> The Four Horsemen of Equestria > by CaleMcManus21 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Humans > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Celestia stood on her balcony, looking at the sun she recently has risen. Normally she would have a satisfied look on her face, but this morning, something was troubling her greatly. A royal guard approached her from behind. "Princess? Is something wrong?" He asked. "No" she lied. "Everything is ok" she retreated back inside, leaving the guard out on the balcony. She made her way down the hall and into the library. Reading in the floor, was Princess Twilight Sparkle. "Princess!" She said excitedly. However, her excitement disappeared when she saw the look of what appears to be distraught on her mentor's face. "What's wrong, Princess?" She asked. "I recently recieved a warning that a human invasion is coming" she responded. "I'm sure its somepony trying to scare me" she added. Princess Twilight walked over to a corner of the library and used her magic to get a book about Humans. She then began to use her magic to flip through the pages. "Princess..." She began. "The last human that showed up was 100 years ago and he was good hearted. Are you sure the human invasion is..." "No" she cut her off. "I do not believe the invasion is happening. But it won't hurt to prepare in case it turns out to be true." "Do you believe all Humans are good because of that last human?" Princess Twilight asked. "No. But I do believe that SOME are" she closed her eyes and began to focus. "I recently learned a spell that allows me to search for any good hearted races that are/aren't Equestrian" she explained. After awhile, her eyes shot open and she let out a gasp. "What did you find?" Princess Twilight asked. "I found four good hearted humans. But their past... It has villainy written all over them." "Who are they?" Twilight asked. "Their occupation are too monstrous for me to say." "But can we trust them?" "I hope so my faithful student. I hope so." "So what happens now?" "Now we discuss if we should bring in these humans and have them as our allies." "Of course they'll be our allies, they're good hearted." "Yes, but like I said, it's their occupations that worries me." "What's to worry?" New Orleans (Present Day) A young man was sitting in a bar drinking scotch. He wore blue jeans, a white t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and wore a black cap over his head. He picked up his glass and took another sip. He coughed and placed some money on the table. "Thanks for the drink" he said in his Cajun accent. He stood up and walked out of the bar and into the sunlight. As he walked, another young man bumped into him. "Hey sorry Remy" he apologized before quickly running off. As he continued to walk down the street, he saw a piece of paper with his picture on it taped to a wall. 'Wanted: Remy G. Brecht.' Remy quickly ran down the street as far away from the wanted poster as he possibly could. "Hey!" There he is!" Someone shouted. Remy stopped and turned his head. "Shit" he whispered under his breath. He then ducked into an alleyway and leaned against the wall. He lowered the brim of his cap to cover his eyes and waited patiently for his pursuers to run by, but they got him right where they wanted. "Lookie here boys" the leader of a gang said. "Remy here has nowhere to run. It's one against five." The gang then laughed. Remy mocked a laugh and lifted the brim of his cap, so they could see his dark brown eyes. "You guys don't know me very well, do you?" He asked. "Sure we do" the leader laughed. "You're Remy G. Brecht. Wanted man. And wanted men means money is the prize when someone catches them." Remy shrugged. "Do you know what the 'G' stands for?" He asked. "Yeah. Remy 'Goddamn' Brecht" a gangster laughed. The other gangster laughed as well. "No" Remy said. He pulled out a handgun with a silencer attached to it and shot all five of them, wounding the one that made a bad guess on what his middle name was. He approached the groaning gangster. "The name is Remy 'Gunslinging' Brecht. Hope you got it memorized. Oh wait, you won't." He raised the gun up and shot the gangster in the head. He tucked his gun away, staged his killings like the gang turned on each other, and walked casually out of the alleyway. San Francisco, CA A young man wearing dark jeans, dark shoes, and a gray hoodie was walking down the street smoking a cigarette. He stopped by an apartment building and continued to smoke there. He glanced at his watch and tapped his foot patiently. He turned his head and saw me walking down the street with my hands in my pockets. I was wearing a gray t-shirt, khaki pants, white socks, and light colored running shoes. "Rook Cale!" He shouted. "What the hell took you so long?" "It was hard for me to kill that guy without making a scene" I said. "We're assassins. We're suppose to kill. And look on the bright side" he said as he pulled out a couple of 100 dollar bills. I shook my head and leaned against the wall. "You kill for money, I kill for the good" I responded. "What the hell does that mean?" My partner asked. "It means that I no longer kill the innocent. That part of me has gone to hell." Just then, a homeless child approached us and beckoned his hand towards us, "Scram, get out of here" my partner said. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a nickel. "Buy yourself a candy, kid" I said as I handed the coin to him. My partner stared wide eyed. He was so shocked, that the cigarette fell out of his mouth. "What the hell was that?!" He asked as I put the cigarette out. "Generosity. You should try it some time." "Don't give me that virtue bullshit! You gave money to a kid! We're criminals!" "Fuck crime" I said to him. I turned to leave. My partner pulled out a knife from his pocket and charged at me. I quickly spun around, grasped his hand, and plunged his own knife into his chest. My partner began to groan and gasp. I leaned him against the wall and faked a frown. "Why?" I asked, pretending to cry. "Why did you have to kill yourself?" I asked. My partner opened his mouth to say something but only blood spilled out. After hearing his last breath, I closed his eyes and left the area with a smug look on my face. Maryland In a principal's office, a high schooler sat in front of said principal. The student had messy brown hair, he wore a white t-shirt with the words 'Soldier of Fortune' on it. He had brown shorts, white socks, and sneakers. The principal was glaring at him. "This is the 11th time this week I had to call you in" the elder man said. "So?" The high schooler asked. "I'm a senior, I'm about to graduate in a couple of months." "You won't be graduating if you continue to pull this off!" The principal yelled. "You know, I'm starting to get why a lot of your friends and family members call you Casanova Chase." "You have to admit, it has a nice ring to it" Chase said. "Yes, yes, it does... HEY! Don't distract me with that!" "It's not my fault you keep falling for it" the teen stood up and picked up his backpack. "You know Mr. Creed, this is why I like you being the principal, you're easy to distract." "You leave this office and I'll give you detention!" "Then I'll just make out with the girl who studies there!" The teen called back. "Son of a..." The principal slammed his fist on the table, knocking down his coffee mug, spilling coffee everywhere. "Shit" he gasped. Chase walked down the hall and approached his classroom. When he entered, the students began sucking their teeth. "Shit" one student said. "Goddammit" another muttered. "I can't stand this guy." Soon the entire classroom, even the teacher began shaking their heads and cursed. "You're a great crowd" Chase said sarcastically as he pulled up a chair and sat next to a blonde girl. "Hey" he said, trying to woo her. He leaned a little close to her. "What say after school, you and I..." The bell rang. "Ok class, when you get back from lunch, we'll go over the test schedule" the teacher said. "Buy yourself something, darling" Chase said as he placed $1.50 on the blonde's desk. Las Vegas, Nevada A college student with curly brown hair, wearing a white long sleeved shirt, a black leather vest, brown pants, and brown shoes stood at the center of the slot machines, looking around. He was thinking whether to take the slot machines, or go to the gambling tables. "Hey, Wild Card Jack!" Someone called. The college student turned his head and saw a group of teens sitting at a Blackjack table. "Come on, game's about to start!" Jack approached the table and sat at the edge. "Ok, guys, ready to lose?" He asked. "Come on Jack, you know you lose with that attitude" a teen next to him said. Jack placed one hand on his shoulder. "Besides, if you're rich like me..." Jack cut him off. "Hey, for your information, I like to to get energized before any game I play. Whether it deals with gambling or not. So cut me some slack." Jack released his shoulder and leaned back into his chair. The card dealer began to deal the cards. "Wait" Jack said. "I realized something has come up. I'm not playing. Good luck guys" he said as he left. The teen that taunted him shook his head. "What a weirdo." "Place your bets" the dealer said. As the college student pulled out his wallet, his eyes widened when he saw that it was empty. "What the hell?! My money's gone!" "Oh come on, we can't wait any longer!" A friend complained. "No guys, wait!" The college emptied out his wallet, spilling out gift cards, and a credit card. "We only accept cash, sir" the dealer said. "Fuck!" The teen yelled. Jack made his way out of the casino with about $30 in 5s in his pocket. He made his way over to a homeless guy sitting against the wall. "Told you I'd get you something" he said as he put the $30 into the man's hand. "Thank you, young man" the homeless man said as he shook Jack's hand. "No problem" he replied as he walked away. "Goddamn it" he whispered. "Now I need to wash my damn hand!" > "Bring Them In!" > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight walked down the halls of Canterlot. During their walk, Princess Celestia told her student about the humans. And as the explanation went on, Princess Twilight's eyes began to widen. "Why? Would they do such things?" She asked. "I don't know, that's why I'm planning to bring them here." "But the discussion! Shouldn't Equestria know about this, first?" She asked. "No! I changed my mind about that! I'm going to bring these humans in, learn their background, and see if they're really the good hearted men I sensed!" They walked into a room and Princess Celestia showed her a box. She turned to her student with a serious look. "Now when we encounter these humans, we will make sure they're restrained so they don't try anything foolish. If we like what we hear, I want you to give one of each of what's inside that box to them." Princess Celestia used her magic to open the trunk and levitated the contents within. Princess Twilight gasped and widened her eye with awe. "Now..." Princess Celestia said. "Let's bring these humans in." Somewhere in San Francisco I walked down the streets of my San Francisco hometown until I reached a church. I entered and walked down the empty building and reached a booth. I stepped inside and knelt before a medium-sized screen window. "Bless me Father for I have sinned" I said as I did the sign of the cross. "I committed a sin 5 minutes ago." "No, you committed your sin 3 years ago" the priest behind the screen said. "I know you. You used the name Rook Cale to hide your identity. Isn't that right, Mr. Cale McManus?" I was shocked when he said this. The priest opened the screen door and gave me a hard stare. "And I'm impressed." "What do you mean?" I asked, still kneeling. "You joined a group of assassins to learn their ways. You tailed them, studied them, and the more you knew, the better chance you had for killing them. I believe you focused on one assassin so hard, that when you found out he was allergic to vinegar, you poured a tablespoon of that into a dipping sauce at that restaurant 10 blocks from here." "Tell me something I don't know, father" I said softly. "You're considered something I've never thought I would never see." "What's that?" I asked. The priest opened a Bible, flipped through the pages, and then handed it to me. I glanced at the page and began to read a random paragraph. When I was done, I glanced at him. "No, this can't be right" I said. "Oh but it is..." He said with a smile. "I'm not a Horseman of War" I complained. "But I recall you led many battles between assassins and won them all." "Yeah well..." I was flattered. "You're a different Horseman of War. The Bible depicts the Horseman having the power to take peace from the Earth and have men slay each other. You on the other hand, want to bring peace to the Earth by getting rid of the evil. The Good vs. The Wicked is the way I see it. And you being a killer and all, I'm just going to assume men, women, and children don't matter to you." They don't. Unless I see a reason why they should stop living. "So tell me, Mr. McManus... Do you have doubts in your title?" I glanced down at the page and read it again. "Kind of" I answered. "Good. I shall leave you in your thoughts." He got up and opened the door. "Oh, and nice job." "For what?" I asked. "For coming in to confess. How often do you do it?" "Every day. After killing a sinner. Man, woman, child. I always pray that I one day pay the price for doing such a task." The priest took one last look at me and left. Alone, I continued to read about the Four Horsemen. When I was finished, I closed the Bible amd stood up. I was about to open the door, but I heard various echoey voices in my head. I glanced around the small room, but saw nothing. Shrugging, I grasped the doorknob and turned the handle. "Come!" A motherly voice that had a whispery tone echoed through my head. Suddenly, a bright light engulfed me and the room. A Local Bar in New Orleans Remy was sitting in a bar drinking scotch. He sighed with relief and leaned back in his chair. The door opened and two men entered the bar. "I feel sorry about that guy in the street" one of them said. "Yeah. He's been putting up posters all over the block." Remy turned his head and saw one of them holding a poster. "I mean... Wow." Remy put some money on the counter and got up. As he made his way across the bar, he was able to take a quick look at the poster. It was a picture of four shadowed figures on horses. Underneath it was a warning. 'Beware the Four Horsemen!' He made his way out the door and walked down the street. When he passed by an alley, an elder man was leaning against the brick wall. "Are you Remy 'Gunslinging' Brecht?" He asked when he walked by. Remy stopped and turned his head. "What of it?" He asked as he approached the man. "Quick with the trigger. From pistols, to the sniper. A gun of any kind seems to fit you. Seems to me you like killing a lot. Did the Grim Reaper hire you?" "Ha ha ha very funny. Nice joke" Remy laughed. "It's not a joke" the man replied. "How does it feel to look someone in the eyes and as quick as a flash, you have your gun in your hand, and you pull the trigger? And you target men only." "Never women or children." "So I see" the man said. "Why men? If you like the sight of death so much, why do you go for men? Not women and children?" "Children are innocent! And as for women..." He stopped there and sighed. "I don't have the strength to harm them." "So it's the men that needs to be punished. You know, I encountered a young man who is an assassin and he kills unless there is a reason." "Only the men, right?" "No. Women and children included." "Then he should be punished!" Remy yelled. "Should he? Every year, he sees sinners go through their daily lives. Day after day, he picks them off one by one." "Then he's the one that likes death." "No. You like death." "So does he!" "But he prays after each kill. Unlike you, you kill, and then walk away and continue on with your life." The man stepped out of the alleyway. "Something you should think about." He began to walk down the street. Remy sighed and leaned against the wall. "Death? Me?" He asked to himself. Suddenly, there were echoed voices in his head, similar to the ones I experienced. Remy drew his gun and began to point it around the alleyway. "Who's there?!" He asked as he walked deeper in the alleyway. There was silence. Remy lowered his gun and tucked it away. "Come!" The same motherly voice said. A flash of bright light engulfed Remy and took him away. A Stadium in Maryland Chase entered the bathroom to wash his hands. "A Ravens fan" a voice said. Chase turned around and saw that a man has locked himself in a stall. "Yeah man, I like them a lot" Chase answered. "I can tell. I heard you yap about it from in here." Chase laughed and turned on the faucet. "You're not only here for the Ravens" the man said. "You're here to court women." "What are you talking about?" Chase asked as he put soap. "You're a smooth talker. Like to flirt with women, take them to your bedroom, and love all night long." "So?" He asked. "You like conquering the minds of women. You get into their head, get all smoochy and shit, and then, the sex. You know, I've encountered some men who approached women, use them, and then after sex, poof! Gone without a trace." "Sons of bitches" Chase muttered as he continued soaping his hands. The man flushed the toilet and stepped out. He approached the sink and started to wash his hands. "The women you smooth talk to. You don't do it for love. You do it for comfort." "What?" Chase asked. "Think about it. You are like a Sherlock Holmes to women. You take a look at them, you deduce what's wrong, and you go in for the comfort. You know if they have a relationship or not. Even if they're single, you still wouldn't try to make them like you. You never expected the sex to happen. All you wanted was to comfort them, but somehow, they always seem to follow you home." "Something I didn't expect" Chase said as he turned off the faucet. He pulled some paper towels and dried his hands. "Chase. A Conqueror for Comfort. Some Casanova you are." Chase laughed nervously and left the bathroom. The halls were emptying, and the game was about to start. Suddenly, whispery voices began to echo through his head. Chase grasped his head and began to moan. Soon, the voices stopped. "Come!" The soft voice of a motherly figure whispered. Chase shut his eyes and looked away as bright light engulfed him. A Hotel in Las Vegas Wild Card Jack entered his hotel room and closed the door. "Oh shit!" He gasped. An elder man was seated on a chair. "It amazes me that people come here expecting to win big bucks, but their own pride and greed leaves them broke. You must be a different gambler." "I am. Any money I win, I take." "Hmm. I heard you once won 5 bucks yet you still thanked everyone for a good game." "That is actually true" Jack said as he sat on the edge of his bed. "So what are you here for?" "I heard talks about a thief running around in Vegas. They say he steals from the greed, and gives to the need. But I also hear that the money he takes from the greedy bastards. Is the same amount he wins at the casino." "That is also true" Jack said, nodding. "Reminds me of Famine. One of the four Horsemen" the elder man stood up. "Carries a pair of weighing scales to indicate the way bread would have been weighed during a famine." He looked at Jack. "You attempt to even the scales on everything. Money, goods, items, food, anything one can think of, you steal from the rich, and give to the poor. Just like the money, though. Your little sister once got a cellphone for her birthday. Trying to even the scales for that everybody should have one, you ask if they have a cellphone, the second you hear 'No', you run off, find a filthy, ruthless bastard, take his cellphone, delete every single data on it, have it repaired so it looks new, and give it to the one that didn't own one." He made his way to the door. "Wait, who are the others? The Horsemen?" Jack asked as the elder man opened the door. "I've met them already" he answered as he left. As soon as the door shut, whispery voices echoed through Jack's head for a few seconds. "Come!" The same voice whispered. > Interrogations > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I moaned in pain. When I groggily opened my eyes, I saw that I was sitting on a chair with my hands cuffed behind my back. Sitting in front of me was a royal guard. He was giving me a look of complete distrust. "Hi" I said weakly. The door opened and Princess Celestia entered the room. "Your majesty" I said, lowering my head in a bowing manner. "We have three of your friends in custody as we speak" she said. "Friends?" I asked. "Yes. Jack, Remy, and Chase" she answered. "I don't know any of them" I replied. "That's ok" she said. "I just want you to answer some questions." "Go for it" I said with a smile. "Why do you kill? You have a bad background, but you are good hearted. It doesn't make sense." "I don't feel comfortable answering this question" I said. "Brings back a bad memory. But I can tell you this... Any rule your throw at me, I'll obey them. And to prove that to you, I have a feeling that one of my 'friends' is refusing to talk. I can get him to say something." A Room Across From Cale "So I'm here about to be interrogated by two royal ponies and their guards..." Jack said as he shuffled a deck of cards. His feet have been cuffed to the legs of the chair and his hands were cuffed in front of him. There was a long chain strapping his waist to the chair as well. "....And the first thing they ask is why I got the name Wild Card Jack?" He asked as he struggled lightly. "That's right" Shining Armor said. Jack nodded and shuffled the deck again. "I got the name Wild Card, because..." He struggled again. "If you can... Can you dig through my left pocket?" He asked. The mare, Princess Cadance used her magic and levitated a Wild Card from his pocket. Jack had an impressed look on his face. "Ok that's cool!" He said. "Ahem, Wild Card?" The guard asked. "Oh right, right, right, sorry about that. I was just mesmerized by the magic Princess Cadance used. See, I didn't get the name Wild Card because I keep it in my pocket. I'm called that, because I use it." "Use it?" Princess Cadance asked. "See, this card cannot be used in games that requires these cards" he said as he held up his playing cards. "The Wild Card can only be used in a game called UNO." "And how do you play that?" Shining Armor asked. 'I'm going to be here for a long time' Jack thought to himself. A Room Three Doors to the Left of Jack "I just want to say that you are absolutely stunning" Chase said to Princess Twilight Sparkle. "The colors of the coat, the wings, and my goodness the color pattern of your mane and tail! Its just so...!" He let out a grunt. "Shut it!" Jack's muffled voice said. "I'm trying to teach some ponies how to play UNO!" "Do you want to play UNO? I mean, we can move to..." "Is this how you talk to females?" Princess Twilight asked. "Not all the time but..." "You sound like you do" she said challengingly. "Your friends are supposed to be interrogated but now they are carrying conversations!" She yelled. The room became quiet, "And that's how you play UNO. Now I'm going to teach you how to play Blackjack" Jack's voice said from the room he was at. A Room Across From Chase Remy was sleeping against his chair, snoring softly. Outside, two royal ponies stood guard. Princess Celestia approached with me by her side, but my hands were still cuffed behind my back. "Any progress?" She asked. "Well, Princess Twilight is acting tough to the one named Chase, the one named Jack is teaching his interrogators how to play card games..." One of the royal guards began. Princess Celestia smiled. "And this one claims he can get the stubborn one back on his feet" she said. The royal guards stepped aside. Princess Celestia used her magic to open the door and allowed me to step inside. "We'll be out here if you need us" she said. I nodded and approached the table. I used my foot to pull back the only vacant chair and sat down. "Can I help you?" Remy asked. "Yeah. By answering questions" I said as I scooted close to the table. "I answer to no one" Remy said. "Suit yourself" I said. I got up to leave. "Wait..." Remy said. I turned to him and sat back down. "How do you do it?" He asked. "What?" "Kill. Kill the ones you hate in the world and then a second later, you feel pity? How does that work?" "Well, at first I become blinded by how much I hate them, and then I slowly began to think outside the box." "What do you mean?" "The ones I killed... I slowly began to think things like: 'What will their family think? What if they were doing the crimes for a reason? What if they were just a pawn for the culprit's game?' Stuff like that. If you're a killer like me, I suggest you do the same. Before/after you kill, depending on how blinded by hate you have for your target, ask yourself one question: Is this person worth killing?" I stood up and walked towards the door. "Oh, and another thing" I said, but not facing him. "When you kill, don't go for the head. Let them bleed to death." "Why?" "It gives you time to get to know your victim before they die." "Did it work for you?" "Out my 300 victims, I was able to get to know 299." "What about the 300th?" "I don't want to talk about it." I leaned against the door and slid down to a sitting position. After a short but heavy sigh, I lowered my head Jack and Chase were free from their rooms and just got to know each other while walking down the hall. Behind them were their interrogators. "How are you holding up?" Chase asked as he noticed a ticked off look on Jack's face. "Try teaching a card game and from another room you hear 'The beauty of a mare that understands the human language. You must be flattered to have a human sweet talk you' he said, mocking Chase. "Says the guy who teaches how to use a Wild Card in a regular card game." "It's simple, you throw the Wild Card down, they give a 'what the hell look', while they're distracted, lunge for the prize money and hightail it out of there." "Did it work for you?" "All the time!" "It might not work for everybody." "They just got to know when to throw down the card." > Court Practice and a Cheater > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Hours Later (Still in Canterlot) I walked down the halls of the castle just to feel like home. It took awhile, but we have gained the trust of half of Canterlot. Getting the trust of Equestria will be a challenging task. Further down the hall, I heard a voice sounding like someone rehearsing for a bad play. Following the noise, I reached a door and when I opened it, I saw Chase on one knee holding onto a ball. "What are you doing?" I asked as I leaned on the door. "Oh um..." Chase got to his feet and fiddled with the ball. "I was just uh..." He tossed the ball aside and brought a hand to his chin. "I feel better, thanks for showing up" he said as he walked over to the glass door. I grabbed a nearby letter opener and threw it at the lock. "No, no..." I said as I stepped into the room. I closed the door and stared at the teen. "I heard you practicing lines down the hall." I approached the glass door and turned the letter opener, locking us both inside. "You like someone in this castle" I pulled the letter opener as easily as pulling a key out of a lock. "And I want to know who." I placed the letter opener on a desk. "You know Princeess Twilight?" He asked. "Yeah, the mare who kept asking me how I was able to handle being friends with someone who talks strangely to girls? What about her?" Chase looked at the floor in embarrassment. "Oh my God" I said, cupping my hands to my mouth. I released my mouth and laughed. "You want to court her?" "Look I can explain" Chase said. "No, no. No need to explain. You're not the only one who's in love" I said. "I'm not?" "No. Jack is in love with a mare too." "Really?" "Last time I saw him, he was talking to Princess Cadance and flirting with her using the Queen cards, the King Cards, and the Jack cards." "But isn't she married to Shining Armor?" "Yeah." "Then why does he love her?" "Oh no, not the kind of love you're dealing with. He's trying to convince her to adopt him as her son." "What about Remy? Is he in love?" "Don't know where he is. Though I'm pretty sure he's trying to stop Jack from being adopted." Chase sighed and walked to a corner. "Cale, I'm in love with Twilight." "But does she love you back?" I asked. "I don't know, that's what I'm scared of." "Must you really court her? I mean we--". Chase cut me off. "You're right! We must talk to her together!" "Whoa! Hey, no way, you're not dragging me into this!" I shouted as I was dragged across the room and out into the hall. "Come on, you're an assassin. Mares like assassins." "Uh no the hell they don't." "You don't know that, Cale." "Fine, I'll help. But if things go smoothly, you're on your own." "Deal" Chase said as he shook my hand. God, I hate making deals. Which explains my crew cut! I made a deal that I wasn't too happy about, but that's not important right now. "But first, I want to go practicing courting." "On who?" I asked. Chase gestured down the hall. I followed his gaze and gaped. "No" I said. "Yes" he replied. "I said 'no'." God, I can't believe this is happening. I was hiding behind a corner watching Chase as he approached Princess Celestia. "Oh my God, I can't watch this" I said as I ran down the hall, away from the scene. Halfway down the hall, I bumped into Jack. "Hey Cale, have you seen Chase?" "He's planning to court Princess Twilight and he's practicing courting on Princess Celestia." "Ah shit" Jack groaned. "This won't end well." "Have you seen Remy?" I asked. "No, not since after our interrogations" he answered. Just then, Princess Celestia approached us. "Your friend passed out" she said, trying not to laugh. "The guy wants to court Princess Twilight? He can't even man up through practicing his courting" Jack said, shaking his head. "Come on, let's knock some sense into him" I said. Chase groaned and began to come to. When he sat up, he found himself sitting in the middle if the hall. Jack and I were sitting against the wall playing a card game. "Queens?" I asked. "Go fish" Jack answered. Chase got to his feet and rubbed his head. "How long was I out?" He asked. "1 minute and 50 seconds" I answered. Remy walked down the hall and sighed. "Something wrong?" Jack asked. "Got lost" he answered. "You were gone for a long time" I said. "No shit." "Got any 5s?" Jack asked. I rolled my eyes and handed him the card. "7s?" He asked. Again, I handed him the card. "Queens." "Goddamn it" I said as I handed him the card. "And that makes me the winner" Jack said with a smile. "Wait a minute, did you rig the deck?" I asked as Jack gathered the cards into a deck. "Um..." He quickly got up and hightailed out if the area. "That cheating son of a..." I got to my feet and ran after him. "Jack! Jack get back here!" I yelled. Remy turned to Chase. "I heard you practicing courting on Princess Celestia and then fainted" he laughed. Chase nodded with embarrassment. "I might have feelings for Twilight but..." He stopped. "I have to practice courting on a mare to see if it works." He thought for a moment. "I'll try courting Princess Celestia again." He walked down the hall in search of the princess. Remy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That idiot is going to faint again" he said to himself. Later, Jack and I were heading back to the hallway where we had our card game. But on our way back to the area, Remy approached us, laughing. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Ok, Chase tried practicing courting by testing it on Princess Celestia." "And?" Jack asked, both of us looking eager. "It worked." "But why is it funny?" Jack asked. "He claims he's ready to court Twilight and..." "He fainted didn't he?" "After she said 'yes'." "Didn't she say she found him odd?" I asked. "There's something about that guy. The way he courts seems a bit off." "What do you mean?" Jack asked. "It's like... He's comforting them rather than showing affection. Do you think maybe he feels more confident when he and a girl are alone together?" This was a good question. "So where is Chase?" I asked. "Still in Princess Twilight's room, passed out still." "Would you say his courting went wrong?" Jack asked me. "For the most part... Yeah." Las Vegas The elder man sat at a bar alone drinking scotch. A middle aged man wearing a black shirt, black pants, black shoes, and black gloves approached him from behind. "So I hear that you approached four random people and told them about the Four Horsemen" he said. "And what of it?" The man asked. "I just want to know how you went to four different locations in a matter of seconds." "I took him there" a voice said. Both men turned their heads and saw another man approaching them. He wore black attire, only he wore a long sleeved black shirt. He had a crew cut as well. "Problem solved" the elder man said with a smile. "If you'd like, I'll buy you boys a drink." "No thank you" the man that recently arrived said. "But I do want to..." He pulled out a gun with a silencer on it and shot him in the side. The elder man grunted in pain as he grasped his side. He then slipped off his chair and landed on the floor, groaning in pain. The man aimed his gun up, and planted a few more bullets into him. "I know where the guys this old man approached them are." "Where?" The first man asked. The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to him. The second man unfolded the paper and read a single word. 'Equestria'. "Really? Some world that's not geographic? Your head is fucked up." He scoffs. "Equestria... Jesus Christ, scratch that, your head is more than fucked up. It's really fucked up!" "Oh? So is yours" the second man raised his gun up and planted a few bullets into the side of the first man's head. He approached the table and grabbed the paper. "Hello Equestria" he said in a sinister voice. "Your former resident is coming home..." He smiled villainously and kissed the paper. He glanced down at the two dead bodies and walked away. > 500 Miles > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warning: FIRST AND ONLY RANDOM CHAPTER IN THE STORY!!!!! I was walking around the streets of Canterlot trying to focus on something, but the thought that Chase's courting worked surged through my head. Speak of the devil, the young man approached me. "Hey Cale, can I ask you something." "Sure thing" I answered. "Look, do you find it weird that I'm in love with Princess Twilight?" "No. I don't find it weird at all." "Because I'm planning on marrying her some day." This distracted me so much, I wasn't paying attention to a sign and walked into it. I cried out and rubbed my forehead. "You're thinking too far ahead. You just admitted you liked her for crying out loud." "Yeah but every time I see her, my heart beats faster than usual, I start to hallucinate hearts flying around, and various images enters my mind." "Don't want those thoughts in my head" I said. "Cale, I would walk 500 miles with her if I wanted to." I faced him and grinned. "Say that again" I said. "I said I would walk 500 miles if I wanted to." "Oh you would, would you?" I asked teasingly. I walked over to a corner and picked up a guitar. "Hold it, what are doing?" Chase asked. "You're in luck. Because there is a song that matches what you might plan on doing with Princess Twilight." "Cale, please don't." "Too late" I said with a smile as I began to strum the guitar. Chase sighed and lowered his head to hide the embarrassed look on his face. ' When you wake up, yeah I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who wakes up next to her. When you go out, yeah I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who goes along with her. If you get drunk, yes I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who gets drunk next to her. And if you haver, yeah I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who's havering to her. But you would walk 500 miles And you would walk 500 more Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles To go to Twilight's door.' 'When you're working, yes I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who's working hard for her. And when the money comes in for the work you'll do You'll pass almost every penny on to her. When you come home, yeah I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who comes back home to her. And if you grow old, well I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who's growing old with her. But you would walk 500 miles And you would walk 500 more Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles To go to Twilight's door.' As I did the humming part of the song, I didn't see a crowd forming around me and Chase. Among the crowd was Princess Twilight. 'When you're lonely, well I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who's lonely without her. When you're dreaming, well I know you're gonna be You're gonna dream about the time when you're with her. When you go out, well I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who goes out along with her. And when you come home, yes I know you're gonna be You're gonna be the man who comes back home with her. You're gonna be the man who's coming home with her.' 'But you would walk 500 miles And you would walk 500 more Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles To go to Twilight's door.' Again, I did the humming part of the song, now the that I know about the crowd, I reached the final verse. 'And you would walk 500 miles And you would walk 500 more Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles To go to Twilight's door.' The sound of cheering startled me a bit and when I glanced up, I saw that Chase was shocked. "Do you see yourself with that kind of life?" I asked. "Yes" he said with utter shock. "Good." I patted his shoulder, but the guitar down, and made my way through the crowd. > First Contact! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- What shocked me is that I haven't sung at all. That was my first time singing in my life. Well for a first timer on singing, how can anyone enjoy that? Singing in front of a crowd of people, cheering you on? Isn't it embarrassing for them? All these questions flooded my head as I walked through the streets of Canterlot. "Cale!" I heard Chase call. I turned around and saw him approaching me. "Please, one is enough" I said. "But that was amazing, you never told me you could sing!" "That was my first time, I didn't like it." And sighed and looked around. "Beautiful place, Canterlot isn't it?" "Yeah" Chase agreed. Up on a rooftop, a portal appeared and the man from the bar in Las Vegas stepped out. He took a deep breath and inhaled the Equestrian air. "It's good to be home" he said. Slung over his shoulder was a bag. He approached the edge of the rooftop and crouched down. He opened the bag and pulled out a sniper rifle. He loaded a mag and looked through the scope. He scoped the area until he spotted Chase and I. "Hello Horsemen" he said with a smile. He wrapped a finger around the trigger and smiled. "Now, which one if you should I..." He spotted a stallion walking past us. He aimed his gun at the stallion and shot him in the head, causing panic. Below, while everypony was running around, I glanced up and saw a man stand up. He slung a sniper over his shoulder and ran across the rooftop. I ran over to a nearby building and began to scale the walls. "Cale!" Chase called. I was too far for his voice to reach me. "Chase!" Twilight called as she, Jack, and Remy arrived. "What happened?" She asked. "Murder! And Cale's chasing the culprit!" Chase shouted over the screaming ponies. "Your majesty" Remy said. "Report the incident, we'e going to help Cale catch the perpetrator!" Twilight went one way while the other three went down the other. Up on the rooftop, the man pulled out a radio. "Commence ambush! The Horseman might have his friends following me!" He yelled. "Copy that" a man wearing black hiding in an alley said. He waited patiently for the three to pass by. He peeked around the corner and grinned. "Eyes on target" he said with a smile. Jack and Remy ran by the alleyway. When Chase ran by, the man tackled him to the ground and began punching him. Remy and Jack stopped running and turned around. "Chase!" Jack shouted. "Go! Help Cale!" Chase shouted as he blocked the punches. The two turned around and began running. Another human wearing a black attire jumped out of an alleyway and kicked Remy. "Shit!" the gunslinger shouted. Jack didn't stop and kept on running. Remy pulled out his gun, cocked it and fired a bullet, but the human whipped out a sword and blocked the bullet. "Hell no" Remy gasped. He fired a few more bullets, but his opponent kept blocking and deflecting them. He then knocked the gun out of his hand and kicked him in the chest. Up on the roof, I had caught up with the man and we engaged in a hand-to-hand combat. I blocked several punches, but received a couple hits to the chest. When I turned the tables with my punches, my opponent blocked every single one and punched me to the ground. "You cannot win" he said. "Equestria will be ruin and I shall rule it" he said. I got to my feet and charged at him but he sidestepped and elbowed me in the back. I cried out in pain. Jack continued to run, but he was suddenly tackled from behind by another human in black attire and the two collided onto the cobblestone ground. Jack and his attacker both got to their feet. The human challenged Jack to come closer to him. The teen charged at the human and purposely collided with him. The human shoved Jack aside and got into a fighting position. He then checked his pockets as if he's looking for something. Jack shook his head and pulled out two switchblade knives. "Looking for these?" He asked. The mute human shrugged and reached into his pockets. He then pulled out a pair of brass knuckles and put them on. "Oh fuck" Jack gasped. The human charged at Jack and began to throw punches while the latter blocked desperately with the knives. Way back, Chase managed to push off his attacker and got to his feet. The attacker pulled out a switchblade and flipped the blade out. He then charged at the young man. Chase evaded the attacks the best he could until his attacker slit his chest. Chase cried out and leaned against the brick wall, holding his wound. Not far away, Remy was busy evading the swordsman's attacks. He turned his head and saw Chase being approached by his opponent. The swordsman then kicked Remy, causing him to stagger back further. His opponent then threw the sword at him. The gunslinger quickly moved out of the way and almost had a heart attack when he saw the sword plunge into the spot where is head was. He glanced up and saw Chase's attacker getting closer. "Hey!" Remy shouted. His call distracted Chase's opponent. Remy flicked his wrists and coming out of either side of his wrists was a contraption. A small pistol was connected to said contraption. He aimed one gun at his attacker and the other at Chase's and shot them both in the head at the same time. As soon as the two bodies hit the ground, he turned his head and saw Jack fleeing from the man with brass knuckles. "Get this mother fucker away from me!" He yelled. He turned around and threw his first knife, but the man evaded it. He threw the second, but missed. "Fuck!" He shouted. "I'm going to die!" He screamed. Remy raised his gun up and pulled the trigger. If one sees what happens in slow motion, this is what they would see. The bullet whizzed past Jack's head, slicing off a small portion of his hair, and impacted the opponent between the eyes. Jack panted and turned to see the dead body. "Fuck you, Remy!" He shouted as the gunslinger retracted his two pistols. "You almost killed me!" "Your welcome" he replied. Jack flipped him off with both his hands. Up above, the man glanced down and smiled. "Impressive. Your friends managed to beat my men." I was writhing on the ground in pain. "But just so you know, I got more waiting for their turn to arrive here. Just you wait, Equestria will be mine." I tried to say something but I was beaten so badly, it hurts just by making the slightest noise. "I'm not ready to kill you yet, so I'll give you something." He pulled out a revolver and tossed it next to me. "You got six chances to call for help. If you fired your sixth, and nine of your friends arrive to help, then... You're fucked." I watched as he began to leap from rooftop to rooftop until he was out of sight. With shaky hands, I opened the cylinder and counted six bullets just like he said. I closed the gun, pulled the hammer back and fired a shot. From below, I could hear panicked screams. "What the fuck was that?" I heard Chase shout. I crawled across the pavement, groaning in pain. I pointed the gun up, and fired again. "It's coming from the roof! There's an enemy on the roof!" I heard Jack scream. "Let's get him!" I glanced up and saw a door leading to the inside. I tossed the gun aside and crawled my way across the rooftop, unaware that I was leaving a trail of blood. Suddenly, the door burst open, and I saw my three friends. My vision blurred and I blacked out when they approached me. Is this the price I had to pay for the killings I've done? I awoke in a hospital bed feeling fine. Next to me was Remy. He was reading a magazine. "Welcome back Cale" he said. "It took Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight, and two other unicorns to heal you." "Remind me to thank them later" I said weakly as I sat up. "You did... Kind of" he replied. "You talked in your sleep and it sounded like a 'thank you'." "Where's Chase and Jack?" I asked him. "They both fainted when they saw your body. I had to make three trips. You first, then Chase, and Jack." "Why was Jack last?" "Getting the finger from somebody really puts me in a foul mood" he answered. I heard groaning from the bed next to me and Chase sat up. "God... My head" he grunted. He looked around and saw that I was up. "Hey Cale, how are you feeling?" He asked. "Better... I think." I looked around and saw Jack was absent. "Where's Jack?" I asked. "No thank you nurse, but I'm happy the way I am" Jack said as he entered the room. "Mr. Wild Card, you have to take a dose of this" Nurse Redheart said to him. "I'm telling you, I'm good, and I don't need medicine, my body is perfect as it is." Remy sighed and put the magazine aside. He reached into an inner pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a taser. He approached Jack from behind. "Oh shut up" he said as he tased the card player. Jack moaned and hit the floor. "He's all yours, nurse" Remy said as he tucked the taser away. "Your next, Mr. Chase" Nurse Redheart said. Chase's eyes rolled at the back of his head and fainted. "He hates needles" Remy explained as he picked up the magazine and began reading again. I couldn't help but think. Who was that guy? Why does he and his team of humans want to invade and take over Equestria? And better yet, who is he working for? These are the questions that I desperately wanted answered." I leaned back against my pillow and closed my eyes. > The Rings of the Horsemen > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Night has arrived and we were recently called by Princess Celestia to meet her and Princess Twilight outside. When we approached them, we all bowed to them. "I've called you here for one reason" Princess Celestia said in a serious tone. In front of her was a small brown box. "Chase, come and see" she said. The Casanova approached her and bowed. "You may rise" she said. She used her magic to open the box and levitated a silver ring with a white stone on it. When he grasped the stone, he saw an engraved image of a bow. "Put it on" she urged. Chase smiled nervously at Princess Twilight and slipped the ring on. Just then, a white portal appeared behind him and a white horse galloped out. Not only that, but a white bow appeared in his hand and a quiver of arrows of the same color appeared on his back. In addition, we saw that his eyes were now white, and he also had white armor. "Nice!" He laughed. Even his voice has changed into a somewhat demonic tone. "Cale, come and see" Princess Celestia ordered. As I did, she levitated a silver ring with a red stone on it. Engraved on it was a sword. I slipped on a ring and watched as a red portal appeared. A red horse galloped out of it and neighed loudly. As soon as I mounted the horse, a red sword appeared in my hand, red armor appeared on my body, and my eyes were fiery red. "Holy shit!" I gasped at my new body as well as my demonic voice. "Jack, come and see" she said with a smile. Jack approached her as a silver ring with a black stone with the engraving of a pair of scales appeared. He grasped the ring into his hand and looked at it. He closed his eyes and slipped on the ring. A black portal appeared and a black horse galloped out. When Jack opened his eyes, he saw that he was wearing black armor and he held a black scale on his hand. He laughed in his demonic tone and mounted the horse. What we saw is his black eyes. "Remy, come and see" Princess Celestia said as she levitated the silver ring with a pale stone on it that had the engraved image of a scythe. The gunslinger approached the ring and put it on. A pale portal appeared and a pale horse galloped out, neighing. Remy mounted his horse and had the same demonic we had, a pale scythe, and pale eyes. But he didn't have armor, instead, his skin, flesh, and blood had disappeared. He was nothing but bone. And his skeletal body became as pale as his scythe and horse. Princess Celestia smiled at us four. "As long as you have those rings on you, you cannot die" she explained. "Unfortunately I must hold on to these rings until the time has come for you to wear them" she said. "That's ok" I said in my demonic voice. I dismounted the horse and removed the ring. The other three watched as red light engulfed me. When it vanished, everything I once had were gone and I was now back to my regular self, in my normal clothes. I handed Princess Celestia the ring. "When the time comes for the ring to be worn, I'll be ready" I said as I entered the castle. "Come on, guys" I said. My three new friends removed their rings and handed them to Princess Celestia in which she placed them in the box. "Thank you for showing us the rings Your Majesty" Chase said. "And if you need us, anything at all. Feel free to..." "Ok, Romeo, time for bed" Jack said as he dragged Chase to the entrance of the castle. Princess Celestia used her magic to carry the box. As the two Princesses followed us inside, the man I grappled with earlier watched the whole thing from the rooftop. He grinned evilly and began to jump from one rooftop to another, eventually disappearing into the night. > Invasion Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- While everypony was asleep, I was walking around the nearly empty castle along with Jack. As the latter walked, he was shuffling his playing cards. "Don't you ever get tired with those?" I asked him. "Nope. Whenever I leave the house, these playing cards comes along with me. I consider them my good luck charms. Especially this one." As he shuffled, he flicked a card out of the deck. I caught it and turned the card over. "Queen of Hearts." Jack nodded. I handed the card to him in which he shuffled into the deck. "This morning, I believe you tried to persuade Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to be their adopted son." "And?" He asked as he put the cards away. "Did they accept?" "They will accept on one condition" Jack began. "What is it?" "If we win the invasion." I know for a fact that we will win this thing. Suddenly, I heard movement. "Did you hear that?" I asked. I hurried down the hall. "Cale, what is it?" Jack asked as we leaned against the wall. Instead of answering him, I peeked around the corner and saw a shadow of a human. I crept around the corner and crept up behind him. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a large switchblade. I flipped the blade out as I approached closer and closer to the human. "Approaching target" the human said as he neared a door. I quickly spun him around and drove the blade into his neck. The soldier dropped his gun and tried to pry my hand off him, but I just plunged the blade deeper and deeper into his neck. I pulled the blade out forcefully and watched as his body collapsed on the floor. "Come in!" I heard a voice on the radio. "Trooper, do you read?" I picked up the radio and switched it off. "Dear God!" Jack gasped when he saw the large stab wound on the soldier's neck. "Alert the other two, the guards, and everypony. We might have an invasion" I said. Jack nodded and ran off. I cleaned the blade using the soldier's shirt. After folding the blade and stuffing it back in my pocket, I picked up the assault rifle and examined it. Locked, loaded, and silenced. I'm good to go. Outside, the man I grappled with from earlier sighed. Behind him was a small group of soldiers, all wearing dark attire so they can be camouflaged in the dark. "All right, we got one man down. Take the humans out first, then we deal with the Equestrians. GO!" He watched as his men grappled down from the rooftop and surrounded the back entrance. One soldier picked the lock, and once he got it open, the soldiers quietly and silently entered the castle one by one, and splitting up. Elsewhere, Remy was walking down the hall on his way to the kitchen, but quickly ducked behind a corner when he heard a sound. Peeking, he saw four soldiers exit from a door. "Eyes open, and guns up" one of them whispered. Remy crouched down and reached into his inner jacket pockets. He pulled out two handguns, both equipped with silencers and pulled the hammers back. He waited patiently for the soldiers to draw closer to him. "Come on you bastards" he whispered. "I dare you to get past this area and try to kill an Equestrian... I fucking dare you." As the footsteps were getting closer to his spot, Remy wrapped his fingers around the triggers. "1..." He said quietly. The soldiers were getting nearer. "2..." He could see their shadow from the moonlight. "3.." He jumped out of his hiding spot sideways and pulled the triggers of his guns frantically and watched as all four soldiers fell dead. Remy sighed and tucked his guns away. "You!" A voice yelled. Glancing up, he saw a soldier approaching him with an assault rifle. "Get up on your feet now!" "Wait, wait, wait, ok, ok, ok" Remy said raising his hands up as if he's surrendering. "Ok, man. You got me, I'm surrendering, I'm surrendering" Remy said as he steadily got up. "You don't have to pull the trigger." "Hands on your fucking head" the solder said, keeping his gun aimed at Remy. As the teen did so, the soldier pulled out a radio. But before he could talk into it, something startled him. "Wild Card!" A voice shouted. A Wild Card was thrown and hit the soldier at the side of his head. "What the hell--?" The soldier asked. Taking the chance, Remy flicked out his contraption, pulled the hammer back and shot the soldier between the eyes. Jack approached his friend, laughing hysterically. He bent down and picked the card up. "Oh my God that was priceless" he said with a smile as he put the card away. "Yeah, priceless" Remy nodded. "Come on, we got to clear Canterlot of these hostiles" Jack said. The two friends ran down the hall. I walked down the hall searching for any invaders. Feels odd that time has past by and not once did I pull the trigger on this thing. Suddenly, I heard a door open and ducked behind a corner. I heard footsteps and a soldier talking into his radio. I held the assault rifle like a baseball bat and waited patiently for him to walk by. When he did, I swung the gun and hit him in the head, knocking him out. Or at least, I think I knocked him out. I saw that I had swung the gun so hard, there was a dent on it. No way he could survive that hit. Just to be sure though, I tossed the gun aside, bent down, and snapped the soldier's neck. I grabbed the radio, switched it off, and tossed it on the soldier's body. When I checked the soldier's equipment, I retrieved a handgun with a silencer on it. I smiled, pocketed it, and left. I made my way down another part of the hall and saw two soldiers guarding the door. I ducked behind a wall and listened to the voice on the radio. "Sir, we got 2 hostages. A pink mare and a unicorn. Husband and wife, they're not going anywhere." I reached into my pocket pulled out a phone, and dialed a number. "This is Jack" I heard him say. "They got Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Held hostage in their own room." "What?! No fuck that! I'm going over there and I'm getting them out! That's my adoptive parents their holding! You tell those sons of bitches that they crossed the line of holding my adoptive parents hostage. I'm gonna ring their necks, snap them, and..." I hung up because I could hear him from down the hall. I glanced up and saw Jack approaching me with a pissed off look on his face. "Come on Cale, let's get them!" I got to my feet and we both charged at the two soldiers. I dropped on my knees and slid across the floor and punched both soldiers in the nuts as hard as I could. Before either of them could scream. I grabbed one of the silenced assault rifles and gunned them down. Jack retrieved two tactical knives from the dead soldiers' belts and kicked the door open. Inside were 4 soldiers and each of them were aiming their guns at a bound, gagged, and blindfolded Princess Cadance, and an unconscious Shining Armor. "Knock knock" Jack said as he threw the tactical knives, getting two of them in the chest. I stepped into the room and gunned down one soldier but wounded the other. "Hold this" I said as I handed Jack the assault rifle. I approached the wounded soldier and got him to his knees. "Fuck you!" He spat. "When my boss finds out about this, you'll pay dearly!" "I'll bet" I said as I pulled out the silenced handgun, pulled the hammer back, and shot him in the legs. The soldier then began screaming in pain. I walked over behind him, aimed the gun at the back of his head and said a prayer. "A shepherd I shall be For Thee my Lord for Thee Power hath descended forth from Thy hand That my feet may swiftly carry out Thy command So I shall flow a river forth onto Thee And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomine Patri Et Filli Spiritus Sancti." I pulled the trigger to shut him up and tucked the gun away. > The Count > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Serves you right!" I laughed at the dead body. Princess Cadance's muffled shouts caught our attention. "Jack, free her, I'll guard the door" I said. Jack nodded and rushed over to Princess Cadance. He bent down next to her and removed the black sash blindfolding her. Her violet eyes stared tearfully at him. "Hold on, hold on" he said in a comforting tone as the alicorn whimpered behind the black sash gagging her. When he lowered the sash, he reached into her mouth and pulled out a white crumpled cloth. When he uncrumpled it, there were two words written in red. 'Turn Around' Jack did what was written and gasped. I was on my knees with my hands on my head and several soldiers aiming their guns at me. "Full House" I said in a defeated tone. Jack raised his hands in defeat. In a room, Jack and I were both tied to chairs. Shining Armor was still unconscious and was tethered to a wall with a muzzle on his mouth, and both sashes blindfolded and gagged Princess Cadance again. "Fuck" I muttered. "I go out to guard the room, and they were out there waiting for me!" The door opened and the man whom I grappled with entered the room. "Well if it isn't the Man Who Almost Left Me To Die On The Roof In Canterlot" I said. "Good guess on the name, but I'm afraid that isn't my real one." "So what is your name?" Jack asked as he maneuvered himself to a comfortable position in his chair. "Sir Prize" he said with a smile. He pulled up a chair and turned it around so when he sat, his front was leaning against the backrest. "Now my men are scouring the place for the other two Horsemen. Do you have any idea where they are?" He asked. "Yeah" Jack said. "They are in the building of Fuck You and it's located on a street titled And Go to Hell." Sir Prize nodded and stood up. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handgun and cocked it. "Here's the deal" he said. He shot me in the leg and kicked me over. As I screamed in pain, he placed a foot on the spot where he shot me. "You son of a bitch!" Jack yelled over my screams, and Princess Cadance's muffled cries. "I'm going to count to 10. If you don't give me a location, I'm going to put a bullet in your friend's head here. Then I'll count to 20 starting with eleven, if I don't get what I want, I'll shoot the stallion over there. Then I'm going to start with 21 and work my way to 30, and if I still don't get the answer I want, I'll shoot you and then the mare here. But I want her to witness everything." He removed his boot from my wound and walked over to the struggling alicorn. He then removed the blindfold and tossed it aside. "Shall we begin?" He asked as he aimed the gun at me. "Now I'm going to ask again. Where are the other two Horsemen?" "Jack, don't say anything!" I shouted. Sir Prize stepped on the wound on my leg and I cried out in pain. Princess Cadance stared at me with worry. "1" he counted. "Ok, we don't know. We were together one minute, and the next--" "I've heard this bullshit cliche story before. 2." "I'm telling you the truth. We don't know." "Maybe not. Perhaps you're just fucking stalling me. 3." Across the room, Shining Armor was starting to come to. Behind the muzzle was a weak muffled moan. "Oh, he's awake" Sir Prize said with glee. "Now the two can watch as I eliminate your friend here." "Forget it. I'm not telling you shit" Jack spat. "That's ok. I'm still going to count. 4." I looked at the two ponies in the room. "Look away" I whispered. Sir Prize got off me and tucked his gun away. He then pulled out a large tactical knife and cut my ropes. He grabbed me by the shirt and dragged me to the center of the room. "Now my patience is wearing thin. If you won't tell me where the other Horsemen are, at least give me the location of the rings. 5." "Jack, whatever you do, don't say anything" I pleaded. Jack nodded with understanding. Suddenly, Sir Prize pressed his knife against my neck, causing panic from the two ponies. Their eyes widened and they struggled against their bonds. "Use your magic, to help us!" Jack shouted. "They can't do that. The materials restraining them has an aura that prevents magic. 7." "Damn" I muttered. Sir Prize looked at Jack. "You were saying?" "We saw the rings once and then no more. That was the last time we saw them." Sir Prize stared at Jack with an unamused look on his face. "8." "Listen you son of a bitch!" Jack yelled. "I'm telling you that we don't know! Why don't you believe me?! Are you blinded on wiping us out that you're failing to know the truth?" "9!" He prepared to slit my throat. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor both looked away and shut their eyes tightly. "You know what, Sir Prize? I have a dare for you. I dare you to come in close and put this thought into your head. The more you think you see, the easier it'll be to fool you!" "I'm not easily fooled! I know the truth and I will always know them no matter what. So one last chance. Where are the fucking rings the Horsemen wears?!" "In the Everfree Forest!" I yelled. Sir Prize and Jack looked at me. "What?" He asked. "If you and your team want the rings, you'll have to go to the Everfree Forest. Rings this special and dangerous aren't allowed in a sacred place like this" I said. Sir Prize sheathed his tactical knife. "You do have a good point. Thank you for your cooperation." He pulled out a radio and talked into it. "Alright team, the rings the Horsemen wear are in the Everfree Forest. Let's leave the castle, go there and find the rings. Once we have all four, Equestria will be ours." He left the room. I got to my feet and walked over to Shining Armor and untied him. After removing his muzzle, he used his magic to untie his wife. When I approached Jack, I saw him laughing. "I'm glad we read about the Everfree Forest" he said as I worked on his ropes. "It's dark, spooky, has dangerous creatures..." "And doesn't contain the rings" I said. Jack looked at me, shocked. "What?" He asked. "The rings aren't in the Everfree Forest." "They're in the box Princess Celestia has, right?" "Nope" I said with a smile. "Where are they?" Flashback As we walked inside after wearing the rings, Princess Celestia stopped me. "Cale" she said. I stopped walking and approached her. "I read that War is the leader of the Horsemen, and because of that, and that I trust you as much as I do with the other three..." She used her magic to open the box and levitated the rings out of the box. "I want you to guard these with your life." "And guarding them with my life I shall" I said as I took the rings from the magic grasp. I unbuttoned a small pocket on my pants that could fit dimes and pennies. After stuffing the rings inside, I buttoned up the small pocket. > Shadowing the Rings > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was sitting against the door to Princess Celestia's room thinking about all that had happened tonight. It is clear that we will encounter Sir Prize again. Suddenly, the door opened causing me to fall and land on my back. I was staring up at Princess Celestia from an upside down point of view and quickly got to my feet. I cleared my throat. "Sorry, I didn't realize you would open the door" I said while wearing a nervous smile. "That is quite all right Cale" she said. "You said you wanted to see me?" I asked. "I do. But first..." Her horn glowed, teleporting the other three Horsemen to appear in the same place as me. However, Chase was teleported at a bad time. He was wearing a robe. "What the...?" He asked. "I was on my way to the showers!" Remy, Jack and I tried to conceal our laughs. Even Princess Celestia found this amusing. "Is something wrong Your Majesty?" Remy asked. "No, Remy" she answered. "But I do want to say something regarding the rings." "If you want to protect them, then I will be honored" I said as I pulled out the rings from my small pocket and offering them to her. "No" she said, shaking her head. "I will shadow them." "Shadow?" Jack asked. "Disguising the rings" Remy explained. "That is correct, Remy" Princess Celestia answered. She levitated the rings out of my hand. "Now, I want you four to listen very carefully" she said in a serious tone. "The items that the rings will be disguised as will mirror your personality and /or characteristics" she explained. "Example" she closed her eyes and focused her magic on Jack's ring. When she was done, we saw that his ring was now a box of playing cards. Jack's eyes widened and took the box. He opened it and took the cards out. As he flipped through the cards, his smile begun to get wider and wider. However I was interested in what was shown on the back of the cards: A black background with a white drawing of two scales. The words 'The Four' were written above the scales and the words 'Horsemen: Famine' was written below them. They were written in red. "Oh my God!" He gasped. "What is it?" Chase asked. "The jokers are replaced" he said as he pulled out two cards from the deck. "With what?" Remy asked. Jack showed us the two card she held. "Wild Cards" I laughed. Jack put the cards back into the deck, put said deck into the box, and slipped the box into an inner vest pocket. "Jack, because you like to gamble and play with cards, I've decided to disguise your ring as a deck of playing cards." "Thank you, Your Majesty" he thanked. "Remy" Princess Celestia said. She closed her eyes and focused her magic on his ring. When she was finished, Remy's ring was now a pale colored revolver. When Remy retrieved his new item, he saw that on one side of the handle was an engraved image of a scythe, and on the other side of the handle had the word 'Death' engraved in cursive writing. "I hear that you're an experienced gunfighter, so I decided to disguise your ring as what humans call 'revolver'. The best thing is that it can fire an infinite amount of bullets" Princess Celestia said to Remy. The gunslinger bowed to her. "I appreciate what you have done. Thank you, Your Majesty." Princess Celestia then focused on Chase's ring. She turned his ring into a white heart shaped plastic ring. "You always like to charm females. I don't need to say much more, do I?" She asked. "Well, I..." Chase said as he slipped the plastic ring on his finger. "I.. Am..." He turned to me and grasped my shirt. "Cale, help me out here, man!" He pleaded. "She's right. That heart ring truly matches what you do in your spare time. After all, heart symbolizes love, does it not?" "Boy you're a real comfort" he muttered as he released me. Princess Celestia turned to me and grinned. My eyes kept its focus on the last floating ring. "Cale..." She began. "Yes?" I asked. "I do not know what item to turn your ring into" she said. "But I do have something I want to discuss with you. Is that ok?" "Of course" I said. "You don't mind staying here after I discuss some terms with these three?" "Not at all" I said as I stepped back. "Thank you" she said. She turned her attention towards the three. "Now, for the time being, these will be the guise of your rings. If you somehow lose these items, worry not, they will be teleported back to me. If they get misplaced, assume that I have them the second you lose them. Now, only I am the one who can change these items back to rings. And one more important thing" she then became serious. "Do not let anyone other than yourselves touch these items." "Is it ok if we ask why?" Chase asked. Princess Celestia nodded. "You three are the only ones qualified enough to hold these items. Anyone who isn't Horseman material that touches these items, will die a quick but really painful death. And I mean anyone." I noticed what she said. "So any human that touches this dies?" I repeated. Princess Celestia nodded. "Don't worry, if anypony touches it, they're fine. They just can't take it. If they try to, then the item will transport back to you. After all, these rings... Items were made in Equestria after all." The four of us bowed down. "You may rise. Cale, like I said, I want you to stay here, the other may go." As I watched my three friends leave, I remained standing and tried to be calm as possible. "Cale" Princess Celestia said. "You may not have noticed, but my sister Luna has looked into a dream of yours while you were sleeping against my door." "Wait, Princess Luna? Where is she?" I asked. "She's roaming in the Canterlot garden right now. But what I have to say is far more important." This sounded serious. "The day you interrogated Remy, I overheard you saying something about killing men, women, and children. 300 total." "Yeah" I answered. "And you said that you weren't proud of the 300th victim?" "That is correct. Why?" "Princess Luna told me about you killing an individual and stopped there. I don't know what she saw but by the look on her face, I had a feeling it wasn't good. However she did mention the color red somewhere. Is it ok if I take a look?" I nodded. "Now I want you to lie down and relax" she said soothingly. I did what she told me and took in a sigh of relaxation. She then pressed her horn lightly against my forehead and worked her magic. She looked into my past. > The 300th Victim > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For an assassin, I was kind of young. Can you believe a 20-year old joining a group of assassins? I can. So far, I was in the group for 3 months and I'm not liking it. At first, getting a contact to kill seemed like an easy task, which it was, but as soon as I had to kill my first woman, the line had been crossed. From that point on, after killing a target, I kill any member of the assassins that are with me during my kill. And I leave no evidence behind. So far I've gotten 299 contacts. The woman I had to kill was my 9th. And from that number on, I started turning my back on the team. Killing them off one by one after killing each contact. The last straw was contact 23, a bully that went to an elementary school. Me and three other assassins disguised ourselves as teachers to tail the boy. When we reached him, I regrettably approached him and snapped his neck from behind, then I staged it like it was an accident. My partners then hightailed out of there, leaving me behind. After every kill, and this went for all 299 victims. I said a prayer before leaving the body. 'A shepherd I shall be For Thee my Lord for Thee Power hath descended forth from Thy hand That my feet may swiftly carry out Thy command So I shall flow a river forth onto Thee And teeming with souls shall it ever be In Nomine Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti.' Now I got my 300th victim. Once I received it, I made a vow. I'm tired of eliminating the innocent. Once I finish this one off, I'm killing ever last assassin that I worked with. My contact, a kid. Elementary school. And is currently in a hospital. I was with my partner who was also young, my age, I would say. He wears dark jeans, dark shoes, and a gray hoodie. The both of us stood at the entrance of the hospital. "Dude you need a haircut" he laughed as he patted my brown hair. "I plan to" I laughed. My partner pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Ok, I'm going to roam around San Francisco" he said. "When you're done, meet me at the apartment where you killed that woman." He turned and left me at the hospital. As soon as he was far away, I pulled out a handgun and looked at it. I turned the safety on and put it away again. I entered the hospital and approached the waiting room. Before I went in, I pulled out a folded piece of paper and unfolded it. All I read was 'Kill Cole Phillips. He's in a hospital not far from here, room A-17' I folded the piece of paper and stuffed it back in my pocket. I walked to an elevator and pressed the up button. While I waited for the elevator. A young man with straight black hair joined me. He wore a red polo shirt, brown pants, that hid his socks, and brown shoes. "Hey" he said. "Hello" I responded. "I'm Miles Phillips. Cole's brother." "Cale McManus" I said with a smile as we shook hands. "Nice shirt" I commented. "Thanks. It's for my brother. Always fascinated with the color red." You know what? Fuck them. I'm not going to kill this guy's younger brother, I'm going to befriend him. And it doesn't matter because whether or not the kid dies, I'm killing all the assassins that do nothing but kill the innocents. I'm done. The elevator bell dinged and the door opened. As the two of us walked down the hall, Miles noticed a gun sticking out of my pocket. I managed to catch sight of his reaction. "Shh" I said quietly. "I'm an undercover cop" I said. "I'm after a few assassins and this is so big for me, I can't risk showing my badge to anyone." The way I said this lie convinced Miles so much, he bought it. When we reached A-17, Miles knocked on the door. "Come in" a boy said. When we walked in, I saw a boy around six years old lying in a hospital bed. He had brown hair, and light brown eyes. He was also wearing a hospital gown. "Hi Miles" the boy said. "Hey Cole" his brother responded. "I encountered a cop and..." He turned to me and saw me mouth something while I was shaking my head. "Well he used to be a cop and is now a soldier." "Why doesn't he have short hair like the others?" He asked. "I can answer that" I said with a smile as I approached Cole. "My hair grew back and I'm planning to cut it short again." Cole started darting his eyes around me. "Don't you like the color red?" He asked. "Of course I like the color red" I answered. "Why do you ask?" "If you like the color red, why don't you wear something that's red? All I see is grey and brown clothes." I laughed softly. "Ok kiddo" I said as I patted his head. "I'll wear something red." "And cut your hair short too! Like the guys in the military." I laughed at his request and so did Miles. "Hey you know what, why don't we make a deal?" I asked. "I love making deals!" Cole shouted. "If you feel better, I'll take you to the barber shop and you can tell them how short you want my hair." "But I'm coming along" Miles said. "I want to see what your haircut looks like in the end." Just then, there was a knock on the door and an elderly nurse entered the room. "Hello" she said as she rolled in a wheelchair. "We're going to run another test on your brother" she said with a smile. "Oh ok" Miles said. The three of us helped move Cole from the hospital bed over to the wheelchair. "Hey Cale, don't forget your promise" Cole said with a smile. "When we leave this hospital, I want you to get that haircut." The nurse, Miles and I laughed. "And from there we'll pick out red clothing for you." "Get this rascal out of here" I said jokingly as I rubbed his head. Miles and I bid goodbye to Cole as the nurse wheeled him out. Miles sat on a chair and smiled at me. "How does it feel to be in the military?" He asked. "Feels like hell, I'll tell you that" I answered. "Why?" "I'm planning to join the military when I graduate college" he answered. "What are you majoring in?" I asked him. Before he could answer, there was another knock on the door. "Come in" I said. A nurse stepped inside and she didn't look too happy. "Which one of you is the oldest?" She asked. "That's him..." Miles said pointing to me. I gave him a surprised look. "Pretend you're our older brother" he whispered. I nodded and approached the nurse. "Yes ma'am, what can I do for you?" I asked. "Well you are aware of the accident, right?" She asked, her voice quivering a little. "Uh no he isn't" Miles said, stepping in to defend me. "See he was out of the country for military purposes when it happened and he just got back I think 3 weeks ago." That's funny, 3 weeks ago I got back from Paris involving killing a mime lounging near the Eiffel Tower. Had him choke on a Madeleine cake. "So that makes me the one who knows about the accident. So what's the problem?" "I'm afraid your brother won't be able to walk again. He's going to be a paraplegic for the rest of his life. I'm sorry." I could tell Miles is trying to hold back his tears. "Is there anything you could do?" He asked. "We looked over the x-rays many times. There is nothing we can do. When it's time for Cole to check out of the hospital, we'll provide you with a wheelchair." "Thank you nurse" I said. The nurse nodded and left the room. Miles kicked a chair over. "Damn it!" He yelled. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" I watched as the older brother threw a fit. He then let out a loud cry. "He's only in elementary school for God's sake! School just started for him, then on the weekend of his first week of school, some asshole driver rams into his bike and now he won't be able to walk anymore!" He put the chair right side up again and sat on it. "Did you get a good look at the driver?" "Why?" Miles asked. "Because I'm going to make him pay. I'm going to make him pay for removing the ability to walk that once belonged to an elementary schoolboy. Who happened to be my brother." Yeah I said it. These two boys are like brothers to me. "Mom and dad would be proud" Miles said. "I'm sure they would" I said. "Now. What can you tell me about this driver?" Warehouse A man wearing a leather jacket was lounging with a gang in a warehouse behind an alleyway. "Kids are stupid" the man laughed. "Always forget to look before they cross the street. And you know what? I'm glad I hit that kid. He needs to learn the importance of looking before crossing the street!" "I hear you boss" another gangster said. The gangsters raised their beer bottles and clinked them together. "To stupid kids" the Driver laughed. Outside, a gangster with a bruised and bloodied face was leaning against a fence with a chain wrapped around his neck. Not too far from him, I was finishing off a gangster with a metal bat. His hands were duct taped behind his back and I was hitting him so hard, that I gave him a collapsed lung. After a final blow, the gangster fell dead. I tossed the metal bat aside and approached the door. I knocked on it a few times. "What do you want?!" I heard a voice shout impatiently. I reached for the broken screwdriver on a crate. The door opened and a gangster started yelling. "Who the fuck are--ack!" I quickly slit his throat with the screwdriver then plunged the tool into the side of his neck. I pushed his limp, lifeless body and stepped into the warehouse. I closed the door shut, getting the gangsters attention. "You've taken what was precious to my brother. Now I'm going to do the same to you" I said in a dark tone. "Look dumbass" a gangster said. "There's five of us and..." I cut him off by switching off the main warehouse light, causing panic from the gangsters. "Shut up!" The Driver yelled. "I can't think!" He approached the switch and flipped it on. He and his gangsters gasped in horror. The four approached the sight in front of them. One of their members was lying on the ground with the words. 'Come and find me' carved into his chest. A knife was plunged next to the 'E' so it looked like an exclamation mark. Ahead of them was an opened door. The gangsters grabbed their weapons (mostly used for melee). The Driver spat on the ground. "I'm not going to let some college fucker scare me like this!" He yelled and charged for the door, with his gang hesitantly following close behind. They stepped into a hallway filled with shelves of junk. "Close the door" the Driver ordered. "That's his only way to get out of here" he snickered. One of the gangsters closed the door and locked it. "Split up!" he ordered. The four gangsters separated and walked around the very large storage room. A gangster that held a rust pipe began to look around frantically. "Show yourself you son of a bitch!" He shouted. "I'm over here" I whispered. The gangster turned around and began to breathe heavily. "This way!" I whispered again. The gangster turned around and began to run down the aise. "Boss?!" He called. "Shut up! Find him!" The driver yelled. Suddenly, I clamped a hand over his eyes and the man screamed but I clamped a hand over his mouth. I had recently wet both my hands in hydrogen peroxide. While the man thrashed and screamed, the chemical started kicking in. I rolled my eyes and snapped his neck. I grabbed a cloth, wiped the chemical off my hands, and stuffed the cloth into his mouth. I left the lifeless body and continued my hunt. Another gangster, this one wielded a crowbar was walking down an aisle, occasionally turning around and swinging it like a bat. Just then, he heard a scream. Running down the aisle, and taking a right, he saw that I was laying a gangster on the ground. I had stabbed him in the chest with a screwdriver. I turned my head and stared at the gangster menacingly. I drew my gun, switched off the safety, and fired the gun at him. "Found you!" A voice shouted. Turning my head, I saw the Driver charge at me with an ice pick. I shot him in the legs and arms. The Driver cried out and fell to the floor. I tucked the gun away and approached him. "What are you going to do you piece of shit?" He challenged. "There's only one way out and it's locked!" He laughed. "Then you're going to open it for me" I said darkly. "The fuck I won't!" He shouted. "You're as fucking stupid as that kid I hit! I'm not opening the fucking door for you, you fucking got that?!" "Yeah I fucking got that" I said. "But you don't have a choice..." I grabbed a grenade belt from a box and counted five of them. I then grabbed a few more from the boxes. "No!" He gasped. "No! Please don't! Please!" He screamed as I clipped the belt around his neck. "Not a choice" I said. I stuffed the grenades I picked out into my pocket and dragged the Driver over to the door, ignoring his screams. "Give me a chance! Give me one more chance!" He yelled. I slammed his body against the door and punched him in the face. "You hit an elementary school boy and didn't even bother to get out of the car and apologize!" I yelled. "I panicked! All right?! I panicked!" "Bullshit!" I shouted. The Driver sighed and rolled his eyes. "All right" he said. "Fine. You got me. I didn't apologize. I hit the kid and drove off. He didn't bother to look before crossing the street. I hit him because I wanted him to learn what would happen if kids didn't cross the street. I'll be glad if he won't be able to walk. Lesson learned." "What are you doing?" He asked as I pulled down his fly. "Oh I get it, you're testing to see if I'm a homopho...." His eyes widened when I stuffed a grenade into his fly. "Let me show you what happens when men like you do monstrous things to the innocent!" I shouted. I pulled the pin and quickly zipped up his fly. While the Driver screamed, I pulled the pins off the grenades from the belt. Then I pulled out the grenades from my pocket, pulled the pins off all of them, and scattered the grenades around his legs and hightailed to a safe spot. I covered my ears to block out the Driver's screams and eventually, an explosion came. Hospital When I arrived at the hospital, I saw Miles standing by the curb. "Did you get him?" He asked. "Yeah" I answered as we both entered the hospital. "Is he being questioned?" He asked. "No. He was questioned." "And you just let him get away?" "No I killed him" I answered. "What?!" Miles turned to me. "Cale, just because you're military, doesn't mean you get to kill!" I still refused to tell him who I really am. "Look. I was going to turn him in, but his actions made me snap and I felt like he doesn't deserve to live." "But Cale... What would Cole think if... No, what would mom and dad think?" "Mom and dad are still alive?" I asked, shocked. "I thought they were dead" I said. "No. Mom lives in an apartment somewhere down the block and dad has a part time job as a mime in Paris. Come on Cale, what will they think when--" there was a silenced gunshot. Miles let out a grunt of pain and leaned against me. Behind him were the remaining assassins. "No!" I shouted. "Yes Cale!" My boss shouted back. He raised his gun up and fired a few more silenced rounds into Miles's back. He grabbed the young man and threw his body aside. "You fucking disappointed me." He grabbed me by the back of my shirt and dragged me across the hall. "We are going to A-17 and we want to see you kill Cole Phillips!" When we reached the door, he pressed the gun against my head. "Open the door" he said. I opened the door and the two of us entered. My boss turned to the men and wore a ticked off look on his face. "Wait here" he said. He closed the door and handed me a silencer. "Put that on your gun" he ordered. As I did, I turned to him with a hated look on my face. "Before I kill him, I just want to say something to him" I said. "He's asleep you fucking excuse for an assassin. Oh all right, but make it quick before I shoot him myself." I leaned against Cole and whispered into his ear. "I'll fulfill the promise you wanted. Goodbye my brother. You and Miles are now going to be with God. Along with mom and dad." I closed my eyes, aimed the gun at the small boy but hesitated. My boss pressed the gun against my head. "Pull the fucking trigger" he said. Keeping my eyes shut, I pulled the trigger. "Again" he ordered. I pulled the trigger once more. "Empty that fucking gun!" I shut my eyes tight and did what he said. I purposely left one bullet in. "Good man" he said, patting me in the back. "We shall go back to the headquarters and drink" he said with a laugh. As he turned around, I glanced up at Cole. I crossed his arms across his chest and did the sign of the cross. I then left the room and walked down the hall with the assassins. I walked over to Miles and lifted him up. "What the fuck are you doing?" An assassin asked, following me into a room. "Showing respect" I answered as I laid him on the hospital bed. I crossed Miles's arms across his chest and did the sign of the cross. "Good, now can we go?" He asked. "Yeah. I just have to take care of one thing." The assassin groaned. "What?" He asked impatiently. "You." I turned to him and shot him in the head. I left the room and followed the last remaining assassins. > Payback! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Celestia had a look of horror on her face. "How dare those humans make you do something like that!" She shouted. "And I want them to feel the pain I felt when I had to do it!" I said, too feeling mad. "And I want to do it now" I said. "Wait..." Princess Celestia said, suddenly calm. "What happened after you left the hospital?" She asked. "Broke into a barber shop, shaved my hair to make it look like what it is now, and ran away." "What about those hostile humans?" She asked. "They're still alive. And I want to eliminate them. Can you send me back to the Human World?" "I can but..." She stopped and looked at the ring. "You'll be needing something from Equestria." "I promised the young boy I would wear red. Can you shadow the ring into a red leather jacket?" I asked. "Yes I can" she answered. She focused her magic and turned my ring into what I wanted. "You remember the rules of the item right?" I nodded. "If you want to head back here, go to a place where you can't be seen and say 'Equestria'. Then you'll be immediately teleported back here." I stood up and nodded. "Thank you Your Majesty" I said with a smile. "Good luck Cale" she said. Don't really need it, but its ok. Hell will be unleashed on the assassins. Princess Celestia closed her eyes and teleported me back to the Human World. I stepped out of an alley and into the bright sunlight. I straightened my jacket, slipped my hands into my pockets, and walked down the street. The task is simple, go to the headquarters, and eliminate every single assassin walking there. I walked down a couple of blocks and approached a bar. I reached into my back pocket and showed the bouncer my I.D. "Go on in" he said. The thing about this bar is that it's also a strip club. I entered the dark neon-lighted club. The loud music rang through my ears the flashing dancing lights nearly blinded me, and I was ignoring the bikini-clad women dancing on poles. Around me were civilians eating, talking, and drinking. Speaking of which, the smell of food, drinks, and cigarettes filled my nose. This place is a hangout spot for us assassins and speaking of assassins, I found three of them. They were at a table smoking cigarettes. "This is the life, isn't it?" One of them asked. "Hell yeah" another agreed. The third glanced at his watch. "Man, when is our victim coming?" He asked. "Relax, he'll be here, we just have to..." The second assassin stopped when he saw me approaching their table. "The fuck are you here, Cale?" He asked. "Come on" I said. "I'm just visiting my old group." "We got a call from the boss" one of the assassins said. "He said that you killed two of your teammates. One was your partner and I'm not sure how you managed to kill the other in public and not get caught." "My, my, I was trained pretty well." "What the fuck is going on? We were never trained to kill and not get caught!" "That's right, you weren't. But I was" I laughed. "And where the fuck did you learn a stunt like that?" One of the assassins asked as he stood up from his chair. "This is getting nowhere" I said. Before I could walk away, he grabbed me by the jacket. "Listen you son of a..." He stopped and widened his eyes. "I'm listening" I said, smiling. The assassin released me and watched as his hands began to burn. The other two gasped and moved back was the assassin slowly began to burn to a crisp. "What the fuck is happening?! What the fuck did you do?! What the fuck are you?!" He screamed as he fell on his knees, glancing up at me. "What is happening is payback, for all the innocents I was forced to kill. All 300 of them. What I'm doing is killing the sinners. I don't see a reason why scum like you should live. And for what I am, I'm one of the four Horsemen." "Bullshit!" The burned assassin stood up and pulled out his gun. He then fired many rounds at me, but widened his eyes when they had no effect. I wrapped my hands around his neck and began strangling him. The other two pulled out their guns and shot at me, causing panic. Their eyes widened when I continued to strangle their comrade. When he ran out of air, I dropped the body and glanced up at the two. I reached for a butter knife and licked the blade. "Now where we?" I asked in a demonic voice as my eyes became as red as the jacket. I lunged at the two and with monstrous speed, I slit one's throat and stabbed the other in the neck. My eyes became its normal brown and my tone became back to normal. "That was fun, wasn't it?" I asked the three dead assassins before leaving the club. I made my way to an abandoned apartment where two guys smoked cigarettes and drank beer. Through a normal citizen's eyes, they're friends. Through the eyes of the assassins, they're guards. "What the fuck are you doing here--" before one of them could continue, I removed my jacket, swung it at both of them and put it back on as they began to burn and scream. To end their misery, I snapped one's neck, and smacked a beer bottle against the other's head until his screaming stopped. To make sure he was dead for good, I snapped his neck. I kicked open the apartment door and walked in. I walked up a flight of stairs and entered the first room. "Look who it is" one of the assassins said. "We received word that you're a fucking traitor!" "I know" I said nonchalantly. The assassins in the room raised their guns up at me. "Surrender or we'll fire" one of the assassins warned. "I'd rather not" I said. "Kill him!" All 15 assassins open fired at me but I simply stayed where I was, accepting the bullets. I looked down and sighed. "What was that about killing me?" I asked as I kicked the door shut. The assassins glanced at their guns and saw that they were empty. I sucked my teeth and shook my head. "Let me show you how killing works" I said. With an evil grin, I lunged at the group, laughing evilly. Upstairs, a man wearing a suit was pacing around his desk. "What the fuck is going on?" He asked. "Boss!" An assassin called. "What?" "Someone broke into our headquarters and is killing every single assassin!" He gasped. "Impossible! No one knows about our headquarters!" "Boss. It's Cale. He's killing everyone." "Bring him to me!" He shouted. In a hallway, I held a large knife in one hand and a similar knife on the other. I was stabbing and slashing my way through the assassins. Every bullet that hit me, had no effect, any attempt to melee me, failed. While I killed my way through the group, I was reciting my prayer. I then slashed the last assassin with both my knives. "Spiritus Sancti" I said after the body hit the floor. A door opened and two assassins stepped out. "Freeze Cale!" One of them shouted. I threw both my knives at them. One assassin got pinned to the wall, and the other knife impacted the other so hard, it sent him flying out the window, down several feet. I stood up and walked through the door they came from. The boss was standing in the back while the remaining assassins had their guns raised and aimed at the door. "When that fucking traitor barges through those doors, fire every single fucking round into him!" He yelled. Suddenly the doorknob started to turn. "Get ready!" The boss shouted. The door opened. "Fire!" He screamed. The assassins open fired at the door. In the back, the boss began laughing like crazy. "Shoot that son of a bitch to pieces! He will learn what happens when my group of assassins gets betrayed!" After several seconds, the shooting has stopped. "Sir, we got no more ammo left." "That's ok" the boss said. "Retrieve the fucked up body" he said. "There is no way someone can..." Three knives were thrown into the room, stabbing three assassins in the head. The whole room became quiet after the bodies hit the floor. "My turn" I whispered. I lunged into the room and retrieved two knives embedded into two of the three heads and began slashing and stabbing my way through the assassins. The boss stood with a look of horror on his face. He watched me stab and slash every single assassin in the room. Occasionally I would throw a knife, retrieve it, and use it again. The boss ran back to his desk and retrieved a revolver. He opened it and saw one bullet. He closed it and pulled the hammer back. When he turned around, he saw me stab the last assassin with one knife and slit his throat with the other. I shoved the body aside and approached him. The boss fired the revolver but widened his eyes when the bullet bounced off my head. "You and I are going to have a talk" I said sinisterly. The boss tried to run but I tripped him and elbowed him hard in the leg. The boss screamed in pain. I approached him and elbowed his other leg. "Consider this payback for all the shit you have done to me!" I yelled. "You gave me a list of 300 people including an innocent little boy! He was a brother to me!" "Good!" The boss shouted. "That proved to me that you're still an assassin! And now you fucking betrayed us!" "I'm goddamned glad I did too!" I shouted. I walked over to a dead assassin and retrieved a handgun. I removed the mag and smiled. "Three bullets. That's all I need" I said with a smile. The boss laughed. "What are you going to do? Say your fucking prayer and shoot me in the head?" He said scornfully. "God doesn't listen to assassins. You're fucked Cale." "Nah" I said. "You are." "What are you going to do?" He asked with mockery. "Let me show you something" I fired a shot in the air and touched the burning hot barrel. "I feel nothing" I said. "Do you feel something?" I asked as I pressed the barrel against his cheek. The boss screamed in pain. I removed the gun and touched the barrel again. "What kind of sick fuck are you?" He asked. "A twisted one" I said as I fired another shot in the air. For the hell of it, I fired again. "Ran out of bullets Cale" he laughed. "How are you going to kill me?" He asked with mockery. "This is for the 299 victims" I said as I wrapped my free hand around his neck, choking him. The boss tried to pry my hand off me. "And this is for the 300th victim" I pressed the burning barrel against his eye. All I heard were strangled screams. "You have to save one. Neck or eye?" I asked. I smiled as the boss continued to choke and gag while struggling to remove my hands off him. I pressed my hand harder against his neck until he eventually died of strangulation. I stood up and tossed the gun aside. I smiled and said one word. "Equestria." When I returned, Princess Celestia wrapped her wings around me. "I thought something bad happened to you" she said. "But I'm fine, Your Majesty" I said. "But I don't understand something" I said when we broke the embrace. "I was being shot at and all these weird things started happening. I acted like I was wearing the ring" I said. Princess Celestia smiled. "You are" she said. "It's just that the armor and horse don't appear. But the effects of wearing the ring will be with you as long as you wear that jacket. And another thing, the angrier you get, the more enhanced the powers get." "So this jacket, it's like I'm wearing the ring?" Princess Celestia nodded. "Same goes for Chase and his plastic ring. But as for Jack... The power of the ring unleashes when he shuffles his new cards. And Remy's gun possess his ring's power by resting his hand on his gun. And you know what the good part is?" "What is it?" "In both Equestria and the Human World, while these items are with you, you are immortal. But you still feel pain." Come to think of it, my hand did start to burn. I just bluffed to scare the bastard. "There might be more I want to know about the rings" I said. "And you will learn them indeed" she said. "Right now, I suggest you sleep." "Ok. Goodnight Princess Celestia" "Goodnight Cale." I left her throne room and walked down the hall with a smile on my face. I did it. I wiped away the assassins that kills the innocent. Now I don't have to worry about those sons of bitches ever again. > The Horsemen Visits Ponyville > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Next Morning I made my way to the dining room and found Jack shuffling his playing cards. I looked closely and saw that it was the cards he had before obtaining the ring. "Nice jacket" he commented as he looked at my new red leather jacket "I'm assuming that's your ring being shadowed?" I nodded my head. I removed my jacket and tied it around my waist. "Any word about your adoption?" I asked. "No, not yet. See, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor sees me more as a friends than a 'son'." "Well... There are some things that are not written in the cards." "But that doesn't mean that they're not true" Jack said as I nodded with agreement. Just then, Remy entered the dining room with a smile on his face. He adjusted his cap and sat next to Jack. "Princess Celestia believes that we're ready" he said. "Ready for what?" I asked. "To show ourselves to Ponyville." "Now wait a minute" I said as I stood from my chair. "We have to work this out together. Where's Chase?" "Last time I saw him, he was roaming around the hall singing 'I've Just Seen a Face' with a rose behind his ear. And then I received word that he and Princess Twilight had left for Ponyville." I stood up from my chair and removed the jacket from my waist. "Where are you going?" Jack asked. "I'm going to Ponyville" I said as I put on my jacket. "But you might not be welcomed. Chase is probably welcomed because...." "Hey. We're The Four Horsemen. Ponyville is probably expecting us three to be there." I looked at the clock and back at them. "Now... Let's ride." Chase was standing in the center of Ponyville eating an apple while also alone with his thoughts. He took a bite out of the apple while thinking of the accomplishment he had made by courting Twilight. Now the things is... Will the two be together long enough until one decides to marry the other? As he took another bite, a carriage being pulled by two pegasi guards descended to the ground. The door opened and Jack staggered out. "Uhh.... Fuck!" He groaned as he fell on his knees, facing the ground. "I take it you're not the flying type" Remy said as he stepped out. "Fucking hate flying.... It messes up my stomach" Jack said, groaning still. "So I take it you didn't enjoy your first plane ride?" I asked as I too stepped out. "Don't start with me" he groaned as the pegasi guards flew back to Canterlot. After kneeling on the ground and facing it for 5 minutes, Jack got back up, feeling all better. "Ok Chase. You've been here for awhile, where do you suggest we start?" "Well I spent five minutes with Princess Twilight, and right now she's expecting the arrival of you three, so I say we head over to her house." He took another bite out of his apple. "This way." Chase led us over to a treehouse on the far side of Ponyville. "Welcome to Twilight's home" he said with a smile. "Also the Ponyville Library." "Well this is awkward" Remy said as he stared at a 'Running an Errand' sign. Chase laughed nervously. "Well this is indeed awkward." I noticed Jack gaping at a mare. "Chase, who's she?" He asked. "Jack what are you-- oh no..." We saw that he was staring at a yellow coated mare with a long pink mane and tail. "Chase, who is that mare I see?" "Fluttershy. But don't just go walking up to her and..." "Sorry boys" Jack said as he pulled out his playing cards (his shadowed ring). "This Jack of Hearts is about to go all in." "Ok, you card playing thief" I said as I grabbed the collar of his vest. "There's one Casanova in Ponyville and I don't think..." Chase cleared his throat to get my attention. "And you don't think what?" He asked. "Never mind" I said. Jack began to shuffle the cards. "Like I said. I'm about to steal this mare's heart. And when I do, I'll do what I do best" he stopped shuffling the cards. "Evening the scales." He turned to Remy and grinned. "I'll steal a mare's heart for you." Remy sighed and gave him an unamused look. Jack tucked his cards away and headed towards the mare. "I guess I should tell him how shy Fluttershy is" Chase said. "No... I think he's getting the idea" I said with a smile. We watched as Jack walked towards us with a smile on his face. "She's shy. I'll give her some space" he said in a nonchalant tone. "All right Casanova, who else are we going to meet in this village? Are there rude stallions I should steal from? If so, point them out and I'll even the scales of--" before he could finish, something from above crashed into him. Jack began to moan in pain. "What the hell happened?" He asked. "Oops, sorry" a cyan Pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail said nervously. Chase cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, this is Rainbow Dash. You'll have to excuse her, she's practicing." "For what?" Jack asked, still lying on the ground on his back. "Practicing tricks to join the Wonderbolts" Chase answered. Remy stroke his chin. "I've heard of them" he said. "They're the bestest flyers of Eauestria." Rainbow Dash was immediately in front of him. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She squealed. "Are you a fan of them like me?" She then began to bombard one question after another. While she did so, I stealthily made my way out of the situation and walked down the street of Ponyville. I made my way to the center of town and sat on a bench. I removed my jacket and tied it around my waist. The heat of the sun plus the slight winds had caused me to enjoy the place more. I turn my head and saw Jack approaching me with his hands in his vest pockets. "Thanks for ditching us" he said sarcastically. "Now Remy and RD are talking to each other like there's no tomorrow." "What about Chase?" I asked. "Eh. He decided to visit Princess Twilight." "How are you holding up? Planning on visiting Fluttershy?" "Nah, that can wait." He approached the bench and sat next to me. "Hey, can I ask you something?" I asked him. "Sure. What is it?" "Why are you so hellbent on having Princess Cadance and Shining Armor adopt you?" "The second I met them, I looked into their eyes and saw love, caring, comfort, everything a parent has. Something that I've been wanting for 21 years." "You're an orphan?" "You could say that" he answered. "If it makes you feel better, I can help you convince them to adopt you." "That won't be necessary. I'll handle it on my own." "You're sure?" "Definitely sure" he said with a grin. We heard Remy approach us from the side with a grin on his face. "Hey toughie, what's going on?" Jack asked. Judging by the look on his face, it is clear that Remy enjoyed his talk with RD. "Ok, we'll talk later" Jack said as he stood up and patted his shoulder. "So, where do we go next?" "I suggest we wait for the Casanova" Remy said. I thought I saw him blush. 5 minutes later, Chase approached us. "Alright gang, let me take you to Sweet Apple Acres" he said. "There's something I gotta do there anyway." > The Welcome Party > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chase led us to a farm somewhere outside Ponyville. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Oh Applejack!" He called. "I've arrived with my friends." "I bet he's courting more mares. Princess Twilight is going to be so jealous!" Jack snickered. Remy smacked him upside his head. "Hey! What the hell?" Jack asked as he rubbed his head. "Dumbass" Remy replied. Exiting a barn was Applejack. She galloped over to Chase and tipped her hat. "Howdy Chase" she said. She turned to the three of us. "You must be Remy" she guessed. "Indeed I am ma'am" he said as he took off his cap and bowed. As he straightened up, Applejack turned to Jack. "You must be Jack. Chase has told me about you." "Well I'm sincerely flattered that Chase has told me about you." "Oh shut up. Courting is not what your good at" Remy said as he smacked him with his cap. "And that means you're Cale." "Yes it is" I said. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres y'all. Home to the sweetest apples in Ponyville." "So fresh, they don't need to be washed before eating" Chase said as he pulled an apple off a branch. He bit into it. "Say Applejack, is what I asked for ready?" He asked. "Why don't I walk y'all over to Sugar Cube Corner and y'all can see it for yourself?" Applejack offered. "Thank you" Chase said in a loving tone. "Ease up Romeo. You already courted one mare" Remy whispered to him. Chase laughed nervously. When we reached Sugar Cube Corner, Applejack opened the door and led us inside the dark building. The second the door closed, the logs turned on. "Surprise!" Practically the entire civilization of Ponyville were here. During the surprise, Jack had leaped into my arms. I dropped him to the floor and made my way to Chase. "Did you set this up?" I asked. "Sure did" he answered. Suddenly a pink mare popped out in front of me from nowhere. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! Did you get surprised? Did you? Did you? Did you? Because I worked so hard setting this up for you and your three friends!" She was so excited that she was talking under one breath. Every time I open my mouth to say something, her rant would just continue. I picked up a cupcake, removed the paper underneath it and stuffed it into her mouth. "Relax" I said with a smile. "I love the surprise you threw and I did get surprised. Matter of fact, I don't even know where to start." The mare swallowed the cupcake. "Let's start with games!" "I have a game" Remy said as he picked up a plastic baseball bat. "It's called Find the Piñata." "Oh no" I said as I grabbed a bat of my own. "I'm getting to that piñata first!" Remy adjusted his cap. "Come on, War. You really think you can beat Death at this game?" "I don't think, I know!" I ran past him, laughing. Remy fumed a little and chased after me, causing the guests to laugh. Jack got to his feet and looked around. "Looking for Fluttershy?" Chase asked as the ponies in the room began mingling with each other. "Yeah." "Having feelings for her already?" "Kind of." "Well she's over there" he said pointing to Fluttershy standing in the corner. Jack took a deep breath and exhaled. "Wish me luck. I'm going to try this again" he said. He told another breath and approached the Pegasus. Chase smiled and shook his head. He eyes caught sight of Twilight who was smiling at him. Chase blushed a little and approached her. The sound of a scuffle between me and Remy now filled the building. He then noticed that when he got closer, her smile slowly disappeared. "Chase, there's something I have to say" Princess Twilight said. "Oh Celestia, what is it? Are ok?" "I'm fine but..." She looked around. She then leaned close and whispered into his ear. "I sense the hostile humans are here." "In this building?" Chase asked. "Well the Everfree Forest." "Why are you so worried? I read the Everfree Forest is a dangerous place." "But Chase. They recently killed a manticore that Fluttershy befriended and they also killed a sea serpent that Rarity helped." "Don't worry Twilight, when those hostile humans show up, we'll stop them." He looked up and saw Jack talking to Fluttershy and I was sitting on Remy while eating a sandwich. The gunslinger was lying face down, cradling the head of the piñata. The sight cause Princess Twilight to laugh. Chase was hesitant to do a first kiss with her but he wasn't so sure. 'What the hell, I'm going for it' he thought to himself and hesitantly leaned forward. He then stopped and began to shake the thought out of his head. "Is something wrong, Chase?" Princess Twilight asked, oblivious to what he was attempting to do. "Oh, nothing is wrong" he lied. "Not quite myself" he said. "Come on, the party just begun. Said party lasted until the sun set and the moon rose. Not only that, by the time the party ended, the clock tolled 12. > Checkmate > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack was walking his new friend Fluttershy over to her cottage. What made the situation somewhat more tense is that they were both too shy to talk to each other. 'Come on, say something' he thought to himself. "I had a nice time, Fluttershy" he said in a somewhat nervous tone. "Oh, I did too" Fluttershy replied. "I'm glad you did." 'That's right Jack, keep it up.' "So Jack, how do you like Ponyville so far?" "The welcome party was great. The ponies were nice, and I felt like I was home." Eventually the two stopped by Fluttershy's house. Jack turned his head and shuddered a little. "What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked him. "You live near the Everfree Forest?" "Oh, you know about the place?" She asked. "Read about it. I don't think that's a safe place" he said. "Don't worry Jack, I can take care of myself" she said. "Are you sure? Because..." He glanced back at the forest entrance and shivered. "Do you want to come inside?" Fluttershy asked. "Yes... Yes I would" he said. 'God I'm scared of this place already.' Inside the Everfree Forest "Sir, no sign of the rings" a soldier said. "No shit, Sherlock" Sir Prize said. "Alright boys, pack it up, we're leaving this fucking place. Already wasted ammo on two worthless creatures." Sir Prize and his squad began to make their way out of the forest until one soldier stopped. "Wait" he said, sir Prize and the group turned around. "What?" He asked. "Maybe we overlooked something. Did we try digging?" He asked. Sir Prize approached the soldier and glared at him. "We searched for a fucking long time. That Horseman lied to us! When I find him, I'm going to kill him!" "Yes, I'm sure you will, but I just want to say--" Sir Prize yanked the soldier's assault rifle out of his hands, dropped it on the ground, drew a silenced handgun, cocked it, and shot the soldier point blank in the head. "Fucking idiot" he spat as he stared at the dead body. He turned to his shocked soldiers. "Keep your silencers on. Once we get out of this hellhole, we're storming through Ponyville." "But sir, there's only 10 of us" a soldier said. Sir Prize pointed his gun at him. "Wait, wait, wait! I'm just saying that what if the Horsemen are here?" "Don't be stupid" he said. "The Horsemen are in Canterlot." "Don't be so sure" a voice said. Sir Prize and the other soldiers turned their heads and saw a stallion approaching them. The stallion had a black coat, mane and tail but the latter and his mane had white streaks on them. He had amber colored eyes, and his cutie mark is a white king chess piece. "Who are you supposed to be?" Sir Prize asked, still keeping his gun up. "The name's Checkmate" the stallion said. "Anyone you want captured, I'm the one you should hire." "Guess what, horse, I'm the leader and you follow me." Checkmate laughed and shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't happen because you see... I heard you know Princess Celestia." Sir Prize widened his eyes. "What?" He asked, lowering his gun. "That's right. The news of you, a human arriving to Equestria spread quickly. I got the most info of it." "How do you know her?" Sir Prize asked, interested. "It's simple. I was once her royal guard. But after a plot to overthrow her from her throne, I was exiled to the Everfree Forest. Very calm place. Gives a villain like myself lots of time to think." "Go on" a soldier said. Sir Prize turned to him and shot him in the head. "Go on" Sir Prize said, switching the safety of his gun on. "I did my time of thinking and I came to a conclusion. I'm ready to overthrow Princess Celestia from her throne and take over Equestria." "Wait a minute Checkmate, taking over Equestria is my destiny." "I know, I know" Checkmate said calmly. "My plan is to get you and your team up to Canterlot and watch as you succeed." "You sound like you're certain that we'll fail." "Yes, you will fail. Because the Four Horsemen will stop you." "Then we'll get rid of them together" Sir Prize said. "I capture. I don't kill" Checkmate said as he turned around. "I need your help to at least capture one" Sir Prize said. "Deal but on one condition." "Name it." "We share one target together" he said as he faced him once more. "Who?" He asked. Checkmate looked at him as if he was stupid and wasn't paying attention during their conversation. "The one who lives in Canterlot? The one who I've been guarding almost all my life? The one you truly hate to the point you want to kill? Ring any bells?" "Yes" Sir Prize said in a realizing tone. "Bingo" Checkmate said with a smile. "I love it when an idiot gets his thoughts straight." Fluttershy's Cottage Jack and Fluttershy were in the cottage drinking tea. "Wow Fluttershy, you make the best tea" he commented. 'Come on Jack, you just met her. Don't go diving into a relationship yet.' "Thank you Jack" Fluttershy said as she sipped her tea. She placed her cup down and stood up. 'Oh God what is she going to do?' Jack thought to himself. "I'll be right back" she said as went up to her room. Jack leaned against his chair and sighed. 'That was a close one. I thought she was going to' a shadowy figure walked past the window. "What the hell?" He asked. He got up from the chair and approached the door. "Who's there?" He asked as he opened the door. He stepped out and looked around. A soldier crept up behind him with a choloformed rag. Unfortunately for the soldier, his footsteps were audible. Jack turned around and tackled the soldier to the ground and began to punch him. While the two scuffled Jack grabbed the rag and thrust it into the soldier's face. While the opponent tried to fight off the rag, Jack reached for the silenced handgun. Timing it perfectly, he let go of the rag, cocked the handgun, and shot the the soldier. He got up and reentered the cottage. Noises upstairs caught his attention. "Fluttershy?" He asked as he approached the stairs. Stepping quietly into the kitchen, armed with silenced assault rifles were a few soldiers. Jack saw their shadows and ducked under the staircase and switched on the safety. "Search the area" one of the soldiers said. Jack watched as the soldiers searched the living room. He slowly crawled out from under the staircase and entered the kitchen. One soldier turned around and aimed his gun. He approached the kitchen and readied to fire. Jack was leaning against the wall holding a kitchen knife. When the soldier stepped into the kitchen, Jack ambushed him. He jumped out in front of him and slit his throat with the knife. The soldier's gurgled cry caught the attention of the others. Jack dropped the knife and quickly grabbed the assault rifle. "Get him!" One of the soldiers shouted. "Don't shoot!" Checkmate shouted as descended from the stairs followed by Sir Prize. "Mr. Wild Card" he said. "Step out of your hiding spot so we could negotiate." "How do you know me?" He asked as he held the gun close to him. "I have a way of understanding my opponents" Checkmate said. "I'm not telling you where the others are" he said. "That son of a--" before Sir Prize could charge at him, Checkmate stepped in front of him. "Let me go! I wanna kill the bastard." "Please with that gun? If I recall correctly, you used 5 to kill a manticore, another 5 to kill a sea serpent and two to kill two of your soldiers in the forest." "So?" Sir Prize asked. "I'm just curious why you're running around with an empty gun." Sir Prize raised his gun and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. He dug around his pockets and was shocked to find that he ran out of mags. Checkmate smirked. "Where's Fluttershy?" Jack asked. "She's up in her room. Don't worry, she's safe. It's you who's in a troubling situation" Checkmate answered. "What do you want?" "I want to make a deal with you." "I'm not making a deal with a bastard like you. I'm not betraying my Horsemen brethren." "Don't worry Mr. Wild Card, you're not going to betray anybody." "What the fuck are you doing?" Sir Prize asked. Checkmate ignored him. "Here's the plan Mr. Wild Card. In two nights, I'm going up to Canterlot with Sir Prize and a team of elite soldiers to raid Canterlot. I have also came up with a catch. If I see you or any of your comrades wear the rings. That's right, if I see any of you wear the rings and wear the armor, I will execute Princess Celestia with no hesitation. Go to Canterlot as normal human beings. Oh and one other thing..." He turned to a soldier and gestured him to fire one shot. The soldier raised his gun up and fired. The group heard a grunt of pain. "When hiding from an enemy who plans to make a deal with you, don't lean against the opposite side of the wall. It's too cliche." The group turned around and left the cottage, leaving Jack bleeding on the kitchen floor. "Fluttershy..." He moaned in pain. > The Flaw in Checkmate's Plan > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jack slowly came to and found himself lying on Fluttershy's bed. His vest and shirt were removed and there was a bloodstained bandage wrapped around his waist. Remy was sitting on a rocking chair eating salad. "We found you half dead on Fluttershy's kitchen floor" he said after swallowing a mouthful of salad. "Fluttershy... Is she ok?" Jack asked. "She's ok. Right now she's being comforted by Chase and Cale. Plus a mare named Rarity cleaned the bloodstain on your vest and shirt." Jack sat up and groaned in pain. "Where was Fluttershy?" He asked. "We found her hiding and scared in her closet" Remy answered. There was a knock on the door and I came in, with a bowl of salad. "Hey, how's it going?" I asked. "I got shot" Jack answered with an unamused look on his face. "That'll heal" I said as I sat on the floor. "Don't worry. We're going to eliminate every single human who dares tries to take over Equestria" I assured. "Damn right we will" Chase said as he entered the room. "Wait a minute, who's watching Fluttershy?! She's probably still scared and--" "Relax" Chase said, cutting him off. "Princess Luna is down there comforting her." Jack sighed with relief. "So what's going to happen now?" "We wait for a friend of ours, you tells us what this Checkmate and Sir Prize are planning, and we go for it" I answered as I took a bite out of my salad. "This is good by the way." Just then, the door opened and Princess Luna entered the room. I put my bowl down and bowed as did the other three. Jack just bowed his head. What surprised him is that Princess Celestia entered the room as well. "This is an important matter" she said before he could say anything. "Yeah, normally she wouldn't be here at this time, but this situation we are in right now, let's important to discuss" Remy explained. "So Jack. What's their play?" "They plan to raid Canterlot" he answered. "Not only that, he's allowing us to stop them but we can't use the Horsemen's power or he'll execute Princess Celestia." "That's simple. We barge in with the rings, and kill Checkmate." "That won't do" Princess Luna said. "Checkmate is a brilliant strategist." "She's right. Even if you approach my castle nonchalantly, Checkmate would know whether or not you're hiding the rings. And be careful, he can predict the moves of his opponents before they are even made." "Now we got two opponents" Jack said. "Checkmate and Sir Prize." Princess Celestia gasped at the latter name. "He's working with Sir Prize?" She asked. "What can you tell us about him?" Remy asked as he put his bowl of salad aside. "I raised him like he was my real son. I trained him to be the perfect prince so he could be the next heir to Canterlot. Unfortunately he used this as an advantage and turned into a power hungry individual." "She then sent him back to his home world, never to be seen again" Princess Luna said. "But there was something I forgot to do" she said sorrowfully. "I forgot to erase his knowledge of magic." "Shit!" Chase yelled. "What kind of stallion would want us to...." He stopped for a moment. "He's up to something. There is more to this plot." He began to pace the room. "There is a human hiding the fact that he knows magic, there's a pony out there who has the same mind as Sherlock Holmes, and that pony wants us to go against them powerless?!" I began to pace the room and thought this through. "Jack, what were Checkmate's rules for stopping him?" "He said that we can't stop him wearing the rings. That means we can't have the armor nor the power of immortality the ring grants us." I stopped pacing and turned to him. "Say that again?" I asked. "He said that we can't stop him while we have the armor nor the power of immortality." I grinned at this. "There is a flaw in his plan" I said happily. "What doth thou mean, Cale?" Princess Luna asked. "He said we can't wear the rings, right?" I asked. "Yes" Chase said with a confused look. "But he didn't say can't barge into Canterlot on horseback wielding our weapons." I turned to Princess Celestia. "Now i know you're probably forbidden to do this but can you give us magic powers? He didn't say we can use magic against him." Princess Celestia thought for a moment. "Cale you're a genius!" Chase shouted. "No, it's just common sense" Remy said as he crossed his arms. "He just beat me to what I had to say." 'No you didn't' he mouthed to me as he shook his head. 'I know' I mouthed back. "Actually I can" Princess Celestia said. Chase's excitement began to grow inside him. "Jack, when did Checkmate say the raid will start?" "In two nights" he answered. "Perfect. That's all I need" she said. "I shall start researching the magic for for you." "Dearest sister" Princess Luna began. "I have readeth about the Horsemen. I suggest thee you find the magic that bests fits them." Chase lost it. "Yeah! We're getting magic that doesn't follow Checkmate's rules! That pony is going to hell for good! And so is that son of a bitch Sir Prize fucker!" Without thinking, he hugged Princess Luna and then Princess Celestia. Realizing what he had done, he gasped and stepped back, cleared his throat and walked to a corner. Princess Celestia thought for a minute. "Now that you mention it, my dearest sister, I might have just the thing. Wait here." She teleported out of the room. When she came back, she had a book levitated with her. Now I can't grant you the magic teachings I have trained Sir Prize to do, but I can grant you magic fit for your Horsemen colors" she said as she flipped through the pages. "Wait a minute. Colors?" Jack asked. Princess Celestia stopped flipping through the book and showed us a page. I approached the book for a better look. I liked what I read. "Red, white, black, and pale. This is perfect" I said with a smile. "What is it?" Remy asked. "She's giving us magic that fit our colors." I took the book from its magic hold and read them aloud. "Red- Fire White- Light Black- Shadow Pale- Fog" "And we don't need the rings for these?" Chase said with a wide smile. "I love it already!" "But there's a catch to this" I said. "If any of us has any kind of restraint, we can't use them. So don't get caught." "I'm not going to grant these powers to you tonight though" Princess Celestia said calmly. "That's ok. In two nights, give us everything we need. We'll wait patiently. Now if you'll excuse me, goodnight" Chase walked out of the room. "Sometimes I don't understand him" Remy said as he picked up his bowl of salad and left the room. "I shall counting watching the night" Princess Luna said as she teleported out of the room. Princess Celestia turned to Jack. "Will you be ok to stop the madness like that?" "Don't worry Your Highness. This wound won't stop me from protecting you." I saw her blush a little. "How about you, Cale? How do you feel about this?" "Great. Knowing about the flaws in the plan and our way to retaliate with a plan of our own, I'm ready to take the son of a bitch down." Princess Celestia smiled at my confidence and teleported out of the room. "We're going to win this" Jack said with confidence." "I know we will" I said as I picked up my bowl of salad. I walked over to the door. "Shall I tell Fluttershy that you're ok?" "Please" he answered. I nodded and left the room. Jack leaned back and stared at the ceiling. 'I think I'm in love' he thought to himself. He shook his head. 'No, no, no, I can't jump into conclusions like that' he thought. He then closed his eyes and slept. > Fun in Ponyville > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I didn't know why I slept underneath the tree of Twilight's library. Matter of fact, I didn't know why I didn't bother to find a place to sleep. When I woke up, dawn has just arrived. Chase exited the library and we both cried out with surprise. "What are you doing here?" He asked. "I was too lazy to find a place to sleep so I made my way over here." I got up and tapped the bark of the treehouse. "Hey the bark is really comfortable" I said, changing the subject. "Yeah, I know because I once napped... Hey don't try to change the subject." "Fine we'll go back to the topic" I said, rolling my eyes. "But if you tell anyone about this, I'm going to kick you where the sun don't shine." Chase glanced up at the sky and began to laugh. "Dude, the sun is going to shine somewhere eventually." I pinched the bridge of my nose. This guy is stupid. "I'm mean your ass" I said as I released the bridge of my nose. "I know. I'm just fucking with you." I groaned and started to leave. "No, come Cale, come back here" he said, grabbing me. "Look, Twilight is making tea right now. Wanna join?" "Sure. I got nothing to do for the time being." "Great" he said, shoving me into the house. My eyes widened when I saw a medium sized purple dragon sitting on a sofa. "Spike decided to stop by to visit" he whispered. "He's only here for today before he has to go back to his home." I approached the dragon and smiled. "Spike, right?" I asked. "Yep" the dragon said as he got up. "And you must be Cale" he said as he extended a claw. I shook it and winced. "Something wrong?" "Oh no, it's just that...." I stared at my hand and saw that it was bleeding. "Oh sorry about that. I've been sharpening my claws" he said apologetically. "A dragon's weapon" I commented. I made my way over to the kitchen and walked over to the sink. While I washed the blood, my eyes scanned around for a First Aid Kit. After washing with soap for 20 seconds, I grabbed a paper towel, folded it, and pressed it against my hand. I then found a roll of masking tape and taped it around my hand, keeping the paper towel in place. 'This'll have to do for the time being' I thought to myself. "Good morning Cale." I was so focused on treating my hand, I didn't realize Princess Twilight was next to me, making the tea Chase was talking about. I cried out and bowed. "You don't have to be formal with me" she said with a smile. I straightened up and sighed. Princess Twilight looked at my makeshift bandage and laughed. "There is a First Aid Kit in the cabinet." "Thank you" I said. I walked over to the cabinet, opened it and found what I was looking for. By the time the teakettle whistled, I had a thick white bandage cloth wrapped around my right hand. "So Spike, how's life outside Ponyville?" Princess Twilight asked as she used her magic to pour tea. The scent of mint filled our noses as well as a hint of herb. "Still getting used to that fact" Spike said as he sipped his tea. As much as I like tea, this tastes like something one would serve a sick person. Not saying that's a bad thing, it just tastes a little medicinal rather than serving it to friends. Nevertheless, I like it and continued to drink. "I hear that there are four humans in Ponyville" Spike spoke again. "There are" Chase said. "One is with Fluttershy and the other is... Well I don't know." I quickly finished my tea ignoring the fact that my entire mouth feels like I've stuffed it with as much Altoids as I could and chewed all of them, then swallowed them in one gulp. "Speaking of that guy, I gotta check up on him" I said as I got up. "Cale, Fluttershy is taking care of him." "Not him. Remy" I said. I turned to Princess Twilight and smiled. "Thank you for the tea and I'll see you later." "You're welcome and ok" she said as she used her magic to sip her tea. I turned to the dragon. "Spike, nice...." I glanced at my bandaged hand. "Um..." I held up my fist and he punched it. "..meeting you" I continued. "Nice meeting you too" he said. "I'll see you later?" "Sure" I said. I turned to Chase and mouthed 'I'll kick you where the sun don't shine.' 'Whatever' he mouthed back. I waved goodbye and left the library. When I stepped out of the library, the sun was already up and the majority of the town were outside. Among the road, I saw Jack walking steadily due to his bandaged waist. Fluttershy was walking by his side ready to support him if he loses his balance. "Hello Cale" Jack said. His best has been buttoned up. After all, the bandage could be noticible through his white shirt. "Jack, Fluttershy" I greeted. "Hey Jack, have you seen Remy anywhere?" I asked. "Last time I saw him, he was coaching Rainbow Dash. I think he's still coaching." That was good to know. "So where are you headed?" I asked. "Rarity's" Fluttershy answered. "Yeah. I'm just going to thank her for cleaning my shirt and vest" he added. "Since I basically got nothing better to do as of now, I might as well tag along" I said with a smile. The three of us made our way over to a building that looked like a carousel. Jack approached the door and raised a fist. Before he could knock, he turned to us. "I don't know about this" he said. "It's simple, you just knock and wait for her to open the door." "But Cale, what if..." He stopped. "I could look at this situation a number of different ways." "Oh my God just watch me do this" I said as I approached the door. The second I was about to knock, the door opened and I ended up knocking on Remy's head. "Ah! What gives?!" He cried out as he rubbed his head. "That was one of the situations I was nervous about" Jack said nervously. I stared with my mouth gaping open. Behind Jack, Futtershy had a worried look on her face. "How did you know we were coming?" I asked. "Saw you through the window" he said. I couldn't help but notice Remy only wore his cap, boxers, shoes, and socks. "Can you put something on?" I asked. "Can't. Rainbow Dash crashed into me, I skidded across some grass and dirt, and might've torn them. Luckily for me, Rainbow Dash mentioned this place so here I am, waiting for my clothes to be fixed and cleaned." He opened the door and allowed the three of us in. I removed my red leather jacket and tied it around my waist. "By the way, where is Rainbow Dash?" Jack asked as he stood against a wall. "Talking to Rarity. He's telling her how much fun she had being coached by me and crashing into me." Just then, Rarity stepped out of a room levitating Remy's clothes perfectly cleaned and neatly folded. "Here you are darling" she said as she handed him his clothes. "Thank you" he said. He gave us a nervous smile and walked over to a fitting room. Rarity approached me and examined me. "Hmm. Gray isn't your color darling" she said. "Take it off. I'll make some amends to it." It sounded like an order than a request. I sighed and removed my shirt. "Whoa!" I heard Jack cry out. I also heard the frightened gasp of Fluttershy. "What is it?" I asked as I folded my shirt. Rarity used her magic to levitate my shirt and walked back to the room. "Dude, you got a tattoo." I knew what he was talking about. I walked over to a mirror and turned around. I craned my neck and saw the tattoo. I had this imprinted on me one week after my 100th victim. Written across my back in black were the words: 'Dóminus Illuminàtio mea, The Lord is my Light' Rarity came back with a folded black shirt. "Here you are darling" she said. "Black fits you better." I took the short and put it on. I then untied my jacket and out it on. "How do I look?" I asked. "She's right. Black fits you better" Remy said as he stepped out of the fitting room. Rainbow Dash emerged from the room Rairty was at. "Ready coach?" She asked. "Just a minute" Remy said. He turned to Rarity. "Thank you so much for these clothes." "Anytime darling" she said. Remy crouched down and grinned. "Race you to the field" he said. Jack, Fluttershy and I watched as the two ran out of the building. "Like he said, thank you for what you've done" I said. "This shirt feels comfortable as well" I commented. "Like I said darling, I added amends to it." Jack stepped up next. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for the vest and shirt last night, so thank you" he said. "It is no problem at all. And if you ever need your clothes fixed or cleaned, come to me" she said. We bid goodbye and left. When we walked by the clock tower, Jack turned to me. "Listen Cale, I'm going to spend some time with Fluttershy. Catch you later?" "Sure" I said with a smile. I watched as Jack and Fluttershy walked away. I turned around and ended up coming face-to-face with Princess Celestia. I quickly got on one knee and bowed. "You may rise" she said. "What brings you here?" I asked as I got to my feet. "I wish to speak with you" she said. "Follow me." This sounded serious. As we walked through Ponyville, I watched as several ponies bowed. Princess Celestia led me to the outside area of Ponyville and led me to a field. "Ok, is this about the magic thing we discussed last night, because I..." I was cut off when Princess Celestia quickly turned around and hugged me. "Am I missing something?" I asked as I hesitantly hugged her back. "Cale" she began. "I think I'm starting to fall for you" she said. She released me from her hug and looked me in the eye. "I feel that you and I should be together." 'This is so sudden' I thought to myself. "But..." I began. "You're a princess and I'm an assassin. I don't think falling in love with a guy who used to kill for a living is the right choice." "But you're pure in heart just like the other three." I turned my head and saw Remy and Rainbow Dash sitting on a tree about a couple feet away from me. They didn't seem to notice, thank God. "I don't know, Your Highness. I'm worried that this feeling you have might not be approved. I mean I like you too but..." "Say that again?" She asked with a little excitement. "I said that I like you too, but.... I don't know." I turned around. "I'm scared that if you and I are together, something will happen that will cause us to break up and I don't want that to happen." She placed a comforting hoof on my shoulder. "Not to mention that this happened so suddenly." Princess Celestia had a small tear fall down her face. She leaned forward. "I understand" she whispered. I felt her lick the back of my neck. She let go of me and teleported away. I fell on my knees and grasped my head. 'What the fuck have I done?! She admitted her love for me and I turned her down! Shit!' I pounded the grass a few times. 'That's it! When I see her again, I'm going to admit my love to her! If she turns me down the way I did to her, then I'll just have to find an alternative. And it'll involve me dying in the raid!' I made that vow in my head and made my way back to Ponyville unaware that Princess Celestia never teleported to Canterlot. She just teleported herself to one of the clouds above and she had used her magic to read my mind. I was in the mood for some apples so I made my way over to Sweet Apple Acres. To my surprise, Remy was waiting for me by the gate. "You're just time" he said with a smile. "For what?" I asked him. > Two Assailants > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Why the Sisterhooves Social of course" he said excitedly. I looked around and saw the place had been set up like a county fair. There were flags, tents, and there was even a racetrack. "This event happens every year and today so happens to be the event" he continued. "Come on, there are two fillies I want you to meet." "What about Chase and Jack?" I asked him as he led me over to a stand. "They're here somewhere" he answered. "Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, I want you to meet another friend of mine. Cale McManus. Cale, these are the sisters of Apple Jack and Rarity." I lowered myself on one knee so I was leveled with them. "You girls excited?" I asked. "Yes we are Mr. Cale!" Applebloom said with excitement. "Well good luck out there. We'll be rooting for you" I said as I patted their heads. As I got up, Remy turned to me. "Well actually Cale, I'm actually rooting for..." "Oh hush up and enjoy the fun" I said to him. The two of us walked over to the bleachers and made our way to the top row. The sun and the breeze was a perfect combination for me. In fact, wanting to get the most of it, I removed my jacket and tied it around my waist. I scanned across the arena and took note that there were more bleachers set up. I spotted Spike, Princess Twilight, and Chase in the middle row of one of the bleachers to the far left. "Is it starting yet?" A familiar voice asked. I turned my head and cried out in surprise. Jack and Fluttershy had made their way up to the same row Remy and I were. I was too focused and observing the place, I didn't even notice their arrival. "No" Remy said as we made room for the two. I couldn't help but notice Jack and Fluttershy are hand-in-hoof together. "So are you planning to get together?" I asked. "No, we're just going to be friends" Jack said, causing the Pegasus to blush. "Relationship-wise, we're not going as far as those two." I turned my head and saw Chase holding Princess Twilight close to him. Not only that, she was also leaning on him. Those two really needs to get a room. Concealed on a rooftop somewhere in Sweet Apple Acres was a soldier working for Sir Prize. He crouched down so he wouldn't be seen and set up a sniper rifle. He loaded one bullet in, cocked it, and looked through the scope. "I can't help but notice how fidgety you are right now" I said to Jack. "Sorry Cale, its just that... I don't do so well in races. The intensity of the one you want to win is just scary." Fluttershy patted his hand with her hoof comfortingly. I turned to Remy and saw him surveying the area. "Something's not right" he said to me. "I can feel it." Just then, the sound of a megaphone rang throughout the farm. I turned my head and saw an old mare and a large stallion stand on some kind of stage. "The old mare is Granny Smith" Remy said to me. "And the stallion with her his Big Macintosh. Or Big Mac to the residents. He is Applebloom and Apple Jack's older brother." "Is this your first time seeing the Social?" I asked. "Yeah. But I got most of the gist of it from the Apple Family." We watched as five sets of sisters walk up to the starting line. Applebloom spotted me and waved, causing me to wave back. My eyes darted around the racetrack. There were some pretty good obstacles in the way. Remy caught sight of something on the rooftop of the barn. He had a hunch that it will cause a problem, but his conscience says that it's only a wind direction. Shrugging it off, he returned his focus to the track. His eyes shifted to the rooftop once more. "On your marks!" Granny Smith yelled. I felt Jack stiffen up. "Get set!" At the corner of my eye, I saw him tense up while Fluttershy was trying to calm him down. "Go!" The crowd cheered as the race began. The competitors first hopped over a trench of mud, but Sweetie Belle and Applebloom skipped across it. Next was a staggered row of baskets. As the competitors walked through them with ease, the assailant on the rooftop aimed his sniper rifle at one of the competitors. "Shit!" I muttered softly. I stood up and made my way down the bleachers, causing panic. "Everyone down!" I shouted. Remy glanced up and saw the sniper. He flicked his wrist and the contraption with the small pistol flipped out of his sleeve. "Cale!" He shouted. The assailant pointed his gun at me and pulled the trigger. I grunted in pain and fell to the ground, causing the crowd to panic. Several residents including the competitors gathered around me. Remy aimed his gun up and pulled the hammer back. The sniper picked his gun up and ran off. Remy growled in frustration and retracted his contraption. He made his way down the bleachers and pursued the assailant. Fluttershy was holding Jack tightly, whimpering and looking away. Jack scanned across the chaos and spotted another soldier leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette. The two made eye contact with each other. The soldier grinned, put out his cigarette and ran off. "Sorry Fluttershy I gotta go" Jack said as he stood up? "Where are you going?" She asked. "Chasing the one who did this." Fluttershy watched as Jack made his way down the bleachers. He ran after the soldier and after running 50 feet, he managed to tackle him to the ground. The soldier elbowed him and the two got to their feet. The soldier whipped out a tactical knife. Jack reached into his right pant pocket, pulled out a razor and flipped the blade open. "This will be fun" the soldier said challengingly. "I bet" Jack retaliated. The sniper made his way to Ponyville, tossed his rifle aside, and scaled a building. Remy scaled the same building and pursed him across the rooftop. Before he could leap to the next building, Remy grabbed the back of the soldier's shirt, yanked him away from the edge, and threw him on the ground. The soldier got to his feet and pulled out a switchblade. "Take this you some of a bitch!" He shouted. He sworched the blade open and charged at Remy. The gunslinger trapped the soldier's arm and broke it, causing him to drop the knife. The soldier cried out in pain and Remy thrust a palm against the soldier's throat, causing him to choke and gag. Remy spun him around and broke his neck. He picked up the body, dragged it to the edge, and threw it off the roof. Jack was desperately evading and blocking the savage attacks of the soldier with the tactical knife. During his desperation, he slit the hand the held the knife. The soldier cried out in pain and dropped his weapon. "You'll pay for that!" He yelled as he held his bleeding hand. Jack folded the blade a little so his weapon looked like a V. "You may have beaten me easily, but there are more of us. Hundreds more! And we'll storm through--" Jack threw his weapon horizontally and watched the blade embed itself into the soldier's neck. He smirked as he watched the soldier hit the ground. "Ah shut up" he said. He walked over to the soldier, retrieved his blade and cleaned the blood using the soldier's shirt. After pocketing his razor, he made his way back to Sweet Apple Acres. "Cale, are you ok?" He asked. "Yeah" I said as I held my bleeding arm. "You don't look ok" Chase said, panting. "Chase, I'm fine" I assured as two ponies helped me up. "Damn it Cale you're bleeding and..." Chase collapsed. "Goddamn it" Jack said as he dragged Chase aside. "If you can't stand the sight of blood, why the hell are you here?" Chase only moaned in response. Jack rolled his eyes. > Hospital Horror > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ponyville Hospital Great. I have bandaged right hand, and I get shot on the same arm on the same day. Remy sat on a chair reading a newspaper while Jack was looking out the window. My leather jacket was hanging on the chair Remy was sitting in. Just then, Nurse Redheart entered with a tray that contained two syringes. "It's time for your dose Mr. McManus" she said. "Oh come on, I just had a shot" I complained. Nurse Redheart laughed. "No, this is different. This fights off the sedative you took." "Sedative?" I asked as she approached me. "No wait, there was a small bottle of something right next to me" I said. When I turned to the side, I saw the bottle I was talking about was gone. "Wait a minute, was the bottle the same size as an ink bottle?" Jack asked as he turned around. "Yes." "Yeah that's the sedative. Apparently you drank it like a shot of alcohol, it was hilarious." "Why didn't anyone tell me? Ow!" I cried out when Nurse Redheart inserted the syringe into me. "We tried to tell you, but all you said was 'Oh, liquor, I love hospitals" Jack explained. "I said that? What the hell kind of drugs did they give me?" I asked as I was being injected. "They didn't" Jack said. "After Chase passed out, you passed out too and by the time you came to, I don't know what happened, but you kind of snapped." Now I remember. It must've been me overreacting to turning down Princess Celestia. "Where's Chase by the way?" I asked. "Bathroom. They dragged him into this room 10 seconds after you drank the sedative." Nurse Redheart removed the syringe. "Oh, gentlemen? If Chase gets out of line, that syringe is for him. And if that doesn't work..." A nurse entered with a taser. "Thank you nurse. We'll give him the message" Remy said with a grin. The two nurses exited the room. "What happened to Chase?" I asked. "You'll find out once he comes back. Its so fucking hilarious" Jack said. When the door opened, Chase entered like he was drunk. He sauntered over to his bed and collapsed face down on it. We could hear a muffled groan coming from him. "What's his story?" I asked. "After you drank the sedative, and saw what it has done to you, he laughed and began mocking you. He tried imitating you by drinking a sedative, but..." "But what?" I asked as both Jack and Remy tried to hold their laughter. "He didn't drink a sedative nor alcohol." "What did he drink?" I asked. "An entire small bottle of vanilla extract and tried to wash them down with an entire small bottle of almond extract. Then he tried washing down both extracts with a liquid used for eye surgery. He never looked what he picked up." "What were those extracts doing in a hospital anyway?" Chase asked groggily. "I don't know, but it was hilarious before, while, and after you drank it" Jack laughed. I eyed the syringe and the taser. "Then what are those for?" "To stop him from doing something stupid" Remy answered, taking breaths. Chase rolled on his back, continuing to groan. "That was nasty" he moaned, then gagged. I just noticed that he and I were both in our clothes rather in hospital gowns. Nurse Redheart entered the room and smiled at Chase's predicament. "So I'm guessing the syringe and taser won't do?" She asked. "Not at all ma'am" Jack said. "I think he learned his lesson" he said, glancing at Chase. The latter moaned and rolled out of bed, hitting the floor. "You're going to have to leave these two in the hospital for tonight and you could check them out of here tomorrow morning." "Lovely..." I said sarcastically as I turned to my side and slept. Chase got up and climbed back into bed. "That would be nice..." Chase groaned. Jack and Remy bid us goodbye and left the room with the nurse. That Night Nurse Redheart was the only pony inside the hospital. She was working a late night shift filling some paperwork. Outside, 4 soldiers stood by the front door waiting for a fifth. Speak of the devil, he arrived. "Remember, the only body count I want is two. And I want those bodies to be the two Horsemen inside. Let's do this." He opened the door and the five walked in. Nurse Redheart was so focused on her work that she didn't hear the door open. While she was signing a paper, a gloved hand was clamped over her mouth and the other was clamped over her eyes. "You two, tape her up and guard her, you two come with me and lets kill us some Horsemen." I got out of bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I approached the door, but before I could open it, I heard voices outside. I pressed my ear against the door and listened closely. "This way. When I give the signal, we'll barge in and gun down the Horsemen." I slowly opened the door and peeked out. Three soldiers were walking down the hall and they were 30 feet away from the room Chase and I are. I crept out of the room, closed the door and walked down the opposite direction. I leaned my back against the wall and looked at the empty hallway. Ahead of me were a set of double doors. I ran down the hallway and peeked through the glass door window. One soldier was sitting on a chair smoking a cigarette while the other was cleaning his gun. I leaned against the wall and unwrapped the bandage around my hand. I knocked lightly against the door and his in the corner. The soldier cleaning his handgun stood up and opened the doors. "Alright, what's the--" I jumped him from behind and wrapped the cloth around his neck and began strangling him. I then dragged the choking soldier into the corner I was hiding and began to tug the cloth tighter and tighter. As soon as he was strangled, I rebandaged my hand, and leaned the soldier against the wall in a sitting position. Outside, the soldier smoking stood up. "What's going on?" He asked as he approached the door. I bent down next to the dead soldier and took his tactical knife. Remaining in the corner, I waited for the soldier to walk through the doors. The second he walked in, I tackled him from the side and pinned him on the floor. I raised the knife up and plunged it into his chest. The soldier opened his mouth to scream but I stuffed his cigarette deep into his mouth and placed a hand over it to prevent him from spitting it out. I then struck him so the cigarette slid down his throat and waited patiently for his screaming and squirming to stop. Once the squirming stopped, I felt three guns aimed at my head. "Get on the ground" one of the soldiers ordered. Shit. I did what I was told. Chase groggily awoke and climbed out of bed. He saw my red leather jacket still hanging on the chair and made his way over to the door and opened it. His senses kicked when he saw me on my knees with my hands bound behind my back. Chase slipped back into the room and slowly closed the door. He eyed the taser on the table and glanced at the door. With a determined look on his face, he grabbed the taser and planned out his attack. > First Time Killing > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two of the three remaining soldiers started kicking me relentlessly while the third watched with a smile on his face. "That's enough" he said. The two stepped aside, making room for the third soldier he approached me and grinned at my situation. I was curled up on the floor, coughing and groaning. "Ever since Sir Prize talked about you Horsemen, I've been wanting to beat you to a pulp. Think of the rewards we're going to get when I drag your shit body over to him." He kicked me in the back, causing me to grunt in pain. "Carry on" he said as the two continued to kick me. The three soldiers began to laugh and mock me. Chase crept out of the room with the taser in his pocket and a scalpel in his hand. 'Princess Celestia is going to be pissed' he thought to himself. He ran stealthily across the hall and ducked behind a corner. "This is great. We got that bitch nurse locked in her own closet, you're close to looking like shit, and we still have three more Horsemen to take care of" one of the remaining soldiers said. When he stepped out of the corner, he saw the three soldiers kicking me once more. He approached the soldier on the left, scalpel in hand and a glare on his face. Pulled the solder off me and slit his throat, getting the other two soldiers' attention. He thrust the scalpel into the middle soldier's throat and shoved the body aside. He pulled out the taser, and set it on the highest voltage possible and charged at him. With an angered yell, he pressed the taser against the side of his opponent's neck and watched the weapon do its job. Chase watched with a smile on his face as his opponent screamed as electricity surged through his body. After awhile, he turned off the taser and shoved the body to the floor. He turned to me and saw me get up steadily. "Princess Celestia is going to be pissed" he said. I laughed weakly. "Yeah" I said leaning against the wall. "Come on, let's find Nirse Redheart." "Cale, you're in pain and your hands are still bound behind your back." I pushed the doors open and turned to him. "Please, I've been through worse shit than this." Chase rolled his eyes and followed me. "Nurse Redheart!" Chase called while I searched the desk for scissors, which I found. "She's in the closet" I said as I picked up the scissors. As I cut through my bindings, Chase opened the closet door and found Nurse Redheart bound and gagged with medical tape and unconscious. The Casanova bent down and began to untape the mare. He then carried her bridal style and kicked the closet door closed. When he turned around, he saw me sleeping on one of the lounge chairs, snoring a little loudly. Chase shook his head and walked through the doors we came from. He entered the room we were originally staying in and placed Nurse Redheart on my bed. He then put the covers on her and smiled. "Sleep tight, nurse" he whispered. He grabbed my jacket off the chair and quietly exited the room. Returning to the lobby, he placed my jacket on me as a makeshift blanket. He then returned to the three dead bodies and retrieved a handgun and some mags from one of them. "Heh, looks like I'm going to stand guard tonight" he joked to himself. Throughout the night, getting no sleep at all, he stood by the door Nurse Redheart was in, and occasionally patrol the lobby armed with a handgun and a taser set to the highest voltage. The Next Morning Word spread what happened last night around Ponyville. With the help of Remy and Jack, we managed to get rid of the dead bodies Chase caused. And he was right about one thing. Princess Celestia was indeed pissed and i was about to find out how pissed she is. After retrieving my leather jacket and putting it on, I made my way back to the lobby where she stood and her glare was enough to scare me. She was so upset about me taking several kicks to the front, sides, and back, that when she saw me, the first thing she did was slap me with her hoof. "You could've died!" She screeched. I remained silent and rubbed the side of my face where she struck me. The faint outline of her hoof gave me a hint on one thing. She cares for me this much. "Cale, do you have any idea what would happen if I found out that you died?!" She continued her rant and I could see tears starting to form in her eyes. I had enough of this. I grasped the sides of her head and pressed my lips against hers. Princess Celestia widened her eyes and made a questioning noise. She then closed her eyes and wrapped her wings around me. After a while, parted my lips from her and grinned. "I'm sorry" I said. "I didn't know you cared this much about me." Chase turned his head towards my direction. "I thought about what you said and I'm starting to feel the same way." "Aw... He's admitting his love" Chase cooed. "You're acting like you haven't seen this happen before" Jack said. "Shh... Let's not disturb them" Chase said. He stayed out and continued to watch the scene before him. Jack rolled his eyes and walked away. Tears of happiness formed in his eyes when he watched me and Princess Celestia kiss once more. I caught sight of him watching us. Chase laughed nervously "Sorry, I'll go" he said. While I continued to kiss Princess Celestia, I glared at him and flipped him off. Chase laughed once more. But when he turned around, Twilight was staring at him with a kind of lust in her eyes. "I... Uh.." He turned around and saw me and Princess Celestia leaving the hospital. When he turned back to Twilight, a nervous smile spread across his face. > The Two Romeos > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chase was no nervous, that he left the hospital in a mad run, leaving Princess Twilight behind. The alicorn laughed and shook her head. The Casanova ran through the streets of Ponyville and eventually saw me and Princess Celestia walking side by side. He ran towards us and grabbed the back of my jacket. "Sorry Your Highness, I need to talk to him" he said as he dragged me along. "Chase, what the hell?" I asked. Princess Celestia smiled and shook her head as Chase pulled me into an alley. "Cale, I need your help" Chase said as he slammed my back against the brick wall. "With what? How to rape a man in an alleyway during the day?" I asked sarcastically. "I'm not fit for that kind of teaching." "No you idiot. I think Princess Twilight likes me." "What are you complaining about? You're a Casanova." "Yeah but usually..." He peeked out of the alleyway and ducked his head back in, "Ok, I'm not the kind of Casanova in love stories." "Oh God" I said, rolling my eyes. "No I'm serious." "Here it comes..." "Cale I'm a different kind of Casanova," "Chase, I'm not in the mood for listening to your story about being a changed person or whatever lecture you're going to give me because I'm having a moment with Princess Celestia." "Cale, hear me out." "Look" I said, moving to the side. "I don't care what happened to you. What I care about right now is spending time with the mare who is out there wondering why you dragged me here. Now if you'll excuse me, this Romeo has to get to his Juliet. I straightened my jacket and patted him on the cheek. "Fine, make it quick." "I usually flirt for comfort and sometimes I don't expect the girl to request me to take her to my apartment which also happens." "And?" I asked. "When I flirted with Princess Twilight, it was the first time I did it for love, not comfort." "So what are you complaining about?" "I'm a Casanova, I flirt with one girl, sometimes we do it in the apartment, and then I end up cheating on her. Cale, I don't want to cheat on Princess Twilight. I want to be with her forever." "Then don't attempt to find another girl, just stick with her." "That's the thing. At rare times, I don't find the ladies. The ladies find me." I looked out from the alleyway and saw Princess Celestia still waiting patiently. Not only that, but Princess Twilight was with her. "The mares are out there waiting for us" I said. "Cale, what if I let slip that..." I turned to him and slapped him across the face. "Pull yourself together, man! You love her, she loves you back, end of story." "You're right" he said with confidence. "You're absolutely right, I won't let my inner Casanova get the best of me!" He was filled with confidence. "That's it! Bring out the confidence in you!" I shouted with excitement. "Let's go, we got ourselves a date with royalty." As I left the alleyway, Chase started to be overdramatic. And boy was it pathetic. "I'm fucked..." He said in a pathetic tone. Through the course of the day, Princess Celestia spent a lot of our time walking through Ponyville, talking, and even chatted with the other Horsemen. She and Fluttershy even watched with great amusement as Jack and I battled out who could urge the most chickens back into their coops. It ended up b eing a tie. I was hoping we would have a chance to talk to Remy, but he was too busy still coaching Rainbow Dash. Chase on the other hand, he was still nervous about the problem he told me when he cornered me in the most unusual way in that alleyway. Sooner or later, that guy is going to have to suck it up and forget about it. That Night I was standing in a field just outside Ponyville thinking of nothing in particular. I was glancing up at the moon Princess Luna had recently risen. A noise startled me, and when I turned around, I saw Princess Celestia. "I have some bad news Cale" she said sadly. "What is it?" I asked. "Wait, what are you doing out in the night?" "Never mind that" she said seriously. "What I have to say is important..." I kept my mouth shut and listened. "Sir Prize is starting the invasion in 2 hours." That lying son of a bitch! "Then I'm going to rally the other three and..." Princess Celestia wrapped her wings around me and pulled me close. "I don't want to lose you" she said. I didn't know whether to ask myself 'Did my ears deceive me?' Or whether to say my heart leapt out of my chest because those two things played in my mind simultaneously. I'll just stick with both. She then released me from her hug. "Cale. You're going up against someone with a high knowledge of magic and a royal guard who is a great strategist. Even if I gave you knowledge of magic you still won't..." I put a finger to her muzzle. "Back in my world, I once slain three generals, 17 soldiers, 12 bodyguards, all in the same building. And one of them had the same strategic mind as Checkmate. If I could wipe those men out, I could do the same tonight. And I promise... I won't let anypony die." "Promise?" "Promise" I answered. "How long does it take for you to get us prepared?" I asked. "Not that long" she answered. I smiled at her answer. "Well then I guess we have a lot of time to spare." I leaned forward and kissed her. Princess Celestia wrapped her wings around me and kissed back but a bit more passionately. I removed my leather jacket and shirt and dropped them on the grass. I wrapped my arms around her the same time she wrapped her wings around me. Her coat felt a little itchy against my bare skin but I didn't give a shit. The two of us continued to hug, kiss, and caress each other under the moonlight. Elsewhere (not too long ago, same situation as me) Chase was pacing around the foyer of Princess Twilight's library, talking to himself. "Ok you could do this. It's simple. You approach her, kiss her and admit your love. He walked over to a window and pulled back the curtain. From a distance, he could see a faint outline of me standing in the middle of the field, looking up at the moon. "Oh God, Romeo #1 over there is probably planning out his love to Juliet..." He closed the curtain and sat on a sofa. He stood up and continued to pace. "Fuck it. I'm going to approach Princess Twilight, and say it to her face. " 'Your Highness, I love you.' Nah that's too--" when he turned around, he ended up face-to-face with a smiling alicorn. Chase cried out and staggered back, falling back on his ass on the sofa. "When did you get here?!" He asked, shocked. "Oh God you didn't hear all that stuff did you?" He asked. Princess Twilight began to approach him with a lustful look on her face. Chase laughed nervously. "Ok, this getting a little scary, so I'm just gonna go and--" Princess Twilight shoved him back down on the sofa with her magic and walked closer to him. Before he could do anything, Princess Twilight placed both her hooves on his chest. Chase gulped. Princess Twilight leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. Before he could think of trying to fight her off, all his nervousness vanished. It's official, he loves Princess Twilight, end of story. He wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed back. Princess Twilight used her magic to dim the light. The two continued to hug, kiss, and caress each other while the moonlight shone through the window. It was a matter of time before the Canterlot raid began. > Ride of the Horsemen > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I estimated the make-out session to be 20 minutes. After putting on my shirt and leather jacket back on, Princess Celestia rounded up the other three Horsemen along with Princess Luna and Princess Twilight. The make out session wi Princess Twilight has brought Chase's confidence, and morale really high. "Let's do this shit! I'm fucking pumped!" Jack, Remy and I just rolled our eyes. "As you know, Checkmate as said that if we don't want the raid to get any worse then it'll actually be, you are not to use the rings" Princess Celestia said. We pulled out our shadowed items (plastic ring, revolver, playing cards, leather jacket) and placed them on the grass. Sitting next to Princess Celestia's forehooves was a small box. We watched as Princess Celestia turned the items back to their original forms and opened the box. Inside it were 6 necklaces. Princess Twilight's eyes widened as the rings were placed inside. "You're keeping the rings with the elements?!" She asked excitedly. Princess Celestia nodded. "When the time come for you and the other five to use the elements, the Horsemen will also use the rings" she explained. "Wait, who are the other five?" Jack asked. "Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie" Princess Twilight answered. This surprised the four of us. "We've been here for what, a night or two and we just found out now?" Remy asked. "Why weren't we told about this?" "Thou didn't ask" Princess Luna answered. "How were we supposed to know?" Jack asked. "Never hurts to ask" Chase answered, patting Jack in the back. After using her magic to close the box and locked it, Princess Celestia turned to us. "Now for your magic" she said. "We get magic?" Chase asked excitedly. Princess Celestia nodded and approached him. "Now remember, I can't grant you the magic that I taught Sir Prize. But I can grant you magic that matches your Horseman's colors. Casanova Chase, since your signature color is white, I'm granting you magic based on light. " she pressed her horn against his heart and we watched as his body was engulfed in bright light. Behind him, a bright portal opened and an illuminating white horse galloped out. Chase laughed and began to stroke its coat and mane. Princess Celestia approached Jack next. "Wild Card Jack, I believe your signature color is black, so I'm giving you shadow based magic." She pressed her horn against Jack's heart. Jack watched in awe as shadow aura began to envelope him. Behind him, a shadowy portal appeared and a black horse shrouded in shadow and red eyes galloped out. Jack mounted his horse as shrouds of shadow began to flow out of his hands. Princess Celestia approached Remy next. "Remy Brecht, your color is pale, so you're magic will be based on fog." Just like the previous two, she pressed her horn against his heart. Fog began to form around him. Remy adjusted his cap so we could see his expression more clearly. Behind him, a skeletal horse with fog coming out of its empty eye sockets, mouth, and spaces between all of its bones galloped out. "Cale McManus" Princess Celestia said. "Since your color is red, your magic will be fire-based." She pressed her horn against my heart. I watched with amazement and shock as my body slowly engulfed itself in fire. When the burning sensations ceased, a fiery portal appeared behind me and a horse engulfed in fire galloped out, neighing loudly. "There art also things thou shalt need to know" Princess Luna said as we all mounted our horses. "When thy sister and thyself art in peril, your magic won't work." "Luna is correct" Princess Celestia said. "As long as we are safe from danger, your magic will work. But if either of us are in a life and death situation, your magic will not work." "That sounds fair" I said. "So are you going to teleport us to Canterlot?" Jack asked. "No" Princess Celestia answered. "I will teleport myself, Luna, and Twilight to Canterlot. I want you four to ambush the soldiers by following the Ponyville train tracks to Canterlot." "No problem. After all, I'm great when it comes to ambushing" Remy said. 'Showoff' Jack thought to himself. "Good luck Horsemen, you will need it to save Canterlot." With a flash of bright light, the three mares were gone. "Well I guess this is it" Remy said. "The fate of Canterlot depends on us." "And if we want to use our magic to take out every fucking human that dares try to kill the residents, we have to protect Princess Celestia and Princess Luna at all costs" Jack added. "I'm ready to kick some ass!" Chase shouted. His horse reared up, knocking him on the ground. "Damn it." "Gentlemen, it all comes down to this. One day one, we were all strangers to each other. Now we are fighting together to save the one place I feel comfortable calling 'Home.' " "Damn right to that" Chase said as he got back on his horse. "Now..." I said as I grasped the reigns of my horse. "Let's ride!" I let out a cry and my horse galloped back to Ponyville. The other three urged their horses to follow. Unknown to us, most of the residents looked out their windows and saw us four heading towards the Ponyville train station and our horses galloping down the tracks to Canterlot. There was one plan and one plan only. SAVE CANTERLOT! > Invasion Part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sir Prize and Checkmate have arrived with an army of 300 soldiers and were standing in the middle of the kingdom. "Tonight is the night! I get take what's rightfully mine!" Sir Prize shouted. He turned to his soldiers. "I want snipers on the roofs and I want several of you guarding this area." "The rest of you will follow me and Sir Prize to the castle. Round up every pony and bring them all in one room" Checkmate said. "As for the alicorns and unicorns, I want a Negate Collar around their necks. With those things on them, they will be unable to perform magic. Now lets go. We got ourselves a castle to invade. Checkmate and Sir Prize walked down t.e street with several soldiers following close behind. About 50 snipers began to scale the walls and got into their positions. The remaining 100 soldiers spread out, armed with their assault rifles. All the residents had locked themselves in their homes. They were lucky that whenever a soldier walked by, they didn't bother to peek through their window. When we approached Canterlot, we dismounted our horses and ran the remaining 25 feet. 5 seconds after we dismounted, our horses vanished like smoke. The four of us hid behind a building. I peeked around and eyed the area. "What is it, Cale?" Jack asked. "Shut it!" Remy snapped. "Let him concentrate." "100 soldiers scouring the area" I said. "50 snipers on the roofs. All guns have silencers." "Great, how do we take them out? The place is heavily guarded" Chase complained. "Plus, we don't know if Princess Celestia is safe." "You're right" I said. "We'll look stupid of we try to attempt using magic while she is in trouble." I thought for a moment. "Alright, I'm staying here." "How will that help us?" Jack asked. "There's a hundred soldiers in the area." "Leave that to me" I said. "The three of you, scale a building and take out the snipers. Remy, Chase and Jack went around the corner, leaving me behind. I heard footsteps approaching and waited to strike. When's he soldier walked past, I sprung up and lowered his gun down. Before he could make a noise, I struck him in the throat, grasped the side of his head, and banged his head three times against the brick wall. I picked up the assault rifle and a radio. I clipped the radio on the right side of my belt and cocked the gun. Before I left my hiding spot, I equipped myself with his gear. I switched on the radio and put on a fake voice. "Eyes open, enemy could be approaching" I said. "Copy that" one of the soldiers answered. I stuck to the shadows and eyed the scouring soldiers. Up above, I saw Remy break a sniper's neck and took his spot. Not far from him, Jack killed a sniper with his own knife, and Chase strangled one with a cord. The two took their spots. "How's it looking?" I asked in my fake voice. "Can I change position?" "Your clear to move" a soldier responded. "Copy that, changing position" I said. I eyed two soldiers, one was walking behind the other. "Watch your six!" I shouted. The first soldier turned around and gunned down his comrade walking behind him. "Oh shit!" He gasped. He dropped his gun and ran towards his comrade. Up above, Remy saw him running towards the soldier he had killed. He smirked and sniped the soldier in the head. Remy got up and walked over to Chase and Jack. "Alright boys, take them out" he said. The three began to snipe the remaining snipers. I crept up behind a soldier and gunned him in the back. As soon as he hit the ground, I saw that another soldier witnessed it. I raised my gun up and planted a bullet into his head. Chase made a crucial mistake but it wasn't something I couldn't handle. "Cale, the snipers are out, you're clear to get rid of the soldiers on the ground." Shit! Little did he know, he was using a radio, so the entire group of soldiers heard it! I hid behind a building, and pulled out my radio. "Cover me. I need to have a word with a certain someone" I said. While the three sniped the soldiers, I spoke into the radio. "Sir Prize" I said. I waited patiently. "Cale, how the fuck did you get to Canterlot?" "You have your way and I have mine" I answered. "Just so you know, the team you have guarding the place? They will be wiped out pretty soon." "I doubt that. There's 250 soldiers in this building and only four of you. How can you possibly catch me?" "Don't underestimate the Horsemen" I turned off my radio and left my hiding spot once more. "Go Cale! We got you covered!" Remy shouted from above while reloading. Jack sniped a soldier in the chest, and shot him again in the head. "Fuck yeah!" He yelled. I ran straight for the castle, dodging bullets, and evading soldiers falling to the ground. When I reached the castle, I turned around, and saw a soldier running at me. I raised my gun up and emptied my mag into his chest. I reloaded before entering. The three scaled down the building and started walking towards the castle. Suddenly, Remy stopped and looked around. "Wait a minute" he said. Jack and Chase turned to face him. "There's only 99 bodies." Chase walked over to a dead soldier and picked up an assault rifle. "I'll find him. You guys go find Cale." Remy entered the castle but Jack stayed. "Go Jack" he said as he cocked his gun. "I'll be fine." Jack nodded and entered the building. Chase focused his attention to the scenery in front of him. "Come out you son of a bitch so I could kill you." Inside the Castle I walked down the darkened and quiet halls of Canterlot locked and loaded. The only sounds I could hear were my own footsteps and my shallow breathing. I heard a door open and quickly ducked behind a corner and leaned against the wall. 'Sir Prize probably has his soldiers patrolling the entire interior parts of the castle' I thought to myself. A soldier exited the door, holding a tactical knife. When he walked by me, I stepped out and gunned him in the back. Once he hit the floor, I headed for the door he came from. In Another Hallway Remy just finished strangling a soldier and was now looting the body. He retrieved a silenced handgun and 2 mags. After tucking them away, he walked further down the hallway. Suddenly, he was tackled from the side. He skid across the velvet carpet and glanced up. An unusually tall soldier towered over him and cracked his knuckles. "Damn! You're one big motherfucker!" Remy said. "Thank you. I know" the soldier said gruffly. "What the fuck has your mother been feeding you? Or were you born that way?" Insulted, the soldier grabbed Remy, lifted him off the floor, and slammed his back against the wall. "Can we talk this out?" Remy asked. The soldier punched him hard in the stomach. "I guess not." The soldier then tossed him across the hallway. Remy glanced up and saw the soldier charging at him. "Fucking juggernauts" Remy said as he got up into a fighting position. Back Outside Chase remained by the castle entrance waiting patiently for the 100th soldier to show himself. "I could wait all night if I have to, you know" he said out loud. Just then, ahead of him, a figure was approaching. Chase raised his gun up and readied to fire. Just then, the 100th soldier approached him with a smile on their face. Chase's eyes widened and was so shocked, he lost his grip on his gun which fell to the ground. The 100th soldier was a woman. A very attractive one and she seems to have a love-at-first-sight for him. She approached Chase and caressed his cheek. Chase's heart began to beat quicker than usual. 'Oh fuck' he thought to himself. 'I was afraid this was going to happen.' The woman smiled at him lovingly and leaned in for a kiss. > Battle of Words > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remy was thrown against the wall so hard, he ended up in another part of the hallway. "God damn it" he groaned. The large soldier entered through the hole in the wall and approached Remy. The gunslinger stood up and began to throw punches but the giant blocked them with ease. Remy crouched down and punched the giant in the nuts but didn't have any effect. "You gotta be shitting me" he said. The giant lifted him up and tossed him over his shoulder, sending him sprawled face down on the carpet. The giant grabbed him by his cap and lifted him up. He then threw him across the hall. With a laugh, the giant soldier tossed the cap aside and marched towards Remy. The young man glanced up and fumed. "Alright pal.... No one touches the cap!" He got up and charged at the juggernaut. He skid across the floor and slid between the giant's legs. He got to his feet and kicked the giant in the butt. The soldier turned around and attempted to throw a punch but Remy evaded the attack. When the giant threw another punch, Remy grabbed his fist and snapped his wrist. The juggernaut cried out in pain. Remy crouched down and punched him in the right patella, sending the goon on one knee. He then did a roundhouse kick to the goon's jaw. As the juggernaut fell on his back, Remy flicked his wrist, extending his contraption with the gun on it. He pulled the hammer back and aimed the gun at the soldier's head. 'Now what is that prayer Cale says before he kills?' He asked himself. 'Ah fuck it I'll ask him when I see him' he pulled the trigger and walked away. Jack has somehow found his way to an upper floor. "If I were a strategist, and a leader of this kind of raid, where would I hide my hostages?" He asked himself. 'The throne room? Nah too simple.' He rounded a corner and gasped. He ducked back after seeing a few soldiers standing guard in the middle of the hallway. He eyed something on them and punched the wall. "Shit" he said. He decided to take a risk and decided to go for what he saw. "Here I go" he whispered. He charged at the at the soldiers and tackled all of them, he used his sleight of hand to grab the things he saw. He scrambled to his feet and hightailed out of the area was quickly as he could. "After him!" One of the soldiers shouted. Jack dropped what he was going for... Grenade pins. After seeing what he had dropped, the soldiers struggled to remove the grenades from their gear, but it was too late. One by one, the grenades detonated. Jack ducked into a room and leaned against it, sighing with relief. "Jack, I presume?" A voice asked. In front of him were a few soldiers, aiming their guns at him. One of them approached him and he had a belt of throwing knives. Elsewhere I was walking down the hall, still holding my gun. Just then, Sir Prize's voice sounded through the radio. "Hello Cale, are you coming to get me?" "Yep. I'm coming to kill you, your cohorts, and rescue every single hostage you have with you." "Really? What if I kill one hostage right now?" "Then you'll boost up my morale. For every hostage you kill, the stronger my desire to kill you becomes. And don't get me started if you kill a royal family member. Killing one of them crosses the line." "Then I suggest you talk to one right now." "Oh good, put them on the line." "Hey, whoever this is I'm talking to, let me out of here!" 'Oh God, I'm talking to Prince Blueblood.... I've heard of this stallion' I thought to myself. 'And I promised Princess Celestia that I would try to keep as many Canterlot residents alive as I could.' "You were saying?" I asked. "Save me! Only me!" The stallion shouted. "I'm the nephew of Princess Celestia! I need to stay alive!" "Hey, news flash, Blueblood...." "That's 'Prince'! Prince Blueblood!" "Whatever. I got news for you. I only listen and talk to only a few members of the royal family and you're not one of them. Put another member of the royal family on the line." "Oh so you won't give a shit if I kill him right now?" Sir Prize asked. "I'll give a shit if you kill him, I just don't like him personally." "We'll see. Say goodbye to Prince Blueblood!" "You fucking...!" I shouted. Over the radio, I heard silenced gunshots and screaming. "I did you a favor. You hated Prince Blueblood, I got rid of him for you." "There's a fucking difference between hating and not liking! I didn't like him to the point where I wanted to kill him you asshole!" "Fine! Talk to this member of the royal family!" "Cale?" A voice asked. "Princess Cadance?" I asked. "Yes." "Is Shining Armor there too?" "Yes he is. Help us please." "I'll do my best." "Oh and Cale? Is Jack with you?" "No. We got separated. He should be here somewhere, why?" "Shining Armor and I have been doing a lot of thinking ever since Jack arrived and..." I heard her cry. "It's a yes." "Yes what?" I asked, confused. "Yes we want Jack as our adopted son. The way he persuaded was like watching a foal persuading their parents for a new toy." "Ok. I'll give him the message." "Thank you." "You're welcome. And as for you, Sir Prize. When I see you, I'm going to unleash as much hell as I could over your pathetic body." "You really think you can fucking defeat me? We've been over this! I got a small army! What do you have?!" "Oh wait, I got lost track of time hold on, give me a minute. Yep it's Fuck You:00. I'm coming up there at I'll Kick Your Ass:30." "Now listen here you..." "I want to play a game called Fuck Off. You go first." I hung up and continued my way down the hall. Back at the Entrance Chase had his back against the wall while the woman continued to kiss him passionately. Chase closed his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks. 'I'm sorry Twilight... I didn't want this to happen' he thought. While the woman kissed and caressed him, Chase spotted a dead soldier next to him. "Come on Chase... Make love to me" the 100th soldier cooed. Chase smirked as he eyed a tactical knife. "No thanks" he grabbed the tactical knife and stabbed her in the chest. The woman let out a painful groan as Chase plunged the knife deeper into her chest. "I already made love to a woman right before I got here." He pulled the knife out and shoved the woman to the ground. She glanced up and looked at him pleadingly, drooling blood. "Oh and 2 things" he said as he tossed the knife aside and picked up a handgun. "She's not even a human, and she's a far better kisser than you." He cocked the handgun. "Ta-ta" he said. He turned around and went inside the castle. The woman scowled and pulled out a gun of her own. She raised it up and screamed in anger. Chase quickly spun around and shot her in the head. "No girl is better than Princess Twilight Sparkle" he said. As he turned around, he had one thought in mind. 'Fuck. I can't believe I said that. Ah I don't care, I love her so much, I don't care how stupid I sound when comes to shouting out how much I love her.' Back in the Room Jack has killed all the soldiers but only the man with the knives remained. He pulled out a knife from his belt. "You got nothing!" He shouted. Jack was backed himself against a desk. As he fumbled around the table, he felt his hand brush against something. Three things actually. They all had the same texture and sharpness. Crystal shards. He grasped the three of them and held them tightly. "This fight will be quick, killing you will be easy" the soldier said with a smile. "You're right" Jack said. "This fight will be quick." He quickly threw the first shard, getting the soldier in the chest. The second shard got him in the chest, parrallel to the first one. As the soldier fell on his knees, Jack threw the last shard at his head. He turned around and continued to search the table. He then found a medium sized trunk. When he opened it, he saw more crystal shards. He grinned and grabbed a couple of them. 'These are much better than throwing knives' he thought to himself. In a Large Room were Sir Prize, Checkmate, the remaining soldiers, and their hostages. Checkmate turned to the soldiers. "Take Princess Twilight to her room and guard her with your life" he said. "Then scout the halls. If you see a Horseman, kill him." The ponies watched with panic as Princess Twilight was dragged out of the room. Checkmate and Sir Prize were the only ones left with the hostages. Before Checkmate left, he turned to Sir Prize and grinned. "What the fuck are you planning?" He asked. "I'm a strategist. I don't share my plans with you." "Hey, I shared my plan with you!" "I know. And because of that, I know how to counter it and I knows it's flaws. My point is, your strategy sucks. You'll never win this fight." "Not if I start killing hostages right now!" He yelled. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." "Try me" Sir Prize said. He pulled the trigger but nothing happened. "Lesson learned... Save your bullets." Sir Prize dug through his pockets in a mad panic. "Ran out of mags I see. What kind of villain wastes his bullets on hostages? You're the most pathetic human I've ever seen." As he left the room, Sir Prize screamed with frustration. He pulled out a radio and talked into it. "I want soldiers guarding the rooms where the Princesses are being held! I also want soldiers guarding the room that I'm in right now! I'm hunting the Horsemen one by one!" Still keeping the radio with me, I grinned, "It's about time you plan to show yourself, asshole" I said. > Knight Takes King > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Twilight was thrown into her room, bound only. Check,ate entered the room and turned to the soldiers. "Hunt the four down" he said. As soon as the door closed, he approached Princess Twilight. "I've been waiting for a long time for this" he said. He raised a hoof up and brushed back his mane, revealing a horn. Princess Twilight gasped. "You're..." "That's right. The plan was to make Sir Prize think I'm an Earth Pony playing tricks on him. In reality, I've been using magic to get into his head. Everything I did was through magic." "What about your strategies?" "No that's my specialty." "That day. When Princess Celestia told me about the vision." "That was me. The beauty of advanced magic. I used it so well, I love it when ponies forget what I really am. And if my knowledge is correct, I believe only magic can kill an alicorn. No human technology can kill us." "But Prince Blublood..." "I was the one who killed him. The same time Sir Prize pulled the trigger, I stopped his heart, making him believe he killed the stallion." He approached closer to her. "Now... I'm going to do what my destiny truly is. Make you my queen." Twilight began to whimper. Outside, I stayed several soldiers with a lance I found against the wall. I threw it like a javelin, and watched it impale a soldier. A couple feet away from me, Jack threw the crystal shards at the soldiers, targeting either head, neck, or heart. Remy was dual wielding two silenced handguns and began to gun down the soldiers. When he ran out of ammo, he dropped his weapons, and flicked both his wrists. Using the guns on his contraption, he gunned down more soldiers. Chase made his way through the chaos, dodging bullets, and evading falling soldiers. "Where are you going?" I asked as I grappled with a soldier with an assault rifle. "Finding Princess Twilight!" He shouted. I lowered the assault rifle, and aimed it at the soldier's chest. I cocked it, and pulled the trigger, making the soldier shoot himself. After emptying a mag, I joined Jack and Remy in a hand-to-hand combat with their opponents. Chase made his down a hall and leaned against a wall in fatigue. He then heard whispers in a room ahead of him. He approached the door and opened it. He found the hostages. He ran up to them and began to remove the collars from the unicorns and alicorn (Princess Cadance). Once that was done, they used their magics to untie everypony in the room. "Come on, I'm going to get you to safety. Where's Princess Luna and Princess Celestia?" He asked. "They're both held hostage in their room" Princess Cadance answered. "Where is it?" He asked. "On the very top floor." Chase turned to a guard. "I want you to lead everypony outside. Guard their houses, and every single one of them until this is over." The guard saluted and he and the other royal guards led the citizens outside. Chase blushed as each pony said their thanks. His heart almost stopped when Princess Cadance hugged him. As soon as she left, Chase stepped outside and bumped into Jack. "Where's Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" He asked. "In their room" Chase answered. "We gotta get them out of there." "But Princess Twilight..." Chase said. Jack thought for a minute. "Ok, get the mare you love, I'll handle this." Before Chase could say another word, Jack ran off. Chase walked down the opposite end of the hall. Jack and Remy collided into each other somewhere at a fork. "Where's Cale?" Jack asked. "Looking for Sir Prize. Where's Chase?" "Looking for Princess Twilight." "Where are you going?" They asked at the same time. "Finding Princess Celestia and Princess Luna" Chase answered "Looking for you" Remy answered at the same time. "Oh shit, we got to find the two Princesses" he said. The two ran down the hall and up a flight of steps. "God I hate stairs" Remy moaned. "It's good for exercise" Jack answered. "Whatever." In Princess Celestia's Room The two royal sisters were tethered to wall. The chains were connected to the collars around their necks. In front of them were a few soldiers and the only remaining ones. "What do you think we should do to them?" One soldier asked. "I don't know. It's Checkmate's call." Outside, Jack and Remy quietly approached the door. Jack slowly opened the door and spotted their targets. "There's only a few of them in there" he whispered. Remy pulled out a handgun and cocked it. "Jesus, how many handguns do you have?" "A lot" he said. Jack pulled out a crystal shard. "Ready?" He asked. "Yeah" Remy answered. "One... Two..." Jack counted. "Three!" They both said together. Jack kicked the door open and threw the shard at a soldier's back and another at the back of his head. Remy gunned down the remaining soldiers and used the last two on the collars. "Well Jack, I think it's safe to say that bullets to faster than blades." "You're a showoff you know that?" "Yeah I know,". "Where art Cale and Chase?" Princess Luna asked. "Cale is finding Sir Prize and Chase is finding Princess Twilight" Remy answered. "When you see them, tell them that we are safe." "Which means we can use the magic you have given us?" Jack asked excitedly. Princess Celestia nodded. The two bowed to them. "Don't worry Your Highnesses. We'll end this." Near Princess Twilight's Room Chase found a handgun on the floor and picked it up. "One bullet" he said. He cocked the gun, opened the door and found Princess Twilight, huddled and crying while Checkmate stood over her. "You will be my queen! Now kiss me!" "No!" She screamed. Chase glared and quietly entered the room. He gripped the gun tightly in his hands. "Twilight Sparkle! I command you to be my queen!" He screamed. He was so blinded by wanting to be Twilight's bride that he failed to use his magic to see this coming. Chase aim the gun against the back of Checkmate's head. "Knight to Twilight's room. Checkmate" he said. He pulled the trigger and watched the unicorn fall on the floor. He untied Princess Twilight and the two embraced each other tightly. Chase smiled knowing that his mare was safe. Twilight's tears wet his his shirt a little. "Everypony is outside." "Where are you going?" She asked. "I'm going to kill the one that started this" he said. The two bid each other goodbye with a hug and a kiss. > Showdown > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I entered a large dim room which was probably the size of a ballroom. "Cale McManus" Sir Prize said. He stood in a corner with four soldiers. "I'm surprised that you managed to take out my men. But look where we are... It's only me, my four remaining men, against you. How sad." "Then I'll just have to take you guys on." "Cale, you should know that I can use magic. But after all that has happened tonight, I was so mad, that I didn't think about using them. But now I can unleash my anger on you!" Suddenly the door kicked open and four shards of crystals impaled all four soldiers. "You son of a bitch" Remy said as he had his gun out. "That's why you wanted to stop by that room? To get the shards and do this?" "Yep" Jack answered. "Asshole" Remy whispered. "So. It all comes down to this" Sir Prize said with a smile. "Four fucking normal humans praised to be Horsemen against a man who used to live in Equestria and is armed with magic. This will be the easiest fight ever!" "What did I tell you?" I asked. I clenched my right fist and it engulfed into flames. "Never underestimate the Horsemen." I threw a fireball at Sir Prize. He cried out and staggered back. Chase fired a beam of light, stunning him for a split second. When he regained focus, the entire room was fogged. "Where are we Sir Prize?" I asked. A streak of shadow slithered across the floor. It then rose up, and Jack morphed back into his human self. He threw a few punches at Sir Prize and morphed back into a shadow, slithering back into the fog. Sir Prize began to walk aimlessly through the fog. "Come in Sir Prize" Chase said. "Use your magic against us. Or maybe you don't have magic. Maybe you're just bullshitting us." Remy jumped out of the fog and began to throw punches. Sir Prize blocked all of them and kicked Remy in the chest. Sir Prize clicked his fingers and the fog slowly withered away. Remy shrouded himself in fog but Sir Prize made them vanish with a click of his fingers, he laughed and kicked him in the chest. Chase fired a beam of light at him, but Sir Prize waved his hand, and the light dimmed to nothing. "Believe me now, Cale? You can't beat me!" My hands engulfed in fire and I charged at him. I began to throw punches but Sir Prize began to take them as if they were nothing. He even seemed more relaxed with the fire hitting him. He faked a yawn, "This is getting nowhere" he blocked one of my punches and kicked me in the chest. "Face it! I'm more powerful than you Horsemen put together!" He clapped his hands together and a wall of fire surrounded us. "Now you got nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide! It's just you against me. The all powerful human in Equestria! When I'm done with you! I will be the god of Equestria and I shall rule what is rightfully mine!" "Face it Cale, we can't beat him. He'll just counter it with magic" Chase said. I closed my eyes and began to think. "Don't play that shitty mind trick on me Cale, because no matter what plan you have up your sleeve, I'll always counter it." He laughed boisterously. "Then I'll just have to throw everything I got until something comes up" I said. I charged at him and began to throw numerous punches and kicks, but Sir Prize easily evaded and blocked them. He even swatted away the fireballs I threw at him like flies. 'Come on, I know you're getting this' I thought in my head. Remy and the others joined my in the hand-to-hand combat. "This is exciting" Sir Prize said. Refusing to stop, we gave it all we got. 'Come on, don't stop....' I thought. 'Keep going.' Jack morphed into a shadow and slithered across the floor. He rose up behind him and turned into his human form. Sir Prize expected him and elbowed him in the chest. Just then, he began to breathe heavily. However, the more weak he got, the more energetic the four of us became. 'Yes!' My hands engulfed in flame and I threw two streaks of fire at his legs, burning them greatly. Sir Prize screamed and writhed on the floor. "Tiring him out from blocking was your plan?" Jack asked, trying to catch his breath. "Sorry. It was the only way" I walked over to one of the dead soldiers and retrieved a handgun. I then approached Sir Prize. "For everything you have done, you deserve to live in hell" I said. I hauled him to his knees. Due to them being burned, Sir Prize screamed in pain. "Shut up! You deserve this!" "Why? I was an all powerful human, why did I lose to four random individuals?" "Because I helped them" a voice said. It belonged to Princess Celestia. "Sir Prize, your evil doings in inexcusable and for that, I have slowly removed every ounce of energy you had left and gave them to the Four Horsemen. Remy and the others walked to the side of the room. "But mother... I just want to make you proud." "Don't give me that! You're no longer my adoptive son! You never were ever since you became power hungry!" "That must hurt" I whispered into his ear. "Cale... Do what you must and finish him off." "With pleasure" I said. I aimed my gun at the back of his head. I opened my mouth to say something, but another handgun was aimed at the back of his head as well. I turned to my left and saw Remy wearing a serious look on his face. Another gun then was aimed at the back of Sir Prize's head. This gun was being held by Chase. Jack approached Sir Prize from the side and aimed his gun at Sir Prize's scalp. "For everything you did. From trying to take over Canterlot, to threatening the lives of our friends, for killing a family member, and all the shit you have pulled while you were here, I wish you a fucking eternity in hell" I said. "Cale. How does your prayer go?" Remy asked. "Say what I say" I said. We recited my prayer together. 'A shepherd I shall be For Thee my Lord for Thee Power hath descended forth from Thy hand That my feet may swiftly carry out Thy command So I shall flow a river forth onto Thee And teeming with souls shall it ever be In Nomine Patri Et Fili (we all cocked our handguns) Spirtus Sancti' We all pulled the trigger and saw all four bullets do their work. > Aftermath > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After Princess Celestia used her magic to repair everything, clean the place of blood and bodies, she arranged a memorial for Prince Blueblood. It was funny because nopony seemed to care. After that, we stood on a balcony in the castle, overlooking Canterlot. There were hundreds of ponies below, cheering. "So this is what it feels like to be praised?" Chase asked. "I don't know, this is my first time" I answered. Princess Celestia has given us the title: The Four Horsemen of Equestria. "Now all of Equestria will know what you have done for us" she said. "Is there anything you would like?" She asked. Jack grabbed me by my shirt. "Cale, don't have her send me back to Earth! I can't stand my family! They don't pay that much attention to me." Which reminds me. I opened my mouth to say something but Jack continued his rant. "No I'm serious, my dad is at work all day, my mom tends to my baby sister, and my brothers are in college and visits once a month, I can't take this." Behind him were Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. "Jack?" I asked. "And I want to say something too.." "Jack?" I asked again. "Not now Cale this is important..." "Jack..." I said impatiently. "Do you know what's it's like having a family who doesn't..." "Jack!" I yelled and struck him. I pointed behind him. Jack turned and saw Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. "What's going on?" "It's a yes. You wanted a family? Here they are. You have convinced them to adopt you." "Cale?" He placed a hand on my shoulder. "How did you do it? I just wanna know how you made them agree." "Oh God..." I groaned. "I need some aspirin right now." Throughout the rest of the day, a big celebration was held. I occasionally took glances at Princess Twilight and Chase under a tree. 2 Months Later I was walking down the streets of Ponyville. Ahead of me was Spike. He had grown a few inches taller and had wings. "Beautiful morning isn't it?" I asked. "It sure is" he answered. I turned my head and saw Jack and Fluttershy walking side by side towards me. "Good morning Cale" he greeted. "You're not going to believe this but... Remy is now a coach to any Pegasus who wish to join the Wonderbolts. First they ask permission from Spitfire, then once they pass a series of tests, she sends them to Remy who trains them, after that, once Spitfire is impressed, they're in!" "I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes" I said. "Things change, bud" Remy said, approaching us. "How does it feel to be the son of royalty?" I asked. "2 months living under the same roof as them? Pretty damn amazing!" Jack answered. "Glad you like it." Chase approached us with Princess Twilight. "Come on guys, its early in the morning, I want to do something!" When he yelled this, he got every pony's attention, even the group called the Mane Six. And they were all shouting with agreement. I stroke my chin. "Oh you wanna do something, eh?" I asked. "Cale what are you up to?" Jack asked. I whistled loudly. A portal appeared and my horse galloped out of it. I mounted the horse and grasped its reigns. "I'm going out for a ride" I said. "Oh no you don't!" Remy whistled and his horse galloped out of its portal. Remy mounted on his horse. "I want in on this!" Jack shouted. He and Chase whistled at the same time. Two portals opened and their respective horses galloped out. The two mounted their horses. "So what's the game?" He asked. "A race." "A race to where?" Chase asked. "Take a guess" I said. "Oh I see where this is going, you want to see her again." "You're really going to throw that bullet at me?" I asked. He was right actually, I'm doing this as an excuse to see her. "Know what, doesn't matter, because I'm going to win this." I turned to Spike. "Hey buddy, think you can watch the race from the skies? We need a good eye to see who reaches there first." "Sure thing" Spike said. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on" Jack said. "I just want to say that in my time of knowing you three, it will be an honor to..." He cried out and urged his horse to gallop to Ponyville Train Station. "Jack you son of a bitch!" Remy shouted. He flicked the reigns and his horse followed Jack. "So long, Chase!" I shouted as I urged my horse to gallop forward. Chase was finishing kissing Princess Twilight. Was he like that this whole time? "Talk to ya later darling" he said with a smile. He urged his horse to gallop after us. Spike took flight and watched from above. Far from us were the citizens of Ponyville cheering us on. Our horses turned to Ponyville Train Station and galloped down the train tracks. None of us will know who will get there first. In the meantime, we'll just focus on the race. Which is good because after all, it is going to take us awhile to reach Canterlot.