Dark was about to laugh at the incident when suddenly alarms around the base went off. Dark counted the sequence of sirens and whistles and beeps, and it didn't look good. "Looks like a group of 10 possible hostiles have entered the 100 yard perimeter around the shaft. I will go get my armor and weapons real quick and anypony who wishes to fight must come with me, got it!?" She yelled over the alarm. She ran to her room and in quite literally a minute was out covered in her armor and all her weapons. "Alright, anypony who will fight, let's go!" She yelled motioning to the elevator door.
Kleft was startled when the sirens went off. After Snow came out, he said "Both our and their weapons are worthless in here, how do we expect to fight them off!?" He followed Snow to the elevator and hopped on. "If I get a chance to use my magic again, I'm taking it! The last REAL fight I had was at The Edge, and closing the Infinity Gate was no easy feat. Let's see how THIS particular event goes!"
Grey Mane stepped out of the shadows again. "Fight huh?" She began to let out a grin. "I'll help..." She magically pulled out her knives and waited. "Which way?"
Motorin' was looking around the ruins that had once been Ponyville in a futile attempt to discover the identities of the ponies he had heard through the radio. So far he had only managed to find the slowly dying walkie-talkie that he assumed was transmitting the signal. His ears perked up at the sound of a loud, and rather vulgar, group of ponies advancing. Motorin' ducked behind a large pile of rubble and watched silently. It looked to be a group of about nine, clad in armor and brandishing a variety of weapons, one of them a spiked club, dripping fresh blood. They obviously had no intention to talk or buy anything. Motorin' cursed himself for not having a more powerful weapon. His pistol looked like a pea shooter next to their armament. He was typically not one to run from a fight, but Motorin' wasn't an idiot; shrinking down, he hoped to go unnoticed, and prepared to take off like a bat out of hell should things take a turn for the worst.
Dark got everypony onto the elevator, and after a horrowing ride up, they were on the surface. Dark pulled out a gun and looked about, she quickly spotted the intruders, and boy, they did not look friendly. She held up a hoof motioning for them to hold back, she raised her rifle and all hell suddenly broke loss as an army of thousands attacked. But Dark reconized a certain somepony in the army, her friend Snow, leading it. Snow's army destroyed the pitifully small group of remnant cultist with ease.She had noticed another group in the fight, but decided not to attack them. As Snow walked up to get awnsers from them, she noticed a pony wearing very familar armor, "Dark, is that you?!" she exclaimed. Dark took off her helmet, "Yes Snow, its me." and the two wrapped each other in a massive bear hug as best friends how had not seen each other in years.
Kleft stared towards Snow. "So you didn't make it on the ships then, eh?" he said. "I suppose you have some guts if you stayed. It's nice to see you again." He looked towards the offenders. "What was all this about anyhow. I've never seen a group of bandits do a whole massacre sort of thing like this." His face scrunched up. "So much blood...why does there have to be so much blood..."
Silver had been hanging back during the whole fight. It wasn't that he couldn't fight, but he certainly didn't enjoy it, and wasn't willing to get involved without significant motivation. He was fairly relieved when the enormous army led by the white unicorn attacked the marauders. After the battle was over, he stepped out from behind everypony else, still cautious but more eager to meet this pony of whom Dark had spoken so highly.
Snow smirked, "Well, I almost did. But last minute I found out that they had the guts to replace me as one of the fleet commanders! So I left with the majority of the troops that I had brought, and we have been scouring Equestria for recruits and killing all who support the cult. Now, I bealive I haven't met some of you before. My name is Snow Mark, and I lead the largest of the Equestria Revival Armies, or E.R.A's." Snow turned to her troops, "Secure the town! Set up the perimeter! I don't want anypony who we don't know coming in or out!" and the troops ran off, going through remnant buildings, checking every possible place for more cultist while also digging a defensive barrier around the remains of the town. Snow turned back to the group, "We've already done this to several other towns, villages, and cities. We secure the zone, make it defendable, and draw in as many survivors as possible, who we train in fighting and also supporting themselves. Afterwards we take the best fighters and move on."
"Greetings.... I am Grey Mane." Grey Mane looked at the army of Ponies. "Sounds like you have a bit of a problem with a sort of cult? I am willing to help if it means I can" She cleared her throught. "Take some loot from your foe..." She smiled. She was'nt exactly a big fan of 'Helping' as it were but cultists often have valuables for her collection.
Snow shook her head, "All recovered valuables go to the reconstruction effort. Which reminds me, as I remember this town fairly well, I'm sure I can reconstruct it. Stand back, this is gonna be some very powerful magic, and any distraction could kill us all." As the group stood further away from Snow, she concentrated, and a white magic aura surrounded her horn. Sweat started to collect around her body into droplets as magic surrounded the ruins. Then a second aura, this one electric blue surrounded the white one, and the ruins slowly lifted up. Then a third level, again white this time appeared, and the buildings started to take shape again. Dark, I need your help! A voice said in Dark's mind, which caused her to take a big gulp. They hadn't made her since the Gates, and that almost killed them! Dark took a second gulp, and charged Snow. As Dark neared Snow, time seemed to slow, and Dark felt a fimilar aura, the one of her own old one before she was transformed into a pegasus. A black magic aura surrounded Dark, and she slammed into Snow, causing a massive flash of bright light. When sight returned to the other ponies, the town was rebuilt, and before them, instead of Snow and Dark, stood a gray alicorn. "Hello my friends. Its been too long since I last walked this planet." Snow Light said.
"Not even ammunition? Or maybe a knife or 2? I'm a sort of Collector you see. I kill your foe, I get some of the loot. Deal or would you rather some of your troopers go missing during the night?" She was losing what little patience she had... She then saw the Alicorn. "WHAT?!" She jumped higher than she could normally. "HOW? WHAT? AH!" She kept screaming.
Jhera stared in awe at the transformation that just took place. The buildings were all completely fixed. Even the sky seemed to look different. He looked at Snow Light with an even greater awe. "There's no way..." he said. "It can't be...I saw you! In a vision before the takedown of the Ragnarok! I saw you in it!" He walked around her with fascination. "A gray alicorn brought about from the combination of two, even I can't think of what magic would cause that could happen." He suddenly stopped and bowed to her. "I've always been a scavenger until now. Now I see my place. I will help your cause, Snow."
Snow Light smiled softly at Jhera, "I do not wish for submissiveness. But if you wish to restore Equestria, that is a noble mission." Snow Light looked at the group, "I am the most powerful pony outside of the royal family, if not as powerful as the royals. We need to restore Equestria, for the better of everypony, as the royal family was evacuated with the ships, there will be no more monachy. Instead, a system where everypony is equal, where they chose their own leaders. But that is a long way off, first, we need to save Equestria from the ruin it is in."
Motorin' stood in disbelief as he crept out from his hiding place. The ruins of Ponyville had vanished in a flash of light, replaced by a reconstructed town. A grey alicorn stood in front of a massive army, the bodies of the bandits motionless on the ground. He stowed his gun and walked toward the crowd, hoping to appear friendly.
Grey Manes lips were quivering. "ye-ye-yes, ma'am... Still need-need-ne-need any help with bandits and cultists?" She was shaking in disbelief and fear. "I-I-I-I can infiltrate and spy or-or-or-or Better yet kill thier leaders putting them in a stateofdisbelief!" She did'nt know what to do. All she knew was she wanted to get on this Alicorns good side.
Snow Light looked at the quivering pony Grey Mane, "No need to fear. My divided selves, ponies who you know as Snow Mark and Dark Light are merely just representations of two different parts of my personality. I am the kinder of the two possible combinations, the other is made when the one know as Dark Light dominates the transformation, and the most evil pony is the result. You need not fear me, as I am Balance, I am Kindness and Prosperity. I am to bring Balance once more to this realm, just like I did with the Infinity Gates. But be warned, as I could become the Evil Black Night in times of unbalance. Black Night represents all that is Evil and Hate. But enough of these fears, we need to work to bring Balance back to this area!" and Snow Light began to walk around, fixing anything that was seen as an 'inbalance'.
Grey Mane was half confused, half honoured and all scared. "What would you have me... um.. do?" She asked trying to be polite. She was one for sneaking in shadows and picking of her targets. She grew up in battle. She had no idea of what was going on.
Snow Light looked at Grey, "You are a warrior, I know. If you wish to help go help set up a perimeter around the town, you will find any intrusion there, not here."
She smiled. Looks like she will get her share of battle. She used her patented camoflauge spell to make her self blend in with the shadows as she did before. She then made her way to the perimeter, hurrying, but not before saying a brief "Thanks!" And she was off, waiting for the 'foe' to come, so she could have her fun.
(be ready to say Hello to Black Night everypony!) Snow Light had flown outside the town for a little scouting, when she suddenly felt like she was being renched in two. A splitting headache hit her, and a black fog surrounded her, and evil laughter filled the forest. Black Night stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest looking at Ponyville's pathetic defenses, "Barely worth the trouble." She said to herself as she readied to commit the first of possible many massacres.
