//------------------------------//
// The Concrete Jungle Part 2 
// Story: Thunder 
// by The Zebra Hybrid 
//------------------------------//

Marcus stumbled backward with a shocked expression. He had been shot! He didn't expect himself to go out like this! He had so much to live for! Not to mention that Flurry is going to pissed that her only friend was shot down in cold-

"Oh..." suddenly said Marcus as he felt his chest, which had no scratch what so ever, except the now ruined long sleeve shirt he was wearing. Right now, during this situation, he'll usually be jumping in glory. However he was too pissed at the three stunned griffins in front of him.

"YOU ASSHOLES REALLY SHOT ME!" exclaimed Marcus as he rushed the three.

The closest griffon didn't have time to react as a foot was planted in to his chest and was launched into the front counter, shattering it on impacted. Ollie let out a scream as she dove out of the way of the splintering wood and covered her face with her hooves.

The two griffons were snapped from their shocked states and opened fire on Marcus once again. The human however only walked forward as each bullet bounced off his skin harmlessly. Spinning Mjolnir at his side he rushed the two, ignoring the bullets that flew past him. The human then did a small jump and struck the hammer in between the two griffons, creating an electrical, blue shock wave knocking them both away and into the shelves. The griffon that he had kicked before, came to his senses and spread his wings before jumping on Marcus' back, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Marcus, out of reflex, tossed Mjolnir aside and grabbed the talons, easily prying them off his neck and flipping the griffon on his back, knocking the wind out of him. He held out his hand as Mjolnir was summoned in his grasp. He struck down toward the griffon only for him to roll to the side and strike with his sharp talons. Marcus however only got a more torn up shirt as his skin was still unfazed.

"Wh-What the hell are you!?" spat out the griffon.

Marcus smirked, "I'm Batman."

With that said he punted the griffon out through the glass window of the store and into the street. The other two griffons had regained their consciousness and watched their companion being thrown out like a piece of trash. Marcus glared at the two as his eyes shone a bright blue and Mjolnir sparking with lightning. With out a second thought, both of the griffons ran out of the store and grabbed their fallen comrade before flying off into the night.

'Come back and we'll pound your backsides!'

'Minnie! That's enough with the innuendos! They can't even hear you!'

'Stop calling me Minnie!'

Ignoring his annoying tsundere hammer, Marcus strapped her back on his belt and walked toward the front desk. There he saw the same yellow mare cowering behind it. Sunset irises met chocolate brown in an awkward silence. It wasn't until a lone shelf tipped over and spilling it's contents on the floor. This snapped the two out of their trance as Marcus gave off an apologetic laugh.

"Uhh....Sorry about trashing your shop," he started, "Are you okay? Those dickheads didn't hurt you too bad did they?"

Unfortunately Ollie was furious.

"AM I OKAY?!" she screamed as she jumped to her hooves, "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

"Save your life?"

"NO! If anything, you've put my life in more danger! Those griffons worked for the largest crime family in the city! Now they'll be coming after me and you! Not to mention that you trashed my shop!"

Marcus put his hands up in defenses and stepped back, "What's the big deal? You saw how I kicked their asses. I'm not afraid of a bunch of chicken legs. By the way, this is just a shop, I'm sure you'll get it fixed."

Ollie huffed and glared at the human, "You don't understand! These griffons are NOT to be trifled with! This shop was passed down by family for generations and..."

"Alright, alright" softly said Marcus, "I understand and I'm sorry. I just saw you were being bullied by those jerks and just stepped in to help. I can help pay for the damages....maybe."

Ollie sighed, it wasn't this creatures fault. From the look of him this might be his first time here in Manehattan, maybe even Equestria. Too be honest she didn't know what those griffons were going to do to her if he hadn't of showed up and save the day. The griffons, in the crime family in Manehattan, were known to be....aggressively affectionate...toward the mares that were in debt to Iron Beak. She shuddered and put those thoughts behind her. What ever this creature was saved her life and was absolutely powerful. She was grateful that he showed up when he did, unfortunately once those griffons return word to Iron Beak they'll be on both of their trails.

"No I'm sorry. I shouldn't blame you for what happened. I'm just stressed and scared for what Iron Beak will do once he finds out about this."

Marcus rose an eyebrow, "You keep saying that name like I should know it."

"Oh right. Like I said before, those griffons are part of the most largest and dangerous crime families in Manehattan. Anypony who doesn't follow their rules either have their lives ruined or worst. Iron Beak is the head of it all and after what you did he definitely won't be happy."

"Well shit, I done fucked up did I?"

Ollie giggled and adjusted her goggles on top of her head, "Yeah I guess you did. Hey if you don't mind....can I stay with you for the time being?"

"That was kind of out of the blue. Why? Don't you have your own place?"

"I do....but Iron Beak is going to send griffons after us and we'll need to stay low until things die down. If not I maybe have to skip town."

"Guess that makes sense. Sure, I'm staying at the hotel down the street with a...travel buddy? Yeah we'll call her that for now."

"You think she'll be okay with this?"

"Pssh! Of course! Trust me I got this!"





"YOU CELESTIA DAMNED IDIOT!"

"Turns out I don't exactly got this."

Marcus and Ollie, who was now hiding behind him, had returned the room in the hotel. To say that Flurry was mad was a tad bit of an understatement.....okay she was absolute livid. Not only did Marcus come back with nothing but pants, shoes, and Mjolnir to his side, she was informed that he had destroyed this poor mare's shop and pissed off one of the most notorious gangs in Manehattan. This is what she gets for letting him go out on his own, but she couldn't be all mad though. He did save this mare's life. That didn't excuse the fact that she was worried sick when he came back.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!" the young princess yelled.

Marcus shrugged, "Hey, she needed help so I helped her. Not much to it."

"There are other ways of helping than violence! Now we are three targets and you manage to destroy her shop!"

Ollie nodded, "As much as I appreciate the help. I'm afraid you're marefriend is right."

Flurry choked on her breath, "O-Oh, he isn't my coltfriend! We're just good friends and traveling together."

Marcus nodded, "Yeah, she's way to naggy for my tastes."

Marcus got a pillow to the face as a response and a 'hmpf'. Ollie couldn't help but giggle at the two's antics, for it reminded her of her parent then they first met. They still argue till this day now that she thought about it. A part of her wanted to tease the two some more but she refrained and allowed fate to take the wheel.

Flurry coughed in her hoof snapping Ollie from her train of thought, "Excuse, his stupidity-"

"-Hey!"

"But I don't think I got your name?"

Ollie smiled and held out her hoof, "Oh, I guess I did forget to mention that, with everything going on. My name is Ollie Sheen."

Marcus groaned, "You know these 'pun' names are going to be the death of me."

Ignoring Marcus' comment, Flurry shook the yellow mare's hoof, "Nice to meet you Ollie, my name is Flurry- er....just call me Flurry!"

The young disguised princess felt her heart speed up when Ollie started to give her a strange look before shrugging and nodded. She let out an inward breath of relief as she returned her hoof. That was a close call, is this mare would've found out that she was the princess then she might as well kiss this journey goodbye and return to the Empire. Not to mention that they already have a target on their backs.

"Well, you two can talk girl stuff. I'mma hit the shower then the bed." said Marcus as he made his way into the bathroom.

"Wait!" called out Flurry, "We have to figure out this Iron Beak situation! You can't just go to bed and pretend that we don't have a hit on us!"

"I think I can....look I'm exhausted and can't think straight. We can talk about this in the morning."

"He's right," added Ollie, "If we all want to get out of this alive, we need to be a hundred percent."

The crystal princess sighed and nodded, "I guess so. Alright sounds like a plan."

"Great!" exclaimed Marcus as he made his way into the bathroom, "You two can take the beds, I'll settle with the couch."

The door closed as a single thought went through Flurry's mind, "WAIT DON'T USE UP ALL THE HOT WATER!"

Marcus yelled back, "I MAKE NO PROMISES!"

Yeah, he was totally going to use up all the hot water.





"I don't know about this." said Devon uncomfortably.

"Don't worry," assured Dean, "We do this all the time."

"The summoning demons part or you trying to get to another dimension?"

"Yes."

"Oh, boy."

Devon groaned next to Dean, as he watched Sam and Serena set up the ritual to summon an actual freaking demon! Apparently the two said the demon they were summoning was an 'temporal' ally and since witches practically worship demonic magic, Serena would be fine.  They were all currently in an abandoned shack in the middle of the woods at 3 a.m.
Why they all thought this was a good idea was beyond him, this was like 'How to Survive a Scary Movie 101'. Well, they do hunt these things for a living, so maybe it won't be that bad?

He'll stick close to the exit just to be safe.

"Alright, it's done." said Serena as Sam lit a match in his hand.

"You might want to stand back."the younger Winchester stated, mostly to Devon, as he threw a lit match into the chalice full of ingredients causing a bright spark to fill the room. Devon covered his eyes for a brief moment until the light show was over. When he regained his vision standing in front of him was....he guessed it was a demon? It was just a regular man, by the way he was dressed in a long black coat and slacks, he figured he was from the United Kingdom. Hell, he looked like one of the British villains you see in spy movies.

"'Ello boys," said the man as he looked up and down at the star-like symbols that where currently below his feet and above his head, "Come on, after all this time. You still don't trust me?"

"Not now. Crowley," sternly said Dean, "We need information and we don't have time for any of your tricks or deals."

"So this is a demon?"

The demon, known as Crowley, then noticed the two other occupants in the room. He could tell by first glance that the female was a witch, a weaker one at that and the male beside her was just a plain old human. Now he was a bit interested on why the famous Winchesters summoned him. 

"I'm more than a demon," stated Crowley to Devon, "My name is Crowley, the current King of Hell."

Devon had to process for a few silent moments, "Wait....you mean the Devil! As in Lucifer!"

"Nah, not that asshole. He's trapped in The Cage at the moment. I'm just the new manager. But other than that, it seems the other boys here want business. So...what can I do for you this time?"

Sam stepped forward, "We need you, to transport us to another world."

Crowley rose an eyebrow, "And how the bloody hell do  you expect me to do that? If you haven't noticed, I'm no Archangel-"

"-But you do collect cursed and magical artifacts correct?" interrupted Dean.

Crowley stayed quiet, but nodded.

"Then surely one of those, has the power to do that right?" asked Sam.

Crowley shrugged, "Too be honest, I don't even know what half of those bloody things can do. So far, nothing describing about the IMPOSSIBILITY of what you're looking for."

"It's not impossible," said Serena gaining the King of Hell's attention. If she had to be honest she was down right terrified right now. She hadn't seen a demon face to face before and now here she was, with the king of all demons staring her down like she was a mere ant under his boot.  She put that fear behind her though. Even though she was a weaker level witch, she had spoke with a being that she was sure to kick this guys ass and back if she wanted to.

"And who might you be, witch?" he asked in a sinister tone.

Serena gulped, but answered none the less, "My name is Serena and I'm telling you it's not impossible. For I myself sent some one to a different world without an Archangel."

"You expect me to believe that? The only way to travel worlds is if you're a deity, an Archangel, have a super powerful artifact, or the big man himself."

Now it was Serena's turn to return a smirk of her own, "What if I told you I had one of those things?"

"And pray tell, what that was?"

"Mjolnir. The hammer of Thor."

"Bullshit! The only way for you to acquire that is to be in leagues with-....tell me exactly why do you want to go to another world?"

It was then Sam and dean started to explain to Crowley about the mysterious disappearances. The energy left behind and them meeting Devon and Serena. Along with the story that she had told them about how she was connected to all this. Crowley was always known to show a poker face, but this would begone of the few times that he actually broke character.

"Winchesters, if what you're telling me is true..."

"Then you'll help us?" asked Devon.

"I'll see what I can do, but just know that you four are treading on thin ice. The pigeons upstairs won't be to happy if they found this out. Speaking of pigeons where's Castiel?"

"On his way here," replied Dean, "He had contacts about this situation, so we need everything we can get."

"All this to save a few missing people. I will never understand humans."

Devon stepped forward with a stern look on his face, "That's my best friend your're talking about. I don't care if you're the King of Hell, I will kick your ass if need be."

Crowley rose an eyebrow before chuckling, "Is that so? I like you. The Winchesters chose a fine new hunter to join their ranks."

Before Devon could retaliate, Crowley snapped his fingers and he was gone from  their sight. No flash of light, no wings spreading form his back; he just literally disappeared as if he never existed. Devon looked back to see a stunned Serena, and the Winchesters letting out a breath.

"That could've gone better," said Sam, "But it's something."

"So what now?" asked the witch.

"We wait for Cass to get here and see what he's find out," answered Dean, "If it's something we can work with then we'll need almost all hands on deck to bring all those people back."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Serena as she embraced herself. What these hunters were doing, they were crazy. She had seen the deity that sent Marcus to another world. She was beautiful but also intimidating, kind but also strict, and she felt if anything tried to get in the way of her plans she wouldn't hesitate to strike them down without a second thought. 

"Yes," answered Devon, "we are."

"B-But she will..."

"Look," stepped in Dean, "We don't give a damn how strong this god of yours is. Me and Sam have faced far worst in the past. Trust me."

"Look we understand your're scared," added Sam, "but you are the only one that has the most info on what's actually going on. Even if it's a bit vague." 

"Please..." stepped in Devon, "If not for Marcus, do it for the other people that got sent away from their families."

Serena clenched her hands. She really hated being backed into corners with all the attention on her. She had promised Mjolnir that she wouldn't interfere with her boss' plans, but it was time to stop being the weak and scared little witch. She didn't become who she was to be a coward and run from every problem that was thrown at her.

With a few more seconds of silence, Serena nodded, "Alright, I'll help in whatever way I can."





Marcus laid back on the couch with his arms crossed behind his head. Flurry and Ollie were already asleep in the two beds as he was deep in thought. He wondered if Devon, was trying to find a way to get him back or if he just moved on with his life. It wouldn't be surprising to him if his friend went with the second option, for it seemed it was impossible for him to get here. He thought of what Minnie had told him, with his purpose of being here and that all will be explained once he was strong enough to fully control her power.

He had to admit though, he hadn't done much training but it seemed that every time he held her, it felt almost familiar. Nostalgic even. It was almost like him re-watching a TV show from his childhood, with him some what knowing what happens, but just not in full detail. If that's the case why does he need to even go to that minotaur settlement? All he needs to do is swing her around a few times and he's pretty much good to go.

It was then he noticed that he had been calling his trusted hammer a 'her' instead of a 'it'. Well she had proved that she was sentient, but....he couldn't really explain it. Even though it's only been a few days, he really feels a bond between them, annoying as she can be sometimes....

'Can't sleep?'

He almost jumped when Minnie's sudden voice rang through his head, 'You could say that. Just thinking about some stuff.'

'What kind of stuff?'

'Nothing important, don't worry about it.'

'Hey Marcus, can I ask you something?'

'Shoot away, Minnie.'

'I told you to stop calling me that....'

'Did you really think I was going to stop?'

'Good point but anyways, I wanted to ask what you thought of Flurry?'

'Flurry? Why?'

'Just a thought I've been having.'

'Well....she's definitely a friend if not anything else. Other than you, I can definitely trust her  more than anyone else. Ollie's pretty cool to, but we just met a couple of hours ago. So yeah.'

'Soooo.....are you saying there's not other feelings? Hmmm~.'

'Other feelings?' , it was then Marcus knew where Mjolnir was getting, 'Ew! NO! Look she's cute and all, but that's like a puppy dog kind of cute.'

'I don't know, the way you two argue sometimes could give someone ideas.'

"And I'm telling you that I will NEVER EVER, get with a pony. That's like furry territory.'

'Says the one who has a thing for fox girls.'

'Sh-Shut up! And stop inheriting my personality!'

'Alright I'll stop. However Marcus, I'm not doing this only to tease you....maybe. Though I do care for you and don't want you to be alone while you're here in Equestria. It's okay to think about settling down....and having a family. Then I can be out of your hair.'

'Minnie....you don't think I'll actually abandon you right?'

'Wh-what? But....all my other users-'

'I don't give a flying piece of ass what your other users did. I'm basically immortal right? So I can't die?'

'Well... you can be killed yes, however you won't be able to die from natural causes.'

'Point still stands though, I won't leave your side ever. I know what it means to feel abandoned and alone. And if I settle down one day and have a....ugh....family. then you could be the cool aunt.'

He could hear Minnie sniffle,'I am cool huh?'

'Of course, but I'm going to have to ask Flurry if it is okay for the kids to play with you.'

'Hmmmmm~?'

Marcus could feel the smug coming form her voice, 'What?'

"You said Flurry....are you saying you wouldn't mind having children with her?'

Marcus felt his face heat up as he cursed himself for that slip of tongue, 'I-I was just using her as an example, that's all!'

'Ara Ara, you keep telling yourself that.'

'Minnie....I'm serious! We're just friends!'

'Goodniiiight Marcuuus~ Have sweet dreams of Flurry~!'

'Minnie!'