darkSpyro

Colton smiled with a nod, "Yes... I was about to invite you actually. It's my brother's shop, but he will be asleep until I wake him for his shift on watch. I'll tell him your cool, he should let you stay." he looked back the direction he had come from, "Just this way." he had an exited grin, he liked this pony for some reason he could not think why. Was it her fire feddish? Her unique burning temptations? Or just that she was cute to him... He did not know, "Are you tired? I can watch you both... Not literally watch you, but keep you safe... Eh... Hmm." he face hoofed, "This way." he pulled his hoof away pointing down the street.

"..." Hellena stared at Colton incredulously. "...Are you- Are you flirting with me? I-"
"Don't push it." Loony said, jumping off of her back. "I'll be back later, going to go see where everything's at." The chubby pink unicorn walked away, and Hellena swore that she could hear a chuckle on the wind. She had a feeling it wasn't just for her ears.
"-Right. I have paranoia issues, so I don't sleep much. Anyway, I'm a murderer. I think I can look after myself at night. But, uh, thanks for the offer."

Colton's ears dropped, "Me flirting?..." he had no comeback, he just wasn't a quick enough thinker, "Didn't you just ask me if I knew a safe place?" totally disregarding her being a "murderer". He turned around as his ears perked up again, "Paranoia? Like suspicion or something? I'm not familiar with the word." he paused, "Oh, is that Loony friend of yours still here? Can I talk to him? You can be like the translator or something, well you probably wouldn't have to translate for him... Unless he speaks a different language, then you could translate." he didn't seem to have comebacks, but he knew how to throw in a bunch of words with his intended comments/statements or questions, "You still haven't told me what he looks like or his personality, if he's nice or if you know more like him... Anyway, about going to that safe place you asked for, yay or nay?" he actually stopped for once.

"Paranoia pretty much means what you just said, yeah." Hellena explained. "Anxious about things to the point of fear, or something. Loony just left, he said he wanted to explore around for a bit. Maybe figure out what's going on. And more friends like Loony? There's a whole world inside ou- my head. But there are only two left now."
Is she starting to wake up? she thought to herself, taking her own moment to thnk about a few things. Is that why everyone's fading away? Or is it just the darkness of this place?
"He's kinda chubby, foal sized. And pink, but neither he or I can help that."
She said she would never come out. Pyroland is her happy place, and the world was hard and cruel to her.
"He's... nice. He worries for my safety a lot, it can get annoying, but I understand why."
She refuses to give herself a physical manifestation like Loony. She's enclosed herself inside her own bubble, but what is she doing now?
"And... I guess I'll stay the night."

OOC: Thanks for being patient with me, everypony.

Losing interest in the offending pony, Slendermane began to trot back to town, hoping to acquire a few more ponies. And maybe see Hellena...

Zecora ushered Sicolus into her home and latched the door behind them. "Facing it alone is indeed a great feat, but much more than voodoo its body must greet."

Sicolus laughed "he almost killed himself. How ironic a death that would be." He coughed out some blood "but that's why I'm in this predicament, ate a whole bunch of scari-berries to attract him but the doctors at the fact... they did something and I think I'm dieing away" he laughed at the thought "If I am I will make sure slendy will go with me" he looked zecora in the eyes "evil for evil" he laughed.

"Cool... Whole world in your head, interesting. I don't have anything like that, I just have words, words, ideas, and words. Mainly questions though, or is it just things to say?" he looked up in thought for a second. Shaking his head, "Nevermind. My brother's shop is down this way," he waved and began walking backwards down the road, "Am I boring you with talking, I tend to get carried away. I remember the time I was at a "fancy-ponies" party, I was invited because I do work for the royals or anyone who will pay for something made from metal. Anyway, I was avoided because of how much I talk, and I think they ended up having me leave early because I was scaring the guests. Ooo, speeking of work, the Rainbow Factory seems to be making a lot of orders here recently, a but odd, especially what they ask for. Hollow blades, solid pipes that are attached to machines similar to a train's wheels... See there I go, can you let me know if I start getting away from you?"

Hellena started following the pegasus stallion, her horn lighting up for a simple light spell. Even then, the magic glow still had a flaming quality. She didn't speak as Colton yabbered on, though she did listen, until she heard the thing about the Rainbow Factory.
"Wait, Rainbow Factory?" she yelped. "I've heard really bad things about that place. I'm not sure what exactly, but Loony got all freaked out once when somepony mentioned it." She paused for a moment, looking up. "Well, his judgement is usually correct. And I like your talking. Reminds me of somepony I used to work with."

-flashback- sicolus stood in his cell breathing and bleeding heavily. The doctors stood at the opened cage asking him to come with them but not daring to step into the cell. But who could blame them it had dried blood and vertebrae on the wall, he saw the stain from his first kill and stains from more recent endeavors. His most recent sent a guard to the emergency room but his friends joined in and beat sicolus good leaving nothing but a bloody peace of meat. He needed the medical attention and the factory had the best hospital(mostly due to unrestricted research and experimental drugs). Sicolus obliged limping behind one md and in front of another, guards filled the hall due to the recent incident(the guards are not there to just guard sicolus but to prevent a riot and make sure the worker ponies clean up the mess). They watched some angry some nervous. He passed a door, the door to freedom, as they took him to the medical room. -End flashback-

Colton kept walking, but turned around to be sure he was heading the right way and not into another pony, "I really don't think it is as bad as people say. I've been on one of their tours, quite amazing machine work they have. Though I'm not sure how they male the rainbows glow with colors, and how they stay together in a color pattern that is line to have each color of similar shade and hue right next to one another." he looked up to the cloud clearing sky, "That slender hour seems to be over, best keep am eye out... Ooo, there's Cloudsdale now." he looked up through the magic shield to the floating city in the sky. It was well lit and the factory was still pluming the clouds from the large cone-like exhaust, "They have some sort of machine that males those clouds, but I'm not sure how they can make them on such a large scale and them hold together so well." he refocused on the road, "I think i left my lights on in my shop. That's going to be one big bill when I get back." he sighed, "Unless I can speak to Celestia, then I can have it reduced fine..." he paused, "Anyway, my brother isn't as talkative as me, I really don't know where all these words come from. Do you have any family?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Apparently they died when I was a young filly, but I never cared enough to look into it. I don't know if I have any other family or not, I asked at the orphanage but they couldn't say. Then all this happened." She made a vague gesture to herself. "I really don't care. I only consider one pony, one pony, as my family. I like the rest, but I don't trust them."

---

"How do you think we proceed from here, Pyro?" the blue unicorn mare asked, looking over at Hellena with bright purple eyes. Both the blue and the white unicorn stood at the edge of a rocky plain, which sloped down into a thick forest. The forest was eerily quiet, though it hadn't been a few hours ago.
"I- I don't know. I don't know what to do anymore." the Pyro whispered, closing her black rimmed eyes. There was a bright shimmer in the corner of each of them. "This was- This was my fault! I didn't listen to all of what Loony had to say. And they all paid the price for it."
"We can work something out." the other mare soothed, troubled by her companion's breakdown. She had seemed so fearless, so in control... "We will!"
What darkness have I condemned them to? Hellena thought, staring up at the cold dark forest. With the river that snaked through, hosting the Brother and his Sisters for hundreds of years. And for the first time in hundreds of years, they fell silent. For now, at least. Why didn't I listen?

---

Hellena stopped suddenly, staring forwards. "We-Well, I guess I do trust them, on second thoughts..."
After I betrayed them like that.
"Trust them all with my life."

"Everypony needs trust. Life can't truely be life if you have no one to trust, but then again you are still alive so I guess that counts for something." Colton could hear she had stopped, "Life is very strange and tangled..." he stopped looking back to her with a face of thought and/wiseness... which is quite rare for him, "You trust them, yet they are not here. You know them, but they can't help. How did you come to be such a fire hazard? There has to be a real reason why you are avoided, drawn to fire, burned, and have a world to yourself in your mind?"

"I grew up in Canterlot. But one of my experiments with magic went wrong, setting me ablaze." Hellena said quietly. "I spent weeks in the hospital, hovering between life and death. But I survived. I returned to my friends, but all I could ever see on their faces was fear. Pure fear. That broke the last of my resolve. I became the monster I am today. Loony showed up for the first time, he said he would protect me, keep me happy. So I fled Canterlot, I went south. I became a mercenary and an arsonist. Everything was fine for me, for years." Hellena paused, staring up at the sky.
"We -my mercenary team and nine other mares each of us were particularly close to- We had to go. There was something we had to do. In a forest, there was a pegasus colt and four young earth pony fillies by a river. Loony said that the fillies were radiating a powerful dark magic, but I didn't listen to the rest of what he said.
"I killed the Sisters, I threw their corpses into the river. But the pegasus, the Brother..." The white unicorn stopped, unwilling to go on. "I- It was my fault. All my fault." she whispered, screwing her eyes shut as the nightmarish memories came back to her. She had repressed the thoughts of her betrayal for years, but her exposure to the Slendermane was beginning to bring them back.

---

At the edge of town, next to the Everfree Forest, Loony glanced back. Something was wrong with Hellena, he knew it.
"She can protect herself for a while, but I need to find this out." Loony told himself, before his froze up. He knew what she was thinking. What she was remembering. "Oh no... I've tried so hard to protect her from it! I've told her again and again that it wasn't her fault! It was mine! Why are they back?"

Zecora wordlessly grabbed a washcloth and began cleaning Sicolus' coat of dirt and blood.

Slendermane looked up at the barrier, and stepped back , shocked.
A small tear formed at the top, and silhouetted against the moon, what looked like two pegasi carrying a large crate flew though it. The tear closed just as suddenly as it opened.

OOC: Will reveal on my next post.

Loony thought for a moment, deciding what he should do. "Memories can't physically hurt her, at least yet. I'll be back, Hellena." He stared fixedly ahead, and set off on a fast trot. "But I need answers."

Sicolus's mind shifted to more memories of the factory, in a sense the place of his birth. His name wasn't always sicolus he had another name once, before the factory. But no one who enters the rainbow factory exits alive, he can't even remember his original name before he was sicolus. After he killed his first pony he had lost, after all that torcher after the constant screaming and gore the factory had exposed him to he died, and sicolus was born.

Colton walked over to Hellena, "I didn't mean to hurt you... You don't have to speak anymore, I think I got enough." he, and his great personality, didn't hesitated to place a good on her shoulder, "It was wrong of the others to fear you. When I look at you, I see a brilliant mare just waiting to prove herself and make something great of her life. That and a white mare in general is quite attractive," he drew his hoof back thinking it could have seemed like a big come on.

Hellena shook her head miserably. "N-No. They were- they're beginning to come back, and I don't want them to." Hellena paused for a moment to cough. "But this memory... It was hard. I got the mercenaries out alright, but it was too late for the others. Too late for them, because of me." She flinched at the touch of her should, instictively holding a hoof up defencively before lowering it back down again. Hellena remained silent.

I gaze at Sicolus and nod.

"I will accompany you Sicolus. If it is your last dying wish to take this monster down with you, then I will see it through."

Two pegasi landed with a loud bang on the cobblestones in the Burned District. They were sporting skin tight black jumpsuits and unusually high-tech gas masks. The larger of the two, a stallion, pried,open the crate they were carrying. Inside was an assortment of medical supplies, various medicines, machines and bandages. The stallion turned to his partner, a smaller pegasus mare.
"Ready, Commander?"
"Ready, Lieutenant."
-------------------------
OOC: New challengers approaching! *sirens*

Name: Commander Pepperwing
Gender: Mare
Age: 30
Species: Zebrasus (Zebra-Pegasus)
Appearance: (Currently obscured by attire) Long white-black alternating mane matching a zebra coat. Wings have white and black feathers, giving a peppered appearance. Has bright blue eyes. Cutie mark is a beaker surrounded by electrons.
Personality: Headstrong and commanding, Pepperwing makes a great leader. Tends to analyze everything scientifically, giving her a cold edge as well. Will sacrifice anything for the mission to succeed. Also tends to downtrod "lesser" pegasi.
Special traits/abilities: An expert hoof-to-hoof combatant, being both quick on her feet and wings. Has a special talent for science and analysis.
Other: Is the commander of P.O.N.I.E.S. (Explained later) also, her half-zebra heritage hints the possibility of other zebra survivors.


Name: Lieutenant Steel Pteryx
Gender: Stallion
Age: 25
Species: Pegasus
Appearance: (Currently obscured by attire) A solid black pegasus with ruby eyes. Mane is slicked back black spines with red tips. Cutie mark is a silver wrench crossing a white wing.
Personality: A bit cocky, but has a strong heart and always puts friends and teammates first. His tactics are reckless, with little regard for his own safety. Can seem to make friends with anypony.
Special traits/abilities: A brilliant engineer who can seem to make anything from nothing. Also quite physically strong, but flies far slower than his commanding officer.
Other: Second-in-command of P.O.N.I.E.S. Also appears to know of Colton, but never met him.

OOC2: For those of you who participate in the Rainbow Factory, Steel still has all his limbs.

(Ooc: after to beat a horror we will have to talk spyrod into opening the factory back up)
Sicolus nodded and smiled genuinely. "I feel like I'm dying doesn't mean I am, besides I figured zecora here could come up with a cure". Sicolus blinked and images passed through his mind -flashback- sicolus woke up in a hospital bed at the factory. Two guards were at the door telling him to get up and follow them. One seemed new while the other just seemed annoyed to be there. "I said GET UP!" Shouted the annoyed one as he pushed sicolus out of the medical bed. Sicolus landed on the floor. His eye caught something under the bed 'what luck' he smiled. Sicolus obliged to the guards orders and followed along. Something seemed different there wasn't many ponies. Sicolus saw his chance as they walked by the door from earlier. Sicolus hit the ground as if hurt. The annoyed one yelled "I don't have time for your stupid gam-". The object sicolus had found earlier was on his hoof and it produced a blade. He struck forward striking the guards face coming down and hitting his eye. The guard instantly reached for his eye and hit the ground whaling. 'Ya he is definitely blind in that eye now' sicolus thought as he whirled on the younger guard a sick smile on his face. He struck for the throat but the guard stumbled back causing sicolus to hit the armor instead. The guard tried to gather himself and charged at sicolus, he was definitely stronger so it should be easy. Sicolus quickly hit the ground and kicked the guards unprotected shin with the hoof-blade. The guard hit the ground with a cry of pain, sicolus had.just cut the nerve in the shin. Right then the door began to open sicolus made a dash for it as an unsuspecting pony began to step through. The stallion was obviously not a factory worker and was shocked to see another pony charging him. "I was just looking for the bath-" he was quickly cut off by a blade to the throat. His eyes widened in shock as he realized he couldn't breath. He tried to gasp but all that came out was a gurgling noise. Sicolus giggled as the unknown stallion hit the floor eyes wide with fear trying to catch a breath but unable to. The young guard watched in horror as the pony died and then began convulsing on the ground in a sickening manner, obviously the first death hehad ever seen. But sicolus knew it wouldn't be the last. He dashed out the door. Surprisingly nopony was out there, they where down the hall distracted by something down the hall. Sicolus ran and burst out the door. He realized in that split-second...the factory is in cloudsdale and he couldn't fly. -end flashback- sicolus opened his eyes and no time had passed, all those memories in the blink of an eye. Of course he survived landing in a few trees and somehow managed to waltz into ponyville. Something didn't add up. How did he get through the barrier?

I look at Sicolus and back at my sister.

"She might be able to but I do not know. Pray tell, how long have you been like this? Please we need to know Sicolus. The could be crucial to creating the cure. Time has an effect on everything even potions and medicine."

"Not exactly sure what to say here... All I have is, "Hay maybe a good nights sleep would do you nicely." And it may not be what you want to hear, so whenever you are ready, let me know and we can get to my brother's shop." Colton sat waiting for Hellena to reply.

OOC: ok, I can't hold her in too much longer!

Name: Raptor
Age: 32
Gender: Mare
Species: Earty Pony
Appearance: thick muscles and a nipped ear(left, small V shape). Dark red, and a maroon main that waves how it wants, but is not as long as it should be. Light green eyes stand out the most unless you see her smile. She bares a pair of sharp grinded teeth that resemble a predators, quite deadly if she sings a good bite into you. Cutiemark is a rainbow with the one half full colors, and the other side is bright red.
Personality: Very nice and moderatly intelligent, but has a wicked small nerve and will explode into a fury quite easily.
Other: is fond of violence, but hides it to keep out of trouble, with a twisted train of thought.

OOC: Accepted. One almost wonders what all these dangerous ponies,were doing in Ponyville at the same time.

OOC: Raptor is not intentionally dangerous, but can be provoked... Ooo when she gets to the Factory, she and Sicolus just might get friends there. >:) I know how to make an evil one don't I?(I've done some dark things with my dragon chacters(namely Skyer my dark child).

"Well it started just after I left you, I went and ate some scari-berries and it did more than it should have. Like I said its those doctors at the factory they did something to me before I got out." 'You are missing something' sada said. 'Like what' sicolus thought back. 'You don't remember because you where out cold(as usual) but I will show you' the voice said. Sicolus closed his eyes -flashback- sicolus lay on the operating table cut open and being worked on by some of the finest doctors in equestria. "So why are we doing this" one asked. Another older doctor replied "you know that thing going on in ponyville?". "Ya" replied the other. "Well gulaven wants to see if he can show that 'thing' what the factory is made of". "But should we really be giving him these drugs" said the younger doctor worried. "They will increase his healing ability but if he eats a hallucinogen he will be in a coma within a few days. Also he doesn't get enoough nourishment so we will feed him through a tube, while he is sedated of course. We retrieved some dna from the creature we will use this implant so that he subconciously heads towards the thing causing this mess. We will keep him sedated until the time comes, but when he wakes up he will feel like he can take a seven nation army" said the older doctor sick of questions an doubts. "But won't he harm one of the guards" the younger continued. "Welcome to the factory kid. To gulaven that's a necessary loss." -end flashback- "Gulaven" sicolus said under his breath 'that mother bucker set this all up, the escape, the force field. What else does he have in mind?' Sicolus thought spitefully. Then smiled 'i guess I should be flattered he chose me to kill slendermane'. 'Necessary evil' the voice rang through sicolus's head.

I begin to seethe within after hearing his story. Roaring flames begins to engulf my entire body. I turn to my sister and him.

"I'm sorry sister, I cannot stay here. I must go. I need to... It was me. I was the fire, that consumed our home and killed everyone. It is because of me that you and I are alone. I could not bare to hurt you, like I did all the others. You are all I have left," I say tearing up. I fear the fire, but find myself laying on the ground unable to move but with tears streaming down my face. All my pain has at last been revealed to my sister.

Hellena took a deep breath. "I- I think I can be fine. I've seen a lot of terrible things, I guess I can rationalise it." She began walking again, ears flattened as she thought about it. About everything.

---

Loony reached the very edges of the Everfree Forest, peering around the gloom with scarlet eyes. Generally, he couldn't even manifest himself in the real world. The only things he could see of the true Equestria was through Hellena's memories, and only occasionally. Now he was dragged into the real world, as intangible and silent as ever, and it disturbed him greatly.

He looked back down at his back left hoof, irritated. It felt... different... from the rest, almost like it was actually touching the ground of the real world. The physical real world.

And it was.

Slendermane broke into a full gallop toward the new disturbance, tearing into Ponyville at lightning speeds.

Zecora placed a hoof on Zendral's mane, stroking it. "Until the day, here you must stay. Badly injured is your friend, and heal him we must, for he may hold the key to Slendermane's end."

"Odd." Loony muttered, moving the leg cautiously. It did seem far more substantial than usual for the first time. "This has never happened before. Why aren't I freaking out, though? I should be freaking out." He frowned, placing the hoof back on the ground. A small twig snapped, startling the imaginary unicorn. Another first. And that's when he started to freak out.

---

"Hellena, wait! WAIT!" the arsonist heard the stallion's yell, but ignored them. Her targets, the Sisters, were the only ponies she cared about at that moment. The four fillies were oblivious to the imminent danger, as they continued to play and sing by the river. One was a bright, flowery pink. Another was turquoise. The third sister was green, and the forth a sunny yellow.
Then Hellena struck, river, eyes and horn glowing with the flames.

Sicolus looked at zendral "calm down" he then smiled "trust me you are not the worse one here." He put his hoof on zendrals head "the end justifies the means" he said with a smile. He had place one of his memories in zendrals head designed to be shown at a specific moment. He put his hoof back down and turned to zecora "do you have any remedies doc?" Sicolus remembered he still had the hoofblade. 'You could kill them' sada tempted. 'No not right now I'm trying to heal up here' sicolus thought back. 'I already showed you. You would just be put into a comatoses and thefactory would probably retrieve you after a while. Do it' the voice urged on. Sicolus shook his head 'no I'm trying to accomplish at least one good thing in my life' he yelled through his mind.

OOC: knew Sicolus cared.

Steel looked through the lenses of his mask. "Where the hay is everypony?"
"That's not our concern. The package has been delivered."
"Now for step two."

Slendermane vaulted over Helena and Colton in the street, ignoring the pegasus, but giving Hellena a light brush of its hoof on her horn.

OOC: P.O.N.I.E.S.
The Pegasus Operative National and International Emergency Squad is a 'black op' organization founded by Celestia over 200 years previously. Used as a last resort, their missions usually end with massive collateral damage. They possess extremely advanced technology compared to the rest of Equestria, being composed of some if the most brilliant pegasi. Their mission here is to terminate the Slendermane.

(Ooc: his emotions are for you to determine, I will not tell them directly. Honor and pride is over all and the only thing that trumps them is bloodlust, nopony is perfect) sicolus was real impatient " I think if we can get the berries out of my system ill be fine. I can't wait for it to happen naturally because ill been in a coma in a few days" sicolus started to fidget, after sitting down for a bit, he was ready to fight even if he wasn't 100 percent " and if that doesn't work give me an energy boost and some pain killers. I won't sleep I'll use all my energy on slendermane."

I look up at Sicolus and say nothing. My fiery mane and tail still remain ablaze. Then I slowly stand up and speak.

"It may be true that I'm not as bad as some others that kill for pleasure, but that does not make me feel any better. I burned an entire people alive with a fire that will forever be remembered by us and should there be a few more survivors by them as well. No one ever be able to forget the evil that I did, so mine is far worse than yours. Yours may be in the talked about by those that saw them done, but they will vanish with time, mine are forever recorded in the Chronicle of Most Catastrophic Events of all Time. All shall know about the fire and all that death. I then walk over to Sicolus. I'm ready to aid you, as soon as you are ready, I say. The spirits of the Elders enter the room. I am even more scared now.

"Zedral, they all say. You must let go. Forget the darkness of that day. Your sister loves you and does not blame you for it. Nor do the few other survivors. You and your sister are the last of the magic zebras, but a few others of your people escaped the fire as well. You may not remember that day Zendral, but we do. You may have caused the fire, but before you left you saved all of those that survived, including your sister. If you are anything to your people you are a hero not the monster you claim. The fire burns so fiercely within you is not an evil one but your courage and compassion. You have great potential young one. Allow your sister to help you harness and control it. In time some unknown others will aid you as well. In time your magic power may equal that of Celestia's student, Twilight, but first you must learn to control and harness it. Your journey to learn to harness and control the elements will lead to a even closer relationship with this young unicorn. What will happen in this relationship is up to the two of you, but we see great joy and love. Now go, destroy the evil that plagues this land. The people need a hero and you are that hero." With that the Elder vanish and my mane returns to normal.

New strength and resolve fills me as they leave. "I will be the hero they need. My past is my past. I have my sister again and we have each other, that is all that matters. Today I end the reign of terror of Slendermane and become the hero that Ponyville has been waiting for," I think to myself. I walk over to my sister and embrace her. "Forget what I said sister, I am not and will not leave you ever again. We are united again and united we shall stay."

Sicolus looked at zendral as if he where delusional. He then looked away and laughed, he didn't have much room to talk. Sicolus looked back over at him and said mostly to himself "heroes die."

The firebug screeched in anger, retaliating by sending fire in that general direction.

---

The blue colt's face was plastered with shock, then he began to laugh. The sound unnerved Hellena greatly, looking up from the river where the last filly, golden Terra, now lay.
"What- what's so funny?" she demanded. "Why are you laughing?"
"Because," the pegasus started. "The Sisters were weak. Only fillies." He looked out across the river, smiling. "You look like a fighter, don't you? I saw how viciously you murdered my little sisters. And you know what? Thank you for bringing more, firebug."
"No..." Hellena whipped around. Where eighteen ponies had previously stood, only one was left. The blue unicorn mare. "NO!"

---

"BURN!" the present-day Hellena shrieked. "BURN!"

Zendral looks at Sicolus and smiles.

"Everyone dies eventually. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." (Favorite Line in Batman)

Ooc: There is only one Sicolus, but at the same time he represents the dark side in everyone, the insanity. anyways i just thought this song matched him perfectly. .

"yah but you can't kill insanity" Sicolus said learning from experience just how hard it is to kill a piece of someone's mind "My grandfather died a hero. My father was young at the time and decided not to become a warrior like all our other ancestors. instead he chose to settle down and have a peaceful life. I was going to join the royal guard and become a warrior like my ancestors before me. Then the factory took me and in a since I died, and let me tell you it ain't as bad as most would have you think" he finished with a sick smile.

Colton jumped back, "Whoa! Hellena! Calm down... You need to find a place you cannot destroy, it will be bad for everypony..." he walked up in front of her, "Look at me!" he reached up to hold her head, facing him, "Easy now. No one is going to hurt you."
--
Clayton shifted in his bed, un able to stay asleep, going in and out of dreams, "This is ridiculous." he said angrily as he rolled out of bed to walk out to the stairs, "Colton, just take your turn, I can't seem to... Colton," he reached the bottom without seeing his brother, "Are you in the bathroom?" he looked sown the hall, but there was no light on, "Where did he go this time?" he said as if he knew Colton wouldn't stay.

"First rule about touching a violent murderer," Hellena growled, eyes glowing menacingly. "Do not grab her head when she's going on a violent rampage. The pointy part isn't just for magic, in a mercenary's case." She gestured at the sharp, blackened appendage. "Even I'm not immune to my own magic. And damnit, I KNOW it hurts!"

Slendermane skid to a halt, sending bits of gravel flying. It turned its head to look at Hellena. "Not much longer, Hellena. Only two unicorns and a zebra."

Hellena brushed Colton's hooves off, the decrepit unicorn progressing forwards, the glow of her horn growing larger and brighter. Her eyes were the only things visible in the shadow of her face.

---

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?" Hellena screeched, running forwards to confront the pegasus.
"It's more of what you did, my dear." the Brother yawned. "After all, you were the one who killed my Sisters. Who told you to do that?"
"Loon-"
"Yes," the Brother interrupted. "I heard him too. But he didn't tell you to kill them. He tried to tell you to stop, but you didn't listen." Hellena stared back at Loony, desperation lining her face.
"He-He's not lying." the imaginary unicorn muttered quietly, avoiding Hellena's gaze. "I-I tried to warn y-you..."
"They trusted me..." the mare whispered. The Brother watched with an amused smile, hovering in the air. Without warning, Hellena threw herself at him, eyes glowing white, horn glowing like hellfire. And still the Brother, the guardian, smiled with his own amusement, ready to confront the grief-filled mercenary.

---

The present-day Hellena blinked and stopped. Then she faced an unstoppable foe. Now she faced an unstoppable foe.
The Brother spared me, allowing me to wallow in my own despair. But what about the Slendermane? He's taken nothing from me...

"Have you realized it yet, Hellena?" Slendermane asked soothingly, realizing the unicorn's halt. Was that...emotion in its voice?

"Black unicorn, we must find an ancient page. Without it, the demon can best even the greatest mage." Zecora informed Sicolus as she gathered anesthetic herbs.

"Realised what?" her voiced cracked, weaker than what she would've liked. She had nagging suspicions, but...

The monster approached Hellena slowly. "Why are ponies afraid of the dark?" There were no tentacles this time.

The unicorn frowned. "Because it's the thing that takes the ones you care about away. The dark oblivion beyond the light." She stopped talking for a moment. "Four dead, eight replace. One guardian, creates another eight. One for each. Songs of poison..." Hellena's ears flickered with frustration as she muttered to herself. "...Silenced. Eight dead. Eight brought back to me. Nine mercenaries, but only one breathes within this town."

Colton walked over slowly, without readying his sword to show he wasn't aggressive, If he touches her again, he will have one less hoof. his facial expression only showed curiosity, "Like life and death, there is no darkness without light, same so for the other direction." he added in.
--
Clayton sighed deeply going inside to bring out the lantern, "Colton, you are such an idiot." he mumbled as he walked out onto the streets to look for his brother.

"Simple phrases for the simple minded." Hellena muttered absently. "What's the meaning of life to me? Survive. Burn everything that doesn't shoot you first." The unicorn shifted uncomfortably. "You even look like him, now that I think about it. A blue pegasus."

"I can't help what I look like... Besides my point, you are of dark are you not? With darkness there has to be light that makes it a thing, now my true point is in my question: Where is your light, Hellena?" he stepped closer to her. Knowing things could turn on him, he ignored the slendermane to stand directly beside Hellena, "There is light in us all, find it."

Clayton spotted the glow on Hellena's horn, "Ten pieces says he's with her, making her mad or annoying her." he rolled his eyes walking toward the dim glow that grew brighter the closer he got.