Everyone traveled to the kitchen in utter silence. They could have any conversation that they wanted, but it was better to just remain quiet. Whooves tapped Marcus on the shoulder and when he looked back the stallion gestured to lag behind the group. The human looked at the others around him and slowly moved to where the brown stallion was. They walked side by side as the stallion started to question the human.

“You’re lucky that no pony caught your quick glance at the silhouettes,” Whooves stated in a calm manner.

“I don’t know what you’re talking back,” Marcus said with a slight growl to hopefully ward off the stallion.

“Don’t try to scare. I’ve lived multiple lives and have seen my share of horrors. Do you really think it’s best to keep that secret hidden from the others?” Whooves pressed as he kept his face forward.

“If it’s to keep everyone from freaking out then I’m fine with not telling them,” Marcus stated.

“Don’t you think your friend deserves to know?” Whooves said as he looked over at the human.

“It’s better if my friend doesn’t know anything about the second silhouette. They don’t need their memories tarnished because of that secret,” Marcus stated firmly.

“Your friend might find out eventually. Once your friend does, what will you do?” Whooves asked as he arched a brow.

“That will never happen, but if it does, then my friend can give any punishment they find deserving for hiding this,” Marcus stated in a calm tone.

“If you believe that then fine. What about the main leader?” Whooves asked as he watched the human grow slightly tense.

“The leader has already been dealt with and can’t hurt anyone,” Marcus said as he slowly picked up his pace.

“Do you fear those three that badly that you won’t tell your friends the truth?” Whooves asked as he placed a hand on the human’s shoulder.

“People say that the truth can set someone free. Do you honestly believe that if they knew about those three they could find closure? Those three have caused the most harm to us and I can’t find any reason to tell them,” Marcus said in a whispered tone.

“I know what you mean. I’ve seen what those three have done to all of you and even after one of them betrayed the council, I honestly don’t think they would find closure,” Whooves agreed as he looked at the ground.

“I’ve always given thought about telling them, but the pain they would endure would be too great. I hate lying to them about those three, but maybe someday we can finally talk about it,” Marcus said as he patted the stallion’s back.

“It’s hard being the one that knows so much, but can’t find the words to share it, isn’t it?” Whooves asked as he gave a small laugh.

“It usually is, but you always know it’s for the best,” Marcus replied as he gave the stallion a comforting smile.

“Can I ask you something off topic a little bit?” Whooves asked.

“Ask away,” Marcus replied.

“How do you truly feel about Nightmare and Chrysalis?” Whooves asked and he saw the human look at him curiously.

“Does this relate to you knowing something I don’t?” Marcus asked as he tried to process the stallion’s question.

“It does, but you’re free not to answer. I was just curious is all,” Whooves said.

“I’ll answer since it’s probably a good idea to talk to someone about this,” Marcus said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You haven’t spoken to anyone about what you thought about them?” Whooves asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, but that was because I was trying to sort through my own thoughts. My friends would probably be understanding, but if I told the mares, I’m pretty sure all Hell would break loose,” Marcus said as he gave a hearty laugh.

“To answer your question, they infuriate me to no end,” Marcus started.

“So you hate them?” Whooves asked.

“I did at first, but their infuriating behavior is what make them who they are. I can see they are unhappy about losing everything they once had, but have been trying to get something out of their stay with me. Even if that enjoyment is causing me headaches and parading around the house in sexy clothes to get me flustered. I wanted to believe I was overthinking my feelings, but I would be lying to myself at that point.”

“Next thing I realize is that I feel something for them. Whether it’s love or not has yet to be seen, but that’s a bridge to cross later. They are very attractive and only seem to torture me so they might even feel something as well. Another bridge to cross at a later point,” Marcus finished with a small shrug.

“You’re insane, you know that, right?” Whooves asked with a warm smile.

“We lost our sanity four years ago when zombies became real. Being in this world has helped to get some of it back, but it will never truly come back,” Marcus said as he smiled back at the stallion.

“Then I guess we’ll see what the future holds for all us,” Whooves said as he patted the human’s shoulder.

“Can I ask you an off topic question?” Marcus asked.

“Go for it,” Whooves said.

“Your question, does it relate to something that happens in the future?” Marcus asked in a serious tone.

“It does, but where it leads I have no idea. Many good things come from decisions that you will all make. When they happen, I have no idea,” Whooves said as he gave a small frown.

“Trust me when I say I don’t want to know what happens in the future. Like most people say, the future is ever changing and there’s no point in worrying about it. I would just like a favor from you,” Marcus said as he looked at the stallion with pleading eyes.

“What would you need me to do?” Whooves asked as he saw the human for the first time change his way of thinking.

“I want you to keep everyone safe. Make sure that in the end, they have a life to live towards, but don’t bother with myself, Blake, Andrew, or Luke. Everyone else needs to be saved, especially the mares no matter the cost,” Marcus said as he stared at everyone as they all beamed with smiles.

“What about you and the other three? What are you four going to do?” Whooves asked.

“The four of us agreed that if at any point being around us got too dangerous, we would leave behind everything so they wouldn’t get hurt,” Marcus said.

The brown stallion was stunned at what he heard. He could only look at the human, hoping that he wasn’t being serious, but after seeing a small tear run down his cheek, he knew that he was. The stallion gave a heavy sigh as the human extended a hand towards him. He was hesitant at first, but agreed to what the human asked. The two shook hands as they picked up their pace to catch up with the group.

The long walk finally ended when everyone arrived at the dining hall. Jaeden reached for the door, but was stopped by Vinyl as she pushed the doors open. The role reversal was still strange for everyone, but they were able to keep it balance so that neither was really trying their hardest. They all entered with warm smiles that quickly turned to scowls as they saw a certain stallion that bothered them.

Blueblood was sitting at the head of the table and was now staring angrily at the humans. He gave a loud snort of disgust at their arrival and for not dying like he wanted them to. He was glad that Wrath’s leader silenced him so it couldn’t be traced back to either one of them and the unicorn paid extra to make sure it gets done properly. He knew he would have to wait for a while since they would need to gather information, but that didn’t help his slowly growing impatience.

Not wanting to spend another second in the dining room, he got up and walked towards the doors. His walk led him near Drak and he couldn’t contain the anger he felt towards one of the humans that made him look like a fool. Unable to hold back his anger, he pulled his right arm back and shot it towards the human’s face. Drak saw the stallion’s fist coming his way and reflex took over.

He blocked the stallion’s attack as he pushed his hand away and went for a front kick. The unicorn saw the incoming kick and moved his other hand down to block. He was sure that he would be able to block the kick and counter, but he was wrong. The human saw his attempt at a block and used that chance to switch to a roundhouse with surprising speed and connected with the stallion’s jaw.

Blueblood was sent sprawling to the floor as blood started to drip from his nose. Fury filled his eyes as he stared at the human. He jumped to his feet and was ready to try again when he felt something cold and metallic touching his throat. He looked down to see one of the human’s friends holding a knife to his throat. His eyes dared him to try anything and he would be dead before he could even get the chance.

The stallion looked over at his two aunts and saw the look of anger and disappointment they held. He took a steadying breath as he loosened his tense muscles and walked away from the two humans. They easily parted for him, but kept a close eyes on him until he walked out the door. Once he was gone, everyone in the room stared at Marcus and Drak. Everyone held emotions of surprise at their actions.

“What did you do there, Drak?” Ditzy asked.

“I’m a black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate,” Drak answered calmly

“When were you going to tell us that?” Trixie asked.

“Whenever anyone asked or if it needed to be said,” Drak answered with a slight shrug.

“Is there anything else that we should know?” Ditzy asked as she stared in confusion at her boyfriend.

“Nothing that really comes to mind. Does this change what you think about me?” Drak asked, worried that his mares might be scared of him now.

“Not really. After everything that happened with Wrath, I wouldn’t say that our thoughts about you have changed. It actually makes us happy to know there is still things we can learn about you,” Trixie said as she gave the human a kiss on the cheek.

“So you’re not worried about what I can do?” Drak asked.

“It’s a little surprising to know how well you can fight in a hand to hand combat situation, but we can see that you only use it when you need to,” Ditzy offered as she gave a kiss to his other cheek.

“What about what Marcus did?” Echo asked.

“Where did he even get that knife from?” Twilight asked.

“You remember the fight with Chrysalis and Nightmare back at the wedding?” Marcus asked and received nods from everyone while the alicorn and changeling looked at the ground.

“I had Molly open the portal where Celestia threw our weapons and grabbed my knives. I didn’t use these in the battle, but I kind of kept them on me just in case,” Marcus answered.

“And when were you going to tell us that?” Rainbow asked as she got in his face.

“Was never really planning on it and besides, I didn’t carry them with me everywhere I went. I only take them when we end up going somewhere I don’t trust people,” Marcus answered as he looked at everyone.

“Are you ever going to be truthful to us?” Spitfire asked as she stood next to Rainbow.

“When do you want me to start?” Marcus asked as he looked over at his friend Blake who was nodding his head in approval.

“How about now?” Blood asked.

“Very well, but there are a few things I won’t be truthful about and that’s because I really don’t want to bring up bad memories,” Marcus answered as Lyra gave him a quick kiss before leading him to the table.

“So what are we going to do with this?” Lyra asked as she levitated the knife away.

“If Celestia wants, she can put back with the others. I’m not going to bother arguing with her while I have an empty stomach,” Marcus said.

“I’ll actually allow you to keep it,” Celestia said and everyone turned their attention towards her.

“Really?” Ryan asked.

“Yes. Given the past problems that have occurred, I believe it’s best that you all should be able to defend yourselves. I’ll open the portal so all of you can grab your weapons, but not your guns,” Celestia state firmly.

“Good enough for me. I don’t think we have a need to be using those anyway,” Jaeden said.

Celestia’s golden aura appeared around her hand and horn as she opened the portal. Everyone but Marcus walked in to grab some of their gear. Brandon walked out with his kukri. Drak walked out with his Bo Staff and Sais. Luke walked out with his reverse knives. Jaeden walked out with his sickle. Alex walked out with his butterfly knives. Andrew walked out with his trench knife. Blake walked out with his double knife blade. Callie walked out with her ring blades. Ryan walked out with his bowie knife.

The mares stared wide eyed at the humans as they strapped their weapons to their sides and back. They didn’t like the idea of their boyfriends carrying their weapons, especially since they were staying in a peaceful town, but they understood where the princess was coming from. The humans have been constantly attacked and they need some form of protection. Even with their knowledge in magic, they’re still too basic to know how to apply it properly and this was the only solution.

The alicorn closed the portal after everyone had left the dimension and sat at the table. All the mares in the room could hear the humans’ stomachs as it begged for food. They all gave deep blushes while the mares giggled at them. They sat around in silence as they waited for their food to appear. It didn’t take long as the maids walked through the door with silver platters filling the trays. The humans felt kind of guilty about having work so hard for them, but the maids didn’t seem to mind too much.

The maids placed everyone’s dish in front of them and excused themselves. The humans didn’t wait as they pulled off the lid and smiled at the food they were given. Their food still consisted of a bunch of fruits and vegetables, but they didn’t mind much. They missed the taste of meat, but their current hunger pushed that thought to the side. Everyone was about to take a bite of their food when it suddenly disappeared. They looked at their once full plates to see they were replaced with bowls of lava.

They all stared at the phenomenon curiously as they tried to figure out what they were looking at. Ryan grabbed a toothpick and poked the red liquid in his bowl, only for it to go into flames before even touching it. Everyone quickly backed away from their dangerous meals and looked around to see who did it. Their search ended quickly as they heard someone give a hearty laugh. They heard Celestia mumble something and everyone turned their attention towards her.

“What was that, Celestia?” Blake asked.

“I said there shouldn’t be any reason for him to be free,” Celestia said as her eyes widen in horror.

“Who shouldn’t be free?” Callie asked.

“My dear, Tia. Did you honestly believe that I wouldn’t break free from my prison eventually?” A strange voice sounded.

“Discord. How did you break free from you prison that the Elements of Harmony placed you in?” Celestia asked with a small growl.

“Chaos is a mystery, is it not? There is much you still don’t understand about what I bring and you may never fully comprehend. It was only a matter of time till enough chaos was absorbed to allow my freedom and I have those silly foals to thank,” the voice said as smoke appeared in the center.

Celestia and Luna pulled everyone present behind them as they waited for the smoke to clear. The humans gripped the hilts of their weapons as they waited for something to happen. The smoke gave way to a creature that was made with mismatched parts. His arms were that of an eagle’s talon and a lion’s paw. He had a snake tail that ran between his goat and dragon legs. He had a goatee on his chin as one sharp tooth pointed out. He wore a brown business suit as he started down at everyone with his yellow eyes.

“Who the hell is that and what is he?” Blake asked.

“I’m offended, Tia. These humans have been staying here for a couple of months now and you haven’t told them anything about me or what a draconequus is,” the creature said as it pretended to be heartbroken.

“That’s because they didn’t need to know about such a dangerous creature, Discord,” Celestia growled as her horn and hands flared with magic.

“You mentioned something about foals helping you in your freedom. What exactly do you mean by that?” Drak asked as his hands gripped tighter on his Sais.

“Three little fillies known as Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle,” Discord with a sadistic grin.

“What did you do to them?” Ryan growled as he took a step forward.

“I have done nothing to them. They helped aid in my escape as they argued amongst themselves about who I am and what I did,” Discord said as he lowered himself to the ground.

“You better be telling the truth or I will slit your fucking throat,” Marcus threatened as he walked forward.

“I can assure you that they are safe and sound. I have no need to hurt such innocent creatures,” Discord said with a small scoff.

“Then what was it that you did before we came along and sealed you?” Luna asked as her horn and hands flared with magic.

“I was merely doing what I was meant to do. You understand that there must be order in a world. Chaos and Harmony must coexist in order for a world to thrive. If either one were to become stronger than the other, then the natural magic of this world will try to balance it out,” Discord explained as he summoned a random couch to sit on.

“This world has thrived very well without your existence so I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Celestia said.

“If that were true, then why am I free? If the world was truly prospering without my existence then chaos would never have existed after my imprisonment and helped to free me,” Discord said as he gave a smug grin to the two alicorns.

“What is it that you want?” Luna barked.

“I wish to speak to you all without the humans present,” Discord stated as he walked towards the group.

“Like hell we’re going to leave. We’re not letting you anywhere near-” Andrew started, but was soon engulfed in a black vortex.

“You fucking monster!” Luke shouted as the humans charged the creature.

Discord gave an unamused look as he snapped his fingers. Nine black vortexes appeared and swallowed the humans whole. The ponies watched in horror and shock as the humans disappeared from existence. They heard the draconequus clear his throat and their attention was on him. He smoothed out his business suit as he took a seat at the table and addressed all the mares present in the room.

“I assure you that they are safe for the time being. I only wish to talk with all of you and if you don’t try anything they will be returned safely. Try anything funny and I can promise that you will never see them again,” Discord stated firmly.

Celestia knew that none of the poines had the power to defeat the Lord of Chaos. She wished that she had the Elements of Harmony with her so she could give them to Twilight and her friends, but that wasn’t going to happen. Left with no actual choice and the humans’ well-being at stake she gave in to his demand.

“Very well, Discord. What do you want to talk about?” Celestia asked as everyone took their seats.

Caves

“What the fuck happened?” Blake asked as he groaned in pain.

“I have no idea. I remember Discord making Andrew disappear and then we charged him and then the same thing happened to us,” Luke answered.

The humans looked around to see that they were in some sort of cave system. The cave seemed familiar to Marcus, but it wasn’t entirely. There were only a couple of paths to take and they tried to figure out which one to take. Seeing that they weren’t able to decide on which path to take, they decided to flip a coin. Callie pulled out a bit and gave it a flip.

“Call it,” Callie said as the coin flew through the air.

“Heads,” Jaeden called.

Callie caught the coin and slapped it on the back of her hand. She removed her hand to see that it was tails. She pocketed the bit and started walking towards the cave entrance on the right. Everyone stayed close together, hands on their weapons as they watched their backs. The cave was dark, but not enough that they couldn’t see. The cave stretched on for what felt like hours before they could see some light.

Their pace slowed as they neared the light. Their breathing slowed as they slowly pulled their weapons out and prepared for a possible fight. They walked into a large opening and froze at what they saw. They saw another creature like Discord flying around, placing food on the table. The draconequus was clearly female because of what she was wearing. She wore a pink tank top that showed off her belly button and a pair of shorts that showed off her beautiful legs. Her bust was just almost the same size as Fleur’s. She was distracted in her own world before she saw the humans.

“Hello there. I wasn’t expecting you so early,” the creature said.

“Who are you?” Marcus asked.

“My name’s Eris. You don’t need to introduce yourselves since I already know who you are,” Eris said as she finished making the table.

“Do you have any relation to Discord?” Drak asked.

“Yes. He’s my father and I guess he’s already speaking to the others since you’re here,” Eris answered

“What does he want with them?” Blake asked.

“I’m not really sure. The only thing I was told was to keep you down here for a little bit until he calls for me. Would you like to eat something?” Eris asked as she presented the food to them.

“Yeah, like we’re going to eat something that you’re offering us after your father sent us here,” Brandon joked.

Eris kept her eyes on the humans until she heard plate being filled with food. The humans also heard the sound of porcelain scraping against a silver fork. The friends all stared in shock as they watched Marcus filling up his plate while stuffing his mouth with food. He looked back at his friends as they stared at him in shock before swallowing what was in his mouth and acknowledging his friends’ stares.

“What?” Marcus asked as he continued to fill his plate.

“How the fuck can you be eating that. She could have poisoned that,” Alex said in astonishment.

“I’m hungry beyond all reason right now. You should also be aware that what hasn’t killed me only makes me stronger. I also feel that she isn’t lying about not knowing what’s going on with Discord and the mares. Now we’re just left with two options. We can either trust our mares to handle the situation and wait this out or we can run around caves that we’ve never been in and hope we can escape before something bad happens,” Marcus explained.

The friends wanted to continue arguing with their friend, but they couldn’t find a reason. They could try to find their way out, but it was only a waste of time if they tried it. Seeing that there was no safe option, they picked the only one that seemed safe for now. The meat also looked appetizing as well. Everyone put their weapons away as they joined their friend at the table and finally have something to eat.