“I think there might be a tool shed somewhere out here,” Spike said as he shoved past trees and bushes in the forest.

“'Kay," Connor huffed in response, short on breath. "I’m sure we can find some things in there.”

They were brushing past leaves, trees, and bushes in the forest. Panting and running as fast as their legs can carry, they knew they had to find something quick. They only had an hour until Dragonfire releases the hydra into Ponyville, as well as Hellfire killing Twilight and the others. Connor would never allow Hellfire to lay a hoof on Fluttershy, and Spike would never allow Hellfire to lay a hoof on Rarity or Twilight.

“There it is!” the young dragon exclaimed, pointing to a small shed in the distance.

"Ah!" the human huffed in relief. "Let's comb through it."

They ran up to the small shelter, catching their breath for a few seconds. The shed was narrow and short like an outhouse, only it was four times longer in length. Green patches of moss polluted its dull brown surface and its window was fogged with a mess of cobwebs from the inside, making it hardly visible to look in. Spike grabbed the handle and pulled.

“Dang it! It’s locked!” he said, kicking it in frustration.

He shoved his small body against the door, trying to break in until a forearm protruded in front of him.

“Allow me,” Connor said, gently pushing Spike out of the way.

The human clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He noticed the rusty hinges on the door. The screws were partially squeezed out of their sockets. Then with all of his might, he lifted his leg and mightily kicked the door down, making a small shower of flying screws. Dust kicked up, stinging his eyes. When it cleared, he stepped aside.

“After you,” he gestured into the shed.

“Thanks,” the dragon nodded, entering. “What are we looking for anyway?”

“Anything sharp. Pitchforks, scythes... Something that can put those rebels onto he ground."

Spike shivered a little at the thought of using anything sharp against another being. A bookworm of a unicorn sheltered him, and she never appreciated violence. Living with her made him a softy, despite being a rare and dangerous creature that was meant to be dangerous and ruthless. However, there was no time to act soft, especially when his caring big sister’s life was on the line, not to mention that his favorite pony's life was on the line as well.

“Right! Anything to skewer those Dragonfire ponies into shish kabob! I’ll marinate them in their own sweat, and thrash my teeth into their broiling, crispy flesh!” he growled, wiggling his fingers.

After a moment of silence, he noticed Connor looking at him.

“That was a little much, wasn’t it?” Spike twisted his tail in shame.

“Dude...” was all the human could say.

"Sorry... It's just the growing desire for action growing in me. I've read this in books, and it gets me pumped up, but when it's in real life, then it all just comes rushing in. In fact, how did I even come across that thought? It was probably from some of that Cannibal Corpse we were listening to a couple of days ago.”

“Eh, don't worry about it," Connor shook his head. "I've heard worse from them."

"Really? It gets even worse??"

"Never mind. Now, let's move! We have to find something quick before he does them over!”

They pushed past tools and broken parts, digging things out of buckets and barrels. So far, there was no luck. They pushed other items aside, threw some off of shelves, tossed them, broke them, but still, there was nothing.

Connor threw his arms up in the air. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! Nothing sharp at all?? Damn! Okay, Spike, new plan. We find blunt objects. We're going to have to beat the snot out of them.”

“Got it!”

Spike pulled out a steel rod and a baseball bat.

“I’ll take the bat!” the human snatched it.

“Hey! I should have the bat! I found it first!"

"Too late. Called dibs."

Spike winced in disgust as he eyed his object. It did not look like much of a steel pipe. A strong one, that was. The walls were thin, and its glossy surface looked like it was slick enough to slip right out of his claws. Even if he could keep it in his grip, it looked like it would break within one strike.

Then, something else caught his eye. Gasping in glee, he grabbed it and held it up high in the air like a trophy.

“I’ll take this cricket bat,” Spike grinned.

“Great!" Connor said. "Okay then. So, it looks like we've gotten what we need, but I don’t think it'll be enough for this predicament.”

“Hey,” the dragon said, squinting through the cobwebs clouding the window. “Isn’t that the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ tree house?”

They stepped outside to get a better look, because the window in the shed was too foggy with dust and dirt. It, indeed, was the Cutie Mark Crusaders' tree house.

“Hey, yeah," Connor spoke. "But what are going to find in there? It’s full of crayon drawings and other girly stuff.”

“Trust me. Apple Bloom can get really creative with wood. I’m sure there’s something in there we could use,” Spike replied, climbing up the little slope-ladder.

He opened the door, and was greeted by a table at the other side of the room. On top of the table was a small heaping pile of wooden creations.

“See? What'd I tell you?” the dragon smiled.

“Okay, so I was wrong. Let’s search it.”

He combed through it until he came across a certain familiar object. His eyebrows peaked in interest as he took it, raising it up to his eye level.

“Hey," he pondered. "This looks like a gun.”

What he was holding was an L-shaped block of wood with a thick, broad handle. Resting on top of the wooden block was presumed to be a small slingshot. The pad in the middle of the rubber band had a small loop sewed onto it, which seemed to fit the hook that was infused onto the small lever placed on the back.

Connor chuckled in his breath. “Thank you, Apple Bloom."

He slipped the small loop over the hook, and grabbing a nearby marble, he placed it in the pocket. He took aim at a window and pulled the hook back with his other hand...

PIFFT! Doink!

The marble bounded off the window, which made the human scoff in disappointment.

“So much for that,” Spike sighed, crossing his arms.

"Guess not, but there's nothing big to do to change that. I just need to cut the band down to a smaller size."

He placed the slingshot gun on top of the table. His fingertips fumbled over the tight, stubborn knot, cussing in his breath.

"How the hell did she make a knot like this with her freaking teeth?!" he shouted in his breath. "Dammit..."

Without another word, he grabbed Spike's wrist and lifted it up.

"Whoa, hey!" the scaled tike sputtered. "What--?"

"Shush!" he replied quickly. "Just need to use your claw for a second."

The human guided the young dragon's small claw into an small opening. After he inserted it, he shook his wrist, trying to wedge it deeper inside. A section of the knot rose like bread dough and the human grabbed at it with his other hand. Tugging at it, the rubber band unwound itself in a snap. Spike, put off by the unexpected grab, yanked his claw back and rubbed it. Connor stretched one side of it and held it up in front of Spike.

“Uhhh... If you may?” he asked.

Nodding, Spike lifted a single claw and briskly swiped at it. The human stretched out the other side and held it in front of his helper, cutting it once again. Then, he fastened the band onto the gun again, yanking at it until he was sure that it was tight enough. He gave it another test shot.

PAFF! Clack!

A little better, but it could use a little more power. However, he had no time to cut it inch by inch until it was to his liking. Time was slipping through his fingers like sand. It was time to take it to extremes. He told Spike to cut off a big portion of it, which Spike did, and fastened it to the gun again. It was pretty difficult to slip the small loop onto the hook because the band was very tight. He placed a marble into the pocket of the band.

“Hey, Connor, check out what I found!” Spike interrupted, holding up a classic model slingshot. “I found it in the garbage can.”

“The garbage can? How?”

“I guess the Crusaders couldn’t grip it. Not with those klutzy hooves,” the scaly tike laughed. “If they can’t use it, I know I can!"

“Good enough!" He lifted up his sling gun, and placed his finger over the trigger. “I’m pretty sure I stretched this thing far enough. It should be rea—.”

TWANG!

He gave the trigger only a touch, and the marble launched like a mad missile. He flinched, scared out his skin. The marble ricocheted left and right, bouncing and deflecting like a small rubber ball. Connor and Spike danced frantically to dodge the little missile until it shot out through the window, shattering the glass.

They gawked at the damage.

“I think it’s ready to go,” Spike said.

“Ugh... Apple Bloom’s gonna kill me,” Connor sighed.

Spike noticed a purple liquid leaking out of a broken jar on the table. It dripped on the table, creating a small puddle.

“They swiped samples of potions from Zecora’s hut again,” the dragon sighed, rolling his eyes. "When are they going to learn that they're not going to be potion-brewers?"

A bird flew in through the broken window. It picked at its feathers, chirping carelessly. Its head zipped left and right, until it saw the puddle of liquid.

It hopped eagerly up to the puddle, chirping curiously. Its quick head inspected the strange substance, until it hopped directly into it. Its wings flapped furiously, sifting the liquid through its feathers. Then, it started to tweet a song before it was rudely interrupted by its own dry lungs, making it cough loudly. It scooped the liquid up with its beak and gulped it down.

It flapped its wing against its chest, clearing its tiny throat. It continued to sing lively, until it suddenly flinched and fall over.

“Wh--?! D'ptfh! Poison?!" Connor sputtered in shock. "Why do they have poison?! Why are three small fillies in possession of freaking poi--!?"

A small, long, dreary whistle escaped the small birds throat.

It was not dead; it was asleep.

Which meant…

“Sleeping potion?” Spike scratched his scaly head.

They slowly turned to each other...

Then, they turned to a container of pins sitting near one of the posters on the wall....

They both grinned in unison.

Fluttershy whimpered, staining her ropes with her tears. Not only did she know that she was in danger, but also that there was no chance she would never see Connor again.

She didn't get it. She never did anything to him, yet she still had to suffer the venom of his words. She squeaked and moaned sadly, soaking her cheeks with tears. Rarity, who was tied up next to her, tried to calm her, but the crying pegasus kept refusing her offer, disappointed in her for hurting the human's feelings.

“Oh, for the love of Star-Swirl the Bearded! Shut up!” a rebel mare groaned. “Or else, I'll come over there and shut it for you!”

She only cried louder, feeling the pain double because of the cloaked mare's sharp tone.

The rebel mare trotted angrily up to her and roughly fastened a cloth over her mouth. Now, Fluttershy’s cries were nothing but pitiful sniffles.

"There," she huffed. "Spared me from listening to anymore obnoxious noise."

Hellfire stepped into the room, looking grim as usual. He trudged over to the window, gazing at the glamourous civilization perched on the side of the mountain. A low, long sigh blew out of his nostrils as he groped at a small, eye-shaped, golden medallion, pinned at the neck of his cloak. He hid it within the hollow of his black hoof.

“Why are you doing this to us?" the purple unicorn asked from the middle of the room, still tied down onto her seat. "We’re brothers! We’re sisters! We’re family! Why are you treating us like this?”

“For our future, Twilight Sparkle." he softly replied. "It's for our own good.”

“Good?? What good can come out from this? This is barbaric!”

"Indeed," he looked back up, gazing at the mountain. "It may seem barbaric now, but it'll serve a big purpose later on."

“More pain and suffering?”

He lowered his head in response. "Just the opposite. Prosperity and cleansing. Renewal. I was like you once, Twilight Sparkle. Happy, carefree, talented... I had everything. But, now..."

He clenched his grip on the medallion.

"I've seen the true light... Behind everything... Behind your so-called 'Loving Leader'..."

“What are talking about?" she glared at him, angry at him for insulting her teacher. "What about the Princess? She is a kind and loving lead--!"

Twilight flinched mightily, seeing him suddenly appear directly in front of her. His glaring eyes were screaming with bloodthirsty rage. Such a gaze made Twilight's blood curdle and it crippled her to silence.

"You have been greatly deceived, Twilight Sparkle..." he growled. "Even such an intelligent pony as you has not seen her true self. How verrrrry crafty of her to reach into you with affection, so you would not suspect her of anything. I was lucky I was before it was too late. She has been playing you all for saps, ALL OF YOU, making you believe she is a kind and loving leader, oozing with courtliness and respect."

He leaned back, lengthening his distance between himself and the purple unicorn, and he snorted spitefully.

"She wouldn't know respect if it gored her in the eye."

The room was quiet.

"Now do you see?" Hellfire squinted. "Do you feel even a flicker of respect for your loving princess now? Did you feel most of it wither away into dust, leaving you as an empty, pitiful shell out in the bitter cold?"

"I don't believe you!" she responded defiantly. "Not once has she ever let me down! She is nothing like you say!"

"I was with her before you even became her student, little pony. Do you really believe that when you've only lived less than one-tenth of her life? You and I both know that a pony can't stay one way all through his or her life. Ponies change, just as I do. Even you. You were once skeptical about friendship, but now you embrace it after you took down the feared Nightmare Moon. Luna changed the moment she was defeated, just as she did when she became Nightmare Moon. A powerful alicorn like Celestia can't combat change. Change is inevitable. Do you think that one pony would have the patience to be kind and loving all through his or her life?"

Twilight's expression weakened, hearing those words. Indeed, change was inevitable. She also had her guilty moments when she tired of being good.

"I know your pain, little one," Hellfire said softly, assuming she had realized the truth. "I had felt the exact same way before. I felt as if my life had been for nothing, serving for a cause that seemed good back then. You are not the only victim. Everypony is. All of Equestria. But, no more..."

He turned, staring up into the emptiness of the ceiling.

"No longer will Equestria be tortured with deception. No longer will everypony suffer from his or her leader's lack of respect for her subjects. Now, it is her turn to suffer from humiliation, followed by extermination. She will pay for the damage she had done. Not just to me, but everypony! Then, following that, they will have a leader who will no longer deceive them. That leader will always be honest, pure, and nothing like the previous one."

"Stripped from the deception that drools out from Celestia's husk... THAT is true freedom and prosperity for all ponykind!"

"Even if you did kill Princess Celestia, who will move the sun?" Twilight tested him spitefully. "Care to tell me that? Only she is capable of doing that!

Hellfire rubbed his forehead with his hoof. "Again, another deception caused by that damned Celestia. She is not the only one who could move the sun. Anypony with an abnormal aptitude for magic could do it. All it takes is a spell."

The bookish pony's eye grew wide.

“The Star-Swirl the Bearded Wing, a tightly secured chamber containing numerous scrolls containing spells etched down by Star-Swirl the Bearded himself, with the help of his assistant, Clover the Clever. Out of the many scrolls that lie in the chamber, one was the most safeguarded of all: The Orbital Spell. It was a Forbidden Spell, the most forbidden of them all. Not even the guards were allowed to set eyes upon it. They were supposed to be the most elite and vigilant of all. Yet, I managed to slip by them and study it.”

He noticed Twilight, whose eyes seemed to scream that she couldn't believe what she was hearing, along with the obvious statement that he was insane.

“That’s right, little one... I can move the Sun and the Moon. Better yet, I will move the sun and the moon until it forms an eternal solar eclipse, creating the Eternal Eye. No night. No day. Just an eternal eye keeping watch over everypony. As long as the Eternal Eye burns in the sky, nopony will dare step out of line. They will be under my watch for millennia. Only by then will the world be in perfect balance.”

He paused.

“However,” Hellfire continued. “As I studied it, I saw that there was something I had to sacrifice when using it: my life energy. That was another reason why it was the most forbidden spell of them all. To common ponyfolk, that is. Only alicorns would take the side effects as if it were a just a cold. Once used, it will drain most of your life away, leaving you to die a minute after you use it. I do not feel like dying before the birth of my new reign, which was why I passed by another Forbidden Spell: The Leech Spell. That one, I will save for Celestia’s sister, Princess Luna, that is, if she is adamant to her sister's wishes. Once I kill Princess Celestia, I will be free to create the Eternal Eye, and before I die, I will use the Leech Spell to drain all of Luna’s life and use it as my own. She will be the first of many ponies I will use to preserve my life for eternity. Ponies will volunteer willingly to lend their lives for me in gratitude for my reign. My reign and I will live on forever.”

Twilight gritted her teeth. "Over my dead body..."

A glint of grim disapproval shone out of his blue eyes. Then, he grinned darkly, lust for blood brewing in his chest once again.

"So be it, Twilight Sparkle..."

“You ready?” Connor said, placing a corked pin bullet into the pocket of his sling gun.

"Yeah," he replied, pounding his scaly fist into his palm. "We'll show them to mess with Ponyville!"

They walked down the dirt road toward Ponyville. The moment the human saw the wooden fence, memories of when he first came to Ponyville flooded right back into him. Everypony was so kind to him then. It was time to turn those memories into realities. Still, what if Ponyville still did not accept him even if he saved them? He shook his head, chiding to himself that it would be impossible for them to not accept him after saving their lives. However, they did not show any appreciation to him when he saved Princess Celestia from a gory death. His eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“Spike," he said.

“Yeah?” the young dragon turned to him, curious what he had to say.

“I’m giving Ponyville one last chance. If that fails, then I'll be leaving. No exceptions. It wouldn't be worth the trouble if we succeed.”

“Believe me, Connor. They will accept you for doing this,” he responded in a serious, yet consoling tone.

“They sure didn’t when I saved the princess," the human scowled. "How will this be any different?”

“Trust me. They will."

Connor sighed. The purple dragon sure was persistent. He did not feel like arguing, especially at a time like this.

“Let’s go find out, then,” he spoke. “You'd better be right. If it doesn't work, I just want to let you know that it has been an honor to be your friend.”

“Right back at you,” Spike smiled in response.

Two red-cloaked figures were standing in the road. Connor stuck his leg out to the side to stop Spike.

"Move off the road!" he whispered.

They ran off to the side of the road, jumped over the fence, and hid behind the apple trees. They saw the two Dragonfire ponies, a stallion and a mare, facing toward the town. Their cloaks whipped smoothly in the humid wind.

“Looks like they don’t want anypony to leave,” Spike whispered. “So, are we going to stick them with sleeping darts? Have a little test shot?”

Connor looked around. He could not sneak around them. It would take them too long, especially with so little time.

"Spike, could you move your tail? It's pressing on my ankle."

"That's not me."

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he looked at his foot. Pressing against his ankle was a blue plank, angled at the tip, and had a pair of handlebars sticking out of it.

"Scootaloo's scooter!" Spike exclaimed. "What's it doing up here?"

"Maybe those Dragonfire ponies found her scooting up here and abducted her into Ponyville for that thing's dinner," Connor replied.

"That's horrible!" the young dragon gritted his teeth in disgust.

The human stroked his chin in thought. An idea crossed his mind.

“Spike, do you still have that cricket bat?”

The Dragonfire ponies stood on the damp, dirt road, keeping a vigilant eye on Ponyville. Nopony was going to leave. The hydra would not have much of a meal if ponies were to escape. They were still as statues, until the mare looked up into the sky.

The rain had stopped, but the sky was still gray with storm clouds. No rays of sunlight were present. It was only a huge blanket of clouds. It beamed a dull, gray haze over all of the land.

The stallion sighed loudly, stomping his hooves frustratedly into the damp earth. Then, he noticed the mare standing next to him. He smirked.

“Man, this is sooooo boring! I hate watch-guarding,” he moaned, trying not to sound like a whiny little colt.

“I don’t mind it. It’s relaxing actually,” replied the mare, uninterested.

“Really? I like watch guarding, too!” he beamed. “We have so much in common!”

The mare did not even look at him. “Mm-hmm."

“Y’know, after all of this is done, you wanna go out?” the stallion asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No thanks," she scoffed. "I’m not interested in creepy, pervy nose-pickers.”

“Hey! I don’t pick my nose!" he drew back in offense. "A fly just happened to fly up in there. I had to get it out!”

“Right. I’m still not going out with you.”

“Are you sure? Because I know some moves that will blow your mind away,” he persisted, smiling flirtatiously.

“Why don't you go choke on an apple?”

He chortled saucily. “Well, maybeeee, I would like to choke on your--."

"HEY, TURDS!" a voice shouted behind them.

Startled, they both whipped around and something zoomed directly between them. As it went by, their faces were viciously struck by something hard and heavy. They flipped and twisted in the air, and then slammed onto the ground. Their faces grew quiet.

Connor was riding Scootaloo's scooter like a skateboard with Spike perched on his back. Both of their weapons had small traces of blood dribbled on them.

"You're in our way!!"

After a minute, they were rolling up to the entrance of Ponyville. The human realized that they were coming in too fast. Pushing his foot down on the ground, he slowed the scooter to a stop. They rolled it behind the bushes and tiptoed deeper past the entrance.

Connor heard faint sounds of crying around a corner of a building. Walking slowly and silently up to it, he pressed his back against the wall and craned his neck around the corner. Ponies of all ages were out in the streets, holding each other and crouching low over the muddy ground, looking miserable like starving puppies.

“That scum... Forcing everypony out of his or her house just so the hydra could have an easy meal. Despicable,” he whispered in contempt.

He saw Dragonfire ponies at every house, blocking the doorways and windows. He swore in his breath. There were so many of them. He and Spike would get easily caught. They would be ridiculously lucky to sneak past them in time. One false move, and Ponyville would turn into a gruesome buffet.

RAAAAAAAAWWWWWWRGH!

Connor’s blood curdled at the sound of its guttural and loud roar. He looked toward the direction where it came from.

“C’mon, Spike. I need to be sure of something,” he whispered.

They both crouched and crept, following the sound of the hydra’s roar.

They crept around the outermost part of the town, around the buildings, making sure that they did not run into any obstacles in their path. They swerved yards away from the sight of anything red and hooded.

A shadow crept over him, sending a startling chill down his nerves. Hesitant with looking up, he saw a head attached to a long, slender, scaly neck past a roof of a building. He judged that the hydra was at least seventy to one hundred feet tall, including neckspan.

He tiptoed quietly up to a corner and peeked past it, judging that this was the closet they could go. His eyebrows furrowed in suspicion as he saw the head yank itself forward, tugging at something. Looking further around, he saw huge, thick metal leashes around each neck. Its heads tried to force themselves out of it braces. Large, tree-trunk-thick chains were pinned deep into the ground by a wide and thick mechanical dock. Standing behind the dock was a Dragonfire stallion, standing by a lever.

"Looks like he's the one in control of unchaining the hydra," Connor whispered to Spike. "We've gotta take him out first. We just need to get a little closer."

"Got it," the little drake nodded.

They crept behind buildings until they were in a good distance, about thirty yards away. Spike grabbed a scrapped newspaper and draped it over himself. He slithered on top of the ground, peeking through a small tear to make sure he moved at the right time. Behind him near the building, Connor held his breath, nervous that the stallion might see him. He calmed down when he reached the stallion.

A small, scaly fist slithered out from underneath the newspaper and its thumb rose up into the air.

The human gulped and raised his weapon, pointing it at the stallion. His hands were quivering. It was getting extreme for him. He could not stop shaking. Spike quietly shook his fist, telling him to hurry up.

“Hey!” the stallion barked.

They both froze in fear.

“Stop squabbling over there, you two! If you don’t shut up, I’m making sure the hydra devours you first!" he sighed in aggravation. "Idiots."

Sweet Lord, that was close. Having his fill of surprises, Connor's hand stopped shaking, embracing the sheer luck they had just received.

A little to the left…

To the right…

Too far…

A little more to the left…

"Ah-choo!" Spike sneezed from a butterfly landing on his nose.

“Shit!” Connor hissed.

“Hey!” the stallion yelled, spotting the young rascal.

His hoof rose to pull the trigger, until he felt something sting his rear end.

"Agh! What--?"

Shifting his eyes, he saw the cork and needle sticking into his flank. His eyes traced up to the human…

Then, they rolled back into his head. His knees buckled together, tipping his body to the side. Spike acted fast as he threw the newspaper off of him and braced himself underneath the stallion's side. His knees trembled furiously as he struggled to keep him up. Connor snuck up to his aid, lowering the body down gently onto the ground. They whipped around, hiding behind the mechanical dock to catch their breath.

“That was too close!” Spike panted.

“Way too close," the human shook his head. "It can't get any closer than that anymore. We really need clean up our act if we're going to slip by them smoothly.”

“But there are tons of them! It’s going to be impossible! We were only lucky with this one. If we keep going at this rate, we'll never reach them in time!"

A deep, guttural rumble sifted through the clouds overhead. A raindrop landed on top of Spike's plump nose. Others followed, beating the ground hard and making loud slapping noises. Then, in a matter of ten seconds, a thick barrage of rain showered down on top of them, soaking them instantly to the bone. Connor's neck craned around the dock to see nothing but a gray fog hover in the air.

“Aaaaaghh! Dang it!” Connor shouted through the rain. (He did not worry about yelling because he was drowned out by the loud sound of the rain.) “How are we supposed to drop them now? I can’t see a thing!”

“It's not that bad!" Spike shook his head.

“Are you kidding? I can hardly see anything ten feet away from me!”

“What about that Dragonfire pony over there?” Spike pointed.

The human squinted, seeing nothing but a hazy patch of shadow and rain. “I can hardly see him at all!”

“That’s a mare! Can’t you tell?”

“No! I can’t even--!" he paused. “Wait a second. Spike, you can see through the rain?”

“Sure I can!" he replied as if the human had asked him a stupid question. "Are you saying that you can’t?”

“Just barely."

The dragon snickered. “Wow, you humans have weak eyes.”

"Yeah, yeah…" the human mumbled impatiently. "Whatever…"

Then, a devious grin cracked across Spike's lips.

"Hey," he said, nudging his ribs. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Connor looked at the dragon.

He looked at the curtain of fog.

He looked at his gun.

Finally, he looked at his small, scaly comrade.

"Yeah…"

Dragonfire ponies were falling left and right, getting pricked with potion-tainted needles. Only a small amount of them had dents and swollen tissue on his or her skull. The hostages were in panic as to who or what did that to them, until they saw two silhouettes skulking through the rainy fog. One was short, and the other was tall. Some ponies even saw them up close. They were in shock.

“It’s that creature! It-it took down that Dragonfire pony! Spike, too!”

“Celestia’s mane! That creature took down that Dragonfire pony like it was nothing!

“It… It saved my daughter. That thing saved my daughter!”

"What the hay?! Where did that come from?"

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

“Ho ho! Right in the neck! That oughta put 'im down!”

"Ha! Sweet."

“My son was about to be pummeled by those unruly ponies, until that creature and Spike showed up and put them to sleep… LITERALLY!”

“That creature's called a human, right? Something like that?”

“You know what? I’m actually starting to like that thing…”

“They’re helping us! I sure hope things go smoothly for them. Ponyville rests on their hooves-- I mean, claws, or--… Ugh, never mind. We're counting on them!”

The rain ceased, giving the air clarity again. Two soaking saints stood back-to-back in the middle of the road right in front of the town hall. Their projectile and blunt weapons were gripped firmly in their palms as they gazed upon their work. The sight of the large number of cloaked ponies lying motionless on the ground forced an elated chuckle out of the taller one.

"Hoo! Wouldn't you look at this, Spike?"

"Oh, I'm looking," he nodded, chuckling boyishly himself. "Well, chop off my tail and tape it together! We're good!"

"Yes we are! Just look at them! Dropped like china plates." He shook his head. "No, wait. We can't celebrate just yet, Spike. We've still got to get to--."

Connor paused as soon as he laid his eyes on his armed comrade.

"What?" he shrugged.

"Where'd you get the shades?"

Spike's eyes crossed to look at his own nose.

“Oh, yeah," he chortled. "I managed to swipe these from a vendor while we were taking out the Dragonfire ponies who were poking fun at Bon-Bon and Lyra. How do they look? Pretty cool, huh?”

“The sun’s not even out," the human added cynically.

The young dragon turned to his friend. He pushed his shades down to reveal a pair of half-open eyes, ornate with a single raised eyebrow.

"Please," he simply said. "Don't ruin this for me."

“They look good,” Connor sighed with a smile.

They felt eyes staring at them. They turned to see everypony staring at them, mouths agape. The human placed a finger over his lips, implying to them to be silent. They politely stepped back in response.

They placed fresh, wet needles into the pouches of their slings, gripped their blunt weapons in the other hand, and crept up to a nearby window looking inside the town hall.

Fluttershy cried her poor eyes out. She didn't want to die. She had so many animals to take care of. How would they survive without her? How would she survive without them? She desperately wanted to cry as loud as her lungs could summon, but with the cloth over her mouth, she could not even make a noise louder than a squeak.

Her eyelids trembled. She missed him so. Even though he left less than an hour ago, she already missed him.

She liked him…

No, she like-liked him…

Hell, she loved him. It was not even love at first sight. It was much more than that. She had her reasons to love him. He was kind to her. No colt or stallion could match his kindness. There was something about him that was so relatable to her. Best of all, she found out that he was in love with her as well.

Or, at least before he left…

She moaned in sorrow. He was gone and not coming back. How she wished she could see his face again. At that moment, she even swore that she was hallucinating images of him. She could see his face in the window, peeking in.

Wait a second…

Fluttershy squealed happily through her gag as if she was saying, “He’s here! He’s here! He's come back!”

Behind the window, Connor noticed her ecstatic behavior, and he shook his head furiously and silently. He sliced his hand across his throat, mouthing, “Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! You’ll blow my cover! Stop it!”

It didn't help. She lurched forward, starting to break down into tears. Her red, streaming eyes begging loudly for assistance.

“I know! I know!" he continued to mouth. "You’re in trouble! Now, just shut up, so I can save you!”

Rarity noticed her unexpected behavior.

“Fluttershy, darling, what is it now? One second you were happy, and the next, you were—Oh my goodness!” she gasped in surprise when she saw him through the window.

One of the rebels noticed her outburst. He squinted suspiciously at her. Rarity’s eyes quickly shifted left and right. She made it too conspicuous. What could she do?

“Er… It’s okay, my dear Fluttersy. It’s okay,” the unicorn gently shushed her. “The big, scary spider is gone now. It’s gone now. It’s okay.”

"Pff..." one of the cloaked ponies scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Arachnophobes..."

Connor clapped his hands together and nodded, mouthing, “Thank you!”

Oh, God… Now, Pinkie Pie saw him.

Her hair suddenly inflated back to its curly state, and her mouth opened wide, ready to cheer. Right before one sound escaped her throat, Rarity used her magic to seal her mouth shut.

Thank… God…

“That unicorn is using her magic. Inject another shot of the serum!” commanded a Dragonfire pony.

Rarity’s magic, however, was in the stage of recovery. It was weak from the aftermath of the serum. She could have vended them off, but her magic was fatigued, so she was helpless. She was injected with a syringe and her magic died, thus…

...Releasing Pinkie Pie’s goddamn mouth…

“OMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSH! He’s here! He’s here! Connor’s here! Connor’s here! Yippie!”

The cloaked ponies stared at each other in confusion.

Connor slapped his forehead, swearing in his breath. “Dammit! We’ve been caught!”

Spike pulled out a hallow orb. “Yeah, but not seen in a second!”

With his stubby arm, he hurled the orb through the window with all of his might. It rolled about a foot or two into the room before it popped explosively open, upchucking a massive cloud of smoke.

The human was flabbergasted. “Wh--?! Where'd you get the smokescreen??”

“I swiped it off a Dragonfire pony, okay?" he replied impatiently. "Now, come on! Let’s GO!”

The human plowed his foot through the door, slamming it open. Spike, with the aid of his acute eyesight, shot needles at the coughing rebels and shouted out directions to his blinder friend.

“To your left! Right! Forty-five degrees left! Two o’ clock!”

From the sound of falling bodies, Connor was sure he had gotten each one. He reached into his small slingbag…

"Left! Left!" the dragon shouted. "What are you waiting for?!"

"I'm out of ammo!" he responded, throwing down his now useless weapon.

"Then sock 'em!"

"Right behind you," he said, wielding his bat.

He stumbled onto a coughing rebel. Connor cracked him on the jaw, making a musical, clunky sound ring from the bat. While the human was beating up rebels and having the time of his life of finally venting out his anger, Spike scrambled over to the six captives, cutting the ropes with his teeth and claws.

CLANK!

Spike could feel a drop of a rebel’s blood sprinkle onto the side of his head, resulting from the human’s mighty swinging. Spike released Twilight, then Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and…

Where was Fluttershy?

“NOPONY MOVE!”

Everypony froze. When the smoke cleared, it revealed a horrified, gagged Fluttershy with a sword hovering by her head. Hellfire had his foreleg squeezing around her neck like a cobra. Connor’s eye shot open in shock.

“Fluttershy!” he shouted.

The orange unicorn's seething rage rung in his voice. “Make one false move, creature, and this pegasus dies!”

To be continued…