"What were we looking at?"

This first question was one that was asked by Twilight, remembering clearly the previous scene she and the team had witnessed on the roof; before they all came back downstairs to collect their thoughts. They were currently hanging about in the hallway of the second floor. The team were together by the stairway in stunned silence as they were contemplating what they had seen. John, meanwhile, had sat against a wall opposing the team and the stairs. Needle and thread in hand, he seemed to fixing some damage his overcoat had sustained. Least he was, up to the point where Twilight asked her question.

She knew what they were seeing of course, it wasn't really the question in her mind. It was the city that John had spoke of, New York City. However, it wasn't this shining beacon of civilization, let alone hope. From what she could see, the city was dead; likely has been for a very long time. The real question was of what this meant... What this meant for this world.

When they first discovered this world, initially before the team was sent though, all they knew about it was that it was cold yet could support life. When they finally got though, it was as she imagined. Cold and desolate. Twilight initially had doubts that there was any chance that there could be life at all, figuring that it was simply too cold for anything to survive out here.

Then they found John, nearly dead initially, but alive and was clearly thriving in the conditions before him. At that point, Twilight knew it was very possible that they've ran across something big. An entire civilization that survived these frozen, desolate, conditions and became a living breathing society. What John told her and the team about his people was intriguing, and made her imaginations go wild as to what a city would be like, what sort of technology they had, and other such things.

However, then there were the concerning things that they discovered. Things Twilight took note of, but never thought about the implications of. Not until now at least.

As Twilight thought back to the dead city, she thought even further back to those things. Slowly, began to realize... The snow wasn't just snow, the exact thing that John has been trying to get through her skull from the beginning. To all of them, it was just snow, but John saw beyond that. He knew there was something else in it. Something Twilight knew was in it as well, though she didn't have time to identify it initially. However, now, she didn't really need to anymore. At this point, she could guess...

"BULLSHIT!!! YOU SICK FUCKS CERTAINLY DIDN'T COME IN PEACE WHEN YOU DECIDED TO COME TO OUR WORLD, SLAUGHTER OUR PEOPLE, AND BURN OUR HOMES!!!"

...Because now she knew what he meant by that.

The toxic substance was ash, mixed into water within the clouds above, coming down as snow. It covered everything around them, for as far as the eye could see. There was so much of it, all over the place... it was obvious at this point that it hadn't just come from this city...

How much of the world was like this? Was there anywhere that was untouched by this devastation? Was this entire world dead? That was the part Twilight was trying to figure out. However, Twilight didn't have the answers...

...John did though. Twilight hoped that he wasn't about to confirm what she was thinking. However, something told her that he was about to do just that.

"You were staring at New York City; what is left of it anyways... Just think of it as one huge metaphor, one that represents the current state of the world, and you'll more or less get the big picture of the perfect hellhole you just crawled into." John simply replied, going back to his sewing.

Twilight, along with the rest of the team, let this information sink in. This entire time, since they've found John, actually believed that there was something alive about this planet. That it was harsh, yet something to survive and thrive in as humanity apparently did at one time. However, now it was clear that this was not the case. They had arrived on a dead world, one that, like New York City, has been dead for awhile.

The entirety of the team was chilled by this. They really did just walk right into the middle of an apocalypse? One that expands the entire world? Clearly this was bad, but how bad was it? Questions like this raced through the team's heads. When did this happen? How long has it been like this? How many of John's kind was left? Why were they fighting among themselves in trying times like these? They had many questions of that nature. Of course, these weren't the most prudent question on everypony's mind. The real question was...

"What happened?" Lyra spoke up.

By now, the team had at least a general idea of what had happened. Clearly, humanity was attacked by some unknown force. Likely not from this world given everything John has said so far; not to mention done. However, given the grand scheme of things, they were still quite clueless. It'd be wise to hear it from someone who knows better instead of simply jumping to their own conclusions.

John let out a sigh, but this time continued to sew his damaged clothing uninterrupted as he began to speak. One would have expected John to have gone all out and told them exactly what had happened in full detail. However, that was not to be the case here, as, unfortunately, there was not much to tell.

"Well, what can I say? I really hate to say it, but I don't know much more than you do. All I know is that, one day, something came from the sky and burned our world to the ground. There was no reason given, no attempts of communication of any sort. I mean, aside from blasting every visible city from the face of planet Earth. If you count that as communication, then clearly they were trying to tell us to 'please fuck off and die.' A lot of us listened unfortunately, starting with our leaders, and making our way down. By the end of it, the only people who didn't listen were the ones living out in the wilderness, small towns, and outskirts of our burnt cities. All of it happened within a period of a day, nearly wiped us out completely with one blow.... To this day, still, no one knows why. Only they do." John told the team.

The team was slightly disappointed with this answer, as it didn't provide much more information than they could have already guessed. However, it did give them a bit more perspective on where they were, and what the scale of this situation was. Evidently it was quite serious. John has seemed to imply that there were not many humans left... that they were in fact fighting extinction. Not to mention they were fighting a hopeless war against a powerful foe even they know little about.

The team were horrified by this. They could only wondered who these aliens could be, and what would drive them to be such vile monsters? Of course, they couldn't ask John; as he made it very clear he has no clue. The team, at this point, could only guess why this unknown force attacked. Unfortunately, there was little to draw a conclusion from at this point. They could have attacked for many reasons, but none to justify the extermination of an entire species...

The entire hallway was silent for this moment, as the team took time to process what they were just told.

Twilight was beginning to think about what she had dragged the team into, how much danger and trauma she has put all of them through. She should have listened to her brother the first time, and went back home at the first sign of danger. However, she didn't, despite how much she was warned by everyone; including John. She allowed her curiosity and dire for knowledge drag them all the way out here, where one or more of them could have died at any point. Now, when she knew they needed to go home, the crystal wasn't working, and she didn't have a clue why. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel that was her fault. Subtly, she began to blame herself for this.

Lyra questioned what was was going to happen next. Now, more than ever before, there was no reason to stay here. It was as John had been telling them from the beginning, there was nothing for them here. No one negotiate with, no one to ally with, simply nothing. Lyra felt bad for these people, but knew there was nothing they could do to help them. Their technology is, or at least was, far more superior than Equestria's, and they were being exterminated by something even further developed than them.

Clearly, the team was out of their league here, and they needed to leave as soon as they got that crystal working; whenever that would be... The only question left at that point was: What of John? Were they going to leave him here to his fate? Would they take the moral high ground and take him and Spike with them? Would John even let them leave at this point? Lyra did not know, though she wish she did.

Sky, Sparks, and Iron had seen some bucked up manure before; they were guards after all. After every screwed up thing they see, they figure it can't get much worse than that. It usually does, and they usually expect it. However, this was something else... a whole new level of bucked up manure they thought they would never reach. The very idea that an entire species and civilization like theirs could crumble within a day was a terrifying notion. If these alien could crush humanity despite their level of technology this easily, they didn't want to imagine what would happen if something like that attacked Equestria... It would be pitiful.

Shining thought along the same lines. If something like that were to attack their home, what chance would they stand? Shining could only think about how powerful human weaponry was. From the little he's seen of it, he knew it was not anything to take lightly. If these aliens were even slightly more advanced than humanity, the devastation they could cause was unimaginable; as proven from the city in the distance. The Princesses of Equestria were powerful, but where they powerful enough to suppress an enemy like this!? Shining did not know, and for that reason he was terrified of the possibility.

Daring thought back to every ruin she's ever raided, and began to think about them in a much different light. She did pay mind to their history, and how they became ruins. However, it never really had much of an impact emotionally. To her, that was in the past, and there wasn't any reason to get upset about what was lost back then. They were dead, and they didn't care anymore.

Looking upon the ruins of New York gave her quite a different perspective. At first, she wasn't sure why, it should be just another ruin to her. She quickly realize though that this wasn't all that far into the past, and there was still people alive living within it's tragedy. Countless lives were lost in that city, recently enough that there were people still remember and care. When she thought about it that way, she realized that all ruins were like that at one time, with those who cared about its ruin up to the point they died and everyone else forgot. In it's own simple way, it was very tragic.

Of course, this wasn't one simple ruin. No, this was an entire world in ruins. A tragedy magnified on a global scale, only remembered by any of those were left. However, in the end, they will die too, and there would be no one left to remember what this world once was. It will be just a dead, lifeless world in ruins that no one besides its destroyer will remember. One of the biggest tragedies of all. For the first time since they found him, Daring felt some pity for John. She still didn't like him, as she still believe he was a outright horrible monster. However, she could understand how this reality could turn people into monsters. No one deserves to live in a reality like this.

Fluttershy couldn't feel anything but dread. She had come to realize she was completely surrounded by death. That city outside was dead, the people outside were dead, this building was dead, everything in this very world... Fluttershy couldn't begin to comprehend how something so horrible could happen. How could something be so horrible to make this happen? What kind of monster would you have to be commit to something so atrocious? A monster of a different kind to be sure...

This whole thing made Fluttershy want to gag and throw up again. However, she wouldn't allow herself to. She knew it wouldn't change anything. They'd still be here, and she'd be more upset. She needed to keep herself together, stay strong long enough for them to get out of here. The sooner the better...

Of course, her mind also fell to John, and what was to become of him. Were they going to leave him? His kind was dying out, and he was sure to die as well if they left him here. That thought of that was terrible for Fluttershy. All she could think was about how wrong it would be to just leave him here to die. Of course, what would happen if they took him with them? Those four outside... they were humans too, just like John, and he killed them without any sort of remorse. Why? Why would he do that? Would they want to bring someone like that back to Equestria? Fluttershy didn't know.

Of course, John did. Fluttershy may not agree with what he did in the slightest, regardless of reason, but she wanted to hear him out. She wanted some excuse to trust him, and to try to save him from this nightmarish world. She reformed Discord, even though it seemed impossible at the time. She would like to think she would do the same for anyone, regardless of how wicked they may be. Plus, she thought that maybe, if they just saved one, the risks they took coming here would have been worth it after all. So, she was going to ask...

"Those... humans out there. Why? Why did you kill them? If there are so few of you left-" Fluttershy started but she was quickly cut off as John spoke up.

"They weren't human." John interjected.

Fluttershy, as well as the rest of the team were confused by this statement. Those humans outside were not human? Then what were they? They looked the same... What was John talking about?

"E-excuse me?" Fluttershy asked, quite confused.

"They weren't human... At one point and time, they probably were, but the human part of them died a long time ago. At some point in time, they lost the right to call themselves humans, because no sane human being would do the things they did... I'll just say, if you think I'm bad, you will be happy that you never got the chance to meet them." John explain solemnly.

The team took this into thought, and could only imagine what John had meant by that. He said that they were worse than he could be, and that was hard to imagine. At this point, Fluttershy didn't think she even wanted to know. However, she asked anyways.

"What did they do?" Fluttershy asked.

John stopped sewing at this point, seemingly paused in thought. It was only brief, however, as he continued and answered.

"I would say that you don't want to know, but I have a feeling that will not cut it anymore at this point... Alright then. You asked for it." John started.

At this point, the entire team was paying attention. They were all wondering the same thing, even if they really didn't want to know. However, in the back of all their minds, they wanted it to hear the justification for this. They wanted to believe John had a legitimate reason for for what occurred outside, and that he wasn't just some cold, heartless killer.

"We've all lost a bit of our humanity being out here. We've all done things that at one time we would have been considered nothing short of horrific... However, now that is just a condition of living here. You are bound to, more sooner than later, commit something monstrous that you will regret for the rest of your life. At that point, you have two choices... You live with your actions and move on, recognizing that you've made the right or wrong choice. Otherwise, you let them consume you, and make you no better than the monsters you fight..." John continued.

The team, more or less, got what he was saying here. Anyone living in this world has done something wrong in the name of survival. At that point, those actions had turned them into two different things; the ones who moved on and the ones who didn't. Those who moved on end up more or less sane like John, accepting their actions for what they are and now allowing them to be anymore than that. Those who didn't... they end up like the people outside, whatever they became...

Shining and the guards knew this much, as it reminded them of those who didn't have what it took mentally to be apart of the royal guard. Of those who had to be discharged because they couldn't handle the stress of their job. Those ponies usually ended up doing horrible, unspeakable things before or after the fact. Some ponies, as well as some humans it seemed, can't handle the pressure and can snap psychologically.

With this, the team began to realize why John told them that they didn't want to know. The implications seemed to suggest something horrible. However, they let him continue. They felt they needed to know.

"Those 'humans' out there, those monsters, they are what we call cannibals. Before we've ever reached them, they've likely killed, and ate over twenty people. That is usually the average of any well established cannibal group. Could have been more, could have been less, who really knows. However, that hardly matters. They were not about to stop. If given the opportunity, they would have killed and ate me, and they would have done god knows what to all of you. They hate aliens as much as anyone else, and they are known to not always kill their victims immediately..." John finished, seeming to glance down the hallway as he uttered his last statement.

With this, the team was put into silence once more. These humans... or monsters as John put it... hunted down and ate their own kind!? What was wrong with them!? How could someone go that far off the edge as to murder their own kind and... eat them!? This was a bedtime horror story come true, they didn't even want to think about what John implied they would have done to them if they caught them. The thought alone that they ate their own kind was horrible enough, but to go beyond that was unthinkable.

Even Fluttershy had a difficult time trying to justify allowing them to live... At this point, she was almost beginning to think that putting down such sick individuals was actually a mercy mission. However, she quickly shook those thoughts out of her head; berating herself for even thinking that for a second... However, she couldn't help but feel stuck on the idea that John may have been right to kill them; as horrible as it was. Fluttershy was very conflicted.

The team remained in silence as John finally finished stitching up his overcoat. With this, he got up, walked past the team and began to make his way down stairs. Sky, curious about where he was going, decided to speak up.

"Hey, where are you off to?" Sky asked.

John paused for a moment, seeming to gesture to outside.

"Outside, to clean up the mess I made. Something I was doing before I got my masked knocked off by some bitch. I can't just leave them out there, they'll attract some nasty wildlife up to our doorstep." John stated as continued his way down stairs.

Daring seemed to growl at John's remark, but decided to let it go in order to avoid a repeat of last time.

With this, the team was left to contemplate everything they've seen, and what they've been told. At this point, it was deadly obvious that they needed to get out of here. The real question was where and when? They still didn't know how John would feel about them attempting to escape, and they still didn't know why the crystal wasn't working. How much longer would they have to travel with John on this Celestia forsaken world where everyone wants them dead? Would they ever get the crystal to work? If so, would John ever allow them to leave? They didn't know.

What they did know was that John didn't seem to be actually planning anything against them; nor did he seem to have any intention to hurt any of them. So, as long as they complied with his demands and didn't didn't go against him anymore than they already have, they'd be buying themselves some time. So, all they needed to do was sit tight and get the crystal to work. With that, all of them would be home safe soon.

Hopefully, anyways.

So, I came back outside to do my thing. Spike was still hard at work, and he was already pulling the third corpse over the slope. Spike stopped for a moment at the top of the slope and seemed to give me a glare, one that said 'well, where the hell were you while I was doing all the work?' before he finally pulled it over.

I chuckle, Spike can just be silly sometimes...

With a brief sigh, I walked over to the final corpse, grabbed its legs, and began to drag it up slope. As I did this, I began to think back to the conversation with the aliens.

Their reaction to everything was about as I expected; obviously stunned and shocked at what they were seeing. I'll be honest, though, I was kind of surprised of how quickly they got it after only just seeing it. I kinda expected to see some denial that what they were seeing was real. But no, they got straight to asking how it happened and the extent of it. They were in shock to be sure, horrified even, but not quite in denial, it made me wonder...

Anyways, it's not important. What's important is that they finally see the truth, and can stop treating me like a psychopath. I'm sure they will continue to question my actions, but not nearly to the extent of before. Now they see that here the answer to a problem isn't always so simple, and they will stop trying to get in my way...

...assuming they stay any longer that is.

Yes, I'm very well aware that they might just end up abandoning me at some point. Just call down their ufo or whatever and go back home when I turn my back. Sure, this would tick me off a little bit, considering the situation with our stalker, but I would understand. Who the hell would want to stay here on this world? Certainly nothing to accomplish here, something they should understand by now, and there's no point to risking your neck for someone you owe nothing to.

Feeling is mutual in that regard... The only reason I brought them along was because I thought I would need them. However, at this point, I'm starting to feel that they might be more trouble than they are worth. They can hardly defend themselves, and any man, sane or insane, would shoot me on sight seeing me traveling with these aliens. I am more at risk now of dying to a random sniper than I ever was dying to this stalker. At this point, considering the number I had done on the stalker, I might actually be better off if they just cut loose and left. Maybe I shouldn't even wait for them to decide, just tell them to fuck off right now.

I guess we'll see, first things first though...

Soon enough, I was over the slope with the line of corpses laid out by Spike in sight. Said wolf was currently feasting on the exposed face of one of them.

Yes, Spike did eat humans on occasion. When he first picked up this habit, it made me, as well as everyone else, a bit uncomfortable. Jokes were cracked about how Spike would nibble the ears off of any rookie falling asleep at his post; forcing many of them to become insomniacs. However, in the end, I decided that it was perfectly fine. Spike has to eat something on the road, and I can't always feed him. So it is understandable that he will usually take what he can get. It wasn't like this corpse needed its face anymore anyhow...

I dragged my corpse up to the line of bodies and set it down. Looking up from my position, I could see a second floor window and the roof of the decaying building. They were in prime position to keep an eye on throughout. With luck, I might be able to bag that stalker after all.

Speaking of...

I took a quick scan around, looking for anything glowing red around me, making sure I was still alone. Sure enough, I saw nothing. Since Spike wasn't acting up, and was still face munching, I felt it safe to assume we were alone.

With that out of the way, I began to look over the corpses, trying to figure out which of them was the closest size to the woman inside.

Yes, I hadn't forgotten about her. It would be kinda hard not to, she did try to kill me. Since I didn't just kill her right back, she was now my responsibility, one that needed a thermal suit. Since I didn't know if her's was still intact, I figured I might as well just grab one while I'm out here; save me a trip if her suit actually was trashed.

I probably should have killed her to be honest... just not thought about it too hard and assume she was one of them. Of course, I would have found out later, but it would have already been done and easier to excuse. It certainly would have been less complicated that way. However, what I said inside holds true. If I did that, just killed her because it's easier not to think about it, I would be one step closer to being the monsters I'm currently setting out as bait. Not something I'd ever want.

So, here I was picking a body to strip of a thermal suit to bring back to the unconscious, tormented woman inside; because 'it was the right thing to do.' Yes, I know I said before that no one ever does anything for nothing out here, and this still holds true. My intentions are not entirely pure, just helping out of the good of my heart. Just like with the aliens, I do intend to get something out of this, but I'm not quite sure what yet... Potential replacement for the helpless team maybe? Perhaps she has a home to go to; someplace to restock? I don't know, but I do intend to find out.

Anyways, now, on top of a team of clueless aliens, I had to babysit a possibly psychotic woman who would more than happily loot my corpse. Life is just brilliant, isn't it?

As I finally made up my mind and started stripping a corpse of its equipment, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I realized that I had left said clueless aliens in the same building as said psychotic woman... I briefly thought about running back inside and getting them out of there before one of them wandered into the cell and got themselves killed.

However, I shrugged it off. Not only was the woman chained, but she was also knocked out, doubt she would be doing anything. Plus, I've already told the aliens that the house might be full of traps, so I doubt they were going to be exploring. Surely, everything would be fine.

"Surely, they're not that stupid." I said to myself as I continued to strip the corpse of my choice.

"Daring, where are you going?!" Sky questioned.

Since John left, Twilight had pulled out the crystal again to see if they could now get in contact with portal control. However, just like the last time they tried, they were getting nothing. Daring, getting particularly frustrated with their only ticket home not working, decided she needed something to distract herself before she completely flipped out. She figured that she might as well explore and see if she could find one of those traps John had mentioned earlier. Spotting traps was apart of her skill set, and she was curious in regards of what one would look like here.

When Sky questioned her as began to walk down the hallway, she couldn't help in groan in frustration. She wished Sky would stop riding her flank.

"What does it look like? I'm exploring. I need to do something before I end up breaking something." Daring stated as she continued to make her way down the hallway, looking for any sign of traps.

At this point, the team's attention turn from the crystal to Daring, all were very concerned. Daring hasn't exactly been making very smart decisions as of late... Exploring a possibly booby trapped house was not redeeming her at this point.

"Daring, John said the building likely has traps, are you sure that's a good idea?" Sparks asked, very concerned for the impulsive mare.

Daring wanted to snap at the rest of the team, and tell them to leave her be in the most colorful way she knew how. However, Daring managed to stifle her irritation this time, and responded as calmly as she could managed.

"Yes, that's why I'm exploring. I know how to spot a trap, and this house needs to be secured anyways. Have faith in me, I do this all the time." Daring responded, continuing down the hallway.

The team wanted to say something more, but decided against it; turning their attention back to the crystal. If Daring needed to vent somehow, they shouldn't prevent her from doing so. Plus, they knew she was truthful, she does do this sort of thing all the time. She hopefully won't hurt herself too badly...

With this, Daring was left uninterrupted as she secured each room she passed. The first three were empty, aside for rubble. The next one looked like some sort of sleeping area, filled with filthy mattresses. after looking under all the mattresses and inspecting any oddities, she deemed the room secure. She did the same for next two rooms, one that was with an assortment of bags and one that was empty like the first three.

In the bag room, looking through the mess, she got excited as she managed to find something that resembled one of John's weapons! This one more resembled John's smaller gun, but was a bit smaller and shaped differently. Instead of having a smooth, curved wooden handle, it had a straight metallic handle that directly protruded downward from the top part of it. Daring put this find in her saddlebags, fully intending to bring it back to Equestria. It looked like they were going to be bringing back more than a bullet after all.

Daring searched through the rest of the bags, but found nothing else noteworthy. There was a human adaptive suit in one of the bags, but it was practically torn to shreds; useless.

After securing the empty room, Daring turned her attention towards the last accessible room; the one with the door.

Daring had some hesitation with this one. If there trap, it would likely be triggered by opening the door, or even just twisting the handle. The thought of that in itself made Daring believe that she shouldn't open the door at all, just leave it be and let John deal with it. However, Daring had never backed down from a risky move before, as her namesake suggests; she was not about to start now.

She took a cautious step towards the door, her eyes fixed upon the handle. All she needed to do was twist that handle, open the door, and quickly get out of the way. If she did that, she would very likely be able to avoid any kind of trap. That was all she needed to do...

With a countdown from three, she put her hoof on the handle and prepared to twist it.

3...

2...

1!!!

With this, Daring twisted the handle, flung the door open, and quickly backed off, expecting something to happen.

Nothing happened. The door simply opened...

With a sigh of relief, looks like there are no traps after all... Daring peeked around the corner and into the room, wondering what could possibly be inside that would make up for the risk she just took.

The last thing Daring remembers was someone screaming and something resembling a chain being flung at her face.

Alright, so, I got the thermal suit. Now, I just need to make it back before one of those idiots gets bored... God fucking damnit, I really shouldn't have left them in there. Christ, I swear, if something bad happens because I left them alone for more than a minute...

I was now quickly making my way down slope towards the building, my full intent to get inside, up the stairs, and get them the fuck out of the building just to be sure. It sort of hit me as I was retrieving the thermal suit equipment that they were in fact that stupid, or at least way too curious for their own good. Shouldn't have left them in there.... God fucking damnit.

As I entered the building, I suddenly began to hear the sound I've been dreading... the sound of the aliens starting to shout at someone. At this point, I think I knew who...

"HEY, NO!!! LET HER GO!!! PUT HER DOWN, RIGHT NOW!!!" I heard Iron shout first.

"John!!! JOHN!!! GET UP HERE!!! WE HAVE A SITUATION!!!" Lyra called, clearly panicking.

"Twilight, Lyra, Fluttershy! Get downstairs! Find John, get him up here! NOW!" Shining yelled after.

"Son of a FUCKING bitch!" I yelled in frustration, drawing Lisa and making my way upstairs. I didn't drop the thermal suit, I knew at this point I was going to need it one way or another.

Couldn't even leave them for one FUCKING minute without them fucking something up! What the fuck was I thinking!? Let's hope that no one just died!

I dashed my way up stairs, narrowly dodging Twilight, Fluttershy and Lyra as they made their way downstairs. They said something to me, but I wasn't listening. My only concern was getting up there and assessing the situation. I made it to the top and pointed my weapon down the hall.

Shining, Sky, Sparks, and Iron all had their crossbows pointed down the hall at the one target standing in the middle of it. This one particular target was, in fact, the naked woman I subdued earlier. Her left arm held a motionless Daring in front of her as a shield while her right hand held a shard of glass to her throat.

Well, this seem awfully familiar.

Upon seeing me enter the hall, she seemed to recognize me as her face immediately contorted into a snarl and was quick to conceal as much of her head behind Daring as possible. Clever girl...

"John, this is your kind! What do we do?!" Shining asked upon realizing I was here.

I didn't answer. I simply holstered Lisa as I began to make my way down the hall, thermal suit still over my shoulder. I already knew what I needed to do, Shining and his soldiers were not going to help other than killing her if things when south. This woman isn't going to give up because we are pointing guns at her. Very likely that the last time she did that, she got captured by those freaks outside. At this point, she was not afraid of death, and she was willing to take as many lives as possible if it meant getting away from here.

She wasn't going to be intimidated by a show of force. So we needed to show her we were not the enemy. I was hoping to do this under a more controlled circumstance, but it was too late for that now...

As I walked past Shining, he gave me a confused glare, likely wondering what the hell I was doing. He tried to get my attention a few times, but ignored him. As I said, he was not of any use here.

Within a few moments, I was mere feet away. At that point, the woman held Daring tighter and the glass firmer against her neck; making it very clear I needed to stop. There was blood on Daring's suit now, but I was uncertain whose it was. The woman's hand was bleeding from holding the glass too tightly.

I stopped in my tracks and just stood there, staring down the woman. She glared back at me fiercely from behind Daring, showing no sign of backing down.

"Easy." I said, putting up a hand, gesturing her to calm down.

This hardly worked, if anything, it almost made her apply even more pressure. Then she did a gesture herself, pointing at my guns and gesturing for me to give it to her.

I shook my head, a bit surprised that she was so bold to demand that. Clearly, she wasn't in that sort of position. "Don't be stupid, you know I'm sure as hell not going to do that; not when you clearly intend to hurt us. Let's be reasonable." I replied calmly.

She apparently had a dislike for talking, as she instead applied more pressure to Daring's throat. This time I was sure she was cutting flesh.

"Easy! Killing her gets you nowhere here! It only gets you dead! Let's be reasonable here! We are not your enemy! Let's work this out." I warned.

Clearly, she didn't believe me on the second part. However, the first part she knew for a fact. With that, she eased off a bit, but still held firm. Good enough for the moment.

At this point, she was beginning to shiver, the cold was beginning to get to her. Her eyes were dashing between the warm room and the thermal suit on my shoulder. She inched closer to the room to sustain herself, but refused to go inside. It was clear at this point she wanted nothing to do with that room. Without this thermal suit, she was stuck there; somewhere she didn't want to be. Now was the time to try to talk to her.

"The men who did this to you, who locked you up in that room, they're dead. I killed them all, their final resting places are outside. Surely you heard the gunfire?" I asked.

Again, the woman refused to say anything. She just maintained her position in front of the door, very cautious of any sudden movement. However, I could tell she was listening. For a moment, she actually stopped glaring at me like I was threat. The glare was replaced by a look of thought, as she seemed to acknowledge what I was saying was true. She did hear gunfire, and she did hear someone die. She started to glare at me again, however, it wasn't nearly as hostile as before. It might actually look like she was willing to hear me out.

"If you were to look outside now, you will see your four tormentors lined up in the distance; if you need anymore proof. However, I need you to let the alien go. I'll trade you even, one thermal suit, for one bitchy alien. How's that sound?"

I could practically feel the glare from the aliens behind me. No, I wasn't about to stop calling Daring a bitch anytime soon. Let's be honest, she kinda is.

The woman looked tempted, however, she clearly had her reservations. There was the obvious, the fact that there are aliens in the room, and the fact I'm not killing them. From her perspective, I probably looked like an-

"Enlightened..." She mumbled.

-and she speaks.

"You're enlightened. If you are not one of the cannibals, which you are clearly not, then you'd have to be enlightened... Right? If you were really here to help me, then why are you not killing these freaks? Why are you helping them!? Clearly, you are just trying to trick me, trying to convert me into your brainwashed cult! But you don't bare the mark... it would have been on your face... when I saw it, there was no mark... You can't be enlightened without the mark... If you are not enlightened, then what are you!? Why are you helping them! CAN'T YOU SEE THEY WANT TO KILL US!?!?!? WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE!!! HELP ME!!! DON- Don't let them kill me... THEY ARE STAND RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!! CAN'T YOU SEE THEM!!! WHY ARE YOU NOT HELPING ME!!! HELP ME!" The woman began screaming at me, getting more and more hysterical as she went on.

This was starting to get out of control. The woman was getting very hysterical, and was likely to do something stupid. I needed to calm her down, now. I quickly removed my mask and set it down besides me. I figured if she could see my face, see that I'm human just like her, she would calm down. Least, that was my hope... However, she just continued to scream incoherently. Since she was no longer responding rationally, I decided there was only one thing left to do.

Yell back.

"Hey! Look at me! Right here! Snap out of it!" I snapped at her.

With this, the woman stopped her rambling and screaming, looking to have been quite frightened at my sudden tone of voice. So frightened as a matter of fact that she accidentally dropped the glass piece she was holding against Daring's throat. She didn't even seem to notice, all she did was hug the alien front of her, keeping her up as a shield against me.

I let out a small sigh, relieved that didn't just go sideway and quite surprised that worked out the way it did. However, I wasn't done yet. She still had Daring, and the woman could still very easily snap her neck. I needed to continue cautiously, she was obviously in a fragile state of mind. On the other hand, it was something I could use to my advantage...

"Yes, I can see them. They are right behind me. However, they are not our enemy. They are not going to hurt me, they are not going to hurt you. The men that hurt you are dead, and you will never see them again. Please, we are just trying to help you. Give us back our bitchy alien, and I will trade you a thermal suit.

Understandably, she hesitated. She didn't trust me, and she had no reason to trust me. However, it was also clear at this point that she had no plan, and she knew that she couldn't fight them all; let alone one of them. Without this thermal suit, there was nowhere to go. It was a hopeless situation, and she needed hope. For hope, she would believe in anything; even me.

With that, she let Daring go, placing her on the ground and pushing her towards me. I did the same in return, placing the thermal suit and gasmask on the ground and sliding it over to her. She immediately grabbed it, straightened it out, and began the process of putting it on. In the meantime, I was quick to retrieve Daring, picking her up and bringing her back towards the guards; all who looked very relieved and concerned.

"John, is she okay?" Sky asked.

Daring was fine as far as I knew, she was still breathing. However, that was far from the first thing on my mind. At this point, all I cared about was getting the aliens out of danger. Plus, I needed to have a word with them.

"She's fine. Downstairs, now." Was all I said as I passed them and towards the stairs.

"Hey what about-" Sparks was about to ask, probably referring to the woman. However, I could care less at this point. She wasn't going to hurt anyone.

"Now." I cut off.

This seemed to stop any further argument, they opted to instead make their way downstairs with me.

If there was any further proof needed that bringing these aliens with me was a terrible idea, it was this previous situation. They just can't fucking listen, can they? 'House is full of traps, don't go exploring.' What do they do? They go exploring. I swear, these idiots are going to get Spike and I killed. All it will take is one of them being stupid to trip an explosive trap, and blow us all sky high. If they can't listen to common sense, let alone me, then they had no place trying to support me as a team. Stalker or not, these aliens needed to go back home.

It was time to tell them what I told them in the beginning, something I shouldn't have ever changed my mind about. For them to fuck right the hell off.

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Lyra were all waiting downstairs, anxiously awaiting for the situation upstairs to be resolved. None of them knew what exactly happened. They let Daring go do her thing, figuring she would be fine considering she did this sort of thing all the time. Surely she wasn't going to get herself hurt.

Then, all the sudden, something grabbed Daring from the end of the hallway. It looked human, but slightly different from John, and it wasn't wearing any sort of clothing. All they saw was that it had a weapon, and was clearly intending to hurt them. Shining told them to run downstairs and get John. They were going to, but apparently John had already heard the commotion was was sprinting upstairs past them. Twilight tried to tell him what was happening, but John hardly gave her the time.

So here they were, waiting downstairs, praying to Celestia that Daring wasn't hurt and that they would resolve the situation very soon. Anxiety grew as they began to hear a mare screaming hysterically upstairs. It was obvious that it wasn't anyone from their team, considering the things she was screaming, so it was safe it was safe to assume that it was the hostage taker. At this point, it occurred to them that the thing holding Daring hostage was likely a female human. Of course, that was something they hardly cared for. They just wanted to see Daring come out of this alive.

Soon, the yelling stopped, and made Twilight, Fluttershy, and Lyra even more anxious. What happened? What Daring okay? Was she alive? The three ponies did not know.

Least that was until they saw John making his way downstairs, Daring in his arms, and Shining, Sky, Iron and Sparks following behind.

Of course, from here, it was hard to tell if Daring was okay. She wasn't moving, and clearly not awake. This made them all a little uneasy. Fluttershy spoke up to ask the question.

"Is she okay!? Is she alive!? Please tell us she's alive!" Fluttershy practically barraged, worried for the condition of the pegasus.

John didn't answer, not immediately anyways. He simply simply walked up to the three ponies and laid Daring down in front of them, and walked a couple of feet back.

"She's breathing, but I'd make sure." He said with a cold tone, sounding like he hardly cared if it were one way or another.

The entire team together found this a bit off putting. What in Tartarus was getting into John? However, they shrugged it off for the moment. At this point, they only cared about making sure Daring was okay.

Fluttershy did her thing, checking her vitals, patching up any scratches or cuts she had. In the end, Fluttershy was able to determine that Daring was in fact okay, just knocked out cold. She informed the entire group of this, and they were all relieved... All except for John it seemed.

John was standing behind the team, arms crossed and glaring at them, seeming to just be waiting for them to finish up. John's mask was off at this point, so they could see his expression. It appeared that he was quite pissed off about something; most pointedly at the team of ponies. This was starting the worry the team, mainly Twilight, Lyra, and Shining. Why was he staring at them like that? Did they do something wrong? Something told them this had something to do with the situation upstairs...

Soon, Fluttershy was able to revive Daring, who looked quite confused as she woke up to the concerned eyes of her team, and the cold ones of John... The last thing she remembers was opening a door and getting hit by something. However, she was sure it wasn't a trap. She remembered checking it for a trap... So what exactly happened? Why was everyone looking at her so concerned? And why was John looking at her like she was lunch? This was confusing as Tartarus...

"My head's killing me...W-what happened?" Daring managed to get out.

Anypony on the team would have been more than happy to answer her. However, none of them had the chance to say anything as John interrupted.

"You fucked up." John stated, clearly unsympathetic.

At this point, the entire team looked over to John, some even glaring at him. All wondered what the buck was his problem. He's been acting like an tailhole since he dragged them all down here. Apparently not even giving a single buck whether Daring was okay or not. What was wrong with him? Why was he so pissed off?

"Hey! What the buck is your problem?! You've had a piss poor attitude since you got down here. You want to fill us in?" Sky asked, getting tired of John's behavior.

John shook his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose as he seemed to sigh out of frustration.

"You know what, as a matter of fact, you all fucked up. Seriously, what was the ONE thing I said when we first step in here!? What part of 'The house is not secure, there may be full of traps, don't go exploring' did you not understand! Are you all really that stupid, or were you deliberately trying to get us all killed!?" John practically yelled.

This took everypony a bit by surprise. This was what he was pissed off about? Especially this pissed off? At this, Daring got a bit defensive. Not only was the rest of the team not involved as he accused, but there really wasn't any danger to anyone but herself. She didn't know what happened with the door, and she was fully willing to accept that as her own mistake, but going as far as trying to get them all killed was idiotic.

"H-hey! They had nothing to do with it! It was all me! I was checking the building for traps since I heard you mention it! I figured you would have wanted it to be secure, considering we were planning on staying here for the night! No one was in danger but me, and I know what I'm doing! I've done it before, you tailhole!"

This didn't seem disway John at all. If anything it seemed to make him more angry.

"Oh, my fucking... You don't even have a clue, do you!? I don't know where you've been clearing traps, but here one mistake could make the house explode!!! Yes, the house, and everything around it! All it would take is touching the wrong wire! Don't tell me you know what the fuck you are doing, because you clearly don't! If you had a single fucking clue, you would have left someone who knew what such a trap would look like clear the house! You idiot!!!"

This shut Daring right up, and she realize very quickly that he was right. Clearing the house by herself was stupid! She didn't even considered what traps of this world would even do; or what they even looked like! No matter how careful she was, no matter what precautions she took, one mistake could have very well killed them all! How could she have been so short sighted?! So Irresponsible... She could have gotten them all killed.

Daring was left to contemplate this as John then turned his sights on the rest of the team.

"And all of you! You are nowhere near off the hook! You LET HER do it! Even after I warned you, none of you had the brains to stop her! My fucking Christ, can you aliens not listen!? Are you this stupid!?"

The ponies wanted to say something in their defense, but really couldn't think of anything. John was right, they should have stopped her. However, they didn't think it would be a problem... All he told them was that the house was not secure, how were they supposed to know? Of course, that was hardly an excuse. Lyra tried to formulate an argument, but it was very weak.

"B-but what about the other human! You never warned us about her! How were we supposed to know about that!?" Lyra tried.

"Mute fucking point. Not only was that none of your business, but it shouldn't have mattered. I would have handled it all, if all of you had just listened..." John trailed off, shooting Lyra down immediately.

The entire team was silent, and John seemed to have calmed down. At that point, the team hoped that was that. That John got it out of his system, they learned their lesson, and now they could move on. Unfortunately for them, John wasn't done.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have went off like that. That was completely pointless and unproductive, especially considering what I really needed to say... This isn't going to work, we're done." John said, putting on his mask, turning around, and began to make his way back upstairs.

The entire team froze at this. What did John mean by that? What was he saying? Was he....

"Hey, wait! John! What do you mean 'we're done?!' You can't just say something like that and walk away! We're very concerned here!" Lyra started shout back at him as he walked upstairs.

John stopped half way up, ducking to look down at us.

"I mean, we are done. Take whatever time you need to get your shit together and leave. I'm done baby sitting you." John replied, getting and continuing to make his way up.

For the team, Lyra particularly, this was a bit unexpected; unbelievable even. Was John abandoning them? Over this? This wasn't right, clearly John was just overreacting. Somepony needed to talk some sense into him. Lyra felt that she needed to say something, to stop this impulsive decision somehow.

"John! Wait! Can we just-" Lyra began to say.

"Leave it, Lyra." Shining suddenly interjected.

Lyra was a bit surprised by this, shocked even that Shining was letting this go. They couldn't possibly let him just cut ties with them like this...

"But-" Lyra tried again.

"Leave it, he made up his mind." Shining finished.

At first, Lyra couldn't understand why Shining was willing to just let this go without so much as an argument. She was about to voice this, but Shining was quicker to make himself clear.

"Lyra, can't you see? He's letting us go. Once we get the crystal to work, we can leave, and he won't stop us." Shining quickly explained.

As Shining explained it, Lyra and the rest of the team realized what they were fearing about John was now apparently false. It was made clear at this point that John hardly cared if they left. They could leave; they could go home and John wouldn't stop them. This was good news, amazing news even. They could go home hassle free now!

Of course, that begged the question of the crystal. For some reason, the crystal still wasn't working, and it was clear that it wasn't simply because somepony went on a coffee break. There was clearly something wrong with the crystal here, or with portal control back in Equestria. If they couldn't figure out the problem, there was a good chance they could be stuck here for awhile longer; maybe even forever. In this worse case scenario, it's possible that John abandoning them was a death sentence.

However, the team was not about to think that way. They were going to figure out the problem, and they were going to get home. They were not going to need John's help, they were going to get home and be just fine...

...least that is what they hoped.

Author's Notes:

So, here we are again. Looks like this one didn't take a year...

Bit of a longer chapter than I normally like to do, but I figured 'fuck it, cliffhangers are bullshit. let's add 5000 words.' Hope you guys enjoy the chapter as usual.