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Warning : the following dark fanfiction contains material of a violent and mildly sexual nature.

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My Little Pony

The Aeons of Equestria

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Episode 7: A Dark Knight

Rarity's head swam for a moment. She slowly woke from her slumber, feeling every joint in her body ache. She felt a chill draft brush her bare fur, bringing a shiver to her body. Groaning the equine lazily lifted her head, eyes fluttering open slowly.

The world was a blur, focusing slowly as she felt emotionless tears, hot and thick roll down her cheeks. She blinked them away and listened. Through the woozy murk that failed to focus she heard the powerful rush of water, echoing through the cavernous chamber surrounding her.

Coughing delicately, Rarity shook her mane out of her face and pulled at her arms. Her hooves kicked against the stone ground as he arms strung high above her head refused to move. She twisted and tugged on her wrists, feeling the thick, rough ropes tear through her fur. Blinking her eyes into focus she looked up to find herself bound with her wrists tight together and a rope strung above her head. Her back was pinned against a massive stalagmite, and beyond her hands she saw a cavern ceiling arching high above her head.

Gasping she looked around. She was in a cave, the floor was uneven and the space was wide and open, broken up by massive pillars of rock and thick, pointed stalagmites sticking from the ground like vicious teeth. Attached to the monoliths of stone were iron hooks with oil-lamps attached, some of the pillars mounted with flickering torches that cast uneven shadows all over the place.

And then Rarity looked down at herself before she screamed. Her clothes were gone. She was naked, her damp fur matted and stained here and there with bits of dirt. Her nipples were hard in the cool air and erect. She feebly crossed her legs over, attempting to hide some of her womanly parts, and prevent the cool air brush her sex. It brought on a tingling sensation she really didn't want to feel at that moment in time.

She heard a set of footsteps and looked up. Three Diamond Dogs rounded a particularly large pillar and stepped into view. Two of them marched with their hands gripping lances, the third was carrying a dark red gown of some sort.

"What have you done with my clothes, you beasts!?" Rarity cried in a shrill voice, visibly causing the Diamond Dogs to flinch.

But regardless they moved closer to her, taking up positions beside the struggling mare. Marching behind them had been a fourth figure, not a Diamond Dog.

Preacher looked no better than he did when he had broken into the library. There were tired rings under his vicious eyes, and his short mane was bedraggled much like his Shadow Legion uniform.

"You!" came a throaty identification from Rarity. "You were the one who was trying to kill Reno! What do you want with the poor boy..."

She was rudely cut off by Preacher's open palm smashing across her face. Heat glowed across the side of Rarity's face as her whole head snapped to one side under the slap.

"You'll speak when spoken to, bitch!" Preacher bellowed in a powerful tone, much unlike his appearance. He then nodded to the Diamond Dogs.

The loyal dogs started dressing the stunned unicorn. They pulled the dress, if that was what it could be called, apart and wrapped it around her body. A slim collar went around her neck, the front of the dress attached to the front of the collar. The crimson cloth draped down to cover her breasts, leaving her arms and back open, then wrapped around her waist. The ends then hung over her buttocks, just about covering her cutie-mark.

"Is your mother proud of you now?" Rarity finally managed to retort as the dogs finished dressing her.

Preacher narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to lay another slap on her. The mare flinched, tugging at her bonds in a feeble attempt to duck for cover. The stallion's arm was cocked and ready to let loose... but he stopped when a voice echoed through the cavern.

"Preacher!" the somewhat familiar voice boomed. "You will not lay another hand on her."

Preacher quickly brought his hand back down to his side and stepped away. Rarity looked past the muscular conscript and saw something that made her eyes visibly widen.

It was Spike. Only he wasn't the lovable dragon he had been before. He had changed. His scales were a darker shade of purple, thicker and more like chitenous armour. He was bigger now, toned too. As tall as Preacher was, he had thick muscular arms and a barrel chest. The ridges along the back of his powerful tail were pointed and looked razor sharp. Each finger ended in a pointed talon, and he still had his Mohawk of green scales, only now they were like huge backswept razors. A darkness had taken Spike's eyes, leaving only small crimson pupils visible. They were murderous eyes that filled Rarity with dread merely gazing into them. Seemingly living shadows crawled over Spike's hide, shifting one way and another to form ever changing mottled patterns over his skin. He was clad in a pair of black trousers and a dark grey plate-mail vest over his torso leaving his powerful arms open. Wrapped around his waist was a utility belt like the Diamond Dogs were wearing, with a dagger sheathed on his left hip.

"In Celestia's name... Spike?" Rarity whispered. "Spike, what happened to you?"

Smiling broadly, to reveal a dark smoke sifting through his dagger-like teeth, Spike moved closer. He reached out and gently caressed Rarity's face where Preacher had slapped her. Very slowly, he moved in a placed a delicate kiss on the shocked unicorn's cheek.

"I made a sacrifice for everybody." Spike said, hardly sounding like himself anymore. His voice was deeper... darker. "I made a sacrifice for you, fair Rarity."

His attention was suddenly drawn to Preacher, and Spike's smile faded. His eyes turned darker as his brow lowered into a frightful glare. "And what should I do with you, hmmmm? Should you lay another hand on Rarity I'll kill you, Preacher... slowly."

Preacher gritted his teeth, following Spike as the dragon strolled back the way he came, staying within ear-shot of Rarity.

"But Lord Spike, I must protest against bringing her here." Preacher argued while keeping his head low like a curbed dog.

"Relax!" Spike sighed. "I already sent The Aeons of Equestria back to the Shadow Legion headquarters. They've no doubt put back all the pages I tore out of that book and are in search of the throne of the moon. Everything goes back to normal."

"That was you?" Rarity cried with a dumbfounded look on her face. "You tore out those pages? Spike, Reno needs those pages... he needs that book to figure out why he came to Equestria. To figure out how he is going to get home!"

Spike turned to her angry at Rarity now. Fire shot from his nostrils as he bellowed with a wave of his hand: "My transformations showed me things. Visions! I saw what that human... that monster has done. The things he did... and the things he will do!"

Rarity shook her head. "Reno is a pleasant boy..." she quickly thought that statement over with an odd look on her face. "Well... a bit rough around the edges... but he's pleasant. We need to help him!"

"I saw him sitting in the throne!" Spike bellowed. "I saw him in my visions after my transformation. The Shadow Legion showed me what Reno would become. He would sit in the throne and let Equestria burn all around him!"

"And what if the Shadow Legion sits in the throne, hmmm?" Rarity challenged smartly.

Spike didn't answer. His gaze merely softened and he looked away from Rarity again. "Do not worry, my love. Tied up there for few months and you'll come to see things my way."

"We might not have months, Lord Spike." Preacher interjected. "Ponyville is in Celestia's back-yard. If she catches wind of the raid she will send her troops to track us. All of the Shadow Legion will be deemed a threat once more and everything will be ruined!"

Spike snorted, jabbing a thumb against his chest-plate. "Please. Princess Lame-estia never even realised her 'prized pupil' was having a nervous breakdown until I told her. That bitch just sits on her throne without a care in the world. She didn't notice."

"Still, we have risked everything just to snatch this whore!" Preacher cried.

The Diamond Dogs twitched, almost cowering. Spike's eyes widened as the conscript called Rarity a whore. Everything took a turn for the worse without so much as a warning.

Before Preacher could even realise his mistake, Spike's dagger was free of the sheath and was scything down from an overhead stab. The point slammed into Preacher's throat with a squelch and dug deep, spurting blood over Spike's claw and sent crimson liquid drooling down over the stallion's chest. The full length of the dagger slid down into Preacher's gullet, drawing a wet gargle from his agape mouth. The pony fell to his knees, Spike dropping down with him as the dragon kept holding Preacher close.

"You..." Spike seethed softly in Preacher's ear, pausing only briefly with a trembling lip. "You never... ever... call a lady as beautiful and as fair as Rarity a whore."

Preacher twitched with his eyes wide... and he was gone. Spike merely let go of the dagger and let the limp body of the conscript slump limply to the ground. Straightening up, the dragon started moving back to Rarity.

"Take care of the mess." Spike ordered his canine minions while approaching the squirming unicorn. "I wish to have some moments alone with my love."

Rarity couldn't believe what she had seen. That was unlike Spike. It hardly seemed comprehensible. Spike had just murdered the conscript in cold blood. Certainly Preacher wasn't a very nice pony, but that wouldn't drive the Spike she had known to murder! She struggled with her binds wanting to put as much distance between her and that monster that claimed it was Twilight Sparkle's assistant as possible.

And that was when her eardrums tore. A deafening roar echoed through the chamber somewhere behind her. One of the Diamond Dogs was starting to move towards Preacher's still body. When the roar rang out, the back of the dog's head blossomed open like a crimson flower of flesh and bone. His head snapped forward and the creature hit the ground, sliding to a sloppy halt in a pool of his own blood. Rarity screamed, feeling two more shots tear her eardrums apart.

Sparks danced across Spike's chest-plate, forcing the dazed dragon a few steps backwards. To his side the second Diamond Dog's head blossomed, body falling limp without brain function commanding it to stay alive.

A figure flitted through the corner of her eye and Rarity snapped her frightened gaze sideways. Her eyes widened, brimmed with tears as she saw who it was.

The human stood to attention with his feet evenly parted and a rifle held level. The stock in his shoulder, he leaned into the shot, cheek resting on the wooden cheek-rest while he aimed. Reno fired another shot at Spike, causing the dragon to be thrown back another few steps as the buckshot harmlessly pinged against his chest plate.

The last Diamond Dog let out a surprised bark and pulled a knife on Rarity's knight in fleece and camo armour. Reno quickly and smoothly switched targets and yelled at the top of his lungs as he aimed.

"Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!" Reno fired, the last canine falling headless to the ground. He switched back to Spike who stared wide eyed at the human. Reno didn't pause a beat and fired his fifth shot, knocking Spike back. "That was for hitting me with a chair." Another shot, causing Spike to stumble and swing his arms for balance. "That was for messing with The Aeons of Equestria and complicating my day!" He fired, and more sparks erupted across the dragon's armour. "That was for ruining breakfast for everybody!" his eight shot threw Spike against a stalagmite, where the dragon slid to the ground. "And that was for..." Reno paused and lowered his weapon. "You know what? That one is for being a fucking asshole. You can damn well sit there and contemplate that for a while." Reno turned and looked back to where Rarity hung in her bonds. "Hi."

"Reno!" the unicorn cried with glee. "What are you doing here?"

"Aw, y'know." Reno tiredly walked back to where the pony was tied up and stooped over one of the dead canines. Rifle slung, he started going through the dog's gear. "Being a fly in the ointment. A monkey in the wrench. A pain in the ass." He found something and pulled it out, finding himself staring wide eyed at an olive green hand grenade, big enough that it only just about fitted in his hand. "Wow." He muttered before tucking the device away into his utility belt. He then moved closer to Rarity and produced his Leatherman tool before the human opened up the blade, locking it in place. "What was I gonna do? Just let these assholes have you?" Reaching up he started cutting through the ropes.

Rarity let out a surprisingly light chuckle, already feeling Reno's presence fill her with relief. She was actually going to get out of this! "I never thought I'd be glad to hear your crude tongue, darling!"

Rarity's hands came free and Reno pushed in the locking mechanism, folding the blade in on the handle again. It slotted away flush with the rest of the Leatherman and he clipped it to his belt again. Gripping the rifle in two hands he went to lead the way to the exit when Rarity looked at where Spike was sitting.

The dragon was still seated, shaking off surprise and shock.

"What about Spike?" The unicorn asked with a sad tone, shaking off the remnants of the ropes around her wrists until her hands were completely freed.

"He made his bed. Fuck 'em." Reno spat. It wasn't what his heart was saying. Truthfully, if he had the energy he'd carry Spike out of those caves and bring him back to Twilight who might be able to reverse whatever it was the Shadow Legion had done to him. It was mostly selfishness that made Reno decide against it. Spike was bigger than Reno was, and carrying the dragon would hamper them, severely. The human wasn't prepared to die just yet.

"C'mon, this way." Reno said moving the way he had come...

Their escape was short lived. Gunfire echoed through the caverns. Chunks of rock spat into the air as bullets slammed into the rockery around the human and the mare. Rarity screamed and Reno recoiled, tucking his weapon under one arm. His other hand grabbed Rarity by the arm and dragged the unicorn the other way.

"Shit, stay down!" he commanded as he ran ahead, dragging Rarity in his wake.

Heads down, the duo disappeared into the opposite direction, pillars and stalagmites exploding into slivers of mud-coloured rock in their wake. Tracers flashed and burned through the air, hissing over their heads before smashing stone and kicking up dust for them to wade through.

As they moved, the echoing gunfire followed them all the way, weaving with them through the maze of stone pikes and thick, ancient columns with fluttering torches and lamps attached. But while they dodged and weaved, the sound of rushing water seemed to grow louder, until eventually it deafened them as much as the gunshots.

Eventually they broke out into an open plateau, curving around ahead of them. Straightening up, Reno jogged to a halt by the edge. The ground just stopped at that stage, giving way to a massive deep chasm cut into the cave floor. About a dozen feet below he saw the water of an underground river churn by, flowing rapidly from the darkness to the right, into the darkness to the left.

With no path forward, they heard the gunfire settle into running footsteps somewhere behind them. Already the Diamond Dogs were getting closer.

"Holy shit!" Reno panted, catching his breath. "We're not going that way."

Rarity sighed, looking down into the chasm. She then slowly shifted her gaze to the human and smiled, regardless of how hopeless their situation seemed. "Thank you, Reno... for coming for me."

The human shrugged it off. "Ah, fat lot of good it did. This is probably the worst rescue in the history of forever. And The Aeons of Equestria isn't even here!" Reno exclaimed, insinuating Rarity wasn't worth saving, and completely ruining the moment.

Catching on to the insinuation, the unicorn crossed her arms with a huff. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Uh... oh, yeah. Sure. You're totally more important than that dusty old book." Reno quickly added, realising what he'd said.

Reno turned with the Krak rifle in two hands and saw shadows forming between the stone pillars all around them. Glowing eyes belonging to a platoon sized group of Diamond Dogs were boxing them in. the human glanced around for an exit, but there was none. They were completely closed in. Reno could almost literally feel the crosshairs digging into his forehead.

Through the noise of rushing water they heard clapping. It started soft and slow, then increased in pace as it grew louder. Melting from the shadows directly ahead came a tall figure. Spike clapped his claws together, his brow dropped into a glare with a murderous smile on his lips.

"Well, well, well. I really didn't expect you to come all the way out here to find that book." Spike growled in a low tone.

Reno moved closer to the dragon as he halted before them. The human quickly placed himself between Spike and Rarity.

"Who said I was after the book?" Reno returned, his voice not quite as calm as Spike's. He'd gotten over his fear of caves well enough, and it helped that they were standing in a wide open space, but he still had that lingering phobia shaking at the back of his brain.

"Oh, come on. It's painted all over your face. All you want is that book so you can watch Equestria burn." Spike spat balling his claws into fists.

Reno levelled his rifle. "Since you're not exactly yourself today, I'm going to be lenient and refrain from blowing you in half."

The dragon let out a throaty laugh. He reached up and undid the clasps on his shoulders. A moment later his chest-plate fell away, clattering to the floor and revealing his muscular chest and washboard gut. It was like he was taunting the human, daring him to take the shot.

"You know, I wonder what poor Trixie went through after you left her in that basement, Reno." Spike taunted, edging around the human, pacing slowly to his right.

"Fuck you." Reno whispered, sights following the dragon, but his finger staying away from the trigger.

"You know you could have saved her." Spike growled. "But no. You just left her, didn't you!? You left her behind and saved yourself!"

Rarity disbelievingly shook her head and Reno growled another 'Fuck you.' Spike slipped further and further away with every passing moment.

"I've been told she was conscripted." Spike continued, pacing the other way now. "Do you know what happens when a pony is conscripted?"

"Fuck you."

"They raped her, Reno." Spike gave a wide, toothy grin. "And they weren't gentle. Strangely, she grew a taste for it. She now works as a sex slave in the Shadow Legion headquarters. And to think, you could have saved her from all of that... you could have rescued that pretty, majestic unicorn from a life of abuse as a cum-dumpster... but you didn't, because you selfishly wanted to save yourself."

Reno growled something under his breath.

"You could have saved them all." Spike shrugged. "How many others died because you selfishly wanted to live!? That conscript you strangled to death!? The scouting party on the train!? Even the innocent ponies who died in Ponyville, just because you had to stick around for breakfast! Everywhere you go you bring death and destruction and misery!"

"Fuck you!" Reno yelled, tossing his rifle aside. It slammed into the ground somewhere at his heels as the human ran forward.

Rarity's scream in protest only seemed to propel him harder. Reno cocked one arm back for a punch, barrelling straight at the muscular dragon, and readied himself for a swing at the chin. His arm straightened out, launching square for his target...

But Spike had already moved out of the way. He was a purple and black blur of motion, sidestepping and closing a claw around Reno's fist. The human gasped and cried out, feeling his knee slam into the hard ground as pain lanced through every joint in his arm. Spike twisted it, nearly levering his face into the floor and held the human down on one knee.

A loud ripping noise filled his ears and more pain lanced through Reno's upper arm. He felt something tear through his skin, three sharp dagger-points piercing cloth and flesh, followed by a bitter stinging and a wet sensation crawling over his skin. Blood seeped into his sleeve before Spike swung his claw back around.

The back of the dragon's hand smashed into Reno's face and he was launched backwards, free falling for a few seconds. The ground crashed into the boy's back, knocking the wind right out of him. Coughing and gasping for air, he tried to blink away the stars that had exploded in his now blurry and double vision. He saw two purple dragons loom over him before bending down to grab him by the back of the collar.

His sweater closed around his throat like a noose as Spike lifted Reno up off the floor.

"First I'm gonna kill you!" the dragon bellowed lifting Reno clean off the ground.

The human kicked feebly for a while before Spike swung his fist around. It connected with the human's gut, causing him to let out a cry, doubling over the dragon's powerful arm. He immediately vomited, blinking away tears to see a mixture of the blood from a busted lip and the remnants of the last power-bar he'd chugged down earlier splatter to the ground.

"Then I'm gonna cook you!" Spike barked, swinging the young man around.

Reno twisted and tumbled as the dragon threw him. When the human hit the deck, he quite literally bounced to a halt.

"Then I'm gonna fucking eat you!" Reno weakly looked up to see Spike march closer.

It was no use. The human felt like he'd run a marathon. He could hardly catch his breath. Spike was too fast. Too strong! He was a dead man. Reno simply didn't know it yet.

Gritting his teeth, Reno slowly climbed to his feet and straightened up. The dragon cocked his arm for another punch aimed for the face and close in swiftly. The arm arched around and came in for the killing blow...

And it came out of nowhere. A surge of energy. It filled Reno. He felt like he could suddenly lift a mountain over his head. Everything in his body tensed. His arm moved before he even willed it to.

The human's hand caught hold of Spike's wrist and held it fast. The dragon jolted to a halt, gasping with surprise. He tried to push closer, but found pushing against - or even trying to pull free - was impossible. He was in a vice grip, his whole arm completely immobilized.

"What the..." Spike growled, then cocked his other arm to punch Reno in the face. The blow scythed forward, aimed directly for the nose...

Reno suddenly let go and pushed Spike's locked arm away before bringing both arms upward. He deflected the straight blow upward then kicked the dragon in the knee. The joint cracked as Spike's leg was thrown back, followed by a double open-palmed strike to the chest. Despite all laws of physics that stated that a larger body such as Spike should have been impossibly to move by a comparatively scrawny figure like Reno, the dragon stumbled back and limped to a halt in amazement. Reno wasn't done there.

His body seemed to dart forward on instinct. While Spike was dazed, Reno leapt forward and landed on foot on the dragon's belt. He literally walked up the dragon's towering physique, placing his next step on Spike's solid chest. His other foot then quickly scythed upward and caught the dragon's chin in a powerful upward sweep. Spike's head snapped back and strings of blood and saliva shot into the air as he fell backwards.

Reno followed through, smoothly somersaulting backwards and landing lightly like a cat on his feet, staring with stunned amazement at his own trembling hands.

WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM!?

Reno couldn't fight. Certainly not fight like that! "What the fuck was that?" he aptly muttered to himself.

While he was distracted, Reno heard a loud roar. Glancing up he saw Spike had climbed to his feet and sprinted head first at the young man. Wide eyed, Reno jumped back with his fists raised to defend himself.

Punch after punch blurred Reno's way, and he was forced to dodge. He was slightly too slow with the first one, Spike's knuckles grazing the human's chin just enough to knock some sense out of him. Lowering his head he ducked under another powerful blow only to have a knee come up and hit him in the forearms. The blow broke through and Reno's own arms hit him in the face.

Dazed he stumbled back, but bravely stepped forward so Spike wouldn't gain too much ground. He didn't know where these moves were coming from, but he just decided to let them flow out. Again, it was like some sort of buried instinct took over. Training he'd never received, or didn't remember receiving seemed to dictate his movements.

Spike kicked, but Reno blocked with the sole of his right boot. The dragon punched, but Reno deflected the rolling movement, countering the larger creature's weight with a sharp blow to the shoulder joint. Yelping, Spike quickly tried to follow up with more punches. Reno moved aside with time to spare, dancing circles around the dragon trying desperately to keep up.

With a frustrated cry, Spike threw a straight punch, fast and powerful. But Reno leaned to his left with enough time to look up and down the thick arm just about brushing his cheek. The human clamped a vice like grip around Spike's wrist and pulled him off balance.

The dragon lost his footing and landed flat on his front. Reno knelt on Spike's arm and pulled sharply, breaking his elbow backwards with a sickening 'crack!' Spike's screams of pain were short lived as Reno rose to his feet and lifted one knee to his chest. A moment later his leg snapped downwards and his right boot crushed Spike's face into the ground.

Hacking a loogy at the back of the dragon's back for some insult to add to injury, Reno stumbled back and looked to Rarity. She was still teetering on the edge above the churning water, watching in silent awe. The human took a deep breath and turned back to Spike. The dragon was picking himself up slowly, cradling his useless arm. Several of his teeth had been broken away by that final stomp, and there was blood drooling all over his scaly lips. His eyes, though weak, still blazed with irrational anger.

"Do you even know what you're doing, Spike?" Reno screamed desperately, feeling like half his own face was swollen grossly out of proportion from the punches he couldn't block. At least the human still had all his teeth, much to his own surprise. "Why? You betrayed your own friends! Fuck it, you forced me to come down into a cave! I fucking hate caves!" he added with a wavering tone.

"Not them!" Spike boomed back, stumbling and falling back to one knee. "I didn't betray my friends. I was just protecting them. From you, you monster!"

"Monster?" Reno couldn't even believe his ears. Defeated he held out his arms and looked around. The dragon's Diamond Dog minions were slowly edging out of the shadows, bayonets affixed and ready to charge on orders. They snarled and drooled, drawing a shiver from Rarity. Hell, even Reno shivered. "You're the one who's trying to kill me! You kidnapped Rarity! Tore up The Aeons of Equestria, my best bet at a ticket home, and then you handed it to the Shadow Legion, the people going around mercilessly murdering people. You're the monster here!"

Spike bellowed out some laughter as his Diamond Dogs formed by his back. "You'd know all about murder wouldn't you, Reno? You don't even fucking know what you are!"

Reno frowned as time seemed to freeze. Those words echoed in his head as all he could hear over the rushing water was his own heartbeat, and the hollow sound of his own breathing. You don't even fucking know what you are. Fighting. Killing. Not even pausing for a beat.

What was Reno becoming?

He gritted his teeth and his eyes flitted up to a glare at the enemies forming around. He was with his back against Rarity's side. The two of them cornered against the dark ridge over the rushing river. His mind was made. He knew what he had to do... and it scared him how easily he'd made a decision in a life and death situation.

Reno pulled something from his utility belt. A pin clicked loose. A metal spoon hit the rock by his boots and he tossed the object forward. It bounced against the rock and fell to a halt by Spike's feet. Rarity stared at it as it bounced to a halt.

"What was that?" the unicorn screamed pointing at the olive green ball-shaped object.

"Nothing!" Reno cried as he span around.

The young man wrapped one arm around the mare's mid-section and pulled her over the edge. The two fell over the ledge and plummeted into the inky darkness, the churning water below angling towards them, racing closer with every passing moment. Something shook the earth, stalagmites fell from the ceiling. A deafening bang echoed through the chamber...

And they hit the water.

The cold hands of the water grasped them from all around. Eyes open, Reno saw tiny bubbles swirl all around him as the cold darkness pulled him under. His shoulder slammed into a rock as they were pulled under by the current, invisible hands ripping them down and deeper. Several pounds of pressure pressed on his ear-drums as he held his breath. He was spinning through the cold, feeling his muscles twitch and shiver. It cooled him to the core and made his lungs ache for fresh air.

There was none as the ride went on, pulling him forth, Rarity probably not far behind. It seemed to go on forever with no end. Reno thrashed, begging in his mind. How could he be so stupid? Escape Spike and his minions just to die in the water? He didn't want to die. Not like this!

Precious air escaped from his mouth in an explosion of bubbles, his own scream hollow in his ears. He inhaled. Water flowed into his lungs, and his body instinctively made him cough it out.

And then it came, blinding him as light exploded all around. The warm sun hit his skin as he fell free through the air, his face hitting air. He hacked, water bursting from his lungs...

And before he took his next breath he was in the water again, slamming hard enough into the surface of a pool to leave a bruise. He swirled in brighter waters this time. He saw lime green boulders, rounded and almost bouncy looking with algae clung to them. Below his kicking legs he saw the sandy bottom of the grotto. Directly above he saw where the waterfall hit the surface of the pool above his head. Bubbles were dragged down into the pool forming a swirling vortex that moved down with a tail attempting to force itself up to the surface again.

His wounds bled into the water, like crimson smoke swirling around his drifting body.

Struggling, kicking and flailing his arms, Reno kicked for the surface. His lungs burned, his body convulsing trying to take in air and push out water. The edges of his vision were turning black. He felt light headed. His limbs felt weak...

Blinding light caused his eyes to sting. Blindly, as his face broke the surface of the pool, his hands managed to find solid land and hold him above water. He coughed, water bursting from his mouth and splashing into a fern he was resting his face against. Blinking away tears and gasping for breath, Reno looked to his right and saw a white figure burst from the water beside him.

Rarity struggled to clutch the slippery shore, and the human grabbed her by the arm, pulling her onto dryer land.

Coughing and gasping, Rarity let out a loud squeal. "Where are we now?"

Reno looked up.

What he saw was all too familiar. A waterfall burst from the Cliffside and fell into a ferny little grotto, little rainbows dancing through the light all around. Only an hour or so ago he'd been walking along that ridge with Cutter.

Following the water. That son-of-a-bitch.

Slowly the human pulled himself out of the water and stood on the slippery edge of the grotto. He was laughing as he shook the water out of his clothes and his utility belt. He was still laughing when he stooped and helped Rarity out onto the ledge he stood on. The poor mare was bedraggled.

Her usually bouncy mane was tangled and hung limply over her face, as did her tail. Her sparkling fur had gone a greyish tone and was horribly matted. The dress the Diamond Dogs had slipped her into was drenched; now almost completely see-through, revealing her cold and hard nipples poking through the attire.

The unicorn stared at Reno with a trembling lip. "Are... are you completely mad?" she couldn't believe Reno was standing there smiling from ear to ear like an idiot. "We almost died and you're laughing? What happened back there? What happened to Spike?"

Reno's smile completely vanished. "God-damn it, Rarity." With a sigh he stood and looked for a way to climb out of the grotto. "You're kind of a buzz-kill, aren't you?"

Standing, the unicorn grabbed Reno by the shoulder and pulled him back. "What... happened... to Spike?" she demanded in a more dangerous tone this time.

Reno avoided her gaze. Sadly he checked over his gear. Everything was still there, including his pistol.

"He's off the grid." Reno put as mechanically as he could, detaching himself from what had happened moments before they hit the water.

"What does that mean?" Rarity growled.

Reno squared right up to the unicorn, almost shoving her back into the pool. The expression on his face quite obviously told the mare he was not in the least amused anymore. He was caught somewhere between anger and sadness, his eyes either still wet from their short swim, or brimming with tears.

"He's dead!" Reno screamed his temper taking a sudden turn for the worse. "Alright? I killed him! I pulled the pin, threw the grenade and the explosion probably tore him in fucking half! I killed him so that we could live! That's all I've done since I came to this fucking world! I've been a good person all my life and in just two days in the world of fucking ponies I've already killed about ten people! Spike was right! I'm a selfish fucking bastard! Others have done nothing but suffer because of me! Everywhere I go I bring nothing but death and destruction and misery!"

He realised his fists were balled and Rarity had taken a step back, eyes wide in shock. There was something else in his eyes. Something she actually recognised. Rarity had seen the same in Spikes eyes. The look of a man who had taken lives. The look of a murderer.

Fearing what he might do, Reno whirled around and threw a kick against the rock face behind him. "Shit!" the human cursed at the top of his lungs. It didn't help. He just felt angrier. It actually became worse. "Shit-shit-shit!" Reno started punching his left fist against the mossy rocks. His knuckles cracked and pain shot up his hand. He didn't stop though. He kept punching until the skin broke and blood started running down his fingers, feebly hitting and kicking the rock. "Shit-shit-fuck-fuck-shit... GOD-DAMNIT!" Reno finally lost it.

He dropped to the ground sobbing and screaming with a mixture of rage and pain at the top of his lungs. His voice echoed throughout the grotto for a moment and slowly died under the noise of rushing water. Sobbing and cradling his hand while tears flowed down his cheeks, Reno just shook his head.

"Why me, Rarity?" he whispered through gritted teeth. Everything he had done since he came to Equestria haunted him. The images of every bad thing he'd done were seared into his brain, images of death he just couldn't shake. "Where the fuck did I go so wrong?" Reno shook his head. He was having an ADD moment. First he was scared. Then he was laughing, and in the space of a millisecond he was crying. Now he didn't feel anything. It was like he simply willed his emotions to take a break... or had he actually burned his feelings out? Taking a shuddering breath, he wiped the water from his cheeks. "Gahd, I'm fucking pathetic." He added in a deadpan tone.

Rarity gingerly moved closer and lowered to the ground beside Reno. Carefully she reached out and wrapped an arm around the trembling human. She couldn't help feel sorry. She realised none of this could have been easy for Reno.

"I'm sorry, sweet-heart." Her soothing voice said, holding him close, feeling the human's warmth through her cold and wet fur. She leaned back and pressed his head against her chest, gently comforting the human. "You're not pathetic. You did what you had to."

The unicorn slowly let a small smile spread across her lips. Gently she let go of Reno and watched him straighten up. As he sat up, resting his back against the uneven walls of the deep grotto, Rarity shifted, swinging one slender leg over him. Straddling his lap, she pressed her soft breasts against his chest, her face hovering close to Reno's. "For what it's worth... you saved me. That makes you some sort of knight in shining armour."

Reno didn't say anything. He couldn't. His whole body ached with pain and fatigue. His sudden rush of energy from back in the caves had dissipated. He was too weak to even question the thoughts racing through his mind.

There he sat, sad and numb with the most beautiful unicorn he'd seen since he arrived in Equestria straddling him. What made it even more mind-numbing was that while she was incredibly beautiful, she was also practically naked. Her wet attire did nothing to hide her body.

As if to make the situation feel even more right, the clouds parted. The warm sun blasted them in an instant; shimmering rays bringing soothing warmth to their cold bodies. The light seemed to glint across Rarity's fur, surrounding her with a sparkling aura that was framed with several tiny rainbows dancing through the grotto.

"I have a confession to make." Rarity's gorgeous, civilised voice said softly. Her smile was radiant and confident and turned Reno into a blubbering idiot. "I was awake last night. I saw you go into Twilights room. I even heard her last night. And... I'm really jealous."

Reno opened his mouth to say something...

The mare interrupted him by cocking her head and moving her face closer. Her lips pressed against his and nothing mattered. The smell of her wet fur filled his nostrils, but he didn't care. He tasted the saltiness of his own tears from earlier as her tongue brushed past his lips, massaging against his own. Reno's mouth automatically fell open a little more and he pressed his tongue harder against hers. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. He didn't care about the fact he was kissing a pony. It didn't matter to Reno anymore.

They wrestled like that for a while. Her hands caressed the sides of his face and held him in place the human wouldn't escape her kiss. His hands found her thighs and slowly slid up through her fur, slipping under her wet dress and gliding over her wide, curvaceous hips. His fingertips raked over her flanks, a tingling sensation suddenly shooting through his skin.

At the same time, Rarity gasped into the kiss. Her hips bucked, grinding her crotch over the front of Reno's rough KSKs. It only resulted in more pleasure racing through her lower regions. All her ladylike composure vanished as she twitched and trembled. She pulled Reno in tight, their bodies locked against each other as Rarity let out a moan, muffled by the human's mouth. She kept bucking, grinding her hips up and down over a bulge forming in Reno's pants. He couldn't help it. It would have been any man's reaction to this pony bucking in his lap.

Rarity suddenly froze and broke the kiss. Her eyes fell shut, her mouth hanging half-open. Her moan was soft and long as Reno's fingers raked higher, moving away from her flanks and wrapping around her slender waist.

Catching her breath, she managed to regain her composure. Breathless and smiling broadly, she flashed her eyes open, gazing deep into Reno's eyes. There was something familiar there, a look he'd seen before on another pony's face.

"Thank you, my brave knight in shining armour."