Protopony

Twilight 1st P.O.V.

I don’t know what Mist had dreamed, but I knew it wasn’t good. I would get him to talk about it one way, or another, but I can’t just sit idly by and let things get out of hand. Tomorrow… Tomorrow I would ask him about it again, I would force it out of him if I could. I might have even considered taking him to Luna if it hadn’t been for us being prototypes of the virus, they’d attack us on sight. Unless… yes… that’s it. We will disguise ourselves as Blackhoof soldiers just to get the truth from Luna.

As I thought this over, I closed my eyes and fell silently into a deep sleep, contemplating how to procure the disguises without raising an alarm.

Early the next morning I awoke before everypony else, so I stepped outside to get some fresh air and wait until the others woke up.

Luna 3rd P.O.V. Blackhoof Headquarters

Luna; CEO, senior representative and owner of Blackhoof, was beginning to get frustrated with the lack of ability to find out why the newest member of their ranks had betrayed her for the prototypes.

Just as she was about to shout in frustration, Big Mac entered. “Princess, I apologize for my informant’s lack of giving full detail. I came to ease your stress with a more detailed report.”

“Enlighten me.” Luna replied.

Mac started explaining the aforementioned report, telling of the exact reason that Mist had betrayed them and pointed to his still bruised jaw. “That is where he struck me before he was escorted out of the building. I have no further information on his current whereabouts at this time but we will continue searching.”

“Good, have your men bring them in when you find them. I want to know more about them before we kill them.” Luna ordered.

Mac nodded and left immediately to relay the given orders.

Later that day, Twilight 1st P.O.V.

All of us but Mist was awake, seeing as Mist had been put through hell yesterday with having been found starving and near dead on the street and then having to deal with a hunter attack that caused him a broken and dislocated foreleg. We figured we would let him rest for now.

Once I was ready to explain my plan as far as where we were going, I began where I knew would be best, the beginning. As I explained, I had a few of my friends look at me like I was up to something strange, but didn’t question it until they heard about going back to Blackhoof.

“What?!” Dash screeched. “You expect us to go back to that hell hole?! Are you out of your mind Twi?! They’ll kill us!”

“No, I’m not out of my mind, I have a plan that will keep us safe. All we have to do is make sure we don’t blow our cover.” I retorted, giving Rainbow a warning glare. “And next time you tell me I’m out of my mind, I’ll show you out of my mind.”

Rainbow huffed,, but seemed to back off a bit at the warning.

“Ya know Twi, that does seem a bit… absurd, but I’m not gonna argue.” Applejack interred.

“I know you all are uncomfortable with going back, but there are things that I need to know, what it is I cannot yet divulge to you.” I stated. “I myself am uncomfortable with it, but I need to get the information I need for specific reasons.”

“I’ve trusted you before Twilight, I’ll trust you again.” Midnight said, knowing exactly what she was meaning, though not voicing it.

The rest of the group said nothing.

“We move in four hours so get ready.” I said, then looked at Midnight. “You’ll have to help Mist get ready, he can’t do it with a broken leg.”

“Alright.” Midnight replied as he then headed over to the bed and woke Mist and helped him out of bed. “Somepony will have to carry him, so it might as well be me.” he added as he lifted Mist onto his back.

“Wh-what’s going on? Is every…” Mist started groggily but was hushed.

“Shhh… not now, everything is going to be alright.” Midnight quickly replied.

“Midnight you got Mi-... hold up, something is wrong.” I said as I noticed Pinkie’s Pinkie Senses acting up and looked out the window to see a canister of gas specially made to knock out prototypes such as ourselves had been launched at the windows. “Gas! Get some cover!”

By the time I had shouted this, it was already too late. Blackhoof had found us and we were already being affected by multiple canisters of the gas and unfortunately, Fluttershy was the first to fall unconscious, followed by Rarity, Spike, Mist, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, Midnight, and then myself.

I awoke several hours later, hell, maybe even a day later, to see that I was held in a very odd looking cell, one that looked like it could withstand any of my attacks. I soon found out that it was electrified as I struck the wall and was electrocuted for a moment, I began to fear that there would be no way out of the mess we were now in, ready to accept whatever fate awaited us.

It was until Dash awoke and felt the same before thinking of the crusaders that she felt a sliver of hope. “Hey, don’t give up just yet, we may still have a way out. The crusaders are still out there, remember. We got them to safety back at Ponyville by putting them on a train as soon as we got out of the hive with them.”

It suddenly hit me that Dash was right, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had been sent back to Ponyville on an anonymous train, unable to be tracked by a spell that Sweetie had learned. “That’s it. Spike, You can still send letters right?”

“I don’t know, Twilight. I haven’t done that in a long time, I can still try though.” Spike replied.

I nodded then pulled a roll of parchment out of a slip space that I had learned of and began writing a letter to Sweetie. Once I had finished, I handed the letter to Spike and he let of a purple flame, I don’t know how he learned to change the color of his flames, but the letter was sent.

All we could do was hope that Sweetie and her friends would get the letter and take the very next train to Manehattan, in Blackhoof uniforms. They will have to do a lot of work just to get to us this time.

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the cell door open and close and the very distinct sound of hoof steps.

“So… Twilight… How does it feel to be seen as a monster?” The pony’s voice said in a very familiar accent.

“Oh… I think the abilities that come with it are what make up for it though. So, Luna...” I said with disregard for formalites. “How does it feel to have the elements turned against you, to have your sister turned against you?”

“My sister died a long time ago Twilight Sparkle. You and the other elements are nothing more than beasts who need to be put down… like we did your brother.” Luna said as she smirked against me. This caused my heart to stop for a moment. This… this bitch she… she took my… my own bucking brother from me…. Shining was…. no she was lying. She was just trying to get under my skin.

“No! That’s not true!” I screamed, lashing out but finding myself restrained. “I will find him!” Luna just kept her smirk.

“Oh? Don’t believe me? I understand so I’m going to do you a favor… I’m going to show you his remains.” Luna said

“Liar! You lying bitch! You couldn’t have killed him!” I continued to scream, my voice getting hoarse as tears began rolling down my cheeks. “I swear to any ethereal beings out there, if you killed him I will rip you to shreds!”  I roared at her. Luna only snapped her fingers and dragged in a struggling Blackhoof officer. Then she did something that puzzled me for a few seconds…. she released me from my clamps.

“I do believe Sergeant Broken Glass has something to share with you…. after all he was the one who killed Shining Armor.”

I said nothing as I boiled with rage, ready to strike at a moments notice. “Please I-I was only under-” whatever else he was going to say was drowned out as I tore open his chest cavity. I tore at him with my claws absorbing his memory…. no…. no no no. I-I feel the cold trigger that was pressed in order to… to… THIS MOTHER BUCKER!

Luna only laughed as I stood there, unmoving. I soon turned to her to make my move against her, but found myself once again locked in the clamps. “YOU BITCH, I’M GOING TO BUCKING KILL YOU AND FEED YOU TO THE RATS!” I screeched at the top of my lungs before collapsing in tears as Luna left.

“Twilight are you…. are you okay?” Spike asked although he knew the answer to it… I was far from alright.

“Do I look like I’m okay?” I growled, since raising my voice would only cause me to lose it.

Spike shrunk back, ushering the others away, knowing how I would react at the moment. This wasn’t just my emotions washing over me, this was the spark of an unending blood-lust.

“Best leave her be right now guys.” Spike warned. “Last time she got like this is when she found out about her parents. chewed me up and spit me out every time I got near her.”

“I know, Spike. I was there when she found out, she clung to me like a life tether no matter how she acted though.” Midnight replied. “But I don’t know if…” I heard Midnight start to say, but I interrupted.

“I did that because... you were t-the... only one there that... I could go to for support... w-when I found out.” I whimpered. “A-and I need... you now, a-all of... you... I’m not going... t-to lash out... at you.”

“We’ll make them pay for what they did to Shining Armor, Twi.” Rainbow said as she moved closer to me.

The others followed suit… except one. Dash noticed the same problem. “Umm, guys… where’s Mist?”

“What do you me…” Midnight said as he looked around to see that Mist was, in fact missing. Until we all heard shouting from down the hall, or rather, screams of agonizing pain.

Mist Shaker 3rd P.O.V.

All that could be heard from Mist’s solitary cell was the sound of him screaming bloody murder as Luna stood by, watching her highest ranking officers beating him like an animal, re-breaking his foreleg and causing several broken ribs and one of his hind legs, making it painful just to breathe when they stopped their onslaught.

“So… you thought you could betray me without paying for it, did you?” Luna questioned the severely injured stallion.

Mist tried to reply, but was in too much pain, whimpering loudly before letting off another scream as Luna stepped on his broken leg, crushing the bone even more than what it was.

“Worthless…” Luna scoffed as she walked out. “Take him to the group cell and put him there with the others.”

Twilight 1st P.O.V.

We soon found out what the cause of the screams of agony had been from when we saw Mist get tossed into the cell, the young stallion had had the hell beaten out of him, I saw where his ribs were broken and saw that the bastards had rebroken his leg. Mist was a bloody mess . Fluttershy had immediately fainted at the sight of his injuries and Midnight had flown into a flurry of rage, shouting incoherently, as he saw his brother’s condition. Midnight suddenly charged at the electrified wall, electrocuting himself to the point of unconsciousness.

“Well, anypony else gonna act out?” I asked, though I already knew the answer, I couldn’t heal Mist this time because of a magic disabling field in the cell, so I did the next best thing I could. I lay beside the stallion, watching protectively over him.