup swishing around at the bottom of the pot.

“Hey... I, um... found something. It might be-” Heather said as she turned around, but was cut off as the floor below her collapsed. Heather let out a small yelp and she fell into the room below, landing on a pile of the debris.

“Heather!” The three soldiers in the room above yelled, running over to the hole that she had fallen through. They stopped at the edge of the hole, turning on their flashlights on their rifles and switching the safeties on. The soldier laying in the debris slowly got up, brushing herself off and gathering her things, turning on her flashlight to illuminate the dark room.

“Are you alright? What happened?” Ramirez asked, lowering his rifle to his hip but still keeping the flashlight on Heather.

“The floor... collapsed, I guess, and... well, now I’m in here.” Heather said unsurely, scratching the back off her head and looking around the room. It looked like some sort of training area, a sign above the exit door that read ‘Alpha and Beta units’.

“Alright... uh, just find away back outside and we’ll come find you. Keep your radio handy if you happen to get lost.” Ramirez said, looking back at the door to the mess hall. Heather gave a slight nod and the three soldiers in the room above started walking towards the door of the mess hall. Although she was in an abandoned military base, a feeling of danger started to dig into Heather’s heart as if something were watching her every move. Despite her little fear, Heather walked over to the door of the training room and pushed it open slightly.

The light from the other side of the door poured into the room Heather was in and she looked through the crack in between the wall and the door. It appeared to be a wide hallway leading to another door on the other side of it, the windows on the side of the hallway revealing the Umbra landscape beyond the military base. The door on the other side of the room was open, the concrete floor in the door way destroyed.

Heather pushed the door open fully and stepped out into the wide hallway linking the two buildings together. The storm that was forming in the distance was closer now, a few drops of rain falling on the side windows of the hallway as Heather progressed to the other side of it.

As she got closer to the door, there was a sound of something scrapping against metal, along with a small sparkling noise with it. Heather grabbed onto her rifle and quietly stepped over the concrete in the doorway, turning off her flashlight and aiming the rifle down the hallway. She slowly walked towards the scrapping noise, seeming to come from the hallway to the right at the end of the hall Heather was in.

The noise grew louder as Heather continued down the hall and stopped at the corner, tightening her grip on the rifle in her hands. Heather turned the corner and she was able to pin point where the noise was coming from. The scraping noise was coming from the door at the end of the hall, a light red glow coming from the right of the room. Heather swallowed her fear and continued down the hallway, trying to walk as quietly as she could. She reached the end of the hall and stopped in front of the open door. The last test tube at the left side of the room was opened, the floor in front of it slightly wet. Heather built up her courage, turned the safety on her rifle off, and dashed into the room, aiming her rifle at the chair in the corner to her left.

“Wrong side.” A voice said behind her. Heather quickly turned around to find a man sitting by the wall, his back leaned against it. There was a large object in his lap, covered by a blanket. It was in the shape of a human, the blanket slightly moving up and down with the sound of heavy breathing. Heather recognized the man sitting against the wall from the picture she had been shown. It was Maverick, his mechanical arm glowing red along with his eyes and a knife floating in the air scraping against it, sparks coming off each time the blade ran down the metal. Maverick looked up at her, and Heather became speechless at the sight of his eyes and what he was doing. Telekinesis units did not emit any sort of aura like the one around Maverick’s arm and eyes, more or less create a small sparkling noise when it was activated.

“Are you part of the group that was sent to retrieve me?” Maverick asked. His eyes showed signs of crying, his face still a little wet from tears. Heather tried to let out a yell or call her team members, but something fought against her to do so.

“Are you or are you not?” Maverick said again, this time a little more stern. Heather stayed silent for a second, trying to find something to say.

“...Yes, we were sent here to-” Heather started to say meekly, but was cut off by Maverick.

“I know what you were sent here to do... and I’m not going with you.”

“Our... our orders were to take you back to Delta base, I intend to carry the mission out.”

Heather continued to stare at Maverick’s mechanical arm and the knife floating in the air. Maverick chuckled a little at the sight of the shocked expression on Heather’s face.

“Surprised? Yeah, so was I when I found out. It comes in handy... but not exactly in what I was looking for...” Maverick said as he dropped the knife, the glow around his arm, eyes, and the knife fading.

“Maverick... what is in your lap?” Heather asked, lowering her weapon and starting to walk towards Maverick.

“Not what I meant for it to be...” Maverick said as he took the blanket off of the object laying in his lap. Heather stopped and she tried to scream in terror, but nothing came out at how frightened she was. She covered her mouth, trying to stop the little squeaks that came out. What looked like a newly born Beta unit was laying in his lap, staring up at the ceiling with sealed shut eyelids. The skin around it neck was connected to its chest, its mouth gaping open. The creatures legs and arms were fused together, the skin tearing at a few points. Heather’s eyes started to water as she stared at the abomination in Maverick’s lap, still trying to search for any words to say.

“...His name is Hunter... my brother...” Maverick said, putting his left hand on Hunter’s head. Hunter twitched a little, but stayed still in Maverick’s lap, still breathing heavily.

“What... is that?” Heather finally managed to say, muffled through her hand. Maverick started to cry, only provoking Heather even further to reduce to tears. Maverick’s tears fell onto Hunter’s head, making a small ‘drip’ noise on the smooth skin. He covered his mouth with his mechanical hand, trying to stop the tears.

“A year... and yet I failed. One year of development wasted... all because of me. I knew I shouldn’t have left... I’m so sorry Hunter... I’m so sorry...” Maverick managed to mutter through his tears. Heather began to cry as well as she sat down on the floor, still staring at the beast in Maverick’s lap. She set her rifle down next to her and Maverick raised his arm, pointing it at Heather’s rifle. The rifle quickly floated over to Maverick’s hand and Heather watched as he aimed it at Hunter’s head.

“Wait, Maverick!” Heather shouted as she got up. Maverick put his finger on the trigger as Heather started running to him.

“I’m so sorry...”

Maverick pulled the trigger and Heather slid to a stop in front of him, her arm extended out towards the rifle in Maverick’s hands. Hunter slowly stopped breathing, a bullet hole in between his eyes. Maverick’s tears started falling harder and he dropped the rifle. Heather stood in shock once again, slowly lowering her arm and letting it fall at her side. Maverick continued to quietly say ‘I’m so sorry’ to himself, covering his eyes with his mechanical hand as he sobbed. Heather fell back down, sitting up and staring at the wound Maverick had given Hunter. The beast in Maverick’s lap laid still, lifeless as it stared up at the ceiling with empty eyes.

Maverick’s tears fell from sadness and Heather’s from disbelief and fear, both of the two soldiers sobbing as they sat across from each other. Heather wiped her tears away and looked up at the Alpha unit in front of her. This one was different from the other Alpha units she had crossed paths with. Maverick showed his emotions, instead of hiding them behind a mask in fear of being judged. He wasn’t afraid of what people thought of him, and that was something that most Alpha units were conscious about. They were always worried of being judged, always wanting to be the superior ones in battle and out of it, not showing any sort of emotions as they charged through battle and killed anything in their way. Maverick was different.

Heather reached out and put her hand on Maverick’s left hand, wrapping her fingers around his. Maverick uncovered his eyes and looked up at Heather, his tears slowly stopping. Heather stared at his eyes, her vision still slightly blurry from crying. Something in her eyes brought comfort to Maverick, his grief slowly subsiding the longer he stared into Heather’s innocent stare. Despite the mutation, Heather could see the innocence that once inhabited the Alpha unit’s eyes, the tears bringing forth a part of him that was long forgotten back on earth.

Maverick shook his head and got up, Heather’s hand falling out of his.

“I’m not going back with you, they already want me dead, there’s no point in following the same people that want to kill me.” Maverick said as he walked past the soldier sitting on the floor. Heather got up and looked back at Hunter, the failed Beta unit still laying lifeless on the floor.

“What were you trying to do with... that?” Heather asked, looking back at Maverick as he gathered a few things from the table in the room. Maverick stopped and stared blankly at the table in front of him.

“...Bring back something that should have stayed rested.” Maverick said, continuing to put his things in his pockets. Realization hit Heather, and something inside of her felt sorry for the Alpha unit. He had tried so hard to bring back his so called ‘brother’, only to have to kill it out of sympathy for the suffering beast.

“But... why?” Heather asked, walking up to Maverick’s side.

“You wouldn’t understand. Now leave me be, we’re done here.” Maverick said and he started walking down the hallway.

“My orders are to take you back to Delta base, I’m not going to let you leave unless you are in the custody of the team that was sent here to search for you.” Heather said, pulling out the pistol out of its holster around her waist and aiming it at Maverick.

“Fire if you want, it makes no difference to me.”

Maverick continued down the hallway and turned into the room to the right of the hall. Heather lowered her gun and put it back in her holster, taking out her radio a second later.

“Ramirez, Blake, Kessler, I found Maverick. Something’s not quite right though, you’re going to have to take a look for yourself. I am near the Alpha and Beta enhancement and growth chambers, it looks like. Get down here, quick, I’m not sure he’s doing.” Heather said hurriedly. Ramirez replied with a ‘On it’ and Heather shut her radio, walking quickly over to the doorway Maverick had walked in.

The sound of a door opening came from back in the link, footsteps entering a second later. The three soldiers that were with Heather earlier appeared in the doorway down the hall and Heather motioned her hand for them to come to her. They walked down the hall, turning the safety on their rifles off as they stepped quietly. Heather took her pistol back out and quickly stepped into the room, aiming it at the Alpha unit standing on one knee in the middle of the dimension chamber.

“Maverick Blackburn, you will come with us back to Delta base. The sergeant is awaiting your arrival back at the helicopter outside.” Kessler said. Maverick stood up and looked up from the small metal X on the floor, a slight smirk on his face.

“Activating inter-dimensional unit prototype X, transport machine Umbra one. Extended interference shield, deploy.” Maverick said out loud.

A white orb emerged from the small machine on the floor at Maverick’s feet, the orb’s edge stopping behind the four soldiers aiming their guns at him. They looked around frantically, confused and startled at what was happening.

“Maverick! What ever you are doing, stop it and we will take you back to Delta base calmly!” Ramirez yelled, tightening his grip on the rifle in his hands and looking back towards Maverick. The smirk on Maverick’s face extended into a grin, Maverick letting out a small chuckle.

“Engage inter-dimension transport.”

______________________________________________________________________

BACK TO EQUESTRIA!

[Sorry, had to put that in if some of you didn't know what that last line meant]

For those of you still here, Hunter will not be physically in the story, but he will be a main plot part in which affects Maverick drastically later (and already kind of has) in the story.

I hope you like Part Two!

The Return

Heather opened her eyes slowly, a drop of water falling on her cheek. Heather flinched slightly as the drop of water fell on her, the soldier squinting a little as she lifted her head to look at her surroundings. She was in some type of forest, the thick canopy above her blocking out any sunlight that radiated from the sky above. Heather shook her head slightly and she started to get up, but something didn’t feel right, as if something was missing. Heather stood up on all fours, that seeming to be the most comfortable way to stand as she tried to navigate her way through the darkness.

She could see something sitting in the distance, a small glow around what looked to be a horse’s leg, the metal glowing with a red aura. The body that was attached to the leg turned towards Heather, and she realized who it was.

The deformed eyes and the mechanical leg was enough to convince Heather that it was Maverick, but... he was a pony. Heather stood in shock, staring at the life form standing on the other side of the fallen tree between them, the glow coming from Maverick’s mechanical leg and his eyes enough to illuminate the area around him. Drops of water continued to fall from the canopy above them, the rainfall becoming heavier with each passing second.

“I’m not going back with you, no matter the circumstances. This is my home, there is nothing for me back on Umbra, rather... out of Equestria.” Maverick said quietly as he turned away from the pony standing on the other side of the fallen tree.

“Maverick, wait! Where are we? What is this place? And... why are you a... pony?” Heather asked, climbing over the tree and walking into the glow coming from Maverick. Heather stopped as she felt a twig snap under her leg, but something felt different, and she looked down, her eyes growing wide.

Her hands had been changed into hooves, Heather further examining her body to find she had been transformed into a pony as well, the soldier beginning to hyperventilate a little.

“Calm down, you’ll get used to it eventually. Now, please, just leave me to myself, there is nothing else I can do for you.” Maverick said, and he started walking away from Heather as she settled down.

“But, Maverick, I don’t know what is happening! Wait for me, let me come with you!” Heather yelled, a sense of pleading in her voice. She knew she was not on Umbra anymore, the plant life around her and the fact that she was a pony along with the events of earlier convincing her that she was in another world of some sort. Maverick started running and Heather chased after him, desperate to have someone by her side as she ran through the forest after the Alpha unit.

Maverick started to run out of sight, the glow around his mechanical arm and eyes fading as he slowly disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Heather came to a stop and stared in the direction Maverick ran off in, the Alpha unit no where to be seen. Heather looked around herself, the area she was in now completely foreign to her.

“Ramirez, Blake, Kessler! Are you there!?” Heather yelled, a feeling of isolation starting to settle its way into her. No answer. Heather started to look around the forest nervously, beginning to worry what had become of the other three soldiers she was with. The forest was quiet aside of Heather’s breathing and the rainfall on the leaves above, drops of water making small puddles on the forest ground. Though it was daylight, the thick canopy let almost no light through at all, the little amount of light that got through only providing enough for Heather to see the outlines of the trees and other plant life around her.

Heather looked back down at the ground in front of her, lifting on of her hooves up and examining it.

“How did this happen...? Where am I? Where are the other three?”

Questions raced through Heather’s head, but finding no answers as she examined the pony body that had replaced her human one. She looked up at the forest set out in front of her, seeming to go on as far as she could see in each direction.

“There has to be somewhere I can go. I better start searching...”

Heather started off further into the forest, the thought of her fellow soldiers slipping her mind as she wandered aimlessly into the darkness beyond.

______________________________________________________________________

Heather came to a stop behind a tree, standing on her back hooves and leaning against the tree next to her. She tilted her head around the tree, inspecting the structure beyond the dense forest she was in.

It appeared to be some sort of a hut carved into a tree, strange decorations strewn about in the front yard that seemed to resemble a few decorations that Heather had seen in a few books of earlier history, Heather only twenty at the time. Cautiously, the soldier walked out from behind the tree and started to walk slowly to the hut, the sound of strange incantations and bottles clinking against each other coming into earshot as she got closer. Heather snuck her way up to the hut and slowly peered inside, moving her long wet mane out of the way of her eyes.

Inside of the tree stood a zebra, her eyes closed as she spoke in her native language over a boiling cauldron in the middle of the room. Heather ducked down a little as the zebra walked over to a shelf by the window Heather was looking in, the zebra grabbing a small bottle and walking back over to the cauldron. Heather lifted her head up again, the zebra pouring the purple liquid substance into the cauldron along with some sort of plant afterwards.

“An herbalist? Does she live here by herself?” Heather thought to herself, shifting her eyes around the rest of the house carved into the tree. Heather stumbled forward a little, stepping on a stick laying on the ground and a small but audible crack coming from the stick as it broke in half. The zebra in the hut turned her head to the window and Heather ducked down as quickly as she could. Heather started to back away from the hut slowly, trying to stay out of the portion of the yard that was visible from inside.

“What is this I see? A new visitor, possibly?” A voice said behind Heather. Startled, the soldier darted forward and fell on her face as she tripped over a mask resting against the hut, Heather letting out a small grunt as she slid to a stop. She looked back at where she was standing, Zecora looking at Heather as if she were crazy.

“It can... talk?” Heather thought to herself as she got up to face Zecora, brushing her uniform off.

“I... uh... I’m sorry if I am intruding. I’m not sure where I am right now.” Heather said, starting to wonder if this was real.

“It is not a problem, my dear. But I have to ask, what are you doing out here?” Zecora asked, tilting her said to the side a little and squinting slightly.

“I’m... not exactly sure. I was hoping you could tell me where this place is.”

“This, my little pony, is the forest of Everfree”

Zecora extended her hoof out to the trees that surrounded her home, Heather giving the darkness a blank stare as the two mares stood and listened to the rainfall on the canopy.

“Uh... okay, um, are you the only one out here? Are there other... life forms such as you?” Heather asked, turning her head back to Zecora.

“Yes, there are ponies that lie in the town whose path with Everfree is criss-crossed. What is the matter, are you lost?”

“Yes. Would you mind leading me there? I’m afraid I’m not from around here.”

“That I can do, for there are a few ingredients in the town that I need for a brew. We will go to Ponyville, but be cautious, for the path through Everfree can be dangerous.”

Heather waited patiently as Zecora walked into the hut, coming out a second later with a strap wrapped around her body, a basket hanging by her side. Zecora motioned her head towards a path leading away from her home and Heather followed her, their hooves splashing in the puddles along the way to Ponyville.

The soldier glanced back at the hut that rested in the forest, the glow of the lights inside slowly disappearing from sight as Zecora and Heather walked further away.

“I hope the others can find their way to... Ponyville.” Heather thought to herself as she turned her head back to the path set in front of her, the sound of rain and thunder continuing to fill the two mare’s ears.

______________________________________________________________________

The canopy started to deteriorate as Heather and Zecora walked through the forest, the drops of rain landing directly on them instead of falling from the leaves above. The darkness of the Everfree forest subsided as the two mares came to the exit of Everfree that led to Ponyville, the lost soldier overjoyed to see the light of day after being in the forest for so long. Heather looked up towards the sky as they neared the exit of Everfree, the clouds that released the rainfall and lightning coming into view through the thick branches and leaves.

“Here it is, my pony friend. Our journey would appear to be at an end.” Zecora said, extending her hoof out in front of her as she pointed in the distance. Heather looked back down to the ground and stared where Zecora was pointing, her eyes growing wide at the sight. Ponyville was resting at the end of the path, a few pegasi in the clouds above the town starting to clear the sky. of the storm clouds. Heather was speechless, not only at the sight of the pegasi, but that mere ponies were able to construct such a community.

“...Ponies built this?” Heather muttered under her breath, letting out a weak laugh as her mouth curved into a smirk of disbelief. Growing up on earth, Heather had never seen such a remarkable sight until she was transferred to Umbra to become a soldier, and even then things were just as industrial in the areas that the military had taken over. The abilities of the ponies befuddled Heather, the soldier unable to grasp that the creatures that were used for transportation back on earth were able to perform such tasks of building an entire town. Heather followed as Zecora started walking towards Ponyville, the expression on the soldier’s face still as surprised as before.

The sound of rainfall slowly faded as Heather and Zecora made their way across the field between Everfree and Ponyville, the storm clouds that had been above the town almost completely cleared by the pegasi above. The smell of freshly baked goods coursed through the air as Zecora and Heather made their way through the town, Sugar Cube Corner radiating with the smell of pastries.

“Zecora!” A voice called in the distance and Heather and Zecora turned around to find a purple unicorn running towards them, the unicorn accompanied by Princess Celestia and Luna.

“There are unicorns and alicorns too? What kind of place is this?” Heather thought to herself as she watched the two princesses catch up to Twilight.

“Twilight Sparkle, it is nice to see you again. I should come to Ponyville more often, every now and then.” Zecora said, keeping her eyes on the purple unicorn as Celestia and Luna walked up behind Twilight.

“It’s nice to see you as well, Zecora. Who is this?” Twilight asked, shifting her eyes to Heather, who backed away slightly.

“She was lost in the forest of Everfree. She asked if she could come to Ponyville with me.”

“Well, it’s always nice to see a fresh face in Ponyville. My name is Twilight Sparkle, what’s yours?” Twilight asked, reaching her hoof out for Heather to shake it.

“My name is... Heather Culpepper.” The soldier said meekly, lightly shaking the purple unicorn’s hoof.

“Heather Culpepper? That’s kind of an odd name for a pony. Where are you from? Trottingham? Manehattan?” Twilight asked as she let go of Heather’s hoof.

“I... uh... I’m not really, I mean-” Heather stuttered as she tried to find what to say to the unicorn standing in front of her, the two alicorns behind her not helping much. Twilight started to get a suspicious look on her face, staring at Heather as if something was wrong.

“Anyways, Zecora, Princess Celestia sensed something coming through the dimension thing that Maverick had, did you happen to see him in the forest anywhere? Was he safe? Did he bring back Hunter?” Twilight asked, her eyes glowing as her hope built up inside of her. Heather looked at Twilight surprisingly.

“They know Maverick and Hunter? How?” Heather thought to herself.

“Unfortunately, I need not see your friend Maverick. Is something wrong? Is he sick?” Zecora asked. Twilight tilted her head downwards and let out a sigh along with Celestia and Luna.

“No, nothing’s wrong. Sorry for wasting your time, Zecora.” Twilight said in a sad tone, lifting her head back up to look at the zebra. Zecora nodded and started off further into Ponyville towards the shopping area, Twilight and the princesses walking in the other direction.

“Twilight Sparkle, wait!” Heather said, running to catch up with the unicorn and the princesses. Twilight, Celestia, and Luna turned around to face Heather, the soldier sliding to a top in front of them.

“What is it, Heather?” Twilight asked.

“You... you said something about Maverick and Hunter. How do you know them?” Heather asked.

“They came to Equestria about a year ago, both of them weary and unsure where they were. Maverick was injured so we took him to the hospital in Ponyville. Everything was fine until someone from their world came and found out about us, so they went back to their home planet, Umbra, and Equestria broke out into war with them. I know this may seem a little confusing, the news of the events hasn’t really spread to far outside of Canterlot.”

“It’s not confusing aside from the... Equestrian part. You see, I’m one of Maverick’s kind. A human.”

The three mares in front of Heather gave each other a surprised look.

“You mean... you are the one that came through the dimension transport?” Twilight asked, turning her head back to face Heather.

“Yes, but I wasn’t the only one. Maverick along with three other soldiers were... transported here when Maverick activated something back on Umbra. I’ve lost contact with Maverick and the other three soldiers back in the large forest that Zecora lives in.” Heather explained.

“Are you sure that Maverick is here? What about Hunter, did you see or hear anything from Maverick about him?” Celesta asked.

“Maverick is in this world, but the one he called Hunter... he wasn’t able to make it. When I found Maverick, there was an underdeveloped Beta unit in his lap. I’m not sure what he was planning to do with it... but he seemed to care for it as if it were his own brother. He... shot it out of sympathy, I’m guessing.”

Twilight closed her eyes and let out a sigh along with the two princesses.

“When I arrived here with Maverick and my squad members, he said something about this being his home. What did he mean by that?” Heather asked. Twilight looked back at Celestia and Luna, who gave the purple unicorn a slight nod. Twilight turned her head back to Heather, the soldier waiting for an answer.

“Given the circumstances, I think it’s safe to tell you what had happened.” Twilight Sparkle said.

______________________________________________________________________

After the feud with the Umbra soldiers and our world, Hunter was killed by the Stealth unit that had been sent here about three days earlier. Loving Hunter like a brother, Maverick was deeply upset and almost took his own life after he had recovered in the hospital. A little under a month or so after he recovered, he went back to Umbra for a little bit, saying that he was going to make another Beta unit of himself, a ‘new Hunter’ as he interpreted it. He had also made a mechanical arm to replace the one that had been taken from him, combining it with the magic that rested in the horn he used to make it. Frankly, I doubted it when he told me, but seeing it for myself had me more than convinced. I taught him how to use the magic efficiently, and he eventually got it, catching on fairly quick. Six months went by and Maverick was coming from Umbra and going back periodically, making little check ups on the Beta unit he was making.

But, one day he didn’t come back. We sat here in Ponyville for five months, waiting for Maverick to walk across that field between Everfree and Ponyville, but every single day we were let down. Given that he was wanted dead by the military back on Umbra, he made his home here in Ponyville, but he just... stopped showing up after that day. No pony knew what was going on and no pony could find out since Maverick had the only dimension transport device.

______________________________________________________________________

“And that brings us here. We were hoping to be able to see both Maverick and Hunter again, even if it wasn’t the original Hunter. Are you... sure that Maverick killed the Beta unit?” Twilight asked, a sense of pleading in her voice.

“I’m sorry... but I saw him do it right in front of me. There was nothing I could do.” Heather said in a sad tone. The four mares sat in silence for a second, the sound of the ponies of Ponyville talking and laughing occupying the silence for a second.

“Heather, you said that you came here with Maverick and three other soldiers. Do you happen to know where Maverick and the three soldiers are?” Luna asked.

“Unfortunately, I lost contact with the three other soldiers when I went after Maverick. I haven’t seen them since... and I’m not sure if they’re even alive.”

Celestia turned her head to Twilight, the purple unicorn still looking down at the ground.

“Twilight Sparkle, there is something that I need you to do.” Celestia said and Twilight’s head popped up, turning to look at the alicorn next to her.

“You are to go into the Everfree forest and find Maverick and the three soldiers with Heather.”

Twilight’s eyes opened with surprise, this being the first thing that Celestia had asked her to do ever since she was told to write lessons about friendship to her.

“You want me to go into the Everfree forest and find them?” Twilight asked, a glow forming in her eyes as excitement grew within her.

“Yes. If you happen to find any of them, take them with you and bring them back to Ponyville safely. Something tells me that Maverick isn’t himself, so be careful if you find him, he does have the power of an alicorn within that arm of his.” Celestia said.

“You can count on me, princess!” Twilight said, excited that she would be helping the princesses out.

“And Heather. You are one of Maverick’s kind, a human, so you more than likely know his nature as a human the most. After being what he has been through, there has to be something pressing against him, he could be dangerous.” Celestia said, turning her glance towards the soldier in front of her. Heather gave a slight nod and raised her hoof to her forehead out of habit. Celestia giggled to herself a little and turned back to Twilight.

“I advise you get going first thing tomorrow when the weather in Everfree starts to clear up. Hopefully they wouldn’t have traveled too far.”

______________________________________________________________________

Remind me to never have Zecora talk in my stories again, I spent half of the time in those paragraphs thinking of something to make it rhyme.

Anyways, I would just like to address something.

I know that Ferote can't be the only one that has something to say about the story lately, so please, leave a comment, tell me what I need to improve on, anything to help me with my writing. Or at least help me keep confidence in my writing.

But, I'll just leave that up to you. -Burning

(Also, I didn't take the time to go back and proofread this chapter either, so sorry about any mistakes)

Dangers of the Night

Heather opened her eyes slowly, the light coming through the hotel window making her squint as she awakened fully. She had stayed the night in the Ponyville hotel for the time being, Twilight heading back home and gathering some things for the search for Maverick and the other three soldiers Heather came to Equestria with. Heather sat up in her bed and stretched, rubbing her eyes as she got out of bed and walked over to the window.

It was another beautiful day in Ponyville, the skies clear of almost all of the clouds as the pegasi got rid of the remaining few that hung in the air above the town. The ponies of Ponyville were already outside, playing and talking with each other as the morning progressed onwards. A few puddles still remained in the streets from the rainfall yesterday, a few of the younger ponies stomping around in them and laughing as they playfully splashed each other. Heather let out a little laugh as she saw one of the fillies topple over in one of the puddles. Even though the thought of talking and having human like characteristic ponies still seemed a little strange, something inside of Heather began to feel like she was home again, away from all the violence and back on Earth. Even if it was polluted beyond belief, Earth was still home in Heather’s heart, and that would never change.

Heather turned away from the window and walked over to the nightstand beside the bed. Heather struggled a bit, but managed to put her Umbra military uniform back on. It was different from the uniforms that the base Maverick came from had, so the ponies didn’t seem to recognize her as someone coming from Umbra. Although it was fitted for humans, the uniform was strangely able to fit Heather with only a few things about it seeming to be uncomfortable, the end of the sleeves a little tight around her hooves. Heather grabbed the keys to the hotel room and walked out into the hallway, shutting the door behind her and locking it. It was still fairly early in the day, a few heavy and light snores coming from the hotel rooms as Heather walked past them and into the lobby. There was a pale red mare sitting behind the desk, watching as Heather walked up to the reception desk and set her keys on top of it.

“I hope you enjoyed your stay! Have a nice day!” The mare said cheerily as Heather walked out the door, Heather waving goodbye to the mare as she shut the door and walked away from the hotel. Heather looked around Ponyville, scanning the area for the library in which she was told to come to by Twilight Sparkle. She sighed and walked off further into Ponyville, searching for the library.

______________________________________________________________________

Heather wandered her way through the shopping areas of Ponyville, examining the various kiosks spread about through the town. The soldier got a few strange looks as she passed by some of the ponies sitting alongside the kiosks, mutters of her ‘sense of fashion’. Heather stopped and looked down at her hooves, inspecting the blue, white, and grey camouflage pattern of the Umbra military uniforms.

“Is it... is it really that bad? I actually kind of like these colors...” Heather said quietly to herself, shifting her eyes meekly from left to right.

“Oh miss... uh... you! With the... uniform on!” A voice called out from one of the kiosks. Heather looked up from her hooves toward the origin of the voice. An orange mare was waving at her happily, the brown hat on top of her yellow mane rocking back and forth as she moved. There was another pony beside her, wearing an apron with a small pocket in the front of the white cloth. Heather looked around for a second, scanning the area for any other ponies that had any type of uniform on. Seeing no other ponies with clothes on, which seemed a little weird to Heather, the soldier slowly walked over to the kiosk, hiding behind her long dark brown mane.

“Howdy! I never seen you ‘round Ponyville before. You, uh, you wouldn’t happen to be from... Umbra?” Applejack said unsurely, recognizing the pattern of Heather’s uniform.

Heather gave the orange pony a surprised look. “She knows about Umbra? Does she know about humans? Then again, Maverick was here before me. Maybe he got acquainted with the population here...” Heather thought to herself, examining the two ponies standing in front of her. Applejack and Applebloom sat quietly, patiently waiting for a response from Heather, but were only met with a blank stare.

“Uh... hello?” Applebloom said, stretching out her hoof and waving it in front of Heather’s face. The soldier’s eyes opened slightly wider, the sudden motion in front of her eyes breaking her train of thought.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I was just thinking...” Heather said, rubbing her left leg with her hoof.

“I can see that. About Umbra, you didn’ jus’ get that uniform from Rarity, did ya? She doesn’ typically do this sorta... color design and fashion style.” Applejack said, shyly pointing at Heather’s uniform.

“Oh, no, this is my own. I just thought I’d ask you, though... how do you know about Umbra? This world isn’t exactly like the one I came from.” Heather said, moving her mane out of her eyes and scratching her head.

“Twahlight told me about yer... mission to find Maverick. I can tell ya, that might be a bit of a hard one. We haven’t seen him in six months.” Applejack said.

“You know Maverick?”

“Why sure! Well, we used to...”

“What happened? Do you know where he is? What about his Beta unit, Hunter?”

“Whoa now, one question at a time. Here, Applebloom, do ya’ think you can attend the kiosk while ah’m gone?” Applejack asked, turning to her little sister.

“No problem, Applejack!” Applebloom replied, closing her eyes in delight as she raised a hoof to salute Applejack.

“You sure?”

“I can take care of it, Applejack! Ah’m not a baby!”

“Good. Now... uh...” Applejack said as she took off her apron, turning to face the soldier standing beside her.

“Heather. Heather Culpepper.”

“Heather. If you could follow me, I can fill ya’ in on Maverick and Hunter. Come on now.”

Applejack and Heather walked away from the apple kiosk, Applebloom waiting patiently for any customers as she stood next to a barrel of apples.

“What can you tell me about Maverick?” Heather asked as she and Applejack slowly trotted through the Ponyville shopping section.

“He was a... an interesting stallion. Wouldn’t exactly call ‘em the most well mannered pony, but he did what he needed tuh do. ‘Course, that all changed when the Umbra military was through with our world and they stopped comin’.”

“The Umbra military? What were they doing here? How did they even get here?”

“That... I’m not exactly sure of. Maverick tried explainin’ something called a ‘inter dimension transport system’, but the whole thing just sounded like a bunch a hooey. But, whatever it was, it let through the military of the world Maverick and Hunter called Umbra.”

“That must have been the device that Maverick used to bring himself and the other members of my squad into this world. So this is another dimension, huh? That would probably explain why these ponies can talk.” Heather thought to herself. Applejack and Heather came to a stop in the Ponyville town square, walking over to the fountain and putting their front hooves onto the side.

“What else happened with Maverick and Hunter? Anything that could explain what he was doing back on Umbra with a mechanical arm?” Heather asked, looking at Applejack in the rippling reflection of the fountain water.

“Well, after the Umbra military was defeated as well as ‘The General’, as Maverick called the alicorn that had showed up in Equestria, Maverick had lost his arm. Unfortunately... Hunter died saving Maverick’s life. This... this had quite an affect on Maverick. After Hunter passed away in the Ponyville hospital, Maverick traveled back to Umbra an’ he told us that he was going to bring Hunter back. We started to get a little worried about him, he seemed a little too happy, if that makes any sense.”

Heather stared at the ripples in the fountain, concentrating on the colors of the Umbra uniform she was dressed in.

“Was that... thing in Maverick’s lap Hunter?” Heather thought to herself.

“That is until six months ago. Maverick went to check something back on Umbra an’ he never came back. We haven’t heard anythin’ from Maverick since then. But Twahlight told me that Maverick is back! Is he alright? Where is he?” Applejack asked with a sense of happiness in her voice, backing away from the fountain and looking at Heather. The soldier sighed and she turned to Applejack with a slightly depressed expression, the smile on Applejack’s face disappearing.

“Maverick... he’s not the same person that you think he is. Something happened to him... he’s not himself anymore according to what you have told me.” Heather said sadly. Applejack bit her lip and shifted her eyes to the ground.

“Well... just make sure that he is alright when ya’ find him. I’ll be waiting to see ‘em around again.” Applejack said, shifting her eyes back to Heather. The soldier nodded and Applejack said her goodbyes, heading back to the apple kiosk she was working at. Heather sighed and she turned around, continuing to search Ponyville for the library.

______________________________________________________________________

Heather made her way to a small clearing from the rest of Ponyville, a bench resting in the middle of the field. The soldier looked around the clearing, searching for anything that could look as if it were a library.

“Ugh... I’m never going to find this thing.” Heather thought to herself as she walked over to the bench and sat down. The soldier sighed and she put her front hooves out on the table, making a ‘clop’ sound as she lightly brought them together repeatedly.

“I wonder if Ramirez, Kessler, and Blake are okay. It has already been a night... hopefully they made their way to a town or city. That forest didn’t seem like the safest place to be during the night...” Heather thought to herself, continuing to clop her hooves together to keep her kind occupied. Her train of thought was interrupted, however, as a yell came from across the field behind her.

“Heather! Over here!” A voice called out. Heather turned around to find Twilight Sparkle waving to her in front of a fairly large tree, the purple unicorn smiling at her. Heather waved back and she got off of the bench, walking across the field and making her way to Twilight.

“There you are! I was waiting for a while. Get lost?” Twilight asked jokingly as Heather stopped in front of her.

“I guess you could say that. Should we get going?” Heather asked.

“Let me get some things before we leave. We’ll need some sort of protection if we’re going into Everfree.” Twilight said, motioning her hoof for Heather to follow as she walked into the library. Heather closed the door behind her as she entered the tree that made the library, the soldier looking around the inside of the tree curiously.

“You... live in trees?” Heather asked, examining the bookshelves that lined the inside walls of the library.

“Ponies are a little... different than humans is all. Besides, this is just one building in Ponyville, there are plenty of cottages and houses throughout the town. I’ll be back down in a second.” Twilight said as she walked up the stairs to her room. As Twilight walked out of her line of sight, Heather began taking some of the books down from the bookshelves and looking at their covers. Heather began to open one of the books, but was interrupted as a scrambling coming from her uniform pocket. Heather confusedly took out her radio and opened it, the sound coming from her radio. Hesitantly, the soldier put the device up to her, a little scared of what was happening.

“H... Hello?” Heather asked, putting the book she had taken down back on the shelf. There was a faint voice coming through the radio, but only segments could be heard through the static.

“... you Heather? Kessler and... of wood! They’re chasing... get away! We can’t run for... couldn’t find Ramirez, but we... exited the portal and he... anywhere! If you can hear this... near a clearing in the forest. If this is goodbye... said ‘Hey’. Blake out...” The voice through the radio said.

“Blake? Blake!? Are you there?” Heather said hurriedly, worry filling her heart. The radio only gave off static, Blake’s voice gone from the white noise. Heather sighed and she shut her radio, putting it back in her uniform pocket.

“Please let them be okay...” Heather said quietly. Heather turned her head to her left as she heard Twilight’s hoof steps coming down the stairs, the purple unicorn carrying a saddle pack on her back.

“Ready to go?” Twilight asked as she arrived at the bottom of the stairs.

“Yeah... let’s get going.” Heather said. Twilight and Heather walked out of the library and started for Everfree, casually talking along the way to the dense and dangerous forest in the search of Maverick.

______________________________________________________________________

[The night before]

“Ramirez, Heather! Where are you!?” Kessler yelled out loud, lifting his hoof up to his mouth and turning in every direction.

“Kessler, what did I tell you!? We don’t know what is in this place, keep your damn voice down.” Blake said angrily, lightly hitting Kessler on the back of his head.

“Well excuse me for worrying about my allies. They have to be out here somewhere.” Kessler said, rubbing his head.

The night sky was barely visible through the thick canopy of the Everfree forest, Kessler and Blake walking along the natural paths through Everfree. The two soldiers continued on their way through the forest, walking in no particular direction as they searched for Heather and Ramirez.

“Where the hell are Ramirez and Heather? And why the hell are we horses?” Blake asked out loud, stopping for a second to look at his hoof.

“Why are you asking me? I’m just as clueless as you are, man. As confused as we are, we still have a mission to carry out. But before we search for Maverick, we’re going to need to find Heather and Ramirez first. They’re just as lost as we are.” Kessler said, turning his head left to right as he scanned the forest.

“Do you think that the sergeant has noticed we’re gone yet?”

“Hell if I know. I highly doubt that our radios would transmit from this... place to the sergeant and the rest of the squad.”

“What about Heather and Ramirez? Would it transmit to them?”

“We could try. No harm in not.”

Blake and Kessler stopped by a small pond by the path, Kessler sitting down and dipping his front hooves into the pond.

“How the hell to horses do this? It feels so weird not being able to move any fingers.” Kessler said, swishing around his hooves in the water.

“Shh, I’m trying to get the radio to work.”

Blake put the radio up to his ear, but was only met with static.

“Damn it! Nothing. Looks like we’re just going to have to look for them on foot... or hoof, as it is. Get it? Because we’re horses?” Blake said as he walked over to Kessler, nudging him on the side.

“I suggest you shut your mouth before I shove that radio down your throat. Besides, this place doesn’t exactly look like the best place to stay the night. We should probably find a way out of here and search for Ramirez, Heather, and Maverick in the morning. Hopefully they can get out of this place and find somewhere safe.” Kessler said as he took his hooves out of the pond, wiping them off on his uniform.

“Yeah, but where? This forest stretches on forever. If we had more light, maybe we could see where we’re going. The damn canopy is too dense.” Blake said.

“Heh, just like your girlfriends-”

“You make one more joke about her and I will shove your head into the pond and never let it back up.”

“Well, someone’s got to give you a hard time, with you cracking lame ass jokes all the time. You’ve got to learn to shut your mouth and keep it that way at some point.”

“Just leave my girlfriend out of this. We’re lost as much as it is, I don’t want to be lost in this damned place alone. Let’s just keep searching for an exit.”

Kessler and Blake continued through Everfree, wandering aimlessly in hopes of either finding Heather, Ramirez, and Maverick or an exit out of the forest.

“Did you hear what Maverick said before that little doohickey that was at his feet activated?” Blake asked.

“Yeah, what about it?” Kessler asked.

“Well... what did it do? I mean, I’m pretty sure that it activated the device on the floor... but what did the device do to us? Some thing about a dimension transport and all that... are we in a different dimension?”

“Highly unlikely, but possible. With the technology that the military has come up with in the past century, hell, they could probably even start bringing headless people back to life with ease. Then again, on the dimension note, this isn’t necessarily any landscape that would be on Earth anymore. Umbra’s plant life doesn’t look like this and Lambda is practically a metal planet right now. We’re not home anymore.”

“Then where are we?”

“Why are you asking me all of this!? Do you think I know!? I’m just as clueless as you are! Can you please just shut up for a minute!?”

“Alright, alright, damn. Just trying to figure out what is going on. No need to go off on me.”

“Sorry... I’m just trying to process this all.”

“I understand.”

“Thanks...”

Blake’s ears pricked up and he stopped walking, Kessler turning his head to look at Blake and stopping as well.

“What is it?” Kessler asked.

“Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Movement, nine o’ clock. Sounds like a pack of... modukai.”

Blake and Kessler stared at the area to their left, the sound of plants being shoved out of the way growing closer and closer to them. Through the darkness of the forest, the outlines of wolf-like creatures began to become visible against the dim moonlight coming through the canopy.

“What... what are they?” Blake said quietly.

“They look like modukai... but made of... wood?” Kessler said unsurely, watching as numerous pairs of yellow eyes glowed on the edge of the path, staring directly at the two soldiers frozen in fear.

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Hey guys! Finally got my mind set back on Maverick and Hunter after about a month and a half. I'll be working on Maverick and Hunter from now on, so (hopefully) no more long pauses between chapters.

See you next chapter! -Burning

Remorse

“This is it, huh? The Everfree forest, as you call it?” Heather asked, looking at the clear beginning of the path that led into the forest. Trees and other types of vegetation lined the edges of the path, the dirt road seeming to lead on forever into the dense and dark forest beyond. Everfree seemed peaceful at the moment, no sign of any of the creatures that inhabited the forest.

“Yeah... this is it. We’ve got quite a journey if we are going to find Maverick, though. The forest is gigantic. Shall we get started?” Twilight asked, turning her head to look at Heather. The soldier nodded and the two ponies began to walk into Everfree.

“So... have you ever been in the Everfree forest before?” Heather asked, looking at the various plants she passed as they slowly trotted down the path.

“A few times, yes. Why do you ask?” Twilight asked, turning her head to look at Heather.

“Just curious. When I was in here, it was like a maze. Until I found that hut a while back into the woods, I thought I was going to be lost in here forever. Do you know the zebra that lives there? In the hut.”

“Yes! Zecora, she lives out here in Everfree by herself.”

“Mmhm. She said something about the path in Everfree can be... dangerous when we were getting ready to head for Ponyville. What did she mean by that? I didn’t see anything too bad out here when I first arrived.”

“Really? You must have good luck, then. There are plenty of dangers within Everfree that we may have to watch out for.”

“Like what?”

“Timberwolves, cockatrice, ursa minor, all sorts of things. But, for now, we should be fine in the daylight. Activity in Everfree is toned down a little during the day.”

“Wait, wait, ursa minor? Like the constellation?”

“Yeah! Why?”

“Well, constellations aren’t... you know, alive. At least, back in our world. They’re just clusters of stars in the sky back on Earth. We never really think of them too much.”

“You’re not on Umbra anymore, things could be a lot different than it is here than it is on Umbra. Here, lets stop here for a second. I haven’t eaten yet today.”

“Sounds good. I’m starting to get a little hungry too.”

Heather and Twilight came to a stop on the path, Twilight taking off her saddle pack and setting it down next to her as they sat down. Twilight unpacked a few food supplements she had taken with her, a few slices of bread, some grasses, and an assortment of other plants. Heather looked at the food Twilight set out on some paper plates, leaning to the side to try and look in Twilight’s saddle pack.

“Is... is that it? Just vegetables and grains?” Heather asked.

“This is all I took with me. What do you mean?” Twilight asked, taking a bite out of the sandwich she had made.

“Humans kind of have a... different diet than ponies, usually.”

“Like what?”

Heather stayed quiet for a second. “She would probably find it a little strange that I ate another animal in my lifetime, wouldn’t she?” Heather thought to herself.

“Heather?” Twilight asked, waving a hoof in front of her face.

“Uh... nothing. Forget I said anything.” Heather said, taking two pieces of bread and putting them next to each other on a paper plate.

“Heather, would you mind if I asked you something?” Twilight said, shifting her eyes from her sandwich to the soldier sitting in front of her.

“Not at all. What is it?” Heather asked as she set a few slices of cheese down on two pieces of bread.

“What are humans like?”

Heather looked up from her sandwich, lifting an eyebrow as she turned her gaze from her food to Twilight.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that! I just, I never got to ask Maverick or Hunter and I thought they would be-” Twilight said hurriedly.

“Twilight, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. Humans... they’re complicated. One minute they can be just fine and the next they can... I don’t know. Things are difficult right now back on Umbra and Earth and Lambda are having just as much trouble we are. Has Maverick told you about Earth and Lambda?” Heather asked.

“Only small portions. He has mentioned them, but has never gone into too much detail. He was usually mainly talking about Umbra.”

“Well, Lambda and Earth aren’t doing too much better than Umbra warfare-wise. Things were hectic back on Earth when I left and I can see Umbra is having just as much trouble with rioters and revolutionists as Lambda and Earth are. I’m really not sure we’re going to be able to end anything if we continue on like we are.”

Heather shifted her eyes back to Twilight, the purple unicorn leaning forward and listening intently.

“I’m... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go into a military overview or anything. It has just been the main thing on my mind lately, with all the surprise attacks and all. It’s hard to get comfortable without worrying about someone or something sneaking up and...” Heather trailed off. “...Never mind. Should we get walking again?” Heather asked.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Twilight said, nodding as she stood up and began packing the plates back into her saddle pack. Heather stood up and she and Twilight began walking down the Everfree path once more. Maverick would still be a large feat to find and capture.

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The sun above began to set on the dense and large forest outside of Ponyville, darkness slowly edging its way in and suppressing the comforting light of day. Barely any light made its way through the canopy of the forest, the moonlight coming down in columns through the holes in the leaves and branches. The path through Everfree was barely lit, a single light quickly traveling down the path as two ponies searched for a lost soul. The sound of branches cracking, twigs snapping, and plants rustling filled Everfree as two mares ran in the hurry for survival. Panting and running out of energy, the two ponies ran as fast as they could as they deviated from the path into the forest itself.

“What are they!?” Heather yelled over the commotion, looking back at the savage beasts chasing them through the woods.

“Timberwolves! They won’t stop, just keep going!” Twilight shouted through the lamp in her mouth. Heather and Twilight dodged around the large trees, long vines, and thick bushes blocking their paths, galloping away from certain death. The wolves continued to bark and howl as they chased the defenseless ponies out in front of them, taking swings and bites as they got close, but missed every time.

“Twilight... I can’t run for any longer! I need to... I need to rest...” Heather said, breathing heavily as her pace slowed down and she began to fall back.

“Heather! Don’t stop, keep running! We can’t slow down!” Twilight yelled, keeping her pace, yet slowly running out of energy as well.

“Keep going, Twilight. I’ll be fine. Teleport, fight back, do something! For now, this is goodbye.” Heather said. The soldier slid to a stop and stepped to the side behind a tree as fast as she could. Twilight continued forward and she slowly went out of sight, the light of the lamp disappearing from the area. Heather cringed as she heard the sound of the timberwolves come closer, but opened her eyes once more as she heard them run past the tree she was behind. Listening to the chase as she stood still and recovered her energy, a small magical ‘pop’ came from the distance, Heather sighing with relief.

“Good luck, Twilight. I’m sure you’ll be fine. I just hope that I can trust myself when I say that I’ll be fine as well...” Heather said quietly as she regained her breath. The soldier stood still for a second, listening to the sounds of night that occurred deep within the forest. Heather looked around the area surrounding her, inspecting the forest for any other timberwolves or creatures that would harm her. No other animal could be seen in the immediate area, Heather taking a few steps away from the tree behind her. The soldier slowly began walking back towards the path she and Twilight had been on, cautiously listening to and watching the environment. Heather emerged from the thick forest and made her way onto the path she and Twilight had been walking on. Heather quickly turned her head to the forest behind her, the sound of the timberwolves pushing their way through Everfree coming into earshot. The soldier quickly began walking down the path once more, alone and helpless.

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Heather trotted along the dark and dreary path, looking from side to side as she heard small shuffles in the thick bushes and trees running alongside the dirt road. The soldier looked up toward the sky as she came to a stop in the middle of the path, letting out a slight sigh. The full moon above was visible through the brief break in the canopy of the forest, the moonlight gently making its way down into Everfree. Heather looked back towards the path, the trees beginning to clear more further down the dirt road as she could see columns of moonlight in the distance. The soldier began to walk hastily to the clear part of the dirt path, but stopped as she stepped on something. Heather looked down and moved her hoof out of the way, a puzzled expression on her face as she stared at what she had stepped on. A torn piece of and Umbra uniform sat on the ground in front of Heather, four strips laying in an imprint of what looked like wolf tracks. Heather looked to her right, following a trail of hoof and wolf imprints in the dirt with her eyes. On the branch of one of the trees along the path hung a large strip of blue and gray camouflage, multiple tears in it.

“An Umbra military uniform? Out this deep in the forest? Who’s could it... wait.” Heather said quietly. The soldier leaned in closer to the direction of the torn Umbra uniform and lifted her ear up. The sound of heavy breathing barely made its way to Heather’s ear, along with the sound of someone whispering quietly to themselves. Praying. Heather quickly walked to the origin of the voice, pushing the vegetation out of the way. Heather walked around a fairly large tree and came to a small clearing in the dense part of the forest, moonlight streaming down in an almost ten foot cylinder through the clear section of the canopy. Seeing what laid on the ground and on one of the trees, Heather lifted a hoof up to her mouth and gasped slightly.

Approximately five timberwolves laid on the ground of the clearing, three of their necks twisted at an extreme angle and the other two with knives stuck in their heads. A stallion laid still on his side in the middle of the mess, a thick pool of a dark red substance gathering around his head. He showed no signs of breathing or movement, lying lifeless in the moonlight. Another stallion laid in the clearing, his back against the trunk of the tree opposite from Heather. He had his head down and the tip of his nose could be seen in the moonlight, his mouth moving up and down slowly as he whispered to himself. Part of the blue and gray camouflage that he had on was missing, deep wounds scattered through his legs and lower body. The stallion stopped talking and the tip of his nose moved upwards, Heather, staring at the injured stallion.

“Who... who are you? What are you doing out here? Where... ah... where did you come from?” The stallion said, leaning forward slightly so his face emerged from the darkness into the moonlight. His blue eyes glimmered in the dim light, the area under his eyes slightly wet with blood and tears. Heather recognized the voice that came from his mouth, Heather almost breaking down into tears as she realized who the two stallions were.

“...Blake. Is that you?” Heather asked quietly, moving her hoof away from her mouth and putting it at her chin.

“Heather... I never thought I would see anybody else than Kessler again. What... heh, what took you so long?” Blake asked, a slight smile growing on his face despite his condition. Heather made her way through the mess of timberwolves and came to a stop at the stallion laying on his side.

“Kessler didn’t make it. The poor bastard took the hit for me... he managed to get his knives into two of the other... things as well. I was already injured by that time... the two other ones just got the last of me.” Blake said, sliding sideways off the tree and laying on his side in the moonlight. Heather quickly walked over to Blake, sitting down in front of him and moving his medium, light brown mane out of his face. Tears began to form in Heather’s eyes, staring down at the dying stallion in front of her.

“Blake... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone after Maverick, I should have stayed with you, Kessler, and Ramirez.” Heather said quietly, wiping away a tear slowly making its way down her cheek.

“No... you shouldn’t have. If you would’ve stayed with us... you’d be in just as much shit as we are. Ramirez... we never really did find him. He’s out there... but we just couldn’t find him or you. I’m the one who should be sorry. I wasn’t able to help Kessler when he needed it. Now look at him. Scratched up and bitten to hell... oh... why did this happen?” Blake moaned, attempting to lift a hoof to his face, but found his leg stuck where it was.

“Don’t worry, Blake. You’re going to be fine. One of the residents in the towns out of the forest is in the forest with me. We can get you out of here, we can get you help! Just hang in there, you’re going to be okay.” Heather said, beginning to reach into her pocket for a personal first aid issued out by the Umbra military. Blake weakly reached out to Heather and lightly hit her hoof away from her pocket, his hoof falling hard to the ground in front of him.

“Save that for yourself... Heather. This dumb bastard isn’t going anywhere.” Blake said, his eyes slowly closing.

“Blake, wait!” Heather said quickly, putting a hoof on Blake’s face and leaning forward.

“Don’t let Maverick get away. Make him know what he has done. Capture him... bring him back to Umbra... and let him suffer. He doesn’t deserve to live...” Blake trailed off from his sentence, his eyes fully closing and his breathing coming to a stop. Heather folded her lips inward and attempted to stop herself from letting her tears get the best of her, making small squeaks as she stared at Blake. Heather slowly stood back up on her hooves, not sure what to do with Kessler and Blake as repressed tears made their way down Heather’s cheeks.

“Blake... Kessler... I’m so sorry!” Heather shouted out loud, falling back down and burying her head in her hooves. Her tears fell at full force, Heather sobbing as she tried as hard as she could to stop her tears from flowing. Heather lifted her head out of her hooves, her tears beginning to let up as she rested her muzzle on her legs. The sudden depression that had taken over Heather slowly subsided as what seemed like endless seconds passed by. Heather’s tears began to dry within her eyes, the soldier laying in the silence of the forest a she stared at Blake’s lifeless body. After a moment of thinking over the situation and resting her mind, Heather stood back up on her hooves, gently wiping off her uniform. She stayed still for a second, tilting her head upwards to look at the sparkling nocturnal sky.

“I... I don’t have the tools to properly bury you two... I’m sorry. But just know that you won’t be forgotten. I won’t let Maverick get away with what he has done. I’ll take him back to Umbra... and make sure that he has learned his mistakes.” Heather said quietly, slowly bringing her gaze back down at the ground. The soldier lifted her hoof up to her head and briefly brought it outwards in a sudden motion, giving a small nod as she turned around. Heather made her way through the trees and other plant life back onto the path she had been walking on, turning her head to the right to look at the, what seemed to be, the end of the dark part of the forest. Heather turned her head back to the forest behind her, watching as the torn part of Blake’s uniform swayed gently in the light breeze. After whispering inaudibly and giving a small nod, Heather turned back toward the path and trotted over to the path she had been heading in. As Heather walked into the dim light of the moon, she let out a small sigh, letting the tenseness in her body go as she exited the dense portion of the forest.

Heather lifted her eyes from the ground and focused her attention on a large stone structure across the ravine she stood away from. The castle that once stood was practically non-existent any longer, the walls of the stone building destroyed and the ceiling completely gone. Vegetation grew around the abandoned castle carelessly, vines hanging off the broken edges of the walls. The large wooden doors seemed to be open partially, hooves steps visible in the dirt path leading to the castle doors.

“Could that be Twilight? Or Ramirez? Maybe... Maverick.” Heather thought to herself, staring at the fallen castle. Heather’s ears perked up and she turned around. The sound of distant yells and hoof steps emerged from within the forest, the outline of a pony visible in the darkness of Everfree. As the yells grew louder and the pony got closer, Heather could recognize who the pony was, getting a little tense as she also saw a pack of timberwolves chasing Twilight.

“Heather! Get across the bridge! Hurry!” Twilight yelled, glancing back at the timberwolves. Heather quickly turned and ran towards the ravine. Bridge shaking and her heart pounding, Heather made her way across the unstable rope bridge to the other side of the scar in the earth. Heather slid to a stop on the dirt path at the end of the bridge, quickly turning around to see where Twilight was. The purple unicorn was bolting across the bridge as well, the timberwolves biting at the ropes holding the bridge up on the other side of the ravine. Heather leaned forward and put her hoof out for Twilight to grab as the timberwolves ripped apart the ropes holding the bridge, Twilight beginning to panic as the bridge fell from beneath her. The purple unicorn kicked off of one the planks on the bridge, reaching out for Heather’s hoof. The purple unicorn closed her eyes, feeling a falling sensation once more. She began to let out a scream, but she came to a halt in the air, something holding onto her hoof. Twilight opened her eyes and looked up, Heather sitting on the ground with her hooves stretched out over the side of the ravine, grasping Twilight’s outstretched hoof.

“I gotcha, Twilight. I’m not letting you go.” Heather said reassuringly, giving Twilight a smile. The purple unicorn sighed and she looked back over at the other side of the ravine. The timberwolves stared angrily at the two mares, growling quietly as they slowly sulked back into the dense part of Everfree. Heather leaned backwards and pulled Twilight up with her, the purple unicorn falling forwards and laying down next to Heather as Twilight came back onto solid ground. Twilight rolled on back next to Heather, both mares exhausted as they laid on their backs and stared up at the night sky.

“Thank you, Heather. Thank you so much.” Twilight said, turning her head to look at the soldier laying next to her.

Heather nodded. “You’re welcome, Twilight. I wouldn’t let you go like that.” Heather said as she turned her head to meet Twilight’s gaze. The two mares looked back up at the night sky, staring off into the star littered abyss above Everfree. The forest seemed vaguely quiet on the side of the ravine the two mares laid on, the moment of subtle quietness brining a relaxing feeling to both Twilight and Heather.

“Twilight?” Heather said quietly, keeping her eyes at the moon.

“Yes?” Twilight responded, watching as a star shot across the night sky.

“If we get back to Ponyville... safely, I... I would like to spend more time together. You know, as friends. Well... maybe a little more as...” Heather said quietly, trailing off from the end of her sentence and a bitter expression forming on her face.

“More as...?” Twilight asked, turning her head to Heather. The soldier hesitantly looked at Twilight, the purple unicorn smiling at her. Heather kept silent for a second, staring into Twilight’s eyes.

“Nothing, nothing. As friends.” Heather said, a small smile growing on her face. Heather rolled on her stomach and stood up on her hooves, Twilight standing up a second later. The two mares lifted their eyes from the ground to the castle, Heather walking forward slightly.

“Heather, wait! There are hoof steps in the path. Somepony is around here.” Twilight said quietly, looking at a hoof step imprinted in the dirt beneath her.

“I know. And I think I know who it is. Come on.” Heather whispered, motioning her hoof as she began walking to the castle doors. Twilight and Heather quietly made their way over to the castle doors, Heather pushing them open as slowly as she could. The soldier leaned forward and peaked into the entrance of the castle. Seeing no one in the area, Heather and Twilight crept their way into the castle entrance, standing up straight and looking around.

“What is this place?” Heather asked, examining a vine growing on the top of one of the broken walls.

“The Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. A lot has been forgotten about this place, there are only a few books that even mention it in the library.” Twilight said, walking up to the decorative statue in the middle of the room. Heather moved her way along the side of the castle walls, examining the vines that grew around the broken stone. Heather came to a stop a one of the shattered windows, taking a second to look out at Everfree. The forest seemed to stretch on forever from the castle window, no stop to the dense and dangerous forest in sight. Heather began to turn away from the window, but something caught her attention as her line of sight passed a vine hanging on the window sill. The soldier turned back to the broken glass, taking a second to look at the vine hanging over the wall. Heather leaned forward, inspecting a thin silver chain with two small, thin sheets of metal on the end of it.

“Dog tags?” Heather said quietly.

“Hunter’s. I’ve kept them ever since he died.” A voice said gently from the end of the castle entrance. Heather and Twilight looked to the doors at the other side of the room, Maverick walking through the doors slowly.

“Maverick...” Heather said quietly, taking the dog tags off of the vine. The dog tags glowed with a red aura and they floated slowly through the air, Heather watching as they made their way over to the soldier at the end of the castle entrance. Heather and Twilight backed up to the middle of the room as Maverick walked closer to them, Maverick stopping in front of the statue within the castle entrance.

“I assume that you’re still looking to carry out your mission, Culpepper. If you haven’t gotten the message yet, I’m not going with you.” Maverick said, putting the dog tags in his possession into the pocket of his Umbra uniform.

“Whether you like or not, you’re going to have to come back to Umbra at some point, and it might as well be with me. What you think the military will do to you is not as bad as it seems. The military base you were stationed at had a history of being harsh with its soldiers. Trust me, you can come back. It’s safe.” Heather said reassuringly.

Maverick stopped his hoof on the ground. “I can’t go back! Just because my superior officers are gone from the base doesn’t mean they aren’t dead! They’ll still want the same outcome as the General did, they just see me as another soldier waiting to die!” Maverick said, his voice growing in volume with every word.

“Maverick, the military-”

“I don’t care what the military thinks! I’ve seen what they are doing with Umbra and I cannot stand around to watch it just roll over! They tried to take this world away from these ponies and they’re trying to take over Umbra! I’m just one man, Heather, I can’t stand up to a whole military! Not... not without Hunter.”

“Just come back to Umbra, we can help you!”

“There’s nothing for me there! They wanted me dead, what makes you think that they’re going to accept be back into the Umbra military without consequences!? What makes you think I want to work with them when I know how heartless they can be!?”

Twilight chimed in forcefully, “Maverick, just listen! We can help you! Just come with us back to Ponyville and everything will be fine! We can work something out!”

“Nothing can help me! I’m a failure! Look at me!” Maverick spat. Maverick lifted a broken chunk of the castle walls from the ground with a telekinesis spell, hurling it at the two mares out in front of him. Heather lifted a hoof up to her face, blocking the debris as the stone shattered on the ground in front of her.

“Maverick, what would Hunter think of you!? He wouldn’t want you doing this, just calm down and we can work this out!” Heather shouted.

“Hunter is dead! I killed him! I made the mistake of using the military dimension device that was supposed to be Hunter and my execution mechanism instead of the X prototype! The power failed and the growth chambers that Hunter was in lost power! Something in the dimension transport went wrong and the X prototype shattered during the transport between dimensions! It took me three months to piece the X prototype back together when I arrived in Equestria, and by that time, Hunter was gone! The three month period slowed down his development and he turned into what you saw when you found me! I spent six months trying to keep him alive on Umbra, but I couldn’t accept the fact that Hunter was gone! A year! A year I spent waiting for Hunter to come back and I killed him! Hunter never should have died! It was my fault!” Maverick yelled at the top of his lungs, hurling numerous heavy stone pieces at Heather and Twilight repeatedly. Using her magic, Twilight was able to deflect most of the stones Maverick threw with a shield in front of the mare out next to her, allowing Heather to slowly advance and make her way to Maverick.

“Maverick, just listen to us! You don’t have to blame yourself!” Heather shouted, flinching as another stone bursted on the purple shield protecting her.

“You don’t get it! You haven’t seen what I have been through! You haven’t had to kill your own brother because you failed to take care of him! You’re just another one of Umbra’s pawns!” Maverick continued, tears starting to stream down his eyes as he rapidly threw chunks of the castle’s broken walls at the soldier advancing toward him. Heather pushed against the purple shield in front of her as she came close to Maverick, looking back at Twilight and giving her a nod. Twilight let go of the shield and Heather flung forward, tackling Maverick and coming to a stop on top of him, holding his front legs down.

“Maverick! I had to let go of my parents as I was drafted into the military on Earth! I had to let go of them again when I was transferred to Umbra! I had to execute a newly born Beta unit on Umbra because it was ‘defective’! I had to sit there and watch the Beta unit’s Alpha unit cry her eyes out, only to be shut out and beaten by her out of anger when I tried to comfort her and apologize! I had to helplessly watch as Blake bled to death in the forest back there because of you! You don’t know the half of what I have seen and what I have done! Just stop! Please, just stop!” Heather screamed, punching Maverick’s chest lightly as tears streamed down her face. Maverick kept quiet as Heather continued to unconsciously hit him, staring at Heather as she tried to keep her tears from coming out as she shut her eyes. Twilight quickly walked over and grabbed Heather, gently pulling her off of the trapped Alpha unit and sitting her down on the ground in front of Maverick. The purple unicorn looked up from Heather at Maverick, a pleading expression on her face. Maverick let out a small sigh and slowly stood back up on his hooves, looking down at Heather as she continued to sob. The ground beneath the crying soldier had become soaked with tears, the small puddle still growing as memories of her past filled Heather’s head.

Maverick turned away from Heather, closing his eyes. “We’ve all shared the experience of loss, Heather. Some of us more than others. But I can’t go back and face that again. Not now. In due time, I’ll come back to Umbra, but right now, I can’t. Twilight, take care of Heather. She’ll need it.” Maverick said quietly. Maverick’s mechanical arm and eyes glowed with a red aura and he disappeared from the castle entrance with a teleportation spell. Twilight looked away from where Maverick stood and back down at Heather, the soldier slowly calming down and her tears drying.

“Sadie... I didn’t want to... I’m sorry...” Heather muttered, her voice strained as she spoke through her tears.

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You’ll find out who Sadie is later, don’t worry. Maybe even next chapter.

You’ll have to excuse me for updates being further apart, I’m having a bit of... trouble these last few chapters.

VERY BIG Announcement

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry. I just can't.... I can't do this fic anymore. I can't get anything else from it. All of my ideas have gone out the window... there's no way I can dig myself out of the hole I already dug myself into. You'll have to forgive me for my lack of suck-it-up-and-get-on-with-it-ness, but there's no way I can get on with this any longer.

I regret to say that Maverick and Hunter is coming to a close with no conclusion.

If you want to know what it would have ended like, then just ask and I'll come back and leave a comment or edit this or something...

There's nothing more for me in this fic, I can't get any more ideas of story line or anything. I really do want to continue with this, honestly, but there's nothing else I can do to continue. This writer 's block wall I've run into has overwhelmed me to the point of giving up.

Hate me all you want if you wanted to read more, but I'm sorry, it's over.

I know this is a mistake.

My only gift to you is the beginning portion of the next chapter I wrote. Again, I'm sorry:

Chapter 5

The inside of the library flickered with candle light, Twilight Sparkle sitting at the edge of her bed and staring up at the starry night sky through her window. Twilight looked to her left, watching Heather sleep peacefully under a dark blue blanket, the sheet of cloth raising up and down slowly as Heather breathed. The soldier’s tears had stopped only two hours ago, Heather finally able to let exhaustion take over her and doze off into sleep. Heather’s eyelids seemed to gently rumble, the mare twitching every once and a while, making small grunts and squeaks. Twilight smiled and turned her head back to the window, levitating a cup of water on her nightstand in front of her. The purple unicorn took a sip from the glass, closing her eyes and letting the warm water slide down her throat.

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[Four hours earlier]

Night continued to spread its darkness over the town of Ponyville, a full moon lingering in the star sprinkled sky. Crickets chirping, ponies snoring, and timberwolves howling, Ponyville rested for the night, only a few of the town’s inhabitants out admiring the serene landscape that laid beyond the town of ponies. The edge of Ponyville rung with the sounds of night, the path into Everfree clear from any living thing aside from a few fireflies floating over the field between the forest and the town. The grass in the field swayed gently in the small breeze rolling over Equestria, the remnants of dandelions soaring slowly through the night air. The path into Everfree slowly rose with the sound of distant hoofsteps, two ponies making their way out from the seemingly docile forest. Accompanying the hoofsteps came the sound of repressed depression, tears leaving a damp trail as they followed the two ponies. One pony comforted the other, trying her best to keep the pony next to her from breaking into tears once more.

It had only been an hour earlier that they had encountered their target, but returned to their home only with broken hearts and disappointment. The two ponies slowly made their way down the trail in Everfree, heading back to the tree that served as the home of the unicorn walking down the Everfree path. Tears slowly drying, yet still finding a way to escape, the earth pony came to a halt in the middle of the field between Ponyville and Everfree. Her legs slowly lowered under her and she let her tears fall again, unable to keep the daunting memories out of her head. The unicorn turned around slowly and stared at the earth pony sitting on the ground, her mane flowing gently in the cool breeze. The unicorn bit her lip and slowly walked over to the earth pony, sitting down next to the crying mare and putting her right foreleg around her friend. The earth pony’s sobs and tears slowly crawled to a halt as she felt the unicorn’s touch, the earth pony turning her head to the mare next to her. The two ponies sat in silence for a second, staring into each other’s eyes. The earth pony slowly smiled and closed her eyes, leaning her head sideways and resting it on the unicorn next to her, still sniffling quietly. After another moment of silence, the two mares stood up, beginning to walk back to the town they had left the morning before.

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Twilight sighed and set the glass of water back down on the nightstand next to her bed, yawning as she felt a small wave of exhaustion sweep over her. As her eyes slowly opened once more, Twilight turned her head toward the sleeping mare on the bed across from her own. Heather continued to snore lightly, deep into sleep as she laid peacefully under the blanket over her. Heather’s forelegs rested by her sides, her hooves bending at an adorable angle over her chest. Her hind legs stuck up slightly under the blanket, the soldier still adjusting to pony anatomy.

A/N: Before Maverick and Hunter leave, Sadie was the Alpha unit of the Beta unit Heather executed.