Chapter 2

A/N This story takes place half way through Equestria Girls. Read the first two chapters of Equestria Girls Horizon to know what has happened. And read PonySpin's story "From the Warzone, Into the Unknown" to learn about Dust Storm.

"Dammit." Dust swore before looking up. "Okay, long story short, he got shot. Not saying who did it, but it looks bad. Sunbutt, can you help him?"

"Excuse me?" Celestia huffed. Josh coughed up more blood.

"Just help him. He won't survive much longer." Dust said. She muttered to herself. "Sunbutt."

"Healing magic doesn't work on him." Celestia shook her head sadly. Josh woke up and clutched his chest, screaming in agony.

"Stay still, Josh." Dust said. She pulled a syringe of painkillers out of her backpack. She stabbed it into his side, and hoped that it would keep him alive a little longer."

"Don't... don't tell that I'm gonna be alright. I don't want to spend my last minutes being lied to." He said weakly.

"When did I say it was going to be alright?" Dust whispered in his ear. "I shot you."

"I forgive you." His eyes began to lose focus. Dust's eyes started to glow a bright white, like Twilight's do occasionally.

"I will not let another soldier die on my mark!" She said. A force shoved everyone else back, and Josh's wounds began to heal. He gasped for air, his eyes focusing on Dash.

"Pretty pony." He said. Dust punched his shoulder.

"Get up." She said, before Dash trotted over and hugged him.

"How many times are you going to die?" She asked him.

"None if I can-" He covered his mouth and coughed. He gazed at the three pellets that now sat in his hand. Dust picked up her shotgun and slung it on her back, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"First time I've been happy to see bullets." Josh passed out from exhaustion. Dash glared at Dust.

"What happened?" She demanded.

"Well, he got shot. It's a very long story." Dust explained, trying to stay as vague as possible.

"You're not tellin the whole truth." Applejack accused.

"No, I'm not. That's because I don't know what happened. We were talking when something attacked me, and I blacked out. I woke up to him carrying me to somewhere, when he started coughing up blood. I hauled him to the portal and brought him here." Dust said. She didn't remember anything after the black aura had enveloped her.

"... Alright. Now she's tellin the truth." AJ sighed. Dust took the chance to check her ammo. There were several shells missing, and it had been full earlier.

"By the way, the truck was P-i-n-k-i-e P-i-e." Josh groaned.

"What do you mean?" Dust asked the half conscious man.

"Party... cannon." He murmured.

"Oh great. I took a party cannon to the face. Yay."

Josh mumbled something.

"That explains my head-ache."

"Do you remember shooting me?" He asked. Everypony gasped.

"This is getting worse and worse." She sighed.

"Ya think?" Dust looked up and saw the glares of The Mane 6, Celestia, and Luna. She tried to run back to the mirror, but was tackled by Dash.

"Why did you attack him?" Luna demanded.

"I didn't. Something took control of my body and shot him. I think. I've already explained that I don't remember anything that happened. I'm sorry for whatever my body did, but I wasn't in control of it."

"Dash... let her go." Celestia said.

"Why? Why are you letting me go, when I shot one of your own? You have every right to do what you want to me, but why let me go?" Dust asked, confused.

"Because, you are too dangerous to be left alive." Celestia fired a blast at Dust, but Josh took the hit for her. He hit the ground, spasming as electricity coursed through his body

"Okay, that's it!" Dust yelled as the balck aura surrounded her. She swung the shotgun forward and charged Celestia. She slammed into the alicorn, shoulder forward, and knocked the princess back.

"Dust... get ahold of yourself!" Josh screamed in pain. He was dying again, and nopony could save him if...

Dust stopped, and the aura dissipated. "Now, If any of you try to hurt me again, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger, got it?" They nodded nervously, and Josh curled into a ball.

"Good." Dust walked over to Josh. "I saved your life, only to have it be stolen." She said sadly.

"It's- ugh- okay. Just tell Dash..." He breathed his last. Dash hugged him and sobbed.

"He's gone. I couldn't do anything. I'm sorry." Dust stated sadly.

"I-if he could forgive you, so can I." Dash said. Dust nodded.

"What do we do now? Twilight is still in the other world." Celestia asked.

"I have a plan. Sunbutt, do you have the fake."

"The fake crown?"

"Yeah, that." Celestia leveitated it to Dust.

"Good, Thank you." She said before jumping through the portal.

Twilight was arguing with someone.

"Where have you been?"

"For the last time, I don't know you." The guy said.

"This isn't funny, Josh."

Dust walked over.

"Sparkle, this isn't your Josh." She said.

"Finally, someone who agrees with me." The other Josh said.

"W-what do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Come with me, and I'll explain." Dust led her to the band room.

"What happened?" Twilight surveyed the wreckage.

"There was a fight. Josh got hurt, bad. He's dead."

"N-no! That can't be true!"

"I'm sorry. Unless there is a way to revive him in Equestria, (wink wink) he's gone."

"If we use the elements, maybe we could save him!"

"Which takes us to part two of this coversation. Getting back the Element of Magic."

"We don't have time to wait for the dance. What will we do?"

"I just happened to have an almost exact replica of a certain Element, courtesy of a certain Princess Sunbutt."

"Although I find that name offensive, I like where this is going."

"A) That's why I gave her that nickname, It ticks her off. And B) If I can get to the real crown, I can do a swap. Only the people who have lived with the crown for a few years will know that it's a fake..."

"Need any help?" Josh 2 asked from the doorway. "I heard it all, and honestly, it explains a lot."

"Wait, all of it?" He nodded. "Well, a distaction would be good, but other than that, no." Dust answered.

"Can I borrow your gun?" He asked.

"No. It's very special to me." Dust hugged her shotgun.

"Wait." He said, picking up the gun that Josh 1 had dropped. "This'll work." He walked out to the front of the school, and fired into the air.

"Well, that works." Dust said, as everyone in the school started panicking. Principle Celestia got on the PA and announced a lockdown. Dust face palmed...