"And you say humans here are a legend?" Dean walked alongside Twilight, his hand never leaving his holstered pistol, and his eyes never leaving the Prince.

The trio was cresting over a hill, the long grass swaying in the breeze. Dean figured they were only an hours walk from the hideout. The only light they were provided with where Twilight's horn and the ring around Trignar's neck. Dean had little issues seeing with his enhanced body. He could see the massive forest Twilight had identified as the Everfree slowly approaching with every step they took; the gorge would be somewhere before it.

"Yes. According to legend, before the two sisters or even the three pony tribes, there was a species that were considered gods. They built machines of wonder and mastered nature. Once day, the humans all but disappeared. Other races began to emerge, the last being the ponies. As of right now, the only memory of humanity on Eques is a statue sitting in the royal gardens of the palace." Twilight scanned the forest they were walking through, making sure that no predator's would be able to get the jump on them.

"Sounds like humans to me, though we definitely weren't gods. We used our brains and technology in order to achieve the impossible." Dean heard a scoff in front of him and his eyes drifted to the back of the Princess head and he scowled. "Something you want to add?"

"It's impossible that your species was able to advance so far in technology. The Dark Elves have been the masters of magic and science for over a thousand generations. Your people sound weak, not using magic." Trignar chuckled. "What kind of feats where you able to accomplish that our people have not already done?"

Dean's face lit up into a smile.

"Well, Prince. Humanity managed to land a ship on the moon, walk its surface, plant a flag, and come back. We managed to have someone jump from the edge of space, into atmosphere, and survive." Dean smirked when he noticed Twilight's face, jaw dropped and eyes wide. She stopped and so did Trignar, who in turn began to laugh.

"That is preposterous! The only being that was able to reach the moon was Nightmare Moon herself, no technology could possibly reach that distance!" Trignar chuckled.

"I don't care if you believe me or not." Dean continued to walk, Twilight by his side. Trignar turned and continued in front of them.

"Your people would be a minor annoyance in the side of the Empire, your technology wouldn't even compare to our might!" Dean groaned in annoyance. He had mowed down nearly all of the elite guards, he had single handedly taken on the others with nothing but a knife. Was this guy a lunatic?

"Sparing me and fixing my wounds proved that much. And lets not forget about you, Princess." Trignar chuckled to himself. "When the Emperor gets ahold of you, he will steal your magic, rape you, then kill you and the rest of your pathetic friends. They have all already given up and submitted to our rule. Your other Princesses have been killed, but not before myself and my older brother were able to use them." Dean heard a sob behind him and looked back. Twilight was sitting on the ground, tears flowing down her face. Unbridled fury started to creep into Deans mind, his brow furrowed and his lips tightened into a thin line.

Trignar stopped but did not look back. It was obvious that he had heard Twilights quiet sob.

"Pathetic. You Alicorns were supposed to be powerful, not weak," he chuckled, "The big white one squealed like a piglet when I had my way wi-"

Dean stalked forward and shoved Trignar in the back, causing him to stumble forward. "You are lucky I even let you talk in the first place, considering what I witnessed you doing to the princess. Remember what I will do to you if you move or speak out of line." Dean slid a finger against his own throat, a menacing glare accompanying it for the intimidating effect. He felt Twilight shiver slightly behind him, and a hint of feral joy passed over him when the same happened to Trignar.

"Y-you wouldn't kill me Dem-human, y-you need me!" Trignar backpedaled as Dean stepped even closer. A rage was building inside him as he remembered the things he witnessed the prince had done to Twilight. Twilights quiet sobbing behind him reminded him of that. Some of the things Trignar had said cut deep into Deans heart.

'What kind of monsters would do this to another sentient being?' Then Dean realized something. These Dark Elves resembled the Orith: monsters with backwards ideologies and thinking. The only difference? He was now the one with advanced technology and knowledge.

"I don't need you actually, I could put a knife through your jugular and be done with you. Your race is primitive and backwards, I witnessed that early in the night." Dean shot his arm out and wrapped his fingers around the throat of the Prince, causing a squeak of fear and a strangled gasp.

"Because of your people, I was forced to leave everything behind. Because of your people, my loved ones might die. Because of your people...!" Dean threw Trignar a good ten meters through the air before taking off like a shot, standing beside Twilight one moment and then gone the next. Trignar slammed into the uneven ground, his clothes ripping and shredding from the slide across the dirt. A rock caught the small of his back and he hissed in pain.

Calling on his magic, Trignar tried to attack the human out of instinct, but to his horror and pain, electricity began to course through his body. He screamed as loud as his airways would let him as the energy ran its course through him. Trignar barely felt himself being picked up again, nor did he see the knife gently laid across his throat.

With the electricity gone, Trignar was able to regain control of his breathing. Then he felt the knife.

"Maybe I should kill you, just to make a point. You have hurt the Princess enough as it is, and you have been a pain in the ass." Dean snarled as he pressed the knife a bit more, drawing a thin line of blood. He heard the Prince whimper, good.

He drew the knife back, the smell of urine suddenly hit his nose, causing it to crinkle and his eyes to water slightly. "Pitiful." Dean dropped the elf and turned back to Twilight, who was staring off into space. The tears had dried up, replaced by a look that Dean was all to familiar with.

"I knew they died you know. I felt my mentor's life signature stop, Luna's soon after. Last year was my sister in law, Cadence. I-I just couldn't accept it. The only thing I have left in this world are my f-friends." Twilights lip trembled, but her eyes remained foggy and distant. Dean was about to kneel down to her level once again to comfort her, but she started to chuckle, causing him to hesitate. "Is it bad that I want them all dead? Is it bad that I feel like ripping the head right of the Emperors shoulders? What is wrong with me? Why?" She looked up into his eyes. Dean saw a lost soul, one that had been alone for to long. This pony, this young girl, had seen things that no one her age should have seen. Sure she was twenty and legally an adult in human years, but it was still to young. No person should have to experience the things she had experienced, and he pitied her for that. He had grown used to the death, become accepting of it. The horrors of war where finally catching up to Twilight, he could see that. Dean had to be careful, for her mental state was on a very thin thread. One push, and she could fall into the grips of insanity. He had seen it happen with some of the new recruits early in the war. Some pushed through, others didn't. Dean wasn't any good with things regarding the mind, so he did what he knew was the basic form of comfort: He knelt down, looked into Twilight's eyes, and pulled her into a hug.

*****

Trignar lay upon the ground, staring at the Demon and the Princess. Something had happened, this much he knew. He felt it premating around him and in the forest. It was a calming feeling, really. His mind felt clouded for some reason, almost like a thin veil was covering his eyes. He reached up to rub them, but was ultimately restricted by the strange metal binding his arms together.

He blinked, then blinked again. Something was definitely wrong. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes and concentrating. He could hear the sounds of the various woodland creatures and the rustle of the wind through the grass.

Opening his eyes once more, he gasped in surprise. Before him was something unlike anything he had ever seen. His eyes only continued to widen as he took in his surroundings.

Lavender particulates seemed to float through the air, flashing in and out of existence like fireflies. The tips of the grass blades seemed to glow softly in the same colour. Trignar looked down at his hands and nearly yelped in surprise. The tips of his fingers were glowing vibrantly, as where his ripped clothes. An odd twinkling sound vibrated through the air, causing him to look up, his jaw practically dropped.

The Princess hugged the Demon tightly, tears flowed down her face, but no sound came. Something was trying to escape from within him, a feeling so foreign that he could not place it. It was almost like he felt the need too break down and cry, o-or atone for his sins.... against her. He felt the truth about to come out, the veil was starting to lift, but then she opened her eyes. The twinkling stopped, the grass and his body ceased to glow, and Trignar was suddenly overcome by a splitting headache.

'What happened?'

He shrugged it off. The Princess was as good as dead, there was no doubting that. This Demon would not be able to protect her. Not from... it.

'Wait, what?'

Who was 'it'? Did he not mean to say the Emperor? What was going on with him?

'Maybe I should tell her the truth?'

Trignar jumped to his feet, a scowl crossing his face. He didn't like these thoughts, they weren't his, they couldn't be his! He tried to think desperately for a distraction, anything to take his mind off the treasonous thoughts.

"Alright, lets go."

Trignar's eyes snapped to the sound of the human, no... Demons voice. He smiled slightly as the metal monster pointed past him. Trignar noticed the purple Alicorn standing just behind the beast, eyes cast to the side as she balanced on three legs. He noticed blood slowly trickling down her front leg and frowned.

"Why are you bleeding?" He asked nonchalantly, pointing at Twilight. The mare in turn made an eep noise before mustering a pathetic glare, however, Trignar couldn't help but wither slightly before it. He watched as the Demon turned and unpacked a small metal canister before moving towards the Princess.

"Why do you care?" Hatred oozed from her words, her muzzle twisting into a snarl. Trignar found he couldn't find the strength to retort, so he sneered instead. He watched as the Demon applied some sort of foam to Twilights stomach, and he couldn't help but be impressed.

"What is contained within that canister, Demon? Some sort of potion?" He knew it had to be some form of magic. The elves used magic within their healing products, making them more effective. If the stuff inside that canister was able to fix the wounds in his thigh as well as the lacerations on the Princess, then it had to have some sort of magical property.

"No." The Demon grunted without turning. Trignar huffed at the disrespectful gesture. All his life he had been used to getting his own way. Ever since the Orb was given to his people by The One, they had been blessed with riches beyond belief. Thinking back that far created a fuzzy spot in his mind, though he didn't dwell on it. All that mattered was that once the magic-hoarding ponies of Equestria where subjugated, he could do whatever he so pleased.

'What happened before the war?'

Trignar cocked his head to the side as he began to think , but doing so caused a headache to begin forming, so he stopped. It didn't matter. Himself and his fellow Dark Elves where happy, the magic would once again be theirs once the Princess was caught, and they would all live happily ever after.

Smirking, he waited until the Demon was finished with the Princess. Once they were ready to go, he began to walk with them, all the while receiving nasty glares. The feeling of guilt and pity was slowly leaving him, so their looks did not affect his psyche. All he had to do was play along until he was rescued.

*****

After two hours of walking, they finally came upon their destination. To their left, the outskirts of the Everfree could be seen. light wind blew through the trees, causing their trees to rustle. Trignar shivered as the wind bit at his exposed ears.

"Alright, where here." The Demon stopped and so did Trignar and Twilight, the latter breathing a quiet sigh of relief. The equipment the Demon possessed rustled as he shifted the metal stick to his back. Trignar winced as the sound of knuckles cracking echoed throughout the expanse.

"Where is here? It's just a forest." Trignar huffed and strode forward. He was about to toss another comment over his shoulder when his left foot suddenly hit open air. With a yelp and a scream of fear, he felt himself teeter slightly as a sense of vertigo overcame him. It wasn't until a rough pair of hands suddenly grabbed his foot, did he stop screaming, and begin hyperventilating.

"Holy Creator! Oh, please don't let me die!" He looked down at the yawning void and shrieked. "Pull me up! Pull me up, damn you!"

"Hold still you imbecile! If you keep moving, you'll slip out of my hands!" Trignar looked up and noticed he was being held by a measly three fingers. The Demons face peered at him from over the edge of the cliff, face strained and eyes shut.

"Hurry up!" Trignar looked down again and began to try and pull himself up.

'If I can reach the edge, I can grab hold and climb up.'

Forgetting his hands were tied, and that he had no access to magic, Trignar reached within. A few seconds later, disaster struck.

A crack of thunder caused him to lose focus and prematurely release some magic. The binds Twilight had placed upon him reacted, electrocuteing every millimeter of his body. He began jerking uncontrollable for a second before he felt the Demons grip on his foot loosen. Crying out, He swung his arms, thinking he could catch a piece of the rock face that was jutting out. Two things happened instead: Electricity arced up his arm, immobilizing it, and he finally realized his arms where bound.

He began to fall, the darkness the loosely packed trees provided causing him to almost lose sight of the Demon entirely. He blinked, his life flashing before his eyes. It started foggy, but he began to see things. Playing as a kid with his older siblings, encountering a griffin emissary while hiding behind his father's throne, enlisting into officer school as required by all children of the royal family, watching as his soldiers mowed down pony guards and civilians alike, though not participating himself. He mentally sighed. He had raped and occasionally pillaged, but killing unarmed innocents was not something he did. All those times he had bragged about it, it was to make himself look better. At heart, he was weak. By capturing the Princess of Friendship, he would have proven himself strong, but now, he would never get the chance. He would be looked down upon or forgotten through history.

His eyes opened after the one blink, and he saw something akin to an angel. At first he thought it was the Princess, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a midnight blue Pegasus. It's wings were sleeker than anything he had ever seen, and it seemed to be wearing some sort of dark, body tight clothing.

The pony dove past him, he reached out and managed to spin in midair. His bound hands and body were able to wrap around the ponies barrel before the wings. Energy filled him as he realized he wasn't going to die. He looked down as the Pegasus began to glide downwards, dissipating the momentum of him falling. Adrenaline began to leave his system as he smiled in relief. Their downward glide halted by the flap of the Ponies mighty wings. He had always wanted to fly as a child, and now, his wish was granted.

*****

"No!" Dean yelled, but it was to late, he had lost his grip. Maybe it was from his exhaustion, maybe it was his hesitation. Either way, he wasn't strong enough to save the Prince.

'He's better off dead,' a dark part of his mind whispered.

"Shut up." Dean mumbled. He could only stare at the falling form of the Prince. The gorge was a good twenty five meters, there was no way the Prince would survive.

A cry of alarm from Twilight caused him to whirl around, only for a jet of black to zoom past him. If he didn't have superhuman reflexes, he likely would have missed it entirely. Following the figure with his eyes, he watched as it dove over the edge, disappearing like a ghost.

"W-what was that?" Twilight asked in a shaky voice. She slowly hobbled over to his side and dared a glance over the edge. Dean had a millisecond to pull her back when the same shape flew past their heads and out of the gorge.

Giving a cry of alarm, Twilight stumbled back, her magic keeping her standing even though dean had grabbed her and pulled her back.

They heard a whoop of glee and a smidge of laughter as the figure soared back towards them. What Dean could now identify as a Pegasus pony touched down twenty feet from himself, its legs bending slightly; the Prince rolled off its back. Dean was having none of it.

Quick as a flash, he brought his pistol out and trained the iron sights on the ponies head. He had heard from Twilight that some of her fellow equines had turned on their kin in order to survive. This could be one such traitor.

"Peace, Human." His voice was smooth and sounded fairly young. Dean narrowed his eyes as the pony stood to its full height, which wasn't that tall. "I only wish to talk."

"How do I know know you aren't working for the Emperor and are here to rescue the Prince?" Dean stepped closer, his boots crunching on a fallen branch. The Pegasus could only huff in response as it glared at him.

"If I was with the Emperor, I would have attacked you long ago back in that narrow gully you had move through. It would have been a perfect ambush." Dean narrowed his eyes. He needed more proof. "I can see you still don't believe me, would you be able to cast a truth spell upon me, Princess? Dean watched as Twilight's horn glowed slightly brighter and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the same lavender glow appear upon the Pegasus. Twilight gave a nod, her horn still glowing. "

My name is Midnight Flow, former Equestrian Night Guard. I am currently a scout for the Equestrian Resistance, stationed near Maritime Bay. For two years, we have been fighting the Dark Elves in a guerilla war, disrupting supplies, attacking at night, and causing general chaos. Our aim is someday push the Dark Elves from the lands we call home." Dean noticed the Prince had grown quiet, a quick glance showed he was paying rapt attention.

"Everything he said was true, Sergeant." Twilight sighed tiredly. Dean nodded before holstering his pistol, the frown never leaving his face.

"If what you said is true, then come with us to our camp, I would like to speak to your leaders. I was sent here in order to help push the Elven menace out as well, it would seem we could form an alliance." Dean walked forward until he was standing in front of Midnight. He had to give him credit for not shying away, though he did notice his left eye twitch. He held out his hand and Midnight glanced at it. After a second of hesitation, he laid his hoof in his palm and shook.

"We will set out tomorrow morning then. Maritime Bay is actually not far from here." The Prince stood up and walked up to the edge of the gorge, this time waiting for Dean to lead the way.

And so they went. Rain began to pour from the clouds and thunder blasted from the heavens. Tomorrow, they would set out to the main camp where these rebels were hiding. Tomorrow, they would finally come up with a plan to take back Equestria.