Jen adjusted her new fatigues quietly, her father’s Marine cover placed straight upon her head, it clashed with the black fabric of the fatigues but General Bulwark had let it slide, she was glad they had a competent seamstress in town that could get her some actual clothes. A pair of captain’s bars was pinned proudly to her collar of her blouse. Beside her was Chipped Blade, also in his fatigues, yawning and wiping the sleep from his eyes still.

It was morning, five in the morning to be precise, the sun hadn’t even started to rise yet. Chipped was a bit surprised at the items that Jen had given him, a trash can and a piece of wood, but she had insisted they were very much important. At the moment the two of them were marching towards the barracks that had been constructed next to the POW camp, this was where the latest recruits and volunteers for Task Force Grey were sleeping. Not walking. Marching. Chipped had never seen the woman in action, but she’d assured him she would be going all the way up to ‘Full on bitch’ mode.

“When the door opens I want you to bang on that barrel really loud.” She said in an even tone, Chipped Blade nodded as the two of them walked up the steps. She didn’t stop to turn the doorknob, instead she delivered a hearty kick and walked in. Chipped began banging on the barrel with the piece of wood, rousing those sleeping in their bunks inside.

“It’s five in the blessed MORNING! WHAT ARE YOU MAGGOTS STILL DOING IN BED!?” Jen practically screamed to the scrambling stallions. “ATTEN-HUT!” The stallions quickly stood at attention at the foot of their bunks, some still half asleep, some half dressed, all looking confused. Chipped set the barrel down, figuring it was no longer necessary. Silence descended upon the barracks as Jen began a slow walk down the center aisle, passing the stallions at attention and looking them up and down. “I am Captain Jennifer Poplawski, your new best friend and senior survival instructor!”

Chipped stood at attention by the door as Jen turned around and began walking back towards him, look of malice on her face almost made him think she was a different person. A couple of stallions turned their heads to follow her as she walked past, but a quick glare from Chipped warned them to just look straight ahead.

“I have been sent here because you all seem to think you have what it takes to survive hell!” Jen continued, her face a stony mask of contempt. “I myself was a resident of hell before I came here, which is why they have chosen me to weed the weak out of you!” All was going well until she walked in front of a larger changeling defector, a borderline brute, that towered over the woman by a few inches.

“Says the meal cow…” He said with a grin. Chipped had no idea that humans could change color, the shade of red that filled the captain’s face was comparable to blood. She stopped and turned slowly, finger trembling as she pointed at the large changeling.

“You.” The sing song voice Jen said it in unnerved the large one, she stepped closer to him and leaned a few inches from his muzzle. “You must be the company clown…” The changeling was sweating nervously, all the others watched in mild fear. “If there’s one thing I hate in life more than the infected it’s a CLOWN! AND A BAD ONE AT THAT!” The changeling cowered down, until the woman was looking down on him. “ATTENTION, NUMB NUTS! I’M TALKING TO YOU!” The changeling stood up straight once more. “What’s your name?”

“W-W-Wire T-T-ap…” The changeling said in a strangely high pitched scared voice.

“WIRETAP WHAT!?”

“Wiretap, Ma’am!” The changeling quickly corrected, Jen took a step back from the changeling and pointed a finger at him.

“Because of Wiretap’s funny joke, I feel like getting some air. SO FILL YOUR PACKS WITH ROCKS, BOYS! WE’RE GOING FOR A WALK!” Jen walked to the door, her boots thudding against the wood floor as she went. “Be outside and ready to go in two mikes or we hike!” The stallions went scrambling as Chipped Blade followed Jen outside. Once they were far enough away Jen let out a sigh and rubbed her temples, Chipped stared at her for a few moments. “Sorry about that…”

“It’s your job, ma’am.” Chipped replied respectfully. “I heard about what happened last night, you know with you and your boyfriend being heard all over town, these guys love to talk and it’s good you whip it out of them now.” Jen nodded and folded her arms as she counted the seconds off in her head. “You remind me of my old CO, she didn’t take shit like that either.”

“You’ll have to tell me more about her sometime, I know you were close.” Jen’s tone trailed off as she saw the soldiers in the barracks rush out and into formation. Somehow they’d all gotten ready and dressed in full gear, and their packs were filled with rocks as well. How that had happened Jen didn’t know, but she was impressed needless to say. Not that she’d let them see it. “It looks like you made it! I think I was too easy on you!”

“Yes, Ma’am!” The group responded.

“I DIDN’T ASK YOUR GODDAMN OPINION!” Jen screamed, Chipped could see what she meant earlier about becoming a ‘Full on bitch’. If he was on the other side of her tirade he’d be thinking exactly that. “Right face!” The soldiers did as they were told, turning right in unison. “Forward march!” She and Chipped began walking along side the marching soldiers as they began to march past the capitol building, once they reached the main street she called out again. “Right face!”

They began marching down main street, ponies and changelings in their shops and storefronts watched in surprise at the impromptu parade. For several minutes they continued marching, Jen occasionally would spot one lagging along and quickly scare them back into line with a good loud yelling. She marched them left and right with seemingly no rhyme or reason, for hours and hours on end, it became a bit of a spectacle for the entire town to watch.

“We all enjoying our little walk!?” Jen asked as she examined them, the sun was high in the sky now and bearing down on them all.

“Yes, ma’am!” Responded the marching group in tired unison.

“Do you want to stop!?” She yelled.

“No, ma’am!” The chorus replied, she had asked them at least five times already, the first time they had said yes she’d shouted their heads off and made them add more to rocks to their packs.

“I’m glad you enjoy it, you’ll be doing a lot of walking where you’re going!” Jen bellowed as she walked in front of them. “Too bad we have to stop! Company halt!” The marchers came to a halt just in the middle of the main street, this time the capital building was right in front of them. “I feel like you and I got off on the wrong foot.” She marched back and forth in front of them, Chipped Blade was doing his best to keep up at this point. Even Errant hadn’t run him this ragged. “I’ll give you an hour to get chow, drop off your packs, and report back to the barracks. Go ahead and eat up!” Chipped looked confused, as did the rest of the group, so much so that they sort of hung around. “I SAID MOVE!” That got them running, it practically gave Chipped Blade a heart attack.

“Ma’am?” Chipped asked nervously, Jen turned and looked at him, he could tell she wasn’t in her training mode anymore. “C-Can I ask why you just… Let them go have an hour? The normal time is thirty minutes…”

“You’ll see, Chipped… I would advise you don’t eat too much, because you’re absolutely right, the normal time is half an hour… I’m giving them fifteen.” Chipped’s eyes widened and he quickly took off towards the Saloon, which had now been converted from a field hospital into a mess hall. Jen sighed and adjusted her cap before pulling her hair back and tucking it up. Her intention was to drag them out mid meal and make them run, as if their lives depended on it, very similar to what would happen if the infected decided to make a surprise visit. In the meantime though, she began walking towards her home, Johnny was sitting outside with a bit of a smirk on his face.

“Hey there, Cap.” He said with a grin, Jen put her hands on her hips and leaned to one side. “You know that uniform makes you look sexy, really accentuates the muscles, and the yelling… That’s pretty hot too.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it.” Jen said as she walked forwards, prompting Johnny to sit up straight. “Because there’s gonna be a lot of it in your future after what happened…” She smiled faintly. “Even if what happened afterwards was sweet.” Johnny was about to speak but she had started walking away just as soon as she’d finished, he wasn’t sure if he should be afraid or excited.

[♦]

Dominic quietly adjusted his helmet as he looked over the map of the town once again, the room was completely stocked with their newly made purchases and the man had some Pink Floyd playing in the background off one of the new speakers. He was trying to figure out where would be the best place to deal with Sunset Shimmer, the school would be the easiest to find her, but it was a school. Things could get messy. On the road would be better, but they’d have to know everything about her driving habits, which they didn’t.

The man sighed and found his hand going to his pocket, his fingers running up and down the soft feather that Luna had given him. Shining Armor and Fortress Wall were playing poker and Rolling Thunder was watching the soap operas once again, they’d given up on trying to figure out a way for the night.

“It would be easiest if we knew where the hell she lived…” Dominic mumbled to himself, briefly looking outside at the truck. “It’s not like that’s an inconspicuous vehicle though, and we can’t buy or rent a car, because our papers aren’t that legitimate… So how the hell do we find her house…? Does she even have a house?” The man paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back as he pondered and puzzled.

“Why not steal her wallet?” Rolling Thunder said, not taking his eyes off the TV. Dominic looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “According to this show on the TV her address would be on her ID card, if she has a car she has to have a license… Right?” The president briefly checked his ID and sure enough there was a place for an address, his was blank though.

“Right… So, how do we get her wallet?” Dominic asked himself, going back to pacing. “I mean, we could be sneaky, but she might get suspicious if she realizes it’s gone…”

“Could fake a purse snatching.” Shining Armor spoke up, looking away from his cards for a moment. “Happened all the time back when I was just a guard, some mare would chat with a handsome stallion, meanwhile his buddy comes along and snatches the purse.” The suited man turned in his seat to address Dominic better. “The handsome stallion ‘chases’ the thief around a corner, they write down her information, and he gallantly returns it. Then boom! Their house gets busted into a few weeks later.”

“Who could we get to chat her up though?” Dominic mumbled, going back to the map on the table. “Rolling’s too old, I’m the fastest runner, and she’d recognize you in a heartbeat… It would have to be Fortress.”

“This sounds risky though, sir. Too many variables, what if another bystander chases you, or worse, calls the cops.” Fortress spoke up, Dominic nodded again as he continued walking back and forth.

“Another point…” The president muttered before he turned back to the map, the man walked to the window and peeked outside. To his surprise it was snowing again, the dark clouds concealed the night sky and he’d realized just how early the sun had set. “We’re in winter, the event was supposed to happen in fall… Meaning we’re either very early or… Something’s changed.”

“Like what?” Fortress Wall asked, Dominic shook his head quietly.

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out before we proceed.” Dominic said with firm conviction. “What if she’s turned her life around? We’d be doing more harm than good by taking her from here…” The man turned back to the room and cleared his throat. “Fortress. Shining. Watch the fort. Rolling, you’re coming with me.”

“Where are we going?” Rolling replied as he turned off the TV and stood up, Dominic removed his helmet and set it on the table by the map before he pointed to three spots on the map.

“These are three bars that are closest to the school, odds are there’s a teacher or two there.” Dominic began walking towards the door, pausing only to grab two hundred dollars or so from the bag, Rolling followed behind him with a bit of confusion. “With any luck we’ll find someone soused enough to answer some questions.” Dominic stopped to pick up a handheld radio and turn it on, then tuned it to a random empty channel. Afterwards he picked up a larger radio and carried it under his arm. “If we need you guys we’ll call.”

With that the two of them walked out of the room, closing the door behind them as quick as they could for their comrades’ sake. Dominic carried the radio box with him to the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat, he quickly set up the radio and tuned it to the same frequency as the handheld. Meanwhile Rolling was getting settled into his seat, once it was all set Dominic started the truck and the pair of them set out onto the road. The two of them sat quietly, neither was certain what to talk about lately. Rolling was rather curious about his commander’s relationship with Princess Luna, but that didn’t seem appropriate to talk about.

Dominic for his part was rather content to remain in silence himself, as he too was thinking about his relationship with Luna. He was reflecting on what Shining had said, but it only seemed to make his predicament worse. Dominic would be willing to tell or do something hurtful if it was for either Luna or Maria’s own good. He’d nearly shot Maria in the head in order to spare her a death at the hands of the infected, in a way perhaps he’d succeeded. He wished somehow he could make it work with both of them.

The man knew that Equestria had herds, it was in the newspapers all the time in the wedding sections. Jen had alluded to something that seemed to be similar on earth as well, but he didn’t know if Maria subscribed to that sort of belief. The prospect wasn’t something he had qualms with if it meant that both Luna and Maria could be happy. As Dominic took a turn he briefly began to hum to himself, nothing in particular, just something to try and ease his nerves. They were passing by houses and buildings now, it wouldn’t be long until they saw one of the bars.

Dominic’s thoughts turned back to what Luna had told him on the train, that she thought he was ready to become a better warrior. A while ago he would’ve said he didn’t want anything to do with war, but now that he knew the lives of not just Maria but countless others hung in the balance… The best warrior was all he could hope to be. It was in his blood after all, it had been and would be his destiny. From the ruins of Rome to the ruins of society itself, the last son of the Occisor family would carry the banner of humanity with him. If Dominic were any good at writing, perhaps he would’ve made a poem out of it.

At the moment though, Dominic was more focussed on the lights ahead that indicated there was a bar. It was a little hole in the wall, much like the ones Dominic had hidden in in Evergreen, with more than a couple cheap looking cars outside. The red bricks and neon sign proudly proclaiming it’s name ‘Berry’s Bar’ were more than enough to tell him it was a dive, that was fine by him. Dominic pulled into the parking lot, a rather tight fit with the truck, but he pulled it off nonetheless.

“Alright… Let’s go.” Dominic said as he looked over at Rolling Thunder, the stallion seemed to snap out of a trance and nodded.

“Right, let’s.” He said as he opened his door and climbed out, Dominic exited on his side and shimmied his way out from between the truck and the car he’d parked next to until he was able to walk freely. He and Rolling walked into the bar silently, trying to blend in as best they could. It seemed the patrons of the bar were intent on not letting that happen, as they all turned to see who had opened the door and let in the cold outside chill.

Most of them were older women, with some men interspersed about the place. Dominic and Rolling ignored their looks, as the glances were brief, before they made their way to the bar. They sat on a pair of stools, and Rolling took a moment to note the decor. It was dingy, using some hearth's warming lights to spruce up the place, with a couple arcade games off to the side and a large pool table in the center. The pool table was surrounded by other tables that all lead up to the bar.

Dominic was a lot less comfortable now than he had been outside, the bar reminded him far too much of Cactus Jack’s back on earth. He did his best not to show it, as the inhabitants of this world surely wouldn’t understand. He took a deep breath and shook his head before a woman approached the two of them from behind the bar. She was a pretty young thing with light blue skin and a cobalt hair, and when she spoke her voice sounded like the tone of a bell.

“Welcome to Berry’s bar!” She said cheerfully. “I haven’t seen you fellas around here before. New in town?”

“You could say that…” Rolling replied as he looked around. “I’m Quick Lightning, this guy’s Honey Pop.” The woman giggled, prompting Dominic to smack him in the arm.

“Nice to meetcha! I’m Gipsy Breeze!” The woman replied, Dominic just noded silently while Rolling shook the woman’s hand. “You’re friend doesn’t seem like much of a talker.” She looked at Dominic with a tilted head, prompting him to rub his eyes tiredly.

“I’m thinking is all.” Dominic said quietly, throwing in a bit of his old western accent for effect, he rubbed the back of his neck and sat up straight. “We came here ‘cause we done heard about some crazy things goin’ down in your neck of the woods. Things like demons in high schools and the like.” That got the woman’s attention, she paused for a moment too long before she shook her head with a smile.

“I haven’t heard of anything like that here, but it would sure be cool, maybe… Can I get you somethin’ to drink?” Gipsy Breeze asked, Dominic shook his head.

“I’m driving, I’ll just take cherry soda if you have it…”

“I’ll take a beer.” Rolling said, the woman nodded and walked off to get their drinks, meanwhile Dominic could feel eyes on him and Rolling. “So… You notice that pause or was it just me?” Dominic nodded faintly. “Sounds like you were right about something going down before we got here…”

“Question is what…” Dominic mumbled before he sat up straight and smiled as the bartender returned with their drinks. “Thank ya kindly, ma’am.” The woman just smiled and gave a dismissive wave.

“Awe, don’t worry about it. Anything I can get you to eat?” She asked, Dominic hummed in thought before nodding quietly.

“Y’all sell burgers here?” He asked, the woman nodded. “I’ll take one of them, and my friend here will take one as well.” Rolling nodded, just going along with it, even if he wasn’t hungry. The woman nodded and wrote down their orders.

“I’ll be back with those as soon as I can.” Gipsy Breeze replied before she walked away, Dominic sighed and took a sip of his soda. He had to pull away and blink a couple times, it had been years since he’d had a soda, and it was so sweet it took a bit of getting used to.

“So… You hungry?” Rolling asked, Dominic nodded.

“There’s more to it than that though…” The man explained as he took another sip of his soda, meanwhile Rolling took a swig from his beer. “We can’t just come in and start asking about demons and shit and vamoose right after, it’s logical to assume that’s a sure fire way of getting people on our tail.” Rolling paused for a moment, then gave a slight hum of appreciation. “We’ll eat, you can use those bat ears of yours to eavesdrop, and we’ll be on our way in an hour or so…”

“Most thestrals would get offended by that, ya guinea bastard.” Rolling replied with a bit of a chuckle, Dominic raised an eyebrow at him, more interested about where he’d learned that word. As if reading his facial expression, Rolling explained. “That Johnny guy likes to talk.”

“Whatever, as long as you aren’t spouting off about ‘Workers uniting’ and ‘Communes’ I’m fine.” Dominic replied as he took a long drink of his soda, his eyes shifting over the faces in the bar once again. When he set the glass down he wiped his face. “So, eagle ears, hear anything?” Rolling shook his head and took another sip of his beer.

“There’s a couple girls talking about how cute you are…” The trooper replied, this caused Dominic to hunch over a bit more. “Sounds like they’re high schoolers or something, which is weird. Why would they be in a bar this late on a school night?”

“Because the young adults of the modern age are obsessed with partying and drinking and all other forms of debauchery.” Dominic said with a bit of venom, it was Rolling’s turn to be confused now. “Jesus… Jen’s right, I sound like an old man.” The man sighed and looked down at his glass. “Maybe if they come over we can get some information out of them.”

“Doubt they will, they’re talking about how weird you look now…” Rolling replied, Dominic sighed and put his head on the bar. In the background of the bar was music, instrumental blues music that fit the decor rather well. Dominic was thankful for that, at least it wasn’t techno or pop. “And now weird has turned to exotic.” Dominic sat up and looked around for a moment, briefly spotting the group of girls off in a corner, giggling to themselves. The man would have said something, but the door opened and a rush of cold air hit him in the back.

The patrons let out a little cheer, they obviously knew who the new arrival was, Dominic didn’t turn to look though. Rolling on the other hand did, and he quickly turned back and looked directly at the bar.

“At the door, we might have a problem.” He said quietly, Dominic waited for him to continue. “Lady that looks an awful lot like Princess Cadence came in… If she knows you in this realm…” Dominic pulled some cash from his pocket, more than enough to cover the bill, just in case they had to make a run for it.

“Play it cool for now…” Dominic instructed, Rolling nodded and the two men continued drinking their drinks. Dominic could sense motion behind them, and sure enough, a woman took a seat on the stool beside him. He didn’t dare look over, he just stared directly at his drink in silence. The woman, it seemed, had other plans in mind.

“Hello!” The woman’s cheerful voice rang out, Dominic looked over and nearly had a heart attack, it was definitely Cadence. The hair, the makeup, even the outfit screamed ‘Cadence’.

“Uh… Hi.” Dominic replied nervously, playing it off as shyness to evade detection. There was a slight giggle from the woman while Rolling Thunder was looking over in a bit of surprise.

“You’re new.” She said simply, that helped lift some weight off of of both men’s shoulders. It seemed she didn’t recognize them, which would make getting information a little easier. “I would know, I’m in here every night. Just passing through, or are you moving here?”

“Passing through.” Dominic said, turning to look at the woman full on. “We’re a couple of thrill seekers, and we heard there’s some pretty strange stuff going down this way.” The woman raised an eyebrow at that. “Sounded pretty metal, if’n you ask me, demons and such.”

“Aliens.” Rolling spoke up, Dominic gave him a quick glance but only received a cheeky smile. “What, that’s what I came to look for.” Dominic just shrugged and looked back at the Cadence of the alternate world, she was staring at the two of them with thinly veiled suspicion.

“Eh, not everyone believes in that stuff anyway.” Dominic trailed off, taking a sip of his drink. The bartender returned at that moment with their food, Dominic was glad to see it had come with french fries, as he hadn’t had them in a while. “Thanks.” He said to the bartender, she just smiled and walked off. Dominic took the top off of the burger, partially to check for any nasty surprises, for all he knew there could have been a doomsday cult in the town and he’d somehow gotten their attention with the mention of demons. Upon seeing it was clear he transitioned to the second reason he’d removed the bun, and began putting french fries on the burger.

“You know I have a friend that does that?” Cadence suddenly said, looking at Dominic’s burger before he could take a bite of it. “Come to think of it, you remind me of him a bit… Weird.” Dominic nodded and began to eat his burger, internally freaking out and hoping that the woman just got plastered and left him alone before she figured anything out.

“We’ve been looking for a teacher, truth be told. We had some questions that they could answer, since my buddy here never finished high school.” Rolling said, pointing at Dominic. The man swallowed before setting down his burger and turning to shake his head at Rolling.

“Really?” Cadence asked, appearing a bit surprised. “Why not?” Dominic turned and looked at the woman with a mix between nervousness and annoyance, seeing that she shook her head. “Nevermind… But, it turns out I’m a teacher, sort of. What’s your question?”

“We were wondering who get’s into more trouble in high school, boys or girls?” Dominic asked, Cadence hummed and looked off in the distance for a moment. Rolling Thunder’s ears picked up a couple hushed whispers, but again it seemed like they were more concerned about Dominic’s looks than anything else.

“I’d say it’s definitely girls, at least at Crystal Prep.” Cadence replied, Dominic gave a nod and looked at Rolling with fake triumph. Internally he was rather upset, as he hadn’t planned on there being more than one school.

“Ten bucks.” He said, holding out his hand, Rolling could see what Dominic was doing.

“Hold on there, bud.” Rolling said before he looked at cadence. “Are more of them red heads than others?” Cadence shook her head, looking a bit upset for a moment.

“No, the latest incident involved a blue haired girl…” The woman looked at the bar just as the bartender returned and set a beer down in front of Cadence. The woman hadn’t even ordered it, but Dominic supposed she came in often enough that she didn’t have to anymore. “But I can’t really go into detail. I suggest you look into some adult education courses, you’ll be glad you did.”

“I’ll take it under advisement.” Dominic replied before he continued eating his food, Rolling was eating his own as well, and the rest of their time went by without any real incident. The trooper and his commander didn’t talk to many people after that, as they figured they’d drawn enough attention as it was. Dominic drifted off into his thoughts again, until soon enough an hour had passed and it was time for them to depart. Dominic left some money behind, more than enough for the meal and the tip.

The two of them began walking towards the door, Dominic took the keys for the truck from his pocket and stepped outside. He and Rolling Thunder walked to the truck, their boots crunching the snow beneath them.

“Well, it seems something went down, but what I don’t know…” Dominic said as he climbed into the cab of the truck and started the engine, Rolling Thunder nodded and adjusted his place in his seat. “Alright… I think the next bar is east of here, if I’m remembering the map correctly.”

“What’s it called?” Rolling asked as Dominic put the truck into reverse and very carefully extracted the vehicle from its parking spot. Once they’d turned out onto the main road Dominic tapped the side of his head in thought, then shook his head.

“I can’t remember…” The man reached forwards and picked up the microphone on the truck’s new radio. “This is Honey Badger calling the Fort, you guy’s copy?” He spoke, Rolling looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “It’s a helluva lot cooler than Honey Pop…”

”That you, sir?” Replied the static laced voice of Fortress Wall.

“Yeah, it’s me. I need you to do be a favor. Take a look at the map and see which bar is closest to ‘Berry’s Bar’.” Dominic said, setting the microphone down as he took a right turn down a random street. It was something he’d read about in books many years ago, a way to determine if his vehicle was being followed.

”The Warehouse, that’s an odd name… But it’s pretty big on the map, near something called an ‘industrial park’. You shouldn’t miss it.” Fortress replied, Dominic nodded and looked around for a sign. Rolling Thunder looked thoughtful, as if he were trying to figure out what was going on for himself. Dominic could understand that, he was a bit confused all things considered, if something had happened why wasn’t there any sign of it? Had someone else stepped up and defeated Sunset Shimmer? I looked that way, but he wouldn’t call it just yet.

After twenty minutes of searching they caught sight of the neon lights outside of a large old warehouse, the name instantly made more sense. Dominic noticed something about the bar as he got closer to it, and that was all the patrons in a line outside and were dressed very oddly. Their hair looked died, even on top of the insane colors they already sported. They looked like people who’d dressed up as characters for a convention, then been tossed through a jet engine, in the sense that their clothes looked absolutely tattered.

Dominic parked across the street from the building, and rolled down the window, then he could hear the music playing inside. It was loud, so loud he would’ve called in a noise complaint if he lived near that monstrosity. Electronic music that just seemed to be nothing but bass. Upon closer inspection he saw that most of the people going in were kids, that didn’t make sense if it was a bar. The man quickly picked up the radio.

“Fortress… What sort of bar did that map say this was?” He asked.

”A juice bar.” Fortress replied over the radio, Dominic groaned and rubbed his temples, then took a deep breath and curtailed his anger.

“Roger that, thanks fortress.” He replied over the radio before looking over at Rolling. “Do you think we’ll find anything here? I mean, there’s got to be a couple kids in there that know something.” Rolling shrugged for a moment.

“I probably wouldn’t be able to get in, and there’s a line there.” Rolling pointed out, Dominic nodded and was about to pull back onto the road, but he stopped as he noticed something in his rear view mirror. A light blue car with a peculiar rainbow design on the front, it had parked behind the truck with its lights off, and Dominic could see more than one person sitting in it, even in the dark.

“Looks like we’ve got company…” Dominic said quietly as he turned on his blinker and pulled out onto the road, leaving the building behind. Sure enough, he saw the headlights flicker on and the car pulled out into the road a few moments later. “Amateurs…”

“What should we do? Lose ‘em?” Rolling asked, Dominic shook his head and continued to drive along.

“We’ll lead ‘em around a bit, if they’re inexperienced at this they may make a move, if they’ve done it before they’ll be patient. It’s what I would do if I was them…” The man replied as he turned right down a street and drove for a while, watching the car in his driver’s side mirror. Rolling just nodded and looked out his own window at his own mirror. After a few more minutes Dominic took another right, sure enough the car turned as well. “Think they know who we are?”

“Doubt it… If they did they wouldn’t be following us.” Rolling replied, Dominic nodded and took yet another right. He’d essentially made a U turn, but to mix it up he made a left into an industrial park. After a few moments more he saw an empty lot up ahead and pulled off onto the snow covered dirt, he put the vehicle in park and let the engine idle. The car stopped just behind them, in an attempt to perhaps block their escape, but Dominic knew that truck always beat car when it came to pushing things out of the way. The man picked up the radio mic and spoke into it.

“We’re dealing with something real quick, just to let you guys know.” He said, there was a quick affirmative response before Dominic turned off the engine and opened the door. “Let’s see what they want.” Rolling nodded as he too climbed out of the truck, the two of them began walking towards the road where they saw the car parked. Dominic figured they’d get scared and drive away, but no, they just sat there.

Dominic stood there silently, staring into the car, ready to go for his gun at a moment’s notice. His eyes narrowed as he tried to get a look at the driver, somehow it looked like there were six people crammed into the car, despite its small size. Rolling and Dominic stared silently, the latter widening his stance. Dominic mused on just how cinematic it must have looked, almost like a scene out of an old western. The snow covered ground and a bit of moonlight above provided an eerie feel of uncertainty.

Finally the car’s engine turned off and all four doors opened, to Dominic’s mild surprise he saw six familiar people step out. Some struggling considering the small size of the car, but eventually they were all there. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and oddly enough, Sunset Shimmer. Rolling started to walk forwards, but Dominic held up an arm and shook his head silently, causing the other man to stop and go back to his silent stance. Dominic could see the looks of confusion on their faces, and on Sunset Shimmer, he could see a hint of fear.

Dominic cleared his throat before he took a single step forwards, he walked to the middle ground between the two sides and waiting silently for them to make their move. After a moment or so the girls looked at each other, and then Applejack stepped forwards as well.

“Ah reckon y’all know our names…” She asked, Dominic nodded silently. “When we got the phone call from our friend Cadence, we had an inkling you would…” The girl turned and looked briefly over at Sunset Shimmer, then back to Dominic. “What should I call you?”

“Dominic.” Dominic replied evenly, Applejack nodded with a bit of hesitation. “I assume you know why we’re here.” The girl nodded quietly as Dominic looked over towards Sunset Shimmer, the girl nervously looked at the ground. “We had reason to believe something would be happening soon that would affect our world, but it appears whatever that was has already happened…”

“That’s right.” Applejack replied, Dominic saw her straighten up to make herself look a bit tougher. “It’s all taken care of though, Sunset Shimmer isn’t a bad person anymore, ain’t no reason to take her from us.”

“I’m afraid I need more evidence than your word, the Equestrians will be very unhappy if I haven’t investigated.” Dominic replied, crossing his arms quietly, Applejack backed off for a moment. “May I speak with Miss Shimmer?”

“Ah… Suppose.” Applejack said before she looked over her shoulder at Sunset and gestured for her to come over, the other girl nervously stepped forwards, until she was standing very close to Applejack and not making eye contact. “Go on, hon, it’s alright…” Sunset looked up at Dominic, the man did his best to look non-threatening.

“Um… Hello.” Sunset said, wringing her hands nervously. “Did… Did Celestia send you?” Dominic shook his head. “Who did?”

“I did.” Dominic replied simply. “It’s very complicated, but this world contains some things that I needed to acquire for my country. Dealing with you was what convinced the Equestrian’s to aid me.” He explained, putting his hands on his hips as he did so. This caused his jacket to part just enough for Sunset to catch a glimpse of the revolver holstered by his side. “I’d prefer not to pull people out of here if I don’t have to, and it seems like you’ve got some significant ties here now, but… I’ve gotta ask. What happened?”

“I… Uh… I had a fight with a girl from another school, and she went completely crazy, I thought she was going to really hurt me.” Sunset began to explain, Dominic nodded and continued to listen. Meanwhile Rolling was continuing to watch the area around them for any sign of a trick or attack. “But, Applejack saw it happening and she helped me… It took a while to earn her trust, but we became good friends, and then we made things right with them…” Sunset pointed at the others that were standing silently. “The girl turned into a big monster, she was from Crystal Prep oddly enough, and she showed up at our school. I fought it, and everything seemed to turn out fine…”

Dominic nodded quietly and adjusted his coat, this time buttoning it up and effectively cutting himself off from his weapon, that put Sunset and the others at ease.

“Alright…” Dominic said quietly, he looked at the ground for a few moments before speaking again. “You sound like you’ve got everything going for you, it’d be a shame to fuck that up, but you know I can’t just leave without doing something.” Sunset Shimmer nodded nervously, closing her eyes as if not wanting to see him speak. “If I recall, there’s a book somewhere that could communicate between this world and Equestria, correct?” Sunset Shimmer’s eyes widened and she nodded. “Here’s what you do, give me one of them. In the other one you’re gonna start writing friendship letters to Princess Celestia. Tell her how you’re learning and whatnot, yada yada.” Sunset Shimmer seemed to perk up at that, feeling a bit happier that the punishment hadn’t been harsh in the slightest.

“Also.” Dominic added, Sunset froze. “Sounds like there’s more to this place than I thought… Meaning it could still be dangerous. So, on top of the friendship letters, I want you to send paranormal incident reports.” Dominic went on, Sunset nodded again. “I don’t care how small the incident, we’ve got to be informed.”

“Alright, I promise I’ll do it!” Sunset said in a bit of an excited tone, Dominic just nodded and looked back to Applejack who was a bit surprised by what had just happened.

“Y’all got that book on you?” Dominic asked, the girl looked over at Rainbow Dash who was already rummaging through the car. In a flash she’d grabbed it and sprinted over, quickly pushing it into Dominic’s hands without saying a word. “Thank ya, kindly. Guess that’s all sorted then…” The man turned on his heel and started to walk back towards the truck. “Y’all take care now… Let’s go, Rolling.”

“Yes, sir.” Rolling replied as he began to walk towards the truck as well, the six girls all hugged one another tightly, watching the two men walk back to their truck. Applejack could hear the mysterious gunslinger named Dominic whistling something, it sounded rather nice to her ears. The man climbed up onto the truck and gave a gesture similar to the tip of a hat before disappearing into the cab, moments later the engine rumbled to life.

Rainbow Dash once again moved as quick as she could, backing her car out of the way so that the truck could exit the vacant lot. The group of friends watched silently as the large vehicle drove down the street and turned down a corner.

Dominic sighed quietly and looked at the book sitting beside him, then at Rolling Thunder, then back to the road. He was one step closer to going back to Luna. It was something that he wanted very much, but at the same time he dreaded it, dreaded how she made him feel. He feared speaking to her because he didn’t know what to do, if the feelings he had were genuine, or maybe he was just in some sort of puppy dog state where he thought they were. Whatever the reason though, Dominic wanted to get home.

“When we get there start loading the truck.” Dominic said, breaking the silence and getting Rolling’s attention. “Our job here is done, it’s night time, and I just want to go home…” The trooper nodded quietly before Dominic picked up the radio microphone from the dashboard. “Hey guys, get your gear together and get ready to move, when we get there we’re loading up and leaving.”

“Roger that, sir.” Fortress replied quickly over the radio, Dominic sighed quietly and leaned back in his seat, again he looked down at the book beside him, then back at the truck around them.

“I’m gonna miss this thing…” Dominic mused as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, sighing as he thought of the truck transforming back into a lowly cart, it didn’t really seem right. Dominic had once been on track to be a mechanic in school, he’d learned the basics of welding and metalworking and he could change a tire with his eyes closed. Seeing human vehicles again had been a bit of a treat, but all good things had to end, he supposed. Eventually they arrived at the motel, Dominic backed the truck up as close as he could to the door to their motel and left the engine running while he got out and walked around to open the tailgate.

Rolling Thunder meanwhile entered the motel room and a few minutes later emerged with the others, all of them carrying boxes towards the back of the truck. Dominic entered the room himself and gathered up his things, slipping his music player into his pocket before he grabbed a couple boxes of his own and walked them out to the truck. Fortress Wall was up in the back, waiting to lift the containers up and set them down.

It took a total of twenty minutes for them to load the truck, between the four of them it was a much easier task. The last items on the truck were Dominic’s personal items for Luna and the bag of money, from which Dominic had taken three hundreds and returned the rest. He walked towards the main office of the Motel with the key in hand and entered, checking both his right and left for onlookers before approaching the clerk.

“Heading out pretty fast, eh?” The clerk asked, Dominic nodded and counted out the three hundred dollars, then set the key on the counter. “You’re undoubtedly the best guest we’ve ever had.”

“I just tip well.” Dominic replied over his shoulder as he exited and made his way to the truck, once he’d climbed into the cab he realized that Shining Armor was sitting up front. That was alright, he didn’t mind. What was more, Rolling and Fortress had changed back into their regular fatigues, Dominic guessed that made sense. Shining held up Dominic’s old helmet and the man gratefully put it atop his head before shifting into first and taking off out of the parking lot.

He picked up speed on the road, driving as fast as he dared on the snowy surface, once again it had started falling and Dominic realized that was something else he would miss. The cold of winter was something he’d always loved, but again, he supposed it had to end eventually. The school came into sight sooner than he’d expected and he disregarded the curb, opting to hop up onto the sidewalk and drive across the lawn until he’d stopped the truck directly in front of the portal. He shifted into neutral and put on the parking brake before looking at Shining.

“Get out and tell them to come up here, then get in back.” Dominic said, Shining nodded and hopped out, walking around the back of the truck and calling out to the thestral troopers. Meanwhile Dominic picked up the book from the seat and climbed out of the idling truck, when his two subordinates arrived up front he cleared his throat. “This lever here controls the brakes, when I give you the word I want you to push it, the gravity will pull the truck through the portal. Don’t touch anything else.”

“Yes, sir!” The two of them replied as they climbed in, Dominic walked around the back of the truck and climbed in, sighing briefly as he felt Luna’s feather in his pocket. He took a moment to look around, staring at a couple of the buildings around them for a minute or so. It could very well have been the last time he saw anything resembling humanity before the fall, and he wanted to at least have a good mental image. After a couple more moments he turned and solemnly made his way to a bench.

“Let’s move, fellas.” He called out. Rolling Thunder, who was now sitting in the passenger seat, nodded and pushed down the brake lever. The truck rolled forwards , the gravity pulling it along, until it began to disappear through the portal. Eventually the portal sucked it through, and Dominic could only catch a last glimpse of humanity before the disturbing warmth of the portal surrounded him. He closed his eyes, trying to revel in the strange sensation for as long as he could, knowing fully well that soon he would be back in the Equestrian universe, his home away from home.

Author's Notes:

Welp! Here it is, another chapter down, another step closer to the sequel! I've been doing a couple touch ups to the first chapter of this story as well, because looking back on it, it was absolutely abysmal. I've tried to edit it and spruce things up a bit, but the content is just about the same. That's about all I can think to say at the moment, other than I'm very glad I wrote a bunch of chapters in advance, I just hope I can keep up the pace.

Here's your clip of the day, a cool little scene from a movie that I absolutely adore, it's one of my favorite westerns, even if it is a bit slow at times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTltxRGVJR4

That's all from me for now, you folks have a good one!