Author's Notes:

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I was trying my best on how this next chapter should proceed, and this is what I got so far.

Anyway, there is a possible new enemy lurking about. For what purpose, we do not know.

Anyway, thanks for reading and being as patient as possible with me.

FIGHT LIKE HELL, FIGHT LIKE DOOM MARINES!

Ch.23: Back to Hell Town...

(Bryan/Doom Marine, Train ride to Manehattan. 2 days later...)

"... Are we really gonna do this?" I asked Vincent.

"Yes, we are." He replied.

After spending some time in the Crystal Empire, and making sure there wasn't going to be form of national, or international breaches, things were starting to look up for us all. Although, we did ask the representatives of how they remember us without Celestia realising it. Turns out, they hidden all knowledge and info about us, but still talked about it through whispers. They have never forgotten about us saving their lives.

But the news about there being more of us, and having an army, was spreading fast until just about everyone knew about it. As to how, the news media has sent out two camera mares to follow and document our activities. So I had to leave the Crystal Empire, station our Night Sentinels there, come back to Canterlot, pick up Vincent and another platoon of Night Sentinels, and then head straight for Manehattan.

"Still though, there's a good chance they'll die." I told him.

"Bryan, unfortunately, everyone is dying. They'll die even more faster if no one knows of it." He countered. "Not to mention, they haven't lied or twisted anything about us. From what I hear, should anyone try that, they'll be getting a lot of flak for just rewriting things to suit their needs."

I just sighed and laid back. In case it wasn't apparent, I don't like the media. Of course, I'm pretty sure some of most others would see the same as me.

"My Lords, we are nearing Manehattan." Azurai said to us.

"Thanks." We both said to him, as he gives a short bow before leaving us be.

Soon we were crossing Manehattan's bridge as we came into Grand Central Station, although it seemed there was a huge crowd waiting for us, as we saw the paparazzi flashing their cameras at us, fans waving at us, and the Po-Po trying to keep them at bay.

"Quite the welcome party." Vincent commented.

"No shit." I said as I got up and walked over to the door. "Let's go, we may as well go through this Hell-hole." They all laughed a little as they got their weapons ready. They are equiped with more weapons, but they're using their newly reformed Hellshots with the energised Bayonets.

Snorting, I opened up the door and went out first, the fans screaming out as they tried to push through the police. Rolling my eyes, I moved out of the way so that Vincent and our Night Sentinels can come out. That really got the fans and paparazzi riled up.

"It is very odd at how...popular we have all become." Azurai said, looking at the wild crowd.

"Let me fix them up." I said as I pulled out my Super Shotgun and pointed it up. Although, very interestingly, before I could pull the trigger, everything went dead silent as the crowd stopped what they were doing. "Well then, I guess we all remember what happened last time!" I said to the crowd, all of them nodding their heads. "Good." I stated as I lowered my gun.

"Oh! I see their cams!" Vincent said as he quickly runs off and drags the two Pegasus mares back over. "Here they are!" He said with glee, while the two were blinking in confusion.

"What just happened?" They both asked.

"You've been abducted." I answered them, even though it was meant as a joke, they still freaked out about it.

"W-W-What!? Please, no! Don't experiment on us!" Camera mare One pleaded.

"I don't wanna get cut up! Or get things replaced! Or have my rear end probed!" Camera mare Two also pleaded.

All the while they were pleading over nothing, everyone else was trying their hardest not to laugh. But it was no use and everybody lost their shit, laughing out loudly so that the entire world could hear them. When the girls finally realised this, they looked at each other and blushed fiercely, covering themselves up in their wings.

"Well, took them long enough." Azurai said, though I can tell he was smiling in amusement from all of this.

Rolling my eyes, I looked at the two Pegasus mares, who were still hiding behind their wings. "Girls, can we ask of your expertise and services?" I asked them, making the crowd immediately stop laughing as they now stared at me. However did they hear me, I haven't the slightest clue.

As for the girls, their wings sprung open wide, just so I can see their surprisingly shocked faces. "Really?" They both asked at the same time.

"Really." Vincent answered them. "Seeing as how you two seem to have filmed and recorded our activities, and haven't rewritten anything, it would be best if we can have you two come along with us." He explained to them.

"This is... Unexpected." Camera mare One said. "I mean, we were expecting you Doom Marines to be angry or something."

"Yeah..." Camera mare Two said with a slow nod. "But, if you guys are serious about this, then we'll need to see our boss."

"Alright then, you two can lead the way." Vincent said as he moved away from them.

They nodded to us as they lead us through the chattering crowd, who moved out of the way, since our Night Sentinels surrounded us, creating a defensive formation. Walking up the stairs, we found ourselves at the very same, busy streets of Manehattan, as we continued on walking. Many people that are out and about looked our way, staring at us with slack jaws and in awe, while the children were waving and smiling at us.

"Hey look! It's the Doom Marines!"

"And their Doom Knights! So cool!"

"Are they gonna make Doom Knight toys, too?"

"That would be super awesome if they did that."

We heard the little ones talk, which kind of reminded me of what Visilia wanted after everything is said and done. She wanted to have children with me. I guess over ten millennia, you tend to really think about starting a family.

"... They didn't remove it."

"What?" I asked Camera mare One, as she spoke up. Snapping me out of my musing.

"That tag you and that other Doom Marine graffiti, it's still there." Camera mare Two explained. "No one wanted to remove it. Not even the authority."

"Wow." Vincent said in surprise, before asking them a question. "By the way, what are your names?"

"Oh, right. Kinda forgot about that." Camera mare One said before answering. "My name is Thunder Rider, and this is Windy Glider." Thunder Rider said, introducing themselves.

"Hello." Windy Glider said, greeting us. "Now that we told you our names, how about you do the sa--"

"No." I cut her off. "We're not giving you our real names." I told her firmly, making her wilt a bit.

"Well... Is there any sort of code names you guys go by?" Thunder Rider asked nervously, both of them realising they shouldn't give personal questions.

That was when Vincent answered them. "Well, my moody brother over here is known as The Bloody-handed Berserker, so just call him Berserker. You can call me Runner, as my full title is Deaths Runner." He explained to them, making the girls shudder in fright.

"Okay, are all of your kind carry some sort of scary title that tells you everything?" Glider questioned.

"Not everyone is like us. As a matter of fact, both of our species societies aren't all that different, save for a few things" I answered next, pipping their curiosity.

"Like?" They both inquired.

"It's kind of complicating, since Humanity is a bit more complex. For starters, we can be a little more wittier than usual. Our history has more bloodstains within its pages, it might as well be written in blood. And most importantly, we've been trying to achieve peace, but it never lasts." Vincent told them, making the two stop and stare at us with wide eyes. "Yeah, that's kind of th-- Oomph!?" He grunted in surprised as Thunder Rider hugged him.

The same can be said about me as Windy Glider hugged me, too. Vincent and I looked at each other in confusion, not knowing why they did this, until we heard them sniffling. Are they actually crying?

"Hey, you two alright?" I asked them.

"You poor things." Glider whimpered out, lifting her head from my chest, as she looked up to me through teary eyes. "How can your own live with things like that?"

I sighed at that. "I don't know. Neither of us were born in those times. All we know that it was one Hell after another being dealt with, however or by whatever means were deemed necessary." I answered her. "For one, we might as well be considered a warrior race, through and through. But at the same time, we can be peaceful, even though it's getting harder and harder as time goes by."

"Things never stay the same, and just like time, it continues to change. Either adding or removing, we'll never know. Nothing is perfect, but that doesn't make it imperfect immediately." Vincent explained next. "Sometimes, we strive for something too much, we end up harming so many things in the process. When you become enraptured in your ambitious goals, it turns into obsession. You stop caring about anyone and everyone, but yourself."

"That's horrible." Rider stated.

"Quite right." I nodded with a sigh. "In all honesty, I'm hoping against hope for Humanity's survival. But if it does survive, and this may sound crazy, I hope we are still warriors."

They both gasped at that, along with some people that heard me as well.

"Why would you want that?" Glider asked in shock. "With all that your kind to go through, I would have thought you want the fighting to stop."

"I doubt it would ever truly stop. True that I want the fights to end, but there's always a war happening somewhere." I answered her. "I'm not saying we should be warmongers, but nor should we let our guards down. It may sound like I'm being paranoid, but can you be absolutely certain you won't get attack by someone or something?" I asked them, and when neither answered, I did it for them. "The answer is no. Things can change dramatically, within a blink of an eye, and you would be none the wiser."

"I... I guess so?" Rider said, uncertain about whether to believe the answer or not. "I mean, I understand where you're going with this. Seeing as what happened back in Ponyville, that's an example to go by. But, if you want your kind to keep its military, will it be like the Royal Guard?" She asked me.

"No. Our militaries are trained to kill, but they don't start wars, they end them. Those that start wars are considered madmen. Dictators who lead their armies against the world, but fails." I answered her. "If anything, when we start dropping all of the bullshit and actually cooperate, will we be able to leap farther than ever before."

"What about aliens?" Glider asked. "What if there is an alien race that needs help?"

"If we were able to explore and expand across the stars?" Vincent inquired.

"Yes." She nodded.

"It depends on the situation. But let's get a move on. No need to dwell on the past." I told them, shifting their attention back to the task at hand.

They looked at each other for a moment, a quick expression of unease before it left their face. Nodding their heads, they continued on leading us towards the Media station, which was just like any other building inn it cities; tall. Walking inside, we became quite the showstoppers as we walked up towards the front desk.

"Hey, could you get the boss on the phone and tell her that the Doom Marines want to talk?" Rider asked the mare.

"S-S-Sure." She stuttered before picking up the phone and dial in their bosses office. Once she told her, the mare looked back up to us. "She'll like to meet you in her office, top floor."

"Got it." Rider nodded to her before going over to some elevators. "Quickest way up. Unless you guys got some way of getting up there."

"Elevators." I said with a shrug as we took the elevators and went up. I didn't mention what both Thunder Rider and Windy Glider look like, so I'll describe them while we wait till the top floor. Thunder Rider had cloudy grey fur, with both her mane and tail almost looking like Lightning themselves, a two tone colour of yellow and white. Her eye colours are pink. She looked pretty radical. As for Windy Glider, her fur was a dim shade of green, with her mane and tail being mostly pink, along with a couple stripes of red. Her eye colours are orange. Nothing with an extra flare of uniqueness about her, but she seemed to be the cute one.

"Question, what's your boss lady like?" Vincent asked them.

"She's not all that bad. She only focuses on what's fact, and doesn't like any of the facts to be changed or twisted around. If somepony was found trying to change it up just to liven things up in the story, they'll find themselves on the streets in a heartbeat, jobless." Rider answered, describing what type of boss we're going to be dealing with.

"That's a good boss, right there. She ain't taking anybody else's bullshit, all for the sake of causing unnecessary drama among the masses." I comment just as we reached the top floor.

"No kidding. She doesn't like the idea of causing a scene to get views, she said only fools would want such selfish desires." Windy said as we walked through the work place, making everyone inside to stop and stare at us. Although we were surprised that it wasn't just ponies working around here.

"Hey, why are there others here?" I asked them.

"Hm? Oh! You mean you guys didn't know? This building is actually a Multimedia station, so basically most countries from around the world can watch their news channels in Equestria, too." Rider explained.

"Really? That's weird." Vincent told them.

"That's what everyone says, but they get over it eventually and appreciate it. In fact, I think we're the only ones to pull this sort of thing off. Hasn't collapsed on itself so far." Windy stated as we leave the work space and enter the CEO's office.

Surprisingly enough, it was an Earth pony mare running the place. She had a cherry red coloured fur, with some freckles, a modest styled out mane and tail, fiery orange coloration, and emerald green eyes. Seeing us, she smiled to us. "Hello Doom Marines. Can I just say that this is a unexpected surprise, but not unwelcome. My name is Isle Coral, and yes, not a name you would hear often, but I don't mind." She told us.

"Hey there. Sorry to come on such short notice, but I'm sure you know why we came today." I said to her and she nodded.

"I understand and I'm very sorry about tailing you. But I didn't want anyone to be left in the dark, even though it was completely rash of me to decide. Even so, I'm still quite surprise that other nations know about you." She stated.

"Would you believe us if we told you that we're older than you suspect?" Vincent asked her.

"Yes, actually." She answered calmly, surprising us in the process. "Oh, please. I have Dragons working around her too, you know. They haven't stopped talking about you lot, so I had them give me as much information as they can."

"That would be me they were talking about." I explained to her. "I was in their lands when the Empress from long ago came to us for aid."

"Alone?" She asked with a raised brow.

"It was a solo Covert Op, so yes, alone." I nodded to her.

"Doesn't sound like a Covert Op to me." She said.

"No, it wasn't. But it was still successful, nonetheless."

"I see." She nodded before asking us. "What about those four new warriors? The ones back when Ponyville was under attack."

Vincent and I looked at each other, thinking whether we should just tell her, or not.

"Is there something wrong?" Isle asked us, looking like as if she crossed a line she shouldn't have ever cross. "Was that a bit too personal? If so, then I'm sorry to ask."

"It's fine, nothing's wrong. Although, it's just that we don't know if what we say, you would believe us or not." I explained to her.

"Guys, it's fine. I mean, I know I'm going to get surprised, but I don't know just how much. So you can tell me." She told us, which seemed reassuring from the sound of things.

"Okay, quick question, do you believe that there are multiple universes, with alternative versions of your own dimension?" Vincent asked her.

"... Oh. That deep, huh?" She asked, looking surprised beyond belief, and we nodded to her. Taking in a deep breath, she took a seat behind her desk and motioned us closer. "Wow. I mean, I knew you guys were aliens for the most part. But hearing that the Multiverse actually exists, that takes the cake."

"So you believe us, why?" I questioned her.

"Guys, remember, Equestria has had its weirdest moments. Most things that we thought myth or legends tends to become fact and truth." She explained with a sigh. "That said, I've had scientists documented and filmed about the possibilities of life existing beyond our world, with different ways and such to ours, ponies tend to dismiss it all too easily. They just don't believe much."

"That sounds familiar." Vincent commented and I nodded in agreement.

"Well, tell about your story..." She said, and we told her. Of course, we kept it short, but with enough exposition to explain the kind of life we had ever since coming to Equestria. She was shocked to hear it, but she didn't dismiss it. We even explained about the whole Displaced thing, which she figured that Eliteslayer and all the others are Displaced, but from an alternative version of Equestria. At the end, both Thunder Rider and Windy Glider were staring at us, while Isle sighed. "That's a lot to take in, but the Science Department are gonna have a field day about this."

"So you do believe us." I said to her.

"Pretty much, whether or not everyone else would, is up to them." She told us, before getting up from her desk. "Anyway, may I ask you all out for a walk?" She asked.

"Where to?" Vincent inquired.

"Down to the Manehattan's Ministry of Science." She answered, before looking at the girls. "Girls, make sure your cameras are rolling, okay?"

"Uh, yes ma'am!" Rider said as she and Windy set their cameras up.

"Forgot they had those." I commented as we left the building.

It took about a couple of hours, but we made it to the Manehattan Ministry of Science. I'm surprised they even had one here. While it has the classic white building to it, one that either makes it look like a historical museum, or court, with a taller building connected to it from behind. It was a stylish one, with many windows, but you can't really see very well from this angle.

"Well, these guys are going to get a kick out of this." Isle commented with a chuckle as we entered through the front doors. "Oh, by the way, we'll be on the big screens for today. So everyone's gonna know."

"As if they haven't heard of us yet. If not that, some might as well get sick of us." I joked, making our laugh a little.

"Too true, bro." Vincent said before a group of the white coats came towards us. Although, one of them looked very... historically iconic.

"Good heavens, it really is them." The old Earth pony stallion said with gleam.

"Ah. Professor Einstallion." Isle called out with a smile. "How have things been for you and co?"

"Very good, my dear!" He answered happily, taking her hand and kissing it. "We've managed to make the breakthrough!"

"What breakthrough?" Vincent and I asked him at the same time.

"Ah, yes. I'm sure your kind has made the same impossible become the possible." He told us, before motioning for all of us to follow him. "Come, come now, I'm sure this will jog your memories."

We followed him through the ministry building, seeing some of the inventions that actually looked like art. In a way, I guess it is art, because you're creating something. Soon enough we've arrived at the restricted area, going down a hallway which lead to some stairs. I told some of our Ghosts to remain up here and on guard, spread out through the ministry. Those who have volunteer nodded and went invisible.

"Why would you asked them to do that?" Einstallion asked me.

"A precaution." I simply answered.

He hummed before nodding. "Yes, yes. You have the right idea." He said as we traveled down the stairs, coming up to a large metallic door. "Behind this door, is where we conduct our little science projects." He told us before knocking on the door.

A see-through window opened to see him, before closing it and opened up the door. "Ah, Professor Einstallion! I see you brought them here for it." The Earth pony stallion said, readjusting his glasses, and he was also a historical iconic figure, too.

"Indeed." Einstallion replied with a nod, before facing us again. "This is Professor Rutherbuck, a friend of mine that has singlehandedly made this discovery become a reality."

"No way. Are you saying that..." Vincent started, but I answered him.

"He did." I stated, which confused the others.

"I'm sorry my Lord, but we're a bit confused about this." Azurai said.

"Let's just head on through and have them explain it." I told him, as the two Scientist lead us through, but told the Camera mares to turn off their cameras and store them away.

Once that was done, we came up to a catwalk which overlooked a huge basement, where scientific projects and experiments took place, from smallest to largest.

"Wow..." We all said as the Professors chuckled at us.

"Indeed, it is. Come along, we have yet to show you it." Einstallion said in earnest, as those two lead us down and through. "Down here, is where both Science and Magic meet. Coming together to balance each other out, in order to coexist. Star Swirl the Bearded might as well be the leading pioneer for the two, technically speaking, but, while he hurled forward the potential of Magic, it also bore fruit to Science. You see, his notes documented some scientific mathematical and other related solutions, although most thought it was just how magic worked and nothing more. But delving into it more, by removing the magical part of the equation, you only end up with digits and codes. Thus, came the birth of Science." He explained, and while I may not know any of the sort, it would seem he removed the layers and opened up new possibilities.

"Indeed." Rutherbuck chimed in. "It's how I discovered the means to split a special particle, into two, through alchemy and other means."

"A particle?" Isle asked.

"Yes, indeed." He nodded as we walked through a vault and into a room. "In here, you will witness the splitting of the atom." He stated, as we looked through a tinted window, seeing two tubes with a glowing sphere in each. "The tube's glass have been modified to magnify the atoms, since they're so small and cannot be seen by the naked eye. The one on the right is the original, as the other one is the results of splitting it up." He explained as we all stared at the small spheres, that might as well hold the power of the sun.

"It's amazing. It's like watching Princess Celestia's Sun, without getting your eyes burned." Thunder Rider said in awe.

If only the peace would last, as alarms started going off...

([Third Person] Back up in the ministry...)

Those within the building were going around and admiring the inventions that Science bore fruit to the world at large. While that was happening, there were certain characters that have been lurking about in plain sight, but nobody was the wisest, as these individuals made it to the security room.

Once they silently killed off the guards inside, they started punching in command codes in the system and had the place on lockdown. On the outside, large metallic shielding started to cover the entire building, blocking the outside world from ever entering, while those within can never get out.

Once the building has been sealed off, those within disguises discarded their clothes and activated camouflage, disappearing from sight as they armed themselves with weapons, most of which consented of highly advanced guns.

Getting on the Comms, one of them spoke through it. "Operation is a go. Search and Destroy the Science Lab. Rig this place with high explosives. Failure is not an option."