In and Out

"Okay then, really quite simple we just walk in through the crowds, do a light scan and walk out again ok Captain" "Captain..." I snapped out of my relapse and stared at the crowd of ponies flooding into the city. I had never seen so many ponies of different race mixing together that we're alive since I participated in the Everfree city massacre where all three factions ran out of ammunition (crystals) and charged each other with naught but knives.

"Captain!" shouted Red jolting me out of yet another relapse. "Are you sure you're up to this or do you want to climb the mountain first"? "To be honest the mountain seemed like a really good prospect at the moment but I restrained myself from this and said "its ok, this is simply strange to me, and the biggest conversation I'd had with any Non-Earth Pony had always "been dying".

"We don't need another spectacle Captain so just get in put me down and get out" explained Red. "Easier said than done...fine I'll do this but only because of the mission" and with that I plunged into the thick stream of ponies in weird clothes. Even though I had been talked out of my armour I'd decided to enter with my weapon belt for minimal protection.

I felt the stares of many upper class ponies as I went further through the stream of diversity. I wasn't so much ashamed of the way I just wished I could have acquired a way to hide the mark so as not to attract any suspicion. However as I went on the stream became a torrent and many ponies began jostling into me. I had to surprise the urge to kill them as I ate my paranoia.

I stopped off by a gate to the castle and took stock of my surroundings. I saw a sign that said the main square was barley one hundred metres away, it may as well have been one hundred miles away for it seemed like an impenetrable barrier of mainly unicorns and peagasi. "Where are the Earth ponies" I asked frowning. Then I saw them all at once waiters, servants, messengers and guards. All of these ponies were magic less.

Maybe it was the rage I felt from how there was social difference in this time but in general I think it was the fact that no one did anything about it that really got me. I quite literally charged through the crowd, knocking down rich bankers and lords as I went. "I couldn't believe it, but it made sense that the people most disadvantaged in the land would be tread on. However they all did it so kindly, whether a Unicorn shouting at his messenger or a Pegasus yelling at a waiter the Earth Ponies just took it with a smile and an apology.

An awful lot of ponies were staring at me now but I stared them all down so that they looked away. I reached a statue of Princess Celestia and Luna in a circle as of chasing each other. I turned my gaze away however as I put red down right next to the statue. "Ok Red start you scan and I'll try look... Normal of sorts" I whispered as red started to scan the entire city to create somewhat of a 3D map.

I on the other and had nothing to do but get stared at by the passing ponies, I was thinking really deeply however, my primary thought being "why are Earth Ponies so disadvantaged whatever they do"? Before I oils elaborate further on this thought however Red did something unexpected. "ALERT! Time particles detected within vicinity please move to a safe range to minimalise chances of incineration" she blared out.

Even though I didn't get most of what she said it pushed me into action "Everybody move away from the statue now!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as I grabbed red and strapped her to my belt whilst I ran back. Other ponies were now snorting in rage and one Unicorn came up to me and said "do you mind"? "Sir I need everyone to..." I was cut off however as a wave of chrome energy flooded the courtyard and everyone but I fell over.

A portal or something opened up on the Celestia Luna statue, vaporising it and then to top it off a ball of red energy flooded out of it with two silhouettes inside.

"That energy resembles the same source we bombarded your body with" shouted Red over the din of noise. The energy suddenly shock waved and the portal closed, sending everyone flying back through the air. As I got up it seemed everyone around me was dead or at the very least out cold.

Suddenly I could hear crying from inside the capsule as the red energy faded to reveal two unicorns, badly burned everywhere and both once a vibrant yellow were now tinged with bloody red as I noticed the first mutations. The first was missing a hoof and ear whilst the second had one too many and by the looks of it the new limbs were giving him much pain. The Pony with too many limbs stood side by side with the other pony completely still for a moment, as if time hadn't caught up to them yet when suddenly the pony with the extra limbs vomited a huge amount of blood before collapsing and the other one began wailing in pain.

"We told them that it couldn't handle two, we told them and they ignored" he cried as his chopped off limbs began to bleed profusely.

I ran over to the group and looked at the mix of limbs now quite gruesome from my perspective. They were obviously brothers but since the second one had stopped moving and the first one was wailing in agony nobody really cared about that little loose fact.

I took a small capsule from my belt and shoved the contents down the pony's throat. After a brief few seconds the wailing stopped and the pony calmed as if all the pain was gone. "Captain he's got maybe three minutes before bleeding out you need to do something now" said Red.

I closed my eyes for a second and took a breath, before kneeling down and asking softly "what is your name"? The calmed pony looked at me and raised one of his bleeding limbs, "Mal Crystone Lead Scientist on Tulip Station Research Facility 276 for the U. A" he said now eerily calmly. "What happened Mal" I asked, trying to sound as caring as I could. "What didn't happen should be the question Asimov" said the broken pony. I blinked for a second before leaning closer to him. "What"? "You don't know yet, but you will the great and powerful Asimov the destroyer of worlds" laughed Mal somewhat insanely. "What are you talking about Mal" I asked grabbing his head now and shaking it. "We didn't think it through did we, I mean we should never have sent it back in time, so we came to retrieve it but it went wrong, our particles... Fused and now I'm dying Captain" said Mal as if realising it for the first time.

"Captain there isn't much time you must not save Luna, you must not go right and whatever you don't make the deal" shouted Mal as pain started to seep through the calming drugs I'd given him. "Now for myself, Captain I... don don't w...wish to die in pain so please just finish me off as an act of kindness to the one who wants you dead" he finished televising as pain flooded his body.

I looked at the two brothers on the floor and felt wave after wave of pity for them and a feeling of mercy. However these... Ponies came back to by the sounds of it stop me from saving Luna and possibly killing me as well.

I tried to put all the jumbled words together but I had absolutely nothing and Red's voice suddenly came up. "Captain Guards are on their way you have to move now"!

I took out my pistol and looked at it, and then I looked at an alleyway nearby. I knew exactly what to do.

Yes that's right we'll ask the lovely audience (Cheers)
Now its 50-50 so is it:
A. Mercy
B. Suffering
Let's see what you decide (gives a cheery smile as typing this and realises his life is completely pointless...) ;-(