Deceased. No... there are thousands of red lights in here, they can't all be deceased. I go to another red light and press it, getting similar readings. Deceased. Next red light. Deceased. Next light. Deceased. How could they all be deceased! We gave them the answers they needed! What could have gone wrong! Why did...

"MILES!" I snap back into reality as Big Mac shakes me a bit. I look back to everyone to see the worried looks on their faces. "What happened?"

"All of these red lights are people that tried to freeze themselves in time... and died." I say as I look around the crimson room. How could so many have died? Everything here was perfect, why would the stasis pods fail?

"What about the green ones?" Twilight asks as she looks at the few green dots. I reach over and press one, making it immediately turn yellow as it slides out. I look over the readings in the hologram and begin to shake.

Nominal. This... child is... nominal. I look to the others before looking back to the hologram. Its of a little boy. Probably eight or nine. He made it. He lived.

"Go to every green light and press them." I say as I move to the next green light and press it. Nominal. We go through every light and press them, turning them all yellow with the same wording, nominal. "Are there more of these?" I ask the bot.

"Negative. This project was under funded until days before the evacuation. These five thousand pods were the only ones made."

"How many green do we have?" I ask as everyone else finishes pressing the lights.

"Forty seven."

"Forty seven.... well, it beats zero. What do we do next to open the pods?"

"Pull the reanimation lever, located beside the terminal." I look back and sure enough, there it is. A large panel beside the terminal. I walk over to it, open it, and pull the green lever down. The lights dim down for a second before going back on as a light hum fills the room. We all look to each other before running outside, where the humming gets louder.

"What is that noise?" Aere asks as I look around the dome, trying to pin point the sound.

"Sounds like a power generator. But I'm not sure where it's coming... from..." I start to say but stop when the humming suddenly ends. I look over to the bot to question it, but stop when I hear something.

Crying.

Somewhere a small child is crying. I jump to the top of the building where I find a small office, where the crying also gets louder. I take a few cautious steps towards the door and peer inside. Most of the room is fairly standard for an office, but to the left is a large stasis pod. The back is made of wires going from the glass chamber to the ceiling and floor. The glass door has lifted up to reveal a little boy huddled at the bottom. He has short blonde hair and is fairly skinny. I walk over to the crying form and kneel beside him, gaining his attention. I almost step back as I stare into his pure white eyes.

"*sniff* c-can you h-elp..." He stutters before falling out. I quickly move forward and take him in my arms.

"Hang in there kid, I've got ya." I say as I cradle him. He looks up to me with those pure white eyes and blinks slowly a couple of times.

"I... I know you..." He almost whispers. "You're Miles Eremita..."

"Yeah. That's me..."

"The lost Spartan." He says as he looks back into the office. "Where are my mom and dad?" I close my eyes and shake my head as he continues to look around. "Mom said I had to go to sleep for a bit, that she would be here when I woke up. Dad had to go fight the monsters and... Mr. Miles sir, where are my parents?" He asks as he looks back up to me.

"Your parents... aren't here. I'm sorry. They... its... I..." I say as I try to find the right words to tell him.

"They aren't here? That's OK. Becuase you're here now. You'll stop them. I've seen you fight on television before, no one can beat you." He says as he grabs my arm and continues to look up to me. I just look away as I try to hold back my tears. "Mr. Miles sir? Why do you look so sad?"

"Because... because..."

"I know what will cheer you up... a... a nap.... Mr. Miles sir, I'm gonna take a nap now..."

"NO! NONONO, STAY AWAKE!" I yell as I shake him a bit, trying to keep him awake.

"I'm glad I got to meet you... you're my hero Mr. Miles sir..." He says before he closes his eyes. I shake him and yell as I try to wake him back up, but he stays asleep. With nothing better to do, I hold tightly onto him.

"I'm so sorry." I whisper into his ear as I continue to hold him. I wipe my eyes as before looking back to him... and watch in horror as he slowly begins to turn to ash. It wasn't quick like when I use soul fire. It was slow. Like watching a car accident. You know how fast it should be going, but your mind doesn't process it. Every second, every emotion, taking seconds in reality feel like hours in my mind. By the time I get a hold of myself I find myself sitting in a pile of ash.

"Come on Miles... lets see how the others did." Twilight says as she nudges me a bit. I look back to her and True Will standing beside me. I stand back up and stumble a bit in a daze. "Uh... Miles..." I look down to see my pants still covered in the grey ash. I try to wipe it away, but no matter how hard I try, there seems to be a little more left.

"Lets leave this depressing room." True Will says as he walks out. I turn back and stare at the pile until Twilight pulls me out of the room.

"Are you going to be alright Miles?" Twilight asks as I look out to the horizon. "Miles?"

"This is my fault..."

"How could this possibly be your fault?" True Will asks. "You weren't here for..."

"EXACTLY! I wasn't here!" I yell as I begin to pace around. "I should have been here! It was my equation, my fucking unit, my..."

"MILES!" Twilight yells as she grabs me with her magic. "You can't change what happened! You got hit and came here. I know its must be hard to see the remnants of your people dwindle away right in front of your eyes, but you can't fall apart right now. It was tragic that that child had to die, but there are others out there that need somepony they know to guide them. Now pull it together!" She sets me back down and steps back, panting slightly.

"Y....you're right. You're right. We need to get to the others, now isn't the time to morn. Lets get going then." I say as I walk over to the edge. I take a look back to the small office before stepping off. I will come back too give him a proper burial. This I swear.

"Is everything alright Miles? Where is..."

"He died." I say, cutting off Rarity as the others flash in behind me. "We need to move out to the others and see how they're doing..."

"Are ya gonna be alright Miles?" Applejack asks as she removes her hat.

"...yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. Now lets get going. Bot, lead us to the other stasis pods." The bot give a quick nod before walking down the street.

"He's lying." Applejack mutters to someone behind my back. I wanted to reassure her that I would be fine, but I couldn't. Maybe he was just too small to be in one of the pods. Or maybe he was just...

CRASH

We all stop and turn back to see a person standing down the street. He's roughly my height with medium black hair. Even though I'm looking right at him, I can't believe what I'm looking at. Not the fact that he's a person, but that he's maxed out with five portals flaring. but instead of having black lines with white fires, he has blue lines with blue tinted white flames. He turns back to us and looks us down with those pure whites eyes...

"Hunger..." He mumbles as he takes a step towards us. I continue to star at him in disbelief of his form. Blue lines... why does he have blue line?

"Hello there." Twilight says as she walks towards him. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"

"Umbra." He says as he stares her down.

"Twilight, maybe this isn't a good..."

"Umbra, are you OK? Can we get you any..."

"Your soul... looks... I must have it." He says as he stumbles toward Twilight, reaching out to her.

"My... my soul?" Twilight says as she steps away from him.

"Your soul... it must feed me... give me your soul... give it to me.... GIVE... ME YOUR SOUL!" He yells as he raises his arms and makes a tossing motion. From behind him two buildings suddenly break from the ground and fly straight towards us.

"TWILI...."

CRASH

A sudden burst of energy sends me flying down and alley and crashing into a wall. I look up in time to see two blue figures moving towards me.

BANG

KRA-BOOM

I had pulled out my revolver and took a shot at one of the figures, but something went wrong. When the bullet him them, they both exploded with tremendous force, turning the buildings around them to ruble.

"Your soul.... I want it...." As I get up I look over to see a woman beside me twitching as she eyes me oddly.

"Please don..."

"GIVE IT TO ME!" She yells before throwing both her arms up. Before I could act I suddenly launch through the air. I violently spin for awhile before finally getting control.

"Oh fuck." I mumble as I see all of the blue dots below.

BANG

"GIVE ME YOUR SOUL!" I spin around to see the woman flying straight for for me.

"TAKE IT!" I yell as I thrust my palm at her, sending a a beam of soul fire straight into her chest.

KRA-BOOM.

I feel myself fly a bit back more before falling towards the ground, where I see the blue dots begin to race all over the city...

As I step away from the person before me, I hear something crash behind me. I don't look to it though. Instead I keep my focus on the person before me.

"Uh..."

"I NEED IT!" He yells as he begins to charge. Before I could react, a red shield drops around me as True Will steps in front of me.

"STAY BEHIND ME!" He yells as I see Aere run around the shield.

"COME GET SOME!" He yells as he swings his mechanical appendage at the blue person. Mid swing, a blade falls out and slices straight through their knee. We all stare at the person as he just stands there, looking down at his seamlessly unharmed knee.

"FEED ME!" The person says as he raises an arm, lifting Aere into the air. He begins to twist and shake as a light red aura is sucked from his body. The aura drains into the arm of the person, making them giggle in delight.

"AERE!" True Will yells as he drops his shield.

"STAY BACK!" Aere yells back as he pulls something from his satchel and drops it. "It was a ple..."

KRA-BOOM

True Will didn't get his shield up in time, but I did. Luckily I was able to hold back the massive blue explosion...

"NOOOOO!" True Will yells as he punches the ground.

"We need to get moving!" Camo Flash yells as he pulls out his huge buster sword. "Come on! This way!"

"FEED US." Before any of us run off, we all look back to the clearing smoke to see a blue figure in the distance. My first thought was that he had somehow lived, but that soon changed when I saw another. And then another...

"How many are there?" I ask as I look around. Alleys, roof tops, some even hovering in the air, fiery blue people are standing everywhere, staring us down.

"The count would now be forty five." The bot informs us as it begins to walk towards one of them. "May I assist you?"

"Feed... me..." The person gasps as they reach out to the bot and suck the energy out from it.

"Maybe we should fall back now..." Dust Devil says as she begins to back away.

"Theimara! Cover us!" True Will yells as we all turn tail and run.

"FOR GREATER EARTH!" Theimara yells as she charges at the group of advancing poeple. She charges straight into one of them and swipes at their face...

KRA-BOO-BOO-BOOM

When Theirmara's claw struck the person, they exploded. From their explosion, two others nearby blew up as well. Completely on instinct, or rational fear, I had raised the Medi-gun up and put a shield around us, stopping the explosion from harming us. By the time the blue flames wash over us, we became surrounded by the blue people trying to get inside the shield. They slam their fists and shoot beams of energy at the dome, but it holds steady... for now at least.

"DON'T LET GO OF THAT SHIELD!" True Will shouts as he looks around.

"REALLY?!" I yell back as I try to think of an escape plan. "True Will, how many ponies can you teleport?"

"Two... maybe three. You?"

"Three or four.. effectively at least..."

"Hey Matrix, Dust Devil, Camo Flash, How fast can you fly?" Rainbow asks as she looks up.

"What are ya thinkin Rainbow?" Applejack asks as she pulls out her rifle and starts pointing at different people.

"If we fly fast enough out, you guys can teleport out. From there we just need to keep our distance." Rainbow says as she starts stretching her wings.

"We shouldn't separate Rainbow..."

"Can you guys keep up?" She asks as she jumps into the air. They all look to each other before jumping into the air with her.

"We will try to assist as much as we can. Keep moving, we'll also try to shout out their positions to you. Everyone clear?" Rainbow says. We all look to one another before nodding back to her. "OK, on three. One. Two. THREE!"

As soon as the shield dropped I begin to flap my wings harder then I've ever flapped before. We all race straight through the air as two separate flashes ring from below. I fly up until I feel we'e a safe distance up, where I hover and look down.

"Think they'll be OK?" Matrix asks as I watch the blue dots begin to race through the city below.

"I don't know. Lets get..."

"RAAAAAHAHAHA" We all look back down to see several people rocketing up towards us.

"MOVE!" Camo yells as he swings his sword at the closest person, sending some black energy towards it.

KRA-BO-BOOM

Two of the people explode, sending a massive shock wave towards us and making us tumble. I quickly regain control and pivot back as I pull my rifle out. I aim towards the closest person coming at us and open fire.

PEWPEWPEWPEWPEWPEW

I begin to to fire and line up the shots with the person. The shots pepper against his chest and stomach, making him stop mid air.

KRA-BOOM

I fall back some from the explosion but manage to stay air born. I look back to see the everypony else flying in the air being chased by different blue people. I go to...

"RAINBOW!" Miles yells as he falls right in front of me. I shake my head a bit before flying after him, catching up to him quickly. I grab his arms and begin to fly up, slowing our descent.

"GAH! Why are you so heavy!" I yell as I feel my wings burn from the added weight.

"What are you trying to say? Head over to the communication array and..."

"The WHAT?"

"The.. the big pointy thingy!" He yells as he points to a large metal spire. I make my way over to it as best I can, dropping him before I fall to the ground.

PATPATPA

KRA-BOBOOM

I look back to see Miles taking shots at different people flying around us.

"Miles! What's going on!?" I yell as I open fire as well.

"Its the stasis pods! They..."

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

Four spinning vortexes of stone and metal burst from the ground and shoot straight over us. The ground below us begins to sink as its crushed from the spinning ground.

"FUCK!" Miles yells as he flares hiss heels. "Rainbow, keep moving! Do not let them touch you!" He says before launching between two of the vortexes, getting three of the people to chase after him.

CRASH

I spin back to see the last person burst through the vortex and come straight towards me.

PEWPEWPEWPEWPEW

KRA-BOOM

When I appear on the top of a nearby building I look back to see Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Hamm Strung with me.

"Where should we go next?" I ask as I look back to see several people chasing after us.

"Lets go underground!" Pinkie yells as she looks to the street below.

"Um... we... we... we..." Fluttershy stutters as she watches the person come at us.

"You guys get going! I'll cover you!" Hamm strung yells as he jumps down to the next roof and starts running towards the person.

"HAMM STRUNG! You two get indoors, I'll go get him!" I yell before I teleport next to him. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"MY JOB!" He yells as he pulls out one of his axes and flings it straight for the person. In turn, the person uses their magic to spin the ax around them and send it flying straight back. The weapon crashes straight into Hamm Strung's chest and blows straight through the back. He holds his arm out for a second before dropping to his knees and looking straight down to his chest.

"HAMM STRUNG!" I yell as I make the shield and look him over.... he's dead. "WHY! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!" I yell as he falls back, his blood pooling up underneath my hooves.

SLAM

I look back to see several people slamming their fists against the dome, trying to get in.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? WHY!?"

"TWILIGHT!" A massive wave of black energy slams into the backs of everypony outside, creating a blinding explosion. When I regain my vision I find myself laying on the a couch inside a building. I look down to see Fluttershy wrapping up one of my legs as Pinkie keeps a gun pointed down an open door.

"What happened?" I ask as I try to sit up, only to be stopped by Fluttershy.

"The explosion was too strong and broke through you shield. Luckily you only broke a leg, but you're in no condition to move." Fluttershy informs me in a rather calm manner.

"What was that black energy?" I ask as I rub my head.

"That was Camo Flash. I don't know how he did it, but it saved your life. He's outside right now keeping them off the building." Fluttershy says as she ties off my bandage.

"Did Hamm Strung make it?" Pinkie asks as she looks over to me. I look between their worried faces before hanging my head down. "Oh..."

"I'm going out there." Fluttershy says as she stands back up.

"WHAT!?" Both Pinkie and I scream as she walks over and slings her rifle.

"Fluttershy, did you hit your head or..."

"No, Twilight, I did not. These big meanies cannot be allowed to continue like this. I don't like it any more then you do, but maybe I can put them down as peacefully as possible. Pinkie, stay here and watch over Twilight. I'll be back as quickly as I can." She says as she walks over to her.

"But... but... but.." Before Pinkie could form any words of protest Fluttershy wraps her up in a tight hug. When she lets go of her they stare into each others eyes before Fluttershy takes off down the hall. "When did Fluttershy grow a pair?"

"I don't know, but we can't stay here. Let me see if I can heal myself." I say as I try to use my magic, finding it extremely weak. "Well... damn."

When I make it to the roof I find Camo flash hovering in the air, send slashes of dark energy towards different ponies and making them explode. I take up a spot in the center of the roof and take aim at one of them in the distance. I lead the end of my rifle with him as I get ready to pull the trigger.

"This is for Hamm Strung." I mutter before pulling the trigger. I watch the blue bolt collide with the pony and force him to explode. I take a deep breath as I pick my next target and begin to lead the shot.

"Fluttershy? What are you doing here?" Camo asks as he lands beside me.

"This is for Aere." I mutter before pulling the trigger again. The blue bolt collides with them and makes him crash into a building, exploding on contact.

"This isn't a place for a pony like you Fluttershy! Get back inside!" He yells as he gets in my face. I see a person coming at us both behind us as well as in his eyes. I grab him and spin with him, switching our positions so I can fire at the pony. This one takes a few shots, but I get him soon enough. Simultaneously, I hear him yell as he slashes at the pony behind me.

"And that was for Theimara." I say as I look to the right to see massive vortexes of stone and metal reaching up into the sky. "Do you know where any of the others are?" I ask as I look for my next target.

"Matrix, Dust Devil, and Rainbow Dash were in the air with me a bit ago, but I don't see them anywhere." Camo says as he walks in a circle, looking for the others in the air. "Hows Twilight?"

"She'll be fine. I've take care of her the best I can. We just need to cover her until she can fix herself with her magic... that, or until we can get Miles here."

"Right, and where is he?" Camo asks as the vortexes suddenly stop spinning. I look out to the to see a small dot fly out from between them and start jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Three blue specks start chasing after it, sending entire buildings at it as it goes.

"Found him." I say as I take aim.

"There's no way you're going to hit any of them at this distance..."

"Just a little more..."

"They're too far away!"

"Almost there..."

"You can't do this..."

PEW

I lower my rifle as I watch the bolt fly through the air. One, two, three... a massive explosion erupts in the distance, followed by two more that make the blue fire grow even more. I look back to Camo and offer him a shrug and smile.

"... that still only counts as one." He says as he turns away from me.

"One what?" I ask as I look over to see Miles heading straight for us. I wave a hoof at him as I sling my rifle, standing back on all four. "I'll take him to Twilight, you keep us covered." I say as I turn back to the door.

"Uh... OK."

"How is everything here?" Miles asks as he lands beside Camo Flash.

"Twilight is hurt and needs your help." I say as I wait for him by the door.

"Take me to her." He says as he runs over.

I dive down to gain some speed as two of the blue people chase after me. Once I get within inches of the floor I bank up and skim along the ground. From behind I hear a couple of crashes and explosions, telling me that I have a few seconds to breathe.

"Where are the others?" I look over to see Matrix flying along side with me.

"I don't know, head up and we'll look for them!" I yell as I use my momentum to gain altitude.Once we're high enough I look around until I see an explosion in the distance. "There!" I say as I head for it.

"Right behAHHH!" I spin around to see Matrix hanging upside down as a blue person holds him by one of his rear hooves. Matrix quickly puts on his brass hooves and starts kicking and punch as he tries to break free.

"MATRIX!" I yell as I pull out my sword and start to fly towards them. Before I could get to him in time, I watch in horror as the person sucks the red energy from him, leaving Matrix a grey husk. "NOOOOOOO!"

"I need more." The person mumbles as they drop his lifeless body and face me. I grit my teeth as I stare down the monster before me. How am I going to... "I NEED MORE!" He yells as he thrusts both of his arms me, sending a column of blue energy at me.

CRASH

When I open my eyes I look around to find myself in a small crater. I try to move, but find it very hard to do. I put a hoof to my forehead and feel blood start to trickle down to my side... even worse, he knocked out my gum.

I reach into my vest and shakily pull out a cigarette. I put it in my mouth as reach for my lighter, hearing a thud nearby.

"Hmm... sorry Dad. That game 'll have to wait." I say as I light my smoke and take a drag, sending a column of smoke up into the air. I look down to see the person standing before me, twitching in anticipation.

"You soul..."

"Come and get it." I growl I try to sit up.... is... is that gas?

KRA-BOOM

Once we flash in a random street I take quick note of who I have. Applejack, Big Mac and Rarity. Well... I've had worse.

"We need ta git going!" Applejack says as she takes down the street. Rarity and I look to each other before running after her.

"So, whats the plan?" Rarity asks as we chase after Applejack.

"First, keep moving. Second, stay alive." I yell back to her as I keep my eyes open for anything blue. I look back to see four blue figures moving towards us, gaining quickly.

"Ya'll keep goin! Ah'll cover ya!" Big Mac yells as he turns around and spins his halberd around, sending a column of fire at one of them and making them explode.

"NO! We stick tagether!" Applejack yells as she turns around and opens fire with her rifle.

"Oh... Darn it!" Rarity yells as she turns and opens fires as well, sending massive bolts of energy down range.

"Are you three crazy!? We need to get moving!" I yell as two more of the people explode, only to be replaced by three more. "FINE!" I yell as I pull out my long sword and start to feed my energy into it, making it glow red. As the others continue to keep the others at bay, I begin to take slow steps forward.

"What are... are ya..." Big Mac stutters as I walk past him. I look up to see several buildings lift into the air and tumble towards us. I take one last breathe before I raise my sword back and swing it forward, sending a massive red slash of energy at the building.

KA-BOOM

A massive cloud of smoke erupts as shrapnel peppers all around us. I turn back to the others and wait for them to pick up their jaws.

"What? How do you think I became captain?" I ask as I sheath my still hot sword and start walking away.

"Uh... what was that?" Rarity asks as they all follow after me.

"My sword is... special." I say as I keep my eyes open for anything blue.

"Special like Miles's weapons or like... somethin else?" Big Mac asks as he takes my left flank.

"What's so special about Miles sword?" I ask as I look back to him. "Nevermind. We need to connect with the others. Where would they go after separating?"

"Probably the P.C.H." Big Mac says as he looks over to the tall building in the distance.

"Then that's where we're going."

A/N: Don't forget to check up on my BLOG. New openings will appear before chapters are finished, so get your OC's in early! Also, a new class of fighters for the mercenary group has shown up. Go to my blog Calling All OC's to see whats changed. Brony on!

Next Chapter: Chapter 136 Coming Back Together Estimated time remaining: 53 Hours, 60 Minutes