My Little Pony: Twilight's Requiem

by Pika53

Chapter 8

As they continued to travel along the labyrinth of streets that seemed to compose Canterlot, Jaden struggled to keep his companions spirits up as they slowly approached the distant castle. The only way he could think to accomplish this was to joke around with them; although it quickly became obvious that someponies just couldn’t take a joke. Trixie was the current target and, much like Twilight had been earlier, wasn’t a particularly happy camper at the moment; although many of the others were highly amused.

Jaden knew there was a limit to how far a joke could go before it became pointlessly cruel, but Trixie’s reactions so far were hard to resist; particularly when one of the others joined in. Said pony was currently bickering with Rainbow Dash about something; eliciting snickers from the others.

“Gee Dash, need a hug?” Applejack teased.

“Nope. I’m good.” Rainbow Dash retorted.

Exchanging glances, Jaden could tell that Tess was amused as she rolled her eyes at him.
He just grinned and shrugged in reply.

“Ya know, ya’ll would make a really cute couple.” Jaden spoke up, unable to pass up the chance to prank the pegasus.

Over a chorus of giggles, Rainbow Dash gaped at him.

“Oh. Oh! Whoa! That would never happen!” she snapped anxiously.

“Really?” Jaden teased.

Turning, he saw Trixie continuing to march forward without stopping.

“Hey, where you goin’? I’m not done winding you up yet!” Jaden called out.

“Trixie is through with you!” the magician roared; glaring over her shoulder at him as she did so.

“Uh, Trix, you might wanna...”

Trixie continuing to march forward unhindered and promptly collided with one of
the few trees in the area with a grunt; eliciting moans from the rest of the group.

“That looked like it hurt.” Tess remarked.

“It did!” Trixie snarled.

Seconds later, a shrieking metal sphere suddenly fell out of the tree and collided with the unfortunate unicorn’s head; eliciting a pained squawk from her as she fell to the ground. Walking over, Jaden noticed Trixie’s eyes were doing circles, before she shook herself and rubbed her head.

“Are you alright?” he asked, extending a hand.

Trixie groaned as she accepted the assistance.

The metal sphere meanwhile was just returning to normal after spouting pointless questions that amounted to nothing more than gibberish. Twilight cautiously approached the sphere and began to examine it.

“Uh, hi. Do I know you?” the sphere asked.

“Spike?” she asked.

Jaden cocked an eyebrow. So that’s why he recognized the voice.

“Who? I’m Desi.” the sphere replied.

“You’ve been following us.” Jaden commented, noting Twilight’s curious glance.

“Well, our last encounter left me highly curious.” Desi replied.

Jaden smirked.

“Well, in that case it’d be wrong of us to leave you out of all this fun.” he said, watching Twilight roll her eyes at him before levitating the sphere into her saddlebag.

Said unicorn looked ready to comment further when a sudden loud cracking sound grabbed everyone’s attention.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Gunfire.” Jaden replied, searching for the source of the noise.

Moments later, another extended burst of fire could be heard from somewhere nearby.

“It’s coming form over there.” Jaden called out, pointing to a nearby ally.

“Seems somepony got tired of waiting for us.” Tess murmured sarcastically.

“Yep. Looks like its pop quiz time.” Jaden replied; chuckling at Twilight’s exasperated moan as the group made its way toward the fight occurring nearby.

Moments later, they entered the next street. The scene before them however, was not what they’d expected. Further ahead was a group of guard ponies fighting off a horde of zombies. The guard ponies appeared to be well armed with weapons similar to what Tess had and seemed almost eager to fight. Curiously, what looked like Princess Luna stood among the throng of guards; although she wasn’t exactly fighting.

Looking on, Jaden could do little more than shake his head. Something about the situation just didn’t feel right, and Jaden wasn’t certain what it was. The scene before them however, was highly reminiscent of something he’d seen in a movie back home. He also couldn’t help noticing that something about the princess seemed off. Although he didn’t know what the princess was really like, Jaden noted that this Luna seemed more assertive than he figured she should be. He’d also expected to experience some hearing loss from her supposed lack of volume control yet that didn’t happen when Twilight called out and approached her. In fact, Luna appeared somewhat distant as she cast them a fleeting glance.

The guards didn’t really seem to react to their presence, or much else, for that matter. Jaden noted that the guards also appeared to be far more accurate with projectile weapons than he figured they would be. He also half expected them to react to their comrades’ distress as the horde surrounded and eliminated them yet the guards didn’t. Instead they continued to quietly engage the zombies in an apparently futile effort to subdue them.

Such behavior took the term stoic to a whole new level.

Puzzling over this development, Jaden couldn’t help noticing something else about the princess. As he continued to watch the slaughter before them, Jaden could’ve sworn he’d seen Luna glitch. Exchanging glances, Jaden targeted the main group of zombies and opened fire while Tess engaged another group approaching from an adjacent alleyway.

As they fought, Jaden could tell that they were in a losing situation and needed to find a way to escape. Letting his gaze drift, Jaden noted that a large male Griffin was battling a pack of zombies a short distance to their left. Where the creature came from he didn’t know, but now wasn’t the time to worry about such trivialities as he fired several rounds from his new launcher into a mass of zombies ahead of them. To say he was pleasantly surprised by the weapon’s ability to hurl flaming citrus that seemed to have an airburst effect was an understatement; particularly when the rounds were somehow able to inflict flame and corrosive damage to targets. Carefully studying the weapon, Jaden noted that the launcher was powered by the same magazines used in his handgun. How it all worked he didn’t know, but it certainly improved their chances.

“Time to go!” he remarked.

The others murmured in agreement as Jaden targeted and eliminated the zombies surrounding the Griffin with his rifle.

“Dude, let’s go! We are leaving!” he called out.

The Griffin murmured something as the group moved down the alleyway Tess had cleared. Curiously, none of the guards followed them. As they traveled, Jaden noted that the princess seemed to be leading them on a roundabout route to the castle. Interestingly, neither the Griffin nor any of the ponies had yet noticed this convenient turn of events. Several hours later, the group arrived at another rundown section of Canterlot. Curiously, Jaden didn’t recall seeing an overpass on their first visit. He wasn’t sure the ponies even knew what it was. Looking on, he could tell that most of his companions were still on edge form the previous ambush. Princess Luna however, didn’t appear phased by the situation as she continued to lead the way.

As they traveled, Jaden continued to observe the princess. Part way along the overpass, Jaden noted that Princess Luna appeared to be discreetly looking for something off to their right. At the same time, he was certain he saw her glitch again. Following her gaze, Jaden didn’t see anything in the ravine below that stood out yet he couldn’t shake the strange feeling of unease that enveloped him. He was struck by the irony of how much their current situation and the previous ambush were reminiscent of scenes from a movie he’d seen back home.

A startled gasp followed by a strange stuttering sound grabbed the group’s attention.
Turning, Jaden watched as Pinkie Pie suddenly began to experience a strange sporadic shudder.

“Pinkie Pie… are you… ok?” Tess asked.

“My Pinkie Sense's all a twitchin’! Aaaand whatever that shudder's about, it's a doozy.
Something you never expect to happen is gonna happen… and it’s bad!” Pinkie replied.

“Pinkie Sense?” Tess queried, blinking in confusion.

“Don’t ask!” Twilight warned.

“Paradoxeous maximus.” Jaden added helpfully.

“Uh, ooookay...” Tess murmured, blinking in confusion.

Besides a few bemused snorts, the group silently continued their trek.
They had only traveled a few feet when Jaden suddenly held up a hand.

“Wait.” he warned.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“There’s something down there.” Jaden replied.

“Where?” Rarity asked.

Jaden pointed to a dark spot roughly fifty yards away in the ravine below as he spoke.

“There.”

“I don’t see anything.” the Griffin snapped.

“Well, that doesn’t alter the fact that there is something down there.” Jaden retorted.

“I've had enough of this horse dung!” the Griffin snarled, storming ahead in a huff.

Seconds later, the unmistakable growl of a rail gun could be heard from somewhere in the ravine below. The Griffin grunted and twitched in response to the heavy rounds that tore into its flesh and hurled it ten feet through the air. Jaden already knew the Griffin had died before it hit the ground and dreaded what would happen next.

“Boy, do I hate being right at the time.” he murmured over his companion’s horrified cries.

Curiously, Princess Luna, who’d been the most stoic member of the group, suddenly bolted. Seconds later, Tess called out and followed her. No sooner had Tess cleared the spot the Griffin had been when it was shot, than the rail gun opened fire once more; barely missing the alicorn and eliciting a startled yelp from her in the process. The rest of the ponies meanwhile, were beginning to panic.

Over the sound of Twilight startled yelp, Jaden approached the railing near the spot the Griffin had been shot.

“Run! Now! Just go!” he shouted at the ponies, before turning back toward the ravine and leaping over the railing.

As he felt the rush of free fall, Jaden was rather grateful for the longfall boots; otherwise he’d never have attempted the stunt. Hitting the ground, Jaden was surprised by how soft the landing actually was. Glancing down, he saw he was standing on a mattress. Where it came from he didn’t know but Jaden allowed a smirk to cross his face; knowing a certain rainbow maned pegasus was backing him up.

“Thanks.” Jaden said, turning toward the cyan colored pony.

“No problem.” Rainbow Dash replied.

Letting his gaze drift, Jaden noted that they had a clear view of the surrounding area. Unlike the view from the overpass, the pair now had a clear view of their shooter. Standing fifty yards away, the creature was roughly humanoid. It stood about seven foot tall and was clad in black trousers, overcoat, boots, and gloves. The creature’s most prominent feature however, was its head; which was missing its right eye and had cranial staples in addition to exposed muscles and tentacles. The muscles surrounding the creature’s appeared to be cut in such a fashion as to make it appear like it was grinning although the monster wasn’t. It was also armed with the bloody rail gun and a rocket launcher.

Instinctively, Jaden knew what the monster before them was but couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Not much to look at, huh?” Dash murmured meekly.

Jaden murmured in agreement.

“Oh, and do try to keep up.” he said, readying his launcher.

“Oh, it’s on!” Dash retorted as Jaden suddenly rushed forward.

As he ran, Jaden fired three rounds from his launcher at the beast. Aside from staggering the creature slightly and causing it to roar savagely at them; the rounds had little visible effect. The monster meanwhile continued to stand unmoving in the same position as Jaden approached. Spotting a large crate in front of him, Jaden had the wild idea that he could use it as a springboard to leap past the creature. He had lost sight of Rainbow Dash along the way as he reached the crate and vaulted over it.

The next thing he knew, Jaden was laying on the ground beside a nearby support column. His chest burned and he could hardly breathe. Looking up, the incentive to flee was very much present as Jaden watched the beast aim its rail gun at him. Scrambling to his feet, Jaden dove behind the column as the beast opened fire.

“I thought… we were t-trying… to get away f-from… whatever!” Dash wheezed anxiously; suddenly beside him.

“W-we’re… luring it… a-away… from the others.” Jaden gasped.

“Look, less talking… more running!” he bellowed, over the sound of approaching footsteps.

As one, the pair bolted away from the column over the sound of their pursuer’s angry howl. Seconds later, the beast opened fire with its rail gun yet again. Jaden could almost feel the weapon’s heavy rounds tear into the ground around him as he ran. Throughout it all, he was surprised he wasn’t hit and amused by the unobscured view he had of Dash’s hindquarters. Minutes later, they reached a chain-link fence that separated the area they were in from another lot. Another large crate lay beside the fence, making it easier to cross. Beyond the fence Jaden could see over a dozen carriages’ lined up in front of a large building. He couldn’t help being amused by the fact the carriages’ were arranged like police cruisers within the space.

An alarmed yelp from Dash grabbed his attention. Following the pegasus’ gaze, Jaden watched as their pursuer raised and fired its rocket launcher at them.

“Aw, crap!” Jaden screamed as the pair scrambled over the fence.

Seconds later, they began making their way through the adjacent lot toward the building. Jaden didn’t need to look back to know what was happening as he ran. The sound of the closing rocket was quite clear as it sailed toward them. Jaden stumbled but quickly recovered as something exploded behind them. Rainbow Dash meanwhile, continued to sprint ahead and dived through a nearby window. Jaden was hot on her hooves as he heard something get crushed behind him followed by the roar of the rail gun.

Diving through the window, Jaden promptly collided with Dash who in turn slammed into a nearby desk with a pained grunt. The pair then half-staggered, half-dragged one another into an adjacent hallway as they continued their frantic escape. Rounding a corner, Jaden urged Dash onward as a wall exploded somewhere behind them. The sound of heavy footsteps quickly followed as the monster continued to chase them.

Passing yet another corner, Jaden noted that the pair had entered a dead end hallway. Their only avenue of escape appeared to be a garbage chute at the end. Over Dash’s alarmed squeal, the crazy plan formed in Jaden head and he readied his rifle. He then fired half a magazine into the wall beneath the garbage chute before turning back to the wide eyed pegasus.

“Does that answer your question?” he asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded.

“Keep moving!”

Nodding, Rainbow Dash charged forward and dived into the weakened spot; shouting as she tumbled down the chute beyond. Jaden was hot on her hooves, dropping into a slid on his back, as their pursuer rounded the corner and roared savagely as it opened fire with its rail gun once more. Quickly exiting the chute, Jaden landed inside a large metal garbage dumpster. Unfortunately, he landed on top of Dash, who groaned painfully beneath him.

Glancing up, the pair saw their pursuer wedge its rocket launcher into the hole and fire. Panicked, the pair struggled to crawl out of the dumpster. They barely made it out and took cover before the rocket impacted; the dumpster deflecting the heat and debris up and away from them. Gasping, the pair staggered over to a nearby wall and sat down to catch their breath.

Letting his gaze drift, Jaden realized they were somewhere in the building’s basement. The area was rather large and quite dark. The only source of illumination coming from small red lights spread out around the area; casting off a sporadic hellish glow. Glancing around uneasily, he knew it wouldn’t be long before the monster figured out how to reach them. Curiously, the sound of the beast’s heavy footsteps appeared to be going away.

Jaden and Rainbow Dash stared quietly at one another as the sound slowly vanished.
After ten minutes of silence the pair began to relax.

Silently, Jaden began to reload his weapons and take stock of the situation. Casting a glance at his partner, he noted that the pegasus was gently massaging a wing with her forehooves. That action in turn reminded Jaden of the dull throbbing pain in his own chest. Gently lifting his shirt, Jaden looked down and saw a large bruise forming. The area was also very tender. Sighing, he carefully lowered the shirt as he turned his attention back to his companion.

“You alright?” he asked.

Rainbow Dash moaned that she was before yawning hugely and lying down. Jaden murmured softly in reply before
yawning and stretching out himself. His eyes slowly drifted closed and in a matter of moments he was asleep.