Changes

Chapters

Things can go wrong
Against the grain
Paper Bones
sticks and stones
start of something horrible
Estrous Pt.1
Estrous pt. 2
Estrous pt. 3
Estrous pt. 4
Looks can be decieving
Let the fun begin
Breaking bad and breaking men
Epilogue: Falling Angels and Rising Demons/ Nothing
Fun with Medicine and Walks

Things can go wrong

It’s funny, how quickly things can go bad. One moment you’re sitting at home, then all of a sudden it’s as if somebody pointed the shit canon at the fan and let loose a barrage of recycled matter until you couldn't tell rotor from feces.
You were sitting at home, minding your own business, until you happened to take a glance out the window. Your “home” as you had become accustomed to calling it for the past month, was a small, one room apartment in the changeling kingdom on the seventh floor. There was a small t.v., a cabinet, and a couch in the living room. Along with a basic kitchen, and a bedroom. Simple. That’s how you wanted it to be. You looked out the window as you passed it. Just a check, nothing more.
You kept walking but retained a nagging feeling that you had seen something. You turn back and decide to take a better look. It was winter in the kingdom and thick layers of snow were packed down across the trash laden streets. You look down and see three cars parked across the street from your building. Inconspicuous, normal, nothing to really catch your attention and yet the feeling was still there. You kept looking, nothing. And then you saw it. The three cars were full of maybe six guys each. All of them returning the stare you gave them. It was chilling.

You quickly backed away from the window, fighting with your common sense. Telling yourself it was a coincidence. You look out again. Still the men stared, the only difference being that they were beginning to file out of the car. You noticed they were holding guns. All of them were holding guns. They began to walk towards your building. You knew why they were there, knew that you would be found. And yet, the hope for living the “quiet life” as you called it was always with you. You saw the men slowly advance toward your apartment, then one of them raise his hand towards you in a gun shaped position, and fire an imaginary round into your head.

listen as you read:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nljVUL5Vo8E

You backed away from the window and hurried towards the cabinet. You remembered how long the estimated time it took to get up to the seventh floor on those crappy elevators in the building. You think it was about six minutes. You open up the cabinet and retrieve two shoulder holsters, two pistols and a small ammo belt. You quickly adorn this new gear and ready yourself. Three minutes till approach, you think to yourself as you begin putting on your tan shoes, a white jacket, and a pair of tan pants. Underneath you were wearing a white shirt and two pistols, along with ten clips. Two minutes. You grab a small backpack filled with E- canisters and some extra ammo. You check your watch, one minute left. You open up your door and walk out.

“Don’t you move a fuckin’ muscle Pierce.” You hear as a small metal tube with the capacity to end your life is pressed up against your head. looks like you counted wrong.

“Come on guy, can’t we just talk this out?” You say, trying to look for an opening on this man. He was a member of an equestrian gang called the steel regimen, 'Regs' for short. They were led by a gryphon who called himself Apex.a couple of months ago you had 'made out a loan' from the national bank of Apex’s house. He 'proposed a transaction' where you returned the money, whereupon you 'sent the bankers on their way home to their families'. Apex had been looking for you ever since. And it appears he found you today.

“How’s Apex?” You ask, trying to make small talk with this soon-to-be-assailant.

“Angry.” Replied the goon in a serious tone.

“Well he has every right to be, I did take fourty thousand dollars from him. Say, how did you get up here so fast?” You ask.

“Stairs.” replied the goon in the same icy way he had responded to your other remarks. You could hear the elevators slowly rising to your floor. “Looks like It’s finally time to pay Apex back his money.” said the goon with a devilish grin.

“Yeah, about that,” you say, “I kind of spent it on a car. Which Apex destroyed last time you guys found me.”

This, sadly, was no lie. The money was not put to good use in retrospect. You hear the elevator doors at the end of the hall open and several 'people' walk out. You call them people for the same reason you call yourself a person. Technically everyone in this situation was a changeling. After the human race went extinct years ago, most changelings had adopted the human shape. The way a changeling worked, is that they need magical energy to change forms. When mankind had been hit with the gryphon bomb, the magical energy blasted out and slightly affected the entire world. Changelings, being the closest kingdom to mans kingdom, along with the natural ability to absorb magical energy were affected the most. The Energy canisters, or E-cans, held enough energy for a form change, the amount of energy you chose to absorb is what made the difference on how long you stayed in that form. Although most canisters only hold enough energy for a one hour change.A permanent change would take much more energy.

“Hey,” You say to the man with the gun. “ I know you’re here for me, but maybe you should watch out for that guy with the gun.” He turns to look for the imaginary man. Stupid punk. You slap the gun away from your face and headbutt the goon in the face, knocking him out cold.

“Hey! He’s gettin’ away!” You hear from down the hall as bullets ravage the surrounding walls. You sprint down the other end of the hall towards the stairwell. Bullets fly past you as you shoulder the door between you and the exit. It gives and allows you to continue on your escape. You un-holster one of your guns and fire back at the goons chasing you. You hit one in the shoulder, two in the chest, and you thought you saw a bullet hit a head but you weren't about to go over and hold a forensics operation. You close the door and bar it with a fire axe found by the door. You make your way up the stairs and hit the tenth floor before you hear the door break and the footsteps of angry men running up stairs. You pick up the pace and duck into the thirteenth floor. There were only fifteen floors to the building so you were nearing the top. You rush down the hall and head towards the elevator shaft on the other side of the building. You kick the doors to the shaft until they give and allow you to pry them apart. You look into the shaft and look for a service ladder. You see one on the other side of the shaft. You prepare for the jump.

“One. Two. Thr- AAACK!” You feel a hot, piercing round enter your left side and pass through you only to be embedded in the wall of the shaft.

You heard a goon exclaim, “I GOT HIM!” behind you as you fall into the dark shaft. You see your life flash before your eyes as you dive. You know this is the end.

Suddenly, as quickly and painfully as the fall began it ended. Only not in the way you had imagined. You come crashing through the roof of the elevator and land on your back. You keep conscious and attempt to get up and pray at the same time. You stumble up and use the wall as support as you look at the level indicator which read 11. You press the lobby button and pray thanks once more. As you begin your controlled descent bullets begin slamming around you. You try to use the pieces of roof that remained intact for cover but two rounds make contact, one in the left shoulder and the other in your right leg. You grunt at the pain and remain pressed against the wall. You stay like that for eight minutes until the elevator doors open and allow you to quickly limp your way out. You track blood through the empty lobby. As you pass the counter you see the body of the building owner, Mr. Stenton. You feel bad for him but continue towards the exit upon the remembrance of your situation and that if you stayed here any longer you would be apologizing to him directly soon. You step, or better yet limp, your way out of the front door and into the cold, crisp air. You see your car and the goons cars. You aim your pistol at the tires of each car and shoot them, making pursuit a little bit more difficult for your pursuers. You hear them enter the lobby and begin climbing into your car. As soon as you close the door bullets fly through the window, sending broken glass and bullets throughout your car. You start the engine just as a bullet grazes your face and slams into the dashboard to meet the others.

You start the engine as you yell out “Don’t you guys ever run out of BULLETS?!” You slam on the gas and become better acquainted with three more bullets as you barrel down the street. Your shoulder made this escape more difficult but was still usable. You swerve and sway down the road at full speed. Luckily not many people decided it was a good day to go on a road trip or a calm stroll. You keep driving like this until you exit the kingdom. You slowed down and collected your thoughts. First things first, you needed medical attention before you bled to death. The nearest town was around ten miles down the road and had a train that went to Canterlot, where you might get some help. You decide that this is the best course of action in your current state and made for this town.

Twenty minutes later a car rolls slowly into the middle of Ponyville. The only passenger opens the door, screams for a doctor, and passes out in a pool of his own blood.

Against the grain

Chapter 2

Against the grain

music

Darkness and pain. This was all you saw and felt... Still better than the apartment though. If you had stayed there you wouldn’t be feeling anything. You slowly felt consciousness wash over you throughout the span of who knows how long. “You awake son?” You stir a bit, hearing the voice as if from the other end of a corridor. You make an attempt to open your eyes only to be blinded by the intense lighting in the room. “Uhhhh...” Good first try Pierce. Speaking was always the hard thing in the movies. “Oh, sorry there sonny. Let me lower the lights a bit.” You hear this man walk over to a corner of the room and felt the lights die down a bit. “There yah go.” You decide to make another attempt at opening your eyes. The room slowly came into focus. You were lying in a hospital bed, covered in bandages with a sling around your left arm. Probably for the bullet you took to the shoulder.

Of course it could also be the three story drop you took like a champ. Pierce : 1, Goons : uh, how many times were you shot? you think and decide on seven. Pierce : 1, Goons : 7. Considering the circumstances, that was a good number. Anything above negative five was a good number actually. You try speaking again, this time with some success.

“Thank you.” You finally get out. “Where am I?”

The man was clearly a doctor judging by his clipboard and lab coat. He looks up from his clipboard and replies, “You are in ponyville hospital. You drove into town two days ago covered in blood and passed out in the middle of town. You were lucky to have made it here when you did, too much longer and you would have bled out behind the wheel.”

You examine yourself one more time and then ask about your injuries.

“You had three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and six bullet wounds.”

Damn, you were off by one. It seems that 'talent in guesstimating' wasn't exactly something you could put on your resume.

“We aren't used to accommodating changelings, though.” continues the doctor, “ We ordered some E- canisters from Canterlot and they should be arriving shortly. We apologize, but we used the ones in the duffel bag we found in your car to stabilize you on your way to the hospital.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s fine. You did save my life after all.” you reply. The doctor begins to make his way out of the room, telling you that you need rest and blah blah blah doctor speak.

“One more thing,” he says before exiting the room, “When we requested the E-cans, a member of the royal guard said that he was very interested in your story.” You tense up, knowing what he was going to say before he said it. “He asked for your name, and when we emptied your pockets we found your license, so we gave it to him. He will be accompanying the delivery so he can ask you some questions.” Before you could say anything the doctor stepped out, probably to attend to some other patient. How could you sleep after that news? You knew who it was coming to interrogate you. You just never thought that luohmygodI’msotirednightnight.

You awake to the sight of your hospital room. You try to move and your pain receptors are quick to let you know how stupid of an idea that was. Stupid pain always held you back. You must have made more noise than you thought because soon the doctor entered the room to check on you. You tell him that you’re fine, just testing your motion abilities. He is also quick to reprimand you and informs you that you would need to wait one more night before attempting to sit up.

You hear a voice from outside the door say, “Is he awake?” The doctor replies truthfully and within seconds another changeling is in your face hugging you and asking all about yourself. Just as you remember him, Luke had been your best friend since you were kids. You grew up together in the changeling kingdom and had each others back since you were five. When he came of age he had moved to Canterlot and enrolled in the royal guard. Although 'legal' wasn’t usually in your job description the two of you had remained close.

He knew about everything and had gotten you arrested several times. He had made you swear to never get into trouble with the law again and got you a job working undercover in the many gangs of the area. This didn't mean you never took the law into your own hands or gave yourself a pay raise when the opportunity arose. He asked the doctor to be alone with me and the doctor was compliant, telling him not to put me under to much stress. Once the doctor closed the door behind him Luke grew a smile as big as his face would allow.

“How are you Pierce? I haven’t seen you since you lifted the fourty grand from Apex!” He said, reaching out a hand. You grasp his hand and use him to lift yourself into a sitting position. F the doctor, you couldn't let Luke think you were down for the count.

"I've been hiding out, apparently crime bosses don’t enjoy being on the other end of crime.” You say with a grin. You were in a lot of pain but didn't want to show it.

"You don’t say? I’m sure he didn’t mind.” Luke says with a chuckle as he pulls up a chair in front of your bed.

“You would think.” You reply. "So, how are things with you?”

Luke thinks for a bit. “Fine, although we've been looking for you for the past three months. We all thought you were dead until we found six dead goons and a destroyed corvette in some poor fellas back yard down in manehattan.”

That was not a fun experience you think to yourself, remembering the event. “That corvette was the best car i ever owned. Even though it only lasted two weeks, I loved that car.” You say jokingly, masking the pain of sitting up.

Luke begins to say something when the doctor bursts in and locks the door behind him.

“We need to evacuate the hospital NOW!” He was sweating and a look of fear was embedded on his face. Before you could ask why the answer rang out through the building.

music

Shots were being fired down the hall and loud screaming and yelling was heard. Some from fear, some from anger. Luke reached into his shirt and removed a small pistol from a shoulder holster. He readied his weapon and started helping you up. You swung your good arm around his shoulders and the doctor held your left side steady. He saw you were in pain and gave you an anesthetic blast from his horn to keep you from passing out on the spot. You listened for the assailants and heard them heading towards the room. You turned to the doctor and asked him to hold you up by himself.

He did, using magic, and asked, “what next?”

You told him and Luke to hide behind the curtains surrounding the bed and wait for your signal. Luke tried to refuse but knew that you were better at quick thinking then he was. They hid and you stood there, in front of the door. Waiting for death. Well, not really standing, more like leaning with style. You listened as one of the men came towards the door and opened it. He was carrying a large rifle and proceeded to aim it towards your head while calling you as many profanities as he could get out in five seconds. As fast as you could you reached for the pistol on his hip and smacked the rifle away from your face. Bullets flew past your face as you ripped the gun from his belt and used it to empty three shells into the chest of this assailant. He started to fall back but you grabbed his shirt before he slumped to the floor. You grab the ammo belt from the new body as Luke and the doctor come out of hiding. Luke, being a royal guard member, was already equipped with a pistol, but decides to holster it in favor of the rifle.

Luke turns to you, “I radioed for backup and they will be here in minutes. We’ll just have to stall until then.”

You reply sarcastically, “I was hoping to enjoy my vacation... Alright i guess we can....”

Darkness and pain. This was all you saw and felt...

Paper Bones

chapter four

Paper Bones

You were happy to be on the move again, but you would miss the quiet... You were on the train to canterlot to meet up with Luke. You had been itching to talk to him since the hospital incident and were finally going to have the chance. The ride was only a couple of hours long, so you just decided to read up on the gang activities of late. Being an undercover guard in your spare time had it’s benefits. You were allowed access to the guard databases and had asked one of the guards back at the town for information on the Regs. They gave you a small booklet containing all gang activity in the past few weeks (seems that Luke had known you would want the info and left it with them). You brushed up on the recent history and found all activities to be the same as usual drug dealing (minus the attempted murders directed towards you and an assault on a hospital that is). You spend any time left from being useful to sleep. You had the feeling that it would be a long day.

The trains whistle woke you up just as it stopped at the station. You stepped off of the train carrying only your duffle bag filled with ammo, (which wasn’t very easy to get past security) two pistols on shoulder straps, (also not easy) and a small booklet on gang activities. You placed it in your duffle bag and, after getting through security, went on your way to the castle. It was hard to miss, a giant castle in the middle of a city. You wondered how difficult it would be to break in there....

You are shaken awake by the sound of Luke rushing at you, arms spread apart. Before you could say hello he picked you up in a bear hug so massive you were worried it would break your ribs again.

“I’m so happy to see you back to normal!” Luke said, holding you in mid air, (He always was the stronger of you two).

You, sore from the hug, reply, “If you keep hugging me like that I won’t be for long.”

He puts you down and apologizes. You both smile and start walking towards the castle. After some small talk he informs you that the interrogations hadn't been leading anywhere. The guys they caught hadn't been broken and he just couldn't get them to talk.

“That’s where you come in.” Luke said as you neared the castle. “Canterlot isn't very big on torture or heavy means of interrogation. Us Royal Guard members can’t touch the guys, and we have to let them go tomorrow. You aren't legally recognized as a member of the Royal Guard. So if you, say, found your way into the interrogation room and got the information yourself it wouldn’t cause a political crisis. Of course you would be punished however the Guards saw fit, but I’m sure they would go easy on you.” He said the last sentence with a wink, emphasizing the hint.

The two of you enter the castle and begin to head towards the interrogation room. Several guards are outside of the interrogation room, some standing guard, several others clearly taking breaks, exasperated with the interrogation.

Luke had clearly discussed this plan with the other members of the guard, because all of their faces lit up when you arrived. Luke’s keys had been ‘left’ on the floor outside of the room, so you picked them up and entered the room, locking the door behind you. You walk into the room and see two changelings sitting at a small metal table in the center.They were both guys, probably in their late teens to early twenties. One looked to be about your height, skinny, and had short dark brown hair. The other was clearly a few inches shorter than you, had long blonde hair, and was also skinny.

They both looked to be angered by their situation, but not worried in the least bit. These looks of anger only intensified once you walked in, carrying nothing but your duffel bag in one hand and a small paper bag in the other.

The taller one spoke up, “Listen here Guard, we ain’t talking and you can’t touch us. Why do you guys keep comin’?”

You ignored his question as you walked to the table, pulled up a chair found in the corner of the room, and sat down. You set down your duffle bag on the floor next to you and placed the paper bag on the table.

“Is somethin’ wrong with your hearin’? He said we ain’t talking!” The shorter one said.

They seemed to be growing furious about your lack of acknowledgement. You reached into the paper bag and pulled out a sandwhich, which you begin eating, clearly in no rush.

“What do yah think you’re doing? Are you just gonna sit there and eat?” The taller one spoke this time, clearly frustrated with you. You continue ignoring them and eating for the next couple of minutes.

Once you finish your food you begin cleaning up any crumbs and stuffing the trash into the bag. You then take the bag and place it alongside your duffel bag on the floor. The two goons had been silent the entire time you ate, unsure of your reasons for doing so.

Once the place is clean you decide to speak up, “Sorry guys, I had to ride into town a couple of hours ago and missed lunch. Now, what was it you guys were saying?”

The tall one became enraged at this and replied, “We was saying that you could get out of here! We ain’t talkin’ and you can’t touch us. So scram!”

You retained the look of uncaring that you had been wearing since you entered and said simply, “I don’t think you understand. I’m not a member of the Royal guard.”

At this the two goons’ faces turned from anger to surprise. You even think you saw a hint of fear. You continue, “I am the guy you came to kill at the hospital. I really would’ve thought that you would have recognized me. Anyway, I’m here to find out where your boss lives, I heard he moved after I ‘borrowed’ that money from his house.”

This nonchalant attitude and calm statement had clearly frightened these two already.

The short one spoke up this time, “Oh, yeah? If you isn’t a Guard then how’d you get in here?”

You answer him calmly, “Simple, I killed them all. Every guard in the castle. Did you really think I would let you two get away scott free? That’s not gonna fly with me.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=oAhOn1ChDIw&feature=endscreen

-Two Hours Later-

“So, I’m going to ask you again, where is Apex?” You say to the broken men in front of you. They were covered in blood and had been crying for at least an hour and a half.Not that you could blame them. The tall one had both of his legs broken (you had snapped them against the edge of the table), a dislocated shoulder, a broken nose, two black eyes, and broken jaw from several kicks to the face

“Please...Please, no more! No more!” He screamed.

“Wrong answer.” You say as you slam his head into the table, breaking his nose in two places now. He made muffled sounds of pain and fear as he grabbed his nose.

“What about you short stack?” This time your question was aimed towards the shorter fellow. He had both of his arms fractured (you did the same to his right arm as the tall ones legs, but you broke the left one over your leg like a twig. You know, to mix it up) his hip displaced from a chair to the side, one black eye (you left him one to see what you did to the other), and, judging by the look of him, at least five broken or fractured ribs.

“I already told you, Apex will kill us if we rat him out!” The short one said in a pleading voice.

You decide to try something more drastic and grab your pistol from your shoulder holster. You aim it at the tall ones broken right leg. “You have till the count of three. Every second after, I take a shot and then aim a little higher.” The men began crying again.

The tall one was pleading for his life. “Don’t do this, please no!”

You begin counting. “One....”

They are both pleading with you now, saying that Apex would kill their entire bloodline if they even hinted to where he lived.

“Two...” You say, completely apathetic to their pleas. “Three.” As you say this you fire a bullet into the thigh of the tall man. He begins screaming and thrashing in his chair, unable to move. Blood was pouring out of the new hole profusely. “Are you ready to tell me now?” You ask.

“WE CAN’T!” says the tall man.

“Four.” You aim the pistol at his belly button and fire. Blood splatters over you and the short man as the bullet enters. The both of the men are begging, pleading for you to stop.

The short one finally breaks,“Please stop! I- I’ll tell you everything! just please stop!”

You had done it! You fist pumped in your head while retaining an outer air of seriousness.

”That was what I wanted to hear. Where does he live? Oh, also five.” You raise the gun an inch up and fire. The tall man made some half-choked out screams, but was losing blood fast. You knew that if you didn’t get an answer soon that he would die.

“H-he lives i-in Diamond dog territory! Just outside of Ponyville!”

You were almost there, you just needed a bit more information. You decided to speed up the countdown. “Six. Seven.” Firing a solitary round into the tall ones arms with each word. “Eight.” You hold the man by his head and point the gun towards his temple. “Tell me where the entrance to the base is, how well defended it is, and what room Apex stays in or I will go to nine. At ten I start shooting you.” The short man gives up all the information you needed, crying the entire time.

After he is done you look at your handiwork, the tall one is about to bleed out and is in need of medical attention. You holster your gun, walk over to your bags and pick them up, taking your time. You open the door and step outside to see what looked every Royal Guard member waiting by the door.

“I got it. Someone get those men a doctor....better yet, get like three, they need them.”

The Royal Guards are astounded. All of them. You grin inwardly, and say, “What are you waiting for?” The Royal Guards begin scrambling about in search of something to do. Luke comes up to you for debriefing and the two of you walk out of the room.

‘Man’, you think, ‘I’m a badass.’

sticks and stones

chapter 5

sticks and stones

Why do these briefing sessions always have to be so early? *Quiet man, you might miss something important.*If they didn’t want me to miss anything then why did they make these meetings so early in the morning? *Just listen. You are so close to catching Apex and you’re phasing out now?* well.... Ok, but this doesn’t mean you won. *Sure it doesn’t. Whatever you have to tell yourself to get up in the morning.

“According to pierce’s information, the entrance to Apex’s HQ should be somewhere in the lower left quadrant of Diamond dog territory.” As he said this Luke pointed towards the edge of diamond dog territory closest to ponyville.

You were sitting in the back of the briefing room in the canterlot castle. Luke was presenting the information you had collected to the twenty- something Guards. They were a collection of several ponies, two gryphons, and one changeling (not counting you and Luke). They were all taking notes and listening attentively, preparing themselves as best they could for this mission.

Luke continued, “We will set up five sniper nests across the everfree forest, here, here, here, here, and here.” he said, pointing to the locations on the map hung across the wall. “We will split into two squadrons. Alpha, will be me,” He said pointing to himself, “Johnson,” this time pointing to a changeling sitting in the front row.

He was a little bit taller than you, about lukes height, had brown hair, and looked to be about your age (so in his mid- twenties). “and my good friend Pierce.”

Several of the guards complained, one of the gryphons spoke up. “He isn’t even a Guard! He has no right to be here!”

Luke calmed everyone down, “Technically he isn’t recognized as a member of the royal guard, yes. But he is one of us. He works as one of the kingdoms best undercover operatives.” At this, many of the guards quieted down and decided to continue listening.

“Omega squad, will be...” ‘Blah Blah Blah. You didn’t know these guys anyway and couldn’t tell who he was addressing. *come on man, this is important. You should really listem* STFU. I don’t have to if I don’t wanna. *you don’t have to a baby about it. Sheesh* Yeah. That’s what I thought....

Once Luke finished choosing people for squads and who would be in the snipers nests he dismissed the men to their rooms.

“We are getting on the train in one hour, so don’t be late.”

Everyone got up and filed out of the room at this. As, uh, what was his name? *You really need to work on learning names man.* Didn’t I tell you to STFU!!? Oh! I remember! It was Jackson! Ok, let’s try this again. Ahem. As Jackson got up Luke told him to stay and flashed you a look that told you to do the same. *Not that you have anything to do anyway.* SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP!

Once everyone else left the room Luke closed the door behind them and started speaking again.

“Pierce you know Johnson yes?”

What I thought it was Jackson!? *I told you so...* How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?

You answer, “No, I don’t think we’ve met.” You reach out your hand to Johnson and he returned the handshake firmly.

“Nice to meet you sir.” He said. You chuckled a bit, making him feel a bit self- conscious. “What did I say?” he asks.

You reply in a joking tone, “Nothing, don’t worry. I’m just not used to being called sir is all.” You both smile and sit down to listen to Luke.

“Ok, now you may have noticed that I chose every changeling for Alpha team. This was on purpose, we will have a different job than Omega’s.” He said this as you moved closer to the front, next to the other changeling. Luke continued, “While Omega team is in the middle of their frontal assault, we’ll morph into the two thugs Pierce put in the hospital.” He pointed to himself and the other member of your party. as he said this, “and sneak through the back entrance those thugs informed us of.”

You speak up, “I hope you aren’t expecting me to just walk in there? If so we might as well buy a giant cake for me to jump out of while we’re at it.”

Luke smiled, “Sorry Pierce, but that is pretty much the plan....”

-five hours later-

You were walking through diamond dog territory, the cold night air hitting your face. You aren’t sure what made you shiver more, the cold or your mission. You were accompanied by two fully armed thugs, or should you say, Luke and Johnson. (apparently his first name is Reid) They had absorbed enough energy to last a six hour transformation, though they could change whenever they chose. The E-cans, or energy canisters, were a miracle of magic. After the mass- magical- transition, or MMT, that affected the changeling race every changelings’ ability to mutate was severely affected. A changeling could still transform, just not using love and for not nearly as long as before. The E-cans held a form of magic easily absorbed by changelings, making it possible to transform again. Changelings never could transform permanently until the MMT. They were now hyper-locked in the one human state they had. This is the only permanent change a changeling could undertake.

You were battered, bruised, and bloody, or at least that was how you looked. In actuality, you were completely fine. Oh, the joys of shapeshifting! There were a pair of ‘handcuffs’ around your hand and you were truthfully unarmed.

“How much longer?” You asked, growing anxious.

“We are here.” said Luke. There was one solitary tree in the middle of this barren, wasteland-esque land, and you were standing in front of it. Reid walked up to the tree and tapped an intricate rhythm into the trunk of it. After he had finished there was a silence which was quickly interupted by a ‘SSCCCCCCCRRRRRREEEEEEEECCCHHHHH’ followed by a secret door in the tree being opened by a diamond dog guard. This guard eyed each of you respectively, smiling when he saw you.

“I see that you brought Apex gift. He be pleased, yes.” This guard ushered you inside with a wave of his hand and a slap to the face for you.

The dog lead you down a long, winding cave which ended in a glorious room filled with gold, diamonds, and other precious materials. There were five guards in the room, two by the large throne in the wall straight ahead and three by the entrance that is now behind you. There was treasure and other expensive-looking things piled up throughout the room. The throne was on top of a small raise of about five steps. The throne itself was beautiful, but the expression of the Dog sitting in it was not. Apex was a Diamond dog with an exponentially advanced intellect compared to the rest of his species. This may have been a result of the MMT or may have been lucky DNA, but whatever the reason Apex had a normal intellect for any other species. He had several scars scattered over his face body, each a testament to the pain he endured to reach where he was today. He made most of his money from drug running and protection money, him being the most powerful drug dealer in the surrounding kingdoms and all.

He spoke in that scratchy, deep voice of his once he saw you.

“Well well well, look who it is. If it isn’t the little rat. Looks like you finally stepped into the trap.”

You reply, “Nice place you’ve got here Apex. Looks like you’ve made back that money pretty quickly. Hey, I heard about this plastic surgeon that could probably fix your face man. Maybe he can get rid of those scars too.”

Apex looked towards the guards behind you and before you know it you are on the ground being beaten by every guard in the room. They are kicking you and punching you all over. You felt a rib break and cringed from the pain. no matter how many times that happens, you never get used to it.

Apex raised his hand to signal them to stop and they backed up a little. You got up, or rather, were dragged up violently and held still. Apex motioned for you to come closer and so you were dragged towards his throne until you were within arms distance of him.

*Let’s hope Omega squad arrives on cue.* Yeah, let’s. Apex stared into your eyes, puffy and swollen. Your face, covered with blood, and your battered body. (part of this was shapeshifting, most of it was real though) He brought a hand up and gave you a solid punch in the face. The room spun, and you lost your footing for a second. Blood ran down your face from your newly broken nose.

“Somebody get me a gun.” Apex said, reaching out his hand. one of the thugs extracted a large revolver from his holster and handed it to Apex. Apex reached out and received it gladly.

He begins to toy with the gun, taking his time.

“Do you know how hard it is to maintain an empire? How hard it is to keep everyone in line, to make sure things run smoothly, to ensure that your men are all well taken care of?” He was still messing with the gun. “Let me tell you something. The only ways to rise to the top in this world is to destroy everything above you, and to ensure that everything below you is secure and safe to climb. Now, when bottom rungs of the chain, like you, try to move out of place the only thing to do is secure that rung. And in some cases, the only way to secure a rung is to make sure it is still. Permanently.” He aims the gun at your head, continuing, “You have been a pain in my side for far too long Pierce. You see, when one rung becomes unstable it knocks all of the other pieces out of place. And so, you left me with an unstable foundation, which left me fixing the lower sections while my enemies grew. You almost destroyed my foundation. But then, my scientists created ‘flip’, a new super-drug. It instantly addicts the user, throwing them violently into a life of need. A need of the drug, the drug I own. I want you to take a look, Pierce, at what the world will look like after you are gone.”

He snaps his fingers, causing two thugs to walk out of the room. Soon, they re-entered with a pegasus in their hands. You look as they throw this pony to the ground, as the pegasus hits the ground with a hard slam and cringes. The pony looks around, and then you get your first good look at him.

He was grey, not naturally, but, instead looks as if the color had been sucked out of him. He was shivering, looking around with his blood-red eyes. His lips were dry and his wings were devoid of any feathers. He looked.... poisoned.

Apex spoke, “Just wait until the drug does it’s work.”

A thug came in carrying a small pill-bottle. He set it down behind the addict and slowly stepped away. Once he was at a safe distance he told the addicted pegasus to turn. The second the grey pony saw the bottle he smashed it with his hoof, causing glass to fly everywhere, though he seemed unaware. You see that instead of pills, the drug is a powder. The pony licks at the glass-drug mixture and feels it’s affects. He begins violently licking, snorting, and eating the powder, ignoring the glass. Soon after he began, the pony froze, rigid and stiff. Unmoving. You believe that he is dead. After several tense minutes you see a sign of movement in the pegasus, and soon the pegasus is the same as he was when he was brought in. Minus the blood coming from his eyes, mouth, and nose, he looked to be the same as before. You were shocked. Horrified. Disgusted. How could someone do this to someone else?

Apex spoke up, “That was a small doseage. The drug leaves the user in living rigormortis, locking up their bodies, but still leaving them fully aware. Once you are gone I can begin mass production on this drug. I will put it in the water supplies, have my men in cloudsdale put it in the rain and snow. I will be in complete control of everything and everyone. I knew that with you still alive my men would believe I was weak, that I was unfit to lead, that I should be ‘removed’ from power. But now that I have you, I can make you an example to the world. Don’t cross Apex.”

You haven’t taken your eyes off of the grey pegasus, imagining what would happen if your mission failed. You were hit again by Apex, this time in the right side. You are turned by the two men holding you to stare into the barrel of his gun again.

“Goodbye Pierce. Good ridda-”

An explosion, screams of panic, and sounds of gunfire erupt from behind you. Omega team had arrived, a little late, sure, but they had still arrived.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUXvTIIPClc

The sounds threw off Apex just long enough for you to swing your head away from the gun. The bullet barely misses your face and enters the shoulder of the thug to your right. He screams out in pain and lets go of your arm. You dissolve the morph-made handcuffs into your wrists and smack the gun out of Apex’s hand in a matter of seconds, taking advantage of your element of surprise. The guard holding your left arm takes a swing toward your head, but you block it with your free arm return the punch to sender. He begins to stumble back but you grab him by the shoulders and push yourself up while swinging your legs back, kicking Apex in the face and causing the thug to fall. You raise your arm and begin to slam your fist into the face of the man underneath you until you felt him go limp. You could hear Luke and Reid struggling with the other guards, leaving you with Apex. You reach for the holster of the guard you ‘pacified’ and retrieved his pistol.

You turn to see Apex aiming his gun at you and roll, bringing the guard underneath you in between Apex and yourself. Several bullets fly into the guard, two passing through him into your right side and left leg respectively. You wait until all six bullets had been shot from Apex’s gun and jumped up, lifting the now-dead guard with you. You ignore your damaged leg and run towards Apex, throwing the body once Apex began to reload his gun. He moved quickly but the guard nicked him before he could move, sending Apex flying backwards. You sprint towards him now, not letting him recover from the hit. You brandish your gun and jump on top of Apex, attempting to hold him down. You smack his gun from his hand and attempt to get your gun in his face. He grabs the barrel and tries to push it away from himself, towards you. You accidentally let two bullets fly, one hitting Apex in the left shoulder. He yells and pushes your gun away completely. Your arms fly back and you fall onto the ground, your gun landing just within arms reach next to you. Soon, Apex is upon you. He grabs a knife from his belt and begins to push it towards your neck, you pushing his arms away. You push each others hands towards each other. You reach out your left hand to grab the gun, pushing with your right hand.

You feel the grip on the guns handle and try to grasp it, failing several times. Apex has the advantage, using both of his arms to push the knife down to you. It is inches away from your neck as you reach for the gun. You finally grab hold of the gun and swing it towards apex. He moves his head but is hit across the face with a bullet. A large gash begins pouring blood from Apex’s face, but does not deter him from his assault. He pushes down the knife with everything he has, emitting a loud,

“RAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”

The knife presses up against your throat and slides across, leaving a gap in the places it touched you. You push Apex off of you and grasp at your throat. You can’t breathe and blood rushes out of your neck. The cut wasn’t too deep, but it still cut through. You force yourself to crawl towards your gun, one hand on your throat, the other being used to crawl.

Apex was still on the ground, holding his wounded face. You crawl for the gun that is now only feet away. Apex sees you and grabs at your leg. You kick forcefully and his hand comes off. You fall, but get back onto your hands and knees again. You reach out for the gun, falling forward. Your hand lands on top of the pistol and attempts to grasp it. You feel your leg once again in the grasp of Apex. He drags you towards himself, attempting to finish the job he started. You could hear your friends. They were still fighting off the thugs, and Omega could be heard still fighting, still alive.

You are out of energy to kick Apex away and attempt to hold onto the gun. Apex stands over you, holding his knife in his right hand and his bloody face in his left.

“Goodbye Pierce.” You panic and swing the gun at Apex. You pull the trigger and Apex is hit in the chest. You continue to squeeze and bullets continue to pierce Apex’s body. Five shells slam into Apex’s chest but he continues standing. Smiling. You don’t stop firing until the clip is emptied and still then, Apex is standing. Smiling. His eyes are phased and clouded. Blood is dripping from his mouth. You use whatever energy you have left to kick Apex, knocking him backwards. He hits the ground with a loud ‘Thump!’ and is still.

All you see is darkness. All you feel is pain.

start of something horrible

Chapter six
start of something horrible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GeQK0fOAew

You were Pierce Connel, Changeling, undercover Royal Guard, and you had recently been pulled out of vacation. After the 'Apex incident' you had been rushed to the hospital. You would have died if Reid and Luke hadn't sewn up your throat on the spot. Luke used ripped strings from his shirt to sew up your throat while Omega team fought up to the room. When Omega team had arrived Apex was still breathing and it took two more clips to put him down for good. You had been living in ponyville for the past couple of months while you healed and were enjoying the quiet. The doctor said you had made a full recovery last week and you knew that you would be called for another job soon, it was just a matter of time.

You had been called to the castle today.

*Seems we’re being pulled out of vacation a bit early, huh?*

Yeah, or as that large, red dude says, 'Eeyup'. You had arrived at the castle about thirty minutes ago and was currently sitting in the royal conference room.

*Looks like we’re moving up in the world.*

You wished, at least you would get paid better, not that you needed it. They paid you very well here and it was an interesting job to say the least.

*If your idea of ‘interesting’ was almost being murdered by everyone you saw, then yes. It was an interesting job.*
Quit complaining, I think i see somebody coming.

It was Luke and Reid, each of them smiling at the well rested friend they hadn't seen in weeks. The three of you had become much better friends since the mission and you were happy to see them again. They often visited you but they had been busy lately and unable to visit.

“Where is everybody?” you ask.

“I don’t know, I think we’re a bit early. Whatever, how have you been?” Reid said. You three had become good friends since the mission. He was a pretty cool guy once you got know him. Although you never got to see him fight, Luke told you that he was scary in a fight. He said that the day of the Apex mission he had shot one of the dogs arms until it was barely on and beat him with it. It was hard to believe, considering he was so nice and calm when outside of the action.

You reply, “I’ve been pretty good. What about you guys?” They tell you about how they have been cracking down on the remnants of the Regs. They had all but completely eradicated them so far.

After about ten minutes of conversation several guards entered through the only door in the room, followed by both princesses, the royal magical advisor, named rose heart, and five-star general Beckett Sanders. *Hol’ up hol’ up hol’ up. Princesses?* Yup. *About to talk to you?* Uh.. yeah, I guess so. Why? *cause you aren’t important. why would they talk to you?* Hey! you are technically me also. Oh, crap. *what?* I think they were just talking to us. *are you sure?* Yeah, everyone is looking at us. *Well say something man!* what? *anything!* “Uh, hello to you too, princesses.”

They look at you, both of them with one eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Uhm, we were speaking to your friend Luke. What is your name again soldier?”

Inward facepalm *HAHAHAHAHAHA* shut up... *What did I tell you!!!* STFU.

You look at Reid and he is covering his face with his hands, attempting to suppress a laugh. He looks at you through the corner of his eye and another hushed giggle fit erupts from within him. You begin to smile, and soon are suppressing your own laugh.

Luke speaks up, “Oh, sorry your majesty, this is Pierce, Pierce Connel.” Your good friend Luke explained to everyone present who you were while you and Reid turned away and laughed away ha ha ha.

You turned around to the congregation and decided to let the important people speak for a bit. They didn’t acknowledge you or Reid, so you two just spoke to each other for a bit, Trying to figure out what they were speaking about. The princesses were speaking about something important-sounding, yak blah blah, and Luke was assuring them that someone could find something out, and the other two were on Luke’s side.

Luke swung his hand towards you, “They are how we can find out for ourselves.”

You were a bit baffled at this, not having understood enough of what was happening originally.

“What can we do exactly?” You ask, trying to wrap your head around this.

Luke turns to you, his eyes saying, ‘Sorry I have to do this’ and explains, “You know cloudsdale’s flying academy?”

You nod yes yes right and he continues, “Well, we have been receiving reports of several hundred pegasi being sent in and never returning. Only pegasi who have failed their flying tests have gone missing and we have reason to suspect they are being held captive for slave labor.”

You were a bit confused but asked him to continue.

“We would need a maximum of two trusted operatives with a history of successful infiltration missions to infiltrate the test, fail, and find out what happens to the failing ponies.”

You saw where he was going with this. *We have been kind of lazy lately.* Yeah, it’s not like we have a booming personal life anyway.

You look at Reid and he was smiling at you. You both grinned as you turned to Luke.

“We would love to infiltrate cloudsdale for you.”

Luke looked surprised, not at your answer but of something else.

He stuttered at first, then said, “U-Oh, that wasn’t what we were asking you. We were hoping you two would help us prepare the two men going in. They are some kids with an amazing track record.”

You were surprised, angry, and embarrassed at once. You spoke up, “You’re joking right? We can do this better than any of your other soldiers! Changelings. Who can turn into anything we need to be.” You point towards yourself and Reid with you nodding no no no and Reid going right right right.

The pony whom you recognized as the five-star general spoke up. “Quiet down, you don’t know what you’re talking about. My men are better trained, better equipped, and better fighters than you two.”

You angrily pointed towards the general, “Oh yeah? prove it. Call your men and we’ll spar. The winners go onto the mission.”

Everyone in the room was silent, obviously astounded at your rashness. The five-star pony slammed his hoofs against the large table, yelling out, “I believe that is an excellent idea! follow me, so we do not ruin the sanctity of this room.”

Surprisingly, the large white princess suggested they use the old wedding hall. The five-star called one of his guards to retrieve his two men and led the entire room towards the sparring room, saying that ‘everyone should view the disrespectful idiots discipline lesson.

You were led into a large room with large windows taking up the entirety of the left and right walls. The back and front walls were empty and the whole room was completely empty and flat, save for the small raise at the other end of the room. Two guard pegasi entered the room, followed by twenty other guards. You guessed the first two were here to fight and the others were here to keep the peace. The white princess spoke to the congregation once the four of you fighters were in the middle of the room.

“These two squads will be fighting for the opportunity to undertake a mission of grave importance to the kingdom. The winners will be sent off, and the losing team...” the princess got a devilish, almost scary grin on her face at this, “the losing team will get ‘punishment B’.”

Everyone except you and Reid froze up and was instantly quieted at the mention of this, ‘punishment B’. You had heard of this punishment before, but thought it was a joke. Someone told you it meant 'Punishment Banana'. Whatever that would mean.

“You will be fighting in hand-to-hand combat. General Beckett has suggested this to be a ‘no-holds-barred’ spar, meaning that full force is permitted. First team to incapacitate the other wins. Do you understand?”

You all nodded yes right yes and the princess backed away, melting into the group of ponies (and Luke) in the back corner of the room. You were standing next to Reid in the middle of the room, standing across from the other squad. “BEGIN!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGbeYM2wcIw

You ran towards the two pegasi, attempting to make this quick. They both unfurled their wings and were above your head before you could reach them. They both bucked downwards towards your head. “Shit!” You folded your legs and slid under the hoof wall. You reached your arms up and grasped two legs, one belonging to a different pony. Bad idea. They instantly flew up as if you were not even there and split ways. You were being ripped in half by these ponies in mid air but were determined to hold on. The force of the flying ponies felt like it was about to dislocate both of your shoulders. *If these two dislocate your shoulders it’s all over and you know it.* You realized that this was true and pulled your arms together with all of your strength, as if you were about to clap very loudly. The pegasi were not prepared for this sudden tug and were slammed together. Apparently, you were much higher up than you thought you were, which you found out on the way down. You could see the pegasi attempting to stabilize and realized that they would very soon.

You let go of one and held the second with both hands. You forced him underneath you just in time for him to break your fall. You landed with a heavy ‘thump crunch’ as you felt several bones snap underneath you. This pegasus cried out in pain and was quickly silenced with a boot to the head.

You looked to see Reid dodging the other bucking, flying pegasus, quickly bobbing away from each buck. One of these bucks was particularly slow, allowing Reid to weave past it and deliver three quick punches to the pony’s rib cage. The last punch made an audible ‘DOMPH’ and caused the pegasus to momentarily destabilize. Reid grabbed the right wing of this pegasus with both hands ripped him out of the air with all of his might.You thought the wing would come off.

You had been slowly walking over to this action and had just made it over to Reid when this happened. You both began to gang up on this pegasus, kicking and punching and stomping and kneeing and elbowing this poor pony until he had been clearly ‘incapacitated'. You turned to the congregation, seeing them all with mouths ajar, surprised at the ease with which you had defeated your opponents.

“When can we get going?”

Luke had said that you could go in one week, until then you and Reid stayed at your house in ponyville. Luke said that it was impossible to send you two out any earlier and advised you to get out of the city, though he didn’t have time to explain why. You offered to have Reid stay with you and so he did. Ponyville was a like circle surrounded by forest, emanating from town square. The mayors office was the center. To the immediate west of this building was sugar cube corner, the north had the market areas which mainly consisted of the town stores and cafes and diners. South-east of the town hall was The town dress-shop, and south was the town farm.

Things seemed normal. Why did Luke want you two to get out of the city so badly? You wondered why.......

Estrous Pt.1

listen as you read : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9XMd2eAy_4

You walked down the road, feeling in a particularly good mood. It was only two days in the week or so break you had and you had done nothing but hung out with Reid. You decided you were due for a long walk, so you woke up around six and, making sure not to wake Reid, headed out the door. It was a bit chilly outside and so you were wearing a pair of jeans, an orange T-shirt, your usual sneakers, and a red hoodie.

Most of the neighborhoods -no pun intended- residents were asleep at this time, though there was usually a couple of shop owners out here preparing for the days transactions. The town was quiet and empty this morning though. You didn't really notice it at first, but after a couple of minutes of walking you realized that there wasn't a pony out here. Not even any animals. Nothing.

You felt a chill in your spine and worried that something may have happened. You looked into the windows of some shops and found that they were dark inside. Sure this was normal at this time in the morning, but still.... You walk up and down the street, looking for any signs of life. You walk up to the door of the quill and sofa shop. The owner's name was Davenport and he was a cool dude. He was the first friend you made in Ponyville and had showed you around during your vacation. You knocked on the door. It was locked. You pushed on it a little and felt that it was secured with a heavy bolt.

"Davenport," You said quietly, Not wanting to wake anybody up, "You there?"

You listened and didn't hear anything, so you knocked again, a bit harder this time. "Davenport, are you alright?" You said in a whisper-yell.

"Go away." You heard from the other side of the door. Not too close to the door, but at least within a few feet. *But then again, we aren't the best at estimating, are we?* True, but you were sure of this one.

"Davenport, it's me. Pierce." You heard a bit of movement from behind the door as you said this.

You heard hesitation in Davenport's voice, "Wait there."

You listened as footsteps neared the door and as the bolt on the door was quickly unfastened. "Get in here, quick!"

You were grabbed and quickly pulled into the house before you could make any movements. The door was quickly locked behind you as you took in the image of the usually welcoming shop. The windows were barred, the doors were barricaded (with the exception of the one you entered through, of course.) and food cans were piled as high as your waist all around the building.

"What's all this stuff for?" You asked, confused.

"Estrous, of course." Davenport replied.

"What is an Estrous?" You asked, still confused.

"You don't know? Do changelings not have this?" Davenport asked.

You think for a second. "Nope. What is it? And why does it mean you have to hide out?"

Davenport sighed, pressing a hoof against his face. "Estrous is a time of year where every female is suddenly overcome by the need to.... uhm, how can I explain this?" Davenport thought for a minute and then his face lit up. "Every female's reproductive systems go into overdrive."

"So you are hiding... from horny girls?" You ask, just as confused as you were before the explaination.

"Sort of, yes. They will practically tear apart any male they can get a hold of. Imagine being raped, for about a week, by one hundred girls who are extremely aggressive. Sure, it could be fun for about an hour. But one: you will be hurt. Badly. They will bite, smack, and punch you the entire time. And two: this is non-stop for a week." Davenport said this very seriously.

"Yeah, I can see how that could be bad." You reply. "But, I shouldn't be worried, right? I'm a changeling, not a pony."

Davenport looked at you seriously. "They won't pick and choose. Not even my mom would be able to leave me alone once Estrous hits. I don't think your race will be too problematic for them."

"Hey, if they are so man-hungry, then where are they?" You ask, realizing that there wasn't a single female in town.

"They realize what a problem they are, so they run to the forest before it hits. But trust me, they will be in town in a matter of minutes. We have maybe forty minutes before they get here."

You freeze, remembering your friend at home. "Shit. Reid is at home. Asleep. With the entrances un-blocked. I need to get home!"

You rush towards the door, but Davenport stops you before you can make it out. "Are you sure you want to do this? They will be here soon and you won't be safe out there. They can smell you, and will hunt you down, along with Reid." He points to the door, "Once you leave I won't open the door for you. I'm sorry, but I can't take that chance."

"It's okay. I understand." You say, walking to the door. "See you in a week." You open the door and step outside. The door closes behind you as you listen and smell. Taking in the surrounding world around you.

Your ears catch a faint sound. The sound of hundreds of hooves rushing towards the town. You could tell by the faintness that they were still a good ways away, but you needed to hurry. They would be here soon.

Estrous pt. 2

-Pov Reid-

You had just woken up from your nice long sleep and were making yourself some breakfast.

You fucking Hate mornings. At least you slept late, that earned some morning points. You head to the kitchen to see what you had tucked away for breakfast. Nothing. THE FUCK? Pierce usually bought food in the mornings on the way back from his walk. 'He must be working late', you reason and begin scrounging around for anything to eat. You find a half eaten pizza from the night before, some orange juice, and a yogurt.

You quickly look around for some fucks to give and don't find any, so you set up your breakfast of champions. You pour out the juice and place the pizza on a plate. You put it in the microwave and eat the yogurt while you wait for the pizza to be prepared. The Microwave makes a 'ding', signaling that the pizza is ready just as you finish the yougurt.

You are enjoying your pizza-and-orange-juice breakfast when Pierce bursts through the door, slamming it shut behind him and locking it. He was panting and had clearly run a long way.

"You okay man?" You ask, worried about Pierce.

"Are all the windows closed?" He asks, speeding his way into each room to check for himself.

"Uh... Yeah man. Why?"

Pierce closes all the blinds and barricades the front door with your only bookshelf. All the while, mumbling "Gotta hurry, gotta hurry."

Once he was done he sat down, tired from you-don't-know-what.

"Are you gonna tell me what is going on or am I going to have to guess?" You ask.

"It's Estrous season."

The realization of what was happening dawned on you all at once. You had learned all about Estrous while training with the Royal Guard, although you had never experienced one before.

You began to double check Pierce's work, making sure he didn't miss anything. You looked around for a while before noticing that Pierce had forgotten to lock the back door. You rushed towards it and locked it, making sure it wouldn't open to any-pony before releasing the handle.

You sat down next to Pierce. "How did it look out there?" You asked him.

"All the females are about five minutes off from town. They had left before this all started." He answered.

"No wonder it's so quiet out." You say.

"Yeah, and let's keep it that way. As long as we are quiet the girls should pass by after an hour or so." Said Pierce.

A few minutes pass by before the horde of mares enters the town. You can hear them in Ponyville, calling out for any man they could think of. You lived on the outskirts of the town, in between Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres. They could be heard passing through the town, not finding any-pony willing to ease them of their tension. They were heading in your direction but you were sure that they would pass you as long as you stayed quiet.

"I'm going to grab a snack before we aren't allowed to move." You say, getting up.

"Make it quick." Pierce says as you walk towards the kitchen. You are too caught up in listening to the approaching mares to notice the large stereo on the floor. You trip over it, not falling, but you hit the play button on the stereo with your foot. The song grows from within the stereo as it slides into the kitchen, starting up on full blast.

listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1fp4VbS3Mg

"Shit!" You say, steadying yourself so you don't fall.

"Turn that the fuck off!" Piece yells over the music.

The sound is blasting through the house, bass shaking the floor and making your body vibrate. You look around for the stereo on the floor but don't see it. Pierce is now looking for the stereo also. The stereo is so loud that you can't find it by listening. You look around the whole living room, eyes vibrating, until you make your way to the kitchen with Pierce. He was looking under the table when you saw it. You dive towards it and stop the music just as the song ends on it's own.

"Do you think they heard it?" You ask.

You both listen. The sounds of lustful mares can be heard outside. Not far away, not in the town, but closer. You wonder how close they really are, until your entire house shakes with the force of a town full of mares slams their hooves agaisnt your walls.

Estrous pt. 3

-POV Pierce-

listen while you read : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jipWDfl5Dgs

"We are FUCKED!" You say to Reid, listening to the sounds of mares calling for you. Some were angry others were more pleasant.

"Literally." Reid chuckled out.

"Shut the fuck up, man. Now is not the time." You say, looking around the room.

"Sorry. What do we do now?"

You ignored Reid's question for now, focusing on the situation. Trying to figure out your options. Walking out the front door was a big no no and every window was barricaded, although the barricades were getting more of a beating than you were expecting. They wouldn't last too much longer.

"Hello! Mister Sandman! Luke said you were the best quick thinker he's ever met. Do you think you could put that mind to use now?" Reid shook you by your shoulders.

"I'm trying! Just give me a minute." You pushed him away and continued to scan the room.

"We don't have a minute!" Reid said just before you heard several windows break. The voices of the mares grew louder and more aggressive as a whole at this and the front door was shaking more violently.

You looked around. They knew we were here, so no hiding. *Back door?* You look at the back door. *Most of the mares seem to be at the front of the house.* You think, running this plan through the paces. This could work.

"Start grabbing every pillow in the house!" You yell at Reid as you run around the room, picking up every pillow you could find. Reid moved fast, collecting all the pillows from the bedrooms. Your house was one-story, so this didn't take too long.

"Got 'em!" Said Reid, placing the last of the pillows in the pile on the floor.

You grabbed eight extra-strength trash bags and coupled them, making four groups. You took each couple and placed one member of the couple in the other, so that there were four bags with other bags inside them.

"Fill each bag up with pillows!" You said. You heard the last window in your house break and the door was bareley holding on to it's hinges now. "HURRY!" The two of you did this and were left with four pillow-filled-double-bags.

"What are we supposed to do with these?" Reid asked as you handed him two.

"We can't hurt the mares, right?" You asked. Reid nodded at this with a 'right right true'.

"Then let's only give them a forceful shove." You say, reaching your hands into the bags.

Reid caught your drift and did the same, making sure that the bags wouldn't fall off. The two of you headed towards the back door and steeled yourselves for what was to come. All the while, mares were bursting through the barricades and climbing into the house.

"Once we get out there," You say, "Head for the train station. We'll lead these mares towards Canterlot and, if we have to, bring the Canterlot mares to the Crystal Empire."

Reid nodded to show he understood and the two of you burst through your back door. There were only about twenty mares back here. The rest were inside your house or about to be inside of your house.Reid smiled a bit.

"Time to show you why I'm such a hit with the ladies."

listen as you read : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z5jOAliMqU

"That was a bad one." You say, rushing away from the mares behind you and towards the group in front of you.

You decide to test if the hand-made-pillow-fists worked. You swing your right hand at the first mare you reached without breaking stride. Contact was made and she flew back. You were worried that you had hurt her.You stopped and stared at this pony for a few seconds. She rose to her feet, seemingly unharmed. *Good, they work.* Even if they do slow down your speed a bit.

Reid crossed his arms and cross-backhanded two mares at his sides, sending them both flying. You decide to get a bit experimental and spin, extending both of your arms as you do this. You pick up speed and begin taking steps away from your house. You hit several mares, sending them flying into their horde-mates. You had to stop after a few seconds though, that really disorients you.

"Combine and clear!" You yell to Reid. He ran up next you and began helping you make a path through the mare-wall. You both were soon free from the horde and continued running, not stopping for anything. You waited until you were well away from your house to throw off your pillow fists. They slowed you down, and you needed to move fast. Reid did the same and soon you had made a sizable separation between you and your hunters.

You made it into Ponyville quickly and headed towards the train station at the far side of town. Lucky for you, every mare was behind you. Unlucky for you, they were chasing you. You made it to the station within record time, -seriously, you should join the Olympics- and jumped into the only train in the station. Reid was confusedly staring at the controls.

"Uh, at what part of your plan did we take train driving lessons?" He asks.

"It can't be that hard." You say looking at the many dials and levers in the drivers-cart.

"And maybe I'm wrong." You say.

"Well we better hurry up and find that drivers manual." Reid says, closing and locking the doors to the cart. "We've got some not-so-secret admirers.

Estrous pt. 4

-POV Reid-

The train shook suddenly. At least one hundred mares were hitting the door to the drivers room, luckily it was made from a strong metal. They were persistent though, you could give them that. They refused to be defeated. You began to back away from the door slowly, thinking about how to get this train moving. Unfortunately for you, though, you backed into a small grey button on the wall behind you. There was a loud and sudden 'SSSWWSSSSHHHH' that came from across the train and you wondered what you had done. You weren't moving, and you weren't exploding. So what did you just do?

"Reid! You just opened the doors to the carts!!!"

Ohhh.... that makes a lot of sense.

The mares began to board the train, realizing that there were no doors between the carts on the inside.

"Crap." You say, realizing the impact of your mistake. You could see the mares coming towards you from two carts down and counting.

"Pierce, how can we get this thing moving?" You ask

"There's no point now! They are on board, not following on foot like we had hoped!" He replied angrily.

"Look, I'll hold them off until we get to Canterlot. You just get us there. Can you do that?"

Pierce thought for a moment. "I think I can, but I will have to stay at the controls for most of the time."

You look at the approaching mares. They were in a small corridor, only three ponies wide. This would be like that movie 300.

"Do it! let me worry about them." You say and walk out of the drivers cart.

"Good luck man! Once this thing gets moving it should only take about an hour."

An hour? Were you serious? Well.. Yes, yes you were. You look at the approaching horde and your surroundings. On each side of you were seats held to the train, so there wasn't going to be any chair-pushings today, and glass windows lined the entire wall on each side. Keep it non-lethal, non-maiming, non-damaging.

How were you going to do this?

listen while you read : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YABw-ksikLA

the three ponies in front were two earth ponies and.... Crap. Why now? A purple alicorn was the one on the right. The other two were just some weird light-blue pony who stood on her legs for some reason and a zebra. The alicorn would be the only real problem. All she had to do was make a flash on her horn and it was all over. You were fairly sure that alicorn's magic didn't work on Estrous and that's why Celestia left the sun in the middle of the sky during this season. Or she was just too 'busy'. They kept moving towards you, eyes glazed over and smelling like death. You wanted to throw up at the smell. You didn't, of course, and steeled yourself for this.

"CHAAARRRRRGGGEEEE!!!" You yelled, running into the mares. The alicorn hadn't thrown you down yet, so your assumption must have been right. You shouldered the middle one, sending her into the crowd behind her. The two on your sides jumped onto your back and tried to bite your clothes. You reached up your hands and grabbed their manes. With a tight grip you lifted these mares over your head and with a 'crash!' sent them out the window to your right. You realized that this was 'super-effective!' and began to repeat the process of de-boarding passengers. Grab by the mane, throw, repeat. Easy.

After about a minute of this the train lurched out from under you, causing you to lose your balance. You reached out to the nearest chair to steady yourself.

"I figured it out!" Yelled Pierce gleefully from behind you.

"Good job, can you get it going a bit faster? Thanks!" You call back, not in a position to speak for very long as a mare jumped onto you. She was trying to kiss you but was soon dismayed to find herself out of the window.

"No means no!" You yell out to her as she hits the ground. You realize that the train will soon be moving to fast for you to throw these ponies out without causing any injuries. Two pegasi rush towards you and are dispersed with kicks to the faces. Sure it wasn't harmless, but they can fly. Throwing them out wouldn't do any good.

You continue fighting off the mares for thirty minutes before reaching the outer gates of Canterlot. By now you are nearly exhausted.

"I thought you said it would be an hour?" You call out to Pierce.

"I passed our scheduled stops and turned this thing up to max. We made pretty good time, I think!"

The train comes to a screeching halt, throwing the mares off balance once again. You were prepared and had been holding a chair. You ran to the driver's cart and grabbed Pierce by the arm. He didn't need your help though and was all ready prepared to start running. The two of you hopped out of the cart and sped towards the city. You stopped short. (Oh no! I went back in I forgot my cango!) The city walls were lined with mares on all sides. -except for the cliff of course.-

"What do we do now?" You ask Pierce quietly. They hadn't seemed to have noticed you.

"I-I don't know." He stuttered out. The fear was evident.

The ponies on the train were getting out and heading for you now, alerting the giant mass of lust that was lining the city. You were surrounded on all sides. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to run.

"Any ideas?" You say, the two of you slowly becoming the center of this mare-horde.

"Not a one." Said Pierce. You were both calm as you accepted your fate.

The mares closed in, choking you with their smell. The circle was becoming smaller and smaller as the mares closed in.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! GET THOSE TWO OUT OF THERE!"

This yell came from the city, you realized. It was a stallion yelling, along with the sound of several male ponies pushing through the crowd. Soon a small black corridor was made through the mares all the way to you. One of the SWAT-stallions yelled at you.

"RUN! GET TO THE CITY!"

You didn't need any persuasion and soon you were sprinting down the stallion-hall into the city with Pierce just slightly in front. Once you were safely inside the city walls the SWAT-squad-corridor scrunched back into the city. The city doors were locked tight and the stallions began to get back to work patrolling the area as if nothing had happened. The leader of the squad walked up to you, this one was clearly a changeling, though you couldn't tell who he was due to a helmet on his head.

"How many times do I have to save you guys?" Said the changeling. You recognized the voice instantly.

"Luke? Thanks for that man! I thought we were goners." Said Pierce.

"Yeah man, thanks. I' glad you came when you did." You say, hugging your friend.

"No problem," Said Luke, "We always lock out the mares during Estrous and couldn't just leave you two out there alone."

You all smiled as he explained to you that there was a hotel room the two of you could stay in for the week. You smiled even more when he told you it was free.

You thanked Luke and went towards the hotel with Pierce.You decided to take a shower as soon as you got home and stuck to that plan like glue. Exhaustion overwhelmed you in the shower and you had to force yourself to stay awake. Once you were dressed for bed you exited the bathroom. You opened up the door, fell on the floor, but were not walking the dinosaur. You were to tired to walk five more measly feet. Wow. You crawled to the only bed in your room and slid in.

That was a good night.

Looks can be decieving

listen : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YABw-ksikLA

And here you were a changeling-pegasus who had just failed their flying test on purpose. Most ponies would be offing themselves right about now. It was you, Pierce, you're best friend Reid, and two boohooing pegasi named October and Crescent moon. October was a skinny blue pony with golden eyes and crescent moon, a male Pegasus who had a brown mane and brown hair.

The cart was mostly silent as you flew towards despair, save for the occasional sobbing-fits that overtook the other two pegasi in the flying cart. These fits were usually cut short by the boss-pegasus of the cart drivers. You had been speaking to him about what would happen to you.

"Okay, listen and listen good 'cause I ain't gonna repeat myself to no good-for-nothing ponies." said the driver from outside of the cart. You couldn't see him from inside but could still hear him through the walls. "Ever since Celestia found out about the 'Rainbow Factory', us good-for-nothin'-pony-movers ain't got no jobs. Lately though, we've been gettin' paid to drive you failures outta the city as usual, but we give 'em to a new group. These guys do what they want with yous and we pocket the cash, kapeesh?"

It was kapeesh. You were sent in on a mission with no intel and only one partner.

*What could go wrong?*

The cart had been going for hours before it finally stopped. Soon after the stop the doors to the cart were opened and you could see where it was that you had been sent to. This wasn't the Weather factory...

"Get out!!! OUT OUT OUT!!!!" Yelled the driver as he walked into view. He was a white, tall pegasus who was in better shape than most wonder bolts. He began bucking at you and the others in the cart to put a bit of a pep in your step. As you all got out you could see the dark forest you were in. There were about twenty ponies outside, mostly pegasi, all wearing black clothes. The one paying the good-for-nothin'-pony-movers was clearly the leader, he was the only one wearing no clothes. He was a large pegasus with naturally black hair and eyes. He waved the pony-movers goodbye as they left and then took position in front of your band of good-for-nothings.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" asked the Pegasus as he eyed you all. "Some more friends. Welcome, future brothers, to the Order of the wing." As he said this everypony behind him bowed as if there were a king in front of them.

"W-who are you?" asked October.

"Why," said the leader, "I am Nightwing, leader of the dispanded. helper of the forgotten. I save ponied like yourself and help give them a place where they belong. We are all a family!"

"Really?" asked Crescent excited not to be killed or enslaved or worse.

"Oh, yes!" Said Nightwing, "Really, really, really really real. See, when ponies are exiled, such as yourself, we take them in and treat them as family! It's so easy to join, too!" Said Nightwing excitedly.

"How do we join?" asked crescent, getting more excited with every word.

"Let us show you!" replied Nightwing, "Come! follow me!" and he was off, heading towards you-didn't-know-where. You looked towards Reid and he simply shrugged as if to say, 'I dunno', so you followed. Nightwing lead you to a clearing in the forest filled with hundreds of tents, enough for a small army even.

"Welcome to your new home!" said Nightwing, raising his hands in a mixture of pride and joy. "The failures of the flying test are sent away forever, as you know. They have been mistreating us failures for too long!" as he said this several ponies around him were agreeing and some were cheering a bit. Crescent and October were also agreeing right right and you and Reid were just silent, listening.

"It's not fair that we are sent away because we made a mistake!!!" now Nightwing was yelling, rallying the ponies around him. "We will stand together and show The inhabitants of Equestria that they can't just throw us away like this!! No! WE WILL RISE !!!"

Several other members of the camp had come to see the commotion and were also cheering and applauding their leader. After that little monologue Nightwing flew up into the air, hovering just above the congregation.

"If you wish to join me come!! follow me to your new lives!" He said and as if they had been waiting their entire lives for that moment every pegasus jumped into the air, ready to follow their master. You and Reid were the only two who didn't jump up right away, hesitant to follow this pegasus. You had to follow him though, and so you both flew into the air and and left with the group.

Nightwing lead the fifty of you to the outskirts of a small town he called Hoofington. You all landed and you noticed some of the Pegasi mold and shift until they were no longer pegasi, but changelings. Not all of them, only about ten.

Nightwing spoke to the members of the cart you had come in, "Before we begin I must ask, are any of you changelings?" You and Reid both froze with fear. Nightwing saw your faces and gave you a calming look. "Oh don't worry my brothers. We often get changelings who've wanted to be official flyers. It's fine, really. Please, if you don't mind, change into your casual form. We are all brothers here." As he said this he pointed towards the group of changelings.

You and Reid looked at each other and then reluctantly transformed. Nightwing was pleased at this and pointed you toward the other changelings.

"Very good! you two can go with them to learn the ropes," Nightwing said, "You two can come with me." this time he was pointing towards the two pegasi

The pegasi group flew off and left the changelings to walk into the town. It was late and most of the towns ponies were sleeping as your group walked into town. One of the changelings was leading you to the middle of town, carrying a large bag over his right shoulder. Once you were in the center of town he stopped your group and placed the bag on the floor.

"All right everyone, listen up." He whispered, "We gotta show the new guys how it's done around here." As he said this he unzipped the bag to reveal the contents. Inside of it were several guns, knives, bats, and a large assortment of other things that could be used as weapons. He began distributing these among the group.

"Ey, new guys." The group leader said, "This town's the first step in the order's plans for redemption. All yous got's to do's is go around and teach these ponies a lesson about the order. We're going to send a message to the princesses themselves." As he said this he handed you and Reid a pistol and baseball bat each.

"Just go have fun." Said another Changeling. This one was smiling ear to ear at the thought of whatever this plan was.

"We have to hurt these innocent ponies?" You asked, realizing what they were telling you.

"Innocent? This town's full of exile haters just like Nightwing says. I used to live here, but when I failed my flying test I was exiled and they never cared. Besides, don't you want to be part of the family?" said the leader.

He was right about one thing, you needed to infiltrate this group. You nodded your head yes and were silent again.

"Good," said this changeling, "Now let's get to work.

Let the fun begin

listen : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4uGSN7LzOM

Your group spread out; you, Reid and the leader going in one group and everyone else going off on their own. You followed the leader, who's name was Johnathon, to a small house. He walked up to the front door and gripped his baseball bat.

"You two ready?" Johnathon asked.

You weren't but you both answered 'Yes.' He smiled and looked at the door once more before raising his leg, bent at the knee, towards the door and kicking it in.

"Stick with me." Said Johnathon.

You all hustled in and began smashing everything you saw. You Smashed pictures on walls and vases with your baseball bat; Reid was throwing their t.v. out of a window. Johnathon went upstairs to go greet your surprise-hosts. You stayed down stairs, knocking over their fridge so that the tile floor of the kitchen was shattered.

Johnathon soon came downstairs holding an old pony by his mane. This pony was screaming out as many curses as he could think of and was silenced by Johnathon's knee connecting to his stomach.

"You two! Help me teach this man a lesson about how to treat guests." Said Johnathon, brandishing his bat.

You didn't want to, but you knew that if you didn't you would 'fail initiation'.

*Sorry old dude.*

You, Reid, and Johnathon circled the old pony and were beating him with your bats. He was screaming out in pain as Johnathon insulted him and laughed. You had to pretend to enjoy this but wanted to sick up at your own actions. Bones were crunching and metallic dings and dongs filled up the house until Johnathon suggested that you three check out another house. You left, but not before smashing every plate and window in this old and injured pony's home.

You walked outside and heard the sounds of people screaming and yelling, things breaking, and malicious laughter coming from the surrounding houses. As you walked out Johnathon stopped outside of another house.

"Want to see something cool?" he asked.
Before you could answer he pulled out a small alcohol bottle with a small rag protruding from the neck and a lighter. He lit the rag and threw the bottle at this house. The bottle crashed through the bedroom window and exploded in flame inside the house. Screaming erupted from the house and you could hear a guy and a mare run out of the room and towards the front door. Johnathon stepped just to the side of the door and waited for the couple to run out. When the door flew open the wife caught a bat to the head and the husband got a good crack on the head. They both slumped to the floor just inside of their burning home, Johnathon leaving them there.

He walked away laughing and lead the two of you to several more houses. You smashed and crashed and broke and busted and destroyed and decimated everything you saw. You weren't sure how many people died at Johnathon's hand that night, you lost count somewhere around twenty. You could tell that the other members of the order were doing the same do to the flames erupting throughout the town and the pegasi flying over houses dropping molotovs and liquor that was lit on fire.

Blood stained this town until there was nothing but rubble and bodies left of it. You had been accepted into the family and were walking back to the camp, listening to the others congratulate each other on their 'excellent performances'.

You were disgusted.

Breaking bad and breaking men

-Pierce-

You sat in your tent, feeling numb after the past few weeks of killing. That was all you had done, kill kill kill burn destroy and kill It was getting to you, and you knew it. Killing bad people wasn't a problem, no it was being forced to harm innocents that made you cringe. You had tried not to kill, just harm, but that option quickly went out the window as attacks became more and more frequent.

Nightwing had given you all a break that night and you were listening to the sounds of celebration outside of your tent. October had been killed off on the first night, refusing to murder a newborn foal. Crescent had done it without hesitation and has been rising up the ranks alongside you and Reid. You three had become trusted soldiers and were always sent in on the important missions, no matter how much you secretly loathed them. Crescent was the only one of you three who seemed to enjoy himself.

"You in there?" came a voice from outside.

"Yeah, I'm here." You replied.

Reid stepped in and gave you a half-hearted smile. You could see the exhaustion on his face from the killing. It was getting to him to, you supposed.

"What's up?" you ask.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright, ya'know?" Reid said. "Have you recieved any messages from Luke or the Royal Guard lately?"

"Nope, seems like they just forgot about little old us." You say.

Reid smiled, not a happy smile, but rather a wicked smile. He smiled as if he had just been told he could kill his worst enemy in the world.

"What's up Reid?" You ask, slightly disturbed at the look of your friend

Reid's body warped and turned until it was no longer Reid's body, but rather Johnathon's. You realized your mistake too late as as the tent flipped over and revealed not a party, but the entire force of the Order. You froze with fear at the sight of this army. Reid was tied at the hands and feet and was sitting within the circle made by the army.

listen : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xOmRM3eleQ&list=PL72E18F1DF35EE520

"H-how...." You stuttered, trying to force out the words.

"We intercepted your messages to the Royal Guards. We've known from the first day." Answered Nightwing as he stepped out of the surrounding crowd.

Everyone around you was brandishing a weapon. You saw bats and knives and brass hooves in the hands of this surrounding army, all ready to find their way to you.

"YOU CAN ALL BURN IN HELL!!!" Yelled Reid.

Nightwing chuckled at the look of Reid's anger. "I'm sure we will meet each other there, yes. But I should hope you will have saved a spot for me when I get there. Now.. are you ready to feel the cold embrace off death?"

Reid spat in Nightwings direction, signaling his answer. You were held down by several men as you watched this all unfold.

*Come on Pierce! think!We always get out of these situations!!! there has to be a way!!*

but you couldn't think of one. Your mind was blank.

Reid was on his knees, wearing a look of anger and hatred. Johnathon stepped in front of him, brandishing his trademark bat. He placed it up against Reid's temple and looked him in the eyes. Reid wasn't furious any more, he was calm and serious as he stared back at Johnathon, giving him a look that said 'I'll see you in hell'.

"Any last words?" Johnathon asked Jokingly.

"Yes," replied Reid, never taking his eyes off of Johnathon. "If you believe bravery is the ability to kill someone, then you really are as stupid as you look. Bravery is about knowing when not to kill. Bravery is being able to face up to your challenges without killing them."

Johnathon laughed at that. "Ha! Yeah, whatever. Just make sure you leave room for us in hell buddy."

Johnathon raised his bat and swung down with a loud crack. Reid remained on his knees.

"You hit like a mare." Reid said through broken teeth and spat blood onto Johnathon's shirt.

Johnathon took a swing to the side of Reid's head, hitting him square in the temple. Reid fell over and laid on his side as Johnathon swung again, this time time breaking his jaw. He swung again and again, each time connecting with Reid's head and each time Reid's face became less familiar. Johnathon finished quickly and turned to you.

"Your turn." Johnathon snickered.

You began to struggle with the guards holding you down. You shook free and ran towards Johnathon, yelling the entire way. You almost reached him before being greeted with a bat from Johnathon. You fell to the floor dazed. You looked up to see several bats and knives hovering over you.

"Say good night." said Johnathon as a barrage of bats and knives and crowbars rained down onto your body. The pain was intense but short-lived.

Darkness and calm was all you saw and felt.

Author's Note

So yeah, I know the story was quick but I wanted to get back to other things.
Sorry!!

remember this was just made to finish this up. I felt that this deserved an ending and so I gave it one.

Epilogue: Falling Angels and Rising Demons/ Nothing

-POV Luke-

listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIuotFZnBtk

It has been three weeks since your best friends were killed in a mission. And it has been two hours since you had bombed the base of the Order of the wing.

You had personally overseen the missile launch and ensured that only one man escaped the attack. It was easy, sending in a squad to capture the changeling known as Johnathon. You had received covert messages from another agent in the order, named Crescent Moon,that Johnathon was the one who killed them.

And here you were now, standing in front of him. He was in good condition, you had ordered that he not be harmed. Celestia had ordered that he was to be locked away until his trial....What did she know? Who was she to forbid you from making things right. 'Luke, I know you are hurting right now, but we cannot kill this man. One day you will understand that I am right. You cannot hold onto anger, it only breeds more anger.' .......Forget her! You would make things right.

"You are their friend Luke, yes?" Said Johnathon.

".....Yes." You said. There were tears in your eyes as you looked at this disgusting man.

"And I can't imagine that you're here for a game of baseball." he said, pointing to the wooden bat you now held your hands.

"Good guess." You replied.

"You know," he said, sitting on his cot in his cell, "They squealed when I killed them. They squealed like two stuck pigs."

And with those words you were pushed over the edge. You struck him on jaw, knocking him to the ground. You swung over and over again, smashing his ribs and face. After a couple of minutes you stopped, looking at your work. He was choking on his own blood and broken teeth.

"Say hi to my friends for me." You said, reaching for your gun, then deciding better on it and putting it back in your pocket.

"What, you too chicken shit to shoot me?" coughed out Johnathon as he lay on the ground.

"Come with me." You said as you lifted this broken man up from the ground, putting his arm over your shoulders. You walked out of the cell and into the elevator. Once inside, you sat him on the floor and pressed the top-floor key. You sat down next to the bloody changeling, not caring about sitting in his pool of blood.

The ride was mostly quiet.

"Do you know what bravery is, Luke?" Said Johnathon, breaking the silence of the confined elevator.

"How would you know?" You asked. Johnathon laughed, the laughing turned into coughing then subsided.

"Bravery isn't being able to kill a man. No, no, I know that now." Said the broken changeling. "Bravery is about knowing when not to kill a man. Bravery does not come with power Lucas. They are independant"

You remained silent as Johnathon continued.

"Killing me won't make you feel better, but if you feel it is what you must do then do it. I've experienced enough pain to understand what you are going through."

You were still quiet. The ding of the floor monitor told you to get up and bring Johnathon with you.

You walked out onto the roof of the building, it was cold outside and the wind stung your face. You helped Johnathon over to the edge of the roof, setting a box for him to sit on. His back was facing the edge and his broken face was staring into yours. Johnathon, though his face was broken, had a look and air that said he was ready as he stared straight ahead, past you.

The elevator came up behind you, this time carrying several armed guards.

"FREEZE!! DON'T MOVE!!" They yelled. Obviously they found the empty cell....... Celestia would never understand.

You brought the bat over your head, preparing for the swing.

"STOP!!!" they yelled.

Down comes the bat, out comes the bullets.

listen : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-jcE8kqK9k

You hit Johnathon straight on the head, causing him to fall back off the roof. The bullets hit you suddenly, the pain is intense and you cry out, falling forward. You and Johnathon fall together, blood trailing just behind you. You look at Johnathon to see his blank stare, his glazed over eyes. He died first, at least.

The fall was long, or at least it seemed that way. It was probably only a minute. You looked at the shocked expressions of the pedestrians below you. They were running away, trying to evade you. You were cold, be it from wind or from blood loss or from your heart you weren't sure.

You lived well, though you probably won't be remembered that way. But that doesn't matter any more. None of that matters any more. There was a chariot on the ground and you could see little gargoyles on the roof of it. They looked like little demons who were rushing their way up to devour you and the poor fool next to you.

Nothing mattered as the ground hurried to meet you. Nothing mattered. Nothing.

Fun with Medicine and Walks

Chapter 3

Fun with medicine and walks

What happened? One second you were in the hospital, about to fight off people who came looking for you, and the next you were.... here. Where are you? You open your eyes to a hospital room. The same one you had been in before the attack. Why were you here? An abundance of questions fills your mind before you can process all of them and soon you are wide awake. You sit in bed for a short while, attempting to get your bearings. Any attempts at making a movement uprising against your body was quelled by the pain receptors once more.

You decide it is time to ask someone other than yourself these questions and press the service button on your bed remote. Two minutes pass before your room is intruded by your doctor.

“Hello there son. How are you feeling?”

You are about to answer with a calm yes, until the pain squad got off of lunch break mid word.

“OHMYGODITFEELSLIKEIBROKEEVERYTHING!!!” You say.

The doctor grins and says with a chuckle, “Well that’s what happens when a man with three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and six bullet wounds decides to stand up and kill a man after dodging rifle bullets.”

You didn’t find the joke very funny. Luckily for you, the doctor takes pity on you and gives you some fast acting painkillers. Within minutes the medicine comes into effect and takes the pain receptors out for drinks.

“Thanks Doc.” you say, “Now, do you think you could explain to me exactly how I got here again and what happened?”

The doctor explains that after you had passed out Luke had taken charge of the situation. He only fired a few bullets at the men, keeping them down until the backup came.

“If he’s fine, then where is he?” You ask, realizing that he wasn’t around.

The doctor replies calmly, “He’s out interrogating two of the men they caught. They were taken back to Canterlot. Don’t worry about any other attacks though; the royal guard left some soldiers to protect the town.”

You ask a bit more about the condition of the town and would like to continue the conversation but are overcome by exhaustion. The doctor leaves you to sleep.

The next week progresses slowly, but otherwise well. The healing process had been helped along very quickly by the extra E-cans and medicine. The bullet wounds had healed, your shoulder was in good condition, and you are able to start walking again. Lately, you have been taking strolls through the town to relax. It was a nice break from the usual life you lived, and you told yourself that if you ever got out of this problem with Apex that you would move here. The town was often calm and quiet. Your personal favorite place to walk was around the lake on the outskirts of town. There was barely ever anyone out here, except for the occasional rainbow-maned pony or yellow one.

Today, you were feeling exceptionally well and decided to walk through town. You often stayed away from here for two reasons. one : because you liked the peace and quiet of the lake, and two : because there was some psycho pink pony who worked around there and you did everything in your power to avoid her. Today was a bit different though. You kind of missed the movement of large crowds and the hustle and bustle of towns. Although this place was no city, it definitely had it’s fair share of occupants. It was warm and sunny out today, and apparently you weren't the only one who liked to walk. The streets were full of life and several stores had made stands outside their buildings to sell things to passersby.

You felt good and decided that you needed some exercise. The doctor told you not to over do it, but that you could start doing strenuous activities again. You decided to go run around the town and began to head towards that one shop that sold something like pencils and beds, or at least that’s what you think it was. That store was a perfect starting point for a run and maybe had some willing racers that could help you test out your limits. As you walk through the crowd you look around to make sure the psycho pony wasn't around here. She wasn't and so you slowed your pace a bit, deciding to take in the scenery. Just behind you was the town library, to your left were some small cafes and to your right were some shops that sold assortments of things.

You are daydreaming when you hear someone yell. You look around for the source and spot a blue pony yelling about her purse, pointing towards another pony to your left. This one was running at full speed away from the woman. He was wearing a ski mask and was carrying a small purse in his mouth.

Bingo. You just found your racing partner.

music

You run towards the closest shop to your left. It was a small cafe with several tables surrounding the outside. You jump onto one of the tables and vault onto the building. You begin running towards the next shop, called sugarcube corner, and jump. You land on the roof and use the wavy pattern of the ceiling to slide down towards the next building. You jump onto the next shop, this one a diner, and continue the process with every adjoining building. You looked around for the thief and spot him two buildings ahead of you.

You pick up the pace in an attempt to catch up with him and begin making up some ground. Within a couple of minutes you are running adjacent to him. Although you weren't exactly at tip-top shape he had to run through the crowd which slowed him down tremendously. You see that the buildings are about to cut off ahead of you, and speed up to get just a bit ahead of the thief. You yell at him to stop but he ignores your warnings. He comes to a break in the crowd and speeds up, passing you once again. He turns left into a small alley in between the building you were on and the one in front of you. You were at top speed and couldn't make a complete stop if you were going to catch this guy so you don’t slow down. You were getting a bit sore and decided to set the finish line for this run. You jump and instead of aiming for the next building this time you aim for the alley.

You begin to fall into the alley, luckily it was thin enough that you were able to stick out your arms and legs to slide down. Your left shoulder was holding up well and you touched the floor within seconds. You land only feet behind the thief and begin sprinting at full pace after him. You didn't bring your weapons out today and you were starting to regret it as this masked villain was pulling away. You haul out to try and end this and start to catch up, though you were still a good ways behind him. He was heading towards the Everfree forest, or at least that’s what you think it was called. You were still learning names. You look around for something to help you and spot that quiet yellow pony walking down the road just ahead. The thief passed her, startling the mare and angering a small rabbit on her back. Bingo, tic-tac-toe three in a row, allons-y and all that crap. You sprint passed the yellow pony, leaving her with one less bunny on your way by. The rabbit thrashes in your grip before you point towards the thief.

“Help me catch him and you get all the carrots you want.” you say, panting.

The bunny contemplates it for a second and then nods his head in agreement. You use the last of your energy to get within two feet of the masked thief. You take the bunny in both hands and quickly toss him at the thief, never stopping your movement. The bunny hits his mark and lands on top of the thief's head. Without missing a beat the rabbit clutches on for dear life and soon begins scratching and kicking the head and face of your target. Your racing partner slows down in an attempt to shake off the rabbit.

This is all you needed and you catch up to the thief easily. You hurl yourself towards the masked thief and your shoulder makes contact with his head, knocking him out instantly. You lie down, or should you say land, next to the thief and try to catch your breath. The police came seconds later along with the woman whose purse was stolen. She thanks you and introduces herself as Lyra. You tell her that it was no trouble and let her continue on with her day. The thief was from fillydelphia and was wanted in three kingdoms for theft. You didn’t catch his name before the police hauled him off. The bunny was fine and as soon as you were able to stand started asking for his carrots. You talk him into waiting five minutes and walk back towards his caretaker.

“I believe he belongs to you ma’am.” You say as politely as possible. She wasn’t too mad about the situation and accepted your apology.

You hand her some money for carrots, forcing her to take it after a five minute conversation consisting of nothing but, “please take it. I insist.” “No thank you” “no,no please take it.” “Oh, I could never.” repeated over and over again.

You walk, or should you say hobble, back towards the hospital, on the ground this time. Many people applaud your 'heroics' as they called them and several stores offered you free meals anytime. You were humble and only asked for slight assistance back to the hospital. The doctor had heard about what happened and had a hissy fit, but you were too tired to listen to what he was telling you. You crawled into bed and fell to sleep within seconds.

feelsgoodman