Twilight could only stare in horror at the carnage below her. Her ears folded back and her jaw slightly hanging. Never before had she seen such power and brutality packed into one being. She had seen some pretty horrible injuries when the elves had taken Canterlot, but those were quick deaths. Here, she watched from afar as Sergeant Forester cut through the Elite Guards like a sheath through wheat.

She had hobbled to the top of the hill on her good legs, ignoring the pain around her body. From there, she was able to get a good vantage point while remaining hidden.

Even though she was several hundred meters away, she could hear the screams of pain as those cut down died a slow and painful death. It was bittersweet in her ears.

'Wait, what?'

Twilight plopped down on the ground, a devious smile crossing her face. For two years, she had been running. For two years, she was alone and scared. For two years, these monsters hunted her relentlessly. And for two years, she had quietly been wishing she could enact revenge. Now, she could do just that.

This human was the key to her success in saving those she loved. She would be able to see her friends again! And she would be able to destroy the invading menace in one fell swoop.

A small part of her brain yelled at her, told her she was acting like a psychopath, that she wasn't herself, but she pushed it to the side. She couldn't help herself!

Twilight giggled slightly as she watched the camp burn, the fires reflecting in her eyes as she imagined the deaths of the ones who took away all she lived for. She sat there for what seemed like hours until a dark figure made its way up the hill towards her. It was bulky at the top and walked on two legs.

Quietly, Twilight crouched down into the long grass, charging her magic. With the inhibitor ring gone, she had access to the whole arsenal of spells. Before she could cast it, the shadowed figure spoke.

"It's me Twilight." Sergeant Forester walked up to her and stopped. How he saw her in the tall grass, she would never know. "I've taken care of the raiding party, and I brought along a friend." She visibly relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. Tiredness started to creep into her mind when she realized she was safe once more.

She perked up and watched with intrigue as Sergeant Forester unceremoniously dropped a certain Prince right in front of her. The malice she had experienced before temporarily vanished as she shied away from her previous captor. The stink of sweat, blood and urine filled the air all of a sudden, causing her nose to crinkle in disgust.

"Y-you caught the Prince! Are you crazy!?" Twilight began to hyperventilate as she scooted back, stopping only when her broken leg bumped into a rock, causing her to cry out.

Dean immediately rushed to her side and began an examination of her wounds. Even though it was dark, his eyes had been enhanced along with the rest of his body, allowing him to see better at night. It wasn't perfect, but it definitely helped.

"I shouldn't have run off like that without checking you first, for that, I am sorry." Dean grabbed the BAI foam from his pouch and quickly applied a generous amount to the many cuts and bruises across Twilight's body. The fur covering her made it somewhat difficult to rub the healing medicine in, but it worked nonetheless.

Twilight sighed in relief as the swelling went down around her leg and body. She would never admit it, but she actually enjoyed the Sergeant's hands when they rubbed into her fur.

Cooing softly, she rubbed her head into the palm of his hand as he applied some of the foam to her ear. An immense feeling of safety and relief flooded her when he began scratching behind her ear. They sat there for a few minutes, the Sergeant softly scratching around her head and mane while she sat there in content.

Dean, on the other hand, was somewhat confused. After he had found out that the animals here could think and talk like he could, he had started to see them in a more human fashion. It intrigued him when this particular pony started rubbing against his hand and arm like a cat. He decided to test a theory of his and slowly began to to scratch around her ears and mane like he would a horse back home. His suspicions proved correct as she seemed to melt into his hand, eyes closed in appreciation.

'She looks so cute.'

Dean frowned. He didn't know what he thought of Twilight. Was she a friend or an acquaintance? He already had a wife and kid at home, so he wouldn't have to worry about love in this world. He had only known Twilight for a day and a half, but he had risked his neck to save her. Dean settled on the conclusion that she was indeed his friend, for the most part.

'Good thing I'm not attracted to horses, Jenkins would have a heart attack from the sheer stupidity of it,'' the sly part of his mind informed him. He chuckled softly out loud before deciding he had wasted enough time.

"I'll see if I can find you a splint for that leg." Dean removed his hand and began to scourge around for a log he could cut up. Twilight looked up and began to hyperventilate once more.

"What should we do with the Prince? He is a pretty powerful person. We could use him as a bargaining chip, o-or maybe we could get some information out of him? What are the chances that he will even answer anything we ask? Royals are the best at keeping secrets!" Twilight giggled nervously as her rant ended. Dean could only look at her in exasperation.

A sudden groan caused both their heads to swivel towards their captor. Dean whistled, and Twilight watched in fascination as a metal chord detached from his arm and flew towards the prince, wrapping his legs together.

"Is that what you used to tie me up yesterday?" Twilight looked at Dean's arm in wonder. "Is it some sort of magic?"

Dean simply chuckled. "No, it involves electromagnetic coils and a heat signature in order for it to work. Whatever living thing I direct it towards, it'll target them and wrap 'em up! Enough talk, there's plenty of time later to learn about my technology." Dean finally spotted a log and grabbed it. Tossing it to Twilight, he started walking towards the elven prince. "Can you make yourself a splint? I have someone to take care of.

Twilight sighed and sat down. Using her magic, she levitated the log up. She eyed its length for a moment before condensing her magic and slicing into the wood down its length. She repeated the process on the other side before levitating it towards her busted leg. She nearly dropped the wood when Trignar suddenly let out an ear piercing shriek of fear. Regaining focus, she glared in the prince' general direction before huffing, "stupid elf."

Dean, for his part, nearly jumped out of his skin when the elf shrieked. He looked down in annoyance as the terrified elf tried to break his bonds and escape to no avail. Dean decided to wait for the prince to tire himself out before talking.

Ten seconds later, Dean had had enough.

"Would you quit struggling and shut up you worthless dickweed! The metal line binding your legs is not coming off anytime soon!" Quick as a snake, Dean reached down and grabbed the prince by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him upwards until their faces were inches apart. The prince stopped struggling, his face going as pale as the moon.

"R-release me Demon! I am p-prince Trignar of the house Blueblade! Y-you don't want to mess w-with me!" Trignar tried to look tough, but ultimately failed as Dean continued to glare into his soul. Twilight sniggered from her spot on the ground.

Trignar's head whipped around at the noise as he peered into the darkness. Once his eyes fell on Twilight, he visibly snarled and began shaking again.

"You bitch! I swear, when I escape these blasted bindings I'll make you wish you were never born! I will put your head on a spike after I have every Dark Elf in Canterlot ra-" Trignar didn't get any further before a devastating punch smashed into his solar plexus.

Coughing Trignar looked up into the enraged face of Sergeant Dean, eyes wide.

"I think that's enough out of you. In a few minutes here, we will be making our way back to our little abode. You will be coming with us as our prisoner. If I hear so much as a peep from you, I'll slit your throat and leave you to the crows." Dean mustered his most intense glare as the prince looked up at him. He was rewarded with a whimper as the prince coward away once more. "Good, now be silent."

Dean hoisted the prince to his feet and whistled once more. The bindings on his legs unwrapped and flew up to his arms, binding them together instead. Trignar jumped when the metal rope coiled around his wrists, but he did not cry out, much to Dean's disappointment.

"Are you ready to go?" Dean looked down at Twilight, who was just getting back to her feet. She wobbled slightly before standing stock still and looking into his face, determination radiated from her.

"Just one second." Twilight hobbled over to the prince, who looked up slightly in confusion. Dean noticed beads of sweat sliding across his forehead but thought nothing of it.

Quick as a flash, Twilight lit her magic and launched it towards the prince. A ring formed around his neck and an arc of electricity zapped him, causing a cry of pain to escape into the night as he fell to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Dean yelled as he jumped towards the prince, determined to stop Twilight from doing anything rash.

He stepped in front of the prince and knelt down to examine him. He was lying on his side, panting slightly, but the seemingly holographic ring had not disappeared.

"He'll be fine. That ring will keep him from performing any magic while he's here." Twilight walked up beside Dean and looked down at the prince. "Now you know how I felt," she snorted and hobbled off. Dean leaned down and picked up the gasping elf before roughly shoving him in Twilight's direction. Trignar impressively stayed on his feet and began to follow the princess down the hill.

Dean looked back towards the glowing lights the flames provided.

'Why do I not feel anything? No remorse, no horror from what I have committed? Have I really become so desensitized to killing that it's a second nature?'

Dean sighed. He didn't like killing, but these elves had it coming to them. He decided he would see them like he did the Orith: inhuman.

Snorting, he turned once again and began to follow the prince and Twilight. The grass moved in the wind and the air smelled like smoke. He could hear the sounds of different animals as they stalked through the night. In the distance, a wolf howled, soon joined by many more. The moon shone down on him as he waded back the way he originally came.

As he followed the trail of his charge, he failed to notice a figure slip out of the shadows. Jumping from one patch of cover to the next, it stalked the unsuspecting trio.

*****

Emperor Dommik Blueblade sat upon his throne, the strings of the rainbow and star covered hair providing some comfort from his growing headache. His youngest son was to brash for his own good, this he knew. He had just received word from the mayor of Ponyville that his youngest son had apparently been killed. After consulting his... informant, it appeared Trignar was indeed not dead, though he was captured by what appeared to be an armored elf and the blasted pony princess.

Slamming his fist down, he decided to call in his guests. The Emperor usually never associated with the other races in the known world, especially after an incident Involving a certain Storm King.

"Bring them in, I want to get this over with as soon as possible." The elven guard at the foot of his throne nodded once before bringing the butt of his spear onto the marble tile of the floor. The following crack of metal meeting stone rang across the throne room, soon overtaken by the grinding of the massive throne room doors.

An elf walked in, then a second. They quickly made their way to the end of the carpet, several feet from the foot of the throne. When the Emperor looked up, a perfect replica of his two guards stood before him, eyes scanning the room and hands tucked into their sword belts. Then another elf walked through the doors.

This one sported jet black hair styled in a bun. He wore a flowing red robe and a crown upon his head. A goatee took up most of his lower face and his eyes revealed intelligence and strength. His muscles bulged beneath the cotton blouse and a belt kept his trousers up. High knee, mauve coloured boots sat upon his feet. Dommik was staring at a replica of himself.

"I could have you killed for impersonating me." Dommik spoke lazily, hiding his annoyance. His two guards brought their spears up and trained them on the replicas. "Show yourself, insect."

A scowl crossed the face of his doppelganger, but it quickly disappeared in a flash of green as the three elves before him caught fire. Dommiks guards did not move.

"You know, that is no way to treat a lady." Green tinted eyes peered at him through the flames. A shadowy body and warped horn appeared next as the queen of the Changelings stepped into view. Her smaller children followed behind her. "How may I be of service?"

Dommik simply scowled before waving his hand. A map of Equestria appeared in front of him, facing towards the queen and her minions.

"I have searched far and wide for the rebel army attacking my new kingdom, yet I can not find them. They attack in the night when my soldiers are asleep, then leave just as quickly. Their leader is a former guard high up in the chain of command. You might know him as Shining Armour," Dommik paused as Chrysalis shivered, malice appearing in her eyes before disappearing all too quickly.

"Yes, I know of this guard you speak of. His wife had made a fine broodmare for my children last year. T'was a shame she took on one to many eggs." Chrysalis chuckled deviously while Dommik's face remained neutral. He never did like the insect race, but he had to admit, they had the best methods of torture and execution.

"Good, then you will know how he thinks. I need you and your minions to infiltrate their base of operations, kill their leaders, and expose their location to my armies. You will be rewarded with anything you so desire so long as it is within my power." Emperor Dommik stood from his throne and stepped down towards the Changelings. He easily towered over the minions, but the queen was roughly his height.

"I think that terms can be arranged. I will send my minions to locate and infiltrate their base of operations. They won't even know what hit them. We are masters of disguise after all." The queen's wings buzzed, as did the minions. They slowly ascended before zooming back out the throne room doors.

"I have a bad feeling about this 'Demon.' If what that soldier said was true, then I need to act fast." Dommik turned and slowly took his place back on the throne, the coloured hair providing its comfort once more.

Dommik Blueblade smiled. It wasn't necessarily the hair that comforted him, no. It was the fact that the beings whom he had torn it from would no longer pose a challenge to him. And soon enough, once the final princess was caught, no being would be able to stop him.

This world was as good as his.