A Bad Day to Fish

by FlashKenshin77

22 - Mental Collapse

The torches faintly lit the dark tunnel, the door slowly coming closer. As Mike got closer, he heard a voice echo from behind the door. "My ponies, I'm delighted to see you all here!" The voice was deep.
He paused, slowly cracking the door and peered inside. It was a large room, similar to Celestia's throne room. Most of the room was taken up by a stage and the back was all raised seats like a stadium. Hundreds of ponies gathered in the stands and near the stage. They all cheered, staring at the stallion on stage.
He was wearing a black robe with a red rose embroidered on the center. His face was hidden by a black mask, similar to the one that the tall stallion was wearing. His mask was different though, having red, cursive writing instead of symbols.
"We are here because we despise those who say they'll lead us to glory, happiness and freedom but yet I see nothing of what they promised us!" He paused, the crowd agreeing with him. "Tomorrow is a chance to show them that we fear no empire, kingdom, or army! The Prince of the Griffin Empire is coming to Ponyville and I have something very special planned for him, something that will make Celestia finally realize who we are and what we fight for!" The crowd cheered again.
They started chanting 'end the reign, make her pay' as the stallion on stage smiled at his followers. Mike stared at the assembly, his mouth opened in shock. The hell is going on? Should I try and stop them or go tell the Princesses?
"The Prince will die and war will spread! And once her kingdom falls apart, we will free everypony at last from her millennia of slavery!" The pony yelled, the crowd eating up his words.
Mike blinked a few times, thinking fast. If I leave here, they'd escape and I don’t think I could follow them again but I gotta tell the Princesses. He looked at the ceiling before closing his eyes, seeing Fluttershy waving at him, a smile on her face. I smiled faintly as the vision faded and he kicked the door open. "So this is the place you go to help kill the Prince?" He asked.
Everypony turned their head to look at him, some glared angrily and slowly walked towards him. "Stop." The stallion on the stage said and everypony froze, turning to look at him before backing away from Mike. "Who are you and what do you seek to find here?" He asked, slowly walking off stage, the crowd parting.
"I'm sure you've heard of me, I'm Michael? And I came here because I overheard a group of ponies." He looked at them. "Saying that somepony is planning something for the Griffin Prince and I'd like to offer what I can." He bowed to the leader.
He looked at Mike, a smirk under his mask. "Go ahead brother; tell us what you came here for."
Mike got up. "I'm not sure what you have planned nor do I think I should know. I'm just offering my services." He paused. "I do have close ties to a lot of important ponies."
The stallion nodded. "Tell us what you know."
"All I know is that the Griffin Prince is staying with the Element of Magic for those diplomatic talks with the Ambassador. They have my friend watching over his protection along with at least two battalions of soldiers at his command. But there's going to be a meeting at the town hall tomorrow."
"And you seek to help us?" He asked, standing barely a foot away. His blood red eyes stared into Mike's soul.
"Of course." Mike paused, trying to calm down as he projected anger. "Celestia turned me into a pony without my consent and it's caused me nothing but problems. Anyway I could get back at her, I'd gladly take."
The stallion lowered his head, chuckling, before looking up and laughed hysterically. "I already know all this." He paused, looking into Mike's eyes. "You are also a terrible liar friend but go ahead, leave and tell them, let them know that the UEA will be there. Make them fear us, no matter what you do, the Prince will die eventually. Maybe not tomorrow but don’t worry, I have more than one plan." He began laughing as his eyes and the mask glowed as he disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared behind Mike. "And you will fear us; you will watch this empire fall apart and there is nothing you can do to stop it." He grabbed Mike's head stared deep into his eyes, a stinging pain crept its way through Mike's body, his eyes slowly unraveling his soul.
Mike swung a hoof, narrowly missing his jaw as he disappeared again and Mike fell to the floor. "Oh you foolish, foolish boy. You think you can stop us.” He shook his head. "But we're spread across the entire world and in the Land of the Desert, war has already begun. It's only a matter of time before the same happens here."
"Like hell I'll let you do that to Equestria." Mike said, glaring at him.
"Oh no, please don’t hurt us, I beg you." He said patronizingly, laughing as several stallions walked up to Mike and grabbed his hooves. He struggled in their grip. "Let them know and make them fear! Help us to glory!" He yelled as the stallions threw Mike out of the room and shut the door. Mike quickly got back to his hooves but the wall devoured the door. Mike blinked a few times but the door was gone, simply disappeared into the wall.
Mike stared at the wall before pounding against it, hoping that it was an illusion. A few minutes later, he sighed, giving up. He slowly made his way out of the tunnel and hopped out the window.
More guards patrolled around the town, the guards looking at any pony still out this late at night. The moon and the few street lamps were the only source of light. Mike rushed to the library, figuring she'd know what to do. He slowed down, his body a lot slower than usual. By the time he got to the door, he slumped against it and knocked with his face.
The door opened as he fell onto the floor. "Michael, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked, helping him up.
"Phew, I'm tired." Mike muttered before looking at her. "Twilight, you need to tell the Princesses that there's going to be an attack on the Prince."
Her jaw dropped. "Wha-what do you mean?"
He paused. "I was wandering through town and ran into this group of ponies covered in strange tattoos. I followed them to this rundown building just outside of town. I went inside and they were having a meeting, they're must've been at least a thousand ponies, all covered in tattoos. The leader said that he has a plan to end the Princesses' reign."
Her eyes widened. "The UEA is here?" She asked, horrified.
Mike blinked, confused. "How did you know their name?"
She gulped. "They’re known all over the world. They're a terrorist group that tried to kill Celestia and all of her supporters." She said, starting to hyperventilate.
He gently rested a hoof on her back. "Twilight, it's going to be ok but we need to tell the Princess." He said, looking into her eyes.
She nodded, taking deep breaths. "Th-this is bad, they already succeeded in causing a civil war in the Land of the Desert." She said, quickly making her way upstairs, getting a quill and a piece of parchment.
Mike sat there for a moment, sighing before following her. She hectically wrote down everything he had said and used her magic to make the scroll disappear. "We have to warn Shining and Martin."
"I'll go warn Martin." He said, turning to leave.
She nodded and ran downstairs, opening the door before disappearing into the night.
He sighed, making his way to Sweet Apple Acres and knocked on the door. The door opened and he was pulled inside. It was dark but he could faintly see Pinkie's mane. "Michael, what are you doing here so late?" She asked, suspended from the ceiling.
He yelped in fear. "What are you doing here?"
She quickly held a hoof to his mouth. "Shhh, the guards are still around…" She whispered.
He tried talking around her hoof before he paused and pushed it off his mouth. "Pinkie, what are you doing at the farm?" He whispered.
She giggled. "Preparing for the mission of course, I still need some information…" She whispered.
He stared at her in horror. "Oh yeah, the mission." He coughed. "Listen, is AJ or Martin around? I need to talk to them."
She nodded her head rapidly. "AJ is upstairs and Marty is still at the barrack thingie." She replied.
"Ok…" He said, making his way upstairs. He paused in front of AJ's door and knocked before opening it. "AJ?" He whispered.
She was sitting at her desk, writing in a small book. "Michael, wh-what are ya doin' here?" She asked, quickly covering the book.
He paused. "I was actually looking for Martin but you can relay the info for me." He said, glancing at the book.
She blushed and slammed it shut. "Umm, yeah, course Ah can."
"Any way…" He looked around, making sure there wasn't a Pinkie Fisher nearby. "AJ, can you tell Martin that the UEA is here and are planning an attack on the Prince tomorrow?"
Her jaw dropped. "Ya-ya mean 'the' UEA?"
"Apparently so; AJ, can you tell me exactly why everypony's afraid of them? All I could get out of Twilight was something about a civil war."
She gulped. "Well, it's a terrorist organization that’s been threatenin' Terra for the last eighty years or so. They began demonstrating peacefully but around a decade or so ago, they changed. They attacked public places and plan to kill all supporters of the Celestia. They spread more and more until they attacked the smallest kingdom, the Land of the Desert. After ten years of threats and surprise attacks, the king finally fell. The entire land fell into a state of civil war. Whenever it seems to be ending, the UEA go back in there and stir it up again." She got up and accidently knocked the book onto the floor, the pages bending.
"Oh…" He said, bending down and picked it up. He could faintly make out the first few lines, 'I still dream about the kiss', before she snatched the book back.
She snapped it shut and her face turned bright red. "It-it's quite alright… ummm…"
He smiled and nodded his head, making his way to the door. "Thanks AJ, tell Martin ok?" He said, looking at her with a smirk. "G'night."
She nodded. "Um, yeah, ya better be careful if the UEA are around. Ya never know what'll happen."
"You too." He said, heading downstairs and left the farmhouse, heading back to Fluttershy's cottage.
As he entered the town, he looked at the stars, their small twinkling lights standing out in the vast darkness of space. Suddenly he saw thick black smoke start to rise into the sky, obscuring the stars. He immediately ran, trying to find the source. He found the assembled barracks aflame, ponies running around frantically. The bright orange flames licked at the wood, devouring it.
“Get some water!” A guard yelled, his armor covered in soot.
Mike rushed to get water; thankfully a pony carried a bucket already full of it. “Take it to them!” The pony said, hoofing him the bucket. He almost dropped the bucket as he watched the flames slowly spread to the surrounding houses, the inferno loudly roaring. Smoke billowed into the sky, overflowing the area. He ran as fast as he could, dropping the bucket with the guard.
"Martin!" He yelled, getting ready to charge into the blaze.
Another guard grabbed his shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?" He was covered in ashes.
He pushed out of the guard's grip. "Saving my friend!" He said, rushing inside before he could be stopped.
The heat smashed into his face, making him squint. Smoke blurred his vision, barely able to see his own hoof in front of his face. He coughed as he inhaled deeply, the smoke filled his lungs.
"Martin?!" He yelled as loud as he could, gasping for air and coughing.
Burning rubble fell from the ceiling, crashing next to him. Hot ashes splashed against his coat and he could smell his fur burn. He trotted deeper into the building and heard some rustling. "Martin?" He said, coughing as he grew closer. He couldn't see anything at this point, the smoke blocking his vision.
He heard something moved towards him and didn't see it was a large burning pillar till it was too late. He tried to dodge it but it landed squarely on his back. He screamed in pain as it seared his back. He struggled and moved a tad, the pillar slowly rolling across his back.
Suddenly the pillar was gone. He turned his head and saw a guard recolored by ashes and soot, covered in burns. "Are you alright? Have you seen the Grandmaster?" He yelled, shaking.
"No! Have you?" Mike paused, looking at him. "You should get out of here!"
The guard shook his head. "Not as long as you're here! My duty is to protect all ponies from harm!" The ceiling cracked under the weight of the fire and a few ashes trickled onto his fur. The guard looked up and his eyes widened. "MOVE!!" He yelled, pushing Mike out of the way and part of the ceiling collapsed on him, his hooves sticking out.
Mike stared in horror before frantically rushing towards him and struggled, pushing what he could off the guard. "Are you ok?" He yelled.
There was no response except the building creaking.
"Damn it!" Mike yelled, looking around as he picked up the guard and put him on his back. He hissed in pain and struggled towards the exit, his head growing fuzzy as the lack of oxygen starting making its presence known. The guard's weight slowed him down and after a few moments, couldn't handle it and fell to the ground. "Come on, I'm not leaving you here, since it's my fault to begin with!" Mike yelled, forcing himself up and one hoof at a time, slowly making it to the exit.
The rest of the ceiling fell down and blocked the way, the fire crackling. He looked around, frantically trying to find a way out. A door stood unaffected by the fire, almost as if it was protected. He charged the door and it smashed open. It led to a long hallway, door gutted by fire. The building was collapsing upon itself, the wood crumbling around us. There was a small hole in the fire that led to the next room and he crawled towards it. A beam fell from the remains of the ceiling, encircling us in a ring of fire.
"Ironically my favorite Johnny Cash song." Mike said before jumping through the fire, burning the bottom of his coat. He screamed in pain and landing harshly, the ring of fire burning strongly behind him. The door was their last hope of safety. He finally made it to the door and noticed it was held shut by a small lock.
Mike grabbed the dagger off the guard. "Like hell I'm dying after all this." He muttered weakly, smacking the lock.
It refused to break and after another hit, he dropped the dagger, too weak to move. He sunk against the door before a long blade pierced through it, nearly impaling his head.
Mike fell back, the guard tumbling off his back. "Hey, watch it there!" He said hoarsely, lying on the ground.
The blade pulled back and this time a gauntlet smashed through the door, pulling it off its frame. All Mike saw before he blacked out was something shining in the fire.

=

He coughed as he could feel fresh air enter his lungs. "What's going on?" He asked numbly. It hurt to talk, his throat and mouth dry.
Ponies examined him, ignoring him.
"Hey, I'm still alive you know." He struggled against them.
They gave him a bottle of water and helped him sit up, nursing him into taking a few short sips.
After drinking half the bottle, he paused. "How's the guard?" He asked.
Redheart stood next to him. "He'll survive. A few burns and he'll be coughing for awhile but he'll be fine." She said.
Mike sighed. "Thank god." He leaned back on the white cot he lied on and coughed.
Hoof steps surrounded the area. "Where's the Grandmaster?" A guard asked.
"Over there." Redheart said, pointing.
Martin was making his way there, his armor covered in ashes. "How are you?" He asked, bending down.
Mike chuckled. "I hurt, remind me never go running into burning building again. You're ok though right?"
Martin nodded. "Had to carry you, Shining, and that guard out."
"Good." Mike closed his eyes. "Everything hurts." He chuckled again.
Martin sighed. "Well, things might get a lot worse."
Mike cracked open an eye. "How?"
Martin opened his hand and a perfect rose dropped on the ground. "I've been told that’s the sign that the UEA will attack."
Mike looked at it and sighed again, putting his hooves over his eyes. "I should've just tried and killed him."
Martin tilted his head. "What are you talking about?"
"I walked in on their group meeting."
Martin was silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and sighing. "You could have died mate."
"I know but it was worth the risk."
"We might have to deal with something just as bad tomorrow, aye?"
Mike groaned, sitting up. "Don’t remind me." He said, getting on his hooves.
Martin took off his helmet and looked at the burning remains of the barracks. "The Prince mustn't know about this, it might worsen the situation."
They shared a look. "I know it may make it worse but don’t you think he should know? And besides, Twi sent a letter already, so he may know."
Martin sighed. "We shouldn’t tell him about the UEA. It'll cause nothing but trouble if he knew they're here."
Mike looked at the ground. "I'm not sure what she put in that letter.” He paused. “She was the first I told, and then I went to AJ."
Martin sat down. "Let's hope whatever happens tomorrow won't severely damage Ponyville."
They looked the town, ponies rushing over to help put out the dying fire.
"I have a bad feeling it's going to go horribly wrong." Mike said. He looked at his best friend and held a hoof out. "For what it's worth, thanks… and if anything happens, know that you're my best friend aye?"
Martin nodded, smacking his fist against the offered hoof. "Aye."
Mike sighed before looking at himself, his fur burnt and singed. "Flutters may kill me so I won't have to worry about tomorrow." He chuckled. "Just one thing after another."
Martin got up and put his helmet on. "Whatever happens tomorrow, I'll fight the UEA with all my might."
Mike followed his lead. "I'll do what I can but I'm not much of a fighter."
“You should leave the fighting to me.”
"I'm not sure I can do that."
Martin looked at his friend. "We might be fighting a war."
"What can I say? If we face war, then I'll help. In a way, this is my fault. If I would've killed the leader when I had the chance, none of this would've happened."
"Another would've taken his place and we'd never manage to stop them. There will always be somepony who think what they do is right, no matter what."
"But at least it would've given us time to get this whole prince thing taken care of."
"We can't change that now, we'll have to face this threat."
"I guess." Mike plopped down on his flank. "Guess we just have to wait and see."
"I'll do what I can to make sure you and the others are safe." Martin said, walking towards a group of guards. After a moment, the guards nodded and walked towards Mike.
"We're supposed to escort you to the cottage near the Everfree Forest." One of them said.
Mike looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, do you want me to lead the way?"
They nodded. Mike sighed and got up. With his entourage, he made his way to Fluttershy's cottage.
"So… are you just escorting me?"
"We're supposed to assure your safety. We'll secure the area around the cottage and leave, unless you wish for us to stay."
Mike frowned. "You don’t need to do that; you can just take me to the cottage. I'll be fine."
They ignored him and continued in silence. He sighed and followed them. They finally arrived at the cottage and three of the guards split from the group, looking around. The remaining guard waited for Mike to knock. He nodded and quietly knocked on the door.
It opened a little bit and Fluttershy's sapphire eye peeked through the opening. "Umm… Y-yes?" She asked quietly.
Mike smiled sadly at her. "Hey Flutters." He said, exhausted.
She smiled and opened the door, noticing the guard. "Um… wh-why is there a guard with you…" She trailed off, looking at his fur. "Wh-what happened?" She asked worriedly.
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "There was a fire in town and I sorta jumped in, wasn't the smartest choice I made." He looked at the guard. "Also, the UEA are here and Martin sent us a guard group for a bit."
Fluttershy eeped in fear and held her hooves over her head, sinking to the ground. She began to shake. "Th-the UEA?"
He grabbed her and quickly ran a soothing hoof through her mane. "Unfortunately." He held her close. "I met with them personally."
She looked at him, terrified. "Y-you met them?"
"Unintentionally." He smiled slightly before looking at the guard. "See, nothing here?"
She saw the guards patrolling. "Why are th-they here?"
"Making sure we're safe."
She looked at him. "A-are we in danger? Is the UEA after us?"
He shook his head. "It's just a precaution; they firebombed the barracks Martin was at." He sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry Flutters, this is all my fault."
She flung her hooves around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank Celestia you're alright..." She said, closing her eyes.
He wrapped his hooves around her reassuringly and rested his head against hers. "I'm just glad everypony's ok."
The guard coughed. "I hate to interrupt but the area is secure. Is there anything you need us to do before we go?" He said, the guards returning.
Mike smiled at the guards. "No, we're ok, thanks though."
He nodded and they left, heading back into town.
Fluttershy looked at him. "A-are you sure we're safe here?" She whispered.
"I hope so, I really do…" He said, looking around.
She shook as she pulled Mike inside the cottage, locking the door. He watched as she paced and he wiped some soot off his face. Finally she sighed and sat on the couch, wrapping her hooves around herself as she rocked back and forth.
He sat next to her, looking at her. "Fluttershy?"
She looked at him, fear in her eyes as she rested her head against his shoulder.
"Come here…" He whispered, pulling her close and gently rubbed her back. "It's going to be ok…"
She cried silently on his shoulder. "I-I'm scared Michael, what if they come here?" She managed between sobs.
He rocked her slowly. "Then we'll beat them." He nuzzled her cheek. "Besides, they don’t have any reason to come here."
"But of course I have a reason to come here." A deep voice said behind them, chuckling. Mike's eyes widened as he quickly turned around, pushing Fluttershy behind him. It was the pony from before, a grin noticeable beneath his mask. "Hello Michael."
"Hello yourself." Mike said, glaring at the pony. "What are you doing here?"
He paused, thinking for a moment. "Well, what wouldn't I be doing here?" He asked, smiling.
"I thought you were planning for the meeting tomorrow? Why waste your time here?"
He sighed and shook his head. "Michael, you are worth my time, considering that you're the knight's best friend. I have a lot of use for you…"
Mike gulped and smiled wearingly. "I doubt I have much use; I'm just a simple pegasus now."
He laughed. "Oh well, I'm sure he thinks differently."
"I'm not even sure what he thinks now."
"It doesn’t matter; we'll see how far he'll go to save you or…" He grinned evilly before he seemingly vanished, and grabbed Fluttershy from his grasp. He pulled her mane to reveal her throat, a knife appearing in his hoof as he held it against her throat. She screamed in fear, tears running down her face. "Or her…"
Mike glared at him, lowering himself to attack. "Let her go! What do you want!?"
He laughed, the knife dangerously scratching against her throat." I want a lot of things… but you can bring me none of them. The knight on the other hoof, well, let's see how far he'll go to save those he loves." He said, little drops of blood dripping onto the blade.
"Please… just let her go, take me instead." Mike forced out, tears in his eyes as he watched Fluttershy gasping for air. He sunk to the ground.
The pony chuckled. "You? Why would I want you if she is the key piece to getting rid of your walking lump of steel?"
Mike looked at him. "Please, I beg you to take me instead…"
He shook his head and tsk. "I'm sorry Michael but you'll see her soon enough." His eyes glowed and with a yelp of fear, Fluttershy and he disappeared, his laugh echoed in the cottage.
Mike stared at the place they stood, tears hitting the wooden floor before he charged the door, knocking it open as he ran into town, tears flowing.
The previously empty night sky was slowly being filled with dark clouds, thunder roaring throughout the area, lightning illuminating the town. He paused, frantically thinking as rain started to pour. He panted, the tears hidden by the raindrops as he ran full speed to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Martin!" He yelled.
The door flew open, AJ stared at him, tilting her head. "Michael?"
"They, they took her…" He struggled to say, his chest heaving as he cried harder, his mind starting to snap. "I… I couldn’t do anything…"
She looked at him and grabbed his shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong Michael?"
"They took Fluttershy!"
Her eyes widened as her mouth hung open. "Th-they took her? The UEA?!"
"No the fucking moon people! Of course the UEA!" He yelled, his body started to convulse.
She stared at him, fear and sadness filling her eyes. "We have ta get the others."
"Where's Martin? Isn't he here yet?"
She shook her head, the rain picking up as thunder boomed through the town.
"Where is he?" Mike said, his voice cold as he fought his emotions.
She looked at him, terrified. "Ah… Ah think he's at Town Hall." She stuttered.
He turned around and galloped away, heading into town, ignoring her yells. The town was devoid of ponies, the street lamps barely staying lit against the wind and rain. He made his way there, pausing for a moment to catch his breath. He could barely see in front of him, the rain blocking his vision.
As he arrived, a lone guard, laid next to the Town Hall's wooden door. A dagger sprung from his back as blood mixed with rain, pooling by the step. Mike pulled the dagger out, blood sprouting out of the wound for a moment. He held it in his mouth as he made his way deeper inside. Bodies of the guards littered the hallways till he abruptly saw a door shut, covered in blood.
"Where are you?" A voice asked, seemingly whispered throughout the building. Mike blended with the wall, hoping the shadows would conceal him as he slowly went closer to the voice. It led him down a long hallway, a wooden double door blocking his path. It was open just enough for him to peek into. "Show yourself!!" The voice said from the room.
A stallion stood in the middle of the room, wearing ragged brown robes with the hood up, hiding most of his face in shadows. Whatever could be seen was hidden by some cloth, save for his eyes, which was golden. A leather belt hung around his shoulder to his waist, full of daggers.
"It's not the one…"
The stallion walked around silently before he halted and looked at the door. "There you are…" He chuckled and made his way towards the door.
Mike backed up quickly, holding the dagger tightly in his mouth. "W-what do you want?"
The stallion kicked the door open, his eyes shining in the candle light.
"What do you want?" Mike repeated, his voice cold.
The stallion walked towards him, a dagger encased in a red aura. "I'm here for the Grandmaster."
Mike rolled his eyes. "You and everypony else. What did he do know?"
The stallion chuckled. "This is the first step, I'm sure he already took her."
"Took who?"
The stallion slowly tilted his head, lost in thought. "What was her name… Flu-Fluttershy was it?"
Mike stood stock still, ready to attack as he glared at the pony. "This… this was your plan wasn't it?" He spat, his voice filled with rage.
The stallion shrugged. "Maybe but you'll find out soon enough."
"What does that mean? Why are you ponies doing this now?"
The stallion laughed, his golden eyes sparkling. "I'm not the one to tell you. He wants to do it personally."
"Am I ever going to meet him?"
"Very soon… and your precious Fluttershy will be with him."
"If you hurt her…" He paused, trying to control his rage, everything slowly taking on a reddish hue. "Why can't I just meet him now?"
"Don’t rush it, just wait. Besides, I won't leave this place alive again anyways."
"What do you mean?"
He looked behind Mike as the clanks of metal on wood could be heard. "Michael?!" Martin yelled as he ran as fast as he could.
Mike's eyes grew. "Martin wait!" He yelled trying to stop the charging armor.
Martin ignored him, ramming the stallion with his shield. The stallion hit the wall with a sick crack but all he did was chuckle as blood trickled from his mouth.
"Martin STOP!" Mike yelled, trying to grab Martin's arm.
Martin raised his sword as a sick piercing noise filled the room, the metal entered his stomach. The stallion smiled as he coughed, looking at them as the light left his eyes and he hung limply on the wall. Mike stared in horror the pony and sat down on the floor.
"You killed him." Mike's voice was quiet, barely being heard.
Martin nodded, drawing the blade out of the stallion as he fell forward, blood flowing from the room. The blade dripped in red, the drops of blood falling on the stallion's fur. Mike suddenly stood up, kicking Martin's hand hard enough to dent the gauntlet as the sword flew from his hand, embedded into the wall.
"You fucking killed him!" Mike yelled, his voice full of anger.
Martin looked at his friend, confused. "Wh-what's wrong Michael?"
"You just killed my only link to get Fluttershy back, that's what!" He yelled, kicking the pony's corpse furiously, the empty thumps echoing in the room.
Martin grabbed Mike, struggling as he tore his friend from kicking the stallion. "That’s no way to treat the body." He leaned down and closed the lifeless eyes before looking at Mike, who looked like he was trying not to explode. "Now what are you talking about?"
Mike continued to struggle in his grip. "After your guards forcibly dropped me off, the leader of the UEA paid us a visit and took Fluttershy. And I was coming here to tell you when I ran into him. He said he knew where they were but oh no, you had to come play fucking 'hero' and kill him before I could find out!" He finally escaped Martin's grip, landing shakily on the ground.
Martin glared at his friend. "Play hero, I did what I was asked to do Michael. Many ponies lost their lives today."
"One more than necessary because of you! I could've talked to him at least."
Martin went to say something when a scream echoed through the town, cutting off all noise. They both looked around before they rushed outside. The rain had stopped but thunder and lightning still rang through the valley.
"So you must be Michael." A voice from the sky said.
"That I am." Mike said, looking up.
"Michael!" Fluttershy screamed, blocked from view by clouds.
He looked around as Martin stared up at the sky. "Fluttershy? Where are you?"
The clouds dispersed as a single cloud hovered in the hole. A stallion wearing snow white robes and a black mask sat comfortably on it, Fluttershy next to him. Ropes were tied around her legs and wings. The only thing keeping her from falling was the stallion's hoof.
"F-Fluttershy…" Mike whispered, walking closer.
The stallion turned to look at her before grinning. "She kept screaming your name. I was beginning to get annoyed."
"What do you want?" Mike yelled.
The stallion slowly shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you; at least I have nothing to do with you."
"What do you want?" Martin yelled, repeating.
"You will see eventually but the time hasn't come yet."
"What does that mean?!" Mike yelled.
"Soon, you'll be reunited with her."
Mike glared at him for a moment before launching himself into the air, his wings beating to keep him airborne. He flew closer to them. "W-what do you want?"
The stallion's eyes glowed green for a moment before a scroll appeared in from of him. He used his magic and the scroll floated towards Mike. 'Take this, it'll tell you everything you need to know."
Mike grabbed the scroll, tearing open the ribbon holding it together.
"When the war begins and the first fight has begun, come to the Dragon Scale Mountain. There, you shall find your precious marefriend and my Master. There, he will make a decision if Fluttershy returns. If you don't come, she will die." He paused, smiling. "And don't look for us; we'll come to you if we wish it." A green flash of light lit up the area and when they could see, both the stallion and Fluttershy were gone.
Mike looked at the scroll one more time before staring at the spot they were at. He sighed, the tears flowing from his eyes as he slowly lowered himself to the ground, his ears hugging the sides of his head. "I-I'm so sorry Fluttershy… I'm so-sorry…" He whispered. He could feel his heart cracking and his body slowly lost feeling, everything becoming numb.
The rest of the girls watched and rushed towards him as he landing on the ground, sinking into a ball, crying.