Dominic sat on the edge of Luna’s bed, now fully dressed despite doctor’s protests. Celestia and Luna sat on either side of the man as he downed a quick shot of whiskey. Their visitors had been escorted out into the hallway, save for Sonar, Twilight, and Cadence, who were all sitting across from them. The mood in the room was palpably negative, still, Dominic seemed the least gloomy out of all of them.

Hearing how Errant had died was something that the princesses and Sonar had thought would destroy the man, and though it was obvious he was mourning in some way, he seemed more subdued than before. There were no tears after the ones he’d shed earlier, no curling up in a ball or seeking comfort from Luna. Instead he held a somber pensive expression as he adjusted his t-shirt, his gaze shifting from pony to another.

“Debrief me on what happened after the fighting ended…” The man said as he looked at Sonar, those in the room could hear just how hard it was for him to control himself simply by hearing his voice. It was gravely and somewhat restrained, more so than normal. The ponies couldn’t place what had brought about such an odd show of solidarity. Sonar, nonetheless, answered as best she could.

“We’ve taken twenty Changeling POWs, including their Queen… We lost about an eighth of our forces.” Sonar said in a quiet tone. “The insist there are more of them and that we should let them go, but I figured you wouldn’t want that.”

“Correct.” Dominic said before waving her on to continue, Luna and Celestia watched how he seemed to be handling himself. His words and movements had conviction to them, conviction they hadn’t realized he’d possessed.

“Two of the buildings we planned to use as tunnel entrances sustained heavy damage, they were closest to the fighting, thankfully no one was in them. Our food and water stores are holding fine, but… Morale is low.” The mare reached into her suit jacket and removed a slip of folded paper, it was adorned with the new United States seal and held more information that she could give in a simple conversation.

“Thank you, Sonar…” Dominic said, he looked over to the two princesses as he slipped the paper into his pants pocket. “Do you want to debrief as well?” Luna and Celestia looked to Cadence and Twilight.

“Aside from what we’ve heard… What else has been happening?” Celestia asked, Cadence cleared her throat as she prepared to speak.

“Well, the Zebra’s have forced the Minotaurs to surrender Twin Island to them, as well as a few of their colonies. I doubt this is going to be a lasting peace, however. The minotaurs will probably retaliate when they get the chance.” Cadence began, her tone just as serious as Sonar’s had been. Twilight nodded along as she spoke while Luna and Celestia listened intently.

“So far rumors about Chrysalis’ return have been confined to the southern settlements, but it’s only a matter of time before they begin to spread. Ponies are going to want us to do something about it, and seeing that the death penalty is still fresh in everyponies’ mind…”

“No.” Dominic said sternly, cutting in at the mention of capital punishment. “Chrysalis is in the custody of the United States Military, what is done with her is an American matter.” Luna looked at the man, the conviction once again running deep in his voice. She could see in his eyes alone that fighting him on extradition would be a brutal and long argument that he would most likely win. While Celestia had the will to fight him on it, she had only an hour ago gotten off of his bad side, she didn’t intend to go back so soon.

“Very well… It’s up to you.” Celestia said, gaining surprised looks from Cadence and Twilight. “Please, continue.” Cadence cleared her throat and began speaking again.

“We’ve been receiving reports from some towns bordering the Everfree, Ponyville included. They seem to be being spied on by what they say are diamond dogs.” This got the attention of all those present, earning Cadence a raised eyebrow from Celestia, Luna and even Dominic.

“I thought Diamond Dogs were dumb.” Dominic said bluntly. “Advanced reconnaissance doesn’t seem like something they could handle.”

“That’s just it, we’ve investigated the claims…” Cadence said, her horn glowed for a moment before there was a flash of light and several papers appeared in front of her. She plucked them out of the air and floated them towards Celestia and Luna. Dominic caught a small glimpse and noted they seemed to be pictures of something. “Do those look like Diamond Dog tracks to you?”

“What the fuck…?” Celestia and Luna said at the same time, each in equal surprise. Celestia had never said such a word in the company of her sister before, but it seemed appropriate considering what she saw in the photo.

“Perhaps minotaurs?” Luna asked, Celestia looked to Dominic for a moment then back to the photo, before handing him the photo. It was relatively boring as photos go, just a picture of the muddy ground. However, as he turned the photo his expression began to shift.

“Not minotaur…” Dominic said quietly, he noted the pattern in the print that seemed to be left in the mud. As a student he’d often walked home, and as he did, he found himself taking note of all sorts of things on the ground. Shoe prints being one of the most common, and what he was looking at was undoubtedly the print of some sort of combat boot. He’d seen them plenty of times when he walked home with Maria. Wordlessly he took the next image and examined it, his already strained nerves feeling more strain. “Holy fuck.”

“What?” Celestia asked, noting that his hands were ever so subtly shaking.

“This is a boot print, I used to see them all the time when I walked home…” Dominic pointed to the first picture, then looked to the second then at Luna with a pale complexion. “This is a sneaker.” Dominic tapped the sneaker picture, there seemed to be an anomaly in the mud.

“Dominic, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Celestia spoke with a very concerned tone, the man nodded and set the pictures down. “We must find them, then! Find out how they got here! If they got here from your world-”

“So could the Infected. I know.” Dominic cut her off, taking several deep breaths. Ever since he’d woken up he found things that would normally put him through a wall were easier to cope with. He didn’t know why, but whenever he was on the brink of freaking out he would feel a calming emotion. Similar to if Luna had wrapped her wing around him. “If it’s not one thing it’s another…”

“Dispatch guards to these border towns, there orders are to observe and follow if they can. Do NOT engage.” Celestia said, looking to Cadence with a stern expression. The mare nodded and stood up. “Sorry we can’t sit around and chat longer, but this is a problem. We’ll try to operate with discretion.” Dominic just nodded at her.

“Understandable.” The man said simply as he too stood up, he looked at Sonar with a calm expression. “How soon can we leave for New Liberty?” The mare blinked for a moment, surprised. Considering he had essentially been comatose for a month she figured the President would take a day to rest. Nonetheless she answered.

“We can leave immediately.” Sonar said quickly, Dominic nodded and looked to the princesses that inhabited the room with him.

“I would love to stay, but I want to deal with Chrysalis as soon as possible.” He then looked to Luna and Celestia with a somewhat defensive posture. “Afterwards, I’d like to look into this new… development. Please…” He simply received another nod, with that the man looked to Sonar and nodded. “Let me get packed real quick.”

“I’ll have the chariot ready, Mister President.” Sonar said in response as the man began to gather his things. Luna gave him a look that seemed to say ‘Be careful’, he just nodded to her again and silently went about packing. Luna and Celestia turned their attention back to Cadence and Twilight, they had gone quiet as they’d heard the revelation. Twilight had had her suspicions, but Dominic had simply confirmed them. As the man made his way out of the bedroom, Cadence and Twilight waited to her Celestia’s strategy for the next trial in Equestria’s story.

[♦]

The ride to New Liberty was spent in near silence after the first half hour, Sonar had run out of things to report upon and it seemed that Dominic was actually quite tired. He’d slipped into a rather peaceful sleep for the rest of the flight, meanwhile Sonar had remained awake and had watched the colorful grassy plains of Equestria gently shift to the tan sands of the San Polimino desert and then into the wicked brown clay that made up the badlands.

New Liberty was lucky to have been built over a rather large Aquifer and to have tillable soil, but the desert was a constant reminder of just how far away they were from other civilization. On top of that, Sonar found with her medical condition it was hard for her to really do much in the way of building and helping with construction. No one complained thankfully, but she felt guilty that she was unable to truly make the town her’s.

The sun was setting as the chariot came upon New Liberty, she sighed as she saw the battle scarred landscape that surrounded the town. Scorch marks and craters marred the plains while the trenches remained in place, and soldiers patrolled regularly. It was unclear if there was anymore to the Changeling forces and so the defenses had remained in place. Most notable of all, however, were the two large buildings on the outskirts that were surrounded by barbed wire fences.

They had been made from the wood from the damaged buildings as well as spare material, unpainted and raw they appeared almost as ugly as the creatures that inhabited them. At least in Sonar’s mind. She wasn’t a hateful mare, but that didn’t mean she forgave the Changelings. Considering how soon ago the battle had been, it was acceptable. The mare sighed as the chariot began descending, then looked to the ponies pulling the vehicle.

“Set us down near the POW camp.” She said over the wind, the ponies nodded and changed direction. The Thestral adjusted her spectacles and looked to Dominic, the sleeping man was dressed in his normal attire. His helmet was pulled down over his eyes as he used his jacket for a blanket. “Mister President.” She said, quietly reaching over and giving him a small shove. “Mister President, wake up.”

“Huh? What?” The man bolted up in his seat, looking around in a slight confusion before realizing what was happening. He quickly sat up straight and slipped his jacket back on, despite the heat he buttoned it up and straightened his helmet.

“We’re about to land near the POW camp, sir.” Sonar said, she took note of his change in attire and raised an eyebrow. “Are you cold, sir?”

“No. It’s for appearances.” Dominic said as he finished buttoning the leather coat, it appeared rather dapper on him if Sonar was being honest. Double breasted jackets had always been a style she liked. The man stood up and gripped the side of the chariot with a white knuckled hand as the vehicle got closer to the ground. The Changelings behind the fence in the camp all flocked to see him. His stony expression was an excellent display of martial strength, which was exactly what he wanted. If what he knew of Chrysalis was true, she would only attack an enemy she was sure of victory with. Appearing unconquerable would probably put her out of her comfort zone.

“Right. Allow me to help then.” Sonar gave a small smile as the chariot came a stop near the front gate. The guards looking on in surprise as they saw the President in his full glory, Sonar cleared her throat before speaking loudly. “Atten-hut!” The soldiers snapped to attention in unison, saluting in a brilliant display of military prowess. The Changeling prisoners could sense the feelings of the new comer. These feelings demanded their respect.

Dominic stepped off the chariot, his boot crunching the clay soil beneath him. He began walking towards the front gate, Sonar following behind him. The soldiers there lowered their salutes but remained at attention.

“Miss Chrysalis. Where is she?” Dominic asked, casting a brief look over to the changelings. They backed away from the fence when he did so, obviously unsure of what to make of the new comer, their feelings were being fed back to their Queen through their hivemind.

“Barrack number two, sir!” The soldiers announced in unison, Dominic nodded and gestured for them to open the gate. They did so rapidly, earning a squeal from the hinges as they did so, before closing them behind the President. His boots continued their crunching march past the first barracks, he’d waved off the guard escort before they’d even had a chance to step forwards. Sonar followed close behind him with equal confidence, though it was more due to the bulge of a revolver hidden beneath Dominic’s jacket.

The changelings parted like the Red Sea as Dominic walked through the camp towards the second barracks, displaying a look of predatory confidence, when in his mind he wondered exactly what would need to be done. Most importantly he would need to ensure his people were not attacked further, but at what cost was what worried him. He was not willing to execute anyone this time, even Chrysalis. The loss of Errant weighed heavily on his heart, but he realized he had a job to do, and emotions only clouded his judgement.

As he approached the door to the barracks he heard movement inside, without missing a beat he opened the door. A loud thud echoed through the inside of the long wooden house. The sudden outside light caused several changelings to flinch away. They all stared at the imposing commander in chief from the bunks that had been built for them, further in Dominic could see the Queen staring at him as she sat at a wooden table.

As the man stepped through the door one of the changelings reached out from his bunk to try and snatch his helmet, only to receive a withering glare. The changeling could sense a lot of emotion in that one instance, so much that almost all the changelings around him shuddered. Like a beaten dog the changeling hid in his bunk, leaving Dominic and Sonar to march forwards unopposed. The room was lit by magical lamps, giving it an eerie feeling. Chrysalis didn’t do so much as blink as she watched the man come to a stop in front of her table.

“Who is this, Miss Sonar? You’re latest guard dog?” Chrysalis asked in a snide tone, she had some idea of what Dominic was, not so much as to who he was. The man responded by gripping a nearby stool and pulling it over, then sitting down in front of the Queen. He set his helmet down on the table as well and left his jacket buttoned.

“I’m the President.” He said simply, technically acting president, but he hadn’t had time to set up a proper election. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at his declaration, the human that sat before her looked more like a brute than he did a politician. The changelings around the room began to flutter their wings as tension seemed to fill the air. “Queen Chrysalis, would you kindly ask your drones to leave.”

“They are my children.” Chrysalis corrected, her tone shifting to one of indignance. Dominic was not moved in the slightest. “Very well... Leave us, my sons and daughters.” The drones quietly obeyed, shuffling out of the barracks in an orderly fashion. Dominic and Sonar waited until they heard the door close behind them before doing anything else. When they heard the rather loud clack of wood banging on wood they knew they were alone. “What is it I can do for you, ‘Mister President’.”

Dominic quietly eyed the Queen, causing a sense of unease to pass over the Changeling monarch. She flinched when the man put both of his hands palm down on the table, obviously a display of dominance.

“The full unconditional surrender of any remaining forces you may have would be a nice start.” Dominic said in an even tone, Chrysalis couldn’t help but giggle. Sure he was an imposing firgure, but even he couldn’t intimidate Chrysalis, the Queen of intimidation. “What’s so funny?

“You are, Mister President.” Chyrsalis responded. “You honestly think I would surrender the remainder of my forces to the likes of you, an overbearing monkey with less than a regiment of delusional bat ponies?”

“Well, I may be an overbearing monkey… But I’m the overbearing monkey that decides if you walk of this camp…” The man paused for effect, leaning forwards and lending extra gravel to his tone. “Or if you’re carried out.” Chrysalis appeared unmoved by his statement. “I also happen to know just how desperate you are. I’m sure morale is low in your hive after you had your ass handed to you by a bunch of candy colored ponies that couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag.”

Those words cut through Chrysalis like a knife, she’d never admit it, but confidence in her ability to lead was lacking in her hive. Drones were repopulating less and less, bringing in less victims to feed on, and as such, her hive was on the verge of collapse. Losing her as a leader would probably be the final nail in her children’s coffin.

“That’s what I thought…” The man leaned back in his seat and cast a look to Sonar, the spectacled mare surprised at how everything was playing out. “Sonar, would you-”

“I’ll see if anyone has cigars to spare.” She finished for him, somewhat surprised at how well she was at percieving what he wanted, also surprised that he wanted cigars. They were rare in Equestria, most ponies never smoked and when they did it was either a cigarette or some sort of herbs.

“Thanks.” Dominic didn’t look away from the Queen as Sonar left, the thestral casting a final look over her shoulder at the two meeting leaders, before stepping out into the camp. Meanwhile Dominic began to unbutton his jacket, still not taking his eyes off of Chrysalis. “That should keep her busy for a while. Now it’s just you and me, your highness.” The Queen became aware that she was shaking, she had assumed Sonar was actually some how a handler for the President. Now the leash was off the dog, and by the looks of it, it was an angry Rottweiler ready to bite.

“So it is.” Chrysalis said with false bravado, hoping not to come off as weak. Again reality set in, the overbearing monkey held all the power here.

“Now, most people back in Equestria want you to take a long fall with a short rope around your neck.” Dominic said, he adjusted his seat once again and appeared to be relaxing. Chrysalis was shocked to hear Equestria of all places wanted her dead, she’d only heard rumors about the hanging of an enemy of the state. “Lucky for you, you’re in America. America abides by the Geneva code.” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “Now, I’ll be honest, I’m not well versed on it, but it basically says we gotta treat prisoners of war humanely. Officers are treated as officers and soldiers as soldiers, etcetera etcetera. That means no hangings.”

Chrysalis found herself breathing a sigh of releif at that, until Dominic held up a finger.

“Unless we’re issued a request to extradite you to face some sort of court.” Dominic continued despite the worried look creeping across Chrysalis’ face. “Now, we can refuse of course, but we’d need a reason, and if that reason happened to be because you were seeking political asylum…”

“Asylum? As in, throwing me into a looney bin! Are you-” Chrysalis was cut off Dominic shot her a stern look.

“Meaning, you are made an American citizen because you are fleeing persecution that could lead to your demise. For example, you’re a changeling therefore you must die.” The President steepled his fingers as his words began to sink into Chrysalis’ head.

“You want me to defect?” She asked, preparing to become angry again.

“No, your highness. I want you and your nation to surrender to the United States of America.” Chrysalis flinched as if she’d been struck, the emotionless delivery of the President’s demands had sent chills down her spine. She couldn’t allow the hairless ape to take her nation, who knew what he would do. Slaughter her children, burn her villages, any number of things could happen. She began panting heavily, her nostrils flaring. Dominic idly shifted his hand into his jacket before slipping it under the table.

“You… You… You insolent welp! You think I will bend knee because you’ve captured me here! My swarm will come and when they do you will be down on your knees!” Chrysalis bellowed loudly, Dominic remained quiet for a few moments before leaning forwards.

“Your swarm won’t do jack shit, your highness.” Dominic said coldly, he steepled his fingers an adjusted his seat. The light hanging above the table cast shadows across his features, Chrysalis could saw the mad dog sitting across from her gain an almost demonic look to him. “This nation may be small now, but small seeds grow large trees.”

“What do you want with my nation?” Chrysalis asked, she was genuinely curious as to what a nation would want with miles of empty desert and wilderness.

“That’s for us to know and you to find out, but rest assured, your people will be treated fairly.” Dominic unbuttoned his jacket and leaned back in his seat, relaxing as the shadows shifted off of him. “There are three scenarios that can play out here, your highness. Number one, you stay here until inevitably we’re asked to release you for trial and the war between us and your people continues. Two, you surrender to the United States and stop the bloodshed, your people maintain their independance and you get to live on as their governor. Number three. You some how escape here and we just take the land by force, your people are outcast even further and your species may even face extinction.”

Chrysalis stared at the man, he was extremely callous in the way he brought up the loss of an entire species. The choices she had certainly were slim, even worse, she worried that she was actually considering capitulating to a force that was so inferior to her own. Then it hit her, the President didn’t need to have might in his own country, she was certain he had clout with Equestria and who knew who else.

“I don’t come here intending to scare you, your highness. Believe it or not, I am not the selfish brute the tabloids make me out to be.” Dominic stated in a sincere tone, it was one hundred percent sincere. “I may not have mentioned it earlier, but I’ve been through a bit of a journey this past month, I’ve mellowed considerably… If you’d pulled this stunt a month or so ago, you’d be staring down the barrel of a shotgun right now... “

“From what I’ve gathered that’s a weapon I should fear, but how can I fear a weapon wielded by a child?” Chrysalis shot back, hoping to get some form of jab in at the man. He simply nodded and rubbed his chin.

“Well, I see your point, you probably don’t know that kids shouldn’t play with guns.” Dominic leaned forwards and scratched his head. “As for your child jab, I can see that point too. I’m nineteen years old and I’m in charge of a country, do you know how insane that is? It’s like… Well, it’s like a kid playing with a loaded gun. I hate using that metaphor more than once, but if the boot fits…”

“Most nineteen year olds I know don’t have the confidence you have, Mister President. I’m impressed.” Chrysalis replied, she knew he was young but certainly not that young. “I take it you were some great warrior in your homeland, weren’t you?”

“No I was not, and you’re not changing the subject.” The man spoke in a serious tone, Chrysalis sighed as it seemed her fishing expedition had given her no information she could use. “Now I realize that decisions of this magnitude take time to think over, so you’re welcome to take as much time as you need to think things through.” At that moment the door opened and Sonar entered with a box of cigars in her teeth, looking like she’d really put her all into finding them. She quietly walked to the table and set them down, Dominic smiled at her.

“Thanks, Sonar. Expect something extra in your pay this week.” He said before quickly pausing, Chrysalis found it odd. “Out of my own pocket, of course.” Sonar smiled and nodded while the man took a cigar from the box and bit off the cap, he spat the bit of tobacco to the floor and looked around for a moment. “Shit.”

“I figured you’d forget that, sir.” Sonar said before gesturing to a box of matches she’d added to the somewhat empty box of cigars. She received another nod from Dominic as he picked up a match and struck it against the wood, then lit the cigar. Chrysalis coughed quietly and looked away as thick white smoke wafted up from the end of the cigar. He puffed on it a few times, being sure not to inhale, before blowing the smoke past his lips.

“Think it over, your highness. Governess Chrysalis isn’t such a bad title.” Dominic picked up the box of cigars under his arm and put his helmet atop his head, then looked to Sonar. “I think we’re done here, Miss Sonar. Do you think it would be possible to visit the cemetery at this hour?” Chrysalis noticed an odd sadness seeping from the president. “I’d like to pay my respects to Lieutenant Colonel Errant and the other boys we lost.”

“Of course, sir.” Sonar said quietly as the two began walking out of the room, Chrysalis flinched at the smell of the smoke and remained silent as she watched the two leaving. Time slowed down for her as she saw the president peek over his shoulder at her, his eyes narrowed whilst smoke drifted up past his nostrils. In that moment Chrysalis could sense the most intense feeling of malice she’d ever felt before, so strong she could tell even her children had flinched.

“Y’all have a nice night now, your highness.” Dominic called over his shoulder before stepping out the door, it closed with a light slam and left Chrysalis there alone. For a few moments she quietly stared at the door as the smell of cigar smoke lingered in the air, the scent may have smelled somewhat sweet to anyone else, but to the Queen of the Changelings all she could smell was Brimstone. The breath of a sleeping dragon that she’d awakened, and it was in that moment she knew how much trouble she and her people truly were in.

“Fuck…” Was the only word the Queen could utter that did the scenario any justice.

[♦]

The hills outside of Ponyville were the subject of many a myth and legend, overlapping with the Everfree forest they were one of the few places that anyone dared not enter. From the legend of Nightmare Moon to the mysterious diamond dog tribes and nasty wildlife, there was little these hills offered that made them worth braving. Of course there were exceptions, such as Zecora the town chemist and other introverts.

However, all of this information was lost on the figure lying prone on the top of the hill, staring down at the town through a rather dirty old set of binoculars. A pair of tired eyes watched the pony settlement carefully, the cold night that had settled in seemed to lessen the ponies wandering around at that hour of night. There was a soft coughing fit from behind the figure, alerting him to why he was doing what he was doing. The man set his binoculars aside and looked over his shoulder, his faded hawaiian shirt and undershirt covered in muck.

He could see the other figure shrouded by leaves he’d put over them to conceal them, after a few moments of looking at the figure he stood to his full height of six feet, brushing some of the dirt off of his jeans and boots. He knelt down and picked up an old looking hunting rifle, then quietly began walking down the hill. It was a moonless night, his only guide was the street lights from the town. Thankfully he passed through the underbrush without incident and came out into the open near the town.

It didn’t take him long to reach the first house before stealthily hiding in the shadows and peaking around the corner. The street of the strange alien town was empty and so the hulking figure made his move, rapidly rushing up the street with agility not normally afforded a man on of his size. His goal was several streets over, a building that was obviously a hospital, he hoped. The red cross outside seemed to be indicative of that. The man stopped just short of an intersection, hiding next to an odd house that smelled as if it were made of gingerbread.

“...can’t believe they’ve got us out on extra patrols for this.” A voice gradually became audible and the man rapidly tightened up into as small a signature he could.

“I can believe it, with the zebra’s kicking the minotaur’s asses and now some ‘communist death camp’ out east, the nobles up on the hill must be shitting themselves.” Replied another voice, the man in the shadows raised an eyebrow at the last remark. “Speaking of politics, I heard a rumor that the President woke up.”

“No shit?” The man watched as two ponies in black armor and carrying odd crossbows walked past his hiding spot, their leathery wings and dark coloring made them look akin to bats. He hoped that wasn’t the case, otherwise they’d certainly hear him. “Well, good for him. Seems the bastard can’t go five months without ending up in the hospital or something lately.”

“Scuttlebutt says he and the Princess are knocking boots…”

“You need to stop listening to her, she fills your head with bullshit….” The voices faded off into the distance and the man let out a quiet sigh, his grip on his hunting rifle relaxing somewhat before he stepped back out onto the street. He rolled on his feet to minimize his noise, the oil light from the lanterns proving him just enough shadow to skirt along for most of the way. After passing several houses and an odd carousel he found himself looking out of the bushes at the hospital, most of the lights were dark.

“Must not have an emergency room…” The man muttered to himself, before quietly taking a step out of the bushes. He quickly sprinted across the gap, not wanting to chance being caught out in the open. This certainly wasn’t where he’d seen himself being three years ago, running along in an alien world that was worse than dodging infected. Infected could be fooled in mass, but these ponies were capable of rational thought from what he could see so far.

The man leaned up against the sign and peeked around it at the hospital, he could see a security guard pony, a beam of light extending from his horn roved around as he patrolled along. The hospital itself was nothing special, white with windows facing the east and a simple entrance. The guard seemed more interested in completing his patrol than actually looking for trouble makers as he rapidly rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

Seizing the moment the man quickly ran to the entrance and peeked in, then rapidly drew his head back. It appeared there was a nurse leaning back in her seat at a rather drab looking nurses station. The man looked around for a moment before noting a rock on the ground, he grabbed it and backed it from the building, then he chucked it as hard as he could at a window on the first floor. There was a loud shatter and the man just caught a glimpse of the nurse bolting down a hallway to investigate.

“I still got it.” The man said to himself as he slipped through the front doors and ran past the nurses station, searching for some sort of supply room or other medical items as he did so. His open hawaiian shirt flapped at the speed he held while his undershirt was plastered against his body. “Okay… I really hope these aliens have invented penicillin.” The man paused outside a room that was marked with odd lettering he couldn’t understand, however there seemed to be a picture of a mortar and pestle above it. That prompted a swift kick to the door which opened inwards while the man scanned the room for anyone or anything. It was empty, but there were certainly enough bottles and vials to indicate this was the right place to be. The man didn’t get time to celebrate though, as not two seconds later an alarm began to blare.

“SHIT!” The man yelled as he bolted away from the door, he easily dodged several rushing nurses and guards and pushed towards the same way he’d come in. None of the alien ponies seemed to try and stop him, all probably surprised by just what they were seeing. They’d probably never seen a human before and he hoped the shock alone would pave his way to freedom. The man burst out the front door in a dead sprint, panting heavily as he ran towards the forested hills. The alarms were clearly audible outside the hospital and the ponies in armor were now rushing towards him. If he could make it to the hills he’d be able to hide him and his companion easily.

The man fired a shot from his rifle into the air, the loud noise echoing through the town and causing the bat pony aliens to cover their ears. It gave him just enough time to push past them and sprint down the street. They turned and gave chase, a few taking to the air, he didn’t care though. He could see the forest now, see the hill he’d been on not an hour before. He rapidly disappeared into the underbrush and hoped that would keep the aliens off of him, thankfully the tactic seemed to work.

Panting heavily the man ascended the hill and found the figure that had been shrouded by leaves, they’d sat up and moved towards the edge of the hill.

“What happened, Johnny?” The woman called out to the man. “You didn’t kill one of them, did you?”

“No, but we need to run. Now!” He called back as he ascended the hill, the woman nodded and brushed her long dirty brunette hair back behind her ears as she gathered a small backpack and an old looking revolver. The man didn’t stop running as he grabbed his own bag and the two began running into the forest. “How’s the cough?” He asked as they ran.

“Better. If it keeps improving the way it has been I don’t think I’ll even need the meds.” The woman said back as they went deeper into the forest.

“Wish you’d told me that an hour ago…” The man muttered, little did they know, their escape was not as clean a get away as they’d thought.

Author's Notes:

So, new plot points all abound. Yippee! Sorry for the wait on this chapter, I'm still trying to get on my feet after the move, but things are looking up.

As always, I ask that you rate, comment, and favorite if you want to.