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                                            1.
                                            =BiE 61=
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                                            >You could see them out there.
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                                            4.
                                            >Streaming out of Ponyville and scurrying around the ground below like tiny little ants.
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                                            5.
                                            >The winds were whipping and howling as the tornados harried the Dogs.
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                                            >"Private, keep that wall high. We need the fire burning to boil this pot."
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                                            7.
                                            >"Yesh Shir!" The private called back with the ladle in his mouth.
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                                            8.
                                            >You hop down from the wall and grimace as you land.
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                                            9.
                                            >Damn wound...
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                                            10.
                                            >You reached into your pocket and swallowed some of the painkillers the docs gave you.
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                                            11.
                                            >"How many of those did you just take?" General Vizir asked.
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                                            12.
                                            >"Enough."
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                                            13.
                                            >These pills were lighter than the ones you had taken for your manticore wounds, the benefits of having magical bandages as well.
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                                            14.
                                            >Vizir just continued to glare at you. You could guess his thoughts.
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                                            15.
                                            >"You don't like me, Vizir."
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                                            16.
                                            >The general snorts. "A little more than a year ago, you were the one we were calling meetings over. And now the Princess appoints you Chief Logician for the defense of the city."
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                                            17.
                                            >"And that makes you angry."
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                                            18.
                                            >"I just don't think somep0ny almost convicted of war crimes should be put in charge of defending the lives of others." he says.
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                                            19.
                                            >Heh.
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                                            20.
                                            >"Remind me to tell you about the story of the Nazi scientists from my world if we live through this."
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                                            21.
                                            >A chariot pulls up to the castle walls. "Sirs! You're needed at the first barricade!"
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                                            22.
                                            >You were setting up barricades at the entrance and exit of every cave along the route to Canterlot.
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                                            23.
                                            >You can't imagine what's so hard about setting up walls...
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                                            24.
                                            
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                                            25.
                                            >You and Vizir took the chariot down to the first mountain cave.
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                                            26.
                                            >The railroad that normally served as the entrance was being ripped up, it's metal and wood fortifying the barricade.
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                                            27.
                                            >The small path up the mountain had been blasted away by unicorn magic. Vizir assured you that they could rebuild it.
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                                            28.
                                            >The land before the mountains was a sea of hills as well as a straight shot to Ponyville.
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                                            29.
                                            >It was less than a day ago that you were racing along this path to escape town.
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                                            30.
                                            >Not a half mile from the foot of the mountain, a tornado raged. Snow was piling up by the foot, and hail was falling like rocks.
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                                            31.
                                            >Not your normal summer.
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                                            32.
                                            >The chariot landed and a soldier approached you as the two of you stepped off. "Sirs! We have captured a prisoner!"
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                                            33.
                                            >"A Dog got this far?"
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                                            >"Advanced scout. Take us to him, son." Vizir said.
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                                            35.
                                            >The soldier led the two of you behind the first barricade. A Diamond Dog was trussed up in the corner. "Here he is, sirs."
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                                            36.
                                            >"Where'd you find him?"
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                                            >"He was hiding behind a hill, watching us erect the barricade. We only spotted him after he dug himself out of the snow." The soldier said.
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                                            38.
                                            >"Leave us." Vizir said.
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                                            39.
                                            >The soldier trotted away as Vizir stepped towards the Dog. You stopped him halfway.
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                                            40.
                                            >"Do you p0nies have "Good cop, Bad cop"?"
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                                            41.
                                            >>Vizir gets a glint in his eye. "You might work out after all. You're bad cop, I have a reputation to uphold."
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                                            Yeah, not like we have a reputation.
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                                            43.
                                            >Don't take his side, brain.
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                                            >The two of you walk up to the Dog. It's hands and feet are shackled. It starts to shout. "Not going to talk, ponies! You never mak-"
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                                            >"Be quiet mutt. Before I do it myself." you bellow. The cave adding echo to your voice.
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                                            >Vizir steps over to the mutt. "You'll have to excuse my friend here. He has had a rough day."
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                                            48.
                                            >You flare your nostrils as the dog glances your way. "Why don't you tell me why you're here so that we can all get on with our day?"
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                                            49.
                                            >The Dog snorts in Vizir's face. "A shame. Logician?"
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                                            50.
                                            >You sit down in front of the dog.
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                                            51.
                                            >How are we gonna play this?
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                                            52.
                                            I have a plan.
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                                            53.
                                            >"I killed Discord. Start talking and I won't do to you what I did to him."
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                                            54.
                                            >What.
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                                            55.
                                            Roll with it.
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                                            56.
                                            >The Dog's eyes flare. "That a lie. No way you kill Discord."
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                                            57.
                                            >Vizir interjects. "He did. I saw the wreckage."
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                                            58.
                                            >"Talk."
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                                            >"H-How!?" The dog shouts.
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                                            60.
                                            >"Extreme and excessive violence."
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                                            61.
                                            >The Dog audibly gulps. "Dogfather on his way here. Now. Storms not going to slow him down.
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                                            62.
                                            >"And why is that?" Vizir asks.
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                                            63.
                                            >"Dogfather and other Dogs from Tartarus already dead. They not need to sleep, or eat, and they don't get stopped by weather that isn't tornado."
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                                            64.
                                            >You and Vizir glance at each other.
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                                            65.
                                            >"He going to hit Canterlot with his army. All living dogs going to catch up and make it harder for you to stop us."
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                                            >Vizir has heard enough. He removes the Dog's bindings. "You are free. I recommend you leave this place, we will not be merciful a second time..." he grumbles.
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                                            67.
                                            I thought we were bad cop.
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                                            68.
                                            >The Dog hops over the barricade and runs to the forest. Vizir turned to his men. "Soldiers! Shore up that barricade! We will be expecting Dogs by nightfall!"
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                                            >You ride the chariot with Vizir back to the walls.
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                                            71.
                                            >You land to find some contraption waiting for you.
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                                            >"What is this, private?" Vizir asked.
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                                            73.
                                            >"A countermeasure delivered by the mages, sir. They say it will stop the dogs magic."
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                                            >Hmm...
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                                            75.
                                            >"So...Anon finally delivered."
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                                            76.
                                            >"How does it function?" Vizir asked.
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                                            >The private levitates a scroll in front of him. "Apparently, it only needs to be activated by a unicorn. And then it will cancel most magic in a two hundred foot area."
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                                            >You look down the city walls. There was a lot of ground to cover...
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                                            79.
                                            >"Are they sending more?"
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                                            >The private nods. "The note said that they were producing more of them now. They should be here by night watch."
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                                            81.
                                            >"Good. I want them erected and operational by midnight. We cannot let the Dogs near this city while they can use their magic."
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                                            82.
                                            >You and Vizir step out to the edge of the wall. "This device will help, but I worry about the effect it will have on our defenses."
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                                            83.
                                            >"How so?"
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                                            84.
                                            >"If this device can disrupt the Dog's magic, it may disrupt our own as well." Vizir laments.
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                                            85.
                                            >"Go talk to the mages. If I know Anon, he'll have come up with a solution."
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                                            86.
                                            >"You are sure?" Vizir asks as he glances to you.
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                                            87.
                                            >You silently nod.
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                                            >The two of you stare out over the walls under the dark sky, watching the advancing horde.
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                                            89.
                                            >"Think we can beat 'em?"
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                                            90.
                                            >Vizir sighs. "I have faced Griffins, Minotaurs, and everything in between. But an army from Tartarus..."
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                                            91.
                                            Yeah...
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                                            >You can relate...
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                                            >You were in bed after the meeting.
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                                            >Heavy stuff, getting told that an army was coming for you.
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                                            >Lotus was laying her head on your chest, breathing steadily.
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                                            97.
                                            >You reached down to brush her hair when she spoke up. "Do you think you can win tomorrow?"
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                                            98.
                                            >"I think we can."
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                                            99.
                                            >Just had to play it right.
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                                            100.
                                            >She shuffled on you. "It's just...I spent the day with Aloe and Caramel at the shelter..."
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                                            101.
                                            >She looks you in the eyes. "Everyp0ny is scared Mous. We're all scared that this may be the last night for Canterlot."
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                                            102.
                                            >"I know you and Anon and the rest of the guard are going to do everything you can to stop them, but..."
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                                            103.
                                            >You pull Lotus on top of your chest and hold her close.
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                                            104.
                                            >"Hey now...don't talk like that. I'm not gonna let those dogs take one step inside this city."
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                                            105.
                                            >"Sweetheart, you may have taken apart a cult, but even you can't stop an army."
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                                            106.
                                            >You look down and meet her gaze.
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                                            107.
                                            >"Yeah? Just watch me." you say with a grin.
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                                            108.
                                            >Your infectious grin causes Lotus to giggle a bit before she rest her head again."...Mous? If this were your last night on Equestria, where would you want to be most?"
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                                            109.
                                            >You hug Lotus close to you.
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                                            110.
                                            >"Well, after I spent time with my family? I'd say I'm pretty happy here..."
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                                            111.
                                            >Lotus lets her hooves curl around your chest.
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                                            112.
                                            >"But...this isn't our last night. Not even close. We're both gonna live long, happy lives once this is done with."
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                                            113.
                                            >You bend your knees and scoot Lotus up your chest, the "oop" she makes is adorable.
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                                            114.
                                            >"But hey, maybe I'm wrong. So..."
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                                            115.
                                            >You pull Lotus in and kiss her, as tenderly as you can.
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                                            116.
                                            >"Let's make this "last night" together something to remember..."
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                                            118.
                                            -Meanwhile at the foot of the mountain-
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                                            >You were The Dogfather.
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                                            >These Ponies had thrown the weather at you, and still you came.
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                                            >They had thrown tornados at you, and you still came.
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                                            122.
                                            >They had sent your army to Tartarus, and still you came.
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                                            123.
                                            >They thought some little wooden barricades were gonna stop you?
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                                            124.
                                            >"Get dis damn thing outa da way."
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                                            125.
                                            >Your soldiers got to work hacking apart the barricade, sending splinters sailing through the air.
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                                            126.
                                            >You looked over the mountains, catching the tips of Canterlot's tallest spires over them.
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                                            127.
                                            >You were gonna collapse those spires.
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                                            128.
                                            >You were gonna knock down the walls and send these ponies back to Tartarus in your place.
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                                            129.
                                            >And then you were gonna take the magic away from this kingdom.
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                                            130.
                                            >And then you were gonna turn this whole stinking planet into your chew toy.
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                                            131.
                                            >You looked up into the sky, it was a full moon again.
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                                            132.
                                            >Good. You wanted the Princesses to see you, to see their end commin' for em.
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                                            133.
                                            >The wooden barricade began to splinter and crack.
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                                            134.
                                            >Yeah...just a bit longer...
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                                            135.
                                            >Then you'd show these ponies that your bite was way worse than your bark...
 
                         by Mandroid
                         by Mandroid
                         by Mandroid
                         by Mandroid
                         by Mandroid