Location//: Unknown?
Local Time//: Unknown?
Date//: Unknown?

Dima felt himself waking up. He slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing, darkness, darkness everywhere. No ceiling, no floor, just a dark empty void. He was on his back from what he could tell. His body protested when he attempted to sit up. With all his strength, he pulled his torso upright. His entire body felt sore like he had just been hit a car. To top it off, he was naked. A thought in his mind clicked, he immediately looked at himself. At was all coming back to him. He looked at his arms and legs, they looked untouched, his entire body looked like nothing had ever happened. But that was impossible, the last he remembered was the fire.

“Am I... dead?” He spoke in a whisper.

“No, you're not. Not technically,” A voice echoed through the darkness.

Dima quickly looked around to find the source of the voice, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere. He looked froward and saw something coming out of the blackness. A man, dressed as if he was about to go to war, approached Dima. He recognized him immediately. It was him, the man from the fire. He got a better look this time. The man's equipment seemed to be American. But his skin, well it didn't seem to be skin at all, It was gray and misty as if it were gaseous. Perhaps it is gaseous?

“You? Who are–” The man stopped him he could finish.

“A friend,” He held out a hand to Dima, helping him to his feet.

“Why did you save me?” Dima asked the man.

“Because–” He began, but the ground began to tremble with earthquake-like force.

“Well, well. I did not expect to find you here.”

The voice spoke in a dark, gruff, and sonorous tone. Although the voice's manner of speaking was that of normal speech, the shear loudness of the voice made Dima ears ring. The man looked back into the darkness as if there was someone there behind him. Dima could see nothing but the perpetual blackness.

“He found me! I need more time!”

The man grabbed Dima by his shoulders and looked him in the eyes through black sunglasses.

“We'll talk later!” He shouted over the sound of the black void shaking apart. “Now go!”

He threw Dima into the blackness. This time, there didn't seem to be a floor. Dima just kept falling in the abyss. His eyes began to feel heavy, his body numb with a tingling sensation. He felt his mind slip away, as if waking from a dream. Sensation began to consume him more and more as he fell through the void. He heard the rumble of the haunting voice speak again.

"Your actions tread between bravery and foolishness. Your time of heroism has come to pass over a millennium ago. Yet... you still continue? Why?"

"Because I still have something worth fighting for," The man replied without hesitation.

"Of course. I see it now. Your doing it for her...”

“...” The man's silence was all the answer the voice needed.

“You are loyal. That much I shall give you. But that loyalty will do little to stop me. I suggest you embrace your dearest for as long as you can. For she may not be around for much longer."

"When this is over, I will make certain that you hang for your crimes."

"You would like that, would you not? Fair enough I suppose. But when I tear your very soul from your body, I will be sure in your final moments to grant you a preview to the eternal torture of your beloved. All whilst watching Equestria suffer and burn from your failure..."

“You bastard! You'll never win!” Dima heard the man shout, but it sounded very distant.

The voice just chuckled. “I already have...”

Dima closed his eyes as consciousness slowly slipped away from him.

Dima opened his eyes again. The area was still dark but this time little rays of orange light peaked through small holes. Dima felt that something was laying on top of him. He brought his arms up and began to push. His tired arms protested, sending signals of horrible pain through his body. His muscles twitched and quivered involuntarily. With one great heave, Dima pushed what seemed to be a burned sheet of plywood. The sky was still black, the only light coming from small flames that polka-dotted the field of smoldering rubble that used to be the bakery.

“Over there!” Dima heard a distant voice call out.

In no time a group of four ponies dressed in firefighter gear rushed to where Dima lay.

“What in the world?” One of them said as he stared at Dima. His jaw dropped in surprise. Another firefighter standing next to him smacked him the pony upside his helmet.

“Don't just stand there! Get him out!” He ordered.

Dima couldn't understand what was happening around him. Next thing he knew, large pieces of rubble were being surrounded my glowing auras of different colors, then levitating away as if it were weightless. Dima then felt himself getting lifted, every cell in his body wanted to panic, but he had barley enough strength to just stay awake. He saw the ponies, or unicorns he should say, levitating him onto a stretcher, then into a white horse-drawn cart with a red cross. He assumed it was their version of an ambulance.

“Hospital, ASAP!” One of the firemen told the two ponies attached to the cart.

“Got it,” The one on the right said.

As soon as the fireponies closed the door, they were off. Considering how small the ponies were, Dima was surprised how fast they could pull the rather large cart. The stallions weaved their way through the city. The cobblestone roads and lack of suspension made the ride all the more unpleasant. He felt the wagon come to a stop. The doors opened and a team of doctor looking ponies moved him from a stretcher to a hospital bed. They began to wheel him into an emergency room. Dima managed to turn his head. The doctors stopped him in front of a room with a few patients inside. Dima had his attention locked on one pony in particular, Pinkie. She was sitting on her hospital bed, her hind legs tucked into her chest and her forelegs wrapped around. She was trembling heavily, her eyes were wide open and blood shot, darting from place to place. Her hair lost it's cotton candy shape and luster. Her eyes then gazed upon Dima.

Before Dima could say anything, he was wheeled away into another room. A pony put a mask over his mouth and began to pump gas into his lungs. He began to feel woozy. His eyes closed and felt too heavy to open again.

Location//: Near Kandahar, Afghanistan
Local Time//: 03:43 Hours
Date//: xx/xx/2013

Dima had never felt so much pain in his life. He forced his eyes open, trying to comprehend what just happened. He was flat on his stomach inside the inverted van. The body of the van had been dented and torn open in various places, resembling Swiss cheese. Tiny beams of moonlight peaked through the holes, signaling that he hadn't been out for long. He looked to the front of the car, the windshield was fractured beyond recognition and spattered with blood, but remained mostly intact on its frame. The driver hadn't done much better, he was sprawled out on the floor of the van, or roof, as it were. Well, he was already dead, so he probably didn't mind the fall. It then struck Dima, where was the passenger? The window on the passengers side was shattered open and a few small pools of blood were on the ground outside. With luck, he had fled while he had the chance and wouldn't be a problem.

Dima attempted to push himself up, only to be reminded by his body that he had been shot and just survived rolling down thirty meters off the side of a mountain. His body began to register the horrible pain that he was in. As much as he didn't want to move, he couldn't just sit around. He drew his arms forward, and began to pull himself forward. He inched forward to the windshield, pushing the driver's body aside. With a hard push, he knocked the pane off of its mount and began to pull himself out. He looked around and saw nothing but the valley that he had landed in. The dirt was still warm, having been baked all day in yesterday's sun. The moon hung high in the sky, it's companion stars surrounding it. One thing Dima could appreciate about today was the low light pollution, allowing the sky to show it's full beauty. Dima snapped himself out of his trance. This was no time to star gaze. He began to think of a plan, he looked up and saw the road that he had fallen from. Perhaps if he could reach it he could get help. He pulled his body to the left and begun the long crawl upwards. The angle was shallow enough for him to pull himself up, but it would be one hell of a workout to reach the top. He dug his hands into the warm soil, holding back the pain as he pulled his body up. Progress was slow, painful, and tedious.

After a long journey, he was just about to reach to top. Out of breath and on the last drops of adrenaline, he made it to the guard rail. But the victory was short lived. Out of nowhere, he felt something pulling on his legs. He looked back and to his horror saw the one person in the would pay any amount of money to avoid. The passenger's body was covered in sweat and dry blood. He had sustained a decent size gash in his forehead, which covered the left side of his face in blood. He barred his teeth and growled in a feral tone. His neck had a swollen ring of raw flesh from when Dima attempted to strangle him. He yanked Dima by his feet and threw him down the slope. He tumbled the entire way down. He sustained numerous blows from hitting large rocks on the way down, causing his already broken and worn out body to reach a new level of agony.

He hit the bottom hard, knocking the wind out of him. He rolled onto his back, coughing up dirt and blood. He fought against his urge to pass out. He looked to the side and saw the man running down the slope. In no time he reached Dima. To weak to move any part of his body, Dima had no choice but to take what was coming. The passenger pounced onto Dima, roll the two over and pinning Dima down with his knees. He began to pound on Dima with his meaty fist. Shouting curses in sync with his punches. With each hit, Dima's vision blacked out and shone little white dots, then returned just as the next blow has to impact. The man continued his brutal assault with before finishing with a hard punch to the jaw, then stopping for a moment. Dima could barely managed to open his eyes, he coughed out a small amount of blood and desperately tried to breath. He saw the man reach into his pocket and pulled a small switch-blade. He jabbed it into Dima's torso, just to have it ping of his body armor plate. Infuriated, the man aimed his knife at Dima's neck.

Just as the knife was about dissect his trachea, Dima caught the man's arms with his hands. Without wasting a split second, he followed up with a hard jab across the face with his right hand, then yanked the knife out with his left. Before the insurgent had a chance to recover, Dima rammed the blade into the man's chest then pushed him off to the side. The man landed flat on his back, his scream echoed in the valley. His hands clenched to his chest around the area where the knife was lodged. Dima threw himself on top of the insurgent, pinning him as the man had done. Dima punched the insurgent so hard in the face, he could see his jaw dislocate. Dima took his time in dealing back what the man had given ten fold. Savoring each blow as if it was intoxicating. Dima ripped the blade out of the man's chest and rammed it into his neck. The man let out a small yelp, grabbing Dima's arms but was to weak to pull him off. He gave the man one final punch to the face. He then ceased to move.

Dima remained on top of his opponent. He tilted his head up, taking deep breaths and trying to collect himself. He looked back down to the body underneath him.

“You're going to have to try harder than that next time,” He said to the corpse.

The adrenaline began to wear off of Dima. The pain returned to his entire body, this time it was to much. He collapsed to the side and blacked out.

Dima's eye's shot open, a bright light shone into his face. He grabbed it and moved it aside. He was still in the hospital. He let out a breath or relief. His room was darkened and the moon was visible out the window. He rubbed his temples, trying to comprehend what had just happened. His thoughts first traveled to the fire. He let out a small gasp and quickly begun to inspect himself. His skin was untouched, which did not comply with the burns he had sustained. He stared at his hands, earlier they were charred. Now they look just as they did before.

“That man, who... or what is he?”

An object to his right caught his attention. He turned his head to inspect whatever it was. A little red balloon tied to a chair bobbed around, it read “get better”. It warmed Dima's heart to see that. He then looked around the room and saw bundles of balloons, piles flower arrangements, and stacks of cards placed all over. It worried Dima, a balloon and some flowers is sweet, but this seemed excessive. He looked to the nightstand next to his bed and saw a clipboard laying there. He sat up and propped himself on the head board in a more comfortable position. He then reached for the board and started to go through the pages.

-Patient #286443

Day 1: The patient has been put under anesthesia. He (at least we think it's a he) has suffered 3rd degree to 60-70% of his body. His survival is doubtful. The two other elements of harmony being treated here (Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy I believe) claim to know the creature. Maybe they should be informed? Perhaps later, depending on patient's status.

-Patient #286443

Day 2: Patient X has survived surgery and is recovering. His skin is baldy damaged and recovery is slow. A few of the other elements of harmony have stopped to visit the creature. I informed them that the creature can not stay here since we have know idea what it is. I recommended taking him to a veterinarian, that seemed more applicable. They claim patient X, or “Dima” as they call it, is a sentient being like us and deserves the best medical attention. I find that rather hard to believe. But after much pleading, I pulled a few strings and got him to stay. This breaks so many regulations, it's not even funny.

-Patient #286443

Day 3: Progress is...well, non existent. Patient is in a fragile state. Heart rate is beginning to drop and breathing is becoming laborious. He might need life support at this rate. I keep having to fight with my superiors to allow this creature to stay. Confound those mares, they made me promise. Why me? What have I done to deserve this?

-Patient #286443

Day 6: The elements have become worried. Patient X's state is beginning to deteriorate. He has experienced a cardiac arrest twice in the past 24 hours. Thankfully, he was resuscitated. The current recovery plan is not working. I had to redeem a few favors and get extra help in. We accomplished little. Everyone is stumped as to why the patient is not getting any better. The fact that no one has ever worked on a creature like this just makes it all the more difficult. We have tried everything from medicine to magic. Nothing is working like it should. It's almost like his body doesn't want to get better. I don't get it.

-Patient #286443

Day 10: Ten days now patient X has been in a coma. This is not good. The elements are getting desperate. Twilight has offered to help, but I couldn't let her for a number of reasons. It weighs heavy on my heart to see them like this. Who ever... what ever patient X is, they seem to care deeply for his well being. But I've also noticed something. One of the elements, Rainbow Dash was it? Anyway, she has not once been seen here. Strange.

-Patient #286443

Day 11: I have inquired about the missing element of loyalty. It seems she is rather upset with Patient X. Her friends tell me that she blames him for the events that put him and patients Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the hospital in the first place. Though there is no evidence to back up the claim. Official fire marshal reports claim it to be a catastrophic gas leak. I'm no psychiatrist, but perhaps the incident affected her as well. I recommended that Rainbow Dash should talk to someone about what happened, but her friends claim that she probably wouldn't. As for the patient, not much has changed.

-Patient #286443

Day 14: It's been two weeks now. The patient is getting worse. It saddens me to say that some of his friends have given up on him. My bosses are breathing down my neck. Without the support of his friends, I'm afraid his luck may run out.

-Patient #286443

Day 18: Superiors just gave me an ultimatum. “We don't deal with animals or aliens! You have three days to get rid of it,” they said. Three days or they put Dima down. Applejack is really trying to beg Dima's case, but I don't think much more can be done. It will take a miracle at this point. We tried our best, didn't we?

Dima was locked in a shocked daze, still trying to comprehend what he had just read. He had to look away from the board and then look back just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A mixture of rage and confusion ran through his mind as he tried to wrap his head around the events that had taken place during his absence. They wanted to put him down like a dog? But then again, they did not know what he was, or if he was even going to wake up. He probably seemed like a waste of time and resources, and had he not waken up then they would have been right. He decided to let the matter go, lest the back and forth debate on whether or not to be angry drive him insane.

He heard talking outside the door. He tuned his ears to try and hear what was being said. He heard what sounded like someone crying and an another talking. The door cracked open, the light of the hallway flooding into the dark room. Dima saw a white unicorn with a blue mane dressed in a lab coat talking to Applejack. Her eyes were stained red and had dried streaks of tears running down her neck and face. They didn't seem to pay attention to Dima as they kept talking in the door way.

“I'm sorry Ms. Applejack, but he's been out for very long. I'm afraid he might not be waking up.” The doctor tried to sound sympathetic. Applejack continued to cry, wiping away tears with one of her hooves.

“Are you sure you don't want to go with the alternative?” The doctor said that in a tone as if he and her had discussed that before.

“No!” She barked at him. The doctor nearly dropped his clip board in surprise.

“Applejack... I got a message a few days ago. If you don't do it now, my bosses will,” Applejack continued to cry. The doctor didn't seem to be helping.

“It's not fair,” She muttered between sobs.

“Applejack?” Dima said, receiving the attention of both ponies. Both of their faces were frozen in awe.

Without a moment of hesitation, Applejack bolted past the plethora of flowers and balloons. Going so fast her hat flew off her head. She jumped up and wrapping her fore-hooves around Dima chest and crying a small river onto his hospital gown. For a moment, Dima had no idea what to do, but he did what he felt he needed to do. He put his arms around her and began to run his hands through her mane and down her neck in slow soft strokes. For a few moments this continued. Dima could feel the growing pool of tears being absorbed into his gown and she wept. Applejack then pulled away, placing both hooves on Dima's chest. Her luscious, emerald eyes locked onto his. Dima was held in a trance as her head slow inched forward. In a split second, Applejack smacked Dima across his face with her right hoof.

“Don't. You. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Again!” She shouted, pounding her hoof into Dima's chest with every syllable.

Dima held Applejack's hooves in his hands, slowly moving them off his chest (which was now aching a little), and placed them around his neck. He brought his face next to hers and wrapped his arms around her back.

“I won't.” He said softly, running his fingers through her mane again. She began to sob again, her small tears dripping onto his shoulder.

“I'll leave you two alone,” The doctor said, closing the door behind him as he left.

Applejack moved her head away from his shoulders, instead resting it on his chest just below his neck. She could hear the slow pounding of his heart in her ear. It felt soothing to her. Part of Dima didn't really understand why she wanted to be so close to him, another part didn't care. Her soft mane smelled of apples and cinnamon. Her soft fur tickling his skin.

“You scared me half to death, you know that?” Applejack stated after a few moments of silence.

“How long was I out?” Dima asked.

“You've been in a coma for three weeks,” She said. Her grip on him began to tighten, as if letting go meant he would slip back into a coma.

“Three weeks, huh? Well, I guess you can say it was one hell of a party.” Dima quipped.

“You're soooooo not funny, you know that?” She said over a small giggle. She took a second to look at Dima.

“How did your skin heal so fast all of the sudden?” Applejack asked as she poked at Dima's arms. She seemed to be entertained by playing with the malleability of his tissue.

“Honestly? I don't know,” He replied. He looked back to the clip board laying next to him.

“Hey, I uh... read some of the doctor's notes. A lot of stuff seemed to happened while I was out. Is there anything I need to be aware of?” He asked.

“Can we talk about that later?” She requested. Dima agreed with a small nod. She had been through a lot, it was probably best to leave the topic off for later.

Dima looked out the window. The dim lights of the town along with the full moon and starry sky made the night all the more beautiful. He also saw some brightly colored lights and flashes coming from beyond the town.

“What's with that?” Dima pointed to the colorful lights off in the distance. It took Applejack a second to see what he was pointing to until she noticed them as well.

“That? Oh, that's the carnival. They came to town this weekend for their Final Fall Festival.”

“Final Fall?” Dima raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah? Final Fall, the eleventh month out of the year?” She explained. A small 'oh' escaped Dima's lips. He made a mental note to buy a calendar.

Dima looked out the window once more. He wanted to be out and make sure his stuff wasn't stolen by timber wolves... again. Perhaps explore the town too, see what there is to see. It sounded better than sitting at his camp doing nothing. He looked to Applejack, who still lay on his chest. The night seemed to have taken her too. Her eyes glazed over, locked in a trance with the view out the window.

“Have you gone yet?” Dima inquired.

“Where?”

“To the carnival?”

“Uh no, I've been busy with some other things. Though I think my sis and her friends are going tonight.”

“It sounds like fun.”

“It is! The carnival games, the great music, and cotton candy, I used to go every time they came to town.”

“What stopped you?”

“Work I suppose. Apples don't grow by themselves.”

“Uh, I'm pretty sure they do.”

“Bah! You know what I mean.” She began to laugh a little.

The sound of the door opening caught the attention of the both of them. The doctor from earlier came into the room levitating his clip board along with a small note pad and pen in front of him.

“Well Mr. Dima. How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Better, I suppose.” He answered.

“Good, good.” The doctor began to jot down a few notes on his pad.

“May I see your fore leg if you don't mind?” He asked. It took Dima a moment to realized that he meant his arm. Applejack released herself from Dima so he could reach out a hand to the doctor. The doctor took his arm in his hooves, inspecting it with careful scrutiny.

“Remarkable. It seems that your burns have just vanished over night. Is this normal for your kind?”

“No. I really don't know what did this.”

“But you are sure that you are fine? You're stallion-hood didn't melt or anything?” The doctor joked. Dima and Applejack's faces flushed a little red.

“Uhh, yes. I'm actually a medical technician for my kind. I can assure you that I am healthy and an examination would not be needed.” He quickly explained. The doctor let out a small laugh.

“Well, I guess I'll have to take your word for it. Oh, and welcome back to the land of the living sir. From what I’ve heard you're quite the brave one.”

“I'm not completely the brave type. Perhaps I’m a little foolish as well.” Dima's expression turned blank after realizing what he just said. The booming voice from his time in the dark void came back into his mind "Your actions tread between bravery and foolishness". The doctor waved a hoof in front of his face, regaining his attention.

“You alright there?” He asked.

“Yeah, just a little Deja vu.” He replied. “Do you know when I can be discharged?”

“Truthfully, the sooner the better. I assume you know why.” He said pointing to the clip board laying next to Dima.

“Point taken. Though I honestly can't thank you enough.” Dima said.

“Don't thank me. It was Applejack who really pleaded you're case. If it wasn't for her, I'm not sure what would've become of you.” He gestured towards Applejack's. She timidly looked away, rubbing one fore leg with the other.

“Well, I have to get going. Come back if you need anything or if you just want to compare notes with a fellow doctor.” He held out a hoof, Dima wrapped his hand around and shook.

“Oh before I forget –” The doctor reached inside his lab coat and produced a small envelope “– someone left this for you at the front desk.”

“Who is it from?” Dima asked as he took possession of the letter. He examined the red wax seal bearing an insignia resembling a spectre.

“Beats me. But it was addressed to you.” The doctor said with a shrug of the shoulders.

With that, the doctor turned and left. Leaving Dima and Applejack alone once more. Dima carefully tore open the letter. He pulled a small slip of paper and begun to read it.

Dima, my time is short so I can't explain everything. Just heed warning to this list of “Do Not's”

1. Don't tell anyone about the bomb. If asked, dodge the question, or lie.

2. Don't fire your weapon unless absolutely necessary.

3. Don't go to Canterlot, avoid there at all cost.

4. Don't be too conspicuous.

5. Don't don't go too far from Ponyville.

6. Don't do anything stupid.

But most of all...

7. Don't. Trust. Anyone.

We shall meet again though it may be a while. If you want to get back home, I need you to follow my orders to the letter. But for right now, I paid your hospital bill and left some spending cash plus a few other things back at your camp (You're welcome). Right now it would be wise to build up a familiarization with your surroundings. Perhaps read up on some Equestrian history (Twilight can help you with that), and to try and build a good reputation with the locals. Until next time.

~A Friend

P.S. As funny as it would be, I could not bring myself to let you run naked back to camp. I left you a set of clothes in the bathroom.

“What does it say?” Applejack asked. Dima snapped his attention back to her.

“Nothing. Just junk mail.” He set the paper down on the nightstand.

They sat in silence for a bit, enjoying each others warm embrace once more. Dima reflected on what the doctor had said. Applejack practically saved his life, again. He felt obligated to pay her back some how. Applejack then made a quick glance outside.

“Seem to be getting late. I best get going.” She released Dima and set down on all fours. She stretched out each leg one at a time and reclaimed her hat that lay a few feet away.

An idea then came to Dima, it was a little crazy too say the least. But he felt getting to know her better would be a good start at saying 'thank you'.

“Hey Applejack, are you...” Dima chocked on what he was about to say.

“Hmm?” Applejack looked to him with a adorable puzzled expression.

“Are you... busy tonight?” He managed to say.

“No, ah ain't got much really going on for tonight. Why?”

“I was wondering...”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to join me in a little walk around town? Perhaps we can go to that carnival you mentioned?” Dima felt a knot form in his chest as he said that. It felt like an eternity until she gave him an ear to ear smile hugged him once more, this time a little tighter.

“I'd love to,” She said whilst holding on to him.

“So... I'll come find you in say, an hour?” Dima asked.

“Sound like a plan! See you in a bit sugarcube.” Applejack replied a little enthusiastically. She then exited the room, leaving Dima to himself.

Dima let out a breath of relief as he relaxed back into his bed. She actually said yes. Dima couldn't understand why he felt such joy inside. Perhaps things will start to get better?

Location//: Tesseraka [Capital], Griffon Kingdom
Local Time//: 21:04 Hours
Date//: xx/xx/xxxx

Things could not get any better as he watched as the target centered himself on the crosshairs. The Griffon King was now in his sights. He was to give a speech addressing his people on a certain series of assassinations of a few major political figures. Assassinations that may or may not have been caused by the marksman behind this gun. The crowd was gathered in a large cobblestone court yard in front of the royal palace. The King appeared from behind a set of curtains and stood on a balcony protruding from the impressive structure. The night was pitch black, but the amber glow of tall torches and lanterns strung up above the crowd was enough to provide a decent amount of light.

He stood proudly, puffing out his chest feathers as he began to speak with gusto. His deep, sonorous voice, followed by passionate gestures of the paws and wings managed to keep the crowd in awe of their confident leader. His voice managed to carry well, and with a slight magical enchantment, it could even be heard softly by the assassin despite the distance. The King was able to quell some of their worries by speaking of how he is personally overseeing the operation to find the murderer, and how he would not rest until the culprit had been apprehended. Said murderer readied himself inside the bell-tower that he had made into a firing position. It gave a perfect view above the palace walls that encapsulated the court yard. Unfortunately, the original inhabitants of this location had been... uncooperative. So drastic measures had to be taken. A shame, but no matter. The marksman couldn't help but chuckle.

“Let's add a little chaos... in to this equation,” He whispered to himself. He began the final adjustments for his shot.

~Range: about 350 meters
~Windage: 82° at 9 mph
~Temperature: 68° F w/ 28% humidity
~Barometric Pressure: about 98 kPa
~Firing Angle: +10°

~Final Compensation: Up 2 mils, Left, 2.5 mils.

He begun to pace his breaths, slowing down his heart rate and relaxing his body. He tensed up on the rifle. Pressing himself closer to it, and becoming one with the weapon. He then stopped breathing altogether. Feeling the soft pulse throbbing in his hand, he began slowly squeezing the trigger. Pacing it just right so that it would fire between beats. He felt light headed, his body begging for the air that he had been denying it. He demanded that his lungs be patient, he needed to focus. The vision in his eye narrowed, he saw nothing save for his target. Nothing else in the world matters. He just to keep his sights on target. He placed the crosshairs on the center mass of the King. Everything was in place. 'Say good night little bird', He thought to himself. He begun to add force to his finger, continuing until he felt a small catch in the trigger.

The boom of the rifle resonated through the little room. The bullet traveled the distance in an instant, tearing a trail of vapor in the cool night air. The round met its target in the center of his chest. The King was knocked back by the shot, his eyes wide open in shock. After a brief moment, his eyes rolled to the side of his head and he collapsed on the floor of the balcony. The screams of the crowd could be heard from miles away. Scores of terrified Griffons began flying everywhere. Guards poured out from within the castle, dragging their leader’s lifeless body to safety.

"Flawless," He thought to himself.

“Mission accomplished, my Lord,” He spoke into his headset.

“You have done well. Return to base, there is more at hand,” His benefactor replied.

The complacent killer picked up his rifle and begun to make his way out of the tower with a sinister smile on his face.

Author's Note

Man, I have to stop being so slow with these updates. But hey, better late than never right? Thank you for reading and I hope you guys enjoy!

Hoorah!
-Semper Fidelis