Throughout the train ride, I was forced to listen to the girls trying to convince me that I was in no condition to be coming with them. Though they were right, I couldn't let them go around unescorted after the events which had just taken place. Just before the train had left the station it seemed that Sunny was able to get someone to come with me. Crimson had decided to accompany me, this allowed at least one of us to be in full armour and fully armed for this journey. Crimson had even taken to keeping the scope on her rifle, in a way she was quickly becoming the team's sniper.

The journey had taken us a few hours in order to reach our destination, we ended up leaving the main track to the north of Equestria resulting in us ending up within a small area of desert. The train track abruptly cut to an end depositing us in an area which seems to be completely uninhabited. Figuring out our location using the railway track, Twilight was able to use a map in order to determine our direction of travel to find where the map was sending us.

We were left wandering the desert for what felt like hours. With the hot sun canvassing the area I was forced to remove my jacket and tie it around my waist, in a way it helped to conceal my pistol and sword as it covered them up entirely. It didn't take long for the walk to leave me feeling uncomfortable, every few steps would cause a sharp pain to raise through my torso often resulting in us slowing down. Thankfully I brought my prescription medication with me, I was able to find some sort of painkiller which helped immensely.

Coming to a small hill we decide to climb the natural feature in order to view the location, according to the map it should just be on the other side of the hill. Forcing myself up the hill we all come to a stop at the edge as we look down below, it seems that the map had decided to send us to a town in the middle of nowhere. From here I'm able to make out a few ponies walking down bellow, all the houses have been lined up on either side of the street with one building sitting by itself on the end.

"That's it," Twilight announces. "That's the place on the map."

Wiping the dust from her mane, Rarity begins to walk down the path leading towards the town. "Right. Let's get down there and find the spa."

Teleporting in front of Rarity, Twilight blocks her path as she presses her hoof against Rarity's chest, "Wait. We don't know why the map sent us here. We shouldn't just walk right in. It could be dangerous."

Tilting my head to Crimson I hold my hand out to her, "Pass me your rifle."

As Crimson unslings her rifle and passes it to me, Pinkie suddenly rushes to the edge of the hill. "Stay behind me, everypony. I'm on it." Without warning, she leans forwards causing herself to roll down bellow to a succession of rocks. Signalling for the others to advance she starts to move closer to the town, using a number of rocks as cover in the process.

Taking control of the rifle I look to the girls, "You may as well join her. Me and Crimson will do a quick reccy before joining you." The girls share a glance with one another before moving ahead to join Pinkie. Lifting the rifle I adjust the lenses of the scope before observing the town below. Scanning the area it seems to be an ordinary town, a little boring and in the middle of nowhere but there's nothing out of the ordinary. That is until I scan over the residents. They've all got freaky smiles plastered on their faces which seem to be forced, on top of that their cutie marks all seem to be equal signs which you'd see in a maths equation. What the fuck?

Crimson can obviously see the confusion on my face as she steps alongside me, "What's wrong? What do you see?"

Lowering the rifle I pass it back to her, "I thought all cutie marks for ponies were unique? That they displayed your talent or skill in life?"

Taking her rifle back she looks at me in puzzlement, "Yeah... why?"

"They have all got the same bloody mark."

"What? Are you sure those painkillers aren't messing with your head?"

Lifting my hand I point towards the town as the girls all start to lean over a large rock to observe the town themselves. "Then you take a look and tell me if I'm going mad or not. I'm telling you, they've all got the exact same mark."

Positioning the rifle she rises onto her hind legs before resting the body of the rifle on her left foreleg to act as support. Scanning the town bellow her eyes widen before she slowly shifts her head towards me, "Okay... maybe those drugs aren't messing with your head."

Scoffing I step to the side, "Not yet. Knowing my luck it won't be long." Patting the side of Crimson's neck I start to move towards the path, "Come on. We should join the girls and figure out why the hell we've been sent here." As Crimson slings the rifle over her back we both advance down the path to join up with the girls as they wait for us.

As we approach the girls, Applejack turns to Twilight, "I reckon we just ought to head into town and talk to some locals, find out what's goin' on."

Rubbing my neck I step alongside her, "We aren't exactly going to learn much out here. It is an Equestrian village so I don't see a reason why they'll be hostile."

Narrowing her eyes, Pinkie stares down at the village, "Those smiles are bad news." Lifting my head I look to the ponies in question. I thought they looked bad at a distance, from here they just give off a disturbing vibe. It reminds me of some creepy cult, a load of fanatics who seem to be too happy to follow their ideology or some nut job of a leader.

Descending the last hill we join the main road leading into the village, the six girls are all leading in front with myself and Crimson following from behind. If anything goes wrong here we should be able to cover both bases, she's got her rifle for long range engagements whereas I've got my pistol and sword for close range. Stepping between the first set of buildings, the eyes of everyone within the village quickly snap onto us. The smiles spread over their muzzles intensify as almost every single one of them spouts 'welcome' at us. Straight away my skin starts to crawl, I can't quite put my finger on it but something feels very, very wrong.

Getting halfway through the village a pale grey Unicorn with some sort of khaki cloak approaches our group and focuses on Twilight. "Welcome! Pardon my forwardness, but are you an Alicorn?" Fucking hell... even when he speaks that messed up smile won't go away.

As Twilight smiles sheepishly, Applejack raises her hoof to Twilight, "That there's the Princess of Friendship."

"Well, you've certainly come to the right place for friendship." The way he says that last part immediately causes alarm bells to ring in my head. Okay, something weird is definitely going on here.

Another white Earth pony joins alongside the first as he addresses Twilight, "What brings you to town?"

"We're not entirely sure," Twilight responds as the first pony steps to the side and begins to stare at Rarity with that creepy smile. I can tell straight away that she's getting uncomfortable due to his proximity and his behaviour in general.

"I see. Well, all are welcome here in our little village. My name is Double Diamond, and this is Party Favor."

"Howdy, Double Diamond," Applejack replies before she starts to point towards everyone. "I'm Applejack, and this here's Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle." Pausing she glances back to me and Crimson, "And these are our... er, guides. Crimson and John."

Switching his focus to me I can't help but scowl at how positive he is, "Forgive me if I sound rude, but I've never seen any of your kind before."

Folding my arms I roll my eyes, "Story of my life. I'm a human and the only one in this entire world. You won't find any more out there."

Not pursuing that line of questioning he moves dangerously close to Twilight and Pinkie as he examines their cutie marks. "And you all have your own unique cutie marks." Pinkie's response is to shift her tail in order to conceal her mark from him. I don't blame you. If you pulled that face and moved close to a girls ass back home, you'd find yourself in a world of shit.

"If you don't mind, has there been any sort of... trouble here, lately?" Twilight asks.

"Trouble? Why, I don't think we've ever had trouble in our little village."

"It's true. You'll see." Party Favours adds as he gives some sort of weird 'hmm' at the end.

"Perhaps you'd care to speak to our founder Starlight Glimmer." As the two of them turn on the spot they begin to lead us towards the house at the end of the street.

As Fluttershy starts to talk to the girls I take a step back and whisper into Crimson's ear, "Does this place come off as... weird to you?"

Crimson gives a slow nod as she looks behind us, "Definitely. I felt more comfortable in the Griffin Empire during the war then I do here."

Following her gaze, I can't help but feel disturbed as everyone seems to be following behind us with those stupid grins plastered on their faces. "Agreed. At least then we knew that somebody was trying to kill us. I can't tell if these guys are psychopathic murderers of if they're just overfriendly."

"Hopefully the latter."

Adjusting the jacket around my waist I move it in such a way that gives me quick access to my sword. "Well, then it wouldn't be any fun."

Crimson shakes her head, "I think you've had enough fun for a while."

Reaching the doorstep both Party Favour and Double Diamond knock on the door in unison. As the door opens, Double Diamond leads us in, "Starlight, we have some new visitors." Upon entering the house there doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, it may lack much decoration but other than that it's a normal house. A fireplace sits in the corner of the room alongside a pale blue wooden door, the other corner of the room has a staircase leading upstairs. The main walls are made from stone reminding me of an old country cottage you'd find out at one of the national parks back home. Filling the room are various pieces of furniture, bookshelves, small tables and a picture hanging on the wall displaying the same symbol all the ponies have on their flank.

As I rest my hand on the handle of my sword, Rainbow turns her head to Applejack. "Be ready to fight. We don't know what's gonna come through that door." We're in a house... I bet it's just going to be a pony with the same mark and an annoying grin.

Stepping out of the door at the far end of the room a Unicorn mare approaches us, "Welcome. I'm so pleased to have you here." I called it.
She's even got the smile on her face, though it's not as bad as the others. Looking at her more closely she's also got the same cutie mark as all the others. Her coat is a pale shade of pink with her mane being a dark shade of purple containing highlights of a lighter shade and pale aqua blue.

As Rainbow groans, Double Diamond begins to point to everyone. "This is Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle, with their guides Crimson and John."

As Twilights wings seem to flutter, Starlight examines her horn and wings closely. "Forgive my bluntness, but I'm assuming it's Princess Twilight Sparkle? We don't get many Alicorns around here."

Twilight tries to match her grin, "Yes, but 'Twilight' is fine."

Pausing, Starlight freezes as her eyes finally focus on me. Taking a few steps past the others her eyes seem to study me intently, after a quick scan of my body I notice her eyes flicking to the sword resting on my belt. With her usual smile, she locks eyes with me, "I'm afraid I've never seen your kind before. What exactly are you? If you don't mind me asking."

Removing my hand from my sword I rest my hands on my hips. "I'm a human."

"He's the only one in this entire world," Double Diamond adds, repeating my previous statement. "You won't find any more out there." Are you a fucking parrot or something?

This seems to intrigue Starlight as she tilts her head, "The only one of your kind? Where did you come from?"

"My planet is called 'Earth.' If you want to get technical, I'm from England, part of the United Kingdom."

Starlight pauses before taking a step closer, "The United Kingdom? The nation is United?"

Cocking a brow I quickly glance to the others, "...Yeah. It's made up of four countries which are governed by one central government."

"So this 'United Kingdom' is joined together? You're all equal?"

Scoffing I fold my arms, "In theory. It doesn't quite work out that way though."

Lifting her hooves she points to my clothing, "Why are you and your fellow 'guide' fully clothed?"

Before I can respond, Pinkie jumps forwards with her usual demeanour. "Human's don't like to walk around with no clothes on. And Crimson over there is a guard, just like John." As soon as she finishes her sentence her attitude quickly changes as she shuffles backwards with her earlier untrusting expression still on her face.

Her eyes once again snap onto me, "You're a guard?"

"He's a Captain in Princess Luna's Guard," Pinkie once again shouts from behind me.

Starlight's eyes widen "A Captain?" Regaining her composure, her smile quickly returns, "Well, that would explain the weapon. However, I can assure you that there will be no need for it here. We are a peaceful village with no problems whatsoever, we live together in equality and harmony." Stepping away from me she once again moves in front of Twilight, "So. How did you hear of our little village?"

"It's kind of a long story," Twilight responds. "Let's just say we found it on a map."

Pinkie pushes past me once again to address Starlight, "Technically, it's a Tree-chest-castle-map."

As Pinkie moves back, Starlight looks back to Twilight with a smile. "Well, however you found us, we're happy to have you. We're happy to have anypony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time."

Applejack looks to her with an unamused expression, "Say what?" With a soft chuckle, I shake my head. I'm with you, Applejack. This sounds so crazy, it's kinda like a cult.

Stepping towards the side, Starlight straightens a picture on the wall which shows the familiar cutie mark. "Oh, indeed. That's what's so unique about our village, you see. Around here, we don't flaunt our special talents because we don't have any special talents to flaunt."

"Is that why you all have those cutie marks?" Twilight asks as she raises her hoof to point at Starlight's cutie mark.

"Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave you a tour of the village." Turning to the side she moves straight towards the door. As she's about to open it I let out a frustrated sigh. Great... being shown around a boring town by a nutjob. What could be better? Stepping through the door I swear I can hear a drum beat developing. "Heads high, ponies! Marching proud!" Oh God... please no. As a whistle starts to blow everyone from the town quickly converges on her. "All together now! Every one of you! No pony left behind!"

Fuck my life! There is no way I'm going out there whilst they're having a musical number. As the girls reluctantly step outside I remain in the doorway as I lean against the frame and watch with an unamused expression on my face. I decided to stay as far away from the song as possible, the last thing I want is for any of them to engage with my or expecting me to join in with them.

It's only as they go on with their song that I start to get a bad feeling about this town, certain phrases which they use don't sit right with me. 'Because we do not separate ourselves by more than name'? So, no matter what differences they have, they're all made to be equal to one another? What about their skills in life?

'We're all equal here. No one is superior'? Those two phrases set alarm bells ringing in my head. Instantly I stand up straight as I once again rest my hand on the handle of my sword. Nobody is separated based on their skills or abilities in life, and you're all supposed to be equal with nobody being Superior? The only exception being Starlight who is in charge of the town and makes all the rules. Holy shit... this is some sort of fucked up communist cult!

'There's just too many differences that lead to disarray, but when you learn to act as one it's like a holiday?' Yeah... a really cosy holiday, one that ends up with you in the gulag if you fucking disagree. That settles it, this town is fucked up. This is a daft ideology where everyone if forced to be equal despite having talents which should be utilised. What about doctors, mechanics or teachers? Fuck their special talent, they shouldn't use their skills for the good of society? Though this group isn't fully portraying communism, it's getting dangerously close.

By the time their song finishes Rainbow can't seem to contain her laughter in disbelief. As the girls go back to talking to Starlight, Crimson makes her way from the group and steps alongside me. "Remeber what you said about this place being weird?" I nod to her. "It's definitely looking that way."

Rubbing my eyes I quickly scan the village, "The resemblance to Earth is just so fucking weird."

"What resemblance?"

"This daft ideology of equality through everyone being in the same position. We had an ideological group back on Earth which was similar. Communism."

Crimson cocks a brow as she looks to me, "And... did it work?"

Shrugging I turn my head to her, "It's a nice idea, in theory. What doesn't sound good about everyone being completely equal to others in society? It doesn't work that way though. Despite the preaching of equality, it's no different than capitalism. The few remain at the top and are better off than the rest whilst the rest are left below, the only difference is that you know about it in capitalism and can work your way up. Communism... you're kinda stuck there and you can't argue with the state otherwise you'd often be imprisoned or sent to your death."

Crimson's eyes widen as she steps to the side, "Is it really that bad?"

"After the Second World War the communist USSR kept all the territories it captured and 'unified them' as part of the USSR. Europe was essentially divided into two, the communist east and the capitalist west. It didn't take long for the Cold War to develop where both sides pointed nuclear weapons at one another whilst they fought to spread to their ideological differences across the globe. It led to many wars and skirmishes where the USSR and the USA fought indirectly against one another, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Cuban missile crisis to name a few. I don't know the full details of it but the USSR eventually collapsed in '91."

"You don't know?"

Cocking a brow I watch as Starlight starts to move away from the girls back towards us outside her house, "I never did learn that much about the Cold War or the USSR for that matter, it just didn't really intrigue me. I know about the world wars and some basic history on Britain, thats about it." Before Starlight reaches us I lean closer to Crimson, "Stick with the girls for now. I'll be with you shortly."

As Crimson and Starlight cross paths, Starlight stops in front of me. "I hope that you'll enjoy your visit to our little corner of Equestria. I'd like to ask you something, if I may?" I look at her momentarily before nodding, "Your species, 'humans,' do you have cutie marks like the ponies of Equestria?"

Scratching my stubble I shake my head, "Human's don't have cutie marks. We don't have anything which displays our 'special talents.' We just have certain skills in life which we learn to use. Quite frankly, I don't see why you don't allow people here to use thier talents to better the community."

"Cutie marks often lead to disharmony, singling out those who lack that particular talent. Flaunting talents can make ponies feel less valued. With no marks or special talents, we're all equal and have true friendship."

"Marks or talents in life have nothing to do with friendship. I don't have a mark. I have skills as an engineer, soldier and I can even speak another language, despite my 'differences' to the girls I still consider them friends." Pushing myself from the wall I look at the girls as they're all seated at a table outside. "Once we know why we've been brought here, we'll be out of your hair." Stepping off I pause and glance back at her, "One last thing. Do you know someone by the name of... Joseph Stallion?"

Looking at me in confusion she shakes her head, "No. Why?"

"No reason." It was worth a shot.

Regaining her composure she steps back into her house, "Who knows, by the end of your visit your perspective of our village may change. Most ponies don't want to leave." As soon as she steps inside the door quickly closes between us. 'They don't want to leave'? They most likely don't have a choice on the matter.

Stepping through the street I quickly scan over all of the residents, I can't help but notice that their attention seems to regularly shift to the girls sat at the table. We need to get out of this place. The sooner, the better. Before I continue to the girls a sudden pain shoots through my chest causing my gut to tie itself in knots. Forcing my hand against my chest I groan as I make my way towards the girls as they all seem to be looking at a fairly unappetising plate of what I suspect to be muffins. Collapsing on the bench between Pinkie and Rarity I quickly remove my field pack and throw it on the table.

As the girls all turn to me, Rarity places a hoof on my forearm, "Are you alright, darling?"

I don't respond as I frantically search through my field pack for my medication. During the journey, the contents of the paper bag had emptied themselves into the field pack meaning that everything had been thrown about and buried within the pack. After a moment frantically searching I finally find another clear phial and quickly remove its cap before draining it of its contents. Gagging from the taste I rest my head in my hands as I slump forward, the drugs immediately start to help with the pain but I still find myself in a lot of discomfort as my heart starts to race.

"John," Applejack's voice calls out from across the table. "You holdin' up okay?"

After a few shaky breaths I lift my head, "Yeah. I'm okay, just... needed my painkillers."

"You shouldn't have come," Twilight adds. "You should be resting, not following us around out here."

"I couldn't let you come out here by yourselves. Especially in this messed up town."

"They may do things differently, but that's no reason to be rude." Fluttershy says as she looks at me in irritation.

Turning my attention to her I sit up straight, "Trust me, this place is bad news. I don't trust Starlight one bit or this talk of 'equality.' Things will only end badly."

"We can't just leave," Twilight responds. "We need to figure out why the map brought us here, and we may have a lead."

Cocking a brow I watch Pinkie as she tried her hardest to eat the plate full of muffins, "Is it at the bottom of those muffins?"

Twilight quickly glances to Double Diamond who's tucking into his own muffin a few tables down from us. "We need to speak to Sugar Belle, but we need to get rid of these muffins so we have an excuse to go inside."

"We may be here a while," Applejack states as we watch Pinkie as she struggles to eat. "You can drink like it's nothin', surely you can help Pinkie eat all those muffins?"

The other girls all look at me expectantly, "Really? I have a messed up gut and can hardly eat, yet you want me to try those disgusting brown blobs which are apparently muffins?" Pinkie lifts her head to look at me, her eyes lock onto mine in an attempt to plead for me to help her. Sighing I grab two muffins and rest the one in front of Crimson who's sat across from me, "Eat up."

Scrunching up her muzzle she shakes her head, "I'm not eating that."

"That's an order, Private."

Lifting her hoof she points back at me, "You're off duty."

"If I'm expected to eat this shit then you're going to help me." Releasing a defeated sigh she lifts the muffin and slowly bites into it, her disgust instantly showing on her face. Eying the muffin sceptically I first bring it to my nose and inhale. It doesn't exactly smell very good. Deciding to get this done as quickly as I can I bite into it and immediately regret my choice. What the fuck? It's worse than rations, and that's saying something. I find it difficult to eat the dry food as it crunches between my teeth, the lack of flavour and the rough texture making me want to instantly spit it back onto the floor.

Taking another bite my face scrunches up as I glance to Applejack, "You owe me... big time."

As I slowly finish my muffin, Pinkie lifts the last one from the plate and places it into her mouth. Lifting her head, Applejack speaks out in order for others around us to hear, "I can't believe you three ate all our muffins! We'd best go inside and get some more!"

As they rise from their seats I respond in a monotone voice, "They were just too delicious. I better stay here so I don't eat the rest of them like the fat fucker I am." As all the girls head inside, Crimson joins them leaving me alone at the table outside. The rest of the town's residents quickly return to their business as the girls leave their view. Releasing a sigh I turn my head to the side and spit onto the floor in an attempt to get rid of the horrid taste in my mouth.

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After some time the girls reemerged from the bakery, they gave me a quick overview of what they learnt. Apparently the residents of the town underwent a ritual referred to as the 'cutie unmarking' where Starlight used the 'staff of sameness' to remove and replace their cutie marks. The cutie marks are stored in something referred to as the 'vault' which are located within the caves surrounding the village.

Upon learning this it meant that Twilight wanted to speak to Starlight in order to try and visit these caves. In my opinion, it was a stupid idea to go to Starlight in order to locate the caves where she performed a ceremony to remove ponies cutie marks but unfortunately it was the easiest way to locate the cave and figure out our next step. Since the girls had these sorts of adventures on a regular basis I decided that I'd let them take the lead and I'd simply act as their protection.

Walking up the path towards the caves overlooking the town, Starlight leads our group with us following close behind. "I'm delighted you're interested in our cutie mark vault. We hope someday every pony in Equestria will make a pilgrimage here to our little village to have theirs removed too, and our message of-"

As Starlight continues talking about the cutie mark vault, Twilight speaks to us in a hushed tone, "This must be the reason we're here."

"Pilgrimaging?" Pinkie asks as she tilts her head.

"No, helping those ponies get their cutie marks back."

"Oh, are you sure, Twilight?" Fluttershy asks. "Maybe they miss them a little, but even they didn't seem all that unhappy."

Scoffing I glance behind me as Double Diamond follows us, "Yeah... because 'glorious leader' said they can't be unhappy. Do as she says or there'll be hell to pay."

Reaching a cave Starlight turns back to us, "Just through here." I share a glance with Crimson as Starlight heads straight inside. Following her into the cave my eyes widen at what I see before me. Resting against the back wall of the cave is a large glass structure which is partitioned into sections, each containing their own cutie mark. The marks vary from chess pieces, a drum and even a block of cheese. Sitting in front of the structure is a stone altar with what I presume is the 'staff of sameness' resting on top. "Behold! Our cutie mark vault!"

Starlight approaches the staff, "And here is the Staff of Sameness." Using her magic she takes hold of it in her magic before turning back to face us "It was one of the great mage Meadowbrook's nine enchanted items. We are incredibly fortunate to have it here. This is the tool that allows us to free ourselves from our marks." Looking at the staff, Starlight pauses before looking back at us. "I'm curious. How did the subject of the vault come up?"

Without thinking, Pinkie starts to reply, "Oh, some ponies were telling us how much they missed their cutie marks, and -"

"-Pinkie!" Twilight interrupts her as she glares at Pinkie.

"Oops," Lifting her hooves she covers her mouth as she backs up.

"Were they?" Starlight asks as she approaches us with the staff twirling in her magic. "Well, it seems you inspire all sorts of free thinking, don't you?" Starlight eyes narrow as she looks to us all. On instinct my hand shifts to rest on my sword as I notice Crimson shifting the rifle as it hangs around her waist.

Rarity chuckles nervously, "Well, w-we certainly didn't intend to cause any disruptions to your charming little-"

"-Good. Let's just make sure of that, shall we?"Glancing around, I watch as a number of ponies emerge from the sides of the cave as Starlight raises the staff ready. As one of the ponies gets close to me I quickly deliver a quick jab against his chest knocking him back before drawing my sword and readying myself for them to attack. My attention is dragged away when I hear Twilight crying out in agony. Lifting my head I watch as Starlight's magic envelopes Twilight focusing on her cutie mark, in a matter of seconds her mark is peeled from her flank leaving an equals sign in its place before Starlight throws it into the vault as she drops Twilight.

As she shifts her focus to the other girls and Crimson her magic quickly covers them. Grasping my sword I brush my left hand over the sword's enchantment and start to charge her. As I take a few steps towards her the blade becomes fully enflamed as it's power takes over. Getting closer a sharp pain shoots up my hand as it grasps the sword, I fall to my knees and scream in agony as the sensation quickly forces its way up my arms and quickly follows my body till it reaches my head.

Clamping my eyes shut a white flash seems to force itself against my eyelids before images start to flash by in my head. I find myself back in Twilight's library with my sword scraping against blade as the flame from the enchantment burns. Shifting my gaze I feel my heart drop as I find Spectre at the end of the blade. No... No. I can't watch this.

Pushing her back I chop down with my sword which she attempts to block, despite her defence my sword is able to carve into hers embedding itself into the steel of her sword. With a flick of my wrist, I'm able to force the sword from her grip as it clatters to the floor. Before she can recover I raise my hand bringing my sword back before swinging it against her armour. She lets out a pained scream as the weapon slices through the steel breastplate like a hot knife through butter. As she stumbles backwards the pain in my head subsides as I regain control of my body.

Tilting my head back I find the girls are surrounded by the villagers with Crimson's rifle underneath the hoof of one of the crowd. Turning my head back to Starlight she grins at me as she twirls the staff in her grasp. "Well, you haven't got a cutie mark so I'll have to try something different with you." Before I can react she forces the wooden staff against the side of my head knocking me to the floor as my eyes lock on the ceiling. In a matter of seconds, everything fades to black as I hear the girls call my name.

I... I really did kill Spectre.