“I thought I had seen the last of you after I left your world.” Silver planted his hooves on this mare’s desk.

“Well guess what I am back and you are in my town. So I challenge you to a race. I still have a score to settle after that first one.” She was right up in Silver’s face.

“Wait you’re telling me you know her. And what was all that about traveling between worlds?” I was looking at Silver in confusion.

“I will explain in time. For now, Spitfire you still like the taste of weird things. I have a few I would like to share with you.” Silver dropped down off Spitfire’s desk.

“Do it and I will kill you where you stand.” Spitfire reached underneath her desk.

“Oh really?” Silver cocked his head sideways.

“Try me.” Neither of them were backing down.

I had gotten off of Harmony and onto my own hooves. I trotted slowly between Silver and Spitfire before saying anything.

“Somepony explain to me what in tartarus is going on here!” I looked between the two.

“I use to know her. She trained me to fly and was a huge bitch to me.” Silver pointed at Spitfire.

“And I used to know this piece of shit. Had to teach him to fly to get him out of my hair.” Spitfire scoffed at Silver.

Harmony ask one question. “So why are you two at each other's throats?” She was standing nearby just in case I needed her.

“That little shit you call a friend pissed on me during a race.” Spitfire’s face contorted.

“You had it coming you were trying to kill me.” Silver put his front hooves back up on the desk.

“No I was simply trying to win so you would have more time to train before you got sent out on missions.” Spitfire raised her hooves to the desk.

“I could have done so much worse. I hope you know that.” Silver was a little bit reserved with his words.

“If you had you wouldn’t be standing here today.” Spitfire loomed over Silver.

“ENOUGH!” I grabbed them both in my magic and dragged them in front of me. I didn’t let go of them while I talked.

“You two are going to drive me insane if I have to listen to you and your bullshit for any longer. Now Silver tell her what we are here to do.” I turned towards him and gave him a death glare.

“Ok. We are here to protect your city from the incoming threat of two groups of raiders.” Silver sighed as he spoke.

“We don’t need your help to defend this city. We’ve got everything under control.” Spitfire struggled to slap Silver.

I set Silver down before pinning Spitfire to a wall. “Now you listen here. We have come here to protect this town and we aren’t leaving until we do so. You can either let us stay here of your own volition, or we can stay here by force.” I push her harder up against the wall.

“GUARDS!” Spitfire yelled much louder than I thought possible unassisted.

A few guards burst through the door just as a blue wing was thrust in front of them. They slammed into it nearly suffocating themselves. They hobbled backwards and the door slammed shut.

“Thank you Silver.” I nodded to him.

“My pleasure.” The smile on his face was a pleasant sight.

“Now I’m going to give you a few seconds to decide whether or not this city burns to the ground or is saved.” I pulled her away from the wall before slamming her back into it.

“Fine. You may stay here but only if you put me down this instant.” She struggled against my magic.

I dropped her and let her hit the floor. She glared at me and got to her hooves.

“Now then if you don’t mind I have a city to run.” She sat down in the chair and spun away from us. “That is your cue to leave.” She waved at us.

“I don’t think so. I still have to humiliate you one last time before I leave.” Silver had left something for Spitfire near her desk.

“And what do you think you are going to do to me.” She spun around as Silver opened the door.

“I left you a present. Goodbye.” He took a few steps forward.

Spitfire got up from her desk and looked at the floor. “Silver!”

“Bye.” Silver trotted on out of the building leaving a pile of shit in Spitfire’s office and a trail of piss as he walked.

“We need to get that stallion some training in manners. I don’t exactly like having to walk out of this building following a trail of piss.” Harmony stepped over the trail of piss and trotted well clear of it.

“Agreed. We should talk to him about this. For now though we need to prepare for the incoming assault. We have a day or so at most to get ready for…” A large explosion stopped me mid sentence.

We galloped out into the street and towards the front entrance. A hole big enough for a fully grown manticore had been blown into the solid steel. An army of raiders was flooding in killing anypony in their path.

“We need to protect the city. Everypony ready your weapons we have some raiders to kill.” We galloped down to the entrance of the city picking off the few raiders that had gotten to us.

Most had knives or swords and were no threat to us as long as we kept our distance. The ones with guns proved to be more of a challenge.

The closer we got to the entrance the more we were under fire from ponies with guns. A bullet grazed my flank and I rolled for cover. My armor had been practically destroyed in the gunfight earlier and I had nothing on but a few bandages.

I peeked out of cover and before getting shot at I counted at least thirty raiders. Dammit we have to kill all of these idiots if we want to survive.

A raider rounded the corner I was hiding behind. “Come here and let me kill you.” The unicorn had a small pistol by his side.

“No.” I blew his head into pieces. “I don’t think so.”

I ducked in and out of cover taking down the raiders as I could but they just kept coming. Their army seemed nearly endless. I wondered how the others were doing.

Silver’s POV

The raiders had broken in through the gate and were pouring in in waves. As much as I hated Spitfire and wanted to see everything she had worked for fall to pieces as she watched I knew I couldn’t let all these innocent ponies be slaughtered.

“Dammit. I need to help out and save this shit hole from burning. Even if it means working with that bitch again. For now I think there are a few raiders who need to die.” I took off staying low to the ground so I wouldn’t be seen flying overhead.

A group of raiders came charging at me. I flipped my wing forward sending a knife into a stallion’s throat. He went up in a fireball scorching a few of his friends. They stopped only long enough to put out the fires that were killing them.

I flicked another knife but the raiders had learned from their friend and dodged it. The knife went hurtling off into the distance eventually sinking into a wall.

One of the raiders had cleared the distance between us and was readying his sword. I grabbed it with my magic and turned his weapon against him. I shoved the sword through his chest and all the way through him.

He tried to breath but only found blood where air should have been. I ripped the sword out of him and swung at the next foe. His head rolled to a stop about ten feet to my right.

“So. Do you want to die today scum?” A raider stood before me.

“I’m not afraid of you. I’ll eat your entrails for breakfast.” He started to move but was stopped in his tracks by a bullet.

One of the stallions I had come here with shot the raider in the head.

“Thanks.” I looked back down the hill to the gate.

“No problem. Look out.” He ducked below an incoming spear before firing his gun.

I grabbed the spear and hurled it into the crowd of raiders. I landed the spear through two raiders killing the first one instantly and leaving the second to a slow painful death.

“Nice throw.” This stallion had apparently never been in too many firefights.

“Thanks. Living in the wasteland your entire life does have some advantages.” I was scanning for the next raider stupid enough to attack.

“Yeah remind me not to get on your bad side.”

More raiders were pouring into the city. Most of them had guns and not some crappy spears and swords. I tossed a shield over Onyx. I think his name was Onyx. I tossed one over him just as the raiders opened fire. I had to dodge a few bullets before putting up a shield around myself.

“Hey watch this.” I called out to the stallion before using a trick I hadn’t had to practice for a long while.

I focused my magic and tore the skulls out of the raiders who had guns. This provided a momentary distraction for me to throw another knife at the raiders.

“That is awesome and gruesome. Seriously remind me not to get on your bad side.” He stared in awe at the skulls levitating in front of us.

“I’m just getting started.” A group of raiders were engulfed in flames. There screams echoed in my mind. I had seen many ponies burn to death before but it was still absolutely horrifying to watch. Onyx had a harder time keeping his lunch in his stomach than I did. “Yeah, I don’t do that unless I absolutely need to. Takes a lot of magic and concentration. We’re lucky I didn’t drop the shields.”

The raiders had regained control over their bodies and were charging us again. I heard gunshots from behind us. I turned to see the light blue maybe cyan mare charge at the raiders. If I was going to stick with this group I seriously needed to learn their names.

A few paces behind her was the blood red mare. Her face showed no fear. It showed the exact opposite, anger. The last time I had seen rage like that I had watched the growing fireball of a pissed off pegasus mare.

“Hey Silver would you mind giving us something to hide behind.” My mind finally snapped back to what was happening and I threw a shield around them.

“Thanks. Onyx where are Demo and Stone?” Midnight leaned on Harmony a little bit.

“We got separated. They ran this way when I saw them last.” Onyx was looking around for his friend and I thought his lover.

“Silver have you seen them?” My gaze snapped back to Midnight.

“No. I’ve been a little preoccupied killing off these raiders.” I looked down the hills to the next group of raiders.

“Yeah. Do you want to show them a few of your tricks?” Onyx had seen my concern.

“I think that would be best saved for another time. Besides I’m out of throwing knives. I need to make sure to replace those things more often.” I shook my wing a few times.

The two stallions they had been talking about were flanking the raiders. Fortunately for them none of the raiders had noticed them or they would be dead. I pointed a hoof at them. The others followed my gaze to the two stallions ripping the raiders to shreds.

“Well what are we waiting for I think they might need some help.” Onyx readied his weapon.

“My feelings exactly. I’m going to drop the shields for a few seconds. Prepare to fire your weapons.” They nodded. “Three. Two. One.” I dropped the shields hurling the sword laying at my hooves into the nearest crowd of raiders.

After they started to open fire again I threw the shield back up. My magic was growing weaker and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold the shields for long. Midnight was on the ground. One of the bullets had struck her in her front right hoof.

The bullet had passed cleanly through so I levitated her a healing potion. She grabbed it and drank it in one go. Her hoof started to return back to its normal state. She took pressure off of it for a few seconds before putting her hoof back on the ground.

“We need to get down to them. If we don’t do something soon they could get themselves killed.” I whispered to myself. “Come on dammit Silver you have been trained to deal with situations like this. What would they do?” I looked to the others. “Advance towards the enemy I will be able to keep the shield around you up for another minute or two but once it drops you need to be ready to kill these buckers quickly.” I looked around for my opening.

“What are you going to do?” The cyan mare was tending to Midnight.

“What I was trained to do.” I jumped into the air like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

The raiders tried to take me down but were too slow avoiding my first attack. I rained fire down on them not trying to hit one target in particular. I was throwing fireballs bigger than most foals. They trained their weapons on me and I flew out of the way to avoid being shot down.

They were slow, stupid and really easy to kill. From the air I could see most of the ponies outside of the gate had entered in and were wreaking havoc anyway they could.

I dropped down a few feet to avoid a barrage of bullets heading directly at my head.

“Well now you’ve done it. You’ve pissed me off.” I knew they couldn’t hear me but this didn’t stop me.

I dive bombed the raiders hitting as many groups with fire as I could before having to land to avoid more gunfire.

The raiders surrounded me. Fortunately most of the ones I had landed next to had swords instead of guns. “Perfect.”

The first raider stepped up to the plate and galloped towards me with a sword held in his mouth.

I lifted my wing hitting the sword in his mouth. The sword spun out of his mouth and to the floor. The strike had stunned him and almost certainly broken his jaw.

“Hasn’t anypony told you not to run with sharp things in your mouth. You could hurt somepony or worse yet yourself. That is reserved to me.” I could have used his sword to kill him but I loved the feel of my wing whistling through the air just before it came into contact with my foes.

I stopped just before his head so he could see what would cause his death. He stared at me terrified. I grabbed his sword and rammed it through the skull of the unicorn approaching me with her weapon.

“Now aren’t you lucky you didn’t die right then. So tell me who's next? Nopony’s going to volunteer. I don’t really care I just wanted to see if anypony was brave enough to face me.” I smiled readying my wing blade.

I cut the raiders head in two and flung the blood at the other raiders standing around me. They were shaking but were still not convinced to leave. I shrugged before killing another two raiders before they could react.

“Still want to fight me?” A few dropped their weapons and turned to run but were stopped when the voice of a mare sounded.

“Stay and fight you cowards or I will personally kill you.” They grabbed the weapons they had just dropped and lunged at me.

I spun in a circle slicing through most of them easily. Bits and pieces of them scattered the ground. A leg here and head there.

I jumped back into the air avoiding another volley of gunfire. I turned to see the group I had been with fighting to keep the raiders at bay. The shield had dropped when I was fighting these assholes. I was about to come to their aid when another alicorn floated down in front of me.

“Well well well. You seem to be skilled in the ways of combat child. Let’s see how you do against a real opponent.” The mare was a dark green color. Her mane was the color of the ground below me dark and ugly as if she dyed it with blood.

“So you think you can kill me? I’m not certain about that but what do you say we get out of here.” I had learned a few tactics to deal with mares while I was being trained and from the smell of things I could easily distract this one.

“What are you talking about you foal?” We both hovered in the air.

“I’m just saying we could leave these ponies to fight and we could go have some fun.” I accentuated my sentence with a wink.

“And what do you suggest?” The mare knew exactly what I meant.

“Oh I don’t know. Are you in heat?” I licked my lips a few times for effect.

“Very confident in yourself. Sounds fun but I’m afraid I must decline. A stallion such as yourself has no chance in tartarus of pleasing me.” She brushed me off.

“Now are you sure about that?” I had to try to get her back into the distraction.

“Ok let’s see what you’ve got pipsqueak.” She smirked at me.

“If you insist.” While she had been distracted talking I had grabbed three of the swords scattered about on the ground. They drew closer to her.

“Well. What are you waiting for?” She tilted her head slightly.

“Just making sure we have a few ponies watching. I like being watched while I dominate a mare.” I just hovered smiling.

“Well aren’t we just full of surprises.” I could tell she was ready.

“You could say that.” I levitated the swords higher.

“And what am I going to be full of?” She had played perfectly into my trap.

“I’d say swords.” A large grin spread across my face as I looked down just enough to shade my eyes.

“What?” She only realized what I had done after three swords pierced through her making her fall to the ground.

I called out to her before she hit the ground. “It’s not me it is most definitely you. So sorry babe but I’ve got other mares to save.” I flew towards my friends erecting another shield around them.

They had sustained some serious wounds but nothing a few healing potions wouldn’t heal.

I thought for a second before grabbing the body of the alicorn I had just killed. I tossed it down in front of the raiders surrounding my friends. Their mouths opened and many of their weapons clattered against the dirt. I landed inside the shield.

“What never seen a dead alicorn before? Well you are in luck because that is a once in a lifetime opportunity and not one you’ll be getting again. So” I grabbed the weapons on the ground. “Who wants to die?” I stood tall.

The raiders started to slowly back away from me before deciding it was high time that they got out of here. They didn’t make it far as swords, spears, knives, and whatever else had been laying around was shoved through their skulls.

“Are you all okay?” I turned to the rest of my group assessing their injuries.

“Yes we are. Thank you for saving us. We might have been dead if you hadn’t come along when you had.” Midnight was trying to stand but was having a hard time doing so.

“Anything serious?” I leant a wing to her.

“Just a few scrapes and scratches. A couple of gunshot wounds that we were lucky didn’t hit home anywhere serious.” She grabbed my wing and returned to her hooves.

“Good. Now then we need to make sure anypony who is left is alright and make sure these raiders know not to come back here.” I started to trot farther into the city.

“I will kill you.” The alicorn outside the shield wasn’t quite dead.

“Is that so? Well I would like to see you try after this.” I dropped the shield and cut her head off. “Try and get back up after that I dare you. What having trouble surviving without your brain? It’s not like you used it much before.” I chuckled a bit to myself.

“Silver if I was you I would clean yourself off after this is all over.” Midnight was staring at me.

“Why?” I looked back to her.

She waved her hoof vaguely in my direction. “Just look at your wing.”

My wing and whole left side for that matter were covered in blood and lit bits of bone. I flicked my wing a few times to clear off some of it. “Yeah. I had planned on it. Now let’s go.”

Spitfire landed a few strides in front of me. “Impressive kid. Still, we would have been able to handle this without you.” Spitfire was still the absolute bitch that I remembered.

“Can you stop calling me kid. I’m every bit as old as you were when we first met.” I stared her down.

“Calling me old now.” She raised one of her hooves.

“No just experienced in the ways of the world. I would say experienced but I don’t think anypony would want to mate with a bitch like you.” I was still trying to bring her down.

“Watch yourself kid. I might just have to teach you a lesson one of these days.” Spitfire pointed her hoof at me.

Midnight spoke up. “Would you two just shut up and kiss already.”

Spitfire and I snapped back. “What!”

“Nothing. You two just seem like you would be a cute couple.” She shrugged and smiled.

I had an urge to smack her across the face but I remembered my wing was a blade. I lowered my wing back to my side before speaking again.

“You’re lucky I don’t want you dead.” I had to resist even tapping her.

“What, everypony was thinking it I just said it.” Midnight was a bit wobbly on her hooves.

“No. I have had too many bad experiences with this mare to let anything like that happen.” I looked Spitfire dead in the eyes.

“Are you sure about that? Seems like you want to show her your little friend.” Midnight was on the verge of crying she was trying not to laugh.

“What are you talking abo…?” I stopped realizing what she was talking about.

“It would be less noticeable if you hadn’t jumped into the air.” Midnight smirked at me.

I touched down on the ground turning away from her in embarrassment. Unfortunately Spitfire was in the other direction. She was giving me the death glare.

“Who says I was thinking about you? Maybe I was thinking about somepony else.” I countered her glare with one of my own.

“Oh yeah you the big hotshot with mares. I’ve seen the way you get around mares. I know everything so there is no use running from me. Remember we went on that mission and you saved that mare and nearly fainted after she kissed you.” Spitfire prodded me in the chest.

Midnight laughed for a few seconds before shutting up.

“I was young back then. I’ve grown up a lot since that mission.” I blushed a bit.

“We will see. For now thank you for saving my town. I... Celestia, did I just thank you? Where's a bucket when you need one?” Spitfire spat a few times.

“Just let it all out on the ground.” She threw up on the ground in front of me. “And not on me. I won’t hesitate to humiliate you like I did during that race.” I was entirely ready to humiliate her again.

“Do so and I don’t think you’ll walk for a week.” Spitfire wiped her muzzle clean.

“Sounds kinky.”

“Midnight would you shut up!” Spitfire and I both were about ready to give Midnight the business.

Midnight’s POV

“Well now that we are done protecting the city I guess we should probably go find a new place to call home.” I was still a bit wobbly on my injured hoof.

“What do you mean a new place?” Silver held out a wing for me.

“Well Silver we got kicked out of our old home because of some mare and her ways. Isn’t that right Harmony.” I glared her down.

“I had to do that in order to save this place. Can you stop punishing me please?” Harmony gave me her sexiest pout.

“Maybe tonight you will get something for being a good girl. But tonight will not be the night you get my sexy plot back.” I tapped my rear end a few times.

Spitfire peaked out of her office motioning for Silver to go in.

“Go get her tiger.” I tapped Silver in the side a few times.

“I’m not going to buck her just give up already.” Silver looked very irritated.

“Never.” I giggled.

He sighed and then walked into the office.

Silver’s POV

“What did you want to talk to me about?” I was sitting in one of the chairs in Spitfire’s office.

“I wanted you to know that I’m still not your biggest fan and would really like to punch you but I think some compensation is due since you saved my city.” Spitfire was looking at a painted portrait of herself.

“What did you have in mind?” I spun in the chair a little bit embracing my inner foal.

“Well a few things but how does a house in this city sound? Sounds like your new friends could use a place to call home. At least for a little while.” Spitfire slid a piece of paper towards me.

I picked up the deed looking at it. “Ok that seems fair enough but what other things did you have in mind?” I was going to push this as far as I could.

“Well for one I figured I could stop calling you kid and actually use your name. And secondly I heard what they were saying so you want to make them stop?” A devious smiled crossed Spitfire’s muzzle.

“Oh you’re not actually suggesting what I think you are. Are you?” I was a bit disgusted at what I thought she was offering.

“No. I doubt I will ever come to a place in time where I feel like I could. But I figured we could make them think we are doing it. Just to mess with them a little.” She kept a small chuckle to herself.

“Sounds fun. Let’s do it.” I facehoofed.

Midnight’s POV

The walls of Spitfire’s office started shaking and moaning could be heard from inside.

“Well I didn't think he had that in him. Seems like he’s more of a stallion than I thought.” We listened to the sounds for a long time before I decided to go knock on the door.

I heard Silver and Spitfire talking through the door.

“Well that was fun but we really should keep this a secret if they find out then they’ll harass us for sure.” Spitfire was pacing around the room.

“Yeah. I think we should keep this us time behind closed doors until we find a way around all of the political nonsense that will follow.” Silver was talking a little off pitch for where he usually was.

“Now go out there and show them the real you my big sexy stallion.” I could only imagine what they were doing in there.

“With Pleasure my sweet mare.” It sounded like they kissed.

The door opened and Silver walked out leaving Spitfire looking a little disappointed. He looked back and winked. She smiled and waved him off.

“So what happened in there?” I wanted all of the details I could get.

“Oh you know just a few fun things. Also we now own a house in the city.” Silver pulled out the deed and hovered it over to me.

“Wow a house and a roll in the hay. Such a productive day for you.” I winked at him.

“Yeah it was.” I knew he was hiding something from me.

“So when will you have foals?” I wanted to make sure he had a full story.

“Not sure. Whenever she wants them. She seems to be the type to have lots of fun though so not long until she’s pregnant.” He tilted his hoof back and forth a few times.

“Well aren’t we just the oddest stallion ever.” I stood inspecting him.

Silver shrugged. “Follow me our new home awaits.”

Harmony and I exited the building and met up with the rest of the group. We all started trotting up a small hill a few minutes away from Spitfire’s office.

“Any idea where we’re going? You didn’t really specify when you asked us to follow you, Silver.” Onyx commented.
“That bitch was nice enough to allow us a place to stay while we are here. Don’t know what to expect though.” Silver kept trotting forward.

We arrived at the location on the map Spitfire had given me.

“This is it?” The house was in a decent condition.

“This is it. Something wrong with it?” Silver approved of the house.

“No. It’s just so big.” I was a little surprised that we got such a big house for saving the city.

Harmony whispered to me. “I bet that’s what she was saying earlier.” I hit her flank and laughed.

“Can you two not talk about my sex life. It’s pretty awkward hearing somepony talk about that. How would you feel if I talked about your sex life?” Silver was blushing a small bit.

“Honestly a little turned on.” Onyx stopped in front of the door next to Silver.

“Onyx, not helping.” Silver facehoofed.

“Sorry Silver. I had to.” Onyx laughed.

“Whatever let’s go inside.” Silver pushed open the door and trotted in.

I trotted inside. The place was pretty big. Harmony had run ahead to go claim a room for us. I explored the house looking for the bathroom. I finally found it after Harmony dragged me to the room she had claimed as ours.

“So what do you think?” Harmony had gotten us one of the two rooms upstairs.

“I think this room is a bit big for us. We should have plenty of room if we want to make sure we have place to expand one day.” I looked around the room. I was certain this would have been enough space for a small family to live.

“Thinking about foals are we?” Harmony was laying on the bed.

“Maybe just a little, but we can’t make a foal even if we wanted to.” I stopped right at the edge of the bed.

Harmony rolled onto her stomach. “Won’t stop me from trying.” She smiled warmly.

“You are odd Harmony but it only makes you more attractive.” I kissed her.

“So are you finally going to let me have it?” Her eyes were begging for release from my torture.

“Not yet. One more day of this and then you can have me back.” I gave her a wink.

“If all I have to wait is one more day than I think I’ll be okay.” Harmony had her back legs held tightly together.

Footnote: Level up