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// The Quiet Kid breaks the Spirit of Harmony 
// Story: The Quiet Kid: Day by Day 
// by aegishailstorm 
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"So, what you're telling me is, that there's a secret labyrinth of crystalline caverns  underneath this school that I don't know about?" William asked, the tone in his voice was gruff and calm. And yet still, this had done nothing to calm the nerves of the poor maintenance pony. According to the earth pony mare standing before him, she had stumbled upon a series of strange tunnels while servicing the schools ventilation system.  She was going to tell Twilight about it, but was stopped by William. Who at the time, had been making his rounds around the school, in vain hope of finding some nonexistent threat. Something to fight. This was not that, but, nevertheless. It was still intriguing. 

"And tell me, where did you first come across these...Caverns?" The mare looked into his eyes as though he was insane, "Uh, the ventilation system? I thought I just told you about this-"He held up his gloved hand in a gesture of mock reassurance, "Eh, don't worry about it." The shadows on his mask clad face seemed to darken, the light from the windows outside seemed to darken. "Not a word of this to anycreature, not even the princess. Got it?" The mare nodded, and slipped out of sight. William sighed, folded his hands, and began walking back down the hallway. His rifle slung over his left shoulder.

"Hmmm," He really didn't have any words for it anymore. It seemed like every single one of Twilight's 'lessons,' was the same. Today, she was teaching her students about the tree of harmony. That damned thing, something about just irritated him to his core.  

This time, as was usual, they weren't quite getting it. He had only peeked through the doorway from a brief moment. But from just that alone, he could see that they were confused. Scrambling to take notes on a subject that was so... Pointless. " Oh well, to bad for them." he wasn't about to pity them, he had all but ran out of things to teach the young six. And it seemed as though they preferred Twilight anyway. Much to his disappointment. He left the hallway, and entered the library. A wide open room, all around him were shelves lined floor to ceiling with books.  The gilded  purple carpet his boots were dragging on were in stark contrast to the comparatively dull polished stone floors.  His eyes wandered, and he soon found just what he was looking for. A grate in the floor. Leading to what most would assume to be the ventilation system. But if what that mare had told him was true, that was actually the entrance to what could be the most exciting part of his week.

" Now, let's see what you're hiding." He whispered to himself as he crept closer to the grate, as he did. He began to notice a strange blueish glow emanating from it. One that he thought he knew. With caution, he knelt down by the grate, and stared down into he abyss, studding it as best as he could from where he was. The more he looked at it, the vivider the glow seemed to get. Curious, he knocked the grate aside with a couple blows from a combat knife, and peered deeper into the foggy void below. Just as he was doing this, he heard a rustling of papers behind him. It was the young six, sure enough. He had been around them far to much to not recognize their motions, even if by hearing alone. Not wanting to explain what he was doing, he took the only illogical path. Jumping straight down into the abyss, rifle aimed into it and bayonet at the ready.

Although, as he did. He heard the voice of a certain curly haired pegasus that made him clench his rifle even harder. "Cozy, that piece of ####. Oh, I can't wait to put a round in her." It was then when it hit him, well... The ground hit him, hard. He landed on his side, the backside of his ballistic vest dug into his shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. He struggled to his feet, then activated the flashlight mounted to his M4. Spinning around the room, he could see that it was indeed, crystalline in nature. Just as the maintenance pony had described. Though, the floors were just regular dirt. He looked straight up, and saw a crack of light above him, it was the vent which he had entered though. With no way back up. The walls of the cave provided little to no grip. Although he had no doubt that he could get a grappling hook up there himself. And sure enough, after a few tries. He did. But, rather then leaving right away, he thought it prudent to explore the cavern.

And so, only after setting a P90 Personal defense weapon firmly in his grasp, and switching on the flashlight mounted to it's side. He began to make his way through the cave. But as he trekked deeper and deeper, he began to get a feeling that something was watching him, only to slip out of view every time he waved his light around. It didn't feel malicious, more curious than anything else. But in Equestria, he had learned that more often than not, that was the same thing.

" Well, show yourself. Comon', don't be shy! " He shouted as loudly as he could, bracing himself up against a wall as he did. He full well expected some horrendous abomination to come lunging out from the shadows at him, but no. What appeared instead as the Simmering form of Twilight Sparkle. He knew exactly who this was, or rather, what this was. 

"Harmony." He raised his middle finger, but his exterior body language remained the same. "William." It responded back, "What are you doing here?" His gaze remained fixed on the being, although his finger drifted ever so closer to the trigger. "I'm exploring, I take it this whole place is your doing?" 

"Indeed it is, this place is not for you. I would ask that you leave immediately." He paused for a moment, although, he didn't stop to look away, he didn't even blink. "No. Don't try to stop me." The shimmering form of the spirit of harmony raided an eyebrow. "Why are you doing this. Why are you against the magic of friendship?" the way she-No, it, said it was haunting. "I don't have to answer to you. Now go, bully somepony else." Without another word, the spirit vanished. " Well.." William snapped his finger, "What the #### man?!" He shouted out. No response came. In the distance, he could hear hoof and claw steps. " Normal people wouldn't stay a second longer. I ain't normal." He pressed onwards. 


"...And a couple mags of ammo for me little armalit-" William stopped humming when he heard something moving in the darkness. And then, 2 sets of glowing green eyes came into view, "Changelings." He murmured to himself. But something was off about them.. There was a third figure in the tunnel. One he easily recognized. "Hey, Chrissy!" He moved faster. Until the 2 changelings cam into view. These, unlike like the other's he had recent met. Were just like the one's he had encountered on his first trip to Equestria. Without slowing down, he grabbed the first one, slid a knife into it's foreleg, and snapped it's neck, then turned his gun on the second one. Putting 2 rounds through it's insectoid skull. As he dusted the green blood off his hands, he noticed the vague form of Chrysalis, curled up in a little ball in the corner, crying.  

" What's wrong?" he asked warmly,  " T-this  isn't me!" It cried out. William kept his gun on her, "What, did you get a bad case of amnesia or something, or are you faking it?" The creature continued it's fit of sobbing, "It's me, Ocellus." He laughed. " I don't care, where are the others?"   the changeling stopped, and got to her hooves. "Well, you see. we got separated-"


"I don't wanna hear it. Can you lead me to them." She sighed, "as I was about to tell you, I'm lost. " He clenched his fist. And turned away to look into the darkness. " Follow me, stay close." He took a step forward, but Ocellus hesitated, " Listen, I'm going with or without you." He clapped, and raised his gun to his shoulder. " Let's go." And so he walked, and walked, and walked. Until they came to a crossroads. At it's center, was a lone yak. Yona, surrounding her were thousands of small scurrying... Whatever they were. It was at this point that William had had enough of this cave systems nonsense. It was as though something in his mind just snapped. He raised his PDW, drew a combat knife, lowered a visor down over his face. Let out his signature cry of, "Sicut vult!" And charged straight into the cluster of creatures. Unsure of what to make of it, Ocellus and Yona did the only thing any sane creature would do. Run. As they did, they came across the others in their group. They kept going, until they had made it back to the grate in the floor, as swiftly as they could. They scrambled out of it, back into the library.  


"What happened?" Twilight asked them, the alicorn was standing before them, with Rainbow Dash and Rarity by their sides. "William happened." They all responded. Twilight shook her head, just as a booming laugh emanated from the cavern below. The sounds of gunfire, explosions , hacking and slashing. And of course horrible agonized  screeches of pain echoed out along with it. All they could do is stand there in shock. Inching further and further away. At last, About 20 minutes later. It all came to an end.

A gloved hand reached out of the shaft. A few moments later, the armored form of William clawed itself out of the hole. In his left hand, he held a P90, in the other. A Tomahawk. He was clad head to toe in a black Nomex suit hazmat suit, on top of it was a lattice of hard and soft Kevlar plates. A dark gas mask obscured his face. And a strange helmet sat tightly on his head. His armor was potmarked with all manner of scars scars, bite marks, and claw marks and even a few magic burns.  He was drenched in sickly green blood that dripped to the floor as he stood there. The sheer sight of it was enough to make Rarity gag. William reached for his shoulder pad, and, with a tug, pulled a fang out of it.

"Sweet Celestia, what happened down there?" Twilight asked him as he began brushing the filth and gore off his gear. "I happened Twilight." She grimaced, "And what did you do down there."

"Lemme put it nice and simple. I broke the spirit of harmony." They all looked at him in terror now. "Uhhh..." William held up his right hand, and waved it at the doorway. "Leave me alone, I want ice cream." He pushed them aside, and made for the exit.