After my little... incident at the spa, I decided to just go home and try to relax. It's good to see that they all care about me, but I'm starting to get tired of hearing about my problem. I know they only bring it up because they want to try to help, but there's nothing to help, there's nothing to do except accept my fate.

GIVE IN TO THE VOID

I stop in my tracks and look around. I'm out in the park with no one around me.

"Is this Soul Fire?" I ask out loud.

ANIMA IGNIS IS GONE. I HAVE CONTROL.

What the fuck... have I lost it? Yeah, I've gone insane, that's it. In my attempt to deal with my eventual death and heartache I have lost my mind and have started hearing creepy raspy voices in my head. Great, just fucking great! I walk off trying to get home as fast as possible. I probably just need some bed rest... yeah, that's it. Bed rest. That's what I need. I make it home and open the door only to get tackled by Lupus. As soon as we hit the ground he starts sniffing my face, as if he doesn't recognize me.

"What's got you all worked up?" I say as I push him aside and stand back up. He looks up and stares at me for a minute before he bolts into the forest. O... K... I'll just mark that up as weird wolf stuff. I go over to take a seat on the couch. Sitting there I look around my quiet home and just sit there... and sit some more... just sitting here... alone... FUCK! I need something to do. Something to work on. I used to do eighty hour weeks, this is way too boring for me.

I jump off the couch and start walking around my house. I guess I could clean up a bit. I start by going to the closet and taking out all of the cleaning supplies. Once I have them I start in the kitchen, filling a bucket and leaving my hands in the water, warming it up quickly. I take some cleaning chems and mix them into the water before I start rubbing down the counters. As I try to clean, my body makes the water in the sponge evaporate, I keep sticking it back in the bucket to soak it back up. When I finish up a square meter of counter I stick my sponge back into the bucket, only to find that all of the water is gone now.

"MOTHER FUCKER ASSHOLE SON OF A BITCH PIECE OF CRAP WHORE!" I yell as I throw the sponge at the wall and pace around in some unknown rage. Fuck this curse of mine! Why do I have to be the one to bear this!? Why do I have to bear this pain alone...

"Hey Miles, everything alright?" I turn around to see Storm and Twilight sitting behind me. Storm is looking up at me with a mixed look of anger and sadness, while Twilight has her face buried in his neck.

"*sigh* Alright, who told you?" I ask as I face them.

"Luna. Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"It's not something I usually try to bring up when meeting new people... so how much do you know?"

"Well, we know you're dying in six to sixteen years due to your power constantly growing, and that there is nothing anypony can do to help you."

"Yeah... that's the general gist..." I start to say, only to have Twilight force me down with her magic as she runs to me and hugs me, tears flowing from her eyes as she does so.

"It's OK... it's alright..." she sobs into my shoulder as she holds me tightly. "We're here for you... Miles, we're here for you... we may not be able to help, but... we will always be here for you... you don't have to go through this alone..." I freeze up when she says that. I don't have to be alone for this...

"Hey, Twi, why don't you head to my room. I need to have a... private word with Miles," Storm whispers into her ear. She nods and gives me a kiss on the cheek before she starts to walk off. It doesn't really faze me though, the only thing running through my mind is what she said, I don't have to be alone. I sit back against the counter as I contemplate her words, not noticing Storm taking a seat next to me. "She's right you know," he says, getting my attention. "We'll be here. We might not be able to help, but we'll be here."

"Yeah... I know..."

"And... I know somepony else who wants to be here as well."

"What?"

"Luna."

"Oh... so you know about that as well."

"You know, now that I think about it, it wasn't that hard to figure out."

"Yeah... I shouldn't have asked her out..."

"What? Why?"

"Storm, I'm dying. Soon. I know I said six to sixteen years, but that was with new potestatum annulums. Without additional ones, I figure I have... six to eight months... maybe even less. My time is limited, and I don't want to put her through that. I... I will cherish what we had, but it had to end. I..."

"Miles, just... just stop!" he yells as he stands up and walks away. "Enough of the loathing and self-pity. Enough of the... the... the giving up! You have a chance to live life, take it! I know it'll hurt but it wouldn't hurt nearly as much as sitting here, hating yourself..."

"WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO!?" I yell as I stand up. "CHANCE HER DYING BECAUSE I WAS TOO SELFISH TO CONSIDER HER? I CAN'T TAKE THAT CHANCE!"

"And why not!?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE HER!" I yell at him, pausing as I realize what I just said out loud. Storm just looks at me with a smug smile on his face.

"I knew it."

"Fine, I love Luna. There, it’s out in the open, you happy now?"

"Not until I get you to ask her out again."

"I CAN'T DO THAT! I CAN'T! Everything is working against me, lifespan, species, the fucking voices in my head, I can't be with her. It’s not like I don't want to... I want love... I want a family... but I will never get to have those luxuries..." I say as I stagger back against the counter, finally letting the tears fall from my eyes. As soon as I feel them I try to wipe them away, only to have more fall down. "Why the fuck is you doing this to me man?"

"Because Luna still wants to be with you, even if you’re going to die early," he says as he walks over to me and pats my back.

"*sigh* No."

"No?"

"No... I can't. It would... this will only end in tears... fuck, it started in tears, how could it possibly get any better?" I say as I try to wipe my face dry. I hear some sobs from the side and look over to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash sitting in the doorway, crying lightly. "Aw come on... what now?"

"*sniffle* Ponyville is under attack," Rainbow Dash says as she wipes her tears away.

"Good, I need to kill something right now. Storm, suit up," I say as I walk past them and head for my room. I go to my closet and put on my armor and weapons. I take everything except my rifle and go back downstairs where I find Storm in his armor with his sword. I turn to the girls and ask, "Alright, what’s going on?"

"The diamond dogs are back. They're a group of dogs that collect gems... only this time they're not after gems. They've been bursting out of the ground all over Ponyville taking unicorns," Rainbow Dash explains.

"Alright, Twilight, you stick with Storm, Rainbow, you're with me." I say as I march out of my house and take a look at Ponyville. There are a couple buildings on fire, blackening the sky above. I sigh deeply before I start to walk towards the town, flaring the magic in my heels.

"Miles... are you sure you should be using magic?" Rainbow asks with concern in her voice. I ignore her and start to run to town, using my magic to propel me faster. Rainbow flies after me and keeps up with me as she gives me a worried looks.

When we make it to town I stop using my magic and run into the fray of ponies and diamond dogs running around all over town. Meter wide holes pepper the ground everywhere, with dogs either running in or out of them. The diamond dogs are about my height, a little shorter on average, and seem reminiscent of Winona, with different facial features. They wear what looks like steel armor, and carry an assortment of weapons from spears to swords. As I look into the fray, trying to make sense of it, Storm and Twilight appear next to me.

"What’s the plan?" Storm asks as he pulls out his sword and gets ready for the fight.

"Easy, kill dogs," I say as I start to walk forward, flaring my hands as I do so. When the first dog sees me and starts to run at me, holding its sword high as it howls and barks, I push my hand forward, sending a wave of raw magical energy at him. When it hits, it sends him flying back into a building, punching a hole into the wall.

"Uh... maybe too much," Storm says as he walks next to me.

"Don't really care," I say as I pull out my sword with my right hand and my revolver with my left. "Storm... stay close to Twilight."

"Yeah... Miles..." I ignore him and run into the fray, finding my next target almost immediately. This dog has a sword in one hand and is holding a pony by his horn in the other. I raise my revolver at him and send a magical round into his chest. The bullet breaks through the armor and buries itself inside him. A few seconds after it hits his body starts to implode on itself, as the bullet begins to pull matter into it. Once the energy runs out all that is left is a bloody cavity of what used to be his chest. I walk over to the pony and check to see if he's alright.

"You alright?" I ask the brown pony.

"Yeah, I'm alright..." he starts to say, but as soon as he says ‘Yeah’ I’ve already turned around and ran back into the fight. I see a group of five dogs cornering some ponies. As I run towards them I spot Rarity in the front of the group, trying to hold her ground against the dogs.

"...harm my little sister you mangy mutts!" she yells at one of them as I close the distance and stab the center dog in the back, piercing his armor and burying my blade into his spine. He lets out a high pitched whine before he drops to the ground. The two closest to me try to swing their blades at me, but I duck and jump back. The other two run behind me and point their spears at me as the other two start to slowly advance towards me, carrying pony-sized curved swords.

"You will pay for that... creature," one says in a deep goofy voice. I lift my sword and ready myself for the fight. The dog that spoke starts by trying to drop his blade onto me. I step aside and swipe at the other sword-bearing dog, scratching his armor and making him stagger back. I start to dodge and pivot as the other two try to stab me with their spears. I bring my magic up on my sword, making the text appear on the blade, and swing at the two of them, sending a slash of energy that makes them fall back. Before I can finish them off the other dogs both try to drop their blades on me, but I roll forward to avoid the attack.

I lift my revolver at one of them and pull the trigger, sending a round into his head, making it implode and send a column of blood from his shoulders. The other dog charges forward and tries to chop at me, but I lift my sword and catch the blade. I drop a little but manage to hold it above me, but feel him start to press down and force my blade lower. I quickly point my revolver at him and send a round into his stomach, making it implode on itself, followed by a flood of blood dropping from the bottom of his armor. I turn around to find Storm and Big Mac fighting the two speared dogs, Big Mac using one of the dog’s swords. They both quickly kill the two dogs, Big Mac decapitating his while Storm stabs his in the heart.

"Spartans!" I yell, getting them both to run over to me. "Here's our directive, protect the citizens of Ponyville. We need to move them indoors..."

"That's no good," Big Mac says. "They just dig through the floorboards."

"Then we move them to my house, the floor is super compressed, even diamonds have trouble cutting through it. So, find a group, escort them there, repeat. Tell all pegasi to take to the air if they haven't already, priority are children, women, and unicorns. MOVE OUT!"

"UH-RAH!" They yell as we all turn in different directions and go back into the fray. I run up to Rarity to check on her and Sweetie Belle.

"Rarity, are you all alright?"

"Yes Miles, we're fine, thank you," Rarity says as she holds onto her shaking sister.

"Good, look, I know you're scared, but I need you to run - go to my place and wait there, I'll cover you as you go, think you can do that?"

"I... I can. But what of the others?" she asks, as she sets her sister on her back. Sweetie Belle latches onto her neck and buries her face in Rarity's hair.

"They will follow after, try to move as a group, don't get separated, and stay close to me if you can," I say to the group behind her, getting nods from most of them. "LETS GO THEN!" I yell as I turn around and start to run home, the group running close behind me.

We make it out of the town limits when dirt starts flying into the air ahead of us. Two dogs jump out of the ground and run at me with shields and axes. I jump forward and stab the ground, making a row of earthen swords shoot out of the ground and stab the dog on the left. The other one tries to close the distance but stops to raise his shield and block a spear. I run forward and kick the shield, knocking him over. Before he can recover I stab him in the gut and twist my blade until he dies.

I look back to see Rainbow Dash in the air with another spear in her hooves. I nod to her and run after the group that has made it halfway to my home. Another burst of dirt appears behind them as two more dogs run out of the ground and chase after the group. I lift my revolver and fire the rest of my rounds, the first missing but the other two hitting their targets. We make it to my place where everyone runs inside and takes cover.

"Miles!" Rainbow Dash yells as she flies down to me. "What do you need me to do?" I look to the group inside before looking back to her.

"Go to those dogs we just killed and scavenge weapons. Once you get those, bring them back here, I'm staying back to protect the group, alright?" She salutes before taking off in the air, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. As she flies off I see Big Mac running back, leading a group of about fifteen ponies. They make it to my place and pile in, leaving Big Mac and I outside.

"What now?" He asks.

"Help me hold the house until Storm gets back. Head to the backyard and don't let anyone in or out.”

"Eeyup," he says as he runs around back. Rainbow returns with a hoofful of weapons that she drops before me.

"OK, this is all of them." I look through them and see a few spears, a couple of axes and a few daggers. I walk to my doorway and look to the group of scared ponies.

"Can any of you wield a weapon?" I ask the group. A few guys and even less women walk up to me. I lead them to the pile and wait for them to take a weapon. "Okay, I need you to watch the doors and windows. Remember, these are tools to kill, not toys. Don't hesitate to kill the dogs... and if you see a wolf, don't harm him. That's Lupus, he's harmless." They look at me in confusion before they run back inside and take positions by the windows and doors. I look over to Rainbow and see her leaning on the spear, looking scared. "You know how to use that?"

"Huh? Oh... kind of. You just poke with the pointy end, right?" I shake my head as I stab my sword into the ground and holster my revolver. I walk over to her and take the spear from her and take a stance with it.

"Believe it or not, you don't just stab with a spear," I say as I start to spin it around. "You can use all of the parts in a fight, point," I stab forward, "shaft," I hold the spear parallel with myself and thrust forward with it, "and end." I spin it around and smack the end onto the ground. I give the spear back to her and pull my weapons back out as Storm and Twilight lead a larger group towards us. "Go get Big Mac," I tell Rainbow as I walk towards the group. She nods and flies back to get him.

"We got as many unicorns we could. There are still a lot in Ponyville though," Storm says as the group runs past us. "What now?" Big Mac and Rainbow return and wait for me to give the order.

"Alright, you four start a rotation. I want one of you to stay here, while the other two head back into the town to get as many people out of there as you can. Rainbow, you're on assist. Stay in the air and give directions to the group below. Keep all pegasi in the air and keep priority as is. Stay sharp, watch each other’s backs and we'll get through this..."

"What are you going to be doing during all of this?" Twilight asks.

"Me? I'm going down. I'm going to see if there is anyone that's been taken captive, or if there is a leader..."

"On your own!?" Twilight says, looking around for help. "You can't just go on your own, what if you get captured?"

"Not likely, we'll be underground, it’s kind of a specialty area for me..."

"But..."

"Look, we don't have time to argue about this. We need to get moving now!" I say as I turn around and run for the nearest hole. I jump up and fall straight down the hole, getting closer to the walls as the hole starts to curve straight. Seeing the ground quickly approaching, I flare my heels and prepare to land. I hit with a thunderous thud, sending dust up all around me. I pull out my revolver and point it around, looking for any targets. I don't see any, so I start to head down the path that leads towards Ponyville.

The tunnel is fairly narrow, so I holster my sword, reload my revolver, and pull out my trench knife. I follow the tunnel until I find a massive opening. The opening goes down another story to where a large group of unicorns have been gathered up. In front of the group is a ramp way that leads deep underground. Guard dogs walk around the group as they smother black gunk on their horns. I see a group of four guard dogs and two non-armored dogs to my left at the same level as me, looking down at the unicorns and speaking to themselves.

"Think they're the leaders?" Storm asks.

"If not then they... wait...what the fuck?! What are you doing here?" I ask in a hushed voice.

"What? You think I'd let my best friend do this alone? The others can handle up top, we will get the bottom."

"GAH! Fine. There's only six guards at the bottom, I'll cause a distraction with the leaders, you get the guards below when I do it, got it?" He nods to me so I start to sneak my way to the group. As I go, I set an illusion spell over myself, making myself invisible and sending the lines to my shoulders. As I get closer I pause as two new people show up. The first one is a grey and black griffin carrying a long curved sword. The other one makes my stomach twist as I look upon him. It’s a dog, standing shorter than the rest... and wearing Terradisian light armor. He has the leggings, arm straps, and a chest plate, all of which has been slightly modified to fit him better. How did he get that... where did he get that...? I need to get closer. I continue to creep forward as they keep speaking to one another.

"Well Rover? How’s the progress?" asks the grey griffin.

"We're making good progress. Dogs dig under pony’s home, grab pointy one, and drag them back. Now it’s time for your part of the bargain."

"Of course. Everything in the underground city is for the dogs... here is the location," the griffin says as he hands him a piece of paper. The dog looks at the paper and pushes it aside.

"You know dogs don't read! Where is the city of metal, Steelwing!?" He yells as he points a finger at him. He looks back at him with a bored expression before he turns and starts to walk away.

"Take the path in the Everfree, take the first left, find the first cave on your right and get ready to start digging. Now if you’ll excuse me..." Before he can finish I drop the spell and shoot a beam of soul fire at them... only soul fire doesn't come out. Instead when I thrust my palm at them, something forces my hand shut and creates a black orb in front of me. From this orb I'm sending a column of black energy that hits two of the guards and creates a hole in the wall behind. The two guards hit don't erupt into ash as they would when hit by soul fire, instead they seem to wither away, leaving black wisps in their place. I drop the spell and fall to one knee, that spell was way too taxing.

The two remaining guards start to run at me as the other four run down the hall. I get up and try to push them away with magic, but get forced to use the black substance again, making the others disappear like the rest. I drop back to my knees and take a second to try to catch my breath. I hear the sound of clanking metal to my right, but I don't look over. Instead I push myself back up and chase after the group. The hall they run down is more well-made. It has wooden support beams lining the square hall and has a more level flooring. I look ahead to see the group split in half as the path forks. The armored dog and griffin go left as the others go right, so I go left. As I turn the corner I see the dog dig a tunnel and lead the griffin up towards the surface. I run to the tunnel only to have it collapse before I can get to it. I take a readied stance and start to push myself up, sending a column of stone up underneath me as I clear the way upward. When I break through the surface I find the dog standing before me with his sword out as the griffin flies away.

"You made a mistake when you attacked dogs," he says with a growl.

"And you made a mistake when you wore Terradisian armor..."

"Bird pony gave dogs this. If you have a problem with that then take it up with Steelwing!" he says before he charges and swings at me. I walk backwards as he swings at me with his sword, dodging his attacks along the way. I suddenly shoot forward and jam my trench knife at his side, only to have my blade bounce off the armor. I back away quickly as he tries to slash at me, raising my knife up and waiting for the next attack. "Why do you wait creature? Don't you want your armor?" he taunts as he swings his sword around before pointing at me. I look over to see the griffin hovering in the air, watching us fight.

"I don't have time for this," I say as I point my revolver at him and send a round into his skull, making the back of his head explode out as the round travels through. I start walking towards the griffin, making him turn around and fly away. "Oh no you don't," I say as I holster my weapons and start to run after him, flaring my heels as I go.

He's heading for the forest, better not let him reach it. I jump high into the air and try to send a beam of magic at him, only to send out the black substance again. He dodges the attack by banking to the left and diving into the forest. I shake my head from the fatigue and shoot myself down, crashing into the ground. I look around and see him flying off, so I start launch myself after him, flinging from the ground to a tree, then from tree to tree as I chase after him. He starts weaving through the trees, banking left and right before he drops low to the ground then shoots up. We keep at this game of chase and be chased for a while before he suddenly turns and stops on the ground. I drop before him and pull out my revolver, pointing it straight at him.

"Before you do anything, let me show you something," he says as he turns around and walks up to a wall of plants. He pulls out his sword and slashes at the plants, making a portion of it drop to the ground, revealing a cave. "This leads home," he says as he turns around to face me. "You want to go home... don't you?"

"Why don't you shut the fuck up before I kill you?" I say as I step closer. "That couldn't lead to my home..."

"Oh but it does. You go in, drop down a few miles and take the path to the large metal doors. We've tried going in a few times, but usually no one ever comes back out... well, I did." I lower my gun and look him in the eyes.

"You've been there... what's it like? Are there survivors? What..."

"If you want to know, go look for yourself," he says before he jumps into the air and flies away. I try to chase after him, but I look back to the cave in wonder. This leads to Terradisia... three thousand years and it's still there. If there are people there, who knows what they've developed? They might even have a cure for me, or better restraints at least. I shake my head and run into the cave as I holster my revolver. A few meters into the cave I find a massive hole in the ground. I lean over and look down, only to see a pit of darkness below. I take a deep sigh as I look back. If I go, and there are people... I may never be able to come back. I would be leaving everyone. I walk back and forth as I contemplate my decision.

"If I go, and I can't leave, at least they won't have to watch me die... I'm going," I say before I leap into the dark abyss.

Shout out to DesertRose for picking the element used to fight the dogs. Thanks for reading, and like always, Brony on!