"Lance! Lance! Get up you lazy bum!" Someone yelled as I was thrown out of the bed and onto the cold floor.

"Da fuck!" I yelled out as I sat up and glared at the one who pushed me out of bed.

"Heh, sorry. You just wouldn't respond when I just told you to wake up." David said as he trotted around the bed and helped me up.

I stood up and shook my head, "Two questions are raised here. One, why are you in my house? And two, why did you wake me up! It's a Saturday! A SATURDAY!"

David chuckled, "The door was unlocked. And, don't you remember? That one pony from Trottingham set the date to today."

"Oh, forgot." I muttered as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

A week ago, a pony came down from Trottingham with the intentions of having a party in the honor of the ones who died during the Nightmare Night Massacre. It may not be the best way to honor them, but it's something.

Plus, I'm the main one who's responsible for their deaths.

I sighed deeply and trotted past David, "You know I would have woke up on my own, right?"

He smiled smugly, "It's twelve dude."

I facehoofed hard and looked at him, "Well damn. I was suppose to pick up Twilight from the spa.... how screwed am I?"

He smiled and spread his wings, "Don't worry bro, I covered for you. I told her we were doing something for my kids, and that I would get you there within the hour."

I smiled and gave him a nod, "I owe you one. How much time do we have to get there?"

He looked at his hoof... he's not even wearing a watch...

"About five minutes."

I spread my wings, "Let's get a move on!"

[*Yawn*... Ah, morning porn.]
<What?>
[Nothing, Dawn. Nothing at all.]

I came to a stop outside of the spa, breathing heavily.

I looked behind myself and chuckled. I must have left David behind or something, because he's not behind me.

[Forget him.]

I shrugged and pushed open the spa doors.

<I miss the one in Ponyville. The Canterlot spa is so... preppy.>

A few ponies turned in my direction, but went back to what they were doing when they saw that it was only me.

"There you are!" Twilight said as she trotted up to me, a pissed off look on her face.

I waved nervously, "Hey Twi, hows your day?"

She glared, "You were suppose to be here thirty minutes ago!"

I gulped, "Sorry Twi..."

She sighed and smiled, "It's fine, just try to be on time next time."

I saluted her and smiled, "You got it, ma'am!"

She giggled and trotted past me, rubbing her side up against me, "Come on, stud."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I turned and followed her out the door.

Once I stepped out the door, I trotted up beside her and smiled brightly at her.

She looked at my face and giggled, "You okay, Lance?"

I nodded and wrapped my tail around hers, "Yep, better than ever."

She pressed herself up against me as we trotted down the street.

[Wooohooo! We're getting laid!]
{Shut up. You know we're going to the party, right?}
[Oh... no sexy time?]
{No sexy time.}

I chuckled and rubbed my cheek against hers, "You ready for the memorial party?"

She sighed and nodded, "I guess..." She then stopped and looked at me, "Lance... what was it like?"

"What was what like?" I asked, stopping also.

She took a breath and looked me in the eyes, "What was it like that night..."

My lip trembled slightly, "Horrible, I saw ponies... being blown apart. I was trying to focus on fighting Nightmare, but I keep looking past him and seeing all the ponies..." A single tear ran down my face.

Twilight pulled me into a gentle hug, "It's okay, Lance. You did all you could do."

"I could have done more!" I suddenly screamed, attracting the attention of all the ponies around us.

Twilight leaned back and looked at me with saddened eyes, "Lance, you did all you could. You saved a of ponies and actually saved all our friends. If you hadn't told us all to go back with Celestia... I don't want to know what would have happened."

I gulped back tears and pulled her into a tight hug, "I'm sorry, Twi."

She returned my hug with greater force, "For what?"

The tears began to pour down my face, "For being the one they were after! If I hadn't been there, they wouldn't have attacked and killed..."

She leaned back and put her hoof to my mouth, "Lance, listen to me, please. It wasn't all your fault. I promise."

<Lance, it wasn't all our fault. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time...>

I let out a deep sigh and wiped a hoof across my eyes, "Come on Twi, let's get to this party..."

She looked at me in concern, "Are you sure you can go, Lance? If you want, we can go home and talk about all this. The kids are with Dali after all..."

I shook my head, "No, I have to be there. It's the least I can do for causing their deaths..."

Twilight sighed and wrapped her tail in mine again, "When we get home tonight, we're going to talk this whole thing out. Okay?"

I smiled slightly, "Okay, Twi." I nuzzled her cheek, "I love you so much."

She giggled and returned my nuzzle, "I love you too, Lance."

I smiled warmly, but stopped when I looked around to see the large crowd of ponies who had gathered around us.

"What? Never seen a couple enjoying a tender moment together? Well, how many of you are getting laid tonight?" I said, a small grin still on my face.

Twilight facehoofed, "Lance, you know how to ruin just about every moment we have, huh?"

I began to trot down the street, causing her to trot after me, "Yep, every time."

This is the party? Really?

[Wow, you'd think that the guy who wanted to do this would have put more work into it...]
<This... this is just plain crappy.>

Indeed, the set up of the party was crappy.

There was next to no decorations, and nothing about the ones who died. Well, there was a sign that said, 'Remember them, because they won't ever forget you'. I guess that's good, but they deserve more then this!

<Calm down, Lance. At least the ponies here will remember them.>
{Yeah, at least...}

I turned my gaze from the main set up and looked around the area.

The stallion who set all this up had chosen the area outside of Ponyville. Which was a good choice, seeing as we were over looking the construction of New Ponyville.

"Life is a gift, always remember that." I heard a old stallion say to a few colts and fillies.

A small smile formed on my face as I watch the children nod up at the stallion.

"Lance." Someone said behind me.

I turned around and smiled, "Frederic, I haven't seen you since... that night."

He smiled weakly and adjusted his large eye patch, "I've been busy with a few things..." He sighed loudly and forced a chuckle, "So, what have you been up to?"

I shrugged, "You know, surviving." I then choked back a few tears, "Frederic, was it my fault that all that happened?"

He looked pained as he put a hoof on my shoulder, "No Lance. I know for a fact that it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. We just made a bad move, that's all."

I looked off to the side, "I guess you're right. It's just, I feel all this guilt..."

"I know, I feel the same thing. But, all we can do is live life to the fullest." He said, a small smile on his face.

This caused a smile to form on my face also, "Thanks Frederic."

He smiled warmly and gave me a light push, "Go, try and enjoy the party. We have to remember all of them, and I think this is a great way to do that."

I nodded and looked around again, at all the crying ponies who lost friends and family that night. "Yeah, it is..."

I saw Twilight and her friends all crying in a circle, while the bronies stood around, a few crying, a few just standing there. Everywhere else was the other ponies, the ones who had been caught in the fighting.

[Gah! Emotional!]
<... Be quiet, Break.>

Frederic trotted off towards a few ponies who were looking out over the remains of Ponyville, each had tears streaking down their face.

I sighed and looked back at Twilight and her friends. Seeing them cry tugged at my heart.

I gulped and trotted towards them, tears still rolling down my face.

"How you doing, Lance?" Peter asked as I passed him.

"Fine..." I muttered as I continued towards the girls.

"... And this is why we must remember them. They were caught in the middle of a tragic event. They didn't ask for it, they were just minding their own business. Further more..." The stallion on the stage said as he continued on with his long speech, telling why he started this party and everything else.

But, to tell you the truth, I don't think he spent a lot of time on his speech. I mean, he's jumping around to much. Plus, it sounds corny....

"Ugh! Can we go now?" A small colt asked off to the side.

"Shhh! Not now." His mother said as she leaned down to him.

I chuckled and looked over at Twilight, "When we get home, can we have a family outing with Fawn and Spark?"

Twilight smiled up at me and nuzzled my nose, "I'd love that."

"Now, I'm going to show you all a presentation of a project I have planned that will memorialize all those who died that night." The stallion on the stage said loudly as he levitated a large chest up on the stage. "This presentation is very special. A new type of magic, so I'll need a powerful unicorn to assist me in setting it up. Any volunteers?"

A few ponies whispered, and a few shrugged.

"I got you a volunteer!" Rainbow Dash yelled out as she flew up behind Twilight and began pushing her towards the stage.

"Rainbow!" Twilight hissed seconds before she was forced up onto the stage by a snickering Rainbow Dash.

The stallion smiled and held out his hoof, "Hello, Miss..."

"Twilight Sparkle." Twilight answered as she nervously shook his hoof.

He smiled and shook her hoof, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Sparkle. As you may know, my name is Value."

Value? Pfft, stupid name... I mean, yay, awesome name!

[Yeah, you better say awesome! I wanted my name to be Value!]
<You don't fit Value, idiot.>

Value waved his hoof towards the chest, "Okay, Mrs. Sparkle. We're going to open that chest and slowly pull out the large object inside. Don't worry, it's safe."

What's his problem? I mean come on, he has a very creepy smile right now.

"Umm, I think I can do that." Twilight muttered.

Value nodded and used his magic to lift up a large necklace, which he put over himself. Next, he moved over to the chest and told Twilight to do the same.

The two of them used their magic to slowly open the chest and raise out a large blue crystal.

Da fuck? How's this a presentation?

Value waved a hoof at Twilight and told her to stand behind him. As she stepped behind him, Value stepped forward.

"Okay everyone, just look up here and..." He then slammed the crystal into the ground, sending out a bright light, followed by a shock wave. The shock wave traveled through the crowd, knocking ponies over, but only Unicorns. All the others, Earth ponies and Pegasi stood still, as if nothing had happened.

The wave reached me and the others and sent me to the ground, followed by all the bronies.

After a second, I forced myself to my feet and looked towards the stage to see...

... That's not possible!

Val!

<Well, we should have seen this one. I mean come on! Value. Val. It's so damn similar!>

Val was standing on the stage, a large evil smirk on his face. Behind him was Twilight laying the ground, holding her head.

I looked around and saw that all the unicorns in the area was holding their heads, or to be more specific, their horns.

"To easy." Val said in a smug tone.

I shook the dizziness from my head and stomped forward, "What did you do to them!" I yelled, scaring a few other ponies who were not affected from the strange shock wave.

Val gave a small shrug, "Oh you know. Took away all the magic all of you held so this will be easier."

"You what!" I heard most of the crowd yell out in surprise.

He smirked, "Oh, it's not permanent. Just temporary..." He chuckled and held up the necklace, "If you were all smart enough, you would have questioned why I put this on. This little necklace here repelled the magical wave, leaving my magic unharmed."

I jumped up on the stage and glared at him, "Alright, Val! I know for a fact that I killed you!"

He only smirked and shook his head, "Ah, Lance, so naive. You can't kill an Alicorn that easily."

The crowd began to mummer at this.

I of course already knew this.

"Pfft, being a Alicorn won't mean much when I'm beating the living shit out of you!" I yelled taking a step towards him.

He laughed and tapped the ground.

I allowed myself to smirk, "Oh come on, Val. You should know I can't die. What chance do you stand right now, huh?"

His horn flared and he brought Twilight up in front of him, using his magic to hold her by the neck, "I may not be able to kill you as of this moment. But, I know of a way."

My glare intensified, "Put her down, or I fucking swear, I'll rip your fucking head off!" I screamed, meaning every word.

He shrugged and waved her side to side, "Oh, but I can't. She's my insurance."

I clenched my teeth in anger, trying to keep my cool, "Insurance for what?!"

"To make sure you do as I say." He said simply.

"And if I don't?" I said, taking a step closer.

He smiled, "If you don't, I'll snap her neck, right here, right now."

I hesitated, fear taking place of my anger, "Wh... What do you want me to do exactly?"

Val grinned, "Good. As you know, I can't kill you in your current state. So, let's just say I've figured out a way to get past that."

"Get on with it!" I hissed.

He glared, "Don't you dare tell me what to do! Or I'll take my anger out on your precious wife!"

I held my tongue, but continued to glare at him.

"As I was saying," He said, glaring at me and all the ponies in the crowd, "You're going to do this one thing, and if you fail to do this. Bye bye Twilight."

"I'll do what ever it is!" I yelled angrily.

He smirked, "I know you will. Come to Naserrith. There, we'll finish this once and for all."

"Naserrith? And where is that?!"

His horn began to glow brighter, "You'll figure it out." He rubbed his chin, "Before I go. Just a heads up. I've made a lot of friends over the years, and all of them will do anything I tell them to do. So, before you think you can bring all your friends with you, remember this. If you so much as bring one of your friends, and I'm talking about the ones from Earth, with you, I'll make this little runt pay." He stated, shaking Twilight, who was groaning in pain from the sudden lose of her magic.

A low laugh escaped his lips, "But feel free to bring along any regular ponies. That'll be enjoyable to watch."

"What will be enjoyable to watch?" I asked, trying to restrain myself, knowing if I tried anything, I would lose the one I love.

"Oh, you'll find out." He said evilly as his horn began to glow brighter. "Just remember, get to Naserrith, and find the Temple of Moilia. That's where all this will end."

"Where is it?!"

"Find out." He said simply as he and Twilight suddenly disappeared.

"NOOO! Get back here!" I yelled as I jumped for the spot where they had been.

I growled angrily as I twisted around and jumped off the stage. I then began to walk down the hill and towards the Everfree Forest.

"Lance! Where are you going?!" Frederic yelled as he shakily ran after me.

I didn't stop, "Where do you think! I'm going to Naserrith to save her!"

He galloped up next to me and took a deep breath, "Do you even know where that is?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and hung my head, "... No..."

[FUCK! What do we do now?!]

Frederic put his hoof on my shoulder, "Lucky for you, I do."

I looked up at him and grabbed his hoof, "Where?! Tell me!"

He smiled, "Only if you promise to do as I say."

I snarled slightly and nodded.

Frederic, Shining Armor, and I stood around a large table with a large map on it.

Frederic moved his hoof across the map for a few seconds before coming to a stop, "Aha, just where I thought it was."

I leaned over the table and looked at where he was pointing. The area at which he was pointing was a large desert area, with a small square in the middle. Above the square was the name 'Moilia'.

"That's the place he wants me to go to?" I asked, studying the map.

"That's what he said." Frederic replied.

I nodded once, "Then that's where I'm going."

Frederic held up his hoof, "Lance, you can't just go there and fight him head on."

What? Why can't I?

"Why?" I said, a little annoyance in my voice.

He sighed and put his hooves on the table, "This place, Moilia, is very special. Celestia has spoken of this place." He let out a loud breath before continuing. "She told me that as long as you are within the temples walls, you lose all connections to magic."

I shrugged, "Okay, what does this have to do with me? As I see it, he'll be the weak one."

Frederic looked at Shining Armor and back to me, "Well, as far as I can tell, you're immortality comes from a form of magic. And, so does you're different forms."

I shook my head, "No, my immortality comes from being a Angel, and I don't need magic to transform."

"Lance," Shinning Armor said, giving me a stern look, "I've done research on this place before, and I can tell you this; It doesn't matter what powers you have, or how you got them, the temple takes everything from you and makes you normal. Doesn't matter who you are, as long as your inside, you're powerless."

I bit my bottom lip, "I..." I gulped loudly, "What am I going to do? I know he has something planned for me there, and I can't fight unless I'm in my alternate form.... I'm useless..."

Frederic shook his head, "No, you're not, Lance." He smiled lightly, "Lance, you're always determined to protect your friends, and even more determined to protect Twilight. You died for her after all."

A faint smile formed on my face.

"And," He continued, "I've seen what you can do when you're trying to protect her. You don't need Break and Dawn to fight Val, all you need is your love for her."

[So damn corny!]

"And we've all seen what the power of love can do." Shinning Armor said with a small laugh.

I nodded, still smiling, "Okay, you both made your point. But seriously, what am I going to do about this?"

Shinning Armor looked at Frederic and smiled.

Frederic smiled back and looked at me, "Alright, Lance, I think we have a plan. Seeing as how I'm the Prince, and Shinning Armor is the Captain of the Royal Guard, and also a prince, I think we can work something out."

"I can send a platoon of the Spec Ops guards with you. All hoof picked by me," Shinning Armor said with a large smile.

At my confused look, he added, "Spec Ops guards, they're pretty much the Royal Guard, just wear different armor and are used for foreign threats. Kinda like the Equestrian Military."

I looked at them and sighed, "Okay look, I would love to take them, but they'll only slow me down. I intend to fly all the way there and..."

"You can't fly there," Frederic said plainly.

I looked at him with raised eyebrows, "And why not?"

Shinning Armor beat Frederic to the answer, "Because, to get there, you'll have to go through the Griffon territory and the Zebra territory. We're on bad terms with the Griffin's. Thanks to a incident a while back. If they see you flying over, they'll more than likely chase you down and take you into captivity. There's only one way to do this."

I groaned and looked at him, "How do we do this then?"

"Simple." Frederic said, "You'll take the 'Iron Charger' there. And before you ask, the Iron Charger is a military train. There's enough room inside for you and a entire platoon of Royal Guards."

[Oh yes!]

"I don't know if taking the Royal Guard with me is a good idea." I said, a bit unsure.

Shinning Armor waved his hoof in front of himself, "Don't be naive, Lance. If you take the Royal Guard with you, they'll be able to take care of the minor threats while you go after Val."

Hmmm, I still don't know...

<Just take them, Lance. It's better than us going alone and getting Twilight killed.>

I shook slightly at the thought and looked at the two prince's, "Okay, I'll take them with me." I looked around, "So, when will I be able to leave? Because I want to get there as soon as possible."

Shinning Armor furrowed his brow, "Well, I can have them ready within two hours, and have them on the train in an extra thirty minutes."

Frederic nodded, "Don't worry, Lance. The trip there is only two days, at the most."

"Two days?! But I could get there faster on my own!" I half yelled.

"Calm down!" Frederic yelled back before catching himself, "Listen, Lance. It would take you four days to fly there. You have to take breaks, but on a train, you don't have to. You'll get there faster, I promise."

I exhaled and turned for the door, "Alright, I'll listen to you two. Just please hurry and get the guards ready, I want to leave as soon as possible."

"Will do, Lance." Frederic called after me.

"Wait, Lance." Shinning Armor yelled, causing me to turn around.

He smiled brightly, "Bring back my sister, you hear me?"

I smiled back and nodded, "Don't worry, I'll bring her back if it's the last thing I do."

"Five minutes!" The Lieutenant yelled as the platoon of fifty seven Royal Guard's trotted onto the train.

[They are so fucking badass!]

I chuckled lightly and adjusted my saddlebags, each filled with a few essentials I may need on this journey.

After finally adjusting the final strap, I trotted over to last passenger carriage on the train, the only one not full of Royal Guard's.

"Lance!"

I turned around and saw Tovy galloping towards me.

<Get on the train, get on the train... GET ON THE FUCKING TRAIN YOU DUMB ASS!>

"Uhh, hey, Tovy..."

He came to a stop in front of me and frowned, "Don't go, Lance! I don't want you to get hurt! Just stay here with me!"

I sighed and shrugged, "Well, sorry to tell you this, Tovy. But I'm going no matter what happens. I can't let her die because of me."

He hung his head, "Can you do one thing for me?"

"... Depends." I said slowly, bringing a hoof up to my mouth.

Tovy jumped up, pushing his face towards me, aiming for my lips. But, instead, his lips made contact with my hoof and I gave him a slight push, causing him to stagger slightly.

"No, Tovy. I told you, I don't go that way," I said sternly.

He hung his head again and kicked at the ground, "It was worth a try..."

I turned and jumped up on the train, "Listen, if I make it back, I may go on a guys night out with you. And I don't mean a fucking date. I mean we do something as friends, nothing more. Okay?"

He smiled up at me and nodded, "Yes! Not a date, just a guys night out!"

I couldn't help but laugh as I trotted into passenger car.

When I stepped inside, I saw five Royal Guard's sitting at a table, laughing. Which is weird to see, but meh.

[Military train, huh? I don't see how. I mean, there's tables by all the windows. It's more like a dinner train or what ever you call them.]
<Hey, even the military has swag. Am I right?>
[Maybe...]

I sat down at a table, laying on my stomach on the booth. I positioned my head so I was looking out the window.

After a few minutes, the train lurched forward, slowly picking up speed.

I watched the buildings slowly crawl by, a few ponies looking at the train with confused faces.

Soon, I was watching the country side fly by outside my window.

I closed my eyes, intent on getting a some sleep.

"Hey, isn't that guy the one we're doing this for?" I heard one of them ask.

"Ah, looks like him. Who else would have red strips?" Another said.

I then heard the sounds of hooves on wood.

Letting out a small sigh, I sat up and looked at the five Royal Guard's who stood beside my booth.

One of them, a unicorn, did a sort of nod, "You're Lance?"

I nodded.

He smiled and held out his hoof, "Well, it's nice to finally meet you. My name is Sil."

I shook his hoof, a small smile on my face.

The one beside him, a pegasus, spoke next, "I'm Chachila."

"Names Luric." Another Pegasus stated.

"Jarkins." The unicorn between the two Pegasi said with a smile.

"And I'm Zoarin." The last one, a pegasus, said.

I nodded to each, my smile slowly widening.

"It's nice to meet all of you, but..." I said, raising an eyebrow, "Shouldn't all of you be with the rest of the platoon?"

Sil only chuckled, "Yes, we should, but I like to have my team by themselves. You know, so we can be our selves."

"Team?" I said, sorta confused.

Jarkins nodded, "Yep. Sil here was promoted to Master Sergeant a while back and was permitted the privilege of setting up his own personal squad."

"How'd you manage that?" I said, looking at Sil.

He shrugged, a small grin on his face, "Let's just say that I took an arrow for someone very important."

"Was it to the knee?" I said with a small smirk.

He shook his head, "No, it went into my lower back."

{Break! Why did you make me say that! I hate that meme!}
[Worth it.]

"Yeah," Zoarin said, "You should have seen this guy, he was just trotting past Princess Luna and boom, someone takes a shot at her and the arrow goes right through his armor. The funny part is that he didn't even mean to do that."

"I still can't believe it." Luric said with a chuckle.

I looked at all of them, wondering why they were all so laid back.

"You guys seem different from the rest of the guard. You don't seem so, serious." I said, looking at each one of them.

They all looked at each other, smirking.

"Well," Chachila said, "When Sil here was going over the list of Royal Guards, he chose the most laid back guards. He wanted to set up a squad that trust each other, but can also have fun."

"And he made the right choices." Luric said smiling.

"Sure did." Sil said happily.

I smiled and nodded. I then went back to looking out the window, "Well, it was nice meeting all of you."

"Listen," Sil said, causing me to turn around, "We know what happened. With your wife being taken and all."

I looked at the floor, "Yeah, so?"

"We'll help you get her back, we promise." Zoarin stated, slamming his hoof into his plated chest.

Sil jerked his head downward in a nod, "My team and I will help the others take on any threats that get in your way. We'll clear the path for you so you can get her back."

I smiled, "Thank you... all of you. Even though this is your job, and you've been ordered to help me, I appreciate it."

Sil smirked, "Oh? We were ordered?" He and the others laughed, "Oh no, I volunteered to help. And since I volunteered, so did my team."

"Yeah, we joined because we wanted to help, unlike the others who were ordered to come." Chachila said proudly.

I let a large smile form on my face, "Thank you, I'll owe you all one when this is over."

Zoarin shrugged, "A drink will do as a reward."

"Don't even try it." I warned as I watch Luric hold a feather over Chachila's snout as he sleep.

"Shh!" Luric shushed as he began to lower the feather.

"We're all going to die..." Zoarin said with a chuckle.

Luric slowly began to drag the feather across Chachila's snout, causing Chachila to slap Luric's hoof away in his sleep.

This caused us to snicker slightly as Luric went in for another try. But this time, Chachila's hoof shot upward and grabbed Luric's hoof.

"Don't try it." He said sternly, eyes still closed.

I chuckled and twisted around.

"Where you going, Lance?" Sil asked from his booth.

I shrugged, "I don't know. Just going for a little walk around the train."

"Hm, have fun." Zoarin said as he leaned over a table, reading a book I gave him.

I trotted to the end of the car and opened the door. I then walked through it and into the next couch.

Inside, I could see a few Royal Guard's sitting at the tables, all talking or laughing.

Huh, I guess they aren't all as strict as I had thought... cool.

As I trotted down the aisle, a few of them smiled and waved at me. I smiled and waved back.

[And that's how I clop.]
<I didn't want to know that...>
[Too bad.]
{*Sigh*}

I continued my way through all the carriages, going til I came to the first car. This one held very few Royal Guard's, but they all had serious looks on their faces.

"Ah, Lance." The Lieutenant said happily as he stood up from a table that had maps spread out on it.

"I've been meaning to talk to you." He said, gesturing for me to come over.

I trotted over and sat down across from him, "Why?" I asked simply.

He chuckled and pointed his hoof at the map, the one showing our current location.

"As you can see, we are right in the middle of Griffin territory. Meaning, we are now half way to Naserrith."

I smiled and nodded, "Do you have a plan for this?"

He gave a sharp nod, "Of course. We'll be fighting any threats that are not Val. But, if there are no other threats, we'll be doing our best to help you during your fight."

"Hmmm, is this really the plan?" I questioned, a bit worried.

He sighed, "Sadly yes. Little is known of Val, so we don't know what he's capable of."

I looked over the maps and sighed, "When will we get there?"

"I think we'll be there by late afternoon tomorrow."

"Good." I said as I stood up and began trotting for the door.

"Hey, Lance, wait."

I turned, "What?"

The Lieutenant stood up and stretched out his back, "Listen, when we arrive, I want you to stay with us. Don't run off, okay?"

I sighed and gave a reluctant nod.

The Lieutenant smiled lightly and trotted forward, "Look, Lance. I know what you're going through. I almost lost my wife to cancer a year ago. I remember trying to do anything and everything to make her better. I was desperate, like you are now. But, miracles happen. We don't know how, but the cancer disappeared before it was able to spread through her body." He put his hoof on my shoulder, "You're just going to have to trust us, Lance."

I look at him and force a hopeful smile, "I know, I promise I won't run off."

He gave me a pat on the shoulder and smiled, "Thanks, you don't know how much easier this makes it for us. And you. We're planning to..."

A sudden explosion, followed by the entire train shaking, interrupted the Lieutenant and sent both of us stumbling to the ground.

Before I could stand, another explosion rocked the train, throwing me back to the ground.

The Lieutenant jumped up quickly and began yelling out orders to the Royal Guard's who were in the carriage.

I forced myself to my hooves and stumbled over to the window as another explosion shook the train.

When I looked out, I saw the most unexpected thing.

The Darkness.

I thought I killed their leader! Why are they attacking us now?!

A Griffin flew past the window, throwing me into confusion.

The Lieutenant stumbled up next to me and groan, "Griffin mercenaries... that's just great."

"Mercenaries? Why are they helping the Darkness?" I asked, still confused.

"Simple," He said, "Someone's paying them."

The train shook violently as three explosions went off at almost the same time.

The Lieutenant turned and yelled at the remaining Royal Guard's, "Get everyone in their stations! NOW!"

"Sir!" They yelled as they galloped for the door.

I began to gallop after them, but the wall a few feet from me exploded inward, throwing me to the ground.

Before I could stand up, three pure black Pegasi flew into the carriage, followed by a Griffin wearing a body armor type suit.

One of the Pegasi jumped for the Lieutenant, but he dodged to the side and gave it a hard kick to the side. Causing it to disappear in a burst of black smoke.

But, before he could draw his sword, the Griffin charged him, slamming him into the wall.

I jumped up and galloped towards the two remaining Pegasi. I slammed into the first, sending it through the hole in the wall. The second swished its blade like wings at me, but only cut off a few strands of my mane. I threw my hoof forward, slamming it through the pony.

I spun around and watched as the Lieutenant head butted the large Griffin, causing it to stumble back.

I sprung forward and slammed my head into it's back, causing it to gasp in pain.

The Lieutenant twisted around and gave the large Griffin a hard buck to the chest, causing it to fly out the hole in the wall.

"This is not good!" The Lieutenant yelled as he pulled out his sword and galloped for the door.

I began to follow, but stopped when I looked out the hole and saw all the Griffon's and Darkness flying around. The Darkness was using some form of magic and was throwing large balls of magic at the train, each one blowing a huge chunk out of it.

I gulped and sprint for the other couch.

When I ran in, I saw nothing but Royal Guard's and Griffon's fighting it out. A few dark Pegasi were mixed in with the large crowd.

[Angel form?]
{No, I only need Breaking Dawn.}

A bright light flashed as I changed into Breaking Dawn, causing a few Griffon's and Royal Guard's to look my way.

I cracked my neck and flew forward, slamming into two Griffon's in the process. I grabbed each by the neck and slammed them together, instantly knocking each out.

As I threw them to the side, a dark Pegasus flew forward, slamming its bladed wing into my shoulder.

I grimaced in pain and hooked it in the face, turning it to black smoke.

I coughed slightly and flew forward, slamming my hooves into any Griffin or dark Pegasi I flew past.

When I reached the door, I pushed it open, ready to provide a little help for the next car. But, when I opened the next door, a large explosion sent me flying back into the one I just came from.

As I coughed and tried to stand, a Griffin reached down and grabbed me by the neck.

It lifted me up to it's face and laughed. It pulled back its talon and... fell?

I mean, it let me go and just fell to the ground... what?

When I hit the ground and looked up, I saw the Lieutenant, smiling.

"Gotta be careful, Lance."

I shrugged and jumped up, "I am."

And before he could reply, I charged towards the car that I was going to previously.

But, when I entered it, all I saw was the landscape speeding by.

There was no other car anymore. Just a scarred platform where it use to be.

I ran across the destroyed carriage, and ran into the next one. Inside this one was very few Royal Guard's, who were trying desperately to fight off a couple Griffon's who had flown in through one of the large gaping holes.

I clenched my teeth and flared my wings. I sprung forward and headbutted one in the back of the head. As he fell, another slashed it's talon's across my chest, causing blood scars to form.

I winced slightly and grabbed its talon as it tried to redo it's attack. I twisted hard, breaking it's hand and pushed forward, causing the Griffin to stab its own talons into it's gut.

<Don't kill them, Lance!>
{I'm not...}

I grabbed the unconscious Griffin that I knocked out and threw it towards another, sending both of them out one of the holes.

I turned to help take care of the others. But the Royal Guard's had already taken care of the other Griffon's in the car.

One of them nodded towards me and jumped out through the hole, spreading his wings and taking flight.

Hmmm, should I?

[Yes, we should try and stop them from getting on the train. Or at least slow down the amount of them getting on.]
<I agree. We can slow them down at least.>

I gave a nod and bent down and picked up one of the fallen Royal Guard's swords.

<No! We don't have to kill the Griffon's!>
{I know, I'm just going to injure them.}
[... How are we even holding this sword in our hoof?]
<No idea... but let's roll with it!>

I spread my wings and flew out of the train and into the morning sun.

The second I was out in the open, a pair of Griffon's veered off their path and flew towards me.

As the first one reached me, I ducked under its talon and slashed my sword across it's unarmored wing, removing it entirely.

I quickly twisted around and barely dodged the other Griffon's sharp talons. I flew forward and ducked under its next attack. I then slammed the sword forward, tearing through the muscle in the Griffon's leg.

It yelped in pain and stopped flapping its wings, causing it to fall towards the ground.

I smiled proudly, but snapped back to being serious when I heard two more explosions.

I flew towards a group of Darkness, sword held in one hoof.

But, before I could reach them, a large Griffin slammed into my side. It grabbed me by the throat and began to apply pressure.

I began to gag, trying to push the Griffin off of me, but was unable to break it's iron grip.

[SHIT! I got this!]

My hoof shot upward, the one holding the sword, and swished past my face.

The Griffin's grip instantly loosened as it's hands were removed from its body.

As it looked at its arms, now with stubs, I flew forward and delivered a devastating kick to its face. Sending it towards the ground.

I winced slightly as I removed the talons from around my neck and quickly flew after the train, which was still speeding away.

While I was flying towards it, I could see more and more Griffon's and dark Pegasi landing on the train. While the others bombarded it with explosives.

Once I reached the train again, I set out to stop the Pegasi who were constantly bombing it.

I flew towards three of them and cut one in half, and as it turned to smoke, I gave the one next to it a heavy left jab. The last one stopped and threw its bladed wings towards me. I brought the sword up and blocked the attack and spun backwards, slamming my back legs into its chin.

I sighed and wiped a hoof across my forehead.

I looked down at the train and groaned. There where Griffon's on top of the couches, each one either fighting a Royal Guard, or tossing explosives into the car below.

"Why me?" I muttered angrily as I flew towards the train.

I landed on the roof and pointed my hoof at two Griffon's, "Come at me bros!"

The first one glared and flew towards me, but when I swung the sword, it ducked under it and slammed it's head into mine, causing me to fly across the roof of the train. I skidded to a stop and tried to stand, but the large Griffin pounced on me and held me down with its talons.

But, before it could try anything, something slammed into it, sending off the side of the train.

Chachila landed in front of me and smiled as he extended his hoof, "Need some help?"

I rolled my eyes and allowed him to help me up, "Thanks."

And after saying that, I flew towards the second Griffin, catching him by surprise.

I brought the sword down on its right wing, removing it from it's body. As it reared up in pain, I spun to the side, slamming my back legs into it's side. As it fell off the side, I twisted around and slammed the flat side of the sword into another's face who was trying to grab me from behind.

Chachila landed beside me and slashed his sword across a Griffin's throat.

"Heh, you're pretty good." He commented.

I smiled and brought my sword up, "You're not so bad yourself."

[UGH! Don't quote all those action movies!]

"Shit!" I yelled out as I tripped over one of the bodies on the roof.

I fell to the ground and turned over just in time to block the talons of one of the Griffin's. I gritted my teeth as I pushed back with the blade and used my back legs to push myself away from the Griffin.

Chachila flew over me and slammed his sword into the Griffin's gut, causing it to fall of the train.

I stood up and looked around. Luckily, there weren't that many more left. Just a few flying around, and a few inside the train.

"Come on! We have to stop them before they hit the engine!" One of the Royal Guard's yelled as he took to the air.

I looked skyward and flew upward.

[We are so badass!]
{No, we're only luck...}

Something heavy slammed into me from behind, catching me by complete surprise. I pulled my wings in and twisted in mid air.

The large Griffin, who had rammed me, was flying down towards me, its talons pointed downward, towards me.

{Okay you two, you ready to pull a Rainbow Dash move here?}
<[You know it!]>

I took a deep breath and twisted back around til I was facing the ground, which was coming up fast.

Seconds before hitting the ground, I flared my wings and flapped hard, sending my body forward at a high speed.

The Griffin, however, wasn't so lucky. As it went to pull up, its body slammed into the ground, either killing it or knocking it out. I hope it was the former.

But, as my luck would have it, my prosthetic wing gave out.

I slammed into the ground, sending dirt and rocks everywhere.

After a few seconds, I gasped in pain.

"Fu...ck..." I gasped as I forced myself into a sitting position.

<Come on, Lance! We have to keep up with the train.>

I painfully stood up and began to limp in the direction the train was going. I slowly began to gallop as the pain slowly resided.

"Whoa! Are you okay, Lance? That was a painful looking fall!" Luric yelled out as he flew down to fly beside me.

I chuckled and spread my wings, "Don't worry about me, just keep them off the train."

He frowned, "You better be okay." He then banked left and flew towards a few dark Pegasi.

I clenched my teeth and took to the air, flying for the train. I resisted the urge to scream in pain each time I flapped my wing. I knew I should have listened to Twilight when she told me I had to be careful with it...

I forced myself to fly until I was next to the train.

With a grunt, I threw myself through a small hole in the side of the train and landed in front of three Royal Guard's.

"Buck! Are you okay?!" One asked as he quickly helped me stand on all fours.

I winced and nodded.

"Lance!" Chachila yelled as he flew in through the window, "What happened?!"

I shrugged, "My wing gave out, nothing big..."

The train again rocked with a explosion.

"Chachila, you should get out there and help. I'll help on the inside." I said as I picked up another sword from another fallen Royal Guard.

Chachila laughed, "Giving orders, huh?" He then flew out the hole, followed by one of the other Guards.

I smiled and began to make my way down the carriage, moving towards the front.

After passing through a few couches, and fighting a few Griffon's and dark Pegasi, I came to the second to first car. Inside was two Royal Guard's who were trying to fight five Griffon's.

[Unfair odds right there.]

I cracked my neck and ran towards them... only to have a sixth one slam into my side.

I slammed into the wall and hit the ground with a loud grunt. I stood up quickly and faced the Griffin.

The sword I was using was no longer in my grasp, it was knocked out of my hoof when the Griffin rammed me.

As the Griffin sprung forward, I dropped into a fighting stance, ready for some hoof to talon combat.

But, before it reached me, four different swords slammed into its side, sending the Griffin to the ground.

"Aha! How'd ya like that one!" Jarkins yelled as he trotted into the carriage, a couple swords floating around him.

[This reminds me of 'Fallout: Equestria'...]

Jarkins nodded at me as he began to launch the swords at the Griffon's and dark Pegasi. Each sword slammed into it's target. Either killing it or incapacitating it.

As the last one fell, Jarkins turned to me and smiled, "I see you're holding your own."

I nodded and picked up another sword, "Thanks, Jerkins. I'm getting too old for this stuff."

[Aren't we only eighteen though?]
{Yeah, I just feel old...}

"Too old?" Jarkins laughed as he lifted up a few more swords and trotted back the way he came.

I chuckled to myself and picked up another sword.

"You alright?" One of the guards asked me as I began to trot towards the next car.

I gave a nod, "Never better..."

[Are you sure you're okay? It doesn't feel like you're okay...]
{I'm fine.}

I stepped out of the carriage and into the next one. Thankfully, the Royal Guard's in this one had already taken care of the Griffon's and dark Pegasi.

I looked over at one of the large holes in the wall and trotted over, almost falling over when another explosion went off.

When I looked outside of the train, I saw that the most of the Griffon's were pulling back, but the dark Pegasi seemed to stay. Strange...

"What is he doing?" One of the Royal Guard's asked as he and the others looked out a window on the other side of the car.

I turned and walked over to them. When I looked out, I saw Chachila and another guard trying to fight three very large Griffon's.

"He's going to get himself killed..." The guard next to me muttered.

I shook my head, "Nah, he'll do fine. He has them in his..." I stopped as I watched the other guard get slashed across the throat. Which, caused him to fall away from the fight and distract Chachila.

[Well fuck...]

Damn it!

I opened the window and climbed through it. But, as soon as I turned to fly to his aid. The Griffon closes to him swung out with its talons and knocked off Chachila's helmet.

<Lance... that was more than just a helmet...>

My eyes widened as I saw Chachila's now headless body begin to fall towards the ground.

[Damn it!]
<...>

I kept pace with the train, but watched as the three Griffon's flew towards the front of the train.

"Follow me!" One of the Royal Guards yelled to his comrades as they all ran towards the engine.

I glanced around quickly, seeing no other threats, and flew towards the front.

After a few seconds, I flew to the side and landed in the car that was next to the engine.

I started to walk towards the door that lead to the engine, but four Royal Guards stood in front of it, trying to break the door down.

Among them was Sil, who looked pretty pissed as he tried to use his magic to break the door down.

I trotted up and groaned slightly.

"Lance!" Sill yelled as he stopped working on the door and looked at me, "Can you help us out here?"

"What is it?" I questioned, wondering why they were having trouble with the door. I mean, it should be pretty easy to break down.

"Well," he said, looking at the door, "It appears that they've somehow put a spell on the door."

"And hows that possible?" I asked, "They're Griffon's. Not unicorns."

[Lance? Why so serious?]
{I'm going to remain serious till I get back my Twilight back!}
[Okay... sorry...]

"I have no idea..." Sil muttered as he let out a sigh.

"Buck!" one of the other guards yelled as he kicked the door again.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to them, "Move!"

They all looked at each other and slowly backed away from me and the door.

I put my hoof on the door and thought for a second.

....

Ah!

I moved over to the side and slammed my hoof through the wall. I then pulled it out and turned to face the Royal Guards, "It's that damn simple! If the damn door is locked, break down the wall!"

They all nodded, a little fear in their eyes.

[Wow... we're scaring Royal Guards....]
<That's kinda scary... for us that is...>

I waved my hoof at them, motioning for them to follow and broke my way through the small hole. When I was in the section between carts, I could hear the three Griffon's yelling at someone. Strange?

I shook my head and kicked the door open. I jumped in, followed by the other Royal Guards.

But, what I saw surprised me.

Val was standing in front of the three Griffon's, smirking. The three Griffon's continued to yell at him.

"... suicide!" One yelled.

Val looked up and smiled at me and the guards.

"Ah, Lance. What a surprise."

"You bastard!" I growled, anger replacing my serious attitude.

"Words are only a front, Lance," he said as he disappeared in a flash of light.

I started to yell at the Griffon's, but, before I could, another flash of light filled the car.

"Ah crap..." One of the guards muttered.

[Fuck, is that a...]
<Bomb?!>

.... What the fuck?!

The thing that appeared in the car was a small yellow box with a timer on it...

And the timer said eleven seconds!

"Move!" Sill yelled as he and the others turned and galloped out of the car. I turned and ran after them, jumping through the hole and continuing to run down the car.

Wait... wings!

I spread my wings and propelled myself forward, grabbing Sil and another guard in both my hooves.

I then flew to the side and out of the hole in the wall. The other two guards jumped out, but only one of them was a pegasus...

Seconds after leaving the train, the entire front blew outward. The force of the explosion slammed into me, knocking me out of the sky.

Before we slammed into the ground, a small shield engulfed us.

But, as we hit the ground, it only blocked out a small amount of the impact. The shield shimmered for a second before it gave out completely.