Dead on Your Hooves

by AppleBucker22

Chapter 4: A Safe Haven

The group had left Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac, Granny Smith, The Cakes, and Spike stayed behind. The acres were fenced up, they had a steady supply of food. They should be safe for a while. As Chris constantly kept staring at his tattoos, always wondering when they are going to spread.

“How far is Canterlot?” Chris asked the group.

“Not far from here, just up on that hill. We’ll have to get by a few tunnels. Best thing we could do is get a train, but I don’t think there are any around.” Twilight responded, “I wonder how Shining Armor and Cadence are....”

“Ah’m sure they’re just fine sugarcube, now stop worrying your little head” Applejack gave Twilight a little stroke.

“Yeah, I’m sure they’re just fine! I’m sure Shining made a spell that blocks those thingies!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Pinkie, not so loud. You wanna be facing off against those creatures?” Chris warned her.

“Sowwy....” Pinkie replied.

“Knight, what do you think we’ll find there?” Chris asked.

“With any luck, answers...for everything.”

“Survivors? What about the princesses?” Chris asked.

“The princesses, they’re practically immortal. I doubt this plague will harm them. And Canterlot is pretty much a fortress. The only ways in and out are the train and the air. The trains will be so heavily guarded there’s no way that the infected will get on, and the air defense around Canterlot is impenetrable, so Featherbrains won’t have a chance.”

“Are you positively sure it’s a fortress?” Chris asked.

“I’m positive Chris.”

“Right.... Then what’s that?” Chris said, pointing his hoof to Canterlot, a burning ruin with pegasi flying in, and out, and some colliding. The royal tower was protected with what seemed to be a yellow barrier.

“.....No....that’s....that’s not...”

“I guess it is.... I guess the princesses must be fine, see the barrier?”

“I see it...Barriers are the first thing you learn as a Celestial Assassin, after invisibility, that is. We learn how to make them, and how to break them. What most ponies don’t know is that no matter how powerful the barrier, they have a sweet spot. Find it, and the barrier goes down in one hit. This one though, even from here I can feel the magic radiating from it. Only alicorns are capable of such a barrier...”

“We should keep on moving. The girls are tired, we have to find a resting spot for the day. We’ll leave out tommorow. Perhaps we should find a train station? Might be our best bet for Canterlot...” Chris said.

“No. You saw what I saw. Canterlot is a death-sentence unless we can find the source of all this. So answers will probably have to wait.” Knight muttered, keeping his gaze to the floor.

“And you also saw what I saw. If anyone’s gonna have answers to all of this, it’s gonna be the Princesses. And besides, they’re also OUR best bet for protection!” Chris told Knight.

In the far distance of the forest, loud screams could be heard

“Aaaaaaaaaaah! Help me!! Heeeeelp!” A strange voice shouted.

The group looked to the forest, they saw nothing but blackness.

“Fight or flight, Knight?” Chris asked.

“...you seriously need to ask?” Knight shot with a smirk, charging forward into the darkness towards the screams.

“Girls, follow me” Chris said as he proceeded to the darkness. When he arrived, he saw a brown pony with an auburn mane and and blue eyes, his foot stuck in a bear trap, and a hoofer horde marching toward him.

“Help! Get me out of these chains! Please!!” The pony begged.

“Knight, hand me your sword!” Chris said.

“On it.” He yelled, tossing his red blade to Chris and charging towards the horde with his other sword held high, it’s blue surface seemingly absorbing the light around it.

Chris took the red sword, and smashed a few times against the bear trap, but nothing seemed to work. Chris inspected it closer, and noticed there wasn’t any closing mechanism.

“Knight, this thing can’t open!” Chris yelled out,”I’m gonna have to amputate!”
“No, no no! Please, just try it one more time, I’m sure that it will---” The pony was desperately trying to convince Chris not to do it.

“I’m sorry man.. Hoof’s gotta go....” Chris held the red blade tightly, and took a swing at the pony’s hoof.

As he screamed out in anguish, more hoofers were attracted. The cut didn’t sever the hoof completely, you could still see the blood gushing from the cut, and a piece of his bone. With each swing his shouts grew more and more violent. Eventually, with the last cut, his hoof was cut off, stuck in the bear trap.

“We gotta get outta here! Now!” Chris yelled.

“I’ll cover you, get him out of here.” Knight ordered. “And Chris, if I don’t come back, I’m ordering you to look after Hollow for me.”

“Shut up, and get running!” Chris yelled at Knight, “We’re all making it out of here alive!”

“Yeah, yeah...” Knight muttered, firing a few bolts of magic at the hoofers, his eyes widening as he shot the last one. “Oh...buck...Chris, we should start running...right now...”

“You’re tellin’ me! This dude is gonna lose too much blood! We gotta get him someplace safe!” Chris ordered.

“No, this is WORSE! Shadow added chaos energy to the last blast I used. Remember what happened to that Horny One? Imagine that, but a hundred times stronger!” Knight yelled back fearfully.

“Ahh... Fine! Meet us two hundred steps east of here!” Chris yelled back, “Just don’t die, I need your sorry ass!”

“Yeah yeah.” Knight shot back, creating a wall between himself and the group, and another between himself and the Horny One. Both were a transparent black colour and gave off a pair of conflicting auras. One seemed calm and soothing, while the other was malevolent and destructive.

As Chris was running to the designated location, the pony had lost consciousness. A few miles north, you could see a group of military pegasi flying at a dangerous speed, almost as if they were crashing.

“Adjust the right wing!” The orange pegasi said.

“I’m trying, I’m trying! Fly straight.... Come on....!” The green pegasus yelled out as he struggled to fix his and his comrade’s wing.

“Oh crap! We’re going down! Mayday!” The blue pegasi shouted.

Chris looked up at the pegasi, seeing as they crashed in a small clearing, which was the designated spot for rendezvous , he and the girls decided to take cover in a small brush and see what is going on.

“Shh.. What’s going on?” Chris asked.

“Well.... It seems they’re.... Dead, all except one... “ Twilight stated.

In the distant road, the patting of a chariot could be heard. The chariot was speeding through the road, eager to get to the crash site. Out of the chariot came 6 ponies. One of them, was in a suit, had a nice black mane. His cutie mark, was a cloak and a dagger.

The other pony of interest was a beige pony, with a prosthetic hoof. He had a knife attached to it. His mane was light blue and he had cuts all over his face. You could see he’s been through a lot. His cutie mark, was a middle finger.

“Hey, over there!” The tall suited pony said.

“I see it.” The pony with a prosthetic arm said.

“Put ‘em out of their misery. Find whatever supplies you can get.” The suited pony said.

The beige pony then took out the knife from his prosthetic arm, and began shoving it up the pegasi’s skulls. They didn’t seem alive though, they resembled hoofers. After several stabs the beige pony noticed something moving in the ground.

“Boss, we got a live one!” The beige pony said.

“Pack him up, we’ll take him there” The suited pony said,” Oh and Merle... Check the surroundings.”

“Yes sir!” The beige pony called “Merle” stated.

The group could do nothing but keep silent. Watching as the beige pony started looking around in the brushes. Suddenly, a few hoofers appeared behind the group, but Pinkie Pie quickly reacted and sliced their heads off, which caused Fluttershy to release a loud: “Eeeep!”

Something else came out of the brush. It was the beige pony, pointing a gun at all of them with. He was holding the gun with his magic, and kept it pointed directly at Chris.
“Well, well, what have we here?” ‘Merle’ said.

“You have exactly three seconds to put the gun down, or I’ll slit your throat.” A voice growled from behind the stallion.

“I don’t think you’d want to do that” A voice from behind Knight came out, revealed itself to be the suited pony.

Knight turned to face him, and scoffed, still levitating his blades to Merle’s throat. “And why is that? I think I could take you down if necessary, or do you underestimate me? Or maybe you overestimate yourself...”

“I don’t have to prove anything to you. Oscar, Alex?” The suited pony simply nodded in the direction of Knight.

Knight soon found himself getting hit in the head by a baseball bat. The only thing he could see was the rest of the group being knocked out as well.

SEVERAL MOMENTS LATER

Chris was the first one to wake up. Taking a look around, he could notice that he is in a medical facility, although, there didn’t seem to be any infected around, else he’d be munched. Chris looked over to see Rising Knight, and that mysterious pony on a medical table next to him.

“Knight..... Knight?” Chris muttered, “Wake up, dumbass, we’ve been captured.”

“....shut up....bastard took my swords, didn’t he?” Knight muttered. “Idiot...”

“Well, that, and the fact that you----agh-- Got manhandled by two squirts! Haha!” Chris chuckled.

“They weren’t kids...they were ‘subjects 73 and 28.” Knight muttered. “Or at least I think they are. If not, they’ve got one hell of a likeness.”

“Sheesh, I hate it when you’re speakin’ fancy... Say.... Why are we tied up?” Chris asked.

“Why do you think? Merle was gonna kill you, I threatened his life. Therefore, they deemed us both a threat. Where are the others though? And why did that stallion in the suit remind me of ‘him’?”

“Cuz all sons o’ bitches look like that...” Chris smiled at Knight, “Whaddya say we get outta here?”

“Already on it. Idiots must never have met a shadow walker.” Knight chuckled, sinking into his shadow.

“That’s mighty useful.... Say could you---” Chris was going to finish his sentence, but the suited pony, ‘Merle’, and a stallion in a lab coat arrived into the room.

“The tattoos on this one are remarkable, I shall have to study---” He was cut off as he saw Knight standing around, like nothing happened.

“Crud...I think we need to speed this up...TSUKI NO ME!” He yelled.

“If you’re referring to your sword, it’s locked up in a magical barrier, good luck shoutin’ your fancy words” The suited stallion said.

“Then it’s a good thing the blade isn’t summoned using traditional magic...” Knight said smugly as a flash of light blinded everypony in the room.

“Is this guy serious?” Merle asked, “Listen guy, this whole area is immune to magic. No casting, no channeling, no nothing.”

Knight laughed, and the light faded, no, was absorbed, by something floating next to him. “...you were saying? Now, I’m gonna say this once. My friends and I are leaving, and you’re not gonna get in our way.” He declared, brandishing Tsuki no me.

“You do realise those swords, are transparent? Just your imagination?” The suited pony said,” They’re actually stored in a vault. Not that it’s any of your business. We gave you shelter, we gave you food, water, medicine for that sick pony... And this is how you repay us? It’s funny how manners die off in an apocalypse.”

“Tell that to 73 and 28. I’ve seen what they’ve done for myself. And I also know those pegasi would’ve made it if you hadn’t killed them off. So don’t go lecturing me about manners you sick fuck. Killing the injured just because there’s a chance they could slow you down or some sick reason like that? I’ve only got one word for that. Monster. And I’ve seen plenty, so I know what I’m talking about. And as for the swords...nopony ever gets away with separating them from me.” Knight growled furiously.

“You mean, you don’t know? It doesn’t matter, if you’re bitten or not. No matter how you die, you come back as one of those. What you thought was manslaughter, was actually mercy killing. We put them out of their misery... They already turned...” The suited pony said, “If you want to leave now, we can pack you up some food and give you a chariot. But I’d recommend you stay,seeing as that pony is still in a comatosed state.”

“What you call mercy, I call foolishness. I call it robbing them off a chance to be cured, not that you’d care...” Knight spat, clearly dead set on seeing the suited pony and his allies as enemies.

“Knight, calm the buck down, they offered us help. Try to be just a little nicer?” Chris stated.

“You should listen to your friend. We can give you a tour of the place. Ain’t much to it, but it is what it is.” The suited pony said.

“I’ve got two words. ‘Fuck’, and ‘You’.” Knight said, trotting past the suited pony with a disgusted look on his face, completely ignoring Chris calling him back.

“He’s quite the charmer isn’t he?” The suited pony asked.

“Yeah... Just give him some time, he’s not very adaptable...” Chris stated. “I’d like the tour though!”

“Come on then, friend, follow me!” The suited pony said.

“What’s your name, by the way?” Chris asked.

“Well, I never give people my real name. So people ‘round here call the The Governor.”

As they went outside, it was dark. Several walls of tires surrounding the perimeter. And a few abandoned shops here and there.

“Is... That it?” Chris asked.

“Oh, no, no, no! This isn’t barely half of it.” The Governor stated, “Let’s get to the center.”

They proceeded on to the center of town. In the center of town was a large bonfire, surrounded by many ponies. Some of them familiar, like....

“Lyra!” Chris growled.

“Her? Oh yeah, arrived about a couple of days ago. Seems nice.” The Governor said.

Chris noticed the girls around the fire, and Rising Knight with them. The people were sharing campfire stories.

“I still don’t see it.” Chris said.

“MERLE! LIGHTS!” The Governor shouted.

Suddenly an array of beams were flashed upon the city, revealing a utopia. It was a fairly small town, with a couple of parks, and regular houses everywhere. Elderly, kids and adults are all over the place. They were regularly having parties. They had electricity, because of the numerous amounts of generators that they have.

“Wow....” Chris stated.

“Yeah... Welcome, to Buckbury!” The Governor said, “I’ll show you and your ‘charming friend’ to your room. It’s got some beds, and a shower. And we’ll let you know how the wounded pony’s progress is.”

“....” Knight just glared at the Governor and walked away, leaving Chris and the girls alone.

“Eheheh.... Err... Don’t mind him... He’s just.... Menopausal?” Chris said with a chuckle.

“More like he’s reminded of the one who put him in the facility in the first place, when he looks at the Governor.” Hollow retorted, and suddenly shivering when she glanced at the suited stallion..

“He can think all he likes, but the people here, see me as a leader, as their role model. I’m not going to let one stallion ruin that opinion.” The Governor stated.

“Let’s just get to our room, Hollow. It’s been a long day..” Chris stated.

“Yeah, right...” She replied with a yawn, stealing one last look at the governor before trotting off.

When they all arrived in their rooms, Hollow was the first one to dunk her head in the pillow. It was a quite large, had several beds and windows, with a shower. Chris sat on his bed and looked over to Knight, who seemed a bit down.

“What’s the matter,sugarcube?” Chris asked.

“Nothing...” Hollow said flatly, before leaning in and whispering, “Not here. Later, when we’re not being watched...”

Chris leaned in closer, “What? We’re being watched? By who?” He asked.

Hollow said nothing, merely motioning behind her, and trotting out and back in the direction Knight had went.

“Well, ain’t that nice....” Chris stated to himself, “I’m dead... I’m gonna retire...Oh wait, nopony’s listening?” He simply rolled his eyes and stuffed his head in the pillow.

THE NEXT MORNING

It was already morning, and the light was shining particularly brightly today. Right beside Chris was the shower, which was currently on.

“Who’s in the shower? Are you decent?” Chris asked.

“Seriously? What kind of stupid question is that?!” A familiar female voice shot back.

“Hollow?” Chris asked again, “That you? Where’s Knight?”

“Gone to train. After what happened with you, being caught with his metaphorical pants down like that, he’s become pretty determined to make sure you don’t get taken over again. Figures the first time a pony ever breaks a soul-gem they get taken over by the spirits inside. When changelings do it, they’re executed as dictated by our beliefs.”

“Well ain’t that a bitch?” Chris stated, “You said you’d tell me something when Knight was out. What was it?”

“I told you when we weren’t being watched. And it’s concerning the Governor. He’s hiding something.”

“Is he now? Dude seems like the nicest person we’ve met during the apocalypse..” Chris stated.

“Seems being the key word. You can’t sense emotions. I can. He’s hiding a massive amount of anger and hatred behind those false smiles of his. Eventually it’s gonna get to him, and he’ll go on a rampage.”

“Alright, alright. Say he is ‘mad’ , he still offered us exit. We can take that bargain. But you’re probably just paranoid. Let’s go outside, get some breakfast, yeah?” Chris said.

“Chris, you ever call Hollow paranoid again, I will skin you alive.” A voice declared from the doorway. “When Hollow says something, you’d do damn well to listen.”

“Well, look, we’ve been out of food for a day or two now, and hunger is playing stuff on our mind! We just gotta get something to eat, and we’ll be fine!” Chris said.

“I’m not starving at all.” Hollow stated smugly. “Or did you forget, changelings feed on love. And Knight is family to me. He keeps me fed. Sibling love. Not the most filling, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Well, you should try a Daisy Sandwich sometimes... They’re brilliant... Unless there’s jelly in them... Damn, now I’m hungry...”

“Can’t...they wrecked my non-vital organs in all their experiments. I can’t digest pony food anymore...” Hollow whispered.

“Just ‘cause you can’t doesn’t mean Knight and I can’t! What do you say Knight, food?” Chris asked.

“Nah, I already ate when I finished training.” Knight said with a shrug. “Besides, I wanna find out what that Governor’s hiding. See ya later.” And then he was gone, sinking into the shadows again.

Chris went outside. Outside was beautiful. The sun was shining on the magic barrier that surrounded the city. Ponies walked all over the place, flower shops were still standing, music shops and dairy farms. Somewhere near the local kitchen, ponies were handing out sandwiches and milk to the local citizens. Chris stood in line, but a pony came up behind him, wearing a prosthetic hoof.

“Hey, it’s the new-blood. Welcome to Buckbury, buttwipe!” Merle stated.

“Well, ain’t you all mighty friendly?” Chris asked.

“One of the things the wasteland teaches ya. Before all this, I was actually staying on a farm with my brother. His name’s Daryl, and he’s usually the pretty one.” Merle replied.

“What happened to the farm?” Chris asked.

“A herd of hoofers just rammed their way through, we tried to make a break for it, but this one bastard cuffed me to the roof. Asswipe forgot to unlock me when the herd came. The Governor here, eventually found me, but because he couldn’t get my hoof out of the cuffs, he had to cut it off. That’s where this baby came from” He said pointing to his prosthetic hoof.

“Damn. What can you tell me about The Governor?” Chris asked.

“The Governor’s a nice man. Wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him, and there wouldn’t be a Buckbury if it weren’t for him. All in all, the governor is a nice man, and should be treated like one.”

Chris quickly grabbed a daisy sandwich and started eating it.

“Oh, Knight! There you are! Merle, this is Rising Knight... I believe you..err.. Pointed a gun at him?”

“No, he pointed a gun at you. I held my swords to his throat.” Knight corrected.

Chris pulled Knight aside and spoke to him.

“Look, just try to make nice.. These ponies SEEM nice, and they could be if you’re not such an asshole all the time, so cool off please...” Chris said.

“Chris...if you can’t see it, you’re blind...” Knight replied coolly, walking off yet again.

Chris turned back to Merle.

“Ehehe.... He says it’s a pleasure to meet you...” Chris said with a sheepish smile.

“Governor needs you all to come to the clinic, that wounded pony has awakened, and we put a prosthetic on him.” Merle said.

“Alright, I’ll gather the crew.”

MOMENTS LATER

The crew had arrived to the hospital. Knight, Hollow and the girls were there.

“Hello?” Chris asked the pony.

“Hi?” The pony replied.

“A-are you okay?” Chris asked.

“Just fine, thank you.” The pony replied.

“What’s your name?” Chris asked.

“Well... People usually call me JD” He replied, “I remember you... You cut off my hoof!”

“You were stuck, in a bear trap...” Chris replied.

“And what were those things chasing me?” JD asked.

“Well... Let’s say they’re infected. Some virus is in the air, and we’re basically all infected. We die in any way, other than the head, and we return as one of them.” Chris said.

“Nasty.” JD said.

“Chris...it’s not in the air...I told you before, some of the subjects must have escaped the facility...” Knight said in an annoyed tone.

“What facility?” JD asked.

“It’s where I spent 6 years of my life. ‘nuff said.” Knight replied calmly.

“More than you told me first time we met...” Chris stated.

“Umm... I’m still here.” JD said.

“Oh yes.. Umm... Welcome to the group, I suppose.. My name’s Chris, and this is Rising Knight and his friend Hollow.” Chris said, “Then these are the girls, the purple one is Twilight Sparkle, the yellow one is Fluttershy, the ‘fabolous’ one is Rarity, the pink one is Pinkie Pie, and this here’s my daughter Applejack. Oh and that over there is Rainbow Dash.”

JD could only stare at Applejack with a glee in his eyes. To him, she was the most beautiful mare he’s ever seen.

“Boy, what’s wrong with ya? You’re sweating heavier than a pig farmer.” Applejack said.

“I knoooooow...” Hollow said in a sing-song voice. “He has a crush on you AJ...”

“Nah, I’ve seen stallions when they have a crush. This right here. Is the ‘I have to pee’ face” Applejack retorted.

“I really... Do gotta pee..” JD said.

“Oooookaaaaay, I’m gonna go.” Hollow said. “Oh, and Chris...Knight is my brother, not just a friend. Get it right next time...” And she was gone.

“She seems nice...” JD said.

“Knight, can I... Speak to you?” Chris said.

“Fine. But make it quick.” Knight replied.

Chris and Knight moved over to the corner and began speaking.

“I believe your theory.” Chris stated.

“What theory? About the plague?” Knight asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, about the Governor.” Chris said, “After I was done talking with Merle, I snuck into his apartment. I saw your swords there, protected by a magic barrier. I flipped through some pages of his diary, and he has a lot of names written down. And one underlined... Penny..”

“I see...alright then. I’ll be back in a minute.” Knight said, turning to walk out the door.

“Wait! You can’t go without me!” Chris said, “I know the combination to his safe, and the disspell to his magic barrier.”

“Alright then, but you know the second either of us is seen the entire group becomes a target. Therefore, stealth is vital. If stealth is impossible, witness elimination is the only option, and I’d rather not resort to that. You think you can stay undiscovered long enough?” Knight asked in a stern tone.

“Don’t worry, Chris has the cure.” Chris stated. He then walked over to JD and asked him: “Can you keep The Governor distracted long enough?”

“Yeah, leave it to me” JD said.

JD then began to twitch, and grasped his stomach, faking stomach pains. Chris quickly walked over to the medicine cabinet and grabbed two bottles.

“Drink it, fast” Chris ordered Knight.

Knight gave him a skeptical look, but took the bottle and drank it as quickly as he could. “Ok, Now what...”

“Look at your body silly.” Chris pointed a hoof to his body, which was apparently, transparent. Chris also took his bottle, and took a swig out of it. The ponies were now permanently invisible. That’s at least, what the bottle said.

“Now, let’s get to that office. Through the window, over there!” Chris pointed at the window.

They both went out through the window, and quietly made their way to The Governor’s apartment. Once they arrived at the gates, Chris skillfully picked the lock on the gate.

“Let’s go..” Chris said.

As they arrived inside, they saw The Governor’s room. It was a fairly large room, with liquor stands, a writing desk and a couch. In one cabinet, were Knight’s swords, protected by a magic barrier.

“There they are. Your swords.” Chris said to Knight.

“Ok, now we just need to get through the barrier.” Knight whispered.

“His spellbook is right on that counter, go grab it. I’ll try to find his notebook.” Chris whispered back.

Knight nodded, not that Chris or anypony else could see him do so, and walked over to the desk, flipping through the books until he found one with a list of spells. “Ok, let’s see what we’ve.....no. NO!”

“Shhh! Keep quiet, you want the whole of Equestria to find out we’re in here? What’s the matter?!” Chris whispered.

“The spellbook...I knew that barrier seemed familiar. This book belongs to the Celestial Assassins. My parents said it was stolen well over 15 years ago...”

“What’s the big deal about it? Is there a spell that can disable this barrier?” Chris asked.

“Yes, and no. There is a spell, but the caster...they have to give up something...” Knight whispered.

Chris looked at the picture of his wife that he had with him.

“W-Will this do?” Chris said, giving the picture to Knight.

“No...it has to be a sacrifice of either body, or soul, depending on the barrier. And this one, is a soul barrier. The spell to undo the barrier requires one to give up a piece of their soul. Do that, and the barrier is gone, but whatever piece you give up is gone for good, and any memories that piece held along with it.”

Chris suddenly started to twitch, and his tattoos grew all over his body.

“Hello again, Rising Knight.” A familiar voice said.

“Hello again. What do you want this time?” Knight spat.

“As much as we hate to admit it, we come in peace this time.”

“If you mean that, then let Chris go...and I’ll consider diplomacy.”

“We cannot let him go, as we are permanently bound to him. The spirit you encountered before, was the spirit of Vengeance and Disbelief. I am the spirit of Trust, and Honesty, here to do my end of the bargain. I offer, my soul so Chris does not have to waste his. His destiny is bigger than any of you can believe.” The spirit said.

“No. I’ve got a part I can let go. I have enough control of this spell that I can choose the piece I lose. I’ll give up the part with the memories of my step-parents.” Knight replied. “You, if you are telling the truth, you can help him. More than I can.”

“No. We shall sacrifice, for it is our purpose. I have met your parents once. Celestial Assassins they were. Fine people. If you give up their memories, you would suffer even greater consequences, and maybe even change the course of history. We beg you Rising Knight, allow us to do this.”

“Then what happens when Vengeance tries to take him over again? Who’ll keep him from losing to him again. It was you that kept him from using all his power, wasn’t it?”

“Not only me, Rising Knight. The spirit of Peace, Khrilla, maintains the peace, but she cannot go on forever. That is why, Chris was chosen, to be the one to stop the plague. This plague, is what keeps Vengeance alive, and with every moment, he grows stronger.”

“Then why can’t you offer Vengeance up instead? Why does it have to be you?”

“Because, I offered, Rising Knight. Vengeance will not come to sacrifice his souls, when he still has evil plans boiling. Khrilla will maintain the peace, but not for long. Rising Knight, we have to do it. Stand back.”

“Dammit...alright...but don’t expect me to just let you stay gone...that’s one of the only things that’s useful about chaos magic. I can bend the rules, and in some cases, break them.”

The spirit walked up to the barrier, his horn began to glow and a bright flash of magic stunned Rising Knight. When he could see again, he saw Chris, holding his swords up to him.

“Here, take ‘em.” Chris said. On his left hoof, you could see some more tattoos. And they already spread to his neck.

“Thanks....shame about Trust, though I think Shadow’s already planning something for her...” Knight said, taking his blades and teleporting them to parts unknown to all but him.

“What are you blabbering about? Who’s Trust?” Chris asked, “But nevermind that now, we gotta look for The Governor’s journal.”

“Fine. And turns out there’s 3 or more spirits in your body, not the thousands we originally assumed.” Knight muttered, levitating several books in front of himself and scanning them quickly.

“Waaait a moment! There it is!” Chris pointed to a small book that was located right by Rising Knight’s shoulder, “Open it up, I wanna show you.”

Knight quickly used his magic to open the notebook. Inside were scribbled the names of the group:

Twilight Sparkle
Rising Knight
Christian Appleknife
Hollowpoint Swift
Applejack
Pinkie Pie
Fluttershy
Rarity
Rainbow Dash
Jonathan Dam
PENNY

“What the hell...it’s a watchlist...he’s marked us as potential threats to be monitored at all times...the last name though...I’ve never heard of her...who is she?”

“I’m... I’m not sure... Maybe we should---” Chris was interrupted as he heard chatter coming up the stairs, and it sounded like the Governor, “Crap, take cover!”

As they closed the diary behind them and looked up at the Governor, who had apparently come alone. He left his jacket on the table, and proceeded to pour himself a drink. After drinking it down, he grabbed his gloves and went for his closed. Strange noises rumbled from the closet and The Governor opened it, it revealed a small pony. But not just any kind of pony. An infected pony. The Governor had put a muzzle over her and seated himself behind her. He then took out a hair brush and gently stroked her hair.

“There, there Penny, that’s nice isn’t it?” The Governor asked Penny, who didn’t seem to respond.

“A foal...Penny is, a foal?” Knight whispered.

“Well, it seems like it...” Chris whispered, “What’s this?” Chris picked up a family picture, which included the Governor, his wife and a daughter. Signed ‘Artemia and Penny with love, to Phillip.’

“...she’s his daughter...”

The Governor was still stroking her hair gently, but he seemed to have tore off a piece of her scalp. Penny went into a fit of rage, screaming loudly and kicking around.

“Easy Penny, easy! I think it’s nap time!” The Governor said as he was struggling with Penny.

He then grabbed a bag and tried to put it over her head, but the filly was kicking and screaming all over. He eventually put the bag over her head, which made her calm down a little.

“There... That’s nice Penny, ain’t it?” The Governor asked Penny, who was now calmer.

“We gotta get outta here... Out the window, go!” Chris said.

“Ok, let’s go. And then we get Zecora. It looks like we’re gonna need more of her cure.”

As they jumped through the window, they arrived at what seemed a facility. Sand surrounded them, as they saw a few cages up in the distance.

“Check the cages, I’ll keep an eye out” Chris said.

“Got it.” Knight whispered, still on-edge.

When he got to the cages, he saw they were full of hoofers. Looking around, figuring there was nopony there, Knight decided to practice a bit. He took out his swords and broke the lock on the hoofer’s cages.

“Showtime..” Knight said with a large grin.

He then quickly charged into the Hoofer crowd, Chris still looking at what the buck is he doing. With a quick strike of his sword, he cut the first hoofer’s head off. The blood was spewing onto the next hoofer, rendering it blind for a few moments, which allowed Knight to get up close and bash his brains. The next hoofer, he took his sword and jammed it up his throat, killing it permanently. Soon, the crowd was cleared.

Chris was still puzzled at what was going on, coming over to the pile of corpses and looking at them strangely. They appeared to have syringe marks over their necks.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a stallion arrived with a bucket of meat. Looking up at the stallion the guys realised it was The Governor.

“Oh crap....”
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A/N: Yes, yes I know I've left you in a cliffhanger, but don't worry, this shall be solved in a matter of time. If you are wondering "Gee, what takes these dudes so long to write this?" The answer is simple. We somewhat lack inspiration, and my partner is very often absent-minded. But, we still get it done, and we hope that you guys out there enjoy it. AppleBucker22 out!