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More Questions than Answers

The Beginning of the End

More Questions than Answers

Twilight Sparkle's waiting was over when she heard the sound of some ponies racing up the stairs. To her disappointment, Applejack was not with the group and the human was also not present. Before she could ask any questions, she noticed the look of suspicion her friends had when they saw Sir Henry and Tom Anderson. Out of all her friends, she was worried about Rainbow Dash and how she sometimes takes things too far.

"Girls, don't worry. These creatures helped me when I was hurt and the only reason I'm still alive." Twilight said trying to relax her friends. It worked for mostly everyone. Rainbow Dash still had a skeptical look in her eyes.

"Oh Twilight, your hurt! Let me take a closer look." Fluttershy said in an assertive voice that Twilight Sparkle has only heard from Fluttershy when she saw something was hurt.

"Geez Twilight! When I heard you were in trouble I didn't expect this." Spike said as he jumped off Rarity's back to check to see what happened with her.

"My, this outfit fits you just smashingly dear! I've never seen such brute force and elegance mix together so well!" Rarity said as she approached Sir Henry who was a little nervous about the new guests. "I'm not completely sure about your attire though. It seems so bland and is that a rip I see there?" she critiqued as she looked over towards Anderson.

All eyes flashed back towards the staircase. The sound of a Timberwolf could be heard outside. A conversation could be briefly heard between the howls. The sound of another pony racing up the stairs overpowered the noise from outside.

"You’ve got to go help your friend! He's got some crazy idea of taking on a pack of Timberwolves." She shouted out in a desperation rarely seen in Applejack.

Anderson seemed to hesitate and Sir Henry seemed slightly confused until a challenge bellowed from out of the staircase.

"COME ON YOU BIG PANSY, I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU! ONCE I'M DONE WITH YOU THEIR GOING TO HAVE TO GLUE YOU BACK TOGETHER IN HELL!"

In a flash Sir Henry grabbed an ax and threw it at Anderson as he reached for his sword. Mere moments later they disappeared down the stairs. Everyone that was left up in the room could hear the angered howls of the Timberwolves and the breaking of wood. Seconds passed in silence only to be broken when another howl was let out and moments later a cry of pain was heard, followed by a shout filled rage and desperation.

"Why...Won't...You ...Just...FUCKING...DIE!?"

Silence began to fill the chamber again. This time no shout broke it, only the sound of boots racing up the staircase. Anderson emerged with Sir Henry carefully carrying a bloody bundle out into the open. Everypony raced over to look at the bloody bundle that used to be the human that guided them here. Twilight managed to control her gag reflexes when she saw the damage. There were so many cuts across his chest that she could easily see his ribs. The left arm appeared to be longer than the right, hinting at a dislocated shoulder. His right leg was bent in an interesting way below the knee. The floor that he laid on was quickly pooling with blood. Seeing how the body was not moving much. Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder and said in a desperate voice.

"Please don't die! I have so many questions that I want to ask!"

"Sir! You have to try to stick with us! Don't leave us!" Anderson shouted at the metal face as he knelt down by his body.

His trembling right hand slowly moved toward his face and a small hissing noise could be heard. The hand instantly dropped the mask and revealed a human face that was almost as pale as the snow by the windows. Drips of blood could also be seen rolling out of his mouth. The hand moved towards Anderson and pulled himself closer to field medic.

"My name is Sergi Zolnerowich and I WILL NOT DIE!" The bloodied body said in a voice that could barely be heard by everypony there.

He lost his grip and his body went limp. See looked in disbelief as she watched him die right in front of her. She barely noticed Anderson moved to look at his friend's back. As she came back to her senses, she got an idea.

"Anderson, I know a spell that can fix him up. Can I help heal him?" She asked as her plan unfurled in her mind.

"What does the spell do?" He asked as his head still hid behind the body.

"It closes every wound and places everything back where it’s supposed to go. Here let me show you!" She replied as her horn began to glow.

"NO NO NO! NOT YET!" Anderson said in frighten panic, waving his newly bloodied hands at Twilight.

"We just can't let him die, it's just not right!" Applejack countered.

"I didn't even find out if he liked cupcakes." Pinkie Pie said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Let me show you what the problem is." Anderson says as he sees Twilights horn dim down.

Walking around the body and the slowly growing pool of blood, the girls and Spike see what the problem is.

"What are those things, they don't look natural." stated Applejack looking at the stubs of the deeply embedded drill bits.

"Oh my... those look painful." quietly mumbled Fluttershy.

"Yes they are. These would heal right into the body if you used your spell Twilight. Since they would still be there they would just rip open the wounds right back up." Anderson explained to them. This was different than anything that she had ever seen.

"I guess you didn't hit him so hard then Rainbow Dash." Applejack said as she looked over at the rainbow-maned pegasus.

"Wait, what happened?" Twilight Sparkle inquired.

"Fluttershy went to open the door and then shouted 'MONSTER' and ran back inside and Rainbow Dash flew out and BAM knock the thing flat on its back. Then we went outside to look at what Rainbow Dash had tackled and started talking about whether it was good or bad and then we noticed it was bleeding. As we stood there talking, it threw Rainbow Dash off of its chest to the side. After that Rainbow dash and it almost got into a fight if Applejack didn't break it up!" Pinkie Pie explained in her usual hyper attitude.

"Where did these things come from?" Twilight asked as her curiosity began to rise again.

"I'm not so sure about that. I just noticed these were in his back before he left." Anderson simply replied "He would probably know, but first let’s remove these things before any healing happens.

Twilight Sparkle and the others watched as Anderson pulled the shrapnel out of his body. Each one varied in length, some were just small pieces while others were about 4 inches in length. As the final pieces were being pulled out Twilight began to focus her energy into the spell she was going to use before. Her horn started to glow brighter and brighter. Soon she wasn't able to see anything other than the light of the magic. She felt a hand tap her on the shoulder and she released the spell. The room was filled with a purple light. Her mind was soon filled with images, none of them her own. Images flashed by of snow, blood and fire. She saw other humans that stood by and helped a small child out of the snow. The images flashed by so fast there was no time to absorb any details. The images stopped suddenly and a different human stood in her mind and looked towards her.

"Twilight Sparkle. Yes, I know your name. That is not important now. I am here to tell you I am in your debt." The figure said as he faded from her mind.

Twilight opened her eyes to see what had happened. His body still laid there in the pool of blood. She ran around the body to check the front. It worked! The large chest wound was gone and the clothing he wore had also repaired. Standing there for what seemed like forever, his chest slowly began to rise and fall. Feeling good that the spell had worked, she relaxed. She had a new set of questions lined up in her head that needed answering. 'What did I just see, who communicated with me in my head, how did they know my name?' Taking time now to look outside to attempt to quiet the questions in her head, she saw the sun setting over the horizon as the storm still raged outside.

'Good, this has been a long day.' Twilight Sparkle thought to herself. 'I need to relax from everything that just happened. I doubt that he will wake up any time soon.'

"Wow, the day just flew past. I better start making some room." Anderson said in an amazed voice.

"Why do you need to make more room?" Spike inquired as Anderson began to move things from around the fire.

"With this storm going on and the sun setting, I doubt anyone would be able to navigate through it." answered Sir Henry as he lifted his companion out of the pool of his own blood. "Well anyone that is awake at the moment."

The knight dragged the body away from the pool of blood and inside one of the tents that were set up. Emerging from the tent, he assisted Anderson in making room for the new guests. Twilight saw Rainbow Dash hovering near the rest of her friends, watching the humans move things around. Anderson stopped for a moment and looked over at the ponies.

"I cleared out a spot over hear by the fire. You can come over here and warm up." He offered waving towards an area that had cushions placed down.

Twilight didn't really notice it at first, but she was kinda cold. She walked over to the fire and sat down. Her friends followed suit with Rainbow Dash still keeping an eye out on the two humans. As they were sitting there trying to get the idea of a creature they had never seen nearly dying for their safety. Spike quickly got bored and started to rummage through some of the bags and boxes that were still full. She heard some clamps being opened and turned to look at what Spike found. A polished wooden instrument lay inside of the case. It looked similar to the one that Octavia plays but very much smaller.

"Spike, I don't think it’s such a great idea to look through their stuff. They might let you if you ask them." She advised.

"It is alright with me. All I have is what I wore on my back." Sir Henry stated as he removed a large majority of his armor. "That's alright with me. Just stay away from that pile there. It's Sergi's." added Anderson.

She was happy at the humans’ willingness to let them explore their belongings, but slightly disappointed that one pile would be left unsearched. Hearing the clamps of the box shut once more, Twilight Sparkle turned back to the fire she decided to join the conversation the group was having. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were talking about the intents of the humans. Rarity was commenting on what they wore. Pinkie Pie was deep in conversations with the humans on what types of parties and treats they liked. Fluttershy was just sitting there staring into the fire. Fluttershy was bought into some conversations to break a tie or see her opinion, but was then left to herself after that. She looked like she was frightened out of her mind.

"Have you heard about or know of anything like these humans Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked to try and help her relax.

"No, I’ve never had an idea that something like them existed. They seem pretty nice though." Fluttershy said after a moment of thought.

"I think I have an idea but the book I need is back at the library." Twilight Sparkle said more to herself than to Fluttershy.

"Oh, what book? I have a couple of books with me in my bag... I mean if you want to check." Fluttershy mumbled out.

"Could you read me the titles?" Twilight asked.

"Supernaturals, How Equestria was made, Daring Do and the Griffon's Chalice, General History of Equestria: From Ancient to Modern..."

"That last one would be great! Could you pass it over?" Twilight said as her interest grew.

Opening her bag and tossing the book over Twilight Sparkle grabbed the book with her magic and started flipping through the pages. As she skimmed through, she saw multiple references to mysterious creatures that came in and out of history to either cause chaos or restore peace. The last reference to these mysterious creatures showed a picture of a human clad in metal facing off against Discord as the Princesses cast their spell during the battle. Looking at the subtext below it read 'And the last member of one of the ancient races sacrificed his life to help defeat the Lord of Chaos, Discord. A statue dedicated to the bravery and courage of this dead race can be seen in the Hall of Fallen Heroes.' Something about the creature seemed familiar. Flipping back a few pages she found what she was looking for, The Guardians of Equestria: The Last of an Ancient Race. Reading through the section she looked up every once and awhile at Sir Henry. From what she was reading in the book, this creature was as old as Celestia and Luna. Even with this explanation, where did Anderson and Sergi come from if not from here in Equestria?

"Sir Henry, Anderson, can you answer a few questions of mine?" Twilight Sparkle asked the humans. Sir Henry got up from the pile of debris from a fallen pillar that he was sitting on. Anderson was broken out a trance from watching the weather outside. The storm was breaking down and showed glimpses of the sky beyond.

Anderson sprang right up and sat himself right across the fire from Twilight, as Sir Henry walked up slowly behind Anderson.

"Fire away. I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities." said Anderson in the calm manor that she has come to know him for when they spoke.

"Before we start with the questions, let’s start with introductions. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

"My name is Applejack, pleasure to meet yah both." Applejack cheerily said as she offered her hoof. Anderson never saw the intensity of the shake until it happened. Sir Henry just nodded as she turned towards him.

"My name is Rarity. I must make you some new clothing when we get back to Ponyville." Rarity stated as she still looked at Anderson's beaten-up attire.

"My name is Pinkie Pie! I work at a sweet shop in Ponyville. Do you guys like cupcakes? I know! When we get back to Ponyville, I'll make a big huge party for both of you as a 'Welcome to Ponyville!' OH! I can't forget about the guy in there too." Pinkie Pie rambled on, the suspense of being here when she could be out planning a party for these new creatures was killing her.

"My name is Fluttershy..." Fluttershy mumbled as the attention switches to her.

"My name is Rainbow Dash and if you try anything, I'll have you on the ground before you even knew what happened!" Rainbow said as she kept her eyes on the two humans, watching for any movement.

"First off you both are humans, correct?" Twilight prodded before asking her real question. Sir Henry could see where this simple question was going and shifted uneasily in his spot.

"Yes, we are both humans. Next question." Anderson replied oblivious to what it was leading to. Twilight Sparkle could see out of the corner of her eyes that her friends had stopped their conversations to watch this one.

"From what I know, Sir Henry was here during the first rule of Discord. So where did you and Sergi come from?" Twilight asked, dropping the big question.

"Well first off, I don't know how we got here. But Sergi and I come from a different place that has no other intelligent life other than us, called Earth." Anderson replied as he was perplexed by what she said.

"Wait, what do you mean 'Only intelligent life'? What about ponies or griffons?" Applejack asked as she joined the conversation.

"We humans are the only ones that can do things like read and write. Ponies live like the creatures out here in the Everfree Forest and griffons are only creatures from ancient myths." Anderson answered with a small quiver in his voice.

"Now darling, I must ask. Is what you’re wearing the style back where you come from?" Rarity cut in, not wanting to drop the idea that these creatures were uncultured in fashion.

"No this is... something we wear to...to protect me when I'm in battle....See, Sergi and I were soldiers in a war... Everyone was at each other's throats... All hell was breaking loose..." Anderson answered as he started to break down. He bent his head down; covering whatever emotion was on his face, even though it was obvious.

"Is everything alright? What's wrong?" Twilight began to ask as she saw this human break down. Sir Henry knelt down beside his comrade and placed his hand on Anderson's shoulder.

"Oh dear...are you alright?" Fluttershy asked Anderson as he continued to cry and mumble cryptic things.

"He reminds me of when I went to Manehattan when I was only a little filly." said Applejack.

"I know what can help!" Pinkie pie shouted as she pulled a cupcake out of nowhere.

Looking up at the outstretched hoof with the offering on it. Anderson took the cupcake and carefully looked at it. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was a bright red. As he took a few bites, he thanked Pinkie Pie for her kindness. Composing himself, he prepared himself for the next volley of questions.

"Is it alright to ask what you’re upset about?" Spike asked Anderson.

"Was it my question on your fashion? I am dreadfully sorry for that then. I didn't know you were that attached to that style." Rarity said.

Twilight looked around at her friends to see that they had removed the wall that they had place between them and the humans. Even Rainbow Dash seemed to soften up. Hearing a rustling behind her, she maneuvered as best she could with her injuries to see the tent flap opening and Sergi appearing.

"What Anderson is upset about is that our world no longer exists. Before we left, the war had brought out the worst in everyone. The two major players in the war decided that if they lost, then they were taking everyone else with them." Sergi told them. "He knows that he will never see his family again. That we are the only survivors of our world's final war." He added.

"If you escaped with Anderson, why are you not depressed?" Twilight asked, confused at the glaring differences in their respective reactions.

"My family is already dead and I never felt attached to the world afterwards." He simply replied

"How can anyone become as stone cold as you? Nothing seems to faze you." Rainbow Dash blurted out.

"I had to watch my closest friends die right in front of me and see people I held dear die in my arms." Sergi replied in a voice that cut like a knife.

Silence filled the room as that news was revealed. The information slowly filled the minds of the ponies. 'A whole planet destroyed? That can't be right. Why would there be a conflict so immense that it killed everything?' Twilight pondered, the silence hanging over everypony like a heavy blanket.

"It's getting pretty late. I suggest that everyone get some sleep. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us." Sergi said to break the silence.

Looking outside, he was right. The storm had stopped and Luna's clear night dazzled the land with its bright stars. Sleep sounded like a good idea. Getting herself more comfortable on the padded ground, Twilight could see that she was not the only one with the idea. Twilight watched as Sergi went over to his companions and tell them that they could have the cots inside the tent. Anderson looked up at Sergi and took the hand that he offered and they spoke to each other in voices low enough not to be heard by wandering ears. Looking happier than he did before, Anderson finished his cupcake and headed for the tent. Falling asleep quickly, she did not have time to go over all of the questions floating around her head. The only thing she knew was that she now had more questions than answers.

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So everything has gone off pretty well. I want to thank frieD195 for helping me with proofreading.Thank you all so much for the support, It is going to help me throughout the story. Any ideas on a schedule for upcoming chapters will be taken into consideration.

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