"The Other Side" Chapter 15- Dear Sister

(For ANTI-CONFUSION purposes, this all happened BEFORE Dylan and Fluttershy had their... well... <3 I will let you know when it's back to present time.)

Tanning and the other griffons conversed with Rover for half of an hour, discussing how much supplies they needed, their cut of the diamond dogs' findings, and what should be done about the Darkstalkers.
Rover was somewhat reluctant to give Tanning his hard-earned riches, but he had learned not to disobey the hardened warrior. He knew little of Tanning's past, but it was obvious that it was all completely and utterly harsh.

Tanning had grown up in a relatively poor family, whose sole means of income was selling meat and hides up in the mountains. They barely scrounged enough money together to send Gilda to flight school. Originally, it was Tanning who was supposed to have gone to flight school, but he refused, stating that it wasn't 'his way of the warrior'.

Griffon culture demanded that every child and every adolescent must train in the ways of war; the griffon lands were constantly under attack from monsters, sorcerers, and even themselves. The griffon clans, known as the 'Gyrkaar'', constantly fought one another, and it was among these wars that Tanning found his place.

Tanning joined his clan's warriors at the earliest possible age, learning the ways of war among other fresh, young recruits. The training was harsh and cruel, as was all of the clans' training regimens; many young griffons died or became crippled while training. Only the strongest became warriors, the rest became outcasts, or 'kheir'. These outcasts were the workers, the servants and the scum of griffon society. Needless to say, they were hated and looked down on by their warrior counterparts. Tanning was strong and brutal enough to join his clan's warriors, along with his only real friend Bregan, who was older than most of the other recruits.

Bregan was taunted, beaten and mocked by the other new warriors for not joining sooner. Hesitation for fighting instincts was frowned upon in the ranks of the militants. Tanning and Bregan bonded quickly, learning to stick together if they wanted to survive. Quite a few of Bregan's tormentors woke up with their throats slit in the black of night. There was no room for forgiveness for a griffon warrior; you either held your loyalties, or you ended up like those who had sought to sow the seeds of strife within the group; dead.

Tanning fought in the brutal and vicious clan wars for years, quickly gaining a reputation for sharp, clear thinking and profound martial skills. Tanning and his now lieutenant Bregan amassed quite a following of warriors, who loyally followed them without hesitation. After the captain of the warriors attempted to kill Tanning for disobeying orders, Tanning and Bregan's soldiers slew the captain and all those loyal to him.

The warriors, under Tanning's control, broke their allegiance with their clan and proceeded to cut a bloody swathe through the griffon lands, heading south towards Equestria. They raided villages along the way, slowly slashing and burning their path away from their previous clan, who now hunted them.

Tanning and his warriors finally arrived in Equestria, but with heavy losses at the border due to the large amount of Princess Celestia's soldiers. The pony warriors seemed to show no mercy, as did the griffons; it was a complete bloodbath. It was only Tanning's ruthless authority that secured their victory in the end. With heavy losses, the griffon warriors headed towards Cloudsdale, where Tanning's sister had attended flight school.

He met with her there, leaving most of his men in hiding so as not to alert the city guards. His sister was the only person he truly loved; he trusted Bregan, but never enough to feel anything but camaraderie. His sister was truly surprised to see him because of the nature of the griffon military. The brother and sister met with a great amount of emotion. This was when Tanning learned of Gilda's recent scarring visit to Ponyville. Tanning swore vengeance upon the town, and the two griffons worked together to plan retribution on the town.

He and his warriors raided, robbed and stole from the surrounding countryside, whilst Gilda blackmailed most of the town, - including Sweet Apple Acres - for protection money. The two griffons became quite successful, and things seemed to be going smoothly.

Tanning lost most of his warriors in a fight with Darkstalkers while chasing a group of pony bandits through a system of caverns, along with his arm. After killing most of the Darkstalkers along with a good portion of the bandits, Tanning met a strange hermit who replaced his lost arm with his current machine-limb of stone and steel. Tanning swore to repay his debt to the hermit, who only smiled and shook his head. He insisted that it was a gift, and that it was 'all a part of the great game'.

Tanning left those caves different from how he had entered; he had changed in spirit as well as body. Something the hermit had done to him left him more than he had been. He was stronger, more vicious, and had a strange sense of renewed purpose.

Tanning and his warriors returned and encountered a group of diamond dogs (Rover and his pack) and fought with them. The griffons were victorious; the eight of them had not lost a single one, whereas the diamond dogs had lost twenty of theirs. As Rover begged for mercy, Tanning saw an opportunity. He made a somewhat one-sided agreement: Serve us or die. The diamond dogs were all too eager to agree, -with their lives hanging in the balance, few wouldn't be. - starting their long and prosperous alliance with the griffons.

After a year or two, Rover's dogs had moved from their tunnels into the large cave system where they now resided. They fortified the caves, and after a few months, Tanning came to visit once again, making a stop for supplies and tithes from Rover before going to see his sister.

The diamond dogs had finished bringing out supplies for the griffons, which consisted of dried goods, oil, and spare equipment. They also laid out a few sacks of coins and gems. All of these things were promptly and smoothly packed into the warriors' kit, with the valuables being placed in Tanning's pack. With the issue of their supplies remedied, the griffons were ready to move once more.

Tanning stood proudly, striking his beak with his living talons as he thought for a moment. His old and grizzled lieutenant Bregan standing behind him with his arms crossed.
Facing them were Rover and his personal bodyguard, Roughnut. Normally, Rex, the taskmaster, would've been present as well, but it was obvious that he was intimidated by Tanning.

"Is everything ready?" Rover said, his voice hissing slightly in his own particular way. He had both of his hands braced atop the pommel of his sword, and his head was tilted downwards so he could glare at Tanning.

Bregan turned his weathered eyes to look at his captain and gave a small nod. "Yes." Bregan's beak always twitched when he spoke, and this time was no exception. Bregan turned back to look at Rover's bodyguard, who was coolly and calmly watching the proceedings with his hands crossed in front if him at his waist. Tanning moved his eyes from Bregan and back to Rover, his gaze full of anticipation.

"Yesss, we will ssset out very ssshortly. I expect you to have your dogsss prepared to deal with the Darkssstalkerss... I earnessstly hope that you and your packmatesss are up to the tasssk of getting your pawsss a little... /bloody/? I wouldn't want to have to make my warriorsss to do it themssselvesss, isssn't that right, my canine friend?" Tanning's artificial hand clenched into a fist as he said this. His other hand moved slowly to the grip of his falchion and tightened around its grip. He was not one to give suggestions, but orders; not to be questioned under pain of death.

Rover gulped and smiled, his look of disdain replaced with one of fearful respect. "Certainly! I'll gather up as many of us as I can. We'll be ready to fight them when you get back, I assure you, Captain."

Tanning's heart brimmed with loathing for the weak, pathetic, spineless whelp that dared to call himself a leader. He only dealt with Rover because he somehow managed to keep his dogs in check... mostly. Rover's guards had hauled away Rex and were currently flogging him for his disrespect. It could have been a lot worse, as Tanning had executed other diamond dogs on the spot; lopping off their heads, strangling them, drowning them, burning them alive... it all came incredibly easy to Tanning, especially after meeting the hermit.
"They'd better be..." Tanning hissed as he spun on his toes and walked briskly out of the meeting room. Bregan followed closely behind his captain's footsteps, the morningstar at his hip clanking and rattling with each step.

"Oh ...fuck..." Rover breathed in relief, watching as the griffon left. He knew what would happen if Tanning wasn't pleased, and the thought of it scared him enough to make his hairs stand on end. "I swear, something isn't right about him! He isn't like any griffon I've ever met before." His words were directed at his lupine bodyguard Roughnut, who simply looked at Rover in silence and nodded wordlessly. "If we don't find a way out of this mess with the Darkstalkers, he'll kill us for sure!" Roughnut looked at Rover with a questioning expression, and rested his paws on the hilts of his basket-hilted rapiers, giving them an appreciative look. He looked back up at the alpha and raised an eyebrow.

Rover shook his head, glancing over his shoulder to check that the griffon warrior wasn't still there, watching him intently with a blade in his hand. "No! Do you remember the last time some of us tried that?! There was blood on the walls for weeks!" Roughnut shrugged and raised his hands, counting out eight fingers on two paws. Rover looked at Roughnut's hands for a moment, his eyes full of doubt. "There's more than a dozen of them, I know that. Last I heard, there were at least two hundred under his command!" Roughnut pointed at the ground; in the dirt were the tracks of griffon claws. He then pointed to a diamond dog paw print, and then a hood print made by one of Rover's slaves. "Yes, he does have more than just griffons. I know for a fact he's found a few ponies who seem loyal enough and ruthless enough to join a right bastard like him. A few diamond dogs as well, the filthy traitors..."
Roughnut growled softly, his eyes narrowing in disapproval. The wolf-dog never said much, but when he did, he meant business.

"Blood will be shed. That much is certain."

***

Wind rustled past Tanning's wings as he soared and flew steadily towards his destination. He was heading for the small cabin the two had built to the north of Ponyville. It which stood on the plains at the edge of a copse of trees. The sound of his warriors flying behind him could not be heard by Tanning, who was transfixed on finding his sister. Nothing else mattered to him, not now.

He spotted the house in the distance, with its heavy timbers and reinforced front door. It seemed like there was no activity at all near the house; no smoke rising from the chimney, no sound of chopping wood, no energetic female griffon doing her daily chores. Tanning was too focused on seeing his sister to notice any of this, and he landed in front of the porch steps with an expression of eager anticipation. Bregan tried to speak up, but Tanning cut him off. "Sssisster! Gilda! It'sss Tanning, how goesss the work?" Tanning knocked on the door, giving a wide griffon smile.

He stood there for a minute before Turvehk spoke. "Boss, I don't think she's-" Tanning whirled and grabbed the one-eyed archer by the throat, his stony claw locked around his neck like a vice. "She's jussst busssy... Now ssshut your mouth, Turvehk." Tanning released him, which caused a bout of wheezing and coughing from the warrior as the pressure on his throat was released. "Gildaaaaa! Sssissster, I grow tired of waiting."

Tanning shook his head and pulled a key from a pouch at his belt. He put the key in the lock and turned it; the door was polite enough to open without a fuss. He walked inside, his long talons clicking on the wooden floor. His eyes scanned the living room with a look of impatience.

He saw the empty couch and the low table with a few glasses, a bottle of gin from the griffon lands, and a few small candles. The floor was dusty, along with the glasses. The fireplace was filled with unburnt logs, which looked as if they were ready to be set alight. The whole room looked as if no one had cleaned it in a few days. He passed the room over without a second thought and walked to the small kitchen.

The kitchen told the same story; there had been no one inside for a few days. Tanning hissed, turning and heading for his sister's bedroom. He opened the door with a grunt of irritation, his face now contorted in a scowl. The plain bed was empty and its blankets were ruffled and thrown back; it had not been made up for sleep. The bedroom mirror was coated in the same dust as the rest of the furniture in the house. He saw his angry reflection in the dirty glass; it made him angrier.

He threw open the door to his room. She wasn't there. He looked towards the last remaining room on the main floor; the study. The door seemed to loom in front of him like an angry shape. It twisted and warped for a split second, and before Tanning could notice it, it returned to its normal appearance.

"SISTER!"

He slammed into the door to the study, breaking it completely off of its hinges. The wood splintered and slammed to the ground with an resounding /boom/. Tanning barged inwards, his eyes full of fury and confusion. She wasn't there either.

"GGGGRRRRAAAAAH!"

Tanning slammed his stone fist into the wall, sending bits of wood scattering in all directions. He punched straight through the wall, leaving his artificial hand jutting through the wall in the direction of his warriors; All of them except Bregan flinched.

"WHERE ISSS SSSHE!?"

Bregan shook his head, then blinked as he saw something on the study desk; Gilda's journal. "Captain..." Slowly and carefully, the old warrior pointed a taloned finger at the book. Tanning hissed, then stopped when he saw Bregan pointing. He whirled around and looked at the journal with a frantic hope in his eyes. He rushed over to the book and furiously read the latest entry:

I haven't collected protection in a while, so I think it's time I filled my pockets a bit.

That hicktown's apple farm seems like a good place to start. That little snot Applejack sure won't be happy to see me. I'll make sure she suffers nice and long...

On another note, I've been hearing rumors of a strange creature appearing in the Everfree. The damn ponies are probably swarming all over it... fucking meddling little shits.

Sweet Apple Acres will be a whole lot more sour once I'm done.

Tanning stared at the date of the entry; it was two days old. Gilda was never late for anything. With a roar, Tanning sprinted out of the room barging his way through his warriors in his rush to get outside.As soon as he cleared the porch, he leaped into the air and took flight. The other griffons frantically launched themselves after their leader, their wings beating against the air furiously.

***

Applejack was sitting in her bed, nursing her injury from this afternoon. The sprain was slowly getting better, but trying to move still sent jolts of pain shooting up her sides. She was never known for being weak or unable to handle pain; apart from Rainbow Dash and Big Macintosh, she was the toughest pony in the town. But she was feeling a pain of a different sort. Her heart was aching, longing for something she did not think she would ever have; love.

Dylan... I want so much to be with him... to be near him... to talk to him... to touch him... to hold him... Why do I feel do strongly for him? I know we're friends, but... I want... I want to be so much more than that...

Applejack pulled the heavy blankets of her bed overtop of herself, hiding her obvious feelings, which even now showed physically. She looked out of her window at the stars, blinking away the moisture in her eyes.

Where did he come from? He said he was from... Earth. But, where is that? Doesn't he want to get back home?

Applejack felt sorry for Dylan. Stranded away from home, without his friends or family, in an unfamiliar place; it seemed completely unfair, and to Applejack it must have seemed horrible. In reality, Dylan was happier than he had ever been; he didn't have to live every day like it could be his last, he was away from all the pains of his past, and he had just found the love of his life.

She was looking up at those same stars, when suddenly they seemed to vanish from the sky. The area around them went black as something passed in between her eyes and the celestial bodies. She barely had enough time to be surprised when her window shattered as a seven-foot tall griffon crashed through it. Applejack screamed, trying desperately to get away.

"WHERE ISSS SSSHE?!?!" The griffon's voice was a growling hiss, full of hatred and ire, and it's eyes seemed to glow with an evil light. Applejack tumbled out of her bed and landed on the floor hard enough to paralyze her with pain, as she had landed on her sprained muscles.

"AHHH! Who the hay are you?!" Applejack blurted, sliding backwards on the floor in an attempt to get as far away from the griffon as possible. Its beak opened in a show of anger, the sharp, serrated edge of its mouth dangerously bared at her. It yelled again, globs of viscous spittle spraying from its mouth and landing on the floor in front of it.

"WHERE ISSS SSSHE?! WHERE ISSS MY SSSISSSTER?!?!"

It was obvious it was a male, simply by the size of it. It towered over Applejack, who was only around four feet tall when standing on all fours. "W-who's yer-" Applejack's words where drowned out by the griffon's next barrage of sound.

"WHERE ISSS GILDA?!" The griffon grabbed the orange work pony by her neck with a giant, taloned hand, which was made of polished black stone and grayish metal. He lifted her up into the air and moved his face within inches of hers. "TELL ME!"

***

Twilight's mind raced as the thoughts that Starswirl the Bearded's book had gave her burned in her head like tiny sparks.
He was murdered! And just as he was about to finish his investigation! This doesn't feel right, I must talk to Zecora. She'll know what to-

Twilight's thoughts on the previous subject stopped when she heard a familiar scream; it was Applejack. The scream came just after the sound of glass shattering. Yelling from another voice followed the scream, and then Applejack wailed again.

Twilight ran with all her strength towards the noise coming from Sweet Apple Acres. The only thing that mattered now was making sure that her friend was safe. Her hooves thundered against the dusty ground as she moved rapidly towards the rustic farmhouse.

Twilight jumped the porch steps and burst through the door. Another scream came from upstairs, full of fear and pain, but muffled slightly.

"WHERE. ISSS. GILDA?!"

The roar was deafening, and the last word was practically loud enough to shatter glass. Twilight bolted up the stairs and rounded the corner to stare at the seven and a half tall griffon holding up applejack by her throat. He appeared terrifying in the moonlight, his cruel eyes flashed towards Twilight as he hissed.

"KILL HER."

He pointed a wicked talon at the unicorn mare, and several hooded griffons with drawn weapons stepped from the darkness, moving towards Twilight with looks of anger on their faces. Applejack turned her head to look at Twilight with fear and resignation in her eyes. "TWILIGHT, RUN!"

She did. She turned and fled down the stairs, screaming as she did. She heard the skittering of claws following close behind her, along with the rustle of cloaks and the clattering of weapons. As soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs, there was a heavy thud and the cracking sound of wood breaking. A griffon stood in front of her, holding a hammer in one hand and a shield in the other.

Twilight screamed again as her horn exploded with ethereal purple light. A blast of magical energy shot forwards and slammed the griffon into the wall nearest the door. The sound of bones breaking and the griffon crying out in pain filled Twilight's ears. The griffon tried to stand, but fell back with a squawk of pain. Twilight didn't hesitate and kept running, kicking the door open as she desperately fled her assailants.

The griffons rapidly closed with Twilight as she ran, their wings moving them faster than Twilight's hooves could carry her. There were four of them following her, screeching and cawing like they had gone rabid.

Twilight's heart beat in her chest like a drum. Her temples throbbed with exertion as adrenaline flooded through her system, pushing her onwards. She knew the griffons would catch her at this rate; she just wasn't fast enough to outrun them.

She realized something obvious then: She could teleport. She focused her magical energy through her horn, which sparked and crackled for a moment before she disappeared in a burst of light. She shouted in victory in relief, almost collapsing. Then she heard the yells. "Over there! There she is!" Twilight turned in horror to notice that she had only moved a few hundred feet away. She picked herself up as fast as she could and redoubled her efforts to escape her attackers. She had to get back to Ponyville; it was her only hope.

(Present time. I recommend playing Invaders Must Die by The Prodigy. HERE BE THE LINK! INVADERS MUST DIE.)

Thunder and lightning crashed high above and hard rain came down like millions of tiny projectiles. Evil black clouds obscured the moon, leaving the ghostly lightning as the only source of illumination.
Twilight ran through the streets, pleading for help. "Help me! Somepony, help me! HELP ME!!!" The streets were empty, and frightened pairs of eyes peered from between shutters and curtains, their owners to scared to move or speak; the giant armed griffons outside were too dangerous for them to do anything. Twilight simply screamed in fear, begging to be saved from the brutal avians. She darted through alleyways, heading subconsciously for the one person she knew would help.

The sound of wings beating mere feet behind her made Twilight cry out in fear once more, tears pouring down her cheeks. She knew she was dead, she felt the blade poised behind her, ready to strike. She felt the breathing on her neck, the hot stench of death full in her nostrils. At that moment, she saw what appeared to be a shadow standing directly in front of her in the street at least twenty feet away. Lightning arced through the sky and illuminated the shape; it was human...It was Dylan.

"DYLAN!!! HELP M-"

She saw the griffon's blade swinging towards her in the dark, and was about to scream when a glint of light on metal from Dylan's direction. Thunder roared at the same moment as she saw the shining point of light come from the darkness. She barely had time to react as the whirling blade of a kitchen knife flashed past her face and embedded itself in the griffon's chest. He stumbled backwards as his strike went wild and missed Twilight. He let forth a gurgling cry as blood filled his throat and lungs, and his eyes filled with shock and horror as he looked down at the handle of a knife jutting from his chest.

He didn't have long to live, however, as Dylan ran forward, his coat billowing behind him in the wind. The griffon's eyes darted towards the new threat, and his sword leaped up to try and slash at the black-coated human. Dylan bent his legs and spun like a top, ducking his head under the blow. With all the force of his rotation, Dylan brought a second knife to bear, slamming the tip through the griffon's ribs. In the same split-second, he wickedly yanked the first blade from the griffon's chest. What happened next was almost impossible; within three seconds, Dylan stabbed the griffon at least a dozen times. With each stab, Dylan roared in anger, spittle spraying from between his sharp and pointed teeth.

Blood leaked from the jagged holes in the griffon's chest, pouring down into the mire that was the ground. The red of blood and the brown of dirt pooled together on the ground, creating a sickly color in the murky water below. The griffon's eyes shot open wide and he sucked in air to breathe, only to find that his lungs could have been used as a sieve. A second later his chest cavity exploded inwards as Dylan's foot slammed into his sternum. He flew a dozen feet through the air and slid through the muck, stopping at the feet of his comrades. They all looked down at their completely dead friend and his destroyed chest. The damage to their fellow griffon was horrifying; holes were scattered all around his abdomen weeping his dark lifeblood, along with his collapsed ribcage, which was completely smashed inwards as easily as if it were made of twigs. They looked back up at the creature before them. They had never seen anything like it in their lives.

Dylan stood in front of Twilight with his back to her. If she had been in front of him, she would have seen that his jaws had stretched to accommodate inch-long fangs and his licking outwards from eyes were dark flames. Dylan's snarling cry of murderous rage sent icy fingers of fear raking across the hardened griffon warriors' bodies. They had killed, pillaged and stole and they had fought bizarre and terrifying creatures, but the monstrous being that stood in front of them terrified them. They charged him in spite of their fear, screaming battle cries.

Dylan sidestepped a spear thrust from one of the griffons, only to move directly into the path of another one's war pick. The deadly point was stopped inches from Dylan's skull by his crossed knife blades. The third griffon maneuvered to get around his spear-wielding comrade, holding his long-hafted axe tightly in his weathered talons. Dylan snapped his foot outwards again, kicking his opponent's shield. The griffon stumbled and slipped in the muck, falling onto his back. Dylan was about to jump on the downed griffon and shiv him to his bestial heart's content, but an axe-blade was rapidly moving towards his neck. Dylan rolled forwards, ducking under the axe's swing. The bladed tip of a spear shot towards him like a snake, but Dylan shoved it to the side with an unnatural ease.

The griffon with the pick and shield was picking himself up when he saw the thing they were fighting bat away his comrade's spear and proceed to whirl like a top with his knives extended. The spear-griffon gagged and fell to the ground as his throat sprayed blood furiously. Both knives had sliced neatly through both the front of his throat. He twitched and fell backwards, dead and limp into the mud and filthy water. The axe-griffon swung again, bringing his axe around to try and split the thing's skull in half. The thing somersaulted to the side, but the axe-griffon counter-swung, smashing it in the face with the wooden haft of his axe. It fell to the ground, dropping its blades and landing on its back in the muck. The shield-griffon ran forwards, raising his pick above his head. His comrade tried to chop it again, but it leaped into a crouched stance and dodged out of the way.

Immediately after avoiding one swing, Dylan watched as the griffon wielding the axe brought it down towards him, trying to cleave him into two bloody pieces. He reacted with a speed faster than anything he had before. One fist swung towards the haft of the griffon's axe, whilst the other folded outwards into an open hand. The axe swing was interrupted mid-strike as Dylan's fist shattered the axe's haft a few inches below the head. His other hand caught the piece of the axe which was now hurtling towards his face, spinning it around in his hands so that the blade faced away from him. The reality of what had just happened dawned in the axe-griffon's eyes as Dylan brought the axe's head slamming into the side of his skull with a wet crunching noise. He slumped to the ground with his brains and blood dribbling from his split-open cranium. Dylan turned to give the final griffon a demonic grin, laughing deeply. He hefted the axe head in his hands, ducking under the swing from the griffon's pick. Dylan tried to chop at the griffon's face, but his blow was blocked by his shield.

The blade was now embedded in the shield, giving the griffon a chance to attack. He swung the pick downwards, the point poised to pierce a brutally messy hole in the top of Dylan's skull. Dylan caught the pick between his hands and twisted. The crack of bones breaking filled the griffon's ears as his wrist was snapped like a pair of toothpicks. His weapon fell uselessly to the ground. He tried to swing the edge of his shield at Dylan, but the enraged human brought his elbow slamming down on it. The wooden shield splintered and fell in pieces from the griffon's arm. Without hesitation, Dylan stepped forwards and squeezed the griffon's neck in his vice like grip. He lifted him into the air and grinned at him. The griffon screeched and pulled a dagger from his belt with his good hand. He stabbed desperately at the arm holding him. With a snarl, Dylan crushed the griffon's neck between his fingers.

He dropped the lifeless corpse of his last enemy to the ground with a sigh of victory. He looked around at the four bodies, smiled, and turned back to Twilight. His face returned to normal before Twilight could see it. She sensed something strange about Dylan; something dark and... animalistic.

"Twilight, what the fuck's going on?!"

The mare's eyes were crying. She was staring at the four bodies scattered around the street. She could scarcely hold herself together, as the amount of violence she had just witnessed was the most horrifying thing she had ever saw... Even more horrifying than those griffons chasing her in the dark, ready to kill her. She shivered and stared at the terrified dead eyes of the griffons.

"TWILIGHT! Snap the hell out of it!"

She flinched and looked at Dylan with a mixture of fear, disgust, relief and confusion.

"Wh-what?"

Dylan's face was an expression of deep concern, and his eyes were pools of a nervous curiosity.

"What's going on?"

Twilight remembered. She began crying once again.

"They have Applejack!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The bodycount is now TRIPLED. I hope you're happy... I SURE AS HELL AM!