//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 - Insert Shipping Jokes Here 
// Story: Banished To Tartarus - A Story of Unlikely Heroes and Moral Villains 
// by Nortes432 ft Spitfire 
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	The hidden treehouse was calm. The ponies were having small talk and the such, catching up and putting together everything they knew about what was going on. Note and Nurse were discussing Spitfire's condition. The pegasus was lying on the table, asleep. The two Ireagato's were talking to each other about whatever they felt like. Rhyme and Solar were discussing about finding their other friends with Luna.
Nurse used to have a medical license before she went dark and became a criminal and black market dealer. Note, on the other hand, had a history of creating some strange things. Some called him an inventor. He thought of himself as 'just creative'. "So, you think you could actually create an entire wing?" Nurse asked Note, tilting her head.
Note nodded. "I saw the wing that my alternate other had," he told her, thinking. "That wing is most definitely a design I would make. He had some help, of course, but I'm sure if he could do it, so can I." Note smiled, picking up Tolerance off of the table and holding it in his hooves. "Tolerance, my baby, is my own design. Made it myself in a shed. If I can make a fully working six-barreled rotating shotgun with multiple types of ammunition that are compatible with it, I can make a wing. I could probably even make other things!" Note laughed a bit, feeling like he accomplished something.
Nurse shrugged. "You seem pretty confident about it. If you can make another wing, that would be beneficial. At this point, I'm not sure if I can save Spitfire's wing in the condition it is in. It was hit in a critical spot. It's looking like I have to amputate." Nurse took a deep sigh, as Note patted her back.
"You know, I think we need to differentiate the worlds here!" Rhyme announced, turning to the others. "Like, it's confusing since there are two of everypony here. Like, Alternate Equestria? Something?"
Alternate Ireagato looked at him, giving an odd look. "Is he serious?" he asked, turning to the other Ireagato. The original Ireagato nodded, answering his question.
Note shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt. How about Destroyed Equestria? Corrupt Equestria? Demonic Equestria?" Note pitched ideas left and right, hoping for a good answer.
Luna sighed and hung her head. "They're idiots. We're ruined," she groaned.
Rhyme raised his hoof. "That's it! Ruined Equestria!" Note, Nurse, and Ireagato shrugged and nodded at the idea in agreement. Rhyme cheered for himself. "Yeah, I had a great idea!" he said to himself.
Suddenly, a scream sounded from outside. The ponies all turned their attention, as Luna, Note, and Ruined Ireagato all darted towards the door. The other ponies quickly got ready for an attack. Luna opened the door, drawing her scythe slowly. Before them, there was a trap laid out to catch anypony who ventured near the treehouse. Caught in the trap was Misbeat, who was hanging upside down with one hoof caught in the rope trap. "Misbeat?" Note asked, quickly going to assist the stallion.
Misbeat noticed Note from his upside down position. "Note? You're here? Really?" Note and Ruined Ireagato quickly helped Misbeat down from the trap.
"How did you find us?" Note asked the stallion. "How did you get here?"
Misbeat slowly stumbled to his hooves, brushing himself off. "Well, I woke up in a cottage. There was this mare there, except she had tentacles and stuff on her back..."
Note shook his head. "Wait, what?! Tentacles?!" he asked, shocked.
"Kraken was her name," Misbeat told them. "Anyways, she had a dead stuffed rabbit. There was also this giant demonic guy. His name was Emperor Haxx."
Luna's ears perked as she glared. "Haxx?!" she growled, stomping her hoof. "You were with Haxx? What did he tell you? Did he hurt you? Did Kraken hurt you?!"
Misbeat shook his head. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you for asking, princess," Misbeat said with a small bow. "I did hurt them though. Threw a table at the freak and a chair at the other freak. It was kinda fun." Misbeat let out a laugh as he continued, "Anyways, can somepony here tell me what in the name of Celestia is going on?"

Slowly, the world lightened up  around him. Shouhei felt groggy as his eyes slowly opened, seeing nothing but trees around him. He felt pain everywhere on his body. Rolling to his side, he saw Thunder next to him. She was rocking in pain, as she had been shot in the hind leg. Shouhei cautiously got to his hooves, moving over to Thunder. "Are you alright?" he asked her, placing a hoof on her side.
"It...hurts!" she told him, growling in pain. 
Shouhei kept himself calm as he observed the situation. When it came to medical attention, he can do some pretty amazing things. Carefully, Shouhei turned her over as he carefully held her leg still with one hoof. "Alright. Thunder, I want you to try not to move. This may hurt," Shouhei warned her. Using his magic, he carefully searched into her leg and was able to grab the bullet. He carefully pulled it out of her leg, as she let out a screech of pain.
Once the bullet was finally removed from Thunder's leg, Shouhei tossed it to the side and sought a way to bandage the wound. He thought of the old technique that almost everypony knew. He carefully took a part of his vest, biting onto it with his mouth as he used his hoof to tear a piece off. He then took the cloth and used it to dress Thunder's wound, wrapping it around her leg and tying it into a makeshift knot to keep it on. "That's the best I can do for it. Can you stand?"
Thunder slowly and painfully pulled herself up, putting all her weight on her three good legs. Her left hind leg had to limp a bit. "I...I'm good," she told him.
Shouhei gave a soft smile. A rummaging sound in the distance caused the unicorn to perk his ears. "We better get moving. It's not safe out here," he told her, remembering the first time he ventured into the Everfree Forest. This place was not very pleasant, and he would love to get out as soon as possible.
Thunder nodded. "I agree," she said, looking around. "I don't trust this place one bit." She gave a small scowl, limping forward slowly. Shouhei let out a deep sigh, staying by her side as the two walked on to find shelter.

“You mean to tell me that there are more of them?!” Haxx spat as he stood in the main room of the castle in Ponyville. “And you let them live?!”
Ruined Note stomped his hoof. “No, sir. Co let them live. I attempted to kill the outsider.” He had gotten the collar removed, and was furious as he tapped the table impatiently with his hoof.
Haxx looked at Twilight, who sat next to Ruined Note. She had a bruise on the side of her head where Note had clocked her with the shotgun. “Why in the name of Tartarus did you keep an outsider alive?”
Twilight sighed. “Okay, listen, he was cute. Just like Note here," she told Haxx. “You expect me to kill the literal copy of my lovebird here?” 
Haxx growled. “He’s nothing like your lovebird!” he spat. “You know just as well as I do that he’s a danger. And now he’s loose! Running around like an animal! It won’t be long before he joins the resistance. He probably already found the resistance.”
Ruined Note stood up, clearing his throat. “Emperor, if I may, this...other-worldly Note is intelligent. He’s practically the same as me. Although, he seems a bit scared.” Ruined Note grinned. “That fool didn’t kill me when he had the chance. Nor did he kill anybody. I can tell that he is scared to kill. But he’s still smart.” Ruined Note flexed his bladed wing as he had a devilish grin. “With your permission, I will personally be there to see the torture and execution of this outsider who dares to share my name.”
Haxx stared long and hard, his ferocious demonic eyes locking onto Ruined Note and Twilight. He nodded. “Very well then. But I’ll have you know, you should not fail me again.” He smiled, holding out a hoof. “You two mean a lot to me. I don’t want the others to see you as failures. This is your shining moment. Get it done.” With that, Haxx turned and walked out of the main room, leaving Ruined Note and Twilight alone in the room.
“How many years of necromancy have you lived and you still haven’t killed him?” Ruined Note asked Twilight, cocking his head.
“I can kill you,” Twilight told him, kissing his cheek before walking off. Ruined Note simply sighed, sitting back down on the throne.

It’s been about two hours since Note and his friends have found their way to the hideout. Note was hard at work as he was crafting a new wing for Spitfire. Seraph assisted him the best she could.
Misbeat walked up to Luna, sharpening his shiv. “So, where’s the rest of your army?” he asked the princess. “For such a royal figure like yourself, and the fact that you’re still a problem, you must have one.”
“You’re looking at it,” Luna told him simply. “The rest of the Resistance is in hiding. This is all we have in the Everfree. Me, Spitfire, and Ireagato.”
Misbeat’s jaw dropped. “Three ponies, and you expect to survive?” he asked her. “Are you crazy? The entire country is out to kill you. And you’re hiding with three people?”
“It’s actually a great plan,” Solar said aloud as she walked up next to Misbeat. “She’s in a remote location. If she had an army out here, it would be suspicious. It’s actually a common thing amongst royalty. If the kingdom was to be attacked, the royalty will be separated from everypony else, hidden in a remote location that the enemy will have trouble accessing.”
“The royalty would be prepared for the zombie apocalypse,” Rhyme chipped in, smiling like an idiot as he looked at them. Misbeat looked at Rhyme, giving an unamused glare as he shook his head. Rhyme frowned. “What? It’s true.”
Misbeat looked back at Luna as he gave a small smile. “So, you’re out hiding with the Captain of the Wonderbolts and a former prince turned runaway hero.”
Ruined Ireagato looked up. “How did you know that?” he asked.
Ireagato patted Ruined Ireagato on the back, laughing a bit. “He knows,” he told the other, shaking his head. “He knows a lot.”

Shouhei continued trudging forward, keeping by Thunder's side to make sure he doesn't leave her behind. Thunder was moving like a soldier, pushing herself past the gunshot wound as she grunted. "Bark...where did he go?" She mumbled.
Shouhei shook his head. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But Bark...he's a smart boy. He'll make it. I'm sure of it. Just worry about you, Thunder. You're hurt, bad."
"I barely feel it," Thunder spat as she stumbled a bit. "It's nothing. I've been through worse. Give me a break." She rolled her eyes as she moved slightly faster to pass Shouhei.
Shouhei gave an odd look to her, shaking his head. "Thunder, c'mon. Just let me he-" He was cut off as he heard a gunshot, quickly taking cover behind a tree. Thunder did the same, wincing in pain.
"Come out you two pests!" a familiar voice called from the forest. Ruined Shouhei growled as he stepped out of the bushes, holding a hoofgun. "You can't hide forever. I will personally execute you both." He looked around as two guards with rifles walked out into the clearing behind him. "Shouhei, buddy, we already killed your little brother. Why don't you just embrace it?"
Shouhei flinched slightly. His heart sank upon hearing about his brother dying. He shook his head. "No..." He whispered. "He's not dead..."
Thunder looked to Shouhei. "Shouhei! Stop that!" She whispered, looking around cautiously. "He's trying to call you out! Don't listen to him!"
Shouhei narrowed his eyes as he drew his blade, stepping out from hiding as he faced Ruined Shouhei. Ruined Shouhei grinned as he stared at Shouhei. "Oh, now you decide to stop hiding? I can't believe I used to be such a wuss!" Ruined Shouhei laughed as he aimed the hoofgun at Shouhei. "Now do me a favor and join your family in Tartarus!"
Ruined Shouhei fired a shot at Shouhei, but it was quickly blocked by Shouhei's magic. "Try again you insufferable monster," he spat. 
Ruined Shouhei narrowed his eyes. "Guards, gun him down," he ordered. After a long moment of silence, Ruined Shouhei growled. "Guards!" He turned around, only to find himself facing Thunder who held two unconscious guards in her talons.
Ruined Shouhei quickly went to fire at Thunder, only to get cut off as Shouhei knocked the gun out of his hoof with his magic. Ruined Shouhei growled as he quickly turned to Shouhei. "I will kill you faster than you killed him," Shouhei spat, readying his sword. "Draw, now."
Ruined Shouhei smirked as he drew his sword, readying it as well. "I know everything you do. You're nothing compared to me."
Shouhei growled. "I'm everything compared to you,'" he spat back, charging at Ruined Shouhei. Ruined Shouhei growled as he swung his blade, clashing their blades together.