They ran fast and hard.

Not fast enough for some of them though.

James was the first casuality. The first horse they had seen, the one with the orange coat and brown hat had a lassoo. Tom saw it all as though it was in slow motion.

When James had kicked the cart, nearly half the horses had gone down. Not that one. It had raced foward, with a lassoo in it's mouth. James had turned to run, but slipped in the dirt. The lassoo had bagged him neatly, then with a firm yank, he was pulled off his feet.

As he was being dragged off, James turned and yelled at Tom.

"Clear off Tom! Get outta here!"

Tom turned, stopped and yelled back.

"I'll come for you mate! I promise!"

"Get the fuck outta here!"

And with that, Tom turned and sprinted after the others.

"Change of plan fella's! We're gonna stick together!"

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James could take any type of torture these things could throw at him. He knew that, and was reviewing how to deal with the different types of torture, when the lassoo gave some slack.

He looked up.

Standing before him was a massive white horse with massive white wings and a oddly coloured mane. She had stepped off a golden chariot, oulled by two smaller pegasus, also white and wearing armor. He dimly heard the big white one being addressed as 'Princess'.

But his eyes were not on her, but on the fifty or so other white pegasus wearing golden armor, swooping down.

His captor and the 'Princess' starte talking. He gazed at the white soldiers, the ones wearing the golden armor.

He hoped to God that they were good, becuase they were facing the best soldier that Earth had, the Reaper.

The royalty, having finished her (he knew it was a she becuase of the voice) conversation with the orange pony stooped to look at him. He returned her curious gaze with an icy gaze.

She turned to address one of those fancy-dress ponies in their shining golden armor.

"Guard him."

"Yes Princess."

And with that she turned and strode off, taking with her a large contingent of the guards and leaving one orange pony, three royal guards, and a pissed off human.

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Tom was one man down, and pissed off. He knew that James should be with him, and it was just bad luck that had seen him slip. Still, there was hope. He and the other men of his squad were still running, and running fast.

That was when, of course, everything went to shit in a fuckin' handcart.

They had been going for about 2 minutes now, and were just passing what looked like a gingerbread house. It said on the wall,

'Sugercube Corner'.

They were just passing it when it happened.

There was a blinding flash of light, then about 50 white pegasi, wearing golden armor appeared, being led by a massive white horse with wings and a horn.

Then, that godforsaken mob caught up to them.

"Shit!" They were trapped. Trapped in between a mob and the authorities. Trapped against a house that looked strangely like gingerbread.

Only one option.

"Into the house, move! Nick, you're on point!"

They charged in, kicking down the door.

There were only two horses in the shop, and they were ignored.

"Up the stairs Nick!"

They all charged up the stairs, taking no notice of the sugary sweetness that called to them.

They reached a door.

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Pinkie Pie had spent more then 10 minutes getting this trap ready.

She hoped it was worth it.

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Nick kicked in the door.

Then he got shot.

But not in the convential way. No, he was blasted by a pink cannon, which had been packed full of streamers which now ensared the poor tropper, making it impossbile to move. He was trussed up like a chicken, and all of them knew that.

Added to this was the thump of a hoof on the stairs.

They would come back.

"Shit! Out the window lads!"

Mike, John and Tom dived out the window.

Angus was too slow. As he attempteed to jump, a purple sparkling outline around him appeared. He was dragged back, screaming.

They had no choice. They ran on.

And then there were three.

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"Fuck! I've lost James, Nick and now Angus!"

They had stopped for a rest in a cluster of trees, overlooking some sort of clothes shop on the outskirts of town.

Tom was unleashing his anger by beating the crap out of a tree.

"Calm down mate!" Mike said, a touch of alarm creaping into his voice. "There's nothing you could have done."

Tom whirled, his face full of fury. "There's always something you could have done." He snarled. Then he sat down, and cradled his head.

"Come on lad, you're team leader. What's our next move?" John was hoping to get him started, as this would take his mind of things.

"Shit, alright. Let me think." Tom dropped his chin, lips mouthing words. "Alright, nothing's changed. We still need to get into the forest and lose them there. Let's haul ass."

They all gotup, sirits firing once again. None noticed the slender unicorn with a purple mane watching them from the store's window.

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"Ok my darlings," Said Rarity "I'll show you what a fashion designer can REALLY do. Fluttershy darling, are you ready?"

"Oh my goodness, I think so. I don't know. I just hope nobody get's hurt!"

"Ok, NOW!"

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The door to the shop opened just as the group turned their backs.

Standing there was a purple unicorn with purple hair. Hovering around her were a large number of clothes.

She shrieked.

"RUN!" Tom roared at them.

But they were too slow.

Quick as a flash, the clothes swooped down onto Mike. They piled higher and higher, thicker and thicker until he was immobile.

Tom and John stood their mouths agape.

Becuase of their watching the spectacle, they were too late too react.

The door was still open to the shop. A yellow winged horse emerged.

"Shit man, I'm getting outta here."

"Same. We'll come back for you Mike!"

"Tom, let's get the HELL outta here."

Tom started sprinting, realised that John wasn't with him and turned.

John was patting a little rabbit.

"Jesus John! Come on!"

"But he's so...cute!" John exclaimed.

Another bunny appeared.

"And another one! Come on, pat them!"

Tom looked closely at the white unicorn.

She was grinning.

Shit.

"Mate, come ON! It's a fucking trap!"

By this time, five more bunnies had come along. And more were poring in by the second.

"But look lad, there's so many, and they're so cut-"

His last words were cut short by the bunnies. As one, they latched onto him.

John was struggling.

"Go lad! I'm done for!"

Tom turned tail and got the hell outta there.

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Twilight's plan was working perfectly. Each of the aliens had been trapped and captured, save one.

The leader.

Her, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy were in a command tent with the two Princesses.

"Well, Rainbow's outside. Do ah tell her t' go?"

"Yes Applejack. And tell her that he's the most dangerous of them all."

"Will do!"

Applejack galloped outside.

"Any idea where he could go?" Asked Princess Luna.

"Yes. And it's not a good place to go. The Everfree Forest."

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Tom had reached the forest. He slowed.

"Shit." It was a dense tangle of vines and leaves, sinister and evil looking.

"Shit." James, Nick, Angus, Mike and John, all captured and truced up.

He cursed once more, then set off.

He was so occupied in his thoughts, he did not notiice a certain cloud moving very strangely.

Nor did he notice the edge of a tail that was hanging off the edge of the cloud.

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The cloud in question was being propelled by Ponyville's cyan pegasus, Rainbow Dash.

"I got you now sucker!"

--------------------------------

Tom was still walking, head down, thinking.

He didn't realize that he entered a clearing.

And he most certainly didn't realize that he was under attack.

He looked up in time to see a blue blur smash into him. His air left his lungs in one explosive blast. He felt his gun hand being kicked hard, and he realesed his weapon. Next, two kicks to his chest left him reeling, and a final blow to the face sent him crashing to the ground.

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Rainbow Dash though, was exhilirated.

She had beaten an alien in a fight!

Although not a fair one. Said a voice in her head, but she shushed it.

"Well? Do you wanna come quitely or will I-" With this she launched a rapid series of jabs. "-Have to subdue you some more? Huh? What's it gonna be?"

The alien looked away.

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Tom looked away and smiled. This was going to be easy. He was facing a cyan coloured horse with freakin' rainbow hair! She wasn't even armed!

First things first. He looked around his surroundings. There was nothing that could trip him in sight, and he was confident that the tree branches wouldn't touch his head.

He gazed up at his opponent. She (her voice was undoutably female) was confident and brash, a tomboy. No challenge.

Next, he mentally prepared himself, revised what moves and techniques he would have to employ.

Then he was ready.

He stood up, sure to throw in a couple of convincing groans of pain. The trap was set, and then the horse fell right into it.

She attacked, throwing kicks at him fast, yet he just blocked and evaded them. He had time, and he didn't want to hurt her.

When in the middle of a punch, Tom shoved it aside, stepped round, grapped the back of her neck with one hand, then put his knife to her throat with the other.

Time slowed to a halt.

"Rule one of combat," Tom growled in her ear. "Never, under any circumstances, underestimate your enemy." As he said this, he tapped his knife in rhythm against her throat.

"Second rule. Don't ever go into a fight expecting to win."

"Third rule. Win at all cost. Don't let a man get up. Kick him when he's hurt."

And with that, he released her and sheathed his knife, picked up his gun and walked off.

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Rainbow had been scared, of course she had been, though she would never admit it. But she was intrigued, despite her obvious misgivings.

"Hey! Wait up!" She flew after it, almost running into his back. He turned to look at her with that strange face, and those strange eyes of his.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you...you know..."

"Kill you?"

Gulp.

"Becuase I didn't need to. If I had to, you would be lying in that clearing, throat slit. Now, it would probably be best if you leave me alone."

"I'm Rainbow Dash."

"..."

"What's your name?"

"Tom to my friends, Wolf to strangers and Reaper to my enemies."

"You have three names?"

"You don't?"

"Why do you have three names?"

"My first name is Tom. My last name is Wolf. But my operational name is Reaper."

"Operational?"

"Yeah. It's too difficult to explain right now."

"Oh, okay. What's your job?"

"Really? You haven't guessed? I'm a soldier, or in other words, a killer. How about you?"

"Oh, um...I'm a weather pony."

"Weather pony?"

"Yeah! I move the clouds around and stuff, and keep the weather on schedule."

"You move clouds?"

"Yeah!"

"Wow."

They had wandered far into the woods by now, enjoying the conversation.

Too deep.