Dominic shook himself awake as he, Luna and Twilight began the day. Dominic had been silent for most of the night, cleaning his shotgun with almost robotic movements. She could swear that he was sleeping with his eyes open, and using the shotgun as a cover. Whatever he had been doing, he had at least appeared awake for the night. Now, he and the princesses walked towards through the city of Canterlot towards an armory. His shotgun hung on its strap, loaded with buckshot. On top of that, he had his bandoleers which bulged with extra shells.

“Is all of that really necessary?” Luna asked, nervously eying the immense amount of firepower that the young man possessed. “We understand thou art nervous, but there are two of us now. And we hath dispatched our guards to patrol above us.”

“Do you honestly want to walk all the way back to the castle?” Asked Dominic, not taking his eyes off of the crowd that had formed on the other side of the street. They were shouting at him again, but he didn’t seem to let it bother him. His only focus was movement, quick, possibly hostile movement. Luna shook her head as she heard his response. “That’s what I thought…” The sun was beating down on them with great intensity, and the young man was sweating in the heat. Still he refused to remove his jacket or his helmet.

“Get out of our country!” Shouted a voice from the crowd. “You don’t belong here, go live in the jungle with the rest of the apes!” Dominic tuned the shouting voices out, internally shaking as he walked. Though he would never admit it, he was scared. The infected were dumb, mindless creatures, they could be tricked into going away from him. Even running past him. But these ponies, they were smart enough to know they could take him down. It seemed like there were even more of them on that day then the day before.

Even with the guards above, pegasi circled in the air like vultures. Dominic could feel their glares bearing down on him, he was getting closer to the point where he was going to try his hand at duck hunting. Somehow, Luna could sense his ever growing hostility.

“Remember, deep breaths. No one shall harm thee under our watch.” She said to him, Dominic responded with a deep breath. He didn’t relax, but his growing trigger ich became slightly less strong.

“I ever tell you about Alfred Hitchcock?” Dominic asked, finding the situation scarily similiar to what had been one of his favorite movies.

“Yes, you’ve spoken of his film ‘The Birds’.” She responded, Dominic nodded.

“This remind you of anything?” He asked, pointing to the crowd and the pegasi. Twilight looked slightly puzzled by the discussion.

“What birds?” She asked, Dominic took a breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“It was one of those movies I told you about. There was this town where crows would gather around people and kill them.” Twilight shuddered at the thought, then took note of all the ponies gathered around them and circling above.

“Oh…”

“Yeah.” Dominic deadpanned, they walked on in silence for a few more minutes. “Why didn’t we take a chariot or something?”

“Because that would require us hiring a pony who isn’t too keen to like you.” Twilight replied, Dominic gave a short ‘Oh’. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong…”

“Nah… Nah... It’s fine.” Dominic said, looking at her and then to the crowd.”It’s not your fault that this city IS FULL OF PRETENTIOUS PRICKS!” He shouted at them, causing them to jump back. The shouting ponies stopped, all of them stared at the sleep deprived human. “Not your fault their heads are shoved so far up their asses either!” He snarled, scowling and turning his gaze forwards. “I mean, it’s not like I’m a sentient being with thoughts and opinions! No I’m just some faceless, monstrous, war monger who takes pleasure in the pain of others!”

Luna didn’t say anything, knowing it would be best to let him vent verbally rather than violently. The ponies were looking at eachother, almost unsure of how to respond to the verbal lashing that Dominic had handed them.

“I guess everything the papers say is true, right? Everyone should trust the media which would NEVER embellish or LIE about anything! Yes! Take everything they say as the truth.” Luna and Twilight were grateful to see the armory approaching ahead of them. “Heaven forbid they’re wrong about something! Oh what would we do if they were WRONG AND HAD TO FORM” Dominic did a fake gasp. “OUR OWN OPINIONS! And let’s not forget-”

“Dominic. We’re here.” Luna said quickly before he could continue further, once she had let him rant for as long as he wanted and ended up having to eat lunch and dinner while he did so.

“Oh! Wonderful! More ponies!” Dominic said bitterly, glaring at the ponies that lined the streets. The guards were the only ones who didn’t begin to shout at him after his rant, they simply opened the gates to the armory and went about dispersing the mob of ponies. within the external walls of the Amory was a courtyard and a two story building. Dominic sighed and rubbed his temples, then looked at Twilight and Luna. “Sorry about that…” He said, gesturing to the door “I hate yellow journalism.”

“As do I.” Said a voice, snapping all of their attention to a stallion standing in the doorway to the stone building. He was burly with a scar running over his left eye, and his olive drab fur was stained with grime. For a cutie mark, he had a sledge hammer. “Princesses, Mister Occisor…” He said with a bow. “Allow me to welcome you to our fine little armory, I’m lieutenant Hammer.”

“Hello Lieutenant.” Said Luna with a genuine smile, the group walked towards him. Dominic took a moment to size up the stallion before extending his hand. The two shook before the lieutenant spoke again.

“Let’s not stand around out here, eh? I got a bunch of new toys in the shop.” He said, allowing the group to enter the dingy building. It was lit by the windows, and to Dominic’s surprise had a conveyor belt with weapons being assembled by various ponies. They didn’t stop to look at him, but it was clear they weren’t expecting a visit from a human. The lieutenant lead the princesses and Dominic past them, the human lagging behind to inspect the weapons in production. Again he was surprised, the quality of the weapons was far better than what he had thought it would be. But still, they would need newer armaments.

“What’ve you got for us?” He asked as they entered the back room, it was two stories tall with large industrial shelves reaching up to the ceiling. They were loaded with crates of swords and crossbows. The lights were industrial and bright, lighting illuminating a work bench with various different weapons on it.

“Well, take a look.” The lieutenant said, picking up one of the weapons. It was a crossbow lined with black steel “Here’s our first little gadget, the C-37 Mark three.” The princesses ‘oohed at it, while Dominic held a straight face.

“Looks like a regular crossbow.” He said, the Lieutenant shook his head.

“Well, it’s not.” He replied, setting the weapon down on the bench. “This weapon originally fired iron bolts, after a few simple modifications it fires magically charged crystal and gem shards. The steel surrounds a strip of gold that neutralizes the back blast effect. An ingenious idea by one of our recruits.”

“Magic shards? That means with the proper enchantments it could be used for non lethal combat!” Twilight chimed. “I mean, the energy field mechanics would take time but it could be done with the proper channel markings.” Dominic and the Lieutenant blinked several times, while Luna nodded at Twilight’s statement.

“We could use the shard remnants to create wards, but that too would take time, as thou hath said.”

“Okay! Luna, Twilight, for a moment assume I know NOTHING about magic.” Dominic interrupted. “Now, repeat what you said in words I can understand.” Twilight and Luna looked at each other before Twilight spoke.

“This weapon wouldn’t be restricted to military service, it could be modified for police and civilian use.” She explained, Dominic and the Lieutenant ‘oh'd. “And the shard remnants would most likely give off enough energy to be used to power protective wards.” Again, both the stallion and the young man ‘oh’d.

“Now it makes sense.” Commented the lieutenant.

“It made sense the first time I said it too.” Twilight said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof. “What other weapons do you have to show us?” She asked, trying to move the evaluation along. The lieutenant moved to a different weapon on the bench, it was a steel sword with a simple handle. From the books Dominic had read, he could tell that the blade had been made for all around combat.

“Here’s the new sword we came up with.” The lieutenant said, picking up the sword and giving it a few swings. “When we heard we were going for versatility rather than fashion we had this little number ready in a jiffy.” Twilight and Luna seemed interested in the blade, again Dominic held his stoic gaze. “Made from steel, it’s zinc coated to resist rust. The blade can get through standard armor easy enough, might be a bit difficult when it comes to the heavier mails though.” Dominic took the sword, it had a good balance as he gave it a few swings of his own.

“Feels alright, but I’m no expert on this.” He said, turning to Luna. “You know anything about swords?”

“Yes, we do.” Replied the lunar diarch, Dominic gave her the sword. She held it in her magic for a moment before holding it in her hoof. What followed was a dance of death that could only be viewed as beautiful. It was as if Luna and the blade were a pair of dancing partners, elegantly performing for a roaring crowd. She stopped moving the blade and looked at Dominic with a smile. “This sword is most excellent.”

“Okay…” Dominic said, slightly stunned. He then looked at the lieutenant. “Well then, anything else we should see?” The stallion shook his head.

“Not yet, but we will soon. Some new plans came in from a town out west.” He said, taking the blade and placing back on the workbench with the other weapon. “It’s a big one, but I think we can make it work.”

“Good, look forward to it.” Dominic said, looking at the clock on the wall. The evaluation had barely taken an hour. “What about you, anything else you want to see?” He asked Luna and Twilight.

“Not really.” Twilight said, getting a nod from Luna. “We can get going, I guess.”

“Alright. Let’s go.” Dominic adjusted his helmet and shotgun strap, then gestured for the princesses to go ahead. He was behind them when he felt a tap on his side, the young man turned to see the lieutenant. “Yeah?” He asked.

“Word of advice, take the back alleys to the castle. The ‘noble’ lynch mobs won’t want to get dirty.” We his answer, he then trotted off to inspect more things. Dominic shrugged and caught up with the princesses, when they exited the armory they could hear the angry shouts of the crowd from beyond the wall. Above, the sky was thick with circling pegasi. They hurled slurs and insults to the point where they would make a sailor blush. The young man flipped the safety off his shotgun, lagging behind as the three approached the gate to the outside. It looked like there were hundreds of angry ponies, all there to berate Dominic.

“God damn…” The man muttered, feeling the heat of the sun begin to take affect. “You’d think in this heat they’d all go home.”

“We think that’s what our sister had planned on.” Luna commented as they gate slowly slid open. “These ponies know not how offensive they are.” They stepped out the gate, immediately the shouting intensified. A few rocks landed short of the group. Dominic instinctively stepped in front of the princesses, his finger poised over the trigger of his shotgun.

“This is insane.” He growled. “Let’s move, fast. You three!” He shouted at a group of guards that were standing by the gate. “On me, guard the princesses!” They looked at him like he was crazy, but when a rock fell inches from Luna, they moved. “Luna, Twi, stay in the center.” He said to them, ignoring a rock that pinged off his helmet. The princesses didn’t feel inclined to argue, casting spells to add protection to themselves. What unnerved them the most though, was Dominic’s actions. They both recognized the behavior, barely. They had seen it once, in his nightmare many months ago. “Let’s go.” They began the tedious trip back to the castle.

“How can they be this hateful?” Twilight thought out loud, Dominic didn’t reply. His gaze was narrowed on the crowd, all of them shouted slurs. A unicorn ignited his horn and raised a rock, he dropped it seconds later when he was face to face with a shotgun barrel. They continued to move, more guards began to join the protective detail around the group.

“This is some bullshit.” Commented one of the guards, he got a grunt of affirmation from his comrades. They walked in quietly for the next ten minutes, only speaking when an order was being given. The sea of angry ponies never seemed to end, even as the castle came into view. Outside, six chariots acted as barricades. What looked like a battalion of guards were cordoning off the area, marching with shield walls and pushing the ponies back.

“We don’t get there fast we could have a citywide riot on our hands.” Dominic commented, scanning the crowd for any more threats. “Twilight, Luna, teleport ahead.” He ordered the alicorns, then looked at the guards. “You guys, I wouldn’t mind if you stuck with me.”

“Yes, sir!” They replied, even though he wasn’t a superior officer. They felt he deserved respect, they had heard of the hell he had faced. Luna and Twilight were reluctant.

“Dominic-” Luna began.

“If this goes to hell, I don’t want you in the crossfire.” Dominic said sternly. “Now go!” The alicorns looked at each other and sighed. Then flashed out of sight. “This is where shit gets real!” The ponies that were on the streets noticed a distinct lack of princesses, and only the creature that had openly stated a hatred of Celestia. Without the alicorns, he was vulnerable. The ping of metal signaled open season as a rock impacted Dominic’s helmet. “This is gonna hurt.” The man muttered. “BOOK IT!” He and the guards began sprinting towards the castle, cringing as debris slammed into them. An angry mob of ponies descended upon them, Dominic was in a tight spot. He didn’t want to kill any of them, it would only worsen things, but at the same time he didn’t feel like dying either.

Things didn’t get much better as they got closer to the castle, the more fanatical ponies began to assault them. There was a cry of pain from Dominic’s right, he stopped and saw one of the guards fall. His leg was twisted, he couldn’t move. A vision of the horde flashed through Dominic’s mind, the monsters would rip the guard apart if he didn’t help him. The young man charged towards the fallen guard, decking several ponies and bashing several others with the butt of his shotgun before grabbing the guard and flinging him over his shoulder. The mob of ponies were shouting, screaming, throwing rocks like never before. Dominic gritted his teeth and pushed onwards, he could see the gleaming shield wall ahead of him.

“Come on… Come on!” He spat, pushing onwards, grunting under the weight of the guards armor.

“I’ll be fine! Drop me!” The guard shouted, Dominic shook his head.

“NO ONE GET’S LEFT BEHIND.” He shouted, hip checking a unicorn out of his way. The shield wall was closer now, he could practically touch it. Thrown objects clattered against it, they also began to hit Dominic in the back. A rock smashed his nose, and blood began to trickle down his face, but he was so close. When he managed to get within a few feet of it he used as much strength as possible to hurl the wounded guard over the shield wall. Dominic could see Luna on the other side, she was holding a hoof over her mouth at the sight of the bleeding human.

“MEDIC!” Shouted a guard on the other side, Dominic smiled knowing the guard was safe. Then something struck him in the back of the head, extremely hard. The helmet had shifted, leaving him open for attack. Princess Luna watched in horror as Dominic staggered for a moment before collapsing forwards onto the guards shield walls. She also stared at the stallion who had delivered the blow, her blood boiled as she saw the smug grin.

“WE NEED A DOCTOR! GET HIM TO THE INFIRMARY!” A male voice shouted. Everything around him was fuzzy, the light, the noise, everything. The ground was hot from the sun, it burned his face as he laid there. Something began to grab at him. Dominic feared for his life, he reached for his revolver and took aim at what he thought was attacking him. “HOLY FUCK! CALM DOWN!” Dominic felt his weapon knocked from his grasp. “Stabilize his neck, lift him onto the stretcher on three. One. Two. Three. Lift.” Dominic groaned as he was picked up, something was clamped around his neck. “GO! GO!”

Dominic was moving, he stared at the sights around him.

“Break out the stun spells, begin pushing the cordon out to thirteen blocks…” Another voice ordered.

“ATTENTION CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT! DISPERSE IMMEDIATELY OR SUFFER PROSECUTION!” The voice was mechanical and authoritative.

“Princess, calm down!”

“LET US SEE HIM!” That voice was familiar, Dominic’s fuzzy vision was filled with a dark blue shape. “Dominic, Dominic can thou hear us?” Something wet dropped on his face. “Dominic…”

“S’okay… Maria… I’m okay…” Dominic muttered. Her name was Maria, right? Katy? She was his friend, right? Or was she his sister? He couldn’t remember.

“Prince Blueblood, you are under arrest for assaulting a foreign dignitary and instigating a riot. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…” Dominic tried to move his head to see what was happening, but it was caught by something. Everything began to haze over, darkness began to creep up on the corners of his vision.

“Dominic, stay awake! Thou needeth to stay awake!” The blue blob shouted, Dominic blinked for several moments. He was tired. A few seconds wouldn’t matter. Would it? Just to rest his eyes?

“Sleepy…” Dominic sighed out, he was shaken by the blue blob.

“STAY AWAKE!”

“Stop shaking him, we don’t know what will happen!” Dominic blinked a final time before closing his eyes.

“Dominic…”

Author's Notes:

Sooo yeah. Not sure it's my best work, but writers block is a bitch to work through. Really tried to make this a good chapter, sorry if it's not. Please don't hate me. *says silent prayer*

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