//------------------------------// // Episode II - Dead or Alive // Story: Crossroads - The Hopeful Saga // by Heisenberg //------------------------------// **Chapter 1 - Quite A Surprise** "Slade, you know I love you but you must obliterate the rebel base." Nightmare Moon said as she kissed Slade. "Can't I do that later?" asked Slade as he kissed Nightmare Moon in reply. "Nope." she said. - As Slade approached his target, he wondered more about how he ever came to be. Could he have been an astronaut? Could he have been a comedian? Could he have been a drug king? Could he have been a power ranger? Those things was what kept Slade up at night, all he wanted to know was how he came to be in such an alternate world. - Slade was walking through the Everfree Jungle when suddenly he entered a clearing, yet it wasn't all that clear. There was some kind of laboratory, "How could this be here?" "Is this the rebel base?" questioned Slade. As he walked toward the laboratory, he noticed it was in very rough shape. The steel it was made out of was flaking off and rusted. As Slade opened the door he noticed a scientist sitting in a lone chair. The chair swivveled to face him, as the scientist looked Slade in the eye. The scientist got out of his chair, walked over to Slade and hugged Slade. "What? Who are you?" asked Slade. "I iz your father" the scientist replied in a German kind of way. **Chapter 2 - Unanswered Questions** "Wait what!? How!?" asked Slade. "Vell it all shtarte-" the scientist could not finish as he was suddenly stabbed from behind. Slade was shocked as the scientist fell to the ground, dead. He looked up to see the assailant, it was Nightmare Moon. "Why would you do that!?"" Slade asked, visibly shaken. "All in due time." she replied, not fazed at all. "I want answers!" yelled Slade. "No!" she screamed at him. "If you can't tell me then your rein of terror is over!" he yelled. "You will die before you leave!" she yelled. "You are a delusional bit-" Slade couldn't finish as he was stabbed. "Have fun" was all she said as she walked out the door, laughing maniacally. **Chapter 3 - The Elements** "He must be out here somewhere." Twilight said as she clopped through the overgrown floor of Everfree Jungle. As she entered the clearing she noticed the laboratory, she heard screaming coming from inside. She ran to the laboratory and peered through the door. She noticed Slade lying unconscious on the ground, bleeding out. She let out a burst of tears and picked him up with her magic horn. She teleported him into Ponyville Hospital. - "Will he be okay?" asked Pinkie. "He is in a coma." said Doctor Horse. - 4 years later. (That's a long time.) After Nightmare Moon took over Equestria, everypony left Ponyville and sought asylum in the Everfree Jungle. After her reign of terror, most ponies had nopony to look towards. Princess Celestia was killed at the hands of Nightmare Moon. Today was the day that Slade wakes up. **Chapter 4 - Dead** As Slade awoke in the hospital, he looked around to see fire. Fire everywhere. He wondered how he was here, in Ponyville. But that didn't matter seeing at how he was in a coma. He left his hospital bed and walked down the hallway, dead ponies scattered the floor. He noticed a double doorway that had writing on it. DON'T DEAD, OPEN INSIDE. "Wierd" is all he said. He continued out of the hospital. He opened the front hospital door and found Equestria overrun by... ZOMBIE PONIES!?