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Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 6: Children Go Where I Send Thee | Graphite finished his cigarette, tossing it on the ground below, and was ready to move on. He walked down the stairs and back into the yard, still a bit groggy. From there, he moved on back to the street. It seemed that the fog which covered everything yesterday had gone, it was completely clear outside; so he took a better look at the neighborhood.
The small two story flat houses had been replaced by larger, five story brick houses; they also had taken on the force of the blast and the edge of time. A lot of rubble littered the streets. Shattered bricks, planks, and sometimes even glass littered the across the pavement. The wooden frames around the buildings still remained, still rotted through and eaten by termites.
As Graphite walked through the neighborhood he noticed another thing - skeletons. The ponies seemed to have tried to run away from where he was heading to. Some of them had fallen right in the middle of the street. Others were bunched up in corners as if trying to find safety in numbers from death. They died running away from death, their lifeless bodies dropped to the floor fully sprint trying to avoid the blast. The ponies in the corner seemed like they were still cowering, the wind was blowing through their ribs, shaking their bones like they were shaking with fear.
Graphite was brought down by seeing all of this, his mind started to make up questions. He was supposed to be a hero, he was supposed to save Equestria and stop this from happening. But even if he hadn't been frozen up when all of this happened, how could he stop it? He was just an ordinary pony, he couldn't stop a storm of balefire. By the looks of it - even Celestia and Luna couldn't do it. 'What even had happened to the goddesses?' He asked himself, 'Where were they when all of this happened?' He asked again, 'Why use six innocent ponies to defend Equestria - what kind of idea was that?' The questions he made up, he couldn't find answers to. His mind was swarming with these unwanted questions; only the matter of almost tripping over the shattered bricks could restore his focus back on the road.
The road didn't seem any more of an appealing place didn't it did yesterday in the fog. There were still unending cracks lining the entirety of the road; the pavement had turned to gravel, loose rocks and bits of road were sprinkled all over the road; the sides of the road were just as dead as before, the grass was burnt down to the dirt and then the dirt was burnt down to dust. The border-towns of Buckago were very spaced out, nothing like the downtown he knew. He's never downtown before, but he could see the skyline in the distance, and the large skyscrapers that poked holes in the sky. The buildings almost blocked the sun; the rays could only squeeze through the gaps between buildings and focus their beams in small dots over the landscape. The road he traveled led directly downtown, and he had nowhere else to go.
His duster flowed in the breeze as he walked, catching the drift eastward. The next buildings ahead were about another jog down the trail - like he was heading to the range. He fixed his rifle sling at the thought, fixing it back around his shoulder. The move downtown seemed like a long one, maybe once he reached midtown he could search the restaurants that always filled the majority of the town. He was nearing the next building. It was a corner building, one that curved around with the sidewalk. The lower story of the building had wooden walls instead of brick, maybe a general store was built in to the building. He decided, "Why wait until midtown to search for supplies?" So he picked up his pace to reach the building in time to keep up with the day.
There were two corner buildings on either side of the road; one was a pharmacy, the other a hat store. The hat store certainly had supplies if Graphite needed a new summer bonnet to go with his duster. He didn't need anymore hats than he already had -- one being enough for a single stallion -- so the pharmacy was his best bet for useful supplies. The sign reading 'Pharmacy' that usual hangs above the entrance was faded down to the point the red letters were just as pale as the white background. He took a step forward towards the store, spotting a light brown disk sitting on the street. Graphite leaned in, a bit intrigued as to what it could be. The disk made a high pitch tone, Graphite flinching at the sudden noise.
'Beep, beep, beep-'
His mind knew immediately what that noise was - he had heard before while in service - a fragmentation mine. He dived down on the street, covering his head with his hooves just as the mine went off. There was a loud boom, followed by the screeching sound of fragments whizzing passed his head. The smoke and debris shot upward, the shockwave sending a small wave through Graphite's duster and blowing through his mane. A small cloud of dirt and dust puffed up, some small rocks pounded against his steel armour. The explosion almost blew off his leg, but he had reacted just fast enough to avoid getting hurt - but his ears were still ringing.
A loud yell came from the inside of the pharmacy. That yell was followed by another and another similar shout. Graphite looked up when the gunfire started pouring out the pharmacy. He ducked again, bullets whooshed over his head, scraping his ringing ears with their loud noises. He looked around, there was a big blue mail dropbox across the road of the pharmacy. He picked himself up and sprinted full speed towards his only means of cover.
The bullets continued to fire out the first story of the building, flying passed his head and cutting through his duster. He slid just as he neared the mailbox, pressing his back against the metal case of the mailbox. The bullets seemed to have no sense of aim or direction, they just shot anywhere and everywhere. He could hear the bullets poking through the front of the mailbox, just stopping as the envelopes inside caught hold of the bullets.
He pulled his rifle to his front, still holding his head down from the incoming barrage of bullets. They kept coming without pause and still just firing everywhere; he could just hear the yells and battle cries under the bangs of gunfire. He couldn't move, he was locked down under the fire and fear of being cut down by it. One bullet managed to cut through the mailbox on both sides, just going right passed Graphite's ear.
"F-fuck!" He screamed, knowing that bullet was just inches from being in his skull.
His back slid down the side of the box, his body slumping over slowly. He dropped his rifle, covering his head with both his hooves. He bent down as low as he could, until the bullets all stopped at once with a series of faint clicks from inside the pharmacy. Graphite opened his eyes, looking over the side of the mailbox.
Just as he head moved around the edge of the box, he heard the loud mumbles of what seemed like foals from the building.
"Damn! I'm out of bullets!"
"-Me too!"
"-Me three!"
Graphite was all but confused, his attackers were a group of small colts and fillies, one not even old enough to have a cutie mark. He could see one, the tallest one, had some kind of raider armour on. The torso consisted of a stained, leather undershirt and an empty bandoleer. The sleeves were armed separately by pieces of cloth and leather wrapped around them. The knees were protected by what looked like knee pads which were used for when ponies went rollerblading. His mane was an unkempt mess of red spikes and frazzled hairs. His coat was a dirty peach colour - it looked more brown than peach though.
Next to him stood a younger, golden yellow coloured unicorn mare with a burnett mane and was wearing a strange, blue jumpsuit. The jumpsuit had yellow lines going down the arms, legs, and down the middle of the front and back. It had some armored pads and a belt with mag pouches attached around it; overall, the mare and her clothes looked cleaner than the ones of the colt next to her.
Next to the filly was an even younger filly, just a foal. She had a black, cast iron pot on her head to use as a helmet; it went over her eyes. She seemed a bit lost, unable to see anything. Her mane was sticking out for under the pan, it was a long, dark red colour that contrasted her bright red coat colour. It was easy to tell she was only a foal since she didn't even have a cutie mark yet; just a blank flank - with a gun in held in her mouth.
"Hey, you think we could call a cease fire?" Graphite shouted from behind the mailbox.
"No! You'll die like the rest of the slaver scum that have came looking for us!" The colt shouted back.
"A slaver... what?" Graphite replied with a bit of irritation in his voice.
"You heard me-" The colt was suddenly interrupted, by the mare next to him. She was whispering something into his ear. The colt then looked over at Graphite's direction, "Alright, we might let you live if you get up slowly and let us take a look at you!"
For Graphite there was no other way but to obey the colt's orders - he couldn't sit behind that mailbox forever. Graphite slowly got up from behind the mailbox and stood up on his hooves again. The ponies in the pharmacy window took a look at his armor and the black duster. They have never seen armour like that before, Graphite could see it in the looks on their faces.
"Well, you don't look like a slaver. What the fuck are you doing out here then?"
"I'm heading to downtown Buckago-"
"Downtown? That place is a warzone!" The mare intruded on Graphite.
"War zone? But how- why-?"
"'Cause the whole place is filled with raiders and slavers. If you're not going to get killed for scrap, you'll get enslaved and if non of them get you you'll end up as some monster's chow!"
"What? Repeat that again!"
"I said the whole place is crawling with slavers and raid- just come over here... but slowly!" She was getting very impatient, swinging her hoof to get him over.
The kids didn't seem to be too intimidating, but they still had their guns, so he did as they ordered and came over to them slowly.
The filly dropped her gun on the floor, she was still a bit heated though, "There's raiders, slavers, and monsters all over downtown Buckago - so I don't know why you would want to go there," She put an emphasis on each thing downtown, telling Graphite just how dangerous it was to go out there.
The colt pushed her aside and asked his own question, getting right in Graphite's face, "Why do you want to head downtown?"
"I'm... just wandering, I never got to see downtown before-"
"-And you're not going to," the filly interrupted once again. It seemed that this pony had no sense of manners, "Any pony that goes downtown won't stand a chance without some-"
"-There's nothing out there!" Now the colt decided to cut in, yelling even though Graphite was right next to him.
"Is that why all of you are here in this... um, pharmacy?"
"We got nowhere else to go," A much quieter and softer voice came from below him. He looked down, seeing the little foal to his left. She told him this while looking at his knees, the pot was still cutting of her sight.
"Shouldn't you all be with your parents?"
"Our parents were killed back at the slave camp," The older filly now had an attitude, getting even more irritated by Graphite's questions.
"Slave camp?" Graphite couldn't help but ask another question, he needed to know why these kids would do this.
"We all were. All of us were trapped in the slave camps north of here," The colt's voice lowered, his yelling stopped when he told Graphite that. He still seemed angry, but like a bad memory was rolling back into his mind, his eyes had that look of distress.
"We won't go into that right now, those bitches are still after us!" The colt added.
Still confused, Graphite asked another question, "You mean the slavers?"
The colt's distress turned back into a temper, "No, dumb ass, I mean the cops - of course I mean the slavers!"
He fixed his gun over his shoulder and stormed to the back of the building, heading through the back door leading to the inventory room. The filly and the foal stayed put, watching as the colt ran through, making a loud stomp with each step.
"Don't mind, Rotten; he's just a rotten bastard," The filly butted in.
"He seems like it," Graphite chuckled.
"But, he's still our only leader," At the last moment, the filly cut back in, reassuring Graphite that Rotten was still of use.
Graphite still didn't enjoy the colt's irritating attitude; it was that teenage, cocksure attitude - like nothing or no one would get in his way - he was leader because he brought everyone else down by force. This band of delinquents didn't seem like the best crowd to be around, but one stallion against a group of slavers wasn't going to end well. The kids didn't have any sense of proper fighting skills, but they did have numbers - maybe there was something Graphite could do for them for sparing his life. Maybe he could teach them how to defend themselves against the slavers and make sure they don't come back.
Graphite was going to take the chance, all he needed to do was work it out with Rotten. He finished the plan out in his head, then turned over to the filly and the foal, "You think I could make a proposal with Rotten?"
"What kind of proposal?" The filly stepped around to Graphite, bringing back her attention away from the foal.
"You mean like a wedding?" The little foal wondered with a childish amount of glee.
Graphite smiled, there was nothing like the innocence of a child to bring joy in such a joyless place, "I mean like a deal, little one."
She just replied with a simple, "Oh."
The filly had a small smile, but lost when she asked, "What did you want to propose..."
"...Graphite."
"Graphite, hm - oh - I'm Mayflower by the way, and that's Hot-Sauce," She pointed down to the foal that eager young foal beside her, "So, what did you want?"
"Well I was wondering - I know a good amount about fighting - maybe I could show you kids a thing or two to defend yourselves."
"I guess that Rotten would agree to that -- I think it's a great idea. He probably went back to his position at top of the building," Mayflower pointed towards the back door Rotten charged through earlier, "I'd come along, but I have to stay down here and watch the roads."
Graphite headed towards the door in his usual trot, but stopped for a moment and looked back, "Thanks," he said, continuing to the back door.
The pharmacy didn't resemble one anymore; the shelves were all pushed against the windows to act as cover, they completely cleared the place of all its prescriptions and potions, the counter now had a row of half-full sandbags and some empty shell casings littered around it. He crossed through the counter, kicking the shells on the floor with his hooves. They clanged and pinged against his hoof and each other, reflecting the flickering ceiling lights above. He marched on through the door and into the back room, there he saw a group of four little foals - no older than seven or eight. There were just sitting in the corner, playing with a small, purple doll. It had dark violet hair with pink streaks running down it, it had black button eyes and a dark blue thread to hold it in the head, the tail was a matching purple and pink as the mane, and there was a pink sparkle on its flank with five white sparkles around for its cutie mark. The filly holding on to it pulled the string on the back, making the doll say something like, "Reading time is fun time!" Another pull would make it say, "Let's play homework!" Graphite knew instantly that it was a doll of Twilight Sparkle, the leader of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences.
The foals were sitting on a blanket which looked like it hadn't been washed in the last twenty years. They sat on it either way, sitting around in a circle playing together with the doll, passing it around and giggling. They took a great joy in what seemed to be their only toy. Their only source of light to see who had the doll came from a small, dimly lit lamp in next to their blanket and a fire escape in the roof.
Graphite took a step forward, stepping on a shard of glass - startling the kids. They all gasped, one made a quick yelp, but their combined noise had Rotten jump down the fire escape. He had his gun pointed directly ahead of him and ready to defend the kids; Graphite jumped, almost going for his gun as well. Rotten took a few steps forward, coming into the light of the lamp and finally seeing that the intruder was just Graphite, "'The fuck are you doing back here? Did Mayflower let you in?" He questioned Graphite with his usual tempered yell.
"Yes, she let me back here - I just wanted to make a proposal with you," Graphite answered. Rotten was getting on his last nerve, but he was keeping his cool for the most part.
"What, you mean like a wedding?"
"No, I mean I wanted to ask you for a deal."
Rotten wrapped his gun behind him, heading for the door near Graphite, "Well why didn't you just say so? What kind of deal did you mean?"
They both went back out to the main area of the pharmacy; Rotten walked up behind the counter and Graphite met him on the opposite side, "Look, I know you guys can defend yourselves - but you don't really seem to know how to fight bac-"
"What are you saying? We can't manage ourselves?" He whipped his gun back out, swaying and pointing it at Graphite, "I can shoot you in the ass right now and-"
Graphite leaped forward, grabbing the twerp by the collar on his armour and pinned him down against the counter with a hard slam, "I'd like to see you fucking try!" He kept his arm wedged behind his back - his gun slipped right out of his mouth - his face was pushed against the sandbags with Graphite's elbow.
Mayflower and Hot-Sauce were outside over-watching the roads when they heard the commotion from inside the building. They both darted for the entrance, stopping to see Rotten's face dug deep into the cloth of the sandbags on the counter. Hot-Sauce lifted the pot from her head by the handle to see why the stallion was hurting her rescuer. The four little foals in the back room also peeked their heads through to see what was going on.
Graphite ignored the watchers, keeping all his weight down on Rotten's head, "There's your first lesson! Don't be too late to pull the trigger!" He pushed down again, sending another tight pain through Rotten's arm and face.
"Fucki- let go o- of me-" Rotten was struggling and grunting, trying to escape Graphite's grasp.
Graphite eased back, then pushed Rotten away and into the wall behind the counter. Rotten grabbed his arm and then seared in pain.
"Looks like he got you beat, Rotten," Mayflower snickered while trotting inside the pharmacy.
"Very fucking funny- what the hell was that for?" He screamed at Graphite.
"To show you a lesson in real fighting," Graphite said pointing his hoof right at Rotten with a cocksure smirk on his face, "I was going teach you guys how to fight in exchange for supplies."
"No! I don't need no damn lessons from you!" Rotten screeched, ricocheting away from the wall and back to Graphite's space, "We got no supplies to give to you!"
"If you're going to survive the next slaver attack, you're going to need to know how to defend yourselves - you can't just shoot everything that moves-"
"-I can, because it works-"
"-No, it doesn't-"
The two ponies went back and forth with each other, squabbling over the petty deal. Hot-Sauce and Mayflower were standing aside along with the four foals standing at the back doorway still. They shouted back at one another, their mess of words mixed together in an indiscernible mesh of babble. Rotten's rotten temper was boiling hotter and hotter, he was ready to through punches, until Mayflower finally stepped in, "Back the fuck off you two!" She screamed, pushing the two aside.
Rotten almost pushed Mayflower out of his way, but he knew her too long to do anything to hurt her - but he still glared down Graphite. Graphite stepped back as Mayflower pushed him away, fixing his chest plate and sweeping off the dust. The young mare kept Rotten back, pushing him back a ways to keep from a fight, "Calm down, Rotten!"
"Just let me get one punch in!" Rotten yapped, still struggling with Mayflower.
"You couldn't even reach me you runt!" Graphite hounded back.
"Don't tempt him, Graphite!" Mayflower interceded. She lost her concentration for just a second, but that was enough to let Rotten break through her push and charge Graphite.
Graphite got caught off guard, the colt tackled him to the floor. Graphite fell to the floor, his suit hitting the floor with a clang; he grabbed the colt's sides and threw him to the floor.
'BANG!'
A gunshot echoed about the pharmacy. The kids screamed and began to cower; Rotten and Graphite just stopped. Mayflower was holding a police revolver with her telekinesis spell, the short barrel was smoking, and there was a newly made bullet hole in the middle of the ceiling.
"Start fighting again and I start shooting again!" Mayflower demanded, "Now knock this shit off!"
The whimpers of the children were being carried out in the background, Graphite and Rotten didn't move a muscle, "You may not agree with Graphite - but I do - and I think he can really help us..."
Rotten jumped up, trotting towards the back door. The foals saw him coming and ran back into the inventory room. Rotten didn't speak a word, or even bother to give a glance back, he just stormed up the ladder and back to the roof. Graphite lied on the floor, breathing out a sigh of relief and annoyance.
"I'm not letting you off the hook either..." Mayflower called out to Graphite, walking to the back room - getting no glares from her either.
She stepped into the inventory room; the sounds of the ladder clanking with her hooves climbing up the ladder told Graphite she was going up to see Rotten. Graphite finally picked himself up, staring at the empty doorway in the back. He was alone again; he could hear Rotten and Mayflower yelling at each other from up on the roof, but Graphite was stuck on the first floor with himself. He looked to his left, where he had thrown Rotten, and saw something underneath the broken tiles. He slid over to the break in the floor, and moved aside the loose tiles.
Beneath the tiles, lying just underneath the floor, was an old, wooden crate. He lifted up another tile, but ended up lifting an entire section of tiles - it was a hidden under cropping in the floor. Graphite lifted up the rest of the covering, pushing it open and letting it fall down on the opposite side. He could see whole crates and boxes of supplies and ammo. There was a large, long shaped crate labeled, 'Foods'. The two teens were still at each other's throats on the ceiling - there was nothing to stop Graphite from taking their supplies and booking it before they even noticed.
There was everything he needed; munitions, food, water - all the necessities and more. Graphite could make it through here to downtown with no troubles or worries -- other than the raiders and monsters. He knelt down, reaching for the box of .308 cartridges, when he heard a faint voice of a little filly just to the left of him, "What are you doing?" She asked.
Graphite turned his head; he saw Hot-Sauce staring at him with her big purple eyes, like big, plump plums straight from the branch. Graphite looked back at the supplies beneath the floor, then back at Hot-Sauce and responded, "Um, nothing..."
He reached over for the hatch, swinging it back and slamming it close on the floor. He looked over at Hot-Sauce again, her childish innocence was in a loss as to what was going on. Graphite wasn't quite sure either - he couldn't believe he was going to steal all these kids' only source of food. He heard someone's hooves clanking down the ladder steps from the back room. Mayflower came down, she seemed very annoyed to say the least. She took in a deep breath, almost immediately calming her down, "Well, Rotten's going to be sitting your training out, but the rest of us are still looking forward to it," Mayflower announced.
Graphite played off the finding the supplies nonchalantly, "Alright, let's get to it - now, where to start?" Graphite pondered, then a thought popped up in his mind, "Could you show me what weapons you've got? That way I could understand what to teach each of you."
"Alright," Mayflower said and walked over to where Graphite was standing. She lifted up the hatch where the supplies were and took out the food and ammunition supplies. It seemed they had enough ammo to spare. Underneath there was a weapons cache; most of the guns were wrapped in cellophane bags to prevent the dirt and dust from getting into the weapons.
"That's a smart move," Graphite noted as Mayflower was lifting out guns from the pit, "But you shouldn't hide all of your stuff in one place. Imagine if some clever raider comes in and finds all of this lying in one spot. You'd probably never see that stuff again."
"I guess so. We'll find some new hiding spots tomorrow," Mayflower then turned away from the guns for a bit, "Thank you again for the lesson,"
"No problem," Graphite said and tilted his head, "Now, show me what guns you've got," He requested and walked over to the small pile of guns which were lying on the floor.
They were pistols for the most part. Some Graphite recognized almost instantly. There was a small pistol, just like his except it was matted black rather than his silver plating. It was a .45 calibre just like his; the slide was smooth, with only a few notches at the end to use as grip; the handle itself was just like Graphite's, the wood was a just a darker shade. There was also another pistol, an odd one, but Graphite could recall seeing that gun somewhere before. The grip was rounded at the bottom, and was entirely of wood; the receiver was strange, it seemed to act like more of a rifle's than a pistol's - the magazine was held forward the trigger rather than inside the grip, the ejection port slid back but there was no slide, and the barrel extended out quite a ways - there was also label on the side of the gun reading "10mm".
"And we also have this," Mayflower interrupted Graphite's inspection of the guns.
Graphite rose up his eyes and looked at Mayflower. She was holding a very large, dark sapphire rocket launcher - the size of a colt; it was a menagerie of long tubes, pipes, and metal plates that were clobbered together to make a beast of war; there was one large magazine at the top of the gun, it was a large panel that encased the tube of rockets; there was a shoulder guard and two metal handles that were used to keep the giant block of rockets up and pointed at the enemy. Graphite was in a general daze, he had never imagined a weapon so big could be used by one pony. An even bigger mystery was how this pack of foals and fillies found such a weapon.
"Where did you ever find this?" Graphite wondered with great surprise.
"I wouldn't be lying if I said that this fell off a cart," Mayflower smiled a bit, "While seeking for a place to settle down, we passed an old military convoy. Over there, we found all of the weapons we have now."
Graphite chuckled, he still couldn't believe these kids found a rocket launcher that just fell off a cart. He didn't know what to say next, but Mayflower went ahead and gave the launcher to Graphite. The gun dropped into his hooves; he expected a heavy load, but didn't think he would almost drop it when it hit his arms. He checked out the incredible weapon, looking down the length of it. He gave it one last look, then swung it over his shoulder, resting it there, and lifting it up to get a feel for it. There was a electronic optic sight that extended out as he lifted the barrel up to his view.
It popped out, the screen on the optic fizzled and buzzed for a quick second when it turned on. He looked down the sight. Inside was a type of sights which were rather usual for the rocket launchers in the army, and the screen had a yellowish tint to it. The sight probably featured a night-vision of some sort. Graphite could feel a strange feeling biting at him as he held it, unsure what it could be.
"This is quite the find, Mayflower. The weapon is new - but it can't shake this feeling like I've seen it before," Graphite said and looked over to Mayflower.
"It does? Say- um- how exactly do you know so much about weapons?"
"I was... It's a long story," Graphite looked down and sat down the rocket launcher on the floor, "I'll tell it to you some other time, right now we need to teach you what you need to know about weapons," He looked up and faced Mayflower again, "Could you please pick up the weapons - I saw an alley just right of the building, we can set up a shooting gallery over there."
Mayflower picked up the guns, just as Graphite ordered, and headed through the back room to the alley just behind the pharmacy. She used her magic to lift the launcher up and two of the pistols; the rest, she had to carry herself since the magic was too great trying to keep the launcher up. In the meantime, Graphite started to picked up ammunition which they could use for the training. He sorted through the ammo slowly, because he needed some time to think.
Mayflower's questions had risen a dozen more questions inside Graphite. "How did exactly he know all of this?" He thought to himself. Sure, by now he remembered what he had been taught at the boot camp, but what about the first encounter with the raiders? Was killing one of his instincts? And if so, was he about to pass it down to a bunch of little children? Graphite sat down for a bit and thought about was this really what he wanted for the kids to know. There was no guarantee that they wouldn't attack peaceful ponies after he leaves them - after all - this was the wasteland where almost anything could happen.
After a few minutes of collecting his thoughts, he picked up all of the ammo which he needed and headed out into the back alley. The alley was a very dark corner of the streets; an old dumpster and some forgotten trash bags lay rusted and dilapidated against the wall of the adjacent building. There was a little bit of weed growth, but now they grasses and small ferns that began to grow there shriveled up and wilted over, lightly flowing in the breeze that traveled through the alley. The gusts enjoyed banding together in this one alleyway and shooting all out into the streets, giving Graphite a very relaxing breeze as he walked up to Mayflower.
He was met by Mayflower and other five cheery faces; it seems the kids had already ran out while Graphite was clamoring through the munitions. The kids were all bounding with joy - big grins on their faces as they waited for the first lesson in destruction. Graphite was joyed to see the children so happy, but a bit worried seeing that the children were so happy to be taught how to kill. He could imagine that the kids were as gleeful to learn how to murder as it was to learn to say the alphabet. They waited a long time for this moment, and it had finally arrived in the form of a young war veteran in a steel suit of armour.
The kids imagined different. They were to young to understand the concept of right and wrong, or good and bad. They didn't know that killing another living being was a heavy burden on the killer - whether it was in cold blood or not. They just knew they were being taught something new and exciting, and couldn't wait to get their small hooves on that rocket launcher Graphite was drooling over back at the pharmacy.
Hot-Sauce was the oldest of the foals, but she spared no less enthusiasm to learn new tricks from a stallion who could beat Rotten in a fight. She even took her cast iron helmet off to see the lesson be given. Graphite dropped the ammunition to his side, just near the guns, and stood at attention in front of the fillies and colts.
"Alright, you guys are in poor shape to be fighting off raiders, so I'm going to teach you how to properly fight," Graphite pronounced, acting as if he was a drill sergeant -- it helped entertain the kids a little.
One of the colts didn't laugh though, he just stood by staring deeply at Graphite. It was a small colt; his coat was a very rich and deep, dark green colour and was nicely brushed; his mane and tail were a blinding black that blended in with the shadows of the alley. Graphite noticed this little colt - he was the only one without a smile on his face - he walked up closer to him, and bent down to his eye level, "Hey there," Graphite spoke to him in a small voice. The little colt just turned his head away from Graphite, not making a single noise.
"Don't worry, I don't bite," Graphite tried reassuring the colt - to no success.
Mayflower walked up to Graphite, setting her hoof on his shoulder, "Don't worry about Olive, Graphite; he doesn't talk."
"He's just a little shy, I'm sure if-"
"-No, he won't talk, Graphite," Mayflower grabbed hold of chest and back, telling Graphite to stand. She brought him a few steps away from the kids, and pulled him into a whisper, "Watching your parents die is very hard on a kid..."
"I can't imagine how painful that could be." He replied, knowing that he couldn't feel the same pain, he could still sympathize with the bashful colt.
"I can - I was there too. They killed his parents in front of all the slaves when word got out about our escape, 'This is what will happen to you if you try to escape!' That's what the slaver said to us before taking a hatchet to their skulls..."
Graphite couldn't respond other than a low, solemn, "Oh..."
"He still could use the lesson, so let's get back to that... okay?"
Mayflower started her walk back to the foals' sides, Graphite replied back as she trotted, "Okay."
She got back to the row, patting Olive's head just before she got back to her place. Graphite tried his cocky drill sergeant impression one more time, the kids were still in their fits of giggles over it, "Alright you little ones, our first lesson will be in gun control," with his over-emphasized movements, he grabbed the .45 calibre pistol from the pile of guns they brought out from the pharmacy and brought to display for the kids, "We'll start with this one."
The foals ooh'd, their big, round eyes fixed on the pistol, "So who wants to go first," Graphite asked the fillies and colts around. He looked around at the foals as they flapped their arms around and jumped up and down hoping to be picked; one filly seemed particularly eager - and didn't seem to be looking in one direction. This filly - a filly with a clean pale blue coat, a light yellow mane, and sapphire coloured eyes that looked in two directions - was overjoyed to begin her training. Graphite wasn't completely sure what to think of this one; her eyes threw him off any sort of reasonable explanation - so he chose to go with the obvious foal excitement.
Graphite stepped up to the filly, kneeling down once more to get to her eye level -- a hard thing to do when one eye was looking up while the one went down, "How about you..."
"I'm Angel Eyes!" The filly answered the question with a very sunny smile.
"Angel Eyes! I like that name - how about you go first, Angel?"
The little angel's eyes widened even wider than they already were, her mouth opened, and her excitement was so great that they couldn't be expressed with words - only a very sporadic nod. Graphite handed her the pistol, "Turn around and point the gun that way, I'll tell you what to do from there."
Graphite turned the filly himself; She grabbed the pistol with her strong bite and pointed forward. Angel Eyes was facing two cinder blocks and a some tin-cans stood up on those broken cinder blocks.
Graphite pointed towards the bent tin-cans with his hoof and instructed Angel Eyes, "Okay, you're going to bite down as hard as you can on that handle - make sure it doesn't come loose - and aim the end of the gun at those cans down there; got it?"
"Um, okay," Angel responded, the gun muffling her speech.
She adjusted the handle with her teeth, pressing her forelegs down against the ground to get a good footing.
"When you're ready, pull the trigger with your tongue."
Angel nodded her head, using all of her concentration to focus on the tin-cans ahead of her. Her eyes strained to follow the same object, but when she thought she got a good sight on it, she extended her tongue and pulled the trigger back. The gun banged, throwing the filly's head back and almost knocked her down on her back - the kick did make her loose grip on the gun, and it flew back behind her and hit the ground. The bullet pierced the air and traveled on through to the tin-can, hitting it on it's edge. The can twisted violently, spinning off the cinder block and hitting the wall of the pharmacy.
Angel Eyes suddenly bounded to her hooves, looking over at the cans and blocks, "Did I get it?" She questioned, looking to see if there was any sign of a hit target.
Graphite moved over to the blocks, reaching behind them, and grabbed an old, crushed tin-can with a noticeable cut through the edge, "You got it, Angel!" Graphite shouted back to her with happiness.
The look on Angel's face was like looking at a cute little angel from above; her smile was wide and her mouth was wide open, her eyes beamed with joy in all directions, and she was ready to jump up to the moon. She turned to the others with that same look on her face and yelled, "I got it!"
The other foals shared the same amount of joy for her, except for Olive, who was still just as silent as a lamb. Graphite was positive he wanted to jump for joy just as the others, but his trauma wasn't going to let that happen. Graphite still had lessons to teach, and ponies to teach too, so he promised himself he would have each one of these foals in fighting condition no matter the cost.
The training would fold out with the next pony in line - the line was always set youngest to oldest. Olive was the youngest, and would usually sit the training out; it went up the line from Angel Eyes, Hot-Sauce, Gum Drop, Blankey, and ending with Mayflower. Graphite also set a training regiment of gun handling, basic gun operating, close-quarters combat, survival skills, and anything else he happen to remember they seemed like a good skill to teach the fillies and colts. His bond with the foals grew during the time of teaching, it made him feel like he was part of a big family. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 7: The Beast in Me | The next several days, Graphite and the group of children spent on practicing how to fire and take care of their weapons. Each of them got their own pistol or submachine gun, depending on their abilities to handle them - and if they were strong enough to hold it up. Hot-Sauce even got her cutie mark while they were making improvised explosives. She was very keen at creating a basic fire-bomb from some left over beer bottles, a cloth, and a good spark to get a fire going. Her cutie mark matched this ability, a small bottle with a flaming rag tucked in the spout.
The group also scouted the surrounding neighborhood for added training. By the end of the week, they knew every place to lay an ambush, hide supplies, or travel unnoticed. They even set up some traps on the ways which lead to the Pharmacy that wasn't in their field of view.
All of this time, Rotten was watching them and following them around. When Mayflower asked him why was he doing that, he replied that he did it for the safety of the children. Yet, something else said that it seemed like he was trying to learn a thing or two from Graphite himself.
One evening, after another sweep of the surrounding area, they gathered in the back room of the Pharmacy. Rotten, like always, was on the rooftop looking out for any enemies that might come their way.
Inside the room, they lit up a small lantern and had spent some time talking and telling tales to each other. It was late at night, so all of the foals were asleep under their blankets. Olive slept next to Mayflower, curled up in a little ball pressed next to her.
The room was quiet for a while. They both let the foals fall asleep and, only then, began their conversation again.
"So, um... you never really told me where you learnt all of this stuff about weapons and tactics," Mayflower stated in a quiet voice, almost whispering.
"Well, believe it or not, but I was in the army," Graphite answered in an equally quiet tone.
"What army? You mean the Talon Company?"
"No, I mean an actual army - The Equestrian Marines."
"That's impossible. You'd have to be more than two hundred years old by now to do that. Only ponies who can do that are-"
"-Here," Graphite interrupted Mayflower and took out the folded newspaper article from the inside of his duster. He handed it over to Mayflower who picked it up with her spell. She used the glow of her horn to help her read in the night.
After Mayflower read over the newspaper article and a compared the image a few times to Graphite's actual appearance. She gave the paper over to Graphite again and asked, "How did you survive all of this time? You don't look like a walking corpse to me."
Graphite patted on his chin a few times, "There was a term for that- uh... Cyropreservation, I believe."
"I've only read about some experiments with freezing spells in really old magazines. But they never said that the ponies working on those ever succeeded."
"What kind of magazines where those?" Graphite grinned, "I'm a living, breathing example of those spells working."
"Well if you were preserved, were your family preserved with you?"
"No, they weren't... they... didn't even live long enough to die from the blasts..." Graphite closed his eyes, losing his grin quickly before he looked down and gave a quiet sigh.
Mayflower noticed tears were forming in Graphite's eyes; her heart sank, and she regretted asking, "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean too..."
"It's fine, you didn't know..."
"I know how you feel though, I lost my family too..."
Graphite looked over to Mayflower, her feelings were just as his, but she seemed more troubled by the feeling then he could ever know. She hung her head slightly lower, but she began a story.
"My family originally came from a stable - stable thirty nine. I don't know if you remember, but those were large underground shelters built before the war started. One day, my father got in conflict with the overmare and our family was casted out from the stable. I didn't know what he did, I was only a baby when that happened. We never settled down, we kept on moving from place to place. My parents taught me how to read and some agricultural spells they used to revive plants back in the stable. While we traveled, we got caught up by the slavers. Our family was captured about a year ago. On the first day they separated me from my parents, all I was left with was my mother's stable suit. I never saw my mother or father again... I keep my mom's suit with me at all times."
"I guess that I could say the same about my armour, It's special to me too - saved my hide a couple of times and that's only as many as I can remember." Graphite said and looked over at his back which was covered by the black duster, "I'm guessing that I got my armour sometime while I was in the military."
"Do you remember what happened in the war?" Mayflower asked.
"I don't really remember; we were fighting Zebra's there - that's for sure."
"I don't want to bring up bad memories, but how much do you remember from the war?"
"It's okay Mayflower, I don't recall too much from the war anyway. I have some parts of my memory still wrapped in the back of my mind - maybe it's for the best," He paused, recollecting his memories from the war, "I do remember some stuff from my first combat assignment, though. We were sent to an island. That island belonged to Equestria, and Zebra's didn't take too much interest in it at first; but as the war dragged on, and the front line in the north became a killing floor, both of the sides were looking for ways to end the war faster. We started to develop new technology and spells. The Zebra's on the other hoof tried to look for a place where to open a new front. The high command didn't notice anything until the Zebra's had already taken two of our islands and were about to take the third island. From there, they would be in a striking distance for the main land. So they send our division and another regiment of troops to the island to retake it."
"Which division were you in?" Mayflower asked.
"I was in the seventh marine division, if I remember correctly. We were the first ones to go in the island. Before we were sent on our way, one of colonels were shouting out to all of us the plans for the attack. 'Hit the ground running! Don't stop on the beach! Keep your head down!' Things like that. The landing went smoother than expected though, there was absolutely no resistance - there wasn't a zebra in sight. We simply walked out on the beach and enjoyed the sun. The first day was spend building up the base and searching the island for any signs of Zebra activity."
"Were there any zebras on the island?" She asked once again.
"No, there wasn't - we did find some abandoned sheds. Our company got sent out in the jungle and we only found an abandoned Zebra camp. The camp was sort of a small village, made out of huts from small logs and covered with palm tree leaves. It looked like they had abandoned it in a hurry. Everything was there - food, water, personal belongings, whatever they happen to leave behind."
"But did the zebras ever attack you on that island?"
"I don't remember," Graphite leaned back, relaxing in his spot on the blankets.
"Nothing?"
"Nope... I just remember finding that camp; after that, it's kinda just a blur. Most of what I could remember came to me in a dream, and I'm not sure how accurate that is anyways."
"Maybe you'll remem-" Mayflower yawned, lying her head down near Olive's head, "-maybe you'll remember it in the morning, it's getting late, and we should head to bed."
"Yeah, alright - 'Night," Graphite told her, lying his down on his hooves and closing his eyes shut.
Mayflower was already half asleep, but she had just enough attention to say goodnight back. Graphite fell into his sleep, like he was jumping down a plane and into a deeper plane of rest. He took in a deep breath and let it out. It went black.
A light blinded Graphite, disturbing his sleep.
"Get up, Graphite, we first up for scouting today!"
Graphite rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the surge of bright light from blinding him.
"Get up lazy ass," A stallion with a raspy voice joked, pushing Graphite from his cot.
Graphite tumbled off the cot, hitting the floor with a thud, "Aww f- come on... there's no one out here, why do we need to scout?"
Graphite picked himself up off the floor, dusting the dirt from his uniform. Ahead of him was the second of command in his squad, Blue Jay. His name was probably given for his sea blue mane and deep indigo eyes; the rest of the pegasus' coat was pure white. Blue Jay's job usually involved spotting the area from a bird's eye view. He did his job without question, and he did it well; which usually earned him the respect of the other members of the company. It definitely earned the attention of the lieutenant. He was usually the one to be given awards during service. The only others to be given awards regularly was the demolitions expert in company five and the lieutenant himself. Graphite didn't get jealous, he was pretty good friends with Blue Jay - especially as a drinking buddy.
Blue Jay was serious about his service, but he didn't let his work get in the way of being friendly -- even if friendly was waking up your partner by pushing him off the bed. Jay was standing impatiently waiting for Graphite to pick himself up, "Come on, Graphite we don't got time to spare."
"I'm sure there's Zebras everywhere just waiting off the coastline," Graphite said with notable sarcasm.
"You never know, Graphite," Jay replied, directing him out the the tent and back outside.
They left the tent, folding the flap down as they exited, the light was even brighter when they left the tent. As bright as it was, the blinding white light was gorgeous against the foliage of the island's woods, and the soft white sands on the beach. The scenery was quite extraordinary, but Graphite never seemed to have time to enjoy the view when his squad was picked as the first scouts everyday.
The island on which the soldiers had landed on was the largest island in the Salmon Island chain. Scouting missions usually involved a grid-line trek of up and down through the jungle, then a lap around a section of beach. The hikes through the jungle was an unbearable thing; the island was as mountainous as the sea was wavy. It was constant up and down, and a struggle to keep a reasonable grid-line pattern through the dense rain forest. The humidity was like swimming through syrup, and just as sticky.
The only time Graphite could be jealous of Blue Jay was the fact he was "ordered" to give a bird's eye view from the cool, clean sky above. He would fly around just above Graphite looking about the canopy of trees. Graphite would occasionally look up at Blue Jay to check on him; and occasionally, Blue Jay would catch his eyes and smirk - probably taunting Graphite.
They went in with only one weapon and a bit of spare ammo. Graphite went in with his rifle. His rifle was assigned to him when he became designated sharpshooter. Graphite had been using it since he got it back at the boot camp. The rifle was mostly wooden, the basic body of the gun all a dark wood; the mag-well was just ahead of the trigger and Graphite went in with a twenty round round magazine to keep the rifle full; the barrel and upper receiver were a polished steel, newly made just before the start of the war; coming standard as a sharpshooter rifle, it had a telescopic scope attached on the railings - Graphite wrapped the end of the scope to the body of the gun with a leather strip and some thread to keep it from coming loose.
Blue Jay went in with a submachinegun - infantry and criminal mug standard. His was an older model compared to Graphite's gun; it had a few wood chips in the stock and fore-grip, and the end of the barrel was starting to rust. It was an old and a rather bulky gun. The gun was particularly popular with numerous criminals - many of whom were resided in Buckago. The body was mainly a steel brand, only the grips and stock were the darkened wood; to keep the gun his, Jay put in the extra time to add a fifty round drum magazine to his gun.
They scoured the jungle in search of Zebra activity, and there was none to be found. They were nearing the end of the forest, when an odd rustling of the ferns caught the two scouts' attention. It was a different sound of rustling from the usual rustle of the wind through the leaves. They stopped, aiming the guns in the direction of the noise. They looked on into the thicket, seeing nothing but the birds fluttering about the trees and some loose leaves gliding to the floor.
"Let me go check it out..." Blue Jay conveyed.
"Roger," Graphite responded.
Jay flew in the direction of the noise, looking over every inch of forest and hills that scattered his field of view. The branches and brush spread out and covered up most of anything that wasn't green; Jay continued his fly over while Graphite was left on the ground - alone. He stood his ground in the spot he never moved from since the noise. He looked around in every direction, his gun unwavering from where he was focused. After that first rustle of leaves, there wasn't a noise around; only the quiet tones of the tropical birds singing their songs to one another. Graphite peeked up, seeing Jay was still not overhead. He dropped his head back down to the tree trunks below the evergreen canopy. Just as he got his head in position of the direction of the disturbance, a wild animal sprung from the bush immediately ahead of him.
It was a zebra; he had been hiding in the brush waiting for his moment to attack. He lunged out, both arms extended, and a homemade machete in his mouth. The blade was a dark black metal, the edge of the blade was shattered and jagged with a broken up serration, the handle was a blunt stick wrapped in a tattered cloth. The zebra was flying towards Graphite, he didn't make a sound, not even the wind rushing passed him was disturbed. Like a ghost, he came out with only one goal in mind - but Graphite wasn't going to let this zebra get even a drop of blood from his hide.
Graphite brought his gun back for a swing, making sure the stock was up and ready for a strike. He thrust the gun forward, but at the wrong moment - it was too late. The gun hit the side of the zebra, but he was already nearing the end of his flight, and the only thing the thwack of the gun did was help him bring Graphite down. The zebra was knocked over, but his hoof caught Graphite's uniform and dragged him down to the ground using the grip he got Graphite's sleeve.
They both slammed against the ground; Graphite knocked his head head on a dug in rock, while the zebra got a face full of dirt. The rock almost knocked Graphite cold, but it did knock the breath right out of him. He gasped for air, grinding his hoof on the dirt floor of the jungle. Graphite winced, his head slumped over to the zebra who was spitting out clumps of dirt and twigs from his mouth. Graphite could barely see - his vision wasn't improving either - the edges of his view were going black, but he could see the zebra come back up with his machete in his tight grip. The zebra stood to his hooves, rearing up with the blade high above him. With the last bit of will power left in Graphite, he divided all of his concentration behind him, finding his rifle that was knocked from his grasp. He whipped the rifle forward, the zebra struck his machete down and was stopped by the receiver - just before it could impale Graphite. Graphite chucked the rifle, along with the machete, away from the zebra; throwing the zebra back down unto his back.
Graphite seared and gnashed his teeth, finally sucking in air. He filled his lungs to the brim, letting it out in a war shout. He flung himself up like a spring-board, grabbing the zebra's machete from the dirt floor. He spared no moments to rear himself up and strike the blade down on the zebra's head. The blade of the machete tore through the zebra's skull solely from the shear might of the swing. It cracked his skull, bashing it in and cutting into the brain. The serrations and horribly cracked edge if the blade tumbled the bits of skull straight into the brain cavity. Graphite released his grip from the blade; the blade was so deep in the skull of the zebra, it had gotten stuck in the mess of brains and tissue.
Graphite stopped to see what his fury had done. He got a good, long look at the dying zebra. His face was hard to recognize, half of it was caved in; but from what Graphite could see, he seemed to be right in his mid-life. The zebra was the natural white with black stripes - now with an added spot of crimson; his mane was frazzled and unkempt, long and with no styling to it, just as his tail; his uniform was a tan-ish brown, two straps criss-crossed each other in an 'x' formation and was used to keep his bag around him; the pants were just a bland, beige colour and only had a zipper to vary the design; the boots were about shin height and pure black; there was a badge stitched into the shoulder of his uniform, but the blood splattered out anything to make out as a design.
Graphite stepped away, his mind was flowing with an regretful feeling. He dropped to the ground, planting his face in his hooves. What he had just done? He couldn't tell what overcame him and made him attack the zebra without a thought, without question, without a thought of at least doing it in a more humane way. He could have used his rifle for it's intended purpose. One bullet to the head and end it quickly; not a skull crushing blow from a rusted machete. It was too late now, the blood was already squirting from the side of his head, splashing out onto the sides of the blade. His first blood. Graphite took his hooves off from his eyes and looked down on himself. His green uniform, now splattered with some other pony's blood.
A screeching whoosh came down from the heavens. Graphite peeled his eyes from the floor to look upwards. A blue streak came down like a meteorite, the arc seemed awfully close to Graphite. The object landed at Graphite's side, planting its hooves into the dust. It turned to Graphite, and the dust cleared; that's when Graphite noticed it was Blue Jay.
"Graphite! Are you alright?" Jay asked, one hoof raised above the ground from the worry.
Graphite snarled, placing his face back into his hooves without a word to Blue Jay.
Jay noticed Graphite's sorrow instantly, but couldn't help but notice the eviscerated zebra lying just ahead of him, "Damn..." He commented.
"I-I just don't know what happened," Graphite was on the edge of breaking into tears, "H-he just jumped at me and then I-"
"It's okay, buddy," Jay interrupted him, "You did what you had to do."
"I know that we're here to kill them, but it's just so different than what they taught us."
"Well, they can't teach you everything at boot camp. Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Blue Jay came over to Graphite and helped him up to his hooves, "Let's get back to the camp, we have to report us finding this son of a bitch here."
"I- I guess you're right," Graphite wondered and with Blue Jay's help, got up. They both slowly trumped back to the camp. Jay understood in what condition his friend was and thus, he took up the responsibility of watching their backs on their way back.
On the way back, Graphite thought of what Jay meant by, "You'll get used to it." Did taking the lives of others became the same as easy and forgettable as stepping on a bug? Time would show; yet, he wasn't very keen on finding and answer to that question.
Graphite's head was starting to ache, the knock to the back of his skull made him dizzy. He was starting to trip, only Jay could help him stay up. He was beginning to fade; his eyes slowly dropped down and closed shut.
He flinched, his eyes were twitching, and he could feel someone shaking his right side. He looked over with a groggy squint and saw that Olive was standing at his side, holding a hoof on his shoulder and looking at him.
Graphite looked up at Olive, "Olive, why are you awake?"
Olive didn't reply, just as quiet as a shush per usual, he just starred at him for a moment and hugged him tight.
Graphite wasn't sure how to respond, but he put his arm around the colt and asked him again in a quiet voice, "You're having bad dreams too?"
Olive looked at Graphite and nodded.
"It's okay, every pony has those from time to time. Try and get some sleep now, Olive."
Olive nodded again and lied down right next to Graphite.
"I thought that you-" He said as he looked down to tell the colt to go back to his blanket, but he lightened up when he saw the foal already sleeping curled up in a ball next to his side. Graphite sighed and whispered to himself, "Nevermind..." He then lifted up his black duster and made it into a blanket for the two of them.
Graphite pulled Olive close with one arm around his body, keeping him safe through the night as he snored little wheezes. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 8: Lady | The day broke quickly, the sun was already outshining the moon's glow. Graphite was still fast asleep, but Olive had left his side a few moments ago; he was used to breakfast being prepared at about this time in the morning. Olive woke and was already waiting out in the main room of the pharmacy; Mayflower had cracked open a few cans of peaches for the foals. She had a three wooden bowls left over, but she had the only thing left over to hold the peaches were unwashed plates - one of them chipped. The next wave of fillies and colts came into the Pharmacy; after Olive came Angel Eyes, then Gumdrop right after her.
Gumdrop was a very upbeat pony to say the least - even being soaked down in the black rains couldn't kill her cheery disposition. She had a very thin, black mane - the rains caused the hair in her mane to fall out, and in her tail, it only stopped coming out after a rinse in concentrated potion - her coat was also blackened by the rains, but only at the top, the rest was a stained pink. Her voice was very high pitched and loud, and she let everyone hear it often. Gumdrop was bounding just beside Mayflower as she opened the cans.
After Gumdrop came Hot-Sauce, who was dragging Blankey away from the back room as she held a tight hold onto her blanket. She was a tiny little, dark blue filly with a relaxing yellow mane that lay straight. She was holding her blanket in one hoof; the blanket was an old blanket and was a very discoloured gray and had numbers among numbers of brown and blue patches to stitch the holes in the blanket together. Her eyes were half closed and her free hoof was used to rub her groggy eyes awake. Hot-Sauce had her by the arm, helping her into the pharmacy by dragging her there. She didn't seem to mind, but she didn't seem awake enough to notice. Aside from the other foals who have lost family members, Blankey was the only one to not experience family life - she was an orphan for what seemed to be forever. When Mayflower and Rotten came across the abandoned filly some time after escaping the slaver camp, she was deep asleep and only had her blanket to keep her company. That was Blankey's special talent - sleeping, and she practiced often.
All the fillies and all the colts finally arrived at the main room of the pharmacy, all of them gathering around Mayflower as she popped open the final can of peaches.
"Everyone ready for breakfast?" Mayflower playfully asked, bring about the dishes full of peaches in her telekinesis spell.
Hot-Sauce, Angel Eyes, and Gumdrops all exclaimed a hardy, "Yes!" Especially Gumdrops; Olive and Blankey, on the other hoof, were a little less excitable - in that, they didn't say a word.
Only when the word 'breakfast' came echoing through the back room, would Graphite stir. His ears perked at the word, he brought up his head and yawned a yawn. He outstretched his body from hoof to hoof, arching his back and straining to pop the joints back to place. With a few crackles, he got up, heading for the exit for the back room. The group of children sat in a circle with Mayflower as they biggest point in this collection.
"Did someone say breakfast?" Graphite opened up, getting the last few stretches out.
Mayflower turned her head to see Graphite, the kids were to busy eating to notice him, "Yeah, we're having can peaches. I might have just enough for you if you're feeling hungry, Graphite." Mayflower stated with a mouthful of peaches.
"Alright, I can get that myself if you show me where they are-"
"-No," Mayflower interceded, "I'll get it for you. I found our storage space was unlocked; so I'm not going to let anyone near the food except for myself."
Graphite tried to hide his worry with a fake smile, hoping Mayflower didn't know that he was the one digging through their storage space.
Mayflower trotted to the food storage for the spare peaches. In the mean while, Graphite sat down and watched how rest of the children were eating their breakfast. Most of them ate the food as quick as they could, almost like someone was going to take it away from them. They even stuffed their whole snout in their bowls to dig the peaches out. That was accept for Blankey. She sat there on the ground, covered up in her blanket and nibbled each bit of the peach in her mouth before eating it, like if she was checking it if it was edible or not.
Graphite looked at Blankey for a while. She looked so peaceful, almost like she didn't know what kind of a hell the world around her had turned into - or even the rudeness of the family around her. He even gave her a little smile, which she didn't notice of course.
There was a loud clanking from the back room, Rotten must be climbing down the ladder again; the clangs turned into hurried stomps. Graphite's once calm moment was now interrupted by Rotten's shouting, "Hey, Graphite - I've got something! Get your ass upstairs and bring your rifle!"
Rotten made it seem like this was something important, so Graphite went up to check it out and went to the back room for his rifle, then got on the roof where Rotten was lying. He was surveying the territory beyond the city.
The roof was Rotten's territory, and he guarded it daily. No one but Mayflower dared to enter it because of how defensive he got when they did. Rotten had set up himself makeshift bed our of a cardboard box. Next to it lied a few empty cans of peaches and a few boxes of ammo.
"Quit fucking around and come see this!" Rotten ordered Graphite as soon as he got on the rooftop.
Graphite went up to the edge of the roof and placed his rifle on a wall, checking to make sure it was sturdy. He looked down the scope and saw a group of grungy ponies with homestyle rifles accompanied by three griffons that were packing bigger firepower. They all looked ready for a fight and they definitely had seen some combat before, they were decorated with scars and scraps. One of the griffons even had a suit of black combat armour with a decal of an eagle talon painted in big on the chest.
"I hate griffons," Graphite mumbled as he looked down the scope.
"Griffons...? Lemme see," Rotten demanded as he pushed Graphite aside from his rifle scope, "Well, shit. Those are the slavers... and they've brought some company."
He got up and dashed over to grab his submachinegun, "You stay here and play sniper for a while, I'll go and warn the others," Rotten dropped down the ladder opening and landed down in the back room.
"I'm a sharpshooter, not a sniper," Graphite mumbled while he looked down his rifle's scope again and continued to observe the situation.
The group of slavers slowly moved down the street, they had a small conversation going on; what it was about, Graphite didn't want to know. The kids went inside the buildings along the street in which they had punched some holes in the walls so that they could easily connect them to each other. He could see Hot-Sauce getting on the top floor of a building with a bag full of her home made firebombs and a pistol. Rotten, Angel Eyes and Gumdrop soon went into another building nearby, each equipped with a submachinegun. Graphite could hear Mayflower and the two other foals doing something downstairs, but he couldn't tell exactly what.
Mayflower and Blankey were huddling inside the pharmacy, preparing for the oncoming onslaught. Rotten was heading out of the pharmacy with Hot-Sauce, Angel Eyes, and Gumdrops. Rotten's group was heading for the apartments just across the street.
The slavers neared the pharmacy, they obviously knew that the kids had to be there waiting for them if they had to bring all their firepower. Graphite was going to put his sharpshooter's training to work, getting a good view on the head of what seemed to be the slaver lead. The leader was a griffon -- of course -- it was easy to tell since her black armour suit had thicker steel plates and the biggest painting of a talon on her chest-plate. Her feathers were ruffled and dirty, the ones on her head were styled up in some sort of mohawk. Her mohawk was dyed at the tips of the feathers, changed to a crimson red - possibly blood from all the ponies she's dealt with in the past. The rest of her posse were in clear view behind him. The ponies that tagged along were equipped with make-shift rifles and spoiled in tape and extra parts. The griffons were on either side of the leader, they were wearing the same black armour suit, but their suits weren't as decorated.
Graphite took in a breath and tunneled his vision down the scope of his rifle, but his aim was thrown off by a series of loud bangs from the first floor of the pharmacy. He didn't even get to blink as there already a volley of three missiles flying for the centre of the group. The griffon leader swooped up into the air to where Graphite couldn't catch her in his scope again.
As soon as the rockets reached the group, they collided with the road and burst into a loud a boom. The explosion sent up a big cloud of smoke into the atmosphere along with some limbs flying off the carcasses of the ponies.
Hot-Sauce threw in one of her home style firebombs from the rooftops. The bottle shattered and lit up two remaining griffons at the end of the group who couldn't get their thoughts together to react to the surprise. They screamed as their feathers now soaked in a mixture of petrol and alcohol caught on fire. The griffons tried to drop down on the ground to put the fires out, but the petrol kept the fire going and they both died in a slow, fiery death. The dying cries of the griffons made Graphite's blood curdle; the unnatural whelps of suffering was scraping against Graphite's ears. Hot-Sauce didn't see or hear any of this as she threw down some more flaming bottles down behind the group, lighting up the ground behind them on fire and cutting off their path of retreat. When Hot-Sauce ran out of fire bombs she left the rooftop and headed for where Rotten and two of the foals had taken up position.
With no path of retreat, the rest of the slavers continued to scatter down the street. They continued to move up to the pharmacy as they saw that the rocket had came from there - and that meant the kids were in there too. As they ran down the street, the group of foals popped out from windows of the first floor of what used to be an apartment building. The group opened up on the slavers and with a hail of bullets took down four slavers.
Two more slavers remained. They were pinned down across the street behind a bench and the mail dropbox next to it. They ducked down as far as they could to avoid the flying bullets but, the slavers didn't have any cover from Graphite's line of fire.
Graphite took aim once again and carefully set his sights for the back of the neck of the pony who sat behind the bench. He steadied his aim to an almost pinpoint accuracy, he planned on taking down the pony in a way which would be as swift a death as possible. He squeezed the trigger and the bullet spiraled out of the barrel, flying amongst the popping of the pistol and submachinegun fire made by the group of foals. The bullet went through the back of the slavers neck and into his skull, killing him in less time than it took for the bullet to get there.
Graphite hesitated on taking the shot on the slaver who was behind the dropbox. The light gray mare had dropped her rifle on the ground and was to terrified to pop-out from the cover. Her hooves were holding her head down close to her body, her whole body was quaking in fear. Graphite looked down on the mare with his rifle scope and saw the look on her face. It seemed like the whole her life was flashing before her eyes. He probably had the same look on his face when the children opened up fire on him.
Graphite's thoughts were interrupted as he heard some clinking sounds from behind him. It was as if someone was climbing the ladder to the roof. He turned around and saw the griffon which had escaped his view earlier with a short steel wire and too wooden handles on each end. She held the wire in her talons with a tight grip and didn't think twice to tackle Graphite and attempt it get around his neck.
Graphite stopped the wire right as it came down, but she pulled it back and the wire pulled his hoof against his own neck. The griffon tugged and tugged, getting the wire tighter against his hoof and neck. In a last ditch effort, Graphite tumbled over, getting the griffon right underneath him. He used his magic to grab the knife from its sheath and flung it towards her head - but missed the mark, and only sliced a feather from her head.
The griffon eased off then quickly pulled again - even stronger than before. The pressure from his own hoof was strangling him, he was started to fade as the air slowly escaped his lungs. Graphite cringed; like a movie, he started to fade out and was going to cut to his final credits - but then the pain released in an instance.
Graphite gasped, taking back in all the air he lost and then some. The wire slid off his hoof and unto the floor; Graphite looked ahead of him as he got off the griffon's body. Standing there with a pistol in mouth, was Olive - he came up without a sound as usual.
Whether by stroke of luck, or true valor, Olive had arrived just in time to save Graphite's life. The was a weapon in Olive's mouth, a small pistol no bigger than him. With one bullet, Olive took down the slaver and asked nothing in return.
Graphite shook the blood and dust off his body, then went over to grab his rifle. He turned to Olive, who was just standing there in his usual innocence, and told him, "Thank you, Olive."
Olive responded with a single blink, and a leave as he climbed down the ladder of the pharmacy. Graphite smiled at his gesture - his very simple gesture. He brought the rifle around his shoulder and climbed down the ladder with Olive.
Graphite and Olive walked outside of the pharmacy. The firing had stopped and Rotten, with his group, stood near the mailbox; all were pointing their guns down on the gray mare. She was still lying down by the dropbox, shivering and tears rolling down her cheeks. The mare had some fresh bruises and flesh wounds, probably from the hail of projectiles recently.
"What's going on here?" Graphite interrogated as he was approaching the mare.
"What the fuck does it look like? We've got ourselves a prisoner!" Rotten said and kicked the mare in the stomach, "Ain't that right you bi-"
"-Stop it!" Graphite pushed Rotten aside with both hooves.
"The fuck are you trying to do?" Rotten pushed him back and glared at him, "These bastards killed our families and now they came here to kill us! Don't you try and tell me that they don't deserve it!"
"Alright, tell me this - how are you better than them if you're beating a defenseless mare?"
"Defenseless? Fuck you!" Rotten shouted and grabbed one of the pistols from the foals. He was about to shoot the gray mare, but Graphite stopped him. He charged and pushed Rotten into the wall, making him drop his pistol.
"We're not going to kill her! If you do, I'll throw you out in the wastes with four broken legs and let you really become rotten!" Graphite said through the skin of his teeth as he was holding down Rotten with the mass of his body and his face against the wall with his hoof, "Did you understand that?"
Rotten nodded nervously. The glow in his eyes had turned from rage into one of shock and terror, his whole body began shake and shiver with chills of fear.
"Good..." Graphite released Rotten and walked back to the downed mare. He looked down on her. Though he had made it clear that they won't kill her, the mare still looked at Graphite as if he would be her executor.
Graphite asked her, "What's your name, ma'am?"
"R-r-ricochet," The mare answered in a trembling voice.
"Ricochet, it looks like you've been wounded. Would you mind if we help you?" He asked her in a kind voice.
"Umm, I-i-i guess not..." The mare's voice now had a sense of confusion to it. She probably couldn't understand why would ponies who attacked her just moments ago would be so kind to her now.
Graphite took out his yellow first aid kit from the inside of his duster. He then used his magic to take out one of the purple syringes and remove the safety cap, "This might sting a bit, so please hold still."
Ricochet closed here eyes and bit her teeth together. She jumped a bit when Graphite injected her with the potion. The potion coursed through the needle and through her body. It regenerated the beaten flesh and pulled together the scratches and scrapes.
Ricochet opened her eyes, all the wounds and bruises had healed. She patted on her rump and her arms to see if everything had really healed, "How did you do that?" She wondered still checking herself, sniffling the last few tears away.
"It's the potions healing -- kinda like magic. You'll feel numb, but everything is there," Graphite tried to assure to make the mare feel better. He knelt down so the mare could wrap her arm around his shoulder and he could pick her up and get her back to her hooves.
Graphite helped the mare over to the pharmacy; Mayflower and Blankey were waiting inside, watching as Graphite help the slaver into their building. They watched as they saw their potential kidnapper hobble inside their home with the help of the stallion that was ready to kill her. Graphite came inside the pharmacy, the mare in tow, the rest of the kids followed close behind - Rotten still had his gun in his hoof at the ready.
"You think you can set out a place for her to rest, Mayflower?" Graphite requested.
"Yeah, I can set out a blanket in the back r-"
"-The mare stays in the main room," Rotten interrupted Mayflower, "Graphite, you can be the one to watch the bitch since ya' love her so much."
Graphite wasn't in the mood to start up another fracas, so he responded back in a low, "Fine."
Mayflower didn't say anything either, she went ahead to the back room to grab an extra blanket for their new guest. Rotten was no different than his usual grumpy attitude, and his seeming urge to storm up back to the roof of the pharmacy. Mayflower came from the room with one of the blankets Graphite used to sleep on. Rotten was going into the room just as she was leaving, nudging her aside to get through. Mayflower ignored it, most likely use to that kind of brash demeanor. She shook the blanket out, then laid it on the floor just aside the food storage, "This is all I have for you, Ricochet," Mayflower regretted to say.
"That'll be fine... t-thank you, so much-" Ricochet started have a choke in her voice; no longer fear, but of shear thankfulness. To be spared your life is definitely something to be thankful for.
"It's not a problem," Mayflower answered.
Graphite let her lean on him just a little longer until they reached the blanket; he let her down slowly and carefully, and fixed the blanket as it folded when she lied down. She laid her head down on her arms, curling up to fit as much of her body on the small blanket as she could get. She looked back up one last time, and from the corner of her eye, she a band of angels watching over her - two of them - her guardians.
She closed her eyes, taking her rest and letting the wounds heal and for the numbness to subside. Mayflower let her rest, not saying a peep. She guided the foals back into their rooms, patting Graphite on his shoulder as she went away. Graphite stood by, guarding over the mare just as he was ordered to do. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 9: Ain't No Grave | Ricochet slept well through the night and awoke the next morning when every pony was having breakfast in the main room. She peaked her head above her body, looking over to the circle of ponies with her eyes squinted. The mare seemed to be confused by the surroundings in which she awoke in, but quickly remembered the events of yesterday. The crowd of eaters turned to her when they noticed she was awake.
"Have a good rest, Ricochet?" Graphite politely asked.
With a yawn and stretch, Ricochet replied back, "Well, I feel better than I did yesterday..."
"At least you feel better-" Graphite turned to Mayflower, taking another bite of his apple flavoured ration bar, "-Mayflower, do we have any extra can of peaches, or maybe another apple bar?"
"Oh, you don't have to - I've been enough trouble for you guys already," Ricochet tried reassuring the others, but Mayflower already stood to grab the extra food from the storage.
"You need to eat, ma'am," Mayflower told Ricochet, swinging the supplies hatch open.
"Please, I'll be fi-"
"-You're going to need the energy for your next task, miss Ricochet," Graphite added in a more serious tone of voice.
"Oh?" Ricochet wondered.
Mayflower trotted passed with a half can of peaches in her levitation spell. The last piece of dishware was used, so she had to use the can itself to hold the peaches. She grabbed the first spoon she could find, and came back to Ricochet with her breakfast, "Here you are," She said, handing her the can.
"Oh, thank you miss..."
"...Mayflower," Mayflower answered.
"So, what's this about my 'next task...'?"
Graphite swallowed his last bite of the apple bar, then chugged the small glass of water. He got up from his seat on the floor, the kids around simply going back to their meals as he stood, and traveled to the counter, "Well we may have spared your life, but you still have to pay the price for attacking us..."
Ricochet didn't reply, she just looked at him with some confusion - and a bite full of peaches. Graphite reached around the side of the counter, digging his hoof around for something behind the counter. Ricochet swallowed down her bite of food, going for another spoonful of peaches just as Graphite found what he was looking for, "The others found this lying in some rubble in the apartments across the street," Graphite mentioned as he whipped out a shovel, "And you're going to use it to dig graves for your colleagues out there."
"I guess that it's... fair enough," Ricochet divulged when she finished her gulp of the peaches.
"Finish your breakfast and then meet me behind the apartment house on the right," Graphite conveyed, picking up his rifle and heading out the door.
Ricochet was silent again, she thought she might say something she would regret if even a single blurb left her lips. She finished the last peach in the can, then picked herself from the blanket. She staggered a bit, not use to the feelings in her legs again, the numbness had left and the wounds were had completely vanished. After checking on each place where she remembered she had a scrape or scratch, she set her breakfast and trotted out the front of the pharmacy. Mayflower watched her as she left. Ricochet stepped outside into the cool morning breeze, the air passing though the streets felt relaxing against her light gray coat. The sun had just poked its head over the horizon; there was a very light fog that covered the streets, but nothing that should be worried about. She took her steps to the right, heading to the alley where Graphite commanded her to meet him. When she reached the corner of the building, she found Graphite leaning against the side of the apartment with a cigarette lit in his mouth.
"Alright, it will be faster if you just dig one big one for all of them. Here's the shovel," Graphite remarked and gave her the shovel.
Ricochet held the shovel in her hooves, blowing a sigh into the wind, "Okay..." Was the only thing she could utter.
She set course for the courtyard just outside the apartments, dragging the bodies along as she passed them. She lined them neatly in a row, then grabbed the shovel with a tight grip.
The gray mare dug the pit for several hours under the watch of Graphite. At times, one of the kids would run over to them and bring them both a bottle of water. Then she would pause digging for a bit, but return to it very hastily - stared down by Graphite and his rifle. Pile after pile of dirt flung out the ditch that was slowly being made by the lone mare. The crew of foals now had a stockpile of dirt just outside their front lawn. It was just after lunch time when Ricochet finished her tomb for the damned. The sun was beating down over head, and the bodies were starting to boil and stink.
Ricochet wiped the sweat from her brow and rubbed her sore, aching arms. Graphite came to the border of the mare-made crater with a dripping wet burlap sack and two chard remnants of griffons in the tow of his telekinesis spell. He dropped the two bodies and the sack right at the edge of the hole and told Ricochet, "Don't forget these guys."
Ricochet crawled out of the grave, knocking some loose dirt into the bottom of the hole as her hooves stepped onto the sides of the grave. As much as Graphite seemed like the evil slaver now, making the poor mare work to dig her associates' own graves, he was kind enough to lend her a hoof out of the hole. She took the aid with a happy surprise - but contained the smile that wanted to stretch out. Graphite pulled her out of the crater, dusting the dirt from mane and coat.
Graphite helped the mare to drop the dead bodies into the grave. The bodies piled up in an random menagerie of rotted carcasses and assortments of bloody potato sacks and overcooked griffon bodies. She stood next to Graphite by the edge of the pit, resting her front hooves on the shovel.
"So, any last words for your friends?" Graphite inquired.
"None of them were my friends - come to think of it - I wouldn't feel comfortable calling any of those ponies a friend."
"Weren't you a team?"
"We were randomly picked to capture the foals again. If it wasn't for the money, I would steer clear of them as far as possible. I think that stallion you blew up even yelled some whorish things to me by the bar one day."
"What about the griffons?"
"They were just some extra guns. Most of the slavers are piss drunk and can't shoot for shit if you send them on a mission this early in the morning. So yeah, they were just insurance."
Graphite and Ricochet stood there in a silence, looking down at the bodies for a few minutes until Graphite decided to break the silence, "Why did they send such a big squad after a bunch of kids?"
"We went in more numbers since we knew that Peachy was with the children.-"
"-Peachy? There's no pony here by that name."
"It's the dark orange one. I think that you guys call him Rotten or something like that..."
Graphite started to chuckle, covering up his mouth by his hoof, "How the hell did Peachy get his name?"
Ricochet also smiled, "He only knows how to do two things - kill others and how to prepare peaches," The mare grew serious again, "Rotten's a raider child. Though his mother must have been on the drugs constantly, there ain't no way a foal can be that wild."
Graphite stopped himself in his thoughts for a brief moment, disgusted to realize that Rotten had been preparing the peaches the whole time he was there. There was no telling where has hooves had been. He quickly realized that he had to continue the conversation.
"He's just ill-tempered - I wouldn't call him wild..."
"...Oh no, he is. We used to test our younger slaves in an arena to see if they are going to be fighters or not. Whenever Peachy was pitted against an opponent, he surprised them by going for their throats first and ripping out chunks of flesh with his teeth."
"Wow, that's very... appetizing..." Graphite tried to make sense of the disturbing thought, but the most sensible explanation was that Peachy was generally a wild card.
"Eeyup."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind while you finish the burial, Ricochet," Graphite nodded his head at Ricochet, going back to his post behind her - he planted his rear on the rock that was in place in the field of the courtyard.
Ricochet shook her head and blew out another sigh of annoyance, moving on to the mountain of dirt and shoveling it back into the body filled divot. The day sun was setting just as the last bit of gravel filled the hole in the ground. Graphite had fallen asleep on the rock - his head slumped over and his eyes shut tight. Ricochet noticed this, and used it to give herself a moment of entertainment.
She took the shovel in both hooves and held it above her head - Graphite was still dead asleep. She swung the shovel down full force, slamming the shovel head against the body of the rock. Graphite jumped, falling head first on the ground. Ricochet also dropped the shovel from her hooves, the resonance bounced back and knocked it straight from her hooves. She held her hooves between her thighs and seared through her teeth; Graphite fell on the floor holding the top of his head and groaning. Ricochet lost balance, falling down, but she was more caring of her vibrating hooves than her now sore shoulder. Graphite tried to stand, picking himself up with one hoof while the other was gripped tight on his head.
"W-why...?" Graphite grumbled low.
"It was s-s-suppose to be funny..." The searing made Ricochet hold her 'S's like a snake biting it's own tail.
The two ponies writhed in pain on the ground of the courtyard; Ricochet embarrassed and Graphite stunted. Graphite finally made it to his hooves, but he was dizzy from the headache. He took his steps in a slow 'one at a time' pace as he trumped over to the other end of the courtyard. That numbness in Ricochet's hooves was starting to come back - that familiar feeling of no feeling. She cringed and started to shake out her hooves when the feeling was lost.
"Let's head back to the pharmacy, Richochet," Graphite growled, slumping to the other end of the street.
Ricochet could only nod in agreement, and help herself up with most of the strength coming from her two hind legs. It was an awkward time trying to get back up, but she finally managed to do it with enough squirming. Her front half was a bit wobbly, but she could walk, and that's all she needed to make the short trip back to the pharmacy.
A cold pleasure came down on Graphite's head - Mayflower had given Graphite a cold can of peaches to act as an icepack for his headache. The same icy feeling was felt in Ricochet's hooves; She wrapped a cloth around her hooves that was kept underneath the snowy cans.
Ricochet flipped her head to Graphite, who was holding the peach can to the core of his head, "So, what's my next task, sir?"
The can was slowly being warmed by Graphite's own natural body temperature, and the can started to transpire and bead water down it's sides - but it was better than nothing. He wiped some of the drips from his snout and told her, "You don't have one - you're free to go now."
Ricochet's ears perked, she swept the hooves from the freezing water, and stood straight to her hooves, "Free to go...?"
"Yeah, we don't have anything else to do with you, you're free to go back to the c-"
"-But I can't just go back," She interrupted Graphite mid-sentence, a noticeable worry in her voice.
Graphite was also in that amount of shock where he had to remove the icy package from the top of his head and jump down from the counter, "Why not, it's not like they won't let back in the cam-"
"-They won't let me back in the camp. If they see I came back empty hoofed, they'll have me shot or raped - they might even take me in as a slave! I can't just go back now!"
The room went quiet after that moment. Ricochet was breathing heavily, and small tears beaded down the sides of her face; the foals started to filter into the pharmacy from the back room wondering what was going on. Mayflower was right behind them, followed by Rotten too. Graphite didn't know how to respond, but he wanted to calm the poor mare down.
"Listen, no pony is making you go back there."
"Yeah, but there's nothing else to go back to," Ricochet held her head in her hooves and she looked ready to weep, but she wasn't going to let her self do that.
Graphite looked around and thought for a while. He gathered ideas in his mind and went up and put his hoof on the mare's shoulder, "You know, I was going to leave soon. How about you stay here with the kids? They might be a bit more independent, but the foals need someone to babysit them, and the Mayflower and Rotten could always use the extra hoof," Was the first idea that came to Graphite's mind.
"There ain't no way I'm lettin' that bi-" Rotten was about to start an argument, but was quickly stopped by Mayflower; she punched him in the shoulder and glared at him. He sighed and looked Ricochet and said in a low voice, "Fine, you can stay here..."
Graphite turned back to Ricochet, his hoof still patted on her shoulder, "See, I knew they'd let you stay."
A single tear finally broke through Ricochet's tough exterior and fell down the side of her face - a tear of joy - "That's... great - t-thank you..." She felt the tear against her cheek, and was quick to wipe it away.
Graphite left her side, giving her a smile as he took a step towards the front of the pharmacy. Mayflower pushed aside the foals in front of her to get to Graphite; her voice picked up as she watched Graphite, "Are you leaving now?"
Graphite didn't even get to take a second step before he was stopped. He spun around to face Mayflower, who looked as if she had lost her parents all over again, "Yes, I am, Mayflower."
Ricochet stepped back, Mayflower moved closer to Graphite, and the foals all started to swarm forward. Mayflower looked Graphite in the eyes, "Why?"
"I have to get to downtown sometime, Mayflower," Graphite tried his best to lighten the mood, but it wasn't working.
"But you can stay too, with us and the kids - we could always use the extra hoof like you said," She held out her hood to him, but Graphite pushed it away gently.
"That's why you have Ricochet."
"You can't make it out there on your own-"
"-I can handle myself - I'm the one who taught you how to fight, after all."
Rotten eased the kids out of his away as well, coming up beside Mayflower and resting his hoof on her back, "Just let the pony go, Mayflower..."
Graphite was surprised to see Rotten speak in a soft voice for once, he wasn't sure if it was for Mayflower or Graphite's sake, but it was certainly a great change of pace. Mayflower nudged Rotten's hoof off her back with her shoulder, and looked back up to Graphite, "At least take some supplies with you before you leave, Graphite."
"Okay," Graphite nodded, waiting in his same spot while Mayflower galloped over to the storage space.
Lifting up the hatch, she stood by as the top swung open, and a small blow of dust fly up from the storage room. She used her magic to bring out some cartridges of .308, anything left of the apple bar rations, a pack of cigarettes she said she 'borrowed' from Rotten's stash, and one more thing she needed to traverse into the back room for. All the foals, Ricochet, Rotten, and Graphite all paused when Mayflower stepped out. It was merely an awkward silence, but there was a feeling of emptiness that didn't allow anyone to speak a word. Graphite brushed some dust bunnies off his duster; Mayflower finally stepped in, and a sigh of relief was hypothetically blew out all across the room. Mayflower waded through the crowd of foals once more and came over to Graphite with a small burlap sack that jingled with loose rounds of ammo and something metal that clanked against them.
"Here, I wasn't going to let you go out there unprepared," She waved the pouch in front of Graphite, "And one more thing," she untied the top of the bag and opened it up, bringing out a canteen with a blue metal casing. On the front was imprinted the number thirty nine in yellow ink.
"Everyone in the stable got one of these canteens, this one belonged to my parents. I... I want you to keep it - to remember m- us by."
Graphite took the canteen with his hoof, and examined it thoroughly. He looked at the paint that was half-way scratched off, and some of the dings on the case itself. He bit the top with his mouth and unscrewed it too peek inside. He couldn't see since the shadows liked to funnel inside the tiny little canteen -- and the fact that it was empty. He screwed the top back on and pulled the lace that was wrapped around the canteen. The strap was just long enough to lace around his belt loop, and knot tightly around it. He was focused on getting that strap around his belt, but he was caught off guard when Mayflower wrapped her hooves around his body and gave him a strong hug. Graphite smiled wide, but he didn't want to give up his manly demeanor to hug back; but he let her hold the hug as long as she wanted. After a few happy seconds, she backed off, and tied his sack back up tight and put it inside Graphite's bag for him.
"We'll miss you, Graphite," Mayflower smiled at Graphite, but was in the feeling to frown just as much as she smiled. She rested her hoof on Hot-Sauce's head, who was just as sad as the other foals.
The foals' faces were almost heartbreaking enough for Graphite to stay. They all had long faces and that childish pouting face that was like seeing a sick puppy. Angel Eyes and Gumdrops were making a quiet whimpering noise which was all the more saddening.
Graphite just held the best grin he could muster up and waved a goodbye to the foals, "I'll miss you guys too."
Rotten stood back, trying to keep his rotten attitude aglow, "See ya," He muffled to Graphite.
Graphite started for the entrance again, Ricochet was waving her goodbyes as well. He didn't get more than four steps in before being stopped once more. Hot-Sauce grappled onto his leg and was hugging it for dear life, not ready to let go of him.
Strangely Graphite could feel the warmth of Hot-Sauce's hug even through the sleeve of his duster and the metal plating that was underneath it. The rest of the foals rushed in to strangle Graphite's legs with their little arms. Hot-Sauce, Angel Eyes, Gumdrops, and Blankey all held tight unto Graphite's legs... only Olive didn't have a leg to share the hug. But he didn't want Graphite to leave either. He trotted right in front of Graphite and looked up, he rested his hooves on whatever room was left of Graphite he could reach; and in his lips, Graphite could see him mouth out a 'bye.'
Graphite was at the brink of bursting into tears when Olive tried to say bye. He stopped struggling to get the kids off his hooves and looked into Olive's big, maroon eyes and whispered, "Bye, Olive..."
Mayflower rushed over, trying to get the kids off Graphite, even though she wanted to hug him just as tight as the kids did, "Let Graphite go, kids, he has to go now..."
The kids gave one last squeeze before latching off of Graphite's legs and be dragged back by Mayflower. They all slowly waddled back with Mayflower, still just as sad as ever. Gumdrops held her hoof out trying to reach for Graphite while Mayflower was busy holding her back. Graphite's grin molded into a small frown as he left the pharmacy with his bags all packed, and his canteen wiggling with his walk.
With a final wave, the foals of the pharmacy gave Graphite a goodbye and a wish of luck on his way to downtown Buckago. The sun was moving over the skyline, setting on the west side as it always does. The orange coloured sky touched down on the tips of the skyscrapers and as the tops of the buildings seemed to paint the clouds into the bright tangerine atmosphere. Graphite trekked down the streets of Buckago, the street lights were all out of order, so Graphite was taking a hike in the dark. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 10: Everybody Loves a Nut | Graphite walked down the streets. He started to notice that the buildings had less apartment blocks and more stores among them. There were more billboards and posters along the walls and more belongings littering the roads. By all of these little things Graphite could tell that he was nearing downtown Buckago. Though there were more buildings, that didn't mean that the blasts and time had left them untouched. Most of the buildings had their facade crumbled down, blocking off any kind of entry into those buildings. Some doors which seemed to be unlocked had been either blocked off or closed from the inside. The shops had all their glass window displays shattered inward, and the mannequins that once modeled the clothes and accessories for their shops were burnt into chard bits of plastic and their clothes heated to ash. He moved down the empty streets, only now realizing how lonely it was actually going to be. The dark streets only grew darker with every passing second. He willed his light to shine down the road, and beamed it straight ahead and down the long, narrow roadway. There was nothing to look at other than the tumbled down buildings and old abandoned shops that had all of their merchandise destroyed.
Graphite continued on, alone still, until he passed by the only store that was intact enough to be recognized. It was a local grocery store. The sign outside still labelled it as "Lucky's Groceries". The door was blocked off by the rubble, but on the outside, stood some aged shelves. It looked like they belonged inside the store rather on the outside, but amongst all of the discarded packaging he noticed a tin can - a tin can of pea and carrot stew. This caught Graphite's attention immediately, so he galloped to see if he was actually seeing this. He stopped upon reaching the shelves, taking another look at the seemingly unscathed can of stew.
Graphite shined his light over the case and picked it up with his spell, spinning the can round for a better view. It was just as he imagined - it was a simple can of stew. But it was that same simple can of stew he remembered eating back in Turquoise's house. It was that same can of stew he remembered eating as a little colt at his mother's house. He placed the can back on its shelf, taking a last look at the quaint can of stew. He remembered his parents after setting it down.
Graphite eased his eyes and sighed, the lonelier road became just the more lonely. He stopped to think, to look back, to reminisce. The thoughts were of the better times he had with his family; those times when they went to see the game, the moments when his mom would be there when he got hurt, and even the moments when his dad was there to play catch. The more he remembered the good times, the worse he felt about this time. He turned around to get back on the road, maybe the travels will help him forget.
Graphite planted his hooves on the yellow lines that lined themselves down the endless stretches of roadway and street. He planned on taking these lines on until he reached downtown; nothing was going to waver him any longer. The thoughts still festered through his mind though, keeping him subdued in a forward motion of regret. He moved forward with the warped image of his parents surrounding his conscience. The more he tried to forget, the more he remembered of them. Another blurry image came to his mind, something he didn't recognize. It was, at first, nothing but a fuzz of a blur. Graphite took a second thought to realize it was something ahead of him and not a memory.
Graphite started to notice a strange figure in the distance. It was hard for him to tell what it was in the darkness of the night, but as he approached the figure, it became clearer that it was a statue of some sort. He walked closer to it, letting his memories just float away as he traded them in for the questions about this statue. He started to see three ponies made up the statue. As he looked around; it soon also became clear that the statue was in an open field - a roundabout surrounded it - and a splintered fence going around the perimeter. Some pony had set up a camp there.
Graphite decided to check the area for any dangers before heading over there. He reached a bench and took his rifle off from the shoulder, looking down the scope of the gun. Graphite could see silhouettes of ponies in their makeshift, broken beds. While looking near of what seemed to be entrance to the little camp, he noticed a guard leaning against a lamp post. The guard was a dark red unicorn, fallen asleep, and partly snoring. His purple mane was messed up and covered with grime. Graphite had definitely seen the clothing which the stallion wore, he looked like he had robbed some pony's kitchen and used all of the pans and pots to make his armor - that was a raider camp up there.
Graphite looked away from the scope, stepping off the bench right before taking a seat on it. He realized the only way to downtown was through the camp, but the raiders meant no harm in their sleep. He checked around for another way around, the remaining two pathways were blocked off by a mountain of rubble from the fallen buildings going down that street - the street of rubble on the right was still had a small fire burning something amidst the debris. Graphite could see no other options. He checked his weapons and took a deep breath - he was going to cut right through the camp.
Graphite stepped away from the bench, the base of the statue trailing behind him. He stopped at the fence, taking another look at the camp. There were lines of old mats with dirty raiders sleeping on them just littering the road ahead. There was a single campfire flickering it's bright illumination over a portion of the camp. It lied off the middle, near two raiders lying on the left. The tips of the fire broke off and scorched into the air before dissipating. The embers shined beneath the blaze, burning a mark in the street. Graphite turned his head to face the statue of the three ponies. He could just make out a little more detail from the faint glow of the nearby fire.
They seemed to be ponies from the military, their outfits seemed to look resemble the combat armor of military ponies. They were facing away from Graphite, but he could tell one of them was wearing a fuel tank and carrying a flamethrower in its hooves. The other two he couldn't make out, even when he squinted hard enough.
Graphite suddenly remembered that he wasn't there to look at statue, but to kill the raiders surrounding it. His first target was the guard napping against the lamp post in the front of the camp. It was going to be an easy kill since the guard was asleep and wasn't aware of anyone's presence - even his own.
Graphite unarmed himself, putting all his guns away and making sure they weren't going to rattle with his walk. He pulled out his combat knife for a more silent kill. Slowly he approached the sleeping guard, not a sound from his hooves. The guard didn't notice him even when he was right under his nose.
Graphite popped up right in front of the stallion and forced his hoof against his snout. The guard woke instantly from his slumber and tried to shout for the others, but Graphite's hoof was shoved against his mouth and stopped his screams from escaping. Graphite had the guard pinned against the pole he was sleeping on while the guard himself tried to wiggle free from it. Graphite brought up his knife in his levitation spell and thrust it into the guard's neck with enough force to break through the jugular and cut through everything else with a nasty crackle noise. The guard stopped struggling with the final crack of his veins. His body became limp, so Graphite released his grip on him and let him slump down from his lamp post and fold over on the sidewalk below.
Graphite pulled out his knife back out from the dead raider and continued his crawl through the raider camp. He did his best to weave passed all the sleeping raiders, which proved to be a task since the smell of sweat and mud grew stronger as Graphite dug in deeper into the camp.
The camp was littered with empty tin cans, syringes, and bottles of apple whiskey. It seemed that the pigs liked to live in their own filth. The raiders had also gathered some food and stockpiled as much ammo as they could steal. The piles of junk continued to pile as he traveled further into the camp, making it increasingly harder for him to sneak through without stepping on anything scattered across the road.
Now, Graphite was trudging through scraps of paper, old boxes of food, and whatever else seemed to gather in the recesses of the campsite. The lines of sleeping swines started to cave in on itself, starting to get ever tighter to crawl through the middle. There was no leeway to move over to the sides, and no turning back now. Graphite was starting to make good progress, until one raider blocked his pathway with his mattress that lied right in the middle of the walkway.
Graphite bit his teeth, and started to worry, getting a bit fidgety and looking for anyway around. Two raiders trapped Graphite in from moving anywhere else, so his last option was deal with the first one. It seemed like to much of a risk to attempt and walk over the raider without waking him, so Graphite had to deal with him as he was. He adjusted his grip on the knife and held it tighter, bringing the blade over his head. The raider took in a loud snore just as Graphite brought down the knife. The blade sliced through the sleeper's neck, stopping his snore abruptly, and sending him into an even deeper - and quieter - rest. Graphite held the knife in the stallion's neck for a short while, making sure his last breath breezed from his nostrils. He jiggled the blade out of the raider's wind pipe and wiped the blood stained blade on his duster.
Graphite slid over the body, dragging all of his armour over the corpse's chest and across the obstacle. Graphite set himself back into a low crawl to keep his hoofsteps silent and his silhouette smaller. He shimmied through the bustling city street, traffic stuffed up by the raider's taking their nap on the middle of the roadway. The narrow line of raider's was starting to thin out and widen up, making sneaking out just the easier. Graphite took a sight down the line, he could almost see the end of this wretched campground. The small fire was just a few steps away; marking he was just about halfway through.
It looked like a tight squeeze between the flames of the fire and the raider's that were sleeping warmly beside it. Graphite made his way nearby, the crackles and snaps of the glowing embers and the tops of the flames snapping away from itself and into the night air. He knelt down, taking a break to plan his next move. Two ponies - a stallion and a mare - were asleep left of the fire, another stallion close nearby. Some flies were buzzing around Graphite's head, the stench of musk was attracting them by the dozens in this camp. He was swatting them away, the buzzing mixing over the sound of some pony grumbling. He turned his head to the right, the pony there was talking in his sleep. Graphite wanted to chuckle, but he notice the mumbles were making the two ponies nearby restless. Graphite took his knife and went to silence the mumbler.
He swept over in with his knife ahead of him and aimed straight for the grumbling pony. He came up close, jamming the blade into his chest. A gurgle and a blood splatter later, the last word of the sleep talker was, 'Ma...'
Graphite was just a bit relieved, but the two ponies were still starting to wake. Graphite was working faster, the adrenaline flowing through his body - but also causing him to shake and shiver. There was a shank in a chest sheath on the raider's outfit, so Graphite took that in his spell along with his own knife and went for the last two raiders. Graphite swerved passed the fire, the shank swiping through the fires and rearing over to the light sleepers. He landed between them, the blades burrowing into their foreheads. The knife was easy going, sliding in easily without give; the shank was just the opposite, pushing and cracking through and shattering when it reached its end.
Graphite was panting, sweating from the rush of adrenaline and the fire at his hooves. The shank was in pieces inside of the mare's head, the knife was dug in deeper and blood was pouring from both ends of the stallion's brain. Graphite was pulling himself away from the bodies, trying to bring himself about to the sidewalk. Crawling over some rotted food scraps, bits of paper, and shattered glass shards as he made his way to the cracked sidewalk. He flipped unto his back, panting heavily to try and take a breath of cool air.
Graphite peeked over, looking down the rest of the sidewalk upside down. The dark, gray sidewalk was completely empty - but Graphite was glad it was lonely and free of any raiders. He rolled back to his stomach and got off from the broken floor, ready to leave the raider camp as soon as possible. Graphite started in a rushed pace, wanting to leave the foul smelling hellhole as soon as he could. It was just a straight shot from now on, taking the easy way out of the underworld. The sidewalk was very cracked and broken up, some of the sections coming out of their foundations. Graphite just stepped over them, he was going to stay on the trail out no matter the obstacles.
He was making progress, already nearing the exit in half the time and worries of going through the middle. Hobbling over another upturned block of concrete; trudging through the cracks in the sections; and, with a final sigh, he stepped out of the camp and back on the easy road to downtown Buckago. Graphite skipped off the sidewalk, walking over to the centre of the road. He looked back at the camp, the smell of the garbage wafting passed his nose. He grabbed his nose, stopping the horrid stench from going into his lungs. The flies were still swarming up around the sleeping ponies, and the fire was beginning to fade as the wood started to turn into ash. With the last of the flares flying upward, Graphite took another look at the statue in the background. The three ponies were still just atop the base of the statue, and the night still hid their faces from Graphite's view.
He glared out over the camp, looking at the military ponies standing against the night sky. Graphite realized the statue was there as a memorial, not just a piece of artwork. Their outlines were contrasting against the dark skies, and he could see the three ponies were the three races of each pony. Three different military ponies.
Three races of ponies stood together, just as they had did in the war. An earth pony with a fuel tank on its back and the gun in its bite. Left of it was a unicorn, holding an assault rifle in its magical grip. Behind them was a rearing pegasus, holding a pistol in its mouth. All three of them were dressed in the same, regular army combat armor making them seem even closer. It was like if those three had been fighting side by side since the start of the war, but they served their parts as the one's to remind everyone that there others just like these three different types of ponies fighting with each other throughout the entirety of the war.
But as he look at it now, it seems as if not a single pony has bothered to care for the war memorial. The raider's certainly paid it no mind. It didn't seem that any other pony even cared about who had won the war or about those who had fought in it - it'd be a surprise if they even knew about the war in the first place. The property of this memorial was suppose to be a place of honor, the street it crossed should be in the hands of sensible ponies who will look after it; not savages with no sense of hygiene. They corrupted the image of the memorial with their cold-blooded behavior and simply, pure hatred of others. Graphite felt a harsh rage build up in his mind, he was holding the knife with a stronger magical grip, almost bended the handle in itself. His heart was striking his chest as it boiled his blood and filled him with a burning anger. The city was barring down on him, and it was in his best interest to throw the burden off his shoulders then pummel it while it's on the ground.
Graphite ripped opened his saddlebag, pulling out the pistol he found in his old house. In his spell binding grip, he ventured back into the camp without another thought or guess against his plan. He stopped at the edge of the campgrounds, just at the feet of a raider lying on his mat. The raider slumped over, rubbing his eyes, and looking dimly over to the figure ahead of him.
He squinted at the fuzzy figure, trying to see what was there, "Thunderclap, is that y-"
Suddenly, his vision went from a blur to a flash, then to darkness - all with a loud bang to accompany it. Graphite shot a bullet through the raider's head, stirring the other camp into a frenzy. They all flipped over on their old beds and mats, groaning and swearing since some pony woke them up from their sleep. All of the raider's sights were set on the strange stallion in black standing at the rear of their camp. Some were confused, not knowing what to think, or just too tired to make out an explanation; other's were interrogating him from down the street, shouting, 'who are you?' and 'why are you here?'; others had an instinct to go for their rifle's or grab the closest object to come at him up close and personal. Graphite had his plan all thought out, he knew just how to deal with the raider's coming against him - kill them all.
Graphite pointed his pistol forward, firing a single shot down the lane and into one of the eye of a baffled raider. At that point, they all knew what was going on - they were being attacked. They scattered for their guns, but Graphite already had them in the sight of his gun. With six more shots from his pistol, a volley of these bullets went down the road and into any raider unfortunate enough to be in the way. Four went down, two shot in the head, one down with a hole in his shoulder, and another holding his chest as he dropped to the floor. Graphite released the magazine, placed another in as the first fell out, then released the slide back into place. Some of the raiders wanted to retaliate, but they were either unjamming their broken guns or helping their mate off the ground.
Seven more bullets left the gun, entering the bodies of six more ponies. One bullet through one head, the other six went into any part of the body that seemed to attract it. One raider was holding his buddy's neck, trying to stop the flow of blood out of his veins. Graphite moved slowly down the street, a look of disappointment, rather than anger. His fury was towards the raiders, but for their lack of competence and care. His eyes were cold and focused on nothing. The muzzle flashes reflected in his eyes, the bullets whizzed around and ricocheted off the sides of the buildings or off the iron armour of the few raiders that had such equipment.
The raiders shot at the dark stallion, their aim thrown off when the nearby comrades were falling on them trying to hold themselves up. Graphite stopped their misery with another bullet to the chest. He followed the road back through the camp in the opposite direction, going from end to beginning while he gunned down the heathens. He fired off one bullet after the other until he finally heard that one noise no shooter likes to here - click. That was his last magazine, and there were still raiders to be dealt with. Graphite didn't let this stop him, he still had his rifle in easy access. He slung the rifle over his shoulder and gripped it in his spell just as the pistol and took aim down the memorial street.
Line them up, then knock them down - that phrase came to mind when Graphite fired the rifle off. One shot, two kills. The bullet went of his intended course, but it traveled through one raider's chest and out into another. He swayed to his right, lining the crosshairs of the scope with another victim. Graphite tried to breathe, but his adrenaline was taking over, and his rifle wasn't going to be any better at close range. He fired another round; it barreled out the rifle and swam through the air until it hit the raider's chest - tearing through his lungs. One raider called his losses and dashed down the road to escape death. He booked it, screaming, "Fuck this!" as he ran full sprint, knocking down anyone who got in the way of his fleeing. He was paying attention only on running, but that's what caused him to trip on one of the short mattresses laying on the asphalt. Graphite fired his weapon, but the bullet flew right over the raider when he tripped. Graphite lowered his weapon, checking if he got him; a bullet came by and scrapped across the shoulder of his duster. Graphite clenched his teeth together and took aim towards the shooter. The raider was standing near the sidewalk with his revolver pointed at Graphite. The rifle barrel was lined straight with his head, the raider dropped his gun in a panic and darted away - but it was too late for escape. Graphite fired, the bullet cut its way through the pony's ear and into his head.
The pony who tripped finally got up from the dirty mattress and was already heading away from the camp. Graphite wanted none of the bastards alive by the end of this; it will only end with the end of the raider's camp. A rifle bullet flew in and out of the raider's head - one clean hole straight through.
Graphite stood tall in the centre of the campsite; around him, dozens upon dozens of dead and dying raiders, some never able to wake from their sleep. It seemed to be the end, but there was still an epilogue waiting to happen. One raider was still alive, hiding underneath the piles of loose debris and trash that piled up against the buildings. He had waited for Graphite to turn his back long enough for him to make a run for it - and he definitely did. The poor raider stormed from the trash heap and galloped off to the end of the camp. Graphite noticed the sound of hooves clopping against the asphalt behind him, and he turned to see a raider running. This raider ran faster than anyone or anything Graphite have ever seen. Graphite could hear that pony panting as he ran. Graphite wasn't about to let this one away, so he started a chase.
The raider noticed a noise, the noise of steel against a hard surface. He looked behind his back with eyes wide and quivering. Behind him, the killer - and he was after him. He screamed, tears started to bundle in his eyes. His panting turned into loud gasps for air when his worry turned into panic and fear for his life. Graphite was nearing him with his weapon drawn - his two front hooves. They ran down the street, even leaving the camp and continuing on for a few blocks. The raider was fast, but Graphite was faster. Fatigue was getting to the untrained raider, but the military laps in Graphite's training had prepared him for a moment just like this. He was nearing the raider steps at a time. First centimetres, then metres, now the lengths of a leap - Graphite was right behind the raider, who was losing his mind at this point. Graphite dove forward, tackling the pony against the road. They skid across the road a few metres before the combined weight of the two ponies drew the slide to a stop.
Graphite was riding atop the raider, who couldn't move but was flailing around as if he could. Graphite looked deep into the stallion's eyes while his hooves were rearing over his head. The raider stopped squirming to bring his arms to cover his head. He was crying fountains of tears and screamed a long and loud, "No!" Graphite heard the pleas of the beggar, but he refused to offer mercy over violence. He brought his hooves down on the raider's face, plowing through his hooves and hitting pummeling his face into the ground. His strikes were slow and hard, bringing about the most amount of pain in every single strike. He punched and jabbed until the raider's face was red and blue. He grabbed the pony by the shoulders before pulling him up and smashing him back down against the street. It was over, the last raider left in the camp had been dealt with.
Graphite stood to his hooves, kicking the corpse he just made to the side. Graphite felt only a burning pleasure in his body; a cold-blooded heat, an irritating pleasure, a pleasing regret. Graphite had one way to calm himself down now, and that was with a cigarette and a few minutes of just standing by. He still had a few Canterfield cigarettes in the pack, and he was going to put them to use. Graphite flipped the package open, pulling the first cigarette to come into view. He placed it in his mouth and lit it up, blowing out his regrets in a cloud of gray smoke. The smoke cleared his head and cleansed his thoughts, but they brought back a sense of reasonable thinking. He took a look down at his hooves, seeing the puddle of blood that was pooling at his hoof tips and the blood splatters that went up his front hooves and almost up the entire length of his arms. To his left was the body of the stallion he had just murdered, and the body he had just kicked to the curb. His faced was deformed and painted red with his own blood. Graphite was feeling a bit of regret, but then he remembered the campgrounds. He looked up and ahead, the camp was blocks away - running after the raider had led him far away from the raider camp. He had wasted all his time and energy to go after one lone pony who wasn't even armed, nor a threat. He had gone after a lone runner, but right after he had slaughtered countless ponies back in the middle of the camp. He could just see the faint glow of the fire that was still going, he could also see the crimson red that flowed down the length of the road. All these ponies destroyed in a psychotic rage, underneath the watch of the statue that was suppose to symbolise peace among ponies.
The ounce of regret Graphite felt turned to a ton. A ton of regret. That's all Graphite felt, but downtown was ever closer thanks to the indirect aid of that runner at his hooves. The regret would go away soon - he was nearing the end of his cigarette. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 11: I got Stripes | All night long, Graphite traveled towards downtown Buckago. He never stopped, and didn't bother to take in the same old sights. He tried to make sense of what he has done, he tried to understand what kind of an animal he had become. For all this time, he thought that he was killing only to protect others or himself, but what he had done in that night was neither of them. He pondered how he let himself go in a blind rage like that.
As the sun rose over the horizon, Graphite came to a large metal wall, blocking his way. The wall had been built between two high buildings and was almost as tall as them. It was built right through the walls of the two buildings, some sections tearing through the brick and glass. It was mostly made out of large pieces of scrap metal and train parts welded together. He could even spot a 'Sparkle Cola' billboard welded between the large pieces of metal.
Graphite looked up and could spot guards near the wall and on the rooftops. Unlike raiders, these were properly dressed, or as properly as one could dress hundreds of years after the apocalypse. They sported actual shirts and pants, rather than the iron scraps of armour the bandits commonly wore. A lot of them had leather overcoats over their shirts -- leather seemed to be in high supply after the apocalypse. The ones that wore pants had padding and patches to close the tears, the ones that didn't had belts to hold their ammo and canteens. Most of the guards carried semi-automatic rifles, which he recognized from his training back in Camp Sequoia.
Graphite was in shear awe at the size of this scrapyard wall. Suddenly a voice caught his attention; it sounded muffled and electronic, like something out of a malfunctioning intercom. Graphite looked back down to the bottom of the wall, an intercom was sitting right at head height and muffled talk was coming out of it, but nothing that could be understood. Graphite raised his eyebrow, looking over at the guards. One of them gave a signal back over the wall; Graphite looked back to the intercom ahead. Without warning, a loud screeching noise whistled out of the intercom; Graphite jumped a bit, grabbing his ears just as the guards did too. The malfunctioning intercom came back online and the pony on the other end was speaking to Graphite in a very deep accent.
"'Ey, you there in the black duster. State yo' business in Rossmore"
"Oh, uhh - I didn't expect to run into anyone out here-"
"-Have you been livin' under a rock? This is Rossmore - one o' the biggest settlements in Buckago. Now tell me what you want to do o'er here or you can get lost,"
Graphite thought for a moment, he had to choose his words carefully, "I want to get some breakfast - is that okay?"
"Okay... I guess that Stripe's Bar will have somethin' for you. I'll have the guards unlock the gates. Oh, and sorry for the rude welcome, we don't get many visitors this early in the mornin'," Then the voice stopped and the intercom went silent again.
Graphite stood in front of the wall as the large gates slowly opened, making a loud racket. The gates were made up from large pieces of scrap metal, just like the rest of the wall and blended in so well that no pony could tell where they were located when they were sealed shut. A bit of dust fluttered down the walls as the gates opened and the shaking knocked the buildings around.
As the gates lifted up, the view of the sun shined through the gap in the wall, and the Buckago sunshine casting back through the gaping doorway. He was downtown now, and breakfast was waiting for him just inside.
"Well, we don't have all day now," The voice in the intercom stated.
Graphite stopped his sightseeing and entered downtown, the gates behind him rattling shut behind him before making a loud thud against the pavement. Graphite looked back at the gates, seeing a puff a dust surrounding the ground around it. He turned back to face forward, the sunrise was now just a graceful backdrop for something less than worse. Graphite saw that the streets just before downtown were lined with old, run down buildings and homes that could barely stand without a few planks to hold them up. The first obstacle after the wall was getting through this shanty town. Graphite started his slow walk again, his goal was right in sight and he was just steps away.
Graphite passed through the last bit of the wall, seeing the booth the guard on the intercom stayed. The road ahead was long; the old roads couldn't be paved with asphalt, so the road was lined with old, irregular stones carved with blunt picks and such. Graphite turned direction to the guard in the booth, whom was busy with some sort of paperwork.
Graphite came up to him and knocked on the faded window, grabbing the guard's attention, "So, which way is Stripe's Bar?"
The guard looked to Graphite from the corner of his eye and pointed his arm behind him, "It's just down the road, the two story building - you can't miss it."
He brought his arm back around and continued with his paperwork; Graphite just looked down that stone paved road then left the booth area. He trotted slow, taking in the shanty town's depressing views. The houses were made of the scrapyard metals and woods just like the gate, but now ponies were using them as a permanent shelter. The woods were eaten through by termites, or discoloured and starting to rot. The metals were just as bad, rusted to the core and filled with what seemed to be bullet holes. The houses were poorly put together, simply made by placing the scraps in a wall shape then repeating the step three more times before placing sheets of whatever was left above it. A lot of the houses didn't have doors in the front, just sheets of old cloth that hung over the door. The terrain was filled with moss and weeds that were growing out of control. The vines climbed the old walls of the buildings, they flowered white buds and other shades of the tainted white. It looked beautiful, but the buds just showed how old this side of town was.
Graphite kept walking. He noticed something between two shacks. A weak looking stallion with his child were sleeping next to each other under a blanket. The blanket looked old and it had some holes in it. The father rested his head on a green satchel bag. It seemed that everything they had in the bag was their whole world.
Graphite decided not to disturb the sleepers and just moved on. After wondering around the shanty town for a few poor minutes, he finally came across the two story bar about which the guard had told him about.
The bar certainly stood out amongst the rest of the small shacks surrounding it. It definitely looked sturdier than most of the buildings. Above the door hanged a neon sign from an old diner. The sign read "Stripe's" in nice, cursive lettering. The other half of the 'Diner' part was covered by a wooden board and had 'Bar' painted in yellow on it. This was the place Graphite was looking for.
Graphite walked into the empty bar, meet by the sound of the wind blowing into door of the bar. The inside of the bar looked just like on the outside. The walls were plain pieces of sheet metal, with the occasional neon light poster of Sparkle Cola. The furniture had been made up from random pieces of pre-war junk and some makeshift bits made from the scraps. The building didn't have any windows, so most of the light came either from the lanterns hanging from the ceiling and the neon advertisements hanging on the wall.
He walked over to the bar counter, resting his hooves on the bar stool and setting his rifle and bag on the counter top. Graphite took a look to his left and right, not a single soul in sight. Graphite turned back to the bar, not even a bartender was there to serve the members. A few empty bottles of beer were sitting on the corner of the counter, some pony had to be here to drink those bottles. Graphite tried his luck, and called out, "Hello?"
"I'll be right with you!" A mare's voice shouted from a back room.
Graphite sighed and waited until a mare walked out from the back room. The mare had a short, dark orange mane which looked well together with her lighter orange coat. She was wearing an old apron, covered in grease spots and other gross stains. Graphite also noticed something that he hadn't seen on any of the mares he had met after he was unfrozen - she was wearing a pair of small, white pearl earrings.
"Sorry for being late, we usually don't have customers this early. So, what will it be?" The orange mare said with a smile as she handed Graphite a small clipboard. Her smile was bright as the sun and white as snow. Graphite couldn't help but grin.
The clipboard apparently was their menu of foods and drinks. It featured a lot of alcoholic drinks and other such beverages. Most of the food listed on there was some sort of meat.
"Wait, you're eating meat?" Graphite asked in shock.
"Well yes, we all are. What? You're a vegetarian?" The bar mare responded, a bit confused.
"Yeah, but we were all vegetarians back in my time."
"What do you mean by 'your time,' sir?"
Graphite then sighed and told the mare his story. About how he used to live in Carnen, about how he joined the army, and how eventually he got frozen in cryogenic sleep. At times, it looked like the mare didn't believe him, but he had a newspaper article to prove his truth -- the only thing he had that could prove his truth. The orange mare listened to all of this with a great delight, it seemed that she really enjoyed Graphite's tale.
"So, you're an actual pre-war pony? Wow, I always imagined that they all were just rotted away by now..."
"...Well, not every pony as you can see."
"Yeah- oh, I almost forgot. You're still waiting for your breakfast - what will it be?"
"Oh, yeah- do you have some, uh... oatmeal? Oh and a cup of coffee - it's been long night."
"Okay," The mare smiled and went back into the back room.
She left Graphite to take another look around the bar. The old pre-war advertisements on the walls provided some sort of an entertainment; he had forgotten that some of the products even existed. He saw a poster for a toothpaste brand that was made way before even he was born -- it's a shame toothpaste was lost in the blasts, a lot of the ponies were in need of dental hygiene. Graphite wasn't left alone for long though, just after a few minutes afterward the orange mare came back from the room with a tray. She set the bowl of oatmeal in front of him and a cup of black coffee right next to it. The coffee was steaming and the smell was rather strong; the oatmeal was just as hot, the smell a bit lighter, but just as aromatic.
"Thank you... err, miss...?"
"My name's Sunny, and you?"
"I'm Graphite," He answered as he turned to his bowl of warm oatmeal.
Sunny watched Graphite as he ate his breakfast. Graphite ate it with a vigor, this was his first real meal since last night. He wasn't starved, but this this wasn't canned nor cold and chewy. It took him a minute to notice Sunny watching him; but, when he caught it, it made him feel uneasy. Eventually he stopped eating and looked back at Sunny.
"No. You just don't look anything like the others around here do."
"What do you mean?"
"Well your mane is short and clean - just like your coat. You don't begin every sentence with a cuss word - oh and I don't think that I've ever seen anyone with an armor like that around here."
Graphite took another spoonful of his oatmeal, "Yeah, the suit makes a pretty big statement - it's certainly saved my hide here and there," Graphite swallowed his food before taking a sip of his black coffee.
"Something that thick has to protect you from a lot of stuff. I know that raiders come around just outside the gates every now and again," Sunny commented.
Graphite finished off his oatmeal, then gulped down the last of his coffee. He got up off the bar stool, wiping his hooves on his duster. He held in a burp and excused himself, but continued, "Yeah, those guys seem to be everywhere out here. Uh, how much is this going to cost me?" Graphite asked, pointed at his empty bowl and mug.
"That will be thirty-five caps."
Graphite paused, confused and worried, "I don't have any... 'caps,' but I have this..." Graphite reached into the wallet in his bag, pulling out a few pre-war bits.
Sunny shared the same amount of worry and confusion as Graphite, resting her hooves on the counter she said, "We don't take that kind of um- currency."
Graphite stuffed the bits back into his bag, "I don't have anything to pay this... with..." Graphite was starting to choke up.
"Oh, well... I guess I'm going to have to take you to see the owner; I'm sure he'll work something out with you," Sunny walked to the doorway right before the backroom, waving Graphite to follow.
Graphite went around, walking through the gap in the bar to get to Sunny. They both walked into a small room, there were no more decorations except a few busted ones that sat in the corner. The walls were bare and the sheet metal was very exposed. The kitchen was hiding in a room right of a staircase. Besides the staircase just to the left and an old door near the back, there was nothing in the room.
"His office is up here," Sunny directed, standing half-way up the stairs. Graphite continued to follow her lead, reaching a short hallway with only two doors on either side. The door to the right was labeled, 'Storage'; the other, 'Stripe'.
Sunny sighed, shaking her head when she set her hoof on the door, "Here we are..." She said in a solemn tone.
She pushed the door open, it opened up to a small office. The office was rusted down and dark, only lit by a little lamp that sat on the desk that sat in the back. There was a row of filing cabinets that rested against the wall to the left. The cabinets were all dented and scratched, all three of them different discolourations of green; the drawers didn't seem to stay in, one of them were hanging just a big out and the papers inside fraying outward. To the right, a table stacked with as many papers as the cabinets held. They were scattered about randomly, blown off the table by the fan that was sitting on the cabinet. There was a single picture to make up for the blank office space that was hung just above the table, it was a portrait of an older couple - farmers because the barnhouse behind them and the pitchfork the gentlecolt had in hoof. The portrait was old, starting to be eaten up around the edges; the painting was framed in a golden frame with a complicated design carved over it. The stallion featured in the picture seemed to be sitting at the desk smoking a dark cigar - or at least - his same, grumpy and old, brother.
It was a dark green stallion with jet black mane. His fur was unkempt and dirty, years of smoking seem to have taken its toll on the stallion's mane. The parts of his mane that weren't dark as night were silver and shown through as they poked through his poor grooming. He was wearing suit that was just as black his mane and a dark gray tie with crimson red stripes lining across it. Graphite was surprised to see the stallion could fit into a suit, his figure was short and very round. Not even anything on his desk went with that hideous shade of red. He had one ink pen that was a solid silver colour, it rested on a large sheet of paper and was sitting just below his name card. He was focused more on his buddy, who was sitting in a chair just across his desk, than any of the work he had on his table. His friend was a yellow unicorn, just as bright a yellow as one could be. His mane was a perfectly styled, aqua blue that went well with his white suit and pale blue tie. His cutie mark was a white lightning bolt that flashed down his flank. He sat down on the chair, leaning against the backrest, a whiskey glass in tow under his levitation. He was taking it sip by sip, letting the taste last in his mouth.
Sunny and Graphite walked into the office, both the owner, Stripe, and his friend turned to the duo slowly, giving them dirty looks. Stripe pulled out his cigar, glaring right into Graphite's eyes, "This better be the fuckin' ruler of Equestria if you have the nerve to bring him up here at this hour, Sunshine!" He blurted in a groggy and rough mumble.
"I'm sorry, mister Stripe. This young stallion said he was looking for a job,"
A pause of silence filled the room. Graphite didn't even say a word; Sunny started to glare at him as well. Graphite looked back at her, still confused as ever. Sunny nudged his leg with her hind leg, then Graphite realized what he had to do.
"Uhh, yes I'm new in town and was looking for some money. Seeing as you are owner of the only bar in town, I um- came to see you as soon as possible."
"Well, if you're looking for a job, you're at the right spot, sonny boy. Mister Stripe is at your service," He then gave his friend a look. The yellow stallion got up from his chair and shoved Sunny out from the office, closing the door behind her, "Alright, now that we's are nice and private like, we can discuss the details. Now, I've never seen anyone like you in town - explain that to me."
"I'm a traveler, been one for the last couple of weeks."
"A traveler, eh? Well it's always nice to see some pony new in town, ain't that right Flash?"
"Sure, Stripe," The yellow stallion groaned back.
"Now, you don't look like the rest of the poor schmucks in this town. I think that you have the looks of someone who can handle a more... conspicuous assignment..."
"Conspicuous assignment...?"
"Yes, something that needs a certain amount of precision than most other jobs do."
"Well, I could say precision is one of my strong suits-"
"-Perfect! You're just the stallion for the job!" He lifted his arms up a bit, emphasizing his excitement. He rolled himself back in his big chair to lean back more.
"Which would be?"
"Deacon."
Graphite raised his eyebrow, it seemed that ponies in this town didn't like to make sense.
"This stallion, Deacon, he needs to be taken care of," Stripe told Graphite, taking another smoke of his cigar.
"You mean like, what?" Graphite asked as he inched a bit closer.
"I want him dead."
Graphite thought for moment before asking Stripe, "Alright, what's the pay?"
"No questions asked, my kind of pony," Stripe acclaimed to himself, "Five hundred caps."
"I say eight hundred," Graphite demanded.
"Hey, do you see me swimming in caps? I think that you better be grateful that I gave you a job at all!" Stripe barked.
Graphite sighed, "Fine, five hundred it is," He turned around and was about to leave the room when Stripe shouted at him,
"Oh and no guns - make it all look like an accident," Stripe admonished.
"No guns - got it," Graphite remarked, heading out the room and into the hallway.
Graphite walked back down the hallway and down the stairs, he could smell something cooking in the kitchen as he passed through the back room. Sunny was taking orders at the head of the bar, there were about three stallions drinking and eating at the counter, and more standing about the room. Sunny turned when she heard Graphite trotting by, "How'd it go, Graphite?" She wondered, the same cheery smile on her face as before.
Graphite shared the smile and replied back, "He said he'll think about it."
"Oh, okay then," Sunny said, returning into the back room for another round of beers for the members of the bar.
Graphite walked out from around counter and headed for the door. He pushed the open to be greeted by a warm gust of morning air and the sun blazing down just over the horizon. The streets were different than they were when Graphite traveled down them - they were busy and full of life. Joining the patrolling guards were kids running up and down the streets laughing and playing, some of the ponies were heading to work or adding another layer of sheet metal to their houses, some were still standing by on the sides of the road either too drunk to move or too weak, the rest were just shambling around aimlessly. Graphite got back unto the sidewalk and start his next trip - now all he needed to know who this Deacon character is, and what he even looked like.
Graphite was new in town; he had no idea where to start, so he just followed the crowd of ponies down the street. Most of the ponies were going down the same path, the ones coming from that path were caring bags of food and other supplies like medicines and clothes - there was probably a market just down the road. A lot of the ponies had odd walks; some limped around because of a pain in their legs, others trumped up and down just because they couldn't walk. As he neared what he assumed to be a marketplace, he noticed the buildings getting slightly bigger. None of them were more than two stories, but they certainly got wider, and now wood was in better supply than the rusty sheet metal.
Just a few more blocks down the road and Graphite finally saw the market come into view. It was just as much of a run down place as the rest of the town, but ponies were gathering here by the dozens. The stands were old stands, held together with rope or just another layer of this sheet metal scrap they all owned. The merchandise matched the quality of the place; for sale were old rugs, sheets and blankets, cloth for clothes, and anything that could be used to hold stuff like wooden crates or lost purses and bags. The food for sale was not at all appetizing from the looks of it; they kept their fruits and veggies out where the sun could rot them away, the meats were surrounded by swarms of flies and the breads were crumpled or even molded at some stands. The clothes being sold were nothing but not; either clothes of leather or strips of faded cotton and old burlap meshes. The sad marketplace was a depressing place to walk about, but the character of such a place was something to experience.
The diversity of shady ponies and shifty sellers was something very intriguing; going around to see each of the ponies rip each other off was almost laughable if it wasn't so sad. Graphite traveled through the aisles of the market, looking at each stand after the other. All of the ponies seem to look the same, all the same undertone gray or brown with tattered shirts and hungry stomachs. Of all these poor ponies, one stood out in the crowd - a bright red stallion wearing a blinding white head wrap. This pony wasn't just a brighter colour, but his coat was a lot shinier and well kept, only a pony with money could keep his coat so clean. The stallion stood tall, over all the ponies in the market except for Graphite. The most interesting characteristic of this round and red stallion was his merchandise - two mats sprawled out with guns galore.
Graphite took his leave from the dingy old vegetable booths to check out this gun launderer. He was with a customer already, showing off a side-by-side shotgun with the length of the barrel sawed in half. Graphite galloped over, perusing over the assortments of guns and ammo. Rifles, pistols, sub-machine guns, and ammunition of all types. Graphite was focused on the selections when the owner came up to him with the widest grin a stallion could make, "Well, I've never seen you around here, what brings ya' to?" He asked cheerfully.
"I was looking for a certain some pony, but then you caught my attention with your guns here," Graphite answered back, pointing to the mat of guns.
"Well, I might be able to help you - what's this mare or stallion's name?"
"A stallion by the name of 'Deacon'."
"Oh, him. Yeah I remember that stallion. He came over to me and started to nag something about 'how bad it is to sell instruments of annihilation' or something. What bullshit! These are meant for uh... self defence."
"I'm looking for him - what does he look like?"
"Oh, he's a white earth pony with uh- short brown mane. Always wears the same old stained sweater- something like a knitted sweater. Oh, and he loves to talk like he'd be some sort of a priest or something of the sort."
"Okay, do you know where he lives, or maybe where he usual hangs out by any chance?"
"I think that he lives in the eastern part of the town. If I were you, I'd go looking for him over there."
"Thanks for the help, mister-"
"-Pomidor! At your service!" The red stallion said and nodded his head.
Graphite held out his hoof and smirked, "Well, thanks for the help, Pomidor-"
Pomidor stopped Graphite, "-Are you not going to purchase anything?"
"I'm fine, thank y-"
"-'You sure?"
"Yes. Good day, Pomidor," Graphite turned his head and started a trot to the eastern side of the city.
Pomidor was too eager too sell, and a bit worried to lose a customer, but he stayed back, coaxing Graphite with bad offers and fake deals hoping for him to come back and buy something. Graphite paid him no mind, his goal was eastbound and nowhere else.
Graphite pushed through the groups ponies swarming the market aisles, heading in the direction he thought was east. As he pushed aside pony after pony, he noticed another stallion pushing against the tide of buyers. It was a white stallion sporting a short, brown manecut and wearing a knit, beige turtleneck. Graphite assured himself this was Deacon, he fit all the details he knew about him. Graphite stopped shoving, hoping to blend in with the crowd. Deacon was moving the same direction Graphite was - east. He pushed aside the dirty ponies, and slide passed all the families and intrusive shoppers. Graphite stopped his shoving, but now the crowd was shoving him. A few nudges against the shoulder, a few light pushes, then a full thrust away. Graphite was losing Deacon's trail against the waves of disgruntled ponies. He broke his cover for just a moment to charge through the group. He started into a gallop and threw aside any pony in his way. Deacon didn't notice, something like this was probably apart of the town's usual violence. Graphite broke through the heavy portion of the crowd, now it was all a matter of keeping the white stallion in sight.
Deacon was heading to the eastern side of town, Pomidor was probably right about where he resides. There was no way to be sure, so Graphite kept tracking him through the crowds. Deacon was starting to weave through as the crowd dispersed, his turtleneck bobbing along with his body. Traffic was dying down, traveling was easier - but so was getting seen. They reached the end of the market, hitting an intersection just before the roads to the houses started. Deacon kept straight, Graphite did so as well as he followed behind.
They stepped into the east side of town, a part of the town which was unbelievable - it was in worse condition than anywhere than the rest. The houses were dilapidated and overgrown with weeds and brush; whole gaps in the walls were exposed, letting creatures free to crawl inside them - whether pony or otherwise; the spacing between houses was wider and gave even more room for the weeds to grow; lost furniture was thrown out of the homes along with shattered picture frames and random toys. The overgrowth of shrubs took over the piles of trash and scraps and started up the now abandoned houses.
The last of the ponies heading down this street for the market had gone by, now it was just Graphite and Deacon left alone on the road. The hoofsteps of Deacon echoed around the desolate neighborhood; Graphite's trots in his steel suit were echoing against the walls of the homes as well. Graphite was starting to worry, Deacon's ears perked - he blew it off as his own echo but it wasn't going stay that way for long.
Graphite looked to his right, spotting an overturned dresser laying in the grass and weed - so he carefully scooted aside and waited right behind the dresser, stalking Deacon down the road. Deacon only trotted down another block before turning his body to one of the houses ahead.
The house was supported on pillars to keep it level against the sloped street. A flight of rusted stairs was the only way in or out of the house, and Deacon was taking it up while humming his tune. The creaks and squeals of the rusty stairs under his hoofsteps was loud enough to echo down the streets and bounce its way passed Graphite. Deacon seemed suppressed enough - Graphite moved from behind the dresser to make his way to deal with Deacon. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 12: The Wind Changes | Graphite sat near Deacon's shack, trying to figure out his next move. Deacon finally reached the top of the house and had stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. It didn't seem like the white stallion will be coming outside for a while, so he had some time to make a plan. He sat there for a few minutes, contemplating idea after idea. He had to make it look like an accident - maybe have the roof fall in on him? But how, and what if the noise attracting ponies over and catch him in the act? Maybe start a fire? But sheet metal won't burn. Graphite settled for the direct approach - nothing that simple could possibly fail.
Graphite picked himself up, heading up the flight of rusted stairs. The creaks and squeals were getting louder, the weight of the steel armour was ready to burst through each step of the stairs. He was treading slowly, the squeaks starting to extend out and echo back and forth across the caved in houses. Graphite had his eyes closed at this point, another loud screech as he lowered each hoof. Another step and another, taking one slow step at a time. Finally, a feeling, a feeling of falling - he had taken one last step on the creaky stairs and must have broken through. Graphite's eyes shot open as he fell, his two front hooves planted squarely on the porch at the end of the stairs - Graphite had just took one step too many.
Graphite sighed a sigh of relief, getting the rest of his hooves up the stairs and heading to the door. The shack was tilting over on itself, ready to fall over in even the slightest breeze. The sheets of thin metal that made the body of the house were rusted through and filled with holes and dents. The weeds hadn't reached the building, but they had started their crawl up the pillars that supported it. The lights were shining through the windows, a faint orange glow of an oil lamp somewhere inside.
Graphite gripped the doorknob with his magic, turning the knob slowly, pushing the door open just as slow. He peeked his head through the crack of the door while he slid it open, creeping inside. The door came open, Graphite took a step inside and checked around the home. A light of a fire was flicking in the kitchen, Graphite could hear the sound of a pony munching down on some food. Graphite turned the corner, standing in a fighting stance in the middle of the doorway leading to what appeared to be the dining room.
The white pony was sitting there at the table, eating some kind of a red fruit. It seemed like an apple, but mutated by radiation and tinged by bacteria. It crunched and squished like an apple, but wasn't nearly as appetizing. Deacon looked up from his apple and over to Graphite. He didn't move, or say a word - he just smiled.
Graphite left his fighting stance, standing normally and looked back, confused. Deacon swallowed the bite in his mouth and stood to his feet, "Well hello, my young traveler! What brings you to my neck of the woods?" He exclaimed with a smile of delight across his cheeks.
Graphite stood in shock, not sure how to respond, so he just simply asked, "A-are you, by any chance, Deacon?"
Deacon smiled wider, a twinkle lit up in his eyes, "Why yes! You've heard of me?"
Graphite was baffled, no pony was this happy or eager to have a stranger barge into his home, "Well, yes - I guess you could say I've heard of you before."
Deacon was looking around the corners for something, "You must think that I'm awfully rude," He smiled again and looked at Graphite, "I'll find something for you to sit on and then we chat over breakfast - I have some apples, straight from the market."
Graphite looked over at the apples that Deacon was eating. He couldn't tell if it was their strange appearance or the fact that he already had something for breakfast, that made apples unappetizing, "You know, I'll sit here, but I've already had some breakfast," He said and grabbed a nearby box.
"Well if that is what you wish," Deacon rebutted and sat down on his seat again.
The white stallion tried to smile as he ate the apples and looked at his unexpected guest, "So, what brings you to my humble home?"
"Oh, um... I'm new in town and I uh, just wandered on in here..."
"What drove you to wonder into this house in particular?" Deacon brought up with a smirk on his face.
"I just..." Graphite faltered, taken off guard and left scratching for an excuse.
"I mean there's plenty of other houses all down this street - why not pick any of those?"
Graphite was silent, destroyed with logic. The white stallion came by again, his grin still noticeable, "Were you driven by your orders, soldier?"
"Wha- what makes you say that I'm a soldier?"
"By that armour you're wearing, of course."
"The armor? I just found it in some ruins. It looked nice, so I picked it up," Graphite tried to play off.
"That armor you're wearing - that's the armor of the Equestrian Army Marine Commandos. It was based off the Canterlot riot armor instead of the regular combat armor; since it was more suited to their needs during the campaign in the Triolet islands."
Graphite was amazed and in awe, his eyes were wide and he was almost at a loss for words, "H-how do you know all of this?"
"I'm a soldier, just like you. Well, I used to be one - just like you. We both are serving an army which hasn't existed for more than two hundred years. Each in our individual way, of course."
"What do you mean?" Graphite asked. He had no further excuses or lies to tell, his disguise was discovered and he was out of ideas.
"Let me explain. I've read records on you, back when there still was an Equestria and the goddesses ruled over our land, you were a marine-"
"Wait, wait- what records?"
"You see, you made your impact on the history and though you weren't there to experience it - you left your mark in the history books. You became a sort of a legend, so to speak."
"Huh? This all is very confusing."
"When I was still a colt, our teacher told us a legend of a stallion who was asleep and was supposed to wake when the pegasi were to lift the clouds and clear the earth below it. I was fascinated by this legend as a child and did some research on it as I grew older. Turned out that there really was a stallion, frozen somewhere north of the city of Buckago. Set for display with five other ponies whom were supposed to wake when we needed them the most," Deacon grinned. "And, when they needed volunteers to help out at the Buckago base, I was one of the first pegasi to volunteer for the Enclave's mission."
"Pegasi? Enclave? You're not making this any clearer, Deacon. What is this Enclave you're talking about?"
"The Grand Pegasus Enclave, we were the last 'pure' kind of ponies. Remnants of what used to be the Equestria's air-force. We sealed off the skies in an endless blanket of clouds at the first days of the war. On that day, the sky became our only home. Once the ground below was pure enough we were supposed to come back and repopulate it, but over the next few decades after the war our purpose changed drastically. Our leaders lead us away from our original ideas. We became greedy and too curious of what awaited us beneath the blanket of clouds."
"What do you mean by 'greedy'?"
"I do not wish to tell you about the things which I've done while a part of the Enclave. I followed my orders blindly, not thinking of what the outcome might be. One day, I realized the consequences of my actions after ten years of its judgement tortured the ponies it victimized. I spoke to my brothers and sisters in arms - we all decided to leave the Enclave's mission behind and to return to our intended purpose - to save all of pony kind. We used our technology to shield ourselves from any of our counterparts that might come looking for us. We created a large mass of fog around the city of Buckago. Only a few brave souls have ever dared to go through the thick fog. Especially when the wind is blowing from the shore and the fog is at its thickest."
"That sounds like the fog I had to deal with when I was approaching Buckago. 'Nearly got jumped by a pack of dogs after making it through, though."
"Well, that wasn't our intention, Graphite. Please do remember that it's a defense mechanism. It wasn't meant to kill anyone, rather to shield everyone inside from the dangers outside."
"It's okay - no hard feelings."
"I'm glad that you're so easily forgiving. I wish that more ponies would share the same values as you. When we first descended from the clouds, we were greeted with shock, disgust, and hate. It seemed that a pegasi class as a whole seemed to be associated with terror that the Enclave brought and nothing else. We were often hunted and in that way; we lost many of our best. I guess that not including myself, right now there are about a dozen of pegasi left, scattered around the area of Buckago."
"Deacon, don't get me wrong, but- you don't look like a pegasus."
Deacon then stood up from the table, pushing the chair back. He took off his stained turtleneck and dropped it in front of Graphite on the table. Graphite looked up to see Deacon was hiding two wings under his shirt. Deacon planted his hooves on the table and struggled to open his wings. He grunted and cringed, until his wings began to unfold. They spread out after being unlocked, his wings a majestic white and almost as long as two of him. Deacon fluttered his wings and stretched them out, they must have been hidden away for quite some time.
"Looks can be deceiving, Graphite. Remember that," Deacon smirked, scratching his wings and picking off a few threads that came from the shirt.
"I guess they can," Graphite's eyes shot open, struck with another wonder from this odd stallion. Graphite leaned back, going for cigarette in the pack to ease back into calmer state after being awestruck twice in the same night, "-You don't mind if I..." Graphite stammered, cigarette already half-way to his lips.
"Er, go right ahead, my friend."
"Thanks," Graphite said as he slipped the cigarette into his mouth, lighting it with his lighter after two attempts.
"So, Graphite - you never really told me why you are here," Deacon commented, pulling his chair back and taking his seat again.
"I'll be honest with you, Deacon - Stripe sent me to 'deal' with you," Graphite leaned forward and looked at Deacon, "But after the stories you've told me today; frankly, I don't think that's going to happen."
"Did he tell you why he would want my death?"
"Err... I never asked him. I just took the job - I needed the caps."
"Oh Graphite, you did the same thing I did when I was your age. Always remember to stop and ask yourself why are you doing the things you do. Don't become a machine, even if that's what they trained you to do. A robot has no direction of good or bad, it just follows what its master commands it to do. Don't lose sight of good and bad, or you'll end up as a mindless killing machine."
Graphite leaned back, relaxing slightly in his chair, "It's okay Deacon; I understand that now- Thank you for the lesson."
"My pleasure, Graphite."
Graphite puffed another cloud of smoke, making sure it didn't blow in Deacon's direction, "I still have the issue of what to tell Stripe."
Deacon pouted, rubbing his chin with his hoof, "Of course, I hadn't thought of that..."
They both sat for a moment, Deacon contemplated a few thoughts; Graphite continued to smoke his cigarette, pulling a few ideas together as well. Deacon shrugged to himself, laying his arms back on the table, "I'm out of ideas," Deacon claimed, "I just hope Stripe doesn't find you, or you might end up like the last two of his little workers..."
Graphite pulled his cigarette out, batting out the ashes on the end. Graphite looked back to Deacon, worried, "What happened to the last two ponies he employed?"
"Well one, whom of which I don't recall his name, ended up in the garbage compactor. Luckily the last was less violent, if not as agonizing-"
"-What happened to him?"
"Her, actually. I was pretty sure her name was Sunshine- or maybe-"
"-Sunny?" Graphite dropped his cigarette, paying better attention to Deacon.
"Yes, that's it! Sunny - she started off working for Stripe as the main bar mare; she had to repay a debt for stealing something from the bar. She agreed to all of Stripe's deals and, in the end, ended up as something of a slave; working for him without ever being able to pay him off."
Graphite paused, slumping back into his chair and sighing. Graphite got up from the chair, stepping down on the cigarette to put it out. He started for the door, his hooves were stomping down with force and anger. He was about to turn the corner, when Deacon stopped him, "O-off so soon, Graphite...?"
Graphite, stopped, grabbing the edge of the wall, "Yes. I have a deal to make with Stripe."
Graphite stormed out the house, shutting the door behind him. Deacon slid out of his chair, chasing after Graphite, "W-what are you talking about, Graphite?"
Graphite was already half-way down the stairs; he didn't even bother to stop, or look back, "I'm sure you'll hear about it when this ends, Deacon."
"What are you doing, Graphite? What- I-" Deacon ran back inside before returning with his old stained turtleneck and almost jumping down the stairs, "Graphite!"
Graphite marched down the east street westward, flaring his nostrils and venting out some pent up air. Deacon was riding right behind him like his shadow; he trailed behind him trying to get beside, but Graphite's march was to fast.
"What are you planning to do, Graphite?" Deacon panicked.
"It'll be nothing you'll approve of..."
Deacon stopped himself, trying to imagine what Graphite had planned - when suddenly, it hit him, "Graphite! You're not planning on killing Stripe, are you?"
The bickering duo reached the intersection. Graphite turned back down the road to the market, now giving Deacon the silent treatment. They continued all the way to the market, Deacon worrying and pleading the whole way there. Graphite wasn't surprised to see the crowd at the market still full and bustling as ever. Deacon stopped his begging, but was now starting to mumble to himself. Graphite readied his rifle; underneath the roar of the traveling market-goers, he loaded his rifle with the freshest magazine he could dig out of his bag.
He was sliding right through the mass of ponies with ease; Deacon was dragging behind, nudged and knocked around by the oncoming ponies that weaved passed Graphite. He went from a trot to a gallop, pushing aside the sea of ponies. Deacon finally started up in a spring, coming up alongside Graphite as he plowed through the ocean of ponies. Stripe's bar was coming into view, the silhouette of the bar could just be seen in the dark shade of the rotten homes beside it and over the heads of the ponies gathered in the market.
The bar was just a few blocks more. Graphite grunted, picking up his gallop to a sprint as he charged the bar. Deacon was left in the wake of his sprint, stopped to catch his breath at the side of the road.
Graphite was running at full speed until he got to the front of the bar. He took in a deep breath, cooling down right after his sprint just before he stepped through the doors. He opened the door to the usual gang of drunk members. Sunny was standing behind the counter per usual, wiping it down with an old rag. Graphite simply went by the drinkers, slipping behind the counter, and right passed Sunny. Sunny didn't mind, just slipping him a smile as we went by. Graphite walked through the back room, wafting in the smell of the food that was cooking in the kitchen in the corner. Graphite stepped up the stairs, and went down the small hallway swiftly.
A knock was heard just outside the door. Stripe stopped himself, leaving his bottle of beer just at the end of his lips, "Go see who that is disturbin' my peace, Flash," he griped.
"Sure thing, Stripe," Flash followed, setting his magazine on his chair just before he got to the door.
He twisted the knob, pulling the door in towards himself - the door opened to a rifle stock jabbed right at his snout. The thrust threw him to the floor; Flash grabbing hold of his head from the trauma. Graphite shoved himself inside, gun pointed forward. He stormed across the room; Stripe had pulled open a drawer from his desk and whipped out a silver revolver bitten down in his mouth. Graphite was already near the desk when he propped himself on the edge and pushed himself up and over to dive towards the old stallion. Graphite collided into Stripe like a cannonball, stopping him just before he could fire off a round. His dive threw Stripe and himself to the back wall, Stripe's head smashing at full force against the battered wall - leaving a dent imprinted with the back of Stripe's head. The strike had Stripe spit out his gun along with a few drops of blood. Two hooves clasped around Stripe's neck, Graphite pulling the stallion's bleeding head to the floor. Graphite clenched Stripe's neck harder, beating his employer's head into the rusted metal floor. Graphite had his teeth pressed into each other, grinding as he groaned with anger while Stripe's head continued to be bashed against the floor and his blood slowly splashing from his skull. There was no air going into his lungs, all of it was being beaten out of him and replaced with blood rushing to his broken head. Another round of endless banging against the floor, and Graphite was done - Stripe more than finished by the time Graphite had released his neck.
He stood to his hooves, wiping the blood from them on his duster before walking about the desk and over Flash as he continued to suffer from his blunt pain in his head. He trumped down the stairs, turning the corner too see the bar members still going about their usual business of nothing. Sunny was the only one sober to realize what had happen, along with Deacon who was sitting down at the counter with her.
Deacon buried his face in his hooves, shaking his head in them, "I'm guessing it's done already, Graphite...?"
Sunny looked over to Deacon, then to Graphite, "What's done-" she questioned, "Why'd you go upstairs, Graphite?"
"You don't want to know, Sunny," Graphite assured.
"It had to do with Stripe, I'm guessing."
"Yes, it was just business."
Sunny turned her head, grabbing the rag once more, "Well, okay then," she didn't care for whatever business anyone had with Stripe, so she ignored it and went on with the bar tending.
Graphite went around the counter, tugging Deacon on the shoulder a bit to direct him outside. The two stallions walked out the bar, Deacon immediately pulled Graphite to the side of the building, "Was killing Stripe really necessary, Graphite? There have had to been other options- anything then killing a pony in cold blood!" Deacon scolded.
"What else could I do, Deacon? There's no negotiating with a stallion like that-"
"-Yes, yes, I'm well aware of what kind of pony Stripe is- or was - but that doesn't mean you can just kill him like that!"
"Let me ask you again - what else could I do, Deacon? I have no money, I don't know a single pony in town other than you and Sunny, and he was the one who got a hired gun to kill you. If I didn't kill Stripe, he could have just hired another lowly killer of the streets that would pick you off without question or concern."
Deacon shook his head again, sighing out loud, "Well, when you put it that way... I- I guess I can appreciate that you went on your own decisions this time, rather than follow the letter of some other pony."
"I appreciate the appreciation, Deacon; but, I've done I'll I needed to do here - I need to head further down town-" Graphite started his trot towards the end of the city, but Deacon stopped him, tugging on his duster.
"Wait! Before you go-" Deacon pulled his collar open, reaching into his sweater and pulling out a small badge. Graphite looked back, watching as Deacon pulled out the small metallic pin, "This button - a badge bestowed to me from the Enclave to show for my officership - shows that I have chosen to believe in what was required. I bestow this upon you, to show that you have chosen to believe in what was right."
Graphite glared at the badge, confused and dazed, "What did you want me to do with this, Deacon?"
Deacon held out the pin closer to Graphite, almost pushing it on him, "Take them. Some things in life have a deeper meaning - a symbol of something more."
Graphite grabbed the badge with his levitation, looking at the badge's design. It was a polished silver badge with a big 'E' in the centre surrounded by a circle of stars of the same colour. He decided to pin the needle right through the collar of his duster, setting it straight and tidy just as an officer would, "Thanks, Deacon. I'll be on my way now," Graphite held out his hoof; Deacon was quick to grab it and shake it firmly, nodding at him just as he turned to head down the road.
Graphite trotted down the road, hoping to get through the market as quick as possible. The smell of the food starting to rot, and the poor ponies who couldn't get running water for a shower started to build up all in the market area. He delved into the cloud of musk, shaking his head down as he entered. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 13: Don't Take Your Guns to Town | Graphite wondered through the market for about an hour. He lost the count of time himself. He wanted to get out from the market as soon as possible, but he made a couple of wrong turns and only then he understood how big the market actually was. Ponies over there tried to sell everything, from food to medicine and from guns to simple tin cans and metal scraps. Graphite had been through the market multiple times, but it was the middle of day, and the crowd was at its biggest. Being nudged wasn't even possible, the only movement one could make now were small shuffles across the market.
Followed the current of the marketers, Graphite found himself steadily drifting outside the market. He neared a building, one of the walls that set a border for the market stands. He stopped, standing just on the sidewalk of the buildings. He was going to backtrack around to the sleepless market again, when he heard a noise. It was a loud yelp, a cry for help. He across the buildings to find an alleyway, noisier than the normal alleyway should be. Graphite ran to the side street, sliding to a stop just as he reached the opening to the alley.
In the alley was a scrawny, brown stallion screaming for someone to come and aid him. He was tugging on a satchel with another pony - a dark stallion with hair just as rough as the stallion's. Just at the thief's hooves was a dirty cream coloured colt, batting and beating at the thief's legs trying to get him away. He remembered the little family from earlier, just as he stepped into town they were asleep in their own corner lot of the town. The small colt and his father weren't going to get out with their bag if the thief wasn't stopped. The thief pulled out a knife, dull and rusted but still able to cause serious damage. Graphite jumped in to stop the mugging before it became a murder.
All three ponies saw one large stallion barreling towards them; the colt jumped back and the father released the satchel and ducked away - the mugger stuck without anywhere to dodge the charge. Graphite reared up just as the mugger swung his knife at Graphite's chest, his head was stopped by Graphite's hoof, a swift punch to the face before he could be cut open. The stallion was knocked back, Graphite swiping the knife away with his telekinesis spell and tossing it behind himself somewhere on the sidewalk.
The petty thief reared back, trying to get in a punch back - but was halted again by Graphite's hard and swift jab. He was struck down before being struck up, pulled up to his hooves by his neck. Graphite stared right into his eyes, shaking him as he yelled, "Get lost!"
He tossed the stallion back, throwing him into the dirt as he scrambled away with fear for his life. Graphite leaned in to grab the satchel from the dust, handing it to the feeble stallion, who took it with caution. Graphite tried to shoot a smile, but it didn't come any bigger than a short grin. The stallion was sitting the ground leaning against the building just waiting for the fight to blow over. Graphite stuck out his hoof, asking, "Are you alright?"
The stallion didn't respond, backing against the wall even further than he was already. He trumped around Graphite, staring at him with a cold glare of terror before taking his child by the hoof and sprinting off towards the other end of the alley. Graphite watched as they ran, a bit disappointed there was no thanks given to the stallion that just saved your life.
Graphite blew it off as just another of the normal behaviours of a begotten town; he jumped back into line with the ponies swerving about the market. He continued scooting through the marketplace when something caught his attention - a young mare standing at Pomidor's stand. She was wearing an old, brown leather jacket that was collared and had one zipper going down the length of it. She seemed to be quite confused, looking back and forth over the selection of weapons and arms. He waded through the swarm of shoppers until he managed to get a better look of this mare, he recognized her - it was Sunny.
Graphite casually approached the mare. She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she didn't notice that someone was standing next to her. Sunny looked good in her jacket - at least better than her old, greasy apron she wore at the bar. She was looking at the large arsenal of weapons which Pomidor had placed before her. It featured everything from small nine and ten millimeter pistols to large light machine guns and even a rocket launcher. It seemed that the red stallion was annoyed by her uncertainty. He simply lied back to one of the supports of the booth and looked down at the guns.
"Need some help?" Graphite offered, breaking the train of Sunny's thoughts.
Sunny jumped a bit and turned to around, but smiled when she saw Graphite standing next to her, "Oh, Graphite! It's nice to see you here. Could you help me pick a weapon?"
"Um, yeah sure, what are you looking for?" Graphite asked, standing back up from the booth and checking out the guns with Sunny.
"Well, I've always had my pistol," Sunny pulled out a pistol from her holster, one that looked just like a Zebra pistol, but it looked like it was made out of a higher quality metal and was reloaded by a magazine, instead of a clip. Sunny gave Graphite a view of the pistol, tilting it left and right before holstering it again, "But I'll be making a longer journey and the pistol alone won't cut it."
Graphite scratched the back of his head, checking out the rifles on the left table, "Hmm, you're going to need something with better range than a pistol..."
Both of them had their hooves on their chins, browsing right over through the guns. Pomidor was standing ahead of them, going unnoticed as he steamed and boiled with impatience. Pomidor, trying to vent it out, stepped back from the tables and went behind his booth doing whatever he needed to do to release his stress. Graphite and Sunny searched until Graphite came across one particular rifle.
It was a short, black carbine. It had black polymer grips and stock of the same material; its receiver was solid steel, a carrying handle was built right into the top and acted as it's iron sight; the hoof-guard was round and lead up to it's short barrel, and the front sight that was raised to line up with the rear sights; the magazine was a curved cartridge that could hold thirty rounds into it. It seemed to be the perfect gun for Sunny - lightweight, easy maintenance, and could get just the range Sunny was going to need to protect herself, "How about this one, Sunny?" Graphite tapped her shoulder then pointed to the carbine.
"Maybe..." Sunny grabbed the rifle in her hooves, looking over it. Pomidor finally got over himself enough to come back around and notice she was finally nearing a decision.
Pomidor's eyes widen, a grin formed on his face, "Ah, yes - that's the 'Assault Carbine.' It's a great gun for a beginner like yourself - and - it doesn't require the use of a battlesaddle. If you attach a sling to it, you can wear it around your shoulder and fire it using your tail- seeing as yours is long enough."
Graphite turned over to Sunny, "You're probably not going to find a battlesaddle anywhere in this shambled marketplace."
Sunny paused for a moment, taking a last minute thought on it. Pomidor was rubbing his hooves together, eyes beaming as he waited with anticipation. Sunny set the rifle down, facing Pomidor as he glared stubbornly, "I'll take it."
Pomidor pumped his arm close to his chest, but quickly caught himself before he was ready to scream 'Yes!' He brushed his fur and fixed his head wrap, "Well the gun, plus some ammunition to fire... that'll be about four thousand caps." Pomidor said, perhaps a bit too excitedly.
Graphite was astonished, he hadn't a cap to his name but knew that four thousand was a lot in any form of currency. He looked at Sunny, who didn't seem the slightest bit worried, "Sure," She said with her usual happy smile. She reached for her saddlebag, sticking her snout in to gather some change.
A notable amount of jingling came from her bag, it almost looked like it was filled to the brim, but that might just because Sunny's head was inside it. Eventually, she came back out, placing a pile of caps right on Pomidor's table. Pomidor's eyes almost formed caps, his smile was starting to grow larger. Sunny fiddled and counted the caps on the table, "That's four thousand caps for everything."
Graphite's jaw almost dropped to the floor, "H-how? Where did you get that kind of money?" He stammered.
"Let's just say that I found Stripe's retirement funds," Sunny grinned.
Graphite then turned to himself. In the rush he must have forgotten to check Stripe's office for any valuables waiting in his desk and anywhere else one could keep riches.
Sunny was also coming up with an idea of her own. She put the magazines for the Assault Carbine in her saddlebag and then used the sling to place the weapon over her shoulder, "Say, Graphite are you still looking for a job?"
"It depends on the job."
"Well, I am going to travel to visit my family in the south of Buckago. It's a long way 'till I get there - might be even several days. What do you say of being my bodyguard?"
"Okay, I'll join you on your little trip, but you can keep your caps. I just want to get out of this place as fast as I can," Graphite agreed without hesitation.
Sunny shrugged and then smiled again, "I'll get us some supplies for the road, then we can head out."
"Sounds good to me."
The two trotted away from Pomidor's booth, he was left to count his caps. They merged into the crowd, waiting for the traffic to move down far enough to reach the right booth. They passed a few booths that sold food and water, but none of them seemed fresh enough to eat. They kept moving, hoping to pass by one stand that had some clean food. A few more booths went by; a few medicine stands, but they decided not to come back until they found fresh food. The shuffled on, realizing that they should have gone ahead and got the medicine after about another hour of crowd walking. It was too late to turn back, traveling against the tide of the swarm was almost impossible at this hour of the day. They pressed on, until eventually they reached a proper food booth.
The stand didn't have much to offer, anything that was for sale had already been bought up in the early hours of the market's opening. They sorted through what they could deem edible. A lot of what was left over was meat - to Graphite's poor luck. Jerky, raw meat, and something else that sort of looked liked a giant cockroach - but not a single straw of hay. Sunny got a few strips of the jerky, Graphite kept trudging along with the crowd, searching for a single booth with something he could eat. They passed a few booths with fruits, their lines were piled back to booths across the aisle.
Another hour of walking, a stand came into sight at the end of the market, one that was selling canned foods and a few bits of that red apple-like fruit. Graphite picked his head up, pushing forward against the crowd to get to the only appetizing food in sight. He piled, squeezed, and pushed his way to the stand - taking a good look at what was to offer. Sunny was caught in the crowd behind Graphite, slowly making her way there. Graphite noticed a high supply of great food before looking at the prices; he realized just why it was in high supply. Graphite turned around, waiting for his VIP to arrive to help him out.
After sliding passed one more stallion, she marched her way to the booth, where Graphite was waiting patiently, "Let's get some real food, eh?" Graphite gleefully suggested.
"'Real food'," Sunny joked sarcastically, "If you call this stuff 'real food' then your really must be two hundred years old."
Graphite grabbed a few of the canned vegetable soups and two of the blue fruit, just in case; there was also two cans left over of some corn kernels. Graphite picked all of those up, asking for Sunny to get it for him like a foal asking his mother to get him his favourite cereal. Sunny reached into her money bag once more, using the last of her caps to buy Graphite his portion of their meals.
"Well, that seems to be the last of my caps- I think we're ready to go now."
"We've got everything we need, Sunny, we should be going before sundown."
With an 'Alright,' the two finally set out to leave the dreaded marketplace. Graphite was eager to leave the stench of this old town - the shady ponies that walked about also helped bring up his feelings to leave. The sun had passed its peak of the sky was starting its decent down west, the duo of Graphite and Sunny were setting out deeper downtown. Their bags were full of supplies, clanging and jingling with every leg motion - or hip sway on Sunny's part. They reached the intersection of the town; Graphite turned east, looking down Deacon's street. Sunny came up ahead of Graphite, turning and looking down the street with Graphite, "What are you looking at?"
Graphite took a moment not to respond, taking his thoughts back in before he could respond, "Nothing."
Graphite started down the north street again, Sunny riding behind, "You don't like to tell me stuff, don't you?" Sunny questioned.
Graphite didn't respond, just to taunt Sunny, knowing it would bother her. Sunny shook her head, sighing, but chuckling shortly with Graphite afterward. The two ponies traversed through the southern end of town, which was obviously the upper-class of Rossmore, seeing as the buildings were actually halfway built with brick and mortar; the top half of the buildings were still wood and sheet metal, but the condition of the metals and woods were much better than the north side of town. The ponies there didn't appear any happier than the north end of town, nor any friendlier. Waiting outside almost every building and street corner were ponies with weapons in tow and eyes shifting from left to right, scanning the area like hawks. Their weapons never ascended passed a bat or rusty iron pipe, but the way they overlooked the area was enough to scare away anyone walking in their view. Some of them were wearing fedoras on their head, tilted low to cover their eyes with the shade and creating an even darker image for themselves. Their clothes ragged and dirty just as the other townsfolk, but they attempted to gather bits of cloth to make themselves a suit; whether it was the addition of a tie, some type of cloth to look like a blazer, or that fedora they probably stole off some other poor pony. The streets guarded by these dastardly mares and stallions were almost completely empty other than one of these mob members walking about to find their next victim or the small family brave enough to venture through the valley of the streets to reach the market and buy food for the week.(Big ol'wall o' text)
They passed by what looked like the southerner's version of a bar; it was two stories, just as Stripe's Bar, but it was entirely made of hardwood and the sign was made of one piece of lumber instead of the scraps of the left over diner. There was even a light hanging right over the sign and shined down to the front door. There were two window panes at the front of the bar, giving Graphite a clear view of everyone of the sad drinkers and sorry drunkards that were waddling around with two beers in their mouths or just another cup of Apple whiskey. Just like the rest of the town, two ponies with weapons found in the streets were ready to beat down anyone who looked at them wrong. For all Graphite knew of this bar, another gangster just like Stripe could be up in the back room hiring off another gun to deal with another victim.
Graphite was starting to lose his pace, Sunny was several steps ahead already and he was just hanging back staring at the ponies in the bar. He trotted forward, almost galloping, trying to get ahead of Sunny again. Sunny noticed him trotting ahead, thinking he was racing her. She picked up her pace a bit, looking away from him. Graphite saw Sunny come up from behind in the corner of his eye; he scooted ahead, picking up his pace further to keep up. Sunny was trying to keep ahead, her quick trot turned into a gallop. Graphite wanted to keep ahead of Sunny, not noticing she wanted to race; he galloped passed her, staying in front. The two were starting to go head to head, their gallops turning into full sprints and beyond as they raced neck and neck down the south side of the street.
They were head to head, then nose and nose, coming ever closer to each other as the two stepped wildly down the street. They dashed by the brave souls wandering the streets and even a few of the mob minions going about the town. Soon, their competitive edge was getting to them, Graphite thrust himself left, pushing aside Sunny as he darted forward. She rushed back in, recovering quickly, grabbing Graphite's duster with her teeth and pulling him back. He reacted, tugging on his duster and pulling Sunny with it. She lost her balance, stumbling on her own legs and and tripping - bringing Graphite down with her. Graphite was pulled down by the weight of Sunny then tripped by her flailing legs. They both came down together, tumbling forward a distance before finally stopping against the stone and pavement.
Graphite's head was being wedged down by Sunny's elbow, their legs were knotted together like a pretzel, and they were both covered in scrapes and scratches from the rough stone pavement. They were groaning, Sunny was too sore and too tangled to move; Graphite was trying to get free, sliding aside hooves and arms away from his body.
Eventually the knot gave way, they both jerked away and grabbed hold of their aching body parts. Graphite tried to stand, pushing himself up with his cut up arms. Sunny was holding her leg, searing slightly at the road burn. He lent out a hoof, Sunny took it with a faint smile, trying to hide away the pain. They both got up, stared down by the gang. Sunny grinned badly at them as she was picked up hastily by Graphite; the two dusted each other off, helping each other to the sidewalk. The members too lazy to bother.
They stopped, leaning against a building to nurture their wounds with some mild rubs or wash it off with whatever water they had to spare. They both slid down the wall they leaned against, and sat down on the ground. Graphite held his head with one hoof -- having your head crushed against stone isn't a gentle feeling, "Maybe that was not the best idea, Sunny," Graphite mentioned, turning to Sunny with his hoof still on his head.
Sunny snickered, rubbing her eyes a bit, "No, maybe not..." she grinned, then turned to look at Graphite, "But I still won."
Graphite slid his hoof of his head, shaking his head, "But I was ahead of you, Sunny - that usually means I won."
Sunny grinned wider, nudging Graphite, "'Ladies first,' Graphite!"
"True- but, I still won!" Graphite rebutted, nudging Sunny back harder.
Sunny turned her head to look at her bruised legs, pouting a bit, "I guess it doesn't matter, any idea that stupid isn't going to end well."
Graphite looked at his arms, turning them around back and forth looking at all the scrapes, "You got that right," he chuckled.
"Well, maybe we should get going; the sun's going down, and we're already down one bottle of water - and we haven't even left Rossmore."
"We did cover more ground than usual, though."
"Of course," Sunny giggled, "But we're not going to cover any more ground sitting here."
Graphite slid back up the wall, then planted his four hooves back on the ground; helping Sunny up off the ground, "We should find some place to refill the canteen and the bottles before we go any further," Graphite said while he shacked his empty canteen.
"There should be a water pump nearby, let's keep moving down the street 'til we find one," Sunny tugged on Graphite's duster, taking the lead once more.
"Sure," Graphite agreed, following her lead down the street.
The two companions trotted slowly across the stones -- nothing at all like the pace of their race. The looked left and right for a water pump of any size - Graphite also busy watching out for Sunny. They walked for a while, no sight or sign of a water pump anywhere. The town was starting to reach its end, the buildings were starting to shrink and rot, the towns people were retreating back to the main section of town, and the stones were becoming a lackluster colour of black and brown. Graphite lost track of his focus, taking his eyes from the streets to look up towards the roofs of the buildings and the faded blue skies that surrounded them for miles. The roofs of the buildings were flat, the architects didn't seem to have the right supplies - or the right knowledge - to build a pointed roof. There was no shortage of sheet metal, for sure; but, as much as the material is used, no pony seems to bother to round out the edges or cut the sharps splits some of the pieces had.
Sunny turned her head, looking at Graphite, "See anything?"
Graphite was snapped back into focus, whipping his head right back to Sunny, "Oh, um... no."
"You'd probably have more luck looking at the ground than in the clouds, Graphite," she smiled a smile at him, turning her head back around.
Graphite smirked, shaking his head while he went back to searching the streets for a water pump. They walked along another long while, reaching the outskirts of town. The signs of a water pump were absent, just like the signs of ponies anywhere around. Graphite and Sunny were alone together, traveling through an empty section of town looking for water. Graphite looked right to left and left to right when he realized he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. He knew what a water pump was, but he had never seen one before - there were no water pumps in Carnen. Something as simple as a pump for water had to be made of something simple; some iron rods, a head for the water to come out, and another rod for the actual pump. He had the idea in his head, but could never get the full picture.
"Ah, there's one!" Sunny shouted to Graphite, pointing towards a small garden area, no bigger than a few couple metres.
In the middle lied the pump, the look of which came to no surprise to Graphite. It was a small cast iron rod that stuck out of the middle of the garden and stood around chest height; there was a spout in the front for the water to come out and a long handle on the opposite end that was the pump. The design could be no simpler, just one large rod, a cap at the top to keep the water from leaking, and a few bolts to keep everything in place. The thing was old and rusted, Graphite was unsure there was still water to be pumped out of it.
"It isn't much, but it's our only shot," She said, walking behind the pump and gripping the handle.
Graphite unlaced his canteen from his belt, placing it under the spout and letting Sunny know to start pumping with a nod. She lifted the handle up as far is could go and then pressed down - the handle would barely budge. She jerked and hammered the handle, but it wouldn't move. Graphite walked up aside of her, giving her the canteen as he rubbed his hooves together before grabbing the pump.
He jumped up, jamming the handle downward. It squeaked a bit, moving down about an centimetre. Sunny looked over, holding the canteen under the spout and shaking it impatiently. Graphite bit down on the pump, pulling it down only to make his mouth sore. Graphite held his jaw for a moment, then wiped his lips; he gripped the handle with his magic and used all his willpower to force it down. The pump started to creak loudly, the body of the pump starting to bend, and the handle still not budging. He eased a bit - Sunny waiting a few steps away from the squealing pump - he grabbed the handle again and jerked the pump with his telekinesis, pulling the handle down and cracking the cap off the pump.
Water spewed from the cap, the handle just fell off its hinges. The spray of water died down quickly, turning into a light trickle down the side. Sunny placed the top of the canteen against the rod and held it in place as the drips slowly filled the canteen.
Graphite came from around the backside of the pump, shaking his head and rubbing some water droplets from his face, "There we go. It just needed a little elbow grease."
"Good work, Graphite, that elbow grease of yours broke some pony's only water source," Sunny mentioned.
Graphite grabbed the empty bottles from his bag, holding them to the trail of water too, "Ah, there's no pony out here - no need to worry."
They filled their bottles until the spout stopped pouring, packing away whatever they had filled, "That'll be fine, we have enough for a while there," Graphite added.
"Good, let's get going now - we don't need anymore delays," Sunny affirmed, closing her saddlebag tight.
Graphite already started heading out, leaving the small garden square, "Sounds good to me."
The duo set out again, bags full and now just the more heavier. They walked along side by side, taking in unfamiliar sights, talking about what they saw and what they want to see, and even just sharing a silence together. The trip out of town was one pony less lonely. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 14: Hurt | Graphite and Sunny trumped their way out of Rossmore and started heading deeper downtown. The areas between there and deep downtown was laid out in a trail - a trail of the ruins of Buckago. There was no gate behind the town of Rossmore, it seemed no pony dared to venture any further into the city. There must have been a wall there, an invisible one that nothing could cross; but the duo managed to push through that wall, using the strength of their ignorance. They were too caught up sharing stories and seeing the sights to notice that imaginary wall between the town and the outskirts. They traveled a while, the tacky shacks and tumbled homes were starting to return to large hotels and long skyscrapers that teased the clouds.
The buildings were ripped and torn, the holes started to encompass whole sections and worse. The rubble piled together on the streets, making entire urban mountains in the middle of downtown. They trekked around the debris, slipping through the rocks and continuing down the same straight and narrow road. The roads in the city were all the same, fortunately; they never had to worry about wondering off a road that stretched in one direction for miles.
They passed a few stores along the way, none of them in any shape to be sorted through. The stores one of few things: they were abandoned, along with anything that was inside; they were empty, someone came in and took everything they could carry out; they were destroyed completely, the insides filled with the floor above or just stuffed with trash and loose objects. The display windows were either shattered inward or blown outward; either way, the glass was scattered somewhere on the floor.
As they traversed through downtown, the buildings just got taller. Hotels were now hotels on top of hotels; the skyscrapers went into the sky and beyond; even the small buildings were big, the smallest one being no less than three stories high. Graphite was used to the urban distopia, having passed through one just like it. Sunny, on the other hoof, hadn't been outside of Rossmore in the last few years - left re-exploring the terrain of the city. She looked up and down the tall buildings, inspecting all of their details; all of their cracks; all the holes and gaps or even the whole sections that have fallen away from them. She also viewed the skyscrapers that were rearing overhead. The skyscrapers were part of the backdrop back in town, but now Sunny was right underneath them and seeing just how high they climbed.
They moved on further and further, going deeper and deeper into the downtown area. The buildings started shifting from hotels and apartments to stores and small restaurant corners. They passed a few blocks of stores that seemed intact, but just as cleared out as before. The signs that hung above the stores were now sitting on the ground, covered in dust, or blown in two by the blast. They pressed on, Graphite ignored the stores and started focusing on the trail; Sunny's eyes were wondering back and forth, when she noticed one store with a sign still hanging above it. She faltered away from the trail, the clops of her hoofsteps stepping away caught the ear of Graphite.
"What is it, Sunny," Graphite wondered, following behind her.
Sunny didn't respond, her eyes were fixed on this one store with the sign above it. She slowly made her way to the window panel with the display stand behind it; on the display case were two naked mannequins, standing in a pose as if they were trying to advertise their dress that wasn't there. Graphite came beside her, looking into the empty shop. He placed his hoof on the window, blocking the glare and looking deeper into the shop - empty, without even a shelf to fill the space. Sunny sighed, her eyes locked on the posing mannequin.
"It would have been so nice to have a dress - they just seem so lovely," Sunny murmured to Graphite.
"I don't think I've seen any real clothes out here in this wasteland; everyone seems to be following the trend of leather or iron," Graphite replied back.
"Well, there isn't much else to wear, Graphite.You know, I've always dreamed of being in a dress. I guess I won't be getting that opportunity any time soon..." Sunny sighed again, trotting back to the road.
Graphite watched her go a bit in her sorrow, blowing out a sigh as well. Soon, they both reached each other again, and were hitting the road. They followed the road block after block, the buildings just got grayer - the sun didn't help with that. The sun was starting to set, the sky morphing from blue to orange seamlessly and without fault. The skyscrapers teased the sun at their highest points, any close and the buildings would scrape the sun. The rays beamed between the hotels and stores and restaurants, shining down on the companions' eyes. They covered their eyes, and moved on, nothing was going to stop them.
Sunny still was a bit down about the dress, Graphite couldn't imagine Sunny without her smile, and wasn't going to see it now, "So, what kind of dress did you want, Sunny?" He asked, turning away from the sun.
Sunny thought for a moment before turning to Graphite, "Well, I've always imagined it to be something frilly, but elegant - something lady like. Like something... you wear to one of those big parties they had back before the war..."
"...A gala?"
Sunny clapped her hooves, smiling, "That's it! A gala! I've always wanted a dress I could wear to a gala - but, like I said, that's not going to happen any time soon," she dropped her head, losing her smile.
Graphite lifted her chin from the floor, looking back at her eyes, "You never know what you can find out here, Sunny - don't worry. I'm sure there's a dress out there somewhere in the ruins."
Sunny smiled once more, just a tad bit of confidence went through her; but it was enough to lift her spirits, "Maybe we can find you a dress too," She giggled.
"I've never tried a dress on, I might look in it better in it than you," Graphite joked back.
Sunny knocked Graphite on his shoulder again, "Oh shut it!" She kidded.
They traveled more and more down the streets, there seemed to be no end to this road. The buildings grew larger more, and larger more, and larger more - the city was surely the greatest feet of engineering in Equestria.
"I did have a nice uniform, Sunny," Graphite stated after the short silence.
"Uniform, eh? Something for the military, I'm guessing?"
"Yeah, it was a um... navy blue overcoat with gold buttons and cuff-links. It had our insignia on the upper arm and whatever medals we happen to have received were displayed on its chest. It was very nice and very clean - it was part of the routine to make sure our dress uniform was in pristine condition."
"That does sound ni-" Sunny was interrupted when Graphite groaned then grabbed his head, "-Graphite, are you okay?" She worried.
He leaned on Sunny, who was keeping him up on his left two legs. He gripped his head tighter and gnashed his teeth, "I- grr- I'm fine, just... a headache..." He grunted.
Sunny pulled Graphite to the curb, letting him sit himself down on the edge of the sidewalk with Sunny's arm around his shoulder, "That's a pretty mean headache then, Graphite," Sunny proposed.
Graphite rested his head in his hooves, blowing out deep breaths as the pain eased away - a memory was easing in where the pain had left.
There was another street Graphite was traveling down, though it was dusk and the buildings lining the street were small suburban houses. His vision shot, blurrier than going through a blizzard. His walk was teetering and tottering, unable to keep a straight line as he marched down the road mumbling to himself. He was wearing his dress uniform, tattered and unfit for service in any corps. He trumped on through the middle of the sidewalk.
Graphite drunkenly trotted with no real direction or destination. His walk took him wherever he swayed, even if it was right into another pony. He was stopped by a wall-like stallion almost twice the height and twice the girth of Graphite. Graphite tilted his head upward, blabbering to him drunkenly, "Watch where ya' goin'!"
The large stallion looked down to Graphite, his voice booming in his ears, "Whoa there, I think that you better go home before you hurt yourself. I can hel-"
"Shut up! Don't tell me what to do!" Graphite mumbled, swinging his bottle of beer around as he talked.
"Listen, I'm trying to help you buddy," The stallion pressed on, going to grab Graphite to keep him falling over himself.
"Fuck you!" Graphite yelled as he pushed away the stallion's hooves and threw a staggered punch at him. The hit connected with the stallions chin, barely knocking him back even a bit.
The stallion fired back with a hoof out of nowhere. Graphite was in a stupor after the first punch, his drunken memory keeping him from remembering anything of the rest of the fight. Graphite was finished, looking down the front end of an alleyway as the hulking stallion walked away into the dark night. Graphite looked down at himself, blood running from his nose, his arms bruised and sore.
Graphite popped out of the short flashback as a heard a voice, "Graphite, Graphite - are you okay? Answer me!" Sunny screamed, she sounded worried. He opened his eyes and took a look around his surroundings - nothing had changed. His head was still sore, his face was still buried in his hooves, and Sunny still had her hooves around Graphite.
"What, oh- yes. I'm fine, Sunny. I just get bad headaches... whenever... whenever I have memories - it's a side effect of the freezing, if I remember correctly."
"Are there any more 'side effects' I need to know about before we get going, Graphite?" She said while she lifted Graphite up by his arm.
Graphite got back on his four hooves, dusting his leggings off a bit before he got back on the road, "No," He stated.
She patted his back, stepping ahead, "Alright then, we can get going."
"Good, it's getting late anyways," Graphite muttered.
They went back on the trail of asphalt and debris, following it with more focus than a cat on the trail of a mouse. They never stopped moving - there was no reason to stop - stopping would just be a waste of valuable time that Graphite and Sunny need to keep track of. The sun had touched the horizon of the town, the duo was going to need to find a good place to camp out soon. Another few blocks, and another few empty buildings later, they reached an intersection. They neared the start of the intersection, when the sound of armor plates jingling came from the left road, right next to them.
They finally found a reason to stop when a gang of five griffons came marching through. All of them wore a set of black combat armor, with a white eagle talon on the chest. He remembered where he had seen similar uniforms before.
Graphite held Sunny back with his hoof, pushing her back gently. The five griffons came up to them, a noticeable stomp in their step as they tried to make themselves look tougher. The leader stopped just a few steps from Graphite, the rest of his followers stopping just before him.
"Well, now... you're that bastard that killed our guys back at the pharmacy, aren't you? We're not going to just let that slide without some proper punishment. Now, if you will just stand still, we can be done with this as quick as possible."
At his last grumbled word, they all brought their weapons out. The leader pulled his rifle out, a long barreled gun with wood grips that were starting to split; the two griffons behind him equipped shotguns, one double barreled and loaded for anything while the other was a stubby pump shotgun with no stock and only a sling to hold it around the griffon's body. The two behind them had a short revolver that was held together with some black tape and the other held a blunt machete. Graphite whipped out the only weapon he had for close range - his knife.
The shotgunners came from around the leader, firing both their guns off simultaneously - sending a hail of bullets flying at Graphite and Sunny. Graphite pushed Sunny away with his telekinesis as he rolled away in the opposite direction. The bullets diced through his duster, cut through the seams of Sunny's saddlebag, and continued to scatter forward until the buildings or the street stopped them. Graphite stopped his roll, his body stopping right on the curb before he flung himself forward towards the first shotgunner.
Graphite jumped just as he pumped his gun, pushing the gun away when the trigger pulled. Graphite tackled the griffon to the road, bring his knife around for the stab.
The second shotgunner turned his sights from Sunny to Graphite, stuffing the shells into his shotgun barrels.
Sunny was on the ground, trying to get her head around on what was going on. She had her hoof to her head, looking up to find Graphite on top of one of the Talons, with the other taking aim for him. She remembered her carbine, swinging the gun around her and holding it against her hip with her hoof. She squeezed the trigger, firing off a burst of bullets.
The crowd of bullets traveled their way to the second shotgunner, hitting his chest twice, and once to the bottom of his neck.
The shotgunner dropped his gun, falling to the floor while he grasped the bullet wound in his neck.
Graphite struggled to land a blow with his knife, when he noticed a shotgun hitting the floor.
The first shotgunner took notice of Graphite's loss of focus and threw him off his chest with a swift kick using both his legs.
Graphite flew back, landing flank first on the pavement as his target started to pick himself up. The shotgun was still on the ground, so Graphite redirected his focus on the gun. Graphite lifted it up, throwing his knife at the gunner as a distraction just before firing both barrels of the shotgun into the back of the griffon - blowing enough holes in him to turn his torso into mincemeat.
Sunny got up from the pavement, carbine still in tow. The leader of the pack was retreating behind the cover of his last two remaining colleagues.
The mad griffon wielding the machete was rushing passed the cowardly leader and making his way towards Graphite screaming a cry of war.
Graphite was starting to crawl away on his back, trying with all of his effort to reload the shotgun. He picked the shells from the dying owner and popped the barrels down.
The griffon was getting closer, with Graphite not any closer to finishing his loading cycle. Sunny charged forward as well, firing off another round of bursts.
Shots were flying everywhere, the sounds of griffons yelling with rage and screaming in agony, the loud pops and bangs of the guns going off and shell casings dinging and pinging against the street. Adrenaline was flowing through the leader, but his only response was not fight, but flight. He panicked starting to flutter his wings to pick off and soar away.
Sunny's fire of rounds knocked the marauder with the machete and knocked him to the ground, switching her aim to the griffon with the revolver.
He was in a panic as well, trying to decide who to pick off first. He quivered and flinched wildly, swapping his aim from Sunny to Graphite to Sunny to Graphite again.
Graphite flipped the barrels back into place, lining them with the bamboozled griffon holding the revolver.
He dropped his gun and tried to split the scene, but he was already drained of his blood when the pellets made their way through him.
He dropped down as the leader flew up, overtaking Sunny and Graphite as he zoomed away.
Sunny ran closer, trying to catch him - but it was too late. He was flying off, but she still took careful aim, going for a lucky shot at the leader. She stared down the iron sights, gripping the gun strong and hoping for the best.
The griffon was far and away from his two targets, but then a piercing pain came about him. His wing stiffened, then cringed - Sunny had clipped his wings.
He lost control of his flight; spinning around, tumbling downward, hitting the corner of a building, and hit the ground - making a small plume of dust from his little crater.
Graphite took a seat on the ground, blowing out a deep sigh, "Are... are you alright, Sunny?"
Sunny lowered her gun, panting heavily, "Y-yeah, I'm fine..."
"Nice shot," Graphite admired, wiping some sweat from his head.
"Thanks," She said back with a sigh.
The two ponies took in a few breaths of air just before they started picking through the Talon members. They grabbed their guns from the ground, picking them up and stuffing them into their bags. They barely fit, and there was still sorting to do. They filed through the spare rounds, the extra healing potion, some scraps of leftover food, and any thingamajig that looked useful. They dug through all their armour and anything around their belts or in their pockets. Sunny and Graphite stripped them clean, leaving nothing behind except the clothes on their back. When they found they had finished, they looked to the sun - it was just barely peeking through the horizon. They were going to need to find a place to stay the night before it got too dark. After counting their things, and tightening the straps on their bags, they set off in the same direction they were going.
Down the same street again, covered by the shade of the buildings and the ever receding light of the passing sun. They pressed on through the darkness, looking up and down the buildings for a place to stay. They pondered a bit as they marched down the road; the buildings looked like safe place to stay from the outside, but on the inside, there was no telling what lay await inside - or if there was an inside that hadn't already caved in on itself. The smaller shops were empty, cold, and unprotected from anything such as another gang of raiders or just the natural beasts that probably lurked in the night. They thought it well over - both of them wondering if sleeping outside was safer than sleeping inside.
It was getting late, and the duo was slowing down thanks to their exhaustion. They went ahead and took the next alleyway to appear as their campsite. They found one, just between an old pawn shop and another larger building. The pawn shop was boarded off, there was no way to get inside or even look inside without seeing splintered wood. The building adjacent was no different than all the other collapsed structures that were scattered across Buckago.
The alley was the same just as any other, a dumpster laying at the end, a few extra tin trash cans, some loose litter along the sides of the walls, a layer of grime on the walls, and a finer layer of dust to top it all off. The sun had just set over Buckago, the alley would be pitch black if it wasn't illuminated by Graphite's horn. They gathered the bits of trash and dug out some papers and brown bags to create a makeshift fire. They gathered it into a small pile and started the fire with Graphite's lighter. It was slow to start -- garbage isn't easy to burn. A few embers and a flicker of a fire later, the fire started. Graphite and Sunny gathered around their small fire as they lied down on the dirty alleyway ground.
Sunny was lying on her back just looking up at the stars, Graphite was on his stomach, grabbing some cans of vegetable soup from his bag and popping them open with his knife. He popped the can open, bringing the rim of the can to his lips, when Sunny stopped him, "Are you going to eat that raw?"
Graphite had the can already tilted and the broth of the soup resting against the edge of the can. He tilted back down, turning to Sunny, "Well, yeah - why not?"
"Why don't you cook it? At least give the thing some flavour! I know anything from the markets in Rossmore aren't the best, but that doesn't mean you have to make it worse."
"Well, Sunny," Graphite said, waving the can near the fire, "How are we supposed to cook it?"
"Just put it over the fire for a while and taste it until you think it's warm enough for you," She instructed and smiled, "Warmth even helps to bring back the flavour a bit!"
"Seems easy enough," Graphite replied while he waved the can over the fire - holding it there with his levitation.
Graphite kept his focus on the can, hovering it just above the flames. The can bobbed up and down as Graphite started losing focus to exhaustion and boredom. He was getting impatient; he brought the can over to his mouth, taking a small sip. It hadn't warmed even a bit, so he brought it back over the fire and groaned. Sunny snickered, turning her head back to the stars. Graphite notice her star gazing and decided to join her. He rolled over, placing his hooves right behind his head and staring upward towards the space bound bodies of light. They twinkled and twinkled well, they were as bright as they could be taking over the responsibility to light Equestria when the sun went down. The stars were a nice sight, but nothing to keep Graphite entertained. He checked the soup again - still cold.
Graphite blew a short sigh before rolling back to his stomach. He paused to think what to do next; he decided to inspect his new found weapons. He pulled the pump shotgun from the bag, wiggling it free from the two guns that were wedged around it.
The shotgun seemed to be in the best condition from all of their new found weapons. He flipped it over and around, twisted and turned, inspecting all the details of it. Barely a scratch or a ding, Graphite was going to keep this weapon around. He grabbed the other shotgun from his bag, this one laid a lot to be desired. The grip was split down the middle, the wood splintered where it wasn't split. The barrels were rusted and ready to fall off after another shot; but, they would make good scraps - Graphite could use this pile of bits for bits on another gun that needed it.
He gathered the other weapons he collected - the rifle, the revolver, and even the machete. He laid them out in front of him, getting a good view of each part and every detail of the guns. He had never seen weapons so withered and uncared for, there was nothing to be done with these weapons other than spare parts.
Graphite started to field-strip the weapons to see what parts could be used in his guns. Some parts of the firing mechanism from the double barrel shotgun were good enough to replace the ones in the pump action one. It was hard replacing the parts using only his magic, but it seemed like a weapon maintenance kit was very unlikely to survive the storm of balefires. He was left tearing and tugging some parts off the guns, sometimes ruining the piece even more. He sorted through and through again, tossing bits and bobs and screws around.
Sunny was still laying back, when a nice smell swept passed her nose -- It wasn't the best smell she's sniffed, but it was certainly better than the rotted dumpster laying behind them. She turned about to the fire, watching as the can of soup was starting to steam. She closed her eyes and let the smell waft in her nostrils and heat her senses. After letting that smell sink in, she turned to Graphite, who was overly preoccupied with his tinkering to notice the soup was ready. Sunny would have grabbed the can herself if she had the magic to grab something that hot; but, instead, she just whistled at Graphite to grab his attention.
Graphite's ears perked, turning to Sunny like a satellite. He joined his ears as they turned, picking his head from the guns to see Sunny smiling over - her head pointing over to the steaming can. Graphite grinned, bringing the can out of the fire before it boiled over and the two of them would have to start biting down on burnt bits of broccoli and shriveled carrots. Graphite brought the can under his nose, sniffing the steam into his nose and letting the smell abide his senses. He took a sip from the can, flinching a bit when the hot soup touched his lips. He took a quick sip, bringing the can away from the fire and cringing, "Ahg! It's a little hot," Graphite humoured as he held his burnt tongue.
Sunny chuckled a bit, scooting the can just a bit further from the fire, "Maybe we can let it cool down a bit?" She grinned, gluing her eyes back on the star field above.
Graphite nodded, "Of course."
Sunny took a kind bit of enjoyment looking out at the stars, and Graphite couldn't determine why. He took his time, staring at Sunny herself. He watched her with big, cheery smile; her soft features; and her odd ability to beam joy wherever she was. Graphite took a moment of pause - was he falling for Sunny?
Sunny was simply sunny. Her personality was always upbeat and uplifting. She was as beautiful as a mare could get, the softest features on her face and eyes that brought about a smile if you hadn't already had one from her jubilant voice. Graphite continued to admire her from a distance, a smile stuck on his face like-
"-Graphite?" Sunny bounded in on Graphite's thoughts, turning to look at Graphite again.
Graphite looked away, staring as quickly as he could at the twinkling stars, "Um, yes?" He stammered.
"You know, when you look up at the stars, you see there's thousands of stars everywhere. All of them just scattered across the sky... then there's you. One star in one point in one sky, surrounded by tens by dozens by thousands stars and more. Out of all those stars up there, there's one other star for you - but, now you have to find it. You go from one to the other looking for the one. Then, you start to see that all those stars are the same - they're all just balls of light on the outside. So how do you find the one-?"
"-I don't know," Graphite interceded.
"It was a rhetorical question, Graphite, let me finish," Sunny cleared her throat and continued, "Okay. Well, when you find out that all the stars are the same on the outside, you find that you can only find the one for you is truly bright on the inside."
"So...?"
"I'm saying it doesn't matter what you are on the outside, it only matters how you are on the inside, Graphite."
"Well that makes sense, Sunny - but, what are you trying to tell me?"
She took a deep breath, "I guess I just have something on my mind I wanted to let out..."
Graphite was silent, still confused.
"Have you ever lost someone?"
Graphite turned back to the stars, his heart almost sinking to his stomach. The memory of his parents came up suddenly. Graphite sighed, closing his eyes as the thoughts swirled through his head. He took but a short moment, before answering calmly, "Yes..."
Sunny sighed too, pausing to remember the moments. She turned back to the heavens, "Well, Graphite, let me tell you a story... I was sitting in my home, back in... Southern Buckago. I was just sitting there waiting, waiting with my dog Nerro - a um, black hound I got as a gift - my loved one Sierra was out scavenging together with some other ponies that lived nearby. I was sitting there waiting... and waiting... and waiting... it usually takes about a day- or two at the most, but I was there waiting halfway through the week. With each day I became more and more worried. By the end of the week, I decided to go looking for Sierra myself. I checked with the ponies that did come back from the scavenger team; turned out that they got ambushed in some old office building and they were separated. I set out immediately, wasting no spare time to prepare myself. I grabbed my pistol then went on to the last place the scavenging party was seen. I wondered around the ruins for weeks until I found the building where they last saw Sierra I waded around the building for a long while and eventually, got lost. While looking for an exit, I found a supply closet - a trail of blood leading either to or from it. I trotted to the supply closet, my pistol right beside me. I grabbed the handle, threw open the lockers and inside..."
Sunny stopped, holding back a fountain of tears and expressing her feeling with a single drop down her cheek. She sniffled, then stammered, "In-inside... was Sierra half decayed and stiff laying inside some metal box. The last thing left was a few pills laying scattered across the bottom of the box and a small tin cassette case in the pale hooves. This holodisk was the last thing to remember my loved one by - and I don't even know how to read it. I don't have anything to play it with, but I've kept it with me ever since that day..." Sunny slid that same holodisk from her saddlebag and showed it to Graphite. It had a bit of rust on the corner, but it still seemed like it would work.
Graphite looked at the cassette, then at his Pip-Buck. It was worth a shot to try and play the recording on his Pip-Buck. he grabbed the cassette from Sunny, who was only slightly resistant in giving it up. He brought it over the Pip-Buck's screen - to no avail. He peeked down at the case, then turned it over. The screen blinked, turning red and flashing the word, 'SCANNING...' A red light was lit up underneath some tinted plastic, there also seemed to be another little red light underneath the same type of plastic on the holodisk. The tapes on the disk began to spin, and the screen on the Pip-Buck flashed green reading out, 'SCAN COMPLETE'. The holodisk's light also lit green, and the speaker started transmitting the recording.
A voice came on, muffled by the poor quality recording and the heavy panting that came between every other word.
"O-okay, it looks like I got this thing working. I know that some pony from our family will find this message eventually. When you do, please give this to Sunny. She'll want to know what's happened to me.
I got separated from the group when those... things ambushed us. In all of the confusion, I lost my weapon and now- well - it looks like I'm screwed. I did find some painkillers in this supply closet; I have an idea, so those things won't eat me alive.
We've been through some tough times, and I'm glad that we've managed to stay by each others side. I'm glad that you've always been there to cheer me up. I'm glad you've been there ever since we first met back when we were fillies, and when we were together playing with all the other foals... hah... and heh- you always were the sunshine of my life...
I never told you, but... that one nightmare night? On the rooftops? There - that's when I fell in love with you.
Goodbye Sunny. I love you..."
Sierra sniffled her tears, then the sound of pills juggling about inside a container. The cap popped open and the pills poured out of it. After that, the recording stopped, ending abruptly at that moment. The atmosphere - silent, empty, then sorrowful. Sunny began to cry, sobbing over the recording as she tried wiping away her tears, only to find another river would come back to fill in the wipe. Graphite removed the holodisk from his Pip-Buck, setting it gently on the ground next to Sunny. She didn't notice, her eyes were too filled with tears to see. Graphite tried to comfort her the best to his ability. He scooted closer to her, patting her back as she wept over her loved one.
He stayed there, rubbing and patting Sunny's back for as long as she wept. The night pressed on, growing colder underneath the cries of poor Sunny. The tears did die down, but only after who knows how long. Graphite stayed by Sunny's side until she finally came about. There was still time in the night, maybe a good night's sleep could help her ease out of the pain of hearing her loved one's last words. Graphite was getting sleepy, but he had to stay up as long as Sunny did to keep her company through her tough time. Graphite was kept up only by the will to keep by Sunny's side and the bit of sorrow he was feeling seeing Sunny cry like this. She's usually as bubbly as a kitten, but now she was just as sad if that kitten had lost it's owner.
The mare was starting to get sleepy as well, the tears slowly transitioned to sniffles then to a pout, eventually leading into her eyes getting heavy and her body slowly falling down and down. She fell unto Graphite's shoulder, resting delicately on him - she had cried herself to sleep. Graphite didn't mind; he just lied down slowly, making sure Sunny wouldn't fall or slip off his side. He made it to the ground, Sunny still on his shoulder, and closed his eyes - letting the exhaustion take his mind away from the night to sleep. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 15: Like a Soldier | "Dear Dad,
Sorry that I haven't written to you in a while, but I am in action you know. Me and the rest of the guys are constantly on patrols or on the lookout. Finding a few minutes of peace seems to be an unreachable dream.
A few days ago I had my first kill when a zebra ambushed me on a patrol. I can't really say that I am proud of it though. It all happened so sudden - one second I see his striped face jumping at me and the next he's lying dead in front of me and I have his blood on my hooves. At the base they said that I've killed an Imperial Marine. I guess that it's supposed to be some kind of a relief that I didn't kill some poor fella who got drafted against his own will.
I know that mama is still angry for me volunteering, but please try and talk some sense into her. I get a g-"
Graphite was interrupted mid-sentence of his letter, Blue Jay had grabbed his shoulder and was shouting to him, "We've got Zebras coming down the creek!"
Blue Jay turned around to the other end of the foxhole, digging himself in as the zebras came pouring out of the jungle just across the creek. Graphite grabbed his rifle which was sitting just beside him, and joined up with Jay to take out the incoming forces. The two had their own foxhole that sat in the middle of two other foxholes the rest of the team had dug along that portion of the creek. The one on the right had a machine gun mounted on a tripod with two stallions standing by to operate, the one on the left was just a team of three ponies with the usual rifles and a sub-machine gun. The foxholes had a small - not even a wall - but surrounding of sandbags only about two bags high.
The zebras were coming out from the opposite side of the creek, coming out one by twos then fives, using the one tactic they enjoyed the most - charge. The strategy was a simple one, but sometimes you don't need to go any farther than a dozen zebras all coming out you guns blazing and voices high to take down a defense. The force swept into the creek just as fast as it took to jump out the brush of the jungle. They jumped into the water, splashing water high and almost using it as a cover to hide them from the ponies shooting at them.
The ponies shooting at them were left in a daze - zebras from the left and zebras from the right, zebras coming down the middle - the shear numbers was confusing and hard to manage. The machine gun teams tried to focus all their ammo down the middle, but Graphite and Blue Jay had the same plan; the left team was focused on the zebras on the left and the right was left open to attack.
Graphite was in a further daze than any other pony on the side of the creek; his head was troubled with that memory of savagely murdering a zebra with his own rusty blade. There's was no greater guilt on Graphite's mind than that moment; but, with dozens upon dozens of zebras shooting out from the jungle, Graphite was going to have to drop that burden then and there and start murdering zebras again.
He gripped his rifle tight, but he was shaking like a leaf with stress and couldn't get his crosshairs steady long enough to hit a tree in the forest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping the fact he was still breathing could help him ease that awful memory out of his head. He took aim down his scope once more, and fired - one zebra felt a bullet travel through his heart before he collapsed into the water of the creek.
Two zebras had made it across the river from the right side, the bayonets on the end of their rifles sliced through the machine gun team and now they were coming down the line of foxholes to finish the job. Blue Jay slid to the right across his foxhole and started firing rounds down the side at the two chargers coming this way; Graphite had his sights still down the creek, protecting the middle as more zebras came out the jungle; the team on the left was starting to lose ponies - and with only three, it wasn't long before that group had been cleaned out by the zebras.
It was now up to Graphite and Blue Jay to filter out the remaining forces. The zebras had cleared the left and right, and were still coming down the middle. Two ponies guarding three sides wouldn't end well. The two ponies still fought on without any slip of grace, picking off one zebra after the other, slowly but surely clearing the creek of intruders.
It seemed for every zebra killed, two more would jump from the jungle to take his place. Graphite and Jay were running through ammo faster than the MG could fire of one of its ammo boxes. Graphite was out of .308 ammo and was down to use Blue Jay's spare pistol. The duo was getting ever closer to their demise. The bodies of dead zebras were making their way ever closer to their foxhole and the bullets whizzed ever closer to their heads.
They fought and fought for what seemed like days; but after the last zebra had fallen dead in the body of the creek, and the last cartridge had hit the bottom of the foxhole, it was over. Graphite and Blue Jay both dropped their weapons, then dropped to the ground. It had only been about an hour's firefight - but a firefight it was, and it had Graphite and Jay left panting and beat. Blue Jay had paused just long enough to get back up, and step out of the foxhole, "I'll... I'll go call in reinforcements... Y-you stay here, Graphite- guard the creek just in case more decide to show up," Blue Jay ordered before running off to forward base that was just a hike back.
Graphite just saluted, too tired to speak a word over his panting. Jay grabbed his gun before taking a running start and taking off back to the base. Graphite watched him fly off for just a moment before he slumped deeper into the trench; his mind filling with doubts. It was just a few days ago that he had killed his first zebra, and just a few moments ago he had killed twenty and more - but this is what he had signed up for when he joined the military. He knew that going into service would mean he would have to kill a zebra or two, but it never occurred to him that it would happen to him - or that it would feel this agonizing when he had finished. He started to question himself - he was a sharpshooter; he was hoof-picked out of hundreds of other soldiers specifically for his ability to kill others with precision and without fault. He had killed countless lives in that one foxhole, but it was to protect others; but the only way to protect the lives of these few ponies was to take the lives of many more; but these lives taken had families of their own. Graphite couldn't take this madness in his head. He slapped his hooves against his face and sighed, taking his mind away from itself by looking down the creek.
In the creek, floating and bobbing along the unsettled surface of the water, lay the bodies of the zebras; the creek running red with their blood. Not a single zebra that came out of that jungle lived to tell the tale. The silence of the dead did not make for good company for the lonely stallion sitting in his foxhole. He kept his eyes shut and his ears closed; he didn't want to look down that red river any longer than he had to, nor did he want to even acknowledge it.
Graphite looked over to his side. In the foxhole next to him lied the dead machine gun crew and the two zebras who managed to make it across. All of the bodies were riddled with bullets from Blue Jay's sub-machine gun. The only thing which distinguished them from each other now was what was left of their uniforms. They were shredded and stained red, their bodies no different. Graphite took a peek down the other side of his foxhole, the team of three were all lying dead in their trench as well. There was no telling which one of those bodies sitting at the bottom of that foxhole was pony or zebra - their fur was covered in red blood and their uniforms were ripped apart by the storm of bullets and rounds. It didn't take long to notice all these dead bodies that seemed to abound a war zone were all alike - no matter if it was pony or zebra, they all bled - and their blood was everywhere. What was war to prove other than how many ponies can we kill off in 'x' amount of time.
Graphite needed to get his mind off these thoughts before he ended up deciding to join the crowd of sunken swimmers that were making their way down with the flow of the creek. He sunk all the way down into his foxhole, tilting his helmet over his eyes and looking at nothing but the darkness of the inside of his helmet. He wasn't going to look away from his own dark cave until Blue Jay came back around to free him from this hellhole. Now, with nothing to look at, his mind was free to wonder again. He came to a thought of his parents - what did they make of all of this? He was confident they did not approve of him signing up for the army; but now that their only son had gone to fight in a war, did his parents think any better of him? They could be proud of his bravery, or despise his risk of self. At that time, another thought - a short term memory. He peeked from his helmet even though he told himself he wouldn't, and looked to the back of his foxhole.
Graphite's letter to his parents was sitting crumpled under the dirt, one line scratched across it when Jay interrupted him mid-word. It seemed appropriate enough to go ahead and finish his letter before he mailed it home. He dug around for his pencil, then continued his letter.
"-I get a good-"
Graphite was thrown off once again by the same stallion from before - Blue Jay. He came down from his flight and landed just aside the edge of the foxhole and shouted out to Graphite, "Graphite! Come on, I called in for reinforcements, and they wanna see us."
Graphite dropped his pencil, folding his letter, and putting it deep into his jacket's pocket. Jay helped Graphite up from his foxhole, brushing off a few bits of dirt before they both went back to see the reinforcements. Jay lead Graphite hurriedly, it seemed whatever it was he needed was very important. It was only a short walk until they entered into the woods where a fairly large fire team was waiting behind an older pony. The gruff stallion was joined by a slightly younger stallion next to him, who was smoking a cigarette. The older stallion came up to the duo with a salute, "Second Lieutenant Threepwood - and might I say, you two did a fine job!" He announced to Graphite and Jay.
Graphite and Jay both saluted as he did, standing at better attention, "Thank you, sir!" They both replied in a shouted harmony.
"At ease, soldiers," The lieutenant commanded.
His eyes focused passed Graphite and Jay and went down through the woods to where the creek was just in sight. The bodies of the zebras could still be seen from that small view - there was enough of them lying dead for at least one of them to be seen at any distance. He looked back to Graphite and Jay, shooing away a nosey fly, "I'm guessing you two are to blame for all of that," He mentioned, his eyes pointed to the creek.
Graphite looked back to the creek, then back to the lieutenant, "I think so, sir," He answered.
"I see- well - that is a mighty fine job you two did, indeed," He paused for a moment before continuing, "Something like that deserves an award - consider yourselves promoted!"
He gave off another salute, before leaving them off with a nod and naming off their new ranks as Corporal Blue Jay and Private First Class for Graphite. The two saluted back, keeping their smiles repressed to keep their heroic demeanor about them. The lieutenant went on to the rest of the reinforcements, along with his companion with his cigarette still in his chapped lips. He hurried to the lieutenant, tapping him on his shoulder and mumbling a few sentences before he turned back to Jay and Graphite.
"...And one more thing," Threepwood added, "The boys here are from the Trottingham Regiment - you marines all get a free leave off this island," He gave a quick nod, along with his buddy, and went on into the crowd of soldiers standing by for orders.
The Trottingham didn't seem fit to watch the jungle, in Graphite's mind. They seemed to high standard for any normal, grizzled soldier to handle the jungle. Their uniforms were new, tidy, and intact instead of old, battered, and beaten. They were almost happy to be here; they shared smiles and laughs, telling stories about their vacation to the Triolet Islands. Graphite hoped they'd realize the middle of the war zone wasn't the best vacation spot in the world - but, at the same time, hoped the newcomers wouldn't be blown to bits on the first day.
Their weapons seemed to fit their persona as well, looking as fresh as they the day they came off the assembly line. They also seemed to be brand new - weapons Graphite hadn't seen any of the marines use. It was long and boxy, the grip and handle made of a smooth wood; the remaining ends of the gun were a black steel that was clean cut, unlike the shanty cuts of the sub-machine guns; the magazine was also at the back of the gun instead of right ahead of the trigger - a very odd design to Graphite. Graphite turned away from the new arrivals, the last thought of them being the most likely outcome of them becoming dead on arrival.
Jay turned to Graphite; a big smile on his face and his hoof extended out - a hoofshake seemed appropriate for just this occasion. Graphite grabbed his friend's hoof and shook it firmly, sharing the hardy smile with Jay. Blue Jay pulled Graphite closer to pat him on the back, before he went off to wherever he was heading. Graphite stayed back a moment to breath. He looked back to the creek, then up at the sky, the sun was shining brighter and brighter in his eyes.
Just two more days until the boat arrived to take them home, and Graphite was grabbing all his supplies and stuffing them inside a green, burlap duffel bag that he came to the island with. He was joined by some other marines, just as eager to pack their things and jump the island as Graphite was. They were stuffing things in their bags without any pause between items, hoping the sooner they pack the sooner they can leave. The boat was said to arrive just offshore of the eastern beach. Graphite was looking to get to the beach at eventually during the whenever time of day; it didn't to Graphite after seeing the message he had received just before he started packing.
"OW!" Screamed Graphite in pain as he retracted his hoof, waking from his dream.
A burning pain had hit his hoof - his hoof trailed just too close to their campfire while he was sleeping and was about to burn the tip of his hoof off. Graphite shook his hoof, hoping the pain would numb off or maybe the wind made from the shaking would cool it off. He put his hoof tip in his mouth a bit then shook it again, placing the hoof against his stomach and holding it there until the burning went away. He closed his eyes again, trying to get back to sleep again.
Graphite brought his helmet down over his eyes with one hoof to block the sun from getting in his eyes; his other hoof, holding the papers he had received from HQ -- he couldn't help but feel this slight heated feeling in this hoof as he held the papers. He was sitting on a wooden supply crate filled with .30 calibre rounds. Beside him. Sitting in the cool sand, was his duffel bag which was filled with everything he brought with him to that island and then some: a hygiene kit to keep up with everything he need to keep more or less clean on the island including some bars of soap and a toothbrush, his trusty .308 rifle he came out of sharpshooter training with, a spare pair of clothes, and some pretty seashells he came across while scouting the beaches. He was sitting on the beach on his crate, waiting for the boat to come by and pick him up off the island.
He was sitting on the shore, his hooves resting in the sand without movement in any direction. A sound of hoofsteps came treading through the sand, the stomps spreading the grains of sand under the hoof. Graphite looked at his hooves - a distinct lack of movement. He looked behind him - Blue Jay was walking towards him with a lot of movement. He was toting along with him a duffel bag similar to Graphite's, something of a standard. He came up beside Graphite, resting his hoof on his back, "Just a bit longer and we get a one way trip off this damn island. Can't wait to get back to Cloudsdale - right where my girl is waiting for me. I think I'll take her to a nice dinner... or maybe we can hit the club- I'm not sure. What about you, Graphite? Have any plans when we hop of the ship?"
Graphite sat still, his pose had him facing down the ocean's waves. He didn't turn to Jay, but he responded, "Well, I got some papers from command, they're- um... going to send me to special training."
Graphite's face seemed blank, Jay wasn't sure how Graphite felt about this - but he wasn't happy. Jay patted his back, "I'm sure you'll have fun," He joked, trying to cheer Graphite up. "I don't know much about that special ops stuff, but it has to be pretty... um- special, right?"
"I guess you're right about that one," Graphite grinned.
"Yep..." Blue Jay filled in the silence as he lied down on his back, resting down in the sand of the beach.
Graphite didn't want to tell him that he would never see his parents - it was straight to training right off the boat for him. Graphite sighed, the boat nowhere in sight. This gave Graphite more time to think of his parents - who were waiting eagerly for their only son to come home. They were going to hold their enthusiasm another while longer. He wasn't sure how long his 'special training' would last, but he had a gut feeling it wasn't going to be in a week's time. These thoughts always made their way back into his mind for whatever reason they found reason for. He stared down the ocean water, then up the horizon and to the skies where the sun was resting.
The morning sun was rearing it's bright eyes over Graphite and Sunny's heads. Graphite dimly looked up and around, a sudden awakening after sleeping in an alleyway was never the best of mornings. Sunny was still beside him; she was flinching slightly from the sun beating into her eyes, but she wasn't going to wake up without some extra help. Graphite leaned over, giving Sunny a light shake from her shoulder. Sunny sleepily swatted away Graphite's hoof, trying to tuck herself back into her arms. He shook her again, a bit more vigorously, telling her to wake up. Eventually, Sunny broke under Graphite's bothersome stress and woke up, flipping over on her back to find the sun was blazing in her eyes.
She brought her hoof over her eyes, blocking out the rays the best she could. Graphite got up from the floor, stretching out every limb he has - a few bones cracking back into place. After snapping his back into place, he let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes before kicking out whatever embers were still glowing from the fire. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 16: Old Time Feeling | Graphite had the can of vegetable soup in his spell, holding it near his mouth as he took it sip by sip. It was cold and slightly soggy, but it did taste better since they cooked it last night. He drank it down; but before he slurped it all down, he turned Sunny, who was sitting quietly just a scoot away.
Sunny didn't eat anything, even when Graphite offered. For the rest of the morning, she sat with the gray metal holotape clutched in her hooves. She looked at it as if the soul of her loved one was trapped in there - it might as well be, because she wasn't going to let it go.
It was painful for Graphite to see Sunny like this, even if he didn't show it on the outside. After he finished his can of soup, he remembered about the Pip-Buck's radio - perhaps some music could cheer up Sunny.
Graphite brought up his Pip-Buck and looked at the radio signals section. What he hadn't noticed was that a new radio station had appeared - '89.2 FM'. Graphite put in his earbud and switched to the station.
The station played a cheery rock'n'roll song instead of the usual jazz and swing on the other station. This song had no lyrics, just a cheery tune made up from a guitar, saxophone, set of drums, and ponies clapping their hooves together in unison. It was just the upbeat tempo that could cheer any pony up, and make a room dance along.
Graphite removed his bud from the Pip-Buck and let the music fill the alleyway. The sound wasn't that of a high quality since the recording was probably hundreds of years old, and his Pip-Buck wasn't really meant for playing stuff out loud.
The cheery music did make Sunny look up at Graphite who was looking back at her and bobbing his head in the rhythm of the music. She wasn't really amused by it and just sighed a low sigh. Sunny put the holotape back in her bag and looked over at her companion again.
"Listen, I'm sorry for what happened in the last evening. I didn't mean to flow out in emotions like that. Just that-"
"It's okay, Sunny. I understand," Graphite nodded, "I also have some ponies who I miss."
"Really...? Who?"
"Well, my friends from the army days. My mama and papa. The last I saw of them was my father's remains lying on his bed, and I never found out where my mother had gone. I'm positive my friends must be dead by now."
"Oh, I'm sorry..." Sunny frowned even further.
"Hey, it's okay. It happened long before you were even born," Graphite assured her and started to pack up the guns in his bag. "Listen, maybe we should go already. I think that this alleyway doesn't seem to bring up the best in us."
"I guess so..." Sunny groaned with a hung head as she also started to pack up.
Very soon, they were both ready to go and walked out on the street. Graphite left his radio on which kept playing some cheerful tunes to try and change their demeanor from low and hopeless to something just happy enough to get them through the day without feeling like it was the end of the world -- since that day had already come and gone.
The street looked just as abandoned as yesterday - and the day before. In the daylight, the area seemed different to Graphite; it seemed that if someone would bring up the map, he could pinpoint their location to the last inch. The city was open and bright, the sun's reflections off the few remaining glass windows of the large buildings just made the city brighter. After a few seconds of thinking, he turned to Sunny.
"Sunny, do you mind if we make a slight detour?"
"Um- sure, why not? We have all the time in the world right now, right?" Sunny said with a sad smile before blowing a short sigh.
"Cheer up, I think that you might like where we're heading," Graphite smiled meekly.
Graphite then took up the role of the leader and Sunny followed him with a face that could make a grown stallion cry. Graphite tried to not look at her, but didn't want to keep her secluded from their group of two. Graphite wouldn't say a word, just look back for a moment to check on her - maybe pass a quick smile if she noticed. The music continued to play, skipping a few seconds every now and again. They moved down the streets, the streets that continued to be overshadowed more and more by the ever larger buildings along the sides of it.
After doing a long bit of walking, they both came up to a large gray building. It seemed like it was about four or five stories high. The one building that stood out from the rest. The front was was riddled with Gaelic designs, the carvings were laced around a large, arched window that was stained in a volley of warm colours; the actual walls of the building were dim white bricks that were also covered in the lacy, criss-cross pattern; all the designs and fancy linings were all trumped by a large, bright red sign that hung over the entrance like a canopy. The sign itself was as regaling as the building - golden laces that traveled across the edges of the sign and along the linings of the letter board, the golden ridges were mixed together with fiery colours of red and orange that made up wave patterns along the top of the frontward letter board; all of the designs consisted of little lights that weren't going to turn on anytime soon. The bottom of the canopy's underside was also made of dozens of little lights that would never going to turn on seeing as they had all been shattered, their remnants carpeting the floor below. Above the sign hanging over the entrance hung another sign - a long, slender sign that went up the height of the building and was made up of the same fancy and fiery design of the canopy. Both signs had in big, bright, and bold letters the name 'Buckago'.
Graphite reached down to his noisy Pip-Buck, turning off the music before he opened the old wooden doors with a creak, entering into the building and letting Sunny go inside first.
"What is this place?" Sunny asked as she looked around.
"This is the Buckago theatre - or what's left of it."
The foyer was quite like a palace, the whole thing made of fine marble or red silk carpets. The inside had three stories available that could be accessed through one large staircase that was split into two sections by a golden rail that was capped off at the bottom by a marble end-piece - two golden rails were also going up each side of the staircase and customized in that regal Gaelic design. The foyer was very open, the second and third floor had catwalks that went around the middle of the room; the second floor had a marble railing along the ledge that was the same colour as the walls, while the third floor had a golden railing along the ledge. There were columns of marble that went up the corners of the room and along the sides that went up to the top of the building right before they were capped off along an edge and the rest was empty space for the large dome above. Below, in the middle of the room, was a large middle chandelier - it had fallen from it's chains years ago. It made a great centre piece, though, it would've looked nicer if it was on the ceiling instead of scattered along the floor.
Sunny turned to Graphite, "...And what are we doing here?"
"Well, I wanted to see if the building is still standing. Now that I know it is - I have something else to show you," Graphite told her, getting ahead and leading on again.
"What's that?"
"It's a surprise - don't worry!"
Sunny just sighed and followed as Graphite showed that it was time to move again. They both walked up the first row of stairs, filing down through a big doorway into an abandoned hallway. The hallway was filled with old and dusty movie posters that were displayed along the hallway behind thick glass plates and a Gaelic, twisty wooden frame. There were posters for every great classic and posters for those amazing indie films by ponies who will now go forgotten. The celling had some cracks going along the ridges and linings of the red and gold striped wallpaper; the red carpet definitely looked like it could use some cleaning, but that wasn't what had Graphite on the move. They continued until they reached another double door at the end of the hallway.
Graphite opened the door for Sunny, letting her go first once again, reveling a large room filled with rows of soft seats and a large set of curtains that could only foreshadow the grand stage that lay behind it. The room was dark - too dark - Sunny almost couldn't see her own nose between her eyes.
"Okay Sunny, pick whatever seat you like and I'll be with you shortly."
"Graphite, wait-" Sunny tried to blurt out, but the door had shut behind her and Graphite had vanished.
Sunny continued down the room between the rows of seats with her hoof extended in front of her. She really didn't like poking around the dark like this, but eventually she took a seat after wading around for a while and waited for what was about to happen.
Sunny sat on the seat for a few moments - when something started to move in the dark. She receded back into the cushion of her chair. She couldn't see it, but she could hear something swooshing through the shadows. Suddenly and abruptly, a loud thunk of a noise came from somewhere behind her. She didn't want to look towards the noise, but reflexes overtook her will and she flinched - turning her head behind her. The room was still pitch black, and nothing seemed to be lurking behind her.
Without waning, a beam of bright light fired through the room from behind the mare. Sunny turned her head and looked back again. The beam came from a small window at the back of the room, another story above her.
Amongst the beams of light she noticed a figure of a pony pointing her to turn back. She obeyed the strange figure and looked her front. The curtains had risen from the stage, the wall in front of her had lit up and saw an image projected on it.
It was a picture of three blue diamonds and a text underneath; "This film is brought to you by the Ministry of Image - safeguarding the freedom and minds of all Equestria's citizens."
After the short message, a reel started - narrated by a generic stallion with a crisp and deep voice. It was a newsreel for the Equestrian military, the announcer coming on as he reported on the current condition of the past war. There was a map of the Triolet Islands, arrows converging on the body of islands showed that the marines were moving in to the island along with the newly found commando regiment. It gave another quick line before it cut off and continued with the standard reel.
A faint smell of smoke had flown into the room. Sunny looked behind herself once more, facing the projector, and looked into the window to see smoke pluming out of it. Graphite was kicked back in the collapsible metal chair he had found next to the projector; he had a reel spooling around the projector and a cigarette popped in his mouth. It was going to be another minute before the reel had reset, so Graphite took this time to look about the abandoned projector room.
To his right was the cheap iron rack that had the film reels organized along the shelves. It was against the wall, slightly shifted outward after something had pulled it from the wall or something blown it away from the wall. To the left was another projector - smashed to bits for whatever reason some pony had smashed a perfectly good projector. Either way, its bits were swept against the left wall and the projector was left to rust in the forgotten room. Behind him was the door he had broken from its hinges.
Upon reaching the projector room earlier, Graphite found the door had been locked with two locks to keep anything from getting inside. The dust mites weren't going to bother with the door, so it had been locked until Graphite had come by. With Graphite's uncanny ability to break down doors, he thrust against the door and busted it open for him to freely enjoy a smoke while he started up a movie for Sunny - probably the first movie she will see in her life.
The reel had finished winding passed news section, and the projector had was starting the movie. A muffled crackle of speakers turning on after decades of rest came from somewhere near the stage. I bit of dust and dirt drizzled down the rafters of the stage, and the movie was starting up. The image on the screen was a countdown starting from five.
Four... Three.. Two.. A line going across a circle... A cross shape... Then a beep.
A quick flash, and the film started. Sunny was slowly coming up from the chair's cushions. Her eyes widened, and her frights were starting to tumble away with the sounds of the film rolling through the theatre. The film came on with an amazing orchestra to back up the beginning credits. The credits had gone, and the movie was finally beginning. Sunny was about to jump up from her seat, residing just at the edge of her cushion. The film started out with a scene on a navy ship coming home from the old war effort of that time - three sailor ponies came off the ship with a spring in their step and their voices lifted high. The came out and broke into song - the movie was one of those great musicals that everyone can sing along to.
Sunny was in a fit of awe the entire length of the movie. Graphite had seen this one before, but there was always that good feeling you get when you watch a good movie. He looked down from the projector room, watching as Sunny started to bob her head and hum along to the tune of the songs. Graphite was burning through his cigarettes throughout the movie, staying right by the projector until the movie played out its final song and ended.
Sunny was at the bottom of the theatre clapping her hooves together, and wooing loudly and happily. Graphite smiled, taking his cigarette from his mouth and moving up the window, "How about another one?"
Sunny nodded her head and screamed back, "Of course!"
Graphite jumped back from the window, trotting over to the film rack for another movie. He examined through all the movies until he came passed the cartoons. He grabbed the first one that was set there and popped it into the projector. It rewound, paused, and starting playing.
A cheery song started to play, something like a foal's piano and a light tambourine to a simply melody. A cute little bunny hopped on screen. Sunny's smile was slowly coming back; from a smirk, to a grin, and then a beaming smile. The cartoon was just about little Angel the Bunny helping his forest friends with problems they couldn't solve themselves and a short listen that could be learned from it - but it was just cute enough that Graphite could watch it with enjoyment. The show ended shortly, Graphite and Sunny couldn't help but express a small 'Aww' from the ending when Angel had saved all his forest friends.
"Cute..." Graphite told himself.
"Another on-?"
"-Another one!" Sunny suggested right before Graphite could ask.
Graphite tossed his burnt out cigarette and went back to the rack for another movie. Rewind, stop, then play. The projector was pretty reliable, maybe a reason they threw out the last projector. The movie came on in a flash; a pony sitting on a train with his head in the clouds. His fantasies of being the captain of the largest ship on the waters, dreams of flying shows with the Wonderbolts, and wonderment of anything his mind could make up. He was caught in his dream long enough to ride right passed his stop - and the next one, and the next one. The movie had laugh after laugh every scene with the stallion's day dreaming getting him into trouble. He caught a cab that was already taken by a wealthy mare, trying his best to not offend the lady - he was thrown out by the next block.
Graphite was kicked back in his chair guffawing loudly - catching a sudden puff of smoke as he laughed over the movie. Sunny was holding her sides as she laughed in tears. The movie was only half through, and Graphite was rolling around on the ground chuckling. The movie ended with the daydreamer solving a murder and ending a jewelery thief's crime spree with the oddest set of circumstances any pony could find themselves in - then, he wound up marrying the rich mare he met in the cab.
They went through two or three more movies, enjoying the comedies and musicals, before hunger finally succumbed to Graphite. He dropped his cigarette on the floor and stomped on it to put it out. Then, he checked his cigarette pack - he had two left. He groaned in anger, throwing his pack into his bag before leaving the projector room - forgetting to turn the projector off. He came over to the electrical panel that was just beside the doorway he knocked down and flipped a switch to turn the theatre room's lights back on.
Graphite stepped down the service stairs and back into the hallway, all before reaching the theatre where Sunny was waiting impatiently for another film.
Sunny was in her seat sitting with a smile, not noticing Graphite until he came right next to her and took the seat beside hers, "What's up?" Sunny asked as she turned to Graphite. "Did the projector break - I wanted to see another film."
"No, but I'm hungry," He informed, rubbing his stomach softly.
"I guess it's around lunch, right?" She giggled.
"Sure... uh, I got some canned corn left," Graphite reached into his bag and picked out the can of corn that was in there. "It'll be just like popcorn... more or less."
"Popcorn? You mean like that the little puffs in the buckets -- like that one advertisement they have back at the bar."
"Yeah, like that - except, I have no way of cooking these corn kernels into popcorn. The least I could do is heat them up."
Sunny grabbed the can from Graphite, then swiped his knife from its sheath. She stabbed the top and shimmied the knife around the can until she could could wedge the knife beneath the cut and pop the cap right off. Sunny gave the can back to Graphite after taking a quick nibble on a some of the kernels, "Don't bother heating it - I'm too hungry to wait that long."
Graphite swiped his knife back, stuffing it into his sheath a bit stubbornly; but smiled again when he swallowed down a few of the cold kernels. "The closest thing to popcorn out here," Graphite thought to himself.
The two went back and forth sharing bite and swallow of however much corn was in that can until they ran it down to a few soggy kernels laying at the bottom. Graphite tossed the can away, landing just a few rows down the theatre. Usually the janitors would come by and clean that up right after the show, but that wasn't likely to happen - but, he didn't have to worry when no pony else would be stumbling into a random building a start watching things they never heard of. Graphite took a swig from his canteen, gave a sip to Sunny, then the duo was off heading out the room.
They went down the hallway; the posters were still there, fading away under the dying lights on the ceiling. Sunny caught eye of a poster for one the movies they saw, pointing it out to Graphite and retelling her favourite moments. Graphite just listened, nodding his head or chuckling a bit from her quotes and scenes. They filed through the hallway, passed the shattered chandelier, and out the front entrance. They found they have been there longer than they realized when they saw the sun already starting to set down in the west.
Graphite looked towards the sun, then quickly looked away -- not the best idea to look at the sun. Graphite turned to Sunny, "We should start looking for a place to stay the night, Sunny," He suggested, rubbing his right eye.
Sunny turned to Graphite, "Why don't we just stay in the theatre - it's a pretty stable place so you don't have to worry about it falling on top of us."
"So I don't have to worry?"
"Yeah, you seem to be the worrying one of this group."
Graphite couldn't find a proper comeback, so he just nudged Sunny over the shoulder, "You," He scuffed, trotting back into the theatre.
"And don't worry, Graphite, I'll keep you safe from any bad monsters that'll come for you in your sleep!" She giggled slightly louder than she was comfortable with, but she held in the rest of her guffaw and trotted in after Graphite.
Graphite was standing next to the broken crystals of the chandelier, looking about the foyer and planning for the best spot to set up shop. Sunny trotted passed him, flicking his side with her tail. He looked over at her; she went around the chandelier, dropped her gear at the foot of the stairs. Graphite raised his brow, but shrugged to himself, following Sunny to the stairs. He set his stuff next to Sunny's gear, taking a load off on the first stair and laying down across the next few steps. Sunny was laying sideways across one step, laying her head down on the soft, red carpet of the stairway. Graphite wasn't ready to sleep yet, and by the looks of it, neither was Sunny. He looked down at her, her mouth still glued in a sweet smile. He looked away, staring up towards the ceiling. His closed his eyes, until he heard a peep. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 17: You Dreamer You | Graphite squinted one eye open, looking left and right for the peep.
"Graphite," Said the peep.
Graphite looked up, then down - Sunny was staring over at him, "Graphite," She called.
Graphite sat up, dimly opening both his eyes, "Yeah?"
"Could you tell me more about the theatre?" She asked quietly.
"Well," He rested his elbows on the steps to keep him up comfortably, "What did you want to know?"
"You seem to know a lot about the theatre - you knew about this place, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but back in the day - before the war - this place was a famous landmark for Buckago itself. Ponies from all around would come to this place to see the latest and greatest."
"So ponies watched movies often?"
"Yes - very often. There were theatres all over Equestria - one for every town. It was one of those major things that everyone could get into and enjoy."
"Did you go to the movies often?" Sunny continued to ask.
"Not really, no. My family never had a lot of money so all the bits which we had went to rent for the apartment and food. To this theatre in particular, I've been only once before, and that was when my parents let me go on a field trip with my elementary class."
"What were your parents like?" She rested one elbow on the step above her, getting more cozy so she can focus on Graphite's stories.
"Well, my father used to be pretty easy going - lived every day like it was his last. He spent most of his life working in a quarry, so he was never sure if he would be back home by the end of the day. When I was born, my mama asked him to find a safer workplace so he started to work at the docks. He started to drink time to time, but we were lucky that he got either very sleepy or very talkative anytime he was drunk," Graphite chuckled shortly, then continued. "He sure loved to talk about what he saw at the port during the day. I was always there to listen to him."
"What about your mother - was she nice?"
"My mother was very protective. She constantly worried about me getting into some sort of trouble whenever I was on my own. She was pretty disappointed with me when I traded in my job at the grocery store for a career of a marine," Graphite paused before turning to Sunny, "What about your parents?"
"I don't remember my real parents. They died when I was just a few months old. The mare I call my mother now found me by them though," Sunny grinned. "I was laying by a Sunrise Sarsaparilla machine when they found me so they named me Sunny - I guess it seems fitting."
"I think that my parents named me Graphite just because I left traces of my coat as all over the carpet as a kid - just like a pencil."
"Oh, I can't even remember what happened when I used to shed."
"Yeah, well we all have to go through it once," He smiled.
"Yeah... now when a foal starts shedding, the fur usually doesn't grow it back."
Graphite laid his head back once again, "I try my best not to think about how bad this world is..."
"I try my best too; but when you've lived in a wasteland your whole life, you start to get used to it - you start calling it home since it's the only one you have..." Sunny sighed, laying her head on her hooves, "I'd give anything to see the world before the war though."
"I wonder what happened to the other cities - Buckago couldn't be the only surviving city. I mean, what about Manehatten or Canterlot?"
"Manehatten got hit by megaspells just like Buckago did. From what I've heard from travelers is that there's this weird feel about it. Some also said that there were some ghosts, but I think that it's about the same as the cloud wall around Buckago - it's scary until you realize that the only dangerous thing in there is a rock ahead of you that you can trip over."
"And Canterlot?"
"Oh, that's a different story. No one has gone near the Canterlot ruins because of the pink cloud. What I've heard is that it's some sort of a gas. Anything that it touches starts to deteriorate. The worst thing is that there is nothing can protect you. The gas even cuts through power armor."
"That description sounds vaguely familiar."
"What?" Sunny squeaked, switching arms to lie on, "Was it something normal back then?"
"No, no," Graphite answered while shaking his hoof with emphasis. "You see, back in the war Zebras used to fight with tanks. But it's a big hulking machine and it can't always pass through thick vegetation. Whenever there was jungle that was too thick to get through they used a gas that ate away the trees, shrubs and anything else in the way. But the gas evaporated quickly and their tanks could move through without any damage. They did drop some canisters of them on our troops, but the ones that were in masks or power armor survived."
"That couldn't be the same thing then - could it?"
"It could, but perhaps more concentrated - I'm not sure."
"Well, it sounds like the same type of gas, and whoever spread it over Canterlot had it concentrated enough to keep it over the city ever since the war."
Sunny sat up from the step, rubbing some dust bunnies from her coat before moving on, "You were in the war, right Graphite?"
"Yea-"
Sunny couldn't help her intrigue and let it show when she interrupted, "-How does it feel, when you're going to war -- is it like that newsreel when the movies started?"
"It's not as fun as I had hoped - and I didn't expect it to be much fun from the start anyways," Graphite humoured with a sigh.
"Then why'd you join if you knew it wouldn't be anything you would enjoy?"
Graphite scratched his ear and cleared his throat before he went on, "Well, I told my parents it was because I wanted to travel the world and help the needy - which was a good incentive, but it wasn't the reason I had enlisted. I- well, I told you my father worked in the docks-"
"-Yeah-"
"-Yeah," Graphite broke Sunny's interruption, "Working the docks wasn't exactly a high paying job. He worked his coat off in long hours to bring home minimum wage - it was just enough to keep us fed and housed, but that was all. My mother was busy with keeping the home, so I went ahead and got a job at the grocery. That paid minimum wage as well, only good for getting us butter for our bread. The real reason I joined the military was so I didn't end up just like my father - working a dead end job until the day he died..." Graphite paused, shaking his head at the regretful memory. "The pay for marines at the time was much better than the grocery store bag-colt so, I signed up as soon as I could."
"And you never told your parents about?"
"They hated me for signing up for the military enough as it was; if I told them the real reason I left, they would never let me set a hoof in Carnen."
"Your sure your own parents would do something like that with their only son?"
"Of course - here they were working hard everyday for their boy, and here I am signing myself away to war," Graphite chuckled, but his smirk slowly died down into a frown.
Sunny came up the steps, sitting beside Graphite and wrapping her arm around his shoulder, "Maybe you'll find it was a good decision eventually."
"Eventually...?"
Sunny smiled at him, looking into his eyes, "Well, you would probably never be here right now if you hadn't signed up. You would still be in Carnen, bagging canned corn and bread into paper bags," She patted his back, "You wouldn't have been frozen all those years ago - you would have never be here now if you didn't make that one -- maybe stupid -- decision to join the military."
"You're probably right, Sunny... but that decision I made is still something I'll bring with me for the rest of my life."
"Ignorance is bliss, you know. Uh, try to get some sleep, maybe you'll forget about it in the morning."
"Yeah, sure - thanks, Sunny..." Graphite groaned.
"I'm always here to help," Sunny gave him a wink before sliding down the stairs back to her first step, where she had planned to sleep the night.
Graphite just watched for a moment as Sunny sloped down the stairs to her step before he turned away. He laid his head down on the steps with his hooves behind it, staring at the cracked ceiling before his eyes became heavy once more and fell asleep.
Graphite was heading up through the cold metal corridors of the battleship that had set sail about a few days ago. He and a few more members of the crew had been called to the briefing room for something important. He went down the winding hallways and through the tiny doorways until he reached the briefing room just a way's away.
Graphite reached the doorway and was about to step through, until another stallion came by wearing amour similar to his, and cut ahead of him. Graphite flared his a nostrils at the pony's rudeness, but stepped through the doorway with ignorance knowing he had more pressing matters. He piled into a room surrounded by ponies who were all wearing a suit of amour similar to Graphite's. They were all ponies; unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi alike - all of them killers and all of them waiting anxiously for the pony to brief them.
They were all gathered into a oblong semicircle made of collapsible chairs, Graphite was just another point along the disordered line of the perimeter. A few shifted their eyes and heads around the room looking for whomever was suppose to be briefing them. Graphite kept a steady sight, staring straight ahead towards the board where a projector was casting an image of a map. He couldn't see it since the lights were still on and were overtaking the weak light of the old projector. It was just a few minutes of tempered waiting when the lights went out, and a burly unicorn stallion with a voice higher than what his outer appearance showed and thick accent to go with it. He was light brown all over except for one spot near his right hind leg. He had a short-cut, dark brown mane that was covered underneath a green beret. The beret had a tin fleur-de-lis pinned to the front of it - he was obviously from somewhere far east from Equestria's lands.
The room rose to attention and saluted. The stallion came near the projector, his face just lit up by the projector's light, "At ease soldiers," He guided, grabbing for a pointer stick from the desk where the projector sat. "I am Commandant Cognac, I will be the one to brief you on your assignment and the one that will be commanding you on this mission."
The lights were down, and the map on the board was clearly visible - it was of the second island contained in the Triolet Island system. His pointer made a circle around the picture of the island, and he continued, "This is you all's target. Now, I am sending you in with the rest of the marine division to aid the troops already present on the island. Our main objective is to take back the Triolet Islands from the zebra forces. Each one of you will be assigned to a separate unit, each unit will be heading into a different area of the island," He took a pause, heading to the projector to load up the next slide.
One of the stallions just to Graphite's right spoke up, opening with a question, "Why not just send us all in one unit? What's the purpose for sending us in with all the others?"
"To decrease zebra morale," Cognac answered astutely. "We put you in black coats for a good reason - it stands out from green all the other ponies would be wearing, non? You all are the best your military has to offer; so when the zebras see their army wiped out by a single pony in black, then the zebras will know fear," The commandant smiled, almost giggling at the thought. The briefing wasn't finished, Cognac continuing after his moment, "Yes... and when the marines see ponies scaring off the zebras with just a stare, then they will know courage."
The slides on the projector changed again, flipping to images of various locations on the island. The island vegetation was eaten up and destroyed, the gas clouds had chewed away every metre of grass and every tree was chipped and chopped by the constant cannon fire from the navy's ships. The land was dark with scorch marks and filled with depressions from the explosions. Any further bombing and the island would be wiped clean from the ocean, with just a faint smell of smoke and ash to designate and island was once there.
Cognac brought back attention, "This is the current condition of the island. Now, as you can see, most the trees have fallen from the Navy's cannon fire - so this will leave you more open to enemy sight. Once you have arrived on the island, you will each receive specific orders based on which units you will be assigned to."
The lights came back on in the room, the projector slowly dying off as Cognac centered himself between the circle of soldiers, "Is every pony clear?"
The whole room answered back, "Yes sir," with varying levels of loudness and inflection. Everyone was then given permission to leave. Graphite left just as soon as all the others, heading through the small doorway and back into the cramped hallways of the battleship. Graphite watched as the others walked out ahead of him, all of them packing their own weapon of their own type. Following with the ponies were sniper rifles, shotguns, submachineguns of all kinds, and the occasional rifle that always came standard with any soldier.
Graphite took a look back at his rifle - it was in need of some R & R just as much as Graphite was in need of it. The wood had chipped around the trigger and near the ejection port, Graphite had secured the scope using some old leather and string since the rail had cracked, and the wood in general was looking beat up and dirty. The metal seemed just as bad, months of dragging it through the dirt and mud had scratched it badly. Graphite adjusted the gun back on his shoulder, staring down the ship's never ending corridor. He let go of the strap on his rifle and started on his way.
Graphite flowed through the hallways like his thoughts through his head. He was thinking of his current assignment. He was being sent in like a hero to a place he had never been, expecting to pick through an army he has only faced in small squads. The army was using him like a movie star, hoping to raise morale simply by showing up to the dangerous island. Graphite trotted through corridor after corridor of the ship, losing his sense of direction while his mind was caught on the thought of being blown to bits by a zebra. It didn't take long for Graphite to get lost in the bowels of the vessel.
He crossed through another hall, stopping just as a group of soldiers walked by on their way to the main deck. They were wearing the normal combat armour every new recruit was strapped into since boot camp, a green armour set made of some newly developed plastic and high grade 'polymers' - if Graphite remembered that word correctly. They were light weight, cheap, and tough as steel. Graphite's was almost the opposite, only similarity being the toughness. The metal plates in his suit were heavy and klutzy, the design based off the original set of armour develops a few years back. This set was the 'commando' line of armour, the only notable distinction was the tan colour of the armour and the black duster, rather than just a forest green suit. He jumped back to where he was heading, which happened to be nowhere in particular. He reached an end to the corridor, the path splitting off in two directions.
Graphite looked back and forth, both ends of the hallway looked identical - metal. He had no idea what to do next, so the only reasonable option was to continue forward. Down through another pressurized doorway, down another line of pipes and wires; eventually, he made it to a stairwell. He followed it up, taking the next flight of stairs out to the mess hall. Graphite was caught during supper, a wave of ponies had already started grabbing bread rolls and hay burgers.
One of the more experienced ponies in the war walked by with a rifle strapped around his shoulder. There wasn't any bit of wood on this edition of rifle -- fresh from the market apparently. It was completely made of clean cut steel and a few plastics for the hoof guard and stock. It had a carrying handle that doubled for the rear sight and magazine that could easily hold twenty rounds if not more.
Graphite was almost lost with all the new improvements in war fighting. He had grown accustomed to the heavy, hoof-made guns and the outfits he knew weren't made for fashion. Graphite wore the old uniform for one combat mission - after that, they strapped him into his suit and he never seen those memorable rags again.
It was a long change for the EAMC to adapt all these modernizations to its soldiers. The other branches of service had most of this technology by the time Graphite had heard about it. The EAMC probably guessed the zebras would use the same tactics they did back in the North; that would turn out to be false when they came charging in by the hundreds down South.
After finishing his thought, Graphite moved out of the mess hall - he wasn't needed there, and he didn't want to get hungry and suffer through the island on an empty stomach. His mission was still in his mind; he knew, without question, all the details and all the objectives.
The mission was to capture the Triolet Islands - invading all three of the islands at once using different tactics in each. There was a lot of interest in this island system - and for good reason - it was the last of the Zebras' defense just before their mainland, so the military had always waiting for their chance to strike.
Graphite wasn't sure how to feel for this mission. He should feel proud seeing as the marines saw him as a somewhat celebrity figure, but only because his greatest ability was taking out the enemy with his own unseen grace. He could feel scared knowing he was being sent to the last of the zebra's strongholds - keeping in mind any zebra left in Equestria would be all be crowded on or near that island. He would feel angry for being sent as just a propaganda piece, if it wasn't his duty to be risking his life for others in the first place.
Graphite was nudged from the middle of the corridor, interrupted in his deep thoughts by passing soldiers moving around the ship like bees buzzing around their hive. He looked down at the ground as he leaned against the walls of the hallway. He noticed something shaking in his duster pocket. He reached inside, pulling out a metal device named the 'Pip-Buck M'. This seemed to come standard with every commando. It had everything a good solider already knew how to keep track of in one small, metallic package that fits in a pocket. It seemed useful, yet unneeded for Graphite - he knew how to look at a map, he remembered all the details for his missions, and checking physical condition was as simple as either breathing or not breathing.
Graphite stood back up straight, the cold metal starting to get uncomfortable. He decided to head back to his room which he knew had to be somewhere in the tangled mess of the ship's corridors. He moved forward, following undiscerning arrows to new places that looked like the old ones. He remembered a number, "4," but on a ship this size, that could mean the forth deck down; the forth room in the forth block of the forth deck; or the forth time he had wondered around this ship without seeing his room.
Eventually, he made it to his bunk, struggling with the door since there was no door knob but rather a big valve that he didn't remember being there. He stepped into his room, pushing the door closed and sealing it, the door making a hiss as it pressurized.
He headed for the bunks. There were two in the room, he took the one closest to him. He was lying on his back, one hoof resting on his head as he stared up at the springs of the top bunk. He noticed the empty bunks beside him -- he hadn't heard from Spotty or Blue Jay. Graphite had little worry for Blue Jay, he got his leave during Graphite's special operations training and had gone away with his marefriend in Cloudsdale. The two had a little filly of their own and were living happily. The last word from Jay was his letter telling Graphite just that. Spotty was a little more separated, not a word from him since boot camp. That was years ago, Spotty was quite a character since Graphite could remember him years after. Graphite was suffering from loneliness, but he would soon meet up with some nice zebras - zebras who will give him a machete to the head, on the house.
Now, the mission was starting to swarm into his head. He could imagine all the trekking through the island, slipping down cliffs and rocks; dodging through the upturned trees while the bugs took bites at him like a buffet; hiking miles up and down the divots from the cannon fire until he reached an outpost full of zebras armed and ready to kill anything that comes their way. Graphite groaned, covering his eyes and turning in his bunk. He lay in his bunk, and slowly, the energy in him started to fade. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
His eyes opened as he awoke, staring up at a golden ceiling as the world came into vision. He turned his head, looking down the steps over to where Sunny was sleeping. Graphite tried to roll out of his spot, but ended up rolling down a step before he caught himself on the hoof-rail with his hind legs. He grumbled to himself, slowly using the steps beside him to pick himself up and begin his trudge down the stairs. He stepped down, one by one, reaching his things at the bottom of the stairs. Sunny was getting in a few more minutes of sleep; Graphite didn't want to disturb her, so he grabbed his things and stepped outside the theatre.
He strapped his backpack around his shoulder just as he stepped out the door, looking left and right at the sidewalk for the carts that wouldn't be there. It was just a force of habit on Graphite's part, but it's always good to check just in case -- another pack of Talons could always be on its way. Graphite looked back at the theatre, then decided to take a stroll just down a few blocks. It was around noon, the sun burned hot down in the ruined streets of Buckago. The sidewalks were cracked, the buildings were ruined, the smell of death was strong in the thick air. Graphite didn't think this town could be any different, whether two years back or two hundred. The sidewalk was going to be filled with litter, the roads ruined with the wheels of passing carts, the air filled with the smell of musk and industry. Graphite wondered why he came here in the first place, there didn't seem to be anything Graphite needed to do here. He turned his head behind him once more, the huge sign of the theatre still visible behind him. Sunny was still in the theatre - alone now -- maybe there was a reason for Graphite to be here. Either fate or his dumb luck had brought him here, but Sunny still needed protection and that's what Graphite was going to do. He turned about, taking his time in his slow trot to the theater.
Sunny awoke just a bit after Graphite left. She slid off her step, stretching out when she had the energy to stand. She reached down to grab her things, looking back to check on Graphite - who wasn't there. Sunny looked left, right, and everywhere in between - not a sign besides his missing things. She tried to keep her hopes up, but it's hard thing to do in the middle of a wasteland. She grabbed her gear, adjusting the straps and stepping outside - peeking over the doorway to see if it was clear. Some pony was standing outside, leaning against the side of the theatre. She knew it was Graphite, his armour was easy to recognize out here.
Graphite was staring down the streets, still trapped in his thoughts. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 18: One Piece at a Time | Sunny came over quietly, her hooves steps light on the sidewalk. Graphite was bent comfortably against the carved surface of the theatre.
She came up to him, catching him off guard, "What are you doing out here, Graphite?"
Graphite flinched, turning his head over to the sound of Sunny's voice, "Oh- Sunny, I was just taking a little walk... collecting my thoughts..."
"Sounds like fun," She snickered. "So what did you think about?"
"Just," Graphite thought for a long moment, "Things."
"Just things?"
"Yeah, just stuff - you know."
"Well, why can't you tell me what kind of stuff?"
"Yeah... wh- where are we headed next?"
Sunny paused for a moment, taking a few steps ahead of Graphite down sidewalk, "We're going further downtown - I'm going to check on my family."
Graphite bent away from the wall, getting in line with Sunny, "Your family lives downtown? Isn't that a little dangerous for a family?"
"It is, but it's the only place they can stay," Without a glance, Sunny continued on the sidewalk.
'The only place they can stay.' There was miles behind them of free space that were safer than anything deeper downtown. There had to be somewhere back in Rossmore for Sunny's family to stay - even if it was in the slums of the eastern side of town. It seemed odd, but then he realized why - Sunny said she was an orphan.
Graphite hurried to get beside Sunny, "What kind of family is this, exactly?"
Sunny slowed her pace, turning to Graphite, "What do you mean?"
"Aren't you an orphan?" Graphite blurted out, starting to regret he did.
"Yes - I told you I was..."
Graphite took in a breath of air, taking a moment to think before he said anything else, "Well then, how are you related...?"
"I grew up in an orphanage. All the foals stuck together and, in time, we all were like a big family. Well, like a family with two sons, seven daughters and one mom - but still a family!" Sunny smiled.
"That's a big family for an orphan. I'm guessing someone adopted you then?"
"No, no one. We all grew up at that orphanage together," Sunny smirked, her smile getting slightly dimmer.
"Oh, so your family is just the ones you grew up with - staying somewhere deep in Buckago?"
"Yeah- Yeah! They, um, are all staying at the abandoned orphanage... it's what they're used to, so why leave, huh?"
Sunny's voice seemed a bit choppy, almost worried. Graphite didn't want to say anything, blaming it on the rudeness of his last remark. The two pressed on a couple of more blocks, watching as the buildings started to grow darker with ash and scorches. The buildings down the horizon started to look more destroyed, from small sections missing to entire halves of buildings toppled over. It seemed to be getting darker, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Graphite looked up the skyline, looking as the destruction made a nice gradient down the path of the street. Going from better to worse the deeper it went. Graphite continued glancing up the buildings, until a hoof hit his chest; Sunny was telling him to stop.
Graphite looked over to Sunny, then followed her line of sight forward. A side of a building had fallen over the street, creating a pile of rubble that obstructed the street and the next block over. It was daunting, Sunny looked speechless.
"Maybe we can go around?" Graphite suggested.
Sunny shook her head, "No, that will take too long."
"Are you saying we just go over it?"
"Well we can't go under it," She giggled at another one of her jokes.
Graphite chuckled, then sighed shortly after, "Well, let's keep going, shall we?"
"Yeah."
Graphite went ahead first, starting with finding a good hoof hold to start climbing. The debris was loose and uneven, like a mountain made of sand. He grabbed onto anything that was big enough to grab, only to realize it wasn't strong enough to hold. It wasn't safe, but the path Graphite made was the safest he was going to get; Graphite waved his hoof to direct Sunny on.
Sunny came up to the pile, slowly taking one step at a time up the ruble and debris. She climbed on, bits of loose gravel starting to slide down from every movement she made. She lost her grip in one hoof and grabbed for something to pull up - but it came loose. The brick jerked from it's place and she started to fall downward, but Graphite caught her just as she began to drop down with all the will in his levitation spell. Sunny gasped, caught in a daze. Graphite pulled her beside him, setting her down gently on the same ruble beside him. She found a grip in the fallen planks and pipes, then they started to climb again.
"How are you holding up?" Graphite grunted.
"From this iron pipe, obviously," Sunny joked back as she pulled herself up.
Graphite chuckled, "You- you just can't be kept down can you?"
"Huh?"
Graphite gripped a block of concrete that was once a ledge, "You're just so happy - all the time, Sunny!"
"Is that- is that a bad thing?"
"N-no I guess not - just wondering how you... do it," Graphite struggled.
One hoof to the next collection of bricks, another to the ruble least likely to crumble under the wait. They made their way up, the worry growing as they got higher. Graphite climbed just above Sunny, making sure he was close enough to Sunny just in case she slipped again. Another bit of loose gravel and a plank that couldn't hold, Sunny fell again - but Graphite was right there with his magic to grasp her and set back just ahead.
Sunny kept climbing, stopping only when a protruding splinter caught her leather jacket.
"Ahg- come on..." She mumbled, pulling and jerking until the splinter pulled out and left a rip in her jacket.
Graphite poked his head down to Sunny, "You okay?"
"Yes- just got my jacket caught... then ripped it."
"Oh... I'll b-be sure to get you that... uh, that dress you wanted, eh?"
"You don't even... know what kind of dress I wanted," Sunny replied, reaching for another block of bricks.
"Sure I do- something girly, right?"
"Ha- no. I told you something- som- fit for a gala!" Sunny's hind hoof dropped down, but she found another bit of gravel she could sink it into. "Something elegant and fancy, but still fitting for a p-pony like myself."
Graphite stepped up a few more bricks before he could respond, "I think I know what you mean..."
"Uh huh..." Sunny sighed.
They neared the top; their panic was nearing it's peak, but so was their relief. Graphite grinned, picking his pace up to get there as soon as he could. He grasped a metal beam, another row of bricks before both cracked under his weight. Graphite yelped, as his body suddenly dropped and gravity forced his insides up. Suddenly he stopped, his hoof clenched tight by something soft. He looked up, seeing Sunny hanging on by one hoof, her other holding onto Graphite's arm.
Sunny grinned wide, Graphite smirked back, almost embarrassed. She swung him up while he extended his arm out for the nearest metal bar. He clenched it tight, Sunny let his hoof go. He stopped himself from swinging, a bit of ruble tumbling down the debris just as he stopped himself.
They grabbed the edge of the pile, pulling themselves over and stopping right along the peak of debris. Graphite slumped over, lying on his back in the jagged pile of bricks and gravel. He took in a deep breath, blowing out heavily. Sunny was nearby, panting just as much.
Graphite sat up, pushing aside a loose brick so he can sit comfortably, "Well... we made it..."
Sunny blew a sigh as well before leaning forward and finding a place to sit without slipping off, "...Y-yep..."
They took another moment of silence to catch up with their breath, which had slowly faded away after the climb. The looked out from the top of the pile of ruble, getting a better view of the road ahead. This was one hill in the valley of debris; the piles of fallen buildings didn't seem as high, but they were smaller when the two were this far away.
It seemed only fit to take a break on the peak of this mountain of mortar. It was the middle of noon based on the sun's reach over the sky. Graphite and Sunny got unusually cozy on a piece of ruble that could slip off at any moment. They kept their glee about them anyways, taking out canned peas for lunch. There didn't seem to be a rush to be anywhere at anytime, time could keep turning and the duo would never know the difference.
They shared nibbles at the peas, taking all the can from the small meal. Sunny also took a strip of the jerky from her bag. Graphite recoiled a bit, turning away when she bit down and tore a piece with her mouth, chewing it loudly.
"How can you eat... meat...?" Graphite inquired.
"I bite it, chew it, then swallow- it's just like eating hay, just hardier," Sunny implied with another bite of the tough jerky.
"Yes, but... why do you eat- that?"
Sunny swallowed her bite before answering, "Well, Graphite, I don't know if you've noticed, but there's no vegetation out here in the wasteland - so your veggies are hard to come by. With hay and other plants like that being so rare, they're a little more expensive - and by that I mean a lot more," Sunny brought the half eaten jerky closer to Graphite and flaunted it in his face, "Meat, on the other hoof, is everywhere - so it's cheaper and in larger supply. When you're starving, you'd probably turn to eating meat too!"
"Somehow, ponies back at my time didn't turn to eating the flesh of others no matter how hungry they were. I mean we didn't. I heard some stories back in the war about how zebras started to eat their own dead after running out of food, but that must have been just a propaganda thing."
"Graphite, the meat most ponies eat doesn't come from our own kind. It's usually some small critters like iguanas, sprites, and ants... some eat dog meat too - but I prefer them on my lap rather than in my stomach," Sunny tapped her chin, "Uhh, I have heard some tales about cannibal tribes from traders at the bar, but no civilized pony wouldn't dare to do such a thing."
"What's wrong with sticking to eating canned food?"
"Well, it's two hundred years old and tastes like cardboard," Sunny laughed.
"It's still better than meat..." Graphite turned his head back over to the horizon, pouring more food into his mouth.
Noon had turned after, the sun beginning its first point in the race to the horizon - with the moon following in second. Graphite had finished off his meal quickly, tossing the can behind him to join the rest of the junk in the pile of ruble. Sunny finished her meal too, getting in a sip from her water bottle. They didn't need to get anywhere soon, but Graphite was feeling bored sitting on the debris. He brought his head over the edge of the pile, looking down the rough and jagged sections of bricks and metal. He took a deep sigh - the only way down was down.
Sunny turned to Graphite, "You ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," He mumbled, starting first once again down the hill.
The grains of gravel trickled down the mountain of debris like water down a hillside, bouncing off bricks, metal pipes, and other grains of gravel. He slid down the first couple of sections, making the climb down as quick as he could without killing himself. Sunny followed close by, taking Graphite's path and sliding down also.
Graphite stopped at a large piece of concrete, panicking as the block slowly started to seep down in the loose Gravel. Sunny slid down to his side, pointing out a safer block to jump to. Graphite prepared for the jump taking into calculations all the variables. The block he was standing on snapped from the gravel it was stuck in, so Graphite acted simply with a leap in the direction of the next one over.
Sunny gasped as he leaped. Graphite grunted as he jumped. The block cracked as it fell. Graphite landed on the small, broken block while his hoof clenched to a rusted metal bar. Sunny wanted to reach for him to make sure he had a good grip, but almost tripped herself in the process. She moved down another column of bricks, waiting for Graphite to move.
Graphite looked down, all his hooves were on something secure enough to hold him up. Graphite blew a sigh of relief, starting slowly down the next bit of debris. The trip down seemed to be going along faster and smoother; going down was easy, but falling was even easier. They kept their same amount of worry going down as going up, losing their worry as they neared the bottom.
Sunny spotted an opportunity to take the last leg of the climb down an open end of gravel. She scooted over, holding unto whatever wasn't too sharp to grab. She took a deep breath, jumped down from he ledge, and slid down the rest of the way to the ground. Sunny wooed in joy before turning back to Graphite, who was still on the slope, "How are you holding up, Graphite?"
"Just dandy!" He hollered back, nearing the end of the hill.
Graphite looked down. He thought to himself, "It isn't that far of a drop..." Desperate to get off the debris pile as soon as possible, he jumped. He fell down not too long before he landed on the ground, hitting it hard - his hooves holding him up just high enough so his cheek could scrape the ground.
Graphite grunted and groaned; Sunny came over, patting his back, "Nice fall - you alright?"
"S-y... yeah, yeah..." He moaned, slowly regaining his balance on all four hooves.
"Well if your fine, let's get going," Sunny lead on ahead, leaving Graphite to pick himself up as she left with a grin.
Graphite brushed his armour and his duster, galloping ahead to keep up with Sunny's irregular pace. The road was was becoming darker, ash laying across it. The dust would blow away with every movement, the gust from their trot throwing it into the air. Graphite looked around the destroyed buildings, almost able to imagine the flames still going strong in each of the holes of the buildings. Shards of glass hid underneath the blanket of ash, making the road harder to cross.
Graphite needed his mind out of the hell it was imagining. He turned to Sunny, knowing she would brighten his thoughts, "Sunny..."
"Yes?" Sunny answered.
Graphite thought for a moment, searching for a topic, "Tell me more about Sierra, what was he like?"
"She was one of the nicest ponies I've ever met," Sunny sighed.
Graphite's attention beamed towards Sunny, his eyes wide with surprise, "She?"
"I thought you knew- Sierra's a mare, Graphite," She implored.
"No, I didn't... I-I assumed she was a h-"
"-A he? Yeah, I understand... Well, yes, Sierra's a mare. We met back in my days at the orphanage. She wasn't one of the orphans, but occasionally her family would come by the orphanage after school. She would come by about every week - I think - and we would just play. Soon we grew older, eventually our friendship grew more into love. Our love just got stronger as we got older - when we were old enough, I moved out of the orphanage with her and we both moved into together in the same apartment."
Graphite stepped over some ruble, continuing the conversation while keeping his eyes on the street, "I see. Well, I'm sure she was a great mare."
Sunny looked up, finding the strength to continue this topic, "She was... I- I mean she was very gentle, very quiet - she was shy. I was almost the only one to talk to her at school when we were kids. She was nice, but it's hard for a filly like that to be mean."
"Of course, of course. How about her- um, talent?"
"She liked animals- actually, she loved animals. Sierra always cared for any critter that needed help; whether - she would care for it like a foal."
"That's nice," Graphite uttered without any input to add or other words to say.
"At first," Sunny sighed quietly, "It's when she's caring for the animals that you find out she gets too preoccupied with them to do anything with anybody - even me."
"Really?"
"Yep..." Sunny looked down, the memory of her loved one was coming in - good and bad.
Graphite looked over to Sunny, spotting her sorrow starting to grow, "I'm- I'm sorry, Sunny. I di-"
"-It's okay, Graphite," Sunny brought her head from the floor, "You didn't mean anything. It's been years since Sierra's been gone, I've... I've let go of that memory to keep myself from depression." Sunny grinned, "Maybe you should try and do that too - letting go, I mean."
"I guess that I'm trying to, but it's just that most of the stuff that happened back in the war made me who I am today. To forget that is like trying to forget a part of myself."
"Letting go is hard to do. It might take a few months, maybe years. Just make sure that you have the right ponies surrounding you and you'll feel better in no time," Sunny smiled and walked up closer to Graphite.
Graphite looked over to Sunny, a cheery smile growing on his snout. Graphite turned back to the road, watching for any small piles of loose junk or large shards of glass. Graphite's eyes traveled up towards the sun, which didn't seem to be out today. There was a dark cloud sitting idly just over this end of the city, the darkness inside so thick that the sun could barely shine through. The skyscrapers that once stood over everything else in the city were now sitting underneath it all. Most towers had toppled completely over; their rubble blockading the roads as before, or just burnt off the map. Any towers still standing tall were standing as skeletons, the bars and girders nearing their breaking point.
The mare and stallion hobbled over a short stack of rubble before moving into something odd. The skyscrapers stopped their sprouting, budding in every direction except this one area. This one area was large, burnt black by something more destructive than any fire. It was completely dead and barren, like all hope had gathered to this one spot in the middle of downtown and disappeared. This appeared to be true - it was Hide Park, and the epicentre of the megaspell blast. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 19: Come in Stranger | Sunny was caught in state of deep shock, standing completely still as her eyes scanned over the remains of an entire park. Every tree, every bush, every animal, and every pony in that park had been burnt down to nothing in a single instant. Graphite shared the same amount of amazement, looking over the dark skeleton of old Hide Park. There was nothing left of the park besides one large crater that laid right in the middle of what used to be the park.
"There's no way were going through that, Sunny," Graphite demanded as he turned to her.
"Agreed, let's go around," Sunny pointed her hoof towards the row of buildings that lined along the border of the park.
Graphite followed Sunny as she made her way down the last leg of street and entered the first leg of hell. They stepped into a sea of ash, a whole cloud pluming up with their steps. Sunny and Graphite both reached for their snouts, covering them with their sleeves before the small particles of ash could float into their bodies. They crossed over the dusty section of street, making their ways as quick as they could to the sidewalks across the intersection. The buildings across the way were all blown inward in a perfect line from the shock-wave. It was enough to tear open the stores and cut down the skyscrapers.
They caught up to the sidewalk, stepping over the curb as more and more ash flew about the air when they moved. Graphite kept his mouth covered, nodding his head down in the direction of the way through. Sunny nodded her head, following right behind him as he lead the way. He trotted down along the edge of the sidewalk, almost hugging the building. He passed over an odd figure, something oblong and crisp on the side of the building. He turned his head, looking on the at an image of a pony. He thought it was Sunny's shadow, but it was too dark for a shadow to appear. Sunny noticed Graphite staring at something behind her, so she turned her head to - jumping forward when the still image came for her from nowhere. She barked a bit before bumping into Graphite, blowing a sigh to herself when it turned out to be nothing. Graphite looked towards the crater in the park, then at the figure on the building, the blast had burnt a clean and clear image of the pony's last moment before he had his shadow cast forever into the side of this broken building.
When looking forward as the dust clouds allowed him, Graphite could see that this pony wasn't the only one - many more ponies lives had been burnt into the buildings.
Sunny turned her head from the ghastly shadow, following after Graphite - not wanting to lose him in the heavy dust storm. Her thoughts were fighting with each other to keep the imaginings of the dead ponies out and the focus of leaving this crater in.
They both slowly made their way through the clouds of dust, until they noticed a shadowy figure in front of them on the sidewalk. The shade was sitting on the sidewalk and, with every step, looked more and more like a pony. It sat with one hoof extended in front of it. This figure wasn't burnt into the sidewalk, it was just a dark model of a pony sitting idly on the sidewalk.
Graphite stopped Sunny and with a motion of a hoof - he ordered her to stay put. Sunny just nodded, standing back at the clouds of ash.
Graphite slowly approached the strange pony. One question was on his mind - what a pony could be doing in a place like this?
"Excuse me," Graphite murmured with his sleeve still in front of his snout, "W-what are you doing here? Are you okay?"
The pony turned its head in an instant towards Graphite's direction and perked its ears high. It slowly got up and took its hoof off from the wall.
Graphite jumped back, bringing his hoof back from his chest over his mouth,"It's okay, we're just passing through. Do you need any help?" The pony didn't respond, but turned tail and ran down the dirty sidewalk, it's baggy clothes flapping in the wind as it ran away.
Graphite was caught in curiosity and worry for this being, he didn't want to let the mysterious pony go away. He took up chase after the pony. Of course, with caved in buildings on one side, and a giant crater on the other, there wasn't anywhere to run except forward - making the chase as easy as a walk.
Graphite's instinct for catching a target was to tackle it to the ground. He did just that, pummeling the stranger into the ash and dust. The smoke barely had time to clear, Graphite flipped the covered pony over on his back and pulled its hood off.
Graphite shrieked, darting his head back when the face of dead pony came into view. Its fur was patchy, rough, and faded; Its skin looked burnt and torn; its eyes contracted and empty. Graphite grasped the undead pony's collar, pulling it up then slamming it back into the dust and smoke. His magic reached for his pistol, bringing the gun over to the thing's head. The trigger pulled - a disturbing click.
Sunny had pushed the pistol away at that moment, "Wait!" She urged.
Graphite pushed Sunny over, tossing his pistol aside as he grasped the pony's collar once more, "We can wait when I finish-!"
"No don't!" Sunny knocked Graphite off the pony's chest, pushing him into whatever ashes were still remained after all the commotion.
Graphite coughed and Sunny hacked, Graphite swatting away the particles of dust, "What?" He intruded.
"It's just a pony, Graphite! She's a ghoul!" Sunny shouted back, reaching for the hoof of the distraught pony.
Sunny grabbed the apparent mare's hoof lightly, helping 'her' back to her hooves, "Are you alright, ma'am-"
"Wh-what's a 'ghoul'?"
"A ghoul is-" Sunny grunted, pulling the pony up and setting her on all four hooves, "-a pony who's just been caught in too much radiation and has... lost a bit of fur..." Her voice got quieter, taking note the feelings of this poor mare.
Graphite stopped, taking his moment to think while he got up from the ash covered concrete, "I'm sorry..." He added.
The ghoul hadn't made a single noise up until this point, Graphite wondered if she was really what Sunny had described and not a ghost come to haunt lost travelers as they passed through this begotten area.
"I'm sure sh-"
"-It's quite alright, deary," Abruptly, the mare spoke, her voice sounding aged and fading, "I'm sure you didn't mean to- I- I haven't looked anything your use to in quite a few years."
"Maybe if you warned us earlier, I wouldn't had to-"
"No no, it's is my fault- please, why don't you join me for some tea," The old mare guided, trudging along in an odd walk around the street corner.
Sunny walked up to Graphite's side, then turned to him, "We should probably follow her - it's only polite, after all," Sunny suggested.
"Well," Graphite trotted ahead, taking after the ghoul, "It's not like she could hurt us, right?"
Sunny just nodded with a small smirk, going ahead with Graphite and following the trail of the aging ghoul. They followed her through a street corner and another line of burnt street, a crowd of ponies were lining the streets. They were motionless and empty, another sea of ponies burned deep into the city street by the blast. Small piles of wood were dotting the road one by one - the remains of wagons caught in the heat. Graphite turned over to Sunny, who was just as awestruck by the massacre as Graphite. He bent his head back to the old, wrinkled mare and asked, "What's your name, ma'am?"
The pony turned to Graphite, slowing her pace even more, "Ligature, if I remember correctly," She said with a generic smile.
"Well, Ligature, I'm Graphite and that's Sunny," Graphite introduced, pointing back to Sunny as he called her name. "I appreciate you inviting us for... tea."
"The pleasure is all mine, Graphite. I appreciate you visiting."
"Visitin-?"
"-Oh, right this way, Graphite and Sunny!"
She clamored into an old building with it's whole entrance blown out, "Watch your step, dears," Ligature spoke, stepping over a block of concrete then stepped through what had been left of the door frame. Sunny jumped over some bricks, and Graphite pushed aside some loose blocks until they both made it to the doorway and stepped through. The inside was nice and bright thanks to the improvised window that had been installed earlier. There was a row of counters along one side of the wall that was still intact, the rest of the building was emptied out then filled with ruble.
"You live in here, Liga-" She had left the scene, Graphite looked left and right through the building for her. "-Where'd she go...?"
"Over here, Graphite and Sunny!" A voice shrilled out, coming from behind the counters.
Sunny passed by Graphite, joining the old mare behind the counter; Graphite joined just after. The mare was stopped by a mat they was laying on the floor. She pushed the mat away, revealing a metal trap door hiding underneath it. There was nothing but a metal plate and a divot in the metal where a handle could be.
Ligature removed her hood. Graphite hadn't noticed in smoke and the heat of the moment, but the mare was actually a unicorn - her horn looking chipped and cracked. She cast out a white light from her horn then pulled the trap door open, letting it slam on the ground after opening.
"The ladder can be slippery, so be careful," The geriatric disclosed before climbing inside the hole and stepping into the shadows.
"More climbing for us," Sunny chuckled then sighed, jumping into the hole and stepping down the ladder.
Graphite looked down the hole, watching as both the mare and Sunny disappeared somewhere inside. Graphite slowly made his way into the hole, grabbing the ladder tight and making his way down. The grate above closed as he went down, the white light from Ligature's magic slowly fleeting as it shut.
Graphite reached the bottom, his hoof feeling something that appeared to be ground. It was took dark to see, Graphite was left holding unto the steps of the ladder. A bright light flashed on, the lights above whizzing and buzzing in stress. Graphite and Sunny blocked their eyes, waiting until they got used to the beading light from the ceiling. When they could see, they found themselves in a small space completely surrounded by concrete walls that had been plastered with scraps of different wallpapers and picture frames of nothing specific.
There was something that resembled a kitchen sitting in one corner of the room, there was an black oven; a small, metal sink; and some shelves where cans of food sat. There was a single table - a long one - that sat in the middle of the room. The rest of the room was empty space, with only a chair and a side-table that sat next to it, "Here's the kitchen, dining room and living room," Ligature told Sunny and Graphite, giving them a basic tour as they entered into the room.
There were two rooms that lay on opposite sides of this room, lead by a concrete doorway that had cotton flaps hung from the top of the doorway. The old mare lead them right, touring them into a large room with a single, double-wide bed sitting at the end. Some sheets of wallpaper were in the process of being glued to the wall, the backside of the sheets soaked in glue and hanging from the walls loosely. The ceiling lights above were going out, flickering violently, so she had placed two small lamps near the bed to light the room, "Here's the bedroom," Ligature noted again.
They moved back, trotting along passed the impoverished kitchen and tripping over some loose rugs before they got into the next room. A few pipes lined through the walls and over the ceiling, diverted all to a few rows of showers. There was a tiled wall between the five showers there, a space barely big enough to fit a pony, and a rusted drain sitting in the middle of the broken floors. There were toilets sitting nearby the showers, Graphite rather not see the details in them, "And here's the bathroom," Ligature finished the tour, bringing them back into the kitchen.
"That's the place - I apologize for not making sure everything looked nice before you came- I wasn't expecting, you see," The old mare laughed, moving over to the wooden shelves and sorted through to find the tea, "I'll start the tea going - you two make yourselves at home!"
"Sure," Sunny responded, taking a seat at the big, cotton chair sitting in the living room section of the space.
Graphite grabbed one of the wooden chairs from dining room, bringing it near Sunny. He took his seat, trying to fit his body on the small seat. Sunny looked cozy, Graphite looked just the opposite. He turned to Ligature, who was cooking the tea - her burlap robe was set on the table. Her body was wrinkled, from both the old age and burns that patched across her skin. Her fur coat was thinning out and falling in clumps on the floor, revealing all the tough skin that was covered behind. Her coat was fading -- this was clear -- but it appeared to be some form of a mint green, what was left of her mane was yellow and going on grey. Her tail was going away too, another minute alone and the whole thing would fall off. The cutie mark was also beginning to fade away with her fur, but it looked like some kind of instrument - possibly a clarinet.
Feelings for a pony could be changed so easily. Graphite was one moment away from killing the ghoul, but now he couldn't be feel an awful pity for her. Graphite looked for words to find, searching his curiosity for a question to ask. Finally, he thought of something simple, "So, how long have you been here?"
"Are you talking to me, Dear?" Ligature asked, turning her head from the tea pot sizzling on the oven.
Graphite turned in his chair to face the mare, "Yes, Ligature. How long have you been down here?" Graphite asked once more, projecting his voice so the old mare could hear him.
"Oh, I've been down here for as long as I can remember..." She stopped to think. The teapot started to steam, so she grabbed it hastily, bringing it over to the table and looking around for two cups to use. "This was a long time ago - before you two were born, I'm sure. I was shopping at the old shopping centre a few blocks from here. I was with a friend at the time, and I had forgotten my purse back in the store so I left him waiting in the street and went back into the store. It was around that time a very loud boom noise came from outside. There was a flash, brighter than anything you can imagine and then a blast right to my chest. I went out cold and woke up a few hours later. The building was on fire. I made it out, then ran right out to check on my friend. I ran out, and the whole city was on fire - the park was completely gone! I ran to where I thought my friend was. He... he was gone. But the strangest thing... There was his shadow, burned into the wall, so crisp and clear like he was standing next to me. The heat had burned it into the concrete..."
She came over, two cups of tea in her levitation spell as she brought it over to Graphite and Sunny. They took it with gratitude, taking small sips before realizing how hot it was. She stepped back to the kitchen and continued, "After that, I searched through the streets. Everyone was lying dead in the street or burned into the walls, every building was on fire, everything was gone. I remembered the radio talking of a few emergency bunkers in the city. There was one a nearby - this one. I came inside, and I've been here ever since - doing everything I could to make it feel more... home-y."
Sunny looked down, digging through her thoughts now to find words to say, "I'm sorry for your loss... That- that must have been very traumatic," She affirmed solemnly.
The old mare poured herself a cup of her tea, letting it cool as she moved about the small kitchen, cleaning it nicely for her guests, "Thank you, Dear, It means a lot. He was more than just a friend, he was the love of my life..."
Sunny picked up her voice, trying to sound more cheery, "I'm sure you two had a great relationship-"
"-Oh, we were never in a relationship, Sunny," Ligature interrupted. "We were just friends, like I said, I never worked up the courage to tell him I loved him. Now... I'll never get to tell him..."
"Why don't you tell us more about life before the war, we're going through what's happened after right now - we're not missing much," Graphite declared, looking into his tea and taking a quick sip.
Ligature set her cup of tea near the pot, letting it sit on the table as she pulled a seat near Graphite and Sunny, "Yes, yes, you two would love to hear of the pre-war Equestria."
"I'm familiar with it, Ligature, share your stories with Sunny," Graphite leaned back in his chair while he said this.
"There's not much you can learn from just reading the billboards, Graphite," Ligature rebutted, swinging her hoof in a the direction she would expect a billboard to be.
"Actually, Ligature, Graphite's been in the war himself -- show her Graphite," Sunny directed to the newspaper folded in his pocket.
Graphite nodded, going into his pocket to fetch the newspaper cut out, "That's impossible, no pony your age could have be in the war," Ligature denoted. Graphite pulled the newspaper out and unfolded it before handing it to the old ghoul. The mare grabbed the paper in her magic, moving in close to read it. Her tired eyes scanned through the sentences and paragraphs, then to the photos pasted on the page. She lowered the page and whispered to herself 'Oh my...'
"Do you believe me now, Ligature?" Graphite asked with a grin.
Ligature was baffled, "That is quite an amazing thing, Graphite. I didn't think they would actually manage to do that."
"I was just as surprised as you are, ma'am," Sunny beamed.
"Now, tell us about your time before the war, Ligature," Graphite pressed forward calmly.
Ligature sat down in the same seat she had brought over, smiling wide as she bent over to sit, "Of course! Of course!"
Sunny adjusted her position in the chair, getting comfier for the stories about to be told. Ligature cleared her throat, then paused to recapture her memories, "Well, back in my day, I used to be in an orchestra. It was one of Equestria's biggest orchestras - fifty-two band members with every instrument you could imagine in pairs. I used to play the clarinet."
"Used to? What happened?"
"Well, when the war began, every bit went to the war effort and we were unable to sustain our orchestra with the lack of money - and some of our members were drafted into war. While I was in the orchestra I met Luthier. He was playing the cello. When we had to leave the orchestra, we stuck together. We managed to pull together all the money we had and we bought a little apartment here in Buckago-"
"-That sounds nice," Sunny interceded quietly.
"Yes, quite. We remained good friends through the years, but as time went by, I started to see Luthier differently than when I had first met him. I-I was falling in love... slowly, but it did happen. And on the day when I had decided that I would pull together my strengths and tell him how I feel-" The mare started to lose her tone of voice, along with her words. Her smile had became a frown, and her eyes were preparing to tear.
"-It's okay. We don't need to talk about that," Sunny jumped in again, a calmer tone in her voice being heard.
"How about some music?" Graphite offered suddenly to brighten the mood.
"Music?" Ligature wondered.
"Yeah, my Pipbuck has a built in radio. It can pick up some loose signals."
"Well, you can give it a try. I haven't heard a recording in years!" Ligature sat back eagerly, watching as Graphite fiddled with the Pip-Buck.
"Give it a moment," Graphite turned some dials and tapped the screen. A short whiz and a gurgle later, a song came up. It was a bouncy swing song from a classic orchestra; Graphite's father enjoyed this brand of musical styling.
"Ah, I remember this song... we played it once back in the orchestra - it was a show we put on for Princess Luna, yes."
"You've played for a princess?" Sunny's eyes began to open with astonishment.
"Yes, many royals all over Equestria - we were the biggest orchestra, like I said," Ligature gave a hardy wink that was joined by a smile.
The tea had been sifted through quickly. Sunny and Ligature had gone through a few cups, Graphite was still on his first - letting his go cold so he had an excuse to not drink it. The taste of the tea was a mixed match mixture of messed up madness -- at least in Graphite's mind. Graphite didn't enjoy it at all, and couldn't see why the two mares did. Time was running short in the day, and the stories were fleeting on; Ligature had cleaned her dishes, and dumped Graphite's tea down the drain - to his glee. She washed the final cup before joining up with Graphite and Sunny.
"It is pretty late, you two - perhaps you would like to stay the night here? You know the surface is not a safe place during the night," Ligature proposed as she left the kitchen area.
Graphite and Sunny both thought for a short moment, realizing she was right before both agreeing, "Sure."
"Good, great - be sure to wash up before you get to bed," The ghoul set aside the rag she used to clean the kitchen's counter-tops.
Sunny got up from the chair, stretching out and groaning before she moved on to the showers. Graphite stayed in his chair, letting Sunny go ahead and wash up first before he went inside. He let his eyes rest, closing them and placing his face in his hooves.
"Sunny's a nice mare," A shrill voice spoke.
Graphite leaned his head forward, opening his eyes to see Ligature standing there in front of him - almost close enough to feel her breath. He arched his back over sitting up stretching his arms out, "Y-yes, she is..."
Ligature stared into Graphite's eyes with great intensity, as if she was looking for something hidden in his skull. Graphite didn't know how to react, it was too awkward to move away in any direction. Ligature then leaned away, turning about to the old chair behind her and gradually made a seat in it. She licked her dry lips before starting again, "I can tell..." She sighed with a grin.
"Tell what, ma'am?" Graphite pondered back.
"I can see it in your eyes, you're in love with that young mare."
"You can tell that just by staring at my eyes, Ligature?" Graphite scoffed.
"Take it from my experience, Graphite, but I can tell."
Graphite paused, thinking it over all the feelings he had. All he could say was, "Maybe."
"Do not try and deny it, Graphite, I can tell. The longer you deny, the lower your chances of her loving you back are going to become. Pretty soon, you will never get that chance - even if you are ready to say it," The old mare took another moment to remember what she was saying, then she licked her lips again and continued in a more serious tone, "Just look at what happened to me, Graphite. I never got the chance to tell pony I love. And now I have to live with the regret - and I have for the past two hundred years. I had my chance and that has all but gone long ago - you still have yours," The ever aging ghoul got up from the chair, making her way closer to Graphite, "Would you rather end up like me? A dying old pony, filled with regret, who's only will to keep going is the hopes I'll pass in my sleep down here rather than being eaten alive by the things up there. Or would you rather end up with the pony of your dreams? Living happily together, growing old together..." She was losing her focus, about to succumb to her own exhaustion.
Graphite got up from his chair, grabbing her shoulders lightly as he help her back on the chair. Her shoulders felt like leather, the combination of burns and age was not good for her body -- or her skin. He let her rest for a bit, trotting to the kitchen to look over the things she had. A few cans of peas here, some soup broths there, that disgusting tea sitting in the middle of the shelf. There wasn't much to look at here, maybe there were some interesting pictures in the frames on the wall.
He slid over to the next wall, staring at all the pictures of scenery. There was no theme - they were probably weren't even Ligature's - just some pictures she came across while scavenging. He panned over, until one photo caught his eye. He pulled it from the nail it was hung on, taking a closer look at the two ponies that were in the photo.
There were two smiling ponies - a young mare and stallion - standing near each other with the park in the background. The park still looked lively and fertile, even if you couldn't see the lush colours in the black and white photo. Graphite looked at the happy mare, then over to Ligature, then back to the photo - it was obviously her. The casual looking stallion next to her must have been Luthier, his hair looking clean and cut for the picture. Graphite would've smiled at the pleasant picture, if he hadn't found out about the two ponies' outcomes in life. He simply set the photo back on it's nail, then went back over to the wooden chair he had left for himself.
Ligature looked alive, though half asleep. Sunny stepped into the room, her damp hoofsteps clopping over to the rug in the kitchen, "The water's a bit cold, Graphite, but at least the shower runs," Sunny announced, wiping her wet mane down with the rag in the kitchen, "You can have the shower now - I'm done."
"Alright," Graphite answered and walked over to the bathroom, ducking under the flap, letting it flap back into position.
Graphite proceeded to take off his black duster and armour, slipping out each plate and wiggling out of his leggings. He didn't have a chance to really wash himself for a long time, ever since he put on the armor - he was looking forward to taking a real shower. He pushed his armour near the doorway before stepping into the shower. He turned the knob on and the water slowly rattled it's way from the pipes and out the shower head - Sunny was right about the water being cold.
He took his cold shower, rubbing his hooves over his body to try and clean out the dirt. There didn't seem to be soap, maybe Ligature expected the germs to be frozen off by the cold water. He fought through the freezing stream of water, shivering as he wiped down blood stains, dirt stains, smoke stains, and any other stain that stuck to his fur. Graphite was surprised to find all this dirt on the fur that was under his armour. He tried concentrating on is face - where it was uncovered since this time.
Eventually he decided he had finished, and he stepped out of the shower. Graphite was glad to be out of the cold shower, but also a bit disappointed. He enjoyed the shower, even if it was below freezing - it felt nice to bathe after not doing so longer than he could remember. He looked around for a towel, the only one on hoof was the one Sunny had used, then left on the sinks. He wiped himself down, getting in between all the spaces and wiping down all areas. Graphite set the towel back at the sink, then turned his head and looked down at his armour. He stepped around it, leaving there since he was heading to bed soon. He trotted out of the bathroom, wiping his face on the cotton flap just before he left. Sunny was waiting in the kitchen, looking over the cans just like Graphite was earlier, "Oh, Graphite," Sunny noticed him trotting into the room, "I was just about to head to bed now."
A thought entered into Graphite's mind. He turned to Ligature, who was still lying still on the chair, "Ligature," He called out.
Ligature instantly reacted, flinching then opening her tired eyes slowly, "Huh- y-yes, yes?"
"There's only one bed in your room."
"Oh... oh, you two can share - it won't hurt."
Graphite looked back to Sunny. Sunny looked back at Graphite. They both glared at each other, before Sunny butted in, "I'm sure you would like to stay in your own bed, Ligature."
"Oh no, I'll be fine on this chair - I don't think I'll be moving from it in a while anyways," Ligature chuckled quietly before yawning a long yawn.
Graphite sighed; he could hear Sunny let a sigh out too. Sunny stepped under the flap of the bedroom doorway, holding it up while she stood in the middle of the arch, "Well, Graphite... it's getting late, we should get to bed..."
Graphite turned to Ligature. She had a smile on her face, shooing Graphite to the bedroom with her hoof. Graphite leaned his eyes back to Sunny, who was waiting at the doorway, "Okay."
They both stepped through the flap, Graphite following Sunny to the bed at the end of the room. Sunny sat herself on the bed, Graphite came up to the side - taking a moment to settle into the situation. Sunny climbed under the covers, Graphite had just started to make his way unto the bed.
He shuffled under the sheets, they both rolled over on their backs, and they both nudged each other in the middle. A fake laugh was shared while the scooted a bit aways, the two turning away from each other. The bed was quiet, both ponies not moving so they won't disturb the other. Graphite was rushing in nervousness, laying in bed with Sunny - both of them naked as the day they were born. Graphite couldn't sleep, he couldn't even get his eyes to shut. He didn't want to check on, Sunny - she could be asleep and turning over would just wake her up. The bed started to shift, then the feeling of tapping came about Graphite's shoulder, "Graphite," A whisper called.
"Y-yes?" Graphite answered just as quiet.
"I... I can't sleep."
Graphite tumbled over, turning around to face Sunny. Sunny was lying there, her eyes wide and her smile small, but still there. He looked down into her eyes, searching the orange gems of her eyes for words to say, "Well, just- um, talk to me. Maybe we can chat ourselves to sleep."
"Um, alright... uh- tell me about your cutie mark," She eyed down, Graphite's cutie mark was showing halfway outside the crumpled sheets. His finely cut diamond as a cutie mark was appearing now that his armour wasn't hiding it.
"Oh- sure. Well, um- as a kid I was never able to have a real pet. When I said that I wanted a pet, my papa came home with a pet rock. Of course as a four year old foal, I accepted the thought that a rock could be your best friend. So, I looked after it; watered it, and found some comfortable dirt for it to sit on. When I was halfway through my first year at school, it turned out that my pet rock had grown a gemstone inside it. Of course, my dad sold it at the first opportunity, but from that day onward, I kept learning stuff about gemstones and I wanted to become a jeweler. In the end, it turned out that my parents didn't have the money to send me to a proper school - but I did learn how to work with small parts and even fix things."
Sunny moved her hooves under her head, using them as a pillow to keep her head up, "That's cute," She commented.
"What about yours, Sunny?"
Sunny looked down at hers and smiled; her bright triad of suns smiling back, "Ah yes, my cutie mark. I guess we could start back at the orphanage, as always. The owner knew how good at I was at making ponies smile, so every now and again, they would take me down to the nearby clinic. They'd take me to some of the injured ponies, and I would just do whatever I did to make them smile - either play with them, if they could; make up some stories; or show them things I would pick up outside. They would always smile after I visited them, so eventually I realized my talent was to brighten other pony's days and then this appeared right on my flank."
"And you are really good at making ponies smile," Graphite said, emphasizing it with a grin of his own.
"I can see it works well on you," Sunny giggled. She looked into Graphite eyes a bit, her smile keeping Graphite warm in the cold bunker. "Listen, we've been traveling a while together and I have been wondering - why did agree to bodyguard me for free?"
Graphite thought for a moment, clearing his throat before he whispered his answer, "Well..." He mumbled, dragging out the pause, "Um, I needed to set myself a target after reaching downtown. That was my target ever since I awoke from the long sleep," Graphite sighed. "The life as I knew it has gone, so I just do what I did back in the war. I set up an objective - like make it to point B and a bunch of smaller objectives - like find some water, food, and medicine."
"I see. But uh, how does it feel being out of your time, Graphite?"
"When I just awoke I was scared - I barely knew where or who I was. I found myself trapped in metal tube, banging and pounding on it before the door blew off and I fell out. I seemed to be put on display, there was a velvet rope and a few display cases with my stuff inside."
"Was it a museum?" She raised a brow.
"Uhh, more like an exhibition - I didn't know it at the time, I was still trying to learn to walk again. I searched around my corner a bit, reading the plaques and looking at the pictures they had framed in my section. After looking at the picture they had framed, and a reflection I saw in the display cases - I found out who I was, more or less. I strapped on this suit, grabbed the gun in the case, then went around the building for a while. There were five more sections around mine, each with another pony inside another one of those cryopreservation chamber... thingies."
"I'm guessing they were dead since you haven't brought them along," Sunny stated.
"Yep, all of them were died a long while ago. I walked a bit more, looking for an exit out of that building. I found a window on the way there, when I opened the blinds over it - I saw the city."
Sunny moved one hoof from under her head, letting it rest on her side. She licked her lips damp, then continued on, "I'd imagine that wasn't the best of views for you."
"No, it wasn't," Graphite sighed, turning on his back and looking towards the ceiling.
"I know how you feel, Graphite. I may have lived my whole life looking at the same destroyed buildings, but it's something about them that will always be heartbreaking," Sunny followed Graphite, turning over on her back as she held the bed sheet close to her chest.
"You seem to be very interested in pre-war stuff, Sunny."
"How should I explain- umm, have you ever broken a dish, Graphite?"
"Well, I have, a few times - why?"
"If you try to put it back, you can't always find all of the pieces. Even if you would, it wouldn't be the same as it was."
Graphite looked at Sunny and nodded, trying to find out what she was trying to say.
"Well, most of the ponies are trying to do just that. I am looking for the best pieces of the old world and try to make a new mosaic instead of just a dish. Sure not all pieces fit together perfectly, but that's when I make up my own to put in."
"You're just looking for answers."
"I guess-"
"-Out of simple curiosity?"
"Yeah."
"And when you can't find the answers, you make up something through small theories or imaginations?"
"Sure..."
"You just want to... understand - understand everything."
"Aren't you the wise one?" Sunny smiled.
Graphite smirked, rolling back over to face Sunny, "I don't know, maybe that's a question you can't answer."
Sunny chuckled, rolling over again to see Graphite, "You can't tell me yourself?"
"Nope, 'cause I don't even know myself."
"Why not?"
"It's not something I usually think about."
Sunny's whisper got a little louder, but sill maintained the wispy flow, "You don't usually think about it? I see you walking around all the time with your head in the clouds, just back at the theatre you went out so you could 'think'. What are you thinking about, Graphite?"
"Just..." Graphite dragged out his pause again, hoping Sunny would drop the topic if he left it alone long enough.
"...I bet you're thinking about me, Graphite," Sunny scoffed, looking deep into Graphite's eyes.
"No- uh, it's-" Graphite looked back into Sunny's eyes, feeling lost and confused.
"-Hm?"
Graphite rolled on his back, getting away from the grasp of Sunny's stare. He faked a yawn, before continuing, "It's getting late, we should get to sleep now."
"Not until you tell me what you're thinking about," Sunny plead.
Graphite rolled over once more, facing towards the wall - and away from Sunny completely, "Maybe in the morning..."
Sunny blew a sigh before rolling over - facing the complete opposite of Graphite, "Sure - the morning... goodnight."
"'Night..."
The room fell silent, the only noise made was from the gentle hum of the bunker; the silence that echoed off the cold walls again and again. Graphite was still wide awake, his thinking interrupting his concentration again. He had an empty feeling, the only thing to base his feeling on was what Ligature had told him earlier. He had missed a perfect change to tell her; it was too late now though. Sunny was probably fast asleep already, and Graphite was suppose to be. He wanted to turn around and wake her, but there was just too much nervousness keeping him down. He stared at the walls - littered in a tacky wallpaper that was half glued on to the concrete. He yawned again, a real yawn this time around. His eyelids fell over themselves, his regret going away as the darkness overshadowed his eyes. He let out a short sigh, then fell asleep. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 20: No Need to Worry | Graphite was sitting knee high in a puddle of mud, his foxhole was flooded in mucky water from the last night's downpour. It rained too often on Hill 187, the tropical island seemed just as tropical as any other, the rains that were showering the island just a the night before made up for the lack of vegetation in the tropics. The were little trees and just a few patches of grass scattered around; but other than that, the rest was dirt. The dirt could be seen as a curse or a blessing, depending which side of the battlefield you're on. It was hard to move supplies through the mud, wagons couldn't make it through the deeper puddles and supplies had to be carried manually - but the same was true for the zebras. Graphite's task seemed just as challenging as dragging boxes through the mud - perhaps slightly more deadly. He was assigned to defend the mortar crews, orders received straight from the high command.
Graphite was sitting on an incline just on the edge of one of the hills on the bigger hill everyone else was sitting on. The ledge looked over a long forgotten farm. There was one shack left still intact, sitting on one of the many crests on the hill. The wood was dark, the building looked plastered together, and the roof had more holes than there were zebras hiding on the island. There hadn't been any zebra movement across the farmland in the last few days. Nothing rustling in the lost dead wheat grains, no shadows across the burnt down shacks and the run down carts, nothing passing through the grazing lands.
Graphite was sitting calmly in his foxhole, a cigarette smoking on the ends of his lips. He paned his eyes from the farmland back to the incline he was sitting on. A few soldiers moving into position, others moving equipment - one looking a bit awkward as he did. That one was Spotty, trotting up the hill while trying to keep from stumbling over his own hooves. On his belt were a pair of binoculars, living up to his name as a spotter for one of the mortar crews. He made his way down the mountain, paired with another mare tagging just along side. That mare was the executive officer, recognized only by the big, bold insignia that was stamped on the shoulder pads of her combat armor. She was dark tan in the coat and her mane was a blue just as dark. Her mane was short cut, almost as short as all the stallions around her.
They both came down the hill, stopping by Graphite's foxhole quickly. Spotty slid into the foxhole, greeting Graphite with a pat on his back, "How's it been, Graphite?" He asked merrily.
"I've been better," Graphite scolded, but gave him a grin anyways.
"Good - and - I've got the 'X-O' here with me-" Spotty stepped back as the officer came in front.
"According to our reports, Spotty, they have been moving back into that ridge," The mare pointed out to the shack on the left, "A couple of our soldiers have seen Zebras moving in and out from that shack to the left. I want a round on it." The mare left, leaving Spotty with a range finder and a walkie-talkie.
The walkie-talkie was a big, tin block with two speakers at the top and bottom. One on the top for ponies to yell at you, and one at the bottom to yell back.
Spotty placed the range finder on the edge of the of the foxhole and took some quick measurements. He grabbed for the walkie-talkie and dialed in the coordinates, "'X-O' wants a round on the farmhouse in sector two. Azimuth three one zero. Range three hundred. One round - HE."
All of this didn't make any sense to Graphite, but apparently some pony on the other end of that radio understood it as he heard some mumbling from it. Soon, a bang came from the top of the hill and a round exploded just right of the shack which Spotty was targeting. It made a nice bit of dirt fly into the air, but it wasn't what he was after.
"Left, two zero. Add fifty and try again," Spotty grumbled and corrected the coordinates.
Another bang came from the top of the hill and a round hit the shack, blowing it to pieces. Wood scraps flew into the air, coupled with another ton of dirt to litter the farmland even further.
"Target. Market concentration Bravo for this sector," Spotty finished and turned off the walkie-talkie with a flick of a switch.
"Well, I think that's a-" Spotty was interrupted by a loud roar screaming out of the crests on the hill.
Spotty and Graphite and the rest of the soldiers lining the ledge on that hill all turned towards the farmlands, looking on as a party of Zebras flooded out of the hills - screeching at the top of their lungs as they charged. The soldiers all stormed down the cliff, jumping head first into their foxholes as the zebras came in head first through the farm.
Spotty brought out his rifle, one of the new Black Rifles they released recently. He aimed down the sights, his battle saddle holding it still as he took aim. Graphite pushed the gun down by the barrel, looking towards Spotty, "Wait until they're closer," He commanded.
Spotty knelt down a bit, setting his gun aside, waiting quietly as the enemy charged loudly. Every Equestrian soldier waiting on that ridge was ducked behind their foxhole, their guns gripped tight near them as they waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
Another moment of stomping, another moment of war cries, and another moment of they moved forward. Graphite brought his rifle out to his front, aiming down the scope for a clean shot at the first zebra in the crowd. It took him not even a blink of an eye to aim and fire a shot - hitting the zebra square in his heart before the bullet shot out the other end and hit the ground. The zebra fell hard, some of his followers dazed and confused.
Suddenly, every pony on the ridge stood to their hooves and let out all their bullets at the enemy. The hail of bullets was deafening; gunfire drowned out gunfire as the bullets whizzed, guns banged, shells clanged, and magazines dropped. The bodies ahead dropped and dropped, not a single zebra making it up the ridge. The gunfire was mixed over the screams of the dying zebras and the shouts of the killing ponies. The bullets fired on, Spotty burning through magazine after magazine of his rifle. Graphite picked his rounds carefully, though; firing only when he could get a shot at the head or the heart.
The last pony filed out of the hills screaming, and the last pony to file out of the hills dropped dead with a bullet hole in his head. The bullets still blasted on until a voice shouted out, "Hold your fire!"
The 'X-O' commanded a cease fire, and instantly, every soldier lowered their guns and stopped the fire. The farmlands ahead had turned into a graveyard; a graveyard where all the bodies stayed above ground. The dirt was red with the zebras blood, and the smell of gunpowder and death covered the air like a fog. Not a single zebra appeared to be alive, all of their bodies riddled with bullet holes.
The ponies ducked back down behind their foxholes once more, checking on ammo and wounded. Graphite and Spotty continued to survey the land, looking on as the bodies covered the entirety of the land. Spotty slapped Graphite on the shoulder, whispering to him, "I think I see one moving down there."
Graphite set his rifle against the edge of the foxhole, holding it steady as he scanned the place where Spotty pointed through his scope. There was one zebra moving down there in no-one's land. It looked like it was twitching, maybe the zebra was shot and now was left to bleed out. Graphite looked closer, seeing that the zebra looked rather small. He looked at the zebra's face - then remembered what he was told about the zebra home guard.
"That's a foal!" Graphite blurted out.
The company turned their heads out to the killing floor; squinting and tilting their heads trying to search for this foal. One mare screamed out, "I see him! Right down there!" She pointed vigorously towards the foal writhing at the bottom of the hill. Graphite couldn't stand the sight of some little colt just sit there in the middle of a red sea - probably bleeding out as they speak. Graphite felt a strong feeling of pity and sorrow for the foal, but his orders were to stay put.
Suddenly, a gun dropped in the mud next to him, and the sound of a big object sliding through the dirt came from ahead of him. He swung his head over his foxhole - watching as Spotty dashed out into the middle of no-one's land.
He barreled over bodies and through the thick mud, moving fast as he ducked low to avoid being seen. He had been seen, but by the crowd of onlookers back on the ridge. The watched dazed as this stallion darted through the field and reached for the colt. He leaned over, bending over a dead zebra as he reached out to grab him. A loud crack hit the air, then a terrible groan down back at the farmland.
Graphite ducked down, peeking only his eyes over the foxhole just far enough to spot Spotty on the ground, holding his hind leg as blood started to flow from it. Graphite looked on at the hills overlooking the opposite end of the farm - grabbing his rifle for what he knew was a sniper. He picked up his rifle from the mud, keeping it as low to the ground as he could.
Graphite leaned over the foxhole and took aim, searching every grain of dirt for a sign of the sniper. Spotty was still bleeding out, but there was a still a foal to save and a sniper to avoid. He dragged himself over a body, looking straight into the eyes of the petrified foal.
Graphite dragged his rifle right and left over the edge of his foxhole, looking for a glint of a scope, a rustle of grass, or even one pebble out of place - the sniper was hiding somewhere not even a trained sharpshooter like Graphite could find. Spotty had a hold of the colt, slowly trumping out of the field of bodies and back towards the hill.
There was another crack in the air, a metal clank, then the sound of a ricocheting bullet whizzing by Graphite. He bent down inside his foxhole again, coming up slowly and staring back down the scope. Spotty tripped over another body, trudged over another pile of zebras, and pulled the colt back over his shoulder as he slowly made his way out of the field. Graphite searched high and low for the sniper, to no avail. All of his training and all of his experience and he couldn't find a sniper in land with no trees or bushes to hide behind.
Another gunshot and another dozen of heads ducking down. The shot missed completely, but there was still a sniper ready to fire again. Nothing in the hills. Graphite zoomed over the field, looking down at Spotty who was still trudging through muck and blood to carry out this foal. He was almost out, but there was that sense of urgency to kill the sniper before he could zero in on Spotty.
Graphite panned away from Spotty and back to the hills. He needed to think about where a sniper could hide - but this wasn't a just a sniper, it was a zebra. He thought about where a zebra would hide, their guerrilla tactics and deception would mean a sniper could be hiding in the complete opposite place you would expect to find them. Suddenly, a thought. Graphite zoomed back over to the field and looked at every single one of the bodies. He neared the back of the crowd of dead and saw one body moving when it shouldn't. It pulled the bolt on the gun he hid underneath him and slowly aimed down his scope.
Graphite smirked - he had found his target. He held his breath, took aim, and fired. A crack was heard through the air again. It zipped into flesh and bone and the scent of death was just that bit stronger. The zebra's helmet rolled off his target of a cranium. Graphite dropped his gun and made his way to Spotty, who was halfway up the hill. He grabbed his hoof and pulled him up, taking the small colt as he let the soldiers take Spotty to the infirmary.
Running down the hill was the officer, taking up the injured foal from Graphite as he grabbed the colt from Spotty. She held him tight in her arms, like it was her own son, and whisked it off to the medical tents just a short walk over the hill. Graphite helped Spotty to the medics as well, only staying with him long enough for the nurses to take him away.
Graphite had to stay on the ridge of few hours longer, watching the farmland for anymore zebras -- or to make sure none of the dead zebras suddenly rose from the dead. Eventually the sun began to set, and the soldiers working the day shift swapped over with the soldiers running the night shift. Graphite climbed over the peak of the hill, then made his way straight to the infirmary - where Spotty was receiving care.
Graphite set his gun at the entrance to the tent, stepping inside while he looked over at all the dying ponies. One half of the tent was for the sick, the other the wounded. There wasn't any more care for the one's with cuts or the one's missing a limb - they were all treated with whatever medical supplies the doctors and nurses had on supply. Spotty was sitting near the corner of the tent, between a stallion with bandages wrapped around his head and the young colt that he rescued earlier. The colt was sitting on a short stretcher - the only thing they could use as a bed - with some bandages around his leg. He was nibbling on some dry crackers from the ration packs. There wasn't much the ponies would offer in the form of food for captured zebras.
Graphite came over to Spotty, who was lying on the stretcher and staring up the at the tent's top. There was a gauze pad wrapped up in a mile of bandages around his thigh, it was stained in blood and didn't look good. He walked over beside him, kneeling down to his level.
"Spotty," He called.
"Huh- wha-" Spotty tumbled over, facing Graphite with a bit of a dozy look, "Oh hey, Graphite. How you've been?"
"I've been better," Graphite said softly. "What about you? You look like you took quite a hit."
"Y-yeah, I did..." Spotty wasn't as up beat as he usually was. It was one part pain, other part high doses of sedatives.
"Are you gonna be alright?" Graphite asked, peeking back at his injured leg.
"Oh yeah, I'll be fine... but, not for a while..."
"Hm?"
"Oh, it's just that the bullet grazed through my knee - I'm not gonna be able to walk until that heals. So... the, uh- they gave me a leave, Graphite."
"They gave you a leave, Spotty?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna be headin' out of here tomorrow mornin'. I'm going home, Graphite!" Spotty beamed wide, but also dazed by the excess sedatives.
"Back to Bucklyn, eh?"
"Yep, my family's gonna get the word - I wouldn't be surprised if they're waitin' for me now..."
Graphite rested his hand on his shoulder and shook it firmly, "I'm gonna miss ya', Spotty."
Spotty outstretched his arms, "Come here."
"Wha-"
"-Come hug me you son of a bitch," Spotty requested, waving his hooves over towards him. "Come on."
He smiled big, looking just as confident as ever. Graphite was reluctant to come in and share the hug, but he looked back at his bleeding leg. "He wasn't going to walk for at least a month - the least you could do is hug the stallion," Graphite thought to himself. He looked back over to his face, then leaned in for a quick hug.
"See, isn't that better," Spotty said sarcastically. "Oh, you know I got a medal for this stupid leg wound?"
"You mean the Pink Butterfly?"
"Yeah - that one you get for getting shot while on duty."
"At least you get something back for being shot in the leg," Graphite stood back up, still by Spotty's side.
"Yep..."
The doctor came over to the stretcher Spotty was laying on, tapping Graphite on the shoulder to grab his attention, "The patient needs his rest."
"Ah don't worry, doc, he's not botherin' me," Spotty rolled over again to face the doctor.
The doctor was a tall, lime green unicorn. His mane was cut short and frazzled by stress and hard work. He had a red coat - it used to be white, but the soldiers tend to bleed. His chin was riddled in patches of fuzz, and his mouth looked a bit dry, "I'm sure he's not, but 'ou need your rest, Spo'y," The doctor ordered in a strong accent.
"Sure thing, Doc," Spotty closed his eyes and laid he hooves under his head, pretending to sleep.
Graphite stepped out of the way of the doctor, chuckling at Spotty's antics. He trotted out through the aisles of hurt ponies, grabbing his rifle that was still sitting at the entrance. He jumped back down the hill, sliding down to his foxhole once more. The mud was still a bit damp, still sticking to anything that touched it. Graphite hugged his rifle then sunk into his hole, closing his eyes to rest.
The hill beside him was pummeled by a boom; a boom loud enough to deafen Graphite and cause his ears to ring violently. Graphite dropped down deeper into his foxhole, grabbing the his head with both hooves and covering tight as he rolled into his foxhole. The hill trembled again, another whoosh from the sky pounded the ground and shot crumbled gravel into the air. The artillery shells were like thunder strikes - just as loud and just as dangerous. The hill continued to be bombarded by the artillery - the shells exploding closer and closer to the ridge. Graphite screamed, as the bombs blasted piece by piece away of the hill and the edge of his foxhole.
He was shaken and shaken, the grip of the explosions strong on his chest. Graphite opened his eyes, and realized Sunny's hooves were planted on his chest as she shook him, calling out, 'Graphite!'
"Huh, what?"
"You were screaming in your sleep." Sunny looked worried, "What happened?"
"I-it was nothing," Graphite tried to assure.
"Graphite, that was something. It would be better if you'd tell me."
"Okay, but I don't see how this helps," Graphite took a breath. "Ever since I got unfrozen, I've been seeing dreams - nightmares. They're flashbacks of the war, memories that can never seem to leave my thoughts."
"But flashbacks shouldn't make any pony scream in the middle of the night," Sunny commented with concern.
"It shouldn't, I know - but it's not my fault. Whenever I have these dreams, I feel everything like I was there. I can hear all the screaming, all the gunfire, all the- the-"
Graphite looked heated, sweating and a bit choked in his voice. Sunny saw his plight, grabbing his hoof gently from under the sheets before looking into his eyes, "Maybe you should try thinking about something positive before you go to bed."
Graphite felt the warm touch of Sunny's hoof on his. He paused, gripping her hoof tighter as he looked up to Sunny, "You really think that would work?"
Sunny scooted closer to Graphite, her eyes beaming into Graphite's - but he didn't mind. It was a lovely shade of orange that could brighten up anyone who stares into them long enough. Graphite started to smile, still hot from nervousness.
"It works for me," Sunny smiled. "If I ever feel bad before I go to sleep, I just think about the ones I love."
"You mean your family or-"
"-All of them. My family downtown, Sierra, even my dog Nero. Anyone I hold close."
Graphite sighed, taking a moment to think - the thing he was best at. His family came to mind almost instantly. He remembered his mother first, the care she gave him; he remembered his favourite meal she used to make him, a pea and carrot stew with a dash of a 'secret sauce' - otherwise known as a mix of spices his mother made herself - that his mother would add in it to make it taste great. His father came to mind, he wasn't around as much thanks to his long hours on the harbour. There weren't many memories of his father, but he could always remember that he would take time out of anything to tell Graphite a story. His stories usually involved the ships he saw come into the harbour, but it the way he told that made it so interesting and entertaining. After his parents, there wasn't many ponies in mind. He was an only foal, not many foals his age lived in his apartment, not many friends of the family. He stopped his thoughts, Sunny was still waiting over him waiting for an response. Sunny was in his thoughts now.
The way she made him smile, the way she could find light in a dark situation, the way she moved, the way she talked - Graphite hadn't a dark thought in his mind in that moment. Graphite looked into Sunny's eyes, "Yeah, I can think of a few ponies close to me..."
"Good, wanna try and not wake me up in the middle of night now?" Sunny giggled.
"Alright," Graphite smiled back.
Sunny lied back down on her pillow, whispering 'goodnight' in his ear then a quick kiss on his cheek. Her eyes closed and she let out a small sigh before she started fast asleep. Graphite's eyes widened, his cheeks turning a fancy shade of red. He looked down at his hoof, still gripped tight by Sunny's hoof. Graphite couldn't feel any warmer in that moment even if he stood out and baked himself in the radiation. He had the same amount of warmth - and no side effects. With a smile on his face, he laid his head on his pillow. He was staring at a barren ceiling, just before closing his eyes. He dreamed of himself as a farmer, farming crops of wheat and corn. He woke back up in the morning not know why he had this dream, but he was thrilled to see he had a dream rather than another bleak memory. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 21: A Thing Called Love | Graphite was still lying in bed - awake, but too groggy to start getting out of bed. Sunny was starting wake, getting up as soon as she finished her morning stretches. Graphite flipped over, watching Sunny grab her worn leather jacket and slipping it on before stepping into the kitchen. Graphite groaned, deciding a few more minutes in bed wouldn't hurt anyone. He grabbed the bed sheets and pulled them over his shoulder, closing his eyes to try and fall asleep again. It didn't work, he was still awake, and the bunker was still uncomfortably cold. He tossed the bedsheets away, slowly sliding over the edge of the bed on unto the ground. He stretched out his back, planting his hind hooves on the floor as he pulled his body forward - stretching out forward until it cracked back into place. With a sigh, he moved over to the kitchen.
Ligature was wide awake. She was in the kitchen by a steaming pot; it smelled like coffee was brewing in it, Graphite was pleased by the smell. The last cup of coffee Graphite had was back in Stripe's Bar, when he first came into that dreaded place. He wouldn't forget that moment he saw Sunny bring him his morning coffee and oatmeal. It was a good coffee; not great, but after a long night's battle with the raiders, it helped perk him up. Graphite waved a hello to Ligature as he passed by, "Morning, Graphite," Sunny spoke out from the chair. Graphite waved to her too, slowly making his way to the bathroom. He stepped into the damp room, the air was thick with moisture that was still trapped in the room with only the drains to run down or the holes in the leaky pipes. His armour was still sitting by the doorway where he left it, gathering dust from the musky bathroom. Pulling the armour to him, Graphite shook off the dust before stepping in to each section of armour. Pants, chest-plate, and the duster to go over. Graphite tugged his duster to his view, looking at all the bullet holes, tears, and the bite marks that were on the end of the duster. It's amazing how much a stallion could ruin a suit in only a few days.
Graphite stopped himself for a moment, realizing the time. After a pause, Graphite realized it had been no longer than two weeks since his trip from the exhibition to where he was now, sitting in the bottom of a bunker. Time just seems to find ways of bending itself; whether it's going by when you're doing what you want, or dragging on when you're doing what you need. Graphite caught a glimpse of himself in the mirrors above the sinks, spotting something he didn't remember having. There was a bruise on his cheek, and he wasn't sure where he got it from. It could have came from the hike over the rubble, the fight between the Talons he had recently.
The smell of the coffee was fluttering through the bunker, filling the air with its strong scent. Graphite trotted out the bathroom quickly to catch the first batch of coffee.
He trotted out to the kitchen. Ligature already had her hooves on a cup of coffee, she had her dirty cloak on to keep her warm through the cool morning in the bunker. Graphite grabbed his mug and trotted over to the pot. There looked like there was only enough for one more cup; Graphite had the pot in his levitation spell and was about to pour, but he remembered Sunny who was still on the chair with some buttered toast on a paper plate. Graphite was focused on Sunny chewing her food with his cup in his telekinesis, when a plate appeared under his view, "Here's some toast - I have it all ready for you, Graphite," Ligature smiled as she pushed the toast towards him.
Graphite grabbed the plate of toast and said, "Thank you, Ligature."
"Of course," Ligature replied before trotting away to the bedroom. She probably went to make the bed. Graphite grabbed one of the chairs from the table again and slid it over to Sunny. He rested the plate in his lap and took a large bite of the buttered toast. Sunny faced towards Graphite, swallowing her bite of toast, "Boy, Graphite, I feel like I'm eating a pre-war breakfast - like the ones they show on posters. Did you eat this a lot?"
"You mean toast," Graphite mumbled with a mouthful of the bread.
"Yeah, toast. It seems so simple, but it's really good."
"Yeah, we had it a lot; it's something that's really cheap and really easy to make."
"Oh, 'cause I like it. What else did you eat for breakfast, Graphite?"
"Well besides toast," Graphite took another mouthful of his toast and continued, muffled, "We also had oatmeal, and usually cereal - those are the basic breakfast meals."
"Those do sound pretty basic, there wasn't much else I guess?"
"Nothing we could afford; but, on holidays, my papa would take me to the nearby diner to order some hotcakes-"
"-Cake? For breakfast?"
"No no no, it's not like cake," Graphite asserted, finishing off his last bite of toast and his last sip of coffee. "Oh, did you want me to get you some coffee?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you, Graphite - just tell me about the uh, 'hotcakes'."
"Oh yeah, um- well, hotcakes are like flat... um, cakes made of-"
"-Oh, so they are cakes, eh?" Sunny scoffed with a grin.
"No, it's not- it's like a cake, though. It's made with flour, milk, eggs, and stuff like that. Then you take the batter, pour it in a circle on a pan over the oven, and wait until it cooks to a golden brown."
Sunny stepped off the chair and took her plate to the kitchen. She grabbed a drink of her canteen water then walked back over to Graphite, "Well when you put it like that, it sounds pretty good."
Graphite just chuckled, placing his plate over Sunny's and setting the cup in the sink. He rinsed it out of the coffee that was sitting in the bottom of the cup. Just about that time, Ligature came back from the room, "Looks like you lot finished your breakfast - I hope you enjoyed the toast, dears," She affirmed.
Sunny came by, still smiling as wide as ever, "Oh yes, it was delicious, Ligature - thanks for the meal."
"Oh yes, thank you for the food, Ligature," Graphite added as well.
Ligature grinned through her wrinkles, showing a bit of her teeth - or whatever was still dangling from her gums. They looked rotted and almost black, and chipped too. It was a bit hard to look at, but a smile was a smile, and made Graphite feel a bit happier with himself, "Oh, it's no problem at all, just keeping my guests happy," Ligature said as she trotted to the living room.
"I imagine you two will be going your way soon," She guessed, sighing a bit.
"I think we will do that just now," Sunny replied.
"Yeah- yes, we should," Graphite answered with a stammer.
"I wish that you both could stay here for a while longer. You're the first guests I've had in over fifty years."
"We'd really love to stay, but we should head out while it's still morning," Sunny commented.
"Okay," Ligature sighed, "Don't let me keep you then."
The duo grabbed their things and made their way towards the rusty ladder leading to the surface. Sunny turned to Ligature one more just before they left, "Maybe some day we can come back and visit you -- if we ever find the time?"
"Yes - visit me whenever you want, I don't mind at all. I'm happy to know someone out there will remembers I still exist," Ligature assured with they biggest smile a ghoul could muster without tearing her cheeks.
She came over to Graphite and Sunny, wrapping her wrinkled and charred arms around their bodies and hugging them close. The two didn't say a word; caught off guard by the sudden hug and the disturbing feel of her dead skin on their bodies. Sunny tried to ignore it, but Graphite had every bit of his body curdle with an uneasy feeling. Even through the suit, the oddly warm feel of her arms were seeping through.
Ligature soon leaned away, a tear almost forming in her dried eyes as they started to leave. Sunny waved by as she started her way up the ladder, the bars creaking with every step. Graphite stepped up to the ladder, but Ligature stopped him just before he started climbing, "Wait," She implored with a hoof on his shoulder.
"Yes, L-ligature?" Graphite stammered, looking back at the aging unicorn.
"Don't forget what I told you last night, Graphite - don't miss your chance on her."
"I know, Ligature. I remember."
"But don't forget," Ligature left him off with a pat on his shoulder. "Goodbye, Graphite."
Graphite rested his hoof on the ladder, looking back to Ligature. The hood covered her face with its shadow. If Graphite didn't know any better, she was just another old mare. He worked a small smile, "Goodbye, Ligature."
The mare waved him off as he climbed up out the light, into the darkness, and back into light. Sunny was waiting for him just outside the trap door; she helped Graphite up with a firm grasp on his hoof. She pulled him up as he pushed himself out, joining with each other again on the surface.
It was just at the start of morning outside, the sun beaming more rays through the daunting skyscrapers and the thick cloud of ash, shimmering off the dust that filled the streets, the air, and everything else. The two ponies closed the hatch to the bunker, sealing Ligature safely inside the cold bunker. It made a loud thunk as closed the only entrance in or out of that small home below the earth. The weaved passed the destroyed counters and out the rubble of what was once a wall.
They walked down the middle of the street, continuing in what seemed the best direction out of the epicentre. They stepped through more sheets of ash, and over more shadows of the lives burnt down by the blast. There were more casts of ponies' shades across the walls along the buildings. One building was covered in a dark shade of black, a crowd of ponies all wiped out unto this one wall. They both stopped to look at the grim picture painted on the wall, standing silent with respect to those lives lost in an instant.
"This wall needs a mural," Sunny said softly and somberly, looking down towards her hooves just for the moment. Graphite was silent, taking another moment to stare at the wall, "Was there nothing I could've done for these ponies," Graphite uttered quietly.
Sunny turned to him, "No, but you were fighting for these ponies - you did enough."
"No, it wasn't enough... These ponies still died even after I've risked my life to save them."
Sunny turned away from the wall and towards Graphite, "There's nothing you could have done, Graphite-"
"-That's the problem," Graphite interrupted. "The least I could do is be there with them in their last moments; be another victim and join them to wherever they've gone."
"You would rather be known as just another statistic than a national war hero?"
Graphite paused, the thoughts growing deeper in his mind, "Maybe I would - I wouldn't have to carry this guilt on my chest if I died in the blasts."
Sunny sighed and turned back to face the mass grave burning in the wall, "You can't save everyone, Graphite. It's war, there's nothing to war if a few ponies don't lose their lives. You've helped more ponies than probably any other pony in Equestria, why do you feel guilty about this?" Sunny turned about, leaving the conversation and the crowd of the dead that was listening.
Graphite was still stuck in his spot, his eyes glued to the wall. He turned to Sunny's direction, watching as she slowly fleets away from him. Back to the wall, and back to Sunny. Graphite turned to the ends of the streets, then followed after Sunny. They moved on and on down the lonely road together, taking the burdens of being haunted and stalked by the shadows of past lives on their shoulders. Their pace steadied out into a gentle stroll; they were walking side by side down the ash covered road.
"So, Graphite," Sunny said to fill the void of silence, "I heard Ligature talking to you right when we left her bunker, What were you two talking about?"
"Nothing, she was just saying her goodbyes," Graphite answered.
"A special goodbye just for you, Graphite? Maybe a kiss on the cheek for the big boy," Sunny giggled while she made a face at Graphite.
"It was nothing," Graphite chuckled.
"It had to be a very special nothing to have to be kept secret, eh?"
"Why do you want to know, Sunny?"
"I'm just curious," Sunny smiled.
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"What?" Sunny turned to Graphite with her brow raised.
"Curiosity killed that cat -- it's a, uh- saying."
"That's a very sad saying, Graphite; I don't see how curiosity could kill a cat."
"It's just a saying, Sunny - don't worry about the cat," Graphite assured stubbornly.
"Okay, I just don't approve of such a saying," Sunny chortled.
Graphite wasn't sure if she was serious or just pulling his leg, but it did help to lighten the mood. The two daring ponies continued on their journey through the wretched city. They were starting to leave the heart of downtown, the ashes covering the broken streets was starting to ease away. The level of debris and destruction was starting to ease away as well, moving from whole buildings blown away to just half of the building blown off. The blank sky looked just the same - blank. Graphite stared up towards the barren sky, looking on as the ash plume had stayed behind them and leaving only one cloud floating in the wind.
"That's strange," Graphite mumbled to himself.
Sunny kept her pace ahead of Graphite, but looked back when she heard him speak, "What's strange?"
"There's a cloud coming in, I thought there weren't any clouds in this part of the city."
Sunny looked up at the light sky, covering her eyes from the rays of sunlight, "There isn't," Sunny announced. "It's probably going rain soon."
"You mean that black rain?"
"Maybe, most of the time it's the clean stuff, but every so often you get that black rain."
"I don't think I can remember what real rain was like; it rained once since I got out of the exhibition - it was black rain of course," Graphite made a sort of pout with his snout, looking back up at the slowly passing cloud.
"Aw yes, my first black rain wasn't so pleasant either, I was caught outside playing in it and the stuff was stick in my fur for weeks - luckily I didn't stay out in it too lon-"
Sunny was cut off by a distinct noise coming from somewhere in the down turned buildings. Sunny stopped in her tracks, looking about every corner and alley of the dead buildings. Graphite came up beside her slowly, preparing the shotgun he had buried in his bag and had almost forgot about. He pumped the handle, seeing it was loaded already, "I have a pretty good idea what that noise was," Graphite whispered to Sunny.
"Yes, I'm pretty familiar with it, Graphite," Sunny commented, moving her hoof over the top of Graphite's gun and lowering it.
"What are you do-"
"-Trust me, Graphite."
Graphite would usually swat away the hoof and bring his gun back to the ready, but there was unruly amount of trust he felt towards Sunny. He lowered his gun, but still standing in a solid fighting stance by force of habit. The noise echoed out again, it was a low growl - something like a dog's heavy howl. The growl was joined by a loud bark, then a loud orchestra of woofs and barks. The pack of four hounds rolled out of hiding, darting towards the two ponies.
Graphite brought his shotgun back up, but his reaction was denied by Sunny again, "No, Graphite!"
"They're coming right for-"
Sunny galloped away, leaving Graphite confused. He was going to fire, but he might hit Sunny - but the dogs would surely kill her. He went back and forth incessantly in his mind, figuring out how to react to the situation. Sunny was already halfway to the pack of feral hounds, and they were halfway to her. Graphite tried to run after to her, but he couldn't move his hooves any further in any direction. He was caught between going after Sunny and saving himself.
The dogs were nearing Sunny, but were starting to slow their pace. They stilled were snarling and drooling over themselves, but were slowing down as they came closer to Sunny. Sunny was also slowing down her pace, gradually moving from a gallop to a trot. Graphite gnashed his teeth, wanting to call out, but knew the dogs would run after him.
Sunny slowed down her trot to an almost stop, moving ahead one hoof at a time. The dogs were almost dragged down by Sunny; as she slowed down, so did they. Graphite could barely see Sunny at his distance now, but he could tell that she was still beaming with a bright smile. Graphite was just left even more confused, watching as Sunny smiled just before meeting her doom.
Graphite remembered how her smile could brighten up any pony's day, he remembered this when he saw the looks of the dogs turn flip from wild killers to calm puppies. Like her own pets, the demon dogs came up to Sunny with complete care and nuzzled their rotted snouts against her legs.
Graphite dropped his shotgun, the peak of his confusion had been meet at this moment. Sunny was petting the animal's heads and rubbing their burnt and molted bellies. Graphite found his sense of motion, and began a trot towards Sunny.
He came up behind Sunny as the dogs played at her hooves; but as Graphite came by, the dogs suddenly became defensive again. Sunny calmed them down quickly, shushing them and warding them away from Graphite while she assured the animals Graphite was a friend. They came to quickly, Sunny directing Graphite to pet the wild dogs as she kept them still.
Graphite was very reluctant to even get near the radiated hounds, but the trust he felt from Sunny was still overpowering him. He brought his hoof out to the nearest pup, feeling as it guided itself to brush against his hoof. Graphite eased up, knowing the dog wasn't going to bite that same hoof right off of his arm. He lowered himself down to Sunny, sitting down as the dogs laid with them.
Graphite sat almost nervously, letting the hounds brush against his legs, "I can't believe this, Sunny," Graphite stated in surprise.
"Well, believe or not, Graphite - it's happening," Sunny smiled wide as the dogs playing around her.
"I just don't understand how you tamed these damn dogs, I had to fight of a pack just like this right when I got into Buckago."
"Well it's really kind of easy, Graphite - everyone, and everything, just wants a little bit of love. Once you show them your compassion, they'll turn a new leaf in a snap."
"I wish ponies knew that before the war," Graphite scolded.
Sunny just smiled, picking herself up to run around with the tamed hounds. Graphite stayed put with his dog by his side, resting with Graphite's hoof on his head. He watched Sunny play with the dogs as the words delved into his mind. He thought about love as a weapon, how it could subdue even the hellish of creatures. He also thought how a lack of it could stir up those same beasts. Love is one of those things that makes the world spin, and one of those things that could make it tilt. It can be used for good, then twisted for evil. It was a confusing emotion, and Graphite didn't enjoy emotions - he was just a victim of them.
Sunny grabbed one of the long splinters that came from the rubble of a building, using it as a stick to play fetch with the wild dogs. They two dogs playing with her would sprint haphazardly to grab the stick, then bite and scratch at each other to get a hold of it. The third dog was still resting gently under Graphite's hoof, while the forth dog didn't appear to be in sight. Graphite looked up to the skies, staring at the dark cloud tumbling into the area. The mist of rain in the distance showered the air in a dark haze. The skyline of the outer ends of the city was obscured by the mists. Graphite heard something dragging across the street; when he looked back, he saw the forth dog dragging a large plank across the street in his mouth. He could barely keep it up himself, but he carried with him anyways.
Suddenly, a loud boom - like an artillery firing of a round. Graphite flinched, whipping his head towards the air in search of the shell. There was no shell, and no artillery, just the sound of thunder cracking in the wind. The dogs whimpered then scattered at the loud noise, making their way to the refuge of the fallen buildings. Graphite got up to his feet, with Sunny coming by with her eyes staring at the storm cloud, "We should find some shelter before that storm comes," She suggested.
"Yeah, maybe if we go further up the road we could find some building still intact."
"And of course, that's going towards the storm..." Sunny sighed to herself.
They moved on passed the next street corner and over another intersection, the next building looking no better than the last. They came across a bank that seemed to still be standing, but upon looking inside, the ceiling had caved in on itself - rusted bits scattered in the rubble. There was enough loose bits in the wreckage to buy out one of these buildings -- a toppled over building didn't go for much anyways. They scooted back out, going back on the streets to look for a safe building to hide from the rain.
The storm cloud was closing in, the sound of the rain rushing through the air came into hearing. Their pace picked up greatly, taking no time to search around the buildings. They passed another intersection, a tall building was standing at the end of the street to the right. Graphite took the lead, moving with Sunny up that street to the building waiting for them.
They got up to the building. It was a tall building with a store sitting at the bottom. The store had a sign winding across the border of the store; the sign was half destroyed, only the 'Boutique' portion still legible. There were windows stamped across the store front, all of them broken and boarded up with old wooden planks. The storm was coming in; Sunny took the lead again and pushed the door open after a small struggle. They huddled inside, closing the door again as they ran inside. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 22: You Are My Sunshine | The lights in the boutique were still on, though slowly dimming through time and some starting to flicker wildly. The inside was filled with uncovered mannequins, torn dresses, and spare pieces of cloth with sewing needles still thread through them. The room looked lived in, muddy tracks followed underneath some of the clothes along the solid tiled floors. There were also a few scattered cans and bags against one corner near the sales counter. Sunny poked through the forgotten suits and ripped dresses, sighing at the sight of one of the pink dresses burnt to a crisp. She picked it up, seeing that the dress was only long enough for a filly, probably a dress for that filly's birthday. She dropped it on the floor where she found it, going through the rest of the litter.
Graphite was watching Sunny sort through the mess, watching her smile start to fade away. He thought for a moment, looking at the suits that were hanging on some racks in the corner. His eyes traveled up the line of suits on display up to a doorway in the back, most likely supplies or maybe some extra dresses. He decided to go check it out - maybe he could fix the flickering lights. He turned his head, Sunny was looking at herself in a mirror; she was holding a ruined dress over her body to see how it looked.
Graphite strolled around as she was distracted, moving quietly into the back room without Sunny's noticing. He closed the door, keeping it open just a crack so it didn't clank when it closed. There was barely any light, just enough to spot the power box. He popped it open with his magic, using his the magical surge around his horn to illuminate the panel. He fiddled around with the switches on the panel; flipping switches up and down, trying combination after combination. Eventually, he ended up tearing the cover off the panel and looking directly inside the power box. There were some cables loose and others unplugged completely. He snapped one cord back in, jumping back as the box sparked a bit. The lights faded out completely before slowly coming back on.
"Graph- Graphite, where are you? What's up with the lights?" Sunny shouted from back in the main room.
"I'm working on it, Sunny!" Graphite shouted back.
The lights ceased flickering after another couple of switches flipped. The room he was standing in suddenly lit up, one little light bulb on the ceiling came on after finishing with the power. In the light, Graphite noticed he had turned the power to the emergency setting. Everything seemed to be working fine now, so he just shrugged and moved on. Graphite was about to go back to the main room when he noticed something on a table against the wall - a yellow pile of fabric, folded into a very neat square. Graphite decided to unfold it and see what it really was.
It was a yellow dress -- or maybe more of a gold. It was medium cut with the sleeves folded. The dress was waved with pleats that went from the bottom of the v-neck down to the bottom of the dress. To finish off the design, there was a black belt that was secured in the back by a thread - it was obviously there just for the looks. He decided to take the dress to Sunny; after all, it might be just what what she was looking for.
Graphite took the dress with his telekinetic spell, shaking out the dust and straitening out the creases as he trotted through the door. Sunny was near the counter, filing through some burnt socks and sweaters. There was an old mattress underneath her behind the counter, probably where the previous owner stayed for the night. Graphite came up beside her, tapping her on the shoulder.
"Hey, Sunny?" Graphite called as Sunny continued sorting through the junk, "Is this what you're looking for?"
Sunny turned to Graphite. As soon as she noticed the yellow dress floating in Graphite's spell she dropped the shreds she was holding with a gasp. Her eyes beamed with excitement and she smiled wide, then proceeded to hug Graphite tight, "It's better than anything I imagined!" She shouted.
Graphite was a bit stunned at the sudden show of affection, but he let his agitation go to the point of hugging Sunny back. Sunny slipped out of his hug, taking the dress from Graphite's levitation. She looked up and down the pleats and running her hoof down the fine silk threads. She fiddled around with the belt, checking if it still buckled after all the years its been sitting in a dusty room. She held it over her chest and looked down to see how she would look wearing it.
"Maybe you should just try it on," Graphite suggested, undoing the belt on the dress it had lightly buckled.
"Yeah! Of course, I'll just slip it on now-"
"-Oh," Graphite turned around, covering his eyes with one hoof as he looked away from Sunny. "Yeah, go ahead."
Sunny, covered her mouth and giggled, "You can be really silly sometimes, Graphite. I hope you realize this."
"I just don't want to be rude," Graphite said, still covering his eyes.
"We're both mature ponies here, Graphite - I don't see why you have to worry."
"I thought you wanted to try out that dress - I don't see why you keep stalling."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm changing now," Sunny asserted, sliding her saddlebag off her body and letting it fall on the floor.
"Good, I'm curious too see you in that dress just as much as you," Graphite mentioned.
She unzipped her jacket and shook it off, letting it hit the floor while the things in the pockets rattled around. She slipped the dress over her head, pulled the sleeves down, and slipped her arms through. Sunny pulled the belt tight and locked it in through the buckle, "It fits perfectly!" Sunny exclaimed with wide smile.
"You can look now, Graphite," She mocked, striking a pose like a portrait just as Graphite turned around.
Graphite was awestruck, almost speechless until Sunny asked, "What do you think?"
"I love it! What about you, Graphite - what do you think?" She said smiling a mile wide.
Graphite struggled to ease out his words, "You- you look gorgeous, Sunny."
"You really think so?"
"Yes. If there was a dance happening now, It would be an honor to take you there with me," Graphite grinned. He felt unsettled, nervous over what Sunny would be thinking. He could have just said 'yes' and left it there, but he was overcome with feelings. He scratched the back of his leg using the other one, waiting for a response.
"Why don't we make a dance of our own?" Sunny proposed, turning forward to face Graphite. "This store seems big enough, and your Pip-Buck has a radio in it!"
Graphite paused, happy from the response but worried by the proposal. He paused; he wanted to avoid the situation, but also dearly wanted to follow along, "I dunno Sunny, it's been a very long time since I've danced and I'm not sure if I can still do it."
"It's okay. I've never really danced before in my life," Sunny grinned and grabbed Graphite by the hoof. "Now, lets go and get you out of that armor and into something more fitting."
"I think that I'll find something myself," Graphite said with a bit of a worry in his voice. He was a grown stallion and it would be very awkward for him if a mare helped him to pick his clothes.
"Okay, I'll just wait for you over here then," Sunny replied, sitting down on a pillow laying in a corner, still adoring her new dress.
Graphite went along the shelves. The suits for stallions were deeper in the store and there were more left than he had imagined. They seemed to be in better condition than any of the scraps near the front, maybe the ponies that came here first were too lazy or too scared to venture into the back of the store. There was also a wall separating the suits from the rest of the mare's clothes, this probably stopped the scorch seeing that all the dresses beside the suits were burnt and brittle and the suits were simply covered in soot.
He dusted a few of the blazers and overcoats down with his hoof, swatting away the ash that came off after the sweeping. They were all sizes too big and too small for Graphite; so, Graphite pressed on, shuffling sideways as he scanned the suits. He shifted aside the suits on the hangers, sliding them away as he looked at the size and colour. He filed through one by one until one suit finally caught his attention.
It was a light blue suit, almost faded blue. It was matched with the same colour tie that was stripped in a darker blue. The was also a button up shirt tagged along with it, a peachy colour all the way through. Graphite instantly remembered his graduation, this suit was almost completely identical to the suit he wore during that day. He snagged the suit, grabbing the button-up from falling as he pulled the suit from the rack.
Graphite peeked over to Sunny, who was waiting patiently for Graphite. She was rubbing the dress down, fitting it over arms more comfortably and dusting out the last patches of dust on the dress. Graphite moved over to the backroom, still keeping his manners in line as he shut the door to change. Sunny chuckled, slumping down against the wall.
The light was still dim in the room, it was only enough to light up from his body up, his legs lost somewhere in the shadows. He unstrapped his backpack, pulled off his duster, tugged off his chest-plate, then slipped out of his cargo pants after undoing the extensive belt. He grabbed the suit from the table, shaking out the wrinkles using his telekinesis. He glared at the blue suit and peach button-up, thoughts of his parents moving into his mind. Graphite slipped the wallet he had in his duster's pocket, sliding his old wallet out and opening it up. There was still an aged photograph of his parents and himself with Graphite wearing his blue graduation suit. He sighed a deep sigh, tossing his wallet back on the crumpled mess of his armour.
First went on the peach button-up shirt, then the blue blazer that went over it. He tied his tie after a few attempts. After he saw he had his suit all in order, he trotted back through the door - Sunny jumping to her hooves when the door opened.
"Wow! Gee, Graphite, I've seen you in armour and I've seen you naked, but this is probably the best you've looked by far."
"Umm, thanks for the compliment, Sunny-"
"-Oh, hold on a second," She reached her hooves to Graphite, fixing the pads on the suits of the shoulder, straightening out his tie, picking off the bits of dirt still stuck on the sleeves, and finally doing one last check over him.
"There," Sunny admired, "Perfect, just like one of those stallions in the posters."
"I guess so," Graphite grinned with an uncomfortable amount of glee. "Well, we can't have a dance without music, right?" Graphite brought up his Pip-Buck and turned the dial on the side until the volume came up enough so both of them could here music throughout the main room. It was playing something a bit classical, so Graphite flipped over to another station. He didn't have this station back in the bunker, it was 89.2 FM.
The station was playing rock n' roll, something easier to dance to than the slow tempo of classical. Graphite stepped into the middle of the room with Sunny, starting to choke up when he realized he had to dance when he had completely forgot how.
Graphite sighed over the music before turning to Sunny, "Neither of us can dance, you know."
Sunny just giggled, grabbing Graphite by the hoof, "Well, it's never to late to learn. Besides, it can't be too hard - just move around with the beat!"
They got closer together, making sure they could both keep each other up as they started to move one hoof after the other. It started out as a few out of sync skips and steps, followed by one tripping over the other. The two got right back up after their falls, helping the other up as they shared laughs and continued dancing around. They started improving, the skips starting to match along with the beat. They tried a few kicks, going no higher than their elbows, taking all caution not to kick the other. The songs flipped through more and more upbeat rock with plenty of rhythm. Graphite was bouncing around while Sunny skipped about, the both of them giving their all in their dancing. Graphite was moving into the song, grabbing Sunny and swinging her around. She lost her grip, but was amazed at the daring move. She jumped at him with a quick hug, going back to keep moving her hooves.
Graphite was getting exhausted, but kept going thanks to Sunny's encouragement. She would swing him around every other beat, and he would just perk up and keep dancing. They were just at the peak of their excitement, then the songs switched to something slightly different. The pace was slowing down, the rhythm was smooth and mellifluous, the tone a lot quieter. Sunny slowed down with the music, almost to a stop when tempo changed from swinging around to a two step. Graphite almost stopped as well, but when he recognized the song, he began to hum the tune. He came up to Sunny, humming the tune with passion. The chorus sprung up and he couldn't help but continue humming along. Sunny was adoring the soft tone in Graphite's hums. Graphite grasped Sunny's hoof and lead her back to the middle of the room.
Sunny's eyes couldn't be any wider, the pupils catching the flushed lights on the ceiling. She rested her hoof on his shoulder, Graphite holding her side as they came close to dance an easy sway. They moved their bodies with the steady beats in the music, keeping close while they slowly spun around in an even circle. The song faded out, but Graphite and Sunny were still held close bobbing to the imaginary beat.
Graphite looked down to Sunny, her head lying on his other shoulder, "Sunny," He whispered.
Sunny was almost dazed, probably just tired from the intense swinging and shaking from earlier. She looked up finally, her innocent eyes staring into Graphite's more hardened looking glare, "Yes, Graphite?"
"Let's... let's get something to eat," He murmured to her.
"Oh, sure," Was all Sunny replied with.
She released herself from Graphite, going for the counter at the end of the shop. Graphite let her go, raising his brow when he noticed her bag wasn't behind the counter but just aside his hooves. He trotted after Sunny, finding her with two glass bottles of some Sparkle Cola, "I found these buried behind the socks," Sunny mentioned, setting them on the counter while she moved over to grab her bag. Graphite bent over to stare at the what else was hiding under the counter. He saw a start of a stockpile for Sparkle Cola and Sunrise Sarsaparilla. There was one water bottle, but it was drank a long while ago. He reared back over, seeing Sunny laying out a box of potato crisps on the dusty counter top. It was about half full, but nothing could go better with crisps than the bottles Cola and Sarsaparilla.
They spent just a few minutes crunching and munching through the salty crisps and drinking away the fizzy bottles of Cola.
"I can't help but to think about before the war whenever I eat food like this," Sunny said just before tossing in a few chips into her mouth.
"It seems to happen to you often, Sunny," Graphite said while he popped a chip into his mouth too, keeping a bit a table manners with him when he chewed as calmly as he could over the crunchy crisp.
"I know it does, but the pre-war days are so interesting - and a lot happier."
Graphite took a sip of his cola, using the bottle to emphasize his words, "Well, everything back then wasn't all parties you know."
"Yes, but at least you had parties. A luxury like that doesn't come around when there's almost nothing to celebrate."
"Of course. Well, after the hard work was finished, there were some parties held for special events at the high school in Carnen."
Sunny stopped silent for a short moment, then she remembered what Carnen was, "Oh. So, did you ever get to go to one?"
"No, never. I- uh- never had any pony to go with, so..." Graphite lost his words. He twiddled with the almost empty bottle of cola, spinning it around on his hoof quietly.
"Aww, I'm so sorry, Graphite," Sunny reached over, holding Graphite's hoof still with hers, "Well now you've been to a dance with me." She smiled, keeping pure eye contact with Graphite.
Graphite took in a gulp, almost big enough for Sunny to notice. His hoof was warming up under Sunny's. He tried to grip the counter, but his hoof would just start to slide towards himself. Sunny slid her hoof away and held it to her chest, "You feeling all right, Graphite?" She asked, troubled.
"I-i'm fine." Graphite lied and looked down at the counter.
"You seem awfully nervous about something. Don't worry, it's just the two of us here, you can tell me."
"Okay," Graphite sighted, "Before the war I... I could never imagine that I could go up to a mare and talk to her... and now I'm here - dancing and dining with you."
"Graphite are you nervous because of the dance?"
"No. Well, yes but not only because of that. For the last few days we've been together and you're like no other pony I've been with. You're the first pony which really makes me feel well. I-" Graphite stopped and Sunny gently grasped his hoof.
"I know what you're trying to tell me," Sunny smiled, "I know how hard it is to tell some pony else a thing like that."
"I-i-i-" Graphite went on like a broken record. His cheeks went bright red, his arms were quivering just enough to feel the vibrations, and legs were shaking just the same. Sunny just smiled and kissed him on the forehead, paralyzing and silencing him completely. She pressed her own head against Graphite's and they both looked down at their hooves clutched together on the counter.
"Do you remember that day back in Rossmore, when you first arrived?" Sunny murmured softly.
"Uh-huh," Graphite gently nodded.
"It seemed so strange for someone like you to just wander into a bar and end up saving my life," Sunny smirked.
Graphite grinned and chuckled shortly, his hooves gripped Sunny's tighter as he smiled.
"And when you were there to bring me up when I heard that holotape. I would've stayed trapped in the alleyway drowned in my own tears if you weren't there to cheer me up. Then you took me to see those movies at that big, grand theatre downtown - that was quite amazing."
"Just..." Graphite paused; finding the words, then the focus, to utter those words to Sunny, "Just trying my best to make you feel like normal: happy, bright, and always charismatic and amusing."
"You've caught me when I fell, you've found me the dress of my dreams... you're always there for me, Graphite."
She looked up from the criss-crossed hooves holding each other dearly. Graphite looked up with her, catching her eyes once more as she looked at him.
"It's because I love you, Sunny," Graphite divulged with his heart almost missing a beat at the sound of him saying 'I love you.'
Sunny's eyes widened, her heart stopping, and her cheeks turning from yellow to red in a hurry. Her huge pupils were shining with the reflections of all the lights in the room. Graphite was just waiting, waiting for some notion to show that Sunny hadn't suddenly petrified. They're eyes were caught on each other, not even a blink to rest their gaze.
Sunny's heart began to beat again, a faint smile slapping her face. She leaned into Graphite, planted her lips right on his. He was staggered at the sudden passion play, still dazed in the intensity. His body eased where his mind couldn't, his hooves making a lighter stand on the floor. His hoof was traveling up to Sunny's head, resting it on the side of her head, tangled in her soft mane. His eyes closed as his mind settled on the tender kiss. He moved in closer to her, pressing his lips deeper into Sunny's and letting the embrace flow between their lips.
After a long and very warm caress, Sunny pulled away, smiling at Graphite with her eyes relaxed and full of affection. Graphite nearly had to catch his breath, but he was relieved now that he had finally told Sunny of his feelings and found that hers are very much alike.
Graphite knew Sunny could make any pony smile, but he never knew she could make them giddy as a filly. He was stuck with a smile, a smile that warmed his heart even if it was frozen on his face. It was like doves had escaped in his stomach and were flying about in his body and tickling at his heart.
Sunny got up from her side of the counter and held Graphite by her hoof. She walked around to the other side and lied down, gently pulling Graphite together with her. Graphite came down with Sunny, both of them landing on the mattress behind the counter. Sunny pressed herself against him, hugging him tight as Graphite just held her arms tighter around him. Sunny and Graphite lied together on the mattress, keeping each other warm with their gentle clutch.
The night went along with the two cradling each other for a long while until Sunny interrupted the soft fondling when she slid her snout right over Graphite's ear and whispered to him in a lustful voice, "Perhaps you would like to... 'enjoy this night to the fullest'?"
Graphite tilted his head back just enough to see Sunny in the corner of his eye. He cleared his throat then whispered, "What do you mean, Sunny?"
Sunny looked at Graphite with her eyes just open enough so her wide pupils could stare into Graphite's. Her smile was a mischievous grin, something you'd expect with an evil cackle. She stroked Graphite's neck with the back of her hoof, making a humming noise that almost sounding like purring. Graphite knew then what she meant by 'enjoying the night to the fullest.'
His cheeks turned a vivid red - any brighter and the whole room would have been lit with a rosy red glow. He turned over to face Sunny, laying his hoof on her shoulder lightly. Sunny pulled herself close, pressing her chest against his. Graphite tried to pull back, but his body was too snug along the edge of the mattress and the small divots that made up the padded design. He was reluctant to start anything; he had already managed through his first kiss, now Sunny was offering him even more.
Sunny began slowly stroking his mane with her free hoof, "Is that alright with you?" She asked, a noticeable amount of allure still in her voice.
Graphite was lost for words or any other noise, Sunny's lips beading down towards his made those lack of words even harder to speak out. Sunny slid her hoof the hairs of Graphite's mane one last time before her hoof slipped around his neck and down to his tie, where she tugged at it and pulled Graphite into another kiss. Graphite's eyes were wide with more surprise, but he couldn't help but enjoy the love in this kiss. His tie slowly came undone in Sunny's hoof, soon she pulled the tie off the collar and tossed it somewhere over the counter top. She moved up his shoulders to slide off his blue blazer. Graphite didn't notice, but his arms had moved down to let the blazer slide from his arms. An almost completely unconscious move that he was both happy to make and worried had happened.
Sunny moved her hooves down his chest to his buttons on the button-up shirt. She popped out one by one until the shirt came open; his bare chest now being caressed by Sunny's hooves with his turquoise necklace exposed and hanging loosely from his neck. Graphite was starting to sweat from nervousness, knowing his growing ever closer to that moment - that moment when they would start. Graphite was still stuck in a kiss with Sunny, her lips locked in a hot embrace. She worked her hooves around his chest until she managed to get his necklace away from his neck. The feeling was soon lost when she pulled back, leaning up and sitting straight. She slowly removed her dress after undoing the belt strap and pulling over her head with her hooves. Graphite caught himself helping this event along again when he used his magic to help pull that dress off of Sunny's body faster and helping her head out of the v-neck. He wasn't sure what to do now, he was expected all his moves to be controlled by Sunny at this point forward.
She came back down over him, holding his sides as she pressed her lips back against his. Graphite let her lips lock, letting that warm and exciting feeling come back to him. He was beginning to enjoy it - enjoy it a lot. He closed his eyes, letting the feeling take over his motions like in his first kiss. The feelings soon came over his arms which came up to Sunny's head and gripped the back of it tight, pulling her snout in more to intensify the kiss even further.
He could feel something hot lower down his body. He couldn't move his head away from the kiss to look, but there was a warm and soft something rubbing along some part of his body. Sunny pulled off his lips again to whisper to him again, "I know this is your first time, but I've been with stallions before. Perhaps you would like me to show you a few things?"
Graphite was bewildered; Sunny had only spoke of being with Sierra, who was a mare. Now she's talking of having been with stallions too. How many ponies had Sunny been with in her time, and were they all either gender? Graphite had too many questions to answer the one he was just asked. He nodded his head, the simplest answer to a question just being yes. Her eyes followed his body down, bring Graphite's eyes with it. They both looked down his body, where his erected stallionhood was standing tall near his thighs.
Sunny's hips were rearing against his stallionhood's shaft, the furs of her thigh brushing along it. Graphite bit his bottom lip, looking back at Sunny who was looking at him with those half opened eyes she's been flaunting Graphite with all night. His head feel back, his view towards the ceiling as Sunny started to shift around along Graphite's chest. Soon her arms were being used like nails to drive his arms against the mattress and keep them steady. His head bobbed up, now in view of Sunny's body raised over his. Her flank was hanging right over Graphite's aroused penis, swaying right above it like she was teasing it.
"Just hold still..." Sunny sighed with fervor.
Her body slowly drooped down; with her chest first, then her rear end. A damp pressure came down over Graphite's long shaft. It was tight, almost soaked with a slick juice that was flowing down Graphite's rod. There was a feeling inside Graphite's body that just felt like a fire was warming his senses. His eyes winced as the tight squeeze of Sunny's marehood continued down his thick staff.
He could just see Sunny in his squint, her eyes were closed and she was letting a soft moan escape her lips as she went down. His head hit the mat again, a heated breath of air came from his mouth while his hooves gripped the edges of the mattress. His eyes were completely shut together as the soft furs or her flank hit his groin. Soon the damp pressure of her began to ride up his shaft, and the warm feelings just flowed back in him.
Her motions were repeated again and again, the slow bobbing of her flank gradually growing in speed. She was now bouncing against Graphite's groin, the wet walls of her genitalia stroking up and down his strip. Graphite was panting from the ecstatic pounding along his throbbing hard pole, Sunny sharing in the sounds with her constant moaning and grunting.
Graphite could feel a build up of his pleasure starting to broil inside him. His panting was turning into soft groans of ecstasy as Sunny pushed on with the never ending sliding up and down his cane. He started to moan again and again until finally the build of excitement was released in a broad flow of his love. Sunny screamed, probably in both the same amount of shock and pleasure. She slid all the way off of Graphite's now viscous stallionhood and drooped down with a bit of a daze next to Graphite.
Sunny wrapped one hoof around Graphite's chest, and rested her head on his arm. She was still for a while, a bit of content beaming from her smile. Slowly, the smile dimmed, her eyes opening as her grin turned to a frown. She looked to Graphite, who was recovering from the moment, "I- I'm sorry..."
Graphite turned his head to the mare on his arm, "For...?"
It took her time to respond, but she finally answered back with a short sigh, "I just, haven't been with anyone in a long time..."
Graphite reached his hoof over her, holding the mare's head as she lay on his chest, "I... I think I can understand."
Sunny pressed her face deeper into Graphite's chest, holding him tighter with her hooves, "It's just- I can't help myself... this hasn't be my first time with a pony - not even my first stallion..."
Graphite's eyes widened just a bit, his exhaustion preventing them from getting any bigger, "But weren't you with Sierra most of your life?"
"I was," Sunny pulled away from Graphite's chest, "But occasionally, Sierra and I would go to the bar. After a few drinks we would... we would, uh- invite some of the visitors to come home and sleep... with her and I - some of them stallions."
"Oh," Graphite muttered, receiving his answer but not expecting it.
There was another short silence, Sunny's pitiful frown starting to leave her snout. She spoke up again, "We were easily excitable, if you know what I mean," Sunny chortled a quick laugh. She looked back to Graphite's eyes, his stare glued somewhere above, "How did you manage it in war? You were miles away from any mares and-"
"You didn't. Even if there were some mares they were there to fight for their lives and those of your friends - just like you were. Of course when soldiers got a leave to the 'civilized lands' they were horny as hell. The officers tried to keep them in shape, but that didn't matter that some of them didn't manage to find some pony for the night."
"And what about you?"
"I never had the time to look for a mare. First there was high-school in which I had to keep up my grades if I wanted to make it into a proper jewelry school. When that failed, I had to work in the grocery store to help and feed my family. Then came 'Camp Sequoia' where we were drilled from dawn 'til dusk and we never got to see anyone accept our drill sergeant. After that was war and then..." Graphite sighed, "While everyone else got a leave home, I got sent to special operations training. After that there was just more war and... I don't remember. I did get frozen at some point afterwords."
"Life has been rough for you too," Sunny sighed as she started to play with Graphite's mane.
"Yeah, but there are the lighter moments," He beamed and pulled Sunny closer, "Like this one."
Sunny didn't respond, she just giggled and hugged Graphite tighter. Yet another moment went on where they simply kept silent, holding themselves in each others embrace, until Sunny disrupted it again.
"Maybe you'd like another go?"
"What? You mean now?" Graphite wondered with hysteria.
"The night is young and so are we. Let's not waste the opportunity."
Graphite was troubled, he needed another while until he could do anything like that again. His heart was pounding at his chest, preparing Graphite for what was about to come. His body was telling him to go, so he followed his gut and maybe even his instincts.
They were as close as two ponies could be, getting closer every moment. They made love through that night, until their bodies finally gave way to the over bearing work. Sunny dropped on the mattress next to Graphite, breathing heavy as she rested down on the bed. Graphite let her lay down while he picked himself from the floor.
He used the walls and any clothing racks to guide him along his way, walking slow from the pains in his lower body. He made his way to the front of the store and near the door, where he leaned himself on the door frame and stared out into the wasteland.
The street lamps were shining across the damp roads. Some of the lights were flickering, others simply refusing to turn on. It looked as if the city had experienced the results of their love making. There were puddles from the rains from the evening; they were clear, normal rain water that almost cleaned the city of its dust and fires. There was a smell of rain Graphite liked. He had forgotten why he came up to the doorway in the first place. Perhaps it was to take a smoke, and his own habit had taken control of his movements.
He was standing, waiting to take the cigarettes out. He realized he didn't have any on him -- cigarettes or clothes. Graphite looked about at the back room, groaning he noted the walk to get there. Usually, he would already be halfway there by now, taking any risk to get his smoke, but he had no feeling to do so. He flared his nostrils, a bit distraught when he didn't get his cigarettes, but also relieved. This was the first time he didn't have the urge to smoke, perhaps the better feeling he received from smoking was fulfilled after his tiring moment earlier.
Graphite started to feel cold so, he soon stepped back into the boutique and closed the door. He pressed against the wall and stood there, looking at the mare laying on the mattress. She looked so delicate, also a little broken because of their moment. He was still baffled at her. Somehow, this one pony had changed his outlook on life. She singlehoofedly gave him a reason to continue life in this awful world he had awoken to. There was no one he knew any better than her, no one him better than her, and now it seems they are the perfect pair. If he needed any reason to push through tough obstacles, his only reason would be to see Sunny again.
He slid down the wall slowly and came back down on the mattress, Sunny instantly wrapping her hoof around him once more. He wiggled himself in closer to Sunny, getting warm as he began to rest. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 23: All Over Again | Graphite was fast asleep with his head in stuffed into the mattress. Sunny was awake and was already bounding for some breakfast. She had grabbed her leather jacket from the middle of the room and zipped it up nice and tight. Her bag was waiting for her near the middle of the room as well, her things didn't seem fairly organized. She plopped the bag on the counter and reached inside, pulling out a few of the odd crunchy fruit she bought back at the market. Sunny set them out on the counter, just before a short breeze blew in through the open door at the front. She looked out from her spot, staring out the door before realized where the time had gone when she could see the sun rising outside.
Sunny peered over the counter to where Graphite was still sleeping. She stepped around and grabbed his shoulder, shaking it lightly while calling his name just loud enough to be heard.
"Graphite? Graphite, wake up," Sunny beckoned while she nudged Graphite.
Graphite turned around and slowly opened his eyes, " Oh, good morning, Sunny."
"Good morning, sweetheart," She kissed him on the cheek, making Graphite instantly remember all of yesterday's events. He noticed that she was already dressed while he was still naked in bed. "Why are you already dressed?"
"Oh, we're not too far from my home!" Sunny beamed.
"So you're saying that the trip is almost over?"
"Ahuh. That's why I got dressed and prepared the breakfast already," She said in a cheery tone. "I can't wait to see my brothers and sisters!"
"Alright, lets get to it then," Graphite got up from the bed in a sitting-like position. He noticed a few of the crunchy fruit standing on the counter. They looked just like the ones that Deacon offered him that one day. He gave the strange fruit a disappointed look.
"I know this is not much, but don't worry. I'll make it up to you when we get to my home. I know some wonderful recipes!"
"No Sunny, it's not that. You see, I'm a bit uncomfortable about eating stuff that has grown out here. I prefer the canned stuff - even if it does taste like cardboard."
"Don't worry Graphite. I've been eating stuff like this all my life and there's nothing wrong with me."
Graphite sighed, "But what if I'm allergic or-"
"-Graphite," Sunny continued to pressure, "It's fine - just like a normal apple!"
He grunted, "If I eat this, will you stop bothering me?"
"Perhaps," She giggled back.
Sunny went silent, just smiling as sat down next to Graphite. Graphite turned and stared at the odd looking fruit for a moment before he finally took a bite out of it. It tasted just like any other juicy apple, even being a shade of that yellow apple cores should be on the inside. He chowed down into knowing how well it tasted, Sunny stayed by watching him eat.
Sunny knew she should probably eat with him, but she was enjoying the company of Graphite all too much. She nuzzled her cheek along his arm, getting comfortable next to him while she looked at his body. There were scrapes and scars under his fur, but dust or dirt had covered those nicely. She looked back up at the fruits sitting on the counter - just out of reach - and licked her lips. Graphite just caught sight of Sunny lapping at her chops, so he grabbed the other apple from the counter using his levitation to bring the apple right to her hooves.
She grasped the apple and smiled at Graphite as a sort of 'thank you.' Graphite simply smiled back, taking a pause to look at Sunny. He couldn't help be astonished by her beauty; her soft orange mane that came down short, her big tangerine eyes that twinkled in the fluttering lights, her smile that was always so bright and happy. He was always amazed at the things that made Sunny pretty, but he never would think about those things for any longer than a moment when he realized that he might have feelings for Sunny. He used to deny the possibility of any feelings towards Sunny, but now that they shared the same feelings for each other, he didn't need to worry about those thoughts - he could think about how great she looked with no dereliction.
Graphite finished off his blue apple and had tossed the remaining core away. He wiped some of the apple juice on his hoof against the side of his gray coat. When he looked to where he had wiped, he had noticed he was still naked and needed to get dressed before they could go anywhere. He grabbed the counter and pulled himself up to where he could stand, then made his way straight for the back room where his gear was still waiting.
Graphite stepped through the door, dawning his armour and his bag before he came back out to an awaiting Sunny. She had finished her breakfast and was standing with her saddlebag on facing Graphite with her smile that wouldn't go away.
"Ready to go?" Sunny asked.
"Yep," Graphite replied and adjusted the rifle on his shoulder.
They both headed out into the wasteland again. The only sound which was there, was the sound of wind blowing through the abandoned ruins and the sounds of their hooves clopping against the hard pavement. Graphite had imagined a mild droning of ponies talking back and forth and carts being pulled up and down the streets when he got to the downtown portion of Buckago, but he was almost disappointed to find the entire city dead silent.
Graphite tried to spark up a conversation in the quietness, turning to the only recipient to start it with, "How far does your family live?"
"Oh, just a couple of blocks southeast of here."
"Isn't your family afraid of living in a place like this by themselves?"
"We're a big family, Graphite, and we're not living there alone. There are other families living there too. We live in a settlement. It may not be as big as Rossmore, but still we have stores, a clinic, and all other sorts of stuff."
"Can you tell me about your settlement?"
Sunny giggled, "Well, it's cal-"
The mare was stopped in half sentence when a loud noise hit the air like a cannonball, bouncing against the walls of every building down the street. Graphite stopped on point, turning straight to Sunny when he heard the bang of a gun fire through the barren streets. She was thrown to the floor by a force stronger than either of the duo, hitting the rough street as a red dye stained through her jacket. She reached to her chest, gripping it tightly while she gasped and coughed for air.
Graphite's focus went from the sound to Sunny in an instant, his heart stopping as he thought Sunny's had too. He reached down, grasping hold of Sunny's jacket as he tried to grab hold of her bod to drag her away from the open.
He grunted and groaned, sliding her body against the battered pavement and into the sidewalk. Another shot flew into the street, dodging passed Graphite by just a hair. Graphite jumped back, quickly springing back to his hooves and grabbing Sunny once more. He stopped when they reached the corner of an alleyway, Sunny's blood had trailed from the streets to where she was sitting leaned against a building.
Graphite was in a frenzy, trying to keep his head as he watched the blood drip through the hole in Sunny's jacket. He pressed his hooves to the wound to stop the flow, panicking for a some bandages, some potions, or anything that could help. His mind finally came to a memory in his panic - the pack of first aid syringes still tucked in his duster. Sunny was starting to hack up blood, grabbing for Graphite's hooves against her crimson tarnished chest.
Graphite was muttering things to his love; "You'll be okay!" or "Don't leave me, okay?!" He finally found the first aid kit in his duster as he continued to spite words of encouragement to the faining Sunny, fumbling with the small syringe in his telekinesis spell. He pulled the cap off the one he had out and then tore Sunny's jacket open to reach the wounded spot. The blood was still spewing; Graphite was almost paused in awe, but he snapped back into it when Sunny coughed up another mouthful of blood.
He brought the needle back just before he jabbed it her chest, letting the magical potions in the vile course through her body to regenerate the bullet wound. She choked on her blood one last time before the hole in her chest began to close. The blood stopped pouring out and the tissues reattached themselves as the healing agents in the syringe spread about Sunny's body.
Graphite dropped the empty needle, taking notice in his first aid kit that he had one last needle in his case. He closed the cap and slid it into his duster one again, letting Sunny have her time to heal. Graphite moved out from the old alleyway, taking cover behind a small debris pile on the sidewalk as he brought his rifle out.
Graphite wedged his rifle in the rubble, bringing his view down the scope of his gun and over to the surrounding hotels, apartments, stores, and other assorted buildings. He scanned the windows and the lower doors, he went back and forth through all the openings and all the open space on the roofs, but no pony was in sight - not even through his scope.
Another bullet hit the ground near Graphite, ricocheting and bouncing off somewhere close-by his stack of debris. He recoiled against the building, hugging it close while he waited for what might be another shot to ring out from the rifle's barrel. After a time of sitting in the dust, he rolled back over and scoped into his rifle. A few light shots fired into the air, something like a sub-machine gun firing. Graphite ducked his head, but no bullets came near his position, just the sounds of small arms shooting off rounds somewhere in the distance.
Graphite heard a loud bang, this one from a large calibre rifle. He heard the bullet slice the wind and then, suddenly, slice his shoulder. The bullet hit him like a punch from a strong stallion, making him fall back from his pile of rubble. He fell back on the ground with a cringe with the gunshot ringing around in his ears.
Graphite shook his head, wiping off some mud that had gotten in his eye after laying his head on his dirty sleeves. His foxhole was sitting in the flank of Hill 187, just off the hill's crest and somewhere deeper into the remaining woods. There was still light vegetation, but some trees could be seen nearing the ends of the island that were in the direction away from the hill. Graphite's foxhole was lined with a few more foxholes along the perimeter, facing the thin woods.
The sun was heading down into the hillside, the rays shining over the ridge and into the woods. It was a light orange, just the tip of the evening, so there was still a bit of blue in the sky to dilute the orange sunset. Graphite's foxhole wasn't as muddy as the hill, but there was still dry mud that stuck to clothes and didn't want to come off.
Graphite had a dry package of rations sitting in his lap with a cigarette lit and burning, held midair by his magic. His dinner rations consisted of freeze-dried hay out of a small tin can and a single apple bar that came in the bag as well. The cigarette was there because it had to be, seeing as it was just that time of the day to start smoking. He was chewing his food, resting easy in his foxhole as he looked over the woods he knew were teaming with zebras waiting to brawl.
"Bonsoir, Graphite," a voice behind him called in an accent.
The voice sounded like that of Commandant Cognac, coming down the hill with his uniform stained and wrinkled as he climbed down the ridge. It appeared to have some sort of camouflage pattern all over it. Around the uniform was an elastic harness, something to strap his ammunition unto. Graphite turned his head with a bite of hay in his mouth; it was so, Cognac was sliding down the hill and was coming towards Graphite. He jumped into his foxhole, kicking up a bit of the dried mud and making Graphite drop his cigarette in the bottom of his pit, "Mind if I join you, Corporal?" He asked with a raised brow.
"No, sir," Graphite responded, taking the question also as an order.
"Merci, Graphite," The Commandant replied back, fixing the way he sat in the hole before continuing, "Yes- well, I am here to check on the defences and the soldiers. The intelligence reports show that zebra activity has increased over the past couple of days - they are preparing for something big. One of our guesses is they are preparing an attack on this hill here," Cognac informed, using his hoof to point over to the hillside.
"Do you want for me to go and find out what they're going to do?" Graphite asked as he tossed away his fizzled cigarette.
"Non, non, you are more useful staying here defending the hill, and I wanted for you and the other soldiers to prepare to defend yourselves."
"Understood, Commandant."
"Also, this conversation is just between you and me - you can call me Cognac," He mentioned with a smile.
"Um, sure... Cognac," Graphite was a bit confused, a high commanding officer has never dropped by just to talk with him. There wasn't ever a time to drop down for just a chat when you were an officer, Graphite would imagine they were back and forth between radio messages from HQ, filing through inventory, and counting heads before the end of the day. But, here he was, sitting in a hole with Graphite about to discuss whatever it was he wanted to discuss about.
Cognac shifted sitting positions again and moved on, "Well, this is all official business right now, but I had never got a chance to sit down and speak with another pony without all this, 'Oh, Commandant, how many soldiers do we have left today,' or 'Oh, Commandant, did you resend that message to headquarters yet?' It is a lot of stress to put on pony, if you know what I mean, Graphite," Cognac began to chuckle a bit nervelessly, the giggle slowly turning into a sigh. He slid his green beret from his head before running his hoof over the mess of short hair on his head.
Graphite thought for what to say before he came out, "I wouldn't know, Cognac, I'm usually down in a foxhole alone; sitting alone for hours until someone decides to take shots at me. There's stress too, but it's of a different kind."
"It is not something that I usually say, but..." Cognac took a breath, "I'm tired of war, Graphite. I've been here for longer that I should have."
"How long have you been in service, Cognac?"
"Before all of this stuff started - almost fifteen years."
"Wow, I thought that me being stuck here for five years was a long time."
Graphite and Cognac then sat in the foxhole for a few minutes in silence. Each of them was tending to their own thoughts, until Graphite broke the silence.
"How was it up there, in the north?"
"Oh, It was tough. Over there Zebras did not throw themselves at you like they do now," Cognac grinned. "Lis and I took out dozens of zebras out there."
"Lis?"
"Oui, it's my rifle," With that, he pulled over a long rifle from the shoulder strap and presented it to Graphite. It was a long rifle, two sturdy pieces of wood made up the hoof-guard and stock; the rest of the body was a cheap metal. It had a charging handle attached on the left side, odd to Graphite's knowledge of weapons. Sitting right under the handle was the magazine, a large block of metal carrying large calibres of bullet. The last thing he saw from the gun was the age, fifteen years of piling through dirt, rocks, grass, and rubble really tore details into the gun.
Graphite turned back to Cognac, who brought his gun around his shoulder again when he noticed Graphite had stopped observing, "Well, that's Lis," The Commandant chortled shortly. "She is a bit older than the new weapons being given out, but I still care for her."
"It's a nice gun -- I'd show you mine, but I left it at the camp," Graphite pointed to the campsite at the top of the hill with his head.
"Why are you here without a weapon?"
"My friend Spotty left me his rifle before he got shipped home," Graphite said and picked up his friend's 'Black Rifle' from the side of the foxhole where it was resting. "Since they keep coming at us in waves, I was thinking that a little bit of automatic fire would help."
"Graphite, you are a sharpshooter. You need to have your own rifle with you at all times," Cognac grabbed his beret and brought it about his head again. "I will let you off the hook this time, but if I catch you without your rifle again, there will be consequences."
"Understood. Thank you, Commandant."
"Tres bien," Cognac smiled, stepping up as if he was about to leave the foxhole, but Graphite stopped him with a question.
"Why'd you name your rifle 'Lis,' Cognac?"
Cognac stopped on the edge of the foxhole, kneeling down again to meet up at a better eye level with Graphite, "Well, I suppose it is because that is the name of my wife."
"You have a family, Commandant?"
"Oui, oui, but things been difficult ever since the war started. The wife back home never made it through childbirth - I am left to care for the filly. Right now, she is somewhere in a daycare, waiting for me to write her again..." Cognac put on his green beret again, looking up somewhere in the sky above. He looked back to land, looking to Graphite once more and asking, "Do you have a family, Graphite?"
"Yes, I have a ma' and pa' in Buckago."
"When was the last time you let them know of yourself?"
"Uhh..." Graphite scratched his head, "I don't really remember. Things have been very complicated since I went to my training and-"
"-Why don't you write them a message when you get some free time? I bet they are worried about you," The commandant interrupted him.
"Yes, sir. I'll get right to it!" Graphite smiled and saluted.
"It is good to see some enthusiasm around here," Cognac beamed, then suddenly his ears perked up and his view went off in the direction of the jungle, "Merde - get down!" He blared.
Suddenly, a loud screeching noise marked the air in it's ear scraping sound. Graphite held his head and ducking down deep into his foxhole, knowing the doom that fell once the sound fell to the ground. The artillery shell hit the hillside hard, shaking the ground under Graphite's hooves and rattling the trees around him. They hit closer and closer, blowing gravel into the air with every one of its loud explosions. The hill was pummeled with shell after shell until the a round hit nearby Graphite's foxhole. The force blew him down, Graphite was left trembling in the bottom of his foxhole, too afraid to make a single movement in any direction. He was petrified in his hole until the artillery shells finally let up only minutes later. Graphite was still trapped in a dizzying paralysis long after the artillery had ended, keeping him huddled in his foxhole through the end of the evening and into the night. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 24: The Big Battle | Graphite had looked up from his hooves, feeling as if he had just woken up from a slumber after sitting motionless in his foxhole for hours. He squinted his eyes as they moved from black to dark - he noticed it was nighttime. As he shifted from his fettle position, he heard a small pile of gravel tumble down his armour. He shook his head, shaking another pile of rocks out of his mane. Graphite grabbed for the edge of his foxhole to pull himself out, but instead gripped something a bit fleshy to the touch. He looked up at the entity, sliding his hoof from the mushy object. He moved in close, finding that it was Commandant Cognac, laying face-first in the dirt and limp as a rag doll. Graphite recoiled with shock, swinging his hoof vigorously when he realized he had just swiped his hoof all over his officer's dead carcass.
Graphite was sucking in air like he had just came up from an hour underwater; his head was bobbing back and forth as he looked around the area in a panic. Graphite flinched as he heard a deep 'thud' from somewhere nearby. He recognized that as a mortar firing off a round; he needed to head up to the top of the hill and inspect what was happening, so he reached over to the other end of his foxhole to grab Spotty's rifle.
The rifle stuck at him like a bed of thorns, making him shake out his other hoof after touching it. Graphite looked over to find the gun torn to shreds by the artillery blasts, the gun deformed and riddled with shrapnel and broken parts. Graphite hit the ground in his duress, now left without a weapon to search the hill and realizing he had lost his friend's rifle - even if Spotty wasn't going to using it again. Graphite checked his armour, finding his knife sheathed where it should be on his suit. He brought it out at the ready before his eyes followed the incline up the hill to the top, where another loud 'thud' had just occurred.
Graphite took in a sigh, wiping his eyes of some loose dirt before he climbed out of his foxhole and to the hill. He took a final look at Cognac, who's body was still lying at the edge of the hole - only his front half was there. The remains of Cognac were half complete, with his rear half Celestia-knows-where. It was a hard sight to see the stallion in charge of you be cut down and left to rot by your side, but Graphite tried his best to ignore it, passing it off as just another dead soldier. It hardly helped, the thought of any soldier dying on the battlefield was gut wrenching and simply saddening. Before Graphite had time to catch up with what he was doing, he found himself at the top of the hill with his thoughts still trudging beside him.
Graphite was prone to the ground, his body laying underneath just a few stacked boxes of ammunition. He shuffled up closer to them before he peeked over the side and out over the peak of the hill. There was a mortar team sitting just a few steps from Graphite, sending in mortar shells over the passing hillside. Graphite's first thought was 'Why would the soldiers fire mortars away from the woods?' His second thought came around when he noticed the mortar crew comprised of two zebras -- that thought was artlessly, 'Murder.'
Graphite used the boxes to pick himself up swiftly and quietly before he began his noiseless trot towards the mortar team. They were unaware of anything around them, the noise of the mortar popping drowned out any hoofsteps or twig cracks. Graphite moved in with his knife raised high over his head, waiting for the moment he knew he would be close enough to guarantee his kill.
Soon one of the zebras crewing the mortar turned away. The zebra looked at the hilltop with a pair of binoculars, probably to see the effect their shells had left. The other zebra sat by the mortar, letting it cool off. The last zebra did just the same, standing up to meet up with his buddy watching the hill.
Graphite saw this as his opportunity. He brought his knife into position and snuck up behind the zebra who was sitting near the mortar. The zebra was only paying attention to the nearby hillside and didn't hear the stallion sneaking up behind him with a knife pointed to his head.
Graphite grabbed the zebra from behind. One of his hooves was blocking the zebras mouth, denying him any chance to scream for help. The zebra tried to resist and break out of the hold, but it was already too late as Graphite's knife went right for his neck.
After making sure that zebra was dead, Graphite slowly dropped the body down on the ground. He then proceeded to take out the zebra who was still observing the hilltop. Graphite hastily made his advance towards the observer. His black duster caught the wind, starting to ripple in the hard breeze of the hilltop. The zebra perked his ears up and turned his head, only to see a black stallion right in front of his nose.
It was too late for the observer. Graphite showed no mercy when the first hit with the combat knife didn't kill the zebra. He turned the observer around and tried to keep the zebra's mouth shut as he repeatedly jabbed the knife in him. The steel blade cut through the cloth uniform with ease.
After a few more stabs, Graphite finally managed to finish off the zebra and discarded the body. It fell down in the dirt, adorned in cut marks and the uniform soaked blood red.
Graphite looked down on the body, the blood trickling down the one of the many inclines in the hill. Graphite was standing over the body with his knife still tight in the grasp of his spell - he couldn't help but be reminded of the first time he had killed another living being. The way he had mutilated the body with a barbaric weapon, the way the body bled after being torn to pieces, the way the murder had caught the attention of his morals. He looked at the body over the dim moonlight, spotting the zebra's face over the drips of blood on his head. The zebra wasn't a day older than Graphite himself. The uniform also brought about Graphite's unwary thoughts; the cheap fabric, the poor stitching, and the discoloured patches on some spots. No real soldier would have gone into the battlefield wearing rags like this, the zebra laying dead here was only another zebra forced to join their 'Home Guard' and forced to gun down ponies he may actually care for.
Graphite was brought back to reality when a sudden boom came over the hillside. He had only a knife to defend himself with; his rifle was back in the camp on the hilltop - and that was right were he was going to head. There were the very recognizable sounds of gunfire going back and forth the hillside Graphite was going to be traveling to. With his knife by his side, Graphite hobbled over the pair of corpses he had created and slid down the incline to the next hill over.
The hill was infertile, trees being a rarity over the rolling hills. There were few patches of grass, the rest of the plain was gravel and craters from the mortars and artillery. Graphite was use to the debilitating landscape, his training had rigorously prepared him for an impassible terrain. There was training for climbing mountains, training for walks across countries, training for crawls through enemy territory, and even training for being shot whilst crawling through the enemy's territory; but nothing had prepared him for the bodies he was forced to crawl through. Another carcass from a zebra and another corpse from a stallion.
Graphite continued to slowly make his way up the hill, still crawling over bits of bodies. Bodies continued to be scattered near his intended way, but there were no weapons or ammo nearby - the bodies had been stripped clean almost of everything. Were zebras really so desperate that they sent in soldiers without any sort of equipment? Equestrian soldiers were all either dead or hastily retreated. They couldn't have been the ones to pick up all of the equipment from the dead while they were running for their lives.
Soon, Graphite noticed something out of the ordinary. A large object lied on the ground, with a large trail dug up behind it. The object seemed to big to be just a weapon; but to him, it seemed like it might be something worth checking out, seeing as most weapons were being taken up by the zebras. As he approached the object, it more and more took a shape of a pony lying on the ground.
When Graphite came up on the object, the moonbeams reflecting the small flow of blood coming from what was a body. Yet, it was no ordinary fallen trooper, but a Wonderbolt Flier. His dead body lied face down in the dirt, the puddle of his crimson flow surrounding his crater. His armour was a polished sapphire with golden designs marked all over it. The Wonderbolt's insignia was etched to the armour's chest-plate, the flier was sure to be proud being seen brandishing that symbol. Now, the symbol of reaching great heights was sitting in the dirt, stained with blood and riddled with bullets along with the rest of the armour. The armour was blazed in gunfire, the armour broken and dented. The armour had some parts missing, probably stuck in the ground on the next hill over. There was a gas-mask over the Wonderbolt's snout; it was a thick, clear plastic that had a nozzle moving from the mask to some oxygen tank somewhere on the back of the suit. He wasn't going to need that oxygen anymore, or the two machine guns Graphite noticed were attached to a steel battle-saddle.
Graphite scooted a bit closer to the body, balancing on two legs while he reached over to grab one of the guns from the saddle. He gripped the gun's body, pulling and jerking in every direction to pull it from the saddle. It eventually came off, only after Graphite was on the verge of tripping after he had tugged it away. He looked down at the gun, holding in his magical spell.
It was a big, air-cooled machine gun, almost the size of a foal. Most of the gun looked like it was made out of sheet metal, held together by large bolts. There was no stock or even a handle, the gun was meant to be fired solely from a battle-saddle. The trigger was what was left of the part where battle-saddle and the gun connected. The dead pegasus had left Graphite with a belt full of .30 calibre rounds, all encased in a metal box magazine.
Graphite stepped around the body, taking a moment to soak in the scene of this crash. He looked at the dead flier, then the gun he used to own. On the side was scratched, 'Dauntless'. Graphite wasn't sure if that was the name of the dead pegasus or the name which he gave to his gun. He looked up from the gun and smirked, it was Graphite's best way of saying 'Thank you' to this dead pegasus being as gracious as to give him a gun before he made it to the battlefield on the top of the hill.
Graphite finally had a weapon which can last until he reaches his own rifle. He never had much training with the automatic weapons, but he was usually sitting amongst machine gun teams and thought it shouldn't be too complicated to operate one. He moved away from the Wonderbolt, moving on up the hill.
As Graphite neared the top of the hill and the shots became louder and louder, he noticed something ahead of him. Black silhouettes were moving in front of Graphite. In the darkness, it was hard to tell if those were zebras or friendly troops; so once again, he decided to wait and tried to figure out if they were his friends or foes.
Graphite lied down and sat his machine gun's barrel on a small mound of dirt. He pointed the barrel at the group of silhouettes, ready to fire just in case they turned on him. The group in front was talking about something, but Graphite couldn't understand a word what they were saying. They marched slowly, taking their orders to move as a stroll through the battlefield. They were needed somewhere fast, but they would rather be heading in the opposite direction.
Suddenly, a red flare popped from the top of the hill, illuminating the surroundings in a blinding red light. The light did a fine job of illuminating the group in front of Graphite. In the rosy light, he could tell that the troops were wearing cloth uniforms and black metal helmets and that meant only one thing - those were zebras.
As soon as that realization hit Graphite's thoughts, he pulled the trigger and opened fire. The machine gun fired off in a hurricane force of bullets, releasing rounds so quickly that the bangs of gunfire sounded like a thick cloth being ripped in two. The rate of fire was even astounding to Graphite, almost losing control of his aim as the gun suddenly burst into a hellfire of piercing lead. The group that was once walking with their own business at mind was now torn into shreds by the machine gun. They fell to the ground after the swarm of bullets had finished spotting holes in their bodies.
Graphite finally released the trigger, the echoes of the wailing machine gun still sweeping over the hills like a silent moan of a ghost. Another group of shadows popped their heads from the low grasses of the hill ahead, looking on over the now bullet filled zebras sitting in the dirt. Graphite sat up from the dirt as the crowd ahead moved. He noticed they were Equestrian Soldiers, so he passed a wave to signal he posed no threat to them.
The lot in the grasses waved back, moving from knelt down in the rocks to standing before they trumped down the hill to meet up with Graphite. Graphite stood to his hooves too, leaving the machine gun at his hooves. They trampled over the dead zebras, taking a quick moment as they passed over to insure they were dead. The red light from the flare had just died out as they came near, but one of the ponies had brought up a flashlight in his teeth, shining it in Graphite's eyes.
"Yep, you ain't a zebra," One of the soldiers divulged in a thick country accent.
Graphite blocked the bright light of the flashlight, moving his away just as he moved his arm up, "Yeah, now would you get that damn flashlight out of my face?" Graphite groaned under the light.
One of the soldiers finally brought the light away from Graphite's eyes, pushing the soldier's head away with his hoof and moving the light towards his hooves. That soldier came up to Graphite, the soldier's voice was much higher, almost feminine, "Cut the chatter," The soldier commanded.
Graphite has heard the voice of the mare before, but he couldn't quite remember where. The light barely illuminated her face, but her features could be seen in the shadows cast across her head; it seemed to be the Executive Officer. She came a bit closer to Graphite and continued, "Now, we have zebras all over this area, so we need to keep talking to a minimum. Reinforcements from the Trottingham Regiment will arrive shortly; all we have to do is hold this ground until they arrive."
The X-O stepped back, grabbing the flashlight from the soldier, holding it on the edge of her mouth. She flashed it towards some craters sunk into the hilltop, "We will be taking defensive positions in these craters, forming a circle around this area so we won't be flanked," She informed, mumbling some words since she had her gullet stuffed with the flashlight. "There's some weapons and ammo in the centre - only to be used in emergencies since it's a short supply."
She didn't even wait for a 'Yes, ma'am!' Quickly tossing the flashlight back to it's owner as she huddled to the nearest crater with one soldier by her side - the others were moving to the surrounding holes, just as ordered. Graphite turned about, facing a foxhole that was just ahead of the supplies.
His eyes instantly caught sight of a weapon sitting on one of the crates. It was a wooden rifle, slightly beat from extended use in plenty of firefights. Graphite was happy to see this old, beat-up rifle -- it was his own gun after all. He adjusted his giant machine gun he was lugging around then moved straight over to the crates to obtain his rifle once more. He grabbed it with his levitation spell, slinging it over his shoulder as he moved to the crater ahead. Graphite plopped the machine gun against the edge of the small crater, holding it steady as the barrel faced the rolling plains ahead.
The moon was just overhead, it was most likely just the beginnings of midnight when Graphite had jumped into the grim crater with only a small pack of soldiers left to hold out the zebra army with him. He sat in his crater alone in the quiet night. Sounds of gunfire were spread through the silence of the hill, but a single word was spoken by anyone in the vicinity. A few dry coughs disturbed the rest, but it quickly went quiet afterwards.
The roar of gunfire slowly ceased to exist, the gunfire moving from endless bangs to short spurts of fire. It was almost impossible to deviate zebras' gunfire from ponies', so there was no telling if we were slowly winning or slowly losing. Graphite turned his head from the plains, turning back to check on the other soldiers forced to be here. They were focused, following orders to guard this ground like robots. Their eyes were fixed on the empty hills and the silent patches of grass that were wading in the breeze, guns set forward awaiting the blades of grass to bend in any direction they shouldn't.
Graphite turned back to the hill, resting his hoof on the machine gun he had in placed in the bed of the crater. Just as he turned to the quiet plains, a figure had appeared and was making its way to him. The figure was soon joined by another similar shade, followed by another, and another. The first cast was now swarmed by a mass of silhouettes that were bobbing and bouncing as they moved up the plains. Graphite inched over to the machine gun, aiming it at the blob of shadows coming this way. He was standing by, hoping the figures would show any sign of friendly alliance.
The nighttime clouds had moved, unblocking the shine of the moon. The dim blue light of the moon cast over the crowd of unknown figures, showing their true colours of black and white. Graphite had hoped for the reinforcements; instead, fate had turned on him and sent in the rest of the zebra army on the island. He grabbed the gun tight before screaming to the soldiers around him, "Zebras!"
The X-O projected her voice at Graphite, "Open fire!" She shouted as orders.
Graphite wasted no time, squeezing the trigger on the machine gun and letting the gun do its job of mowing down the bodies trailing towards their position. The gun blared in a loud symphony of deafening shots that sounded just as one annoying bellow of noise. The battalion of zebras were chopped down like trees; Graphite's machine gun acting as the chainsaw. They dropped without direction, dropping on each other or simply the ground beneath them.
As soon as the live ones had caught up with their reactions, they dropped to the ground, avoiding the line of fire. Graphite kept his trigger pulled and the gun swept over the enemy, leaving no mercy to the zebras unable to react or too slow to fall. The gun let out its barrage of lead until it went click; at which point, Graphite grabbed for his old rifle and continued to take out the incoming force of zebras.
The soldiers around Graphite had turned their attention to Graphite's crowd, taking in whatever shots they could manage over the machine gun's killing spree. Suddenly, a roar came over the hills - a battle cry. Heads sitting in the craters turned to the noise, watching in shock as they saw another aggregation of mad zebras coming over the next hillside.
Graphite had let that group almost completely without his attention, his focus on the same group he had been shooting at earlier. The soldiers closest to the second wave of enemies had turned to face them, firing off their guns as the bodies piled in and the numbers began to grow.
Graphite had his view down his scope; it was nearing redundancy when the sight was filled with ten or more zebras running up to be shot down. Graphite was working with habit, taking an unwanted amount of time to pick out the perfect shot to kill a zebra. His shots were easy to take, the mass number of the zebras coming up made firing a round like a cannonball through a riot.
The hilltop was aglow with the flashes of gunfire, the ring of fire surrounded by a mass of gun flashes across the hilltop. The bright glints were escorted by litters of speeding bullets that zoomed across the flat plains and stopped when they hit the dirt or the soft bodies of zebras. The zebras were dropping like flies, but they swarmed just as much. The rounds flew over head, the soldiers forced to hunker down as deep as they can into their shallow craters. They were safe from the high flying bullets, but not from what was now being thrown at them.
A small, rectangular object came dropping in to the craters left of Graphite, clanking against the gravel and ejected shells lying in the hole. The soldiers inside the crater spotted the black box and instantly scattered to rush out of the crater. The grenade coming from the zebras was sitting quietly in the hole like a calm before a storm - the soldiers had swiftly jumped their hole and panicked to run to another position and hide. The grenade went off, blowing a small cloud of smoke through the crater and sifting dirt into the air. A fragment whizzed by Graphite's ear, just barely missing. The rest of the debris flew out, one group of shrapnel finding its way to one of the soldiers trying to avoid that very grenade.
Another thud hit the dirt, another grenade landing into a crater. This grenade landed in the X-O's crater, her companion being as unlucky as to have the grenade land right on top of him. The Officer hopped out of the hole as quick as she could, rolling out into the next crater over as soon as she spotted the grenade. The soldier was confused, watching as the officer left him alone. He looked over his shoulder, looking at what felt like a rock landed on him. He spotted the grenade, instantly yelping and tumbling over as the grenade came into sight. It was too late to react, the grenade exploding and tearing a chunk of flesh from the stallion's body.
Blood misted into the air, Graphite shrieked before flinching as the boom was joined with a spray of blood against the back of his neck. He flinched and jerked his rifle from its aim, firing off a round into the sky. Just as his bullet flew into the air, a shot pounded against the edge of Graphite's crater, tossing some gravel into his eye. He wiped his eyes cleaned then looked over the hill to his right - finding that another band of zebras started to sprint over the plain. Graphite turned his body over to the next wave of soldiers, firing off rounds randomly over to the batch of angry zebras.
They fell as the volley of rounds flew into the littered mob that was getting ever closer to Graphite and the rest of the soldiers. Graphite shot off until his gun ran dry, leaving him to reload his gun and leaving him open to fire. The fire came sooner than he had hoped, a splash of bullets pelting against the ground near his position - one passing over the plates on his shoulder. Graphite jumped back, hitting his back against the other side of his crater. Bullets continued to hit the ground near him, tossing dirt into his face, until the gun eventually ran clean of rounds.
Graphite finished reloading his rifle, cocking the bolt handle and taking this moment to return fire. He aimed down his scope, zooming out as much as it allowed to find the nearest zebra. He spotted one, reloading a 'Black Rifle' he obviously picked up from one of the dead marines. He guessed this was the one taking his time to fire his entire magazine at Graphite, so crosshairs meet at the zebra's skull and he fired - watching as he fell with not even a twitch to meet afterward.
Graphite was firing off round after round to the wave of enemies, until a dying scream came from the circle of soldiers by Graphite. One soldier hit the supply crates, shot down while gathering up a few more bullets for his gun. The number of friendly soldiers was depleting as the number of unfriendly soldiers continued growing exponentially. Graphite looked over the now barren craters, seeing only the X-O still fighting the zebras off with only a silver revolver to combat the enemies.
The Zebra Army still hadn't ceased to stop rolling in soldiers - every last direction filled with enemies firing off their rifles and pistols. The endless whizzing of bullets flying just above their heads, the nonstop sounds of guns banging and clicking, the never ending screams and wails. Graphite stopped wasting time he didn't have aiming down the scope to fire, firing off a round anywhere would hit one of the dozens of zebras surrounding the area.
The waves were flooding the hilltop, Graphite was surely dead if he was left alone. He looked back, spotting the X-O still shooting off lead at the zebras. He waited for a moment to dash to her crater, killing off zebras until he had an open moment to run. The box of ammo was sitting idly in the middle of the ring of craters; Graphite would run right passed it as he made his way to the Officer.
He knew that he had to act fast, but the gunfire was preventing him from any movement. He wanted to just grab the ammunition from the cache with his magic, but stress was bearing down on his will, the only way to grab anything other than his gun was to run over and grab it himself. Graphite sighed, taking a moment away from his planning to shoot back at the army around him. Graphite looked back towards the cache, gripping his gun tight as he waited for his moment. The bullets never stopped, even another grenade being tossed into one of the empty craters. Graphite looked over, the X-O being slowly overpowered by the zebras. Graphite shot down one more zebra then focused to the cache.
He jumped out of his hole, sprinting faster than even he knew he could run, making it to the supplies and nabbing the gun from the dead soldier and all the magazines he could grab. He bit down on the magazine he was holding in his mouth then made another mad sprint to the Officer. He dived into the crater, dodging over all the gunfire before hitting the bottom of the pit.
Graphite nudged the Officer's side, tossing the Black Rifle to her while dropping the loose magazines wherever they fell in the crater. The X-O took the rifle, loading in the first magazine she could reach. Not a single word was passed, Graphite and the Officer just exchanged weapons then they were back to back fighting off the zebras still progressing up the hilltop. The volley of bullets was quickly returned as the other team fired back with a shower of lead - bullets spraying so wildly they could almost hit each other midair.
The flash of the rifles and pistols was like a second sun, lighting up the night and illuminated the hill. In a flash, and another zebra was down; another flash, and another zebra; the yellow blur as deadly as poison. The army was getting closer and closer every second that went by, soon coming they were close enough for their faces to appear over the blaze of shots. Graphite could see their faces all to well, the agony of the pain as the bullets flew into their bodies. Their blood poured out, the lights glistening off their fluid surface. He watched as the dim silhouettes fell into the thick dirt. He watched as a life was taken by his own will, treated as just another statistic.
Graphite had cleared another row of zebras, moving down the line to the next company of aggressors. His gun was wavering back and forth, keeping back the perimeter of zebras that continued to converge down to the pair's crater. The X-O had gone through her magazines quickly, the pile of spare ammunition eaten through by the automatic rifle. A sudden influx of zebras piled through the surrounding crowd, guns ablaze and charging strong. Graphite ducked down as he spotted the small bunch of attackers begin to stampede down the hill - the Executive Officer to late to react. She turned about to fire back before being swiftly shot down, a salvo of lead hitting her body with a buck strength force.
She let out a gurgle and coughed up blood, her misery ended when a rouge bullet hit her skull. Graphite was now left to fight alone with the waves of zebras still fighting with every last bit of their strength. Graphite spun around, facing the direction the X-O was facing - moving her body aside as he took in another position in the crater.
His attention was towards the charging clot of zebras, using another collection of rounds to take them down and give the Officer the short moment of revenge she deserved. Graphite took up the Black Rifle from the X-O's body, using whatever rounds were still left to give him a better advantage. He swept the rifle back and forth in a circle, firing the last shots in the gun in single shots; sparing his ammo as long as possible. A few zebras were hit by the spindrift of bullets, nothing close to end the battle.
Graphite tossed the gun away, grabbing his rifle once more to take out another number of the zebras. They yells of their incessant shouting grew louder, their voices all being directed at Graphite. The bangs and blares were striking Graphite's ears, every sound all pounding in his ear drums at once. It all become a long drone, a single loud buzz in his head. Graphite dove deeper into his hole, holding his gun close as the sounds continued pulsating in his head. Graphite wanted to fire back, but the noises beat him back down before he could. The unending roar was interrupted by a single howl came up from behind. Graphite looked up, gun close, his vision rattled by the sounds shaking his head. A blur was growing towards him, slowly yelling as it seemed to get closer. Graphite's hoof came up, the overshadowing of the figure was straining on his eyes. The shout came closer, coming into view. A zebra jumped over the edge of the crater, a rifle held back with the stock aimed at Graphite. Graphite's hoof came over his head and the butt of the gun hit him, knocking him into a unwavering daze and a blinding quiver. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 25: Help Me | Graphite found himself lying on face-first on a wooden floor, his cheek sore as he had fallen unto it. The other side of his head was facing upward, with a light shining right into Graphite's eyes. He rolled over, his back to the hard floor and his hooves scrunched up towards his chest and his eyes closed to ward off the light.
"Graphite?" A voice called, causing Graphite to open his eyes and look towards the noise.
He winced, his eyes just barely open enough to see a black dog standing by him with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging about.
"Graphite!" The voice exclaimed again.
Graphite groaned, the only sound he managed to make out of his mouth. A figure, shaped as a pony, ran over the hard wood floors and passed the dog; it came over Graphite, its arms wrapping around him tight. He imagined the figure whisking him off just as it got its arms around him, but instead it brought its head around and kissed him on the cheek. Graphite could figure it out from that warm kiss that the figure was Sunny. He brought his arms up to hug her back, but a sudden pain plunged into his left shoulder. Graphite looked over at his shoulder and saw a bandage wrapped over it. The bandage ran down and around his chest.
"Oh, I've missed you so much!" Sunny smiled and nuzzled Graphite.
"W-what happened?"
"You got wounded and knocked out by that sniper back in the streets," Sunny said as a tear ran down her cheek, "You didn't wake for a couple of days. I though that I wouldn't see you again!" She squeezed Graphite tighter, almost squeezing his wounded shoulder.
"Oh... Where am I? How did I get here?" Graphite shifted his eyes up and down the one wall he could see.
"You're at my apartment. A few ponies from my family were nearby and they helped us back," Sunny was still beaming. "I'm so glad that you're awake again, Graphite!"
Graphite slowly tried to get up, but he was still dizzy after spending a couple of days out cold. Sunny knew this and helped him up, not letting him slip out of her grasp or fall over from his own weakness.
"You've been unconscious for a couple of days now; try to be careful," Sunny informed while she supported the big stallion.
"Maybe I just need something to eat?" Graphite suggested while holding his stomach.
"Yeah, I guess that could help," Sunny smiled and wrapped her hoof around him. "Come on, I'll help you to the kitchen."
Graphite and Sunny slowly trumped out of the bedroom area, Graphite could see the rest of the apartment after being picked up from the floor. The apartment was very traditional, with most of the furniture very antique looking. Graphite looked back from where he was laying on the floor, spotting the bed he fell out of. The bed was wide enough for two ponies, two pillows provided for just that reason. The bed had a single sheet on it, a white sheet just as white as the mattress itself. On both sides of the bed were two nightstands, one with a lamp while the other was left empty. Beside one of the nightstands was a wooden wardrobe, carved with simple designs that didn't do much to compliment it.
In the corner, to the right of the bed, was a coffee table with two low chairs sitting by. The chairs were made up of an ancient fabric, the floral designs that lined it were faded and the fabric itself torn in some spots. The coffee table was just as old, the aging dark wood kept polished by Sunny, but still scratched along the surface. Following the wall after the small sitting area was a narrow table that was placed up against the wall. Sitting on it were a few picture frames - the pictures obscured by glare - and an old radio. It seemed a bit dusty, unused for quite a while. It was sitting in the dark corner of the table, left alone to gather dust when Sunny went out with Graphite.
Sunny carried Graphite passed through the two short walls that separated the bedroom area from the kitchen section. They moved into a smaller section of the apartment, the left half taken up for the bathroom. The door was closed, so Graphite couldn't examine all the obvious wonders that were probably waiting inside - all the toiletries and cosmetics that were waiting to be discovered. Sunny brought Graphite around the room and to the kitchen table, a simple wooden table with four legs and a table top - it couldn't be any more lucid. Sunny brought him to the nearest chair, setting him down gently as he slid off the support of her shoulders and landed in the chair.
"There we go," Sunny sighed with a bit of relief, "You're heavier than you look."
"Thanks, Sunny," Graphite chuckled before he got more comfortable in the seat. "So, what's for breakfast?"
"It's lunch," Sunny winked as she started to dig around the cupboards, "And it'll be a surprise."
"Oh, well, I could eat almost anything about now."
Sunny didn't respond, she just continued moving through the cabinets and drawers. She had taken out several different cans and boxes from the cupboards, as well as grabbing a few canned vegetables from the small fridge. Graphite couldn't see what Sunny was mixing up in the big wooden bow she had in front of her. He sat back, watching as she cooked up food for lunch.
Graphite decided not to disturb Sunny and went back staring around the apartment. He looked back to the bedroom, looking down to where the dog once was. Graphite was a bit confused, the dog being there just a moment ago. He thought for a moment, remembering the dog's name was 'Nero.' He tried calling his name, calling 'Nero' in a exaggerated tone.
The dog still didn't seem to be in sight, until something crawled up from under the table. Graphite chuckled, looking down to see Nero underneath the table with his tongue out and his tail wagging vigorously. He petted Nero on the head after being hypnotized by the dog's glaringly brown eyes.
Sunny had just finished with her utensils, bringing the big wooden bowl over to the table. She went back to grab a clean plate from the cupboards and placed it ahead of Graphite, bringing the bowl over and scooping up some cabbage and such onto the plate. It was a menagerie of carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, and cabbage. Sunny had made Graphite a salad for lunch, sitting on the other side of the table as soon as she had finished serving his meal.
Graphite looked down at his meal, almost salivating over his first meal in days. He picked up his fork, stabbing it into the salad and devouring it. Graphite was delighting to taste fresh food rather than the pre-packaged and staled food from a can. He took in a few mouthfuls of fresh lettuce before he noticed Sunny not partaking in the meal. Graphite chewed his chunk of salad before opening his gob to speak, "Why aren't you eating, Sunny?" He asked with some cabbage stuck between his teeth.
Sunny adjusted her hooves to sit easier on the table then smiled, "I'm not hungry, Graphite."
Graphite set down his fork, "Not hungry? Did you have a big breakfast?"
"No, I just can't eat right now."
Graphite was slightly confused, with food being scarce in the wasteland, someone would be quite eager to get their hooves on this plate of fresh food. He was almost surprised Sunny hadn't took all the food for herself, but he knew Sunny was a reasonable pony. He took his last bite of the salad, setting his fork down again.
Graphite turned around in his chair, about to get up from his chair to put the dishes in the sink. Sunny stopped him, jumping from her seat just as he moved to get up, "No, you're still healing, Graphite. I'll get your plate, you just sit here and rest."
Graphite glared at Sunny, moving back around to sit with his legs under the chair. Sunny dropped the plate in the sink, letting the water rinse it off. Graphite didn't want to disturb Sunny again, taking another awkward moment to look around the apartment. Nero had moved from his spot under the table, moving just a few steps to the side of Graphite's chair. He grinned, moving his head up and over to the small table against the wall. He spotted the pictures, catching one he could see. He noticed Sunny in the middle, standing by three other ponies. He guessed they were her family, maybe her friends. Graphite turned about, facing Sunny, "So, Sunny," He roused, "Is your family nearby? We are in your apartme-"
"-Oh, no, none my family moved in to the apartments. Most of the tribe had gone out to the world, a lot of them moved somewhere west. I think D-"
"-Tribe?" Graphite interrupted with a raised brow, "Your home doesn't remind me of a tribal shack at all."
"Maybe we are wearing more clothing and understand more about technology than the usual tribes, but we're still a tribe - a linked family of families. Our tribe formed right after the war from the ponies who were in this part of Buckago when the bombs fell. We have still kept most of the pre-war ways since there weren't many visitors from the outside. That is why we're different than most of the tribes you would meet."
"Different? How?"
"Well, we are more compassionate than others. We care for one another, and won't ignore an outsider that's in need. We have even been taking in any foal without parents or any pony to watch them - we will care for it just like one of our own."
"I hope that's true. It seems that ponies don't trust anyone who isn't one of their own now. I've been shot at for just being a stranger."
"It has happened to me too, but that is just why I love returning home even more."
Sunny came back to the table, grabbing the chair on the opposite side of the table and bringing it closer to Graphite. She took her seat then grabbed for Graphite's hoof.
"So, uhh... will I get to meet your family?"
"Yes. Right after we go and see the doctor; I'm sure that she'll be happy that you're awake."
"I just hope that she has something for my hurting shoulder." Graphite rubbed his shoulder, rolling it to see if it would still ache when he moved it.
"I'm sure that she has some sort of painkillers," Sunny added then started to giggle. "And if not, I can just kiss it better!"
Graphite blushed a bit, somewhat enjoying Sunny's suggestion. Graphite scooted his chair back, sliding out from his seat and slowly standing from the seat. Sunny moved over to his aid again, helping him from the chair and unto his hooves. Graphite shooed Sunny off a bit, inclined to stand on his own hooves. He got on his hind hooves, then set his front hooves on the floor - pulling his left arm back as it pressed against the floor. Sunny grabbed him, about to hold him up until he nudged her away again.
Graphite was standing - on just three legs, but he was up. He hobbled around, heading to the door until Sunny stopped Graphite again.
"Wait, you're not dressed," Sunny reminded.
Graphite looked down, spotting himself in the nude. He looked back at Sunny, noticing she was just as naked as he was. He smirked, hobbling back around to Sunny, "Let's get dressed then- where's my armour?"
"Your armor got damaged after that shot. I left it at my brother's workshop. He loves to repair and upgrade things, so it's in good hooves," Sunny pointed back behind her. "I'll see if have something you could wear in my wardrobe. Stay here."
Graphite did as she ordered, standing with his left arm raised so he didn't hurt anymore than it should. The dog had stood just as they got up from their seats, curious to where there going and what they were doing. Nero seemed fond of Graphite, coming up to him as he stood unbalanced. He came up to him, nudging his head against the leg Graphite needed to keep from falling face forward.
Graphite pushed the dog back using his back leg, starting to wobble and sway as he picked his leg up from the floor. The dog came right back, rubbing against his back legs now. Graphite ignored it, at least he could stay up now. Sunny came back, holding a worn, plaid jacket. The lines on the jacket were all shades of a dark green, with the squares in between being a yellow-green colour. Sunny came up to Graphite, shaking out the dust and wrinkles from the jacket.
"Here, I found this in the wardrobe, I think that it should fit you just fine," Sunny mentioned. She unzipped the jacket open, bringing it over Graphite's body and helping him to get his arms through the sleeves. He got the jacket on then zipped it back up himself; Sunny went back to the wardrobe to grab clothes for herself.
She came back shortly, wearing the yellow dress Graphite had found for her. Sunny passed by Graphite and opened the door for him, he took his time to trump his way out of the apartment. Graphite stopped when he got near Sunny, taking a moment to admire her and her dress. He smiled, he was sure there wasn't any other dress that could make Sunny look nicer. Sunny smiled back at Graphite, then he continued his painful march out the door.
Sunny closed the door as the both left, the dog standing by and watching as the left. Sunny joined up with Graphite, walking alongside him as he limped down the hallway. Sunny rested her hoof on his back, facing him to talk, "You're going to need help down the stairs, Graphite."
Graphite shook his head, "No, I can make it down the steps. It might take some tim-"
"-We're on the third floor, Graphite."
Graphite paused before he sighed, "Okay, you can help me down the first few steps."
Sunny patted him on the back in response, taking him over to the stairwell at the end of the hallway. The hallway looked a bit like the apartment, just as old and just as worn. The wooden planks along the floor were scuffed with hoofsteps, the staining over the wood chipped away. The walls were pasted with an old wallpaper, most of the sections had warped and started peeling off the wall. They passed a few more apartments, each door a solid block of dark wood with a golden plaque that had the room number on the door.
Graphite and Sunny trudged down the hallway until they finally reached the stairwell. Graphite grabbed the wooden rail that went across the outcropping and down the stairs. Sunny stepped down the first few steps, reaching out her hoof for Graphite. Graphite released his grip on the rail, taking in a deep breath before reluctantly heading down the stairs. He grabbed her hoof tight with his left arm, stepping down the stairs sideways to keep from slipping. Sunny kept hold of his hoof, watching him with a close eye as she backpedalled down the wooden stairs. The stairs descended a bit before spinning down the stairwell along the path of the wall. He made it down the the first flight -- now two more to go. The task was longer than either had planned, but they made it down without a hitch.
After making it down and to the front door, they both walked outside. The door opened up to a lively neighborhood, something resembling a town from before the war. The buildings had aged and definitely showed it, but all of the doors and windows were in their places so it worked as it should. The pavement had cracks, but no sections were missing, and none of the blocks were upturned like in the rest of the city. Some small stores were still open, their windows adorned with some old posters of the produce and discounts the stores offered. Ponies were merrily trotting in the street; wearing the same kind of clothes as they did in the old days. This bustling neighborhood in the middle of a completely desolate city was almost impossible to believe, Graphite felt as if he was stuck in a dream.
"Well, this is my home," Sunny smiled as she helped Graphite out of the apartment building.
There was another set of stairs stepping down from the entrance; a set of stone stairs just as wide as the entrance to the apartment.
"Sunny this is... is... wow. It's all just like when I was a foal," Graphite stated as he was slowly walking down the stair, awestruck.
Graphite starting stepping down the stairs carelessly, paying no attention to the one stair that was shorter than the rest. Graphite stumbled over, Sunny rushing over to grab him,"Graphite! Watch where you're going!" Sunny griped. "You could have fallen down the stairs."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Just that this- this..."
"It's wonderful, I know," Sunny blew a sigh and moved closer to Graphite. She still held him by the hoof while they both cherished the scene of the grand neighborhood and its busy bunch of citizens. Soon, Sunny realized that there were places where they should be going and she nudged Graphite, snapping him out of his day dream.
Sunny grabbed Graphite's hoof tighter, guiding him down the street towards the doctor's clinic. Along the way, Graphite passed by a few of the friendly faces that were going to and fro along the street with them. Graphite just gave a short grin back as the passed, until one particular face sent him into bewilderment. A zebra passed him as they walked, giving him a tip of the hat just as they caught eyes.
Graphite's eyes widened, his already idle paced slowed further as his surprise suddenly stopped him in his tracks. His flashbacks had intruded in the present, a thought of being suddenly chopped down by a zebra's machete attacked Graphite's thoughts. Graphite's focus was diverted to the zebra, Sunny having to stop his walk before he collided with a pedestrian.
She turned his head towards her face, "Graphite? Are you alright - you almost ran into that stallion."
Graphite looked to Sunny in the corner of his eye, his main attention was being taken up by the series of zebras to go by them as they stood in the middle of the street, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
"You seem troubled, are you dizzy or anything- or maybe you need a seat-"
"-No, it's something else," Graphite interrupted.
Sunny followed Graphite's line of sight to the sidewalk, a few zebras had stopped there and were talking to one another. She turned back, confused, "Is... is it the zebras?"
Graphite didn't respond.
"Yeah, there's a lot of zebras in the settlement. Before the war, this is where most of them lived. Come to think of it, they were the ones to start this tribe," Sunny pulled Graphite closer, bringing her lips near his ears, "Is there a problem with you and zebras?" She asked in a whisper.
"Well, when the first thought when you see a zebra is 'He's going to kill you,' it's kind of hard to be around so many."
Sunny just became more confused, his answer raising more questions, "What do you mean, Graphite; none of them are going to hurt you."
"I'm sure they won't - it's just that, back in the war, the zebras were the ones taking pot shots at me while I sat in a little hole in the ground trying to not get my head blown off."
"Yeah, but-"
"-Or trying to sneak up on me and cut my neck open..."
Sunny stood silent after the last comment. Graphite stood with her, just as quiet. Sunny looked at her hooves, then down the street before turning back to Graphite, "Well... just stay close to me, okay?"
Graphite gave her a single nod; this time, he was the one to hold hooves tight. Sunny grinned when they grasped hooves, leading Graphite lovingly down the street. The two ponies walked down the that was street full of zebras, Graphite hugged close to Sunny for the zebra's safety. His training had trained him to kill a zebra on sight with anything he had on him, even if it was going to be his bare hooves, he had been taught to kill a zebra in more ways than one. The zebras felt the opposite towards Graphite, seeing him as an injured stranger and being as friendly as they could in the tiny moment they walked by and could get a word in edge wise. A smile, a tip of the hat, a 'Good day.' Graphite could only reply back with a nervous smile and unsteady eye.
The clinic was just around the corner; Sunny pointed it out, it seemed to be hiding inside one of the apartment buildings. She pulled Graphite up on the sidewalk, then walked him the rest of the way to the steps that were set in front of the building. The two climbed the stairs, making to the door where Sunny was there too hold it open. Graphite hopped inside, finding himself an a very makeshift doctor's office.
They stepped into a small foyer; some long seats were set up against the wall, so Graphite assumed it was the waiting room for the office. The wall sitting at the furthest end of the waiting area had a door installed, but it was boarded up with plywood for reasons unknown to Graphite. The right wall had another door, left alone and simply kept closed. On the left wall was an archway, a nurse had just stepped through it and was heading to the clinic section.
Graphite hobbled with Sunny to the next room over. Graphite noticed a few of zebras and ponies sitting in the room with wearing some bandages; the others, without any sorts of wraps but simply coughing up their lungs. Graphite stopped in the middle of the room, Sunny motioning for him to stay while she went into the next room to get a doctor.
Graphite was slightly worried to stand be standing in the room, of the few members in the room, most of them were zebras. These zebras had that aura around them that wasn't as friendly as the ones trotting along outside. These seemed a bit tougher, these were the zebras that got their cuts and bruises in a fight. Graphite kept his head low and his body still, doing nothing to provoke any of the zebras in the room.
Sunny came back in a short time, coming over to Graphite's side with a smile, "I got the doctor, she'll be over in a moment."
"How long?" Graphite wondered, shifting his eyes over to one of the zebras as he coughed.
"Don't worry, these ponies are too sick to throw a punch," Sunny chuckled.
Graphite smirked, his next worry was now catching whatever the zebras were carrying. He brought the arm he had to keep suspended near his mouth, keeping covered but also trying to make it look as nonchalant as possible. The doctor came by, calling for Sunny and Graphite. Graphite picked up his head, spotting the doctor standing under the archway. She was a lime green pegasus, with a pale orange mane. Her coat seemed frazzled, unkempt as she worked 'round the clock' to keep up with the wounded ponies and zebras; her hair was short cut and just as messy. Her eyes were a dark green to match her coat, and had a bit of eye liner surrounding it. She had a white overcoat that was stained in red blood and other disgusting stains. She was wiping her hooves clean just as she stepped from the operating area, facing Graphite and Sunny to speak, "Follow me, you two."
Sunny nudged Graphite, grabbing his hoof after his attention was brought away from the floor. They followed the doctor out of the room and into the operating area, the room filled with ponies lying motionless in bed by nature. They passed a pony with a patch of gauze over her heart, it looked like she fell victim to that sniper sitting outside as well. The remaining patients were either sitting with odd boils on their faces or with large casts over their limbs.
The doctor brought them to a space with a bed free for use, patting the bed top to bring Graphite over, "Come sit here, Graphite."
Graphite limped to the bed, climbing up the best he could with three legs. The bed felt flat, almost hard, but he didn't expect much from a doctor's office stuffed into an apartment building. He noticed while walking in that they knocked a few of the walls in to make the operating room larger. The doctor moved in front of Graphite, "It's good to see that you're awake already. Lets see how your wound is," She stated, reaching for Graphite's injured shoulder.
Graphite pulled his arm back a bit as she pulled it forward, the pain of the sudden jerk making him sear his teeth. The doctor looked at him, somewhat disappointed in him, "Try to keep still, Graphite."
She grabbed his arm again, pulling it out and keeping it extended. She went for the bandages around his chest, undoing them and giving view to the open wound. There was a small, round hole in his shoulder, some of the skin around it had folded over it as it started to heal. Graphite felt a bit odd with a hole going through his body, the area feeling breezy and cool as the air passed by it. The doctor came closer, inspecting it with one eye, "Hmm... well, it looks a lot better than when you first came in here - the bleeding stopped and the swelling seems to have gone down a bit."
Graphite stared at the hole in his body, not sure what to make of it. He turned to the doctor; her observations seemed a bit unprofessional, Graphite felt another worry over whether the doctor had any medical training passed first aid, "So- um, Doc," Graphite mumbled.
The doctor turned her head from the wound to Graphite, "It's Doctor Feelgood, Graphite."
"Okay. Doctor Feelgood, how long, exactly, have you been a doctor?"
Feelgood stepped back, straightening out her jacket as she spoke, "Well, I started out as a nurse for one of the local Enclave bases," She grinned just a bit, then continued checking Graphite's wound.
"You seem to be very open about that you were working for them."
"I'm careful with whom I share that information with, but if Deacon trusts you, so do I."
"How do you know about me and him?" Graphite turned a bit on the bed top to get more comfortable.
"Well, first of all, I saw the button you had on your duster when they brought you in. I hid that button in the inside pocket of your coat so no pony would find out. The ponies over here are friendly, but I doubt that they'd like to make any more contact with organizations like the Pegasus Enclave. Then, I heard some rumors about a stallion making a lot of fuss in Rossmore, and leaving without a trace. Since trouble follows Deacon like his own shadow, I imagined that you and him had some sort of connection."
"Yeah, I better keep my mouth shut about what happened back there."
"I think so too," Feelgood grabbed Graphite's arm, pulling it down and up and moving it in small circles. She examined the wound, and Graphite's reactions. Graphite didn't make too many noises as she spun his arm around, so she set it down and stepped back, "So, how do you like our little settlement so far?"
"Err..." Graphite looked down and lowered his voice, "Can you keep some doctor-patient confidentiality?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Well, umm... the place is fantastic, but there's one thing - the zebras."
"You don't lik-"
"-No, no they're all fine by me," Graphite interrupted, "Just that - I've had some experience with them and well... I think that it might have left a scar."
"Any psychological trauma can be just as bad as a physical one."
Graphite kept quiet for a moment, giving the comment some thought. The Doctor came closer to Graphite, leaning on the bed, "I could probably help you out, Graphite - but I need to know more about what happened to you."
Graphite sighed, he could remember everything that happened to him after the amnesia had passed and the flashbacks continued to play out in his dreams. Graphite turned to Sunny, who was waiting patiently by the bed before turning to the Doctor again.
"Well, Doc, you'll have a hard time believing this, but I was in the great war."
Doctor Feelgood raised her brow, pausing for words to say, "You... you don't look old enough to have been in any part of the war, Graphite..."
Graphite reached for his pocket, planning to show her that newspaper cut-out he had kept in his pocket. He looked down, remembering he was wearing the jacket which Sunny gave him rather than his heavy uniform. He brought his hooves back to where they were, bringing his view back to the Doctor, "You gotta believe me - I even had a piece of an old newspaper to prove it!"
"Graphite, I think you're just imagining things- maybe this wound is-."
Graphite placed his head down in his hooves, but soon he brought his head up and started to look around before remembering Sunny, "-S-Sunny! You know I'm telling the truth."
Sunny snapped back a bit, a reaction to being suddenly dragged into an argument, "Oh!" Sunny turned to the Doctor, facing her with her normal grin, "Well, Feelgood, I can honestly say that Graphite's telling the truth. It, um, has to do with this complicated freezing process called... cryopreservation, yeah?"
Graphite nodded his head, then turned his head to see what the doctor had to say.
"Well, Graphite... damn - I would have never imagined you were actually that old. I don't think I've ever heard about that cryopreserving, thing, but I'm sure it wasn't fun," The Doctor shook her head, then brought it back up when she was reminded of something. "Oh, I guess that you're not imagining things; the only problem is that you have a problem I'm not sure I can solve -- but I'll try my best."
Graphite looked down as Sunny wrapped her hoof around him. He just let out an 'oh.'
"Yeah," Graphite sighed, "When I was knocked out - I had dreams about the hill I was stationed on. I was sent to the Triolet Islands with only one mission - protect the hill - and that's what I did. Life on the hill was mainly routine, like beat back a few fanatics who thought that they could try and storm the hill in small groups. Soon, we started to receive reports of increased zebra activity, but we couldn't guess that they'd storm the hill like they did. They fought hysterically and destroyed any opposition they encountered and had almost taken the hill. By that time, I woke up and somehow managed to make my way up the hill and reach the top. Over there I learned that help was on its way so me and a few others tried to defend the hilltop. We fought through the night and all of us fell- all accept me who got a rifle butt to the face."
Sunny patted Graphite's back as he was taking another breath.
"Yet, the worst part came when the troops from the Trottingham regiment arrived. They found me and apparently, to them, it seemed that I had killed an entire company of troops and managed to hold the hill all by myself. I got accounted for all of the kills, but the zebras I killed weren't soldiers - they were new recruits, most of them looked like they were almost foals. And I killed them... and you know what they did in the end? They gave me awards -- I almost became a celebrity. But I never asked for that, and I was never to pay the price which I did."
"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked, looking down the room just to have a quick check on the other patients.
"First of all, my mother died while I was away. Apparently, even with all the money I made on the front, we couldn't afford to fix her poor heart. My papa was angry at me for not being with her in her last moments. Then the army had planned out that I was too busy to be with my friends and that I had to attend in all sorts of stupid soiree's and whatnot. I was there as more of a show-piece than a hero, ponies only cared for me because of my medals. Once I realized that I just kind of drank that realization away. After the days of drunken rage and hangovers, I got a message from the army saying they wanted me for an exhibit -- making me live up to my reputation as a show-piece. I guess that the army and the ministries saw some sort of profit in it."
The three of them were silent, the Doctor and Sunny standing with their thoughts to themselves. Graphite ran his hoof through his mane, blowing a choked up sigh as he felt tears trying to flow out.
"It seems that you're suffering from post traumatic stress," The doctor broke the silence in a soft tone. "There's no medicine I could give you, but there is a way is a way some pony could help you."
Graphite brought up his eyes and looked at the doctor, who was looking to Sunny. Graphite averted his attention to her as well, waiting for the Doctor to speak. Sunny was crossed between looking towards Graphite or Feelgood, but she was dragged to the doctor when she finally came out and spoke.
"Sunny," She called, "You seem to be closest to Graphite. Without any medicines to prescribe or any therapies I could give, you are Graphite's best chance at recovery for his current condition."
Sunny stopped, taking just a small moment to think about it. It didn't long for her to see that this was best, happy to know she could do something for Graphite after all he's done for her, "Of course, I'd be happy to help. After all, he did save my life on more than one occasion - I guess it would be a way to say thanks for doing that," She looked to Graphite starry eyed and smiling wide.
Graphite smirked, about to jump out of the bed when he remembered the hole still burrowed in his shoulder. The Doctor stopped him from moving, holding him back with her hoof, "Let me get you some new bandages and I'll send you out."
She stepped out, leaving Sunny and Graphite to their own things. Sunny jumped up on the less than cozy bed, wrapping her arm around Graphite's one good one. They kept close and kept silent, just enjoying the embrace. Feelgood came back with a roll of white bandages, unraveling them as she came over to Graphite. She wrapped his wound, Graphite and Sunny gave their gratitude, and then they were on their way. The Doctor left Graphite off with a simple, 'Keep your arm elevated and try not to move around too much.'
They were heading out of the doctor's clinic, Graphite left with the unorganized method of practice the doctors and nurses had established. Sick and hurt ponies would walk in, the doctors would patch them up, and then they shoved them back out into the world after paying a bill. The world had changed in the past two hundred years. Graphite wasn't surprised at this, he just didn't expect to be alive to see the changes. It was a drastic change from his time and now, and Graphite was still trying to get use to the fact that zebras weren't trying to kill him.
The two funneled down the street, reaching the apartment while the sun was still overhead. Graphite hobbled through the entrance, taking a enduring hike back up the flights of stairs before they finally got back into their apartment on the third floor. Sunny searched through her cupboards, finding a few cans of carrots that were still good. She walked over to the stove, placing over the heater after opening the top with a spare knife.
Graphite was sitting at the table, napkin by his plate and fork. Sunny served the steaming carrots with a glass of clean water -- something Graphite couldn't drink without thinking of how many ponies were in the wastes, groveling through the dirt trying to find water that was drinkable. It wasn't a thought enjoyed having, but it was stuck in his head along with all of his memories from before the wasteland outside existed.
Graphite's mind continued to got through it's usual thoughts, eventually cycling back to a question he wanted to ask, "So, Sunny," He aroused, "You seemed really eager to help me out of my condition- not that I mind, but I just wanted to know why."
"It's because we're a family Graphite. Like I said back in the clinic, you saved my life more than once; now, the least I can do is make yours worth living."
Graphite smiled, but let it fade away as he chewed his bites of carrots. There wasn't anything he thought of that would improve the moment, the moment when he realized he had a family again. It was almost a new feeling to Graphite, his last family long gone and almost forgotten. Having a family in this new and cruel world was a blessing since they could actually be trusted. Your family would always be there to protect you, to love you, and to feed you. Graphite looked down to his food, grinning to himself just before he finished off his plate of carrots.
After the dinner, they cleaned up. A quick shower in water no warmer than what came from the sink. They didn't bother finding pajamas, tonight was a special night. It was the first night Graphite was conscious after a while and it certainly looked like Sunny was in the mood for some celebration. Graphite had the sheets pulled just halfway up his body, Sunny was holding herself close to him with a hoof wrapped over his chest and over his bandage. Graphite kept his other hoof bent, a habit to keep his shoulder from clenching up. Sunny rested her head on the shoulder that he still had intact, starting to slowly rub her hoof over the fur on his chest, "Did I already tell you that I missed you?" She grinned, her eyes glaring at him seductively.
Graphite's ears perked, his body heating up when he found her intentions. He rolled over, bringing himself atop of Sunny. Graphite stopped himself just a moment before starting, turning to the lamp sitting on the side table right of the bed. Graphite flicked the lamp off, turning back to Sunny in the dark. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 26: Don't Think Twice | It took Graphite a week to recover from the shoulder injury, but Sunny was always at his side to provide him support. The days passed slowly, Graphite spent most of the time home since he was still uneasy about all of the zebras outside; but he kept himself, and Sunny, entertained by telling Sunny stories of what had happened on the front. He told her about the ponies he had met on the field of battle and his companions, like Blue Jay and Spotty. Sunny was always there to listen to him and comfort him if he ever started to feel bad about what had happened. She proved that making other ponies smile was her special talent more than ever.
Graphite's peaceful rest came to a close when early one morning he received the message that someone important wanted to see him. There was a knock at the door, Graphite was sitting in the bed, slowly recovering from his wound with boredom. Sunny walked to the door, opening it to a young zebra standing astute in front of the doorway. The zebra was wearing a plaid jacket, decked in maroon stripes and lighter red squares. He had wrapped a belt with magazine pouches around the waist of the jacket and had strapped a large combat knife to it. The zebra had a scar going slashed across his cheek, a detail that was hard to miss. Graphite's ears perked as the knock echoed into the room, lifting himself up from the mattress and leaning over to look into the doorway. His eyes caught site of the zebra and his large knife he had with him - Graphite's eyes widening and his fears returning to him.
"I have a message for a 'Graphite," The zebra uttered.
"Oh, he's right on the bed," Sunny pointed out, stepping out of the way as the zebra stepped into the room.
Graphite was still looking over, the zebra was standing over him looking down on Graphite as he lay in the bed, "So, you're Graphite?"
"T-that's me," Graphite responded with a choked answer.
The zebra cleared his voice, "I have a message from Maji: she requests your presence at her hall."
"Um- Alright, but, why me?"
"Maji has heard of your great heroics, and would be pleased to meet you herself."
"Oh," Graphite looked down to the bed sheets, a bit relieved the pony was out to assassinate him. He continued, his eyes still towards the bed, "I didn't any pony would notice," Graphite leaned his head back, looking to Sunny, "Who's 'Maji'?"
"Maji," The zebra cleared out his throat again, "Is the leader of this settlement. She also holds the role as director for the orphanage across from her hall."
"Okay... Tell her that I'll be there soon."
"Very well," The zebra said and nodded slightly. He left the apartment and Sunny shut the door behind him as he went.
"That's so typical of her," Sunny sighed.
Graphite sighed too, but left his sigh to turn to Sunny, "Typical of who?"
"Maji always sends a messenger, but she never arrives herself. Even to the apartment her daughter's lived in for the past few years."
"The tribe's leader is your mother?" Graphite's voice picked up slightly.
"Well, sort of. She found me, she gave me my name, she was taking care of me, but I never really got to call her my mother. Maji never really showed any sorts of compassion towards the foals she was supposed to be raising, but I guess that she didn't want to make one foal more loved than the others."
"That's umm..." Graphite's voice faded down as he ran out of words to say.
"It's okay, Graphite," Sunny smiled, "At least me and the rest of the foals in the orphanage got closer to each other," Sunny turned to the kitchen, but quickly turned back when she remembered another subject, "Oh, Sierra's parents did show some sort of attachment to me - even if I wasn't their daughter in the slightest."
Graphite smiled, dropping his head back on the pillow he had under his head. He sighed, throwing the sheet off of him as he gradually made his way out of the bed. Sunny was already waiting by the bed to help him up, she had gotten used to the routines over the past week and a half, ready to help Graphite down and up the stairs; pull him out of bed; grab his coat for him; make his food; and anything else Graphite couldn't do without four hooves. He made it out of bed, Sunny already had his jacket around him and zipped up before he could notice.
They made their way out of the apartment. Sunny guided Graphite through the small neighborhood to Maji's Hall, Graphite keeping close so he wouldn't get lost or beat down a zebra for looking at him the wrong way. The walk through the town seemed just like any other stroll through the city of Buckago; a mindless trot down an a street that had no bends or curves, a walk without either one saying a word, a gallop with all the same sights of buildings and broken sidewalks. The only difference being that the streets were full of ponies, Graphite and Sunny not being the only ones going down the road.
The sidewalks were cluttered with vending stands and carts of goods. The buildings were covered with zebra decorations and ornaments from their homeland. Most of their decor involved painted masks and murals that ran across the walls. The paintings were exciting and full of colour - bright shades of red, yellow, and orange made up the design. The pictures seemed to tell a story, whether a tale of how something came to be, or of major events that happened in their home country. Graphite stopped to look at one adornment that peaked his interest.
Sunny stopped with him, staring at the brick wall by them. The brick wall spanned a pretty large length down the sidewalk before it finally stopped. The wall was missing bricks here and there, the empty spaces filled in with small candles. Along the base of the wall were also candles, lining all the way down the bricks. Sunny let him take in the sight a moment before she divulged, "This wall, and its candles, are here to represent those who had died in our tribe."
"Everyone?"
"Yes, one candle for anyone who had lost their life. They're missing from our lives, just like the pieces are missing from this wall."
"And Sierra?" Graphite questioned without a second to think of what exactly he had just asked.
Sunny paused, looking down at her hooves. She took a deep breath; she had told herself she had gotten over Sierra's death, but there was still that memory in her mind, that memory of her last words. Graphite looked down to Sunny, a bit worried she would begin to cry in the middle of the crowded sidewalk. She sighed again, grabbing Graphite by the hoof and directing along the wall, "Yes... I placed one down here..."
Graphite was examining the wall as they both walked along it. There were dozens of candles sitting in the small holes. Each of the candles had something placed on the wall together with them, like a piece of jewelry or a photography. Sunny however didn't pay any attention to the wall, she kept on walking with out even looking at the wall until she stopped and approached it.
"There she is... That's what's left of her..." Sunny pointed out a candle that was sitting in a gap of the wall about eye level to Graphite and Sunny herself.
The candle was accompanied by a small picture of a zebra mare and a red pearl necklace. She had chocolate brown eyes and a soft, inviting smile. Sierra hadn't much hair, but what her mane couldn't show her coat made up for. Her coat was white with black stripes - Sierra was a zebra. Graphite was taken for a stupor, surprised to find such an unsung fact.
"Sierra looked like a nice mare," Was all Graphite said about her.
"I know," Sunny said hardpressed, "You know, it's been a long time, but I still miss her sometimes," She frowned even further and rested her head on Graphite's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'm sure that she misses you too - wherever she might be now," Graphite pressed his cheek against Sunny's head.
They shared the moment in silence; a zebra bumped into Graphite as he walked and knocked a thought back into him, "We have to see Maji."
Graphite turned to Sunny, saying the exact same words that popped into his head. She brought her head up, then grabbed Graphite's hoof, "Yeah - and it's not much further."
They pressed on for a few more blocks before they reached a large building that was built in the centre of most of the town. It was a huge, three story building -- four counting the four towers that were at each corner of the building. The four towers had what looked like straw roofs, but it seemed more of the design rather than actual grains of grass. The walls looked like plasters of red clay, very flat and simple design but clearly told the origin of the design. The front had an open balcony for the second and third floor, a rugged fence made of sticks and wire string went across the ledge of it. After checking out the clay pillars that held up the roof over the balcony and fine artwork that was painted around the ridges of the building, Graphite and Sunny moved across the street and entered into building.
Two guards were standing in attention just outside the main entrance. They were standing in the same uniform as the messenger - any jacket they owned and a belt with pouches strapped to it. They each had a sub-machine gun slung around their shoulder, a mostly steel built gun besides the wood hoof guard, stock, and handle. The magazine was straight and narrow, only big enough to hold .45 rounds. The gun looked similar to the gun Blue Jay carried with him during the war, with only the size of the magazines being different.
The guards stopped Sunny and Graphite, taking a moment to inspect them. It wasn't much of an inspection, just a quick look over just in case they weren't going to barge throw the front door with guns blazing. They let the two in, opening the door for them without a word of acknowledgement passed the examination. They walked into the main room, a very wide open room with a grand staircase ahead of them.
The lobby had rows of long wooden pillars that spanned the height of the roof three floors up. On the roof, were six colossal chandeliers with large fabric fins to cover the lights. The fabrics were painted in the tribe's colours; bright red and a shade of orange and yellow. The main floor at the bottom of the staircase was enshrouded with trophies and priceless artifacts that were guarded in a thick glass display case. The floor was made of a dark wood carved with intricate designs Graphite was intrigued to look at and admire. The basic structure of the room shared no difference from the exterior, but now the walls were more of a golden colour rather than a faded red.
Sunny grabbed Graphite, pulling him to follow her up the wooden staircase. Graphite waddled up the stairs, Sunny keeping him close as if they were climbing the piles of rubble through the city once more. The top floor was the same etched wood, but now was covered in a extensive carpet. The threading of the carpet showed a story as the murals did outside. The rug was very well made, but the main focus of the space was the zebra sitting underneath a pointed tarp at the end of the room.
Sitting atop a chair that was dissected from a tree's trunk was the tribe leader, Maji; her head crowned with a traditional headdress of beads, strands of coloured yarn, and fancy ornaments and trinkets. The zebra looked like any other; white coat, black stripes, eyes with some shade of brown - in this case, a very piercing and vivid shade of brown. Her face was a bit stern, a bit serious, but most likely for the fact she was a ruler and a mother on the side. She had wrinkles around her eyes and was looking ahead at Sunny and Graphite as they made their way to her. Graphite noticed her dress as he came closer, a blue dress made for more casual working. A simple cotton dress with a belt and a few buttons going down from the neck of the dress. Over the dress, was a brown leather overcoat that looked pretty thick and fit very long around the arms. On both the dress and overcoat were a few embroideries of symbols from the zebra lands. Graphite couldn't figure what they could have meant, but they fit with the headdress better than just the plain, pre-war clothes she had on. To finish her outfit was a bit of cloth wrapped around her neck like a scarf; it was many shades of blue stripes and zig-zags.
They got up to the throne where she sat, the guards strategically placed about the room glaring at them with their weapons ready. Sunny tilted her head down a bit, Graphite doing the same when he noticed there was still chivalry to be given in this world. Maji stepped down from the throne she sat in, coming up to Graphite and Sunny as they bowed gently - her headdress jingling against itself as she walked, "Good day to you Sunny and Graphite," She greeted.
"Hello, Maji," They both replied.
"You," Maji directed her attention to Graphite, "Must be that stallion I have heard about."
Graphite nodded, "Yes, ma'am."
"Good..." She turned to Sunny now, "...If you could wait outside, Sunny, that would be greatly appreciated."
Sunny looked up, "Oh... of-of course, Maji."
She turned about, taking a final look at Graphite before she started her way down the stairs. The room was silent, both Graphite and Maji were watching as she slowly trotted out of the building. The room was filled with the echoes of her hoofsteps, finally stopping with the sound of the door shutting closed. Maji and Graphite turned to each other, Maji beginning to peruse Graphite, "I assume that you know why I have called you here today."
"No, the messenger you sent only said that you wanted to see me."
"Well, let me explain the reason of your visit. I've heard that you have met Xain."
"Xain?"
"Yes, Xain. There is a legend amongst this tribe, Graphite," Maji shifted positions in her chair, clearing her throat a bit. "Long before even I was born, there was a zebra. This particular zebra was just like any other, black and white with the tenacity to help those he was close to. Though things in the world soon fell apart; the ground underneath our zebra shook as the skies filled with a bright darkness. The zebras and ponies he knew were all called together to escape the invisible fire with the aid of those above them. As the citizens of the land crawled into the holes dug deep into the ground, our zebra was left behind - belittled by his peers. He was left in the green lands, just as the lake sunk into the city. Our zebra was left to burn in the fire without flames, his body turning into something rotten and without feeling. Just as his flesh turned corrupt, so did his heart. The zebra's anger grew until his only purpose was in killing those who had forgotten him in his past life," Maji came forward, facing Graphite with greater vigor. "This is the fate of the zebra named, Xain. He exiled himself to the island where he still resides, his hate spreading to those trapped on the island with him."
"Well, it seems like Xain got off his island," Graphite commented, stepping forward a bit to hear what Maji had to say next.
"Yes. He has also been attacking anyone that has come into his view, including us. Our scouts tracked him and found out that he is using a raft to get to us from his island."
"So, how do I fall into this, Maji?"
The Chief stepped off of her throne, coming close to Graphite with her headdress still shaking with every movement she made, "Well, Graphite, only you share the legend with Xain - for you both were born before the fires that destroyed the city; and you both share the artistic talent of taking one's life from afar," Maji smirked, almost smiling pretentiously.
Graphite was a bit befuddled, worried to sound unprofessional in asking what she meant. He just kept silent, taking a moment to decipher the riddle of Maji's poetic speech. Graphite looked up to the tribe leader, "How- how did you know I was from before the war?" Graphite asked in a very confused tone.
"What sort of a mother would I be, if I didn't know my children?" She mentioned just before continuing with, "I've heard what they've been speaking about."
Graphite smirked, moving on, "Well, if you believe it would work, Maji, I'd be happy to help - only, do you have any way to get me to the island rather than swimming there?"
Maji smirked, nodding her head a bit, "Yes. We have a boat. It is our old trading vessel, but even with the Xain lurking around, our trading hasn't gone down. I will arrange for the ferry to take you to the island."
"Thank you, Maji," Graphite stepped back slightly, preparing to leave soon.
"I will also arrange some medicine and other supplies from the general store."
Graphite bent his head down, leaving off with another 'thank you.'
The Tribe Leader turned away, leading herself to her throne, "You may go now, Graphite."
Graphite took a quick bow just before he turned tail and traveled down the large stairs to the door. He funneled out of the entrance, finding Sunny on the street corner just to his left. Sunny peeked over her shoulder, looking to the sound of the opening doors. She smiled to see it was Graphite, returning after a long wait, "Oh, there you are. I probably shouldn't ask, but what were you two talking about?"
"Well, first, we need to head to the general store - I'm guessing you know where that is."
"Of course I do, but will you tell me what you guys talked about?" Sunny continued to persist.
Graphite kept his same tone, keeping his smile down to a simple grin, "I'll tell you when we get there."
Sunny gave up trying to get answers early, but she still kept the idea in her head. She grabbed Graphite, the two making their way down the street to the settlement's general store. They crossed paths down another pack of zebras, Graphite keeping his head low. Graphite knew he was going to have to settle in with the zebras eventually, but he decided he could work on that when he gets back. Sunny and Graphite were nearing the store, Graphite realized this when Sunny had brought up something about it.
"About the general store, Graphite," Sunny started, turning to Graphite as she spoke, "The store's ran by Pneumo - my brother."
"Your brother? I thought you said your family left to go their own ways?"
Sunny slowed her pace, "They did, but Pneumo and my other brother stayed with me. We were one of the closest in my family, so it only makes sense that we stuck together after all these years. Only, Tsoy - my other brother - he hasn't been in town for awhile. I don't know where he went, but I know he's alive since I've received the occasional message from him."
"Oh, goo-"
"-Also, Pneumo can be a little... nervous around others. So, don't be alarmed by anything he does, okay?"
Graphite brought back his last response; now left without out a reply, he just nodded. The couple continued down the road until they finally came upon the general store. The store looked run-down, mostly from how old the building was. It was a two story building, but the top floor windows were completely boarded up and the lights shut off. The rest of the building was rotted wood with rusted metal bars in the windows near the entrance, the ornaments hanging randomly around the building were beginning to wear away. The doorway was wide open, the doors propped open by a few books and bag full junk. They trotted inside, seeing that the store was dark as night. Most of the light came from the setting sun's rays that belted through the bars on the windows, but was still obscured by the shelves and such. The rest of the light was provided by a small lamp sitting on the counter to the left of the entrance. From what the two could see, there was a staircase just near the counter at the front, some loud noises coming from the room upstairs.
Sunny and Graphite glared to each other, looking about the empty store in search of signs of Pneumo. Graphite looked right, taking a walk through the dim aisles of canned foods and assorted bags of crisps. Sunny turned to her left, facing the counter and inspecting the trinkets resting on it. Passed the lamp were some magazines stacked on each other, a wrapper for some sort of candy, nuts and bolts, then a dusty bell. Sunny looked back to Graphite, who was shuffling through the most likely expired meals and beverages. She turned back to the bell, tapping it with her hoof and causing it to make a sharp 'ding!'
A banging noise came from upstairs, the swarming sounds of metal equipment hitting the floor and landing against a table. A voice shouted out, "J-just a moment!"
A trampling creak of hooves against floorboard echoed from upstairs, finally revealing the pony Graphite assumed to be Pneumo. He came down the stairs fast, half way to tripping down them in his odd trot. He came down the stairs, shifting his eyes about the room, "Yes, who is it? What do you-" The stallion stopped himself when he noticed Sunny standing by the counter. "-Sunny! You're here!"
He skipped to Sunny, giving her a swift hug, "Sunny! I haven't seen you in a while, how are you? Are you feeling well? How's Nero - is he doing well? How about-"
"-I'm fine, Pneumo," Sunny finally stopped the barrage of questions, holding his shoulders to help him keep calm. "I'm here to pick up the armour."
"Oh, of course. I was just finishing up some things with it, it's not quite done - but I guess I could give you it. Why the sudden need for-"
"-Graphite needs it," She stopped Pneumo again.
"Graphite? I don't think I rememb- Oh, you mean that pony you dragged in from out of town? How's he doing? Is he even alive?"
"I believe I am," Graphite stepped from the aisles in announcement.
Pneumo almost leaped to the ceiling in surprise, twisting his head to Graphite, "Oh! I-I didn't see you there... I-I- you're alive! Ha, oh good, good... Um, well, I'm Pneumo... Sunny's brother... uh..."
Pneumo crunched his hoof to his oil stained jacket he had on, the black splatters clearly visible on the tan coloured jacket. His head was looking down to the floor, avoiding eye contact with Graphite. His mane was ungroomed and made up of messy spikes. He was wearing thin framed glasses, his hoof keeping it up his nose as it periodically slipped from his snout. His coat was white with black stripes - Pneumo was a zebra.
Graphite clenched his teeth, another surprise from the zebras smacking Graphite in the face. He came up to Pneumo; Pneumo making a few tiny steps back from him. Sunny came up to Pneumo, "Can we head up to your workshop?" She asked softly.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Pneumo nodded his head vigorously. Turning his head to the stairs, Pneumo started up the steps, "This way..." He directed.
Graphite and Sunny followed him up the stairs as he twitched up the stairs. Graphite was trying his best to be careful around the timid zebra, knowing just the slightest comment could break down the poor zebra. The zebra made it up the stairs and turned right into the next room with the duo coming in with him. The room was just as dimly lit as the main floor, a ceiling light attached to a broken fan was this area's source of light. The walls were thoroughly covered in posters ranging from propaganda by the Ministry of Arcane Sciences; instructions for operating mounted guns and other machinery; random advertisements of food, clothes, and housing; and a few schematics for weapons. There wasn't an inch of wall that wasn't covered with the collection of posters, most of the fliers overlapping one another. The room had a number of tables and work benches, all of them cluttered in spare parts and half-finished weapons or armour pieces. At the end of the room, underneath the windows, was a work bench with a buzz saw and a power drill.
Pneumo was about in the middle of the room when he turned back to Sunny and Graphite, "Oh, watch out for that welder- there. I just turned it off - so it's still hot, and I don't want you to get burned because that would be bad and st..."
Graphite ducked his head a bit, turning to see a welding torch hooked to the wall - the nozzle glowing a blue tone. Sunny stepped around Graphite, bringing her voice up for Pneumo to hear, "So, where's the armour, Pneumo?"
He pointed to the table resting by the doorway; there, the armour was sitting. Sunny took the armour, taking a close look at it. It was easy to spot a notable difference - a new chest piece made of a light Kevlar vest and a white button up to line the vest. The remaining pieces of armour were left the somewhat the same; the holes in the pants were patched and some of stains washed out of the fabric, and the duster's sleeves were cut off. Sunny turned to Pneumo, who was standing with his head down at his hooves and trying to act as if he's not there, "Did you change the armour, Pneumo?"
"Well, umm, yeah. The chest plate was damaged and couldn't find anything to replace it with... Come to think of it, the riot armor looks kinda similar, but acquiring a set of that is almost impossible," His last statement was almost impossible to understand; a mix of talking fast and mumbling each word he spoke. He continued after finding his train of thought, "...I did find an old bullet proof vest lying around, so I patched that up. The inside of that thing doesn't feel too nice when it rubs against your coat, but I added one of my old shirts - I guessed it would fit since you seem to be wearing my old jacket, and that looks like it fits just fine, and yeah..."
"What happened to the duster's sleeves?" Graphite inquired, pointing to the duster.
"Oh, umm, that was my mistake... I kinda accidentally spilled the paint on some of it when I was painting another one of my works -- um, this gun I was working on looked like it needed another coat of red, but then I brought the can over and then it started dripping and I was near your duster and- and- and-" Pneumo started to hyperventilate, grabbing his dirty jacket and pull it nervously.
Sunny ran up to him, grabbing his shoulders tight, "It's fine, Pneumo, it's fine - right Graphite?" Sunny turned to Graphite, glaring at him; her eyes telling him, "Say yes!"
"Yes- Yes! It looks, uh, quite nice now..."
Graphite slid over to the table, grabbing the suit with his levitation, "Maybe I can go put it on now."
Sunny was holding Pneumo while he sniffled his tears back; he grabbed his glasses, cleaning them off on his jacket, "Oh, well, if you think it's alright. There's a... there's a- um- bathroom back down stairs, right under the stairs. It's not too clean, and I never had time to put decorations in it, and it is sorta small, but you can change down there -- if you want to."
"I will, Pneumo..." Graphite left the room quickly, letting Pneumo settle back into a better state of mind.
He stepped down the stairs, turning a sharp right to the underside of the stairs where the bathroom door was waiting. Graphite stepped inside, closing the door ahead of him. Graphite was stuck inside a room barely big enough for him to even turn around. There was a toilet and a sink, nothing else in the room. The toilet had dried up, starting to mildew from lack of use and lack of cleaning. The sink looked about the same, the faucet rusty and chipped. Graphite unzipped his jacket, laying the coat on the sink as he brought his armour over.
He looked at his new suit, spinning it left and right as he inspected it. The new kevlar vest didn't seem to be as tough as the steel plates, but he knew the piece would stop a bullet from going through his chest. He dusted off his pants and the torn duster, slipping it on easily. He was a bit relieved to see the new armour was easier to put on, the vest almost comfortable to wear. Graphite walked back out into the store, grabbing the jacket just before he shut the bathroom closed.
There was no mirror to check himself in, but he didn't need it to know the suit fits. He jerked the shirt down to stop it from wedging against his body, then made his way to Pneumo's workshop.
Graphite found himself in the dark room again. Pneumo was at the far end of the room showing Sunny a schematic he had drawn out himself. He was speaking a mile a minute, Sunny simply nodding her head as his hoof moved from one section of the paper to the next. Graphite trotted forward without watching his waltz. The tip of the welder grazed his cheek, Graphite grabbing it and searing his teeth from the sudden burn.
Pneumo jumped and let out a yelp, knocking over the screws he had scattered on the work bench, "Who- Graphite! Oh, um- um, are you okay? I told you about the welder- I should have put the welder somewhere else-"
"-Pneumo," Sunny interrupted his usual rant, "I'm sure it was nothing."
"I'll be fine, just a little warmer around the cheek," Graphite chuckled.
Pneumo made a loud sigh, "Oh, okay. Well, I remembered a package that one of the delivery ponies gave me - I think it's why you came to my place to start with. It has a box of some different ammo, a rifle with an optical scope, a pistol, and a shortened pump-action shotgun. There are also some medical supplies: 'Few doses of Med-X, a pack of bandages, and healing potions."
"Yeah, those would be the things," Graphite mentioned.
Sunny turned her head to Graphite, her eyes a bit distraught, "What do you need all those supplies for, Graphite?"
Graphite paused. He never wanted to tell Sunny what he and Maji had discussed, but it seems never had come too soon. Graphite took in a deep breath before sighing, "Well, Sunny, I didn't want to tell you so you didn't have to worry, but-"
"-Worry? What did Maji tell you, Graphite?" Sunny came forward a bit, her brother stepping back to his work table.
With another sigh, Graphite continued, "She sent me to kill that sniper outside of town. I needed to come here, to the general store, to pick up the supplies before I hop onto the boat that can take to the island that sniper's on."
"But, why? Haven't you killed enough already?" Sunny raised her voice at Graphite.
"I know, Sunny - I don't like it anymore more than you but-"
"-Then why are you going?"
"He tried to kill you and me, Sunny. If no one stops him, it could go on forever."
Sunny groaned, "Yeah... the... Maji can't send any pony else? Anyone at all?"
Graphite walked closer to Sunny, his and her voices were starting to dim down, "She called me in because I'm the only one with a good enough shot to take out that sniper."
"I guess that I shouldn't be surprised..." Sunny sighed and frowned, "I still don't want for you to go,"
Graphite grabbed Sunny, hugging her tight against his vest. She grabbed Graphite back just as tight, pressing her head into the body of his vest, "I'd like to stay here with you too, but some one has to do this." Graphite sighed.
Sunny stood in Graphite's embrace for a while. A few tears started running down her cheeks. It was hard to tell 'goodbye' to some one you love and letting them go to a place where Celestia knows what could happen, but at least he wouldn't have to say goodbye just yet.
Sunny finally pulled away from the hug. She shed the last of her tears, trotted back to Pneumo, "Just be-"
"-Could you take the package now, Graphite? Oh- Sunny, sorry; it's just I don't like holding onto someone else's things for too long and... you might want to check it - make sure I didn't forget anything..." Pneumo turned around, staring back at his schematic.
"Of course, um-"
"-It's on the right table."
Graphite trotted to the table Pneumo guided him to, finding that his bag was the package itself. He strapped it around his back, and was ready to head to the pier with Sunny. Sunny was standing by the doorway, trying to keep light in the situation by creating the best smile she could while somber. Graphite grabbed her by the hoof as he came to the door, Sunny emotionally squeezing it tight. She turned to Pneumo, finding the will to squeeze out a goodbye, "Pneumo, I'll- I'll be back soon, okay?"
Pneumo waved his hoof bye with his face still stuck in his schematic. Sunny lead Graphite out of the store and began to take him to the pier just across town. The swerved through the same crowd of busy zebras, moving left and right together as they made their way to the pier. They marched pass a few murals more, walked under another street webbed in hanging ornaments, and galloped passed the native building structures before making it to the settlement's docking yard.
The docks were small, nothing compared to the docks of where his father used to work. There were only two piers, a large one and a smaller one - neither of them any big to begin with. The bigger pier had the boat Graphite was taking to the island waiting for him with the motors quietly buzzing. The smaller pier had a few small long boats wading in the water latched to the pier's struts by rough rope.
The lake was covered in a overbearing fog, the only things visible beyond the pier was a white, thick cloud. Graphite was about to step up to the boat when Sunny stopped him. She pulled him close, squeezing him tight as she wrapped her lips around him and kissed him. They held the kiss for as long as they could hold their breath, then they let each other go with hearts heavy.
Graphite turned to the boat, watching as a figure in the fog hopped out of the boat and headed towards him. The trots bounced against the planks on the pier, then clicked against the concrete dock yard. A voice came from the figure asking, "Are you Graphite?" It inquired in a low voice.
Graphite squinted his eyes, looking to the figure until it finally came close enough to see. It was a very large stallion, big enough to carry the boat on his back. He was wearing a long, green jacket with a ragged white top underneath. Around his neck was a mess of thingamajigs; a brown cloth wrap, keys for all sorts of locks, and necklace with too many ornaments clinging too it. He was wearing a simple, tan cap with a pair of sunglasses resting on the rim. Over the rolling fog came his fur, a brownish tone with black stripes running up his neck and down his hind legs, just like a zebra. It didn't take a genius to know the boat driver was half pony and half zebra.
Graphite came up to the zebroid, trying make himself stand as tall as the boat driver - it wasn't working. He looked up to the zebroid, "Yeah, I'm Graphite."
Sunny pushed Graphite aside with her hoof, her hoof clinging to Graphite and pressed against his side, "Tsoy?" She called and asked.
The zebroid lifted his cap, adjusting over his big head as he called back, "Sunny?"
Graphite sidestepped away from Sunny's hoof, letting it slide off and land back on the ground.
"That is you, Tsoy!" Sunny hollered, leaning forward to hug the hulking zebroid - her arms barely able to wrap around him, "I haven't seen you in so long! Why haven't you told me you worked the trading route?"
The zebroid, who appeared to be Sunny's brother Tsoy, kept his body still. He probably didn't hug bag knowing he would crush Sunny with his muscle bound arms. He looked down to her, replying, "Well, I guess it just slipped my mind..."
"Of course it would slip your mind, I suppose your busy as captain of that ship, right?"
"Heh, I guess so."
"Well," Sunny backed off of the giant, patting off some dust from his jacket, "I'm glad you're doing okay. Oh, well, Tsoy, this is Graphite."
Graphite sidestepped back to Tsoy, offering a hoofshake to him, "You're Sunny's older brother, yeah?"
"Yes," Was all he answered with, looking about the docks without any sort of focus on either Sunny or Graphite.
Graphite brought his hoof back, Sunny taking up the conversation again, "Take care of him, Tsoy, would you kindly?"
"I'll try my best. If you could follow me, Graphite," Tsoy turned, heading back to his boat that was still running near the pier.
Sunny grabbed Graphite before he could move, pulling him into a deep kiss. Graphite let her hold the kiss using her own strength to keep Graphite attached to her lips. She let him go, giving him a quick hug just before he went on his way, "Good luck, Graphite..."
Graphite smiled, "Thank you, Sunny." Graphite took up Tsoy's command, following just tail-side of Tsoy. Sunny was standing just at the edge of the docks, holding herself back from the pier knowing she would try to go after Graphite if she came any closer. The two stallions stood port-side to the metallic boat, Tsoy giving Graphite a moment to look at his transport.
It was a rusty, pale green boat, about big enough for a crew of four or five ponies. The wheel was in the middle of the ship, the pilot's section was covered by a tarp that went across the width of the ship and held up by a few iron bars. Sitting behind the piloting wheel was an empty area free for ponies to stand and watch the water as the boat cruised along the dark river. Up front was a raised section of free room, only with a small seat sitting inside the raised section of boat. It looked as if guns used to be mounted to the ring that wrapped around the seat, Graphite realized this was an old military craft taken up by the settlement after the crew abandoned ship.
Tsoy kept his eyes locked on his craft, but quietly asked Graphite, "So, what do you think?"
"Well, if it can run, it'll work for me," Graphite smirked.
Tsoy was already halfway on the boat as Graphite finished his sentence. Graphite joined him, hobbling onto the boat with an ungraceful leap. Tsoy grabbed the wheel, bringing the boat out of idle and inspected all the gauges just to make sure everything was in order. Graphite walked to the rear of the boat, waving goodbye to Sunny while she did the same.
The boat drifted from the pier as the rotors spat up water, pushing the boat across the misty lake. Graphite waved for as long as the fog allowed him to see his loved one before it swallowed her up in its haze. Graphite turned back to the zebroid piloting the boat, trying his best to keep steady as the boat bounced against the waves.
The boat and its passengers were now on their way to the Xain's island. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 27: I Would Like to See You Again | Graphite was leaning against the small sliver of metal that separated the wheel and the small set of stairs that lead to the cabin underneath the ship. Tsoy was silently piloting the boat, keeping it straight and at a steady pace. Graphite kept just as quiet, there was no reason to bother Tsoy and no conversation for him to start. They let the air fill the vacuum of silence, along with the splashes of the boat smacking the water as it came over the waves. The steady groove of the boat bouncing against the cresting waves becoming just as familiar as the wind rushing through their manes.
Graphite was sitting against the large railing that ran along the rear of the boat and up around until it stopped at the covered section of boat. He was laying with his back against the rail and his head down, ready to fall asleep as the boat gently rocked him. He tried to close his eyes, but was always unsettled by something on him. He looked down, spotting his necklace rattling about as the boat continued to bob up and down.
Graphite stopped the necklace from bouncing, holding it in his hoof giving a moment of thought to it. The turquoise stone hadn't worn down to any extent, the uncut stone still gleaming in the few rays that could break through the fog. Graphite remembered Adan and his mother Turquoise, the two probably still in the ghost town Carnen had become. The food rations he gave them would only last for a day or two, and he hoped that they would have found some more food by the time the rations ran out.
Graphite tucked the necklace into his shirt, bringing his head back against the railing and letting his eyes wonder upward to the sky that wasn't in view. He stared blankly at the fog cast over the lake, taking another moment to go back through his things when he found the white mist was uninteresting. He dug into his pockets, finding a small object poking at his hoof. He pulled it out, finding it was a small button. It was the little metal pin Deacon gave him; the same one with the enclave's symbol on it - a bold letter 'E' with about twelve stars spangling around it.
Graphite remembered Deacon, and the odd choice he had in sweaters. He was reminded of the order Stripe gave him, and was reminded of how Graphite blindly followed that order with no question or no say. How he was willing to take a life without even a second thought. Graphite's current mission seemed very much like the one Stripe gave him, though Graphite knew this one was different. This time, he knew what the other pony did and why he deserved what's coming to him. Besides, this one tried to kill him before - Graphite wasn't prepared to let that happen again.
Graphite pinned his button back unto the collar of his duster, placing it on firmly. He turned his head, looking back at the water splashing starboard side. Graphite brought his hoof to his belt, resting it on his canteen as he watched the water droplets splash unto the deck of the boat. Graphite could almost form a smile from his next memory if he wasn't so exhausted from his boredom.
His thoughts were with the kids back at the pharmacy further downtown. He first remembered Rotten - or rather - Peachy. Peachy's unrestrained temper and his lack of manners was the most prominent thing he could remember about that colt. All the other fillies and colts came to mind shortly after Peachy's ranting faded away in his head. Hot-Sauce; Olive; Angel Eyes; Blanky; Gumdrop; and the oldest Filly there, Mayflower. Now there was a thought, a feeling of a bond. Graphite felt a family bond in the kids, a strong feeling that felt like an emptiness knowing he wasn't with them. His greatest worry was with the mute Olive. He supposed he shared his feelings the most with Olive seeing as the poor colt saved his life while Graphite was half choked to death by a griffon.
Graphite sighed, his sigh a bit exaggerated. The sound of Graphite's sigh blew into Tsoy's ears, making them perk before he turned to face Graphite. He spotted Graphite laying with his head pressed against the railing, he had something in his hooves. Graphite was holding his wallet eye level, staring at the photo of his parents he had kept in it. All the thoughts of ponies he had met, and now that feeling of missing family has brought him to the memory of his parents. Graphite was almost frozen in his position, lying still as he stared at the picture of his family.
Tsoy turned back to the lake, taking a moment as the boat propelled slowly through the water to think. He sighed as well, keeping his sigh undertone. The boat slowed until it reached a stall, now the vessel and its crew were sitting idly in the empty lake.
Graphite finally made a movement, turning his body and bringing himself to a sitting position against the rail, "Why did we stop, Tsoy?" Graphite wondered, leaving his wallet in his lap.
"It's dangerous to go ahead in fog this thick."
"We're supposed to move in the cover of the fog," Graphite implored, "Why did you stop?"
"Some of the sunken houses might be ahead. I don't want to ram my boat into one."
"Sunken houses?"
"Yes. Apparently when the bombs dropped, they broke some of the dams and that caused a large part of downtown Buckago to be filled with water. Add to that the fact that the buildings have collapsed over the years and you've got yourself an underwater death trap."
"Alright, so what do we do now?"
"We wait," Tsoy answered, looking up to the fog that was starting to look up to the fog that just seemed to only get worse through time. He dropped against the rail, sitting down next to Graphite.
Graphite shared the view of the cloud for a short while, then looked back down to his lap where the picture of his parents were still in sight. Graphite brought the wallet back up, using his telekinesis to bring the wallet close. Tsoy turned his head away to the fog, looking to the faint, light blue shine that had lit in the corner of his eye. Tsoy looked down, spotting the photo of Graphite and two other ponies, "What's that?"
"Oh... it's a picture of me and my parents..."
"I'm guessing that one in the middle is you," Tsoy pointed to the photo, his hoof toward the stallion in blue.
"Yep," Graphite nodded, "That's me after I graduated from high school..."
Tsoy raised a brow, turning to Graphite and making sure his low voice could be heard, "How'd you manage a picture like this?"
"What do you mean?" Graphite raised a brow back.
"Well, you've managed to take a picture in the first place."
"Oh, yes," Graphite paused, "Well, these were taken before the war."
"What war do you mean?"
Graphite took in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he strained to continue. He blew out his breath of air and continued, "The Great War, believe it or not. I used to be a marine back then..."
"You don't look that old to me," Tsoy stated, crossing his hooves as went to take a second look at Graphite.
"Umm, wait a second," Graphite started to dig around the inside of his duster. He soon pulled out the newspaper cutout and showed it to Tsoy. As Graphite's only way of proving his story, he was quick to act on grabbing that newspaper piece from his duster. The large stallion sat there for a while, reading the paper for a short while, only to come to a conclusion that Graphite wasn't lying.
Tsoy gave back the cutout to Graphite who neatly folded it and placed it in his duster. Tsoy cleared his throat out, returning to the conversation, "That's very strange but, did your parents make it through the war too?"
"Well," Graphite shook his head, biting his lip before he could form his words, "When I was at the front, I couldn't find the time to write letters home. During that time, my mother died because of her weak heart and I wasn't there to see her... My papa never forgave me that, maybe not even in his last moments..."
"I'm sorry," Tsoy tilted his head down, giving the respects he could as he sat against the rails of the boat, "How were your parents?"
Looking up to the clouds, Graphite thought about his answer, making sure Tsoy would appreciate their memory just as Graphite has, "My papa was a hard working pony. He worked at the quarry first, then at the docks in Buckago. We were pretty close, then we kinda lost touch during the war. My mother just as hard working; she- uh- was a bit protective of me, since I was her only child. She was angry when I signed up for the marines, and she'd take that anger with her when she 'left'..."
Afterwards they sat for a while, without a word. It was obvious neither of them were the talkative type. The cool breeze was still whistling between the rails of the boat, slowly rocking it with the soft waves of the lake. The wind flowed through the fog, not even nature able to deter this massive cloud. There was nothing that could be seen passed the mist, just a white wall of mystery - mystery of what lay beyond. Perhaps a toppled building come to greet the boat head-on, or simply another vast expansion of the lake to sit through.
Graphite turned from the fog above the boat, looking towards the stallion next to him, "Do you still remember Sunny as a foal?" He said as he broke the combined silence of two ponies.
"Yes," Tsoy replied back, "I do. I was about seven when she arrived."
"What was she like?"
"Sunny was around two years old when they brought her into the orphanage. She wasn't very talkative the first few months, but in little time, she started becoming friends with all of the other orphans and eventually became one of the most lively fillies there."
"You two seem close -- she does call you her brother -- how did that happen?"
"Well, when she arrived at the orphanage, there weren't enough beds available for her to get her own - so, they made her share a bed with me. We shared the same bed for awhile, and Sunny seemed to be really thankful she let me do that. Soon, she started following me around; trying to get into my things, trying to play with the things I was playing with - that sort of thing. She really wanted to be my friend, and I guess after having someone like that follow you around all that time, you begin to grow on them too."
Graphite chuckled a bit, then continued on with another thought, "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to her parents?"
"From what I've heard, they found her in some office building with a dead couple. I guess that they were her parents. They did light a candle for both of them on the wall and mourned them," Tsoy sighed. Giving himself a moment of silence, or a moment to think, "Our tribe mourns everyone, even the raiders that attack our settlement."
They both sat quiet for a while again, Graphite taking the time to straighten out his vest and white button-up shirt. Talking wasn't easy for Graphite since Tsoy was someone new to him; he also resembled a zebra, which was a little unsettling for him.
Graphite moved his eyes away from the silent hulk, looking about his boat and examining all the details. He let the rust marks and scratches lead him to the helm, taking a moment to stare at the wheel of the ship and all the complicated gauges and readings that surrounded it. Something caught his eye, something he couldn't see passed Tsoy's massive body. There was a gun hitched to a metal holder that was just arm's length away from the wheel.
The gun looked much like those which guards carried back at the settlement, yet it wasn't the exact same gun. The gun was dark and matted, it seemed like it had undergone some modifications by its owner. The stock and hoofguard was a dark red stain, the receiver a dark painted steel. The handle was a bit thick, just about the right size for Tsoy's hooves. The upper receiver was mainly rectangular, with the bolt sitting right at the top and the ejection port somewhere near the end of the receiver and start of the barrel. The barrel had a few notches running down the bore, Graphite not entirely sure why they were there. The magazine was straight and only capable for, maybe, thirty rounds.
Graphite couldn't shake the memory of Blue Jay and his strikingly similar weapon of choice. As a matter of fact, every guard down in the settlement happen to carry around a sub-machine-gun like the one still hitched to its hinges. Graphite turned to Tsoy, who had his big head stuck in the fog, "Why do I see that gun all over the settlement, Tsoy?"
Tsoy brought his head down, looking down to the smaller stallion sitting to his left, "Hmm- oh. That gun is a symbol for our tribe, it's a staple amongst the guards."
"It must be a nice gun."
"It does its job, but the reason we keep it around is because that's what the ponies who came to help us carried. They used them to protect us from anyone who tried to harm us, so after a lot of them died, the rest of the ponies who were living with them learned how to use and maintain the weapons."
"Who came to help you?" Graphite wondered, resting his hoof in his lap.
"Uhh, something of a thing called the 'National Guard'. After the storm of balefire had passed, they came to help us. They were the ones who protected us when we couldn't do it ourselves, but that was the reason why a lot of them died. As years went by, the remaining soldiers became a part of the settlement which they were protecting all this time, thus forming our tribe."
"I wonder how they feel when they had to protect zebras."
"What's wrong with protecting zebras?" Tsoy turned his head, moving up from his crouch a bit - hovering over Graphite even further.
"Well, Tosy," Graphite stopped Tsoy, "You see- back then- we considered zebras to be the ones who started the war. The news and posters depicted them as evil, nasty beings."
"But look at all of the zebras back at the settlement, they're nothing like that," Tsoy said a bit more stern.
Graphite groaned, "I know, it's just that- I've spent half my life seeing them as my enemies, so it's hard to see them as my friends. I walk down the road pressed against Sunny because every time a zebra walks by me, I'm afraid he's going to gut me."
Graphite and Tsoy then sat in a quiet for a while. Another awkward moment of silence for the two of them while the boat continued to fill in the sounds as the passing waves slapped against the side of the hull.
"Are you afraid of me too?" Tsoy asked quietly.
"No, you're- different," Graphite rebutted.
Tsoy swiveled his head, "How so?"
Graphite looked over to him, his eyes catching the stripes going down his brown legs, "You don't look like a zebra, Tsoy. Perhaps it's just when I see those black and white stripes on a zebra, I remember those same colours being coated in red with soldiers' blood."
"Maybe you need to stop looking at them."
"I'm sorry?" Graphite looked up to the giant stallion confused.
"You're new in the settlement, and you don't know anyone besides Sunny, and I - I'm sure. You just need to get to know the other ponies, and you'll see they're all nice ponies. You're just stuck in the past. Times have changed, you should have noticed by now, Graphite."
Tsoy lunged up from his seat, using the railing to help him up. He looked up, checking the fog cover, then looked back to Graphite, "Maybe you can try making friends with the zebras back at the settlement -- you can always try the bar."
Tsoy gripped the wheel, starting up the boat once more, "The fog looks clearer, I think that we can start to move again."
Graphite didn't respond, he just wallowed what Tsoy just said in his mind. Sitting at the back of the boat, contemplating every word he heard. The words from Sunny came to mind over the words of Tsoy. He heard her speak of seeing a pony for how they are on the inside. Sunny was on his mind and wasn't going to leave anytime soon. When someone can make you feel happy just by smiling your way, then their the someone you don't want to forget. Her voice was in his mind as well; her stories and her lessons could be heard as if Sunny was right there telling them to Graphite. Her lesson about viewing ponies for how they are not how they look was always there over all her other advice and over all her tales. Graphite knew exactly why, he just never wanted to accept it. He could never make amends with zebras after they've attempted to kill him and after he's successfully murdered hundreds of them. The fear was always going to be there, "But perhaps..." Graphite thought, "I could just hide that fear - they'll never need to know..."
Graphite shifted his legs a bit to keep from cramping, looking to the fog above and all around. The fog had cleared just enough to see the dark water over the boat, but did nothing when trying to look out any farther. Only the skyscrapers could overcome the fog, their shear height towering over the sheet of clouds. There was one tower barely able to stand, teetering on dropping into the lake. Another one was just opposite of that skyscraper, standing tall and proud while it brandished its mile long crater along the side of the building. The last skyscraper that poked its head through the fog was the simplest to spot, the tallest one in Buckago.
The building was black, but hard to see amidst the grey of the fog. The silhouette of the building was like a beacon that cast its signal to the boat, telling them the island was close. Graphite watched as the building's silhouette passed along the boat in the distance, staring them down as it watched over the rest of the city. It was either the chill of the fog or the chill of his fear but, Graphite could feel the cold glare of someone watching from the top of the building. He knew if a sniper was there, they would be dead already.
The half sunken building made Graphite feel odd on the inside. The large building was something that he could see every day from his home in Carnen, looking up to the sky was impossible to do without catching the tip of the tower blocking your view. The building was located in the heart of the city, surrounded by dozens of other buildings, yet here he was - sailing past it. He imagined half the city was now drowned underneath the shallow lake, its remains just waiting to scrape along the bottom of the boat.
The eerie silence of the lake was making Graphite nervous; a silence this loud could bring about any sort of awful being. In the waters was something other than the ruins of the city - maybe the bodies of those who were caught in the overflow or something from the ocean that had hobbled into the waters and became something more in the radiation. The waves would move in, then out, then in again - the gentle beat of the unnerving water. Graphite waited for the waves to go in and in again, knowing exactly when something would jump out the water.
He brought his head away from the lake, bringing his sight back to the focused captain steering the vessel. There was a quick thought, brought from the mass of Tsoy's body - a thought of Stripe. The thought brought about Rossmore, and the gangsters who controlled the city through fear.
Luckily Carnen wasn't buried by the water, though it had been buried in ashes that the balefire left. In Carnen was his old home, sitting peacefully in the forgotten town without a ceiling to protect itself. That home where his father rests in a disturbed peace; Graphite had relieved himself of the loss of his father, only worried a bandit would desecrate his corpse in search of supplies.
Graphite looked to his new home in Sunny's apartment. He assumed it was somewhere behind him, off into the distance passed the fog and across the stretch of lake they'd already traveled. The section of lake they were traveling on looked exactly the same as the one they traveled on for the passed few hours. There was a small circle surrounding the boat - the only place where the lake was visible. This little area of lake rocked the boat like a crib as the hull was picked up over the waves and then dropped as the wave dipped back into the water.
Another quiet float over endless waves and the boat finally came across something in the cloud. The boat had found itself drifting between to large buildings. To the right was a circular extension from the city, a small area where a round building sat. Atop the rounded slope of the building was a stone dome. To his left was a bigger building, still sitting just by the lake as the last landmark. The section of building facing the water was wrapped around the first building, but only about half of that section's perimeter. The side of the building was all glass window, any attempt to see inside was blocked by glare and the ever present fog.
They spent a long while traversing between the two buildings, Graphite noticing how well intact the two structures were. No gaping holes and no piles of rubble spilling out of the walls. The buildings seemed to have withstood the blasts and the harsh edge of time.
The building in the distance seemed familiar to Graphite, it had a waved roof, the only building with a roof of that kind in downtown Buckago was the aquarium. It seemed unsettling to Graphite to see the aquarium at this angle, sitting in the middle of a lake while staring into the side of the building. The realization the boat was sailing over the aquarium's park was a disturbing thought, the same could be said for the building they were sailing away from. No matter how close to the old bay they were, there was still the sense that these waters were only a few metres away from being land - land that ponies would walk across daily.
How much the world changed in the fire of the war was baffling to Graphite. There was always going to be one aspect of life that would be different after the war, but nothing he would imagine as an entire country turned into a desolate wasteland choked with radiation and ponies killing one another for a bite of food.
Graphite was just about to drift off into a sleep, but was kept awake by the sound of Tsoy's voice calling to him, "Graphite, get your things - we're coming up on the pier."
Graphite had all his things - he never left them. He stood up, stretching out the muscles he hadn't moved since the start of the trip. He fixed the ache in his neck, coming up to the side of the boat as the island just began to fade through the fog. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 28: Personal Godess | The boat was pulling around the old aquarium, heading towards the edge of the island. There was a single portion of pier stretching out from the island, the pier half underwater. Tsoy brought the boat to the side of the wooden pier, slowing the boat's speed as the sections of dock started to poke out of water in an attempt to tear a hole in the hull.
The fog was still hanging over the island, the aquarium now just a dim shadow in the background as the rest of the island took the opportunity to appear under the clouds. Graphite was looking over the side of the boat, staring at what was suppose to be the city's park. Now, the park looked more like a parking lot, every inch of foliage dead and burnt away to the point of leaving only dirt and a layer of grey ash over it. The trees were no different, burnt black and most of its branches blown away by the force of the bomb. The rest was shrouded by the fog; Graphite was almost thankful for the fog now - it being kind enough to hide away the rest of the depressing landscape.
The boat came to a slow stop, Tsoy turned away from the wheel to watch Graphite before he hopped out of the boat, "This is as far as I can get you with out being spotted, so you'll have to hoof it from here."
"Thanks for ride, Tsoy," Graphite hailed with a nod.
"Wait-" Tsoy halted as Graphite was ready to jump out, "Here, take this - you're a part of the family now," Tsoy grabbed the sub machine gun which had been sitting by the steering wheel and tossed it to Graphite.
Graphite caught the gun before it fell into the water with his telekinesis spell. Taking a quick peek at it before looking back up at Tsoy.
Graphite barely made the jump to the pier, catching himself before he could slip off between the boat and the dock. He stepped unto the creaking boards of the pier, turning to Tsoy just before he moved on, "Thank you again, Tsoy."
Tsoy grasped the wheels tight once more, "Keep yourself safe, Graphite," He left off with before turning the boat around and floating off.
Graphite watched him go, watching him until he disappeared in the fog and only the gentle hum of the boat's engines echoed across the beating waters. Graphite turned about, facing the start of the pier while stuffing his new weapon into his bag - making his way down to the island.
The boards on the dock creaked and squealed with every step Graphite made, causing him to watch his movements with great concern. He watched as the boards bent and shifted under his weight before he noticed his hooves touching solid ground only moments later. Graphite brought his head from the ground to find himself staring at the plain of dead grasses and ash covered street. Something told him to go north, seeing as he came in from the south end of the island. He looked out to the north, spotting something wavering in the fog. It looked like a phantom, or a ghost that was telling him to come near. Graphite followed, squinting and leaning his head in as he tried to make sense of what he was actually staring at.
He came up to the figure that was waving in the breeze, finding it was only a loose patch of tent that was caught in the city's normal wind. He stepped around to the front of the tan coloured tent, spotting that the tent was one in a group of makeshift shelters that were lining the street down until the fog ate them up in its vast mists. Graphite poked his head in the first tent he found, spotting a few overturned and empty cots; a set of tables near the back of the tent; and assorted collections of trash and junk.
He stepped inside, sorting through the heaps of junk for anything of use. A few crushed cans, some crumpled paper, and a round to a gun he didn't have. He filed through the trash until he reach the back of the tent; at which point, he turned over to the other end of the tent - where another figure was kneeling over itself, appearing to be sniffing at the ground. Graphite stepped over to it slowly, only noticing at second glance that its skin was dry and flaky, at the parts where it wasn't missing.
Graphite wanted to shoot, but he remembered Ligature and realized it was a ghoul. She looked just like that, yet she was one of the nicest ponies which Graphite had met in his journey. He decided to head over to the lone figure; after all, he might be able to help the pony.
"Hello? Um, are you missing something?" Graphite said as he was approaching the lone figure.
The pony outside looked up and turned it's head to Graphite, perking it's ears up. The pony looked similar to Ligature, though there was something odd about it's eyes. They were bleak, grey, and expressionless.
"Do you-" Graphite tried to talk to the mysterious pony again, but was interrupted by a loud hiss which it made. The pony suddenly turned to him and charged him, knocking him over.
Graphite hit the floor with the marauding pony on top of him as it tried to gnaw at his face. Graphite kept it at bay with the brunt of his arm, trying to push it off as it gnarled and slobbered all over Graphite. Graphite reared his head back, shutting his eyes to stop the saliva from seeping into his eyes while he used his magic to grab the first gun he could reach - his rifle around his shoulder.
Graphite rolled himself over, pinning the ghoul under him. The creature reached up and clawed at Graphite's shirt, only tearing deep enough to cut the shirt and the skin. Graphite beat it back with the butt of the gun, getting it to stop rattling its head long enough to stuff the gun's barrel in his head and fire off a round point-blank.
The thing was dead after its brains left through a hole in its head. Graphite stepped up from the ghoul, batting off bits of fur and skin. Graphite left the barren tent, stepping up to the road between the row of tents. Graphite was horrified to see more mysterious beings sprinting out of the fog, rushing at him with no direction and no stability. This bonus swarm of monsters was probably brought about by the loud bang Graphite's rifle was prone to make.
Graphite brought his rifle up at the ready, preparing for the onslaught that was sure to come just as the first ghoul leaped towards him. All he needed was one good shot to the head, or a easy hit right through their heart - or perhaps, a spray of bullets into their entire body. Graphite slung his rifle back over his shoulder, listening for the clings of his backpack clamps opening and the sound of metal bumping against each other as he pulled out the shortened shotgun that he had taken off one of the mercenaries bodies.
The ghouls came closer, yelping and snarling their teeth as they tripped and crawled along the road to get to Graphite. Graphite waited for them patiently with his gun floating just to his right in his telekinesis. The gun was loaded, all he needed to do was unload the shells into the soft bodies of these evil beasts. The ghouls came close enough for Graphite to see the wrinkles of their skin clearly over the fog's hazy shroud. He brought up his shotgun, standing with his hooves planted firmly on the ground as he let out the first wave of lead.
The brute closest to Graphite was blown back by the force of the pellets pounding his body. It hit the ground, making way for the rest of the group to merge in on Graphite. He pumped the shotgun, firing off the next burst into two ghouls that were just close enough together to both be hit by the pellets. The one ahead had it's arm torn from it's body, killing it shortly after it and its arm fell to the ground. The one behind was still coming, but was quickly shot down by the next shot.
One more coming against him, dragging with it a piece of tent that got caught around its leg. Graphite didn't waste his energy to run after it, waiting again for it the ghoul to come to him. He pumped his shotgun; one more shell was sitting in the chamber - one more shell was all Graphite was going to need. The ghoul came in faster when it came into range of Graphite. It took a quick swipe that missed, losing his head after Graphite marked a quick blow with the last round.
The last body landed on the ground without even a twitch to show life. Graphite ejected the empty shell from the stubby shotgun before he shoved it back into his bag. Graphite took a look at the game he had brought down, noticing something odd about the ghouls' appearance. They were wearing destroyed armour, most of it filled with holes even before they met Graphite's shotgun. The ones wearing vests had their vests scraped with claw marks or simply had missing sections of their armour present. Graphite looked over the pile of bodies, examining the symbol that was pasted on every vest. He finally found one that wasn't covered in blood; the symbol was yellow silhouette of Princess Celestia's head on a blue background.
He recognized that symbol as the one of Buckago National Guard. Graphite stepped back a bit, taking a quick overview of the tents. There were no more ghouls coming his way, giving him more time to think. He figured this must be a National Guard's outpost during the times after the balefire - right before the radiation started affecting the ponies. This poor squad of soldiers must have been stationed here after the blasts.
Graphite paid his respects the best he could - don't search the bodies and move on. He walked around the pile of the dead guards, moving back to the tents to continue his scavenging. Each tent was as empty as the last, nothing but the garbage to sort through. After heading back and forth between the first four tents, he decided he would just follow the road and look through the tents from there.
The tents were nearing their end, Graphite was able to see down the road to where the tents finally stopped. Graphite was just about out of the city of tents; that's when he took notice of the next row of tents down the road. Their fronts were covered, and the tarps were a thicker cloth and slightly darker tan. In the middle of each side of the tent was a symbol, three pink butterflies in a triangular group - the insignia for the Ministry of Peace.
These were the medical tents, and based on the number tents with the symbol, there should be at least one with supplies still stuffed inside it. He flipped the flaps of the entrance aside just as he reached the first tent, stepping inside of it. Inside the abandoned tent was what was normal to find inside a medical shelter after a war - skeletons resting on every cot the tent could fit. The skeletons were all laid out the same, either reaching for the nearest piece of medical supplies they thought would help them out of their misery; or simply lain straight, waiting to rot away.
Graphite was hardly use to seeing so many ponies dead; mostly when he knew they died slowly after all the nurses and doctors left them for dead or died themselves trying to get to them. Their burial was in the mausoleum of the tent, in the graveyard of the island, with the only visitors lying filled with shotgun pellets just outside the tent. Another moment of silence that he had been holding since Tsoy left, and Graphite was back to searching for supplies.
He went through the aisles, picking between the empty cases of syringes and loose bandages that couldn't stay on the skeletons' arms and legs. It was a long while until he finally found a lunch ration sitting in the corner he had already searched.
Graphite shook off the dirt and crumbs, taking a quick look inside to insure there was still food to be eaten inside the case. A pack of crackers and an apple bar was all that was left there. Stale or not, Graphite was going to have deal with. He slipped it into the free space in his backpack and was ready to move out of the tent.
Graphite reached the entrance and was about to head out, when one of the cots caught his eye. The cot was empty, unlike the others, with only a single holotape sitting in on the threaded fabric. He looked about the tent, hoping the owner would come by to retrieve it. He doubted that he or she would return for it, grabbing the holotape for himself.
Graphite sat himself on the old cot, getting comfortable as the legs of the bed started to squeak after finally being used in decades. Looking at the holotape in his levitation, and bringing out the Pip-Boy in his duster, he scanned the tape into the device - letting the audio play it through the tent.
The sound of panting came on, joined by the mumbled words of a worried young stallion.
"Okay, okay, this thing is working... um...
This is -- oh it doesn't matter -- I'm here to say that every pony in this camp is dead. I don't know what happened- I was at the park when a bright flash came from the center of the city and I blacked out- then I woke up here- and... I have poked around the camp and found some maps that say there's another emergency centre near the Buckago Art Institute. If y- you're hearing this, I suggest you head north and find that centre - that's where I will be by the time you get there...
Uh, Good luc-"
The message cut off just as his last word was recorded. Graphite stopped the recording, dropping the tape somewhere on the ground near his hooves. He had one lead to go on, and that was the faint chance that other ponies had followed this stallion's advice. If not, then maybe Graphite will be this young stallion's first guest at the institute - arriving as a guest or as the grave digger.
Graphite jumped from the cot, making it out of the tent in a quick turn and a quick slide through the flap. He walked off into the fog, heading north again. This time, he kept his shotgun out, just in case something else was lurking in the fog. He knew that the fog was too thick for the rifle to be any use, so he loaded up the shotgun as the next best option. He kept to his sense of sight, his hearing impaired by the continuous drone of sounds that came from the fog - though his sight just as faulty as the fog continued to sit over the city.
There was the noise of the wind, something Graphite was all to well acquainted with. It passed over the dead grasses and the destroyed bark of trees, it swerved passed the toppled buildings and towering ruins, it slithered through the cracks of walls and streets. The wind was a experience as normal as breathing, the wind filled city of Buckago still held its character even when burnt to a sizzling ruin. The rest of the noises came from unknown sources - maybe another pack of ghouls growling in the distance, or maybe just some weak structure finally toppling down into the dirt. Graphite tried to not be distracted by the noises, keeping his eyes forward and his ears down to the sound of his trot.
Graphite was wondering the thick fog for a while. He stuck to what was left of the pre-war trails in the park. The trails were battered and bruised; after being walked on for years, they finally received the rest they deserved when all the passer-bys were wiped from the earth. He looked ahead, seeing nothing but the same white shade of fog he has been staring at for the passed mile he felt he had walked.
The fog was met with a shade, a silhouette in the distance. It was fuzzy, rough around the edges and very tall compared to Graphite.
Graphite kept walking forward along the trail. He finally came into a view of a base for that odd shape in the fog. He looked closely, still unable to find out what exactly the thing was protruding from the ground. What the object was attached was easy to recognize - the Trottingham Fountain, another landmark that still kept itself alive over the blasts.
Graphite had only been to the fountain a few times when he was younger, and could never realize how amazing the creation actually was. The fountain was made of three tiers of gradually smaller pools without water and completely made of etched stone. A series of pseudo vases were carved into the sides of the tiers. Running down the sides of the fountain were carvings of ponies galloping, rearing, and charging with their movements as over emphasized as the artist could create. Surrounding the fountain was another larger, waterless pool that was no deeper than knee height. In the empty pool were oxidized statues of ponies just like the carvings on the fountain. These statues were that pale green they happened when you set a statue out for years and years. This just showed the reliability of the fountain, and the amazing craftsmanship of the ponies from before the times before the war.
Graphite looked up to the fountains peak, looking to the grand pot that topped the fountain with a Gaelic rim and more carvings of ponies showing off their ability of kinetics. The pot at the top had an interesting ornament hanging from a branch of a splintered wood pole. Hanging by rough ropes was a pony, strapped by the back legs to the gallows.
The pony was starved, its ribs showing over the empty stomach. It was beaten, whipped, and scraped - its fur plucked in a few select places. It seemed to be a pegasus, it had wings, though they were also abused and almost plucked clean of feathers by something evil. What was even stranger was that it had a unicorn's horn - though chipped along the side. The pony was an alicorn, a very tall one by the length the gallows support beam was and by the lanky legs that were swaying in the wind. It had a sapphire blue coat that was tainted by all sorts of stains and cuts. It's mane and tail were a light blue, some tips of the tail cut unevenly and frayed. Graphite guessed some band of bandits were to blame for this poor pony's fate. Perhaps they hung the pony here as some sigh telling the innocent ponies that might still be on the island to watch out for these bandits, using fear to keep these citizens out of the way.
Graphite wasn't going to stay by the poor soul long, just being near the tortured body was stressing enough to cause any pony to break into tears. He sighed, turning his away with his eyes closed and heading down the same trail he was following before. He took no more than two steps when something whistled in the wind - a faint 'Help.'
Graphite halted, the whisper startling. He whipped his head behind him, seeing nothing but the fountain and the pony still hanging from the gallows that were on it. Not a ghoul around, no ponies in sight, nothing but the fog and himself. Graphite turned back to the road slowly, keeping a light hoof on the road. He took another step, the same shrilling sound came out again, 'Help...'
Graphite turned back again, looking to the only thing that could make the noise. He stared to the alicorn that was being displayed in the mist. It was surely dead, nothing that looked so incredibly broken could not survive long. He stared a bit longer, perhaps its ghost was haunting the fountain.
'Help!' Cried the same sound.
Graphite jittered a bit, seeing that the pony on the gallows was moving. It was trying to kick its way from the pole, struggling with its little strength to get free. Its flails were no more than a small twitch, but there was still a pony alive in that destroyed body. Graphite jumped the fence guarding the fountain from ponies attempting to do exactly what Graphite had just did.
He climbed the rounded stone tiers, attempting to climb the slippery carvings and chiseled sections of block. He got up the levels of fountain and reached the base of the gallows that were balancing on the peak of the fountain. He looked up to the alicorn in pain, the last of its breath being withered away by its faint calls of 'Help, help, help.'
Graphite grabbed the knife from its sheath, bringing it to the ropes that hung the pony. He sliced through the rope with a few pulls and tugs against the grain of threads, catching the alicorn as it fell from its bonds. He caught with both arms, resting her down easy on the wooden boards beneath them both. It took in a gasp, holding it in as the air could finally reach its lungs easier. It let out a scream that could only be heard as a release of that air it had sucked in.
Graphite looked down the alicorn, wanting to hold it and keep it even if it was almost twice as big as himself. He looked to its face, seeing the soft features only a mare could have. He stopped to remember she was half dead, going for the one thing that could help her - the magical syrettes he always carried with him. Graphite reached for the case, opening it up quickly.
One left, the last of his needles that could be the difference of life and death for him - or the survival of this unlucky mare. He looked to the tip of the pointed needle, then down to the dying face of the mare. There were only a few more tiny moments before this alicorn would fall to the pain of her wounds. Only a one needle was needed to save her -- this belittled mare Graphite did not know. He stopped thinking, leaving himself to only reaction.
Graphite brought the syrette case back, bringing it to his duster once more. With a sigh, the case popped open - the needle in the grasp of his magic spell. The alicorn was barely breathing, only enough strength left in her to open her eyes. They could only open enough for her to see Graphite's face. She had bright yellow eyes, ones that would make the sun envious. Graphite shut his eyes, repressing the tears as the syrette hit her chest.
It thumped against her body, her air being whisked away by the sharp pain. Her eyes shut closed again, Graphite pressing out the potion into her body. The potion was released into her body, but there was no change. The scars were still there and the bruises still visible right under the patchy fur. Graphite opened his eyes, dropped the dry needle down the tier of the fountain as he watched the potion course through a motionless body. Graphite fell back, easing himself away from the body.
He was late, the uncontrollable thoughts of his raging mind kept him from acting. Now the life he had tried to save was gone, and the last of his aid gone in the blunder of his care. Graphite's crawl was ended by the pole on the gallows, to which he pressed his back against. All he could do was sit and stare at the strange being he encountered.
Graphite had seen alicorns before in the newspapers and in books -- even Princess Luna came to congratulate the recruits when they had finished their special operations training. They were the type of pony that were hard to come by. They seemed untouchable, something that even an army of steel rangers couldn't take down. Yet there she was, an alicorn, lying dead just beneath his hooves.
He started to wonder where she had came from. It definitely wasn't princess Celestia, yet there weren't many alicorns before the war. Graphite was lucky enough to stumble upon one so easily; though, he would never get to meet with her. Graphite rubbed his eyes, sucking in the cold air before slowly getting up from the hard planks of wood. He looked down to the carcass of the alicorn, taking it all in before he set off north.
Graphite looked down the tier of the fountain, ready to hop down. One last look, being careful not to bump the body before he leaped. He looked to her body - patches of fur appearing where there was none. Graphite stepped back to the body, eyes wide and stuck to the places where wounds were present. They began to fade, bruises clearing away and scratches pulling together. The feathers of her wings stretched out, no longer bent and broken. Her face looked less flushed, blood flowing again and brightening the blue coat around her cheeks. There was a twitch in her hoof, then a deep breath through her nostrils. Her eyes came open as slowly as the sun rises, she was looking straight up at nothing. The potion was finally taking effect - just very slowly.
Graphite was without words; like a kick in the head, the alicorn came back to life in front of him. Without warning, a phrase come from his lips, "Are you okay?" He asked without him realizing.
The mare turned her head slightly, looking up at Graphite above her. She was a silent for a bit, still too weak to even respond. Graphite wanted to ask again, but he was just going to press his luck. He looked about the area, checking for any signs of dangers about. It seemed clear, so he prepared himself to carry him and the decrepit mare down the fountain's levels. He spoke up again, "I'm going to get you down from here, okay?"
The mare still couldn't respond, so Graphite helped himself with getting her down. He took the lead, jumping down the first tier before turning to the alicorn. He hoped he was going to able to carry the mare down, a pony that size was going to need all of his willpower. Graphite dug his hoof against the hard stone bed of the pool, focusing all of his energy to the alicorn. The magic of his telekinesis gathered around her body, slowly building to the point of lift. The pony was lifted from the gallows' floor, gently floating over and down to Graphite's side.
He set her down as softly as he could, releasing his breath of air he was holding while bringing the alicorn down. Graphite looked to the mare, insuring she was alright before hopping down the next level. A hoof stomp against the stone and a bite down on his lip, he moved the pony down again. He let out another side and continued on again. One more tier and just one more strain for him to work through. He got to the bottom, finding himself in the bottom of the fountain's largest pool.
Graphite was out, or at least, just had to ease the alicorn over the fence. Graphite groaned, closing his eyes to try and bring back some energy into his body. He held his head up, looking to the fog above. The fog was clearing out, but still thick enough to block out the sky. The only indicator for the time of day was the bright sun with its rays beaming through the small gaps in the fog. The rays shifted and wavered between the fog and its ever flowing movement.
Graphite rested the dying alicorn against the fence he had hopped over. He was just out of strength to hold up the mare with magic, the last bit of his energy was quickly expended when he had to drag himself over the fence as well. Graphite looked to the mare, setting her as comfortably as he could get her. He rested a hoof on her stomach, feeling how dry and empty it was.
The alicorn, opened her mouth, trying to say something that wouldn't come out. Graphite looked to her, leaning in to make sure he could hear any peep she could make no matter how small. A sound came out, the mare finally pushed out a sentence, "D- do you... have food?"
Graphite leaned back, "No, I d-" He looked to his bag, remembering that pack of rations he had found earlier, "-I mean yes- yes, I do."
The alicorn lifted her hoof, resting it on Graphite's vest. She blinked a slow blink, taking a breath to speak again, "C-can I-I... I..."
Graphite grasped her faint hoof, pulling it down from his chest, "Yes, yes, let me get it for you."
He opened his bag, grabbing the ration pack before it fell it out of the almost overflowing pack. He popped it open, letting the top fall anywhere while he grabbed the first thing in the case. Graphite pulled out the apple bar, tearing away the wrapper and bringing it to the mare's lips. He almost shoved the whole thing right down her gullet to fill her utterly empty stomach, but he stopped. This alicorn was starved close to death - feeding even the one apple bar to her could cause changes in her body that would, in all possibility, kill her.
Graphite took a short moment to think before he broke the bar in two, feeding the mare the one half. She could barely even chew, simply nibbling on the bit that was in her mouth. Graphite leaned in a bit, setting his hoof lightly on her fragile jaw and helping her to chew the apple bar. She finally swallowed after the bar had turned into an almost liquid consistency, traveling down her dry throat hard. The bit of food fell into her stomach, her cringes told Graphite that she needed some water to soften up her throat.
The canteen slid off of his belt, coming undone with Graphite's magic. He swirled the container, listening to the water swish back and forth in the space. There was enough for them both - to both of their fortune. He tipped the flask over her lips, letting the water drizzle into her mouth. Graphite pulled the canteen back when he thought it was enough, letting her ease that sip down.
The mare swallowed, letting a damp gasp of air out after it had sunk into her stomach. Graphite waited for a response; a sign that she was feeling better. The alicorn lifted her head, only to say, "Thank you..."
Her voice flowed a little softer, less groggy and choked. Graphite grinned, covering up the canteen that was still in his spell. He let the alicorn breath for a moment, then asked her, "What happened, miss?"
The mare shook her head lightly, "I don't know."
Graphite answered back with a question, "You don't?"
"I don't remember anything at all," The alicorn dropped her head, looking a bit upset that there was nothing to look back to in her mind.
"It's okay," Graphite consoled, "You've just lost your memory. I did once too."
"How?" Her head tilted back up.
"A long time ago, I was frozen - anything before that I couldn't remember; but, some things that I've seen and felt helped me regain my lost memories."
Her head tilted the other direction, "You don't seem too happy about it."
Graphite sighed, "Not all of them were good, but they made me what I am now."
The mare looked to him, licking her lips - Graphite reacting with the canteen just at her lips so she can drink. She took another sip, moving in with a question after swallowing, "Who are you?"
"I'm Graphite. What about you?"
"I am... uhh..."
"...It's okay, you'll remember it eventually. Um, maybe there's something we can call you until you remember your real name. Perhaps your cutie mark can-" Graphite looked down to her haunch, finding it completely bare.
"Cutie mark?" She asked with confusion in her voice.
"Oh..." Graphite scratched his head, taking another moment to delve into his mind for answers, "It's like a picture on your haunch; it's suppose to show what special talent you might have." Graphite paused another second, then came back, "How about, 'Forget-Me-Not'?"
The alicorn was lost, her expression blank. She lapped her lips again, "What's that?"
Graphite shifted legs he was kneeling on, continuing his conversation, "The Forget-me-not was a pretty blue flower that were almost everywhere before the war happened."
"War?"
"Yes, um... Well, a while back, two groups of ponies were mad with each other. They started attacking one another, going into their countries and destroying everything. That's what happened to this city, some of those ponies dropped big bombs on every city in Equestria, turning the place into... into this."
"This..?" The mare Graphite decided to call Forget-Me-Not, was still just as lost as a school bound filly.
Graphite walked around her, taking the free space just to her right. He leaned against the hard metal fence just as Forget-Me-Not, he looked out to the city's silhouette in the fog. They could see the towers that reigned in the centre of the city, overpowering all the other, smaller buildings. They stood tall with their imperfections; big holes and missing sides were just the examples of visible damage, there was still unknown amounts of erosion and rust inside the building's skeleton. There were terrors hiding away in the abandoned rooms of buildings, monsters waiting for that moment when some poor pony just trying to find a way out stumbles across their territory.
"This..." Graphite uttered under his breath. He sat with his eyes stuck to the city the mare could not see. The long lines of broken roads were traveling in Graphite's mind, roads the alicorn had not traveled - or did not remember every walking along. The sights, smells, and sounds of the city were screaming in Graphite's head. Forget-Me-Not rested with only a blank figure in her thoughts.
This blank figure was like a square, a frame for a picture without a photo. The frame was surrounding everything she saw, covering anything she looked at like veil - a shadow that blacked out even the night. It was an uncomfortable feeling, nothing more. She was still breathing, any pain she used to feel was relieved after that odd prick hit her chest.
Forget-Me-Not turned to Graphite once more, her light voice stepping right into Graphite's ears like a ball room dancer, "This... is this my home now?"
Graphite sighed, shaking his head, "I guess it is. I don't have any idea where your real home is, Forget-Me-Not. I'm sorry you have to go through what I had to go through. It's not fun waking up to a world like this without a single memory to look back to. No family, no home, no..."
"...Maybe I should just do what you have done." Forget-Me-Not brought up suddenly.
"Oh, well, I don't know. Your still recovering from your wounds, you need the rest."
"And after I rest?" She squeaked.
Graphite turned his head away, looking at all the surrounding objects he could see for ideas. He bit his lip, "Um, then... then you can do what I did. You go where your nose leads you."
"Where my nose..." Her voice faded with her commotion, her eyes crossing as she tried to stare at the tip of her nose.
Graphite chuckled, "Just go where you feel like it, Forget-Me-Not. Just make sure you find stuff to eat and drink when you get there."
"Okay," The mare peeped again.
"Okay," Graphite repeated, smiling over how easily she understood the concept, "I guess I should go then - so you can get your rest. Just make sure, when you're rested up, try to keep your head down - there's a lot of bad ponies out there that could hurt you."
Forget-Me-Not pulled her hooves a little closer, making herself warmer by hugging herself, "Well, what do if I those ponies try to hurt me?"
"You either run away, or you could try to hide."
"Okay," Was all she wanted to reply with.
Graphite pushed the half opened ration to Forget-Me-Not's side, pushing it along the rough pavement, "Don't eat this all at once."
Graphite grabbed the fence and pulled himself from the ground, turning to the alicorn one last time before he finally went off, "Stay safe, Forget-Me-Not."
The mare could only smile back. It was a weak beam, but a beam it was. There was nothing more Graphite needed to receive his thank you from her. Graphite had nothing more to give her, and no more words of advice to provide. He tightened the straps around his saddlebag, bringing his head to the direction of the fog and heading straight north.
He faded into the fog like the city joined the mist - seamless and quiet. He jumped into the shadowy drizzles of the clouds that sat on the ground, moving only where the road would allow. The art institute couldn't be far, Graphite knew the building was right after the old fountain. He knew he would get there eventually, he just didn't know if he'd be alive by the time he got there.
The fountain was far behind him, and the institute somewhere hiding in the fog ahead. Graphite could only see the ground beneath him and the hooves that were trotting down that crooked lane. There nothing around to see but white, floating through a blind space with nothing for him to do but think. Think of that strange mare still sitting by the fountain. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 29: The Last Gunfighter | Graphite glided out of the fog like a stork - and with the grace of an ostrich. He covered his eyes as he exited the fog cloud, finding himself standing just another block to the Art Institute of Buckago. Between him and that building were another complex of tents that took up that unused block. Just as before, tattered and rugged cloth for the tents' walls, and filled with tables and empty chairs. It was like going back in time; going through the same feelings, through the same sights, through the same smells, through the same garbage.
The bent tin cans and scraps of paper were a waste of time to try and rummage through, so Graphite kept to anything that was sitting on the tables that weren't overturned. The tents here were a little more organized, less trash scattered through the aisles and most of the tables still sitting prepared for a meal.
A broken plate, a napkin, and a metal fork were sitting on the table eagerly waiting for food to be served on it. The plate was cold, the food hadn't arrived and wasn't going to anytime soon. Graphite passed through the tent, moving impatiently to the next empty shelter; and the next one; and the next one. Graphite left the food shelters and bunking tents with nothing but the chills from the cool air outside; his next stop were the medical tents, something of use should be in there.
Graphite ducked under the flaps of the tent, moving slowly in while preparing himself for whatever was to appear next. Like a copy of the tents before, more skeletons sleeping on cots. Some of the beds had broken legs, letting their napping guest fall to the floor in a pile of bones. The I.V. bags were sitting on rusted bars and on beds near their patients. They were all empty, dried out in time. Graphite started right down the lanes of beds, taking no time to find another metal square on an empty bed.
Another holotape, Graphite quickly snatching it up and taking a quick listen to the message it had to say.
"We'll, I found some more gems for this recorder, so here it goes...
I've made it from the aid station in the south of the island to the other one just- uh- just north of it. Had to crawl through the dust storms, but I made it. I got to the near the camp and the ponies who were supposed to be helping me out shot at me because they thought that I was a looter. One round grazed my ear. I am also not feeling well - bunch of hair came out of my mane today. It might be the stress, though.
There's not much left here. Almost every pony is dead or has left except for me and one other pony. I found a stallion lying on one of the beds in the medical tent - he's the last one left. He can't speak and doesn't move much because he's sick with- with something; but, it's great that I'm not alone anymore. Maybe we'll have a better chance to pull through.
The winds are starting to brew up. I'll try to move us into the art institute itself before the storms throw over this tent. There's not many supplies left here anyway. So, umm... if you're hearing this - I am inside the institute itself, not the camp, the institute..."
It went off quickly, the holotape making an odd buzzing noise after the message had finished. Graphite thought a moment, dropping the tape on the bed again as the questions and answers came to his head. This was the same voice of the same stallion from the first message, a bit relieved since there was another pony with him - of which, was breathing over the message. Graphite had just another reason to keep heading north. Whether the message was recorded two hours ago or two decades ago, there was the faint hope that there was some pony in that building waiting for help. There was always that hope that Graphite needed to keep to make sure he would press on. If not for the ponies, he was going to do it for Sunny.
Graphite left the tent, hopping to the same road he traveled on since his arrival on this damned island. It was just a casual walk to the institute beyond the intersection, Graphite was almost ready to leave -- he could feel it. It was this feeling of relief, a burden was being lifted from him by a crane. It was slow, but it inched higher and higher with every step he took. He could almost smile, but the grim feel of the buildings bearing over him kept his happiness to a stupor.
Another few tents passed by, and Graphite found himself sitting at the corner of a three-way intersection. At the top of this crossroad was a large building. The front of the building was extended out from the main building, emphasizing the grand entrance. The first floor of the institute was as big as a mansion, stack two more on that and you had the rest of the building's height. The doors were spinning doors, three of them lined in the middle of the entrance - one labeled for 'member's only.' The make up of the building was fairly simple, a few arching blocks over the doorways; a border before the basic stone wall that was cut open for a long balcony and held up by four columns carved with images of ponies; another border with words inscribed on it that read, "The Art Institute of Buckago;" after that was the roof, triangular and bare. Graphite looked to the flagpoles over the doorways, all of the flags missing - one pole broken in half with its missing half resting on the stairs that lead up to the entrance.
Graphite had almost mistook this for the aquarium if hadn't read the title on the building - the sound of water was breaking in the distance. It was hard to get used to half of the city being buried underwater, where the beach and the skyscrapers meet hoof and hoof.
Graphite soon turned away from the dreadful scene behind him to look at the happier picture ahead. He went up to the art institute and climbed the stairs, watching his steps carefully. He pushed through the door, spinning it around until he could slide through the gap and into the building.
Graphite walked into the great hall that awaited beyond the door. The hall room's walls and floor were decorated in black and white marble panels, the ceiling had decorative murals of clouds and pegasi flying amongst them. The black and whites of the marble were engraved with golds and silvers rings and specks of glistening dust that reflected any light that hit it. The light in the room came from a single, circular hole in the ceiling that gave view to the second floor. It shined a single ray into the room, catching the golden marble and brightening the entire foyer. Graphite could see the art around the hole of the dome, the entirety of it stone carvings of ancient warriors and great legends among ponies. Going right down the ornate ceiling were columns that were encircling the room; they were black and white, topped with golden caps. The whole room matched perfectly, it all looked completely artistic - just to fit in with the purpose of this building.
He stepped into the middle of the round room, looking around him at the four pathways in the room. He looked at the floor under his feet, a six-pointed star was shining in the light. It was black, but it stood out as if it was shining in a cloudless night. Graphite felt an old feeling; though it was odd because it was a feeling he couldn't remember having. Somehow, Graphite knew he had this feeling before, but it was a memory mixed in his thoughts then buried deep into his mind. His body recognized this feeling from a long time ago, way back outside the city of Buckago. His body was telling him to remember this feeling, remember it so you won't let it happen again. Graphite turned a left towards the first path -- the one leading into the 'Classic Art' wing -- and suddenly, the memory hit him. It was cold, dark, and lonely - it was the exhibition.
The memory was strong now, no matter how deep down the thought was going to go, he would never forget it. Graphite was stuck in his spot, the pathways turning black in his eyes. The dark corners were coming back into view; the iron caskets and the four ponies that lived inside them were there still dead as dead could be. He was frozen in time, stuck in the memories from before he could remember.
As Graphite stood stiff as a statue in the middle of the room, a loud hiss came from his side. He was dragged out of his mind by this high pitched noise, only his body flinching to show that he had returned to reality. He immediately turned to see a ghoul with it's jaws open and glaring at him with its soulless eyes. The sound the attacker made was horribly loud and the yellow saliva dripping from it's mouth didn't make it any more pleasant. Graphite reacted quickly, with a heavy punch to the face of the creature.
"Shut your mouth!" Graphite blared at the ghoul as it dropped unconscious on the cold marble floor, drops of muddy blood falling down with it. The hiss apparently had alerted other monsters in the near vicinity, as he could hear hard pressed steps of somethings running and echoing in the halls. Graphite grabbed his shotgun and ran straight for the classics wing, paying attention only to the direction of his hooves as he ran.
Graphite was right between a painting of the Equestrian landscape and a sculpture of a pony running gracefully. Graphite did just the opposite, running with his hooves stomping against the ground like a giant while the ghouls behind him bounded and rebounded towards him. They jumped into the entrance of the west wing, darting down the hallway towards Graphite.
Graphite was stopped right before the hallway turned right to the rest of the artwork, turning away from the wall of fancy paintings and carvings to face the onslaught coming this way. He turned around, just to see another ghoul coming his way. The pump pulled back and the chamber opened up - empty and puff of dust blowing out the port. He made a quick grab to the shells in his bag, pulling out only three lone, red shells.
There was one ghoul made Graphite hesitate - dropping the shells he tried to load into his gun. It wore a red sweater, adorned with a leather vest and a bandoleer on top that matched the gaudy vest. The ghoul looked more like a pony, even with it's disfigured face like a broken bust and missing hair. Yet, it was there to kill Graphite, no matter his looks, because no sane pony would rush like that at someone who's carrying a shotgun.
Graphite finally got his act together, wrapping up the fumbling performance of his load by sticking the shells in his weapon and pumping the handle forward. The ghoul bounded and bounded again, hopping into the air to tackle Graphite to the elegant marble floor. Graphite squeezed the steel trigger, blowing a hole through the ghoul's chest. It continued its flight, Graphite dodging the loose body and letting the limp corpse hit the paintings on the wall behind him. The artwork nailed to the top of the wall - the one of etching of an abstract wagon in the night - fell down right on the body. The priceless painting was ruined, along with the blood stained marble floor and bullet ridden hallway.
Graphite dashed around the corner, letting the rest of the freaks file around the turn in the wing. He stopped just a few strides after the turn, sliding along the polished marble trying to halt the run. He leaned against the wall, stopping himself with his shoulder. His body turned about, facing the small group of monsters that were having just as hard a time to walk the floor as Graphite had.
One tumbled right over the dead ghoul, piling up in a frantic stack of wrinkled bodies. As the ghoul tried to get back up, two more were sprinting to Graphite. Graphite reared the shotgun around to face the same way down the hallway. The gun fired off a shot wildly, scattering across the wall Graphite was leaning against all over across the long hallway. The bullets whizzed through the air, the blast from the shotgun echoing around the narrow corridor; ringing in the ears of the ponies there and the bullets tearing through the limbs of the feral ponies in that hall.
As the ghoul wearing a blue collared shirt dropped down on the shiny floor, the next one caught the pellet that flew through the first ghoul with his eye. It didn't die, only tripping horribly. This gave the opportunity for Graphite to book it again, the hallway taking a turn left halfway down and also taking another right at its end. He funneled passed all the art, no time to examine and appreciate the art around him.
Right passed the extra hallway in the middle and down to the second corner, Graphite ran and ran fast to the exit. He skid across the floor and zoomed down the corner, stopping inside a room larger than the foyer. It was covered in a red carpet, plush and clean. To the left of Graphite was a big and grand stairwell that split into two directions at the its peak. The railings were caressed in gold and marble rods. Just to his right were two desks, right around the entrance that was between the two counters. The counters were hard wood and sturdy, some crown moldings and golden borders to decorate and match the rest of the interior. There were two tables against the walls that were by the main staircase; on them, were a few vases that were probably as valuable as the building itself.
Graphite took a step forward to the middle of the room, but was reminded of his purpose in that rose coloured room - ghouls were chasing after him. He heard the screeching sound of the fiends' growling and snarling from down the hallway behind him. Graphite took up position right near the stairs, ready to take the high ground if the need arose. He checked the chamber of his short shotgun, one shell for three ghouls.
Graphite just sighed an annoyed groan, biting down on his teeth and aiming the shotgun to the hallway. The first two of the pod of monsters barreled out of the corridor, hitting the walls and scratching their hooves across the floor. Their slobber splattered everywhere, ruining the perfect carpet and the great designs in the walls and decorations. Graphite blinked for just a moment. In that moment, the sound of a shattering vase broke in the wind. Shards hit the floor, a hissing shout of pain from one of the ghouls bellowed in Graphite's ears. He fired his shot, his eyes opening up again.
The pellets had left the gun and ripped apart the room, breaking the last of the vases on the left side of the room. One ghoul was covered in sharp edges of porcelain and holes from the pellets, but only one. One more was still intent on killing Graphite, one more finally coming from the hallway after its fall. Graphite ditched the gun, throwing it to the floor while he flew up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him.
The feral beasts were coming up the stairs faster than Graphite could climb them, taking grabs at the cape that was lagging behind Graphite's legs. He turned about quickly, giving the first one a quick kick to the face. His hoof breaking his jaw and loosening the jagged teeth that were hanging in its mouth. The lower jaw fell limp, flopping from his head by the two cracked joints. It continued to follow even if it had lost the ability to eat Graphite after killing him. The second ghoul joined up soon, taking to the stairs like a fish in water.
Graphite finished the first flight of the red stairs, taking a quick right around the rail and up the second set of stairs. He jumped up the last steps, Graphite landing on another floor of art and decor. The second story had a checkered floor with every other square a vivid gold. The floor was speckled in small particles of sparkling silver, no expense spared in creating a sense of emphasis on the entire building. It must have been hard to look at the art in the building when the bright gold would always blind the guests. Graphite looked away from the shining blocks along the ground, looking up the golden columns along the walls, and away from the illuminated spirals of gold and yellow to the ceiling. On the ceiling was something odd; sitting amidst the maroon squares, amongst the paintings of pegasi and unicorns and earth ponies frolicking around clouds and fields of flowers; and about the crown molding along the ceiling was a steel weapon. It was attached by a case that was bolted to the ceiling and connected by hinges and swivels; the weapon, a big machine gun with a belt of large rounds coming from the ceiling too. Below the barrel was a small round camera, the lens tinted a lovely red. Just parallel to that gun was another.
They were automated turrets, the city taking every precaution to protect its priceless valuables -- such as its late vases. Graphite leaned over the stairs, finding the creatures were still on his trail and easing their ways up the steep stairs. He twisted back around, facing the hallway between the two turrets. It was stripped bare, visible marks where dust has gathered around past picture frames. Graphite picked up speed across the lavish flooring, speeding through the hall way and into the next room over. He sprinted through the doorway, passing by the wide open door.
Graphite slowed himself to a stop, losing sight of his hooves in the dark room. One light kept the room from being taken up by the darkness and shadows - a wide window at the end of the room, but a curtain covered most of the pane. From what the outlines of the room could tell, there was a mattress to the right of the room along with a table across from it against the wall. There was the faintest of green lights coming from the table - specifically - a box shaped terminal on the table. Another roar from the ghastly ghouls called for Graphite, so he shuffled to the terminal and shut the door at the front of the room with his magic.
Something hit the door hard, the sound of a hard thud against the door came from the strike. Another bang when the second ghoul hit the door. There was a rampaging rapping at the door, limbs thrown at the door to try and break it down. On the receiving end of those bangs was Graphite, throwing himself to the terminal. The terminal had three options on screen, one of them reading out, 'Activate Sentries'. He clicked that, which opened another screen reading, 'Warning: Multiple unidentified subjects detected'. It was a simple click before the computer made an electronic beep.
A muffled clang hit the ceiling, a buzzing sound of gears churning around and around, over the sounds of the ghouls breaking through the door's layers of paint and wood came metal grinding. The computer beeped again, blinking to a loading message - "Sentries activating..."
Graphite turned away from the screen to hear the turrets turning on with another blaring screech before opening fire on the ghouls at the door. Loud screams and hisses of dying came from the other side of the door - bullet holes flying in through the door. Like bees scattering after their hive has been knocked around, the rounds of loose ammunition ricocheted about the room and bounding across the walls and the table.
Graphite jumped back, hitting the ground near that mattress he saw earlier. He landed on the hard top, bouncing up a bit from the thick springs. Bullets flew though the doorway, hitting the windows to his right. Shards of glass blew out the windows and splashed across the floor, bits of fabric snowed across the room. The turrets finally stopped after showering the room with enough lead to outweigh a mountain. Graphite grabbed his chest, making sure he was still alive; he could hear himself panting, he was alive and more or less well.
The doorway fell from its hinges, more holes were cut in it than he could count. The hallway was red with all the blood the ghouls held in their body. The room was lit brightly now, Graphite could now see something in front of him. It was a painting - a mural - a graffiti painted right over another painting. There was a blue pony, only the shoulders-up were lain out. It was rushed, most areas still unpainted and giving view to the piece of art under it. Graphite lifted off from the mattress, making his way to the mural with his eyes stuck on one thing.
His eyes were stuck on the eyes of the mural, its eyes were covered with a bloody rag. There was nothing more to this erroneous masterpiece, just pony and cloth - and the real blood that was spread over the cloth. Graphite stood here, staring, the one artwork he could finally examine at the art institute. He could only imagine the tormented soul that painted this picture; the only ponies he could see being tortured to the point of psychotic drawing are the two ponies that had wandered here a time ago.
A bang grazed his ear, followed by a round blowing through the thick marble wall. Graphite could only react fast enough to duck away after the bullet had hit the wall. Graphite grabbed the table and shifted down, almost slamming the table with his chin. He dove back, behind the the side of the table away from the door - grabbing a weapon from his bag. It was the weapon Tsoy gave him, fully loaded and heavy with ammo.
At the front door was a pony, a pony standing tall on his legs which were spread wide and dug into the floor steadily. It was wearing a thick green coat, like a raincoat, with a big hood overshadowing its head. Its head looked wrinkled, but more than simply aged skin. It was shriveled and charred, similar to a ghoul - but it wasn't a ghoul; it wasn't snarling and drooling, it had clothes and even armour underneath the coat, it was also carrying a gun. The armour underneath the coat was Equestrian regulation with thick steel plates all around the body - Graphite's old set of armour was this exact type. The colours were odd, not anything the military would approve of. It was full of vibrant colours that were swirled into patterns and designs - this was a type of art the zebras would approve of.
The gun was long, a sniper rifle no doubt. It was the generic set up for a gun from the zebra lands - narrow receiver with a bolt on the side and a part for the scope to be attached, a wooden grip with a few holes to vent the long barrel, a small pistol grip, and a fold-able stock on the end. The magazine was big, larger than the standard sniper magazine, this one looked to hold a larger calibre round.
It was obvious this pony was experienced in the culture of zebras; perhaps it was one, and all of the stripes were either burnt off or hiding behind the armour and coat. It was time to act, one moment longer and the sniper could easily score a shot with the rifle he carried. Graphite pointed his submachinegun to the door gap, letting a quick burst of rounds fire out wherever they saw fit.
They scattered across the frames of what was once a doorway, pummeling the already destroyed door jams and wooden frame. The attacker quickly dove away, jumping back away from the doorway and just out of view from Graphite's angle. Graphite pushed himself up and away from the wall before he sprinted down the corridor.
The sniper was running full speed across the hallway, his coat flapping against his legs as he ran - and he ran fast. He never stopped to turn and head down the stairs, he simply jumped over the golden railing and landed just at the tip of the lower staircase. Graphite stopped himself before he hurdled over the rail, knowing he would fail the jump and land back first against the steps. He shifted right and continued down the stairs after his attempted killer.
He got to the bottom of the steep steps, another bang echoed through the empty building. A shot hit the rim of the rail near Graphite's hoof - the only sensible reaction was to always jump away from the round. He was was upside down laying with his back on the steps just opposite of what he wanted. He looked up -- or down -- across the hall, standing in the foyer, was that zebra with his rifle up. Graphite lifted the gun and set it right-side-up firing to the foyer. It fired out and made the sniper flee away from the middle of the moonlit ray from the skylight.
Graphite flipped around, standing up once more and heading straight to the archway just before the main room. He took cover behind a half-column of marble and gold. He sighed, his mind easing out with the breath. This sniper was Xain. Graphite shuttered at the realization; he knew Xain was a hunter and was much more familiar with this building. Xain was also a sniper, hitting targets at ranges Graphite couldn't see through a telescope. He grit his teeth and gave one more second to think. Graphite was inside, he had the advantage of close range. He was going to need it, this was his only advantage.
With gun ready, mind set, and plan developing as he went, Graphite turned the corner and continued the hunt for the hunter. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Chapter 30: Redemption Day | Graphite stormed into the foyer with his weapon prepped and ready. The room was just as empty as it was when he entered. He was standing with his ear to the ground and nose to the air. Any sign of Xain was witnessed only by the murals and paintings. The layout for this building couldn't be too complicated - it was a public establishment, after all. The best thing to do was start searching now before the sniper could make his way to the other end of the large building. Following the direction of his hooves, Graphite trotted down the first path, one that lead to the "Modern Art."
Graphite's trot came down to a slow walk when his eyes were bombarded by a hallway of colours. The portraits were created using every colour a rainbow could make, the paintings were no more than random splatters of bright hues that would send a pony into a dizzying shock. Graphite waltzed away from the leaking paint shop and attempted to keep from seizure as he scooted to the next hallway.
Graphite turned away from the sea of blinding colour, making his way through a stubby hallway into a long room. The room had too big archways - the one Graphite was standing under and the one that was sitting on the opposite side of all the strange sculptures and carvings. Keeping with the building's split pathways were two more arches on the sides of the room -- more weird and art inspired while under the influence. Graphite had his weapon up ever since he was near shot, but now he had let his guard down.
There wasn't another soul in sight, all the ghouls would have been handled after the turrets had went off, and Xain was off somewhere in the art institute - perhaps in a separate wing or a separate building all together. It didn't seem smart to leave the building now, the outside was much worse than this - even if the next row of 'artwork' was pictures of hooves and eyes painted by foals during arts and crafts.
Graphite stumbled by the statues, ignoring them all together. There seemed no sense in creating art that had no boundary, no direction, no understanding. The artist's mindset was definitely shown in his artwork - every artist here was crazy. Perhaps Graphite didn't understand it like the artist did, perhaps there was something to the chaos. There had to be some form of high understanding that these creations were set on display for everyone to see.
Graphite stopped with just a few more steps left to the exit out of this bizarre room. He didn't expect himself to be distracted by these pieces of art, but one had to be seen. It was a statue of a pony raising its hooves to the sky. Over the statue was a spill of blue paint, and over the blue paint was a bandage to go around the pony's eyes - a true window to the mind of the artist.
Xain had been down this way before, perhaps he had traveled it once more. Graphite turned to the archway leading out, heading there quickly. There was another corridor that had split into two directions, Graphite taking a right to make his way out of this hallway.
He passed another set of paintings; the usual landscape and portraits from various artists. Graphite trotted down through the archway waiting at the end of the hallway, ready to give his eyes rest from the vivid art. He came into another long and narrow room; a large carving took up the middle of the floor, it was displayed on a section of wall placed there just for the piece of art. Around the stone carving were paintings that were only good for bringing your attention away from them and to the carving in the middle. It depicted a pony fighting a beast with many heads, perhaps a quick carve made centuries ago. Though it was in the modern wing, perhaps a misplacement or another starving artist trying to throw out and odd piece in the collection of odd pieces.
Graphite continued, paying almost no mind to the main bit of artwork and moving on with his hunt. He reached the middle of the room before noticing something strange with the passage on the side. It was dark, only an orange light could light the room. The other hall seemed normal, but this one was definitely an original work. He stepped inside, no more than a single step was needed to see the skeleton that was displayed on the ground surrounded by the candles that were producing the orange light.
The candles were almost completely burned out, the last of the wax spilt on along the floor. They were sitting in tin cans that were cut in half and encircled the bones asymmetrically. The bones of the skeleton looked weak, eaten away by some awful disease or virus. It was lain out so the arms were resting just at the sides of the chest and the legs were out straight - like it was sleeping. It must have been, there was a cloth over its eyes that would keep light from its eyes as it rested. The cloth was bloody, rapped loosely around the skull.
This must have been the muse for the paintings that were patched across the institute. It was no longer a sky blue, now just a molded ivory. Graphite turned his head away from the remains, looking just beside to discover another holotape. It was sitting almost burnt by the heated wax of the candles. Graphite picked it up and listened to the recording.
"He- he's dead. That blue pony was my companion for all of this time, and I didn't even learn his name. It was nice to have him by my side, especially when I heard those monsters wondering nearby.
Those monsters, them and I, look kinda similar. Skin gone at places, only a few lines of hair left in their manes. Some of them have terrible burns and other injuries, but whenever I come near them they just hiss at me. It doesn't seem like they can talk.
I can talk, though - I can - I've talked to my friend. I would always talk to him, he was the only one I could talk too in here. He was always there... now he's not. He's gone - he- he's dead. That blue pony was my companion for all of this time... I'm alone.
No- no no no... I've said that already! Oh, but it's true. He's dead. I'll make sure he gets the funeral he deserves. This would be the last time I record a message. I'm out of holotapes and there's nothing more to say. He- he's dead... Rest in peace."
The message stopped, a plastic clack noise after the tape hit the ground and cut-off. This pony sounded like he was nearing insanity. His voice was choked and a little rough like a ghoul's growl. Though there was this feeling that Graphite had heard the voice before. It had that same pitch as the pony from the first two messages, just scratched and the focus of his speech lost in his disturbed mind.
Graphite backed away from the mausoleum the room was made into, putting the holotape back just by the candles as it was. He stepped out of the archway, only to be meet by a gravely shout.
"Stay away from him!"
Graphite flinched, whipping his head to the booming noise of the yell. Standing just at the end of the room was Xain, standing with his eyes burning into Graphite's soul and his rifle aimed right at Graphite.
He ducked, a bullet whizzing just by his ear again. Graphite took cover just under the archway he left, firing back with a blind fire of bullets. They gave him just the room he needed to avoid being shot, but nothing that could have ended the fight. Xain jumped back, landing on his back against the marble floor. He bent back forward, firing off his rifle against the corner of the arch and breaking it apart with every shot. One more bullet in the volley of four shots hit across the broken wall and zipped a tear in Graphite's shirt.
He tripped back, barely keeping himself from falling. Graphite jolted out just as fast as the bullets he sprayed out left the weapon. Xain was in a fit to avoid the fire, squirming in every direction as he backed up further along the hallway. Graphite couldn't follow the path of the bullets as he made a bee-line for the back hallway.
He had made it through, just to be brought down by a quick shot across his cheek. The bullet shed the hairs from his cheek before blowing a clear hole in the portrait on the wall. Graphite wiped the blood from his cheek, scooting away from the entrance and making a quick getaway to the next room.
Graphite stopped just behind the next sculpture, catching his breath and also waiting for the moment Xain steps from the hallway. It was quiet, it was always quiet before the loudest noise possible destroyed the silence. There was just a nice, rhythmic step of dry hooves walking across the floor. Graphite leaned over the sculpture, only the tip of his eyes were peeking around the statue's body. He leaned over, a sudden burst blasting the waist of the sculpture across Graphite's body.
He was thrown against the floor with the bits of stone and dust that puffed from the shot. Graphite covered is eyes from the remaining rubble as it rained down, throwing off chunks from his chest as Xain ran to him. Graphite's weapon was just out of arm's reach, any attempt to grab it was meet with a quick shot near the gun. Graphite remembered his horn, and his levitation ability -- something forgotten in the heat of the moment.
The weapon was pulled back to him, another quick shot near the gun as it was pulled away. Xain was getting restless, his growling could be heard just at the arch as he brought his rifle up again. Rounds were fired back to back, disintegrating the remaining parts of the sculpture to fine powder. A line was cut across the statue, the top half falling right towards Graphite. He stopped with the levitation he had just remembered he had, tossing the large slab of stone towards Xain.
Graphite got up as gracefully as a rabbit running from a fox, scratching his legs along the slick floor in a scurried attempt to get up. He found his balance and ran straight to the other end of the room, leaving Xain to deal with the sliced statue. He turned the corner in the next hallway which lead him straight to where he had began - in the foyer of the art institute.
Graphite stopped in the middle of the room and turned back to the path he came from, backing away slowly with his loaded gun to the head of the hallway. He back-stepped nervously until his hoof hit a step that lead up to the next wing. He looked down, making sure it wasn't Xain sneaking from behind. His head snapped back when he found it was nothing, spotting no hungry hunter ahead of him.
His surroundings were already clear in his mind, with the exit just to his right and the main lobby just to the left. Heading outside would be going out into the sniper's playground, keeping inside was Graphite's best hope of staying alive long enough to get his shot in on Xain. Graphite tilted left and went back to the lobby, taking another stop just at the base of the red carpeted stairs. He ran up the staircase, getting to the top that was still being guarded by the mechanized turrets. They looked empty, no belt of ammo was being feed to the chambers -- all of the ammunition must have been used to destroy the ghouls and the door just at the end of the short hallway.
The dark room served no purpose, but perhaps these two doorways at the sides would provide more use. Graphite followed out through the left one, only to be detoured by a wall to another set of stairs. He hurdled the stairs easily, turning another wall at the top and out the exit of the staircase. Graphite stepped into a less decorated section of the art institution. The marble floor was no longer made of gold and silver lined around dark red slabs that checkered the floor. It was a simple red coloured floor, with black and gray imperfections spotting and dotting it everywhere. The columns were now just smooth cut stone, the ceiling was also a barren set of stone blocks - up until the edge of the walkway where the ceiling was exposed to the second floor. The railings surrounding the large gap in the middle of the room were also simple iron rails with an iron grip of the same design going across the bars.
Around the area were too many doors to see without a wide angled view, leading to countless maintenance rooms and fire escapes. Across the room were two more corners for two more sets of stairs just like the ones Graphite had ran up. He trotted forward, resting his hooves on the railing and peering over the rails to look to the ground below. There was a sharp bang, followed second by a loud ping and the sound of concrete being chipped away. His leg was hit by a very sharp pain.
Graphite lurched over, his left hind leg festering with a horrible burning sensation. His leg bent and he fell down slowly while trying to stay right-side-up by gripping the rail with whatever feeling he had in his hooves. The rail creaked, metal bending to Graphite's fall. His grip slipped, swinging him to the column stacked at the corner of the walkway. He fumbled with his arms to grab the round sides of the column, attempting to pull himself just behind it close enough to avoid another dastardly shot.
Graphite looked down to his legs, his left leg was leaking red like a broken pipe. He reared his head back, searing and groaning over the sight of blood and bone and the unsightly sensation that was tormenting his leg. There was a growl, Xain snapping at Graphite once more. Graphite leaned left, hoping the column would cover him better if he laid closer to the ground. His bag snagged a chip in the block, clinging and zipping open while Graphite fell to the ground again. He looked to the ticking noise behind him, his bag was fleeting from his body and spared no mind to its belongings. Out fell a magazine for his rifle and a roll of white bandages. Graphite grabbed for the bandages faster than his mind could tell him to go for them, unraveling the long set of straps and wrapping it across his torn leg. The blood soaked into the bandage quickly, painting it with crimson paint as each layer of wrap went around the wound. The bandages couldn't tighten any more, and there was just enough to hold off the spout of blood.
Graphite looked around the column, his nemesis was still waiting impatiently for him to show even a sliver of a hair. The zebra jolted, swinging his rifle to Graphite and firing a quick round to his head. The bullet impacted the column, spraying out dust and chips of stone across Graphite's face. Graphite's head was pushed from the column, his hooves thrown up to his face as the grains of broken stone slapped his face.
He squirmed back, wiping away the hard dust as his levitation spell sought for his gun. The gun was sucked into the magic spell, Graphite's mind telling him he had a grip of it. He needed a grip on the wall to bring himself back on the three hooves that still worked, there was no surviving a fight when your enemy could stand right over you. He brought his gun above his head with stone particles still sitting and burning in his eyes. Eyes watering, Graphite fired his weapon to the blunt figure he figured was Xain and obtaining only the moment to push himself to his hooves.
The ground felt askew, the sights of the drywall spanning across the catwalks were drizzled in white speckles of burning dust, the world was shaking - vibrating - giving its all to bring Graphite back down. Graphite refused to be knocked down again, pushing passed the burning pain in his leg and the reaction to wipe his eyes clean with his unsteady hooves. He tried to raise his hoof to his eyes, but his legs wobbled and his body shifted towards the floor. Graphite flung his hoof back to the ground and tried the other hoof, with no difference in results. He clung back near his column, turning right to one of the other hallways in the area. The rifle banged again, brazening through the hall and pushing Graphite to the floor.
A bullet crossed through the back of Graphite's vest, tearing through the fabric before merging with the wall. Graphite crawled into the hallway, pressing himself to the hard, stone wall before he finally picked the dust from his eyes. Xain grabbed the metal rails, Graphite could hear this when every bar surrounding the gap shook and resonated with Xain's angry grip. Xain shouted to the empty catwalks, screaming for Graphite's attention, "Come out!"
Graphite pressed his head to the wall, breathing in and breathing out a troubled shout back, "It doesn't have to end like this!"
"For you?" Xain hollered in his rough and scratchy voice.
"One- one of us won't be leaving here alive and you know it!"
The zebra slammed the rails, booming out again like a giant drum, "And I will be the one leaving here! Not you! Me!"
"Just stop, Xain! You've done enough, Xain, and I will not leave here until you fucking stop!"
A bullet hit the wall again; it would have never reached Graphite, but it showed him the rage and impatience building in Xain. Xain rattled the rails, "Come out!"
"No!" Graphite roared back. Graphite was boiling with a festering feeling, it wasn't anger but it was heated Graphite just as hot as Xain. It was something like annoyance; the exponent of a near death battle, lung busting screaming, and a leg that was losing blood faster than the bandages could soak it up. Graphite hit the wall that was saving his life, yelling to Xain once more, "Just stop, Xain! This can't go on forever! I-if you leave now, you might have a chanc-"
"-A chance?"
"A chance, Xain! You can get out of this place, you can get out and find something to live for! There's no reason for you to be here!"
"There is! I have to stay here! I cannot leave!" Xain's voice cracked, he could almost be considered on the verge of crying if his tears hadn't dried up years ago.
"Why not?"
"I do not want to leave! I cannot leave! I have to stay here..." His voiced droned on until it faded with the echoes.
Graphite sighed heavily, groaning afterwords. There was no way he could talk a stallion out of insanity, so he needed to end this now. He looked out to the columns he was hiding behind, his gun was nowhere insight. The submachinegun was laying broken apart three stories down, dropped in Graphite's haste to move out of the Sniper's sights.
"Do you want to spend the rest of your days in this place - together with the monsters? Or would you rather die like the rest of them?" Graphite asked as he tried to distract Xain long enough for him to find a weapon.
The hallway was quiet, the walkway was silent, the resonance of the vibrating rails had dissipated with the rest of the noises. Graphite could hear muttering, something to fill the void of silence. Xain was thinking aloud; about what was the mystery to Graphite. This muttering was nothing new to Graphite, the ghouls would sometimes chant incoherently to themselves when there was no food to snarl at. There was a brain under the burnt skin that continued to turn, telling their host that there was something else. Something else that told them how they were feeling, the thing they have just found, where they're going and where they've been. The brain was still working -- he was still alive, so it must be doing something in his head. It was working just as well as Graphite's, both parties distracted by the thoughts that flooded through their minds. Graphite was pulled back to reality at the simple sight of an object coming from his bag - a pistol that didn't belong.
It had a long barrel for a pistol, an oddly round handle and a magazine chamber like a miniature rifle. There was some odd symbols marked into, just above the grip, that Graphite couldn't read. He'd seen the zebras use the gun back in the war, though this one was polished and even painted with a custom mark. As he peered over the corner of the hall, Graphite could see Xain still talking to himself. The odd pistol came around the corner with Graphite, pointed to Xain's thickly covered body.
He hesitated to pull the trigger, he had never used or seen this gun before - doubting it would even fire. Graphite peeked away from the gun and back to the mumbling zebra, noting the direction of his head. It was forward, one eye covered by a reflective scope. The trigger couldn't be pulled faster. A low boom pounded the walls, followed by a second and a third and a forth. Graphite had closed his eyes before firing, retreating away from a sudden shot from a sniper behind his wall. He brought the gun back to him, letting the already smoking barrel cool down.
Xain wailed back into his normal state, screaming maniacally in a terrified fashion. Graphite whipped his head back around the corner, a bright flame made the room glow. It was orange, like a candle burning away on a wax whisk. The smokey smell of burning cloth filled the dense air, a panicking pony was flailing with arms high, voices high, and jacket thrown high off his body. The overcoat was being consumed in a fire, his gun had been misplaced somewhere on the ground to the left, Xain was stomping and jumping to put the fire out.
Graphite acted, splitting from the dark hall with the special pistol towed behind him in a telekinetic spell. Xain rolled across the floor, tearing away his second layer of worn wears. Staged like a performance, the burning zebra danced with a flurry no pony has seen before. With the performance came the decorations; bullet holes glowing with a glowing red ring around the divot.
The room was feeling the deadly heat of the incendiary rounds the pistol had been filled with, Graphite wielding this instrument of hell like a house-hold tool. He had planned to use it generously, Xain so kind as to accept the generosity of Graphite's cold hoof.
The burning ghoul could see Graphite over the flames that were eating at his rotted flesh, backing away using the thrusts of his back and the grip his hooves could drag across the floor. Graphite stomping hooves would rumble the floor in Xain's eyes, his thousand-yard stare burning into his disturbed soul. Graphite's black duster was like the cloak of death, come to take him from the world.
Graphite stood just above the cooking body of Xain. Graphite was fighting his brain to stay up, the blood draining out drained his strength and beat his will. The gun could barely stay afloat in his magic spell, his eyes were fading in and out of blackness. He came reached the fleeting Xain as he was stopped at the door to the supplies. A hoof dropped down to his chest, fizzling out the bit of flame that was burning there.
Graphite stared into the crazed eyes of the sniper. His pupil was broken in one eye, shrunken down to almost disappearing and split like someone had cut it apart. His eyes were lit by the last of the flames from the charring overcoat. He could see fear of dying and fright from the burns that were so close to killing him. It was more habitual than any ghoul could create - a true feeling. Graphite stopped resisting and stopped hesitating.
Graphite pulled the trigger, squeezing it just hard enough to make the gun go bang. He held it long enough just to let the last sixteen bullets spew out the burning spout. Like a volcano, the heated bullets burned through the everything it touched - all the threads in the cloth, all the layers of skin, all the groups of bone. It cast Xain down with a force that mutilated his skull. The fire rose again to cast the monstrosity away from the land once and for all.
Graphite stepped away from the body to let it burn into ash, wobbling as the blood loss came back to haunt him. His vision faded and blurred, his stance low to keep from falling where he stood. The way out was down two flights of stairs and a trek though the foyer. There was no last peek and not even a moment of silence for the late Xain, Graphite turned to the staircase down and told himself, "Time to go home..."
With his bleeding leg dragging along the marble floor and the left of his wavering strength, he trudged down the stairs and through the hallway to the other set of stairs. He tumbled down the precarious steps, a fall that could break his crown if he had fallen the wrong way. Using only his forelegs and what he could make of a spell to lift him up, he got up - now ready to fight his way down the last set of stairs. Graphite found himself at the bottom of the stairs before he knew he had taken a breath. He was fading fast, the pain in his leg numbing out to his delight and despair.
The foyer meet him as he meet the doorway to it; he stepped to the tier of three small steps that lead into the bowl of the room, scared to take the steps down. He was weak, shakier than a leaf, his ability to walk was beginning to drop. He could feel his chest drop, drop like it was being pulled to the ground by a force much stronger than him. He was pulled down the stairs by this force, his body jerked by chains to the floor.
Graphite had his face dug into the twinkling marble floors, his head too heavy to lift away. His legs were sinking into the earth, his arms pulled into foundations, his chest dragged underground. Moving was like tearing a tree from the ground by its roots, dragging and clawing at the ground to find the grip to move forward. He never stopped fading in and out of conciseness, seeing he was steps ahead of himself before he realized he was still dragging himself to the exit.
Graphite was walking blind, his vision blacking out. He looked to the exit, the doorways coming ajar as a light shined through them. With the sun fallen to the ground and shining all of its light through the doorways, a darker cast came from the doors. It stood taller than any pony could, standing over even pegasi in flight. Like a pegasi, it had a pair of wings spanning the length of the foyer's hallway. At the tip of its head was a horn, a unicorn's horn. The figure stopped just as it reached the main room, looking down to the hazy Graphite.
In the remaining thoughts that Graphite could understand, he assured himself this was Celestia, coming from lands unheard of to whisk Graphite's dying soul away. She was here to wrap him in her tail for his final rest. The light blinded Graphite, casting away all the dark shadows that were drenching his sight. The mare came close, Graphite's mind going completely blank - as if he had been unfrozen all over again.
There was no thoughts, not even a spark of a memory of a word spoken by himself. He could remember nothing, he could not retrace back to anything - no information, no lessons, nothing to tell him where he was or who he is. There wasn't any feeling of the things his hooves were touching, nothing around to see. He was trapped in a void of nothingness; without emotions, without a touch or feeling of any kind, no thoughts, no conscience.
Graphite slowly opened his eyes, only to see part of a cracked ceiling above him. He felt numb, he couldn't feel the rest of his body, but he managed to turn his head just enough to see a white curtain to his right. Graphite could hear some other ponies coughing somewhere beyond the white partition. He tried to move his hoof to move the curtain away, but he couldn't feel it - let alone move it. He felt like he had fallen from the top of a mountain, then suddenly stopped and carried back to the top. It was like coming back to life from death. His head was sore, the thoughts he knew so well were returning to him.
After laying around a bit on what seemed to be a small cot, a shadow approached the curtain and pushed the curtain aside. The blaring light beyond the shadow made it hard to see, but this shade that had come to see him was a pony in a what looked like a stained lab coat. Graphite backed away from the light before the beating rays could burn his eyes.
The pony stood just high enough to look down on Graphite. It didn't have the horn as before, and was no taller than Graphite himself. She turned back, pushing the lamp away for Graphite to see who this pony was. It was a lime green mare with two wings on her back and that dirty lab coat Graphite could see clearly. It was Dr. Feelgood, turning back from the lamp and back to Graphite.
"Can you hear me, Graphite?" The doctor asked, talking slowly and loudly just to make sure Graphite wasn't deaf.
It was muffled, but the hearing was still there. Graphite opened his mouth to speak, only to find that even his tongue had went numb. He nodded his head, letting out a timid, 'Ah-huh.'
The mare smirked, letting out a sigh. It sounded like a sigh of relief, but Graphite wasn't quite sure. Feelgood spoke up again, "Graphite, you're going to be a little numb, but we're just glad you're still alive. You lost a lot of blood back there..."
A galloping noise of hooves came running across the floor, another pony and another voice to join the conversation, "Is he alright?" The mare sounding voice questioned in a self-contained panic.
Graphite peered over his chest at the pony. It was a mare with a delicate orange coat and eyes that shinned with her fur. Sunny was half-way to a heart attack until she noticed that Graphite was awake and moving. She ran to his side, nudging the doctor aside as she grasped his body in a gleeful hug. Tears of joy beaded down her rosy cheeks and a smile that could make any beast turn was spread across her face.
"We're so happy you made it, Graphite!" Sunny shouted with a undying happiness.
Graphite regaining a feeling, a warming feeling that tingled across his body -- as well as an aching feeling that cramped his muscles. Sunny squeezed him tight and never let go, the doctor having to break the hug up so she could get a word in and continue her examinations.
She pried Sunny's arms from Graphite, guiding her to step back from her patient, "Excuse me, Sunny," The doctor shooed, "I'll give you two time to talk when I've finished."
The doctor stepped over to Graphite's leg, pointing to the leg wrapped up in bandages, "I've replaced your bandages, since the ones you had on previously were a bit overused. I also took the liberty to give you a - perhaps excessive - amount of Med-X to ease the pain. The numbness will go away eventually, and you'll feel light-headed every now and again, but that leg isn't going to heal completely. At the least, you'll have a limp; but at least you can walk, right?" Dr. Feelgood scoffed, before stepping back from Graphite, grabbing the edge of the white curtains just as she was ready to leave, "I need to get to the other patients, I'll let you two be for now."
She pulled the curtains shut, letting the two ponies to themselves. Sunny came back to Graphite's side, leaning over the cot and giving her lover a kiss on the forehead, "We've missed you, Graphite," She whispered to Graphite.
"Wha- what happened, Sunny? I don't remember a thing..." Graphite asked disorientated.
"Feelgood told me that you took a bullet to your calf. It was an indirect hit; if it wasn't, then it might have taken your whole leg off," Sunny shook her head at the thought of a limb being torn from the body, quickly knocking it from her mind as she returned back to holding Graphite close.
"Oh, that's... good. B- how'd I get here, I wouldn't suppose you-"
"-Oh, no," Sunny denied, "I was in the settlement the entire time since you left."
Graphite was puzzled, looking in whatever direction his stiff neck would let him turn. He returned back to Sunny, looking through his dim eyes, "Then, how'd I get b-back?"
Sunny moved a loose strand of hair from her eye, answering his question in her best whisper, "Well, Tsoy had carried you here from the boat. I don't think I heard him correctly, but he told me an 'alicorn' had carried you to his boat -- I blame the island's air, making him see things... But, all that matters is you're back home."
"Yeah..." Graphite mumbled, his head fading in and out of a sharp ache.
"There's this other thing that I wanted to tell you - before you left - but it slipped my mind."
"Wh- what is it?"
Petting his mane, Sunny whispered again, "Well, do you remember that abandoned boutique, Graphite? That one where-"
"-I do..."
"Yes. Well, since then, I've been feeling a bit strange," She told him quietly, twiddling a bit at his mane.
"H-how so?" Graphite wondered, the light-headedness coming around and beating his head as the conversation moved.
"I've been having an upset stomach, and I've been sore all over -mostly around my joints," She reached back to her legs, rubbing around her knee to illustrate the feeling to Graphite who could barely see.
Graphite let his head fall back to the cot, still struggling to speak up to Sunny, "What are you... trying to say?"
"Graphite," She grinned, the smile almost taking up the remainder of her head, "We might have a foal."
Graphite felt another feeling in him, his heart pounding against his chest. He smiled, unable to do anything else to show his emotion. His head was fleeting from this feeling, becoming more painful and only suppressed by the blissful feeling he was having. The warm feeling was coming back up, burning now with a passion. It brought a fuzzy feeling around his gut and more relief to that headache.
Sunny beamed with Graphite, clutching his limp hoof tight in hers. They sat in an embrace, enjoying the moment and doing their best to keep the quiet muse of the patients coughing out of their heads. Graphite drifted into a sleep, joined by his mare who was napping right on his warm chest. The light passed as his eyes shut and the world went to black. |
Fallout Equestria: Stallion in Black | Epilouge | Seven Years Later
Graphite leaned forward from his comfy chair in which he was resting and extinguished his cigarette in an ashtray that was on the table in front of him. The ashtray was next to a large console with a battery of buttons and one large button that was glowing bright red near the middle. The button was a signal that the set of holotapes that were previously playing had ended and it was time for someone to replace them. Graphite pressed the red button and reached towards the microphone that was sitting conveniently on the desk next to the console and adjacent to a sound board.
He pulled the microphone to the edge of the table, clearing just throat just before pressing the button to turn it on, "Good evening, listeners. That was 'The War is Over Now' by the lovely Sweetie Belle. Running up the next play-list will be the 'Blue'-"
Graphite was cut short by a knock at the door leading to the broadcasting room. Graphite's head swiveled towards the door, moving away from the microphone to keep from interceding on the station, "One moment," he affirmed.
"Sorry about that, it appears I'm needed places. That means an early end to the show, but that doesn't mean the music will end. Coming up is a upbeat tune from the Ol' Blue Eyes - 'Witchcraft'
Graphite set the tape for the songs into the console, pressing the play button and letting the music play across the land to as far as the broadcast tower could send it.
The door swung open slowly, poking her head through the door was a young filly. Her head came in first, her big and round blue eyes shining like lights through the doorway. Her curly locks were loose and bouncy, something easy to care for after rolling around and playing outside in the wastes. Her mane and tail was a low tone of tangerine, something to blend along with her darker orange coat. She pushed the door aside with all the strength in her little hooves, coming in with a little grin on her face. She came up to Graphite as he sat in his chair, perking her head up to speak, "Daddy," the filly squeaked, "Do you remember what day it is?"
"Of course - it's today," Graphite scoffed before clearing his throat again.
The foal groaned, stamping her little hoof on the ground, letting more high pitched squeaks out as she talked, "No, Silly! It's your birthday!"
Graphite smiled, responding, "Yes, yes, I know."
"Well, mommy wants to see you back downstairs."
Graphite just nodded, leaving off with a simple, "I'll be down in a minute, Topaz."
The filly went back to the door, closing it behind just as she darted out and down the staircase waiting outside the door. Making sure all was fine with the equipment before he could leave.
Graphite pushed himself from the chair, using both the edge of the table and the wobbly armrest of the seat to pick himself up. He got on all fours, his hind leg biting at him when his hooves were firmly planted on the ground. He winced, but only just - the pain something he was very well used too.
Graphite reached the door, shutting it just after knocking the lights out. The door shut and Graphite stood just at the top of the stairs, preparing himself for a fight against his arch-nemesis - the stairs. The stairs spiraled downward with the stairwell like an abyss. Graphite sighed, going through an inevitable journey that he didn't like but would have to take. His wounded leg was stiff and always getting harder to move. Any movement with his leg would cause the joints to burn and the muscles to pierce at him. Going down stairs was very difficult with the pain either passing by as just another ache in his knee or a blast of searing pain that couldn't be avoided. Graphite took to the stairs as slowly as a single pony could walk, planning each step out ahead of time.
Graphite finally made it to the bottom, taking a quick breather to congratulate himself on a task well done. The door to the apartment was just ahead of him. He twisted the handle and pushed the door open, opening the door to the small bit of foyer the room had in it. He stepped through the hallway, passing by some antique drawers with knick-knacks spread across the top and a hat stand that was to his left. Crossing over the red rug beneath him, he stepped calmly into the main room.
The vertical stripes of the blue wallpaper surrounded the room; trapping around it the living room, dining room, and kitchen all into one confined space. On the peach coloured couch was Topaz, bouncing around excitedly until she stopped after noticing Graphite walking through the doorway. She hopped off the couch, running up to Graphite at high speed, "Daddy! Finally you're here!" She blared with glee, gripping her arms around his big hoof as she pulled him to the dinner table.
Waiting on the other end of the wooden table was Sunny, sitting with anticipation for Graphite to arrive. She had her same smile that she took with her everywhere, sitting at the head of the table with a wrapped box by her hoof. Graphite inched up to the table with his daughter still latched to his hoof. As the family joined together in the room, Sunny stepped up from her chair to give Graphite a hardy hug followed by a quick peck on the cheek. Graphite could only smile, captured by the emotion and the exhaustion.
Sunny and Topaz both helped Graphite to a seat at the table, scooting the box up close for Graphite to open. He looked to the rectangular box that was wrapped with a yellow paper, tied with a simple white string. Graphite stopped to think, something age would never take away from him. He thought of his seventh birthday, knowing he was much older than seven. He never figured how old he was, or how old he had become. He could recall his childhood and the birthdays from that time, but his age was lost with his long sleep. Graphite could only keep track of the time from when he was born again; refreshed to a new world. So, Graphite was seven years old from his second birth, young at heart but old in his body.
"Open it, daddy!" The over-eager Topaz pressed.
"Alright, alright," Graphite eased back.
Using his magic, he untied the modest bow and opened the quaint present. The top moved away to show a uniform. It was a navy blue and made out of a soft cotton. Graphite pulled the folded coat from the box, unfolding it for all to see. Along the chest were a few decorations; a name tag on the left with 'Graphite' stenciled into it perfectly, a few fancy ribbons to commemorate Graphite's accomplishments, and small silver badge with rifles crossed to go on the collar. The lapel was placed symmetrically on the gold coloured collar, which stood tall on the neck. Chevrons were sewn into the shoulders, designating Graphite as a corporal. He rolled the suit up, setting it gently back in the box.
"How do you like it, Graphite?" Sunny asked with a bit of nervousness in her mind but only a smile to show.
Graphite turned to her, unable to find words to say. He was shocked, amazed at the wonder of his present. He mumbled out a 'Wow' as the only thing to show for his feelings followed by a simple question, "Where did you find this?"
Sunny grinned wider, relieved to know Graphite seemed to enjoy his gift, "Tsoy found it when he was on a trading trip near Hoofington. It was pretty roughed up when he brought it back, so I gave it to Pneumo. He fixed it, even added a tag with your name and those corporal insignias on the shoulders. "
"Yeah, I was starting to think that there's no way it was my uniform he found," Graphite chuckled.
"Well, consider it a present from Tsoy, Pneumo, and me."
"Thank you, Sunny," Graphite pulled the mare closer and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll be sure to thank your brothers when I meet them later."
Topaz reared up, leaning over Graphite with eyes wide as ever, "Are you going to try it on, daddy?"
"Yes, give me a moment," Graphite grinned, pushing Topaz away as softly as he could.
Graphite grabbed the rolled coat from the box, groaning and moaning while his hooves gripped the table and the back of the chair as he tried to stand. Sunny rushed over, pulling him up with both her hooves to pull the stallion up from the chair. He guided her away, assuring Sunny he didn't need the help.
Graphite slipped his arms through the sleeves, pulled the two ends of the jacket together, and buttoned it up tight. He folded the collar down to a comfortable crease, adjusted the lapel hanging from the fold, propped the ribbons to look straight and made sure the dust was clear from the tag. The suit fit perfect and sat well on his body, he looked ready for a march and had a smile to tag along.
Sunny came up to Sunny, reaching for his suit to further adjust it. It seemed perfect, she just needed to make sure it was better than perfect.
"It looks fantastic on you, Graphite - maybe you can wear it while we head out?" Sunny promoted, pulling down the ends of the jacket to get it on Graphite just so.
"Where are we going?" Graphite inquired.
"Oh, I placed an order on some sweet rolls for your birthday."
Topaz ran up to her mother, now leaning over her leg as she shouted to her, "Sweet rolls?" She exclaimed with wonder.
Unsurprised to the filly's innocence and rambunctious eagerness, Sunny pushed Topaz aside with the same leg the foal was leaning on. She turned back to her daughter, smiling at her as usual, "Yes, sweet rolls. They're very sweet and come served nice and hot!"
Topaz was practically drooling on the floor after the simple description, ready to go and get these incredible sweet rolls. She dashed for the door, her mother stopping her again before she ran off on her own. Graphite joined her by the door, Sunny leaving the room to grab a dress from the other room. The two stood anxiously waiting for Sunny, both grinning for their own reasons. Graphite looked down to his left, Topaz was bouncing like a ball. She was ready to bounce out the house, only held back by her parents orders. Graphite looked to his child, seeing how much she has grown in the span of six years. He could look back on all the things they had done together, all the things he has taught her personally, and all the moments that were worth remembering - but, all he could think about now was the way her hair bobbed as she jumped up and down. It was cute, nothing more, her large head almost as big as her little filly body. The orange in her hair could never catch the light well enough to look admirable, but it was cute enough to fit Topaz' needs.
Sunny walked into the room with her yellow dress on, her stature astute and her smile glowing brighter than ever. The room was aglow with the bounding joy of Topaz, the never ending cheer Sunny brought with her, and the breeze of Graphite's unwavering calmness. Graphite wouldn't say a peep, keeping all his words to himself. He thought better than he could hold a conversation, his mind on the idea of Sunny. She had been with him through thick and thin, the two coming out of Rossmore free ponies and leading a small adventure through the wasteland taking over Buckago. She's been there to bring a beaming grin to any pony that she meets, Graphite to suffer from long term effects of happiness. She'd saved his life at least twice, helped him through nightmares and flashbacks of war and terror, and gave reason to keep on living.
Graphite smiled at Sunny, content with the small family he has built. He spoke up after his silence, "Are we ready?" He asked aloud.
"Yes! Let's go!" Topaz answered without so much as skipping a beat, running through the foyer and stopping right at the door heading out the apartment.
Sunny nodded her head, "I am."
They all reached the door, Graphite opening it first and letting the mare and filly go ahead. They were already heading down the stairwell of the apartment, Graphite following them out. The door shut, the stallion left the building with his thoughts far behind him and his family near to him. |
Party for one, Party for all | pre | "But where will we stay while the new orphanage is being built?" Molly asked looking concerned.
"Not to worry, my family estate has plenty of guest houses, so that answers that, and don't worry about food, I will pick some up when I come to town." Shade reassured her. Molly nodded before turning towards Melody.
"Wow Melody, that dress is so pretty!" Molly complimented Melody.
"Aww, thank you! Rarity made it for me!" Melody said before looking at the white unicorn, who gave her a blushing wink.
"Uh, Melody? There's something I want to ask you and Clover," Pinkie said before trotting up to her.
"Is something wrong Pinkie?" Melody asked concerned.
"What ever it is, I can help anyway I can!" Clover cried, not wanting Pinkie to be upset.
"No, just opposite, I was wondering, if it's ok with you two, if you would allow me to, adopt the both of you, maybe?" Pinkie asked with tears stinging her eyes. This made Shade, Molly, and Pedro gasp, looking at Melody and Clover who had tears in their eyes.
"R-really? You want to be our mommy?" she asked with her voice breaking out of sheer happiness. It was only a nod from Pinkie that made Melody and Clover tackle her with a hug. "Oh, thank you Pin- er, I mean Mommy!" she said crying softly with happiness. "I love you mommy!" Melody said, which made everyone's eyes water at the beautiful scene before them.
"I love you mommy!" Clover said, crying with happiness.
"Mommy loves you so much too, my sweet little wittle angel cakes!" Pinkie said.
"I'm so happy for you Melody, but how will we still hang out if your in another dimension?" Pedro asked a little bit sad that Melody was going away.
"Inter dimensional Skype," Shade explained which made everyone look at him curiously. "If Discord can enchant some computers to receive telecommunications from different dimensions, you might be able to keep in touch with Melody, even though she's in a different world." he explained making everyone nod in understanding.
"Ok, so how do we get these computer things?" Rainbow dash asked.
"Remember, you're all talking to a rich kid," he deadpanned, making Rainbow blush out of embarrassment. "I'll head to the electronics store and pick up some computers for everyone, as soon as I go get my Hummer," he said before walking to his estate.
"I think this calls for a party!" Pinkie said pulling her party cannon out of nowhere.
"There will be a time for parties once Shade gets back with those 'computers' that he said he was going to go and get, so if you can just hold back until then, Pinkie?" Celestia asked her party pony subject, who just nodded in understanding.
"How did you pull that canon out of nowhere?" Pedro asked Pinkie quirking an eyebrow.
"Kid, it's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, just leave it at that, your head will hurt a lot less," Rainbow Dash explained. Pedro nodded in understanding. Just then they saw a crimson red hummer pull up in front of the courthouse.
"All aboard that's going aboard!" Shade called to the group, who walked to where Shade was, and got in to his car. As soon as the last of the group got in, he then turned on the engine and started to drive towards the electronics store.
A few hours later,
After getting the computers back to the guest rooms at the Goodrivers estate, Discord left to go and get the other orphans. While he did that, Shade got his technicians to install the computers into the rooms, and installed the Skype program on to the computers.
"Good, now we just have to wait for Discord to come back with the orphans, and after I show them all to their rooms, then we can have that party Pinkie talked about in the car." Shade said looking at the pink pony with a soft smile.
"YIPPE! Now I got to go and get some snacks for the party!" Pinkie said before bouncing happily away.
"How does..." Shade started before being silenced by Rainbow Dash.
"Dude, it's Pinkie, just leave it at that," she said with a deadpan tone.
"Well, I must be off, I might as well bring the Cakes to the party, so they can celebrate it with Pinkie," Celestia said before lighting up her horn.
"WAIT!" they all jumped when they saw Pinkie standing at the end of the hall, "Can you also invite my family too? My parents and my three sisters?" she asked with puppy eyes.
"Very well," Celestia said before teleporting back to Equestria. As soon as she was gone, Discord teleported in with the orphans.
"Whelp, here we are! You new home until renovations are done to the orphanage!" Discord said smiling at the children who were giggling at the funny looking creature.
"I have all the decorations set up downstairs, so we're ready for the party!" Pinkie said happily bouncing away. Shade, curious if Pinkie was really done, went downstairs, and his jaw dropped when he saw that the main foyer was decorated from top to bottom in various decorations. He was about to ask how she did it so fast, but he remembered not to question Pinkie. He then saw a flash of light and he turned to see Celestia had returned with ponies he assumed were the Cakes, and Pinkie's parents and sisters.
"Hey everypony!" they turned to see Pinkie bouncing happily towards them.
"Why hello Pinkie dearie, if I may ask, what is this all about?" Mrs.Cake asked with a quirked eyebrow. With the others nodding in agreement.
"It's to celebrate my adoption of Melody and Clover!" she happily replied. This drew gasps from her parents and sisters. Then one of her sisters came up.
"Pinkie, if you don't mind my asking, but whose Melody and Clover?" she asked in a sort of an unenthused tone.
"HERE WE ARE!" came two happy calls, and when they turned, their hearts melted at what they saw. At the top of the stairs, was Melody in a dress that looks like a cake. The bottom half looked like a chocolate cake, the torso looked like whipped cream with sprinkles, and the shoulders were cherry red. And as for Clovers dress, it was done up in a bright and sunny yellow color, with the same green clover pattern on it.
"Aww, you're the cutest little things ever!" Pinkie's mother commented with her husband and daughters all nodding in agreement with warm smiles of their faces.
"Did Rarity make those dresses sweeties?" Pinkie asked looking at the little sweethearts..
"That's right Mommy!" Clover said in a tone so incredibly cute, that even the toughest of the tough would melt at the mere sight and sound of her. Just then all the ponies and orphans all piled into the main foyer.
"Now we just need Spike, and then we can get this party started!" Pinkie said happily with anticipation.
"I shall go and get him, and the adoption papers." Celestia said before teleporting away.
"Melody, Clover sweethearts, these are my parents, Clyde Pie and Limestone Pie, and these two are my little sisters, Inky and Blinky, and or big sister, Maud." she said introducing her family.
"Hello everyone, it's nice to meet you all!" she said in such a tone, that made their tears already well up, even Maud.
"And I'm Clover!" Clover said with an equally cute tone.
"Well. it's nice to meet you to sweeties, and I'm happy that you're going to be my granddaughters." Clyde said with a smile.
"Aww, you two just to cute for words! And I would love for you to call me grandma," Limestone said with a tender smile.
"If they're going to be our grandma and grandpa, does that make you three our aunties?" Melody said with the cutest gaze in the history of cute gazes.
"I guess that would make sense." Maud said with a soft smile, with Inky and Blinky both nodding happily in agreement. Just then, Celestia teleported in a flash of light, with Spike on her back, carrying the adoption forms.
"Ok, children, quiet!" Celestia called to the chattering orphans with a motherly tone. "We are all here to celebrate the Pinkie's adoption of Melody Smith, and the ex-princess, Clover Harver. Now Pinkie, when your ready, just sign the legal document." She said to the pink pony showing the documents.
"I am ready," Pinkie said as she grasped the quill and signed the on the dotted lines. After signing the adoption forms, Pinkie gingerly cradled Melody and Clover like babies, "Thank you Princess Celestia! I promise to give Melody and Clover the everlasting love and comfort every child deserves." she said tearfully giving Melody and Clover a kiss on their foreheads.
Melody was also happy to the point she had tears. "Thank you Princess Celestia! I now have a new mommy and sister that I know will be so much fun!" she said happily snuggling up to Pinkie. This action melted the hearts of everyone there.
"Thank you Princess Celestia, I can now be happy with my new mommy and new sister!" Clover said giving Pinkie the cutest smile ever,
"Well? Is this a party or not?" Shade asked putting on some sunglasses. |
Party for one, Party for all | Chapter 5: Melody of a party and fireworks (4th of July special) (Rewritten) | After Pinkie signed the adoption papers, the party then progressed. Everyone was simply in love with how adorable Melody and Clover looked in their dresses. 'This is the first time I've ever been this happy in a long time' Melody thought to herself smiling. Pinkie then picked her up and put Melody and Clover on her back.
"Come on my sweet little cupcakes, what do you say to having some snacks?" Pinkie asked her new daughters with a smile.
"Ok mommy, that would be nice!" Melody said with her soft and sweet tone. Pinkie's heart melted at the sound of her daughters voice.
"I would love that mommy!" Clover said with a smile.
"Ok, the lets go and get us some cake!" Pinkie said skipping happily over to the desert table. Once there, they saw that the cake that Shade had baked was frosted with red and white stripes and a blue square with white stars in it. The ponies, Spike, and Discord were all looking at the cake curiously.
"Pardon me Shade, but if you don't mind, why is the cake you baked frosted like that?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
"It's the flag of North America. I decorated it to celebrate Independence Day, or the Fourth of July," Shade explained. This intrigued Twilight very much.
"Can you tell us about the Independence Day?" she asked with an adorable desire for human knowledge.
"Certainly, it all happened back in the 16th century, back when the 13 colonies were founded," Shade began, but then Rarity spoke up.
"The 13 colonies?" she asked curiously.
"Yep, they were the first 13 states of the United States of America. These states included New York, Maine, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut." Rainbow Dash snickered at how funny some of the states sounded. "Yes they may have funny names, but they are historically important. Because it in these colonies where some of the most important moments in history, like the Boston massacre, and the signing of what got us our freedom from the rule of Great Britain, the Declaration of Independence." he further explained drawing shocked looks on the faces of the ponies, Spike, and Discord. "It was drafted July fourth, 1776, and was signed by delegates from each of the 13 states, and every year, we celebrate what they did by having fireworks." Shade said finishing his explanation. The ponies were all amazed at the explanation. "And seeing at how the sun's going down, we should be seeing some fireworks real soon." he said looking out the window.
"But who lowers the sun here?" Twilight asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"No one, the earth's rotation around our sun allows the sun and moon to raise and set by themselves." Shade said matter-of-factly. This made Celestia and Luna horrified. "ALL RIGHT EVERYONE! THE FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS ARE ABOUT TO START!" Shade called to the children, who were all lining up to get cake, from which the alicorns and Rarity helped him distribute to the little ones, who then all took a place near the windows to see the fireworks first hand, or in the ponies case, first hoof. After taking their seats, the fireworks began, and the children were all amazed by all the colors. There was an incredible display of red, blue, yellow, green, and many more colors. After awhile, the grand finale came and went, and all the children were tuckered out, and wanted to go to bed. "All right kids, let's get you all to bed, and as for you all, it was wonderful meeting all of you, so I guess, this is goodbye for now," Shade said before waving goodbye to the ponies. Just then Pedro and Molly came running up to Melody and hugging her.
"We'll miss you Melody!" Pedro said practically crying.
"It'll be lonely without you," Molly said also sad that Melody is leaving.
"Don't worry guys, as long as I'm with you in your hearts, I will never leave," Melody said also tearing up.
Twilight walked up, teary eyed as well, "She's right, friendship is eternal, even when in different realms," she said trying to keep a smile.
"She's right! Never let the Melody that's in your heart disappear," Shade said backing up Twilight.
"Your right, all of us at the orphanage are still friends even if your not here Melody!" said Pedro, with new found reassurance.
"We'll never forget you Melody," Molly said giving her friend a big hug.
"And I won't forget any of you. GOODBYE!" Melody said with a tearful smile before going back to a now teary eyed Pinkie with Clover..
"GOODBYE MELODY!" the children all called to her before she disappeared.
"You did the right thing in telling her about being there in spirit, now let's get you all to bed," Shade said leading the children to their bedrooms. |
Party for one, Party for all | Chapter 6: Melody of a family and the luck of a new beginning (Edited) | After a tearful goodbye to her friends from the orphanage, Melody then looked up and smiled happily at her mommy. "Don't you worry my sweet cupcake princess, like Shade and Twilight said, your friends will always be with you, if you keep them in your heart," Pinkie said with a tearful smile of her own.
"I know mommy, and I also know that they'll stay in my heart, where friends can never leave," Melody said before making the worlds cutest yawn which was mimicked by Clover. Everyone who heard that d'awwed at how cute it was.
"Looks like somepony is a little sleepy heads!" Pinkie said picking up her sweet daughters. "Well, everypony, I'm going to go tuck Melody and Clover into bed," she said giving a yawn herself.
"Well, sweeties, it was nice to meet you, and remember, you're always welcome to come and visit us on our rock farm," Clyde said before yawning herself.
"I have to go back to my rock expedition, so I'll see you all later," Maud said slowly walking out the room.
"Ok, I love you all my aunties and uncles and grandma and grandpa!" Melody said to the others. They were all confused as to who she was calling uncles, but then Spike and Discord realized what she meant, and had tears of happiness flooding their eyes. Twilight noticed the tears in Spike and Discords eyes and the she knew what she meant.
"And would that make me and Pinkie's other friends and the Princesses you aunties?" Twilight asked with tears already stinging her eyes.
"YEP! I want you all as my family!" Melody said cutely with Clover nodding in agreement. The friends all d'awwed at her sweetness and also shed a few tears themselves.
"Ok, my sweet little nieces, would you like for me to wash your dresses?" Rarity asked her now new niece,
"Yes auntie Rarity, that would be nice! Can we go change into my pajamas?" Melody asked with her adorable twinkle in her eyes which was mimicked by Clover.
"Ok, I shall wait outside for you darlings," Rarity said with joy filled tears rolling down her cheek. Melody and Clover nodded, and grabbed their pajamas, and went into the bathroom to change.
"Oh Melody and Clover! Before me and Luna take our leave, we would just like to officially welcome you to Equestria," Celestia said with Luna trotting next to her. When they got close to Melody, the tapped her shoulders with their horns.
"Thank you auntie Celestia and Auntie Luna, we love you!" Melody said with the cutest smile in the history of cute smiles.
Without warning, Luna scooped up Melody in a big and tender hug, "Aww, we love you too!" she said with a squee.
"Hey, I want to hug her too!" Celestia said playfully glaring at her sister, which Luna responded by sticking her tongue at her.
"AUNTIE CELESTIA!" Melody and CLover said reaching her arms out trying to hug her. Celestia just scooted closer to make it easy on the child.
"Remember that we will always love you to no end," Celestia said, hugging her new niece with so much love.
"And I love you both too!" Melody said with her adorable smile.
"Well, ah best get goin' back to sweet apple acres, so Ah'll see y'all tomorrow," Applejack said with a yawn.
"Yeah, I better get back home too, I'll see you guys tomorrow," Rainbow Dash said before flying out the room.
"I guess I better go home to, if that's ok?" Fluttershy asked with a blush.
"Come on Spike we need to go, it's past your bedtime," Twilight said to the young drake.
"Ok, I want my bed," Spike said before passing out.
"Oh, Spike," Twilight said with a giggle, before placing him on her back. "Goodnight Melody and Clover, and have the happiest dreams possible," Twilight said to her niece with a tender smile.
"I will auntie Twilight, we love you!" Melody and Clover said with a smile that would melt any heart. Twilight was tearing up with unrivaled joy.
"AWW! I love you too pumpkin!" she said with a squee.
"Ok, we better go and get our pajamas on!" Melody said to Clover, who nodded before walking to the bathroom to change.
"Here Rarity, these are the dresses that Melody was wearing when I first found them," Pinkie said, giving her unicorn friend the sapphire blue dress.
"Thank you darling, I shall have them washed, and back to you by tomorrow, along with some new dresses." Rarity said with a giggle.
"While you all wait for Melody and Clover, I go ahead and install that computer that Shade gave us," Discord said before teleporting away to get to work.
"Ok auntie Rarity, here is our party dress," Melody said coming out of the bathroom with Clover.
"Thank You sweetheart, I will have them back to you by tomorrow," Rarity said before putting the dresses in her saddlebags and trotting back to her boutique.
"Ok sweeties, let's get you to bed," Pinkie said looking at her daughters who were getting very sleepy.
"Ok Mommy, I love you!" Melody said with an adorable yawn.
"I love you mommy!" Clover said before laying her head on the pillow.
"Mommy loves you too sweeties, and I always will!" Pinkie said before passing out in her bed. |
Party for one, Party for all | Chapter 7: Melody of New friends | As dawn broke over the happy little town of Ponyville, there was already activity going on in the bedroom of Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie was sleeping happily with her two daughters, Melody Smith, who Pinkie and her friends rescued from a cruel orphanage that was now put in the kind hands of Shade Goodrivers, and Clover Harver, a runaway princess who didn't like being a princess because of her parents harsh actions. As sunlight peeked through the window of Pinkies room, the party pony began to stir in her sleep. Blinking her eyes open, she looked down to see her angel food cakes nestled up to her with warm smiles on their faces. My sweet little babies, Pinkie thought to herself. Then, leaning down, she gently nuzzled their cheeks, "Melody, Clover, it's time to wake up pumpkins," she said in a soft tone. Hearing their mothers voice, Melody and Clover began to stir in their sleep. Blinking their eyes open, they looked up to see their new Mommy. "Good Morning my sweet angel cakes!" Pinkie said smiling at them.
With a cute little yawn, they smiled back at their Mommy, "Good Morning Mommy!" they said in unison. Pinkies heart melted at how cute they were.
"How about we go and get breakfast? I can make the same cinnamon oatmeal I made for you yesterday, if you want some that is," Pinkie said before helping the two girls onto the floor.
"Ok Mommy, that would be nice!" Melody said with her sweet tone.
"Yes Mommy, we would love to have oatmeal!" Clover said smiling up to her mother.
"GREAT! Let's head downstairs and I can get your oatmeal started!" Pinkie said leading her daughters out of the room and downstairs. When they got to the parlor, they saw their friends and three new fillies. "Hey girls! What's up?" Pinkie asked hopping over to her friends.
"Well, Applebloom, Big Mac and Granny were all wondering where we had all gone too, so ah told them, and Applebloom wanted to come with me to meet the little sweethearts," Applejack said looking at her little sister.
"YEAH! And y'all were right Applejack, they are sweet!" Applebloom said, looking at the two human girls.
"OH! Before I forget, here you sweethearts go," Rarity said before levitating a bundle of clothes over to the two girls, who carefully took a hold of them.
"Thank you for washing them Auntie Rarity!" Melody and Clover said in unison.
Rarity's heart melted at how they said it in unison. "Aww, you're welcome, my sweet angels of nieces," Rarity said with a blushing smile and turned to her sister. "And girls, this is my little sister, Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle, these two angels are Melody *motions to Melody*, and Clover *motions to Clover*." Rarity said introducing her sister to the two girls.
Sweetie Belle walked up to Melody and Clover to get a better look at them. "Aww, you two are just as cute as Rarity described you as!" she said wit a blush and a spark coming from her horn.
"It's nice to meet you Sweetie Belle," Melody said, smiling back to the unicorn filly.
"Howdy Melody and Clover, mah name is Applebloom, it's nice to meet you both," Applebloom said walking up to the two girls.
"It's nice to meet you too, Applebloom," Clover said smiling at the yellow earth filly.
"Hey, don't forget me!" They heard the voice of Scootaloo, who was fluttering her wings over to see the two girls. "My name is Scootaloo, it's nice to meet you both," she said smiling at the two girls. "And together, we make..." she started, looking at her friends.
"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" the three called loudly, causing Melody and Clover to cover their ears.
"Must you three be so loud?" Rarity asked with a faint giggle.
"What's the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Melody asked.
"We're a society seeking to help any fillies and colts find their special talents, which are displayed as pictures on their flanks, called cutie marks." Sweetie Belle explained.
"Is that what those pictures on everyone's flank called?" Clover asked, to which the ponies nodded.
"Well, while you two get to know these fillies, I'll go and make your oatmeal," Pinkie told her daughters, to which they nodded. "Ok, I will be back in momentarily." and with that, Pinkie bounced happily into the kitchen to get started on her daughters oatmeal.
"Girls, if you two want, we can take you around Ponyville and get you better acquainted with your surroundings," Twilight said to her nieces.
"Ok Auntie Twilight, that would be nice," Melody said with Clover nodding in agreement. After a while, Pinkie walked in with two bowls of oatmeal on her back.
"Here you go my precious princesses, but be careful, they're still warm," Pinkie said to her daughters, who carefully took the bowls and the spoons from their mother. And as soon as they had the spoons, they began to eat their oatmeal.
"Mm, it's very good Mommy, just like you made it yesterday!" Melody said to Pinkie, with Clover nodding in agreement.
"Aww, I'm glad you love it sweeties," Pinkie said with a squee. After a few good bites, they had finished the oatmeal. "Here, why don't I take your bowls, while you two go and get dressed?" Pinkie said to the two girls, to which, they nodded and walked to the bathroom to change, and wash up, before being stopped by Twilight.
"Wait girls, I picked these up for you before coming over," Twilight said, before levitating two cosmetic bags over to the two human girls. "Just a few bathroom supplies you two may need, includes a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and some other things you'll need for the bathroom," she explained to her nieces.
"Thank you Auntie Twilight, we love you!" they said in unison.
"Aww, I love you both too!" Twilight said with a blush. And with that, two girls left for the bathroom.
"They look just so sweet, it's hard to believe anypony would want to be mean to them," Sweetie Belle commented, with the other two crusaders nodding in agreement.
"Well, we won't ever have to worry about those ghastly orphanage 'caregivers' anymore, especially if Shade said he would keep watch of it," Rarity stated with a flick of her mane.
"Who's Shade?" Scootaloo asked with curiosity.
"He was a samurai that helped us uncover those awful orphanage staff members," Fluttershy said, looking at the orange and fuchsia filly.
"Uh, what's a samurai?" Applebloom asked.
"Samurai, an elite warrior who will fight with honor on the battlefield, and will help those in need," Twilight explained.
"He slashed through some chains the old head of the orphanage used to try and take Melody by force," Rainbow added to Shades description.
"Whoa! He sounds cool," Scootaloo commented.
"His actions made it clear that he is cool," Twilight explained to the Pegasus filly.
"Ok, we're ready!" they all turned to see Melody and Clover all dressed up in their new dresses. Melody's was an emerald green dress, and matching green shoes, and Clover was wearing a summer red dress, with a clover pattern on it.
"Aww, you two look so cute, I can just eat you up!" Rarity said with a blushing smile. The two girls blushed at being called cute.
"Well, if everypony's ready, lets go and see the town!" Pinkie said, appearing at the door out of nowhere. And with that, the group all left, and began the tour. |
Party for one, Party for all | Chapter 8: The Melody of a Farm | After the group left Sugarcube Corner, the ponies went to show Melody and Clover around the peaceful little town of Ponyville. "Ok, so where should we go first?" Twilight asked the group.
"Why not Sweet Apple Acres? I've always wanted to go to a farm, but the old caretakers would never take us, even if we were good," Melody said, giving them a sad smile.
"And mommy and daddy would never let me near dirt," Clover sadly said looking down in shame.
"Aww, don't worry sweethearts, we'll make sure your first visit to a farm is a good one," Applejack said, trying to reassure the two girls, who looked up with bright smiles.
"Ok Auntie Applejack, that would be nice," Melody said with a quiet tone, with Clover quietly nodding in agreement.
"Ok, lets go!" Pinkie said before hopping happily away to the farm, with her friends in tow, who just giggled at their friends giddiness.
After a while, they arrived at the farm, "Ok girls, here we are, Sweet Apple Acres, home to one of the largest bushels of apple orchards in Equestria," Applejack said showing them the main part of the farm, which had the main farmhouse, the barn, a pigpen, and some grape vines for when they make grape juice. The grapes made Clover curious.
"You grow grapes here too?" she asked sweetly.
"Eeyup, we grow a lot more than just apples here, would you like me to show you around?" Applejack asked her two nieces.
"Ok Auntie Applejack, we would love that, thank you," Melody said with a soft yet warm smile on her face.
"Why don't we go meet Granny Smith and Big Macintosh first? Ah can guarantee y'all will like them," Applejack said to the two small girls.
"Ok Auntie Applejack, that would be nice," Clover said with a smile, following the farm mare. After a little bit of walking, they soon see the old green earth mare on the front porch.
"Hey Granny, we have some company," Applejack said to her grandmother, who turned to see her granddaughter, accompanied by her friends, and the two new faces.
"Why howdy everypony, what brings y'all here?" Granny asked the group, and then she focused her attention to the two human girls standing with them. "D'aww, and who are these little cuties?" she asked looking at the small children, who were blushing at being called cute, but hid behind Pinkie, being the shy little girls they are.
"Now girls, there's no reason to be scared, Granny Smith is a nice pony," Pinkie said, which reassured them. Carefully walking out, the two girls stood in front of the old earth mare.
"Melody, Clover, this is Granny Smith, the head of the farm. Granny, these are Pinkies daughters, Melody and Clover," Applejack said introducing her grandmother and Nieces.
Walking up to get a closer look at the two, Granny smiled, "Why howdy there, you two don't have ta worry none, Ah won't hurt ya ever," Granny Smith said in a reassuring voice. This made the two girls smile that she wasn't going to hurt them.
"Hello Granny Smith," they both said in unison. Granny smiled warmly at the two. Just then, they all saw Big Macintosh walk out of the farmhouse. Melody and Clover soon walked back behind Pinkie.
"It's ok, Big Mac is a nice pony just like Granny Smith," Pinkie reassured her daughters, who gently poked their heads out from behind Pinkie. "Sorry Big Mac, they're really shy," Pinkie explained to Applejacks brother.
"No problem," Big Mac simply said with a smile.
Applejack and Applebloom rolled their eyes at the simplicity of their bothers speech. "Well girls, this is mah and Appleblooms brother, Big Macintosh. Big Mac, these two sweethearts are Clover and Melody, Pinkies daughters," Applejack said introducing the two girls and her brother to each other.
Smiling a kind and "I will never hurt you" type smile, Big Mac spoke up, "Why howdy there, there ain't no reason to be scared o' me. Like Applejack said, mah name is Big Macintosh, and it's a pleasure to meet both of ya," he said in a deep voice.
Looking up to see the kindness in his eyes, Melody and Clover both walked up, "Hello Big Macintosh, it's nice to meet you too," they said in unison. Everypony d'awwed at how cute they were, speaking in synch.
"Well, with all introductions out o' the way, why don't we start the tour of the farm in the orchard?" Applejack asked, smiling tenderly at her nieces.
"Ok Applejack, that would be nice," Melody said, with Clover nodding in agreement.
"Then lets go!" Applejack said, leading the group into the orchard.
Meanwhile with Celestia and Luna,
"Alright Luna, our mission is to inform Clovers original parents that she will be living with us, no longer royalty herself," Celestia explained to her lunar sister.
"I understand, now lets go," Luna said, lighting up her horn. Celestia copied Luna's action, and in a flash of light, they were gone. After teleporting once again to the human world, they looked up to see a gothic European castle before them. "We should probably use stealth for this mission, so we can bypass the guards," Luna suggested, only to be met with a shake of the head by Celestia.
"No Luna, we must let them know we are here to see them, but we should use stealth ONLY to get by the guards," Celestia informed her sister. With a nod from Luna, they began to sneak to the castle entrance. When they saw the entrance, they noticed a small band of six guards stationed outside the castle doors. "Luna, do you think you can put them to sleep?" Celestia asked her sister, who simply nodded, and with a flash of her horn, she was able to put the guards to sleep. "Good! Now we can make our way to the throne room." And with that, the two sisters began to walk into the castle.
After some walking, and putting the guards to sleep, the two sister found the throne room, and as luck would have it, both the king and queen were sitting on the throne. When the royal couple saw the alicorns, they gasped in surprise. "What is the meaning of this?!Where are the guards?!" the king demanded with fury.
"Calm yourself, we mean no harm. I am Celestia, princess of the sun and co-ruler of Equestria," Celestia said introducing herself, before turning towards her sister.
"And I am Luna, princess of the moon and co-ruler of Equestria," Luna said with a slight frown.
"Alright, lets not waste time, we're looking for our daughter, Clover Harver," the king said with a rude tone.
"I assure you, Clover is perfectly safe," Celestia said with a smug look.
"What do you mean? WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!" the queen demanded with a sneer.
"She now lives with us in Equestria, where she can be loved and comforted, something you two obviously could never do," Luna said with smugness in her voice.
"IN A FOREIGN LAND?! THIS MEANS WAR!" the king proclaimed.
"I'm afraid that Equestria is a parallel world from this one, it can't be accessed." Celestia explained. "And we have given her nothing but the love every child deserves. We even had a party to celebrate her adoption, along with her new sister, Melody Smith," Celestia informed them, which made the queen gasp.
"She didn't eat anything sweet, did she?" the queen demanded in anger.
"And she really will call a pair of commoners a sister and a mother?!" the king raged.
"She did, and she truly deserved something sweet," Luna snarled back.
"And she will, and has all the friends a child could ask for," Celestia answered the king, no longer having a sweet, motherly tone in her voice.
"Then, you can keep her! She has disgraced our family by indulging in something sweet, and daring to call commoners a family and friends!" the king said, just giving up on asking for his daughter.
"You can tell our ex-daughter that she is no longer part of our family, and that she can live out her days as a shameful commoner," the queen added on.
Celestia sadly shook her head in disappointment. "How can you say such awful things to your only daughter?" she asked, looking disappointingly at the royal couple.
"She is not our daughter anymore! We shall erase her name from the family tree, never to be heard of again," the queen snapped at the sisters.
"Now, GET OUT OF OUR SIGHT!" the king yelled at the sisters, who lit up their horns, and teleported out of the castle.
Back in Canterlot Castle, Luna looked up at her sister, "How can parents be so cruel to their one and only daughter?" she asked with tears stinging her eyes.
"I do not know, but Clover can now live happily in her new home, with her new family," Celestia said with a tender smile on her face, which reassured Luna.
Meanwhile back at Sweet Apple Acres,
"And this is the sanctuary where we keep the Vampire Fruit Bats," Applejack said, leading the group to where the Vampire Fruit Bat sanctuary was.
"How is a vampire fruit bat different from a regular fruit bat?" Melody asked curiously.
"Well, the seeds from the fruit they eat become more potent fruit trees," Fluttershy explained, as a couple of bats came and landed on her head, "They aren't as scary as they look. They're really sweet little creatures," Fluttershy said, lowering her head to give the two girls a good look at the bats.
"Aww, they are as cute as you said Auntie Fluttershy," Clover commented, brushing her finger slightly over the bats head. The bat she petted chittered at how good it felt being rubbed on its head.
"Aww, it looks like this one like being petted," Fluttershy said with a blushing squee.
"Well, lets get back to the main part of the farm and continue the tour there," Applejack said to the group, who followed the orange earth mare. After some walking, the group arrived at the main branch of the farm, "Ok girls, where would y'all like to go next?" Applejack asked the two sweethearts she calls her nieces.
Looking around, Melody saw a fence area, "What's that over there Auntie Applejack?" Melody asked farmer pony.
"That would be the pig pen," Applejack replied, leading her nieces over to the pen. "This is where all our pig like to roll around in the mud," Applejack explained, which made Clover raise her hand.
"Why do they like to roll in mud?" she asked innocently.
"It helps keep them cool, and also keeps bugs off o' them," Applejack explained.
"Is that right?" Melody asked surprised, to which Applejack nodded. "Wow! I thought it was because piggies liked to be all muddy," she commented with a giggle. Just then, they heard barking, and they turned to see a brown and white collie dog running towards them. "Aww, a puppy!" Melody said smiling with a blush.
"This is Winona, the family dog. She's really friendly once ya get ta know her," Applejack said, introducing her dog, who was sniffing the two girls curiously, but barked happily. "Aww, she likes ya both," Applejack said with a blush.
"I really like her too, Auntie Applejack," Melody said, with Clover nodding in agreement, who turned to see the barn.
"Auntie Applejack, what's that barn over there?" Clover asked, pointing at the red barn.
"That's the barn we use for storage." Applejack replied, leading them to the barn. "We use the barn to store apples for the winter," Applejack said, showing them inside the barn.
"Wow! Barns are a lot bigger than I thought!" Clover commented.
"Well, that pretty much wraps up the tour of the farm, so where should we go now?" Applejack asked her friends and nieces.
"Why not show them where I work?" Rarity asked, looking at the two sweet as candy girls. "If it's ok with you two?" she asked with a blush.
"Ok Auntie Rarity, that would be nice," Clover replied, with Melody nodding in agreement.
"Then lets go!" Rarity proclaimed, leading the group to the boutique. |
Party for one, Party for all | Chapter 9: Melody of a Boutique and sisters | After leaving the farm, the group, lead by Rarity, then proceeded to take Melody and Clover to Carousel Boutique, where Rarity would shoe her nieces where she makes the dresses they now wear. "Once we get to my boutique, I can show where I make all the designs for all the wonderful outfits, including the dresses you two adorable sweethearts wear now!" Rarity said with a blushing squee.
Melody and Clover both blushed at being called adorable, "I know that we'll like where you work Auntie Rarity!" the girls said in unison. The ponies, even Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, all d'awwed at how cute they were, talking in synch.
After some walking, Sweetie Belle gently spoke up, " Hey girls? Did you two ever had any brothers and sisters when you were back on this 'Earth' planet?" she asked in a soft tone.
Sweetie Belles response were two headshakes from the two human girls, "No Sweetie Belle, I was an only child when I went to that terrible orphanage," Melody sadly said.
"And my Mommy never had anymore babies before or after me, so I was pretty lonely back at the castle," Clover added on sadly.
"Don't worry about that. You'll never be that lonely ever again," Twilight reassured them.
"What do you mean Auntie Twilight?" Clover asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Well, you both share the same Mommy, don't you?" Twilight asked. As they nodded, Twilight giggled, "Then neither of you two are only child's, are you?" she asked with a smile.
Clover and Melody soon caught on to what Twilight was on about. "So you're saying..." Melody started, looking at Clover.
"That, we're sisters?!" Clover asked, almost in joy filled tears as she looked at Melody.
"That's right. The moment you were adopted by Pinkie, you two became sisters," Rainbow explained. This got some tear filled squeals from the two girls as they both gently hugged each other.
"Oh, I'm so happy that you're my sister Melody!" Clover said happily.
"Couldn't put it better myself Clover!" Melody said, equally happy. This made everypony tear up with happiness, Rainbow Dash included, but she clenched her eyes shut to stop the tears.
"Alright, let's get the Boutique now! You're all making me sappy," Rainbow complained, but was ignored when the mares all wrapped her up in a group hug. "ALRIGHT! Lets just continue on!" Rainbow said, annoyed about the unexpected group hug, but giggled, nevertheless.
"Alright, lets go on," Rarity said, leading the group to the boutique.
Meanwhile, back with Spike,
After taking care of his usual chores, Spike found himself with some free time. He decided that if he had no more chores to take care of, he may as well go and read his new Power Ponies comic. After retrieving some gems to snack on, he continued back to his room to get to reading. He was about to open up the comic book, when he felt a burp coming on. As soon as he burped, he was very surprised to see that he burped his usual green flames, and a letter formed from the flames. It had Celestia's royal seal on it, so he knew it was important. "Huh, wonder what this is?" Spike asked himself. as he opened up the scroll, he found a letter that said,
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Me and Luna were successful in informing Clover former parents that she would be living with us from now on. Sadly, when we told them that she would accept Pinkie Pie and Melody as her mother and sister and that she indulged in sweets, they just gave up on asking us for Clovers return. They were talking nonsense about how eating sweets had brought shame to their family. So, at least they now know they won't need to worry about her safety anymore, if they still cared about their daughter at all. You may tell Clover, when you next see her, that she is here to stay in Equestria.
Sincerely, you fellow princess and mentor, Celestia.
After reading the letter, Spike let a few stray tears roll down his cheek. "Gosh, I never thought that parents would be that horrible to a sweet little girl like Clover. Well, I better find and give Twilight this letter," Spike said, before running as fast as his legs could carry him out of the castle to find his friends. As he left the castle, he saw the mares all walking in to Carousel Boutique. "Well that was easy," Spike said before dashing off to catch up with the mares.
Back with the Mane 6,
After some walking, the ponies all arrived at the Carousel Boutique. When the two girls saw the large building in front of them, they stared in awe at how much it looked like an actual carousel. "Wow Auntie Rarity, your house looks like a real carousel," Clover commented with an awe filled smile.
"Well, that is how the town made it look like when it was first built," Rarity explained with a smile, looking down at her nieces. "Well, lets all not stand out here gathering dust, lets go inside!" Rarity said, unlocking the door, and leading her friends, sister, and nieces into the boutique. "And this is where I make all the dresses I design, including the ones you two wear now," Rarity said, pointing at the dresses the two human girls were wearing.
Clover then noticed three mirrors, "What are these mirrors Auntie Rarity?" Clover asked, pointing at the mirrors.
"That is where I make sure the dresses all fit, and make sure the ponies who wear them are presentable in said dresses," Rarity explained. "It's also where I take the measurements I need to make sure the dresses fit perfectly," she added on. She then motioned the two girls to follow her upstairs. As the two girls followed the white unicorn upstairs, they came to a room that had all sorts of fabrics and a sewing machine. "And this is where I come up with the inspiration for all my dresses," Rarity said, showing he nieces her workroom. "Here, I draw up different designs for the many dresses, and I put all the requests for dresses for many celebrities, like Sapphire Shores, the pony of pop," Rarity explained.
"I bet she's a good singer!" Melody commented with a smile.
"Oh heavens, she is. Why, she's one of the most famous singers in all of Equestria!" Rarity said with a happy sigh, before turning back to the two girls. "Well, that's pretty much all there is to see here, so lets go and find a new destination," Rarity said, leaving the room, with the two girls following her. As they walked down, they saw that Spike was with their friends, and that he, along with the others, had tear filled eyes. "Why what ever is the matter?" Rarity asked, feeling immediately concerned for her friends.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can help!" Clover said, trying to lift everyone's spirits.
As soon as they all saw Clover, Pinkie, without warning, scooped up Clover in a comforting hug, "Oh my sweet, precious Clover, its the letter that Uncle Spike brought us," Pinkie said, looking at the young drake.
"Here, it might be easier for you to read it, than us explain it," Spike said, handing Clover the letter. Melody and Rarity both looked over Clovers shoulders to see the letter.
After reading the letter, Clover was already in tears, "I-I-I can't believe Mommy and Daddy would just abandon me like that," Clover said depressingly.
"You poor baby, we'll make sure that you never have to hear from those awful real parents of yours, ever again," Rarity said, rubbing Clovers shoulders.
"Yeah! You deserve better than those meanies!" Melody said, hugging her sister.
"Well, lets not let this letter spoil our outing. Shall we continue our tour of Ponyville?" Rarity said, trying to change the subject.
"Um, if it's ok with you two, I can show you both my animal sanctuary?" Fluttershy asked with a blush.
"That sounds like fun!" Clover said, regaining her happiness.
"I would love to see more animals!" Melody said with a smile.
"Well, lead the way Flutters," Rainbow said, giving Fluttershy the right of way. And as soon as they left the boutique, and Rarity locked the door, they made their way to Fluttershy's cottage. |
Party for one, Party for all | Chapter 10: Melody of an animal sanctuary and the luck of a crush (edited) | While walking through town from Carousel Boutique, Melody and Clover were both smiling at how friendly the ponies seemed to be, especially a mint green unicorn they saw with a big smile on her face. Once out of the town, the girls noticed that they were close to a dark forest. "Mommy, what's that?" Clover asked, pointing at the forest.
"That would be the Everfree Forest. Its home to some wild and dangerous plants and animals. We try to avoid that dark place, except when we go to visit our Zebra friend, Zecora, who's a wiz at making potions and herbal teas," Pinkie explained, looking back at her daughters.
"It's also home to the old castle that Celestia and Luna once lived in, as well as the tree of harmony," Twilight added on, with a smile.
"Oh, ok!" Melody said in understanding, with Clover nodding in agreement.
"Oh, girls, look! That's my animal sanctuary right there," Fluttershy said, pointing to her cottage by the forest.
The two girls were amazed at how many animals there were, "Wow Auntie Fluttershy, these are all your pets?" Clover asked, shocked at how one pony can take care of so many animals at once.
"Why yes, I just love taking care of all sorts of animals who can't take care of themselves," Fluttershy replied with a squee. "Would you like me to show you two around, if that's ok?" Fluttershy asked her nieces, who nodded in unison, which made Fluttershy giggle. "Well, out front is my garden, where I keep some of my birdhouses, and my otter habitat," Fluttershy said, motion towards under the bridge to her house, where some otters were playing in the water.
"Aww, they're so cute!" Melody said with a blush.
"And if you come back here to my backyard," Fluttershy said, motioning the group to follow her, "you can see my chicken coop, where I keep all my chickens," Fluttershy said, showing her nieces the wooden coop in a chicken wire fence.
"Are there a lot of chickens?" Clover asked.
"Why yes, and all of them are real sweethearts," Fluttershy said, smiling at her niece.
Just as Fluttershy was about to show the two girls some more animals, she heard a stallion call for her, "FLUTTERSHY! I NEED YOUR HELP!" the stallion called.
"Oh my, that's Thunderlane!" Fluttershy said, trotting towards her front porch area, to find the black stallion with a silver Mohawk mane standing with a worried look on his face, accompanied by his little brother, Rumble. "Thunderlane? What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked.
"Its our pet falcon, we think he's getting ill," Thunderlane replied, giving Fluttershy a brown and white falcon, who looked to be in terrible condition.
"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy said, taking the bird inside for treatment. "I'll see what's wrong, then I'll get back to you both," Fluttershy said, turning back to the brothers, who nodded in understanding.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Rumble asked his brother.
"We just have to wait and see," Thunderlane replied, trying to keep his little brother from getting worried.
"Thunderlane? What are you doing here?" asked Rainbow Dash, as she and the others came out from behind Fluttershy's house.
"Our falcons sick, so we thought Fluttershy might know something as to why he's feeling under the weather," Thunderlane replied, with Rumble nodding in agreement.
"Well, alright, as long as you aren't shirking from weather patrol," Rainbow said, giving Thunderlane a stern look. "OH! Before I forget, I want you two to meet my nieces, and Pinkies daughters," Rainbow said, looking towards her party friends back, with the two girls realizing that their auntie was talking about them, quickly hide in their mommy's poofy mane, "C'mon girls, there's no need to be scared, Thunderlane might be a tad lazy, but he won't hurt you," Rainbow whispered to her nieces, who carefully poked their heads out of Pinkies mane. "Girls, this is Thunderlane, and his brother Rumble," Rainbow said introducing her nieces to her Pegasus friends, "Guys, these two are Melody *motions to Melody*, and Clover *motions towards Clover*. They were recently adopted by Pinkie, so they're living with us from now on," Rainbow said, introducing her friends to her nieces.
Looking at the two girls with a smile, Thunderlane carefully trotted up to the two girls, "Why hello girls, there's no reason to be scared of me or Rumble, we're nice ponies," Thunderlane said in a gentle tone.
"And I hope to see you in school at the end of summer," Rumble said, smiling up at the two girls.
"Its nice to meet you Thunderlane, and we hope to see you in school too Rumble," the girls said in unison.
Just then, Fluttershy came out with the falcon, "Ok, it seems to be just a stomach-ache, so I would recommend you getting a fresh bag of bird seed," Fluttershy said, looking to the brothers.
"Ok, but do we need to give Skylar any medicine?" Thunderlane asked.
"I don't think any medicine will be needed, but make sure to give him plenty of rest," Fluttershy said sternly, to which the brothers nodded in understanding, and flew away with their falcon.
"They seem nice," Melody said with a smile, with Clover only nodding slightly in agreement as she kept her eyes on Rumble.
"Well, how about we finish up the tour of Ponyville at my castle?" Twilight suggested, to which the two girls nodded happily in agreement. "GREAT! Now lets go," Twilight said, leading the group back to Ponyville. While the others weren't looking, Clover gave a soft blush at her memory of Rumble. However, none of them noticed the clouds above began to swirl around in a vortex like manner.
To be continued... |
Party for one, Party for all | Chapter 11: Melody of a castle and a new adventure | Leaving behind Fluttershy's cottage, the Mane Six, along with Melody and Clover, Spike, and the Crusaders, made their way through town to the Castle of Friendship. On their way through town square, a mint green blur suddenly appeared next to Pinkie, which made the two human girls jump in surprise, "LYRA!" an annoyed mares voice called. The ten friends then took notice of a mint green unicorn with amber eyes standing next to Pinkie, staring intently at the two girls. "Lyra, if I told you once, I told a thousand times, don't rush off like that," the friends all turned to see a cream colored mare with a dark blue, yellow, and pink mane and tail, staring annoyingly at the unicorn in question.
"Sorry Bon-Bon, but look, humans!" the unicorn, which Melody and Clover presumed was Lyra, squealed like a fan girl. This put anime sweat marks on the Mane Six, Spike, the Crusaders, and the two human girls.
"I assume you knew what we were before we met you, right?" Melody asked.
"Oh yes! I've always wanted to meet a human, and now Ponyville has two new human residents!" Lyra replied, still squealing, just before fainting.
"I'm sorry girls, you'll have to excuse Lyra. She tends to get over excited when her dreams come true, in this case, that would be you two," Bon-Bon said to the two human girls, as she picked up Lyra.
"Oh no, its alright. We're happy that she got to realize her dreams," Clover reassured.
"Ok, well, we'll see you around," Bon-Bon said, as she carried the unconscious Lyra away.
"Wow, a lot of the ponies around here look like fun," Melody commented.
"And a lot of them are," Pinkie Pie said.
"Alright, lets continue on to the castle," Twilight said, unaware of the strange formation of swirling clouds in the sky.
After some walking, the group finally made it to the Castle, "Whoa, this place is giant!" Clover exclaimed.
"Well, it was built by magic," Twilight explained, "Well, lets get to the dining room," she said, leading her friends to the palace dining room. A few minutes later, they had arrived at the dining hall, which was just as impressive as the outside. It was a blue crystal room, with a large wooden table in the shape of Twilight's cutie mark, with seven chairs surrounding it, each with the cutie mark of the ponies on the top of them, "So, what would you all like to eat?" Twilight asked.
"I'd like just a daisy and daffodil sandwich, please," Fluttershy asked politely.
"Make that a double darling, if you wouldn't mind," Rarity asked.
"Actually, better make that a triple sugar cube," Applejack said.
"Eh, go ahead and get two more for me and Pinks," Rainbow Dash said, with the pink mare nodding in agreement.
"We'd like some nachos," Applebloom said, motioning to herself and her friends.
"What about you two?" Pinkie asked, looking at her daughters.
"I'd just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich," Melody said.
"Same here please," Clover said.
"Alright, be right back," Twilight said, heading into the kitchen with Spike. A few minutes later, they came back out with a trolley with the requested food items, "Alright everypony, lunchtime," she said, levitating the food to each of the food items to the friends who requested them. And so they all began to eat their lunch, "How are you all enjoying it?" Twilight asked.
"Its delicious Aunty Twilight," Melody said.
"Why thank you sweetie," Twilight said, before noticing a dazed look in Clover's eyes, "Clover, are you ok?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm ok," Clover replied, "I was just thinking that this is the first time another princess gave me any food like a sandwich," Clover explained.
"Well, I just used regular everyday bread and peanut butter and jelly to make it, so there isn't really a cause for alarm," Twilight reassured.
With that assurance, Clover took a bite out of the sandwich, "Ooh, it tastes good," Clover said, as she took another bite of the sandwich.
"Why thank you sweetheart," Twilight said with a blushing smile.
After a while, everyone had finished their lunches, "Ok, so, what should we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well, since Clover and Melody are still new to Ponyville, I should take them back to Sugarcube Corner so I can prep a welcome party," Pinkie said, "If its not too much trouble, could you girls spread some invitations to everypony in Ponyville?" the pink mare asked.
"You can count on us Pinkie. We'll see you three later," Twilight said, as Pinkie and her daughters left the castle to go find decorations.
After making their way from the castle to the town square, Pinkie, Melody, and Clover noticed a bunch of ponies looking distressed. Walking over to the local town DJ, Viynal Scratch, Pinkie asked, "Viynal, is something wrong?"
"You bet there is Pinks, look up there!" the blue maned unicorn said, pointing up into the sky.
Looking up, Pinkie Pie, along with her daughters noticed the clouds began swirling faster and faster. When they were up to speed, everyone noticed a wormhole was beginning to open in the eye of the storm. At first, nothing seemed to be affected by the anomaly except for two things: Clover and Melody. Without warning, a mysterious force began to suck in the two girls without warning. "MOMMY!" the two girls screamed in terror.
"Girls! Hold on to my hooves!" Pinkie screamed to her daughters in fear. But as soon as Melody and Clover got close enough, a mysterious force knocked Pinkie away from her daughters, as they were unwillingly pulled into the vortex, leaving only a heartbroken party mare to mourn her loss. But what she didn't notice, was the vortex was beginning to swirl as though it was drawing something from the outside inward. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | pre | ; Me & Illia Walked out of the living room and went to the room that we're sharing, when I closed the door I turned to see Illia looking at the floor thinking about something.
"Are you okay Illia your looking pretty hard at that part of floor" asked Blake.
"U-uh I just was thinking of the Wolf Faunus the one with the shadows clones" Illia blushes.
"What about her?" asked Blake.
"...she had a SDC branding mark on her on her forehead behind her green highlighted hair" said Illia with a low voice.
'like the one on Adam's face' thought Blake "Are you sure she was one of the Orphans who hated the white fang for killing the human" asked Blake.
(I don't actually remember which side I said The SDC branding was)
"Yes" Illia said with confidence.
"If that's true then she's a traitor" said Adam.
Blake turned around to see the door open and Adam Torres standing in the middle of the doorway a hand on the hilt of his sword he walked in, and Illia looked mad at him for not asking to come in or maybe that he called the Wolf Faunus girl a traitor.
"What do you mean Adam" asked Blake.
"If she's from the SDC and has been branded than she should have been glad for the death of a human" stated Adam.
"But she wasn't she was angry for the death of the human, and what she should have done was join the white fang" stated Adam.
"Please don't be like that when you apologize, The white fang can't handle a war against the Crystal family" Illia asked.
; Adam just shot her a look that was hidden behind the mask at least only is eyes, and left with out saying anything I couldn't help myself but admire the way he's so devoted to the cause, Illia must have seen the expression on my face because she then asked.
"Blake do you "like" adam" Illia asked in an unhappy like way.
"I-I uh maybe" said Blake.
____________________________________________________
[Time Skip]
{1008 Crystal St. Chrysalis's district}
Chrysalis Crystal POV
(Okay now we're in the School part)
; I couldn't help but have a hint of a smile on my face the kid Adam Torres was getting hating glares from the rest of the white fang of Mantle, and from those who came from Atlas slums when they heard what happened to William Afton, and were unhappy about Adam when they heard what he did under my roof and in front of my kids.
; Why were they mad at Adam you may asked for one most of the White Fang members had family who had help or helped my family in present & past, no doubt some of them might quit the white fang to remain in the good graces of the crystal family, I wouldn't be surprised if they join or try to join my family servant or minions, they just better not try to join "The Swarm".
; As for the White Fang members from Atlas slums there reason for coming here is because there knew the Afton family for one reason or another, when they came here and found out how William Afton die they were outrage of how it was one of there own who was responsible for it.
Just like how the Crystal family helps faunus in mantle, the Afton family helps faunus in Atlas, but the faunus in mantle has been getting worse polluted air, request from prosthetics denied, higher wages denied, and better working conditions denied, and William Afton showed up to fix what he could and die trying by the very people he was helping.
After both Mantle and Atlas White Fang members found out why Faunus and Humans hated them now they were happy for the execution of Tom it was bad enough for them that humans mistreating them now they need to worry about their own racist hating them because of him.
; After the execution I went to my office and saw that Vanny's birthday is in a month or less she'll soon be a 11-years-old girl, I wanted all of my kids to attend the same school since William is gone do they don't need a new teacher or going to school, I didn't like it since her kids didn't play well with kids who are not from the orphanage.
; I already have a school in mind "Canterlot Combat School" it was both a middle and high school it had a huntsmen curricular course even if your not going to be a huntsman or huntress which is useful since some jobs will hire you for having huntsman training, and the school time there was 8:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. for lowerclassmen and 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. for upperclassmen.
; The Vice-Principal it's also known to accept any student despite the background so long is this they behave the Principal is more picky, however they had fights in their school and the students involved in the fight didn't get suspended, they even have duels to solve conflicts between students if need be.
Chrysalis wanted to make sure her kids were ready for school so she press a button that activated the intercom that was in the orphanage in case she needs to talk to all the kids in the orphanage 2 minutes later the main room was filled, Chrysalis told the kids about the school and some volunteered to go, but others wanted to go to jobs since the faunus children mental labor isn't against the law.
Thanks to unsurprisingly Jacques Schnee, Faunus(es) 13+ can work in some jobs if they can't or won't go to school, both Sunset Shimmers, Chrissy, Roxanne, Vanny, May, Oura, Tati, Hollow, and a few younger kids like Scootaloo, Thomas, Ralph, and Pigpatch.
; Pigpatch a pig 🐖 Faunus (not FNAF animatronic in this crossover, But does have cybernetic enhancements), Thomas a camel 🐪 Faunus, Ralph a gorilla 🦍 Faunus, and little Scootaloo a pony 🐎 Faunus (I won't have any Unicorn or Pegasus Faunus) who's in a wheelchair, but will hopefully be adopted regardless.
Other's went to Jobs like "Afton's Mega Pizza Plex: Mall & Shop" and Mom & pop's shops when Chrysalis had the kids that wanted to go to school she made a call to the CCS Principal or rather the Principal Secretary Raven inkwell.
(PC: Principal Celestia VPL: Vice Principal Luna C: Chrysalis RI: Raven inkwell)
"Hello you have reached the "Canterlot Combat High School" reception desk this is Raven inkwell how may I be of assistance" - RI
"Good evening I am the Mistress of an orphanage with kids who want to go to CCS school and was wondering what is the procedure for some of my orphans to attend a school" - C
"A well normally it would be like any other procedure like of a parent and their child, but the principal of CCS likes to go to the orphanages to meet you and the kids personally, in case something happens that makes it hard for you to come to us" - RI
"I will tell the principal and she will call you back when she has time, and we'll set up a visiting meeting for her to go to the Orphanage, I just need you to give me a phone number, an address, and the name of the Orphanage" - RI
Chrysalis waited for a callback and got it around 6:00 P.M. when she answered there was two voices instead of one which had Chrysalis wandered who it was since as far as she knew the principal was single.
"Hm is this the head lady of the orphanage" - PC
"Yes, I'm... I'm Chrysalis Crystal, and the reason why I'm having the kids inter school is because the person I had teaching them die in a car accident" - C
Celestia didn't sound like she cared or more likely she didn't know of the Crystal family, and was more focused on the kids who would be unrolled to her school, and sad for the now dead teacher (William Afton).
"Oh tha-" - PC
"Wait sister did she say her name is Crystal... As an The Crystal family" - VPL
"...Yes" - C
"I... I use to work for the Crystal family... When... If we let your kids in... Will they be on there best behavior... And will they agree to be with me being there teacher, guidance counselor, and more" - VPL
"... Yes but why" - C
"I don't want to convince them into leaving you... It's just- it was hard for me to get along with other people, when I came out of Mantle and got back to Atlas" - VPL
"Ok I'm sure there won't have a problem with that thank you... And will it be okay for them to have body cameras?" - C
"Body cameras?" - VPL
"It so if something does happen there's video footage for what happened" - C
"...I'll have them be live footage" - VPL
"Even better" - C
"The summer break is almost here, You can enroll them after the break, I will visit you during the break" - VPL
"Ok sounds good, Thank you, Bye" - C
"Bye" - VPL & PC
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(After The End of Phone Call)
Vice Principal Luna POV
After Luna hung up the phone she turned to her sister who had a worried look, Celestia wanted to take them in like she does with every student regardless of their sexuality or background, but Luna knew her sister wouldn't help the students for the same reason she always has "I must be neutral to the situation sister"
Celestia would still accept any student but won't be lenient towards them since she wants her students to solve their problems like racism to the Faunus student body and stopping the homophobic student body on their own, Luna on the other hand was always on the side of the students who needed in any way they needed like the LGBT students and Faunus students.
"Luna taking full responsibility of these students is no easy feet" stated Celestia.
"Yes I'm sure these kids I'm sure will help in the war against Selam you'll have your "good students" and I'll have mine" said Luna with a serious look to both Celestia and Ozpin.
"I still don't like your way of thinking Miss Luna" stated Ozpin.
"And I still don't Trust you" Luna growled out.
"Luna" Celestia said with a growl of her own.
"No sister he's not at all like a leader, he more like a king that keeps secrets from those he demands loyalty from" Yelled Luna.
In the past when Luna and Celestia were students Ozpin brought Celestia into his war, and showed her a little behind the veil and turn her into the summer maiden Luna however was kept in the dark, and the secrecy drove Celestia and Luna apart, that alongside the nugget of their parents drove Luna to join the crystal family.
It wasn't until Celestia in a desperate time needed help and had asked Luna for it, Celestia was trying to protect the winter maiden her teammate from Canterlot Combat School before they were in charge of it, the winter maiden with being under attack and was seriously injured by a follower of Salem, Celestia was unconscious and everybody who came with Luna died.
Luna not only killed the Salem follower but she was the only one who was with the winter maiden because of this the winter maiden the thought of her turning Luna into the next winter maiden, the day after Celestia woke up in the rundown apartment Luna was living in Celestia had no choice but to tell Luna of Salem.
"It wouldn't surprise me if the only reason why he doesn't order my death is, because he doesn't want 2 maidens to have a good reason to go against him, and having the ones who he already have their loyalty who are you question him, and proving me right" *😠* Yelled Luna.
"And I suppose a person like you is trustworthy?" Ozpin question.
"No one is trustworthy, and at least I don't lie with a straight face and manipulate people into trust me" 'seriously back when I was a single woman who was a guns for hire I had many bosses that acted the same way as this Palpatine wannabe' thought Luna.
"Luna! he does no such thing" Yelled Celestia.
"As if, Don't worry about the kids I'll visit them alone" said Luna then left making her way out of her sister's house.
Celestia called her one more time but Luna was gone she was heading towards her car to make her way to the air boarding docks, and had to mantle hopefully be surprised visit won't inconvenience chrysalis she knew the orphanage Chrysalis runs.
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Roxanne Wolf POV
; I was naves and excited I used to have a lot of self-confidence before my parents died, and I had to work in the mines this was before I had my aura and semblance, and so when one of the over watchers saw that I made a mistake came up to me and branded her, the pain and hatred that course through me activated my aura, and costed me to run away since I didn't want to know what happens to workers in the mines when they activated their aura's.
After sometime she arrived at the orphanage and all of her pride and self-confidence was gone, but now Chrysalis wanted to take them to where the Grimm are in the caves and abandoned mines as training after having used her semblance in a long time she felt her pride coming back to her and wanted to prove it to herself by killing Grimm that she still was... At least one of the best.
[Time Skip by Foxy 🦊]
"Ok kids here's the thing you'll be killing one Grimm each, and study math, reading, and science and computers to prepare yourself for school" said Chrysalis.
"And I will help teach you said subjects and more" added VP Luna
Luna was expecting something like this to happen she expected this from the crystal family since she used to serve them, And went through something like this herself and knew she and Chrysalis would be following them in the shadows; Everyone said "Okay" to them.
"Um can I bring a "friend" with us and can they be enrolled in school regardless of who they are" Asked Vanny.
"Uh... Sure Vanny, but who are they" VP Luna said unsurely.
"My father William always posted about how I'm a prodigy let me prove it" she said with a push of a button on her watch. said Vanny.
Immediately a flying person came from the direction of the pizzeria and landed in front of them Vanny stood beside her and presented her as if she was selling something... Something Mr Afton taught her probably.
"This is the first ever Android with artificial auras she is a sentient being like me and anyone else" said Vanny with pride.
'... Okay I new those in the Afton family were smart but... WOW' Roxanne thought.
"That Is Incredible Miss Vanny What's Her Name!" said VP Luna
"My name is Laberna Afton vice principal Luna and like Vanny said I am a sentient creature even though I am made of 1 & 0 and have metal instead of flesh and blood I am very much alive" Laberna said with a smile
"Oh my apologies would you like to attend our school" said Luna with a cheapest smile.
'Wow she's taking the existence of a sentient robot better than most people then again none of us are normal really' thought Roxanne.
"... Thank you for seeing me as a person" Luna & Laberna give each other a smile... And they weren't the only ones smiling.
[Time Skip]
Roxanne was in what seems like a Grimm made hole Roxanne assumed it must have been from those giant centipede Grimm a "Young Ground Weller", but to her surprise a giant gorilla Grimm a "Beringel" came from in front of her and roared.
The Beringel was 9ft and the cave ceiling was 17.7ft and the walls 19.3 apart so Roxanne had tried jumping over the Beringel, but the Grimm had smacked her mid air sending her fly to the right wall Roxanne Aura protected her though.
(Aura percentage: 91% 💚)
Roxanne heard the Beringel coming at her so she darted to the left leaving a fire dust infused red shadow clone (an actual see through shadow that looks like her) to get attacked, and explode (basically just picture her semblance like that of Blake's, but Roxanne Wolf semblance allows it to manipulate shadows so she can do much more than Shadow clone).
As the clone exploded the Beringel was hurting and confused so she took out her weapon a long Japanese sword with a 7 long revolver chamber at the base of the sword wear it connected to the hilt, she named it "Long Fang" and it had Fire Dust, Water Dust, Wind Dust, Magnet(ism) Dust, Lightning Dust, Ice Dust, and Shadow Dust.
Roxanne jumped again but this time instead of jumping over the Grimm she was lunging at the Grimm's left arm, she twisted her waste mid air making her spin into a downward slash cutting off the Grimm's arm the Beringel roared in pain, and was backing away from her it then got angry and tried to hit her but Roxanne drugged.
Only to get a face filled of dirt as the Beringel flung a handful of it at her she looked away trying no to get dirt in her eyes, but remembered her Aura will protect her from that she tried to look at the direction of the Beringel... only to get punched backwards, and crashed into a rock the Beringel was thumping its chest in victory.
(Aura percentage: 79% 🧡)
Until it looked back down to see a yellow Shadow clone waving at him the Beringel not knowing it was a Shadow clones infused with Lightning Dust raised it's hand, and hit the Shadow clone only to get electrocuted once he touched it as the Grimm was getting electrocuted Roxanne took the chance to decapitate the Beringel.
'I'll take a picture as my proof' thought Roxanne.
____________________________________________________
After that Roxanne took a picture she texted Vice Principal Luna that she was done (RW: Roxanne Wolf)
^VP Luna I'm done^ - RW
^A Beringel good job miss wolf now come back to the outside^ - VPL
^Yes ma'am^ - RW
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Roxanne Puts her scroll away and was a smile thinks to her self 'Yes I'm still one of the best' and with that she headed to leave the mines feeling her pride and confidence coming back to her, and she can't wait to she how her new family is doing with there Grimms.
Roxanne would go back to thinking about Laberna and how she was made.
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Thx 4 reading next chapter will be the first FNAF Chapter. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | FNAF vol 1 ch 1 | Two things before you start reading. 1
This is a slow paced story and the two main components of this fanfic is RWBY and MLP.
But it will have FNAF in it and will be a secondary main component including getting its own storyline (which you would know if you read my blogs), but because it's a slow paced story and FNAF isn't one of main plot components.
FNAF characters and elements won't be in a forefront of it, not to mention that I barely just started and am a new writer that will be releasing new chapter slow. 2
Which is why FNAF isn't one of the tags anymore, and no now that the FNAF storyline is getting started I won't be re-adding the tag the FNAF tag will stay deleted.
But FNAF will stay in the description and credits, since FNAF will be a part of this fanfic.
Just not in the forefront it will get its own chapters by it self, which brings me to the people who got mad because FNAF wasn't in the first pilot or chapters.
And if once you dislike my fanfic because you didn't have the patience to wait after you read in the description that it said Slow-paced please don't come back now that FNAF is getting implemented into the storyline.
Because you will only be disappointed again of how slow-paced and of the slow updates the FNAF storyline has.
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With that being said those of you who disliked my fan effect because it was genuinely bad thank you for your honest opinion, and as for those of you who are patient for the rest of you who will continue to read this fanfic.
Because you like it, I hope you enjoy :)
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Finishing Laberna
Vanny Afton POV
(This Chapter is also a backflash of sorts and remember that William Afton in this fanfic isn't the same as in the FNAF Canon)
Vanny was waking up to the Pizza Plex it was a 7 hours before her orphan friends and herself have to take a test to enroll into Canterlot Combat High School; However Vanny wanted to finish the project she and her adopted father started.
Vanessa, Vanny's older sister, was waiting for her outside the 6 doors of the Mega Pizza Plex who she was the soul owner, ever since the death of William and given Vanny the William A.I.
The A.I. was originally made to keep the secret of William Robotics company that was the other Main military relied robotic business for Atlas the other being the Polendina Electronics.
The two we're strange businesses mostly because Mr Afton and Mr Polendina never tried to run one another out of business sure they tried to outshone each other, but not because they wanted to be the soul Main robotic and Technology advancer for Atlas, but rather because they were rivals since middle school.
William Robotics is it company that is now owned by Michael Afton but will later be owned by Vanny since when Michael was the head of the company and didn't have to work on machines his father did, and that boosted morale amongst the workers it wasn't just him though some days he would bring Vanny and she would also help with the robots in Electronics the Company made.
Vanny would mostly help out with the animatronics that were made for the pizzerias like today, she came to the Mega Pizza Plex to help Vanessa with the checkup and maintenance of the animatronics.
"Hey there sis ready for work" asked Vanessa to her little sister.
"Yes, and have you heard me and my friends are enrolling Canterlot Combat High School I'll be on a team with Roxanne, Chrissy, and Sunset the pony one" Said Vanny skipping her way up the stairs.
"That's great Vanny, That means I don't have to worry for you" Vanessa said petting Vanny on top of her head.
"Hey I can take care of my self" said Vanny with a pout.
; This cause Vanessa to burst out laughing, Causing the near by Animatronic, Glamrock Freddy, who ran up to them and give me a big bear huge one that I gladly returned.
"Hi Freddy how's life" asked Vanny.
"Things have been great~ here at the Mega Pizza Plex, Glamrock Bonnie, Glamrock Chica, Glamrock Foxy, and me have been doing great work entertaining the kids and celebrating Birthdays!" Yelled Freddy with such happiness it was radiating off of him.
"Nice, sorry for not having enough time to hang with you guys, but I have to finish up Laberna, My friends and I will be enrolling into Canterlot Combat High School soon" Stated Vanny.
"That's great Vanny hope you get though it with ease" Freddy told me with a thumbs up.
"Thanks"
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[Time Skip]
; I went down to the "Parts and Service" where I had Laberna in one of the side rooms, she was on a table with her artificial skin covering her head, chest, stomach, waist, ass, thighs, and back as one whole piece as for everything else it was bare endoskeleton.
The other pieces of artificial skin are hanging on a nearby wall Vanny would have to do some inner stitching, It will leave behind lines on the shoulders and on knees, all of which can easily be hidden with clothes giving Laberna the appearance of a real girl.
; All that's left is for me to put her together and finish up her code as well as installing her aura batteries, as well as installing the semblance translator, A computer that can turn raw aura into a semblance as long as the computer has been given a code for a specific semblance ahead of time.
"Heeyyy~ Vanny how's my Faunus sister" came a voice behind me.
; I turn to see my best Animatronic friend, Glamrock Bonnie, Since we are both Bunnies we got along the best and was the animatronic who would spend the most time to make me smile.
"Hey metal brother, I'm good just finishing Laberna" I told Bonnie.
"Oh need help?" asked Bonnie.
"I'd love some help" Said Vanny.
So after some help and 3 hours, Which was a lot of Glamrock Bonnie just handing Vanny tools and Vanny typing away on a computer, and sewing the artificial skin on the endo along with dressing up the Android.
The Android named Laberna Afton would open her eyes for the first time and smiled at one of her creators Vanny, But her other creator wasn't there and this made her confused until Vanny pressed enter on the computer Laberna was connected to and everything that happened in recent history was uploaded into her head including Williams death.
"Oh" was all that Laberna before she started to cry, I hugged her until she stopped crying which was 2 minutes since the tear mechanism we made for her had to be big enough to last a long time but small enough to fit in her head.
"Hi it's going to be okay" I tried to comfort her.
"Why aren't you crying" asked Laberna after she stopped crying.
"Laberna it's been years for me, William died before we could finish your parts" I informed her.
"Oh... W-what now what's my purpose" asked Laberna.
"You don't have one, you need to make your own that's why William and I built you to have free will" Stated Vanny.
"Hmm... What are you going to do now that I'm done" asked Laberna.
"Go to combat high school" I said.
"...Can I come with you" asked Laberna.
"Fuck yeah" I said with entusiasta.
"Please Miss you are a prodigy please ask more responsible" said Laberna with a disappointed look.
'Party Pooper' I thought "Let's just go meet the others" I told her as I made my way towards the Parts and Service exit, Glamrock Bonnie and Laberna following her.
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[Time Skip]
No POV
The rest of the Glamrocks were just chilling in the main area, where there are holograms of them on a stage, and they were on the center table of the room.
Vanny, Laberna, and Glamrock Bonnie come up to them with Glamrock Foxy being the first to notice the 3 them coming over to them and decided to be the first to greet them.
"Ahoy ladies who be the new poppet" greeted Glamrock Foxy.
"I beg your pardon" said Laberna.
"He means, Hi friends who's the new girl" Helped Glamrock Chica.
"She's Laberna an android who's going to Combat High School with me and my friends" Informed Vanny.
"Well Laberna hope you enjoy school" said Glamrock Freddy.
"Enjoy school? like anyone could enjoy that there" stated Glamrock Foxy.
"Hey Guys It's Almost Time" Yelled Vanessa who just finished sound checking the stage.
"Come on guys let's rock, good luck at y'all's new School!" Yelled Glamrock Bonnie, as the Glamrocks went to the stage to get ready for a show.
A little later Vanny and Laberna were about to exit the Mega Pizza Plex, but We're stopped by Vanessa who yelled after them.
"Hi Vanny wait here take this"
Vanessa handed Vanny a baton with a extending blade at the long end of it.
"Us this for your time at Canterlot Combat HS." Said Vanessa.
"Thanks sis, but why this weapon?" Asked Vanny.
"Using a fancy transforming weapon is good and all, but using a plane weapon now will make you a better Huntress later in live" stated Vanessa.
"Okey? I'll try" said Vanny in a unsure voice.
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Thx for reading the next chapters will be Remnant ch 1.3 and ch 1.4 and after that will be the first Equestrian chapter.
After that will be either FNAF ch 1.2 or Remnant ch 1.5 |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Remnant vol 1 ch 3 | The Power Of Crystals
Chrissy Crystal POV
{In the minds Center hub}
The young Crystal girl was in the main hub (idk what it's called) and was wondering how many faunus were working here... And how many had die in here she wasn't a White Fang supporter, but she didn't like the fact that the Faunus had to suffer for the good of "Humanity" and got nothing in return she still remembers VP Luna story of how her parents neglected her for being a Faunus.
[Moments ago]
"Excuse me Miss Luna, but why do you have a vest with a metal back?" Chrissy asked VP Luna.
The others had already went inside the cave to get there experience for Grimm killing, and go back home and finish any school work Luna will give them, so they could play a Uno game once there were done with there work.
Luna looks at her with a sad smile "Ah will that's because I'm a Bird Faunus which is the same reason why I was neglected by my parents which cost me to run away and for them to abandon me along with convincing my sister to do the same though they didn't try very hard, and it was also the reason for me joining the crystal family gang the "Nightmares" specifically"
"You have wings?... And you we're a part of the Nightmares?" Question Chrissy.
"Yes I'll show you my wings later okay, and yes I was part of the Nightmares and I even was their leader at one point" Answered Luna.
[Present]
Chrissy was happy knowing that they would have Luna on there side when they will go to school, but was sad that Luna had felt what her friends had felt cause of her Faunus threats, but instead of having been a orphan by dead parents her parents were alive when they had abandoned her.
"Maybe we can be her real family" stated Chrissy.
Suddenly a "Young Ground Weller" exploded from the ground and had pushed her away it then begin to rushing her so she didn't have time to Dodge so she used her semblance to turn into Fog 🌫️ the Grimm stopped looking a round for her, meanwhile she was transforming into back from being Fog on top of a conveyor belt high above to avoid the gaze of the Young Ground Weller.
(Chrissy Aura percentage: 93% 💚)
The mining grounds was now coded in a average dense fog as if somebody ignited a bunch of smoke bombs, Chrissy took advantage of this to take out her Kunai's made by her, but enchanted with teleporting magic by sunset they also been enchanted to teleport back to her pockets by command.
(I couldn't find a picture of them)
They come in 3 Dust releases Fire Dust, Ice Dust, and Lightning Dust they have a closed mode and a opened mode and she can mixed the dust if she needed to, the closed mode was for her to throw it like a regular kunai and the opened mode is for her to use it as a boomerang.
Chrissy grabbed 12 Ice Dust Kunai's (closed) and threw them around the Grimm the moisture in the air combined with the ice dust embedded into the ground made a thick & strong layer of ice keeping the Young Ground Weller above ground, as the ice was forming Chrissy was running down the conveyor belt and taking out 4 fire Kunai's to throw them at the Ice to turned it into water.
She then summoned all of her thrown Kunai's back to her bag and proceeded to take out a lightning kunai and threw it at the water, the Weller Grimm did not die though and once the lightning stopped it charged at her furiated at her.
She then started throwing Fire Dust Kunai's allover the floor around her the fire dust ignited and she shapeshifted herself into fire and started spinning which caused a flame nado burning the Weller as soon as it came close the wind in the center of the flame nado picked up two volcanic dust crystals.
Grabbing them Chrissy shadeshifted back into herself as she was coming out of the fire tornado 🌪️ landing on the Grimm's face she stabbed it with both crystals, and use her Aura to activate them she didn't jump off as lava exploded Grimm's face killing it, but before the Grimm was gone she took a picture and told Miss Luna she was done.
(Ch: Chrissy C: Chrysalis VPL: Luna)
Ch: ^Miss Luna I'm done, my kill was a Young Ground Weller^
Luna: ^Good work Chrissy now come back out no need to stay, and chance another running with a grimm^
C: ^hey mini mi :)^
Ch: ^Ugh Moom~^
C: ^oh hush I know you like it, just wanted to tell you how proud I am <3^
Chrissy was super happy to hear that she wasn't the fighting type, but if need be she okay with beating the shit out of someone and she knew her mother wants her to be more of the "tuff girl" type, but to just have her mom approve of her even if it is for fighting she still happy nevertheless.
She wonders how Vanny's doing?
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2nd part
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White Bunny 🐰 Playtime
Vanny Afton POV
'~I'm gonna be a huntress I'm gonna be a Huntress I'm gonna be the bunny who going to be a Huntress with her family~' I thought in sing song voice out of boredom "~oh Grimmy's oh big uglies come out to play with me~"
"Young mistress don't play around we need to take this seriously" said Laberna with a hand on her hand.
; I turned and looked at my friend with a serious look I had told her not to call me anything like "Mistress" not only does it feel weird to be called that, but we were going to attend a school and she shouldn't be calling me like that anyways I made her to be free not a servant.
"Okay look let's compromise I'll start acting serious FOR THIS TASK if you promise to start using my name like a friend or sister should" *😏* I said in return.
"...Okay Vanny I'll be more..." Laberna paused so I continued for her.
"More free, more like a real girl, more like your own self" I told her.
"I th-" before Laberna could finished a second interrupted her.
In that moment 4 Spider Grimm came out of a cave (I couldn't find a pic I liked so I'm going to describe it uh actually I'll draw it too) their legs were 6ft in length and their bodies were 7.6ft in length and 4 ft in width they looked liked a tarantula but instead of fear they had spikes of bones and a big bone plated armor on their body, but some parts of their legs where exposed.
"A it seems we have found some Grimm-rantula's" stated Laberna.
"Is that what their really called" I asked Laberna.
"I'm a afraid so" *😔* Laberna said in a disappeared tone.
(I couldn't come up with a better name and I don't know if there's an official spider grimm in the anime, Oh and in my fanfic semblances don't use up aura... Too much work to count)
The Grimm-rantula's ran tourers them and shot their poison tours them Vanny was too distracted with the fact that they were shooting poison in the first place, Laberna grabbed Vanny and jumped out of danger.
"Why isn't it shooting venom" I asked.
"Their Grimm not real tarantulas Vanny" informed Laberna.
"Oh, I'll have 2 of them and you'll take the other 2" I told her.
"That will be for the best yes" agreed Laberna.
The Grimm-rantula's had gathered at the bottom of where they're standing on the ledge, A Grimm-rantula was already climbing towards them, so Vanny jumped towards it, and took out a long chain with a small gun scythe on the end of both sides (I'm might not draw it).
Vanny pointed both gun scythes behind her and fired to launch herself towards the Grimm, and twisting her hips to spin around with her chain (like a Beyblade), the Grimm-rantula saw this and puts four of its legs in front of it blocking the attack Vanny jumped backwards letting Laberna come from underneath her to body slam the Grimm-rantula.
Laberna and The Grimm-rantula slammed down to the ground creating a crater the Grimm-rantula didn't die though, and pushed her to the side sending Laberna flying in to a giant boulder, but after the dust (actual dust) settled Laberna just got up like nothing happened.
(by the way since Laberna has a higher percentage her Aura is going to be scaled differently for example.
Human & Faunus Aura Percentage.
💚100-80🧡79-59💛58-38❤️37-0
Laberna Aura Percentage.
💙500-401 💚400-301 🧡300-201
💛200-101 ❤️100-0)
(Laberna Aura Percentage 💙489%)
"Ow" *😒* was all a unimpressed Laberna
A pear of grimm-rantula were already making their way towards her, but she had just used her blue Aura semblance to summon a suit of armor with a long spear, one of the Grimm tarantula's was in mid jump ready to attack Laberna, but she just smacked it aside with her spear.
The another was shooting it's poison at her and she Dodge to the right, but she was still hit with poison on her side, which was more effective.
(Laberna Aura Percentage 💙469%)
"...Okay now that did do something... It made me Mad" an Irated Laberna.
Meanwhile Vanny was at the other side of the cave using her Sharingan (like) semblance to turn her self into her chibi form making it harder to kill her, and having the Grimm-rantula's shoot each other with there poison.
"Oh my! You guys are lousy shooter ~giggity~" *w* I said with a cartoon cat face expression.
This angered both Grimm-rantula's so they begin shooting at her only for them to shot at an illusion of Vanny and the real Vanny use ice dust to impaled them both from underneath (basically just imagine two miniature size Washington monuments and light blue ice implying both Grimms).
"All right I'm all done" I said taking out my scroll and taking a picture.
Vanny turned around to see that her friend was already done by dropping multiple Aura Spears (I don't know if I spelled that right) implying then in every part of their body that's exposed and isn't covered by the white armor.
"I've also finished come young mistress w-" started Laberna before I interrupted her.
"Hey! What happened to using my real name?" I said Puffing out my cheeks.
"What happened to being serious" *🤨* asked Laberna. *😐*
Laberna Sighed "Nevermind Vanny let's just go"
"...Oh come on Laberna I'm still just a kid going to Highschool" I told her.
"Just promise me you'll be more serious when it counts" asked Laberna.
"Fine" I said following her.
Vanny followed Laberna out the caves feel a bit nervous keeping her promise since being serious wasn't her cup of tea but when they left the cave, and Vice Principal Luna called for them she stood at attention the best way she could like how she plays Atlas soldiers with the other kids around her age sometimes.
Laberna give her a side eye but didn't say anything nor was she disappointed because this is how vice principal Luna wanted them to report like Atlas soldiers.
VP Luna: "Report!"
Vanny: "We went up against four Grimm-rantula's ma'am"
Chrysalis surprised, Luna and herself knew Vanny and Laberna had a talk about being more responsible, but she was worried Vanny wouldn't take it serious because of how Laberna was adamant about Vanny being serious, and by the look of it VP Luna was surprised by Vanny too, but then she give them a smile.
Luna: "Good Job girls, Fallout!"
(I don't know if Fallout is the right term to use, but I'm going to be using it, along with Attention!)
Laberna took Vanny off to the ride away from VP Luna, Chrysalis, Roxanne, and Chrissy, as for the others Both Sunsets, May, Oura, Tati, Hollow, and more are all still inside.
"So?" Started Laberna.
"What? It's not fair if you call me Vanny for nothing, plus we're going to school So~ kinda need to be more serious... But only when it counts" I said smiling.
Laberna Smiles "Thank you Vanny, but please don't do anything stupid while we're at school"
____________________________________________________
Oura Saiko POV
Oura was in a tunnel full of Dust Crystals and along the way she found some normal, but Valuable Crystals each Worth $300, Oura Saiko may want to become a huntress, but she was a girl who wants the best in life because of how much she had lost, failed to gain since the world hated the Faunus.
Her Orange and pink hair was bad enough since it was natural it made human girls jealous and she had to protect it from being cut by them, and it didn't help she was a Faunus, So she became a money order anything or anyway she could get money, Oura would have it or learned it.
She had a total of $7,567 saved up and she felt proud of her self only in High school, and was already better of then most Orphans and some Faunus.
(I don't know about all of you but Canterlot "High" felt more like a Middle & High School put together because the CMC human counterparts were still there)
But she wasn't greedy she was planning on setting up her own little Faunus company a way to combine fashion, like boots, shoes, gloves, belts, and other clothes with weapons or gear enhancers and other things.
; Maybe I can make an all Faunus employment and give them higher wages, safe working environment, and benefits, and who knows maybe she'll rent out a table at the flea market so children who are orphans and under the age can work there, not like the authorities of Atlas would care.
'maybe I can have it so that-' before I could finish my thought 2 Razor Tooth Grimm appeared in to the tunnel.
'Oh great' I thought.
Oura didn't want to take long with this so she ran up to the closest one and as it launched at her she ducked underneath it punched it underneath is strong, and use her semblance to extend a claw so far into the Razor Tooth head it came out of the other end and killed him, but the other won't be so easy since it's bigger.
(Hey look I figured out how to install images hopefully I will be doing this for the Equestria Storyline and the FNAF storyline in later chapters)
The Razor Tooth circuit around Oura with a caution after seeing that the little Faunus girl wasn't as defenseless as he thought, And Oura did the same knowing that this older Grimm was smarter than the younger one she killed.
Oura launch forward hoping to catch the Razor Tooth by surprise and stabbing him with her claws (that were like Laura Kinney aka X-23), but he launch himself forward passing her on the right side.
Oura tried to pivot on her left leg only for her to get hit by the Razor Tooth Grimm with its rear legs.
(Oura Saiko Aura percentage 💚87%)
"You brute you will pay for that you filthy heathen" I didn't know if it could understand me or not, but it acted like it understood.
Oura than used her semblance to grow herself a tail without the Grimm knowing, so the second time it launched at her she was able to shove her newly grown tail down it's trout en Explorer it killing it.
"There now where was I... Fuck forgot to take a picture or video of it disagrating" I chastise myself. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Remnant vol 1 ch 4 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
^letters/writings/texting^
; POV narration
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
~singing~
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene}
____________________________________________________
The Cat & the Tree
Hollow Blight POV
*inhale* "I know I agreed to this, but there's 12 of us, not including the little ones who will be middle schoolers and so don't need to do this, but why did we are separate" I asked Tati
"Hmm Pride I guess?" Answered Tati.
"Yeah your right but I can't help but think this is a bit of a drag, this would be much easier with all of us together, no point into putting so much effort into going to a school where they will try to bully us out" *exhale*
"I know what you mean a lot of us don't want to go to a school of humans with what we been through, especially if they're trying to actively Target us but don't worry I read upon VP Luna School and it's a all-inclusive school so the chances of us running into a racist human there is someone low"
; I really didn't care if a human wanted to fight with me, I was used to having humans and there true nature on me but I also know of the ones who are exceptions, but I don't want my orphan sisters and brothers to go through that.
Even if their weren't his real sister they might as well be, since families aren't just blood related there are families who you've chosen.
As they were walking down the tunnel they arrived into an open area that was being used as a nest of Grimm Lancers at have taken notice of their arrival.
*inhale* "I count 200" I could feel they're dark energy.
"If you don't mind I'll copy your semblance now, and take 100 and I'll destroy the nest, you'll destroy the queen bee and the other one hundred" said Tati.
"Fine by me" *exhale*
Hollow then started to remove his jacket he didn't need to activated his Aura cause it was already on, which was all that Tati need to copy his semblance.
All Tati needs is to see the light of your aura to copy your semblance, as for Hollow he rarely turned off his Aura since he needs it to have two arms since one of them is made out of wood, and unlike others who if keep their Aura on long enough will start to lose it 1% at a time, Hollow has an abundance of Aura.
Vice Principal Luna POV
; Chrysalis and I were looking down at Hollow Blight and Tati Tsumi, as I saw Hollow taking is jacket off I could see something weird about his left arm, I turn to Chrysalis how already knew what I was going to ask.
"When Hollow was a little boy he was in a accident that cut his arm off, that made him an easy victim for humans" said Chrysalis.
; I felt anger from what Chrysalis was saying my sister likes to see the good in every one, so when students get in to fights for racism she let's them fight and if the human won both students would get Detention.
; But if the Faunus wins both get suspended she says it's because of the other human students who would go after the Faunus student, which she isn't wrong but still I don't like to show favoritism.
"He hates most humans because of that, but not all, anyways he always has his Aura on and uses it to replace his missing limb" stated Chrysalis.
"How?" I Asked an impressed, having one's Aura on too long will start to deplete it.
Chrysalis: "He has a lot of Aura and uses his semblance to grow a wooden arm"
VP Luna: "... Impressive and Creative"
____________________________________________________
Hollow Blight POV
Hollow jumped and extended his arm towards one of the Grimm Lancer impaling it on impact, while Tati clapped her hands and dropped to the ground with her finger tips digging into the dirt, a few seconds later big mushrooms.
Tati then started to place fire dust crystals in the blue mushrooms, the mushrooms started turning purple and Tati used a vine to connect them together.
Meanwhile in the air Hollow was blitzing from Grimm Lancer to Grimm Lancer chopping off their wings, causing them to fall to the ground nearby or on top of the giant purple mushrooms, Tati counted 100 Grimm Lancer as Hollow landed next to her.
*inhale* "Sorry the others caught on quick, and flew up to where I couldn't reach them"
"That's fine" Tati assured me.
As Tati said that she pulled out the vine she was holding setting off a chain reaction that caused the giant purple mushrooms to exploded, and because the mushrooms were poisonous the Grimm Lancer who survived the explosion got poisoned instead and because of the Fire Dust they were set on fire.
"Okay so 56 Grimm Lancer down, which leaves us with the Queen and 44 leftover... *Inhale* great" Tati said with a sarcastic tone.
"Don't worry we can handle it" *exhale*
Hollow closed his eyes, clapped his hands together, tied his fingers together, then he bend both knees getting closer to the grounded, and lately his blue highlights started to glow a "Parakeet Green" color, and then he inhaled.
____________________________________________________
"What is he doing" asked a confused Vice Principal Luna
"His semblance is plant manipulation and Creation, So he can create basically living plants and/or manipulate them" informed Chrysalis.
"This makes his semblance one of the best defensive and offensive semblances, since he can either manipulate plants, or create plans with a mind of their own to protect him against things that he can't, couldn't, or wouldn't have notice" informed Chrysalis.
'That's even better than a Maiden' Thought V.P. Luna.
"Since he can create plants, he could oh so create fictional plants into real-life and has practice a lot, the only thing he needs is how the plant looks and acts and he'll make up the rest from the grounds up" Stated Chrysalis.
"Ok and..." Asked V.P. Luna.
"He's been trying to perfect a move he calls-"
_________________________________________
Hollow: "LERNAEAN HYDRA PLANT"
Lernaean Hydra Plant: Hollow uses his semblance to bring 3 dragon wooden Hydras to live, they can't shoot fire but because they are "live" in a way they have their own Aura.
Their Auras makes them look like as if they are on fire form their eyes and mouth, but that's only for looks their Auras can only protect them, they don't have any semblances and because of that their Aura shields them better a any person or electric shield.
And since their Hydras when their heads get chopped off 2 more grow back in it's place, these plant base creatures also come with bio acid.
They are also like Naruto shadow clones whenever he summons one Hydra Plant and desmond's it, he will resummon the same one and every single time he summons it, it will gain more and more sentient.
Suddenly 3 Dragon like trees grow from around him one immediately shot acid at 11 nearby Grimm Lancers while the other 2 grow upwards to the rest of the Grimm Lancers.
____________________________________________________
Current Aura levels
Hollow Blight: 💚99%
Tati Tsumi: 💚95%
Hydra head 1: 💚100%
Hydra head 2: 💚100%
Hydra head 3: 💚100%
____________________________________________________
The 3 Hydras were able to kill one Grimm Lancer each with their mouths making it so that there's 41 Grimm Lancers left, some of the Grimm Lancers surrounding them went for the attack but barely did any damage.
The 3rd wooden Hydras glowed more brighter and shot acid at the Grimm Lancers killing off 5 of them leaving 36 Grimm Lancers.
'I wonder if I can kill some Grimms with out dieing' wounded Tati
Tati ran up one of the chunks of the Hydras with a vine on each hand, when she reached the top of the Hydra without taking damage she wiped her vines around the Hydra horns, and then ran back down so she could slingshot herself to the Grimm Lancers.
Tati shot one of her vines to one of the Grimm Lancers to make herself get closer and used her other vine like a whip to cut the Grimm in half, she then did the same thing to 9 other Grimm Lancers in quick secession.
Leaving 26 Grimm Lancers left that number got smaller when all 3 Hydras decided to shot their acid all over the air, Tati saw what was a about to happen so she used two Grimm Lancers to slingshot herself to the bottom and getting them closer to the hydras, Said hydras exploded another cloud of acid killing off 10 of the Grimm bees.
The wooden Hydras shot out a cloud of acid killing 16 Grimm Lancers, as Tati used a vine to swing herself like if she was a Spider faunus next to Hollow who had an annoyed look.
"You didn't need to go fight you know, you could have gotten hurt" *exhale*
"I did, but did you know that it isn't a good thing to be a HUGE protective brother?" Taunted Tati.
*inhale* "...hm with the ones who are here with us yes your right, but the with the younger ones no"
"Plus I need to push my own weight" continued Tati.
"Did you remember to record or take a picture of at least one Grimm you killed?" I asked her.
"...Uhh"
"Don't worry I have a video recording what We did" I stated.
"Yey" said a relieved Tati.
____________________________________________________
"We don't need to see the rest of the fight they seem to have this under control" complimented V.P. Luna
"I agree let's go there's only 6 Grimm Bees, they only needed to kill one Grimm anyways" said Chrysalis.
____________________________________________________
Tati Tsumi POV
; I was looking up at the Hydra Plants as they were going to finish the last 6 Grimm Lancers left, But from the corner of my eye I saw a the Grimm Queen Lancer finely come out of her cave, the GQ Bee cut off all 3 Hydras heads and looked down at us with anger.
"Aw is Queenie Weenie Pissy we kicked her kids asses" I >:3 Joked
"Don't do something you'll regret" *exhale*
"What do you mean?" I asked hollow
Out of nowhere a red spike hit Tati square in the case.
*inhale* "Queens can shoot their stingers"
____________________________________________________
Current Aura levels
Hollow Blight: 💚98%
Tati Tsumi: 🧡61%
(The Hydras start at 0 but as they grow their health goes up to 100)
Hydra head 1: ❤️0<37% first head cut
Hydra head 2: ❤️0<35% second head cut
Hydra head 3: ❤️0<31% third head cut
The new added heads
Hydra head 4: 💛38<50%
Hydra head 5: 💛38<50%
Hydra head 6: 💛38<50%
____________________________________________________
Tati Tsumi inhale and exhale after and got up which she looked at Hollow with a mixture of anger and annoyed.
"You could have saved me" I annoyed that he didn't.
"Sorry, I was trying not to be over protective" *exhale*
"Oh-ho fuck you brother hahaha"
*inhale* "Ugh quit playing and get ready to fight"
The Grimm Lancers were getting closer the their Queen, who was already regrowing her stinger, Tati grow a wooden shield and sword just as her copy semblance ran out of time.
____________________________________________________
A/N: I Forgot somethings so let me fix that.
Tati Tsumi 17yr
(black cat Faunus)
T: copycat (allows her to copy just about anything, BUT not everything.
New: she also can't hold on to the copied semblance for long, and these a cooled down till she could copy a semblance again.)
Hollow Blight 19yr
(Black with blue highlights fox faunus)
HB: Plant manipulation and Creation
(Can do just about anything he wants with plants again think of Naruto or more specifically hashirama of his cells and chakra sage mode and everything like that.
New: Any plant he brings to life has their own Aura but they don't have semblance.
Hydra Plant: Has the same Aura as the average human, but everything with time it dies it will comes back not only with more heads but with stronger wood making it harder to kill every single time it comes back.)
____________________________________________________
"Hey~ Brother my coping is gone and I'm on cool down" I told hollow.
"Don't worry sis, you and me will fight the others so forget about the Queen" *exhale*
"What do you mean?" I asked noticing the hydras.
; While Hollow and me were talking the Queen Lancer decide to go on the attack she was half way towards us, but before she could have attacked the both of us 6 new wooden hydras with 100% Auras and they were made with stronger wood.
*inhale* "They will handle her for us"
Hollow and Tati ran up the walls towards the Grimm Lancers, Tati throw out her shield killing three Grimm Lancers and killed one with her sword, Hollow made the Wood of his arm harder and thicker after which he jumped and one punched one of the Grimm killing it.
Hollow then stretched his arm to catch Tati at the same time he summoned a giant vine to slide down Tati still in his wooden hand.
Tati: "Hey! What are you doing? We still have one left to kill"
"We only needed to kill one each that's it, time to go" *exhale*
As they ran the Hydra Plants torn the Grimm Queen Lancer in to 6 parts after which Hollow cutoff his semblance from the Hydra Plants which made them quickly rot away.
"Oh shit Wait! we needed to take a PIC!" I said
*inhale* "Don't worry I told you I took a video of the both of us"
Before Tati could question him a mini Hydra Plant popped out from the ground and a scroll in it's mouth, Hollow grabbed the scroll and put it in his pocket as the mini hydra rotted away.
"Time. To. Go." *exhale*
____________________________________________________
May Sakura POV
May was in the caves closest to the surface she was currently running at 50 MPH (MPH is miles per hour right?) She was having a stuff nose because of the dust in the caves her immune system was low so if she doesn't leave the cave soon she'll have her snot all up on her.
She found a weak little Grimm a young Razor Tooth, she punched his back out and took a picture of him is disintegrating and was about to head out, but she realized that the cave she ran in from was now caved in.
"Well Fuck"🤧
She then proceeded to sneeze a cloud of mucus.
To Be Continued...
____________________________________________________
Thank you for reading my fanfic and staying this long and waiting for long periods of times good bye and have a good live. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Equestria vol 1 ch 1 | The Unexpected Wedding
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza POV
Princess Cadence was now 25 years old and was in her room of canterlot castle with her changeling bodyguard Widow K. (Killer) who was a Spy Drone aka S.D. 23 and the cousin of Drone Worker D.W. 23 and the daughter of Changeling Drone aka C.D. 23, she was given a name for being the best Spy Drone.
A Changeling Drone or C.D. is the standard Changeling they are Doctors, Soldiers and Guards, a Changeling Doctor can be a Doctor, Nurse, and Field Medic, as for Changeling Soldiers their a part of the military "Duh" and train for war, While Changeling Guards train in one-to-one fights mostly.
As for a Drone Worker they are changelings that are a part of the construction, scientists, and engineers, a construction drones work on the hive, scientists drones work on potions and medicine, and engineers work on building things like transportation.
(Non Canon neither in the show or comics)
Sunset actually used to play around with inventing things before going through the portal, and Cadence gave the changelings her blueprints.
As for Spy Drone they are not just Spy's they're also Love Gatherers, Assassins, Infiltrators and info Brokers, all of that is self explanatory I think, and said S.D. Widow killer was looking at Cadence with a smirk And the changeling facial expression of a raised eyebrow.
(Before anybody out there said or insults me yes this is my drawing and yes I know I'm not good at it)
"What are you doing Widow!?" I asked her.
"What's it looks like? I'm tired so I'm changed myself out of my disguised" stated Widow.
I faced hoof "Please just shapeshift yourself back before some pony sees you"
"Fine, as the princess wishes" joked Widow with a mocking bowed.
In a few seconds Widow Killer was gone and in her place was Spider Bite, A Batpony with turquoise eyes and hair, Just in time since a knocking with her from the room's door.
"Come in"
After Cadence said it was okay to come in a maid entered and took a bowing in front of Cadence.
"Excuse me, Princess Cadenza, but Princess Celestia wants an audience with you" said the maid getting up from her bow.
"Oh... Great I'll be with her soon, please go and tell her I'm on my way" I said trying to be friendly.
However the "Batpony" behind the maid was trying not to laugh out loud at the strain smile the princess was wearing.
"Right away your highness" said the maid before leaving.
After the maid left Spider Bite walked over to the now fuming princess who knew this audience couldn't be a good thing since Celestia only called for Cadence for diplomatic travels to other countries.
[Short Time Skip]
Cadence opened the doors of the throne room and made her way down the red carpet where Celestia was above a set of stairs on her throne waiting for her without Princess Lune who was nocturnal and did go out much during the day.
"Princess Cadence" called out Celestia.
~ While Princess Celestia called me out in a friendly tone it was all for an act for the common pony, They had to see both of their princess getting along or else they will be afraid of two alicorns fighting each other, They would thing a second Nightmare Moon scenario would occur and would must likely cause a panic.
"Hi auntie Celestia you wanted to see me" I asked to appear friendly to the guards in the room.
"Yes I've found a stallion worthy for your hoof" stated Celestia.
"No thanks Celestia" I said.
This was the 107th time Princess Celestia had tried to marry her off, But Princess Cadence had always found ways to avoid getting married.
"I'm afraid you have no choices in the matter, The Crystal Empire is almost here and you will need help to deal with Sombra, Which is way you be marrying Shining Armor the captain of the royal guard" stated Celestia.
'YOU BITCH' I thought.
"And don't worry for the wedding planning I've already took care of it" 'With this hopefully the ponies of Equestria will be more welcome towards a fourth princess' stated Celestia.
____________________________________________________
Queen Chrysalis POV
"QUEEN! QUEEN!" C.D. 74 came yelling into the throne room.
~ I turned around to see my Changeling Drone 74 aka Sweat Drop, and before you ask changelings don't get names until they are (or do something) of note as for why this Changeling Drone is named Sweat Drop.
~ Is because while here is a strong changeling even when not feed love, he is as one would say "a try hard" or "a sweaty boi" not to mention while I personally like it when my subjects to try to please me with hard work.
; Others would say that Sweat Drop was a "kiss up" but if they would to say that to he's face well there's a reason why anti-magic arrows can't go through his chitin.
"What is it Sweat Drop?" I question.
"Princess Cadance's is getting married by force" said C.D. 74 Sweat Drop with a letter in his magic that was sent by S.D. 09.
{Meanwhile outside}
"Do you think we'll get any action" asked C.D. 96
A Changeling Drone asked his fellow Changeling Drone who was his brother and who's been helping him guard the gate for 6 years they've been guarding the gate to the hive, they haven't seen anyone trying to get in for an invasion.
"Not with how hor-"
Before Changeling (Guard) Drone 69 could finish his insult, Changeling (Guard) Drone 96 cut him off.
"Fighting! Action! Not that kind that you were thinking of"
"Oh... No we're the the ones that guard the door and no body comes to the Badlands" stated C.D. 69.
Suddenly they heard a scream coming from the tip of the hive.
"BITCH-LESTIA!!!" Yelled out a double tone voice sounding like Chrysalis.
(I prefer the original Chrysalis voice with its affects like in the wedding episode.
But the funnest Chrysalis has the more recent Chrysalis voice without it being two tones)
"Nevermind" said C.D. 69
____________________________________________________
[Short Time Skip]
~ I couldn't believe this, No wait I can believe Celestia would go behind my back and plan a whole wedding just to have me out of her way, and have Twilight closer to royalty for her grandiose plan, I was back in my room where I was shutting up and down in front of my bed.
"Damn it Celestia! Widow what am I going to DO!" I asked the undised Changeling who was in her usual spot on top of the drawers next to the door.
"Don't worry Cadance's I'm sure the Queen is on her way to save you after all she thinks you're hot to trot a baby in that pink goddess plot of yours" complimented Widow.
*😒* "Thanks Killer" I said in a deadpan tone.
"G! I'm honored that the princess of love and the fiance of the demon of lust thinks I'm a killer" Joked Widow.
"...Really? Don't say that in front of Chrysalis ...And which is which?"
Before Widow could make a snarky comeback the door open, and a royal guard walked in when he closed the door he shapeshifted back in to a Changeling Drone with a letter from Queen Chrysalis.
"You see this Changeling within the throne room with you sent a letter to the Queen through changing fire clearly Queen Chrysalis wasted no time" informed Widow.
As Widow talked Cadence took the letter and started reading to see if Queen Chrysalis will be coming to save her.
^Hi Cadance I heard Celestia was going to make you marry some colt so here's the plan Widow will take your place and S.D. 09 will help you with getting away.
With how Celestia refuse to help us Changeling to live peacefully with ponies, I now have no problems with stabbing her in the back.
(A.N. a future backlash chapter Bonus Ch 1.1)
Don't worry Cadence's I'll make sure you'll get to live happily in a pony village since you'll be uncomfortable with living in a changeling hive see you soon.
Love, Q. Chrysalis^
Cadence smiled and hoof it over to Widow who shapeshifted herself into a copy of Cadence, Cadence than fraud in worry.
"Please Widow be careful your a good friend one of my real friends" I said worried for annoying changeling.
"Don't worry princess I'll be fine" said Widow.
____________________________________________________
[Time Skip]
Widow Killer POV
'Is this really what the Queens Marefriend did in her Foal-sitting job? Hahaha' I thought laughing in my mind.
~ The Young 20 year old purple unicorn who was wiggling her ass in front of me, with her brother doing nothing to stop her showing it was normal for Cadence and this mare to do this.
"Uh? Cady are you okay?" Asked the mare.
"Oh sorry you just caught me off guard" I answered giving her a quick hug.
The stallion who was supposed to be the one getting married to Princess Cadence his name was Shining Armor, He looked like he was about to till a joke but the purple pony turned to them and started talking before Shining could say anything.
"While your not alone, Shiny didn't till me he was getting married to you" stated the mare.
"Hey come on Twilight, I just wanted to surprise the both of you" said Shining.
"While you succeeded" 'So Twilight is her name' I took a mental note of her name "So I'm assuming you're here to be my best mare" I asked.
"Actually I'm my brother's mare of honor and my best friends I here to help plan the wedding" stated Twilight.
Suddenly Shining Armor let out a grunt as his right hoof went up to his head causing his sister to go to him.
"Shiny!" Exclaimed Twilight.
"Ugh I'm fine Twilight just a couple of headaches" stated Shining.
"Shiny you shouldn't take this lightly go to your room and take your medicine" I said with worry a tone.
"Yeah your right, Hey you and Twilight can go around and help plan the wedding together" suggested Shining.
"That's a great idea Shining, I can introduce Cady to all my friends" said Twilight with a smile.
"That would be a wonderful idea" I told her.
____________________________________________________
The first friend I meant was Applejack who was in charge of the cake in ice sculpture which immediately were great with the cake looking like it can barely fit into the room let alone moved out through the door, and the ice sculpture may have had some scratches but was pretty sharp looking.
Spike was there too playing with the cake decorations which Twilight quickly took off his hands before he could break them.
"Whel howdy princess y'all come ta chek what's in here menu faw y'all's awful big day" asked Applejack.
"But of course" I told her.
"Whel raheet this here way" said Applejack.
As I followed her I could feel twilight's eyes following me, well Applejack handed me a tray of baked goods and as I tried one they were actually very good so not better than love and not something I would eat on the regular.
"They're great Applejack" I complemented her.
"Aw shucks Thanck ya princess, why don't ya take ayy few ta go, Ay know how busy ya brides ken be fawgetting ta feed yourselves" said Applejack.
'I don't think the queen would want this so I'll just throw it away on my way out, oh wait I have a better idea' I thought "Come on Twilight go introduce me to your other friends maybe they would enjoy some of these"
"Great idea Cadence let's go"
____________________________________________________
The next friend Twilight introduced to the disguised Widow was Rarity a seamstress working on dresses for the wedding.
"Hi your highness can I just say what an honor it is to be a part of this momentous occasion" stated a bowing Rarity.
"Uh-huh is my dress ready miss Rarity?" I asked a bit off put by the bowing not used to it.
"Oh Yes come here I'm sure you'll be satisfied with the results" stated Rarity.
It was a white dress, with a paled turquoise vest, with light blue furrows, and yellow highlights at the back of the dress, with light pink and light blue crown of flowers.
~ Personally I didn't like it and neither would have the queen on her Marefriend, and since the Queen was planning on using the dress that this pony would make on Cadence for their wedding, since none of the drones knew how to make clothes just blakens and pillows and the intentional drone that knew how to make stuffed animals, or plushies as the infants would call them.
"It's a nice dress but just not my color, Can you make one out of Black, Pink, and Neon Green?" I asked bracing myself for the expected reaction.
"GREEN! Black! For a wedding!?" Explained Rarity in horror.
"I know it's a bit... Out there but they're my favorite colors and I would like them to be on my dress"
(I will be drawing this too since I don't think a drawing with black pink and green dress with cadence in it is out there)
"I... I see what I can do your highness" said Rarity in a skeptical voice, as I could feel Twilight staring at me again.
____________________________________________________
~ The next friend she introduced me to was a pink earth pony named Pinkie pie, and I must say she went all out with the decorations with the only place not being decorated would be the ceiling, but judging at how much tape she had on one of the tables that was soon be a rectified.
"OKAY! Let's check the on everything and go over it first up are the games" yelled out Pinkie.
She went over to you a corner with a pinata shaped like a flower, a picture of a stallion to play pin the tail on the pony, and a board game with four pieces colored the same as the board game red, green, yellow, and purple on the floor.
After throwing the dice she went to the other corner where there were a record player and a mannequin wearing a top hat.
"The Dancing!" Yelled Pinkie.
Pinkie pie then proceeded to get on her two rear hooves and started flapping her two frontal hooves in an imitation of a chicken, as some upbeat accordion music started playing from the record/vinyl player, after the music stop she went to get in front of "Princess Cadence" face.
"I think that this reception is going to be perfect don't you?" asked Pinkie.
"Yeah perfect for all the 6-year-olds and other foals who'd be attending" I said getting uncomfortable with the lack of care for personal space I was getting from this pony.
"I know Right! Thank you" said Pinkie pie behind me.
____________________________________________________
[Time Skip]
~ After the day ended I wrote a letter to the Queen explaining how things went, and when she wrote back she said she was please with how things were moving smoothly and that the not invasion but raid on Canterlot will proceed as planned.
Sure Princess Cadence was out of control and with Queen Chrysalis, but there were still plenty of changelings inside of Canterlot in Chrysalis's orders were to "Take want you all want and leave a prizing gift for Celestia" sure destroying Canterlot and scarring the citizens wasn't necessary, but Chrysalis wanted to make Celestia pay after the way she treated her Marefriend, and refusing to help the changelings when they went to ask for it peacefully.
"Oh boi, and the big boss herself will be coming down here to throw down with Princess flanks, and while she's doing that I'm going to be fun with this Twilight Sparkle" I said moving to one of these side table drawers.
~ Pulling out the drawer I took out one of the two Original books of Sunset Shimmer's and bookmarked a way to get into the restricted archives more specifically where Celestia keeps her scrapbooks and diaries.
To be continued...
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Thanks for reading. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Remnant vol 1 ch 5 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
^letters/writings/texting^
~ POV narration
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪singing♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene}
____________________________________________________
The Missing Two Members
May Sakura POV
*ACHÚ*
'Fuck Fuck O'FUCK A Clock! I CAN FEEL SOME GETTING IN MY MOUTH!' I thought not being able to stop sneezing with all the dust in the air.
May has been running for the last 3 minutes but her allergies have been acting up and with all the dust (actual dust) in the abandon mine in the air her nose has been running like a running fountain.
Which is why the bottom half of her shirt with covered with snot stains because of the amount of times she had to wipe her mucus off her face, if she doesn't find a way out soon she'll have to punch a new tunnel out the only reason why she hasn't done that yet.
Is because she is afraid of the mountain dropping on her orphanage adopted family heads without them reacting fast enough to the collapsing Dust mines.
May:
'Fuck I shouldn't have run blinding when I came in... And it's probably a bad idea to find an exit blindingly as well- oh hey it's Oura' I saw that Oura and stopped in front of her.
; Maybe she can help me find a way out of here, assuming she still isn't hunting for a Grimm, I slowed down the closer I got Oura turned around seen the unamused expression on her face she probably knew I was coming and what was my problem.
"Let me guess you lost yourself and can't find your way out, with your nose torturing you" 😒 said Oura
Oura Saiko said before May Sakura could say something to put herself in a better light, and making May go dumbfounded.
"How-" I tried to ask.
; Oura pointed a finger at My shirt making me look down and realizing how stained it was.
____________________________________________________
Oura Saiko POV
; At least she has the decency not to take her shirt off, Even if it is just the two of us I do not want to explain to others why one of us is half naked.
"Can you please help me get out off here!" May asked
Ours: "Sure but first I need to kill a Grimm" I said not telling her that I forgot to do it the first time I killed one.
; Oura then extended two bone cloths from her hands and one from each of her feet (like X-23) it started walking down the tunnels in search of a Grimm.
"O- *Chu* -kay" May said
; It didn't take long for them to find a Grimms sliver tooth tiger it was small yes, but it doesn't matter she only needed to kill a Grimm so that's what she's going to do not caring about how little effort she'll put in to.
"Here take this, and get ready to take a pic" I told her.
Oura hand her scroll to May to take a picture while the tiger Grimm noticed them and started running at them, Oura ran at it too with each arm stretched out, they met and Oura took advantage of the grimm mouth being open to stab her bone claw in the roof of its mouth to kill it instantly, May took a picture and they left the abandon mine... With May saffron via her nose all the while.
____________________________________________________
No POV
Vice Principal Luna and Chrysalis Crystal were looking at their scrolls at the situation in the tunnels.
"Well looks like miss May is finally coming out of the mines" said V.P. Luna.
"Yes, she can be rather impatient sometimes, those speaking of impatience I just got a phone call that one patient students and one more important student were also want to come and enroll" started Chrysalis.
"That is fine as long as they get here before night falls" said V.P. Luna.
"They've already arrived in our inside let's take a look at what they're doing" said Chrysalis.
Black Rock (Black Rock Shooter look it up) was a black Wolf Faunus, One day she was just left at the front door of the orphanage, with nothing but a note saying she was 2 years old and her name at the bottom.
Her semblance is dimensional pockets, she can do all kinds of things like see inside the dimensions with her left eye shoots blue fire, and as she gets stronger her dimensional pockets can get bigger and she can increase the number of them she can also take herself and others into those dimensions.
So when she pulls something out of nowhere it can, unlike Pinkie Pie, be explained away Like right now she just pulled out her Shooting Star ⭐ and is mowing down a pack of Grimm, Black Rock then took out her scroll out and took a pic of all the dying Grimm and leaving without a word.
"She seems like a quiet time" started V.P. Luna
"That's because she is, and next is League hound" informed Chrysalis.
Legend Hound was a yellow faunus dog who's came to the orphanage by himself after a few months of living on the streets, and His semblance was metal manipulation and he had robotic enhancements and his spine.
The reason was because oh well he was living on the street he was run over by a human drunk driving, which was the same reason why he came to the orphanage because he couldn't do much by himself when the Faunus Chrysalis Crystal found him with a broken spine crawling to her orphanage.
She took him to go see William Afton who built him a robotic spine that would enhance his speed, strength, and reaction, and with Sunset Shimmer enchantment help she was able to ingrain runic magic onto it and allow him to freeze time for 6 seconds.(1)
Those 6 seconds and enhance speed were enough for him in a closed quarters cave to impel 50 throwing knives at a Razor Tooth's neck and take a pic on his scroll and turned to leave the mineshaft.
"Eat shit, you Grimm with a 7 inch gap in their teeth" said Legend Hound
Back outside with Vice Principal Luna and Chrysalis Crystal.
"He likes to insult his enemies after he wins a lot?" asked V.P. Luna.
"Not always if he is fighting some one who talks a lot then he will reply in kind... But yes he enjoy it" said Chrysalis.
Just than Black Rock, Legend Hound, May Sakura, Oura Saiko, Hollow Blight, and Tati Tsumi left the mine cave, While May went to go make herself presentable the others came up to Vice Principal Luna.
They waited for May to get in line before they made their the report as Chrysalis went looking for new shirt for May, they all knew that the official report will have to be faint to dumb down there achievements since a lot of the students can easily get jealous, Still Luna had to know the truth behind the lie behind the document.
"Report!" yelled V.P. Luna.
"I killed a Grimm Queen Lancer" stated Hollow.
"I killed a Grimm Lancer" stated Tati.
"I killed a Razor Tooth" stated Oura.
"I killed a Razor Tooth" stated May.
"I killed a Razor Tooth" stated Legend.
"I killed a Razor Tooth" stated Black.
"Show Me!" stated Luna.
As they showed their pictures Chrysalis came back and handed May a new shirt as Vice Principal Luna told them to fall out, after which Chrysalis went back to Luna's side and both went back to their scrolls.
"And then there was two" stated Luna.
"Good thing too it's almost dark" said Chrysalis.
Looking up both could see the orange sky and the sun setting off to the horizon.
"It's find the testing will end at 7:00 P.M. and it's 5:00 P.M. the only reason why the sun is setting it's because this is Atlas" said V.P. Luna.
"Well let's see how my girls do" said Chrysalis.
To be continued... |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Remnant vol 1 ch 6 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
^letters/writings/texting^
~ POV narration
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪singing♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene}
Warning:
Usage of marijuana (weed)
____________________________________________________
Sunsets Testing
Sunset Summer Shimmer POV
Sunset Summer Shimmer was a red and orange fox faunus with a semblance that's a mixture of aura & magic, and she calls it "The 23 tailed hellhound", because there are two sunsets, she has been given the nickname shimmer.
Most people would consider Shimmer a cold girl because of how uncaring she is with new people, but if you stick around long enough, she will see you as a friend.
"Where the hell are all the Grimm" I asked myself.
~ As to answer my question I heard a hissing followed by dozens of legs dumping towards me, I turn around to see a Young-Ground Dweller Grimm morning towards me in high speeds, I was able to get a hellhound head shield before the Grimm headbutted me away.
"Damn you scared me you overgrown centipede" I tried to joke with my heart still rapidly beating.
The only response the Young-Ground Dweller gave was a aggressive hiss (I forget if they hiss) as it charged at Shimmer after getting up on the ceiling.
Shimmer out stretch Her hand and a feminine anthro canine hand extended outwards from her body in a mixture of Magic and Anti-Aura, The Young-Ground Dweller saw that and dropped to the floor as Shimmer's anthro paw hand missed and hit the ceiling.
"Damnit your fast for your size" I stated
The Young-Ground Dweller then dug under and proceeded to dig itself a new tunnel towards Shimmer who ran to a more wide open area, She then jumped up as the Ground Dweller came out from the ground beneath her.
Shimmer shot out her anthro paw hand again to grab the Young-Ground Dweller keeping the grimm from running away, Shimmer than made a spinning ball of Angelic Magic, She calls this move her Beast Ball. (1)
The Young-Ground Dweller saw this and tried to dough but Shimmer's grip with too strong and kept the Grimm from escaping so it was hit squarely in the middle of it's back, Shimmer landed on the ground and let go of her Magic and Aura Beast Practical to take a picture of the disintegrating grimm.
"Ugh can't believe this won't be on my official report" I said in frustration.
~ Turning to leave the mine cave texting Vice Principal Luna, after leaving the cave I could see that I was the second to last person to finish the exams/testing, finding Vice Principal Luna I gave my report and left after she told me to fall out.
____________________________________________________
No POV
After Sunset Summer Shimmer went with the others who had also finished, While Vice Principal Luna went to tape the paperwork to print out later, and Chrysalis Crystal went back to looking at her scroll.
*Sigh* "It's a shame I'm going to have to minimize the significance of Miss Summer accomplishment" said V.P. Luna.
"Why do you have to do that again" asked Chrysalis.
"To keep them save from those who would take advantage of them after seeing their potential, or jealous students who would bully them, Faunus or not, out of the school simply because your children were better then them" stated V.P. Luna.
'Although there will still be students that will bully them for being Faunus, and the one who I don't want to take notice of them is Ozpin' thought V.P. Luna.
"... I would like for you to leave Sunny's and Shimmy's achievements unedited" asked Chrysalis.
This caused Vice Principal Luna to look at her quizzitively, Chrysalis saw this and elaborated.
"Both Sunset Shimmers are... Eh bit prideful... And sometimes have big egos... So I want their record, and only the Sunsets records to remain unedited I will be asking them of course if this is what they want" stated Chrysalis.
"... Very well you can go ask Miss Shimmer if this is what she wants, while I'll look at my scroll at what Miss Sunset is up to" said V.P. Luna.
As Chrysalis Crystal went to do just that, Vice Principal Luna looked down at her scroll and saw that Sunset Rage Shimmer was lower in the dust mine cave than anyone else.
'I guess Chrysalis was right about the pride of this one' thought V.P. Luna.
____________________________________________________
Sunset Rage Shimmer was a pony turned Faunus and was able to keep her magic, her semblance being aura manipulation, so she is able to copy semblances, read emotions and souls, and transfer or take aura, and with both magic and her semblance she can copy spells and transfer and take magic without using dark magic.
Despite the fact that nobody would know about Sunset's achievement in the official report, Sunset believed that after years of not fighting anyone, she had grown weak and needed a strong Grimm. Sunset was trying to reach the bottom of the abandoned dust mine caves to find a grimm who could challenge her.
'Sweetie this may not be the greatest idea' said a worried Morda.
'All I have been doing was training, I need to fight something stronger than a punching bag' replied a frustrated Sunset.
'find Sunset just be careful' asked Morda.
'Okay' replied Sunset.
Sunset came up to the last wide opening, the bottom of the mine caves, where there was a Adult-Ground Dweller who noticed her and aggressively hissed at her, Sunset replied with take her magic custom glock out and firing at them.
Sunset named her magic custom glock, Phoenix because of the magic in the barrel that makes the bullets shoot out with boosted speeds and power, as for the bullets they were not like ordinary dust bullets that had a dust crystals on the tip and fire dust inside of the shell.
Sunset's Phoenix glock bullets were made by a mixture of alloys and magic to make metal bullets strong and sharp enough to penetrate grimm and unlike dust bullets that stop after hitting a grimm, Sunset Phoenix glock bullets can shoot through three grimm at a time till it needs to stop, the custom bullets also has the liquid form of dust fire inside the bullet that Sunset made with magic.
The liquid of the bullet leaves out of two holes on top of the bullet so when the bullet is fired the liquid will lead out and combust causing the bullet to make the form of a Phoenix flying through the grimm.
The Adult-Ground Dweller dodged the attack and the bullet hit a wall, Sunset called it back and an enchantment place on the metal itself causes to teleport into a pouch that she had on a belt of her right side.
The Adult-Ground Dweller than charged at Sunset who shot two more times at it, But the Adult-Ground Dweller dodged both shots moving to the right then the left, and was able to get close to Sunset and hating her with 15 of it's legs, throwing Sunset at the cave's wall causing her to grunt as she bounced off it.
(Sunset Aura percentage: 💚84%)
'This Grimm has lived a long life Sunset, remember it's smarter than the others'
'Got it'
Sunset looked up to see the Adult-Ground Dweller charging at her again and Sunset used a force field spell to make a ramp facing the grimm.
Sunset teleport as Adult-Ground Dweller climbed the ramp and Sunset appear behind it shooting 7 bullets leaving the clip empty, the Adult-Ground Dweller let out a painful shrink as Sunset called the bullets that were shot back and teleported in her pouch.
The Adult-Ground Dweller was damaged but it wasn't dead so it turned and attacked with it's pinchers (or it's crap hands) and grabs Sunset out of mid-air.
(Sunset Aura percentage 🧡67%)
Sunset aura holds but takes damage, she then uses a spell that gave her dragon breath fire, this spell had many variances to it but the one Sunset chose with a fireball.
So when Sunset let out a roar a fireball came out and hit the Adult-Ground Dweller in the face causing it to drop Sunset from the pain in it's face. (2)
Sunset took advantage of this to shoot a blast of turquoise magic at it's neck, the blast went to the center of its neck and exploded out words decavitating it, as Sunset landed on the ground she took out her scroll and took a picture of it's deteriorating body, after works she turned to leave the cave.
'Good job sweetie' said Morda in Sunset head.
'Thanks' replied Sunset.
____________________________________________________
Back outside Vice Principal Luna has seen everything on her scroll, Chrysalis Crystal had already told her that Sunset Summer Shimmer did want to have her document record unedited which meant that V.P. Luna had to leave the Young-Ground Dweller on Shimmer's record.
Minutes before the exam time is over, Sunset came out of the tunnels and went to V.P. Luna who was alone, the others went home to eat dinner while V.P. Luna had to stay.
"Report!" Yelled V.P. Luna.
"I killed a Adult-Ground Dweller" stated Sunset.
"...Is that what you want to be stated in your official record document" asked V.P. Luna.
"...Yes ma'am" said Sunset.
"... Fallout!" Yelled V.P. Luna.
Vice Principal Luna than turned and left to her motorcycle as she got on it she give Sunset a wave goodbye as she left to her house to print out and fill out the paperwork.
'It's a good thing my sister doesn't have to see this documents and she's given me authority to enroll students myself, hopefully she doesn't ask to see the exam records of these kids I don't want Ozpin to know about these kids' thought V.P. Luna.
____________________________________________________
Sunset is later seen walking down the street from the gates that lead to the outside, turning a corner she sees a pony Faunus girl with pink hair and a spilled animal food bag next to her, has she was getting bullied by a group of 4 17-19yr human teen boys, Sunset seeing this she got pissed at this.
"Hey Dicks!" Sunset yelled.
The oldest one a boy with black hair turned to her, the 3 other boy turned to see her too, the younger boy has gray hair, and the other two boys had brown hair and blonde hair.
"Mind your own business girl" said the brown haired boy.
"Hey wait she's a animal freak too" comment the black haired boy.
"If you don't get away from that girl I'll show you what a pissed off horse does" Sunset threatened.
"What kind of a threat is that hahaha" mocked the gray haired boy.
Sunset waked up to him and did a front flip spin and then it on both her hands and she bended her legs and shot them outwards bucking the gray haired boy away and into some trash cans nocking him out.
The other teens looked at their fallen friend for a couple of seconds giving Sunset time to sucker punch the brown haired boy, which got the attention of the other boys and I finally made them act.
The blonde haired boy took out a knife and tried to stab Sunset, but she flat his hand away and then use the same head to hand chop his throat and than punch his chest, the blonde haired boy backs away as the black haired boy punched Sunset in her shoulder but her recharge aura protected her from any damage, so he only was able to push Sunset away.
Sunset quickly got her balance back and was able to dodge the next attack from the 19 year old black haired boy, He tried to punch Sunset's face but missed and Sunset took advantage of this by headbutting, gut checking, knee stomping, and punching him on the left temple.
"Come on little boy children, fight back" taunted Sunset.
The blonde haired boy, having recovered from his lost of breath, tried to get back into the fight this time by trying to kick Sunset, but she grabbed his leg I twisted it and used her own left knee to hit the side of his, Sunset than you lose her right leg too kick the leg the blonde haired boy was using the stand, the blonde teen then fall to the floor hitting his head and Sunset finish the job by stopping him on the head knocking him out.
"Come on boys stop tripping you're making this easy" taunted Sunset.
As for the Brown haired boy he finally got up from the ground one of these is swollen but with his other eye he's on what happened to his friend... and ran away his swollen eyes stinging all the while.
Leaving the 19 year old black haired boy alone and with a bored Sunset who wanted to get this over with, So she use telekinesis to grab him and throw him to a wall knocking him out.
As the teen hit the ground Sunset heard a scared whimper, and it was at that moment he realized the pink hair pony Faunus girl didn't ran away during the fight.
'Sunset this girl is probably traumatized we don't know the full story but this girl was overly too scared to run away, and who knows what those boys want to do to her especially when one of them had a knife' said Morda.
'Yeah your right mom' agreed Sunset.
'Here let me help you ease the girl and help her listen to my instructions' said Morda.
Sunset listened and kneeled down to get eye leveled with the girl, Sunset than spoke in the gentleness voice she could and in a low volume with a soft tone.
"Hey are you okay? What's your name? mines Sunset" asked Sunset.
"...mines Fluttershy" said Fluttershy.
"Listen Fluttershy, I'm going to need to trust me okay, I'm going to take to a animal shelter nearby that I know" stated Sunset.
"An Animal Shelter do you mean the Animal Haven Shelter" asked Fluttershy.
"Uh yeah, you know it?" asked Sunset.
"Yes!" said a happy Fluttershy who grabbed both of Sunset hands with hers.
'I guess she's a animal lover' thought Sunset.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to forcefully grab your hands" said a apologetic Fluttershy.
"It's okay here" said Sunset.
Who used her Magic to pickup the spilled animal food bag into her own arms leaving the food that filled out on the ground since the street sidewalks were dirty in this part of town.
'And I doubt Fluttershy will want to feed that to the animals' thought Sunset.
"Come on let me take you to the animal shelter you were on your way there weren't you" asked Sunset.
"Oh yes I was we ran out of rabbit food and there wasn't enough carrots either so I had to go get a new bag till we restocked" answered Fluttershy.
"Well then come on I'll walk with you there" said Sunset.
____________________________________________________
The Animal Haven Shelter was right next to a corner marijuana store, sure weed was legal in Atlas but in Mantle weed was the cheapest drug like medicine people could afford here for PTHD, ADHD, and more.(3)
As for Sunset she originally needed it to eat meat or get used to the idea of eating meat by smoking weed and making her hungry and looser enough to eat it to fit in more with the locals of this world, but nowadays she mostly uses it to stay calm or after doing things like training, fighting, and more.(3)
"Hi Fluttershy do you think you'll be okay if I leave you in the animal shelter with Mrs. Paws" asked Sunset.
Mrs. Paws a.k.a. Catty Bailey was a 28 year old widow, who husband die do to a illness causing her to become a single mother, and since the death of her husband she has been taking care of the Animal Haven Shelter with her only daughter Katty Felicia.
'Kind think about it doesn't her daughter attend Canterlot Combat HS?' thought said
"Sure I can and... Um thank you for your help Sunset" thanked Fluttershy.
"Your welcome Fluttershy that care and don't forget the animal food" Sunset said waving goodbye.
"Oh your right" said Fluttershy.
As Fluttershy enter the animal shelter carrying the rabbit food bag inside, as Sunset went to the Marijuana Shop moonlighting as a medicine corner shop, just because marijuana was legal in Mantle that didn't mean Atlas was trying to illegalize it, because of that many places where moonlighting as other shops with a few people know they sell weed.
Which is why Sunset waited for Fluttershy to enter the animal shelter, so Sunset go buy some weed, when Sunset entered the marijuana shop she was greeted by Smoked a.k.a. Jesse Stan.
"YO! Sunset here for a couple of palm tree logs" asked Jesse.
"Yeah sure am, after works I'm going to "Afton's Mega Pizza Plex: Fun 4 All" to meet up with my family" replied Sunset.
"Groovy" said Jesse smiling.
"Dude nobody says that anymore" deadpan Sunset.
"Well I just did didn't I" replied Jesse.
Jesse then pass Sunset a pack of cigarettes but instead of cigarettes it was filled with blunts.
"Remember to limit yourself per one when your smoking 😉 don't want to get high with family, who knows what they're do to you in your delusional stain" joke Jesse.
This caused something to shiver "Don't even joke about that the first time I got high a few months ago Chrissy made me run into a wall painted like a field of flowers" said Sunset annoyed.
As Jesse started laughing his ass off Sunset left the marijuana shop using her magic to light up a blunt.
To be continued... In FNAF vol 1 ch 2...
Thank you for reading. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | FNAF vol 1 ch 2 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
^letters/writings/texting^
~ POV narration (only if d paragraph starts with it)
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪~singing~♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene}
Warning:
This FNAF chapter will mostly be filler of characters having conversations so there will be a lot of Meanwhiles
Also this will be a two-parter because I don't want to make the author's note info too long... But it will still be long.
And both of them will be filled with filler conversations matter of fact both of these FNAF chapters are filler, mostly because I need to buy time to write on other chapters well still maintaining a schedule... Anyways it's also so I can write for the FNAF characters.
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Afton's Mega Pizza Plex: Fun 4 All (part 1)
Sunset Rage Shimmer POV
Sunset made it to the "Afton's Mega Pizza Plex: Fun 4 All", she went inside and was greeted by Glamrock Puppet who was one of the side animatronics like El chip, Montgomery Gator, Glamrock Baby, Glamrock Ballora, and DJ Music Man.(1)
"Hi Sunset, follow me I'll take you to your family" said G. Puppet.
"Okay thanks" I replied.
Glamrock Puppet lead her to the "Foxy Boat Rides" that were next to "Bonnie Bow's" where her family was eating pizza to celebrate passing the exam to enter Canterlot Combat High School.(2)
"High look who finally came" commented Shimmer.
"Bite me dog" I snark.
"Nah forget you horse" snark back Shimmer.
"Come on children play nice" joked Chrysalis.
"Fine" we both said.
After that most of them went for boat rides in pears, these are the pears; both Sunsets, Chrissy & Chrysalis, Vanny & Vanessa, May & Oura, Tati & Black, Legend & Hollow, Laberna & G. Foxy, G. Freddy & G. Bonnie, Monty & El Chip, and G. Baby & G. Ballora.
The only ones who didn't go for boat rides were Roxanne Wolf, Glamrock Puppet, and Glamrock Chica.
____________________________________________________
No POV
Sunset Rage Shimmer and Sunset Summer Shimmer were in the first boat Infront of everyone.
"So what took you so long did you have trouble" asked Shimmer.
"No" said Sunset not wanting to admit it "I was in the lowest level of the mine" finished Sunset.
"Nice... So what do you think school is going to be like?" asked Shimmer.
"I don't know... The few times I wasn't being teached by Celestia, I was in school classrooms with classmates Trying to bully me into dropping out" said Sunset.
'Still think it was right to tell them as soon as we did about my origin?'
'Yes dear, if your secret were to ever get out you will need some allies and friends to help you'
'Yeah okay good point... I might have never thought of that'
"I wonder if any of them got kicked out for failing grades?" said Sunset.
"So that means this will be our first real school life experience... With humans" stated Shimmer in a monotone voice.
'She seems to be worried about something'
"...I- I don't know if it will be good or bad" *inhale* "But I think we should keep an open mine, V.P. Luna did say she would help us, and be our teacher" said Sunset.
"Yeah? then why does she want's us all to wear body cams on school grounds? All of us except for the younger kids" asked Shimmer.
'She's worried for everyone not just her self so try comforting her like you would yourself'
"That... I can't answer, ...But let's try our best and stand up for ourselves, show anybody who tries to Fuck with us who's alpha" stated Sunset.
'Really Sunset?'
'What she's a younger me remember, unlike me she doesn't have a old lady inside her see'
'Okay A. I'm not in your ass, I'm a voice in your mine B. I apparently have a perverted daughter C. Rephrase your sentence now'
'... Nah I'm good'
"We'll give them hell" said Sunset.
😏 "Hella yeah" said Shimmer.
Both Sunset Shimmers grabbed each other's hands and pulled into a hug, Yeah they're not evil or mean, but that didn't meant they wouldn't be dicks to those who would try to fuck with them or their loved ones.
The Sunsets conversation (3)
____________________________________________________
[Meanwhile]
____________________________________________________
Chrysalis Crystal and her daughter Chrissy Crystal were drinking Cola as the little boat they were in gently floated in the ginormous indoor pool/pond.
"Sooo how you feel my lil Emerald" asked Chrysalis.
"A little nervous and some excitement" confessed Chrissy.
"While here's to hoping all goes well for you dear" said Chrysalis trying to comfort her daughter.
"Thanks Mom... Um how were your days in sch-"
"They were a Bitch" interrupted Chrysalis.
"Ugh... Well at least you're honest to me Mom" said Chrissy.
"Sweet heart I will never lie to you unless it was to protect you, I also know treating you bad won't make you love me, and treating you with love will encourage you to do better" stated Chrysalis.
"...So I heard from the younger kids that they are going to normal classes, Why is that?" asked Chrissy.
"Because the younger kids want to be around more children their own age, plus there's less risk of them getting into a fight with that being said, they will have hidden body cams" stated Chrysalis.
"Why? If there's less risk of them getting into a fight, what would be the need?" asked Chrissy.
"You need to understand to hope for the best and expect the worst" stated Chrysalis.
"... That's not how it goes" stated Chrissy"
"While it should" stated Chrysalis.
"Also better save then sorry, children can be just as bad as adults, the difference is that the older you get the easier it gets" stated Chrysalis.
"What do you mean?" asked Chrissy.
"What you do with all your knowledge and strength is what makes it good or bad" stated Chrysalis "But you need Time, Training, and Leaning, even if you are born a prodigy that can only get you so far, you need to put in the time and effort into getting better" stated Chrysalis.
"Oh yeah that makes sense, Wait is that why Sunset keeps training even if she as to go to sleep at 9:30 P.M. just so she can get up in the morning at 5:30 A.M.?" asked Chrissy.
"Yes even though she takes it a bit too far her mindset isn't all that wrong... With that being said though while you have been keeping up with your studies" said Chrysalis patting her daughter's head.
"You've been lacking in these" stated Chrysalis playfully elbowing her daughter's left arm "Why is that hm~" asked Chrysalis.
"Ugh because I'm still just a kid so I want to be lazy while I still can Miss Amazon" snarked Chrissy.
"Be careful my lil Emerald all that exhaling is going to leave you breathless" joked Chrysalis.
"...Ugh ha ha" laughed Chrissy a little.
Not many teenage daughters can talk to their mother like this, usually if a child talks to their parents with such carelessness like they would with a friend, they would get in trouble for being so rude to them.
But not for Chrissy she could talk to her mother like a friend... But only because Chrysalis wasn't a roll model and the only reason why Chrissy had respect for others was because William Afton and Ballora Afton tested her.
"Hey dear" stated Chrysalis.
"Yeah Mom" asked Chrissy.
"Good luck at school" said Chrysalis smiling.
"Thanks Mom" said Chrissy smiling.
____________________________________________________
[Meanwhile]
____________________________________________________
Vanny Afton and Vanessa Emily where arriving at a little Island that was man-made to have a giant basement that served like a cold room for drinks of all kinds in the center of the indoor pool/pond after paddling their way here, the little island had a bar that the back that served drinks for all ages.
"Is there any Vanilla Cola left" asked Vanny.
"Yeah, but get me a Black Cherry Pepsi please" said Vanessa.
"Sure" replied Vanny.
Vanny went around the bar counter and took out the drinks she and her sister wanted, and went to wear her sister who was sitting in a beach chair next to another with a small table between them.
"So what are you doing to do now that I won't be around to fix and provide maintenance for the animatronics" asked Vanny.
"Ugh don't remind me he's going to be hard to find somebody that can match my little sister... At least one that is a Faunus in Mantle or a human who isn't racist against Faunus" stated Vanessa.
"Yeah good luck with that, although I might be able to come here but only on weekends" suggested Vanny.
"If you could I know you are smart, but I don't want you to fail in school just to come here sis" stated Vanessa.
"Oh please Big V, I'm able to do homework here just fine" boasted Vanny.
"Okay fine I'll take your work for it" relented Vanessa.
"Yeh" said Vanny.
Both sisters laid down that comfortable with just being in each other's presence without disturbing the peace with idle chatter, the only times the peaceful silence was Disturbed is when one of them had to get up to use the bathroom.
Which were only 3 small cubic room with a single toilet inside on the Little island, these bathrooms were one for females, one for males, one for cripples, after a while though May and Oura came to the island.
____________________________________________________
A little while ago
____________________________________________________
May Sakura and Oura Saiko were close to the bar island that was called "Foxy's Drink Beach Corner", even though it was on the center of the indoor pool/pond and not any corner.
"Ugh~ why did you have to drag me out here?" May asked.
"Because we need to talk about you being stupid today and getting lost in the mineshafts" stated Oura.
"Hmm okay look I made a mistake it won't happen again" said May.
This caused Oura to get into May's face with an angry look.
"You Wanted To Be The Leader Right!" Yelled Oura.
"Ye-" started May.
"Than Got Your Shit Together If You Lead Us Into Battle, You Need To Not Get Us Lost, Not Get Us Killed, And Stoping Be So Careless!" Yelled Oura.
There was a silence moment after Oura outburst as May reflected on her leadership for the team they were a part of.(4)
[Back Flash]
{A few months before the death of William}
"Okay leaders pick your teammates we're going to do some sparring tag team matches" announced William.
Sunset Rage Shimmer and Sunset Summer Shimmer were picked by William because he wanted to have the teams as fair as possible and Summer had picked Oura, May, and Tari.
"Hey can I be the leader?" asked May.
"Why?" asked Shimmer.
"So we can call are team Monster" replied May.
"We're not going to change leaders cuz of a name" said Oura.
"Come on I can be a leader" stated May.
"I'm okay with it as long as she can get better later on" stated Tati.
"Okay" replied May.
They went on to lose the fight, and that wouldn't be the first time, when they had to go camping and not come back home a month unless it was an emergency, team Monster got lost in the first day and ended up going back home 3 days after the month started, but they will succeed the next go around.
[Present day]
And that's how team Monster would be throughout their training days and that's how May would be with her studies too fail the first time and pass the second.
"I'm sorry Oura, I promised, I would have turned into a real leader and I failed" said May.
"I- I want you to stop saying promises, I want you to start showing you can keep your promises" said Oura.
"I will" replied May.
"Come on let's go to the Island I want a drink" said Oura
____________________________________________________
[Meanwhile]
____________________________________________________
Tati Tsumi and Black Rock were the last to get on a boat so it took them a while to get to the Island, as they got on the Island they found Vanny, Vanessa, May, and Oura already there.
"So why don't you talk a lot?" asked Tati.
From the corner of her eye Black looked at Tati with a raised eyebrow, they were laying down on some towels.
"Not that I'm trying to be rude, but you have such a nice voice and you choose to be mute" stated Tati.
"..."
"Shit was that still mean sorry" apologized Tati.
"...Like you said it's my choice" stated Black
"Oh Kay..." said Tati.
"...and the things I say are mostly mean because their truth" finished Black.
"Oh I see" said Tati.
"..."
*sigh* "Want a drink?" asked Tati.
Black just shook her head saying no, Tati got up and went to the bar to get herself a lemonade.
"Hey Tati!"
Tati turned to see Vanny walking to the bar with two empty soda cans crushed in her hands and drop them in a recycling bin next to the bar's right corner.
"Would you mind serving me two glasses a fruit punch?" asked Vanny.
"Oh yeah sure, so how are you and your sister?" said Tati.
"I'm going to come here at the weekends so no worries there" replied Vanny.
"Cool cool" said Tati.
Tati got to making the fruit punch and lemonade drinks, and once she was done she handed Vanny the fruit punch glasses and wave goodbye and she walks back to her spot with her lemonade.
'With everything going on though I wonder how our animatronic friends feel about things?' Both Tati & Vanny thought.
To be continued...
____________________________________________________
Thanks for reading part 2 should already be out if not... Sorry. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | FNAF vol 1 ch 3 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
^letters/writings/texting^
~ POV narration (only if d paragraph starts with it)
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪~singing~♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene}
These are the conversation of Legend & Hollow, Laberna & G. Foxy, G. Freddy & G. Bonnie, Monty & El Chip, and G. Baby & G. Ballora, and lastly Roxanne Wolf & Glamrock Puppet & Glamrock Chica.
____________________________________________________
Afton's Mega Pizza Plex: Fun 4 All (part 2)
No POV
Legend Hound and Hollow Blight choose to go to a medium sized floating water wrestling ring without the ropes, they wanted to train and talk a bit, mostly about how they should act in school and to any students they would come across.
They were the second to last ones to leave on a boat ride, after a short argument with how they should act and it went something like this.
"I think we sure stay quiet and only act if the other students act first" said Hollow
"And I think we should beat the breaks out of the strongest one there to keep them from trying something to us" stated Legend.
After a little more arguing they got into one of the two last paddle boats and went to the a medium sized floating water wrestling ring without the ropes that was in the right upper corner.
*inhale* "He are the rules, Rule 1: no aura nor semblances, Rule 2: fall in the water will be a lost or rendering. Rule 3: no using your robotic spine. Rule 4: the match will only last for 20 minutes, since I can only breathe with my damaged lungs for 25 minutes without my aura got it" stated Hollow.
"Fine, but I won't hold back and remember if I win you'll back up my plan with the others, and if you win I'll back up your plan with the others" stated Legend.
"Okey" *exhale*
They got on the water wrestling/fighting ring and faced each other, they got their scrolls out and got their timers to count down 20 minutes with 15 seconds, and other one that just had 15 seconds.
*15 seconds*
They turn off their Aura causing Hollow's right arm to turn back into a log now that his semblance was off as while.
*10 seconds*
Legend turned off his Bionicle spine as Hollow through his log into the boat.(1)
*5 seconds*
They got in fighting stands and got ready as the next few seconds seemed to stretch.
*Beep*
Legend throws the first punch with his right fist causing Hollow to spin kick the punch away, then Legend tried to throw a left punch so Hollow uses his life hand to hit Legend's on his forearm and then proceeded to elbow him in the chin.
*19 minutes 24 seconds*
Legend took a step back trying to ignore the pain as Hollow proceeded to kick his side, Legend use this opportunity to grab Hollow leg and throw a punch at Hollow's stomach.
*18 minutes 30 seconds*
Then Hollow backed away with his only arm in front to protect him Legend, he then attempted to sweep Legend legs, but Legend jumped over it and tried to stomp on Hollow leg, only for Hollow to get back up faster and sidekick him.
*16 minutes 18 seconds*
Legend was now at the side of the ring but Hollow didn't try to go in for the win, and instead opted to be caution since he didn't want to be arrogant and end up losing the match by jumping into the water.
*14 minutes 46 seconds*
Legend got away from the edge of the ring to avoid losing, and Hollow moved to his left and right as they started circling each other, Hollow made sure to avoid having Legend control of the momentum of the fight, since Hollow already had him in a corner... so to speak.
*12 minutes 27 seconds*
Legend then started to bounce on the tips of his toes and tried to swing for Hollow's head in a attempt to get Hollow to back off, But Hollow would use his only arm to block one punch and parry the next.
*9 minutes 13 seconds*
Hollow then used his left leg to kick Legend in the left thigh and split kick Legend in the jaw sending him doubling backwards back to the edge of the ring, Hollow saw Legend was still a bit dazed so Hollow did a front side flip and I'll stretched his right leg to kick Legend and the stomach sending him into the water.
*8 minutes 40 seconds*
"I win, Legend, I'll do things my way" stated Hollow.
"Yeah yeah yeah, I'll help you talk to the others when we're all together" stated Legend.
"Okay thanks" said Hollow.
____________________________________________________
[Meanwhile]
____________________________________________________
Laberna Afton and Glamrock Foxy were in a beach house, a place where birthday parties are held inside on the first and second floor, with a real size pirate ship nearby on a dock with the sails up.
"So lass how was your day" asked G. Foxy.(2)
"It was good Vanny had contact her promise, and will start to be serious when it contents" replied Laberna.
"That's nice so the two of you will start to go to school" said G. Foxy.
"Yes" replied Laberna.
"That's good to hear" said G. Foxy.
They send there time with playing chess to pass the time, till it was time for them to get together with the others.(3)
____________________________________________________
[Meanwhile]
____________________________________________________
Glamrock Freddy, Glamrock Bonnie, Montgomery Gator, and El Chip where on their way to the bar island with Freddy and Bonnie on one boat while Monty and Chip and another a little bit behind.(1)
"So Frebby have you been okay?" asked G. Bonnie.
"Whatever do you mean Bonnie?" asked Frebby.
"Well you've been looking pretty down lately and you've been calling the kids who have a visit you privately "Superstar" instead of "My Superstar" you've also looked on with sadness at parents with their kids" stated G. Bonnie.
"... Well I've been wanting a child of my own lately a "Superstar" of my own" said G. Frebby.
"Like a Son or a Daughter?" asked G. Bonnie.
"Yes, all of the children come and go, and I enjoy entertaining them, but I would like for one of them to stay here with us" stated G. Freddy.
"You always did seem like the father type" said G. Bonnie with a grin.
"Thank you Bonnie" thanked G. Freddy.(4)
Meanwhile on the other boat with Monty and El Chip, Montgomery was complaining about not being a side character, despite being the only side character to have his own attraction area, he wanted to be part of the main band and lead it.
"I don't understand I'm the only new original character, so why am I not even in the band" asked a frustrated Monty.
"Es porque tú rompes cosas que cuestan más de lo que tú gana para la Companía a cambio." said El Chip.
"It's because you break things that cost more than you earn for the Company in return"
"I know right clearly nobody is keeping track of who's the most beloved by the children, because I'm clearly the most popular" said Monty.
Monty not noticing El Chip facepalming because Monty didn't understand a single word he said.
"I know what if I got officer Vanessa to let me put on a solo show, that will show off my greatness" announce Monty.
"En primer lugar, ya no es solo la directora de seguridad, es nuestra jefa. En segundo lugar, creo que es una idea estúpida." stated El Chip.
"First of all she isn't just the head officer of security anymore she's our boss second of all I think that's a stupid idea." stated El Chip
"Glad you agreed" said Monty.
Causing El chip to facepalm once again "Ugh, ¿por que me molesto en estar cerca de ti? Si ni siquiera puedes entenderme" wondered El chip.
"Ugh, Why do I bother being around you? if you can't even understand me" wondered El Chip.
Finally they made it to the island, Glamrock Freddy and Glamrock Bonnie both headed for the bar to see if they could find Glamrock Baby and Glamrock Ballora, While El Chip stayed on his boat strumming a few strings on his brand new guitar.
As for Montgomery Gator, he went to look for Vanessa to see if he could ask her to see if he could put on a show on the birthday stage in Monty's Golf, instead of walking around his attraction until somebody waived him for help.
____________________________________________________
[Meanwhile]
____________________________________________________
Glamrock Baby and Glamrock Ballora were in the middle of the water just floating peacefully, the only disturbance was the fidgeting of Glamrock Baby who was nervous of asking Glamrock Ballora out on a date.
"Are you okay Red GB?" asked a worried G. Ballora "Do you have a glitch?".
"N- No Blue GB it just I wanted to ask you something" said G. Baby.
"What is it?" asked G. Ballora.
"Do you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend?" asked G. Baby wincing a little.
"No I am single, Why? Would you like to ask me out?" asked G. Baby.
"Y- Yeah I wanted us to go on a date, on the roof of the pizzeria next Friday" said a nervous G. Baby.
"Oh I loved to Red GB" said an excited G. Ballora.
Glamrock Ballora then jumped onto Glamrock Baby and giving her a hug.
"But why next Friday though, and not this Friday" asked G. Baby.
"I want to ask Vanessa a week ahead of time so our schedules can be cleared, and it won't be out of short notice" stated G. Baby.
"Oh okay I understand now" said G. Ballora.
They then went to the bar Island to talk to Vanessa so they could have next friday off, after arriving at the Island where almost everyone was on it, there was Vanny Afton, Vanessa Emily, May Sakura, Oura Saiko, Tati Tsumi, Black Rock, Glamrock Freddy, Glamrock Bonnie, Montgomery Gator, and El Chip.
"Is this a party?" said G. Baby.
"I don't know but let's talk to Vanessa first" said G. Ballora.
"Okay" replied G. Baby.
They got to Vanessa and saw she was in a heated conversation with Monty.
"Their aren't any booked party Monty and no reason for-" Vanessa stopped seeing them.
"Hey what's going on" asked G. Baby.
"Monty what's a showcase but their's no reason for him to have one" replied Vanny
She looking a bit annoyed that Monty is disturbing her and Vanessa's sister time, Glamrock Baby could understand Monty wanted to be in the light spot more than anything else, which is why he can be annoying at times.
"Will as it so happens Red GB and I, wanted to ask Vanessa if we could have next friday off" said G. Ballora.
"Why?" asked Vanessa.
"I wanted to take Blue GB out on a date" said G. Baby happily.
"Oh okay y'all can, and Monty congratulations and reason just came up for you to have a showcase" stated Vanessa.
"YES!" yelled Monty.
"Thank you Vanessa" said G. Ballora.
____________________________________________________
[Meanwhile]
____________________________________________________
Roxanne Wolf, Glamrock Puppet, and Glamrock Chica were at the indoor man-made beach with 2 restaurant, 3 arcades, and some carnival life games.
"So Roxy way didn't you go on the boat rides?" asked G. Chica.
"I don't like the water never learned to swim, no more like never could, not when I was living in a SDC dust mine cave since birth" said a grim Roxy.
A moment of silence past as Roxanne rubbed her SDC branding mark under her green highlighted hair, Glamrock Chica was now regretting asking she could never learned how to deal with traumatized people since she was only program with knowing how to take care of children ages 10 and under.
"... So why didn't you two go boating?" asked Roxy.
Glamrock Puppet thankful for the change of subject a answered "We haven't been updated to be waterproof"
"Hey here's an idea why don't we teach you how to swim once we're waterproof" announce and excited G. Chica.
"You girls aren't even waterproof yet, how do you know how to swim?" asked Roxy.
"Programming" replied G. Puppet.
"Oh right" said Roxy.
They then went to spend the rest of their time playing games with Roxanne Wolf being the best at it.
____________________________________________________
Thx for reading bye. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Equestria vol 1 ch 2 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
^letters/writings/texting^
~ POV narration
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪singing♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene}
____________________________________________________
The Wedding
No POV
"Good job widow killer" said Queen Chrysalis "The ponies don't know anything and the wedding is in a few a hours"
"Speaking of which I would like to keep playing the Cadenza act I would love to mess with Twilight Sparkle some more" asked Widow.
"hm sorry but I need to be Cadence to get close to Celestia, but you may do as you like, but only if you till me why?" replied Queen Chrysalis.
"This is why" replied Widow taking out a book with a dual colored Sun on the cover.
"Of the book of Sunset Shimmer, What are you planning to do with it?" asked Queen Chrysalis.
"Why I'm giving it to Twilight Sparkle of course don't worry it doesn't have any research this is just her diary" said Widow.
"Alright fine" relented Queen Chrysalis "just make sure to flea Canterlot once we've turned it into samples"
"Will do your highness" replied Widow.
____________________________________________________
[Time Skip]
Widow Killer POV
____________________________________________________
The wedding was almost at it's peak with Captain Shining Armor waiting for the "Bride" to come walking down the aisle, and as soon as I thought this my queen and her disguised walk through the doors with three little fillies throwing rose petals on her path.
But before the queen walked up to the Princess and the Captain of the guards, she stopped and spoke to the attendees without turning away for the Princess of Equestria.
"I'm sorry for all you ponies"
The Queen then shot a green goo at Celestia's horn keeping her from using magic, and it was also the signal for me and the other changelings to reveal ourselves, half of the wedding attendees and all of the Royal guards for feel it themselves to be changelings.
I kept my disguised on because I still wanted to fuck around with Twilight and her friends, and as I looked out the window and all my fellow changelings invading the rest of canterlon I overheard the element bearers talking.
"Girls we need to get the elements"
"But Twilight what about Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence"
"I got an idea we can get the goo off of the Princess!"
Rainbow Dash then went up to Princess Celestia and tear off the goo by hoof, the Queen saw this and got ready she had been feeding a lot plus a lot of Spy (love gatherers and harvesters) Drones have given their love to her, this fine had a clear Victor, as both royals shot their magic beans at each other I kept hearing the element bearers talking.
"Ay don't mean ta be negative, but maybe we should get the elements while-"
The Queen only needed a few seconds to over power the Princess causing the pony that we're watching to gasp as more changeling jumped them, Twilight yelled at the girls to run to the elements and as they left I followed them.
Until they got surrounded by Changelings, I gave the order to have them separated the others follow my order as I went a floor under Twilight, as I finished getting a hole on the floor the ceiling of the room I was in collapse as I looked up to see Twilight falling with green goo on her horn, I was able to grab her hoof as she fall.
"Don't worry I got you"
I pulled her up and we both ran away from the changelings who followed Twilight through the hole, as we went by a door I signaled them to stop pursuing us and then close the door behind us.
"Follow me"
Lead Twilight farther away from her friends, as we came to a stop she was out of breath and crying meaning that if she was emotionally breaking down right now she would again after everything was over, so I made my move.
"Hi are you okay"
"No!" Yelled Twilight "Today was supposed to be a happy day for my family, but now out of nowhere the wedding turns into an invasion with no warning"(1).
'I felt bad for her but after the "invasion" she'll soon learn why all this happened, and will probably be more angry at Celestia than how sad she is right now' I thought turning back to my natural form.
"Don't worry you'll soon understand everything"
"What?!" Exclaimed Twilight "where's Cadence did you all kill her!" Asked Twilight as I held her with my magic.
"I'm a Spy Drone, and no we didn't kill Cadence's but Twilight didn't believe her" I said hit her in the side of her head knocking her out cold.
After that I carried Twilight to a secluded area of the Royal garden, I then went to my Queen's Marefriend room and took the copy of Sunset Shimmer's journal out of my saddlebags and placed it underneath a pillow next to Princess Cadance's diary.
After that I flew up to the wooden planks that support for the ceiling and lay down hiding on one of them.
____________________________________________________
[Time Skip]
No POV
____________________________________________________
It was after the wedding slash invasion and the guards, workers, and other ponies were fix and cleaning the damage city, no pony had seen Cadance so she was pronounce dead till further noticed.
Twilight closed the door to Cadance room she needed answers to how the changeling Widow Killer was able to perfectly resemble Cadance's in appearance and attitude.
While Twilight was looking through Cadance's room the rest of the main 6 were helping around the castle, and ask for her family her parents were comforting Shining Armor who had broken down at the news that his fiance was missing or dead.
Sure the Spy Drone told Twilight that they didn't kill Cadance but Twilight didn't believe her, even if she knows hers and Cadance's special greeting that doesn't mean anything since Celestia told her Changelings where deceptive creatures.
Twilight believed Celestia after all Widow said that Twilight will come to understand, but what she would come to understand Widow didn't tell her.
"Maybe she had stocked Cadance for years" 'Or maybe she had interrogated her and Cadence was still alive, or she had disposed of Cadence's and had read Cadance's diary' thought Twilight.
As soon as Twilight thought of it she slammed the makeup table drawers closed and turn to Cadance's bed and started looking for the diary.
"Ah ha found you" exclaimed Twilight.
Underneath a pillow with a book in brazen with Cadance's cutie mark on the cover.
"Why would she hide her diary in an obvious-"
Before Twilight could finish your sentence she saw another book is this one with a red and yellow sun with a stylized "S" in the middle.
"And who do you belong to?"
Twilight decided to pack both books in her saddle bag and left the room deciding to read them both back at home.
Unbeknownst to her however hidden behind a support for the ceiling lying down on her back was none other than Widow Killer what the one who planted both books underneath the pillow.
"I told you soon you'll understand" said Widow.(2)
____________________________________________________
Thank you for reading just a heads up after the next chapter I'm going on hiatus. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Remnant vol 1 ch 7 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
letters/writings/texting
~ POV narration
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪singing♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene} ___
First Day of School
No POV
Sunset Rage Shimmer, Sunset Summer Shimmer, Hollow Blight, Legend Hound, Black Rock, Roxanne Wolf, Chrissy Crystal, Vanny Afton, Laberna Afton, May Sakura, Oura Saiko, and Tati Tsumi were all Infront of Canterlot Combat High School, the younger orphan kids were at the orphanage since they were going to come at the normal time for other students.
While the older orphans showed up at 6:50 AM because the school's faculty was just arriving, which include Vice Principal Luna, who walked up to the group and lead them inside the school and up the stairs to a room that read.
Private Teaching Room
Students and Faculty can not enter without permission from the teacher.
Teacher: Vice Principal Luna
#Students: #12
"This will be your homeroom where we'll be doing Combat research, and this will also be your algebra, economic, reading, Spanish, Labs, and history classes any other extracurricular classes you want won't be with me with the exception of hobbies" stated VP Luna.
"hobbies?" asked May.
"Yes the extracurricular classes here involve hobbies, arts, employment, and sports" said VP Luna.
At some of their questioning looks Vice Principal Luna explained as she opened the door to the room.
"The Hobby classes here can be Cooking, Carpenter, Sculpting, and with supervision from a faculty member can also be Welding" stated VP Luna.
"Cool~" said Legend.
"Other Hoppy classes here can be used for Clubs like Robotics, "Fashion & Sewing" and even "Anime & Manga", and my favorite Gaming" said VP Luna with a smile.
'Vice Principal Luna Is A Gamer?!' thought everyone in the group of orphans.
"The Arts classes can be Art, Animations, Theater Arts, Music & Music theory, and Filming" said VP Luna causing the group to look at her with question looks.
It was Tati to ask the question on everyone's minds "What do you mean Music, Animations and Filming?"
"Well Filming and Music was supposed to be a hobby or entertainment class along with animation but since we only had those two for entertainment courses, we decided to move them into Arts courses so the school could provide for those classes without needing fundraisers from the students" said Luna.
"Okay? But shouldn't animation just be in the art class why does it need it's own separate class?" asked Laberna.
"The art room has a lot of art supplies like canvas and paint which uses water, and since we wanted our students to create animations on computers, we needed a separate room for them to use without the equipment getting damaged" said Luna.
"Uh if you don't mind me asking how is the school affording all of this?" asked Oura.
"Me and my sister would sometimes donate money out of our own pockets to fun the classes is that me like by donating it to the school, we would also be hosting fundraisers for the glasses weekend fund ourselves" said Luna.
"Hm is that legal?" asked Chrissy.
"This is a private funded School by my family that sometimes received funding from the Huntsman Academy whenever one of our students goes to attends it, and well there are restrictions by the education organization we are listed in, we are still capable of providing a fun environment for the student body... As long as the student body doesn't do anything to ruin it" VP Luna murdered the last part "Not to mention we're not just a High School we're a Combat training school"
"Now as for Employment, basically any student that has a job will have this as their last period and be allowed to go home early to get to work" stated VP Luna.
"Yess!" said Vanny before adding "Wait what if the student doesn't want to leave early like if they have a day off or something?"
"Then as long as the teacher is okay with the student can be in any classroom until it's time to go, in your case you have to tell the teacher that lets you stay in their room to email me where you are" stated VP Luna.
"Okay" said Vanny.
"As for Sports well obviously those are for Gym, PE, and any actual sports you may play" finished VP Luna open the door to her class room.
"I have to ask how many class periods do we have?" asked Shimmer.
"You'll have 10 periods not including homeroom and combat period, but you'll only be going to 5 periods per day" said Luna.
"Wait?! 5 periods" stated Sunset "... Doesn't that mean a lot of the extracurricular classes are either empty or have a few students?"
"Some yes and... my gaming class is one of the empty extracurricular classes... Because I'm the one teaching it" said VP Luna with a hint of sadness on her face, that turn into annoyance with her next part "Which is amazing considering how many students were either caught by me or sent to my office for gaming"
"Can I be in that class?" asked May with her arm up and receiving a look from Oura.
"Wait! wait-" *inhale* "What was that about Combat period?"
"Ah yes you see unlike normal schools that have a 8:30 am to 4:10 pm release schedule, Canterlot Combat High School and a Middle School has a release schedule of 7:00 am to 5:00 pm" stated VP Luna.
"Each period is 1 hour and 30 minutes and there are five periods each day, with some days being A days and some days being B days, in total you'll have 7 hours and 30 minutes of 10 hours spent learning" informed VP Luna.
"What about the 2 hours and 30 minutes left?" asked Roxanne.
"1 hour and 30 minutes will be spent during the Combat period in the middle of all your periods, while after that you'll be given one hour of lunch" said VP Luna.
"Cool" said Roxanne.
"Yes it is if you can convince a faculty member to take you off school grounds so you could go to one of the nearby stores to buy yourself something to eat and then come back" said VP Luna with a smile "Now come on inside kids"
Inside Vice Principal Luna's room were 16 desks in rows of four, and in the right of the room were 4 bookshelves, with 2 being used for books while the other 2 were being used for game consoles and video games, and in the back was a long table with 3 small fridges under it, and on the table was a microwave, and next to that were plastic drawers with what presumably were snacks inside.
On the right side of the room were two more long tables with computers on them, but none of those were the coolest thing in the room; no, the coolest thing was that instead of a whiteboard, there was a TV covering up the front wall of the classroom.
"... What. da. Fuck?" said Black summarizing everybody in the group thoughts with the exception of Vanny and May who had stars in their eyes... And Legend too.
"Language" chastised VP Luna with a smirk "But yeah me and my sister in addition of being Principal and Vice Principal also wanted our own classrooms to teach... But nobody volunteered to transfer into my room because they were scared of me"
"So~ I made my classroom in to my hangout spot, my own little haven and before you ask the wall TV is the only thing that goes against protocol, So don't tell my sister" said VP Luna handing out some paper to everyone.(1)
"What are these for?" asked Chrissy.
"There papers that will let you pick your extracurricular classes, and since there are only 6 main courses in this school 4 of you periods can by extracurricular" stated VP Luna.
"Wait could we make Gym as all 4 of our periods?" asked Legend.
"Or the "Gaming" room" added Vanny.
"Yes, but remember you'll have 3 main courses and 2 extracurricular periods per day" said VP Luna.
(These are their paper schedules skip these if you want)
Student: Sunset Rage Shimmer
Students ID: 15-93-62
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Art
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Gym PE
B5 Gaming
Student: Sunset Summer Shimmer
Students ID: 14-93-62
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Art
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Music
B5 Gaming
Student: Hollow Blight
Students ID: 15-73-25
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Cooking
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Animal Shelter Volunteer
B5 Gaming
Student: Legend Hound
Students ID: 21-21-00
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Gym PE
A5 Gym PE
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Gym PE
B5 Gaming
Student: Black Rock
Students ID: 40-14-66
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Animation
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Gym
B5 Gaming
Student: Roxanne Wolf
Students ID: 18-19-87
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Welding
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Gym
B5 Robotics
Student: Chrissy Crystal
Students ID: 31-41-51
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Art
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Fashion & Sewing
B5 Gaming
Student: May Sakura
Students ID: 36-54-07
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Gaming
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Gaming
B5 Gaming
Student: Oura Saiko
Students ID: 70-07-22
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Fashion & Sewing
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Fashion & Sewing
B5 Gaming
Student: Tati Tsumi
Students ID: 36-55-94
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Gym PE
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Music
B5 Gaming
Student: Vanny Afton
Students ID: 44-22-04
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Gaming
A5 Employment
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Robotics
B5 Employment
Student: Laberna Afton
Students ID: 44-22-51
A Day Periods:
A1 Algebra
A2 History
A3 Science
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
A4 Robotics
A5 Gaming
B Day Periods:
B1 Reading
B2 Spanish
B3 Economics
School wide period: Combat Period
Lunch period
B4 Robotics
B5 Gaming
Vice Principal Luna looked at their choices and saw they all picked Gaming at some period or two she looked up too see them smiling.
"You all picked my class?!" stated VP Luna surprised.
"I think we all just wanted to stay together, but your class is a class of gaming, Is a class we can be alone with one of another, and is a class that we can have alone with you of course" said Tati.
Luna smiled. ___
[Meanwhile] ___
Out side of the school near a house statue there was another group, that was of 4 human and 2 Faunus girls, and a dog that was purple because of some experiments to make his live span longer it worked, but the dog would get to live one year after his owner leaves high school unless something changes.(2)
Out of nowhere the human girl with Almond skin and Pink hair wearing winter clothes in different shades of pink, suddenly started glowing in her Azure Blue aura and bounce around as the others looked on, and waited for her to stop and when she did she gasped and turned to the others.
"Girls! We have new classmates" exclaimed the pink hair one.
"What ya mean Pinkie Pie?"
Asked a human Honey skin and Blond hair girl with a dark green winter jacket, brown pants, and cowgirl boots, and a cowboy hat on her head from her dad.
"One day Pinkie I'll learn how your aura works"
Said a human girl Ivory with dark purple hair and a pink line in her hair that stretched from her back to the front, she wear little blue winter jacket, dark blue pants, and a beanie her name was Twilight Sparkle.
"Dear you'll go crazy I wouldn't advised to do it" said Rarity Bell.
She was a Porcelain skin human girl with a mixture of Blue and Russian Violet hair, and was wearing a custom winter jacket with blue diamonds, and gray pants with purple boots.
"Um that wasn't nice" whispered Fluttershy Breeze and going unheard.
She was a Warm Ivory pony Faunus girl with light pink hair and pony tail, but with light yellow pony ears she was wearing a winter brown jacket with darker brown pants.
"They better not be like Gilda and her goons" said Rainbow Dash.
She was a Beige skin pony Faunus girl with Rainbow hair, she had a sport's winter coat for the winter with the sport team logo on the back and sweatpants, because she can't stand the cooled weather because being a anthony meant she had low levels of fat.
"I agree with Dash" said Rarity.
"Um did any of y'all even heard me talk? I said what ya mean Pinkie Pie? We've been here since 7:00 PM and I haven't seen no new classmates" said Applejack.
"Trust me AJ I can FEEL IT"
"... That's creepy Pink's"
"No it's not, now let's go fine them"
*Bark* agreed Spike.
As the girls were getting into the school with Spike getting into Twilight's backpack, as the bell started ringing, signaling to the students that school was starting.
"Sorry Pinkie, but we need to get to class" said Twilight.
"That's okay maybe one of us can come across them in our classes" said a hopeful Pinkie.
"Either in those or during the Combat period" said Rainbow with a challenging smirk.
"Now hold on sugar cube, no need to start beef when it ain't needed" said Applejack giving Rainbow a glare.
"It's a Combat period AJ whether you like it or not we're going to find" said Rainbow with a dead pan look.
"... Oh yeah" said an embarrassed Applejack. ___
[Time Skip] ___
It was after the A3 period and Principal Celestia made the announcement for the entire student body to report to the combat arena for the school wide Combat Period, Principal Luna stop the tournament film that was going on the TV and told her students to put up their belongings in the lockers outside of the classroom that were next to the door.
They put their belongings in the lockers with the exception of their weapons which day will be using in their fights, inside the combat arena they was a giant fighting platform with rows of seats leading down to it like bleachers.
The arena was attached to a stage that looks like an an announcers stage that ended at the back wall that had a screen on it the size of a billboard, Sunset noticed that there was four camera drones that were most likely connected to the screen so everyone in the audience could have a good view.
'Huh it's like a tournament arena' thought Sunset.
Vice Principal Luna told them to sit in the 12 chairs that were on the right hand side since she would be calling them for the the fights, the rule of the fights were as followed.
Rule 1: No outside Help unless it's just vocal.
Rule 2: the winner will be decided after their opponent Aura break, they fall off the ring, or the opponent surrenders.
Rule 3: every match must be 7 minutes and 30 seconds, after the match timer runs out whoever has the lowest Aura level loses.
Rule 4: The most important, by Principal Celestia, all feelings stay inside the ring if a student attacks another outside of it, it will result in immediate suspension or expulsion.
Vice Principal Luna had to wore them of the last rule ahead of time and while the fourth rule usually results in suspensions, because of Principal Celestia, she had warned them not to test their luck since principles Celestia would probably try to expulsion them.
Which was one of the reasons why they had to wear body cameras so nobody will make up lies about them, and as the combat arena room started to be filled with students, Principal Celestia voice came over the speakers.
"Greetings my Wondercolts" announce Celestia with cheer from the students.
"Wondercolts? But the majority of students here are females" said Oura.
"I know right isn't Great!" Cheered Tati.
Everyone else just stared at her calling a perfect with their eyes, Tati just shelter shoulders and let them know with her body language that he didn't care.
"Horn dog" said Oura.
"Why don't we call ourselves Wonder Equines?" asked Chrissy.
"It's because when one talks about horsepower or strong horses they usually talk about stallions there go colts" set a voice sitting behind them.
They turn around to see them there were more seats than students so there were a lot of empty seats so there was a row of empty seats behind them and beyond that role was a girl with green hair and neutral warm undertone skin, she was also wearing a thick turtleneck sweater and looked surprised that they noticed her.
"Thanks" said Shimmer as Vice Principal Luna voice came through the speakers.
"First up we have Roxanne Wolf Vs. Rainbow Dash!" Announce Vice Principal Luna.
Roxanne got up and was wearing her combat gear which was a leather razor jacket with saggy sweatpants, why was this her fighting clothes you might ask it's because she would use for shadow semblance underneath her clothes and the more room her clothes had inside the more room her Shadow semblance had to work with.
She walked down to the arena, while on the other side Rainbow Dash wearing sports shorts and a gym sport jacket with long sleeves, high coller, and it ended at her midriff, she had a jetpack, gun knife on each side, and goggles on her forehead.
"Oh yeah I'm getting one of the new students" said Rainbow.
She then flew to the arena at high speeds with her jetpack as her friends cheered on, using additional equipment wasn't against the rules so neither Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna said anything.
Both competitors stood facing each others as on the stage, which was actually just a rised platform on the arena, Principal Celestia spoke in the mic to start the match.
"Ready! FIGHT!"
To be continued...(3) ___
Thank you for read have a better today and tomorrow.
And one more thing before I go I'm going on hiatus sorry, it'll be temporarily and short hopefully |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Remnant vol 1 ch 8 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
letters/writings/texting
~ POV narration
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪singing♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene} ___
The Humane Six VS. The Faunus 12: Part 1 of 12
Roxanne Wolf VS. Rainbow Dash
No POV
Both competitors stood facing each other on the stage, which was actually just a raised platform in the arena, Principal Celestia spoke into the microphone to start the match.
"Ready! FIGHT!"
(7 minutes, 30 seconds)
Rainbow Dash used her semblance of Sonic Rainboom to blitz herself at Roxanne Wolf for a flying kick, and Roxanne used her semblance of Wolf Shadow Manipulation to cast a shadow armor under her clothes to quickly sidestep Rainbow's attack.
Rainbow tried to stop and turn her body to face Roxanne, but in doing so, she didn't realize that there was a shadow forming in front of her; she did notice it when she was pulling back her leg, only for her leg to be caught in the shadow clone's midriff when it turned solid.
(7 minutes, 18 seconds)
Roxanne got behind her and reinforced her shadow armor, as did her shadow clone, and both started to punch Rainbow at her front and back.
(Rainbow Aura percentage: 💚82)
(6 minutes, 57 seconds)
Rainbow then used her jetpack to fly up and shoot the clone off her with her knife guns; there were 6 rivers, so she had 11 bullets left, Roxanne moved away to avoid getting shot and threw 7 kunifes, which caused Rainbow to dodge to the right, but shadowy tangles shot out of the kunafes and tied themselves to her.
(6 minutes)
Roxanne then used them to pull Rainbow to the ground as she summoned a shadow shield to protect herself, Rainbow knew she wasn't going to be able to stay in the air, so she let herself get dragged down to the arena's surface.
(5 minutes, 43 seconds)
Once Rainbow was on the ground, she tried to cut off the shadow ropes, only to have the knife part of her gun touch the shadow ropes, the part where the blade meant the shadow ropes, and that fragment of the shadow ropes would go transparent and have the knife go through it.
(5 minutes, 25 seconds)
"Argh! Hey, stop being a coward and fight me for real!" said a frustrated Rainbow.
Roxanne, offended by this, creates a ninja star and throws it in a wide arc, cutting off the fuel tank of Rainbow's jetpack and making her grounded and unable to fly; Then Roxanne makes the shadow ropes holding Rainbow down disappear.
(5 minutes)
"Okay, I'll show you who's better, the coward who fights or the coward who flies, I hope you're ready to demonstrate what you preach" said Roxanne, walking to Rainbow.
Offended, Rainbow rainboomed herself onto Roxanne while shooting her guns, and Roxanne took the bullets on her shadow armor knowing she could take them.
(Roxanne Aura percentage: 💚87)
(4 minutes, 48 seconds)
Rainbow then ran out of bullets and started using the knife part of her guns to start fighting Roxanne in hand-to-hand combat, and Roxanne would parry or counter Rainbow's attacks with a shadow katana that she summoned.
(4 minutes, 11 seconds)
(Rainbow Aura percentage: 🧡59)
(Roxanne Aura percentage: 🧡77)
Roxanne, then let Rainbow hit her in the arm only to do a 360° spin to face through Rainbow in her left kidney, but once the katana was inside Rainbow, the katana turned partially solid, and if it wasn't for Rainbow's aura, her insides would have been scrambled.
(Rainbow Aura percentage: 💛34)
(Roxanne Aura percentage: 🧡65)
(3 minutes, 55 seconds)
This caused Rainbow to drop her weapons and took several steps back to get herself away from Roxanne as she checked herself for an injury, and Principal Celestia spoke into the microphone to check on Rainbow.
(3 minutes, 20 seconds)
"Miss Rainbow Dash! Are you hurt?" asked a worried Principal Celestia.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Then Rainbow started to let out an anger-filled growl "What Was That?!" yelled Rainbow in anger.
"My Shadow Katana is a shadow that, in its transparent phase, can't kill or injure, but it can send vibrations violent enough to feel like electricity shocking you" explains Roxanne.
"DASHIE! Your Weapons!" Yelled Pinkie.
Rainbow tried to look for her weapons and found two wolf-like shadows carrying them off the arena.
"Hey, that's not fair!"
"It isn't against the rules to throw your opponent's weapons off the arena, and in a real fight, your opponent won't be polite" stated Roxanne.
Rainbow got back up and started throwing punches, not thinking what she was doing and only fighting in blind range, just wanting to beat this smartass who made a fool out of her, Roxanne just dodged Rainbow's attacks, making sure not to get cornered or hit.
Roxanne, seeing the time and their aura percentages, thought of an idea and decided to tell Rainbow what she saw on the monitors to make Rainbow more desperate and more likely to mess up.
"Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but you need to try harder" said Roxanne.
Roxanne didn't even try to hide her smile, which just got Rainbow more angry.
"What did you Say!"
"I said to look at who's winning"
Roxanne pointed up at the monitor where the aura percentages were displayed and the timer was counting down, Rainbow looked at the monitors and saw she was at 34% and Roxanne was at 65%... And the timer was at 1 minute, 58 seconds.
"Wha-"
Rainbow didn't get to finish because Roxanne punched her in the face to bring Rainbow back to reality.
(1 minute, 30 seconds)
(Rainbow Aura percentage: ❤️30)
(Roxanne Aura percentage: 🧡65)
Rainbow got her senses back to her and started throwing punches more desperately and moving faster, while Roxanne dodged all Rainbow's attacks.
(59 seconds)
Rainbow uses her Sonic Rainboom to throw her full weight Roxanne, who just used her shadow manipulation to lift herself via her shadow armor, to get out of Rainbow's way; A loud alarm went off as Rainbow failed off the arena with 27 seconds remaining on the timer.
"The winner is Roxanne Wolf" announce Vice Principal Luna.
Some in the audience cheered and others booed at Roxanne, mostly cheers because Rainbow Dash was one of Canterlot Combat High School (and middle school) most talented Faunus students since she was in the 7th grade.(1)
"You're the Best!, Roxy!" yelled Vanny.
Roxanne turned to see some of her adopted family cheering her name, others clapping their hands, or in the case of the two Sunset Shimmers, they were giving her confidence marks and telling her with their eyes that they're happy for her.
Roxanne felt the weight on her shoulders lift she wouldn't admit it to the others, but she was worried she was going to lose, the wolf Faunus was making her way to her family, but she then heard Rainbow shout and turned around to make sure she was going to get attacked from behind.
"I want a Rematch!" yelled Rainbow, trying to get back in the arena.
"Sorry, Miss Dash, but you lost fair and square, now can both competitors face each other and bow and agree to leave their feelings in the ring" said Vice Principal Luna.
"Yes" said Roxanne, bowing.
"Miss Rainbow Dash?"
"F-fine!" said Rainbow, bowing.
After words, they went back to their own groups, with the Humane 6 trying to cheer up Rainbow, who was still frustrated that she lost, while the Faunus 12 were high fiving Roxanne for her victory.
"Next Flash Sentry vs. Hollow Blight" announces Principal Celestia, and both boys got on the arena.
Flash Sentry is a human with ivory skin and blue hair; He was wearing a leather jacket with chainmail armor underneath, and regular pants armor, and his weapon was a shield that can transform into two gun swords.
"No hard feelings, dude" said Flash.
"Sounds good to me" replied Hollow.
Both Flash Sentry and Hollow Blight were facing each other, Flash shield was sparking with electricity, while Hollow was making his wooden arm thicker.
"Ready! FIGHT!"
To be continued... ___
Hi I'm back thanks for reading my fanfic, I won't be posting as regularly as before because of RL and other reasons, but I hope you enjoy the story and see you all in the next chapter bye. |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Remnant vol 1 ch 9 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
letters/writings/texting
~ POV narration
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪singing♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene} ___
The Humane Six VS. The Faunus 12: Part 2 of 12
Hollow Blight VS. Flash Sentry
No POV
Both Flash Sentry and Hollow Blight were facing each other. Flash had his shield sparking with electricity, while Hollow was making his wooden arm thicker under his one long sleeve jacking that was covering up with his arm. while his other arm, which was still flesh and blood, was exposed.
"Ready! FIGHT!"
Flash used his semblance to ran at Hollow, Flash's semblance was Lightning Muscle, it gave him the ability to move fast (like The Flash from DC) or electrocute any one who touches him or his weapons, and Hollow used his semblance, Plant Manipulation 'n Creatio, to grow two 4ft sticks.
As Flash got closer to Hollow, he turned his shield into two gun swords with electricity running through them, and Hollow threw one of his sticks, causing Flash to block while trying not to slow down.
Hollow then waited as Flash got closer, he waited till Flash was a few feet away as the stick from before came back spinning under Flash's foot causing him to nearly slip, meanwhile Hollow made the stick he was holding grow.
Flash had no choice, the stick was aiming at his chest so he had to dive underneath the attack, losing his chance to attack Hollow. Hollow, on the other hand, jumped up and stomped on Flash's chest with the thick boots he had and performed a front flip off of it.
(Flash Aura percentage: 💚 90%)
(6 minutes, 24 seconds)
Flash got up as fast as he could, hoping he didn't look like an idiot getting up, while Hollow was making himself a baseball bat.
*Inhale* "Okay your better than I thought" Flash commented.
"Thanks, hope this can"
Flash didn't run in for the attack again, and Hollow made a shield of hard wood as both young men circled each other. Flash looked up, seeing that the time said 5 minutes and 37 seconds, so if he was going to win, he needed to make a plan fast. Flash decided to use his semblance to run fast around Hollow.
As Flash ran around Hollow, he used his gun swords to try and cut away at his aura, but Hollow was able to block half of the attacks and even was able to attack back, causing Flash to back away from Hollow, look up at the monitor, and have an open mouth at what he saw. The timer said it was 4 minutes and 2 seconds, but it was the auras that got to Flash.
Timer: 04:02
Hollow Blight Aura: 💚 96%
Flash Sentry Aura: 🧡 78%
"What!" said a shocked Flash.
"My aura is stronger than others." *Inhale* "And I have a lot of it."
'Oh, fuck me' thought Flash.
Starting to lose his cool, Flash started to empty out his sword gun clips onto Hollow using fire bullets, with Hollow blocking the worst of the attacks. (1)
After Flash's sword guns had their clips emptied of their bullets, Flash started to run to Hollow, using his semblance to rapidly attack Hollow, but all the Faunus boy could do was parry the attacks since he couldn't attack back or fully block the attack.
(3 minutes, 34 seconds)
Hollow was able to grow his right plant arm big and thick enough to grab Flash's gun swords and throw them away, so Flash started to run circles around Hollow and punched Hollow from every direction he could while using his semblance to run and punch at Hollow.
(Hollow Aura percentage: 💚 91%)
Hollow waited as he timed Flash running around him and stretched out his plant arm to closeline Flash, sending him flying nearly off the arena and blowing a chunk of his aura off.
(Flash Aura percentage: 💛 54%)
'Shit, I've been getting the shit kicked out of me; I got to think of something fast' thought Flash, in a panic.
"I would like to finish this, dude," said Hollow.
Flash got made at this point. Sure, Hollow wasn't speaking in an insulting tone, but Flash took it as an insult, so he got up and turned... Only to reserve an uppercut to his jaw, sending him flying into the force field that gives protection to the students watching in the stands.
A loud alarm went off as Flash hit the force field sliding down from it, with 2 minutes and 39 seconds remaining on the timer.
"The winner is Hollow Blight," announced Vice Principal Luna.
Some in the audience cheered and others booed at Hollow, mostly boos because Flash Sentry was a human and was liked by most of the students, both humans and Faunus alike, but Hollow didn't care for them. Instead, he walked to the edge of the arena and saw Flash getting up.
"Hey, need help?" asked Hollow, stretching his right leg arm to pull Flash up into the arena.
"I'm Fine" said an angry Flash, climbing up to the arena by himself.
"Both competitors must now face each other, bow, and agree to leave their feelings in the arena." said Vice Principal Luna.
"Yes, Vice Principal Luna." both boys said in unison and bowed to each other.
"I better not see any fighting in the halls." muttered VP Luna.
Both Flash and Hollow went off the arena as Principal Celestia announced the next two fighters.
"Next Applejack Pear vs. May Sakura" announces Principal Celestia.
Applejack Pear got on the arena wearing her combat clothes--a cowboy hat from her dad, a cowgirl button-up shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and cowgirl boots--and for her weapons, a shotgun and rope.
On the other side, May Sakura was getting onto the arena wearing her combat clothes: a brown leather jacket, black jeans, and brown boots. As for her weapons, they were gauntlets made out of the Magic Iron Blood, which appeared to be made of or looked metallic black. Sunset and Chrysalis were the ones to actually help make them.
"howdy let's have's a daisy of a fightin" said Applejack.
"Show me your moves" replied May.
Applejack activated her aura; her semblance was Farmer's Strength, which was a strength booster. May activated her aura; her semblance was Monster Energy, a strength boost and speed boost that's monstrous.
"Ready! FIGHT!"
To be continued...
Thanks for reading |
The Crimson Huntress; Sunset Shimmer Vol 1 | Remnant vol 1 ch 10 | POV
No Pov Narrator
'Thoughts or voices'
(Info)
letters/writings/texting
~ POV narration
"Speaking & something titles or quotes and ate"
♪singing♪
*Sounds, certain actions, body language, and etc*
[Time Skip or Flashback or meanwhile]
{Change of scenery or description of scene} ___
(Author: let me know if you don't want me to do the accent for Applejack or a softer accent because this is what I got for a cowboy accent translator)
The Humane Six VS. The Faunus 12: Part 3 of 12
May Sakura VS. Applejack Pear
No POV
"howdy let's have's a daisy of a fightin" said Applejack.
"Show me your moves" replied May.
Applejack activated her aura; her semblance was Farmer's Strength, which was a strength booster. May activated her aura; her semblance was Monster Energy, a strength boost and speed boost that's monstrous.
"Ready! FIGHT!"
Timer: 07:29
May Sakura Aura: 💚 100%
Applejack Pear Aura: 💚 100%
Unlike the other two rounds, May was the first to attack. Using her speed to cross the distance between her and Applejack, May ran behind her and cocked a fist back for a punch. only for her punch to be deflected by Applejack's forearm.
(Applejack Aura Percentage: 💚 95%)
(6 minutes, 53 seconds)
"Surprised?" asked AJ, after seeing May's face "Don't be ah 'ave a partner who's a speedy one too."
"She ain't as fast as me, though," shouted RD.
Applejack rolled her eyes and cocked her shotgun to fire as May ran in an unreadable pattern to throw off the farm girl shot. AJ fired and May jumped over the shot.
"Who'ye y'ahwl kan jump high gal" commented AJ.
"Thanks!" replied May.
Applejack shot again, this time a bit higher, causing May to slide underneath the shot. Applejack put her gun away, having only three bullets left, and took out her rope, which turned out to be a lasso... but she started using it more like a whip by trying to whip May with it. May tried to dodge every attack but was unable to dodge them all.
(6 minutes, 3 seconds)
(May Aura Percentage: 💚 83%)
May had enough and tried to get closer, but she got hit a few more times before she used her semblance to boost her speed to get closer to Applejack. Applejack tried to block the attack, only to find out that May's left punch was a fake, after May pulled back and threw a real punch with her right.
Timer: 05:46
May Sakura Aura: 🧡 78%
Applejack Pear Aura: 💚 84%
May, not wanting to waste this opportunity, capitalizes on her attack and grabs Applejack's left arm. She then starts pulling Applejack and punching her with her own left fist. Applejack tried to block or hit back, but May, with her boosted speed, was able to push or kick all of Applejack's attempts to free herself.
(Applejack Aura Percentage: 🧡 73%)
'There we are now it's fair game' thought May.
'Aw shot ah need t' git out awf her hold or ah'm a lohs' thought AJ.
"Come on cuz you can DO IT" yelled Pinkie.
'I don't think AJ can with her arm twisted like that' thought Twilight.
"Come on, AJ, break free!" Yelled RD
"Keep it going, May" yelled Oura.
After a few seconds, Applejack found an opening, and May was starting to throw wide open punches after every other punch, leaving herself open. Applejack, seeing this, waited for May to hit her with a short punch so she could grab her shotgun and fired a shot while the gun was still around her back.
May backed away as the recoil of the shotgun made it swing around Applejack's torso and into her hands, after which Applejack didn't waste this opportunity and started emptying her shotgun magazine cap and finally getting some berthing room Applejack took out her cowgirl lasso, as May got herself back together and backed away from Applejack's attack, a downward slash.
Timer: 04:41
May Sakura Aura: 💛 58%
Applejack Pear Aura: 🧡 60%
"All-Yeah! AJ get her" yelled Rainbow.
Applejack then retracted her lasso and got into close quarters in combat with May, this time Applejack didn't leave herself open she kept her arms close to chest and started fighting like a boxer, this caused May to fight like a kickboxer, while Applejack fought with punches, blocks, and would stomp every now and then, while May fought with punches, kicks, blocks, and would step forward and backwards to avoid getting hit, both using their semblance to try and get the upper hand.
May's spin kick was meant with a right arm block from Applejack, who then threw a punch of her own causing May to step back to dodge and step forward to throw her own punches, with Applejack blocking them and trying to stomp May's thigh, May jumped and pirouetted in the air into another spin kick, this one hitting Applejack in the side of her head knocking her hat off.
(Applejack Aura Percentage: 💛 51%)
"Uh nahce hit sugar cube, but now ya gawt t' pay for maah pa's Stetson" said Applejack, half complemented, half threatening.
"Gaarr, bring it" repelled May.
Applejack tied her lasso around her arm and started to use it as her main arm to attack, May not wanting to get more damage to her aura, started to keep her desist, while Applejack went on the attack. Now Applejack was currently on the attack while May is backing away to avoid giving Applejack the upper hand, Applejack threw a punch with her lasso covered arm as May dodged to the left then right as Applejack threw another punch this one hitting May.
(May Aura Percentage: 💛 42%)
(3 minutes, 33 seconds)
May was sent rolling on the arena floor when she stopped, she looked up to see that Applejack was about to stomp her, using her semblance to get herself off the ground fast enough to give Applejack a back hand to the cowgirl's abdomen, and a spin kick to Applejack's lower back. Applejack tried to give her own back hand and missed it, but however the downward swing Applejack delivered did hit May on her right thigh.
(May Aura Percentage: ❤️ 35%)
Applejack then proceeded to get on top of May and started hitting her a total of 10 times with her lasso arm, and after the 11th hit the match ended with a loud alarm after May Aura went to 0%.
"The winner is Applejack Pear" announced Principal Celestia.
"Both competitors must now face each other, bow, and agree to leave their feelings in the arena." said Vice Principal Luna, Both Applejack Pear and May Sakura did so before walking to their respective friends' group.
'Oh joy she better not hold anger towards AJ after this' thought Oura, as Vice Principal Luna announced the next two fighters.
"Next Pinkamena Diane Pie vs. Vanny Afton" announces Vice Principal Luna
Pinkie Pie skipped her way on to the arena wearing blue boots, a blue skirt, a latex pink jacket, and her weapon was a baby blue grenade launcher, however Pinkie's grenade launcher had random ammo, 1st, 4th, and 6th were party confetti, while 2nd, 3rd, and 5th were filled with sugar to be used by her semblance, Sugar Bomb.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Vanny was also skipping on to the arena wearing combat shorts, high thigh boots with metal in the rubber parts, and a female leather long-sleeve jacket that showed off her midriff, but her white T-shirt prevented that. Vanny's weapon was a ninja weapon called Vigoorian Flail with fire dust in the blade parts, with the handles being guns, and instead of a chain or rope couniting them it was some wires made from Vibranium. (1)
"Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie!" said Pinkie with a smile.
"Nice ta' meet Cha, I'm Vanny Afton" Said Vanny while giggling, before licking her lips and smiling a bit bigger than Pinkie, nobody noticed the shiver Pinkie gave. They then both activated their semblances, Pinkie's being Sugar Boom and Vanny's being Sharingan (illusions to reality), as Vice Principal Luna announces the fight to begin.
"Ready! FIGHT!"
To be continued...
Thanks for reading. |
The Nightguard: Legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded | pre | The shadow darted again.
"And new friends we will find... WOAH! Talk about a freaky coincidence!"
"W-what was that?", I whispered.
"Hey, up here!"
Suddenly I felt like a total idiot. Why hadn't it occurred to any of us to look up? Well, we soon did and sure enough, there was our 'guest'.
It was a pegasus mare, her coat a muted green colour, like dried leaves. Her mane and tail were short but curled, not to mention very unkempt, almost as if she hadn't washed in days. And her cutie mark... I couldn't get a good look, but it seemed like a...square of parchment marked with a cross, a quill imposed over the top. Looking again, I noticed that also described what she was carrying: except that the parchment in her hooves was absolutely massive. Though it seemed she could still see us just fine.
"Helooooooo? Why are you all spaced out like that? Haven't you ever seen a pegasus before? Oh, that can't be it, there's one right there with you. Silly me. Okay, so why are you acting so weird then?"
"We're sorry, we thought you were a soul-s..."
Bumblesweet thankfully stopped Lilly Blossom's mouth with her hoof.
"We mean, we've been walking in the forest for Celestia knows how long, and we're keeping on the lookout for monsters. Sorry, it's just not every day you see another pony this deep in the woods."
"I believe that's my line", said the pegasus. "Just what are you ponies doing here? The map says you'd have to be pretty crazy to go this way."
"What map?", I asked.
"Why... this map of course!", the pegasus thrusting her parchment in my face caught me off guard, to say the least. "See, look.", she pointed out an area that looked remarkably like the clearing we were in. "Three skulls. Three. Skulls. And you know what that means... oh, of course, you don't know. Sorry, sometimes I forget I haven't published my maps yet."
This night just kept getting stranger and stranger.
"Uhh... excuse me if I seem rude but... just who are you?", I asked.
"Ooooooooh! Sorry, sorry. Introduction time~!", she said almost in sing-song. "I'm Levee Scales, pegasus cartographer nonpareil!"
"Non-par what?"
"Nonpareil! That's exactly the reason... ARRRGH! Great, now they're rubbing off on me. I'd heard of their reputation, really, I just... I needed ink, and they happened to be selling it and their song was so catchy I just... couldn't help myself. They said it was the very kind Celestia used, how was I supposed to know it would vanish after a few hours, don't judge me, okay!!!"
Everypony in the clearing went quiet. Clearly nopony was judging her for something that made absolutely no sense to them. I sighed, why were we becoming a magnet for eccentric ponies?
"Um, heloooooooo~? You gals didn't answer my question! What are you..."
"You first", Electric Sky butted in, bluntly. "Apologies, but we're gonna need to know if we can trust you before we tell you why we're here. That okay?"
"Didn't I just tell you? I'm a cartographer. It's my job to map out every corner of Equestria! Actually it's more of a hobby. Though I don't really have a job anyhow, and some publications do pay me so technically..."
I had to stop her again.
"Let me get this straight: you're mapping out the Everfree Forest."
"Yeah."
"At this time of night."
"Yeah."
"In an area you yourself have marked as dangerous."
"I don't see where you're going with this."
I couldn't take it anymore. I exploded.
"ARE YOU INSANE!!!!!"
The pegasus chuckled. "Well duh! I gave up my sanity looooooong ago when I mapped out the entire San Palomino Desert."
Oh great, I thought, a pony who willingly admits to being insane. Just what we needed.
"I like her, she seems nice.", said Lilly Blossom.
"Could I see that map for a second?", Electric Sky had already began to ask.
"Sure.", replied the clearly eccentric Pegasus.
The parchment was so huge the yellow unicorn had to spread it on the ground just to get a good look. She mused to herself as her eyes darted back and fourth across its length.
"I... I don't believe this. This is... this is... SHEER GENIUS! Look here: here's the ruins we just passed. She's got the exact number of buildings down, in their exact orientations. She's marked every type of tree individually. She's indicated which bridges are intact and which aren't. And it's all to scale? Not even my design sketches can measure up to this! How do you do this?"
"Aww, it's nothing, really. Everypony's got their special talent, right?", was the mapmaker's response.
Electric Sky smiled, and her horn gave off a brief glow.
"Everypony, huddle, now."
Bumblesweet and Lilly Blossom immediately complied. I was somewhat more reluctant, as I had an idea of what was coming.
"I'll just put this briefly: we need her."
"B-but Electric Sky", I began, "are you sure that's a good..."
"I agree", said Bumblesweet, "a map would be a most useful thing to have right now. We won't always be able to rely on my friends for navigation."
"And she really does seem very nice.", added Lilly Blossom.
I admit, they did have a point. That map would certainly be useful. But I worried having a... personality like this around might complicate things. Then again, we already had a workaholic beekeeper, a totally-not-ninja and a borderline mad scientist with us. And I, being a descendant of an all-powerful sorcerer on a quest to undo a centuries-old curse, was hardly one to talk.
We all turned to our soon-to-be new companion.
"After much deliberation, we have decided... to offer you to join us."
"Umm... yay, I guess. But you still haven't told me..."
"Where are the gates of Tartarus on this map?"
"Lilly Blossom!", scolded Bumblesweet.
"Wait... don't tell me... you're going there?", said Levee. "That... that's, INSANE...ly awesome! You see, that's the one part of the forest I haven't mapped out yet!"
"Sooooo, your map isn't going to help us?", I said, disheartened.
"Weeeeeeel~, that depends on your definition of 'help'.", she replied. "My map won't help you know where you want to go, but it makes it pretty clear where you don't want to go."
"Come again?" Why did I feel like everypony I met tonight operated on their own unique brand of logic?
"Look at it this way: if you're going to the one area I haven't mapped out... than you obviously don't want to go here. Or here. Or here or here or here or basically, anywhere I've drawn on. Which just leaves..."
"North!" Electric Sky was still studying the map. "Of course, that makes sense. Wait...", her gaze was drawn to something else. "What exactly does this skull mean?"
"Oh, that. That's just a little system I devised. Now where's my legend...", she rummaged in a saddle bag, and eventually drew out a small scroll, which she unfurled. "Ah, here it is." She cleared her throat and recited, again in sing-song: "Danger: extreme risk of serious injury and/or death."
"And," Electric Sky added, "what do two skulls mean?"
"Same thing, just without the 'or'."
"Three skulls?"
"Same again, but drop the 'or' and add the word 'painful' before 'death'."
I gave the map another look. I noticed there were areas marked with as many as five skulls, but I thought it wise not to even ask about that.
"Well then, if we know where we're headed, shall we get a move on.", Bumblesweet said with a hint of urgency in her voice.
"Yes, let's.", said Lilly Blossom in agreement. "Hey Levee, you could fly alongside me. It's been ages since I've talked to another pegasus."
"Thanks, but I prefer to fly above the trees, I can survey the area better from there. I'm still mapping this place, you know. But we can still talk, I might have to shout back, but I can hear you from up here."
And with that, our new ally started singing again.
"On this road that will lead us...
To the gates of Tartarus..."
Electric Sky suddenly stopped her.
"Okay, I know you have to make liberties sometimes to fit the rhythm of the song but, that's not how you pronounce Tartarus."
"Really?", Lilly Blossom joined in the conversation, "I've always said it that way: Tar-TAR-us. Yeah, that sounds right to me."
"No no no! Clearly it's Tart-uh-ros."
"Look dears, I don't want to be one to escalate an argument", added Bumblesweet, "but I have to side with Miss Sky here."
I groaned. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Who care's how it's pronounced, what's important is how many skulls I give it!"
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
The night seemed to be going on forever. By now I was getting tired, and my legs felt heavy. I looked back at my quickly growing party to see how they were doing. Lilly Blossom seemed fine, still chatting away to her fellow pegasus above. So did Bumblesweet, but then again, she was used to pulling night shifts. I could see tiredness in Electric Sky's face, but it certainly didn't show in her legs, in fact it was almost as if that right foreleg didn't even get tired. I reminded myself to ask her for the full story on that later. As for Levee, she was... acting normally. By her standards. She was still singing (I was amazed it hadn't attracted any monsters so far), stopping mid verse to yell out directions. At least she seemed to know what she was doing, none could fault her mapmaking skill.
We continued on for a while longer, and I could tell most of us were having a very hard time fighting our urge to ask 'are we there yet?' Just as I was about to recommend a quick snack break, our 'eye in the sky' said something... I wasn't expecting.
"Dragon!"
"W-what?"
"Oh wait, false alarm. That's not a dragon. Silly me. It's just a very green pony."
"Oh, right, that's more...WHAT??"
"Oh, look! Now the trees are swaying! Wait a minute... if there's no wind at the moment, that means... Ooooooh! Did I just discover living trees! This is so going in my... Hold on, there could be another explanation. It could just mean something really big is coming through the forest. Personally I like the living trees idea though. I wonder if they talk..."
I'd kinda tuned out the moment I heard 'something really big'. I knew it was a violation of common sense, but I found myself running ahead. Somepony could be in danger.
"Hey, wait for us Star Swirl!", I heard Lilly Blossom yell. Next thing I knew, she was flying beside me... which took me a while to realize seeing as she made almost no noise. What I could hear was the sound of the others galloping to catch up...
And a voice, that sounded like a pony. Though this one sounded male... and desperate.
"L-l-look... I can explain! Really! W-we can t-talk this over!"
The next we heard was a roar. That couldn't be good. I ran faster.
"N-n-n-no this can't be... P-please! Have mercy! PLEASE!"
The trees flashing past me parted, and I sped into the clearing. I immediately noticed an emerald green stallion curled up and shivering at its edge. Next thing I knew, I was standing in front of him, assuming my best imitation of a defensive posture.
"Stay back", I told him, "we'll handle this."
But there was nothing to handle. Whatever it was that had him so scared had retreated back into the woods the moment we arrived. I was a little relieved; after all, I wouldn't know what to do in a fight.
As the others entered the clearing, I turned to the stallion whose life I had seemingly saved. He recoiled.
"Aaaagh! D-d-don't c-come any closer!", it seemed his panic hadn't left.
"Relax", I assured him, "the beast is gone, you're safe now."
"H-how do I know y-you're not..." He stopped. All of a sudden, he looked up and scanned me with his eyes. His gaze seemed fixated one one...particular area, and I saw fit to strike him for it, until I realized he was staring at my Cutie Mark.
"You... you're... it can't be. Good miss, would you kindly inform me of your name?"
His first coherent sentence was... certainly not what I was expecting. Not only was his manner of speech incredibly stiff and formal, but the sentence itself was very awkwardly worded. It was almost as if he didn't speak pony often, but how could that possibly be true...
"I'm Star Swirl.", I answered.
"I thought as much. You are the inheritor of the great Star Swirl the Bearded, is that not true?"
"'Inheritor'... don't you mean 'descendant'... wait, you actually know my ancestor!?"
I couldn't believe it, this was the first time in my entire life somepony outside of my family seemed to recognise my mark, and know of my heritage. But it was strange, this stallion was no unicorn, nor did he seem an avid historian. He was an Earth Pony, as far as I could tell. Just what kind of earth pony would know of the greatest figure in magical history? I was already dying to ask him more.
"Hey Star Swil." I jumped with a start. I had no idea Lilly Blossom was standing right behind me. I was starting to wonder if she really was a ninja. "Who's the stallion?"
"I..." I began, but realised I couldn't even answer that. I redirected the question. "I... don't think I know your name."
The stallion seemed to recoil in panic once again. Was it the extra company or...
Finally, he spoke.
"Em... em..."
"I'm sorry", I said, "I can't hear you."
"Em... Emerald... Ray..."
"Emerald Ray?", echoed Lilly Blossom. "That's a very interesting name."
"Oh, umm... and... you... who... are..." The stallion's voice was unusually quiet for somepony of his size, I'm sure he was trying to say more but those were the only words I could make out.
"Sorry", I said again, "I didn't quite catch that."
"M-my... apologies. Sincerest apologies. Was I speaking Deer again? Sometimes it just... slips out. I barely even notice. You must... remind me when I do, so I can... correct myself."
"No", I reassured him, "you weren't speaking Deer... wait, what??" Come to think of it, I had no idea what Deer sounded like. I wasn't even aware they had their own language. But why would a pony be speaking Deer anyway?
"It's obvious.", came Electric Sky's voice as she joined us. It was almost as if she read my mind. "Pony clearly isn't your first language, is it?"
"N-not... really..." Emerald Ray's voice seemed to grow softer with every other pony who approached him.
"But", I interjected, "that doesn't make sense. Look at him, he is a pony. We may have different accents, but we all share the same language. Why would a pony not know how to speak pony?"
Electric Sky smiled again. It seemed she already knew the answer.
"Well, judging by his meek demeanour and clearly poor communication skills, I'd say he was... actually, no, I won't. It's probably a touchy subject for him, best to stay away."
I thought I'd do him and everypony a favour and change the subject.
"So, Emerald Ray, what are you doing here so deep in the Everfree Forest?"
"Yeah", came a voice from above. Our eye in the sky had finally decided to join us. "I mean, the areas surrounding here have a grand total of 30 skulls between them. Not the place for a casual moonlight stroll."
"Well, truth be told... I... I am...
lost."
I could tell everyone mentally facehoofed at that. Except one...
"Wow! Looks like you came to the right pony then!", our new pegasus friend shoved her map in the stallion's face. "See ponies, this is why we need maps! Ooooookay... so if we're...aha! Here... and I presume you want to get out of the forest, right? I mean, it's not like you came out of Tartarus or anything. Hey, you know we're going to Tartarus? Personally I think everypony's crazy, but I'm just in this for my map, so what do I care~! Oh, I got sidetracked, didn't I? I tend to do that often, just tell me if I'm doing it. Or if I'm annoying you. Am I annoying you? Oops, did it again... ah! There we go. Okay, so if you want to get out of the forest, the quickest way would beeeeeeeee..."
She took a deep breath.
"Back through the scary trees across the raging river of doom through the cave that may or may not be home to an Ursa down the perilous cliffs over the ravine through the hydra's bog over the bridge-that-could-fall-down-any-second through the clearing where somepony got murdered past Zecora's hut across the Poison Joke fields and you're free!"
Levee was panting heavily after all that, though she still seemed cheerful. Of course, our more... pragmatic friend had to butt in here.
"Ah, Levee, you wouldn't happen to know a... better path, would you?"
"Well maaaaaaybe~, but this one's a little dangerous..."
We all sighed. I knew I'd hate to be in Emerald Ray's position right now, but he was taking it surprisingly well.
"You all are making a journey to the gates of Tartarus, yes?"
I laughed nervously. "Yeah, you got us. My... new allies don't exactly do a good job of keeping secrets, sorry. But hey, it's not like you're interested, right?"
I really shouldn't have said that.
"Actually..."
Lilly Blossom had already jumped to conclusions.
"Ooh! Another new friend! Isn't this, like, the best night ever?"
"Hey, he never said anything about", I began to remind her, until the stallion finished my sentence.
"How shall I say this... it is... not Tartarus itself that interests me. It is... you, Miss Star Swirl."
"M...me?"
"Forgive my rudeness, but I would like... to talk to you for just a moment. I never once thought I would meet the great Star Swirl the Bearded's legacy. Please, tell me what you know of him. I have a great interest in matters historical."
This was certainly unexpected. Somepony wanting to talk to me, personally? And he knew, he knew who I was. As much as I didn't want to endanger him, there was no way I was passing up this offer. I'd finally found somepony, besides my mother, who I could talk about my heritage with.
"Everypony", I said, "mind if we take a quick breather? We're long overdue for a snack break anyway. Let's all just rest here for the moment."
"Mind if I go off and map some plac..."
"No!", I yelled almost reflexively. "Safety in numbers ponies, we have to stick together." In truth though, I was afraid Levee's singing would attract unwanted company. Once I could see her sit down with the others, I turned to the emerald stallion.
"Now we can talk. But could we do it... actually, let's stay with the others, I get the feeling they're going to need to know this stuff anyway."
"A-as you wish, Miss Star Swirl."
"No need for formality, just call me Star Swirl.", I told him, but he seemed oddly startled.
"F-forgive me, it's just that nopony has ever said that to me before."
I was intrigued. "Just how many ponies have you met anyway?"
"N-not many. They are mostly... scholars and academics."
That probably explained why he knew about my ancestor. And the stiff speech. Growing up around those stuffy Canterlot institutions will do that to you.
"So... you know my ancestor?" I tried to begin the conversation the only way I could, though when I heard my voice I could tell I sounded awkward.
"Y-yes... I... know of his life... and work..."
"Look", I put the topic on hold for a moment, "you don't have to be so quiet."
"Oh... f-forgive me. This... is not my strong point."
"Well, it isn't really mine either", I confessed.
"I know... 150 of his 200 spells, by both name and effect."
I gasped. "Wow, I don't even know that many! Hey, you know the amniomorphic spell?"
"Of course."
"Do you know what it does?", I eagerly asked.
"N...no."
"Well, that makes two of us." We both laughed.
We talked on about... just about everything I knew about my ancestor and my family. And a few things I didn't. Did you know he practiced pottery? Anyway, we eventually got to the curse. He didn't know, of course: Luna did tell me that part wasn't in the history books. I knew it was strange telling something so important to a total stranger but something about him... I just felt could trust him, you know? I couldn't really explain then, and I still can't now. But something happened then that made me glad I brought up the topic.
"To be honest", I was saying, "I don't really know how to go about breaking the curse. Princess Luna told me I needed to find the one who did it, Midnight Lance, I think it was. But what then? I doubt he would just end the curse willingly..."
"He can't." Emerald Ray's reply was short and abrupt.
"What?"
"A curse that powerful... so long lasting... will not just end of its own will."
"Then you mean it's impossible?" I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I can't have come so far for nothing.
"No, there might be one way.", he said.
"And that is?"
"Scholars say a unicorn's horn is the source of all their powers."
His reply felt a little underwhelming at first. "Well duh! Everypony knows that. Look, see? I don't have one, and that's why I'm in this mess."
"I was not finished. Recent findings say that may not be the case. Magic exists, to some extent, within all ponies, even non-unicorns. The horn acts merely as a device through which it is channelled. A connection, in a manner of speaking, between the magic within and the world without."
"Keep talking." This was getting a little confusing, but I could see it was going somewhere.
"And if that connection were to... cease to be, that unicorn's magic would be totally confined within, as in the case of you, no offence intended. In other words, any magic they wrought on the world would suddenly cease, vanish, fade... am I making myself clear."
"You just said the same thing three times", I reminded him, "but I think I get it."
"Apologies. Some of your words still confuse me. In brief, what I am trying to say is..."
By now, I was able to finish that sentence.
"You're saying if I break his horn, his magic will lose its power?"
"In a word... yes. You said it better than I could."
I was afraid it would come to something like this. What was now asked of me wasn't exactly murder, but it was close. No matter how evil they were, nopony deserved to be permanently crippled like that, to have a part of what made them... them, taken away. Of course there was a twisted irony to this: that's exactly what he did to me, and my family. Perhaps it was a fitting payback. No. The very thought of it sickened me. 'A horn for a horn' is not a philosophy we ponies are comfortable with. A dragon or a gryphon might consider it, but never a pony. (Disclaimer: I am in no way intending to imply dragons or gryphons are inferior species. They just think differently to us, and there's nothing wrong with that.) But did I even have a choice? Was it my duty to walk the dark path to save my family's future? Was I willing to sacrifice myself? No, a worse thought hung on my mind: was I willing to sacrifice another?
I snapped myself back into reality. That conversation went on longer than I thought it would, and it was about time to get going. Turning around, I saw my allies were talking various steps to alleviate their boredom. Bumblesweet was smelling flowers again, Lilly Blossom seemed to be practicing a dance routine, Electric Sky had a stick and was drawing... what looked like the plans of an airship turbine in the dirt and Levee... seemed to be talking to her quill. I could tell I was never going to understand that one.
"Girls!", I called everypony to order. "Break's over. We need to get moving."
"We certainly do!", I heard Electric Sky yell back, "I just realized Canterlot's airships run 3% slower than Baltimare's while still using more energy! This is an outrage! Somepony needs to get over there now and tell them."
"I'll do it!", replied Levee with enthusiasm.
"No, no , no! We need to get going! To Tartarus! You'll all have plenty of time to do... whatever you need to do... After! We! Get! There!"
I realized everypony was staring at me.
"Look, there's no need to shout dear.", said Bumblesweet. "If there's anypony who knows how to keep a schedule, it's me, and I can tell by the moon we are still on schedule. So relax, no need to panic."
I had a sudden flashback to my fillyhood. When the other kids and I all lined up to get some of Bumblesweet's home-made honey, she was just like this. No matter how loud we got, she never lost her cool, and always managed to calm us down. I had to admit, for a self professed workaholic she had a knack for staying calm even in the most stressful of times. I thanked Celestia we had her with us.
"Well then, shall we?", said Lilly Blossom.
"Yipee! Map time again, map time again!" And Levee had already flown ahead. I'd have to gallop to keep up. But first, I turned to the stallion I had just met.
"I'm sorry we can't help you out of the forest, we're kinda going the other way. Look, just follow those directions and I'm sure..."
He stopped me.
"No need. I shall accompany you on your... quest."
"Oh no, you really don't have to...", I said, but I didn't mean it. Truth was I'd never found somepony I could talk to like this before, and I didn't want our time to end. There was so much more we hadn't spoken about.
"Come on", I spoke my mind this time, "we need to hurry and catch up with the others."
He nodded, and we headed off. Well, he did, because just as we were leaving, Electric Sky stopped me.
"Listen, about your new friend, there's something I need to tell you."
"You're going to tell me what you found out before, aren't you?", I guessed.
"You're getting good at this. Okay... come closer so he doesn't hear. Difficulty communicating, unfamiliarity with our language, it all points to one thing. Parental abandonment."
When I thought about it for a moment, that did make some kind of sense. It didn't seem like he'd had much experience socializing. But just what sort of parent would do that to their foal? Whatever childhood he had, it can't have been good. I must admit I was a little curious about his past.
"If you're getting curious", said Electric Sky, "don't. I told you, this is probably a touchy subject for him. You don't just go up to somepony and say 'hey, I heard your parents abandoned you!'"
"I know, I just..."
"But hey", she abruptly changed the subject, "at least you've got somepony to talk to. I haven't heard a conversation like that in ages. You two should stick together." She paused for a moment, then dramatically shifted her tone. "Uh-oh! Better get going. We don't want Levee to get to Tartarus first and start", she shuddered, "mapping the place."
I agreed, and we both galloped on. But all the while, my thoughts were somewhere else. I kept thinking about the stallion I met, the conversation we had, and what Electric Sky had told me. Emerald Ray... he was certainly somepony I wished to learn more about.
***************************************************************************************************************************************************
It seemed like we were passing the same sets of trees and clearings again and again. Levee assured us, though, that we were going the right way. Or at least, we weren't going the wrong way. Did those mean the same thing? I could never tell with this one...
And so, onward we went; Lilly Blossom, Bumblesweet, Electric Sky, Levee Scales, Emerald Ray, and myself. Now, the astute among you will have noticed our company now numbered six, just like the legendary heroes on their quest to defeat Nightmare Moon. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I suppose it was a strange coincidence. Or did Luna plan the whole thing? No, she couldn't have. Look, just let me get to the next part. We were walking, when Bumblesweet suddenly stopped cold and began sniffing the air.
"I can't... I can't smell the trees. It's as if... all the life in them is gone. Could that mean...?"
"YES!!", cried another voice that totally clashed with the first, "We're cloooose~! Come on, last one to Tartarus is a feather-brain!"
"And the first one gets mauled by Cerberus.", added Electric Sky dryly. "Come on, let's get after her."
As we did so, I noticed the trees flashing past were changing. Each one seemed to have fewer leaves than the last. Before long, they had become cold, dead, withered. I knew the Everfree Forest was an inhospitable place, at least to us ponies. But this was worse, much worse. I could feel an unsettling chill grip my body. But I had to go on. Soon, the trees parted for what felt like the hundredth time and...
What lay before us was a sight none of us would soon forget. It seemed like we'd stepped out into another world. The earth felt cold and desolate, tinged a subtle shade of red. Save for the dead ones behind us, not a single tree could be seen. A thick, gloomy fog hung in the air, we could barely see a few feet in front of our faces. But what was directly ahead of us; that was clear as day. A steep grey cliff face stretched up into the sky, seemingly without end. At its feet was a gaping hole in the earth, within it I could barely make out stairs leading down... down into the depths. The gateway was framed by two ancient-looking stone pillars, each bearing an ethereal blue flame.
Three guesses as to where we were. The first two don't count.
An unsettling silence had befallen us. I realized most of my companions had been rendered speechless. And honestly, who wouldn't be.
"Wooooooooow~! This is so cooooool!"
Well, her, I guess. Our cartographer friend had already began plotting out the intricate positions of even the tiniest stone in the area. The rest of us let her be for the moment.
I trotted towards the hole in the ground and gazed down. Those stairs seemed to go on forever. I gulped, and turned to face the others. I knew this moment was coming, I knew I had to go it alone from here. But somehow, I felt sad. I'd found a group of friends, and now I had to leave them. Even still, I reminded myself, I certainly didn't want any of them risking Tartarus for me. But why? Why couldn't I say it?
"Listen, girls, I really appreciate your help so far, but from here on, it's too dangerous. I have to... I have to..."
I was mentally kicking myself. Come on, just say it!
"Alone... go... must..."
"No."
That voice. One of them had stopped me. But I could hardly believe which one. The emerald stallion I had just recently met stepped forward.
"Even if the others will not, I shall accompany you."
"B...but Emerald Ray, why?", I asked.
He lowered his head and placed one hoof on his heart, as if in some kind of gesture. Whatever it was, I didn't' recognise it. He spoke again.
"You... Miss Star Swirl, you saved my life. In my... culture, that is an action not forgotten. My customs decree I owe a dept to you, and I am obliged to honour it."
A dept? Honour? Just what was this culture he came from anyway? It didn't matter. I got what I wished. I wouldn't be doing this alone.
But it didn't stop there.
"If he's going, I may as well go too." Electric Sky had stepped forward to join the two of us.
There was another moment of silence, and then...
"Count me in.", said Bumblesweet.
"Me too.", added Lilly Blossom.
"You guys..." I was a little overwhelmed at first, and the rational part of my mind demanded I fight back. "But you do realize where we're going. Tartarus. There's a very good chance we'll face horrors in there the likes of which nopony has ever seen."
"Exactly!", yelled the yellow unicorn, as if that was a good thing. "Who knows what new scientific discoveries await us down there! Why, this'll do wonders for my research."
"And", said Bumblesweet, "I could really use a break from work."
"And", added Lilly Blossom, "I could really use a break from you having to work."
"We are your friends, Star Swirl", said Emerald Ray, "and we are all with you, to the very..."
"Da da da DA da DA da da da dee dee dee DAAAAAAH DA! DA da da da!"
The abrupt interrupting jerked our heads violently. It seemed the last member of our party had begun a sort of aerial victory dance. From what I remember, it involved a couple of twirls, a backflip, then a short flight straight upwards with her quill held high above her head. She held the pose for a moment and said:
"Everfree Forest map: 100% complete!"
We all stared slack-jawed for about a minute.
"What? Doesn't that deserve a victory fanfare?"
We were still silent.
"Oh and I'm totally in on that Tartarus thing too, just so you know. I couldn't pass up on an opportunity to map a legendary place like that!"
We all laughed, even though we knew she was being perfectly serious. It wasn't her, really. I guess were all just happy our time together didn't have to end just yet. Either that or we'd finally snapped. Your guess is as good as mine.
"Well then", I began, "shall we go?"
As one, the five ponies behind be replied:
"Let's go." |
The Nightguard: Legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded | Chapter 4: Tartarus Hath No Fury | I put my hoof forward, and slowly but surely let it touch the first step when...
"Hang on."
It was Electric Sky. Before I even had the chance to ask why she'd stopped me, her horn began to glow a brilliant blue. She raised it to the sky, sparks flying off in all directions, and with a crack, launched a ball of energy into the air. The magical burst flew higher and higher, until finally it stopped. It hung in the air for a few moments, then suddenly burst forth into a surge of energy, blanketing the night sky in a sea of blue streaks. The others looked up and gaped in awe. The unicorn's name seemed oddly fitting now. She her gaze returned to us, and she said:
"Okay, now we can go."
I was still confused.
"Uhh... what was that for?"
She smiled. "Just a precaution."
Once again, I thought it best not to ask. And with that, we proceeded onwards, for real this time.
I don't remember much about the stairway to Tartarus, only that it was dark. Very dark. I could barely see my forelegs in front of me, let alone the next step.
"One false step and we plunge into the abyss, la la la la!"
Levee was not helping matters.
"Your singing isn't helping matters, Levee", said Electric Sky, "and you do realise you can fly, right?"
The green Pegasus stopped for a moment, before facehoofing. "Oh, silly me!", she said, before turning and jumping into the aforementioned abyss.
"Wheeeeeeeeeee!"
"LEVEE!!!", yelled Bumbleseet.
We all stood, waiting, waiting...
"Oh, come on everypony!", echoed a familiar voice, and we all breathed a sigh of relief, "you can go on without me. I'll catch up later, I promise. Well, right after I map out every nook and cranny of this crevice. Exploring tiiiiiiime~!"
Electric Sky gave me a nudge. "Good thing we're here to keep an eye on that one. Actually..." I could practically hear the abrupt topic switch. I could tell something had just crossed her mind.
"Okay everypony", she began, "listen up. I think it's about time we formulated our strategy. I trust you all know what I'm talking about."
"Cerberus...", I replied softly. I knew this was coming, but I was trying not to think about it.
"Exactly, Cerberus is the name of the game, ponies. I can tell you've been trying to avoid thinking about it, but we cannot put off this strategy meeting any longer.", she was suddenly starting to sound like a Royal Guard commander. "After all, it's hard to plan while you're being... torn limb from limb."
Lilly Blossom visibly cringed. Electric Sky continued.
"Okay, first things first: team makeup. Let's see... our combined skillset... Woah!", the yellow unicorn had just realised she had put her left hoof down onto nothing. Luckily, Lilly Blossom was there to catch her. Scarily quickly, and quietly, I might add.
"Phew, thanks for that. I'm not used to... not having room to pace. This is going to make my job so much harder. Okay, where was I... ah! Yes, our talents. We've got: Beekeeping! Dancing!" She pointed dramatically at Bumblesweet and Lilly Blossom.
"Mapmaking!" She pointed down into the abyss.
"Being male!" There was an awkward silence. Emerald Ray clearly took offense to this, but it took him a while to muster up the courage to speak.
"Uh... um... If you don't mind... There is... a little more to me than merely that."
"Look, I'm sorry okay", Electric Sky replied, "but you really didn't give me much to go on. Seriously, if the Canterlot archives made a profile on you with the information I have it would probably be just one sentence: 'Boy pony.' Other than that there's just... speaking Deer, and I doubt that's going to be of use here, so..."
"So, um, so what?", Emerald Ray suddenly sounded a lot more confidant. In fact, he almost sounded brash. It was as if he was a completely different pony. 'In case you haven't noticed, I do have a Talent Sign."
"T-talent Sign?", asked Bumblesweet, bemused.
"Oh.. ah...", and he was back to his usual self. Odd.
"Apologies. Talent Sign is what deer call the... err... marks we ponies have on our... hind regions.
"To be fair", I interjected, "Talent Sign is the more accurate translation of the original Old Pony term. You see, Cutie is a corrupted form of the word..."
"Look guys", Electric Sky cut in, "I'm learning a lot from this conversation, really, but could we please get back on topic. Emerald Ray I'm really sorry for before. But it would help if I knew just what your talent was."
"My talent... it is...
a secret."
"Eh, fine. I can work with what I have at the moment", Electric Sky began to turn, and I realised I was next on her list.
"And you, Star Swirl...", dramatic point, "Ah, actually I forget, what do you do, again?"
Ah, there it was. The question I always dreaded since my childhood. At least I felt better answering it among friends.
"You know... I'm not actually sure. I technically got my Cutie Mark for something I can't actually do, yet."
Electric Sky gave a nod, and turned her mind elsewhere. She began that incoherent mumbling I had begun to term 'logic mode'. It was a few minutes before she began to speak coherent words again.
"So... sooooo... I've got two blank slots here... two blank slots... two... blank... white... snow... winter... Winter Wrap-Up! EUREKA!"
And as usual, 'logic mode' was followed by the 'eureka moment'. With bated breath, we awaited her discovery.
"Don't you get it... oh wait, you never do, do you. Okay I'll explain. Remember this year's Winter Wrap Up?"
"Cos' tomorrow Spring is here~", sung a voice from below us.
I replied that I did, of course. Winter Wrap up was always a good time of year for me. After all, I was used to going without magic my whole life, so doing work without it was nothing to me. Why, it was one of the few times I felt I actually belonged.
"Yes, of course you remember it", Electric Sky reminded me I was missing the point, "I mean what happened, you know, the big change the Mayor announced."
"You mean the new organizer?" Bumblesweet clearly knew what she was referring to.
"Precisely! Word on the street is that the unicorn mare chosen was one who didn't fit into any other team, but still tried her best to help. The 'blank slate', you might say."
Before any of us had opened our mouths, the unicorn answered for us.
"You're all probably wondering where I'm going with this, so I'll get to the point. Star Swirl. You. Blank Slate. Just like her. So I hereby appoint you Captain of our squad."
"Woah woah woah, hold on a minute..." I barely had time to argue when our 'tactician' made her next assignment.
"Emerald Ray. You. Bodyguard. Star Swirl. Now."
"Umm... I..."
"Look, she's the one we're escorting, right? It only makes sense she should have a dedicated bodyguard, I feel like such an idiot for not thinking of this before. And you two seemed to really hit it off so..."
Before I could object, the others had already shuffled around so Emerald Ray was behind me.
"I shall guard you, Miss Star Swirl."
The stallion seemed so serious about this offer that I couldn't help but accept. Electric Sky smiled, it seemed she knew I would.
"Alright then!", she said triumphantly, "we all know our roles. And now..."
"Ahem, excuse me dear", said Bumblesweet, "I know assigning roles is all well and good, but how exactly is this going to help us beat Cerberus."
Electric Sky sighed. "I was just getting to that. Now... we plan."
"But weren't we already..."
"Oh no, that was just the pre-plan preparations plan! If I don't plan out our roles, how am I supposed to plan how to use them? It's like I always say when working on a new design: if you rush straight into planning without first planning your approach to the plan, you'll just end up with a lot of wasted time and a burnt face. Or, as is the case here, no face at all, due to Cerberus having..."
"Please don't say another word", squealed Lilly Blossom.
Electric Sky took her advice and changed topic. "Let's plan and walk. As somepony once said 'I think better when my legs move. Pumps blood to your brain.'" And so we continued down the stairway.
"Alright, captain, you have any ideas?"
Everypony stared at me. I almost felt like I was plunging through the abyss myself. I swallowed and began.
"Well... you see... according to my rigorous mythology studies", truth be told, I just liked the cool stories, but I wasn't telling them that, "Cerberus' job is to guard the gates of Tartarus. Which makes things a problem for us, he'll want to stop us getting in just as much as stop the monsters getting out. Now, we're going to have to get him out of the way somehow... but we mustn't harm him. Without Cerberus to guard the gates who knows what horrors will escape."
"Good, good", Electric Sky seemed to be evaluating me, "a solid plan, captain. And how do you propose we do this?"
"Well", I replied, "I'd suggest we use something to distract him for a few moments while we all hurry past. That way, he's not gone long enough for anything... worse to slip by."
"There's one slight... um, issue", Lilly Blossom entered the conversation, "if Cerberus isn't distracted long enough, we're all doomed."
"And if he's distracted too long, or permanently", Electric Sky added, "Equestria is doomed. We're straddling the line between two extremes here, certain death and an Equestrian apocalypse. And neither one is good for us. We need to find the right balance... but how..."
I turned my head briefly. "Anypony have any ideas?"
"Umm...", the first voice came from my newly-appointed bodyguard. "The deer have a unique method of deterring predators. One must first let their foe charge, and stand firm with their head lowered. Their antlers will stop the foe before it can reach them, and one can hold this stance for a fair while to buy time for others to escape."
Emerald Ray stopped, took a look at each of us and, realising none of our company had antlers, simply said "Oh."
Lilly Blossom was next to suggest a plan of attack. "I know a few lullabies. I could try to sing Cerberus to sleep. Ahem, hush now quiet now..."
"It's time to lay your sleepy head, I said hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! Yeah! Sorry, when I hear somepony singing I just have to join in!", echoed the voice below us, loudly. We all realised that plan was doomed to failure.
"Hmm...", mused Electric Sky. It seemed like she was on to something. Perhaps we'd finally hear a plan that made sense.
"Aha! Clearly this situation requires the most powerful magic of all...", she began. I mentally flicked through all the spellbooks I had read as a child, desperately trying to recall something of that nature.
"The magic of, pause for dramatic effect, FRIENDSHIP!"
Aaaaaand awkward silence once again. I tried to remind her that we weren't the Mane Six, when I realised she wasn't finished.
"Channelled through an Orbital Friendship Canon!"
The silence was even more awkward this time.
"Now... where would I get the parts to build an Orbital Friendship Canon down here..."
I sighed. "Anypony got any other ideas?"
"How about a ball?", said the voice below us.
"Huh?"
Our green Pegasus friend finally emerged from the abyss.
"Well, Cerberus is just a big doggy, isn't he? And everypony knows doggies like balls. You know, I once helped somepony stash balls all over Ponyville, in case of ball emergencies."
I had a feeling I knew who that 'somepony' was, but I didn't want to bring it up. But still, this was probably the most intelligent suggestion I'd had so far. Well, were it not for one tiny problem...
"There's no chance", I begrudgingly asked, already knowing the answer, "you stashed balls here too?"
"Oh no, we almost never get ball emergencies in the Everfree Forest. Hydra Emergencies are more likely. Or, in my case, Parchment Emergencies. Then I realised there's this bark of a certain tree that's pretty much perfect for writing on, so I soon solved that problem. Maybe I should ask the earth ponies to plant some around Ponyville. Wouldn't that be convenient? Whenever anypony feels the sudden need to write a letter they'd just have to..."
"LEVEE!", once again I found myself having to stop her getting out of hand.
"Oh, ahem, sorry. Anyway, as long as you gals are, strategising, here's a map of the Tartarus entrance."
"WHAT?! Let me see that!", Electric Sky suddenly blurted out. She ran so fast to get a look that she almost, err, almost fell off the edge again. "Wow, would you look at that. How did you manage to get such a detailed picture so quickly?"
Levee giggled. "Oh it was all too easy. I pretty much had free reign of the place, what with Cerberus not being there."
We all stopped dead in our tracks. I felt like my heart had jumped up my throat, and given how pale the others looked I'm sure they felt something similar.
It was only a matter of time before Bumblesweet said what we were all thinking.
"Wait. If Cerberus isn't there, and we didn't see him outside, and Celestia hasn't issued any lost dog notices, then that that means..."
We heard a heavy panting and the sound of thunderous footsteps approaching us. Very soon six yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"Oh horseapples."
"Oh that's right, Cerberus has super-hearing. Silly me!", said Levee, seemingly totally oblivious to what was happening.
"And I knew these stairs were freakishly wide!", added Electric Sky, "It only makes sense they were designed for a creature of this size."
"Argh! Now is not the time for your scientific..."
"Behind me, Miss Star Swirl!"
While we were all busy arguing, Emerald Ray had already taken action. It was a good thing too, as it spurned the rest of us to do the same. Although 'action' in Lilly Blossom and Bumblesweet's cases mostly consisted of them running around screaming, Levee was nowhere to be seen and I didn't see how Emerald Ray standing between me and a creature ten times his size was going to solve anything.
"Don't worry everypony, this is just organized chaos!", Electric Sky assured us, though I could tell it was mostly for her own benefit. "We've still got time to..."
Cerberus' blood-chilling roar filled the air. All three heads were fully in view now, and all only inches away from Emerald Ray's face. And yet he still remained where he was, unmoving. In hindsight, I guess it made sense, I've heard deer have been known to do that in the face of danger. But in their case, it's usually out of fear. I sensed no fear in Emerald Ray. If anything, it was more like the exact opposite.
"Face me, beast, and..."
It was over in an instant, though not in the way either of us expected. Cerberus had leapt right over our heads, landed with a crash behind me, and ran on towards our other companions.
"Well...", said Emerald Ray sheepishly, "that didn't go quite as I'd hoped."
"Yaaaaaaah!"
We didn't have time to relax, the beast now had a clear run to Electric Sky. But no matter how we looked at it, there was no way we could get to her in time.
"Ponyfeathers! He's faster than I expected. Come on, think, think! There must be a way out of this..." Electric Sky's speech became increasingly more rapid and panicked as her attacker came closer.
"No, no, it can't end like this. We can't fall here... wait! Fall! That's it!" She consciously suppressed her horn's usual 'eureka glow' to save time, and darted to the edge of the stairway. She threw her body over the side, grabbing the very edge with her front hooves just as Cerberus passed her. Electric Sky had found the one refuge from the beast's massive bulk. She breathed a sigh of relief... before realising she hadn't planned what to do next.
"Umm... a little help here, girls."
"Just jump", came that oh-so-familiar voice from down below. "It's really not that far to the bottom."
Knowing she was safe (or at least I hoped so), I could turn my attention to those next in line to meet Cerberus.
"Oh dear. Oh dear dear dear. Nice doggy, good doggyEeep!"
The speed at which Lilly Blossom went from cowering in terror to deftly dodging Cerberus' paw was astonishing. Soon she was darting between the creature's thrashing heads while it pawed and chomped ineffectually at the air.
"Just stay calm, and imagine this is just a dance routine..."
"Lilly Blossom!", interrupted Bumblesweet with a tone of urgency, "I know you're good at this, really, but this isn't helping us get away..."
In an instant, Cerberus turned its six-eyed gaze away from the lavender Pegasus and on to the yellow earth pony below with a loud snort.
"Uh-oh."
Something had prompted the beast to switch targets. But as it lunged at Bumblesweet her Pegasus friend and dashed to the side, shoving them both off the edge. It must have been a reflex but... I gasped as the realisation hit me; Lilly Blossom had told us earlier she couldn't support another pony's weight. It seemed she'd realised too.
"Oh deaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
My magical research told me now would be the perfect time for a levitation spell, but of course I was in no position to actually do one. All I could do was watch, helplessly as...
"I GOT THIS!"
Levee swooped in with a flash and snatched Lilly Blossom's cargo. Without the extra weight, the lavender pegasus was free to gently glide to the floor below. I thanked Celestia we'd found a second pegasus.
With the others all having made their way down in some way of another, Emerald Ray and I galloped down the remaining stairs to join them. Levee was right, it really wasn't that far. Unfortunately, the moment we arrived we were greeted by a panicked yell that almost put Cerberus' to shame.
"WhatTookYouSoLongComeOnComeOnWeNeedToGetThroughTheGateNOWBEFOREITCOMESBAAAAACK!"
Electric Sky's mane was in more disarray, as if that were possible, and she was sweating profusely. Actually, we pretty much all were by this point. Well, except one.
"Relax everypony", came Levee's voice, still as optimistic as ever, "if that big doggy is as dumb as he looks, he'll keep running up those stairs not knowing we're even gone."
An almighty crash reverberated through the room, and the earth below us lurched violently. We all gulped, none of us wanting to turn around, but knowing we had no choice...
"Oooooh wow, I guess he's not as dumb as he looks."
Everypony resumed running around screaming. Each of Cerberus' heads sniffed around at the air, eventually converging on a single spot. As spot occupied by a honey-coloured earth pony. Bumblesweet screamed even louder and ran even faster.
"GIRLS! Could one of you please tell me WHY IS IT GOING FOR ME!!"
"Perhaps I assigned the bodyguard to the wrong pony.", said Electric Sky.
Soon enough Bumblesweet was backed into a corner. Emerald Ray had lunged at the creature's back leg and chomped down on it, but if Cerberus felt anything beyond mere annoyance, he certainly didn't show it.
"No, please! I taste terrible, really! Get back!"
Cerberus' first head lunged. Bumblesweet rolled to the side.
"Bumblesweet!" Lilly Blossom tried to fly to her friend's aid, but her earlier stunt had taken a tool on her body, and it would not listen to her.
Cerberus' second head lunged. This its target wasn't quite as fast. The creature's maw struck the side of Bumblesweet's saddle, knocking loose a glass jar which spilled its golden contents on the ground. The pony herself was knocked reeling. She knew she didn't have the strength to dodge a third time.
Bumblesweet closed her eyes... the third head lunged and...
Began lapping up the spilled contents of the jar. The other two soon joined in. The beast game a low growl of contentment. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Except Lilly Blossom, who had already fainted.
Those of us still conscious rushed to Bumblesweet's side. "Are you okay?"
"Yes.. I... I am quite alright dears", she said as she scraped herself off the ground. She gazed at the creature that had recently towered over her. "But I never knew dogs liked honey."
"Well", I told her, "Cerberus isn't exactly a normal dog. It's safe to say its eating habits are also... abnormal."
"Are you sure it's... good for him?" I was shocked. Bumblesweet's tone showed a genuine... concern for the thing that very nearly killed her.
'It's probably fine." I didn't know, of course, but I wanted to reassure her.
Cerberus didn't seem to notice us at all. Its full attention was now directed at feasting on Bumblesweet's home-made honey.
"You know...", I began, "things didn't go... quite as planned, but look! We distracted Cerberus without actually harming him, exactly what we set out to do! Great job everypony!"
My comrades each gave an exhausted pant of appreciation. I turned to the enormous iron-barred gate at the other end of the room.
"Now all we need to do is go through this gate before Cerberus notices us again and..."
I pushed at the iron frame with my hooves. It would not budge.
"It's locked. We're doomed."
"CERBERUS IS ALMOST THROUGH THE HONEY!", informed Electric Sky, loudly.
"Relax dears", said Bumblesweet and took out another jar from her saddle bags. "I've got plenty more where that came from." She trotted over to the creature and poured the contents at its feet, remembering to save the jar this time.
"Okay, no need to panic", I said to myself, "we just have to find some way to unlock the impregnable gates of Tartarus before we run out of honey jars. Nothing to worry about..."
"Engine grease... dragon sweat..."
"Huh?"
"Eyeglass cleaner... spare scooter wheel... spare scooter jet booster... spare micro fusion reactor gem circuit..."
It seemed like Electric Sky was going through the contents of her saddle bags. But unless she had some kind of turbo unlocking device...
"...Prototype unlocking device... AHA! There we go!"
Oh come on.
Electric Sky's horn gleamed once again in the darkness. "Brace yourself everypony", she began overdramatically, "for I am just about to be brilliant! I must thank you, Star Swirl. Without your input, I would never have been able to finish this."
She produced a small metal object from her bag. So this must have been the device she was working on when I bumped into her that evening. It was a tiny little thing, so small you could fit it in one hoof and still have plenty of room to spare. One end was noticeable more bulky than the other, I could make out a few of those round devices we had seen in the ruins earlier, and one of those glass orbs depicted in its creator's Cutie Mark. From this end extended a thin metal rod, almost like a key, only... without the bits on the end. And on top of the device was what looked like... a miniature rotor blade?
"I'd advise you all", she warned us, "to stand away from the gate. I haven't tested it since I made the modifications you inspired." She tossed the device into the air and gave it a jolt of energy from her horn. The rotor spun to life, and the tiny thing floated its way up to the gate's massive keyhole.
With the air of a true mad scientist, Electric Sky yelled "Now, witness the true power of the UnlockMaster 5000!!! (Patent pending)"
With that, the device inserted itself into the keyhole and fired several short pulses of light. It paused for about a minute, then repeated the process. I saw now just how my idea had been applied.
Then I noticed Electric Sky had put on her goggles and was now covering her ears with her hooves. That didn't bode well. We all did the same, minus the goggles, and braced ourselves.
But all we heard was a loud "KER-CHUNK!", and the iron barred gates groaned open. There was silence for a moment, until it was broken by a surprising squeal of glee.
"It works! It works! I did it!", Electric Sky yelled as she pranced about the room. "My device can open that gates of Tartarus!!!!"
She paused, then repeated in quite the opposite tone. "Wait. My device... can open the gates of Tartarus."
Said device had only just returned to her. Immediately, she threw it to the ground and began stomping on it, repeatedly.
"GAH! Die! Die! DieDieDieDieDiediediediediediediediedieDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
The invention that looked as if it had taken a painstaking amount of work to build was now a pile of barely recognisable powder. Its creator turned to us, and said:
"Get me the dragon sweat from my bag. I'm gonna need to burn my blueprints."
We all laughed, though we knew she was being perfectly serious. Then it hit me.
"Um, girls, don't you think we should be, you know, going now?"
With that, we all dashed through the gates, dragging the unconscious Lilly Blossom with us. Just as we were through, they groaned shut once again. I had no idea how we were going to get back now, but we'd cross that bridge when we came to it.
"Woah, that was intense!", said Levee. "This place has already earned itself four skulls. Four. Skulls. I haven't given anywhere that many since that time I..."
We stopped. I could have sworn I heard a noise... and I was right. It was a low whimper. Three, to be exact. We turned to see three heads drooped sadly, as two paws reached out through the bars of the gate behind us. I'll tell you now; seeing puppy-dog-eyes coming from three heads at once was an experience I'll never forget.
"Aww, poor little doggy.", said Levee.
Bumblesweet turned and gave us almost the same look. With our nod of approval, she tossed another jar back through the gate. All three heads beamed in delight as the creature leapt at the gift.
"Just remember", Bumblesweet called back as we left, "don't go visiting Ponyville for more!" |
The Nightguard: Legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded | Chapter 5: Into the Darkness | At last, we were in Tartarus proper. And boy, was it a feeling I won't soon forget. I had expected a place of blistering heat, filled with fire and brimstone. Instead, what I found was cold. Unnatural cold. And darkness, thicker than any night. It was as if all the harmony, all the happiness, had been sucked out of the world. There was no warmth, light or friendship to be found down here. Simply seeing this place, feeling it, compelled me to shed a tear. Being trapped down here would make anypony, no, anything go mad. I dreaded to think what it had done to the one I sought.
Lilly Blossom had finally woken up. Her first thought was to ask if we were all dead. Given the place we were in, I couldn't blame her. We simply trudged on.
None of us spoke a word for ages. It was... unsettling, compared to how chatty we'd been before. When the silence was finally broken, it was purely for practical reasons.
"Umm... I don't mean to be rude or anything, but... does anypony have a light?", asked Lilly Blossom. She wasn't doing a good job of hiding her fear, but I could understand her request. It felt like we were wandering in an empty abyss.
"Got you covered!", replied Electric Sky. Illumination spells were a simple affair, but since she was the only unicorn in our group (well, the only unicorn in more than name) the burden fell on her.
"Okay magic...", she loudly proclaimed, "Happen!"
Nothing.
"I said happen!!"
Still nothing.
"Uhh, are you suuuure you're doing the spell right?", said Levee.
"Well of course! I doubt any unicorn worth their salt could botch a simple illumination spell. And, I don't mean to brag, but I happen to be particularly talented in that area. Hay, I nailed my first illumination spell so well I got to skip Magic Kindergarten!"
"Well then, how come it's not working?", the pegasus replied.
"This place must have some kind of anti-magic field or something", I said. That would make sense, after all, if what I'd read about this place is true, many of Tartarus' inmates would be creatures of immense magical power. I doubt a single gate with a guard dog would be enough to keep them in check. Yeah, that was the only logical explanation...
So it was just my luck it had to be wrong.
"No, that's not it. I definitely felt my spell go off. So it's working, but... not working. It's like the air itself is sucking the light away. I know that explanation makes no scientific or logical sense, but then again, we are in a place of myth."
"So... you're saying no light source is going to work down here, is that it?" Drat, that ruled out my idea of using the Shine Bright spell on Levee or Lilly Blossom's wings.
"Not exactly", was the reply, but it came from neither of us.
It came from Emerald Ray.
"I... I...", he seemed hesitant, but then again, he always was. "I think... I know a way I can be of help." His voice then took on a much sterner tone. "But you must promise... what I am about to show you... must remain a secret to everypony."
"Umm... okay." Though he had always seemed... enigmatic, I admit this request was confusing. Why would a solution to lighting problems be something somepony wanted to hide? Though come to think of it, he never told us what his special talent was. I'd caught a glimpse of his Cutie Mark a few times, but I really couldn't gather anything from it. It looked like a green sun or comet of some kind. What could that possibly signify?
Perhaps, I was about to find out.
Emerald Ray stepped in front of us, stood still and closed his eyes. Without a sound, his mane started to billow as if blown by an invisible wind. Then, all of a sudden, his coat began to sparkle, and a faint green light filled the area. Next, the hairs on his body seemed to fold themselves flat, forming his coat into one smooth surface that all of a sudden did not look like fur. It glistened and shimmered for a moment, then a blinding emerald flash erupted from all directions, lighting the area around us perfectly, albeit in an eerie green. The stallion opened his eyes once again, turned his head and quipped to Electric Sky (whose jaw had practically hit the floor):
"See, I do have talents."
"Sweet Celestia...", was all Bumblesweet could manage.
"Oh my...", joined Lilly Blossom.
"Ooooooooh...", added Levee.
"N...nice one." I tried to say something coherent, but it was harder than I thought.
And then... it was Electric Sky's turn.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh... This. Is. The. Discovery. Of. A. LIFETIME!!! How are you doing this? How long can you maintain it for? Is this your talent? Is it magic? Can I reverse-engineer it? What does it feel like? Hot? Cold? Painful? Oh I could practically write a thesis on this!"
The now-glowing stallion gave her a cold glare.
"I know, I know, keep it on the down-low. Wouldn't want to break a friend's trust, after all. Everypony knows that's the fastest way to lose a friend..."
"Forever!"
We all jumped. "Wh-what was that?", said a terrified Lilly Blossom.
"Oh don't worry, that's perfectly normal.", replied Levee.
"Ahem, anyway", continued Electric Sky, "just answer me this: how is it working when illumination doesn't. From what I can see it's basically a Shine Bright spell applied to the entire body, the air should still be absorbing it."
"Actually", said Emerald Ray, "it is quite different in principle. The light resided within me, where the darkness cannot touch it."
"Hmm... wait, one more question, sorry. You're an earth pony, right? By all logic this doesn't make sense. You can't do magic."
"I never said this was magic."
"Wh-what!? Hold on a sec. You're saying this is biological? Holy... bioluminescent equines, huh. You do realise resisting the urge to study you is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, don't you?"
Emerald Ray gave no response.
"Who cares what it is", interrupted Levee, "what's important is it works! We can see now, yay! Nice going, Crystallion!"
She moved in to give Emerald Ray a hoofbump, but he seemed to recoil in terror.
"P-p-p-lease... I would appreciate... if you did not call me... that."
"Oh, okay." Levee dismissed the issue quickly, but it still left me curious. That name really struck a nerve with him. But I felt I'd be prying if I asked him about it. Each of us staying close to Emerald Ray, we pressed on.
Well, what we thought was 'on', anyway. It was surprising what little difference the light made. All the walls and passages we went through seemed to look exactly alike.
"Shame there's nopony to ask for directions...", said Lilly Blossom disheartened, and seemingly forgetting where we were.
"Uhh, Levee?", asked Lilly Blossom, "it might be time for another map check."
"Okay! Right... hmm... let's see here...", her eyes began to dart back and forth across the parchment. After a few minutes, a huge, beaming grin spread out across her face.
"This... is... YIPEEEE! YIPPEEEEEE!! YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!", she flapped her wings wildly with glee.
"What is it that's... given you cause for celebration, dear?", asked Bumblesweet.
To this, Levee exclaimed, in sing-song: "We're in a ma-ze~!"
"WHAT?!" I hoped to Celestia she was exaggerating, but I had a feeling she wasn't...
"We really need to check the map more frequently. We've been through this area four times now."
Okay, so now we were trapped in a maze. In Tartarus. Brilliant.
"Okay", said Levee, still cheerful, "what's our next move, Cap?"
Oh great, they still relied on me to make all the decisions. I desperately tried to think of a clever plan to get us out of this mess. We only had one light source, which just happened to be one of us. That would make navigating a pitch-black maze... tricky.
"I say...", I began, "we should all stick together!"
That came out a little more dramatically than it should have. The looks I got told me everypony knew I was out of ideas.
"And I saaaaaay...", Levee echoed, "I scout ahead and get our bearings. Be right back!"
And she dove into the darkness before any of us had a chance for rebuttal. I was expecting to hear the impact of her body against a wall any second...
"Oh, if you're worried me flying around in the dark", she said practically reading my mind, "don't be. I'm used to navigating dark places. I do it all the time. You should try it, it's fun! Anyway, I can pretty much feel my way around these walls.
Sooooooooo", she transitioned into sing-song,
"Just don't worry~! Everything's gonna be fine~!
We're in no hurry, relax and take your time.
Just stay with that glowing stallion
His light will be your guide
You need it more than I do so... so... so...
Aaaaaaaaactually, I could kinda use a light right about now. Could you have Glowy take two rights and a left? Thanks."
Emerald Ray shrugged. "Relax", I told him, "at least she's not calling you Crys..."
"AAAGH!"
"Sorry." Wow, that name really seemed to strike a nerve with him. There must have been a reason, but now wasn't the time for such thoughts. If he was going ahead, we might as well go to. Two rights and a left later, actually, two lots of two rights and two lefts later, Levee forgot to specify she meant our left, we stood in yet another identical passageway. Except this one was occupied.
"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!", squealed Lilly Blosssom. "Oh dear, oh deardeardeardear! It's one of those... those... undead things!", she swooped in front of us, "Stay back! Don't let it touch you, it'll turn you into one of them!!"
"Don't be silly, Lilly, Nightmares look nothing like this.", replied Levee as she flitted around what looked more like a pile of bones. "This is just your average dead pony."
"Oh, right, it's just a dead... eeeeeeep!"
"My wing brushed against something cold and dry", Levee ignored the panicked pegasus and explained to us, "I had a feeling it'd be this, given that I... see a lot of these, doing what I do."
For a moment, just one moment, her face and voice seemed devoid of the cheerfulness that seemed to characterise them. It was almost surreal to see her being so serious. I let her continue.
"This poor guy was probably an adventurer like us. Until..."
Lilly Blossom, having only just calmed down, suddenly flew into a panic once again. "W-wait... If his adventure... ended here, does that mean whatever ended it is still..." She shivered.
"Oh no", Levee reassured us, "there was no whatever. From what I can tell this pony's journey was ended by hunger or exhaustion, or both. They died cold and alone in the darkness, without a single friend to..." She stopped. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she simply couldn't go on. Strange, she wasn't crying, but I could tell she wanted to.
Of the others, Bumblesweet seemed to understand her too. Electric Sky, on the other hand, seemed visibly creeped out by Levee's freaky knowledge of causes of death. I guess that made sense, but still I... I felt compelled to lend the green pegasus my hoof. Just as I was reaching out, Levee started speaking again.
"Does it always have to be this way? All alone, at the end, no-one to turn to, nothing to... hey, what's this?"
She'd just noticed something, and in a few seconds I had too. The skeleton was clutching something in its hooves. It looked like... parchment? Carefully, so as not to disturb the body, Levee slowly pulled it from its bony grasp, unfurled it and...
All at once, she was her usual, beaming self again. There was no doubt now what the parchment was...
"Is this... is this.... YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! A map! A map! Woohoo!"
And she left us no room for doubt either.
"They made a map! They made a map! They made a map! Oh this is so amazing! Me and this guy would have so much to talk about! Well, if he wasn't, you know, dead. Hey, who says that's stopping him?" She stooped and yelled into the skull's ear so loudly it would have burst its eardrums, if it still had them. "Heloooooooooooo~! Dead guy! Nope, he can't talk. Actually, who says it has to be a he? It's probably more likely it was a mare, after all, just how many stallions do you see around anyway?"
I don't remember the rest of her little one-way conversation, but suffice to say it went on for a while. It was surprisingly long before anyopny thought to state the obvious...
"Wait a minute", it was Electric Sky, of course. "You're saying we now have a map of the maze?"
Levee, who had for a while now been flitting happily around the hall, came to an immediate halt.
"Well, in a word, yeah. Wanna see?"
Like before though, there wasn't really a choice, she'd already gleefully flung the paper in the unicorn's face. The rest of us gathered around.
It seemed our hypothesis was right, the map looked exactly like something out of a children's maze book... albeit something you'd find in the "brain-melter difficulty" section. And you know what the worst part was?
"Uhh... Levee, this map... isn't even half-finished."
The green pegasus glanced at the map, then at us, then back to the map, then back to us and declared with heroic resolve:
"There is no greater challenge to me than an unfinished map!"
And with that, she was off. Singing.
"Up and down, to and fro, a-scouting we will gooooo~!"
We all had time for a nice, long 15 minute nap before she got back. Well, all of us but Emerald Ray. Said it was his job to "protect the herd and watch for predators" or something. He must have lived in the wild for quite some time. Still, in a place like this you can never be too careful. By the time we'd all got up and stretched ourselves, our mapmaking friend was back.
"And about time too", said Bumblesweet, "Napping like that really eats into your time. We have to stay on schedule!"
"This is the longest she's slept in months", Lilly Blossom whispered to me.
"I agree", said Electric Sky, "I get the feeling if we stay here too long we'll end up like that guy." She gestured towards the pile of bones beside us. "But at least now that we know the way out, we don't have to waste any more time."
"Wow, you know the way out!?", was Levee's response. Our hearts sank.
"You... don't know the way out?"
"Of course not, silly! You gotta know the whole maze before you start planning your route. Every good navigator knows that."
"Wait, if you've mapped out the whole maze, wouldn't you have seen the exit?"
"Well yeah, but I wouldn't leave without you guys."
For all her... qualities, it was nice to know she still considered us friends.
"Ahem, if I may interrupt", said Bumblesweet, "how exactly do you propose we find our way out?"
"Hmm........" the green pegasus stroked her chin with her hoof for a moment, seeming on the cusp of something.
"Hey, Ellie!"
It took us a while to realise she was referring to Electric Sky.
"That's not my name." said the yellow unicorn, annoyed.
"I know. Anyhoo, you're supposed to be the smart one. You take a look at the map."
Once again, she thrust the parchment in the pony's face, which immediately began to turn pale upon seeing just how intricate the maze that trapped us was. Her eyes darted around so much I feared she would dizzy herself. All the while, Electric Sky muttered vaguely to herself.
"We could go... no. How about... wrong. If we stay close to... that's out. Argh, there's gotta be an algorithm for this..."
"You look confused", said Levee, pointing out the obvious. "Want a hint?"
"Huh?"
Now it was Levee who put on the air of a schoolteacher, even going so far as to affect a posh academic accent. "Ahem. Solving a maze is less about finding out where you want to go and going there, and more about finding out where you don't want to go and... not going there." She switched back to her normal voice. "You get me?"
"Not really", replied Electric Sky, echoing all our sentiments. Levee sighed.
"Okay Feathers, let's show them how it's done." Was she just... talking to her quill? Come to think of it, that wasn't the first time tonight. But this was the first time she... referred to it by name? This mare was stranger than I thought.
Before I could ponder this any further, she had begun using the quill for its more practical purpose. She had spread the map at her hooves and hung her quill in the air until she found the dead end we currently inhabited. She then began scribbling over it, blotting out the area with black ink, continuing until she reached an intersection. Then, she located the next dead end and repeated the process, filling in the path leading from it to the closest intersection. All of us gazed curiously. It didn't look like much at first, but as more and more paths were filled in, we actually began to understand her logic. Slowly but surely, every path that would lead us to a dead end was blacked out, eventually leaving only one trail of clean parchment, a perfect route to the exit.
"I don't believe this...", Electric Sky stood in awe, "that... that's actually pretty smart. Why have I never thought of that? You know what? This gives me an idea... You don't mind if I..."
"Oh no no no, of course not", replied Levee. Her tone and face expressed not pride, but the feeling she was simply happy to help. "It's not my technique anyway."
"Ahem", Bumblesweet interrupted, tapping the centre of her left foreleg as if gesturing to some invisible timepiece. There was no need for her to say anymore, we all got the message.
"Don't worry", said Levee, "this maze is really big. We've got plenty of time to talk on the waaaaay~! Oh, wait" she stopped herself just as she was about to fly off. She quickly turned and landed next to the ancient remains of the former explorer. Patting the skull on the head, she said calmly: "Thank you."
Now we could go. |
The Nightguard: Legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded | Chapter 6: Battles and Riddles | Levee wasn't kidding when she said the maze was big. Trust me. Even knowing where we needed to go was little comfort in these cold walls. Not to mention we were bored out of our minds.
"I spy with my little eye..."
"A maze of twisting passageways; all alike."
"Cool! How'd you guess?"
"Because that's exactly what you 'spied' last time. And the time after that. And the time after that."
"But I'd already gone through all of you guys. And I can't really spy myself, can I? Maybe I can? Oooh, I've got a good one! I spy with my little eye..."
"Yourself."
"How'd you guess?"
This routine went on for far, far longer than it should have. Until...
"I spy with my little eye... a light!"
"Look dear, it's rude to refer to our friend here as if he were an object."
"No silly, I don't mean Glowy, look there!"
Indeed, we did spy a light. It looked like fire, but that wasn't possible. The air in here should have snuffed out external light like that.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you", Levee interrupted our bemusement, "I saw that light before, when I was scouting. That's how I knew the inside of this", she pulled out the map and pointed to a large square room at the edge of the maze, "room without actually going in." She awaited a reaction. Getting none, she continued. "Well? Aren't you guys pleased? This is the end! We're almost out of the maze!"
Yeah, we should have been pleased, but something didn't feel quite right.
"Uhh... Levee, how should I put this?" Electric Sky pondered for a moment before settling on "I've spent enough time at the arcade to know large square rooms with only one entrance are never a good sign. Especially at the end of an area."
That was certainly the strangest logic I'd heard from her tonight, but I couldn't help but agree. There was something suspicious about that room, and the light.
Which, as we got closer, revealed itself to be a pair of flaming torches, framing the entrance to the room. This was certainly ominous. Nonetheless, from the map it was clear this was our only exit, so it seemed we had no choice.
The room was bright, so much so that we, so accustomed to the darkness of the maze, had to cover our eyes as we entered. Emerald Ray, seeing his talents were no longer needed, um, extinguished himself. I hope that made sense.
As we took our first steps into the ominous square room, we realised we were not alone. Standing in the centre was a giant figure on two hoofed legs, with the upper body of a particularly muscular ape-like... thing. (Sorry, there really isn't another way to describe it. I hear biologists have been debating the origins of the minotaur's top half for centauries) I... just realised I spoiled what this creature was, so I'll cut to the chase: this was bad.
"Wow, a minotaur! I've always wanted meet one!", said Electric Sky, clearly not sharing my sentiment.
"Meh, see one minotaur you've seen them all", said Levee, before adding:"But this is the first brown one I've seen..."
"D... do you think it's dangerous?", muttered Bumblesweet.
"Come on, just because he looks scary doesn't mean he is. He's probably a really nice..."
The minotaur cut Lilly Blossom off with a snort of contempt.
"What're you lookin' at, four-legs?"
We all slinked back towards the entrance.
"I'd warn you all to run but..."
Said entrance slammed shut behind us.
"It's a little late for that. Heh heh heh."
"Oh, oh dear..." said Lilly Blossom.
The minotaur took two giant strides towards us. We'd run out of space to retreat.
"Now then, sissies, let me explain how this is gonna work."
"You leave us alone and we'll get on our way?", said Bumblesweet, although she knew as well as I did that wasn't going to work.
The beast snorted. "Afraid not. Ya see, bein' cooped up down here gets boring. Real boring. And it's not often I get visitors so..."
"Ooooh! I see how it is! Well I think I have the answer! I always have some spare parchment with me, a quick round of Tick-Tack-Toe ought to..."
"LEVEE!"
"Oh, sorry."
"Bwahahahaha!" The minotaur laughed so loud the room seemed to shake. "Sorry, it's just hilarious how sissy you ponies are sometimes! Lemme tell you my idea of fun. One of you hasta' challenge me to single combat."
I gulped, I was afraid he'd say that.
"If you win, I let you all go. But I'd feel sorry for ya' then, cos' in here you'd be missin' the pigs flyin'. And explodin'. And the oceans boilin' and..."
"We get it", interrupted Electric Sky, "You think our chances of winning are approximately one million in ten to the ninety nine..."
"Your fancy mathematics won't muddle me!", the minotaur roared in her face.
"Aw ponyfeathers, I thought that would work."
"And just because I'm so kind", the minotaur continued, "I'm gonna let you try as many times as ya' want. Not that it'll help. But only one at a time! And no flyin'! Or magic! Well, this room will see t'that anyhow." He strode back into the centre of the room and began to flex his muscles in anticipation.
Electric Sky took this moment to whisper to me "He's right you know. You can't tell, but I already tried a couple of spells. This room has some kind of anti-magic field."
Well, at least that didn't affect me. But still, there was no way any of us could take on something like him. We were doomed.
The minotaur assumed a battle stance.
"The process continues until you're all dead, or I get bored. Whichever come first. Now... which one of you sissies wants to take the first shot?"
Electric Sky donned her goggles and gave her right foreleg a few prods. "That would be me", she said, with an air of confidence.
While I admired her bravery, my practical side immediately objected. "Uhh... are you sure this is a good idea? You're a scientist, not a fighter."
"Don't worry, I have a plan", she whispered with no loss of confidence.
The yellow unicorn trotted up to the muscle-bound brute in the centre of the room. The two exchanged glances for a moment, before the pony held out her right hoof in a gesture of honourable challenge.
"Let's make this a fair fight. Agreed?"
"Sure", replied her opponent, and reached out his arm.
Rapidly. In a gesture of much-less honourable clobbering. Electric Sky flew across the room and slammed into the wall behind us, groaning in pain.
"Bwahahaha! You think I'd fall for a cheap trick like that?"
"Oh heavens dear! Are you okay?" came Bumblesweet's cry.
"Ugh... y...yeah, I'm fine", she said, obviously not. "Curses... how'd he know about my... Argh! This is gonna take ages to recalibrate..." She seemed mostly concerned about her right foreleg which, strangely enough, was the only part of her body that still looked in pristine condition. But at that moment, I suddenly noticed something. Within that same pristine limb, for a moment, I swear I saw a gleam of silver.
But my mind returned to the problem at hand. Electric Sky looked like she'd be out of action for a while, leaving just five of us. Among those left, Emerald Ray, being an earth pony and one raised in the wild at that, was most likely our best option. But, just my luck, he'd immediately gone to tend to our fallen companion, despite her protesting. And that really narrowed down our options. I had pulled snowploughs at Winter Wrap Up for years, but I doubt that qualified me to fight in a battle to the death. But, when it came down to it...
"Very well. I will go."
But Bumblesweet had taken the words out of my mouth before I could say them. We all had our doubts, but I reminded myself she had survived a direct encounter with Cerberus. Perhaps she could...
"Bwahahahaha!" laughed the Minotaur again, "Oh, that's rich! Look, your Sissy Mark is even a buncha' bugs! So I guess your special talent is GETTING SQUASHED BY ME!!"
"Laugh all your want, monster", Bumblesweet replied, taking on a tone I had never heard her use before. In that moment, the earth pony standing before the horned beast had ceased to be the motherly mare I knew. She was defiant, determined, and about to get dead serious.
"No foe in Equestria is a match for my top tier BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!"
And with that she made the... noise she had before. And like before, the bees answered. I you ask me, I honestly have no idea how a swarm of bees managed to hear her from down here, let alone actually find her. But find her they did, somehow, and it wasn't our place to question it. Bumblesweet now had an army. We might be in with a chance.
"Fly my pretties! Fly, fly, ahahahahaha!"
I admit that this Bumblesweet kinda scared me though.
Her army obliged, and the minotaur soon disappeared in the cloud of their swarm. The buzzing grew louder and louder as we waited with bated breath...
Before it was silenced by an even louder sound. One that, by this point, was really starting to get annoying.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The minotaur simply stepped out of the cloud that assailed him, looking barely more than annoyed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that suppos'ta STING!?"
He stepped forward to tower over his would-be assailant. Bumblesweet's, and eveyopony's, confidence vanished in an instant.
"Don't worry, THIS sure will!!"
"STOP!!!"
An unlikely voice cried out. When I regained my composure, I saw Lilly Blossom standing between the two combatants. I tried to call out, but the words wouldn't come.
The minotaur gave the loudest snort yet. He was furious now.
"I TOLD you, only one at a time! You really must have a death wish, fourlegs."
Lilly Blossom still stood firm. "I am not violating the rules, I am offering to take my friend's place. I will not see my friends hurt."
"Lilly... Blossom...", said Bumblesweet, "You don't have to..."
The purple pegasus gave her friend a look that told her, yes, in fact, she did. Bumblesweet seemed to acknowledge her wish. The minotaur, not wanting to go against his own rules, allowed the exchange.
"Everypony, get back", said Lilly Blossom as she took her position. Facing the minotaur, she proclaimed:
"I am your opponent!"
"You've got guts", replied said opponent, "but you're gonna be wishin' ya didn't. I'm done messin' around." And he wasn't kidding: for the first time, he stood back and readied a charge. I'd heard not even castle walls can endure the full strength of a charging minotaur. The damage it could wreak on a pony... was something that didn't really bear thinking about, and we all made sure to stay out of his path. All but one: Lilly Blossom didn't move an inch. She seemed intensely focused, almost as if she was... waiting?
Silence. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Neither combatant had made a move. Suddenly, Lilly Blossom held out her right wing, and let it gently flutter for a moment. The minotaur's eyes burned blood red and I swear I saw him expel smoke from his nostrils.
"NOW YOU DIE!!!"
The ground beneath us shook with the force of the beast's hooves. For something so bulky, he was incredibly fast, and he was upon Lilly Blossom, horns lowered, in a matter of seconds. I called out in panic, but she remained still, as if she couldn't even hear me. We all covered our eyes, none of us could bear to look...
The next thing we heard was a loud CRASH! Fearing the sight that inevitably awaited me, I slowly lowered my hooves and half-opened one eye...
To find the minotaur in a crumpled heap beside the opposite wall. And in the room's centre stood the lone purple pegasus, very slightly to the left of her former location, but otherwise unchanged. Not a scratch on her, not even so much as a missing feather.
But we couldn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet, as the minotaur let out a groan and rose to his feet.
"Uuuugh... Uh... I mean... GRRRRRRRRRRR!!! I see what your plan is! Yer tryin' to create an escape route by havin' me smash the walls! Well sorry t'disappoint ya, but these here walls are completely indestructible! There'll be no escapin' for you... only DYING'!!!"
The beast charged once again. And once again, Lilly Blossom held her ground until the last possible moment before...
I'd say 'swish!' here, but as you'll know by now, Lilly Blossom's manoeuvres rarely made any noise. Anyway, all you need to know is she deftly dodged the charge, and her attacker's head met the wall once again.
"Arrrrgh! Y...yer cheatin'! How can somethin' even do that without wings!? Rrrgh, ya can't dodge me forever, fourlegs! GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"
CRASH!
"Ugh.... gah.... D...do ya'... know who... I am!? I'm the Bronze Beast! The Butcher of Baltimate! The Slayer of Stalliongrad! The one who almost single-handedly brought back the Windigos! Ya think a sissy fourlegs like you can beat me!?!?
AAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHH!!!"
CRASH!
"Why you little..."
CRASH!
"Ugh... I'll get ya! All b-both of ya!"
CRASH!
"I'll..."
CRASH!
"I'll..."
CRASH!
CRASH!
CRASH!
CRASH!
"Okay! Okay! I give up, you win!", the now very battered and thoroughly unintimidating minotaur yelled while visibly struggling to stand. He stared blankly at us all, all the fire in his eyes gone, and seemed to trying to come up with a particularly intimidating parting taunt. Unfortunately, battered, bruised and heavily concussed, the only words he could muster were:
"W... why is everything... bigger and... eight?"
And, with a final crash, he fell to the ground, motionless. The doors behind and ahead of us creaked open.
"Da da da da DAAAAAAAAAA! You are Victoryful~!"
My jaw felt like it had hit to floor. Levee excluded, I'm sure the others felt something similar. By the time I finally regained the power of speech, the only words I could muster were:
"And you're SURE you're not a ninja?!"
Awkward silence.
"N...no", Lilly Blossom replied, bemused, "but my grandmother was from Neighpon, if that's any consolation."
"That... makes a surprising amount of sense. Anyway, nice going, you really saved our flanks there."
"Oh, don't mention it. It was just dace practice, really. It was his own strength that did him in in the end." She turned to her fallen opponent and said in a dignified yet still slightly immature fashion: "Serves you right you big meanie!"
"Lilly dear", said Bumblesweet, "I know you're a good dancer and all, but promise my you will never do that again."
"Hey, she just saved your life!", reprimanded Electric Sky, rising to her hooves despite Emerald Ray's silent protests.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm fine! Fine! Sheesh, I heard deer were overprotective, but this is ridiculous!"
"Oh... if... if you say so.", he replied, sounding disappointed.
"Well", I reassured him, "at least it's good nopony was hurt, right Levee? Right?"
No response. That was odd. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen her since the little victory song.
"You don't suppose she's..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
No mistaking it, that voice was definitely hers. That couldn't be good.
"Emerald Ray, your light again, please. We need to go now." We followed the still-continuing scream back to its source, which, thankfully, wasn't far away. But once we reached her, we found nothing. No horrible monsters, no more pony skeletons, just another dark, walled corridor.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH", continued Levee.
"W-what's wrong, dear? There's nothing here.", said Bumblesweet.
"W...we're...we're...
WE'RE STILL IN THE MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZE!!!"
I nearly tripped over. Still, our green pegasus friend was now just as furious as that minotaur, perhaps even more so.
"I! Cannot! Believe this! After all this time... after all this time... MY MAP WAS ONLY 50% COMPLETE!!! ....................Yippee!"
Her sudden mood swing hit me like a mail cart. But I suppose it was to be expected by now.
"Now if you'll excuuuuse me, I've got some mapping to do~!" and she was off once again.
"Sooooo", I began, "I guess we should just wait here?"
"Sounds logical", replied Electric sky.
"B-but what about that...", added Bumblesweet.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about him. He's going to be out for a looooooong time." reassured Lilly Blossom.
And so, all there was to do was wait.
**************************************************************************************************
"...And so I learned the hard way that Lightning Topazes and water don't mix. Anyway, that's how I lost my third laboratory."
Electric Sky finished her tale just as we finally exited that blasted maze. Ugh, to this day children's maze books still give my nightmares. But the trials of Tartarus were only just beginning.
The darkness was gone, thankfully. But the cold... that seemed to be getting worse. The air felt thick, almost crushing. Out of instinct, I turned to everypony and said:
"Look, you've all been an amazing help so far, but it's just going to get worse from here on out. So if anypony wants to leave now, I'm not going to stop you."
Nopony spoke a word.
"Alright, if you insist."
And so we continued. The main path started to diverge a bit here, with several side branches splitting off to head Celestia knows where. My guess was that was where this place's... inmates were kept. And to be perfectly honest, I didn't even want to know what was down there. That minotaur from before was bad enough, thank you very much, and this was only the outer rim of the place. Put it this way, if some... thing as bad as Discord wasn't sent here, I shudder to think what kind of monster would be. As for the fact I was on my way to meet somepony imprisoned in its inner circle, well, I tried not to think about it.
Luckily, it looked as though the further we went down the main path, the deeper into Tartarus we went. So at least we had no chance of getting lost. (not that we ever would with our resident mapmaker on our side) So, deeper we went, until we reached a great stone arch that looked like it would hold a door of some kind. As far as I looked though, I couldn't see any trace of one. What I did see, however, was something that had been bothering me for quite some time.
"Umm... is anypony else getting really creeped out by those statues we keep seeing, or is it just me?"
Levee took the words right out of my mouth. Ever since we passed Cerberus' lair, we had always been greeted by these stone statues. They were always... somewhere, watching silently in the distance, just out of our reach. Except I could have sworn the further in we went, the more there were, and the closer they got. To the point where, right now, they stood firmly in our view: one standing at either side of the arch, as if on guard...
And for the first time, I could finally get a closer look. On first inspection, they looked much the same as the statues you'd find in the Canterlot castle gardens, though the stone looked a darker shade of grey. The two before us were pegasi, but I remember seeing a roughly even spread of all three pony types among those I saw earlier. But no matter their breed, they all shared three characteristics: all stood in the same pose, all wore armour like the kind used in ancient times...
And none of them had a face. Clearly that was the source of all the creepiness.
That, and the fact the two before us showed absolutely no sign of age or wear. No chips, scratches, not even any dust. It's almost as if they weren't statues at all...
Weren't statues at all.
My stomach seemed to jump at the very thought. The others looked like they were shivering, but I could tell it wasn't the cold. We'd all silently come to the same conclusion.
And then I realised. Statues that aren't statues, I vaguely remember reading about that in a book once...
"Hang on everypony, I just might know what these things are", I said as I rummaged frantically through my saddle bags, feeling as though they'd get me if I turned my back on them...
"AAAH! HERE IT IS, FINALLY!" Everypony jumped with a start. They sounded normal in my head, but I was so terrified my words came out as a shrill scream.
"Ahem, sorry. Here we go: The Mesmerized Monster Masher's Marvellous Magical Menagerie!"
"Sigh. Do the Canterlot publishers have some kind of unnecessary alliterative title division?", muttered Electric Sky. Though I kind of agreed, I was too busy searching the book to comment.
"Tartarus... statue... AHA! Here!" I opened the book on a double-page spread (which, strangely, lacked any pictures) entitled 'The Guardians of Tartarus.' Just below the heading was written, in much smaller print: 'information purely speculative'. Upon reading this, Electric Sky immediately turned away. Unperturbed, I read on:
Anypony will tell you Tartarus is a prison for the most foul and evil of all beings. But what exactly is keeping them in? Cerberus, most will reply, and this is correct to the best of common knowledge. Recently however, several of Canterlot's top scholars have theorized that Cerberus is only the last resort, the final line of defence, if you will. According to this new belief, the insides of Tartarus in fact contain several layers of protective measures. Logically this makes sense, after all, Cerberus can't be relied upon to deal with all threats. (and is prone to wandering off at the most inappropriate times)
There are many individual theories as to the exact nature of these 'defences', but the one held in most esteem (several of its supporters claim to be in close contact with Celestia herself, though this is impossible to verify) is the idea of 'Guardians', Tartarus' "white blood cells", so to speak. As nopony has ever ventured into Tartarus and returned, it is impossible to determine the appearance of such Guardians, but several facts have been established:
-They are most likely non-living, magical constructs. This much is certain, as no ruler in their right mind would send living ponies to guard such a place. Even if you ignore the fact the very action would amount to psychological torture, the truth is mortal ponies would simply not be strong enough to hold back the horrors there imprisoned. So artificial beings born of magic is a logical guess. Historical sources do indeed mention such beings, in the form of animate statues, used in a unicorn war of ancient times. Perhaps, in this time of peace, the very same beings were reassigned to guarding Tartarus? (Just speculation, I might add) Of course there are other theories, such as the souls of those lost to the place becoming bound to serve it for all eternity, but such an act of profound cruelty has been dismissed as preposterous even by the most irrational of 'Tyrant Celestia' conspiracy theorists.
"Well", said Bumblesweet, "at least we can be thankful for that Lilly Bloss... Oh dear." Realising said pegasus was already lying in a quivering heap on the floor, she stopped herself. I continued:
-Assuming the above, these constructs possess only rudimentary intelligence. In fact, if they are indeed the same constructs used in the unicorn wars, it's hardly fit to call it 'intelligence' at all. It is, however, just enough to get their job done. Essentially, the Guardians awaken only in times of dire crisis, upon which they seek out anything that doesn't belong in their designated area.
"That... means us", I spoke the obvious, but it did little to calm me down.
The guardians' main strength is their numbers, and so when faced with multiple targets they will instinctively prioritise whoever poses the biggest threat. This behaviour has been exploited in the past, but it presumably becomes useful when dealing with Tartarus escapees, it's best to make sure those who pose the greatest threat to Equestria don't get out, after all.
-Taking into account the above two points, it stands that these constructs CANNOT BE REASONED WITH, AND WILL NOT BE MOVED TO SHOW MERCY. But if you're faced with them, you're either a notorious evil beast or idiotic enough to actually venture into Tartarus. Either way, you had it coming.
"Well that's awfully nice of them", quipped Electric Sky. "Does this book have any other bright ideas, or is it just insults?"
"Hang on, I'll check the 'Battle Advice' section..."
Tips from the Pros:
If you are encountering this monster, it means you are in Tartarus. Ergo, you are already dead. Actually, you're worse that dead, you're as far below dead as dead is from living. Either way, you're too dead to be reading this sentence now, so stop.
"The book doesn't say anything", I wisely replied.
"Well, we know one thing", Electric Sky had already begun strategising. "This 'crisis' that sparks the Guardians into action hasn't happened yet. Which means..."
"It could happen at any time!", said Lilly Blossom, still no more composed than before.
Electric Sky sighed. "Must you always be such a pessimist?"
"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a 'don't want to get killed by creepy statues'... ist."
"She has a point, dear", Bumblesweet entered the conversation. "For all we know this 'crisis' could be us going further into Tartarus. We should be ready for anything. Which, fortunately, I always am."
"Really?", said Electric Sky, possibly beaming with curiosity, "So what's your 'magically animated statues' counter plan?"
"Oh that would be telling, wouldn't it?"
I felt the need to intervene. "Look, girls. I think we can all agree that standing around here talking isn't the most productive use of our time, so let's..."
"Actually, what you've been doing has been very productive so far, I say keep at it!" Ah, so that's where Levee had got to. She was now holding a whole pile of parchment. No doubt she'd been busy.
"Anypony have any extra space in their saddle bags?", she said while flitting between us. "Oh, just fyi, if you want to go further into Tartarus I think the bridge would be your best bet."
"What bridge?"
"HOLY MOTHER OF LUNA!"
"GREAT WESTINGHOOF'S GHOST!"
"CAN WE PANIC NOW??"
"Oh dear."
Emerald ray said something exasperated in what I presume was deer.
"Oh... that means, 'it's a bridge.' Deer do not have... how do you call it... expletives."
"Yeah, what's the big deal? It's just a bridge", said Levee.
An inexplicably thin bridge suspended over what looked like a bottomless ravine, obscured by mist.
"There's no chance you could clear this with a spell..."
"Already tried", came Electric Sky's answer before I was even finished.
"So, uhh... just... be careful not to fall... then?" I was at a loss. This place just kept getting crazier.
"Sigh, do I have to do it again? Oh well: "Just don't worry~! Everything's gonna be fine~! We're in no hurry, relax and take your time. Just..."
"Quick! Maybe she'll stop if we get over the bridge!", yelled Electric Sky as she ventured on, suddenly fearless. We all did our best to follow.
"Keep moving, don't look down. Keep moving, don't look down. Keep moving..." Before I knew it, my hoof once again met the more-familiar ground.
"Hey hey hey, you made it! See, that wasn't so hard~"
"AAAAAAArrrrRRRRrrrrrrgggghhhHHHHHhhhhhhhhHH!"
"Oh, sorry. I can fly pretty fast when I know the area."
Looking again, I could see I was actually the last to arrive. Which meant...
"Yeah, we all got her creepy little greeting too. But hey, at least we got through fine. I mean, things could have gone a lot worse."
"Oh yes they could have."
I jumped. "Who was that?"
Each of us sounded off with a "Not me." Which is what I was dreading.
"Or should I say, things are about to get worse."
"Show yourself!"
"Oh I'm afraid I can't do that. Could I get you guys to come to me? Thanks."
The voice sounded female, but it certainly wasn't a pony. It sounded... bigger than that. And the way it rolled its r's, it almost reminded me of a cat's purr...
The closer I came, as the speaker came slowly into view, I soon realised why. Standing before us was a creature that was wholly alien, but composed of individually recognisable parts. The haunches of a lion, the wings of a bird, and a face that wouldn't seem out of place on a household cat. Well, a really creepy household cat. I was sure I'd read about creatures like this in my books, but to see only for real...
"Look, I know it's not everyday you see a Sphinx like me, but you don't have to stare, it's rude."
"Oh, m...my apologies, Miss", said Emerald Ray, as if he genuinely thought it would work. "We are on a quest presently, would you mind permitting us to pass?"
"Heh, nice try. I can tell you're a pretty nice bunch though, which makes even harder for me to go through with this. Sigh, sometimes I hate my job."
"And... umm... what exactly... is your job...?", said Lilly Blossom, trembling all over. (and seemingly forgetting she just single-handedly took down a rampaging minotaur)
"Honestly, don't you read?", the Sphinx replied.
I answered for her: "She's going to ask us a riddle, am I right?"
"Very good, very good. And if you answer correctly, I'll let you through."
"Yay!", said Levee.
"But, answer... unwisely", we all shuddered, "and you'll be trapped down here, for all eternity." That last word shook the walls and pierced us like a spear.
"Nothing personal", she added casually.
"We get it, just give us the riddle already", said Electric Sky.
The Sphinx sighed. She really seemed like she didn't want to go through with this.
"Alright. If you wish to pass, you must give me... what I desire."
"Okaaaaay" I certainly hadn't heard this one before.
"I desire something that is:
Greater than Celestia
Worse than Discord
Rich ponies need it
Poor ponies have plenty of it
If you eat it you die."
"That's it?", I asked.
"Yep."
"And we have as much time as we want to think about it?"
"Sure, take all the time you want. Though you might want to know, I once had somepony in here who spent a year trying to figure it out... and he still got it wrong."
Electric Sky seemed to takes this as a challenge, given how she positively bolted forward.
"Yes, but he only had one brain. We... have six. Come on everypony, it's brainstorming time!"
And so the huddle began. It was just as well we had 6 brains, as I alone certainly couldn't have figured this out. Placed in my position, could you? Think about it for a bit. While you are, I'll report the results of our brainstorming session.
"Greater than Celestia... but worse than Discord? How can something be both at once...?", Lilly Blossom began.
"You think it's a trick question?", said Levee.
"It's a Sphinx riddle, they're always trick questions.", answered Electric Sky.
"Okaaaaaaay, so at least we've established that. We're on our way, yay!"
"Umm... ahem... excuse...", it took Emerald Ray several attempts to get into the conversation.
"Got any ideas?"
"Uhh... no... I was just trying to inform... I mean... your words, I still find, difficult, so I believe it is best I..." he trailed off into silence, but by then he'd made his point.
"Now come on dear, I'm sure you could...", began Bumblesweet, before being cut off.
"But, it would displease me to... doom you all... because the answer is a word I do not know."
It pained me to say it, but I admitted he did have a point. I convinced the others to let him sit this one out.
"Right, so now we're down to 5 brains. Drat, we need to pick up the pace. How about we scan each line individually..."
"Way ahead of you, Sparky. If you eat it, you die, hmm..." Electric Sky looked a little confused, but it was soon gone, clearly she'd learned to get used to our mapmaking friend's logic by now.
"Let me guess: it's a trick question, so you figure it makes sense to work backwards."
"Nice one! You're starting to get the hang of this!"
"And I wasn't even being serious", the yellow unicorn muttered under her breath. Well, any start was a welcomed accomplishment, in my view.
"If you eat it you die... Aha! It's so obvious! POISON!"
We all stared blankly. I sighed and resigned myself to 'awkward silence breaking duty' this time.
"Explain to me... exactly how can poison be greater than Celestia?"
"Well maybe if it was delicious poison.", Levee stated is if it were an obvious fact.
A disturbing thought suddenly entered my mind. "Wait a minute. Poison. Rich ponies need it... poor ponies have... plenty...of...it..." I noticed everypony begin to turn pale. We unanimously voted to pretend we'd never brought that up.
"So we're back to square one", stated the scientist among us and sighed. "Don't worry, I'm used to that by now." Her tone quickly returned to one of optimism. "Okay, I say what we're looking for is more likely to be an abstract concept, rather than a physical object. That's how most of these riddles go, anyway."
At this, Lilly Blossom was suddenly enthusiastic. Was she on to something?
"Ooh, ooh, I just remembered we used to hear riddles like that all the time at slumber parties! And you know, I'll bet you the answer here is..."
We all held our breath. Scarily enough, so did the Sphinx.
"Love!! It's always the answer to things like this!"
"Well, she kinda has a point", said Electric Sky, "After all, love can be greater than Celestia, and when brought on by Love Poison it's certainly worse than Discord." She turned to me and whispered: "Accidently brewed some once. You don't wanna know."
I hated to shoot down everypony's hopes, but...
"There's just one slight problem: you don't die if you eat love. Come to think of it, how would you even eat love anyway?"
"Well, maybe ponies don't", Lilly Blossom replied, "but there could be some creature out there that does. And maybe if it ate too much love all at once..."
Deciding that route was a total bust, we moved on. (Yes, yes, no doubt you're all seeing the delicious irony there, but we certainly couldn't have. Moving on.)
"Any other ideas? Anypony?"
"Ah! Amm... wait, no."
Hours passed.
"Yes! That's it... no."
More hours passed.
"Take all the time in the world, really.", the Sphinx said, oddly reassuringly. "I mean, it's not like I'm going anywhere or anything..."
"Well you may have all the time in the world", Bumblesweet approached the Sphinx, suddenly furious, "but we have families to return to, schedules to keep... Oh sweet Celestia my schedule!! I'd totally forgotten! Next week's shipment to Baltimare... No, I mustn't... okay... need to calm... down..." She said while still obviously hyperventilating. Trotting back over to us, she said slowly: "Now dears, no need to rush or anything, but could you...", unfortunately, she couldn't hold in her panic for much longer, "pleasegetamoveonnow!"
Lilly Blossom flew to her longtime friend's side in consolation. "Now now Bumblesweet, I know you like to work to a schedule, but we can't rush this: if we get this wrong... you're never going to work to a schedule again." Pity that last part sort of undermined the first.
"As much as I agree we can't rush", came Electric Sky's first words in several hours, "Bumblesweet has a point. I mean, we can't just sit around her doing noth..........................."
She froze. Her blue eyes widened. A beaming grin formed across her face. I knew full well what came next...
"EUREKA!!!"
And we were blinded by the flash of her horn once again. But by now we all knew this was a good sign.
"YES!! YEEEEEEES! I don't believe this! The same thing solves two problems in one day, I love being efficient!!!", at this she grabbed by and shook me by the shoulders, even though I had no idea what she was talking about. Though I had a hunch she had solved the riddle...
"Everypony", she said, and we gathered around. "I... think I know the answer." It was strange, she seemed a lot less confidant than I would have thought. "But I know... an awful lot is riding on this. Do you really... think you can trust me?"
Though I admit I would feel the same under such pressure, I had never seen this side of Electric Sky before.
The first reply came from an unexpected source.
"Of course we do. You're our friend, right everypony?" Levee glanced at the rest of us, almost accusingly.
"Of course dear."
"Exactly."
"You are correct."
"But, you're all trusting me with your..."
For reasons I can't quite explain, I felt the need to stop her.
"It's okay. We all know you've got this. And I know you know you've got this. There's nothing to fear."
I could tell Lilly Blossom was thinking "group hug", but with a glance I mentally told her now was not the time.
"You're right.. I... I got this. Thanks."
She strode over to the Sphinx, slowly at first, but slowly hitting her stride. We knew she could do this, and thanks to us, she did too.
"Ahem. Excuse me.", she called out the creature, loudly and proudly.
"Oh, what is it?"
"We have your answer." She paused. "Or, I should say, we don't have your answer."
Concern began to show on my friends' faces. But I retained my composure. "She's got this", I told myself.
"Do go on", said the Sphinx. Electric Sky did.
"We cannot give you "what you desire", because it doesn't exist."
Concern turned to confusion. "She's got this, she's got this..."
"Let me put it another way: what you desire, is 'nothing'."
At last, confusion turned to understanding:
Nothing is greater than Celestia
Nothing is worse than Discord
Rich ponies need nothing
Poor ponies have nothing
If you eat nothing, you die
"And that", said Electric Sky, all hesitation in her voice gone, "is our final answer."
The creature stood, immobile, as if savouring the moment. Finally, with a great sense of relief in her voice, she simply said:
"Thank you."
"Really... really? Our green Pegasus friend looked like she was about to explode. And explode she did.
"WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!! Victoryful once again! Now if you'll excuuuuse me~, I'm off to map the deepest, dingiest, darkest depths of Tartarus, be right back!"
And so the Sphinx was forced to lift her paw and allow us passage a little earlier than she wanted to. The others hurried after our intrepid friend, all but Electric Sky, who had... struck up a conversation with our former opponent?
"You know, you're more than welcome to come back and visit. I've got loads more brainteasers where that came from. Oh don't worry, I'm not going to imprison you if you lose, it'll be strictly a social thing."
"Uhh... yeah, if I get the time I'll try and... come down... here." I realised now would be a good time to intervene. As we put another... interesting experience behind us, Electric Sky said to me:
"Did I just... befriend a mythical creature?"
Both laughing, we proceeded on, until...
"Hey, unicorn!"
Electric Sky turned with a start. "Huh?"
"Not you, the other one."
My heart skipped a beat them moment I heard those words. I felt frantically at my forehead but... nothing. So how could she have known?
"Y-yes...", I reluctantly answered.
"Good luck", the Sphinx called back. |
The Nightguard: Legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded | Chapter 7: Reunion | After travelling for this long, I must admit the words 'are we there yet?' came into my mind, numerous times. I mean, we'd been through so much, surely we must be getting close. But how far had we come? And how long had we been travelling for anyway? In a place like this it was impossible to tell. Hay, for all I knew the laws of time and conventional distance didn't even apply here. Could we be no closer to our goal than we started? Could we be even further? Such scary thoughts probed my mind as we walked onward, onward into the darkness.
At last, we caught up with our green pegasus friend. It was always a relief knowing she wasn't harmed, though come to think of it, she never was. As much as she loved to dive into the unknown, she had a knack for self-preservation. Of course, at the time I had no idea how long she'd been in her 'business', or the places she'd seen. But surely none of them could be worse than here, right.
Of course, there was another reason we liked having her around...
"How's the map coming, Levee?"
"Argh, can you believe I'm nearly running out of space? This place is bigger than I thought! Well, it is a prison for worst monsters and villains ever to threaten Equestria but you'd figure a land so bright and happy wouldn't have that many of them..."
"Well whatever is bad enough to be in here is clearly something Celestia doesn't want escaping", I said, thinking back. "That Minotaur we faced back then, his brutality was just... unnatural. I'd be willing to bet he's a prisoner here, and that maze was designed to keep him in. And if the others here are as bad as he is..."
"Hey, I have a question", said Electric Sky, "if the most vile, evil creatures in Equestrian history are imprisoned here, how come Discord's not?"
Come to think of it, that was a good question. But I, not being in a position to answer, could only reply: "Only Celestia knows." Besides, we were getting off topic.
"More to the point, Levee, where do we go from here?"
"I can tell you this place is getting more and more non-linear!", was her response. That wasn't much of an answer.
"Which means?"
"Which means good news! ...And also one teensey bit of bad news." She seemed to be dodging my question. That didn't bode well.
"Good news: we've got looooooots of choice on where to go next! It's boring going in a straight line all the time, you know?"
"And the bad news?"
"Teensey tiny bad news", Levee corrected, "is that there's, oh, no indication whatsoever which path leads where we want. But you know, that's always part of the fun..."
She'd said enough.
"I knew it, I knew it. I knew this would happen sooner or later. We're doomed, doomed to be trapped down here for the rest of our miserable lives!"
"Now now dears, no need to panic", said the earth pony who'd been panicking only a few moments ago.
"She's right, no need to panic, the map just needs a more... analytical approach, that's all." Electric Sky trotted over to Levee's side and gave her parchment a quick scan. "Right now let's just... HOLY HORSEAPPLES! Are you sure you got this rig... who am I kidding, of course you have. Okay, I officially subscribe to the 'we're doomed' theory."
The others began a heated argument over this 'theory', but my ears were closed to them. Though we'd come so far, a small part of me was ready to give up hope entirely. I tried to fight it, but its victory seemed inevitable. Until...
"What the hay's a country music singer doing down here?!"
I initially dismissed this as another non-sequitur of the kind I'd been used to hearing tonight. Until I looked up.
Standing in the distance, like a light in the darkness, was a lone pony. A stallion, by the looks of it, with a yellow-brown coat. There seemed to be something on top of his head, but I was too far away to make it out. The only other colour came from below his face. It was grey, no, practically white. And it's shape, it almost seemed like a...
Beard.
I was galloping. I heard the others call out to me, but their cries fell on deaf ears. I couldn't help it, my body practically moved of its own accord. My heart was beat faster than it even had before, the world around me was a blur. Everything faded from my vision, and my mind, everything except him.
"It can't be..."
I had a clear view of what was on his head now. A pointed hat the colour of the night sky, embellished with stars. A matching cloak hung from his body, and both were lined with golden bells.
"It couldn't be..."
My mind persisted in denying what was plain to my eyes. All my live I'd read about him, revered him, kept his memory alive when nopony else would. And here he was standing before me.
"Tis I, my child."
My ancestor, Star Swirl the Bearded.
A second. That's how long I managed to look him in the eye before, out of instinct, I kneeled. I confess I bowed lower than I would were I ever to meet Princess Celestia herself (Though I'd appreciate if word didn't get out). Plus, those eyes... they were unlike anything I had ever seen. In this darkness, they seemed to shine like miniature stars, and I felt as if their gaze pierced my very soul. I wasn't what you'd call frightened. It was more... sheer awe. His presence was so magnificent I felt... unworthy to even look upon it. And, perhaps more importantly, I didn't want him to see I was crying. Again, this was something I couldn't really help. To see my ancestor face-to-face... I was happier than I'd ever been in my life.
"Peace, my child. You may rise."
His voice was... contradictory. Does that work? Probably not. It was something I really can't describe. Overwhelming, yet calm. Commanding, yet caring. Wise beyond measure, yet personal. One that made no attempt to hide its bearer's immense power, and yet never sounded proud or arrogant. It was everything I imagined, and more.
"St...st...star... s...." I could barely manage a coherent syllable through my blubbering, which made me even more reluctant to speak. So he did for me.
"You are probably wondering why I am here."
I lifted my head no more than an inch and gave a rapid nod, before slinking back into my bow.
"To be honest with you... I am not entirely sure myself. It seems the curse", his voice grew sharp with anger as he spoke that word, "has trapped me down here."
"So", this time, my curiosity overcame the emotions entrapping me, "you're... alive?"
He gave a long, deep sigh, then raised both his forelegs as if to clap. I gasped in utter horror as I watched them pass right through eachother. "Not exactly", he replied.
"You... you're..."
"The curse", he said with no less distain, "has kept my soul tethered to the mortal realm. Only when it is broken will I finally know peace but, as you can tell, I am in no state to break it myself." At this, he bade me rise and stared into my eyes with a look of utmost joy.
"I have waited a thousand years for somepony to end my suffering and now, at long last, you have come. I have been watching you ever since you set hoof in this infernal realm" (a phrase, I may note, he said with as much anger the word 'curse') "and from what I've seen, I know you will be the one to do this. I am truly proud of you, my child."
At this my body overflowed with so much happiness I felt I might explode. Once again instinctively, I leapt forward at my ancestor, forelegs outstretched...
Only for him to leap away from me in turn. The situation had reversed: now he seemed to dread looking me in the eye. As I approached with concern, he slunk even further towards the wall, before finally turning to me, a single tear falling from his eye.
"I... I am truly sorry. You... you have no idea how long it's been since I embraced my own flesh and blood. But in this state... I cannot. And the mere thought of it brings back memories... of the time I farewelled them, the last time I embraced my family... and the last time I ever will. The pain, it's just..."
"Stop." That was enough. I knew full well how he felt, and realised at once just how foolish my action was. Now that I thought about it, when was I last with my parents? I'd moved out several years ago, so I rarely saw them anymore. My heart filled with guilt when I realised I couldn't even remember the last time I saw my father, my mother. And the way things are, I may not have had another chance...
It seemed I did take after my ancestor after all.
"Hey, who's this?"
It was around this time that the others caught up with me. I knew it was inevitable, but I admit I kind of regretted having to explain this all to them. I mean, not everypony gets to introduce their who-knows-how-many-greats grandfather to their friends.
"Everypony, this is my ancestor, Star Swirl the Bearded."
"So this is the stallion you've been talking about", said Bumblesweet.
"But... he lived over a thousand years ago. I mean, that's scientifically... and magically..." Electric Sky's amazement ensured that sentence went no further. My ancestor turned to me and asked if these were my friends. I replied that yes, they were.
"A Circle of Six...", he said and gave a chuckle. "It seems history has a knack for repeating itself."
That's right. I'd almost forgotten he was one of the original element bearers, along with the royal sisters. There was so much I wanted to ask him. But I realised there was one question I should probably ask first.
"This may sound stupid but... do you know a way through here?"
He gazed into my eyes once again and replied.
"Fear not, my child, for I shall be your guide."
Well, that was certainly a relief. We'd wasted enough time sulking and arguing as it was, so I gestured to the group to follow...
"No."
I was taken aback. "What?"
"The road from here on is too dangerous. As much as I understand the value of friends, if I were you I would not want mine to come to harm. There are times we must bear the dangers for them."
Even coming from my beloved ancestor, I was still hesitant about this advice. I knew it would be dangerous, but leaving everypony here, at the mercy of Tartarus...
"Go."
Once again, the stallion among us was the first to speak.
"Go, Miss Star Swirl. The remainder of us are equipped to take care of ourselves. You must not fear for us. Go forward, and fulfil your mission."
The others glanced at Emerald Ray, then to me, and nodded in approval. I understood. If it was what I must do, then so be it.
"Make your way back to the exit. If I'm not back by the time you get to the gates, leave without me. And I won't take no for an answer."
Forlornly, my friends nodded.
"Good luck Star Swirl, it was great travelling with you!" said Lilly Blossom.
"Come back alive dear, I won't forgive myself if you don't." said Bumblesweet.
"I'd wish you luck too, but... that implies relying on chance, which I know you don't need. If my logic is sound, and it usually is, you're going to succeed. I know it." said Electric Sky.
"Uuuughhh... I hate to leave part of a map unexplored... so be sure to tell me what you see down there, woncha!" said Levee.
"It was a great honour meeting you, Miss Star Swirl. It saddens me I am not able to accompany you until the end." said Emerald Ray.
And with that, everypony turned and made their way back. I hoped they'd be safe. No, I knew they'd be.
"It must me nice... to have such good friends.", said my ancestor with a smile.
"Well, you would know, right?"
"Y...yes, I...I would", he replied with a laugh as we proceeded down our road.
Travelling with Star Swirl the Bearded was... an experience I'll not soon forget. As the passages of Tartarus grew ever more twisted and complex, a quick burst of light from his horn would never fail to illuminate the correct path. I was so sure of his guidance we even galloped most of the way. All the while, we got to talking. Though it was mostly him asking the questions. I explained to him the current state of Equestria, all I could recall of Celestia's reign (he seemed particularly interested in the city of Canterlot. Come to think of it, it probably wasn't built in his time. I guess he was interested in knowing where his former friend now lived.), and the events of recent history, right up until the return of Nightmare Moon and the new element bearers. He felt reassured knowing Equestria was in good hooves, though he was saddened by what happened to Luna. He was particularly close to her, if historical sources are to be believed.
"And... what of... the great enemy?"
I knew who he meant, of course, but I didn't really know enough to give a full answer.
"He's currently spending time as a life-sized lawn ornament, from what I've heard."
"Does the Seal still hold?"
"Sorry, I couldn't tell you."
I prepared to change the subject, but before I had the chance...
"We have arrived."
Both my body and mind stopped in their tracks. What stood before us didn't look particularly ominous or threatening. It was a wall no different to the others in Tartarus, at its foot a hole barely big enough for one pony to fit through, fitted with a perfectly ordinary-looking iron gate. Was this really the place I had sought?
"He is inside", boomed the voice of Star Swirl the Bearded.
Well, I guess it was. Before I had time to muse further, he continued:
"I will use my magic to send you in."
"B-but aren't you coming with me?", I asked, a little scared, but mostly because I just didn't want our time together to end.
"I am sorry", he said forlornly, "but in my current state my spells have no power over him. This is something you must do yourself."
I had a feeling something like this might happen. But was I really ready? I hadn't had much time to prepare, what with all the other life-threatening situations I'd been through tonight. Uncertainty gripped me for a moment.
"But, what if I..."
My ancestor stopped me. "You won't. When the time comes, I trust you will have the courage to do what's right."
"What do you..." But before I could finish my sentence, a strange sensation gripped me. Here's my best attempt at putting it into words: the world seemed to flip upside-down. Then... picture what happens when you throw a bucket of water on a still-wet painting. Well, everything looked like that. And spinning. I'd read being forcibly teleported when you aren't expecting it could be 'startling', but I now realised that was beyond an understatement. It was over in a few seconds, but even seconds of that was a little more than I could endure.
Before I even attempted to think about where I was, I made sure to follow the sudden teleportation safety protocols I learnt in my magical studies: first, I remained perfectly still until the dizziness had subsided. Then, I checked myself for any burns or missing body parts. Assured that all was well, I started to take a look around.
There wasn't much to see, really. The room was dark, even by Tartarus standards, and small, with not a single light source in sight. It seemed like there was nopony else in the room...
Until I heard the breathing. Heavy, rasping breathing, the likes of which did not sound remotely natural. It was slow at first, but since I'd arrived it seemed to be speeding up. My pulse raced, and I tried to take a step back, but the instant my rear hoof touched the ground...
"Who dares?"
The voice was unspeakably rough, dry and guttural, as if it came from something being choked. My heart jumped, and was given no time to settle, as the very next instant a silver light erupted from the far corner of the room.
Illuminated, though still streaked in shadow, lay the form of a unicorn stallion. It was no wonder I hadn't seen him earlier: his coat was blacker than even the darkness that once filled the room. The floor around him was filled with masses of dull, grey hear which seemed to have fallen from his mane and tail, both of which looked worse than even the most unkempt ponies I'd ever seen. It was clear that once they shone the same gleaming silver as the aura that now surrounded his horn, but those times were long since gone, by the look of it. Speaking of his horn, it immediately drew my eye, and not just because of the light: it was unusually thin, and longer than any I'd seen, save for perhaps Celestia's. From there my gaze was drawn to the stallion's face, and I heard myself let out a gasp of horror. Every inch was crumpled, wrinkled and scarred, the face of a pony forced to live far beyond its natural lifespan. But worse of all were the eyes. Their gaze was blank and hollow, as if they weren't even there, but they were bloodshot through and through. And they were staring right at me.
Not a single part of the stallion moved, save for those eyes. Slowly, they appeared to be looking me over, up and down, until finally they froze for a few moments and... started to change. They still looked as awful as before, but this time instead of blank they seemed... almost sad. If this was indeed Midnight Lance, had he just realised who I was? But this was my ancestor's greatest enemy. He should have hated me. I should have hated him. And yet the emotion I felt was different. It was more like... pity.
When the time comes, I trust you will have the courage to do what's right.
I gathered all my courage and stepped forward. This was it, the moment I had been waiting for. As I stepped towards him, I spoke words that simply came to me, in the heat of the moment.
"My name is Star Swirl."
Another step.
"You betrayed Celestia."
Another.
"Killed my ancestor."
Another.
"Cursed my family, and..."
"I forgive you."
One part of me couldn't believe what I'd just said. But in my heart, it felt right.
"I don't resent you for what you did a thousand years ago, how could I? I know what you did was wrong, but it would be wrong of me to mete out justice for it. It's clear you have already been dealt the punishment Celestia has seen fit for your crimes, causing you further suffering would be going against her wishes. Besides", equally incomprehensibly, I found myself smiling, "I could never bring myself to hurt a defenceless pony."
"St...st...sta....", Midnight Lance could barely manage my name before letting out two deep, grating coughs. But I could tell by his eyes, he was thanking me. But I had more to say, though again my emotions got the better of me, and I broke into tears as I did.
"I mean... I don't... even care. That I can't use magic, I mean. I've lived my whole life without it, and I've got by just fine. But...", my tears flowed even faster, "my mother. All her life she... she just longed for something. Felt happiness was always... just out of reach. She never showed it, but I knew. I always knew. She rarely ever smiled, every day I knew her. N... nopony should have to go through that. And I.... I always thought: if there was anything I could do to make her smile, anything, I'd do it. But now I... I...", my voice was barely coherent by this point, I doubted he could make out anything. But I had to let it out. "Please! If there's any way you can... please! Not for me, but for her. And my descendants. I want them all... to have the chance to do whatever they want... be what they want to be, without some ancient curse tying them down. I just want want... them all... to be happy... so please... please... please..."
The stallion stared at me with those same forlorn eyes. He didn't move, he didn't speak, he didn't even blink. With my own eyes clouded with tears, I could barely make out any movement anyway, but I kept my gaze locked on his, waiting, waiting...
And finally, I noticed another change. His eyes began to widen, their blood read cracks growing even redder. Suddenly, his horn gave a blink of silver light. I felt the unmistakable grip of magic on my body. Was this all a trick? Did he intend to kill me all along? All those questions were answered as quickly as they came, as I soon felt myself lifted and flung to one side of the room, just as an enormous beam of green light burst through the doorway, sending shards of iron gate flying across the room. Only then did I realise I would have been right in the path of destruction. And so was...
"Midnight!" I yelled, out of instinct.
As the dust slowly cleared, quickly glanced to where Midnight lay to see the remains of a shield spell fade away. Its caster slumped to the ground in exhaustion.
My gaze turned to the other side of the room, hoping to Celestia I wouldn't see what I thought I'd see.
But I did. Standing in the doorway was my ancestor, Star Swirl the Bearded, his face now sporting an unnatural grin. |
The Nightguard: Legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded | Chapter 8: The Enemy | "Yes, yes, YES!!", I heard the form of my ancestor say, his voice no less overwhelming, but with none of its previous calm. "This is even better than I imagined! This mare's love for her family has made me strong, stronger than I could have ever dreamed!"
"You..." came a voice from the other side of the room, weak yet utterly filled with resentment.
"Ha!", the bearded stallion snorted in contempt. "So you do recognise me! You're not as dumb as I thought. I'd hoped she'd have taken care of you by now, but no matter. You're no match for me regardless."
"Foal...", was his only response.
"Oh I'm the foal, am I? I take that back, you are as dumb as I thought. Now then... they say those imprisoned here are kept from dying. Shall we test that claim?"
That was my cue. As fast as my legs could carry me, I run between the soon-to-be combatants. The one claiming to be my ancestor glared at me with malice for a moment, then, to my humiliation, burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! I'm sorry, it's just... you're about to die for your family's hated enemy! It's just too funny!"
"I don't care about my family's past. I know full well who my enemy is now, and I'm looking right at him."
He continued laughing. "And now you're actually threatening me? Ahahahahahahaha! It'll almost be a shame when I kill you."
"You won't have the cha... ugh!" The black stallion behind me did his best to sound defiant and come to my rescue, but it was clear even standing was painful for him. All those centauries down here must have taken their toll.
"You know what?", said our adversary, "Just look at you: a Hornless and a cripple. You're not even worth the seconds I'd take to kill you! Equestria awaits!!"
And with that, he was gone.
"You mustn't let him... argh!"
"Midnight!" This time I caught him with my shoulder before he fell. He stared at me again with those eyes.
"W...why? Why... help me?"
"Because I can't stand by while another pony gets hurt", I answered. "Look, you stay here. I've got some friends down here with me and together we might be able to..."
"No!", he yelled abruptly, and coughed again. "He... is strong now. Too strong... You will not... survive. I must... the Guardians..."
That was it! The Guardians! (I wondered if this was what it felt like being Electric Sky) Surely they'd be able to...
"Will not... hold him..."
Oh. "Well I'll still go. Maybe I can get out of here and warn Celestia."
He shook his head and replied: "Tartarus is on alert. Gates... sealed."
"There must be something we can do!", I yelled in desperation.
"Go... take me... with... you..."
"No!", I said firmly. "If you're out of your cell, the Guardians will think you've escaped and..."
"Exact...ly.", he replied and gave his best impression of a smile.
"Oh no, no, I'm not letting you..."
"You will." His voice sounded clearer all of a sudden, though from his face I could tell he was in pain. Perhaps this was something he had planned to say for a while, and he was using all his strength to make sure I heard it. "You must live. That, I will do all I can to ensure. I know what I did was wrong. I hope this may go some way to atone for it."
As much as I wanted to, I just couldn't turn down a proposal like that. And so, still lending him my shoulder, I led him out of the cell and back into the abyss of Tartarus.
Things seemed to be different to what I remembered on the way in. The walls now bore torches aglow with bright red flames. Perhaps this was the "alert" Midnight Lance had mentioned. Since the supposed Star Swirl the Bearded had shown me the way the first time, I had no idea how to go about getting back. Luckily, my new companion seemed to know the way. As we walked on, slowly, everything seemed eerily quiet.
Until suddenly, Midnight Lance gestured to me to stop. His eyes darted around the room, as if chasing a shadow. He then stood perfectly still... as out of the darkness leapt one of the statues I had seen earlier. Barely did I notice this when Midnight Lance's horn glowed and sent a spear of silver light hurtling towards it, knocking it backwards where it fell to the ground, motionless.
I stood in awe. "I've never even heard of a spell like that."
The stallion turned to me. "You... wouldn't have. It's my..." As I watched an eyeless stone pegasus spring onto him from behind, I realized now was not the best time for conversation. Without thinking, I wheeled around and kicked out my hind legs, feeling the hooves strike something, which I desperately hoped was my intended target...
I turned around to find the stone pegasus lying on the floor, a statue once again. I breathed a sigh of relief, then beckoned my ally to get moving.
We ran into more and more of these things as we went, each dispatched with a shining lance or a well-placed hoof to the face. But the attacks were getting more and more frequent, and relentless. I knew Midnight Lance could only take so much of this. We had to hurry.
"PRISONER ESCAPE! PRISONER ESCAPE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!", hissed a familiar voice as we rounded the next corner.
"Oh no, it's her", I said to Midnight. "Quick, hide!" Too late, the Sphinx had caught wind of us.
"No! Please don't hurt us!", I begged.
"Relax", the Sphinx calmly replied, "I'm not talking about you. Hey? Whose that with... actually, I don't wanna know."
"What?!" I honestly wasn't expecting that to work.
"I'm magically bound not to attack those who've passed my tests. And even if I wasn't, I'd never stoop to harming a friend. Or a friend of a friend. You can go."
We were both a little stunned at the circumstances, and as such didn't notice the Guardian galloping behind us.
"Hold on, I got this", said the Sphinx, firing a thing red beam from her eyes which struck the stone construct and shattered it into more pieces than I could count.
"You guys had better get moving. I'll be in serious hot water if I do that again."
We took the hint and shuffled on as fast as we could.
By now, we could make out mist in the distance, which meant we were almost at the bridge. And in the distance, I could faintly make out a blinking light. Had I known Horse Code at the time, like I do now, I would have known it was spelling out 'Star Swirl, we are here. Come now.', and that my friends were on the other side. But as it stood I didn't, so I couldn't.
There was, however, another light in the distance. One far brighter, and green. This, I understood perfectly.
"Come on", I said as we made haste to the bridge.
What greeted us was a battle already in progress. Well, if you could even call it that. The Star Swirl impersonator (I knew by now it couldn't possibly be the real him, but I still had no idea what it was) was swatting hordes of pegasus Guardians with magic as if they were nothing more than flies. Midnight Lance was right, they couldn't hold him.
Speaking of which, my companion wasted no time in readying some magic of his own, firing another shining lance in his direction. But his foe turned to face the danger at once, and next I saw the silver light dissipated against a wall of sickly green flames.
"A cheap shot, just what I'd expect from a traitor!"
"Name calling won't get you anywhere... usurper."
"You're in no position to sass me! You can act all tough but..." The imposter sent a ball of green energy in our direction. Midnight Lance again pushed me aside and deflected the shot with a quick shield spell, but noticed only too late the second incoming blast. By the time it reached him, his shield had already given out, and he lurched back in pain.
"As I said: You. Are. Nothing."
I smiled as his gloating had given the winged statues time to recommence their attack. My smile soon vanished as I watched him blast another three out of the sky without even batting an eyelid.
"As are they. As is everypony to me now!"
A rumbling echoed through the area. I noticed that above archway at the end of the bridge, a stone slab was beginning to fall. I knew that gate had to serve some purpose. Perhaps we could stall him long enough to...
"If you're thinking of stalling me until that door seals", said the imposter, as if reading my mind, "go ahead, I don't care. Your funeral."
"What..." I was stunned, and so was Midnight by the looks of it, he hadn't even moved since that last attack.
"Argh, do I have to spell it out for you morons! Look, I can just blow that door up whenever I want, there's no rush. So all waiting for it will do is seal off your means of escaping me!"
Midnight Lance remained immobile.
"Actually... this sounds like fun. Perhaps I can spare a few seconds to kill you after all."
Still nothing.
"Ready or not, here I..."
In a blinding flash of silver, Midnight Lance had vanished from my side and reappeared in the far archway. At an instant I could tell what his plan was, but I didn't like it.
"Now, go!" he yelled to me.
"Not so fast!", cried the impostor, turning to face him. "Don't think I'll let this be so..."
I galloped forward to interrupt him with a hoof to the chest. My opponent lurched back a little, but more out of surprise than anything.
"Argh, you little vermin! Fine, you have a death wish? Be my guest!"
His horn, which he had so shamelessly stolen from my ancestor, began to glow a sickly green once again. I could tell he was readying the same magical sphere from before. Ha, predictable. I recognised the spell from my magical studies. It was heavily modified, sure, but it was a Class A Magic Spark, no mistake. But what did that tell me... aha! I saw it, he wasn't lowering his head while preparing to cast. Which meant this kind of spell would travel no lower than head-height.
The counter was simple: I ducked.
As I thought, the spell passed harmlessly over my head. My adversary's composure was shaken for a moment, but he soon recovered.
"Well then, how about this!"
Horn pointed at the ground, magic aura running across it in lines, slight increase in air temperature. This was a Burning Ray, textbook. Limited range on this one, meaning I just had to dash backwards. My adversary was beginning to lose his patience.
"Enough toying with you, now DIE!!"
Horn now raised to the sky, distortions in the air around it, a slight breeze on my face despite there being no wind here. This looked like a Wind Slash. A little trickier, especially in such a narrow area. I couldn't tell how many he was going to launch, but the books said there was usually a one second delay between them. Taking this guy's power into account, it'd make it about half that. If I could just keep my rhythm... One, two, three...
Whoosh!
Dodge!
Whoosh!
Dodge!
Whoosh!
Dodge!
Whoosh!
Do..ah!
I felt the last one, but it only seemed to clip me. Still, the blood trickling down my cheek was unmistakable.
"Unbelievable! You surv... ahem, you survived my most mediocre spells. I am not impressed!"
His borrowed horn began to glow once again, but brighter than before, and this time it was pointed right at me. This was bad, a Power Beam. Which, on a narrow bridge such as this, would be impossible to avoid. "Okay, don't panic", told myself, "I've just got about ten seconds until he vaporises me. Unless there's some way I can stop it..." I had a thought. Ten seconds was more than enough time for me to...
"Hi-ya!!"
"Ngh!"
I knocked him back with another buck to the face. Busy concentrating, he didn't see it coming. And to my surprise more than his, it broke said concentration.
"If that's the best you've got", I cried triumphantly, "then how dare you take my ancestor's form!"
Of course, I knew it was all talk. I could counter his spells, sure, but I knew he was too strong for me to actually defeat. And I knew I'd grow tired eventually, and then I'd be doomed.
The rumbling grew louder. The falling slab was now halfway to the bottom: we were running out of time. Just as I was hurriedly thinking up a way to buy us more, the stallion standing under the arch provided the solution: he had conjured a shield spell to hold the door in place above his head. I could see he was visibly straining with pain though, he couldn't hold it for long. And worse, our foe had caught on to his plan.
"Ah, trying to buy yourself more time, are you? Perhaps I should ignore the mare and finish you first...!" He turned and readied another spell, but I wouldn't let him. I sprang forward and gave another kick.
"Ignore the mare at your peril!"
He barely moved, but like before my blow was enough to break his concentration. Unfortunately, I didn't anticipate how quickly he could focus his attention back on me. Caught off guard, I was sent sprawling backwards by a magic spark. I had underestimated him: when his spells actually hit, they hit hard. My body was aching so much I could barely stand as the imposter in the form of my ancestor loomed over me, his eyes glowing with murderous intent.
"I'd say 'see you in Tartarus', but it looks like we've already past that stage."
I felt control of my legs returning, but knew I wouldn't be quick enough to avoid his next spell. This was the end.
"So I'll just say...ugh!"
There was a tiny flash of silver light, so short it was barely noticeable. But whatever it was, it seemed to break my foe's composure for one short moment. That was all I needed. I rammed my front hoof as hard as I could into the imposter's chest (His beard parted as if it weren't even there). Then, wasting no time, I followed up with a sweep to the legs, knocking him off balance. His expression of confidence turned to horror as he realised my next move just as I did. With one final blow, I sent him flying over the side of the bridge and watched as, silently, he plummeted into the abyss below.
It took me a few moments for my mind to register what I'd just done. Finally, with a newfound sense of relief, I managed to stand. Realising this was probably cause for celebration, I shouted:
"That's right! And don't come back!!"
But my joy was to be short-lived. A sound soon penetrated the silence, the sound of stone hooves against stone floor. Soon, the one sound became many, and a series of all too familiar shapes emerged from the fog. The Guardians had stepped up their attack, and we were their next target. And at the far end of the bridge, the stone door had advanced to just inches above Midnight Lance's head. His spell wouldn't hold much longer. I ran.
As I finally reached the archway, I realised my new companion had a look of absolute urgency in his eyes. When I turned, I saw why. Not only were masses of earth pony-shaped Guardians thundering across the bridge, but a cloud of winged statues were flying overhead. And it seemed they had some unicorns in their ranks too. Things were even worse that I thought.
"Come on Midnight", I yelled, "we have to run!"
His response came in a voice even worse than ever, as if that were possible. The strain of his spell was really getting to him. But what hit me far harder were the words themselves.
"You... run... not 'we'..."
"What?", I said, but my confusion lasted only a moment before the truth set in. I had a feeling this might happen and strange as it may seem, I didn't want it to.
"No Midnight! You... you're coming with me, aren't you?"
He looked at me with those tragic eyes once again.
"If they... get through... you... will not... escape. Be...sides... It's me... they're after... If I come... quietly... perhaps... they..."
"No! You can't... you can't just leave me like this! Not after all we've been through... when there's so much more I want to..."
"I... must... I still... must pay... for my crimes. Until then... I cannot leave here. But..." There was less pain in his voice now. Or perhaps it was still there, he was just concealing it better. Like before, he had something to say he felt I had to hear. I'll never forget what he told me that moment.
"Star Swirl, I am truly honoured to have met you. Seeing you has taught me... how much pain I have caused, and what a fool I truly was. Knowing you has shown me... you don't deserve to suffer, for my foolish pride. I know you will live on to do amazing things, and I will help you, in the last way I can. I know you are worthy of this final gift.
My heart stopped. "No, Midnight, don't even think of...!"
"Farewell!"
And in that instant, the unicorn stallion, coat black as night, drew himself back from the doorway, though not all the way. If one could freeze time at that exact instant, they would see him lean his head slightly forward, and one brief flash of darkness in the path of the falling stone. But to the untrained eye, it was all over just as it started. Another instant and the stone gate was sealed shut, its base littered with a few bony, obsidian shards. An instant later, and they were gone as if they were never there.
I stood in silence. I thought I heard a voice calling my name, but I was deaf to it. I thought I heard hoofsteps from behind me, but I ignored them. I felt as though all the world had left me, and I was alone.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, assuring me I wasn't. Slowly, I turned to see the faces of my five friends. Immediately, I saw their expressions change. They were gaping, speechless, their eyes fixed on my forehead. They looked at me as if I'd changed, but I didn't feel a thing. I knew what had happened, but somehow, I didn't want to believe it. I gazed back at the door I'd come through, now sealed shut and... felt a single tear stream down my face.
"Mignight... you..."
Once again, I found the same sound breaking me out of my trance-like state. The stone hoofsteps were still coming, but not from behind the gate. It sounded like they were all around us.
"Save the moping for later! Now we ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun~!", said Levee, and I couldn't agree more.
But just as I was leaving, I could have sworn I heard a voice whispering in my head...
"At last, it is finally... over." |
The Nightguard: Legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded | Chapter 9: The Escape | I did my best to fill everypony in on the details as we went, but in the adrenaline rush it mostly came out as "StarSwirlBeardedImpostorEvilMidnightHelpMebBigfightonbridgeBadGuyFallDownButGuardiansComingRunRunRunRun!"
"That sounded like fun!", replied Levee.
There was no time for idle chit-chat anyway, more and more Guardians came pouring out of every passageway we passed. And they seemed much, much more aggressive than before. But it wasn't until we were almost at the maze that my friends asked the obvious question.
"Wait a minute. If the 'bad guy', 'fell down', and the ex-bad guy gave himself up... then why are the Guardians still on alert?"
As if on cue, a maniacal laughter resounded through the halls, and we all skidded to a halt. "Oh no, oh no no no no no NO!"
And there, standing before us, was that thing, still in the form of my ancestor. Except this time, from his back sprung a pair of insectoid wings.
"Oh, by the way", he said casually, "I can fly."
"Horseapples."
Before I knew it, everypony had scattered every which-way, thrown into chaos as the fiend began his magical barrage. Magic Sparks, Burning Rays, I recognised them all, but the chaotic nature of this assault made it hard to come up with a counterplan. Then, feeling like an idiot, I realised I no longer needed a counterplan. For the first time I could match his magic with magic.
"Everypony, get going! I'll handle this!", I declared.
"B..but...", came Emerald Ray's voice, before he nodded and beckoned the others to follow. As my friends slipped into the darkness of the maze, I assumed the battle stance I remembered from my study of magic duels. To my annoyance, this was once again met with laughter.
"Ha! You mean to challenge me?! Foal! And to think I was going to let you live for another few minutes."
"Do you realise I beat you last time?", I reminded him, "and that was without magic."
His response was another laugh.
"You little foal! Did it never occur to you that I let you win? I've been in Tartarus long enough to know that chasm is not nearly as bottomless as it looks, in fact it actually served as a short cut! And I knew with me gone your little friend would have to stay behind to stop the Guardians. I killed two birds with one stone!
I was taken aback. I admit I had to give him credit for that, that was pretty smart.
"But like I said", hastily turning my last sentence on its head, "that time was without magic. I now have the power to fight you on even terms!"
"Oh isn't that just precious! Do you honestly think a famous ancestor and a few years of studying put your powers on my level? And ironically enough", he added with a sneer, "I have you to thank for them. My escape wouldn't be possible if it weren't for you. Such a shame I have to kill you, although I owe you a great deal."
"Do your worst!", I yelled, and prepared for it.
"Oh don't worry, I INTEND TO!!!" And with that he fired off a massive green beam of energy. I cursed under my breath; he must have been charging that during our conversation, the little sneak. But although avoiding a Power Beam is near-impossible, blocking it is another thing entirely, and now I had the means to do so. I focused my mind as much as I could, picturing an unbreakable shield, and closed my eyes...
And opened them to find myself miraculously unharmed, a magenta-coloured sphere surrounding me. It worked! I did it! I pulled off a class A-2 Shield spell on my first try! Now all I needed to do was close the distance and follow up...
And find myself slamming my head against the shield wall. As I recovered from the mother of all headaches, I reached out my hoof to see if what I feared really was true.
And it was. This magical bubble surrounding me felt like stone, even from the inside. The barrier was impenetrable all right, it let nothing through. I never realised that would include me. And having no idea how to dispel it, I was now trapped. Once again I heard my enemy's mocking laughter.
"Seriously?! Seriously?! You actually did that?? Ha! Even at my weakest I've never been dumb enough to make that mistake! You know, if I was feeling particularly mean, I could just leave you there to rot. But where's the fun in that?" An overwhelming flurry of blasts came at me, shattering my protection. The moment I regained control, I leapt away and prepared a Magic Spark of my own. 'How hard could it be?', I thought. All the books said was to point your horn at the target and focus your power. But I, never having been acquainted with this 'power' before, had to clue what 'focusing it' entailed. And so I simply spent the next few seconds ineffectually tensing my facial muscles, which would have been an acceptable first try... were this not a life-or-death battle. My hesitancy was punished with another perfectly accurate blast, and this time I had no shield to rely on. Once again I flew backwards, pain coursing through my body.
I was surprised my opponent had no mocking words to share with me this time, only an immediate follow up attack which forced me to roll sideways. Knowing full well now I couldn't afford any screw-ups, I began to focus again, this time letting loose with all my anger. I knew a Power Beam was unadvisable for a new mage to attempt, but I didn't have much of a choice. I felt magical energies in my horn for the first time, and the experience was strange to say the least. Think of it this way, if an earth pony suddenly became a unicorn, would they know how to describe the sensation of casting their first spell? I thought not. What I did know was the sensation kept building, until I felt like my skull was on fire and starting to split open. It was too much to bear, I screamed as my vision turned white...
And felt myself blown several feet backwards. But the room was now enveloped in light, and my adversary was nowhere to be seen. Had I done it?
As darkness returned and my blurred vision restored itself I found, to my disappointment, and horror, the bearded imposter still standing. On closer inspection, though there seemed to be a charred line in the ground stemming from my position, it stopped about halfway across the room. He didn't even need a shield spell; my beam would never have reached him anyway. And what's worse, he didn't even attempt to stop it: he knew my attack would fail. And this hit me harder than any conceivable insult.
"Like I SAID!" I dodged another blast.
"Theory!"
Another.
"Practice!"
And another.
"Entirely different things. Power means nothing in the hands of those who can't control it. Not that you're pathetic display of magic can be called 'power'."
I thought to retort, but realised it was pointless if I couldn't back up my words.
"You may as well have stayed hornless", he said coldly, as if stating an absolute fact. Which, I was forced to admit, it was. No amount of magical knowledge could prepare me for actually using it. I was back where I started, not being able to use magic at all.
Wait a minute.
I sprung forward, beginning to charge another Magic Spark. My enemy wasn't fazed, of course. He knew the spell would either backfire of be too weak to pose a threat, and planned accordingly. But here's something he didn't plan for: me not using the spell at all. Stopping the charge at the last minute, I instead gave him the good old buck to the face. One moment of confusion was all I needed. I dashed past him, out of the room and into the darkness of the maze. He followed immediately, as I thought.
"Grr! Coward! Get back here so I can kill you..." I heard his hoofsteps stop. "Ah, I suppose you think you're clever. But my senses are advanced beyond those of a mere equine. Darkness means nothing to me!"
I kind of figured he could see in the dark. But it didn't matter. What mattered was his surprise at the darkness itself. If he spent most of his days imprisoned in the very depths of Tartarus, I wondered if the outer regions would be unknown to him. And I was right, which meant I was in with a chance, provided I could outrun him for the moment.
Of course, upon remembering I was now inside a convoluted maze without a map or a light, running from something with night vision, I realised I didn't quite think my plan all the way through. But it was the only option. If I could just feel my way back there...
But after a few steps, I felt something alright, but it was against my hooves. It was a light brushing, almost like a quill. Still moving, I took a look downward to satisfy my curiosity. My eyes had adjusted to the dark to the point where I could see what was below me, if not any further than that.
And what I found... was a feather. A faded green feather, like a dry leaf. No, it couldn't be, could it?
A few steps later, and there was another. And another. They seemed to be forming a kind of trail. And at that I knew. I had to hand it to her, she was still looking out for me, even when I'd stayed behind. I trusted her sense of direction enough to know that following these feathers would lead me to freedom. But freedom wasn't my first concern.
I ran on, keeping my head to the ground (the feathers always warned of an upcoming turn long before I risked colliding with a wall). A little further, and I saw it: the one lighted room in the darkness, the flaming torches still visibly burning within. I desperately hoped Lilly Blossom was right about how long the Minotaur would be out for...
And to my relief, he still lay motionless on the room's floor. Nice to know I had one less thing to worry about. Now it was time to set the plan in motion. I positioned myself at the far end of the room, just in front of the far exit, feigned exhaustion and turned to face the other opening. He'd been following me close this whole time, so I knew it was only a matter of time before...
The impostor burst into the room, and upon seeing my panting form his scowl of frustration turned to a smile of sadistic glee.
"Ha! Looks like you're done running. Good. NOW DIE!"
This time, I could sit still, knowing his attack would be useless. No light coming from his horn, the imposter stood ineffectually tensing his facial muscles.
"AAAAAARG! YOU! What did you do!!"
"Don't blame me", I replied with an air of satisfaction, "this is a special room. It seals magic, didn't you know? Now that I've got you here, I don't plan on leaving any time soon. Welcome to my world!"
I may have spoken too soon. Knowing his magic was useless, the impostor rushed at me. I jumped to the side but he caught me with a sideways swipe of his leg, sending me sprawling. I realised I was not the only one capable of hoof-to-hoof combat. I tried to rise, but he was quicker. He struck me again, this time with a stomp to my foreleg. The unbearable pain had barely begun to register as he hurled me backwards into the wall. My body could barely move, but I forced myself at him again, managing a few feeble blows before being beaten back once more. Clearly growing bored of this charade, he lunged after me, and I found myself pinned to the wall, his leg around my neck. As he began to tighten his grip and my world grew dark and dizzy, he spoke what he believed would be the last words I would ever hear...
"You sought to face me on equal ground? Ha, foal! There is no such thing!"
It was a strain for me to muster even a few words, but I made sure to make them count.
"Not... 'face', ...stall..."
My assailant had barely mustered a grunt of surprise when the next phase of my plan began, right on schedule. A single Guardian had leapt onto his back, and fending it off required him to let go of me. Catching my breath, I made sure to stand as far away as possible. If I had stalled him long enough...
Another Guardian. And another. More and more poured out of the room's rear entrance, and immediately set themselves upon the imposter. The first few he flung to the side as effortlessly as he had me, but these moves left him open to the others. He had fought off swarms of Guardians before, but that was with magic. With that removed, it became harder and harder for him to handle such numbers. Soon he began to tire, and was dragged to the floor, more and more stone ponies piling on top of him. I knew now it was safe for me to go. But as the imposter disappeared into the growing mass of bodies, I heard him yell these words:
"Listen well, Hornless! You have only briefly delayed the inevitable! I am but one drone in a colony. You'll see... one day soon we will rise again! And then all will belong to our Que..."
It would be almost a year before I understood what that warning meant. Of course, I'm sure you all know that story, so I'll get back to mine.
I breathed a sigh of relief. My plan worked surprisingly well, for something I put together at the last minute. Panting, I began to take my first step away from this infernal place...
And promptly passed out. Partly from pain, partly from exhaustion, I guess. I have no idea how long I was out for, but after some time, I began to hear faint voices.
"Star Swirl! Can you hear me?"
"Miss Star Swirl... I implore you... wake up!"
"I don't suppose an electric jolt is what she needs?"
"Gracious no! The smell of my honey should do a much better job."
"Oh come on gals, you're all doing it wrong. Here, let me show you..."
I fully regained my sense of hearing just in time for...
"STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR SWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!"
Right in my ear.
"N...no need to shout", I said, nervously, "I can hear you just...fine."
"Thank goodness! We were all worried sick about you!", said Bumblesweet, as if I was a foal who'd run off at a fair.
"B...but", my speech functions were still returning, it seemed, "I thought I told you all to go ahead."
"We did", said Lilly Blossom. "But then we got worried and came back." She tilted her head and smiled, as if this kind of thing came naturally to her.
"Yeah. No offence pal, but being trapped in a room with a homicidal shapeshifter isn't the best for your health. Neither is passing out in the middle of Tartarus, come to think of it.", added Electric Sky.
"I mean, we're all friends, right?", Levee concluded.
"Th...thanks", I said as I realised how lucky I was not to have come down here alone. "But we've gotta get... argh!" I had momentarily forgotten the state of pain I was in. It wasn't nearly as bad as before, but the leg that had been stomped on made walking hard. Luckily it seemed like there were no bones broken, but I sure wouldn't be galloping until it healed. And considering we had to make a hasty escape right now, this wasn't good.
"We can all catch up later", said Levee, getting the exact same thought, "somepony help Star Swirl, stat!"
Before I could protest, Emerald Ray had lifted my unto his back. I was surprised at first, but logically speaking this was our best option: not only was he the biggest among us, he was also an earth pony, with all the strength that entails. I still felt bad to be burdening him, but he insisted it was no trouble.
"Okaaaaay! Now that's sorted... EVERYPONY RUN!"
And we did. The others had dragged my unconscious body out of the maze, so we were close to the gates as it was. Unfortunately, it seemed that the escapee's capture hadn't ended the state of alert. Though I reminded myself the Guardians were essentially mindless. For all they knew, we could be escapees ourselves. We had to contend with a few on our way out, all of which were surprisingly drawn to me. As I'd read, the Guardians always go after the biggest threat in the area. Had my newfound powers really elevated me to this status? No, that couldn't be right, I still had no idea how to use them. Unless...
Before I could ponder further, we were at the gates. As Emerald Ray lowered my down, I realised we may have a teensey problem.
"Drat. I just realised destroying my Unlockmaster 5000 prototype may not have been such a good idea." Electric Sky said what we were all thinking.
"Oh come on, Sky", said Lilly Blossom, "I'm sure you have another burst of inspiration like you always do...", she was immediately cut off.
"BURST! That's it!" Perfect, it seemed she'd had another of her ideas. "Stand back everypony, things are about to get explosive."
I didn't like the sound of that, but she'd always had the right ideas before...
Electric Sky laid down her saddlebags and began rummaging. With a smile she soon found what she was looking for: a small vial of liquid I could have sworn I'd seen earlier... uh oh.
"Please don't tell me that's..."
"You might wanna duck and cover, gals.", she replied and lowered her goggles. Oh yes it was. A bright yellow aura surrounded the vial as it was levitated into the air. A second later Electric Sky hurled it towards the gate and, at the very instant of impact, fired a jolt of lightning from her horn in its direction. What followed was...
"Woah!"
Even Electric Sky seemed shocked at the size of the explosion. As the bright white light cleared, the gate had disappeared in a wall of tall green flames. I tried to take a step forward, but Electric Sky held me back. And with good reason, as the flames soon erupted into a second explosion, though not as big as the last. As we all opened our eyes, we found...
The door still standing. Glowing white-hot, but definitely still standing. Electric Sky stood still for a moment, then pulled out a quill and parchment and muttered to herself while writing:
"Dragonfire Bombs do NOT work on gates of Tartarus."
I heard rumbling in the distance. Trying ineffectually to hide my desperation, I asked: "I don't suppose you have anything else in that bag that might help?"
Her response didn't bode well. "Put it this way: if that didn't work, there's not much that will. I've got to hand it to whoever designed these gates. Brilliant piece of engineering."
"I hate to be rude, dear, but not is not the time to be admiring..." Bumblesweet began, but something stopped her. Staring through the bars of the gate, a familiar sight met our eyes. Actually, that's what it was: another three pairs of eyes. Though considerably larger than ours, and still as sad and pleading as the last time we saw them.
"Oh, hi doggie!", said Levee, with an air of cheerfulness that completely clashed with the situation.
"He... he's still looking at you", Lilly Blossom added, gesturing towards Bumblesweet.
Bumblesweet's eyes had gone almost as misty as the larger pair. We all knew she couldn't say no.
"Okay, since you've been such a good boy, here." She smiled as she tossed her last jar through the iron-wrought gate. I heard the sound of glass shattering, the sound of frantic licking and... the sound of frenzied digging?
A few moments later, with a resounding CLANG, an enormous metal object landed at our feet. It was long and thin, and its end bore a design that looked as if it's fit right into...
"You have gotta be kidding me", exclaimed Electric Sky.
As the rumbling behind us grew louder, I knew we had no time for disbelief. I gave a hurried gesture to Electric Sky, and she got the point. Straining under its weight, she slowly levitated the great key towards the iron lock, then inserted and turned it. And just like that, the gates swung open. We wasted no time.
I once again needed Emerald Ray's assistance as we galloped as fast as we could up the great staircase. I had forgotten just how far down we were, but knew we had a long way to go. And that was troubling, to say the least. Behind us a swarm of Guardians had finally come into view. Those shaped like pegasi were already moving in to cut us off, while the unicorns in the rear fired off inaccurate, but numerous magical blasts. To fail this close to freedom is something I would not stand for, but there wasn't much I could do in my condition.
You're probably thinking things couldn't possibly get any worse. Well, naturally, you'd be wrong. Levee, who seemed to have been scouting ahead, suddenly returned to us. And her news was a heavy blow to our already heavy hearts.
"Uhh... everypony? The stairs are kinda running out."
"What!?"
"I mean... while I was flying ahead, the stairs in front of me kept vanishing. I thought it was just a trick of the light at first... until I tried to step where they used to be. Yep, definitely gone."
"You mean to say... the stairs are ceasing to be?"
"Sorry Glowy, but that's the honest truth. If this keeps up we'll probably... ooooh! Sooner than I thought!"
We all skidded to a halt as we saw for ourselves the harsh truth Levee had discovered. The stairs ahead of us just... ended in midair. And what's worse, those few we had were vanishing one by one.
"Ah, should've known there'd be some kind of failsafe. Nice.", said Electric Sky, once again admiring the ingenuity of the place that was about to kill her. My brain frantically spun with ideas.
"Can Levee and Lilly Blossom fly us out?"
"You know full well Lilly here can't take our weight", answered Bumblesweet. And we can't just leave all the work to Levee."
"Hey, don't you worry yourself about that!", the green pegasus interjected. "I'd be happy to. Though it'll take a while to fly all of you out. So maybe you could all slooowly walk backwards to avoid the..."
Judging by the look of shock on her face, whatever she was going to suggest was now invalid. Dreading what I'd find, I turned around. And I saw... nothing. And that was the problem. It seemed the stairs were disappearing both forwards and backwards. We now stood on a slowly diminishing island. I noticed my friends' expressions grow melancholy as they, like me, prepared for the inevitable.
"Lilly Blossom, go ahead, save yourself", said the orange earth pony.
"Don't you dare think I'm leaving without you", replied her lavender pegasus friend.
"I just hope... somepony carries on my research. Continues to... improve pony lives", said the lemon coated, blue maned unicorn.
"I still have... things I must do. I cannot fall here." Unlike the others, Emerald Ray's voice had an air of defiance.
As for me, well, if you were expecting some poignant, meaningful last words, you'd be disappointed. Because at that moment, all could manage was:
"Mother..."
We each held hooves for what we believed to be the last time, as the world went white... |
The Nightguard: Legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded | Chapter 10: Nightguard | It was a light. But it was coming from above us. Eyes straining, I looked up to see...
Something I never would have expected. It looked as though the light was coming from a spotlight, attached to a large wooden hull. There appeared to be two ponies standing atop it, but before I had time to make anything else out they had thrown down something. A roll of wood and rope that slowly untangled, until it was just within our reach. Five of our company, myself included, were incredulous at this miracle. But one among us had let out a beaming grin. Looking up at... whatever it was, the blue-maned unicorn shouted:
"Quickfix! Mjolna! You finally decided to show!"
The two ponylike forms seemed to hear her, but gave no reply, instead gesturing us all to hurry. We naturally complied, each grabbing hold of the ladder as they pulled us in. I couldn't quite believe what was happening, but soon enough I tasted the sweet, fresh air of freedom. Utterly out of breath, it took me a few moments to realise where I was.
It was standing on what looked like the deck of a great ship. Except it wasn't the ocean to each side, but a beautiful night sky. I realised we were now as high above the earth as we had once been below it. Giving the place a further look-over, I noticed the edges of two great wings jutting out of either side. Ahead of us was a small cabin and what looked like a ship's wheel, while behind was a metal monstrosity the likes of which I'd never seen. All around were the same metal disks and shining glass orbs we had seen on that ancient contraption back in the Everfree Forest. A small metal box, no bigger than a shed stood in the centre, large pipes connecting it to the rest of the device. In front of it an earth pony, probably only a little older than myself, was tending to it just as a pony would shovel coal into a train's boiler. Except instead of coal, the pony was shovelling in gems. Masses of gems. And there was no fire either, the strange boiler instead glowed with a cool blue light, the very same aura I'd seen Electric Sky produce earlier. Speaking of which...
Our unicorn friend was chatting to another of her kind, this one was brown and had a Cutie Mark resembling the kind of tool used by those who work with this kind of equipment. After they had finished their conversation, our friend returned to us and finally said:
"Let me introduce you to my pride and joy. Welcome aboard the Lindwyrm!"
"Woah woah woah!", I yelled in utter disbelief. "This thing is yours!?"
"Well, not technically", Electric Sky assured me. "But after I made a few... improvements, the Canterlot boys were more than willing to let me take her for a spin whenever I want. Which reminds me, we need to get her back there soon or they're gonna start asking questions."
Something suddenly dawned on me. "Wait a minute. When you said you'd "left something" back at Canterlot, you didn't mean..."
"Well of course!", she replied enthusiastically. "I can't believe you told me there wasn't time to go get it. Would've saved us a LOT of hassle if you ask me. Good thing Quickfix got my signal, or else who knows where we'd all be right now."
"We came as soon as we could, Miss", said the brown unicorn, giving a salute which judging by Electric Sky's reaction was completely unnecessary. "Well, as soon as Mjolna got the engine running. Though I personally think she applied a little too much force in that regard", she pointed at the blond-maned earth pony accusingly.
"Lady Sky was in danger, by Celestia's mane. Didst thou expect me to be CALM?!" The voice of the pony identified as Mjolna was incredibly overdramatic and booming, almost sounding as if she was trying a little too hard to be like a certain princess I knew. "But we have more pressing matters on our hooves", she changed the subject. "If thou dost not mind me saying, this eldritch location chills me to the bone. We must fly, with haste!!"
"Oh, of course, I'd forgotten", said Electric Sky, before whispering to the rest of us: "You might wanna hand on to something. Just a suggestion." With that she pointed her horn at the boiler-like contraption and, sending a spark darting towards it, yelled:
"Mjolna, floor it!!"
With perfect timing, Mjolna shoved a large yellow gem into the furnace just as the bolt struck. She then gave the whole thing a resounding whack with her hammer and...
"G! FORCE! IN! MY! FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!!"
It felt kinda like being teleported. Only more dizzying. We all looked as though we were going to be sick. After what felt like an hour of this torture, we came to a sudden halt, sending us flying into the walls of the cabin ahead. As my vision came swimming back to me, I made my best attempt at speech.
"Whurr arr weeth?"
Much to my surprise, our host's speech seemed to fuction normally. "I'm impressed. You all handled that surprisingly well. Most ponies vomit the first time. Despite that supposedly being biologically impossible. Maybe that's why the guys at Canterlot are so eager to let me borrow this thing... That being said I probably shouldn't have used a whole Lightning Topaz. I just knew you were all desperate to get outta there, y'know?"
We all nodded in agreement before slumping back to the floor. It was only then that I thought to re-ask: "so just where are..."
"Lady Sky! Dire news! It would appear we are being followed!"
Inexplicably, I sprung into action, following Electric Sky in a gallop to the end of the ship. Sure enough, a black shape was visible on the horizon. It looked far at the moment, but there was no doubt it was getting closer. As for its shape, it appeared to be pony-like, but I could definitely make out wings.
"Don't tell me one of the Guardians followed us here?", said Electric Sky.
"They can't exist outside of Tartarus. Besides, it's too large for that." My heart stopped when I realised what I'd just said.
The others appeared to be panicking, but Electric Sky was quick to take action.
"Quickfix, how are the cannons?"
"Seeing as I haven't yet replaced the ones you blew up last time: not good", came her response.
Before we could come up with a plan B, the earth pony had leapt to the ship's stern, hammer in hoof.
"Heed my words evildoer! If thou dost wish to challenge my mistress, thou will face the divine power of MIGHTY MJOLNA! Never shall the Goddess of Thunder relent!"
"Look Mjolna, I admire your enthusiasm, but..."
"BY CELESTIA'S MANE! MIGHTY TORNADO!!"
Suddenly, Mjolna was enveloped in a whirl of yellow lightning. I'd never seen anything like it before. My first guess was that hammer was enchanted. After all, no earth pony I knew could pull of something like that naturally. But soon, the magical votex had subsided... and the dark shadow was still closing in from the distance. Mjolna turned to us and said sheepishly:
"Methinks that move hath embarrassingly short range."
We resumed panicking. For a moment at least, because before we knew it, the shadow was gone. Just like that.
"Well, that was certainly anticlima..."
With an almighty flash and bang an explosion of darkness burst forth from the centre of the ship. Once the flash of lightning had cleared, before us stood an alicorn dark as night, one I knew all too well.
"BEHOLD! THY TRUE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!!"
Once again her words were punctuated by thunder and lightning. I noticed Lilly Blossom had already abandoned ship, and even the non-pegasi among us looked about to do the same.
"Be still everypony", I tried to reassure them, "It's only..."
"NIGHTMARE MOON!", came a squeal from under the ship's hull. "Everypony run before she gobbles you up!"
Princess Luna looked visibly dejected at these words, and even more dejected to see Bumblesweet, Quickfix, Electric Sky and even Mjolna quaking in fear. Strangely enough, Levee didn't seem fazed in the slightest.
"Peace subjects!", said the princess, clearly trying her best to calm everypony down but of course having the opposite effect. I had to stand in for her.
"Everypony, calm down. This is Princess Luna. She means you no harm."
"Y... you... know this princess?", said Bumblesweet.
"Let's just say", I replied with a warm smile, "she's a friend of the family. Now, what is it you want, your highness."
We each bowed as low as we possibly could. The princess strode over to me and said, oddly quiet for once:
"We simply wished to congratulate thee, child. Thy curse is no more, thou has done thy family proud."
I had suddenly found myself in tears. Partly out of joy, but also partly...
"But I didn't! I know you would have wanted me to put an end to the one who betrayed you, but I just couldn't. He just looked so... pitiful, so sad. I couldn't... I couldn't bear to harm him... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"Do not be, child. Thou hast done the right thing, what thou knew in thy heart to be right. And for that, We are proud. I believe we needs have word with Our sister. Methinks our former comrade has served his sentence."
I still wasn't satisfied. I still felt unworthy. "And I... I'm a failure! Even with the curse broken, I couldn't manage a single spell! I've failed to live up to my ancestor's Element..."
At this, Luna stopped me. Looking deep into my teary eyes, she whispered softly:
"We never said thy ancestor's Element was Magic."
"W-what??"
But before I even had time to ponder this thought, the princess had returned to the ship's centre and begun addressing us all.
"Our subjects! We have witnessed thy deeds tonight, AND WE ARE PLEASED!!"
Though rocked by the gale-force shout, my friends seemed slightly less afraid now. Lilly Blossom had even returned, though she was hiding behind the captain's quarters.
"After much deliberation, we have decided to... recruit thee into our, ahem, forces as our... personal... assisting..."
"Wait, let me get this straight", said Electric Sky, "you want to hire us?"
"Hire? Nay. But if our sister has her own personal taskforce, why not us? The Element Bearers may keep Equestria safe by day, but they must sleep during our time, and cannot be relied upon to respond to all threats."
"That's true", said Lilly Blossom, finally mustering her courage, "after all, everypony needs a break sometimes", she gestured accusingly yet affectionately to her earth pony friend.
"INDEED!"
"Eeep!"
"Ahem, we mean, indeed Lilly Blossom. And as we have only recently resumed our rule, we have need of able-bodied ponies to help us... guard the night."
I was a little confused at the offer, to be honest. Confused, yet intrigued.
"What exactly would such a job entail?"
"Most likely nothing worse than thy adventures tonight", was her reply.
But it wasn't like I'd care either way. I already knew my answer.
"It would be an honour to serve the friend of my ancestor. And I'd like to know more about him, and you're pretty much the only pony who can tell me. What I'm trying to say... is you can count me in."
The next voice I did not expect.
"And me." The lemon-coated unicorn stepped forward. "What? Despite the near-death experiences, tonight's adventure was... kinda fun, if I'll be honest. And besides, could I ask for a better opportunity to further my research?"
Then came another.
"You... may as well count me in, dears. I mean, I'm no stranger to working night shifts. I barely need much sleep anyway. And I should be able to fit this into my schedule, even if it does require cutting back on leisure time."
At this, another voice immediately cut in.
"Oh no, not if I have anything to say about it. If Bumblesweet's in, I'm in too. Without me to remind her to take a break she'll work herself half to death.", said Lilly Blossom, and giggled.
There was silence. All faces were on one green pegasus. Eventually...
"What are you looking at me like that for? Of course I'm in! I thought it was obvious, so I didn't say anything. I couldn't say no to an adventure like this! Oooh! Maybe her high-and-mighty-ness will like my maps?? Wait, she's been gone for a thousand years so... actually this is perfect! Hey princess, could you tell me what Equestria looked like a thousand years ago! Oooh this is gonna be great!"
Her celebration went on for a while. I admit I was happy too, but there was still somepony missing. I glanced over to the emerald green stallion beside me. Strangely, he hadn't spoken since Luna arrived. Come to think of it, it even seemed like he was trying to avoid eye contact with her. Of course, it was naturally for ponies to fear her since her stint as Nightmare Moon, but this felt... different somehow. He seemed adamant on avoiding her. A little worried, I turned to him and asked:
"Are you alright?"
At my acknowledgement he immediately jumped with a start, eying me nervously.
"O...of course! Of course! Why would you, uhh, believe... anything was... amiss... uhh..."
There was no doubt; something about his behaviour was certainly odd. But before I had time to think, he spoke again.
"O great Moon Pony...", he received several awkward looks at this, so felt the need to explain. "Oh, in the language I was raised in, we only have one word for this princess. It... loses a little something in translation. Ahem, as I was saying, it would be an honour to serve you, O great and powerful Moon Pony." He knelt low before her, though still avoided eye contact.
"Charmed", she replied, which I presume was a 'yes'.
So that's how it happened. The night the ancient curse on my family was broken, my life changed forever. Though not in the way I expected. My friends and I had become a part of something bigger than we could have known.
We call ourselves the Nightguard. Princess Luna's personal taskforce. Our job is to guard the night, while Equestria's more public heroes sleep. History books will hold little record of our names, but we don't care, so long as we're making even a small difference. As for me, though I have yet to master my newfound powers, I endeavour to do my best to improve. One day, the world will know the name of my ancestor, Star Swirl the Bearded, once more. Until then, I've got many more adventures in store, and the best part:
I get to spend them with my new friends.
Somewhere in Tartarus:
"Star Swirl... Thank you. I'm glad you're safe. But... I sensed an aura about your friends, one I haven't felt for a thousand years. It would seem "his" influence is not quite gone.
I'm afraid your adventures are only just beginning, Star Swirl. I pray that, when the time comes, you will have the courage to do what's right." |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | pre | Canterlot castle, 50 minutes later
Simba and the rest of the family including a bruised up Shining Armor headed for the training camp, when Simba came in, everyone stopped at what they're doing and lined up, the rest of the family joined up with the rest of the main 6 at the benches "Alright, ladies, who's in charge of your exercises while I was gone?" Simba asked "I am, sir!" a female voice shouted, Simba turned to the source of the voice and saw a maroon dark pink manned unicorn mare with a broken horn and wearing a guard uniform "Are you Drill instructor Barrytwist?" Simba asked "Yes, sir!" the mare now known as Fizzlepop Barrytwist answered "Well, if there's one thing I do like to see in my platoon is a mare shining a lot brighter than the so-called stallions who think they are better than everyone, take five, I'll take care of my platoon." Simba said as he smirked "Yes, sir!" Fizzlepop said as she walked to the benches "Get your ass over here, bitch boy!" Simba shouted "No." Shining Armor said, acting like a spoiled brat "If you don't fall in with the rest of the platoon and unfuck yourself, I'll come over here, bend you over, and fuck you in the ass so hard that I'll break your fucking pelvis!!" Simba shouted, causing Shining Armor to run towards the platoon "Let that be a lesson that if you disobey an order, your pelvis will be broken, now for this exercise, I'll have you do some pull ups on these bars and then you'll do the obstacles, now get your asses over to the bars!" Simba shouted as the platoon lined up to the pull up bars "I can't believe that Dad's now leading his own platoon of royal guards, did you left him in charge, Tia?" Kion asked "Yes, sweetie, I did and he's doing a real great job." Celestia answered "You ever had the similar exercise, darling?" Rarity asked "I used to be an eagle scout and I used to go to JROTC back at school." Kion answered "How does it feel to have Princess Celestia as your stepmommy?" Pinkie asked "Having Tia as my stepmother is fun to be honest." Kion answered, then black crystals started appearing out of nowhere "Oh, no, he's back!" Twilight said frantically, then everyone heard an evil laugh "Come on, girls, let's find him!" Twilight said as the main 6 went to the throne room "Grandpa, Tia, I need a sample of your powers." Kiara said, wanting to get into the fight "Are you sure you want to fight, sweetie?" Celestia asked "Trust me." Kiara answered.
Throne room
Twilight and her friends were engaging a dark unicorn wearing a red cape and silver armor named King Sombra but they were losing to the dark unicorn "Aww, poor Princess Twilight, you think you could get rid of me that easily?" Sombra taunted as he launched a massive magic beam at Twilight but something blocked the attack, Twilight looked up and saw Kiara with golden wings standing in front of her, Sombra laughed at the sight "It's cute that you think you can defeat me." the dark unicorn taunted "Let's see how cute I am when I strangle you with your own fucking intestines!!" Kiara shouted as she grabbed the dark unicorn with her telekinesis and threw him out of the throne room, Twilight and her friends recovered and went outside.
Outside of Canterlot
Kiara used her leader hunter claws to impale the dark unicorn but Sombra used his crystals to trap the young lioness in "It seems that you're trapped, don't bother trying to get out because there's no way--" Sombra tried to say but was interrupted by Kiara using her hammerfists to destroy the crystals, she launched into the air and did a hammerfists dive, the impact caused the dark unicorn to fly off the ground as Kiara did a double kick to Sombra, her hind paws connecting to the face of the dark unicorn, then Kiara dismissed her hammerfists, grabbed the dark unicorn by the leg, and slammed him to ground, Sombra got desperate and used his gaze to slow the young lioness down but this only pissed Kiara off as she charged in with her leader hunter claws, Sombra then turned into his shadow form and laughed in a taunting manner "YOU FUCKING COWARD!!!!" Kiara roared as she launched a blinding light attack to cancel the dark unicorn's shadow form "That's impossible, nopony can cancel my shadow form!" Sombra whined "Well, guess what, asshole, I'm not a pony!" Kiara growled as she rushed in with her leader hunter claws, the dark unicorn tried to use magic beams to hit the young lioness but Kiara blocked them with her wings and when she got to a close distance, she started swinging her claws at Sombra to cut him down, the dark unicorn got desperate as he summoned a bunch of dark crystals to slow the young lioness down, then another magic beam came in and destroyed the dark crystals, Kiara looked up and saw Kion sprouting dark wings "Need a paw, sis?" Kion said as he landed next to his sister "Impossible, your magic can't beat mine!" Sombra whined "Keep crying, baby!" Kion taunted, quoting the heavy from TF2 as Kiara rushed in and amputated the dark unicorn's horn off "Go jump on a dildo, you emo fuck!" Kiara shouted as she impaled Sombra with her claws, lifted him over her head, and ripped him in two, consuming the dark unicorn in the process, Kiara clutched her head as the dark unicorn's memories flow right through her head, then the rest of the group managed to catch up and saw the aftermath of the fight "Sweet Equestria, did you do all of this, darling?" Rarity asked "Yup, just ripped him a new asshole." Kiara answered "My god, how many enemies are we gonna kill if we keep it up like this?" Celestia asked "A lot to the point that nobody would fuck with us, Tia, like I said, the magic of friendship can do only so much, the one way to eliminate a threat is to kill it." Simba answered "You okay, honey?" Simba asked "I'm fine, Daddy, I just got a headache from those disgusting memories." Kiara answered "Let's head back, we got a lot to do." Kion said as the group headed back to Canterlot. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 25: Suck into an alternated dimension | Training camp, three minutes later
Simba was instructing the royal guards on doing some pull ups, after Kiara killed the dark unicorn, nothing interrupted the training course until Shining Armor struggled at the pull ups "Come on, bitch boy, one pull up!" Simba shouted but Shining Armor couldn't do the pull up "Do you mean to tell me that you can't do one simple pull up? You are a fucking disgraceful sack of shit, bitch boy, get the fuck outta my face!" Simba shouted as Shining Armor ran away "Get up there, Kion!" Simba shouted as Kion did 20 pull ups and ran off "Now that's how you do pull ups, get up there Snowball!" Simba shouted as Pvt. Snowball did 11 pull ups and ran off "Wow, Kion's really doing good at the training course." Twilight said as the guards kept doing pull ups "He takes a lot after his daddy, that's for sure." Pinkie said as she ate a cupcake "Kiara, how did you get your wings?" Fluttershy asked "I asked Grandpa and Tia for some of their blood samples and that's how I got my new abilities." Kiara answered "That's awesome, well, not as awesome as me." Rainbow Dash said, bragging about herself "Shut up, Rainbow." Applejack said, getting annoyed at the rainbow manned Pegasus "You're not as awesome as you think, especially that you got your ass kicked by my wife." Mufasa said as he wrapped his muscular arm around Sarabi "Wow, I didn't know that your wife can fight." Applejack said to Mufasa, then Spike show them a video of Shining Armor getting beat up by Sarabi, then Spike show them a video about Sarabi fighting Rainbow Dash, and another one with Sarabi sparing with Simba, then something happened, an anomaly sucked Simba, Mufasa, Sarabi, Kion, and Celestia into another dimension "Where did they go?" Luna asked frantically as the group and the guards looked for the four lions and Celestia
Alternative Equestria, Ponyville
Simba got up and saw that he was in Ponyville but this Ponyville looked more like a big city than a small town "Where the hell am I?" Simba asked himself, then he notice that he was still wearing his swim trunks but he still had his PDA with him, then Simba heard sirens approaching him, what he saw were squad cars and personal carriers approaching at the area that he was standing, then a bunch of royal guards came out of the cars and trucks and started pointing their weapons at him "Get down on the ground, now!" the leader guard shouted but Simba refused to do it "Down on the ground, now!!" the leader guard shouted "Who are you to give me orders, asshole?" Simba taunted, still refusing to follow the guard's orders "Kill this scum!!" the leader guard shouted as the guards rushed in with weapons drawn, Simba then summoned his leader hunter claws and started slaughtering the guards, (imagine the opening fight scene from prototype 1) a unicorn guard tried to shoot at the red manned lion with a magic beam but Simba blocked it with his blade, he jumped towards the unicorn guard and cut him in two, then Simba grabbed the leader unicorn and consumed him, what Simba saw from the memories shocked him beyond belief, he never thought that his lover, Celestia, could be a dictator, but he realized that he was in an alternated Equestria, he knew that his Celestia would never become a dictator, he ran towards downtown and went up the buildings for a better view.
Kion's POV
Kion was on top of the buildings with Mufasa, Sarabi, and Celestia, they knew they were in Ponyville but it was different, it was just like New York but much worse "Anyone know where we are?" Celestia asked "We're probably in an alternated dimension, it's Equestria but something's different about it." Mufasa answered "Where's Simba?" Sarabi asked, getting worried "He's somewhere around the city, we can find him while investigating the city." Kion answered "We need to find him, I'm sensing a lot of hostility around this place." Sarabi said as she, Kion, Mufasa, and Celestia ran across the rooftops, then they encountered Pegasi guards with weapons drawn "Halt, in the name of the princess!!" one of the guards shouted as the guards started throwing spears at them, the three lions stopped as Mufasa and Kion summoned their leader hunter claws and started slaughtering the hostile guards, the two lions consume the guards and gained their memories "Something's not right, Equestria as a slave driven country, Celestia a dictator, what kind of dimension are we in?" Kion asked himself "You three know that I'll never be a dictator." Celestia said in a somber tone "We need to find Simba, he could be anywhere." Sarabi said as she, Mufasa, Celestia, and Kion jumped off the rooftops "Running away from the guards, are there any good guys?" Celestia asked, then they saw what looks like Twilight but this Twilight was a unicorn and not an alicorn "There might be." Kion said.
Simba's POV
Simba was running across the rooftops, he never thought he could get sucked into another dimension of Equestria and saw that it was a cesspool of slavery and racism, it was worse than his Equestria "Stop right there!" a raspy voice shouted, Simba turned around and saw the alternated Rainbow Dash and Applejack "Deja vu." Simba thought "You're not going anywhere you varmint." Applejack said as she got out her rope "that rope's not gonna stop me." Simba taunted as he got into his stance "Bring it, you freak!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she tried to attack the red manned lion but Simba blocked all of her attacks with only one arm and knocked her down to the ground "Enough, you varmint, you're under arrest, under the name of Princess Celestia!" Applejack said but a magic beam hit Rainbow Dash and Applejack, knocking them out cold, Simba then turned around and saw a yellow dark orange and yellow manned unicorn mare wearing a black jacket, a light blue shirt, blue jeans, and black boots "Are you okay?" the unicorn mare asked "I'm fine, I'm just having a bad case of deja vu." Simba answered "Who are you?" Simba asked "Sunset Shimmer, former student at Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, Twilight and I brought you here because we need your help." the mare now named Sunset answered "I've heard about you, Sunset, Tia told me about you." Simba said "Tia, as in your Princess Celestia?" Sunset asked "Yeah." Simba answered then he looked around "Where are they?" Simba asked "They're with Twilight as we speak, I can show you to them, follow me." Sunset said as she and Simba went off to find the others |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 26: Debriefing (getting the elements) | Insurgency hideout
Simba and Sunset teleported to the hideout were the alternate Twilight and Simba's four family members are waiting for them "Princess Celestia, Twilight and I summoned you and your friends here because we need your help." Sunset said as she bowed down "I missed you, Sunset Shimmer." Celestia said as she hugged Sunset "What the fuck is she doing here?" a male voice called out, Simba then turned around and summoned his blade, what he saw was a black man with no hair wearing a dark green jacket, black fingerless gloves, dark blue pants, and black military style boots "James, stop, that's not the dictator Celestia!" alternate Twilight said frantically "Simba, stand down, he's not a threat!" Sunset said, trying to calm Simba down "Sunset, who is he?" Celestia asked "Princess, this is Sergeant James Heller of the U.S. Marine Corps, he's the prototype that's helping the insurgency." Sunset answered "So, you and Twilight found some new members for the insurgency, Sunset?" Heller asked "Yes, James." Sunset answered "Does anyone of you have a military record?" Heller asked "I do, I was a navy SEAL captain and I killed a lot of Blackwatch fucks." Simba answered "Well, shit, I thought I had big balls." Heller said as Simba dismissed his blade "What's your name, soldier?" Heller asked "Simba Hasnuu." Simba answered "You're alright, Hasnuu." Heller said, liking the background of the red manned lion "So, why did you really bring us here?" Kion asked "We needed a few prototypes to back up the insurgency and we needed the good Princess Celestia to retrieve the elements of harmony." alternate Twilight answered "Where are the elements?" Mufasa asked "That dictator bitch sealed them at the old castle." Heller answered, Celestia looked down in shame, feeling guilty for her alternated self being a dictator "Tia, it's not you, I know that you'll never do anything like this." Simba said, hugging Celestia "Take this, Princess." Sunset said as she gave Celestia a maroon pill and a glass of water "What's this?" Celestia asked "It's a durability enhancer, DX1125." alternate Twilight answered "How can a pill--" Kion tried to say but was interrupted by the alternate Twilight "Blacklight nanotechnology, it increases the tensile strength of bone and tissue by several thousand percent, but this one you're taking is a special one." the lavender mare answered "So that explains why the guards are resilient." Simba said as Celestia took the pill "Something tells me that it's not gonna be easy to get the elements and this whole dimension is like an authoritarian regime, an insult to the circle of life." Sarabi said as she sat down on one of the chairs "You're right, these ponies think they should be in control of everything but they're wrong, they have no idea what we're capable of." Mufasa said, agreeing with his wife "You two are being cryptic again." Simba said, catching up to his parents' conversation "Are they always like this?" Heller asked "Yes, they are, Sergeant." Simba answered "We need to get started, I'll teleport us to the abandoned castle." alternate Twilight said as she teleported the group to the abandoned castle.
Outside of the abandoned castle
Simba and the rest of the group saw that the abandoned castle was lightly guarded "Must've been some party, my dictator self did this?" Celestia asked "She took control of everything and brainwashed my friends into thinking that we were the enemies." alternate Twilight answered "I still can't believe that my alternated self would do all of this, I mean slavery in Equestria, what caused her to do all of this?" Celestia asked "At the time of my brother's wedding, I tried to warn everypony about the threat in Canterlot but everything went wrong as my brother disowned me and my friends and my Celestia abandoned me but they found out that I was telling the truth, they blamed me for not warning them faster and turned me into an unjustified criminal." alternate Twilight answered "And to think that my brother was pathetic." Mufasa said in a disgust tone "I'm guessing that the bitch's arrogance won out." Kion said in a pissed off tone "Zecora died while trying to explain that to her and protecting Amaya." Sunset said in a somber tone "What's with all of the security?" Kion asked "The bitch wants to keep everything in tact and not let anyone used them." Heller answered "We need to split up, Simba, Sarabi, Kion, Twilight, you head for the main entrance, Mufasa, James, Princess, you and I head for the ground entrance, watch out for the guards, let's move." Sunset commanded as the group split up "Alright then, Operation: Get the elements back... is underway!" Simba said as he, Sarabi, Kion, and alternate Twilight went to the main entrance.
Back in Simba's Equestria
The rest of the group had managed to find Simba and his parents, wife, and son thanks to Discord "You found them?" Twilight asked "Yup, they're in an alternated dimension, somewhere a lot more dangerous than here." Discord answered "Can you get them back?" Kiara asked "Of course, but they're now dealing with a dictator that enslaved that dimension." Discord answered "Can you send one of us to the alternated dimension?" Pinkie asked "It's risky but I can do it." Discord answered "I'll go, if anyone's going, I will." Kovu said as he brushed his hair tuft "Kovu, darling, are you sure that you want to go there?" Rarity asked "I handled a lot of dangerous tasks, Rarity, I'm up to it." Kovu answered "Let's just watch the show and see how this goes." Discord said as he opened a view portal to the alternated dimension for the group to watch.
Inside of the abandoned castle
Simba, Sarabi, Kion, and alternate Twilight took out the sentry cannons while they entered the castle "This is easy as breaking into one of the Blackwatch bases." Simba said as he dust himself off, then they approached two doors with crystals sticking out, Kion got closer to the doors but the doors burst open, knocking the lion cub back into a wall "Ah, shit." Simba said as a large crystal was thrown at them but Simba summoned his hammerfists and punched the crystal into dust, then Simba saw who threw the crystal "Rarity." Simba said as the alternate Rarity summoned more crystals "Oh, Tom, play time." alternate Rarity said to a giant zombie, Simba engaged the zombie while Sarabi and alternate Twilight engaged the alternated Rarity, Simba summoned his leader hunter claws and swing them at the zombie but Tom grabbed Simba's arm and threw him across the room "Tom hurt monster lion!" Tom shouted as Simba got up and ready to fight, the zombie tried to punch the red manned lion but Simba caught Tom's arm and slammed him to the ground, Simba then impaled Tom with his claws and he turned his right arm claws into a hammerfist and punched the zombie in the face "Not so tough not are you, motherfucker?" Simba said as he summoned his whipfist and grabbed Tom but the zombie counterattack by delivering a kick to the side, Simba then summoned his blade and started swinging it to give the zombie serious wounds, Tom tried to deliver a punch but Simba counterattack by performing a supplex, knocking the zombie down "Huh, too easy." Simba said as he walked away but the zombie got up "Oh, for the love of Christ, Kion, grand slam!" Simba shouted as Kion summoned his wings and hammerfists and punched the zombie out from the roof with the lion cub following behind "You kids have fun, stay outta the street." Simba said in a joking manner, the alternate Twilight was having trouble with her ex-best friend as she got knocked down "You want to rest already, you old, uncouth, ruffian?" alternate Rarity taunted at the elder lioness "After I shove my foot up in your bitch ass, yeah." Sarabi said as the alternate Rarity tried to attack the elder lioness but Sarabi predicted this and counterattack by delivering rapid kicks at alternate Rarity's waist and chest and delivered a reverse roundhouse kick at her head "Hmph, pathetic." Sarabi said as she dust herself off "Are you okay?" Sarabi asked "I'm fine, thanks for the help." alternate Twilight answered "Is everything going good?" Kion asked "Glamorous." Sarabi answered "how's the big fucker?" Simba asked "Weightless, in orbit." Kion answered "You didn't, did you?" Sarabi said as she helped the alternate Twilight up "Tom's a zombie, he'll be fine." Sunset said as she, Mufasa, Celestia, and Heller entered the room "Let's go, it won't be long until they find out that we're here." Sunset said as the group went around and looked for the elements.
Neo-Canterlot
The dictator Celestia was sitting on her throne, enjoying her cake until one of the guards came in "Princess, we have intruders in the abandoned castle!" the guards said frantically "How? The entire castle was guarded, get Shining Armor to get the rest of the guards to the abandoned castle, I bet it's Twilight and those insurgent dogs." dictator Celestia commanded "At once, your highness." the guard said as he went to get the alternate Shining Armor to the throne room, then about a minute, the alternate Shining Armor came into the throne room "You need to see me, your highness?" he asked "Yes, you and your team are heading for the abandoned castle, your so-called sister has breech our security to get to the elements of harmony, find them and bring them to me, I'll make an example." dictator Celestia commanded "Yes, your highness, these insurgent dogs don't stand a chance." alternate Shining Armor said as he left the throne room.
Abandoned castle
Simba and the group went into the restricted room where the elements were held "Hevi kabisa, how big is this room?" Kion asked "It's big enough to hide the elements where you least expected." alternate Twilight answered "Least expected, hmmm, let me try something." Kion said as he went to the walls and tap them with his fist, then when he found the hollow spot, he punched it, causing the hollow spot to shatter, he pulled out what looks like a magical case with six colored spots and gave it to Celestia "How the fuck did you know?" Heller asked "It's a trick that I learned it from my girlfriend, Jasiri." Kion answered "Do you think that the elements would work?" Celestia asked "They work on anything that's evil and the fact that Celestia of this Equestria has done a lot of evil things, I'm sure they would work against her." Sunset answered "I just hope that they work." Celestia said as she used her magic to open the case but something broke through the ceiling and in came alternate Shining Armor and a platoon of guards with weapons drawn "You're not going anywhere, scum!" alternate Shining Armor said as he draws out his sword "Take care of the guards, I'll handle bitch boy." Simba said as the group fought the guards "So, you got what you wanted by disowning your sister? I knew you were pathetic." Simba said in a disgust tone "Twilight's a criminal, a disgrace to the elements of harmony!" alternate Shining Armor shouted in anger "You're wrong, bitch boy, Twilight's trying to save everybody from you assholes and you're the real fucking disgrace." Simba said as he summoned his leader hunter claws and did a ground spike attack which hit the alternate Shining Armor, the idiot unicorn recovered and rushed in to impaled the red manned lion with his magic charged sword to which he succeeded but it has no effect as Simba pushed the alternate Shining Armor away and summoned his blade "What in tartarus are you?!" alternate Shining Armor shouted in fear "The lion who's gonna make your life a living hell." Simba said in a sadistic tone as he swings at the alternate Shining Armor, causing the idiot unicorn to get severely injured "Sir, we can't fight them like this, we have to fall back!" a guard shouted as he and the rest of the remaining guards retreated "Get back here, you cowards!!" alternate Shining Armor shouted but none of the guards listened "This isn't over, Twilight!" alternate Shining Armor shouted as he followed the guards "And I was starting to have some fun." Heller said in annoyance "The important thing is that the elements are safe, now that the case is open." Celestia said as Simba dismissed his blade "So, how is this gonna work?" Kion asked "We can use the elements to turn the whole army into stone, that way we can stop the dictator once and for all." Sunset answered "But all of my friends are now enemies who's gonna use them?" alternate Twilight asked "Simba will do it." Celestia answered "What?" alternate Twilight said frantically "Simba is prue of heart, and the elements can never be used by someone who's evil." Celestia explained "She's right, my baby has done a lot of good things, so he's worthy of using the elements of harmony." Sarabi said, agreeing to Celestia "So, I'm gonna used the elements of harmony to go Medusa on a bunch of nazi ponies? Oh, I love the sound of that." Simba said as he grabbed the elements of harmony "So, where do we start?" Mufasa asked "Neo-Canterlot, that's where that bitch is hiding." Heller answered "Great idea, James, we can strike at the castle and force her out, let's go." alternate Twilight said as the group went for Neo-Canterlot. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 27: Mufasa gets captured | Outside of the abandoned castle
The group had managed to get the elements of harmony out of the abandoned castle and now Simba has them in his possession "It's unheard of that only one pony can use all of the elements by himself outside of the princess." alternate Twilight said in amazement "He's not a pony, Twilight, and he's full of surprises." Celestia said as she kissed him on lips "Are you two dating?" Sunset asked "Yeah, but we got way past the dating phase and we're planning on getting married." Simba answered "I just hope you two have a better wedding than my pathetic excuse for brother did." alternate Twilight said in a heartbreaking manner "Aww, what's the matter, darling, still heartbroken about us?" a snobby voice called behind the group as they turned around and saw alternate Twilight's ex-best friends with a bunch of guards accompanying them "And where do you think you going with the elements?" alternate Rainbow Dash asked "We're gonna use them to save Equestria from a tyrant!" alternate Twilight answered "And ruin our dreams? Sorry, Twilight, but we're not gonna allow you to do that, especially if it involves my success as a fashionista." alternate Rarity said as she summoned her crystals "I can't make my parties with you getting in my way." alternate Pinkie said as she grabbed her party cannon "And I can't keep mah family business going with yer insurgency getting in the way." alternate Applejack said as grabbed her rope, then Mufasa stomped his foot which caused spikes to come out of the ground and killed a few guards "Sarabi, take the others and head back to the hideout!" Mufasa commanded "I'm not leaving you here, Dad!" Simba argued "Go, now!" Mufasa shouted as Sarabi, Celestia, Kion, and Heller dragged Simba away from the fight and Sunset and alternate Twilight followed behind, Mufasa then summoned his leader hunter claws and attacked the main 5, alternate Rainbow Dash tried to do a dive kick but Mufasa grabbed the rainbow manned Pegasus and slammed her to the ground, alternate Pinkie aimed her party cannon at the elder lion and fired but Mufasa dodge the projectiles, grabbed the alternate Pinkie, and threw her to the ground, alternate Rarity threw her crystals at the elder lion but Mufasa closed the distance and did a leg sweep, causing the unicorn to fall down, alternate Applejack grabbed the elder lion with her rope but Mufasa broke free, tackled the cowpony, and slammed her to the ground, the unicorn guards then shoot magic beams at Mufasa, incapacitating the elder lion, then Shining Armor and Tom showed up and pinned Mufasa to the ground "Princess, this is Captain Armor, we've captured one of the insurgents and he's a fat one." alternate Shining Armor said in the radio "Understood, bring him in for interrogation." Dictator Celestia said in the radio "Yes, your highness." alternate Shining Armor said as he grabbed Mufasa with his telekinesis "Let's go back to Neo-Canterlot." alternate Shining Armor said as he, the alternate main 5, and the guards went to Neo-Canterlot with their prisoner in tow.
Insurgency hideout
Simba was pissed beyond belief, he lost father again but this time his father was captured by the alternate versions of his friends and bitch boy and doing God knows what to him, he locked himself in one of the bedrooms, refusing to talk to anyone because they dragged him away from helping Mufasa "Simba, come out of the room, we gotta focus on the plan." alternate Twilight said frantically "Fuck off!" Simba shouted in anger "It's not gonna work, Twilight, he's too angry to listen to reason." Sarabi said while she set the elements of harmony on the table "I'll talk to him, I know how to calm him down." Celestia said as she unlocked the door with her magic and went into the room, Simba was laying down on the bed with tears in his eyes "Simba?" Celestia asked but didn't get a response "Simba, please, talk to me." Celestia said as she took off her shoes and laid down with him "I could've stepped in but you and everyone prevented me from doing so." Simba said in anger "But, Simba, we had no choice, we had to let Mufasa deal with the guards, he said so himself." Celestia said desperately "So you believed him?" Simba asked "Yes, I trust him that he can take care of himself." Celestia answered, then she cuddled with him "Why are you so angry with your father, Simba, don't you trust him?" Celestia asked "He's sometimes too reckless, Tia, it's hard to trust someone who's too reckless for their own good." Simba answered "Simba..." Celestia said as she dig her fingers in his mane "It's true, Tia, he sometimes gets too reckless that he's oblivious with all of the risks that he's taking." Simba said softly, then Sunset came in with urgent news "You two gotta see this, come on." she said as Simba and Celestia got out of bed and followed Sunset, what they found out was a news report on Mufasa getting captured by the guards and taken prisoner by the dictator Celestia, Simba was pissed at both his father's recklessness and the dictator Celestia for capturing him "Simba, I know what you're thinking but we can't go rushing in." Celestia said, getting worried about her lover "Fuck the plan." Simba said as he walked to the entrance door "Where are you going?" alternate Twilight asked "To get Dad out of there, I'll rip Neo-Canterlot apart if I have to." Simba answered "Then take this, we'll give you the location on where Mufasa is." Sunset said as she gave Simba a communication device "Thanks." Simba said as he put the communication device in his left ear "I'm going with you, honey, this is your father that we're talking about." Sarabi said as she joined up with her son "It'll be dangerous, Mom, are you sure about this?" Simba asked "I can't bear the thought of losing Mufasa again, Simba, I need to help him as well." Sarabi answered "Alright, but promise me to be careful, please." Simba said as he exhaled "I will, baby." Sarabi said as she kissed Simba on the lips "Let's go." Simba said as he and Sarabi walked out the door, Simba then summoned his wings and carried Sarabi bridal style "Hold on to me, Mom." Simba said as he took off into the air "How did he...?" alternate Twilight asked "I gave him a sample of my DNA and the virus gave him new abilities." Celestia answered "Let's head back inside, I gotta give Simba the whereabouts of the location." Sunset said as the group headed back inside.
Neo-Canterlot, interrogation room
Mufasa was strapped at a torture table while the alternate main 5 and Shining Armor were interrogating the elder lion by using a shock spell "Pretty tough are you." alternated Applejack said mockingly "You think I'm scared of you, pathetic ponies?" Mufasa said in anger "You should be, insurgent scum!" alternate Rainbow Dash shouted "This is final chance to accept the deal, you either stay here and rot or you tell us where Twilight is and we give you the life of luxury." alternate Rarity said in a sadistic manner "Betray something that means everything to me... become a snobby stuck up bitch... like all of you?" Mufasa said in anger
"Rarity is being generous, I wouldn't be, most of the the kids and animals died doing the wedding." alternate Fluttershy said as she tried to use the stare "Which was your damn fault." Mufasa said, not getting effected by the stare "Doesn't matter, you're still a good for nothing exotic." alternate Fluttershy said which caused Mufasa to spit on her face, alternate Shining Armor increase the voltage but something crashed in front of the castle to which caused the ground to shake "Everypony, let's go find the cause of the disturbance!" alternate Shining Armor said as he, Tom, and the alternate main 5 went outside "Don't hold back, son." Mufasa prayed as he fell unconscious. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 28: Simba attacks Neo-Canterlot | Neo-Canterlot airspace, two miles from Neo-Canterlot castle
Simba was flying towards the castle with his mother in his muscular arms "You know, I always wondered what it'll feel like to fly with an angel, who would've thought that the angel I'm flying with would be my baby." Sarabi said as she nuzzled her son "Mom, I've always been your angel, even before I got my wings." Simba said as he kissed his mother on the lips "Simba, it's Sunset, I got the location on where Mufasa is, he's in one of the interrogation rooms on the south side of the castle." Sunset said through the communication device "Can you send it to my PDA?" Simba asked "Already ahead of you, big guy." Sunset answered "Did you get the elements?" alternate Twilight asked "Mom has them, I was figuring that we needed them." Simba answered.
Then he saw the castle of Neo-Canterlot and found out that it was heavily guarded "The castle has got some really tight security, Sunset, it doesn't look that Dad's not gonna escape that easily." Simba said through the communication device "You're a soldier, right?" Sunset asked "Navy SEAL and yeah." Simba answered "Well I'm sure you can find a way to get their attention." Sunset said through the communication device "Hmmm, land to the center of the town, draw the guards to me and I'll slaughter them, AKA, light a match and watch it all burn." Simba said, discussing his plan "Wow, Simba, you don't play around, do you?" alternate Twilight said through the communication device "Trust me, Twilight, playing around with a bunch of nazi ponies is one thing I don't do, as a navy SEAL, my job is to fight any enemy combatants, no matter who they are and what they are." Simba said through the communication device "Damn straight." Heller said, agreeing with the red manned lion "Alright, Mom, I'm gonna draw the guards to me and when I do, I need you to grab a straggler and consume them, then get to Dad's location and get him outta there." Simba said to his mother "Just give me your PDA and I'll do the rest." Sarabi said as Simba glide down to the center of the city, Sarabi grabbed Simba's PDA and turned it on "There's the bullseye mark." Simba said as he did a bullet dive drop at the center of Neo-Canterlot, causing the entire block to get destroyed "Knock knock, motherfuckers!" Simba shouted as Sarabi leapt out of her son's arms and rushed for cover, the guards were alerted as they grabbed their weapons and headed for the center of town, alternate Shining Armor, Tom, and the alternate main 5 had came out of the castle and headed for the center of town "You again..." alternate Shining Armor said in shock "Where's your boss, bitch boy?" Simba asked "We aren't telling you anything." alternate Shining Armor answered "You have a lot of nerve coming here." alternate Fluttershy said in an annoyed tone "Your friends are gonna ruin my torture party." alternate Pinkie said as she grabbed her party cannon "Oh, I love to trash everything you pathetic ponies stand for and the killing of you and your guards is my kind of party." Simba said as the alternate Shining Armor commands his guards to kill the red manned lion but Simba then summoned his whipfist "That's right, assholes, it's harvesting time!" Simba said as he swings his whipfist around, killing a few guards, then more guards appeared as they attacked with their swords and spears but Simba used his wings to slaughter the guards around him.
Sarabi's POV
Sarabi was in the castle wearing a disguise that she got after consuming a guard mare, she was using her son's PDA to find Mufasa, then when she got to the right room, she went to the door and opened it, what she saw horrified her, Mufasa was strapped to a torture table unconscious from all the extreme pain he went through, Sarabi then cut the restraints, dropped her disguise, and checked her husband "Muffy, wake up, please, don't you ever think about giving up on me, I don't want you to leave me again, please, Muffy." Sarabi said, her voice breaking from crying, then Mufasa woke up which caused Sarabi to hugged her husband in joy "Sarabi?" Mufasa asked "I'm here, honey." Sarabi answered, then she kissed him on the lips.
Simba's POV
Simba had recovered from the giant magic beams that alternate Shining Armor and Rarity shot at him which caused him to land half a mile away from the castle, then he saw a little Pegasus filly that he recognize so well, it was Scootaloo, then alternate Rainbow Dash came in and got angry at alternate Scootaloo "How many times do I have to tell you not to bug me while I'm working?!" alternate Rainbow Dash shouted "But Rainbow Dash--" alternate Scootaloo tried to say but was interrupted "I've had it up to here with you following me around, time for me to cut your wings off!" alternate Rainbow Dash shouted as she grabbed alternate Scootaloo with a knife in hand but Simba saved Scootaloo by punching alternate Rainbow Dash in the face "You'll thank me for this later, Scootaloo." Simba said as he summoned his leader hunter claws and started slashing at alternate Rainbow Dash, the rainbow manned Pegasus used her flying skills to dodge the attacks and fight but Simba knew a lot about her tricks and slammed her down to the ground, Simba then grabbed alternate Rainbow Dash and preformed a back breaker on the bases of her wings, breaking them in the process, alternate Rainbow Dash screamed in pain as her wings were broken, then Simba threw her onto one of the buildings, knocking her out in the process "Pathetic." Simba said in disgust, the the little Pegasus filly grabbed the knife and pointed at alternate Rainbow Dash's neck "Try to cut off my wings?! I'll slice that ego off of your face!" alternate Scootaloo shouted "Scootaloo..." Simba said in pitty "She was gonna... I can't believe I looked up to her!" alternate Scootaloo said in disgust "She uses her fans' appreciation to fulfill her ego, it's not your fault, it's what she does." Simba said, alternate Scootaloo was tempting to use the knife on the unconscious alternate Rainbow Dash but she didn't as she threw the knife away "You've outgrown her." Simba said as picked up alternate Scootaloo, then alternate Rainbow Dash's fan club came in with swords drawn "Easy, guys, he's on our side." alternate Scootaloo said while smiling at Simba, then she looked down at alternate Rainbow Dash and glared at her "Turns out she wasn't." alternate Scootaloo said in disgust "Take this and call for reinforcements, tell them that I send you." Simba said as he gave alternate Scootaloo his communication device "I will but who are you?" alternated Scootaloo asked "Simba Hasnuu." Simba said as he gently put down alternate Scootaloo, summoned his wings, and took off "Umm, hello, is this thing on?" alternate Scootaloo asked through the communication device "Scootaloo, is that you?" alternate Twilight asked through the communication device "Twilight! Thank goodness you're here, I need your help!" alternate Scootaloo said through the communication device "How can we trust you?" Sunset asked through the communication device "Simba sent me, he needs your help." alternate Scootaloo answered through the communication device.
Center of Neo-Canterlot
Simba was dealing with the rest of the alternate main 5, Tom, and alternate Shining Armor with the latter getting beat up by the red manned lion, Simba then grabbed alternate Rarity by the neck and lifted her up "Twilight tried to ruin my boutique business, why do you side with her?" alternate Rarity asked "Because unlike you, I'm not one of those beltway wimps, I can break your princess in two with my bare paws." Simba answered, then he preformed a back breaker on the fashion unicorn, killing her instantly and consuming her in the process "Rarity!" everyone shouted "Who's next?" Simba said in a sadistic tone, then a powerful magic beam shot at Simba but he blocked it with his wings "I knew that Twilight would get some help eventually, you don't belong here." dictator Celestia said as she hovered across the center of Neo-Canterlot "My obligations don't end within the borders of my Equestria." Simba said in a confident tone "Now since an insurgent like yourself is foolish to challenge me, I shall protect my subjects from you!" dictator Celestia said as she shot a magic beam to which the red manned lion blocked with his right paw "That's what's happening out there, protection?" Simba asked "Those who defied me including Twilight will be punished!" dictator Celestia shouted "Twilight's heart is in the right and you stole this land's freedom!" Simba shouted "I'm the princess, I can do whatever I want!" dictator Celestia said arrogantly, this caused Simba to get pissed off as he shot his own magic beam at the dictator Celestia, knocking her back, Simba then summoned his blade and started cutting down alternate Pinkie and consuming her, he then tried to impaled the dictator Celestia but alternate Rainbow Dash got in the way and got impaled herself, Simba then slide his blade deeper into alternate Rainbow Dash's body to the point that he sliced her in two, then the dictator Celestia tried to grab one of the swords but another magic beam hit the dictator Celestia, Simba then turned around and saw the rest of the insurgency backing him up, however, he realized that Kovu and his Twilight was with the group "Mind if we cut in?" Kovu taunted.
Kovu's POV
Kovu was watching the whole scene from Discord's portal, he knew that he had to get there and with Discord's help, he can "Alright, here's the drill, Kovu and I are going to another dimension and we're gonna help Simba." Twilight said as she grabbed a portal generator that Discord gave to her "So, any questions?" Twilight asked "Don't you think that Simba is taking too much enjoyment on killing our evil selves?" Rarity asked "I know it's disturbing, Rarity, but he has to do it to save everypony." Twilight answered "Alright, let's go." Kovu said as he and Twilight went through the portal, however, they've managed to entered the insurgency hideout "Tia." Kovu said as he approached Celestia and hugged her "Kovu, Twilight, what are you doing here?" Celestia asked "We came here to help you out and to bring you and Simba back home." Kovu answered "Well you two came here just in time, because my Scootaloo called us for backup." alternate Twilight said as she inspected Twilight "How many of us are there?" alternate Twilight asked "I don't know." Twilight answered "Bookworms, focus on the task at hand." Kovu said, getting the attention of the two scholars "Sorry." the Twilights apologized "So, what's the plan, Kovu?" Celestia asked to which Kovu smirked. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 29: Boss fight on Neo-Canterlot | Mufasa's POV
Both Mufasa and Sarabi had got out of the interrogation room with Mufasa managing to consume a guard, they were wearing disguises to blend in to the security and they were almost at the castle entrance "Is Simba killing the entire guards?" Mufasa asked "Yes, to be honest, I never thought it would work too well." Sarabi answered, then they reached the entrance of the castle and saw that Simba wasn't alone as the rest of the insurgency was with him "Let's give them a hand." Sarabi said as she and Mufasa dropped their disguises and ran off.
Simba's POV
Simba and the rest of the insurgency were killing a lot of guards while the red manned lion killed some stragglers and went for the last two remaining alternate main 5, Tom, alternate Shining Armor, and dictator Celestia "How dare you defied me? I'll make you pay for what you've d--!" dictator Celestia tried to say but was interrupted when Sarabi delivered a kick towards her face, Mufasa grabbed alternate Fluttershy and preformed a back breaker, killing and consuming her in the process, Simba was fighting the dictator Celestia with his mother as he used his blade to cut down the magic shields that the dictator Celestia was summoning, giving his mother an opening, Sarabi rushed in and started delivering rapid punches and open paw strikes at the dictator Celestia but then alternate Shining Armor rushed in with his sword drawn, Sarabi saw this and kicked alternate Shining Armor in the face, causing him to lose his sword and fall to the ground, the dictator Celestia saw this as a perfect opportunity and shot a magic beam at Sarabi, knocking the elder lioness back, the dictator Celestia shot a continuous magic beam at Sarabi to which the elder lioness fought back by armoring up her paws and use them to block the beam, Simba saw this and rushed towards his mother's aid but alternate Applejack came in and delivered a kick towards his abdomen "You're not going anywhere, varmint!" alternate Applejack said as she tossed her rope at the red manned lion but Simba cut the rope with his blade "Get the fuck outta my way, you redneck bitch!" Simba shouted as he summoned his leader hunter claws and impaled alternate Applejack, lifted her over his head, and ripped her in two, consuming her in the process "You dare defied me? I'll make you regret it with your life!" dictator Celestia shouted as she increased her magic on Sarabi, incapacitating her in the process, Simba then summoned his hammerfists and wings and rushed in towards the dictator Celestia and tackle her as he flew up and started punching her in the face, then he did a bullet dive drop near the castle with the dictator Celestia in tow, body slamming her in the process.
Simba's Celestia's POV
Celestia was helping out the group with fighting the guards as she impaled one of the guards with her halberd "Damn, they're like cockroaches!" Kovu said as he sliced one of the guards' heads off "They keep coming, we keep killing!" Kion said as he cut seven guards in two "Everyone, keep holding the guards off, I gotta find Simba!" Celestia commanded as she flew off to find her lover.
Simba's POV
Simba was up in the clouds fighting the dictator Celestia to the death, Simba dismissed his hammerfists and tackle the dictator across the clouds and started punching her, the dictator Celestia then counterattack by grabbing the lion with her telekinesis and trying to crush him but Simba broke free as he shot a continues beam of magic at the dictator Celestia, he then threw rapid punches at her and execute it with a powerful magic beam which caused the dictator Celestia to crash into the ground, the fight went back to ground level as the unicorn guards tried to incapacitate the red manned lion but Simba started to punch, kick, and throw the guards and move so fast that it looks like he was teleporting without using any magic, the dictator Celestia summoned her halberd and tried to impale the red manned lion but Simba saw this and punched the halberd so hard that it shattered like it was made out of glass, he then tried to grab the dictator Celestia but she started delivering punches to his face, Simba recovered as threw a punch to her abdomen, incapacitating her as he grabbed her, preformed a back breaker, and slammed her to the ground, the dictator Celestia used her magic beam to shoot him through one of the buildings, Simba then rushed in and delivered a massive magic beam on the dictator Celestia, causing her to crash into one of the buildings with Simba following behind to continue on beating the ever living shit out of the dictator, then a magic beam hit Simba in the chest as the dictator Celestia came out of the buildings and flew up to the sky with Simba following close behind, the two titans were launching magic beams at each other, Simba delivered a dive kick towards dictator Celestia's abdomen "What's the matter, can't keep up?" Simba taunted as he delivered rapid punches towards her face, dictator Celestia got really mad as she shot a magic beam at him but Simba blocked it with his right paw "Give me a reason why I shouldn't cut the shit and kill you quickly?" Simba said seriously "Surprise me." Simba said in a low tone, then dictator Celestia cut loose and turned into the form called Daybreaker "So, this is what you look like." Simba said as he crossed his muscular arms "If Luna can turn into Nightmare Moon then I can turn into Daybreaker, the more powerful and prettier version of your Celestia." Daybreaker said arrogantly "I highly doubt that." Simba scoffed "Aww, aren't you so pouty, maybe you could use some sun!" Daybreaker shouted as she breathed fire at the red manned lion to which he blocked it with his right paw, then another magic beam hit Daybreaker, Simba then turned around and saw his Celestia getting ready to fight "Tia?" Simba said in shock "You ready to end this fight, sweetie?" Celestia asked "Ready as I'll ever be." Simba answered "You really think you can beat me together?" Daybreaker taunted "I don't think, I know." Simba said, quoting his mother, then he grabbed Daybreaker and did a bullet dive drop to which they crashed into the ground.
Sarabi's POV
Sarabi was fighting against the alternate Shining Armor as he tried to punch her but she blocked and twist his arms and slammed him to the ground, alternate Shining Armor got up and tried to shoot a magic beam at the elder lioness, trying to cheat but Sarabi dodge the beam, she had been in many street fights in her life so she has many experience with opponents that cheat "Pathetic." Sarabi said as she grabbed alternate Shining Armor by the mane and delivered a knee to the face "Are you even trying?" Sarabi asked, then alternate Shining Armor tried to deliver rapid punches but Sarabi blocked them and counterattack by twisting his arm backwards and breaking his knee with a kick, causing him to scream in pain but Sarabi shut him up by breaking his neck, consuming him the process "Huh, I guess I got a few challenges." Sarabi said as she dust herself off.
Simba's POV
Simba summoned his magic feathers and swords and angrily threw them at Daybreaker, then the flaming alicorn unleashed a magic beam at Simba but he dodge the beam and close the distance between him and Daybreaker, he then delivered a punch towards her abdomen and a open paw strike at her face, Daybreaker recovered and summoned fireballs with her magic "All that pent up anger, you're starting to remind me of Luna when she turned into Nightmare Moon." Daybreaker said as she threw the fireballs at the red manned lion but Simba cut them down with his blade "Luna's suffering wasn't as great as mine, after everything I lost, my home, my wife, Luna's temper tantrum was all for nothing!" Simba said as did multiple slices on Daybreaker with his blade, the flaming alicorn then tried to scorch the red manned lion with her flame breath but it didn't have any effect "An incinerator hurts more than this, with that being said, I don't get hurt that easily." Simba said as he dismissed his blade and clapped his paws so hard that it extinguish the flames, Daybreaker couldn't believe that a powerful being like Simba could exist "Try this!" Daybreaker said as she unleashed a massive continuous magic beam on the red manned lion, Simba tried to fight back but he was launched into one of the buildings "Simba!" Celestia cried out "Aww, did you miss him already?" Daybreaker mocked as she started laughing "What's so funny?!" an angered male voice shouted, both Daybreaker and Celestia were shocked at what they saw, they saw a badly burned Simba without his mane, fur, and parts of his skin "How, nopony can survive that, how are you able to survive my attacks?!" Daybreaker shouted in fear which caused Simba to smirk "Because I'm not a pony, I'm an unstoppable predator." Simba said as Daybreaker tried to attack the lion again but Simba predicted this and dodged out of the way, he then close the distance between him and Daybreaker and thrust his right paw deep into her chest, Daybreaker screamed in pain as Simba crushed her heart with his paw, killing and consuming her in the process, Simba got three things from consuming Daybreaker, he got her memories, he got her powers as his upgrade, and he got his fur and mane back thanks to the biomass but the problem is that he was naked, Celestia went up to her lover and hugged him "Are you okay?" Celestia asked "I'm fine, Tia, I'm not gonna let some burns get the better at me." Simba answered "So, you've become the savior of Equestria again, huh?" Celestia teased "Tia, you know I have to fight off a lot of assholes that threatened the innocent and it's my job to do so." Simba said as he rolled his eyes "Uhh, Simba..." the Twilights said as Simba now notice that he was naked "Ahh, shit!" Simba said as he covered himself with his wings "I bet you 50 dollars that a bunch of chicks are gonna check him out." Heller said to Sunset "Don't worry, Simba, I got you covered, literally." Celestia said as she summoned the same pair of swim trunks on him "How did you...?" Sarabi asked "It's a trick that I learned from Discord, don't think too much about it." Celestia answered "Come on, guys, we've got to free the slave ponies." alternate Twilight said as the group went to free the ponies from slavery. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 30: Going home (Kion tells his story about fighting) | The insurgency had came out victorious thanks to Simba and his family, they've managed to free the slave ponies and rescue Heller's daughter from the dungeons "The guards have been rounded up or turned themselves in, the next job is restoring civil order." Sunset said in a serious tone "What about the raising of the sun and the moon, who would control that?" Simba asked "I'll take care of it, I just need a magic transfusion from you and I can handle the rest." Sunset answered "So, you haven't changed your mind?" Sarabi asked "I respect the royal counsel's offer but I don't belong in government." Sunset answered "So, you have a better future here?" Sarabi asked "Crime and corruption will return, but my insurgency is here to stop it." Sunset answered "And the guards?" Kion asked "They'll stand trial, they all will." Sunset answered "When life gets hard, you fight back harder." Simba said, quoting his father "What?" Sunset said, getting confused "It was a moral my father told me, a lotta shit happens to you, and sometimes you got to fight it." Simba said, explaining what he was talking about, then Celestia came in and grabbed Simba's paw "Simba the portal's open we have to go." she said as she led Simba, Sarabi, and Kion outside "Sunset, you're coming?" Kion asked "She can't, she has to help out with the ponies that were enslaved." alternate Twilight answered "We couldn't have saved them without your help." Sunset said, feeling grateful "To be honest, you summoned us for our help." Simba said in a matter of fact tone "let's go, the others are waiting for us." Sarabi said as she, Simba, Celestia, and Kion went outside "Bye, Simba thanks for your help." Sunset said as she and alternate Twilight waved.
Outside
Simba, Celestia, Sarabi, and Kion went to were the others were as Kovu activated the portal "Sergeant, you're coming with us?" Simba asked "Yeah, I need someplace safe for Maya." Heller answered "Alright, let's go." Simba said as he and the group went through the portal.
Back home
Simba and the group went through the portal where they were greeted by Kiara hugging Simba "You're back!" she said as she buried her muzzle into his mane "Don't worry, pumpkin, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Simba said as he returned the hug "Aww, come on, Kiara, no hugs for me?" Kovu said to which Kiara went to Kovu and hugged him "How did you all of you get to the alternate dimension?" Rarity asked "Tia's former student, Sunset Shimmer, she needed our help." Sarabi answered "You mean like helping out the insurgency and killing our evil twins?" Rainbow Dash guessed "How did you know?" Mufasa asked "You can thank Discord fer that." Applejack answered "And we also had to fight off an evil dictator bitch who looks like Simba's wife." Kovu said to which caused Celestia to punch him in the face "What was that for?" Kovu asked "That was for Chrysalis for nearly burning my horn, but this one is for that comment that you said." Celestia answered "What?" Kovu said confusedly "This." Celestia said as she smacked Kovu in the nuts, Kovu squealed in pain as he grabbed his nuts and got to his knees (In Swahili : "He squeals like a pig.") Sarabi said as the lions except Kovu were laughing (In Swahili : "My settlements exactly, Mom.") Simba said to which Kovu got annoyed (In Swahili : "Simba, you asshole, you taught her that didn't you?") Kovu said annoyingly (In Swahili : "Guilty as charged.") Simba said with a grin "What language are you lions speaking?" Twilight asked "It's Swahili, Twilight, most of the natives that live in the Pride Lands speak both English and Swahili, it helps out with the American tourists." Simba answered "I think there's a Swahili translation book in the Canterlot library." Twilight said as she teleported to the Canterlot library "So, Spike, wanna go spar in the training camp?" Kion asked "Sure, just let me take off my sweater and I'm golden." Spike answered "Yeah, golden as a Chinese dragon statue." Kion said as he rolled his eyes "Have you ever been into any fights?" Spike asked "Plenty, I've been getting into fights when I was eight and I've been kicking ass ever since." Kion answered "But, darling, why would you want to do something uncouth?" Rarity asked "The Pride Lands are a place where fighting is state supported so it's common to see a lotta street fights from where I live." Kion answered "Your whole life is so cool, you have got to hang out with me!" Rainbow Dash said in amazement "Still not interested (In Swahili : egotistical loser.") Kion said in an annoyed tone "How many street fights have ya been in, sugarcube?" Applejack asked "Fifteen, 23, 51, hevi kabisa, I lost fucking count." Kion answered, then Twilight teleported back to the training camp with a book in hand "Hey, everypony, what did I miss?" Twilight asked "I was talking about my history as a street fighter and how many street fights I've been in, with my first one being when I was eight." Kion answered "How old are you and what's your most recent street fight?" Twilight asked "Fourteen and my recent street fight was when I fought that little brat." Kion answered "Cozy Glow?" Twilight and her friends said in shock "Yup, and I snapped that little brat in two as if she was a twig." Kion said as he crossed his arms "Do you have a marefriend?" Rarity asked "If you're asking that I have a girlfriend, yeah, I do, her name is Jasiri." Kion answered "What's she like?" Fluttershy asked "Well, she's a street fighter like I am, she's a tomboy but she's never afraid to show her sweet and compassionate side, and she's an orphan with only her older sister as her caregiver." Kion answered "Is she an exotic like you are?" Twilight asked "She is, Twilight, but she's a different species from Kion." Simba answered "Well, what species is she?" Twilight asked "Spotted hyena." both Simba and Kion answered "So, you're in an interspecies relationship?" Twilight asked "Yup." Kion answered.
Then Fluttershy hugged Kion, her FF cup breasts pressing against his upper chest, Kion purred against the butter colored Pegasus' hug while Rainbow Dash was shocked at what she saw, Kion was interested in someone like Fluttershy "Can anyone find us a room to stay in?" Heller asked "I'll help you out with that, follow me." Luna said as she, Heller and his daughter went off to find an open room "I see you found the book that you were looking for, Twilight." Kovu said as he got up "Yup, now let's see." Twilight said as she opened up the book and started reading something in Swahili out loud, after she finished reading, the lions laughed at what she said "Translation, please." Rarity said confusedly "She said "Parton me, girls. I know you're feeling hey sailor up here about now. But if you would just let me order a bowl of fried clams, we can all have smallpox tomorrow morning." (laughs) it's a lot funnier when she said it in Swahili because even though it doesn't make any sense, it's still fucking funny." Simba said as he continued laughing.
The girls and Spike now get it as the lions stopped laughing "But at least she did it alright for her first time." Kion said as he stretched his arms "So, have you ever had a rival before in a street fight?" Twilight asked "Yup, with all of them being hyenas, the first one being Jasiri and the second being a street thug named Janja but everyone calls him "The Joker" because of his laugh." Kion answered "You heard of how relationships work in Equestria, how would you feel if you have another girlfriend?" Rarity asked "Even if with the herding idea, I'm not looking for another girlfriend because I don't want Jasiri to think I'm cheating on her." Kion answered "Darn it." Rainbow Dash said as she pouted (In Swahili : "As if you ever had a chance with me.") Kion said in a low tone.
Everfree forest
A young female hyena wearing a dark blue short sleeve jacket, a velvet sleeveless shirt, dark blue denim shorts and dark brown African style sandals was walking across the forest, looking for her boyfriend " he's gotta be around here somewhere, Dana said that Kion and his family was here in this world, where could he be?" she said in an African/Australian accent, then something approached her and what she saw was a manticore getting ready to attack "You wanna fight? Well you got one." the hyena said as she summoned her brawler claws, the manticore whimpered in fear and ran off "Huh, all talk and no bite, now I gotta find Kion." the hyena said as she dismissed her brawler claws and ran off to find Kion and his family. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 31: Simba talks about Nala | Canterlot dining room
Simba was at the dining room while both Kion and Spike were sparing with each other at the training camp, he remembered when Kion used to spar with Sarabi and Nala, then he started remembering when he and Nala, his closest best friend turned wife used to do a lot of things together as a family, Simba started to cry softly for the lost of his wife "Simba, what's wrong?" Celestia asked "It's nothing, Tia." Simba answered "Simba, you've got tears in your eyes, meaning that there's something wrong, what is it?" Celestia asked "It's Nala." Simba answered "You're still thinking about her?" Celestia asked to which Simba nodded and pulled out his PDA, he showed her pictures and videos about him and Nala "My god, she's beautiful." Celestia said as she sat down with her lover "She was more than that, she was faithful, loving, caring, and never gave up on anyone including me." Simba said, his voice breaking from crying "Simba..." Celestia tried to say "I couldn't save her quickly, if I didn't wait for orders from my superiors, she would still be alive." Simba said in tears.
New York, seven weeks ago
Simba went to the city, he went against his superiors' orders to stand by, he searched the mall where Nala was shopping, when he found Nala, he found her in bad shape, she had a deep gashes on her left leg and a bullet wound on her side "Nala!" Simba said as he picked her up and headed for the armored truck outside of the mall, Simba put Nala in the back of the truck and looked for the first aid kit "Simba..." Nala said as Simba found the first aid kit and opened it "I'm gonna get you to safety." Simba said as he grabbed the bandage wrap "It's too late for me, Simba, those Blackwatch fucks manage to shoot me instead of the monsters and one monster with a hood got me in the leg." Nala said weakly "You're gonna make it, Nala, just hang on." Simba said as he wrapped the bandage around her leg "I can't go on, Simba, I don't think I'm gonna make it." Nala said weakly "Don't talk like that!" Simba said as he tightened the bandage wrap "It's okay, you're gonna be okay." Nala said comforting her husband "Nala, I can't lose you, not like this." Simba said, his voice broke from crying "Remember what I said, Simba, don't let the past get to you, when I'm gone you'll find someone who loves you like I do." Nala said weakly "Nobody can replace you." Simba said in tears "You're right, Simba, but I'm sure whoever falls in love with you will help you find the light in the dark tunnel." Nala said weakly "Nala, please, don't leave me, I love you." Simba said, his voice broke from crying "I'll still be with you in spirit." Nala said as she rubbed her paw on Simba's cheek and kissed him on the lips "And no matter what, Simba, I will always love you." Nala said as she closed her eyes and passed away in front of Simba, when he saw that Nala wasn't breathing he started doing CPR on her, trying desperately to revive her "Nala, don't leave me, please!" Simba said as he pressed Nala's chest ten times and and gave her three rescue breaths in her muzzle, he kept doing this for three times but unfortunately she was already long gone, Simba hugged Nala's body and started crying, then his radio got a call "Hasnuu, where the fuck are you? You were told to stand by, that was an order." his commanding officer said through the radio "Your fucking orders got my wife killed, Jackson, now thanks to you, I couldn't save her in time!" Simba shouted through the radio "Hasnuu, listen to me, you're not thinking straight, come back to base for debriefing, over." Jackson said, Simba then closed the back door of the truck and drove back to the military base.
Military base
Simba parked the truck next to the military base while the rest of Simba's squad including his commanding officer went outside to check on him, then Simba got out of the truck and went to his squad "I'm not in the mood for jokes, Jester, because I just lost my wife." Simba said in anger "What the hell happened to her, sir?" Jester asked to which Simba opened the back door of the truck and they saw Nala's body "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to bury her." Simba said as he closed the door and went back to the truck "You're going against my orders again, Hasnuu?" Jackson asked "With all due respect, Jackson, fuck your orders." Simba said as he drove off.
Canterlot dining room, present day
Celestia couldn't believe that Nala passed away due to blood loss, she felt so bad for Simba losing Nala "So that's why you blame yourself for Nala's death, if you have gotten there sooner, you would've saved her by now." Celestia said as she put Uru on the table "Sweetie, Nala's death wasn't your fault, it's Blackwatch who is to blame." Celestia said as Simba broke down crying which caused Celestia to hug him "Shh, let it out, sweetie, it's not healthy to bottle up your emotions, just let it all out, Shh." Celestia said in a soothing tone as Simba kept crying "She's always with me ever since we were cubs, she never gave up on me and I never gave up on her." Simba said, his voice broke from crying "I know, Simba, but don't worry, she's with God now." Celestia said, comforting her lover "Tia, you remind me of Nala, you're sweet, kind, caring, compassionate, and loving, you and Luna." Simba said, his voice broke from crying "You the same, Simba, I love how you're always so sweet, compassionate, caring, and lovable, I love you, Simba." Celestia said as she kissed Simba on the lips. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 32: Returning to earth part one | Canterlot library
Sarabi was sitting down in front of the table, reading books about the history of Equestria and the biology of alicorns, what she learned from the books surprised her, she learned that Equestria was once divided into three colonies, the crop growing for the earth ponies, the weather control for the Pegasi, and the magic wielding for the unicorns, then she learned that alicorns have one of most powerful magic in Equestria, second to the magic of friendship, Sarabi always thought that the magic of friendship was a part of a young girl's imagination, then she sensed her husband and Twilight getting near her "Did you find anything, Muffy?" Sarabi asked to which Mufasa set a book down "Gusty the Great, why did you pick this?" Sarabi asked "It's got a lot of intel on Grogar, a perfect book for Simba." Mufasa answered "I got a copy of this book back at my castle, I used to read it to a bunch of sick kids at the hospital." Twilight said as she organised the books "Do you think that Simba could take down Grogar by himself?" Twilight asked "Even with Zira backing him up I'm sure he can." Mufasa answered "He's the best fighter in the group, especially that he beat me in our sparing session." Sarabi said in a proud tone "And you're proud of him, are you?" Twilight said as she tilted her head "I am." Sarabi said as she closed her books "Alright, let's get these books checked out." Twilight said as she and the two elder lions went over to the check out.
Canterlot dining room
Celestia was hugging Simba as he was crying from the loss of Nala "I couldn't save her." Simba said, his voice broke from crying "Simba..." Celestia said in pity, then the dining room doors opened and in came Twilight, Mufasa, and Sarabi "What happened?" Twilight asked "He's depressed from the loss of Nala." Celestia answered "My poor baby." Sarabi said as she hugged her son "I couldn't save her." Simba said quietly "What was that, sweetie?" Sarabi asked "No matter how hard I fight I still couldn't save her or anyone I love." Simba said, his voice broke from crying "Simba, you don't have to worry because we're still alive, me, your father, Kiara, Celestia, Luna, Kion, and Kovu, sweetie, your father and I raised you into becoming the lion that you really are and Nala believe in you because have a strong and compassionate heart to keep on going, don't let Nala's death make you lose sight of yourself." Sarabi said as she kissed her son in the head "Okay, Mom, but I still miss her, I don't think that I'll get over this, I mean Nala was killed by Blackwatch and That bastard, ZEUS, as soon as I'm successful at killing all of those Blackwatch fucks and killing ZEUS, I think I'll be satisfied and I'll avenged Nala's death for good." Simba said as he nuzzled his mother "You're really gonna go on a killing spree when you get back to New York, are you?" Twilight said as she gave out an annoyed look, Twilight never like the idea of killing enemies on purpose "Or I'm gonna let Col. Rooks and his Blackwatch fucks fight Grogar and Zira while Tia and I watch them tear each other apart." Simba said as he wiped his tears away "Not a bad idea, son." Mufasa said, agreeing to the idea "I do agree with the idea, Simba, maybe we can grab some margaritas while watching the fight." Celestia said as she grabbed Uru "What's with the books?" Simba asked "Information about Equestria's history and alicorn biology." Sarabi answered "Tia told me about Equestria's history and alicorn biology, I think you'll need those more than I would, Mom." Simba said as he looked at the books "Then read this." Mufasa said as he passed out the book he picked to his son "Gusty the Great, why this, Dad?" Simba asked "You need information on how to fight Grogar." Mufasa answered "What about Zira, how are you gonna handle her?" Twilight asked "My baby was a navy SEAL, he can handle someone as hostile as Zira." Sarabi answered "Zira's like a crocodile, she kills on instinct but I know her background." Simba said as Celestia gave Uru to him "What's her background, Simba?" Twilight asked "Zira's a serial killer and one of Taka's most loyal followers, out of all the murders she committed, she was convinced with only 13 murders and was sentenced to a maximum security federal prison." Simba answered "Wow, no wonder why you didn't want me and my friends to join in rescuing your daughter, we've never delt with a serial killer before." Twilight said as she nearly got pale "Let's change the subject have you ever had other friends?" Twilight asked "I did." Simba answered.
New York, 1980
Seven-year-old Simba Hasnuu was waiting for the bus to school, he had his backpack stuffed with notebooks and pencils "So, you got what you need, kid?" Timon asked "I'm all set, Timon." Simba answered, then the bus showed up and Simba went outside "Stay safe, Simba." Timon said, waving goodbye "I will, bye." Simba responded as he got into the bus and looked for a place to sit, most of the students were not letting him sit down but one student, a tiger cub wearing a blue shirt, white shorts and red sneakers, lend a seat next to him, Simba sat down next to the student who lend a seat "So, you're the new kid, huh?" the tiger cub asked "Yeah, I am." Simba answered "I'm Nemo." the tiger cub said "Simba." Simba said introducing himself "So, how did you ace all of those questions for your assignment to get into this school?" Nemo asked "The questions were easy, I just have a higher IQ than most other kids in my age." Simba answered, then he notice that Nemo had no pinky finger on his right hand "What happened to your finger?" Simba asked "Oh, this? That was a birth defect that I have, I was born without a pinky finger on my right hand." Nemo answered "That's normal compared to what I have." Simba said as Nemo looked at him confusedly "And that is?" Nemo asked "A black stripe on the right side of my dick." Simba whispered, then Nemo burst out laughing "I'm serious, I do." Simba said as he started laughing.
Canterlot dining room, present day
"You have a what?" Twilight asked "A black stripe on the right side of my dick." Simba answered "I don't believe that." Twilight said, then Simba got off of his chair, put Uru on the table and pulled his swim trunks down, Twilight blushed and got a wingboner while Mufasa, Celestia, and Sarabi were laughing their asses off, Twilight looked at Simba's member and saw the black stripe and she drooled at how thick his member is "Uhh, Tia, why's your former student looking at my dick like that?" Simba asked "She never had a proper coltfriend, Simba." Celestia answered, then Simba snapped his fingers to get Twilight's attention back and sat back down with his swim trunks still pulled down, then Kion and Spike came in the dining room "So, you've gotten better than I expected, huh?" Kion asked "Yup, I'm getting the hang of it." Spike answered "Fucking A." Kion said as they pound fists "Why do you have to use such vulgar language, mister?" Celestia asked "What?" Kion said confusedly "You know what I'm talking about, a young child like yourself should not be using such language." Celestia said, scolding Kion like a strict mother "Tia, don't be a hypo--" Simba tried to say but was interrupted "What's wrong with my vocabulary?" Kion asked "Everything's wrong with your vocabulary, you need to speak cleanly without that foul language for someone your age, especially around your mother." Celestia said in anger "You're not my mother!" Kion shouted "Don't raise your voice at me and I'm going to be your mother." Celestia argued "My mom's name is Nala Hasnuu and all I want is to see her alive again!" Kion shouted as he ran out of the dining room "Kion, wait." Sarabi said as she followed Kion "Nice one, Tia." Simba said sarcastically.
Canterlot castle hallway
Kion was upset that Celestia was scolding at him like if he did anything wrong, then he bumped into Fluttershy "Kion, what's wrong?" she asked "It's Celestia, she's criticizing me because of the way I talk." Kion answered "Why would she criticized you?" Fluttershy asked "I don't know and I wish my real mother was still alive." Kion answered "Are you still upset that your mother is gone?" Fluttershy asked "Yeah, I just miss her and my dad marrying Celestia just make me miss my mom even more." Kion answered, then Sarabi found Kion with Fluttershy "There you are, sweetie, are you okay?" Sarabi asked "I'm fine, Grandma, I just needed to get outta the dining room." Kion answered.
Canterlot dining room
Simba was mad at Celestia scolding his son, he never like it when someone censored his or his family's vocabulary "Simba, she has a point, Kion needs to control his explicit vocabulary." Twilight said, trying to reason with the red manned lion "Guess what, Twilight, she's been using the same vocabulary that I've been using since we were in New York." Simba said as he opened the book that his father gave to him "I have my reasons." Celestia tried to explain but Simba was focused on reading "I'm kinda scared, Princess." Twilight said nervously "And why's that,Twilight?" Celestia asked "If it's true that Zira is a serial killer like Simba said, then I don't think that my friends and I will stand a chance against her with the magic of friendship, I mean you saw what Simba and Mufasa did to Tirek, Kion killed Cozy Glow, and recently Kiara killed Sombra, I don't know if my friends and I will get the guts kill Zira like the lions did to the villains that we faced." Twilight answered "You can't kill Zira with conventional means." Simba said while reading the book "Why's that?" Twilight asked "Because Zira's body is infected with a special strain of the blacklight that when she's chopped up into pieces, she can put herself back together again." Simba answered "How do you know?" Celestia asked "I just tried back in New York, but that's not gonna stop me from killing her and her evolved, I'm like a Spartan, I never retreat and never surrender, I never stop fighting until I have my victory, after all, we male lions were bred to fight for what we love." Simba answered, then Sarabi came back in the dining room and sat down next to her son "How's Kion?" Simba asked "He's fine, honey, he's with Fluttershy." Sarabi answered "Its getting late, we should go to bed." Celestia said as she gathered the books "You don't have to walk, Mom, I'll carry you." Simba said as he pulled his swim trunks up and picked his mother up bridal style "Aww, honey, you don't have to do that." Sarabi said as she blushed "You sure know how to be a mommy's boy, don't you?" Celestia said as Sarabi nuzzled her son "She took care of me and I wanna return it by taking care of her." Simba said as he and the others went out of the dining room.
Canterlot Gym
Kiara was unwinding by playing basketball with herself while Kovu sat on one of the benches "Well, goddamn, Lola Bunny, how did you get so good?" Kovu asked "I'm not that good, the P.E. class had us play basketball when it was raining outside." Kiara answered "I like to test that." Kovu said as he got off the bench "You want to test me?" Kiara asked "Yeah, just one game, that's all." Kovu answered "Okay." Kiara said as she moved across the gym "You're not getting past me that easily, Lola." Kovu said as he tried to block Kiara from getting to the hoop "Quit calling me Lola." Kiara said as she jumped and tried to threw the ball at the hoop to which she succeeded, then she accidentally landed on Kovu "Whoa, Kiara, you're getting frisky with me?" Kovu asked "Says the guy who now has a boner, I can feel it on my butt." Kiara said as she smiled and bounced on Kovu's lap "You wanna have sex in the shower?" Kovu asked "You read my mind." Kiara answered.
Celestia's bedchamber
Celestia Twilight, Simba, and his parents entered the bedchambers and turned on the light "You can put me down now." Sarabi said to which Simba gently put her down "Damn, this bed can fit at least four people." Mufasa said in amazement "You must get lonely sleeping alone, Tia." Sarabi said as she took her dress off "Not anymore thanks to your son, now if you excuse me, I have to lower the sun." Celestia said as she walked to the porch "We know that Kion's with Fluttershy but what about Kiara and Kovu?" Mufasa asked "They're probably somewhere in the castle and having sex together." Sarabi answered "I'm gonna kill him." Simba growled "Simba, Kiara's a grown lioness and she can love anyone." Sarabi said as she lied down on the bed "What's his problem with Kovu?" Twilight asked "Kovu was the adopted son of Zira and a trained killer, he and Simba never got along because of that background and Kovu is not interested in bisexuals." Sarabi answered "You're saying that your son is bisexual?" Twilight asked "Yup, and I was serious about buttfucking your brother." Simba answered for his mother "What, I thought you were kidding, why would you do that?" Twilight asked "Because he's a little bitch and he looks gay." Simba answered which caused his parents and Celestia to laugh so hard that tears came out of their eyes.
Guestroom
Kion was sleeping in his underwear with Fluttershy cuddling him "He sure is pretty cute when he's sleeping." Applejack said as she took off her hat "It's not fair, how come Fluttershy sleeps with him and not me?" Rainbow Dash asked "Because he likes kind ponies like Fluttershy and not pig headed brutes like you." Rarity answered "Shut up, Rarity!" Rainbow Dash shouted which caused Applejack to cover her mouth "You shut up, Rainbow, they're sleeping." Applejack hissed "And Rarity's right, Dashe, your behavior is 20 percent awful." Pinkie said loudly which caused Fluttershy to wake up "Pinkie, be quiet, you'll wake him." Fluttershy said as she rest her head next to Kion's "Sorry." Pinkie said as Fluttershy kissed Kion on the head "I wonder why Kion loves to fight?" Rarity asked "He's a male lion, he's bred for combat, Kion has proven time and time again that he's been fighting since he was young." Fluttershy answered "And I'm surprised that he's also a prince as well." Rarity said in amazement "I swear, Fluttershy, it almost looks like you want to have sex with him." Applejack said in a teasing manner "I won't do that to him." Fluttershy said defensively "I wonder if we can set up a party for him and his girlfriend." Pinkie said happily, then a knock on the door interrupted them, Rainbow Dash went to the door and opened it, what she saw was a hyena who looked concerned "Is Kion in there?" the hyena asked "No, and we didn't invite any visitors." Rainbow Dash said as she slammed the door at the hyena's face, this caused Kion to wake up "Who was that?" Fluttershy asked "Just some bitch." Rainbow Dash rudely answered "Hmph, I'll get the door." Rarity said as she opened the door "Hello, darling, are you looking for somepony?" Rarity asked "Yeah, I'm looking for Kion." the hyena answered, then Kion saw who it was "Jasiri?" Kion said as the hyena hugged him "I'm so glad that I found you." Jasiri said as she tried to kiss him but Rainbow Dash shoved her off "Back away from him, he's mine!" the rainbow manned Pegasus said which caused Kion to get mad and punched Rainbow Dash in the face, knocking her out "Sorry about that, Jasiri, but she's been harassing me just because I look cool." Kion said as he shook his paw "Wow, and I thought Fuli had a big ego." Jasiri said as she laughed "Believe me, Jasiri it gets worse." Kion said as he glared at Rainbow Dash "I see that you're comfortable in your underwear." Jasiri said with a giggle "What are you doing here?" Kion asked "I came here to to take you and the rest of your family back to the Pride Lands." Jasiri answered "And why's that?" Pinkie asked "Because Blackwatch has taken over it." Jasiri answered "What?" Kion said in shock
Canterlot gym showers
Kiara was moaning in pleasure as Kovu was thrusting into her until they heard a faint crash, Kovu stopped thrusting and looked around "Why did you stop?" Kiara asked "I heard something, like someone broke in." Kovu answered "Should we go check it out?" Kiara asked "I'll check it out." Kovu answered as he pulled out of Kiara and grabbed his shorts.
Canterlot gym
Kovu went out of the showers and got attacked by what looks like an evolved ninja "Try to cockblock me, huh?" Kovu said as the ninja tried to use his small blades against the brown manned lion but Kovu summoned his brawler claws and counterattack by grabbing the small blades and stabbing the evolved ninja with his claws, the ninja broke free and then swing his small blades at the brown manned lion but Kovu counterattack by striking the ninja's face with his claws, he then tossed the evolved ninja across the gym and preformed a supplux on the ninja "I'll tear you in half for that!" the evolved ninja said as he tried to swing his small blades but Kovu sliced off the ninja's small blades and decapitate his head off, consuming the ninja in the process "Oh my god, was that an evolved ninja?" Kiara asked, coming out of the showers, naked "More like a non-ja, terrible for what passes for a ninja these days." Kovu answered "Not bad, tiger." Kiara said as she kissed Kovu on the lips.
Celestia's bedchambers
Simba was laying down and talking about his bisexuality "How long have you kept that secret from me?" Sarabi asked "Fifteen years, Timon made me swear never to mention it." Simba answered "And you listen to him?" Sarabi asked "He was afraid that I'll be harassed at school for that." Simba answered "Simba, I won't judge you for your sexuality." Sarabi said as she lied down on her side "You use to hold your father with respect, what happened to it?" Sarabi asked "It died when he abandoned me, when I was in New York I went to a church and met Father Guerra, he told me that losing a parent is one of the worst things that can happen to you, having your parents abandoned you is another, when I became a navy SEAL, I knew that becoming a veteran would made me a much more powerful lion than Dad ever could, I mean after killing a lot of enemies, it proves my point, after I found out that Dad was still alive, part of me was happy that he's alive and part of me was angry at him abandoning me." Simba answered "Don't be mad at your father, he didn't mean to put you in such a damaged state." Sarabi said, comforting her son "Simba, how did you know about the creatures in the Everfree forest?" Twilight asked "Most of the creatures from the Everfree forest are from mythology and fantasy and I studied a lot about mythology and fantasy back at school, my personal favorite was the phoenix, a bird that can rise and become reborn from the flames." Simba answered "I think you'll be in a surprise for what I got for you." Celestia said as she gave Uru to Simba and teleported out of the bedchambers "What does she meant by surprise?" Mufasa asked suspiciously "I don't know, Dad, but I'm sure it's not something bad." Simba answered "You're a cute puppy, you're a cute puppy." Simba said as he played around with Uru by grabbing her face and shaking her head "Simba, has Timon ever allowed you to have a dog?" Sarabi asked "He wanted to get a dog but we had to move out of the apartment that we were staying at because they didn't allow kids and dogs in the apartments, New York isn't like the Pride Lands, twelve million and most of the seven million are assholes, a reason why Alex never cared about who he killed." Simba answered "Alex is a sociopath, Simba, how come you trust that man?" Mufasa asked "Because, Dad, he knows who's responsible for Nala's death, as soon as we get back to New York, we'll kill every Blackwatch fuck that crosses us." Simba answered, then Celestia teleported back into the bedchambers with what looks like a phoenix on her arm "Tia...?" Simba said in amazement "Simba, this is, she's quite a sight." Celestia said as Simba got off the bed "How did you get her?" Mufasa asked "It's a long story." Celestia answered, then a knock on the door interrupted them, Sarabi went to the door and opened it was she saw was Kion and Jasiri looking gravely concerned "Kion, what's wrong?" Sarabi asked "It's about the Pride Lands, Blackwatch has taken control of it." Kion answered "What?" Mufasa and Sarabi said in shock "We have to get back to the Pride Lands." Jasiri said frantically. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 33: Returning to earth part two | Simba was pissed beyond belief, when he found out that Blackwatch has taken the Pride Lands under their control, he knew he had to get back home "How do you know about this?" Simba asked "Dana and Alex sent me to warn you about it, we need to get to the Pride Lands." Jasiri answered "We can't go yet, Equestria still needs our help!" Twilight said frantically "I'm fucking done with Equestria, I'm going back home!" Simba said as he got up and tried to exit the bedchambers but was blocked by a purple magic wall "You can't leave, Simba, Equestria needs saving!" Twilight said but Simba summoned his hammerfists and smashed the magic wall "Simba's right, we need to get back home." Sarabi said as she grabbed her dress and she and Mufasa followed their son.
Canterlot hallway
Simba, Mufasa, and Sarabi were walking through the hallway until Celestia and Twilight teleported in front of them "You can't leave, I won't let you!" Twilight shouted "That decision is not yours to make." Sarabi said, then Twilight tried to trap them in a magic bubble but Sarabi jumped out of the way and grabbed Twilight by the neck "Release the boys, now!" Sarabi said in a threatening tone "Not until you agree to stay." Twilight choked, then Kion and Jasiri caught up to them "Twilight, let them go!" Celestia said sternly "But Equestria--" Twilight tried to say but was interrupted "The Pride Lands need their help, try to stop them and Sarabi will make you regret it." Celestia said in a low tone, then the magic bubble disappeared "I know a way to get you back to the Pride Lands, and that way is somewhere in the castle." Celestia said as she led the lions, Twilight, and Jasiri to the restricted area of the castle.
Restricted area of the castle, two minutes later
Simba and the group found what looks like a magical mirror and a few magical artifacts "So, this is how we're gonna go home, huh?" Kiara asked "Yeah, honey." Simba answered "What the plan?" Heller asked "We're gonna get the Pride Lands back from Blackwatch and make sure that they didn't kill the innocent civilians in there, basically, James, we're killing the unwanted invaders in our home." Sarabi answered "I heard you can rip a grown man's head off with your bare hands." Heller said, getting into a conversation with the elder lioness "I'm a hunting instructor, I train young ones on how to defend themselves and hunt as well as help them develop their body strength and target the weak points on the toughest opponents." Sarabi said with pride "You think you could train Maya on how to defend herself?" Heller asked "It's possible I can." Sarabi answered "Who's going?" Kovu asked "I'm taking my family including the sergeant." Simba answered "My friends and I are coming too." Twilight said with determination "Twilight, this isn't like your fight with Nightmare Moon, Blackwatch are a bunch of baby killers who would not think twice to shoot any civilians." Simba said, not liking the idea that Twilight and her friends were coming with them "Simba, let them come with you, they can help." Celestia begged "I'm with Captain Hasnuu on this one, civilians have no place in a battlefield." Heller said as he crossed his arms "Simba, please, just let them come with you." Celestia begged, Simba didn't like this idea one bit but he gave in and looked at the main 6 "Alright, you can come, but you have to follow my orders no matter what." Simba said strictly "What?" Applejack said in shock "No way, I'm not taking orders from an exotic freak!" Rainbow Dash shouted "Then you can spend a night in the dungeons." Simba said strictly "You can't do that!" Twilight said frantically "For disrespecting me again, I can and I will." Simba said, then they gave in and agreed to Simba's orders "How does this work?" Mufasa asked "It's a portal mirror, it can transport you into another world." Celestia answered "And you waited a few days to tell us?" Kion said in shock "I wanna surprise you." Celestia said as she blushed, then she activated the mirror and in came a picture of the Pride Lands on the mirror "So, who's going first?" Cadence asked "I'll take point." Simba answered, then he walked to the mirror with the group following behind "Spike, Cadence, I need you to stay here and stay safe." Celestia said with concern "What about you, Auntie?" Cadence said with concern "I'll be okay, I got Simba with me." Celestia answered "Just be careful, okay?" Cadence said as she hugged her aunt "I will." Celestia said as she returned the hug and followed the group to the Pride Lands.
Pride Lands
Simba and the others have gotten through the portal of the mirror and out of one of the bottom of the statue of Ahadi where the portal ended "Home, sweet home." Simba said in relief "So, this is where you were born?" Twilight asked "Yup, a safe haven for a lot of animals and exotics, we're a green community that takes care of each other and the home that we live in." Simba answered, then he saw that Pride Rock was swarming with Blackwatch troops, tanks, and helicopters, Simba was getting traumatic flashbacks from how his home was under the rule of Taka "What is it?" Mufasa asked "What took you so long to come back to the Pride Lands?" Simba asked back "Simba..." Mufasa said sternly "Boys, stop, we don't need any infighting." Sarabi said as she separated the two lions "I know this is a bad case of deja vu you're having as well as suffering from all of the mental disorders you have." Sarabi said, then Mufasa grabbed a cigar from his duster coat and put it in his mouth "You got a light." Mufasa asked, then Simba grabbed his PDA, opened the spare case on it, reveling an American flag Zippo lighter, grabbed it, and light up Mufasa's cigar "You're lucky that you can regenerate, Dad." Simba said as he closed his Zippo lighter "Where did you get that lighter?" Sarabi asked "Graduation gift from Timon, used it for fireworks." Simba answered "What do you see?" Celestia asked "I see a mixture of Blackwatch troops and soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment." Simba answered "You think we can take them all?" Twilight asked "Dana said that the rangers are rouges and they have no access for reinforcements." Jasiri answered "There's a giant river fourteen feet from the side of Pride Rock, if we can lure some of those idiots into the river, it can spare us the trouble as the river is infested with crocodiles." Simba said which caused the group to look at him "You're saying that you want to feed those fuckers to the crocodiles?" Heller asked to which Simba nodded "Oh man, this guy." Heller chuckled, liking Simba's plan "And crocodiles are ambush predators so they won't know that they're coming." Sarabi said, stating the facts "Mom, you and I will lure the guards to the river, Dad, Sergeant, you'll be undercover and disguise the rest of the group as prisoners and guards, let's move." Simba said "It's ironic that I'm taking orders from my son." Mufasa said as Simba and Sarabi went to the river.
Sarabi's POV
Simba and Sarabi were at the river side, hiding in the bushes and planning the distraction of the guards "Now how are we gonna get the guards to the river?" Simba asked "I got an idea." Sarabi answered as she took off her dress and bikini and walked towards the edge of the river "Yup, that'll get their attention." Simba said as he watched his mother get the guards' attention, Sarabi got on her knees and grabbed the water in her paws, then she poured the water all over her breasts, then the rouge rangers spotted the lioness "This is a restricted area, leave now!" one of the rouge rangers said as they approach the river "It's my home, I outrank you." Sarabi taunted "You bitch, I said this is a restricted area!" the rouge ranger shouted as they ran into the river, then the crocodiles started attacking the rouge rangers, Simba and Sarabi watch in amusement as the rouge rangers were getting torn apart by the crocodiles "Looks like your plan worked, sweetie." Sarabi said as she grabbed her clothes and put them on "Bad shit happens to those who insult my mom." Simba said as he got out of the bushes "Was it necessary to undress yourself?" Simba asked "Kind of." Sarabi answered "Dad would get a boner if he saw you pouring water on yourself." Simba said, then Sarabi looked at him "You're probably right, let's go." Sarabi said as she and Simba started walking across the river while the crocodiles are distracted, Simba looked up at Pride Rock and saw that a bunch of Blackwatch soldiers were retreating inside "Simba, I know you're worried about the Pride Lands, but we can't attack Blackwatch yet until your father can get to Pride Rock." Sarabi said, knowing what her son was thinking, then they saw that Mufasa and the group wearing disguises entered Pride Rock "Now, we can." Simba said as he summoned his leader hunter claws and charged in "Simba..." Sarabi said as her son started slaughtering all of the Blackwatch soldiers "Sarabi, are you there?" Mufasa asked through the communication device "I'm here." Sarabi answered "Where's Simba?" Mufasa asked through the communication device which caused Sarabi to look at the field "He's going on a killing spree." Sarabi answered "I knew he would do that." Mufasa said through the communication device "You wanna settle this, old man?!" Simba said through the communication device, Sarabi saw three stragglers and chased them down, when she caught up to them, she knocked them down and what she saw was the three idiot hyenas "You three again?!" Sarabi said in disgust.
Simba's POV
Simba was having fun killing a bunch of Blackwatch troops, then he started fighting a phase two Orion soldier, the supersoldier tried to grab the red manned lion but Simba counterattack by using a juggernaut shield bash and punched the supersoldier in the face with his hammerfists "Yeah ha ha ha, pucker up, bitch!" Simba taunted as he summoned his blade to cleve the supersoldier but another blade impaled the supersoldier from behind and sliced him in two, the blade belonged to Mufasa smoking his cigar "You cigar smoking dick, you stole my kill!" Simba shouted "Well maybe you shouldn't play with your food." Mufasa said sternly "No, bullshit, I had him in my ropes and you came in and stole it from me!" Simba said in anger "You need to be taught a lesson, young man!" Mufasa said in anger "We'll settle this right here and now!!" Simba shouted "Would you boys stop it!" Twilight said, getting the attention of the two lions "How did you...?" Simba asked, then the two lions saw the hole in the roof of the mansion surrounding Pride Rock "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THE ROOF?!?!" both Simba and Mufasa shouted "Rainbow Dash thought it would be a good idea to fly out instead of teleporting." Twilight answered frantically "So, what, you trusted her to bust through my roof?!" Mufasa asked to which Twilight nodded "I hope you've got deep pockets, Twilight, because you and your friends are paying for my roof." Mufasa said, then something landed in front of Simba, Twilight, and Mufasa, what they saw was a supersoldier with different enhancements from the phase two soldiers "This one looks different." Simba said suspiciously "There's no use resisting!" the supersoldier said, sounding like Darth Vader "He's even got my voice." Mufasa said, then the supersoldier jump punched Mufasa, knocking his cigar out of his mouth "That was my Cuban cigar!" Mufasa said angrily as he started to attack the supersoldier "He's getting mad all for a cigar?" Twilight asked "Yup, unless you're willing to have your back broken by my old man, I suggested you let him blow off some steam." Simba answered, then he jumped into the fight to kill a lot of Blackwatch soldiers, Mufasa was fighting the supersoldier, slashing at the soldier with his blade, then the supersoldier grabbed Mufasa's blade with his hand "You think you can take me?" the supersoldier said, but Mufasa counterattack by throwing the supersoldier to the ground "You better quit talking like me, I'll tell you that." Mufasa said in anger as he summoned his leader hunter claws and started swiping at the supersoldier "What, you think you're better than me?" the supersoldier taunted "I don't think, I know." Mufasa said as the supersoldier tried to deliver massive punches at the elder lion but Mufasa sliced off the supersoldier's hands, impaled the soldier with his leader hunter claws, and tore the supersoldier in two, consuming the soldier in the process, then Mufasa notice that he had a new ability, when he tried it out, he killed a lot of Blackwatch troops with a new ability that Simba called "the lion's roar devastator" "Nice!" Mufasa said in amazement, Simba then sliced four of the Blackwatch troops in two with his blade and flick the blood off of it "You idiots picked the wrong place to break into." Simba said as he continued to slaughter the Blackwatch troops around him, then something hit the ground, knocking the Blackwatch soldiers off their feet, Simba recognise who it was "Alex?" Simba said in shock "Can't let you guys have all the fun!" Alex said in a cocky tone "What are you doing here?" Simba asked "I came here because Dana and Ragland told me that Blackwatch was creating a new type of supersoldier." Alex answered, then Mufasa was knocked off his feet by what looks like a female exotic supersoldier "That's the supersoldier that they were talking about." Alex said as the supersoldier summoned her blade.
Sarabi's POV
Sarabi was interrogating the three hyenas she knew so well from the elephant graveyard "What are you three doing here?" Sarabi asked "Look, sweetheart, if you're still mad about us being involved with your husband's death, it wasn't me, it was his idea." Shenzi said pointing at Banzai "I regret not shutting up!" Banzai said as he was crying, then Celestia and Heller teleported next to Sarabi "Who are they?" Celestia asked "Celestia, James, meet Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, the three idiot hyenas." Sarabi answered "A winged unicorn, now I've seen everything." Shenzi said in amazement, then Sarabi and Celestia looked at the field and notice that Simba and Mufasa are having trouble with a new type of supersoldier "Tia, keep an eye on those three idiots, I'm gonna help my husband and my son, James, come with me." Sarabi said as she and Heller went to the field to help Simba and Mufasa.
Simba's POV
Simba was clashing blades with the exotic supersoldier and trying to get her helmet and mask off, Mufasa then restrained the supersoldier for Simba to get the mask off to which he succeeded but when Simba removed the helmet and mask off, what he saw was the face of his wife "Nala?!" Simba said in shock but Nala responded by double kicking Simba in the chest and headbutting Mufasa in the face to break free "Nala it's me, Simba, don't you recognise me?!" Simba said but Nala didn't budge as she started swinging her blade, Alex jumped in and delivered a kick towards Nala's back "Simba, it's not her, she's just a clone!" Alex said as the clone Nala got up and tried to decapitate Alex with her blade but he blocked her blade with his own, he then summoned his claws on his left hand and started doing a combo of slashes at the Nala clone, weakening her, and then he decapitate the clone with his blade, consuming the clone in the process "You bastard, why did you kill her?!" Simba shouted in rage to which Alex grabbed Simba's head and transferred his infected vision through his mind and making him see the severed head of the Nala clone in viral vision "You fucking see? It's not the real Nala, the real Nala's back in New York, Col. Rooks has her body inside of a test tube after he sent Blackwatch to dig up her grave and injected her with samples of your blood when you were in the lab." Alex said, explaining what he did "How do you know that?" Mufasa asked "Dana told me, Rooks and his lapdog, Riley, forced Luis Guerra to dig up her grave at gunpoint and they succeeded in doing so." Alex answered "She's gotta be alive." Simba said quietly "Why would they do this?" Sarabi asked, getting into the conversation "Because these assholes wanna mind fuck your son, as if he's not in deep pain already." Heller answered, then Celestia came in with her three prisoners in tow, inside her magic bubble "Oh god, not those three again." Simba said as he pinched the bridge of his muzzle "Who the hell are they?" Alex asked "A bunch of poaching idiots that's who." Simba answered "Ugh, what a bunch of freaks." Twilight said in disgust "Hey, you're the one who's got wings and a horn, snobby nerd." Shenzi said, feeling insulted "So, you're the three responsible for capturing the Pride Lands." Jasiri said as she and Kion came out of the mansion "Ah, Jasiri, you're still wanna join us in our clan?" Shenzi asked "Uhh, Shenzi, I don't think she's interested in joining us, babe." Banzai answered for Jasiri "Who sent you?" Kion asked "We just came by ourselves." Banzai lied "Like hell you did." Simba said "No it's true, we came here all by ourselves, Ed?" Banzai said as he looked at Ed to which Ed nodded like an idiot that he was "Tia, drop them." Mufasa said as Celestia dropped the hyenas, then Mufasa and Sarabi approach them "You three better tell us the truth, because this will be the last time we'll... ask." Mufasa said as he summoned his blade and pointed the tip at Shenzi's throat, Banzai and Ed were pissing themselves at the scene "Who sent you?" Mufasa asked "A Blackwatch commander named Clint Riley, he promised us that if we captured the Pride Lands for Blackwatch, they'll give us some food." Shenzi answered "Clint Riley? Simba, isn't that Col. Rooks' lapdog?" Sarabi asked "Yeah, he is." Simba answered "Do you know his callsign?" Kion asked "Every military officer has a unique callsign, his callsign is "castle" and no he was never in the navy SEALs because he's too big of a bitch." Simba answered "It's a good thing you joined the navy SEALs, Simba, because you're the best of the best." Sarabi said, feeling proud of her son "Wait, your son's a navy SEAL?" Shenzi asked "Tia, take these three to the holding cells, we'll talk to them later." Sarabi said as Celestia grabbed the hyenas with her telekinesis and the group went back into the mansion.
Pride Rock mansion
Kovu, Kiara, and the rest of the main 6 were relaxing in the living room until the front doors open and in came the rest of the group with three hyenas in tow "Here, I'll show you where the holding cells are." Mufasa said as he led Celestia to the holding cells "This is a nice place, how did you afford all of this?" Twilight asked to which Sarabi chuckled "Twilight, this place was passed down by the Hasnuu family from one generation to another, so the place was built since the Pride Lands were founded." Sarabi answered "So, back at the beach, have you ever learn how to swim?" Twilight asked "As a matter of fact, I did, I took swimming classes when I was fourteen, and the reason why I stayed back with Kovu and Kiara and not get into the water with my son is because I'm not much of a thrill seeker as I use to be when I was younger." Sarabi answered "Have you ever killed somepony before you were infected?" Twilight asked "Yes, I did, I killed seventeen poachers and I have no regrets about it, there's nothing to gain from mercy to those who don't deserve it, a lesson that my son learned when he killed Taka and a lesson that you need to learn yourself before you get killed." Sarabi answered "She's right, Twilight, you need to learn about not showing mercy towards those who don't deserve it, I had to learn that the hard way, oh the whole place is secured and nothing is damaged." Celestia said as she and Mufasa entered the living room "Except for the fucking hole in the roof." Mufasa said angrily "You crying because you've got a hole in your roof?" Rainbow Dash taunted which caused Mufasa to flip shit as he punch Rainbow Dash in the face, he then started beating the ever living shit out of the egomaniac Pegasus, it took Simba, Sarabi, Celestia, and Twilight to restrain him while Jasiri, Alex, and Heller were laughing their asses off "Remind me to never screw with a lion that's bigger than any stallion I've ever seen before." Rarity said nervously "And Rainbow Dash deserved that beat down, she has no respect for personal property." Applejack said sternly "Look, Dad, as much as I want to break that little bitch in two, we gotta focus on getting Nala back." Simba said, trying to reason with his father "Simba, do you have any pictures of your wife?" Fluttershy asked while she petted Uru, Simba went to one of the closets to get one of the photo albums, then he came back into the living room and open the photo album "Oh my stars, darling, she's beautiful." Rarity said in amazement "And she's somewhere in New York, I need to go get her." Simba said, then Sarabi went to her son "We first have to finish interrogating the hyenas on which base she's in." Sarabi said, comforting her son "I highly doubt that those three have any idea where she is." Simba said in a matter of fact tone, then a message from Simba's PDA came in "Hasnuu, I've got something for you!" the video message that the PDA was receiving came from Col. Rooks and what the video showed was Nala in the test tube "You want your wife? Come and get her." Col. Rooks said through the PDA, Simba got mad as he went outside.
Outside of the mansion
Simba was pissed beyond belief, he knew that Rooks had Nala in the test tube and the problem is that he didn't know which base Nala was in "Daddy, wait, that message could be a huge trap!" Kiara said as she, Twilight, and Celestia got out of the mansion and followed Simba "I'm gonna find your mother, honey, and I'm gonna get her back home." Simba said as he kept walking "How are you gonna do that?" Twilight asked "The magic portal, we can adjust it to make a way to New York." Celestia answered "Alright, Tia, you tell Kovu and Kion that they're in charge of the Pride Lands while we're gone, Twilight, get Alex and my parents and tell them that we're going to get Nala back, let's go." Simba ordered as Twilight went to get Alex, Sarabi, and Mufasa.
New York, five minutes later
The part of the group which included Simba, Celestia, Mufasa, Sarabi, Twilight, and Alex had went to Dana's safe house to find out where's the base that Nala was being kept in "Where have you been, Simba?" Dana asked "I got sucked into the portal." Simba answered "That explains everything, come sit down, I need to show you something." Dana said as she showed them a news feed of Simba killing a bunch of Blackwatch troops and rouge rangers "Eyewitnesses have reported that the king of the Pride Lands and former navy SEAL captain, Simba Hasnuu, has murdered a lot of Blackwatch troops that have invaded and attacked his home, Captain Hasnuu has had a reputation of using deadly force against armed terrorists for the sake of protecting innocent children and killing tyrants to free people from slavery, what has been considered the most bloodiest battle since the siege of the tyrant, Scar, has left the citizens of the Pride Lands in fear of another attack but Simba Hasnuu's son, Kiongozi, has guaranteed hope for all of the citizens that they will be safe, no comment has been said from the prince as he continues to aid the citizens of their beloved home, in other news, the illegal experiments of Gentek and the whereabouts of Nala Hasnuu has been found by an individual going by the name Athena." the news reporter said as the news feed ended "How did the press get that information so fast?" Simba asked "Must have been the citizens catching some of the video and sending them to the press." Mufasa answered "And I told them of what's going on with Blackwatch and Gentek." Dana answered also "Where's the base that Nala's being held?" Simba asked "Here, I got the location and I'm sending it to your PDA but you're not going without a skilled tracker." Dana answered "And who is this skilled tracker?" Twilight asked "That would be me." a voice said behind them, Simba and the others turned around and saw a sandy cream colored lioness with a hair tuft wearing gothic jewelry, a black vest, a dark pink camo shirt underneath the vest, dark blue denim shorts, and blue high top sneakers "Who are you?" Twilight asked "Tani, is that you?" Kiara said in surprise "What, you were expecting a bloodhound?" the lioness now named Tani said.
Pride Lands
Kion was helping out Kovu and the lionesses with giving the citizens shelter "Aww, come on, why is it that Twilight get to go with that freak and not us?" Rainbow Dash complained "Because, Rainbow, the mission that they're going is too dangerous for us and besides, he still hates you and we're not as powerful as Twilight." Applejack answered "And we can get killed in that mission." Fluttershy answered also "Whatever, I'm still cooler than that freak and his disease written daughter." Rainbow Dash said arrogantly "Who said that? WHO THE FUCK SAID THAT?! WHO'S THE COMMUNIST, FUCK SHIT, LOSER DOWN THERE WHO JUST SIGNED THEIR OWN DEATH CERTIFICATE?!?!" Kion shouted which caused the the rest of the main 6 to point at Rainbow Dash, Kion and Jasiri went towards the main 6 and then Kion punch Rainbow Dash in the face "Yeah, how does that feel, huh?" Kion said as Rainbow Dash tried to punch him but Kion grabbed her forearm and snapped it with his knee "That feel good, Skittles, that feel good?!" Kion said between punches, Rainbow Dash tried to kick him but Kion grabbed her leg and slammed her to the ground "You gonna quit being a bitch?!" Kion said between punches, then he grabbed Rainbow Dash by the mane and slammed her face with his knee, knocking her out cold but Kion still kept on beating Rainbow Dash up "Kion, that's enough!" Jasiri said as she restrained Kion from beating up Rainbow Dash "Come on, I'll take you to Madoa's." Jasiri said as she led Kion away from the unconscious Rainbow Dash "Who's Madoa?" Pinkie asked.
Madoa's place
Madoa, Jasiri's sister, was wearing a bathrobe and sitting down, watching T.v. about the return of the Hasnuu family, then the front door opened, revealing it to be Kion and Jasiri "Kion, where have you been?" Madoa asked "I was with my family in Equestria." Kion answered "Yeah, I've heard that you've gone through that portal that Gentek was fucking with, anyway I still miss you babe." Madoa said as she hugged Kion "I miss you too, Madoa." Kion said as he returned the hug "What else have you heard, sis?" Jasiri asked "I've heard that Blackwatch has Kion's mother in New York, I thought she was dead." Madoa answered "She was, but I have hope that she's still alive." Kion said in a hopeful tone "Kion, I thought you were helping the lionesses with calming the citizens down." Madoa said confusedly "He was but he got into a fight with an egomaniac Pegasus named Rainbow Dash." Jasiri answered "Shit, who names their kid fucking Rainbow Dash?" Madoa asked "Equestrian parents, that's who." Jasiri answered "Equestria, huh, isn't that the pony world that you got sucked into?" Madoa asked "How did you know?" Kion asked back "The news said that the ponies are from another world and said world is a haven for mythology and fantasy." Madoa answered "It is, Madoa, I've seen it, but the soothing light at the end of the tunnel is actually a freight train." Kion said bitterly "And that freight train being?" Madoa said confusedly "Racist ponies." Kion answered "Have you ever encountered them, hun?" Madoa asked "Rainbow Dash was my encounter, she only likes those who look cool and to her, I look cool." Kion answered "What a shallow bitch." Madoa said bitterly, then a knock on the door interrupted them, Kion went to the door and opened it, what he saw was Fluttershy standing by the door "Fluttershy?" Kion said in surprise "Please forgive me for intruding, I just wanted to know that if you're okay." Fluttershy said in a worried tone "Come on in." Kion said as Fluttershy got inside "I also want to tell you that Rainbow Dash wasn't like this, all of that thinking that's she "cooler" than anyone." Fluttershy said in an annoyed tone "What got her into that behavior?" Jasiri asked "I was asked by her to enter a foxy boxing match with her, she thought I wasn't going to put up a fight but when my instincts take over, I ended up beating her in the match, I was so surprised that I ended up winning, I tried to apologize to Rainbow Dash but she got so angry that she never accepted my apology and she called me a cheater just because she didn't win." Fluttershy answered "That bitch." Jasiri said bitterly "She's a bad influence, Fluttershy, why do you still hang out with her?" Kion asked "I don't know, maybe I got use to ponies like her." Fluttershy answered "Well maybe you should stop hanging out with her, honey, she's a pathetic, egomaniac bitch who can't stand losing in general." Madoa said, then Fluttershy turned her attention towards the sisters "So, do you two live all alone?" Fluttershy asked "Yup, just me and Madoa." Jasiri answered "Jasiri, Kion's a little tense, can you give him one of your special massages?" Madoa asked "I'm always up with those massages." Jasiri answered as she went to the recliner that Kion was sitting on, took off her sandals and shorts, sat on Kion's lap in a saddle position, took off his shirt, and started massaging his chest and shoulders "What's got you tensed, hun?" Madoa asked "I'm worried about how my mom's gonna react when she sees my dad with my stepmom and the way my stepmom is trying to censor my vocabulary." Kion answered "What? You're not seven years old anymore." Jasiri said in an annoyed tone "Exactly, that's why I'm still mad at Celestia, my mom knows that I'm not a little kid anymore." Kion said bitterly "Celestia's the name of your stepmother?" Madoa asked "Yup, my dad said she's just like my mom, I highly doubt that." Kion answered "You should give her another chance, Kion." Fluttershy said nervously "Fluttershy, I'm not in the mood to talk with her and besides, she's in New York." Kion said quietly "So, how did you two meet?" Fluttershy asked "Oh, that? We met at the arcade fight club when we were fighting, when Kion emerged victorious, he helped me back up and took me to his place to patch me back up, since then we were getting to know each other personally and then he confessed his love for me which is one of the sweetest things he ever did." Jasiri answered.
New York, Dana's safe house
Kiara was hugging Vitani and laughing in joy "I can't believe you're here!" Kiara said happily "Where have you been, babe?" Vitani asked "In another world called Equestria." Kiara answered "Kiara who is she?" Twilight asked "Tia, Twilight, this is Vitani Aslan, she was a Sierra Leone native and is an Outlander turned Pride Lander." Kiara answered "The reason why my brother, Kovu, and I went to the Pride Lands is because we know that Kiara will give us sanctuary from our psychopathic adopted mother, Kiara's like a tribal saint." Tani said proudly "Well, she got it from her mother and her grandmother." Sarabi said proudly "Mom, I got an idea on how to get Nala back." Simba said as Sarabi looked at him "What's your idea, honeytree?" Sarabi asked "Alex and I can draw the Blackwatch fucks towards us, distracting them while you'll get Nala out of the base." Simba answered "But, Simba, there's a lot of Blackwatch troops in that base." Sarabi said in a worried tone "Exactly, they'll be like lambs to the slaughter, don't worry, Mom, Blackwatch has never laid a scratch on me and they never will, I'll be fine." Simba said in a soothing tone "Simba..." Sarabi said in a worried tone "He's right, Sarabi, he can handle this and he's got back up from the hooded killer." Mufasa said, comforting his wife "Whatever bad history that our occupations had, you and I as individuals have none of that." Alex said as he took off his hood "I've researched your history and records, you've killed a lot of civilians including the marines with your abilities." Mufasa said sternly "The same abilities that you and your son has and it was a necessary cruelty to save New York." Alex said as he started walking towards the door "Don't turn your back on me, Mercer!" Mufasa said angrily "I don't take orders from a coward who abandons his family." Alex taunted, then Mufasa blocks the door "Is that a challenge?!" Mufasa growled "(scoffs) No wonder where Simba gets his temper from." Alex said, Simba then tried to step in but Sarabi stopped him and shook her head "Unless you wanna get your ass kicked, get the fuck outta my way." Alex said as he went past Mufasa and exited the safe house "Let's just get this plan in formation." Simba said as he walked towards the exit, then he smacked Mufasa in the back of his head "You better unfuck yourself!" Simba growled, then he exited the safe house "You had to threaten my brother, didn't you?" Dana said in an annoyed tone.
Outside of the safe house
Simba walked outside and saw Alex leaning on a lamp post "Your dad's a real dick, you know that?" Alex said, bringing up a conversation "Yeah, he is, Alex, be honest with me, you weren't the one who killed Nala, did you?" Simba asked "We've been through this, I didn't kill your wife, I've may have killed a lot of civilians in New York but Nala's not one of them." Alex answered "I just hope that they manage to bring her back to life, Nala and I were very close. What about you, Alex, have you ever had a childhood friend?" Simba asked "Just Dana, I never had any friends except her." Alex answered "So, about that crazy general, Randall, was it true that he was planning on nuking Manhattan?" Simba asked "Yeah, he was in charge of Blackwatch before Col. Rooks took his place." Alex answered "I knew that Blackwatch was fucked up from the beginning." Simba said, then Sarabi came out from the door "You okay, Simba?" Sarabi asked "Yeah, Mom, I'm fine, we're just having a conversation." Simba answered "Okay, I need to talk to Alex about what your father said." Sarabi said as she walked towards her son "About what?" Alex said as he turned around "Is it true that you released the blacklight virus and killed dozens of people in New York and is it true that the nuke that was gonna be used against the city didn't came from terrorists?" Sarabi asked "Yeah, it's true that I killed people but I was blinded by rage and yes, the bomb did came from terrorists, a domestic terrorist organization called Blackwatch, more specifically Gen. Peter Randall, the news reports were correct." Alex answered "Oh god." Sarabi shuddered "Yeah, Blackwatch is one of the most evil organizations that ever existed." Alex said in a low tone "But why did you have to infect my son and my grandchildren with the virus, what difficult goal were you accomplishing to turn my baby into a bloodthirsty infected monster?!" Sarabi asked "Because I needed help in order to destroy Blackwatch, I wanted to create someone like me but I ended up creating something more powerful, a demigod living amongst men, I just played God and created the single most powerful being that ever existed, even more powerful than myself, I just turned them into something more than just predators, I turned them into demigods, apex predators, and unstoppable forces of nature." Alex answered "Mom, he had good intentions when he infected me back in Times Square when I was with my squad, I wanted to see Blackwatch burn for what they've done to Nala." Simba said, then Sarabi burst into tears and Simba hugged her "Simba, I know I should be saying that what you did out there was wrong but those fuckers tried to ruin our family with their sense of cruelty, I wanna watch them die." Sarabi said, her voice broke from crying "You will, Mom, I'll make them pay for what they've done, I promise." Simba said in a soothing voice, then the door opened, revealing to be Kiara, Celestia, Vitani, and Twilight "We need to get back to Equestria." Twilight said frantically "Like hell." Simba growled "Let's just get your wife back." Alex said as he and Simba went to the base that Nala was being held at "But Equestria needs our help, you can't...!" Twilight said frantically "With all due respect, Twilight, fuck Equestria, come on, Tani." Kiara said as she and Vitani followed Simba and Alex.
Outside of Gentek headquarters
What Simba saw was an entire army of Blackwatch soldiers surrounding the building, he knew that he needed to draw them to his location "Simba, you ready for a bloodbath?" Alex asked "Let's kill them." Simba answered, then they summoned their blades and jumped in to slaughter, the Blackwatch troops saw that Simba and Alex rushed in and started cutting down the gate, they began to fire at the two predators but the projectiles had little to no effect "Time to die, assholes!" Simba shouted as he sliced his way through the army on the right side of the building while Alex took the left side, Kiara and Vitani found an opening to the Gentek building and went inside while the Blackwatch troops were distracted, then the tanks and Orion soldiers came for reinforcements but Simba saw this, he summoned his wings, flew towards one of the Orion soldiers, and decapitate the soldier with his wings "Go, go, go, KILL HIM!!" the tank commander shouted but they were slaughtered by the red manned lion "Pathetic." Simba said as he kept on cutting down the tanks with his blade, then he started doing major damage towards the Orion soldiers by slicing them, then he jumped up and preformed a blade air slice on one of the Orion soldiers, cutting him in two.
Gentek headquarters
Kiara and Vitani had interrogated the Gentek scientists on which floor Nala was in and found out that she was in the experimental room at the 52nd floor, "Let's try the elevators." Kiara said as they went to the elevator and Kiara pressed the button labeled 52, it took them for about a minute to arrive at the 52nd floor and when they got out of the elevator, they encountered Col. Rooks with two Blackwatch troops with him "Where's Hasnuu?" Col. Rooks interrogated "He's outside doing God's work." Kiara answered "By killing all of my good men, huh? You exotics are so fucking naive." Col. Rooks taunted "Your good men?! Blackwatch was responsible for killing thousands if not millions of people, your men don't deserve to live!" Kiara shouted in anger "And you do? When I heard that Riley and my men shot a lioness that happened to be your mother, do you know what we did? We celebrated, knowing that there's one less exotic in the face of the earth." Col. Rooks taunted, Kiara got pissed off as launched a powerful magic beam from her paws at Rooks but he dodged in time only to have severe burns on his left arm, the two Blackwatch troops didn't have enough time to react as Kiara started tearing them apart with her bare paws, basically, the Blackwatch troops got mauled to death "Who would've thought that someone so cute can be so deadly, and I think my nips just got hard." Vitani said in amazement "Come on, we've got to find Mom." Kiara said as they went to the experimental room, when they got there, they found out that the test tube that Nala was in had been taken by the evolved disguised as Gentek scientists, Kiara looked at the giant hole in the wall and saw the test tube being carried by the evolved, leading them was Sabrina Galloway, Gentek CFO, Kiara and Vitani jumped through the hole and landed behind Galloway "Where are you taking her?" Kiara asked "Kiara Hasnuu, I knew that your father sent you to recover your mother, but not this time, if you see your father, tell him that Sabrina Galloway has his wife." Galloway said as she threw a hand grenade in front of Kiara and Vitani to which the young lionesses dodged and fell to the ground as the grenade exploded.
Simba's POV
Simba and Alex just got done killing the Orion soldiers and destroying the tanks until Simba saw an explosion coming from one of the buildings, he then saw Kiara lying down on the floor, he went towards her and picked her up "Kiara, are you okay, where's your mother?" Simba asked "She's got her." Kiara answered "What, who does?" Simba asked "Sabrina Galloway." Kiara answered, Simba was both shocked and angry at what he heard, he trusted Galloway to help him kill the evolved and put an end to Project Firehawk "Alex, take Kiara and Vitani to Dana's, I got a traitor to hunt." Simba said as he used his viral sonar to track Galloway, Simba then flew off to the center of the pulse that his viral sonar was targeting, he then landed behind the evolved and summoned his blade "You just had to get in our way, didn't you, Hasnuu?!" one of the evolved said as the rest of the evolved jumped in to attack "Ask us for a quick death, maybe we'll be nice." one of the evolved said arrogantly but said evolved got decapitate by Simba as he rushed in to kill all of the evolved "Why do you always have to show up? We captured this specimen to save our kind!" one of the evolved said defensively "That "specimen" is my wife and you're not taking her away from me!" Simba said in anger as he sliced down two evolved with his blade, he then used the blade sprint frenzy on the last three remaining evolved, severely damaging them, and then he started slicing them until they couldn't fight anymore, giving him an opportunity to consume them to which he did, after that, he went to the test tube and saw the precious cargo inside, it was Nala wearing nothing but her necklace, Simba opened the test tube and checked Nala's pulse, he was heartbroken that she had a barely noticeable pulse, he then close the test tube and took it to the hospital.
St. Paul's hospital
Simba walked inside of the hospital with the test tube in tow and encountered a doctor working on one of the infected bodies "...the lobe on the right shoulder has shown evidence of parasitic infections..." the doctor said until he was interrupted "Dr. Ragland?" Simba asked, the doctor then saw the red manned lion and the test tube "Simba Hasnuu, I've heard a lot about you." the doctor now known as Ragland said, then he saw the test tube right next to Simba "What you got there?" Dr. Ragland asked "Inside this test tube is my wife, she's barley alive and I need some help to restore her, I can give you the biological samples that Gentek has been hoarding." Simba answered "I'll tell you what I know but first, we need to know what Blackwatch has done with the supreme hunter." Dr. Ragland said, agreeing to the help "The supreme hunter? I thought Alex killed it back at the USS Ronald Reagan." Simba said confusedly "He did, but last year, Blackwatch thought it be a good idea to weapon the supreme hunter by cloning him and make the clones useful against terrorists." Dr. Ragland said as he took a look at Nala "They're already playing God by creating all of those monsters and now they want to not just re-create the supreme hunter but to clone it as well?" Simba said in shock "I know it's hard to take in but if you can give me a couple minutes with the corpse, I think I can get you what you need to save your wife." Dr. Ragland said as he grabbed a fresh syringe and took a sample of her blood "I'm in, doc, I need to grab my parents to watch Nala and I need to find a military aircraft to get us there undetected." Simba said, agreeing to the operation.
Dana's safe house
"So, how does it feel that your son's the most powerful being that you've ever seen?" Twilight asked "I don't know, part of me is so proud of him and part of me is scared of him." Sarabi answered "Why would you be scared of him?" Dana asked "Because power can corrupt, and I don't want my son to become the monster that Blackwatch thinks he is." Sarabi answered "And I won't become that monster." a smooth voice said, Sarabi turned around and saw Simba right by the door, Sarabi went towards Simba and hugged him "Did you find Nala, sweetie?" Sarabi asked "I did, she's alive but she barely has a pulse, I took her to hospital where Dr. Ragland is taking a look at her." Simba answered "Dr. Ragland?" Mufasa asked "Bradley Ragland is a doctor who specializes on viral compounds, he helped Alex stopped the infected from taking over the city." Dana answered "Dana, do you have any intel on the supreme hunter?" Simba asked Which caused Dana to look it up on her computer "What's the supreme hunter?" Celestia asked "The supreme hunter is a monster that was created by Elizabeth Greene when I injected Blackwatch's cancer weapon in her." Alex answered "And let me guess, it didn't effect her and then turned into an unstoppable monster." Mufasa said as he grabbed another cigar "Take it outside, Mufasa." Dana said, noticing the elder lion's action, Mufasa grabbed a match and went outside "Simba, can I come with you so I can watch over Nala?" Sarabi asked "As a matter of fact, I came here to take you, Kiara, and Dad with me." Simba answered "But what about Equestria?" Twilight asked "Oh god, just shut the fuck up about pony land already, pencil neck!" Vitani said as she pinched the bridge of her muzzle "Simba, wait." Celestia said as she grabbed Simba's paw "I know you're trying to save Nala but what you're doing is too dangerous." Celestia said in a worried tone "Tia, you forgot that I killed a lot of monsters bigger than myself and even if Blackwatch managed to resurrect the supreme hunter, if Alex can kill it, why can't I? Also I've dealt with dangerous situations like this for my whole entire life." Simba said with reasoning "Mom, Kiara, let's go." Simba said as he, Sarabi, and Kiara went through the door and got outside.
Pride Lands
Kovu had gotten finished helping out the citizens and animals of the Pride Lands, now he looked around the area as Simba's pride was keeping an eye out for more threats "See anything?" Heller asked "No, no sign of Blackwatch, guess Dana was right, there was no reinforcements." Kovu answered "They had to get into some choppers in order to get here." Heller said suspiciously "They probably landed them near the water hole right there." Kovu said as he looked at the water hole and spotted the helicopters "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta check on the five girls." Kovu said as he went to where the rest of the main 6 were "I'll take a look on the choppers." Heller said as he went to the water hole, Kovu went back into the mansion, when he saw that they were only four girls inside "Where's Fluttershy?" Kovu asked "She went to check on Kion at Madoa's or something, I don't know who's Madoa." Applejack answered "Madoa is Jasiri's older sister and she also has a crush on Kion." Kovu said to which the girls except Rainbow Dash got the idea "Ooh, that sounds kinky." Pinkie said in a suggestive tone "So, how did you and Kiara meet?" Rarity asked "Well, when I was young, we've met each other back at the Outlands, I told her that my parents were killed by one of Taka's followers, so basically, my sister and I were orphans of war, but Kiara told me that my sister I can find sanctuary in the Pride Lands." Kovu answered "Where are y'all from?" Applejack asked "Sierra Leone, my parents were diamond organizers for the highest bidder." Kovu answered "Did you say diamonds?" Rarity asked "Yeah, but don't get any bright ideas, Rarity, because here in Africa, diamond digging is a cutthroat business were they trade blood for money." Kovu answered "Why would it be so barbaric?" Rarity asked "Because of greedy fucks, that's why and sometimes they called the diamonds blood diamonds." Kovu answered, then the front doors opened, revealing to be Kion, Jasiri, and Fluttershy "What are you guys talking about?" Jasiri asked "We're talking about my history." Kovu answered "Kovu, were you ever scared of anyone?" Fluttershy asked "Yeah, the guy I was scared of is Simba, I mean even before he became infected, he knew how to hold the most powerful nation in the world in his paws, he's both an American and Pride Lands patriot who never gave up on protecting those he loves, even if it means killing those that threatens it." Kovu answered "Kion, please forgive me if this insults you but are you bisexual?" Fluttershy asked, this caught everyone off guard "I mean do you ever had sex with a boy?" Fluttershy asked "Yeah, I fucked a leopard cub in the ass that one time, his name was Malakay and he was my gay roommate from a cub academy that I go to called Pride Lands academy of troubled exotics." Kion answered "Why would yer go to an academy fer troubled exotics." Applejack asked "Because I have a constant thought of being in the navy just like my dad but I have no history of joining any U.S. military branch, my skills were taught by both my dad and my mom." Kion answered "What skills did you learn, darling?" Rarity asked "I learned to swim, tie a strong knot, CQB, and gun work with my dad and I learned how to hunt, use a compound bow, and skin an animal with my mom." Kion answered "What kind of animals do you hunt?" Pinkie asked "Antelope, wildebeest, and buffalo." Kion answered " Why would you hunt?" Fluttershy asked "Because I need to eat." Kion answered "You never told me you were bisexual before." Jasiri said, looking at Kion "Another thing that I'm not ashamed at." Kion said proudly "Oh god, I'm leaving." Kovu said as he got out of the living room and went outside "What's with Kovu?" Pinkie asked "He's a homophobe, when my dad saw something suspicious about him, he tried to buttfuck Kovu against the wall, another reason why he's scared of my dad." Kion answered "Did Simba really do it, darling?" Rarity asked to which Kion nodded "And how did you know that, babe?" Madoa asked "I managed to peek at the room that they were in." Kion answered "I don't know about you, Kion, but you and your dad like to fuck with green eyes." Jasiri said as she laid her head on Kion's shoulder "I have a knack for that." Kion said as he laid his head against hers.
New York, abandoned military base
Simba, Kiara, and his parents have found a black hawk helicopter inside the warehouse where they keep military aircrafts in tip top shape "Let's check the loadout." Simba said as he got into the cab "Two M134 miniguns, an M249 SAW a mark 19 grenade launcher, and a viral sensor, damn, this baby's tricked out." Simba said in amazement "Dad, help me get this outside." Simba said as he and Mufasa pushed the black hawk outside "Can you two fly this?" Sarabi asked "I can, I just need some adjustments and we can head to the hospital." Simba answered "Isn't this the similar helicopter from Operation Gothic Serpent?" Kiara asked "Yeah, pumpkin, it the similar one." Simba answered "Alright, everyone get in and put the headsets on." Simba said as he got into the left side of the cockpit, Mufasa got into the right side, and Sarabi and Kiara got into the cab "Alright, let's get flying." Simba said as he turned on the engine and started to ascend the helicopter off the ground "It's tough to see the city that you grew up get turned into a mess." Simba said through his headset "How did you get to New York?" Mufasa asked, this caused Simba to talk about his moving.
Pride Lands international airport, 1980
Seven-year-old Simba was boarding a plane to New York, he took his clothes, his childhood pictures and a copy of his birth certificate, he then went to the service desks "Prince Simba, what brings you here?" the female clerk asked "I'm not a prince anymore and I'll like a ticket to fly first class to New York." Simba answered as he laid the money down at the table "Sure thing, sweetie." the clerk said as she took the money and gave Simba the ticket "Thanks." Simba said in a depressed tone as he walked upstairs to sit down and wait for his flight, he looked around and saw that the women were looking concerned because he was alone, Simba nearly cried because he lost his father, he can still remember the last time his father saved him before he died.
Pride Lands, fourteen minutes earlier
Mufasa was using his M16 to kill Taka's followers while protecting Simba from getting killed "Simba, stay close to me!" Mufasa ordered, then they ran to a warehouse next to the water fall, Mufasa barricaded the door and went towards his son "Simba, have you been hit?" Mufasa asked "No, Dad, I'm fine." Simba answered "Good, now take this, the safety's off." Mufasa said as he gave Simba a 92f handgun "Look at me son, no matter what happens, you get yourself outta the Pride Lands and stay safe." Mufasa said sternly "I'm not leaving you!" Simba argued, then shots can be heard through the warehouse "Do not disobey me again, son, you have to head back home, pack up, and get outta here, now I'll hold them off." Mufasa ordered, then shots were fired at the warehouse "Shit, they found us!" Mufasa said as he reloaded his rifle and fired at the shooters "Dad!" Simba shouted "Simba, go now!" Mufasa ordered "I can't leave you here!" Simba argued "Simba, don't worry about me, my priority is to make sure you're safe, go, go!!" Mufasa shouted, Simba got out of the warehouse through the back door, Simba was running away from the warehouse until he was knocked down by an explosion coming from the warehouse, when Simba turned around saw that the area surrounding the warehouse was littered with bodies and the warehouse itself was destroyed "DAAAAD!!!!!!!" Simba shouted in tears, he lied in the ground crying until he heard a voice "What have you done?" the voice said, Simba got up "What?" Simba said until he saw his uncle "Oh, Simba, you killed your own father, a despicable little brat you are." Taka taunted, enraged, Simba grabbed his gun, cocked it, and shot at Taka's head but the round only scratched Taka's left cheek, Simba kept firing while Taka duck and cover from the gunfire until the cub ran out of ammo and discard the gun in the falls, giving Simba the chance to run towards his home, then Simba went towards his room to grab his stuff and he got out the mansion to run away.
Airport, fifteen minutes later
"American airlines flight 73 is ready for passenger pickup, head to gate 10 if you're traveling to New York." the loudspeaker said interrupting Simba, he got up, handed his ticket to the check-in to board his flight, and headed for the first class row, he then pick a spot where he's close to the window where he sat down and took out his walkman and headphones to listen to his music but the loudspeaker interrupted him, giving instructions to the passengers about what to do when they have an emergency, when the instructions ended, Simba put his headphones on and turned on his music to take a nap as the plane took off and headed towards New York.
JFK international airport, several hours later
Simba exhaled as the plane finally made it to New York, when he got out of the plane, retrieved his bags, and exited the airport, he took a cab and told the driver to head for Times Square.
New York, Times Square
When the cab stopped at Times Square, Simba got out, grabbed his bags from the trunk, and paid the cab driver, then he started taking in the scenery of how big the city is, then he heard a voice called out to him "Hey, kid, you're okay?!" the voice said, Simba turned around and saw another exotic, a meerkat to be exact "Yeah, I'm fine, just taking in the scenery." Simba answered "Kid, this is New York, you're gonna except a lot of things to be amazing, where are my manners, names Timon." Timon said as he shook Simba's paw "A pleasure to meet you Timon, names Simba, so are you a native to New York?" Simba asked "I grew up in this place, I'll explain when we get to a fast food restaurant, I heard they got ." Timon said as he and Simba went to a fast food place to which Timon was going to Burger King
Burger King
Simba and Timon were waiting in line as it was a busy day for the fast food chain, when they were next, Timon ordered a regular hamburger combo while Simba ordered a cheeseburger combo, then they sat down on the table next to the window "So, what brings you to New York?" Timon asked "I got sucked into a war against my home, no one knows who started but they killed my father, and tried to take over my home." Simba answered "I heard about it on the news, they were talking about some rebels fighting against Mufasa Hasnuu because they hated the fact that he was being peaceful to the citizens of the Pride Lands." Timon said, getting the facts "Exactly, they were ungrateful assholes who couldn't accept his generosity." Simba said in anger "Wow, kid, and I thought I had a colorful vocabulary." Timon said in surprise "What else did the news say?" Simba asked "The U.S. military was looking for a cub named Simba Hasnuu they wanted to evacuate him and anyone that he was close to but the kid ran away and they have no idea where he is, also his mother thinks that he died and the kid kinda looked like you." Timon answered "That's because that kid is me." Simba said grimly "You're Mufasa's kid?" Timon asked "Yeah, the reason why I didn't go with the military is because I wanted to live another life, I don't want to be around the military, I wanna become one of them." Simba answered, then the clerk called out their order "Looks like our order is up, let's go get it." Timon said as he and Simba went to grab their food.
Present day
Simba had landed the black hawk on top of the helipad on the hospital, then he went inside the hospital with Kiara and Sarabi to get Dr. Ragland and returned to the chopper, leaving Kiara and Sarabi to watch over Nala "The supreme hunter is in Gentek headquarters, let's go." Simba said as he ascend the chopper off the hospital "I think I can find some antibiotics from the corpse in order to create a serum to stabilize your wife." Dr. Ragland said, stating his plan "How do you know that the supreme hunter is in the Gentek building?" Mufasa asked "When I was consuming the Blackwatch soldiers in the fight, I found out where'd the supreme hunter is." Simba answered.
Gentek headquarters, a few minutes later
Simba landed the chopper in front of the building and got out with Mufasa and Dr. Ragland "The experimental room that they kept Nala in is the same room that they're keeping the supreme hunter in, it's on the 52nd floor." Simba said as he, Mufasa, and Dr. Ragland entered one of the elevators and Simba pressed the button labeled 52, about a minute later, they got out of the elevator and headed for the experimental room, Mufasa was shocked when he saw the monsters inside of test tubes "They were creating and experimenting these monsters to produce biological weapons." Mufasa said grimly "Brawlers, leader hunters, juggernauts, hydras, and evolved, they got a lot of monsters, the only thing they don't have is a goliath and an apex predator, thank God." Simba said, looking at the test tubes "I know how to kill most of these monsters but the leader hunters and the juggernauts are the ones that I have a problem with, how did you kill them so easily, Simba?" Mufasa asked "With the leader hunters, they have two brains and two spinal columns, when I break both backs, they entered into a recovery state, making them exposed to consumption, and as for the juggernauts, I used the combination of my tendrils, hammerfists, and blade to trap, amputate their arms, and smashed their armor." Simba answered "I'm surprised that you last long in a fight with those things." Mufasa said in amazement "Well not as long as you humping Mom in bed." Simba said as he laughed "You know well that your mother likes my performance in bed." Mufasa said, pointing at his son "Yeah, you got a boner for her butt." Simba said "And you the same with Nala." Mufasa said back "I was the first to reunite with Mom and Nala." Simba said, remembering the reunion.
Pride Lands, 1994
Simba and his best friend, Nemo were killing the rebels and freeing the slaves, while the rest of the squad was helping out with the civilians and making sure that there weren't any rebels coming, Simba and Nemo, codenamed "Shark" went to Nala's home to find Nala and his mother, he opened the door and saw two lionesses looking scared, Simba lowered his M4 rifle and ordered Nemo to stand by, knowing that it was his mother and Nala, Simba then took off his helmet and mask, revealing his face to his mother and Nala "Mufasa?" Sarabi asked "No, Mom, it's me." Simba answered "Simba, you're alive, but how could it be?" Sarabi said in tears "it doesn't matter, I'm here." Simba said as he hugged his mother "Where have you been for the past few years?" Nala asked "In New York." Simba answered "New York, what were you doing in New York?" Sarabi asked "Dad told me to find a way out of the Pride Lands when he died, so I ran away to New York." Simba answered, then gunfire was heard from outside as Nemo went outside to help the squad "I gotta go." Simba said but Sarabi grabbed his paw "Simba, wait, take this." Sarabi said as she gave Simba her platinum cross necklace "Mom, I can't--" Simba tried to say but was interrupted "Please, sweetie, I need you to put it on so that God will help you, I can't risk losing you again." Sarabi said as she put the necklace around Simba's neck, then they heard a voice "Put your weapons down and surrender!" the voice said, Simba aimed his rifle at what looks to be Taka carrying an MG 42 "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fuck you up." Simba growled "Still mad at me for your killing? Now tell them, tell them who's responsible for Mufasa's death." Taka taunted "You are." Simba answered, aiming his rifle at Taka's face "Is it true that he killed your father?" Sarabi asked "Yeah, it's true." Simba answered "Liar, he's the murderer!" Taka shouted which caused Simba to break rank as he opened fire at the scrawny lion "Captain, get a hold of yourself!" Nemo said but Simba didn't listen as he managed to destroy Taka's MG 42, Taka ran away from the gunfire and went back into the mansion "I want everyone to secure my house, make sure that the fucker doesn't get out!" Simba ordered "Yes, sir!" the squad said as they ran to the mansion "Simba, how did you know that Scar was responsible for your father's death?" Nala asked "A marine sergeant gave me intel on who's responsible for this whole mess." Simba answered "Simba, promise me that you'll be careful and kill that bastard." Sarabi said as she kissed Simba on the lips "I'll be alright, Mom, I promise." Simba said as she nuzzled his mother "We know." Nala said as she hugged Simba and kissed him on the lips, Simba then went to the mansion and got inside to search for the target "So, you want to take back your home and the title that was rightfully mine." Taka said through the speaker "The reason why you were denied to being a king is because you simply didn't deserve it, in fact you don't deserve to live!" Simba argued "I'm not letting you take my throne!" Taka said with venom "It was never your throne, faggot." Simba said in anger, then Simba got his left arm stabbed by Taka but the forearm pads prevented the knife from going through, Simba punched Taka in the face and slammed his face into the wall, Taka tried to grab the knife and swinged it against the red manned lion four times but Simba did a disarming technique, causing Taka to drop the knife, then Simba tried to punch Taka but the scrawny lion block the punch and delivered kicks to Simba's abdomen and chest, Simba recovered and started doing a combo of straight punches, uppercuts and kicks, Taka's face got covered with cuts and bruises as he desperately punched and kicked but Simba counterattack by using his retractable claws to cut Taka's muzzle.
Outside of the mansion
Sarabi saw that Simba needed her help according to her maternal instincts, so she went past the squad and went inside "What the hell is she doing, Winter?" Nemo asked "Helping the captain, that's what." Winter answered, then Nala came to the squad "Where's Sarabi?" Nala asked "She went inside the mansion, trying to help out the captain." Winter answered, then gunfire can be heard and the squad including Nala turned around and find cover "Keep your head down, sweetie, and let us take care of these bastards." Winter said as he aimed and fired his rifle at the rebels.
Inside of the mansion
Simba tried to deliver rapid punches at Taka but the scrawny lion blocked all of them, then Taka used his own retractable claws to strike at Simba two times and disarmed him with his rifle "I was supposed to be king, and I can do whatever I want!" Taka said as he leveled the rifle at Simba's head but Simba smacked the rifle up, causing to miss and giving Simba the chance to grab Taka and preformed a Bane style back breaker on him and threw him to the ground, knocking the rifle away from him, Taka tried to grab the rifle but Sarabi came in and kicked the rifle up to her paws, then she smacked Taka in the face with the rifle stock, knocking him down as she pinned him down and started punching and clawing him in the face, Taka was squealing like a pig as Sarabi was continuing her onslaught "You killed my husband, you ungrateful, pathetic bastard!" Sarabi said in anger, Taka tried to grab the knife but Simba stomped on Taka's paw and grabbed his handcuffs "Keep the bastard pinned, Mom." Simba said as he put the handcuffs on Taka "Alright, boys, area's secured and the target's captured." Simba said as his mother handed him his rifle "Cap, we're taking heavy fire from one of the houses, we need your help, over!" Winter said through the radio "Keep it together, Winter, I'm on my way!" Simba said as he looked through the window "Mom, I gotta help out my team, just make sure that the bastard doesn't leave and if you have to, break his legs." Simba said as he nuzzled his mother "With pleasure." Sarabi said as she kissed Simba in the cheek, Simba then went outside to help out his team.
Outside of the mansion
Simba saw that they were getting pinned down by the rebels and he found out that Nala was next to the front doors with Nemo and Winter "Nala, you need to get inside, we'll cover you!" Simba said as he opened fire at the rebels "Scarecrow, mop them up!" Simba ordered "With pleasure, sir!" Scarecrow said as he opened fire with his M60, Nala manage to get inside of the mansion but she got hit in her left forearm, then a lot of rebels came out and started firing wildly "Sir, there's too many of them!!" Scarecrow shouted "I'll give you a paw, Doc get some sniper cover!!" Simba ordered "I'm already on it sir!" Doc said as he grabbed his sniper rifle, then Simba saw a lot of rebels heading for his home, then he saw a black hawk helicopter loaded for bear providing backup "Falcon one, this is Warhammer one, in position for a gun run." the pilot said through the radio "Copy, Warhammer one, I'm lazing targets in the field!" Simba said as he grabbed his lazer desegnater and point it at the army of rebels "Roger that, Captain, we'll lay suppression fire on the field." the pilot said as the helicopter gunner opened fire at the rebels, killing them in the process "Simba!" Sarabi shouted, Simba turned around and saw Sarabi peeking out "Mom, get inside now!" Simba shouted but he got hit in the left arm "Simba!!" Sarabi shouted in worry, after the field was cleared of rebels, the team got out of cover and check the field then Sarabi got out of the mansion and pulled Simba back inside "Oh, Simba, your arm." Sarabi said as she checked on her son's arm "I'll be fine." Simba said calmly, then he saw Nala who also got hit in the left arm "You got hit to, Nala?" Simba asked "Yeah, but don't worry, I'm fine." Nala answered, then Doc came inside with a first aid kit "Hey Boss, want me to take a look at that?" Doc asked "Nala first." Simba answered, Doc took a look at Nala's arm and started to stich it "Use this." Sarabi said as she gave Doc some herbs from her bag "What's this?" Doc asked "Pride Lands grown herbs, they help stop the bleeding and kill any infections." Sarabi answered "You sure about this?" Doc asked "She's sure, Doc, use them before you start the stich, that's an order." Simba answered for Sarabi "Yes, sir." Doc said as he used the herbs on Nala's arm, then Sarabi started using herbs on Simba's arm, Simba looked at the restraint Taka and saw that he was blindfolded and he had a length of rope in his mouth "I see you two blinded and shut the little bitch up." Simba said as Nala looked at him "He never stop talking about how he wanted to be king, do you think he should be executed?" Nala asked "For what he did to me and my father, yeah." Simba answered, then he notice that Nala was looking at him "What is it, Nala?" Simba asked "It's like you're back from the dead, when Scar told us you've been killed, I was devastated that I lost you, but now you're here and not dead." Nala answered "What took you so long to get here?" Sarabi asked "The lies that the bastard said got to the New York news that by the time after I graduated, some stupid ass cops locked me up but thank God for Dad's brute strength that I broke out but I had to kill a lot of corrupt guards and cops to get out, and the worst part about it is because they don't have any evidence but they don't care so they deserve to die, after that, I joined the navy and became a navy SEAL." Simba answered "So, you killed a bunch of corrupted cops and became a navy SEAL, I'm glad that I'm best friends with a dangerous lion." Nala said in surprise, then Nemo and Scarecrow got inside the mansion to Take Taka in "What do you want to do with this fucker." Nemo asked "Put him in the holding cells, he'll have to wait for what he deserves, the holding cells are downstairs in the basement." Simba answered "Yes, sir." Scarecrow said as he and Nemo grabbed Taka and put him in the holding cells "So, I heard you got the rank of captain, how did you get that rank?" Sarabi asked "I rescued a lot of civilians including kids from hostile forces, I'm a trained marksmen with top scores, I completed mission that were deemed impossible by the U.S. army branch such as hunting down an arms dealer that was deemed untouchable, killed a corrupt North African general from a sniper nest about 30 meters away, hell, My boys and I went to Iraq to hunt down the highest ranking members in the Republican guard, and I got the highest dive in navy history, 257 feet, when they gave me the rank of captain, they gave me special command on one of the vessels but I humbly refused because I like being in the field." Simba answered "Alright, you're all fixed up." Doc said to Nala "You're fixed as well, honey." Sarabi said to Simba as she kissed him on the cheek "Asante, Mom, it doesn't hurt anymore." Simba said, looking at his arm "It's all in the herbs, honey." Sarabi said proudly "You sure knows what you're doing, Mrs. Hasnuu?" Doc asked "I have to know in order to take care of my family and home, even if it means getting my paws dirty." Sarabi said in a matter of fact tone "Watch yourself, Doc, she may not be a soldier but she can still fight." Simba warned "Yes, sir." Doc obeyed, Simba then got up and went to the front doors "Doc, you stay here and keep an eye out." Simba ordered "Yes, sir." Doc obeyed "We're coming with you, Simba." Nala said as she and Sarabi followed Simba outside.
Outside of the mansion
Simba saw that the gray goose helicopter had at least twelve marines on board, the marines got out of the gray goose and looked around to make sure they're wasn't any rebels running around, then the marine sergeant came out of the gray goose "Captain Simba Hasnuu?" the sergeant asked the squad and the two lionesses "Right here." Simba answered "I'm GSgt. Miles Harper, I'm with the United States Marine Corps." the sergeant now known as Miles Harper said, Simba looked around and saw that the marines were searching the Pride Lands "What are you guys doing?" Simba asked "We're looking for the tyrant who calls himself Scar and we're making sure that there aren't any hostiles running around." Sgt. Harper answered "Why do you want Scar for?" Nala asked "Scar is wanted for treasonous activities against the United States and her allies, we came here to assist on the mission." Sgt. Harper answered
Gentek headquarters, present day
Dr. Ragland had found the corpse of the supreme hunter, he then used the equipment that he brought with him to examine and open up the corpse, Simba saw what Dr. Ragland was doing and went to help with Mufasa following him "You sure know what you're doing?" Simba asked "I used to work at Gentek but I quit because of the dark secrets that they were keeping." Dr. Ragland answered "Like keeping an infected survivor of Hope, Idaho inside of one of the most populated cities in the U.S. and injecting the citizens of New York with the virus." Simba said suspiciously "Exactly, and I refused to work on the blacklight, that's why I left." Dr. Ragland said as he opened the chest cavity of the supreme hunter "We need to extract the regenerative fluids from the corpse, that way we can produce a stabilizing serum to restore Nala's functionality." Dr. Ragland said as he used a blood drawn syringe to draw out the regenerative fluids from the supreme hunter "Functionality restoration, as in waking her up from her coma?" Mufasa asked "Exactly." Dr. Ragland answered "What would the side effects be?" Simba asked "It could range from feeling mildly dizzy, her eyes would be a little blurry, and most likely, not being able to speak but that side effect is temporary, the other side effects will take longer to recover." Dr. Ragland answered "How did you get that knowledge on what she need that fast?" Mufasa asked "He must've studied Nala while we're getting the ride." Simba answered "Exactly, I found out that Blackwatch and Gentek injected her with large amounts of morphine so they can open her up to use her blood and organs to create more supersoldiers, I saw the stiches all over her body." Dr. Ragland answered also "Will the serum heal her up from the stiches?" Simba asked "With the proteins inside the fluids, yes, with dramatic results." Dr. Ragland answered, then he stored the vial in his case "Now that we got what we came for, let's get outta here." Simba said as he, Mufasa, and Dr. Ragland headed for the elevators.
St. Paul's hospital, few minutes later
Kiara was helping Sarabi with checking on Nala for any signs of irregular symptoms outside of a weak pulse "Where did the stiches came from?" Kiara asked "She was experimented on numerous times." Sarabi said "Oh, Mom, how could they do this to you?" Kiara said in tears, then the doors opened, revealing to be Simba, Mufasa, and Dr. Ragland with the vial of regenerative fluids "I'll get this in the scope." Dr. Ragland said as he grabbed a fresh syringe and took a drop on the fluids "What did you find?" Kiara asked "We found something that will stabilize her and wake her up in a coma." Simba answered, then Celestia and Twilight teleported behind Simba and his reflexes kicked in by summoning his blade "Jesus, Simba, it's just us!" Celestia exclaimed "Well next time, don't teleport behind me." Simba retorted "I told you that surprising him was a bad idea, Twilight." Celestia whispered, Dr. Ragland couldn't believe at what he's seeing "Simba how...?" Dr. Ragland tried to say "It's a long story." Simba answered, Twilight checked on the bed that Nala was in "Is this Nala?" Twilight asked "Yeah, she was experimented on numerous times, that's the reason why she's got a lot of stiches." Simba answered "What were the experiments?" Celestia asked "Another phase of the Orion project, they're making clones of Nala to try to fuck with my mind." Simba answered, then he notice that Dr. Ragland had two extra small vials of the regenerative serum "What's with the two vials?" Simba asked "I want to test out the samples of the serum by mixing them with either your blood or theirs." Dr. Ragland answered "Tia already mixed my blood with her blood sample but Twilight's is fresh." Simba said, gesturing towards Celestia and Twilight "Why would they do this to her?" Kiara asked "Because they're trying to create something that's a lot more stronger and more durable than the D-CODES." Simba answered "D-CODES?" Twilight said confusedly "The D-CODES were a predecessors of the project Orion soldiers, they're the same size as me, strong as the phase ones, but the fatal drawback is that they're not durable against stronger infected in close quarters combat, especially against apex predators, like Alex and myself." Simba explained, then Dr. Ragland grabbed blood drawn syringes to take blood samples from Twilight and Nala while Simba cut his own paw pad to put drops of blood on a petri dish "So, how is this gonna work?" Twilight asked "I need to run some test in order to make the serum work, if I can combine the antibiotics in blood samples with the fluids, I think I can create the perfect serum to restore Nala." Dr. Ragland answered "I thought that she was dead and they managed to revive her." Simba said as Dr. Ragland started putting the samples in vials and petri dishes and labeled the sample with Twilight's blood number one and the sample with Simba's blood number two, he started running test with both samples "It's just like you said, they played God for their amusement." Dr. Ragland said as he looked into his microscope and saw how sample number two was producing more antibiotics and proteins to regenerate lost tissue while sample number one was canceling the over regeneration to a near crawl "That's interesting." Dr. Ragland said as he grabbed the vials and started creating the serum "What happened?" Sarabi asked "Sample number two has produce more antibiotics and regenerative proteins in a rapid pace while sample number one is canceling the over regeneration to a near crawl." Dr. Ragland answered, then as the serum was completed, Dr. Ragland grabbed a special syringe and loaded it with the serum "It'll be better if you're the one who's restoring her." Dr. Ragland said as he gave the serum to Simba "Thank you, doc." Simba said as he went over to the still unconscious Nala and injected the serum in her right arm "God, I hope this works." Simba prayed, when the syringe was empty, the group saw that the stiches were healing and turning into faint scars, Twilight leaned by the bed to take a look as Nala started to wake up, when Nala saw Twilight's face, her reaction came in a form of slapping Twilight with her retractable claws and jumped out of the bed, she then crouched down on the floor with her retractable claws out waiting for someone stupid enough to fight her, Simba then grabbed Nala and restrained her "Nala, it's okay, you're not in danger. Nala." Simba said to which Nala looked at him and calmed down she retracted her claws and rest her head on Simba's chest "It's okay, Nala, it's just me." Simba grabbed a blanket and covered her with it "I missed you." Simba said in tears, Kiara went to her parents and hugged Nala, then Simba notice that Twilight was bleeding "Twilight, are you okay?" Celestia asked "I feel like I stuck my cheek into a deli slicer." Twilight answered, then Celestia cast a healing spell on Twilight's cheek, then Sarabi notice that Nala wasn't talking "Simba, something's wrong with Nala, she's not talking." Sarabi said as she checked on Nala "Dr. Ragland said something about the side effects, the reason that she's not talking." Simba said as he helped Nala up her feet "You okay, honey?" Sarabi asked, Nala tried to answer but she realized that she couldn't talk "Don't panic about not talking, it's just a temporary side effect." Simba said as he kissed her in the head "Is there any other side effects?" Celestia asked "Eyes getting a little blurry and feeling a bit dizzy." Simba answered "Would it be a good idea if I take Nala to the Pride Lands?" Celestia asked "That's a good idea, she'll be a lot safer if she's with Kion and Kovu." Simba answered "I'm coming with them." Kiara said as she joined up with Celestia "You sure, pumpkin?" Simba asked "I have to go back into the Pride Lands, Daddy, because Mom and I are possible targets for Blackwatch." Kiara answered "She's right and both Kion and Kovu are still in there." Mufasa agreed "Alright, pumpkin, you can go, Twilight, go with Kiara." Simba ordered "What, why do I have to go there?" Twilight asked "Because I need to concentrate without you having to remind me to go back to Equestria and your friends are still in the Pride Lands." Simba answered "But first we got to pick up Vitani." Kiara said, Twilight looked at her as if she was crazy "No way, I don't trust that lioness." Twilight argued "Well at least I trust her more than that pathetic excuse of a rainbow manned Pegasus you call a friend." Kiara argued back "Girls, knock it off! You'll get Vitani and head for the Pride Lands and not argue with each other." Sarabi said, getting the two girls out of their faces "Alright, let's get Vitani and go to the Pride Lands." Celestia said as she, Nala, Kiara, and Twilight teleported to Dana's safe house to get Vitani and teleported to the Pride Lands.
Pride Lands, few minutes later
Celestia had teleported Nala, Kiara, Twilight, and Vitani to the Pride Lands while Nala and Vitani we're getting headaches from the teleportation, Kiara however had gotten used to it due to getting teleported a few times "Yo, Kiara, I think sunbutt's giving us headaches from all of the teleporting, babe." Vitani said as she clutched her head "Don't worry, Tani, you and Mom will get use to it." Kiara said as she helped Nala on her feet "I noticed that you're wearing your hunting outfit all this time." Vitani said, noticing that Kiara was wearing zebra patterned bra and waist cloth with African jewelry
"Why not, it's comfortable." Kiara said as she checked herself out and exhaled "Let's just get to the house, I need to relax." Kiara said as she, Celestia, Nala, Twilight, and Vitani headed for the mansion.
Pride Lands mansion
The girls, Kovu, and Kion were discussing about each other until Kiara came in with Celestia, Nala, Vitani, and Twilight "Mom, you're alive!" Kion said as he hugged his mother "And she's wearing nothing but a robe." Applejack said to which Nala blushed and smiled "Darling, are you okay?" Rarity asked but Nala couldn't speak "It's a side effect from the serum that we used, well, one of them, exactly, but she'll be okay." Vitani answered for her "I can't believe she can't talk, finally, a cat that I don't have to listen to." Rainbow Dash said while laughing, Nala glared at the egomaniac with hatred in her eyes "Anybody wanna tell me who this bitch with the rainbow mane is?" Vitani asked "Ignore Rainbow Dash, she's still suffering from having her ego getting hurt." Applejack answered "That's too pathetic for a sickness." Kiara said in a low tone "We know." the girls except Nala, Vitani, and Rainbow Dash responded "Is it true that you can't talk?" Kion asked to which Nala nodded "Let's get you washed up, I'll get your clothes for you." Kion said as he led Nala upstairs and in to the master bathroom.
Master bedroom
Kion grabbed the clothes for Nala and put them on the bed "You okay?" Kion asked to which Nala nodded "It has to suck that you can't talk." Kion said to which Nala nodded "It doesn't matter, I'm just glad that you're still alive." Kion said as Nala smiled and walked to the bathroom to take a shower, Kion looked at the pictures of him and Nala having fun together, he grabbed a picture about him and Nala at the academy, he laid down on the bed, remembering the time he earned his ranks and medals. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 34: Betrayal | New York, outside of St. Paul's hospital
Simba, Sarabi, and Mufasa went outside, after thanking Dr. Ragland for reviving Nala, he went up the rooftops and took a good look at the view, then he got a call from Dana "Hey, it's me, look, I just found something out, Blackwatch released clones of the supreme hunter." Dana said through the PDA "What, how?" Simba asked "If I know Blackwatch, they uused samples of DNA to clone it and they're gonna use it to kill a lot of innocent people." Dana answered "Send me the coordinates." Simba said as he looked at his PDA "Times Square, huh." Simba said, then Mufasa and Sarabi came to him "You found anything?" Sarabi asked "Two clones of the supreme hunter are loose." Simba answered "You know where they are." Sarabi asked "Somewhere in Times Square." Simba answered "Let's go." Mufasa said as he, Simba, and Sarabi went to Times Square.
Times Square
Simba had found out that not only were the supreme hunters in Times Square but a lot of Blackwatch troops were there as well "Time to join the party." Simba said as he summoned his blade and wings and took off, then he preformed a blade air slice on one of the Orion soldiers "This is Viper two one, we've spotted Hasnuu!" one of the Blackwatch troops said "Take him out, two one!" Lt. Riley said through the radio "Gonna have a hell of a time to suppress me." Simba said as he slaughter the Blackwatch troops with his blade.
Pride Lands mansion
Kion was reading one of the Sun Tzu battle tactics books that he bought, then the bathroom door opened, revealing to be Nala all cleaned up, she then grabbed her clothes and returned to the bathroom to put them on, then a knock on the bedroom door can be heard "It's open" Kion said, then the door opened, revealing to be Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy with a disc in hand "What you three got?" Kion asked "Video surveillance from Canterlot, Cadence stopped by to give us the disc and picked up James to Canterlot." Twilight answered "Let me see." Kion said as he turned on the T.v. and the DVD player and put the disc into the DVD player, the footage came up, revealing to be three hyenas that looked different from Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed "Who are they?" Rarity asked "The Psycho hyenas, the one tied up to the rope is Janja, he's the leader." Kion answered "Janja, as in the ruffian that calls himself the joker?" Rarity asked "Yeah that's him." Kion answered, then the door of the interrogation room in the footage opened, revealing to be Shining Armor with a length of rope in hand, the hyenas were laughing at the idiot unicorn with Janja's laugh being the most noticeable while his friends had duct tape in their mouths, Shining Armor got pissed and kicked one of the hyenas in the foot "Okay, laughing scum, I'll show you what happens when you cross us." Shining Armor said as he undo the length of rope "What, hogtie us and force us to listen to your fairy tale stories with your pretty boy accent?" Janja said as he laughed "No, we shock them with an electric rope and watch them flop around like a puppet, unless you got something to say to me." Shining Armor said as he charged up the electric rope "Uhh, okay, you look gay." Janja said as his friends laughed and muffled something which Shining Armor couldn't understand "And my furbrained friends here said that you need a haircut to get rid of the prince charming style, get the fuck off me." Janja said as his friends kept on laughing "Shut up!" Shining Armor shouted as he kicked one of the hyenas "Just two seconds ago you told us to talk, now it's shut up? I don't mean to nitpick but you suck ass at this torture thing." Janja said, then Shining Armor smacked him with the electric rope "You smack me again, I'm gonna throw you an asswhoping." Janja said, but Shining Armor didn't listen as he smacked Janja again "Oh, I hope they're paying you extra for this." Janja said, Shining Armor tried to smack him again but Janja double kicked Shining Armor in the face as Janja's friends started attacking the idiot unicorn, Janja undid the ropes on his wrists and grabbed the electric rope only to find out that it's not working "What the hell is the matter with this thing? Aw, fuck it." Janja said as he discarded the rope and started beating the shit out of Shining Armor, then the door opened revealing to be Zira carrying a bag of severed heads "I knew you boys would exploit their arrogance." Zira said as she dropped the bag, then one of the severed heads rolled out, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy almost threw up at the footage "You, how dare you kill a lot of innocent ponies?!" Shining Armor shouted "Ponies are sheep, they should never rule, it disgust me that a species that fears and shuns anything that's different from them has the power to rule a world." Zira said as she grabbed one of the severed heads "You'll pay for this, the elements of harmony will stop you!" Shining Armor said confidently "You and your elements can't stop me, (scoff) you ponies are all the same, thinking that the world should be in your control and you dictate what grows or not, trying to play God, well let me tell you something, the world should not be controlled by ponies, you're nothing but a bunch pathetic cowards that hide from the powers of nature, with Grogar's help, I'll create anarchy across this world called Equestria, and I'll send this pathetic species to the brink of extinction." Zira said as she carved an anarchy symbol on one of the severed heads, then she injected something inside Shining Armor and then the excruciating pain started to flow across his body which caused him to start screaming "Woah, what did you do to him?" Janja asked "A venom cocktail from a Russell's viper, bullet ant, and tarantula hawk wasp." Zira answered, then she kneeled down and closed Shining Armor's muzzle "Consider this all of the sins you committed in your pathetic excuse for a life." Zira said as she removed her right paw from Shining Armor's muzzle as he kept on screaming until his screams died in his lips, then Zira impaled her left paw in Shining Armor's chest and decapitate him with her blade, she gained the memories and the severed head of Shining Armor and put the severed head in her bag "Alright, boys, time to go." Zira said as she picked up her bag "And I thought he never stop squealing like a pig." Janja said as they left the interrogation room.
The footage ended as Twilight had tears in her eyes from seeing her brother die "Damn, I should've known." Kion said, which caused the three girls to look at him "What do you mean?" Rarity asked "Janja let himself get captured in order to lead Zira to the portal mirror." Kion answered "How do you kill her?" Twilight asked "You'll die trying." Kion answered "I'm not kidding, Kion, I'll make her pay for what she did to Shining Armor!" Twilight said as she got out of the room and went downstairs "What is it, Twilight?" Celestia asked "We got bad news, remember the thug that Kion fought? He's working with Zira to kill all of the ponies in Equestria and Zira is coming to earth." Twilight answered "We got to get to New York." Celestia said as she teleported Twilight and herself to New York.
New York, Times Square
Simba and Alex were killing a lot of Blackwatch troops as well as fighting the supreme hunters "Damn, those giants are hard to kill!" Alex said as Simba used his blade to cut down one of the supreme hunters and decapitate it, then Celestia and Twilight teleported in Times Square "Tia, what are you doing here?" Simba asked "We've got problems, Zira's coming to New York soon." Celestia answered "Sooner than you think." a sadistic female voice said, revealing to be Zira as she cut down the last supreme hunter with her leader hunter claws, then a large purple beam hit her.
Simba turned around and saw Twilight who got angry at Zira "You killed my brother, I'll make you pay!" Twilight shouted as she got into her rainbow power form and used her telekinesis to tear Zira apart but Zira laughed and pulled herself back together, then Twilight tried using every lethal spells that she learned but however Zira kept regenerating and putting herself back together "What are you, why can't I kill you?!" Twilight shouted, then Zira had enough as she preformed a ground spike attack, knocking Twilight back and causing her to use a magic shield as Zira used a rapid tendril attack on Twilight, the force of the attacks broke through Twilight's shield and gave her serious injuries to the point her healing factor couldn't keep up "Enough with the weaklings, give me a real challenge!" Zira said as she used her tendrils to knock Twilight away, Simba preformed a blade sprint frenzy against Zira which he sliced her apart but Zira pulled herself back together and did a combination of tendril and viral axe attacks, Simba recovered and preformed a combo of slashes at Zira and then Alex grabbed her by the neck "Not so tough now, are you?" Alex taunted but Zira cut the whipfist to break free, Simba summoned his hammerfists and jumped up to gain more velocity, then he preformed a hammerfists dive on Zira, obliterating her into small flesh parts but she regenerated and impaled him with her viral spears "You're wasting your time with those pathetic ponies, Simba, I already killed that blue manned idiot unicorn and a few rest of them, the more ponies you save, the more ponies I'll kill." Zira said as she summoned her viral axes "You think I'm doing this to save ponies? You're sadly mistaken, because I don't care about ponykind and I should thank you for getting rid of bitch boy." Simba said as he broke free and punched Zira in face, knocking her into one of the buildings "Oh, big boy Simba can punch." Zira said as she used a combination of claw, tendril, and viral axe attacks on Simba, then she used her viral axe to slice Simba's neck but his armored mane proved the attack useless as he counterattack by using the combination of his brute strength and hammerfists to rip the viral axe off of Zira and summoned his blade and wings and preformed a rapid combination of slashes, dismembering her in the process, Zira realized that she was overmatched and retreated onto the rooftops "This isn't over, Simba, you'll understand why these ponies deserve the death sentence!" Zira said as she ran across the rooftops "You know she's got a point." Alex said, joining up with Simba "What are you talking about?" Simba asked "What you told me about the ponies in Equestria and after how they treated you, she has a point of them being useless." Alex answered, then Sarabi went to check on her son "Are you okay?" Sarabi asked "I'm fine, just a little exhausted that's all." Simba answered "Is it true?" Celestia asked "What?" Simba said confusedly "Is it true that you don't care about my little ponies?" Celestia asked "So, why should I care? They always discriminate me for what I am." Simba answered "I can't believe you would say that!" Celestia said outraged "Give me a reason why I should save those ungrateful, pathetic insects." Simba said in a low tone "Because it's your responsibility to protect the ponies of Equestria!" Celestia shouted in a fit of rage "No, my responsibility is to protect my family from all threats, not save a species that has discriminate me all this time and is deemed unworthy to rule a world." Simba said in anger, enraged, Celestia punched Simba in the face "Simba!" Sarabi shouted in worry, Simba felt nothing but rage and betrayal in his heart, then he summoned his blade and tried to cut Celestia down but Sarabi restrain him from doing something he'll regret "Simba, don't kill her!" Sarabi said as she and Alex kept him from fighting Celestia, then Simba took off and flew away "He's heading to Africa." Mufasa said, Celestia and Twilight tried to follow but Mufasa stopped them "You're not coming with us." Mufasa said in anger "What, why?" Celestia asked "Because of what you did to my son is unforgivable!" Sarabi answered "I'll watch them, just to make sure that they don't get into more trouble." Alex said as he glared at the two mares "Let's go." Mufasa said as he and Sarabi went to find a helicopter to follow Simba and to the Pride Lands. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 35: A mother's confession (a begging pony) | Pride Lands, seventeen hours later
Simba was having a post traumatic nightmare about the Pride Lands being enslaved by Taka's rule, when he woke up, he realized that he was sweating, Simba saw that Nala had woke up as well "Are you okay, Simba?" a mature voice said, Simba looked back and saw that Nala was talking "Nala, you're talking." Simba said in surprise "I am, but my eyes are blurry." Nala confessed "You're feeling okay?" Simba asked "I could say the same thing about you." Nala asked slyly "I'm fine, I just had another nightmare." Simba answered "Is it about the time that Celestia betrayed you for those ponies?" Nala asked "No, it's about the Pride Lands being in ruins." Simba answered "Simba, you're still mad at her, right?" Nala asked "You got me there, after what she did to me, I don't know if I can forgive her." Simba answered "What she did was hurtful, especially for someone like you, family comes first no matter what the situation is, something she couldn't understand, so, you made the right choice in choosing us." Nala said in wisdom "But I feel like I just lost a friend." Simba said with tears in his eyes "Simba..." Nala said in a somber tone "What about the other ponies, where they go?" Simba asked "Your father took them to the portal." Nala answered "Alright, I'm gonna check on Mom and see what she's doing, I'll get you some food as well." Simba said as he got out of bed and went to the kitchen.
Kitchen
Simba got to the fridge and grabbed some breakfast biscuits, just as he put the biscuits in the microwave, Sarabi came in the kitchen wearing nothing but a bathrobe "You're still feeling hurt about what Celestia did to you?" Sarabi asked "Yeah, I never thought she punched me like that." Simba answered "Simba, I got a confession to make, when Celestia and the ponies came in last night, she didn't want to apologize, she wanted to take you back to Equestria so that she can use you to protect Equestria, she wanted you back so much in fact that she demanded me to hand over you or she'll lock up all in the dungeons and turned you into a weapon." Sarabi said as she walked to the stove "What did you say to her?" Simba asked "You don't want to know." Sarabi answered "What did you say to her, Mom." Simba asked which caused Sarabi to give in "I threatened her that if she plans on using you for her own selfish wants, I'll hunt down all of the ponies that she so foolishly choose over you and make her watch and that's before I scratched her with my retractable claws, I got so mad that your father and Kion had to restrain me because my mommy instincts took over." Sarabi answered "So, she never felt guilty for what she did, she demanded and threatened you to hand me over, and now she wants to use me as a soulless weapon against my will?" Simba asked to which Sarabi nodded "God, Alex and Timon were right, I shouldn't have trusted her." Simba said in anger "And another reason why I got so mad is because I didn't want to lose you again, I don't want you to become property against your own will like I had." Sarabi said as the biscuits were ready and Simba got them out of the microwave "What are you talking about?" Simba asked "When Taka took over, I was targeted by him and his grunts and he restrains me and most of the time, he raped me." Sarabi answered "What?" Simba said in shock "It's true, he raped me when I was left vulnerable because he was jealous of your father marrying me." Sarabi said in tears, Simba hugged her as she started crying "Why didn't you tell me?" Simba asked "Because I didn't want you to jeopardize your mission at saving the Pride Lands." Sarabi answered, Simba then started remembering the time he executed Taka for what he's done to the Pride Lands.
1994
Simba had Taka's scrawny arms tied up to two poles, Nemo gave him a knife, saying that it's a perfect tool to skinning
"What are you gonna do to me?" Taka asked "You heard of flaying, the execution technique that dates back in 883 B.C. and how does it work? It's simple, I'm gonna skin you like a fucking fish." Simba answered "So, you're gonna kill me for a crime you committed?" Taka said which caused Simba to start slicing a huge chunk of skin off of his back, Taka was screaming and crying at the excruciating pain "I will never kill my father, I'm not a murder!!" Simba shouted "Don't deny it, you're guilty!!" Taka screamed, then Simba started slicing more chunks of skin "Winter, get the iron chair." Simba ordered "Yes, sir." Winter obeyed as he grabbed the iron chair, Simba finished skinning Taka as he cut the ropes that were holding Taka's scrawny arms "Sit down, bitch!" Simba said as he kicked Taka to the iron chair, the spikes piercing through his body, Taka was screaming and crying at the excruciating pain he was suffering as Simba strapped Taka on the chair, Taka was bleeding a lot as Simba walked away "Where are you going, sir?" Winter asked "I'm letting him bleed out." Simba answered as he went back inside the mansion.
Present day
Simba then heard Nala coming in a he heard a knock on the front doors, Simba went to the door with Sarabi and Nala, when he opened the door, he saw Luna, Fluttershy, and Rarity "What are you three girls doing here?" Simba asked "We came here to see if you're okay, darling." Rarity answered "come in." Simba said as the three girls got inside "Simba, what my sister did, she did it out of fear, she's afraid that Zira will accomplish her goal on killing all of the ponies in Equestria." Luna said as she sat down on the couch "Still it doesn't excuse the fact that she betrayed me by punching me in the face and threatening my family, both Alex and Timon were right about her." Simba said in anger "What were they right about?" Fluttershy asked "They were right about her being the type that'll manipulate a nice guy like myself and Alex told me to never trust her." Simba answered "Simba, we need your help, please, don't do it for the ponies of Equestria, do it for your family's safety and if you can kill Zira and Grogar, you can become more powerful in order to kill ZEUS." Luna begged, then Kion got out of his room and went downstairs to the living room while wearing a Nightwing outfit "Kion, where are you going, and why are you dressed up like that?" Rarity asked "What are you girls doing here?" Kion asked "We came to check on your father and see if he's okay." Fluttershy answered "Is that real kevlar armor?" Sarabi asked "Yup, and I added some tough materials as well." Kion answered "Anyway, I gotta go to the academy." Kion said as got to the door and headed for the academy.
Everfree forest
Zira was walking through the forest until she felt something tear through her body, she healed up and threw one of her viral axes at the attacker and saw what looks like to be Queen Chrysalis who dodged the attack "Enough with that disguise, Kovu, fight me with all of your powers." Zira said as she summoned her viral pick axes "How dare you strike at a queen?!" Chrysalis said in fury as she used her telekinesis to tear Zira apart, Chrysalis laughing maniacally but Zira pulled herself back together and rushed in with her viral pick axes drawn "What, but how?!" Chrysalis said as she dodged the attacks and called in her swarm of changelings "Kovu never uses a pack so it's probably not him." Zira thought "Consume every ounce of her love and get rid of her!" Chrysalis ordered her swarm "Sorry, I replaced my love with pure hatred." Zira said as she threw one of her viral pick axes at one of the changelings, killing it instantly, Zira then summoned her leader hunter claws and started slaughtering the attacking changelings as they were using their magic to cut down Zira but it wasn't working, Chrysalis equipped her war scythe and sliced Zira with it but it had no effect "Two can play at that game." Zira said as she summoned her viral scythe and sliced Chrysalis' cheek and left breast, the swarm of changelings attacked Zira with their weapons and magic, trying to kill her, when they stopped their attacks, they found out that Zira had somehow killed a few changelings and headed up "You cannot stop what is pure evil!" Chrysalis shouted, thinking that she won "Actually, I'm not such a nice lioness myself." Zira said as she used her rapid spear like tendril attacks to kill the rest of the changelings, Chrysalis got mad and started combo of slashes on Zira, the serial killer lioness counterattack by using her tendrils to rapidly attack the changeling queen, Chrysalis tried to protect herself with a magic shield but the shield broke and took some serious damage, giving Zira the upper hand as she used her viral axes to cut through Chrysalis' exoskeleton, incapacitating her but Chrysalis recovered quickly as she used her magic beam to slice Zira apart but Zira pulled herself back together and summoned her blade to preform a blade sprint frenzy and do slicing combo attacks against Chrysalis, Zira then got pushed back by Chrysalis' desperate attempt to use one of her lethal spells against her which caused the victim to be drained of magic but unfortunately, Zira didn't have any magic at all to which the spell didn't work "What are you, why won't you die?!" Chrysalis said in fear as she swinged her scythe to desperately cut down Zira but it's no use as Zira got the upper hand thanks to her ability to restore herself in battle as she cut down Chrysalis' scythe with her blade and pierced Chrysalis' leg with her viral spears "What makes you think you can kill me, cockroach? Kovu or not, you're gonna regret it with your life!" Zira said as she used more viral spears to pierce Chrysalis' body "Does it hurt yet? Don't worry." Zira said as she grabbed Chrysalis' neck with her left paw, her retractable claws piercing Chrysalis' exoskeleton "I'll put you out of your fucking misery!" Zira said as her eyes flashed red and she summoned her leader hunter claws, to say that Chrysalis was scared was an understatement, but fortunately for Chrysalis, Grogar appeared out of nowhere and stopped the fight "impressive, Zira, you managed to return to Canterlot, kill Shining Armor, and managed to show Simba Celestia's true colors." Grogar said, impressed of the outcome, Zira dropped Chrysalis and went over to Grogar "I told you that my plan worked, now Simba's feeling the same hatred for the ponies as I do so Celestia's plans for a weapon have failed, the ponies are pathetically predictable, like a moth to the flames." Zira said proudly "Now that Shining Armor's dead and Simba has left Equestria for dead, we can continue to bring Equestria to it knees." Grogar said as he laughed evilly "What about her?" Zira asked "Chrysalis can be useful to drain all of the ponies with love and make them weak and she needs to answer for her absence." Grogar answered "I'm a queen, I don't have to answer for anyone!" Chrysalis said arrogantly "Shut the fuck up!" Zira said as she kicked Chrysalis in the face "Take Chrysalis with us, drag her if you have to." Grogar ordered "With pleasure." Zira said as she grabbed Chrysalis by the mane and followed Grogar to the hideout.
Pride Lands
Simba took a walk outside the mansion to think things through, he was still angry at Celestia, he thought he could trust her and make her his second wife but now he knew the truth that he was being manipulated, earlier Luna told him that he wasn't the first victim who got hypnotized by Celestia's friendly act, Twilight was manipulated all her life to be Celestia's personal attack dog and she thought she could do the same with him but after the fight with Zira, he found out the truth that Celestia cared more about those pathetic ponies than him, maybe that's what the whole thing about her using her good princess charm to get what she wants is the thing that Timon and Alex were talking about, he felt like he was used all this time that he spend time with her "Simba." a deep voice said, Simba turned around and saw Mufasa walking with Sarabi "Hey, Mom, hey, Dad." Simba said in a depressed tone "You're still feeling troubled about the deal that Luna brought?" Sarabi asked "It's more than that, if I accept the deal, I'll run the risk of you guys being used against me by Celestia so she can use me to keep her so-called order." Simba answered "We won't let that happen, Simba, you know better that your old man can still fight and break backs, Simba, you know that your mother protects me from making an ass out myself but I'm proud of what you did back at New York." Mufasa said proudly "For what, nearly killing Celestia?" Simba asked "For standing up and reading your true responsibilities like a real man and I can still feel the pain that you're suffering, even if Celestia trying to get you back to Equestria was caused by fear, it doesn't excuse the fact that she threatened our family, there's an old saying, two wrongs never make a right, something Celestia wouldn't understand." Mufasa answered, Simba thought about this, he knew that his parents are strong fighters and he knew that he'll have support of Luna and probably Discord if things go wrong, Simba grabbed his PDA and called Alex "Hey, Alex, it's me, listen we got ourselves a legit deal and I need your help, if we help Luna, she'll promise that whatever the shit that we're dealing with Celestia will be cleaned up, don't do it for Equestria, do it for the biomass." Simba said "Alright, I'm in." Alex said through the PDA "Thanks" Simba said as he hung up "That was fast, even for him." Sarabi said in surprise "You sure you can take care of everything while I'm gone?" Simba asked to which Sarabi hugged her son "It'll be okay, sweetie." Sarabi answered "Alright, I'll accept the deal, just as long as our family is safe." Simba said as he returned the hug "Let's head back inside, and tell Luna that we accept the deal." Mufasa said as he Sarabi and Simba walked back to the mansion. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 36: Returning to Equestria with anger part one | Inside the mansion
Simba got back inside with his parents in tow and he sat down on the couch "So, do you accept our deal?" Luna asked "Yeah, but on one condition, I run the show my way and I'm having Kovu and Alex help out and make sure that Celestia doesn't fuck with us, I have a lot of fucking problems with authority that betrays me." Simba answered, Luna was scared that if Celestia would make a wrong move that it'll the last thing she'll ever do "Deal, welcome back, Simba." Luna said as she hugged Simba "Are you sure that you're not tricking us?" Nala asked "I'm not like my sister, I'm a mare of my word." Luna answered "Alright, Fluttershy, go get Kovu." Simba ordered as Fluttershy went to get Kovu "Are you sure you want to go there?" Nala asked " Wouldn't be the first time." Simba answered, then Nala kissed him on the lips "Just be careful, okay?" Nala said in worry "I will." Simba said, then he turned to the ponies "Luna, get the portal ready, it seems that Celestia has a lot of explaining to do." Simba ordered "I'll get to it." Luna said as she got outside.
Canterlot castle throne room, eight hours later
Celestia was looking at the reports of Equestria's casualty count while dealing with the diplomats until Luna, the main 6, Spike, and Cadence came in, Celestia saw that they have brought Simba with them which caused her to smile but her smile faded away when she saw Alex and Kovu with him, Simba was not happy to see Celestia after what she done to him as he, Alex, and Kovu didn't bow down as the five members of the main 6 did, instead they crossed their arms and stood there "Alright, we're here, what's the fucking problem?" Simba asked, everyone except Kovu and Alex gasped at what Simba said, one of the guards got mad and drawn his sword at Simba "Show some respect to the princess of Equestria!" the guard shouted only to get decapitate by Simba, everyone except Kovu and Alex were shocked at what Simba has done "You see, this is the reason why I'd refused to help Equestria, it's because of ponies like them, Zira was right, ponies should not be the dominant species of this world but nether should tyrants should rule the world, now thanks to your arrogant behavior you shown to my family, I now know the truth, I know the truth that you manipulated me since the time I met you and now I'm pretty sure that everything you ever told me was a lie." Simba said as he walked up to the throne that Celestia was sitting "Simba, everything I said about you is true, I'm not lying!" Celestia said desperately "Why should I believe you?" Simba asked "Because I realized now that the real monster was myself, it's because of me that I once lost my sister and now I lost my husband, Equestria's now destroying me from the inside out and it's robbing me from having a normal life, I lost everything because of my title and I just want to abandoned it just for you." Celestia answered, Simba didn't know how to respond, Celestia was trying desperately to convince that she wasn't lying, then one of the guards attacked one of the diplomats and sucked the love out of everyone except for Alex and revealed herself to be Queen Chrysalis "Did somepony missed me?" Chrysalis taunted "What the fuck? I killed you!!" Kovu shouted as he charged in but Chrysalis launched a magic beam at him, knocking him back, Simba used his whipfist to grab Chrysalis by the neck and pulled her down, Chrysalis got back up and saw the giant six foot seven 450 pound lion "Another captain of the royal guard, I did have my experience of charming those with higher ranks like Shining Armor for example." Chrysalis said arrogantly "Bitch boy was a disgrace to his rank and another lamb to Zira's slaughterhouse." Simba said in anger "I don't understand why you would save those ponies, they're nothing but grub." Chrysalis said arrogantly "I'm not doing this for the ponies, I'm doing this for the pleasure of killing." Simba said as he summoned his blade and got ready for the fight.
Pride Lands
"He went where?" Kion asked "He went to Equestria to help Luna." Sarabi answered "I need to prep up to go there, because I got some new toys I wanna play with." Kion said as he went back to his room, once he was in his room, he saw Jasiri laying on the bed "You're back early." Jasiri said as she sat up "Yeah, I just found out that Dad went to Equestria with Kovu and Alex, and I'm gonna check and see that portal is still open." Kion said as he took off his eye mask and check on his scars "How are your scars." Jasiri asked "They're fine, I didn't had an episode since Celestia tried to censored me." Kion answered, then he went to the closest and grabbed his eskrima sticks "Have you managed to call Madoa?" Kion asked "Yeah, I did, and you're not gonna believe this but Madoa got a call from someone to meet them in the Outlands, saying that they have positive intel on a secret portal, and they said that we should come as well." Jasiri answered, then Kion grabbed two custom M9 handguns with infinite rounds and a Chicago style Thompson sub machine gun with a magic drum fitted with infinite rounds "What's with the artillery, babe?" Jasiri asked "It's not gonna be easy, Jasiri, because Canterlot castle is heavily guarded and we don't know who the contact is." Kion answered "Kion, I've managed to get to you when you were in the guest room so we can get to your father, trust me." Jasiri said as she kissed him on the lips "Alright, but you can never be too careful, let's go." Kion said as he and Jasiri headed to the Outlands.
Outlands, a few minutes later
Kion and Jasiri met Madoa near a cave and they found out that she wasn't alone "Madoa who called you?" Jasiri asked "You're not gonna believe this but--" Madoa tried to say but she was interrupted "I brought you guys here." a tough voice said, Kion turned around and saw Janja, Kion grabbed his gun but Janja put his paws up "You don't wanna do that." Janja said as he grabbed his phone "What are you doing here, Janja?" Kion asked "I'm here to show you that the secret portal is in this cave, some magic nerd was fucking around with it and forgot to close it." Janja answered "And into a trap." Kion said suspiciously "Kion, let him explain, he might have a reason to help us." Jasiri said as she put her paw on Kion's shoulder "That old goat, Grogar or whatever the fuck his name is is trying to enter earth and he's using those monsters to start World War 3, he wants to control both worlds." Janja explained "Why are you helping us, what's in it for you?" Kion asked "That old bastard killed my furbrained friends and I want him in the ground just as much as those idiot ponies do." Janja answered "Alright, Janja, lead the way." Kion said as he and the three hyenas got inside the cave and went through the portal.
Canterlot city
Kion and the three hyenas got to the streets and saw that it didn't looked like anything bad is happening, the rich class ponies were giving out disgust looks at Kion and the three hyenas, Janja got pissed as he grabbed the Tommy gun and aimed at the snobs but Kion tackled Janja and the gun fired, the ponies ran for their lives as Kion wrestled the gun away from Janja "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Kion shouted "Come on, you wanted to do the same thing, those fuckheads were being racist!" Janja argued "Boys, focus, we got to get to the castle." Jasiri said as she broke the two apart "Where's the castle?" Madoa asked "Just follow me and I'll get us to the castle." Kion answered as he and the hyenas headed to the castle.
Canterlot castle throne room
Simba was performing a blade frenzy and doing slashing combos on Chrysalis as the changeling queen was having a hard time overpowering the red manned lion, then Simba dismissed his blade, grabbed Chrysalis by the mane and started punching the shit outta her, she tried to fight back but Simba grabbed her left arm and tear it off, Chrysalis screamed in pain as she tried to run away but as the doors opened revealing to be Kion and the three hyenas, Chrysalis shot a magic beam at them but they ducked, giving Chrysalis an opening as she flew out of the throne room, Janja grabbed the Tommy gun and started firing at Chrysalis but she'd gotten away "Is anyone hurt?" Kion asked "Nope, I'm good." Jasiri answered "I'm okay, babe." Madoa answered also as Janja shook his head and Kion and the three hyenas got up, then Kion got inside the throne room "What the hell happened here?" Kion asked "Chrysalis drained us from some of our love, but we can still walk." Luna answered "A cockroach that feeds on love? Finally something to exterminate." Janja said, coming to the room with Jasiri and Madoa "Janja." Twilight said with venom as she charged up her horn, Janja pointed the Tommy gun at Twilight "Who the hell are you and how did you know my name?" Janja asked "The video tape that Cadence showed me, you aided Zira into killing my brother!" Twilight answered "That sack of shit made it personal when he tortured me, so, he got what was coming to him!" Janja argued "Back off, Twilight!" Kion shouted "You're taking that freak's side after what he did to my brother, you disgusting--" Twilight tried to say but was interrupted when Kion grabbed his own gun and fired at the ceiling "Finish that sentence and it'll be the last thing that you'll ever say." Kion growled as he pointed the gun at Twilight's temple "Twilight, go take our diplomatic guests to the guest rooms, they're be safer there." Celestia ordered to which Twilight obeyed and took the diplomats to the guest rooms, Kion decocked his gun and put it in the holster "How did you get here, Kion, the portal mirror was closed?" Celestia asked "Janja found a secret portal to Canterlot, it was probably caused by one of your students." Kion answered "And why did you bring that ruffian with you?" Rarity asked "Because my friends were killed by that old goat so I decided to join in!" Janja answered angrily "Do you realize that he's responsible for killing a few of my guards?" Celestia argued "How bad do you want to save your pathetic ponies?" Kion said as he glared at Celestia, Alex was grinning like a maniac, he liked Kion's no bullshit attitude "He's right, Celestia, if we're gonna succeed, we need some help." Simba said, agreeing to Kion's plan "All I know is that Grogar is deploying his monsters in Applelosa and Fillydelphia." Celestia said as she pulled out a map "We'll take Applelosa, Princess." Applejack said as she pulled Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash close to her "Not alone, we're coming with." Kion said as the hyenas nodded "Me working together with yer hyena friends, not gonna happen." Applejack said, not liking the team up "You don't have a choice, Applejack, you're gonna need help from the hyenas." Kovu said reasonably "And if you run into some trouble, you're gonna need some help with those who have been fighting for their entire childhood." Simba said reasonably "We're not asking permission." Janja said in anger "Fine, but you better stay outta trouble or I'll give y'all trouble." Applejack said in a threatening tone "I'm guessing that we'll go to Fillydelphia then." Rarity said as she pulled Simba and Pinkie close to her "Uhh, you're gonna need our help with this one." Alex said as he and Kovu joined up "Here, all of you need the maps to get to your location." Celestia said as she gave the two teams the maps "Alright, let's head to our respective locations." Simba said as the two teams headed out to the marked locations.
Kion's POV, Sweet Apple Acres
Kion and the three hyenas had followed the three members of the main 6 to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack got inside the house to get something, Fluttershy notice that Kion was a little quiet "Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked "Well, of course he's okay, he's a cool kid." Rainbow Dash said, this caused Jasiri and Madoa to get angry "What the fuck do you know about Kion?!" Madoa said angrily "I know that he's a cool kid and he should hang out with the fastest Pegasus in Equestria, which is me!" Rainbow Dash said arrogantly "First of all, Kion's mine, bitch, and he'll never hang out with someone who is pathetic, egominded, arrogant, shallow, and weak minded loser who lost to a platinum hearted pony like Fluttershy, Kion's more mature than you and would not waist his time to hang out with a loser bitch like YOU!!" Jasiri said in anger,(A/N Rainbow Dash is just like the Scout from TF2, a complete loser.) Rainbow Dash flew away in tears from Jasiri's rant "Asante, you two." Kion said as Jasiri and Madoa hugged him, Janja had his jaw dropped at what he saw while Fluttershy blushed, then Applejack got outside with some keys in hand "Alright, everypony, follow me to the barn." Applejack said as the team followed her "Wait a minute, where Rainbow?" Applejack asked "She abandoned the team because of her ego." Kion answered, when they got to the barn, Applejack opened the giant door, revealing to be a red pickup truck with a camper in the trunk "Huh, and I thought it was gonna be the dukes of hazard car." Janja said in a joking manner "Where did you get this?" Kion asked "It was my pa's, he and I used tah go camping back when I was a filly." Applejack answered, Janja got into the passenger side while Kion, Jasiri, Fluttershy, and Madoa got inside the camper, Applejack turned on the truck and started driving to the road to Applelosa.
Applelosa, five hours later
The truck had made it to Applelosa and they found out that nothing is going on just yet "I realized that Kion and the girls are awfully quiet." Applejack said as she was looking for a spot to park "I think Kion's just exhausted from having a foursome." Janja said in a joking manner "They better not--" Applejack tried to say but was interrupted "It's just a joke, come on, he wouldn't do that in a truck." Janja said defensively, finally Applejack parked her truck and got out to let Kion and the girls out, only to find out that Kion had been sleeping on the bed by the time that they left the farm "You slept good, sugarcube?" Applejack asked "Yeah, since we got a lot of work to do, I needed some rest." Kion answered "Never a dull opportunity." Madoa said as they got out of the camper "I'm gonna go into one of the markets and see if they have a bathroom." Janja said as he got into one of the markets.
Janja's POV
Janja had found a bathroom and was relieving himself in on of the bathroom stalls, as he was done he saw a writing on the stall side and read it out loud ""By being in this stall on June 23, 1:16 PM, you agreed to be consensually pummeled in da butt" what the fuck?!" Janja said as he zipped his pants and got out of the stall, then he went to the sinks and washed his paws with soap, Janja looked at himself in the mirror, he was wearing a dark red shirt with a black vest on top of the shirt, dark blue pants with a chain in the right pocket, and black rocker style boots "Damn, I stand out like a priest in a porno in this town." Janja said in a joking manner, he then got to paper towel dispenser, dryed his paws, and got out of the bathroom.
Kion's POV
Kion was looking at the map with Jasiri and Madoa, they found out that the monsters were being deployed in the canyons outside of town "I think they're trying to deploy the monsters in the canyons so they can catch the ponies off guard." Kion said suspiciously "It could be possible and this town possibly feels like we're living in the late 1800s." Madoa said, then Janja came out of one of the markets to see that Applejack was looking for someone or something, he ignored it and went to the rest of the team "Where are we going?" Janja asked "We're heading for the canyons outside of town." Jasiri answered "Let's get Applejack and head to this location, move it." Kion ordered "Yes, sir, drill instructor cub." Janja obeyed as the three girls got into the camper while Kion and Janja were still outside "Yo, A.J., get your apple farming ass inside the truck, we're going to the canyons!" Janja said as he climbed into the camper "Dick." Kion said as he and Applejack got into the truck and drove to the canyons. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 37: Returning to Equestria with anger part two | Applelosa canyons, two minutes later
Applejack drove to the edge of the canyons and found out that it was swarming with monsters "Well, ah be, there's an acre ton of monsters around these canyons." Applejack said in amazement, then Fluttershy and the hyenas got out of the camper and Kion and Applejack got out of the truck "So, how do we do this?" Applejack asked, Kion looked at the intel and found something he didn't like "You guys are not gonna like this, but they want us to place the bombs inside the canyons." Kion answered "What? That's suicide!" Madoa said outraged "And for what? I knew those ponies, especially Kion's stepmother was sending us to the meat grinder just so they can have all of the glory!" Janja said in anger "Celestia's not my stepmother, not anymore." Kion said, not wanting to think about Celestia "Why would the princess send us to do this?" Fluttershy asked "It's because Celestia's a pathetic coward who would never fight her own battles!" Kion answered angrily, then he walked away from the team "Kion, wait!" Jasiri said as she went after Kion "Kion, there's gotta be another way, we don't have to do everything that has to be listed." Jasiri said, Kion thought about it and saw that the edges had sharp rocks "We could place the explosives on the edges of the canyons, there's sharp rocks on the edges and they can cause serious damage." Kion said as he and Jasiri returned to the team "So, how are we gonna do this?" Janja asked "We're gonna place the explosives on the edges of the canyons because the sharp rocks could cause serious damage to the monsters." Kion answered "No way, we should do what tha princess wrote down." Applejack argued "Fuck that!" Janja shouted "I don't give a flying fuck on what Celestia wrote down, let's put the explosives on the edges of the canyons!" Kion ordered as they started to put the explosives on the edge of the canyons, as they got finished, Fluttershy and the hyenas got into the camper and Kion and Applejack got into the truck to move away from the edges of the canyons, when they got enough distance, the team got out of the truck and Janja hit the detonator and then, dozens of explosions destroyed the edges of the canyons, killing all of the monsters, Janja was laughing like a maniac while Kion, Jasiri, and Madoa rolled their eyes in amusement until the earth started to shake.
"Tell me that was an earthquake." Janja said, then something came out of the rubble, revealing to be a giant sasquatch, the hyenas whimpered at the sight, the sasquatch roared in rage as it came out of the canyons, everyone except Kion screamed in fear as the whole team ran to the truck, Janja got to the driver side of the truck while Kion attached himself to to the left side of the camper with his retractable claws and the girls got inside of the camper as they drove away from the rampaging sasquatch, Jasiri opened the door of the camper as she and Madoa started using the handguns that Kion gave to them to shoot down the sasquatch but it wasn't working "Oh, Jesus, this is not good!" Jasiri said, scared for everyone's lives "Hevi kabisa, how the hell did it survive the explosives?!" Kion said to himself, then they managed to get to the road to town "Holy fuck! I can get out and run faster than this!" Janja said in frustration "Janja, put her in gear!" Kion ordered "I don't know how to drive a manual!" Janja complained "Go and shift the bloody stick up one by one until you get to fourth!" Kion instructed "There's no numbers on this thing! All I know is stop and go and this thing ain't going!" Janja complained "Ugh, just stand aside!" Kion said as he climbed to the driver side of the truck, Janja moved aside as Kion started driving properly, he shifted to gear two which caused the truck to gain speed, he looked at the mirror and saw that the sasquatch was gaining on them, so Kion shifted to gear three, then when the truck got up to speed, he shifted to gear four, then he opened the back window "Jasiri, do we still have any more explosives?!" Kion asked "Just one but the detonator is broken on it and it won't fit into Madoa's grenade launcher!" Jasiri answered, then Janja pulled something out of his pocket "Here, will this work?" Janja said as gave Kion a squeeze tube which read anal lube "What the bloody hell is this?!" Kion asked "Just use it!" Janja said as Kion passed the squeeze tube to Jasiri "What the bloody hell is this?!" Jasiri asked "Just use it!" both Kion and Janja said as Jasiri used the squeeze tube on the explosive and Madoa loaded in her grenade launcher "Locked and loaded, Kion, ready on your mark!" Madoa said, Kion saw that they were heading for town, the sasquatch was causing chaos throughout the town as Kion parked the truck as he, Jasiri, and Madoa got out of the truck, Jasiri gave Kion his gun back and Kion aimed at the sasquatch "Now, Madoa, now!" Kion said as Madoa launched the explosive at the sasquatch, by the time that the explosive got near the sasquatch, Kion fired his gun at the moving explosive and it hit, causing the bomb to explode, killing the sasquatch in the process, the rest of the team got out of the truck and saw the now dead sasquatch in the middle of town "We did it!" Madoa said happily, then they saw a bunch of ponies blaming them for the town attack "What the fuck, we saved them!" Jasiri said outraged, then the ponies of Applelosa tried to charge in but Janja prevented this "Suck my dick!" Janja said as he grabbed the Tommy gun and started firing at the ungrateful ponies "We saved your lives and this is how you thank us?!" Janja said as the ponies ran away, Applejack tackled Janja and wrestles the gun away from him "What were you thinking, are you trying to kill them?!" Applejack shouted "Those assholes got what was coming to them!" Janja argued "What matters is that we did our job, let's head back to Canterlot." Kion said as he and Applejack got into the truck while Jasiri and Madoa helped Fluttershy into the camper while Janja followed in.
Canterlot, seven hours later
When the team got to Canterlot Kion got a call from his father warning him to not trust Celestia and having suspicions that Celestia wants to get rid of them, when they got out of the truck and went to the throne room, they found out that Celestia was not happy about the results of their mission "Explain yourselves!" Celestia ordered "For what?" Janja asked "For disobeying me and not doing the mission as I planned." Celestia answered "We completed the mission by killing all the monsters, how about you show some gratitude." Jasiri argued "You killed a lot of innocent ponies with that stunt that you pulled!" Celestia said outraged "Princess, I tried to tell them to do the mission exactly as planned but they wouldn't listen to me!" Applejack said, blaming on the team "You fucking redneck traitor!" Janja shouted in anger "It's your damn fault that the mission didn't go exactly as you expected, maybe you should stop treating us exotics like nothing but expendable soldiers and help us fight these monsters without increasing casualties on us and the civilians!" Jasiri shouted in anger "Hold your tongue, child!" Celestia said as she stood up from her throne "I'm not a child, all I'm asking is for you to be grateful for what we did and give us a reward for risking our own lives just to keep this world safe!" Jasiri said, then Celestia shot a powerful magic beam at Jasiri, knocking her to a wall and severely burning her "Jasiri!" Madoa shouted in worry as she aided her now badly burnt sister.
Kion now felt hatred in his heart as his eyes changed from amber to crimson, he summoned his wings and attacked Celestia but he got tossed away by Celestia's telekinesis (Imagine the Slade fights from Teen Titans.) "You're out of your league, Kion!" Celestia said with determination "The fuck I am!" Kion growled as he punched Celestia in the face and delivered a low punch to her stomach, then he delivered an elbow strike on her back and slammed her to the ground "You ungrateful bastard!" Celestia said as she used her magic beam to try to burn him but Kion and delivered rapid kicks at Celestia, knocking her back "Fluttershy, take the hyenas and get outta here!" Kion ordered as Fluttershy grabbed Jasiri and lead the hyenas out of the throne room, Applejack ran away in fear as Kion used his retractable claws to scratch Celestia in the face, Celestia recovered and got back up "You're going to wish you hadn't done that." Celestia said in anger "I only wish I've done it sooner." Kion growled in anger as he discarded the mission map, Celestia charge in and tried to deliver rapid punches at Kion but he dodged and blocked all of her punches, then Celestia did a leg sweep, tripping him, and she grabbed Kion and slammed him to the wall "I showed you friendship and harmony, tried to become your mother, all my knowledge, all my teachings but all you cared about is your worthless, little hyena girlfriend!" Celestia said arrogantly "SHE'S NOT WORTHLESS!!" Kion roared as sliced Celestia in the stomach with his retractable claws "You didn't teach me shit!" Kion growled as Celestia tried to block Kion's attack but she got scratched on the arm "AND YOU'LL NEVER BE MY MOTHER!!" Kion roared as he delivered a reverse roundhouse on Celestia's face, then five guards came in with weapons drawn "Take him out!" Celestia ordered as one of the guards tried to attack but Kion broke the guard's knee and snapped his neck, he grabbed the dead guard's sword and decapitate three guards, he blocked and broke a guard mare's sword and stabbed his own sword on the mare's leg, then he removed the guard mare's helmet and slit her throat with his retractable claws, after killing the guards, Kion ran out of the throne room and got outside until he was hit by a golden magic beam, Kion recovered and saw that Celestia came out with her halberd in hand "You didn't think I was gonna let you go that easily, did you?" Celestia said as she launched a magic beam at Kion but he dodged it "I wasn't trying to, I'm just finding an appropriate environment to shove my hind paw up your ass." Kion said as he equipped his eskrima stick and striked at Celestia with the stick, Celestia started swinging her halberd at Kion but he dodged it and blocked the halberd with his arm guards, then he snapped the blade of the halberd with the sword breakers on his arm guards, Celestia discarded the now broken halberd and kicked him in the chest, then she grabbed him with her telekinesis and slammed him repeatedly to the ground, giving him serious injuries and damaging his Nightwing outfit "I'm disappointed, Kion, you would've made a great guard and protector for Equestria, and all you need is some motivation." Celestia said as she charged up her magic "Motivate this!" Kion roared as he delivered a lion style uppercut at Celestia's chest, (A lion style uppercut is were a lion uses his or her retractable claws in an uppercut fashion.) Celestia screamed in pain as Kion used a a combination of his retractable claws and eskrima stick to scratch, smack, and electrocute her (Yes, Kion did wired his eskrima sticks with 50,000 volt tasers.) Kion delivered rapid punches at Celestia's face, still getting angrier and angrier as Celestia was counterattacking him with knee strikes, swift kicks, and pushing him with her telekinesis, Kion tried to get up and summoned his blade but Celestia grabbed him with her telekinesis and slammed him across the buildings repeatedly and then slammed him to the ground, causing him to dismissed his blade, Kion tried to get up but Celestia stomped on his chest, pinning him down "For someone who isn't a pony, you sure are hard to get rid of." Celestia taunted "There's no fucking way in God's green earth I'm LOSING TO A COWARD LIKE YOU!!" Kion roared as he fired his own magic beam at Celestia's face, she screamed in pain as Kion kept firing the magic beam, trying to incinerate Celestia for what she did to Jasiri "JUST DIE ALREADY!!!!" Kion roared as he flew in and started beating the ever living shit out of Celestia to the point that she couldn't fight anymore, after he delivered the final blow in the form of cutting her face with his retractable claws, Kion calmed himself down and found out that the ponies in Canterlot were watching the whole fight and they were scared, Kion looked at his fingerless gloved paws and saw that they were covered in blood "Hevi kabisa." Kion whispered, then he felt his adrenaline go away and due to how much damage he took, he collapsed on the floor, the last thing he saw before he passed out was a blue alicorn picking him up and flying away from Canterlot.
Unknown location, several minutes later
Kion started to wake up and saw that not only Jasiri was here but Luna and the rest of the team as well "Jasiri? Luna?" Kion said as he sat up "Are you okay?" Kion asked "I'm fine, sweetie, asante." Jasiri answered "I couldn't let you get burned, I had to do something." Kion said as Jasiri sat on his lap "You took a beating from the fight, Kion, I'm surprised that you were able to last that long." Luna said as she checked on Kion "Well of course he's fine, Luna, he's Simba's kid after all." Discord said as he joined up "Who are you?" Kion asked "Kion, this is Discord, the spirit of chaos." Luna answered "I must say, you killing a giant sasquatch and holding your ground against a Celestia clone was so badass." Discord said in excitement "Wait, that wasn't the real Celestia that I was fighting?" Kion said confusedly "I guess I a lot to explain." Luna said as she grabbed some intel on something that the team would be interested in.
Fillydelphia
Simba and his team were looking for the monsters as they followed the map to an abandoned doll factory, however, Kovu was not thrilled to go in there as he was scared of dolls, when they entered the factory, the team was now looking for the horde of monsters "Alright, everyone, let's split up and look for the monsters." Simba said as everyone split up and started looking for the monsters except Kovu who was too scared to go deeper in the factory "I can't believe I'm in a factory surrounded by demonic dolls." Kovu whimpered, then suddenly, Pinkie pop out with a doll in hand, scaring the shit out of Kovu as he screamed like a girl and jumped up to the ceiling and held onto it for dear life with his retractable claws (Imagine if how a cartoon cat grabs a ceiling when they get scared.) Pinkie was laughing her ass off as the team went back to where Kovu was only to find him on the ceiling "What did you do, Pinkie?" Simba asked "I managed to scare him with one of the dolls that I found on the floor." Pinkie answered, laughing as if she didn't do anything wrong "Fuck you, Pinkie, you're a bitch!" Kovu said as he slid down on one of the pillars "Pinkie, it's not the time to pull mean pranks." Rarity said in disappointment "Let's just follow the plan and, Kovu, wait for us outside." Simba ordered to which Kovu ran outside, not wanting to be in the factory anymore, the team now started to look for the monsters inside the factory while Simba was trying to hold his laugh from how funny it is to see Kovu scared. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 38: Janja jacks a car (Kion x Jasiri sexy time) | Unknown safe house
Kion had heard from Luna that the Celestia that he was fighting was a clone created by Zira and Chrysalis and the real Celestia was here "You know, you're just like your father, always wanting to protect those that you love." Jasiri said as she kissed Kion on the lips "Get a shower, you two." Janja said to which everyone looked at him "What, you never heard of two lovers having sex in the shower?" Janja explained "How do you know about making love?" Madoa asked "Blame Hollywood." Janja answered "Janja's got a point we both need a shower." Kion said as he and Jasiri went upstairs to the bathroom "I wish I had a saxophone." Janja said, getting everyone's attention "And why is that." Luna asked "Just so I can play a sexy song." Janja answered "You'll just come off like a douchebag." Madoa said as she laughed.
Kion's POV
Kion and Jasiri undressed themselves but Jasiri helped Kion out of his kevlar armor and saw the already healing burn marks on his chest "They're starting to heal, Thank God." Jasiri said as she checked for anymore wounds "I'll be okay, the wounds aren't that severe." Kion said as he got into the shower "Don't lie to me, you took a lot of damage just to protect me and kevlar armor can only do so much against magic." Jasiri said as she got into the shower and turned it on "You're probably right, but it doesn't stop me from fighting." Kion said as the water washed the blood away "I know." Jasiri said as she started making out with him, Kion moved his paws towards her lower back and butt and pulled her close to him, then he started kissing Jasiri in the neck as she moaned in pleasure from the touch of his lips "Kion..." Jasiri moaned as Kion started licking her neck "Take me." Jasiri said as Kion turned her around and pinned her against the wall "Remember the first time we did this?" Kion asked "I do." Jasiri answered, Kion lined up his member to Jasiri's entrance and thrust inside of her, Jasiri moaned in pleasure as Kion started thrusting inside of her, Kion wanted to be gentle so he didn't hurt her "Ahh, that feels good." Jasiri whispered, then Kion started nibbling her right ear while he kept gently thrusting inside her, Kion then grabbed Jasiri's right leg, causing her to stand on one hind paw "Harder, Kion." Jasiri begged, Kion obeyed as he started thrusting harder, causing her toes to curl as Kion rest his head on her right shoulder, Jasiri rolled up her eyes in pleasure as Kion kept on humping her for about five hours until he reached his limit "Jasiri, I can't hold it--" Kion tried to say but was interrupted when Jasiri kissed him "let it out inside me, baby." Jasiri said as both she and Kion climaxed, then Kion let go of Jasiri's right leg and moved his arms on her E cupped breasts and her belly "How was it?" Kion asked "It was wonderful, Kion, you're a natural." Jasiri answered, then Jasiri started whistling like a bird, Kion was surprised at this, he knew Jasiri ever since he met her when he was younger and to hear her whistling caught him off guard "I didn't know you can whistle." Kion said in surprise "It's one of my specialties outside of my laugh." Jasiri said proudly "Where did you learn to whistle like that." Kion asked "My mother used to surround herself with a lot of birds when I was little." Jasiri answered, Kion remembered hearing about Jasiri's mother died from a tragic accident "You think we should clean ourselves up?" Jasiri asked "Yeah." Kion answered, then he pulled out of Jasiri as she and Kion clean themselves up as they let the water rain down on them and washed them clean, as they got cleaned, Kion turned off the shower and he and Jasiri got out of the shower "I don't know about you but it sucks that we don't have an extra pair of clothes." Jasiri said as she grabbed two towels to dry herself and gave one to Kion "Yeah, and Rarity's with my dad, Alex, and Kovu, so, we got no choice." Kion said as he dried himself with the towel "I'm not complaining but you look sexy in the Nightwing outfit." Jasiri said as she put on her clothes "What can I say, I look like Dick Grayson with red hair." Kion said as he put on his pants and boots "You're right, you do." Jasiri said as she and Kion laughed "let's head downstairs and see what everyone else has planned." Kion said as he and Jasiri went downstairs.
Downstairs of the unknown safe house
Everyone was planning on how to get an expensive looking car to blend in in one of the richest cities in Equestria outside of Canterlot while Janja was eating a bag of beef jerky "Um, Janja, where did you get the beef jerky?" Fluttershy asked "I stole it." Janja answered, everyone except Discord and Madoa gasped at what he said "And why would you go out to steal food?" Celestia asked "Because I didn't live a luxurious life like you do, sunbutt, so, I had to steal just to survive." Janja answered, then Kion and Jasiri came downstairs and joined up with the group "What's the new plan?" Jasiri asked "We're gonna steal my pathetic nephew's car and see if you can blend your way into town, there's only a few small monsters at the abandoned movie studio." Luna answered "That reminds me, where are we?" Jasiri asked "A place similar to Hollywood." Janja answered "Yes, and my nephew has came here a lot to eat at a fancy restaurant downtown." Celestia said also "Why can't yer ask him for the car." Applejack asked "Because he never shares his stuff and acts like a brat." Luna answered "Anyway, who's up for the task?" Celestia asked "Ah never steal in mah life." Applejack said as she shook her head "It's not nice to steal." Fluttershy said, not liking the plan "I can't drive." Spike said as he raised his hands, then the two princesses looked at Janja who was eating his beef jerky "You want me to go to one of the classy restaurants, steal a rich brat's car, and bring it here?" Janja asked to which Celestia and Luna nodded "(scoffs) Hold my jerky." Janja said as he gave his beef jerky to Fluttershy "I'm going with him, just to make sure that he stays outta trouble." Kion said as he put on his kevlar armor "Here, you two are going to need this." Celestia said as she gave Kion a map "Another map, deja vu." Kion said as he took the map "And the good thing about this job is that you don't have to risk your life this time." Luna said, giving out the good news "I'm still mad about you putting our lives in danger." Kion said, pointing at Celestia "I'm sorry, my plans never really work well." Celestia said, feeling ashamed of herself "I wonder why." both Luna and Janja said "You boys are starting to get along together." Jasiri said in a teasing manner "let's just steal the brat's car and show him that you don't fuck with exotics." Janja said as he got out of the house, Kion kissed Jasiri and followed Janja to the fancy restaurant.
Downtown, a few minutes later
Kion and Janja had made it to the fancy restaurant were Celestia's nephew was stopping at when they saw a nice red car coming to the restaurant and a white blonde manned unicorn stallion in a tux came out with a unicorn mare
"Well, looks like you're driving." Janja said which caused Kion to look at him "What are you talking about?" Kion asked "The car that the douchbag is driving is a Ferrari F355 and I'm pretty sure it has a manual gear shifter." Janja answered, then he got to the restaurant and cocked the Tommy gun, when he got close, he found out that the douchebag's name is Prince Blueblood "Hey, jackass!" Janja said, getting the attention of the prince and the mare "Who are you to talk to me like that?" Blueblood said in a snobby tone which sounds like nails on a chalkboard to Janja "I'm the guy that's needs your car for your aunts." Janja said as he pointed the gun at Blueblood "Ugh, I will never give my car to my aunts!" Blueblood said, acting like a brat "You got no choice, faggot!" Janja said as he shot Blueblood in the leg and searched him for the keys, once he got the keys and his wallet, he kicked Blueblood for being a dumbass "I got the keys!" Janja shouted as got inside the passenger side of the Ferrari while Kion got to the driver side, Janja passed the keys to Kion to turn on the car "Punch it, Kion!" Janja said as Kion shifted to gear one and drove away from the restaurant and to the freeway while Janja was giving the finger, flipping Blueblood off as they drove off, Janja was laughing like a maniac as Kion was trying to get to speed, when they reached the the freeway, the adrenaline rush started to kick in.
(The sound of the Ferrari engine)
"How are you feeling?" Kion asked "How am I feeling? We jacked a Ferrari from a rich fuckhead and we're taking this baby out on a joyride, best carjacking ever!" Janja said in excitement "Well, it's about to get more exciting!" Kion said as he stepped on the gas pedal and started shifting gears at the appropriate timing (To anyone who doesn't know how to drive and manual, if you shift the gear too soon or shift to the gear higher or lower than the current one that you are on, you can kill the engine.) "Get the fuck outta my way!!" Kion shouted at the other drivers, Janja stook his head out of the window while Kion was concentrating on driving while acting so pissed at everyone getting in his way "You're driving like a pissed off Brian O'Connor!" Janja said as he laughed "Well I'm pissed off that rich fuckheads are too much of a wimps to drive a car like this!!" Kion shouted as the Ferrari kept on roaring across the freeway, Kion was in the zone where he was concentrating on driving and nothing else, he was steering away from the other slow drivers while Janja was hanging on for dear life due to Kion's aggressive driving, then Kion got to an off ramp and turned to it, exiting the freeway but Kion still kept on driving like a bat out of hell, even Janja was now getting scared of Kion's aggressive driving "We're not in the freeway anymore, Kion, you gotta slow down!" Janja said but Kion didn't listen as he kept on driving.
Outside of unknown safe house
Jasiri and Luna were waiting for Kion and Janja to come back with the car until they found out that Simba's team and Twilight came to the safe house, letting them know that the factory was empty, the team found out that the Celestia that Kion attacked was a clone created by Zira and Chrysalis "Speaking about Kion, where is he?" Rarity asked, then they saw a red Ferrari going through the road that leads to the safe house "Oh no, not him again." Rarity said, knowing who the car belongs to "Trust me, Rarity, it's not Blueblood." Luna said as the car stopped next to the house, reveling to be Kion who parked the car and Janja who was scared shitless "You asked me to drive, Janja, so you should've expected it" Kion said as he got out of the car "And you call me reckless." Janja said as he got out of the car "How did the mission go?" Kion asked "We came out empty in the factory, nothing but demonic dolls." Kovu answered "Did you manage to find any monsters in your end?" Simba asked "Yeah, you can say we got lucky." Kion answered "We just got back from carjacking a fuckhead prince and Kion over here is going to the abandoned movie studio." Janja said as he grabbed the map "The prince that you carjacked doesn't happen to be Blueblood, hasn't it?" Rarity said suspiciously "How did you know?" Janja asked "That ruffian humiliated me at the grand galloping gala." Rarity answered "Well, good thing I shot him in the leg and took this." Janja said as he show them the wallet "And you're not coming with Kion?" Jasiri asked "With his driving? Hell no, with Kion behind the wheel, it can turn to fun and exciting to being just downright scary in just a matter of minutes." Janja answered "I'm gonna go talk to Celestia and see what this bullshit is about." Simba said as he got into the house "I'm riding with you, baby." Jasiri said as she and Kion got inside the Ferrari "Good luck, you're gonna need it." Janja said as the car accelerated "Now how does a car that has a reputation of going fast be unsafe?" Pinkie asked, Janja walked into the house before saying one thing "Stupid ass."
Kion's POV
Kion was driving through the street while Jasiri was following the map to the abandoned movie studio and turned on some music on her phone "Was it true that you scared Janja with your driving?" Jasiri asked "Yeah, I always have an instinct to drive a supercar at it's full potential." Kion answered "How did that instinct form?" Jasiri asked "Back in the academy when I was seven I used to be an expert at go-kart driving, ten years later I never got rusty on my driving." Kion answered, then they saw an on ramp as they approach it "You wanna see how good I can drive?" Kion asked to which Jasiri nodded, Kion smiled as he turned to the on ramp, as they entered the freeway, Kion stepped on the gas pedal and gained more speed to the point he shifted to gear two, as the Ferrari started going from 30 to 50 and hit the high RPM, he shifted to gear three, as he got to the high RPM, he shifted to gear four, as the speed reached to 80 and the RPM got high again, he shifted to gear five, then after the car hit the high RPM, he shifted to the last gear, Kion started steering away from the slow drivers "Hevi kabisa! Move, get the fuck outta my way!!" Kion shouted at the drivers as as the Ferrari roared through the freeway, Jasiri had her eyes closed and let the wind blow through her mane and fur "You're good at driving, babe." Jasiri said as she brushed her mane with her paw "Like I said, I got a knack of driving really fast without getting into an accident." Kion said as he kept on driving "Have you ever driven a car that scares you?" Jasiri asked "No, I had a limited amount of cars back home and none of them scared me." Kion answered "What are you really scared of?" Jasiri asked "Losing love ones, when I thought I was gonna lose my sister, I tried to exterminate all that threatened her, I'll do the same thing if you're in trouble." Kion answered, Jasiri was touched from what Kion said, he would go through hell and back just to save her "Asante, Kion I needed to hear that." Jasiri said as she and Kion smiled at each other, then a green magic beam hit right in front of them, Kion stopped the car and got out, then he saw Queen Chrysalis who landed on the freeway "Ahh, Kiongozi Hasnuu, I've heard a lot about you, you and your hyena friend have a lot of love for each other." Chrysalis said as she summoned her changeling army "Who are you?" Kion asked "I'm Queen Chrysalis, and as queen of the changelings I must gather love in order to feed my subjects, you and your hyena friend have a lot of love for us to feed." Chrysalis answered "You're not taking Jasiri away from me!" Kion said as he exposed his retractable claws "Oh, I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Kiongozi." Chrysalis said arrogantly "Take the hyena!" Chrysalis ordered as the changelings charged in but Kion was ready as he grabbed the sickle arm of one of the changelings and tore it off of the changeling, then he used the sickle arm and his retractable claws to scratch and cut down the changelings that were trying to capture Jasiri "I'm not letting you take her away from me!!" Kion shouted but some of the changelings got to Jasiri as she was desperately trying to fight back "Jasiri!" Kion shouted, then he got stabbed by a bunch of spears and Jasiri got wrapped in a cocoon, then Chrysalis grabbed the cocoon that Jasiri was being held in and called back her army "Now my army can feed!" Chrysalis said as she and the changelings teleported away with Jasiri in the cocoon, Kion pulled out the spears and saw that Jasiri had been taken away from him, he was roaring in rage and punching the freeway with enough force that he broke the pavement, then he started crying, he never cried for petty things due to his sense of maturity but when he lose those he loves, he starts crying for all the good reasons, he was so upset that he failed to protect Jasiri from Chrysalis, now he doesn't know where Chrysalis is due to the fact that she teleported but he did know that one he finds that cockroach and if she had hurt Jasiri, he'll break Chrysalis in two and crush her heart in his paw. |
The Lion Prototype: Apex Predator In Equestria | Chapter 39: Kion hunts down a changeling (Grogar's gladiator match) | Unknown safe house
The group were discussing about how these monsters keep popping up and how to stop them from spreading until the door opened, revealing to be Kion, Madoa ran up to him and hugged him, then she notice that Jasiri was missing "Kion, baby, where's Jasiri?" Madoa asked "She's gone, that cockroach bitch took her!" Kion answered "What cockroach, is she one ugly bug thingy or something?" Pinkie asked "I don't have time to play twenty questions with idiots!" Kion said in rage "Calm down, kiddo, now, does the cockroach happened to be the one I was previously fighting?" Simba asked "To be honest, yeah, only accept that her arm was completely healed." Kion answered "But what about the monsters that are hiding in town?" Twilight asked "You can leave it up to Simba, he's an expert." Spike answered "Where's Alex?" Kion asked "He's exploring the city." Kovu answered "Where are the special weapons that you have?" Kion asked "There in the closet." Celestia answered "Kion you can't use these weapons!" Twilight said as she prevented Kion from going to the closest "And why the fuck not?!" Kion asked "Because we need them to protect Equestria!" Twilight answered "Get outta my way!" Kion said as tried to get to the closet but Twilight pushed him, Simba raised his fist to summoned his blade but Celestia and Kovu prevented him "Look, Kion, even if we know where Chrysalis is, we can't risk Equestria's safety just for one individual, especially if it's a hyena, she's a lost cause!" Twilight said stubbornly "Does it look like I care about Equestria?" Kion whispered "What?" Twilight said confusedly "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT EQUESTRIA?!?!" Kion roared in rage "Kion, watch your--" Twilight tried to say but was interrupted "NO, YOU SHUT UP, BECAUSE I'VE FUCKING HAD IT WITH YOU BEING A PATHETIC COWARD, COMPLAINING ABOUT EQUESTRIA, AND TRYING TO SACRIFICE US EXOTICS JUST SO YOU CAN SAVE THOSE PATHETIC PONIES AND THIS GODFORSAKEN LAND, AND ONE MORE THING, JASIRI IS NEVER A LOST CAUSE, SHE'S WORTH MORE THAN ANYTHING IN YOUR LAND AND YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A BROTHER!!!!" Kion roared in rage as he pushed Twilight away and grabbed the sword that Shining Armor used and a special magic cutting katana "I don't want anyone stopping me from getting Jasiri back." Kion said as he got outside and got into the car "Kion, wait!" Celestia said as she followed Kion "We found out that the hive is in the abandoned movie studio, one of our eyes in the sky found Chrysalis dragging a cocoon and, Kion, when you get there, just be careful." Celestia said as she gave Kion an updated map "Trust me, when I get out of the hive, I'm getting out with Jasiri in my arms." Kion said as he turned on the car and accelerated to a shortcut to the freeway.
Freeway, one minute later
Kion was driving aggressively through the freeway as he was still pissed for losing Jasiri, he started honking the horn and steering away from the slow drivers "Get the fuck outta my way!!" Kion shouted as he steered away from a big rig carrying a trailer of chickens, Kion was pissed beyond belief for obvious reasons, he'd never been pissed off like this in his life but the fact that he lost Jasiri to a bug pony and Twilight was planning to keep all of the weapons to herself and saying that Jasiri was a lost cause got him so angry that he wants to go on a murder spree, Kion still remembered the time he met Jasiri at the fight club.
Outlands fight club, seven years ago
Kion was waiting in his locker and adjusting his dark blue gi until his name was called and he got out to the ring for everyone to see, the crowd cheered for his appearance despite the fact that he was a challenger, then he saw that the other fighters who were badly beaten, Kion smiled as he was finally getting a challenge, when he got to the ring, he saw that the champion who was sitting down, waiting for her turn was a female hyena wearing a black sports bra and shorts, then as the bell rang, he saw his challenger, a chubby hyena wearing a pair of black pants, Kion scoffed at this, not thinking that's a real challenge "What are you supposed to be, the Outlands kingpin?" Kion taunted, the female hyena laughed at the taunt "Begin!" the ref said as Kion punch the hyena but it didn't effect the hyena as he grabbed Kion but before the hyena crush him, Kion gave out a combo of headbutts to break free, the female hyena cringed at the impact as Kion was delivering kicks and open paw strikes but they weren't working, when the hyena tried to grapple Kion again Kion did the splits and punched the hyena in the balls, the hyena squealed in pain as the female hyena was laughing as Kion knocked the chubby hyena down "Are you not entertained?!" Kion taunted "Give me a real challenge!" Kion said, then the female hyena got up and walked to the ring "So, you want a real challenge, huh, Kiongozi?" the female hyena taunted "I'm counting on it." Kion said as he got into his stance "Begin!" the ref said as the female hyena delivered a kick but Kion blocked it, then Kion and the female hyena were punching and blocking at each other, she tried to do gut punches but Kion dodged and did rapid punches at her back, she swung her arm but missed, then Kion striked at her shoulder but she grabbed his paw and pushed her back, the female hyena tried to do a leg sweep but Kion did a back flip and did a open paw strike, knocking her back, the female hyena recovered as she was amazed by how good Kion was with his skills, then the female hyena managed to catch Kion off guard by delivering rapid punches on his chest and a kick to the side, knocking him back as she delivered a flying roundhouse kick to his shoulder.
Kion recovered and got back up "Who are you?" Kion asked "Better." the female hyena answered as she did her own rapid punches and swift kicks, Kion kept up by blocking and counterattacking her blows with his own, the female hyena did a mixture of acrobatics and kicks to make herself difficult to catch but Kion managed to dodge and counterattack by grabbing her hind paw and pulled her close to him, Kion grabbed the female hyena to flip her on her back but instead she landed on her feet, she punched Kion to which he reacted by doing a roundhouse kick but he missed, he tried to do a downward punch but he missed again as the female hyena was dodging his attacks with the combination of her acrobatic skills and kicks, Kion blocked all of her attacks and used a technique that his grandmother taught him which involves pressure point combat, he grabbed the female hyena by the arm and put pressure on the underside of her elbow with his thumb, the female hyena cried in pain as she tried to use her other arm to strike at him but Kion grabbed her other arm and threw her on the ring, the female hyena got up and threw some punches at Kion but he was to quick as he blocked and counterattack by using pressure point combat on her, the female hyena felt her body getting numb and she could barely move, Kion took the opportunity to grapple her and pinned her to the ground, the female hyena struggle to get free "Let me go." the female hyena said as she kept on struggling "Not until I know your name." Kion said as he didn't let go of her "That's it, no bragging or anything, just my name?" the female hyena asked to which Kion shook his head "Jasiri." the female hyena now known as Jasiri said, Kion let her go and stood up "See, wasn't that easy?" Kion said as he leaned on one of the corners "Why are you doing this, why do you want to learn my name?" Jasiri asked "Because you're one of the first hyenas that managed to last a fight against me, all of the other hyenas couldn't stand a chance against me and they bragged about fighting lions and not let their fists do the talking." Kion answered "So, you're saying that I'm a type of rare hyena in your book?" Jasiri asked "I'm saying that you're a special type of hyena in my book." Kion answered, then he jumped out of the ring "If you want to talk more, meet me at Pride Rock!" Kion said as he left the fight club "I will." Jasiri said as she got out of the ring.
Present day
Kion had made it to the abandoned movie studio, he got out of the car and grabbed the magical swords so he can use them against Chrysalis, once he got into the abandoned movie studio, he found a fake colosseum and got inside of it, then he saw that there was a crowd of changelings inside and Chrysalis was sitting in the throne like if she was an empress of Rome "Where's Jasiri?!" Kion shouted "Safe, inside of my hive." Chrysalis answered "You're gonna tell me, either on your own, or after I skullfuck you and drain your memories out the hole!" Kion shouted as he grabbed his sword "So determine, before you can get her, you have to best the monsters that Grogar had created, that is if you can best them." Chrysalis said arrogantly " So, you want me to entertain your horde of cockroaches by killing all of your monsters?" Kion asked "They're not her monsters, they're mine and yes, you will fight them." Grogar answered "First you kidnapped my sister and now you kidnapped Jasiri, what the fuck kind of game are you playing?!" Kion shouted "The kind that guarantees my triumph against Twilight Sparkle and her friends." Grogar answered "If I have to kill them just to get to Jasiri, then send them here!" Kion growled as he charged up Shining Armor's sword, Grogar ordered the changelings inside the ring to open the gates holding what looks like to be seven mutated manticores, as the gates were open, the manticores jumped out and got ready to attack, Kion clipped the katana on his belt and held Shining Armor's sword with both paws, the first manticore tried to maul Kion but he managed to stab the manticore in the neck, killing it instantly, the second and third manticores surrounded Kion and tried to attack him but Kion dodged them and grabbed Shining Armor's sword with his left paw and sliced one of the manticores' scorpion tail, he then use his right paw to equip the katana as the manticores tried to attack Kion again but he sliced one of the manticores' heads off in a scissor fashion and shot a magic blade at one of the manticores, incinerating it in the process, now he was down to four manticores as one of the manticores managed to grabbed Kion and tried to deliver a fatal bite but Kion used his katana to block the bite and sliced the top of the manticore's head, another manticore tried to swipe at Kion but he dodged and shoved Shining Armor's sword inside one of the manticores' mouth and leave it there, the other manticores tried to swipe, sting, and maul at Kion but he cut off one of the manticores' tail and legs and cut another manticore in two, then he impaled the incapacitate manticore and ripped the katana out of the dead body and went berserk on the last manticore, cutting it down in small flesh parts, after seeing all of the manticores dead, he flicked the blood off his katana and turned around with his cape flowing in the wind "What's next?!" Kion shouted, then Grogar had the changelings to open the giant gates holding a mutated ursa major, when the ursa major got out it tried to swipe at Kion but he dodged and fired magic blades at the ursa major, injuring it in the process, then Kion got on top of the ursa major and dragged his katana on it's back, then he sliced the ursa major's arm off and left a scratch on the it's face, the ursa major tried swiping at Kion with it's paw but he dodged out of the way and swung his katana at the ursa major, leaving a gash on it's abdomen, the ursa major managed to swipe at Kion, knocking him back into a wall, then the ursa major charge at Kion but he was ready as he jumped up to the ursa major's head, stabbed it's head and dragged the katana through it's back, killing it instantly, Grogar was impressed at the adolescent cub's fighting spirit and wanted to push things a little further "Are you willing to sacrifice the hunger of my subjects just so he can have his hyena back?" Chrysalis asked "He won't stop until he gets her back." Grogar answered "No, I won't allow it!" Chrysalis said as she teleported to the ring, then Grogar send in a clone of Cozy Glow that he and Zira made into the ring with Chrysalis, Kion was surprised that the brat that he killed was with Chrysalis "Last chance, Chrysalis, where's Jasiri?!" Kion shouted "Oh, I would never give up the chance of feeding my hive for a lion who fell in love with a hyena." Chrysalis said arrogantly "Then I'm gonna exterminate your hive and kill anyone that stands between me and Jasiri!!" Kion roared as he fired a magic blade at Chrysalis and Cozy Glow to which they dodged "Don't be too sure, boy, as queen of the changelings I'm to powerful for a mire child to defeat!" Chrysalis said as she launched a magic beam at Kion but he fired a magic blade at the beam to which they collided, Cozy Glow grabbed one of the swords and charged at Kion but he was ready and clashed swords, then he pushed Cozy Glow back as they started clashing swords at one another, Kion was fighting Cozy Glow with using his sword with only one arm and he was also using his dodging skills to get Cozy Glow out of balance to which she tripped and Kion left a gash on Cozy Glow's face, Chrysalis used her telekinesis to grabbed Kion but he broke free and delivered multiple slashes at Chrysalis and stabbing her in the abdomen, he ripped the katana out of her abdomen and blocked Cozy Glow's oncoming attack, then he cut her wing off and fired a powerful magic blade at her, incapacitating her in the process, then he sliced Chrysalis' legs off and pounced on her "WHERE'S JASIRI?!?!" Kion roared as he punched Chrysalis in the face "No, I will never--" Chrysalis tried to say but was interrupted by Kion as he clawed at her face and grabbed her chest with his claws "WHERE IS SHE?!?!" Kion roared as he tightened his grip and bared his sharp teeth in anger "Agh, okay, okay, the hive is outside of the colosseum next to the merchandise storage and she's in my throne room!" Chrysalis answered as she was coughing up blood, then she passed out in pain, Kion grabbed his katana and sheathed it, then he grabbed Shining Armor's sword from one of dead manticores and ran to the hive.
Changeling hive
Kion got inside the hive and was encountered a swarm of changelings, Kion got the swords ready with Shining Armor's sword on his left paw and the katana on his right paw and ran into battle, as the changelings draw their spears and impaled him, Kion decapitate seven changelings with his katana and and launched a magic beam from Shining Armor's sword, killing at least ten changelings, he ripped the spears out of his body and the wounds began to heal, he sliced one of the changelings heads off in a scissor fashion and he started spinning around and slicing twenty changelings, with a few changelings left, he charged in like a berserker and started fighting his way out and started cutting them down with his magic blades, Kion was getting covered in blood as he sliced and diced his way through the changelings, after killing all of the changelings, he ran to the throne room and saw the cocoon that Jasiri was being held in, he fired a magic blade to cut her out of the cocoon, before she hit the ground, Kion sheathed his swords and catched her as she started to wake up "Kion?" Jasiri said with hope "I'm here Jasiri." Kion said as she kissed her on the lips "Let's get outta here." Kion said as he picked up Jasiri bridal style and ran out of the hive and got to the car, then as he got Jasiri and himself inside the car, he drove off to the safe house.
Safe house, two minutes later
Twilight was recovering from Kion's outburst thanks to Cadence's help while Luna went back to Canterlot to check on the castle, Fluttershy was blushing at how vulgar Kion was to Twilight, then the door opened, revealing to be Kion and Jasiri, Madoa went to her sister and checked on her "Jasiri, are you okay?" Madoa asked "I'm fine, I was unconscious because I felt like my emotions were taken away from me, but Kion made me feel better." Jasiri answered "That's because changelings feed off of love, but whatever Kion did to you must've restored your love, when Chrysalis lost her hive to us, it was caused by one changeling we befriended to reform the hive and exiled Chrysalis, but I want to ask you something, Kion, how many changelings did you kill?" Cadence asked "All of them that got in my way, which was plenty." Kion answered "You shouldn't have used those weapons that you were carrying." Twilight grumbled "If it weren't for those cool toys that I had, I wouldn't be able to save Jasiri on time." Kion argued, then he walked out of the house, not knowing that Simba was following him "Those ponies don't know anything about how much we value each other, all they care about is themselves." Kion said in anger "You're probably right, but it doesn't stop us from caring about each other." Simba said as he joined up with his son "Stop me if I'm getting sensitive but what happened to Rani?" Simba asked "She went M.I.A. for protection against Blackwatch, she believed that the previous leader, Gen. Randall was out to hunt her, I love her as much as Jasiri, so, personally, I'm okay with it as long as she's safe." Kion answered "Yeah, it's not rare to see an exotic to have multiple lovers, I mean look at me with your mother and Tia." Simba said, then Kion remembered something "You still mad at her?" Kion asked "Not anymore, I think she's starting to worry about me than those ponies and besides that bitch slapping from your grandmother made her realized that she made a mistake." Simba answered, then Cadence and Discord came outside looking for something "Kion, do you still have the Amaterasu?" Cadence asked, Kion looked at his side and grabbed his katana "You mean this?" Kion said as he pulled out his katana to which Cadence nodded "Wanna tell me why you're so found with it?" Kion asked "Well, you see, that sword is one of the most powerful magical artifacts in history, not even the most skilled magic users have any chance against those who wield the sword and it looks like you're the perfect welder for it." Discord answered, Kion unsheathed his katana and inspect it "No wonder how I made Chrysalis my bitch, this baby's got a lot of tricks." Kion said as he fired multiple magic blades in the air in a combo fashion and ended it with a giant magic blade, Kion then slowly sheathed his katana and got out of his stance "Yeah, this sword suits me." Kion said as he got back inside "I guess Twilight's not gonna get that sword from him." Discord said as he grabbed some popcorn "Trust me, she'll get mauled by Kion if she'll ever do that." Simba said as he crossed his arms.
Safe house, master bedroom
Kion was sitting down on the bed and inspecting his katana, then he saw Jasiri coming inside the bedroom with Janja in tow "You okay?" Jasiri asked "I'm fine, I'm just getting use to the new sword I got." Kion answered "What about that broadsword that you have on the bed?" Janja asked "That thing is just a normal unicorn guard sword with a few bells and whistles, my katana is the real deal in my new arsenal." Kion answered "Uhh, your katana?" Janja said confusedly "Yeah, ever since I used it, the katana had found a perfect welder in me." Kion answered "So, you're gonna use that sword against those troublemakers? I think that's a good idea I'm not gonna try." Janja said, then Kion light up his katana with his solar magic and lifted it up to his face "You got any better ideas?" Kion said with a grin, Janja shook his head as Kion sheathed his katana "Thought so." Kion said, then Jasiri sat down with him "You're having trouble with those ponies that your dad befriended?" Jasiri asked "Yeah, and Twilight tried to keep me from using these weapons just because she thought that you were a lost cause." Kion answered "What a bitch, I can't believe that Simba befriended these ponies." Janja said as he rolled his eyes "What's wrong with us ponies?" Fluttershy asked, Janja looked and saw that Fluttershy and her friends including Discord, what surprised them is that they brought Rainbow Dash with them "What I'm talking about is that you ponies think that we should fight in your battles while you take all the glory and think of us as expendable soldiers." Janja answered "What makes you think that we'll get all of the glory?" Fluttershy asked "Fluttershy, I don't think--" Discord tried to say but was interrupted "No, what makes you hate us ponies for such absurd reasons?" Fluttershy asked "Absurd reasons? I have perfect reasons why I hate ponies!" Janja argued "Prove me why you hate us!" Applejack said, daring Janja to say his reasons "It's because you betrayed us exotics to a bitch clone of Celestia without a second thought and before you bullshit on me saying that's not true, I got three witnesses that saw the whole thing, honesty is a bitch when it's used on you." Janja said as he pointed at Applejack "You act like you're always generous but instead you only want to be around with those rich jackasses just so you can be popular and you're a drama queen who's too afraid and bitches about getting dirty, also, those fashion designs that you did looks like the most uncomfortable outfits that I've ever seen." Janja said as he pointed at Rarity "How rude." Rarity said as she put her nose up "You never had a sense of self authority and are too scared of doing things that everyone else does, seriously, stop being a bitch and stand up for yourself." Janja said as he pointed at Fluttershy "You're the most annoying pony I've ever met, I mean you always tried to make anyone laugh with your cheap jokes, acting stupid and shit but instead you make me want to beat you in the head with a frying pan, and you shoot at everyone with that cannon that you carry around with you." Janja said as he pointed at Pinkie Pie "You always put this hellhole called Equestria first over anything else, if you really know anything about friendship is that nobody's a lost cause and what do you know about friendship? You're nothing but Celestia's bitch who cares more about ponies than us exotics." Janja said as he pointed at Twilight "Wow, Janja's tearing them a new ass." Jasiri said to Kion "And you, what do I start with you, you tried to hang out with people you think are cool only to find out that those people are too mature for you and you brag about your flying skills and being cooler than anyone else but we know the truth that you're a bigger loser than my dad who's in jail for grand theft auto, I also heard from Jasiri and Madoa that you tried to steal Kion from them just so you can show him off." Janja said as he pointed at Rainbow Dash "You got a problem with me, jerk?" Rainbow Dash taunted "Well the fact that you lost to a shy pony in a boxing match." Janja said, Rainbow Dash tried to punch him but he dodged and bit on her arm, crushing her bones, Rainbow Dash screamed in pain as Janja let go and wiped his muzzle (How many times did Rainbow Dash got hurt?) Applejack kneeled down and aided Rainbow Dash and led her out of the room "Don't fuck with me." Janja said as he crossed his arms "How did you do that?" Twilight asked "2,000 pound bite force and I eat bones like if they're soda crackers." Janja answered "I'm starting to like him." Discord said, then Janja sat on the bed "Janja's got a point, Twilight, it seems that you haven't proved us anything on why we should trust ponies." Jasiri said, agreeing to Janja "And why are you believing him?" Twilight asked "You were planning on leaving me behind and saying I was a lost cause, to be honest, I don't know who the real enemies, you or Zira." Jasiri answered "Janja was right, Jasiri, she was willing to sacrifice you but I didn't let that happen." Kion said as he nuzzled Jasiri.
Grogar's hideout
Grogar and Zira were discussing about the carnage that Kion had caused while Chrysalis was trying to heal herself "This is impossible! How could one child kill all of those monsters and defeat me as well?!" Chrysalis asked "I'm also a kid and he knock me out as well." Cozy Glow complained "It's because he was probably using the legendary sword dubbed the Amaterasu, it must've chosen him as it's primary wielder." Grogar explained "A challenge that I'm looking forward to." Zira said as she walked outside from the hideout "Those three are missing the bigger picture." Zira said as pulled out a vial of the blacklight virus. |
Don't Go Outside... | pre | Welcome...to the herd.
And then...it started to rain.
Twilight sat up with a gasp as thunder crackled and echoed from above, the sounds of torrential rain pattering loudly on the roof. She whipped her head about...noticing that only Carrot Top remained in the living room. She was staring towards coffee table, and had only moved to look over at Twilight and speak in a regular toned voice "Hello."
"H...hi?" Twilight asked, her chest still partially heaving and her lungs out of breath.
"You were having a nightmare" Carrot Top said, looking at her with concern "You alright?"
Twilight nodded after a moment, sliding off the couch and getting to her hooves "Yes...I'm fine."
"Macintosh and the others are in the kitchen...I'm not really hungry" Carrot Top shrugged, leaning back in the reclining chair and sighing. "You go ahead...I'm gonna relax for awhile..."
Twilight nodded again, moving past the chair and out into the main hall. Above, the storm continued to rage and crash about....which made Twilight stop. A...storm? Where did...how did...what!? She galloped to the window down the hall, angling her neck and head in a way that would allow her to look up through the cracks of the boards. The sky was for the most part...black. Rain passed through the shield like it was nothing, pouring down onto the entire town. "How...is that possible?" she whispered in wonder, staring up at the storm.
The weather was managed by the Weather Team...it wasn't natural. No weather was natural...which meant... "We are not alone..." she whispered in awe, moving away from the window and towards the kitchen. As she entered, a shout made her jump slightly
"Twilight!!!!"
Spike rushed over, jumping and hugging Twilight tightly. "Oh Spike!" Twilight whispered, using a hoof to hug him back. "Are you ok?! I missed you so much!"
Spike nodded, his green eyes staring up into hers as he spoke "I'm fine! The storm above is letting us move a little bit more freely and speak louder. When the rain started, all the zombies outside started panicking, they were running all over the place and finally went down the street!"
Twilight chuckled, nuzzling the baby dragon as she said "They're not zombies Spike...zombies don't exist!"
"Well, ya'll are awake ah see." Macintosh said from nearby, drawing Twilight to look up. Big Macintosh, Rarity, even a smiling and waving Catie, were situated at a long wooden table that rested in the center of the room.
"Yes, but...where did this storm come from? Is it from the Weather team? Are we finally getting help!?"
Macintosh frowned for a moment and shook his head, looking across to Rarity and speaking "That's what ah was just tellin' Rarity. The storm's settled outside the little shield thingy, meanin' somepony put it there. It's been stormin' for the past three hours...and doesn't look like it's going to be letting up anytime soon. It seems to be doing the trick and driving away the monsters outside, so we can be at least thankful for that.
"I think it may be more then that..." Carrot Top said from behind Twilight, causing the lavender mare to turn her head and stare towards her.
"What do you mean?" she asked, noticing Carrot Top's mane and her front legs were slightly wet, and that she carried a covered basket in her mouth.
"I went to go check up on the basket that led over to Rose's place. There's a note at the bottom of the basket I found after I sifted through all the apples to make sure they're good....and it's for Twilight." she said, walking forward and placing the basket on the table.
The ponies quickly uncovered the basket, digging through the apples until Twilight found the note "Got it!"
"Well?" Rarity spoke "What's it say?"
Twilight placed the note down on the table and read it...her eyes widening as she took in the few words that were written there. Her body numbed as the words echoed in her brain...her mind imagining them being spoken by the voice of a Pegasus she knew and missed.
There was no mistaking it...she recognized the scrawl, the messy hoof-writing, all of it.
"Twilight, there's no time, I can't keep this up forever! Town Hall, NOW!!!"
~ Rain-Rain
She had created a camouflage for Ponyville...
A temporary escape from the madness...
A furious clashing in the skies with a bit of that 'Rainbow' touch to it.
A Storm. |
Don't Go Outside... | Farm | Rule #6: Keep Yourself Sane.
"The war was always at the very front of our minds...how could we just ignore it?
I regret many things in the thousands of years I have been in existence...but I regret this most of all.
It wasn't enough that we had to wage war with the Gryphons...even though they attacked us first.
No...what I regret is the fact that I agreed to this project...I shouldn't have volunteered this particular subject...
Oh Gods and Goddesses above what have I done?"
- Princess Celestia of Equestria
"Ok this is a really shit idea," Carrot Top growled, staring with an utterly terrified expression towards the front door as the work horse removed the last barrier board holding it in place. Big Macintosh looked away from the door to grimace at Carrot Top as she went on "Wanna know why? Because it's really, OBVIOUSLY, a shit idea!"
"Well if ya'll got any better suggestions, Ah'm all ears." Macintosh grumbled, looking back towards the door and putting a hoof on it "Because as far as ah know, this rain here isn't gonna last forever...and Miss Dash was certainly hell bent on getting us to go to the town hall."
Carrot Top scoffed, looking towards Twilight who carried Spike and Catie on her back, and then to Rarity who stood next to her. "Really!?" she spat "We're really going to trust the note of some random Pegasus making a shit ton of noise, and actually go through with this bullshit plan to, correct me if I'm wrong, run THROUGH THE OPEN STREETS OF PONYVILLE IN THE FUCKING RAIN!?"
Twilight sighed, shaking her head and extending a hoof towards the yellowish-orange mare "Look," she said "I know Rainbow Dash very well, she's one of my best friends. She wouldn't just launch us in some random direction without good reasoning behind it! There must be something at the Town Hall that we need to get or somepony there we need to meet, and with as much noise as this storm is making it'll be the perfect camouflage!"
Rarity nodded, opening her mouth to add in her own two cents "Seems those nasty little monsters outside dislike the rain anyway, didn't you see them scrambling for cover earlier?"
At this, Carrot Top only groaned and waved a hoof about frantically as she said "That's my POINT! That bird-brain up there went and stirred up the fucking hornet's nest! They're all running around out there scared and panicked and what not, what's to stop them from still attacking us!? As far as I can tell the whole 'hunting pattern' thing Macintosh came up with is bullshit now anyway, considering they attacked Twilight here AT NIGHT! How do we know that they won't get used to the rain too!?"
"We don't..." Macintosh muttered, putting a second hoof up on the door and shouting "Which is why we need to move quickly and quietly. Ah can hold off maybe two or three, but speed's gonna be the major factor here. The quickest way to the Town Hall is up the street, past the market square to the right, and straight on towards the Town Hall." He took a few breaths, looking towards the door and back at the group, muttering "Ya'll ready?" After the group nodded Macintosh turned his gaze towards the door, whispering "Alright...one..................two...........THREE!!!"
As Macintosh shoved the door open, the thunderous sounds of the rain echoed in Twilight's ears...her vision brightening and splashing the color of pure white in her eyes.
She had never been more happy to see the beautiful sun...even if it was shrouded behind thick storm clouds, she could still feel its heat. The solid stone beneath made her hooves ache, and she longed to plant them in the soft grass of the outside. The metal doors she had shoved open were now dripping with rain water, wetting the ground as she pushed her cheek up against the concrete wall and took in a breath of fresh air. Behind her, the muffled sounds of ponies screaming and Afflicted screeching reached her ears....the only world that registered in her head being "RUN!"
"Twilight, RUN!!!!" Rarity shrieked as a clap of thunder boomed out overhead. Twilight shook her head quickly, looking around at the buildings that were moving around her.
"W...wha?" Twilight began to say, Spike's voice quickly cutting her off
"Why are you slowing down!? TWILIGHT GO THEY'RE RIGHT BEHIND US!!!"
Twilight turned her head, noticing that they had already moved down the street...and watched as two Afflicted galloped towards her from the rear. Gasping, Twilight turned back forward and dashed forward with as much speed as she could muster while Spike and Catie hung on for dear life. Macintosh galloped past Twilight from the front, turning and kicking out his back hooves as the first of the Afflicted closed in. The Afflicted's head snapped backwards, its neck snapping as the hit connected. The second one screeched and dove towards Macintosh, hoping to get a quick kill. It's wishes were shattered however as Macintosh turned to face the beast, throwing out his front hooves and grasping both sides of the its head. With a flick of his hooves, Macintosh twisted the neck of the second Afflicted and cracked its neck, killing it instantly.
Carrot Top was well in the lead, galloping as fast as she could as Rarity and Twilight struggled to keep up. Twilight's mind was in a flurry of thought as she tried her best to keep Rarity's pace. What just happened? Did she...hallucinate or something? Was she having a vision? If so...where in the hell was she?! "Carrot Top, slow down!" Rarity shouted, her voice barely carrying over the sound of the rain. The mare in front seemed to not hear her, a panicked expression on her face as she pushed her self forward, wanting to get to Town Hall as soon as possible. Of course...being in such a state...somepony's tend to forget the minor details of their surroundings. The positioning of certain buildings or overturned kiosks...the trash that littered the streets...the glint of steel from the opening of an alleyway.
"CARROT TOP!!!" Rarity shrieked as a sword swung out from the alleyway, cutting right through Carrot Top's neck. Rarity and Twilight skidded to a halt, with the lavender mare nearly losing her lunch as she shouted back towards the little ones "Cover your eyes, don't...ugh...don't look!". The two mares stared forward in horror as Carrot Top's head rolled from its body, hitting the muddy streets and rolling away slightly. The body continued to run for a few more seconds before the legs finally gave out from under it, sending the whole form tumbling into the ground. Twilight tried her best to keep it together...but the frozen expression of terror on Carrot Top's decapitated head was too much for Rarity, who promptly lost her lunch and vomited all over the ground in front of her.
"Keep movin'!" Macintosh growled, watching as a staggering Afflicted with a sword clenched in its mouth made its way out of the valley "There's nothin' more we can do fer her! She's dead! GO!" Rarity choked out a sob as the group charged forward, with Big Macintosh taking the lead. He leaned his head down, picking up a stick off the ground with a quick snatching of his teeth. He narrowed his eyes at the approaching monster, mumbling as loudly as he could towards the two mares behind him through the stick "Come up to the left o' me! Don't stop runnin'!"
Twilight and Rarity nodded, galloping up to the left side of Macintosh, the work horse angling his head slightly and going over his move in his head. He'd have to catch it just right...or end up without a head, just like poor Carrot Top. As the Afflicted closed in, Macintosh swung his head upwards, the stick passing smacking the blade upwards and clobbering the Afflicted right up in the chin, clothes-lining it. The diseased pony let out a loud screech as it back-flipped into the ground, landing on its neck and twisting as it went down, dying immediately from a cracked neck.
The three of them banked to the right into the next street, the Town Hall building in sight. "I see it!!!" Rarity shouted, her statement inspiring them to gallop harder and faster.
"Keep goin'!" Macintosh roared "And don't look back!" Of course...her curiosity getting the better of her...Twilight turned her head, looking back behind her. Her pupils shrank as she stared towards the wall of bodies behind her...the forms of at least thirty or so Afflicted running up the street with more and more emerging from nearby buildings or alleyways.
"There's too many!!!" Twilight cried, watching as more and more joined the masses. Macintosh looked back with a large grimace on his face, and planted his hooves in the ground, skidding to a halt. "What are you DOING!?" Twilight cried, watching as Macintosh turned to face the Afflicted, his eyes narrowed in determination.
"Keep going Twi'!" Macintosh barked, his eyes scanning around for an escape alleyway or a street he could use.
Twilight skidded to a halt as well and rushed back as she screamed "Are you out of your mind?! You can't fight them all!"
"Twilight GO! Ah'll catch up! Ah'll meet you later, ah promise!" Macintosh shouted, turning his head towards her.
Twilight shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes as she shouted back "Macintosh don't do this! Please! Forget them, we can outrun them!"
Macintosh shook his head "Yes we can, but they'll just follow us to the Town Hall and swarm it once we get inside! Ah gotta lure em' off! Ah swear to Luna ah'll be back for you!"
The unicorn wouldn't have it though, planting a firm hoof down and letting the tears fall down her cheeks as she cried "Macintosh we've already lost one too many ponies today! I can't lose you too!"
The Afflicted were getting closer and closer, Macintosh's patience wearing thin as he roared towards the lavender mare "Yer not gonna lose me! Ya'll know ah'm tougher then that! Get yer ass MOVING Twi'!" He turned his head to look forward, swearing as The Afflicted let out a unified cry, its horde like echo blaring across the entire town. He turned back to look into Twilight's eyes and shouted, a pained look on his face "Twilight don't ya'll get it!? It's the end of the world! What do we have left except our hearts and our lives?!" Twilight blinked, a surprised expression on her face. What was he talking about? "Ah ain't gonna let these bastards have my life, NOPONY and NOTHING is gonna take that from me...but mah heart...my heart ah can give, give for safe keeping!"
Before Twilight could speak, move, or even breathe, Macintosh pushed his head forward, pushing his lips against Twilight's and kissing her as the thunder crackled and boomed overhead. Though the kiss lasted only for a split second, it felt like an eternity to Twilight, her mind not all too sure if the electricity running through her veins was from the lightning discharges above or from the sudden shock of the moment. "Ah'm comin' back for mah heart!" Macintosh shouted as he pulled his lips away "Take it and go! RUN! RUN, LUNA DAMN IT ALL, RUN!!!"
Twilight stared at him with wide eyes, her hooves carrying her backwards as if they were operating on a mind of their own. Her vision turned away slowly from a determined looking Macintosh and floated over the buildings, moving until they settled on the Town Hall. With as much speed and power as she could muster, Twilight bolted forward with a speed unlike any she had ever thought possible.
Perhaps it was from the Afflicted chasing her...or the adrenaline in her system...or maybe it was just her imagination. But to Twilight...deep in her mind and heart she knew that she ran with the speed that she did...because she not only carried with her the lives of two innocent creatures of Equestria...but also the heart of Big Macintosh, the work horse of Sweet Apple Acres.
The taste of sweet apples lingered on her lips as she charged forward like a mare possessed, the town hall growing larger and large before her. After several moments, Twilight could see the form of Rarity waving at her frantically at her through the torrential rain, ushering her forward quickly. As the lavender unicorn bounded up the stairs, she took a moment to look behind her...back towards the spot where she had left Big Macintosh. It was hard to see at first with all the rain, but what she saw displayed only a clear message to her.
Big Macintosh and The Afflicted were gone. ~*~
The two unicorn's panted as they entered the dimly lit entrance hall of the building, falling to their haunches and heaving for air. The sounds of barriers and wood being replaced clacked loudly behind them, with two voices accompanying it.
"Here you go."
"Thanks."
"Right up there, yeah."
"I got this board, hold this here?"
"Got it...alright that looks secure"
Rarity looked over towards Twilight, wincing as she saw tears streaming down her face. Catie and Spike slid off her back as the lavender mare wept trying her best not to let her pain show but failing miserably. "He'll make it Twilight" Rarity whispered, putting a hoof on her shoulder "Trust me...he will." Twilight looked to Rarity, her eyes doubtful for a moment...but eventually she nodded and slid into the comforting hug of her friend.
Rarity rubbed a hoof up and down her spine as she turned her head to the voice of a colt "You all ok?" She gasped as she took in the sight of him, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her.
"Twilight..." she whispered, "Look!"
She did so, very slowly, and gasped as she caught sight of him. His armor was a shining black and purplish color, with his helmet arching with a sort of fin resting on top. His eyes were a gleaming yellow and he wore a determined yet weary look on his face. It wasn't that the two unicorns knew who he was...but rather, WHAT he was. "The Lunar Guard..." Twilight breathed in awe "You're one of Luna's Royal Guard!"
The guard nodded, snapping a quick salute and declaring with a firm voice "Captain Shadow-Mane, at your service...now, is this all that made it?"
Rarity held Twilight a bit tighter as she started to cry again and nodded, whispering "Yes dear, we...we lost one, and another will be joining us later on once he's done luring off those dreadful monsters." Captain Shadow-Mane nodded, turning on his hooves and heading down the hall. He stopped however as Rarity called after him "Wait, hold on!" The Captain turned his head as Rarity gently let go of Twilight, walking up and cocking her head in confusion "What are you all doing here...if you don't mind me asking? Why is Rainbow Dash making this storm? How did you even get through the shield surrounding Ponyville?! Why were we sent here?"
Shadow-Mane held up a hoof to silence her, sighing as he spoke gruffly "It will all be explained, right now I just need you and your friends to follow me to the Rotunda, we're short on time and the Diamond Dog isn't going to stay interested in helping us for long."
"D...Diamond Dog?" Rarity whispered in concern, Twilight and the others joining her at her side.
The Captain nodded with a grimace and turned, walking back down the hallway as he said "I don't like it either...but we have no choice. Anyway I-" he stopped, looking back towards the unicorns for a moment and staring at them intently. "Hold on..." he whispered, his eyes widening "You...you're an Element of Harmony, aren't you?"
Rarity nodded, motioning towards Twilight "She is as well, I am the Element of Generosity and Twilight here is the Element of Magic."
"Thank the stars!" Shadow-Mane breathed "We had hoped you two had survived...this will make the Princess very happy."
"Princess Luna?" Twilight asked, a tinge of hope in her voice.
Shadow-Mane nodded with a smile and said "The one and the same! She made it very clear that you two were top priority for the evacuation, and she was afraid that something might have gone wrong in the agonizing time it took to organize and put this all together."
"E...Evacuation!?" Rarity breathed "We're leaving Ponyville!?"
Shadow-Mane nodded once more, but frowned slightly "Yes...although it's a little bit more complicated then that. It took a lot of time to get in here and get everything ready...considering we're also here to ensure the diseased ones outside are eradicated. There's far too many to kill by hoof and blade alone...so I'm afraid to announce that Ponyville is going to have to become our weapon."
"What do you mean?" Twilight whimpered, sniffing and letting her tears dry at last.
"In time...I promise everything will be explained" Shadow-Mane whispered "In the mean time, follow me to the rotunda, there's at least a hundred other survivors here, you might find someone you recognize."
With that, the group moved at a brisk but comfortable pace through the front hall. They passed by the front desk area which was currently being manned by several of the Lunar Guard, a few bowing respectfully to Twilight and Rarity. A right turn at an intersection led them to a long hallway with most of the doors open. Inside, ponies whined and groaned as their wounds or ailments were treating, nurses and medics rushing about and trying to ensure everypony was ok...and that they weren't infected.
"It's like a refugee camp..." Rarity whispered in sadness as they passed by a room containing a heavily bandaged colt, his cries of pain making Twilight's ears hurt and her belly ache. After five minutes of turning and walking, the rotunda finally opened up to them, revealing a massive gathering of the survivors. Ponies sat, laid, and walked about everywhere. Some cried, some chuckled at each other's terrible attempts to lighten the mood. Twilight turned her head and gave a little wave as she spotted Lyra holding a weeping Bon Bon, her attempts to keep her calm obviously failing.
"Hey Twi'...good to see that you made it" she said, offering her the best smile she could.
"You too Lyra...hang in there ok?" Twilight replied, nodding her head towards her.
They weaved in and out of the crowd, passing by the far left wall of the Rotunda, to which several of the Lunar Guard were stationed. They formed a large circle around something, and when Rarity peered closer, she discovered it was actually a giant hole. "The Diamond Dog...he's in there?" she asked, looking towards Shadow-Mane who in turned nodded.
"Yep...he's down there.," Shadow-Mane sighed "Stubborn bastard though...demanded all sorts of medals and honors for doing this for us"
"Um...what exactly IS he doing?" Rarity asked "Besides digging of course."
Shadow-Mane stared towards the hole as they walked by, his voice weary as he spoke "Escape Tunnel, it's going to lead all the way to Sweet Apple Acres if he can dig it just right. We had him locked up in the Canterlot Dungeons for a whole array of theft crimes...guess karma had a different idea for him, since he, by some miracle..., got a chance to help us."
"Sweet Apple Acres?" Twilight breathed "Does that mean Applejack's still alive?"
"Of course!" Shadow-Mane laughed "She's a tough sumbitch." Rarity and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as Shadow-Mane went on "Definitely wouldn't want to mess with her...she's got a sick way of staying alive and keeping those bastards at bay."
"What do you mean?" Rarity asked, a tinge of nervousness to her voice.
"Well..." The Captain started, his voice dripping with a hesitant tone. They walked towards one of the back rooms as he spoke "It seems the infected are a bit smarter then we took them for...they understand the concept of danger and know when a target is a lost cause, that it's not worth it because it'll only end up in their deaths if they try to attack." The unicorns nodded as they walked into the back room, a single table resting in the middle along with six chairs. "Anyway..." Shadow-Mane coughed before plopping himself in one of the seats, motioning for them to do the same "Seems the Element of Honesty caught on to that, and uh...well let's just say she'd make a great soldier in the army. The infected are scared of that farm, and for a good damn reason...that's all I'm going to say about that."
The rest of the group took a seat as Shadow-Mane cleared his throat, waiting until they got comfortable before he spoke "Alright...everypony else already knows what I know, so let me just bring you up to speed........"
He took in a deep breath and began... "The Infection started two months ago...we know that. From where we have no idea, but we have reason to believe that it was pony-made. Our officials tell us it may have been an 'under the table' project funded and directed by Princess Celestia to develop some kind of bio-weapon against the gryphons, but now that they know we're suffering from some kind of outbreak, they don't want ANYTHING to do with us anymore. Can't use diseased land, you know? Anyway, shortly after the outbreak...Princess Celestia, with the aid of her court mages, managed to cast down shields across every major city in Equestria, from Appleloosa all the way to Manehatten. When she discovered that only Ponyville had been attacked, she released the hold on the other cities but kept a quarantine on Ponyville. Oh the army was moving EVERYWHERE in those two months, slaughtering any afflicted that had managed to get outside the quarantine zone before the shield dropped down. Ponyville was successfully contained...but when we asked for further orders, Celestia just....well..."
He seemed to struggle with the words, to which Rarity whispered "Go on...it's ok."
Shadow-Mane took in a deep breath and sighed, finally confirming Twilight's worst fears "She told us to come home, and leave Ponyville alone...that the situation would rest until she was ready to advance the next stage of the plan."
"That FUCKING BITCH!" Twilight shouted, slamming her front hooves on the table and causing everypony and Spike to jump in fright.
"T...Twilight!" Spike stuttered, his eyes wide with amazement.
"I KNEW that bitch left us here to die! I KNEW IT, and she had a good motive to!" Twilight roared "Her little science project got out of hand and she tried to sweep it under the rug! She was going to keep us here until...until...." she trailed off, her eyes widening as the pieces of the jigsaw slowly slid into place, a gasp ringing out of her as the group stared towards her in curiosity and alarm. "Shadow-Mane..." Twilight whispered "You said Ponyville was going to be used as a weapon...which means you were going to destroy Ponyville with fire and burn out the Afflicted...along with us! Thus, killing any chance of reinfection! Celestia ordered us all to be executed didn't she!!!?"
Shadow-Mane leaned back in his seat as Twilight leaned over the table, throwing her venom-dripping words at him with a snarl. He looked into her rage-filled eyes, a calm expression growing on his face. "Twilight Sparkle..." he whispered "You are correct...those were our orders...but!" he said quickly as Twilight prepared to go on "Know that we refused the order. Princess Luna belayed Celestia's order, even raised her guard to enact a full on rebellion against Celestia's Royal Guard. We guarded the outside of Ponyville with our lives Miss Sparkle, and our plan has always been evacuation. The only problem is that it took so long to gather enough magic and unicorn's to power up a shot large and powerful enough to blast a temporary hole in the shield and the wall...that's why it took us two months to get in here. We managed to get the train to Canterlot in here by moving the tracks with our combined magic, and used Sweet Apple Acres as the front for our offensive. Once we've confirmed that every survivor has been evacuated...THEN we'll burn down Ponyville. I hate to see this town go but...it's the only way to be sure."
"What about Celestia?" Rarity whispered, her eyes tearing up as she thought about the soon-to-be fate of her boutique "What happened to her?"
"Well..." Shadow-Mane muttered, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof out of embarrassment "We...don't know..."
"Don't know!?" Twilight shouted, causing Rarity to jump once more "How do you not know?!"
"She disappeared without a trace, we have no idea what happened!!! She was gone right after her Royal Guard fled for the hills!" Shadow-Mane pleaded in his defense, trying his best to answer her question without letting her get more out of control.
"How do you just lose a Princess!? She's the ruler of Equestria, you don't just lose in alicorn like you do a misplaced pair of socks!" Twilight barked, drawing a sigh out of Shadow-Mane.
"Look..." he muttered "I'm as confused about that as you are Miss Sparkle. The only thing I have to go on is that maybe she's hiding out somewhere, perhaps in the bunker or facility that she used to create this virus."
"Perhaps that's where it all started, is that facility." Rarity said, taking a nervous glance towards Twilight before looking towards Shadow-Mane "Something must have gone wrong...or there was an accident. Somepony might have gotten infected with their weapon and spread it through the bunker..."
Shadow-Mane rubbed a hoof under his chin and muttered "That would explain the source of the outbreak...I don't see any other way it could be possible. If that's the case, then that means that this facility has to be within range of Ponyville, it would explain why no other town was hit."
Rarity nodded as Twilight sat back in her seat...her mind quickly piecing together facts and clues to form...to form a realization that she wasn't sure could be believable. Some of her nightmares were just legitimate nightmares...but for the others...like the one she had about Catie's parents and the sudden vision she had about a concrete entrance way...
....she was seeing visions of the past...or the future...or something relevant to what had happened to Equestria. Did that mean she was actually at the facility...? Did she KNOW about the virus!? Did she help CREATE IT?! The thought was too unbearable for Twilight, her logic trying to quickly kill that theory. 'No...no that wouldn't be right!' Twilight thought, 'I would have remembered something like that...there's no way I helped in this endeavor...and if I did...I'll redeem myself by killing every single one of these infected bastards myself...along with that fat ass Celestia...'
"SIR!" came a male shout from the now open doorway, a Lunar Guard poking his head through.
"Yes? What is it Nightfire?" Shadow-Mane replied.
"The Dog says he's done, we've begun lining up the survivors," Nightfire began, looking over towards Twilight and Rarity "...but I knew you had the Elements here so..."
Shadow-Mane smiled, nodding his head and getting to his hooves. He walked up and patted Nightfire on his shoulder, speaking "Good work Night, you go ahead and help with the line, I'll get this group through the tunnel."
"Yes sir!" shouted Nightfire, his retreat to the rotunda hasty. Shadow-Mane turned his head towards the group and nodded, watching as Spike and Catie clambered back up onto Twilight's back.
They left the room in a hurry, watching as the survivors formed two lines and prepared to descend into the tunnel. "Make way!" Shadow-Mane shouted, a small gap between some of the guards forming. He turned towards the two mares and muttered "You two first, move fast and quietly, and don't be alarmed if you see the Diamond Dog down there. He should be stringing up the last of the lanterns by now and making sure the exit is well secured."
Twilight and Rarity nodded, peering down the dark hole for a moment before leaping down. The drop was relatively short, and immediately they could see the insanely long tunnel before them, lit up entirely with lanterns. "Well..." Rarity sighed, staring down meekly at her mud covered hooves "Let's get walking...the faster we get there the faster we can be reunited with Applejack."
"And Big Macintosh..." Twilight whispered, the two of them beginning their trudge forward. Ponies followed in behind them, the line starting its long progression towards freedom. Occasionally, the thundering sound of galloping could be heard above, along with the occasional screech or snarl of an Afflicted. Nopony made a sound though...lest they alarm those above and tempt them to begin digging...
The wooden supports creaked a little as they pushed further down the tunnel, and for a good half hour, Twilight was left alone to her thoughts. Everything was starting to make sense now...the source, the abandonment, the visions. But what did it all mean to her? Why was she seeing these things? Was she hit with some kind of memory spell? She let out a quiet sigh through her snout, a headache pounding near the back of her head. She really couldn't care less...the effort it would take to actually go into deeper thought being too much for the mare right now. She'd worry about it later...and instead, focused on the bright future that would bring Applejack and Big Macintosh back into her life.
At long last, the end of the tunnel came into sight, as well as the Diamond Dog. He was resting on a patch of dirt near the mouth of the tunnel, a sly grin on his face as the mares approached. "How you doin' mon?" the dog chuckled with a gruff voice "You be thankin' me real good when you out of ta town, ya?" He was greyish in color, with deep blue eyes and a mud-soaked red vest plastered over his shoulders and furry chest. The two mares in front ignored him, rearing up with both hooves and reaching up for the entrance to the hole. Several pairs of Lunar hooves reached down, helping the two up and out into the daylight. The storm was ending fairly quickly, with the last of the rain drizzling town into the area.
When Twilight was pulled out, she let out a deep gasp. There in front of her, was the Sweet Apple Acres she missed. The Apple Trees looked as healthy as ever, and the farm looked mighty busy as well. Several platoons of Lunar Guard walked between the orchard and around the farm buildings that made up the center. "By the stars...Twilight...look." Rarity whimpered, her hoof pointing over towards the entrance.
Twilight's stomach heaved as she looked over towards the front gate and the fences...and towards the countless Afflicted that were strung up and dangling from spears that were rammed through them. They lined the front fences like they were some kind of sick, disgusting barrier. "Oh Luna save us," Twilight whispered in horror "Did...did Applejack kill all those ponies?!"
"I told you..." Shadow-Mane grunted as he pulled himself out of the tunnel, a stream of ponies following close behind "She'd make a great soldier...kills them like it's just another Applebuck Season. Ah...speaking of which..." he inclined his head towards the east side of the farm, near the buildings.
The two unicorns turned their heads...and smiled, smiled despite the fact that Applejack had taken to strewing about bodies across her front lawn as a deterrent. The joy of just seeing her was enough to outweigh the terror.
There, in the distance, stood a country pony of orange fur. Her Stetson seemed to shine in the sunlight as she waved excitedly over towards her two best friends. Her voice, as rich as the apples she grew and bucked, carried over and filled Twilight's ears, making her heart swell with joy as she caught sight of the train that rested a bit of a ways behind the large barn.
"Howdy there!"
It was Ponyville's last stand...their last pit-stop on the road to freedom.
A temporary refuge...and the main source of the food that sustained them for these long months.
A place where Twilight hoped Big Macintosh would come back for his heart...and for her.
A Farm. |
Don't Go Outside... | Goodbye | Rule #7: Pray to Luna
"I promised my ponies that we'd win this war...and I did whatever I had to...to keep that promise.
Don't you understand...? I did what I had to do! I only did what I did because it was necessary!
Still...you believe killing me will solve all your problems? You believe my death will end all this?
You are not prepared....."
-Princess Celestia
"Easy Sugarcube! ACK! Ya'll are squeezin the life outta me!" Applejack wheezed as Twilight grasped her in an air choking hug. Rarity had already given the country mare a big hug, along with Spike. Twilight, however, seemed to be the happiest to see her.
"Oh Applejack I knew you were alive!" Twilight wept, her muzzle pushing itself into her shoulder "I knew you'd be ok! I was so worried though because your farm is all outdoors and...and I was just scared that..."
Applejack simply chuckled, patting Twilight on her back and muttering "Aw shucks Twi', ya'll should know me well enough to know that ah'm a tough gal! It's gonna take a lot more then just a few little punk ass zombies to go tusslin' with me to bring me down!"
Spike nudged Twilight, a triumphant smile on his face as he whispered "Told you they were zombies!" Twilight simply shook her head at Spike's statement, sniffing loudly and backing away to let the country mare breathe. All around, refugees poured into the orchard lands of Sweet Apple Acres, moving through to bed down in the fields of trees or secure their seats on the evacuation train. A definitive aura of hope could be felt in the air, the prospect of escaping very possible.
"This operation is just so...so....." Rarity began, her eyes scanning over the farm.
"Big, ah know," Applejack sighed, tipping back her stetson "Can't hardly believe it mahself, but it is. These fru fru royal guards keep sayin' that ah'm gonna get some kinda special reward or somethin' like that. HA! Them boys can keep their rewards, ah just want to go back to bucking apples." The mares chuckled for a moment until Applejack piped up once again "Speaking of 'Big'....Rarity ya'll said Big Macintosh was stayin' with ya," She looked around at all the survivors, a look of worry passing over her face "Where is...where's he at?"
Twilight felt a slight tear in her heart as Rarity spoke up, a sad tone to her voice "Macintosh...stayed behind, Applejack."
The country mare looked towards Rarity with a pleading look on her face as she spoke in a begging tone "Tell me...tell me he ain't one-a them! Tell me he's still Big Macintosh!"
Rarity sighed, shaking her head "We don't know Applejack...we were running for Town Hall when a massive group of them started chasing us. Big Macintosh stayed behind to lure them off...we haven't seen him since."
Applejack chewed on the corner of her bottom lip for a moment, nodding slowly. She seemed to have taken the news well, but she was definitely worried. "Well...," she began "There ain't nothin' ah can do about that. Macintosh was always so brave n' all, always lookin' out for me and the rest o' the Apple Family. He's a tough-n'....he'll make it out fer sure."
Rarity nodded before letting out a light yawn, patting her mouth before she said "I think I'll go secure our seats real quick and then see if I can catch up on my beauty sleep..." With a quick hug from her friends, the diva began to walk off. Twilight turned her head to Spike and Catie, whispering quickly "You two go on ahead with Rarity, you should rest as well."
"What about you Twilight?" Catie whispered back, the same question on Spike's lips.
Twilight smiled and gave them both a hug with her front hooves, whispering to them "I just need to talk to Applejack for a little bit...we have a lot to catch up on you know?"
The two young ones nodded, quickly running off to catch up with Rarity, leaving Twilight to look up towards Applejack and raise an eyebrow. Applejack sighed, rubbing her forehead with a hoof before muttering "All right...come on then, you of all ponies deserve an explanation anyway..."
The two walked in silence for a good while, weaving in between the trees and through several clearings. Twilight studied the beautiful details of the wood, the crisp bark, the indention of hooves that had been bucked against the tree, signaling that it was time to deliver their precious fruit. Twilight looked towards Applejack with her eyes every few moments, taking in her facial expressions. Applejack kept a simple frown on her face, her eyes partially closed. Those eyes had seen things...Twilight could tell. Regret...misery...guilt even. At long last, the two stopped under one of the larger trees in Sweet Apple Acres, with Applejack pushing her back up against the bark and sliding down until she laid partially on her back and leaned up against the tree.
"So..." Applejack began "I bet you're lookin' for answers...well ah gotta few, though ah'm not sure you'd like em'..."
Twilight sat back on her haunches, letting out a light sigh before beginning "Applejack...why did you never return any of the notes I sent you? Why didn't you tell me you were safe, that everything was ok here?"
"Cus' things weren't ok here Twi'!" Applejack half-shouted, her voice raising a bit "Ah've got bodies for fence posts, for Luna's sake! Ah'm the Element o' Honesty Twi', ah wasn't gonna tell you things were fine when they sure as shit weren't!"
Twilight nodded slightly but pushed the point regardless "Why didn't you send me anything then? Any kind of words or something would have been ok...I wasn't expecting a full on essay from you."
"Twi'..." Applejack sighed "Ah've got a bit of a workload on mah hooves if ya'll didn't notice. Ah'm one workhorse short of a full functioning farm and Ah've got to buck eight times more apples then normal to feed the entirety of Ponyville. Ah ain't got the time to go writing letters back n' forth when ponies could starve!"
The unicorn nodded in agreement, giving Applejack a look of apology. She had a pretty valid point...so there was nothing she could do to push it anymore.
"How did..." Twilight began, her brain having trouble in forming the words she wanted "How...did you...def...d..."
"How did I kill so many ponies in the defense of mah farm?" Applejack muttered, staring towards the ground with guilt written all over her face. Twilight nodded, drawing another sigh out of Applejack "Twern't like ah liked it now...ah only did what ah did because mah life and Granny Smith's life was in danger. You would of done the same thing if ya'll saw Spike getting chased after by them bastards."
"Yes but..." Twilight muttered, her eyes slightly narrowing towards Applejack "There's more then just 'Bastards' on those spikes...isn't there?"
Applejack looked away with guilt clearly stamped all over her. She couldn't lie, Twilight knew that, and if she did she'd spot it instantly. "Twilight..." she whimpered, tears forming in her eyes "They were gonna steal ya'lls Apples." She started to cry, drawing Twilight to quietly walk over and pull her into a hug. The country mare weeped as Twilight gently held her, rubbing a hoof over her back as she wailed "Ah'm sorry! Ah'm so sorry Twilight! Ah was protecting everypony's apples! Ah couldn't let ya'll starve because some greedy bastards were trying to steal yer lifeline! They were so mean about it, demanding to get food, saying they'd kill me if ah didn't give em up."
She sniffed, burying her face in Twilight's coat as she went on sobbing "Ah...ah chased em' off at first but...they just kept comin' back! And then...then one time they tried to...tried to force me against a tree Twi'! They tried to...ah had no choice!" She sobbed heavily into Twilight's coat, the unicorn holding her tighter as she gently ran a hoof over her.
"Sshhhh...." Twilight cooed "It's ok...you did what you had to do...I'm not angry about it...nopony's angry about it...they were trying to hurt you and you defended yourself..."
"But stringing em up like a fuckin' trophy Twilight!?" Applejack sniffed "Even if it was ta keep the monsters away...ah can never forgive mahself for what ah did."
"Maybe you will, in time" Twilight whispered "What some ponies don't understand is that we'll go to whatever lengths imaginable or unimaginable to protect ourselves or the ones we love"
"Like Big Macintosh did fer you?" Applejack whispered, looking up at a shocked Twilight "Ah know he did it for you n' Rarity, but he was focused on you most of all."
"How did you...how would you...?" Twilight whispered in surprise, drawing a chuckle out of Applejack as she sniffed and wiped her eyes free of tears.
"He had a thing for ya Twi'," Applejack said "Said you were cute n' all, with that dorky kind of attitude."
"I am not a DORK!" Twilight spat, frowning towards her friend who simply laughed slightly.
She tipped her Stetson back and giggled "Course yer not. Anyway, he said you were a right fine gal, kinda shy like him when it comes to anything to lovey dovey or social like that."
"Hey now, that's not...it's..." Twilight whimpered, struggling to come up with a defense. Applejack wasn't having any of it though.
"Don't even try to cover it Twi'" Applejack mused "Yer a worse liar then ah am, and THAT is sayin' somethin'!" Twilight simply huffed as Applejack went on "He never was a really forward pony though...no matter how many times ah tried to get em to talk to ya, he just clammed right up when you bounced yer purple ass on through the farm."
"Ugh, it's LAVENDER, first of all!" Twilight growled "And second, I know he likes me already! He KISSED me in the rain before running off to lure the Afflicted off!"
Applejack's eyes widened, a whistle passing through her lips before she whispered "Really now? Shucks, ah figured he didn't have the apples fer it...though it makes sense fer the situation."
Twilight raised an eyebrow and asked quietly "What do ya mean?"
"Well," Applejack began, looking up towards the branches of apples that hung overhead "Tell me what happened prior to said passionate kiss."
"Applejack...it wasn't passionate, it was just a kiss!" Twilight growled "Luna save me...you're worse then Rarity sometimes." The country mare simply chuckled, waving a hoof at her to keep her going. The unicorn simply sighed, moving on "He stopped to face them after he saw them coming...I turned back, told him to forget it because it was suicide. He kept telling me to go on, that he'd catch up, that he'd meet us. I tried to refuse...tried to make him see reason but then he...he kissed me, told me I had his heart...and he'd come back for it. I was so...so dazed, confused...I ran. I believed he'd come back."
"Well then," Applejack laughed "Makes sense then! Macintosh was never a pony to ever leave loose lassos untied. He knew there was a chance he might not make it back...and if that was the case...at least he'd have you on his lips in his final moments...knowing he had the courage to admit his feelin's for you."
Twilight blushed slightly and whispered "But...I don't even know if I like him back...I don't even know if I could right now. Look at what's happening around us Applejack...it's chaos. There's an evacuation train behind your BARN for Luna's sake! How could I ever focus on something like love right now?!"
"Cause it may be the only chance ya'll have left..." Applejack whispered, giving Twilight a serious look who in turn simply stared. "Think about it Twilight...Big Macintosh could be dead right now, or one of them."
"Don't say that..." Twilight whispered, looking away.
Applejack simply ignored this, moving on "Or, he might come back. And then what? We either get on the train and run off to Canterlot or we're suddenly mass attacked by the entire diseased town of Ponyville and we die. What else is there to do Twilight except embrace and do all the things you wouldn't have normally done before all of this happened? What if this is the last chance ya'll got at romance? How are you gonna say you lived yer life to the fullest if ya can't even give this a shot?"
"I didn't say I wasn't giving it a chance..." Twilight muttered "I was just...it's just so sudden Applejack."
"Like any of this disease bullshit wasn't sudden?" Applejack scoffed "Twilight we went from having a picnic to running about Ponyville boarding up our homes and sitting on our asses for two months."
Twilight sighed, looking away for a moment and whispering "I guess your right...I just hope he comes back. He really does deserve a chance doesn't he?"
Applejack smiled, putting a hoof on her shoulder and whispering "At the end o' our world Sugarcube...everypony deserves that chance."
The country mare suddenly started to chuckle, drawing a curious look out of Twilight who asked "What's so funny?"
Applejack shook her head, waving a hoof about as she said "Aw it's nothin'...just reminds me of the time you went on that trip to Canterlot bout' a week for we had our picnic. You were gone that whole time and it was drivin' Macintosh nuts! Ya know he was planning on asking you out on a date the day ya left...poor boy."
Twilight's mouth slowly started to open, a wide-eyed look on her face "Applejack...?" she whispered in question. Applejack raised an eyebrow at the question of her name, drawing a terrified sounding question out of Twilight "Where...did you say I went?"
Applejack frowned, pointing a hoof out in the distance, to the tiny silhouette of Canterlot which was just barely visible from behind the shield "To..Canterlot. Ya'll left on such short notice, the only thing we had to tell us where you were was the note. Spike said he came home to the Library one day to find that note attached to your door...said you had been summoned to Canterlot on short notice."
"Applejack, I never went to Canterlot." Twilight breathed "I was at the Library all week planning for that picnic!"
Applejack's eyes widened "What do ya'll mean? Spike said the night right before the picnic you suddenly came home, walking in all tired and weary. You went right to bed without a word to him!"
"Why didn't he ask me where I was, or what happened!?" Twilight shouted, a panicked look on her face "Why didn't any of you mention this!?"
"Whoa...simmer down there Sugarcube," Applejack whispered "Ah'm tellin' you the truth. We never asked because we thought it really wasn't our business. As long as ya'll came home for the picnic we wouldn't have any grievances. Why do ya look so scared?"
"Because I have memories of that week Applejack!" Twilight cried, a panicked look on her face "I remember a metric shit ton of the things I did during that week...and you're saying none of that happened!"
Applejack frowned "That's....weird." she said simply, scratching at her forehead. She suddenly looked up as she saw Twilight beginning to walk away "Hey! Where ya'll goin'?" she shouted.
"To Shadow-Mane," Twilight growled "I got a feeling he'll know something about this...and I'm not taking no for an answer this time." ~*~
"Yes, we'll move up positioning here, here, and here," Shadow-Mane ordered, pointing to a few spots on Ponyville's map. "We'll set the Magic-Focusing crystals at these key points in the town. Once we're all clear, artillery teams will rain the arcane down on the town, setting it ablaze. Good news is those bastards are attracted to magic as they are noise, so we'll hopefully take a good portion of them down in the first minutes of the attack." His command post had been situated inside the second floor of the barn, in a small room in the back. It was a perfect place to avoid interruptions or nagging questions from the survivors.
He looked to his four sergeants, drawing a nod from each of them before he barked "You know your orders, begin facilitating the refugees onto the train! Luna wants this operation done quickly before the Afflicted catch wind that we are here! DISMISSED!"
The soldiers snapped a salute before quickly trotting out of the room, leaving Shadow-Mane alone to study the map. He sighed, running a hoof over his forehead. He was tired...hadn't slept for nights...and he was getting more and more on edge. He had to push himself regardless...he had to do this for Luna, for Ponyville! They were counting on him...and he wouldn't fail them...not again.
"Shadow-Mane..." hissed a voice, causing The Captain's head to snap up and stare towards the door which slowly started to close. Twilight was hiding behind the door, her form revealed to Shadow-Mane as the door closed and she locked it slowly with a hoof.
"Twilight..." Shadow-Mane growled "What's the meaning of this?"
Twilight moved forward slowly, staring up at her horn as she muttered "You know I'm the Element of Magic...you know what kind of power I could wield...don't you?" Shadow-Mane glared at her as she approached the table, her eyes settling back down on his and glaring right back "You know what kind of beacon I could launch up right now? The 'draw every Afflicted in Ponyville here' kind."
"Why would you ever want to do that Twilight?" Shadow-Mane barked "Why would you ever want to destroy everything we've worked so hard for!?"
"BECAUSE I'M BEING LIED TO!" Twilight roared, putting her front hooves on the table and holding herself up, getting as much height as she could "My friend told me I went to Canterlot one week prior to the incident, yet I remember it differently. I remember being in my Library, studying, working, and planning for a picnic! You said you knew about the orders from Celestia! Did you see me there!? Where was I during that time?!"
Shadow-Mane simply stared at her, his eyes partially widened and a look of worry pressed over his face. "Twilight..." he finally whispered "Why do you insist that I'm against you? I have never once lied to you at all during the time you've known me. I have given you only cold, hard, facts. I DID see you at Canterlot, ok!?" This had the immediate reaction of Twilight slowly lowering herself to the ground, a look of disbelief on her face. She listened as he went on "I didn't know about any of this, any of this 'memory' stuff you just mentioned! I saw you in Canterlot, and you looked fine! You were with Princess Celestia at the time, and I was guarding Luna with Captain Moon-Lance! She said something about taking you on a tour of her newly opened university, and after that, I didn't see you again until just earlier at Town Hall!" That's the truth, I swear on it on my life as a Royal Night Guard! May Luna strike me down with Nightmarish vengeance if I lie!"
Twilight looked down towards the map, whispering quietly "I'm sorry Shadow-Mane...it's just...I'm so confused right now. I keep seeing things that I think are my memories but I never remember any of them happening. I saw Ponyville burning, I saw the entrance to what may be the bunker or facility you were all thinking the attack originated from. I just....wish I knew what was going on."
Shadow-Mane walked around the table, putting a hoof on her shoulder and whispering "It's alright...I don't blame you. Celestia was a traitor, Luna is not. You can trust me, and you can trust her...ok?" Twilight nodded sadly, looking up as Shadow-Mane whispered "The train leaves tonight...you should go see if you can get some rest. We'll be in Canterlot by the day's end tomorrow."
Twilight sighed, nodding and muttering a quiet 'Thank you...' to Shadow-Mane before quietly walking out of the door. She quietly made her way down the stairs and out the front entrance to the barn, looking around for a moment before beginning her trek forward into the trees. She stopped though, suddenly, her breath catching. A sliver of movement had caught her eye, at a distance far away to her left. She looked up slowly, her heart thudding as her eyes centered on a hill far off. A figure was moving, walking towards the farm...a large figure. She gasped, galloping quickly to her left and straining her eyes to see what it could be.
"Please don't be Afflicted...please...please don't be..." Twilight begged quietly, narrowing her eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat as caught a better look at the deep-red coat of the stallion walking towards the farm. He had his head up high and a calm but weary expression etched on his face. He smiled though as he caught sight of Twilight, his emerald eyes gleaming in the light of the setting sun.
Big Macintosh, had come home.
Twilight galloped forward with intense speed, tears streaming from her eyes as she bounded over the grassy plains that surrounded Sweet Apple Acres. The work horse simply sat, taking in a few breaths as Twilight rushed towards him, crying out in joy and leaping at him. She crashed into him, drawing a grunt out of the work horse who fell back with her, getting a full on kiss on his lips. "You stupid, stupid pony!" Twilight cried as she pulled her lips away "You are so stupid!" She kissed him again, Macintosh's eyes widening as she pulled back again to shout "I hate you so much, you know that!? I was worried sick about you and...and...oh you're so STUPID!" She pressed her lips once more to his as Macintosh let out a deep chuckle, making this one last as long as he could until they stopped for air.
"E...Eeyup.." was all the stallion could manage to say, smiling upwards at Twilight who, despite her tears, smiled back. ~*~
"Ah knew you could run fast...but by the stars Macintosh ah didn't know ya'll could run THAT fast!" Applejack breathed, just pulling out of a hug from her older brother. Him, Applejack, and Twilight were sitting in the barn, the country mare whooping in joy as she caught sight of him and Twilight coming over the hill just earlier.
"Well ah gotta say, ah didn't know ah could run so fast either," Macintosh chuckled "But Luna have mercy if you don't run faster then the wind when ya'll got a wall of angry ponies on yer ass."
Twilight's side was pressed into his, the mare trying to get as close to him as possible while looking up at him. "How did you get away?" Twilight whispered in awe.
"Wasn't easy..." Macintosh growled, reflecting back on the time during the rain "They don't stop for nothing. They'll keep going till they pass out from exhaustion. I weaved through houses, hid in bushes, hell I even climbed a few trees. The lightnin' n' thunder was stirring em up bad, and all ah had to do was wait for an opening to get back to Town Hall." he sighed, looking over towards the entrance of the barn as he went on "By the time ah got there though, that escape tunnel ya'll used was already plugged up good...so I doubled back, went from house to house...and eventually made it out of town and out here."
"Well ah'm glad yer back Macintosh," Applejack smiled, giving her brother a big hug before turning towards the entrance to the barn. "Ah got a few more orders o' apples to fill fore' the train leaves, so..." She smiled, walking towards the entrance.
"Wait, don't ya need help there sis'?" Macintosh called after her "Ah think ah'm a bit behind on mah chores as well!"
Applejack simply laughed, shaking her head and turning her head to mutter "Ah think you've got more important things on yer hooves to worry about a few apples. Ah've been doing this without ya for awhile now...ah can handle a few more trees." With that, she walked out of the barn, turning and disappearing around the corner.
"If you were wanting your heart back..." Twilight whispered, staring up at him with a smile "You can't have it...it's mine."
Macintosh scoffed playfully, looking down at her and muttering "Oh yeah? Ah thought ah said that ah was comin' back for it?"
"Nope...it's mine, you gave it to me," Twilight giggled, triumphant as she whispered "But...I guess in order for it to be a fair trade...I should give you mine, right?"
Macintosh looked at her in partial shock, a blush passing over his face as he whispered "So...so ya know huh...? Ya'll warmed up to the idea or whatever...?"
Twilight chuckled, shaking her head as she said "Applejack spilled the apples Macintosh, she told me all about your little crush on me." Macintosh frowned, glaring towards the front of the barn. His glare faded instantly however as Twilight put a hoof to his chin and turned his head back to face her, a loving smile on her face. "And..." she whispered "It being the end of the world...or at least Ponyville...I think now would be a good time to live life...have all those experiences, right? Who knows...we could all be dead in an hour for all we know." Macintosh blushed as Twilight went on, chuckling "And of course I knew! It'd be kind of hard not to notice a crush if the stallion who had a crush on me kissed me so suddenly!"
Macintosh laughed, turning his body towards Twilight and looking down at her. "So..." he whispered, blushing as she did "We're supposed to enjoy everything there is to enjoy before the end huh?"
"Eeyup," Twilight whispered, mimicking his signature one-liner "Just in case...anything happens...I want some kind of memory that I can hold onto till the end."
Macintosh leaned down, pressing his lips against Twilight's and enveloping them in a deep kiss. A tingle of electricity shot through Twilight as she shivered, her face heating up as she kissed him tenderly. When the kiss was done, Macintosh smiled slightly and looked over towards the stairs, whispering "So...want to go make memories?"
Twilight giggled, blushing as she looked over as well. She whispered as they started to make their way over towards the stairs "You know...usually I'd be freaking out about this...being overly nervous. That and the fact that there's no way I'd let a thing like this happen so early in a relationship....but..."
She trailed off, leaving Big Macintosh to whisper gently "But...what?"
Twilight shook her head, smiling as she whispered...
"All hail the end of the world..." ~*~
"Everypony up! Time to go!" came the shouts of several Lunar Guards who galloped around the farm, rousing sleeping ponies up. All around, the groans and growling of ponies could be heard as the train gave off a loud huff of steam, its pre-track sequence being initiated by the train-crew. In the hay loft of the barn...Twilight stared at the far wall to her right, her cheek pressed up against the still partially sweating neck of Big Macintosh. She was sore, she ached, but oh she was so HAPPY. It was the happiest she had been in ages...sharing the most intimate moment of her life with a stallion at the end of the world was something that she would hang onto for a long time. She wouldn't even care if they were attacked right now...she could die happy after this.
"Twi', Macintosh!" Applejack shouted from below "Ya'll done tusslin'!? They're loadin' everypony up on the train! We gotta go!" Macintosh let out a deep sigh, his eyes tearing themselves away from a spot on the ceiling and settling downwards on Twilight.
"You awake?" he whispered, nuzzling her gently.
"Mmmhmm...." Twilight breathed, drawing in an apple-scented breath through her nose and exhaling it.
"We gotta get up...trains leaving" he smiled, watching as Twilight groaned and rolled off of him slowly.
She slowly got to her hooves but winced as she tried to walk, her legs moving awkwardly as she moved towards the stairs. Macintosh couldn't help but chuckle, blushing like mad as Twilight growled "Not a word outta you...ugh, I'm not gonna be able to walk for a week..."
"Ah could carry you if that'd make you feel better" Macintosh whispered, to which Twilight merely chuckled and shook her head.
They joined a sly-looking Applejack below, the country mare quickly leading them out of the barn and around to the back where a steady stream of pony's were boarding the twenty-car-thick train. "Ah put us in the caboose" Applejack said as they approached the rear car "More privacy that way, ya know?" The two of them nodded, moving inside the open door of the car and turning into the living area.
"Hey Twilight!" Spike said from one of the bunk beds lining the walls, his eyes weary but happy to see her. Catie waved from her own bunk opposite of Spike, while Rarity simply greeted them with a small nod and a smile from the aisle.
"Good to see you darling...how are your legs?" Rarity mused, giggling as Macintosh blushed an even deeper shade of red.
"Rarity...not in front of the little ones!" Twilight whispered in horror, her own blush showing on her face "How did you...how did you even know?!"
"Well..." Rarity giggled, walking up and whispering in Twilight's ear "Me and Applejack thought that it was just too...'juicy', of an opportunity to miss. I must say...he seems to have worked his work-horse status well..."
Twilight wanted to bury her head in a hole somewhere, her glare turning to Applejack as she whispered "Why did YOU listen in!?"
Applejack simply chuckled, patting Macintosh on the back as she said "Wanted to make sure the boy here was treatin' ya right...and by the sounds of things, he treated you reaaaaal good..."
The two lovers grimaced, giving each other a look as Applejack and Rarity moved down the car, picking bunks for themselves. Macintosh led Twilight down the corridor, stopping to greet and hug the two little ones, and moved to the near rear of the car. They sat in the aisle, holding each other as a voice from the front of the car shouted back towards them "Hey!" The group looked to the front to see Shadow-Mane poking his head into the car, a smile on his face "Our unicorn's are just about ready to blast another hole in the shield, after that we'll be going straight on to Canterlot! Luna will be wanting to see you once you arrive, but take all the time you wish, ok?"
Everypony and Spike nodded, settling back into a relaxing state as the hum of magic whirred in the air. "They'll notice this..." Rarity whimpered, looking out towards Ponyville.
"Yes...but by the time they do we'll be long gone" Twilight whispered, nuzzling cheek into Macintosh's chest and sighing. The train gave a sudden lurch forward, the engine howling with life as a ripple of magical energy passed over Twilight's skin. A massive discharge of magic could be heard, thudding loudly against what Twilight knew to be the shield Celestia had put up, and with wide, happy eyes...Twilight watched the barrier of the shield pass by the window.
They were free...
Behind them, the shield closed back up, leaving Ponyville utterly abandoned...except for the waves of Afflicted that had begun running out towards Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight sighed, happy that they were finally free of Infection...free of the Afflicted...free of death. She stared out the window at the sight of Ponyville...the edge of the Everfree Forest....
....and the glint of yellow armor that caught her eye right on its edge. Her eyes widened as she lit up her horn, her ability to use magic now unrestricted and free of danger. A simple 'Eagle-Eye' spell...yes...that would do the trick. She quietly moved out of the hold of her lover, letting off her spell and watching as her vision magnified tenfold. She peered closely at the edge of the Everfree forest...and gasped. There, standing together, were two of the Royal Guard...Celestia's Guard...
What were they doing there?! Were they spying for her?! If that was the case...that must mean the bunker was in..
"The Everfree Forest..." Twilight whispered in awe, watching as the guards quickly turned and galloping into the dense barrier of trees. She narrowed her eyes as she watched them go, her mind drawing in several conclusions but centering on just one. Celestia was in there...the source of all her agonizing pain...all her misery.
She couldn't leave it alone...if Celestia was there and the virus was there...this might be her only chance to kill it and kill her. The only way to secure the future of Equestria and ensure the virus didn't spread again was to kill Princess Celestia...and destroy that bunker.
She looked back towards the rest of the car, watching as her friends fell asleep in their bunks...their minds clear and free of worry and danger. And then...she looked towards Big Macintosh who stared back with a look of worry on his face, his voice a quiet whisper. "What's wrong...everything ok?" he asked, putting a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
She smiled, a small glimmer of tears forming at the base of her eyes as she whimpered "Macintosh...remember when you said you gave me your heart...that you'd come back for it?"
The work horse nodded slowly, nervousness creeping into his brain as he said "Eeyup...but...why do you ask?"
Twilight slid into his hooves, hugging him tightly and whispering "Would you believe me if I told you the same thing...if I told you I'd come back for you...for everyone?"
"Of course Twilight...but wh-"
She never heard the end of his sentence...for the glow of magenta around her cut off all sound. She had stepped back away from Macintosh to quickly ignite herself with Magic, teleporting herself outside the train and onto the fields of grass near it. She let the tears run free as she watched the train go by, a look of guilt but of determination on her face. She should of said something to him...said at least anything. But no...all she gave to him was a silent promise. A promise that she would be coming back.
"I love you..." she whispered to the train as it sped away, her gaze finally turning towards the Everfree Forest.
She said these words, her mind clear and focused on her goal.
She knew what she had to do...and had left Big Macintosh with the only words she had left for him.
A promise...a heart...a future...
A Goodbye. |
Don't Go Outside... | Revelation | Rule #8: If seen, run.
"The risk of an outbreak was always a possibility...we knew this. We begged Princess Celestia to stop.
We told her that the consequences of her actions would catch up to her in the end...but she didn't believe us.
I just want to see the look on her face when her own project backfires on her...
Then we'll see who gets the last laugh..."
-Captain Shadow-Mane of The Lunar Guard
One quiet hoofstep after another...just one after the other. Twilight Sparkle's hooves made a soft thudding sound as she pressed herself forward, her legs carrying her towards the Everfree Forest and the moon beginning to rise overhead. Usually she would have been terrified to be outside...all alone and against The Afflicted. But there were no afflicted anymore...at least not around here. She was safe, protected against the diseased invaders within the shield...and with that knowledge, there was nothing from stopping her full out attack on Celestia. Well...there was one thing...
Answers...
She wanted answers more then she wanted Celestia's head on a pike, which at the current moment, was saying something. A look of fury but concentrated determination rested on her face, her eyes narrowed and scanning the edge of the trees carefully. Somewhere...in there...was an alicorn who needed (very badly) to die. But that very thought whittled at Twilight's morale the closer she got to the trees.
Just...how exactly was she supposed to challenge, fight, and kill the most powerful creature in the world? How in the hell was she supposed to kill Princess Celestia!? Not my regular, conventional means, she knew that. Daggers and swords weren't going to touch Celestia. No...it had to be by magic. Then again, challenging a Goddess who's magic has the ability to raise both the sun AND the moon seemed like suicide. "I have to try regardless..." Twilight growled quietly, the trees coming up quickly "If nopony takes a stand...nopony ever will."
She stopped at the edge to the Everfree Forest, peering inside its dark labyrinth of trees and igniting her horn like a flashlight, casting light into the blackness of the forest. She grimaced as she scanned the brush and realized that she really didn't have a direction to go on. The bunker wouldn't have been just laying out for anypony to find. Harboring a weapon like the virus...it'd have to be tucked well away from prying eyes to avoid incident or discovery. "But how did it get out...?" Twilight whispered, taking a few careful hoofsteps into the trees "If I was really there...what happened to unleash the virus?"
She stopped suddenly as an idea rang out in her head. "Of course! My memories!" Twilight gasped, the realization of it all passing over her "I can use my memories to find the bunker! If I was there, I should be able to remember where the entrance is!" She closed her eyes, sitting back on her haunches and trying her best to reach back into her mind. She thought back to as far as she could remember...the beginning of the week which would end in their picnic...the week before the incident. The Library...she was there...but...the more she looked over it, the same memories kept displaying themselves. She had spent the whole week in the Library, just as she had remembered...what then...what was it that had made her forget? If Shadow-Mane and Applejack were right...then Twilight was in Canterlot, with Princess Celestia before the incident.
"I was there..." Twilight growled, clenching her teeth as well as her eyes. "I know I was there...I saw the bunker entrance...I felt the rain outside, I felt..."
Sick...
Twilight opened her eyes slowly, a frown forming on her face as she whispered "I felt...sick. It was a tingling sick...something I know I've felt before. It was...it...was....wait!" She furrowed her brow, pushing a hoof to her head as she went on "Magic Kindergarden...before Moondancer was my friend...she...she and I got into a fight. She...she shot me with a spell and...."
She gasped. "Magic...they erased my memories and replaced them with magic!" She smiled, a triumphant smile on her face "Unicorn's get sick sometimes when they're hit with specific or different combinations of spells...which means someone used magic on me! They tried to make me forget...but my mind resisted. You can't just simply use magic against the Element of Magic itself, and that's why it didn't work, that's why I can still see visions of my past!" She nodded, going once again into deep thought. Perhaps if magic erased her memories...maybe she could use magic to 'unerase' them. "Worth a shot..." she muttered "Oh but the spell...what combination would it have to be?" She had never worked with memory spells before, but she had studied them in great detail...mostly because she never had any kind of use for them, but found them interesting. She thought back to her studying, going over the patterns of the spell in her mind and waving a hoof in the air quietly as she did the calculations.
After around twenty minutes, Twilight nodded. "Here goes..." she whimpered, igniting her horn with magic and concentration hard on the Reverse-Memory spell. She furrowed her brow and clenched her teeth, straining as the magic sapped at her energy. It was a bigger spell then she had realized...and she hoped it wouldn't sap too much. She needed to be strong to fight Celestia, after all.
The spell launched itself from Twilight's horn, firing outwards and turning sharply to come flying back. She gasped as the spell rushed towards her face, and in an instant...
The world went white.
Twilight groaned, sitting up and looking around. Her surroundings had changed...and she was now on a train. She was resting in a small bunk, the train clattering loudly underneath her. "It must have worked...or did something. I don't know what's going on..." she whispered to herself, slipping out of the bed and into the aisle. As soon as her hoof hit the carpeted floor however, the door at the very end of the car opened...and a feeling of rage shook her to the bone.
Princess Celestia walked through the door, a smile on her face as she spoke "Ah, you are awake my faithful student. I trust you slept well?"
Twilight tried her best to keep her anger under control as she realized that she must have traveled back into her own memories...not exactly the effect she wanted but it would do. "I'm...yes, I slept very well indeed!" Twilight chuckled, sporting her best smile.
"Good, we'll be arriving at the facility soon. I trust you understand what we talked about earlier?" Celestia inquired, her mane flowing with ethereal magic as she walked.
Twilight gulped as she approached, looking into the beautiful, mesmerizing eyes of the Princess. "Um...could you refresh my memory?" Twilight asked, a bashful grin on her face "That sleep really did a doozy on my brain...been stressed lately, as you know."
Celestia chuckled and waved her hoof casually in front of her as if to dismiss a thought "I was asking you to keep what we're going to do secret...it's essential to the future of Equestria that what we're about to witness remains a secret between you and I."
Twilight frowned for a moment, brow furrowing for a moment before she whispered "Of course Princess...something like this HAS to be kept secret, you know?"
Celestia nodded, taking a sad glance outside and speaking "I can't thank you enough Twilight...volunteering to read over my scientist's notes. They say that they have all the variables figured out but...it always pays to have a second opinion."
Twilight tried not to become sympathetic...tried not to give in to Celestia's false caring. Celestia betrayed her...abandoned her...she didn't care about her opinion, she never did! "When will we be arriving?" Twilight asked, looking out the window.
"Now...actually," Celestia muttered, her horn gleaming with yellowish magic. Before Twilight could speak, a yellowish aura surrounded them both and in an instant the scenery changed. Heat simmered against Twilight's skin as she blinked, her body shaking from the sudden teleportation spell she was hit with. Celestia cleared her throat next her, and inclined her head towards the concrete entrance to the bunker that Twilight recognized from her visions. It was concealed well enough, but Twilight was sure that with enough landmarks she'd be able to pinpoint the entrance. She looked around quickly, taking in as much of the scenery as she could. Trees, rocks, a river nearby, she had to remember as much as she could! "Coming...dear?" Celestia cooed, a definite edge to her voice.
"Of course...Princess...by what did we leave the train?" Twilight said back with equal care, watching as Celestia opened the doors with her magic.
"It's a cover..." Celestia explained "so that no one can track us here..."
Twilight nodded and walked forward towards the pitch-black entrance of the bunker. As she took her first hoof step in, however, she suddenly felt hooves wrap around her and a cloth being pushed up against her nose and mouth. She let out a squeak and began to struggle, growling as Celestia whispered "It's ok....it's ok....sleep Twilight....go to sleep...."
"Sleeeeep...."
Twilight gasped yet again, sitting up in the Everfree Forest and looking around. She was back in reality, her heart thudding and her mind going a mile a minute. "Oh sweet Luna...she ambushed me." Twilight whimpered "She actually...what did she...what happened?!" She walked over towards a tree, pushing her back up against it and staring down at her front hooves. She muttered quietly to herself as she tried to form some kind of answer "I...I didn't intentionally help out this project, or whatever it is. I was right, I'd NEVER aid something like this! Celestia knocked me out...but what happened after that? Did...did she take me prisoner or...what?"
She sighed, going over the images of the scenery she kept in her brain. "I should be able to find the entrance with this much...I have to." She got to her hooves, immediately setting off into the deeper part of the woods. The forest was filled with the noises of life, squawking, chittering, the distant howling of wolves. It was a lot more noise then to what Twilight was used to...she was used to keeping quiet for days at a time.
For hours she walked through the dense brush of the Everfree Forest, her eyes always on the constant search for any of the landmarks she recognized from the bunker. At long last, just as she was about to give up for the night and sleep up in a tree when she heard it...the sound of rushing water. "The river..." Twilight whispered, remembering that there had been a river near the bunker.
She took off, running towards the sound of the water and hoping that it was the correct river. She bounded over logs and weaved through several trees until the river revealed itself to her, its water rushing by at a fast speed. She looked around cautiously, shining her light in every direction. The area was beginning to look familiar...which meant she was very close. She walked along the bank of the river, turning her head this way and that to shine her light along the forest. She was sure she was close...and when the glint of metal caught on her light, she confirmed it.
She found the bunker.
The doors were still open, and vines covered most of the concrete. Some lights flickered within and from Twilight was standing, all she could see was a small metal platform and a console with one button on it. She took in a deep breath, doing her best to try and keep her heart rate steady. "Come on Twilight..." she whispered "For Equestria..." She carefully made her way in, her hooves thudding loudly against the metal of the platform as she stepped up onto it. Turning around to face the entrance, she hit the button and jumped slightly as a deep metallic groan echoed through the walls. The platform shifted suddenly, and started to lower itself at a slow speed.
Twilight sighed, sitting on her haunches as the platform picked up speed, heading down at a steady rate. She was scared...she admitted it. She didn't know what she was going to find down there...she wasn't sure she even wanted to anymore. Was this worth it...? Was killing Celestia and discovering the truth behind the virus...the part she played in this whole mess...was it all worth it? She could have been in Canterlot by now, reporting to Luna about her research of The Afflicted...or signing adoption papers for Catie...or snuggling up to a warm, sleeping Big Macintosh and dreaming of a bright future with him.
But no...she chose to venture down a deep, dark shithole by riding a rickety old platform-elevator where the truth and Celestia were supposedly hiding. She looked upwards, seeing nothing but a black abyss and sighing. The door to safety was shut...there was no turning back now.
After a minute or so, the platform came to a grinding halt, settling down, the destination making Twilight's eyes grow wide. A MASSIVE room opened up before her, completly littered with lab equipment and tables and was extremely well lit as well. All around, chalkboards and paper and test tubes were set up and absolutely scrawled with notes. In addition to that...Twilight also noticed large amounts of blood were splattered about. Dried pools were splotched on the floors in a few places, along with nasty looking sprays about the wall. She had to put a hoof over her mouth and groan as she spotted a mostly decomposed body of a pony strewn out over a table.
She looked around, noticing that the room was two stories tall, with the outer edge of the first floor being lined with doors, mimicking the second floor. The rooms were all labeled with scientific titles like "Lead Genetics" or "Bio-hazard Advisory Board Member". What caught Twilight's eyes however...was a single door at the very end of the lab, a door that for some reason felt...different...then the others. It was like she was being drawn towards it...an aura of mystery and power emanating from it.
She quickly trotted between the tables, being careful to not step or touch any of the blood (as it could very well have been Afflicted...) and made her way towards the door. She looked towards the plaque that rested on the wall to the left of the door, reading it carefully.
Doctor Patho Gen
Project Coordinator
Head Scientist / Research Lead for 'Ravage' Virus
"Ravage..." Twilight whispered. "It's called....Ravage." She put a hoof on the door and took in a breath. Behind this door...could be the single most horrifying thing in existence. Behind this door...could be the truth. Was she ready? Would she be able to handle whatever she would find? What if she couldn't...what would happen to her?
"I have not...come this far...to stop now," Twilight growled, putting both her front hooves on the door and shoving it open. The smell of rot and decay immediately smacked Twilight in the face, causing her to recoil in shock and cough. She retched for a moment, her stomach heaving and trying desperately hard to eject the apples she had eaten earlier out of her stomach. She held firm however, lifting her head back up and lighting her horn with magic. A lavender colored cloth materialized out of thin air, floating downwards and wrapping itself around Twilight's muzzle, covering her nose but still allowing her to breathe. She unlit her horn and made sure the cloth was snug before she cautiously made her way inside. It was a large sort of office, books and papers littering the floor, along with several black tapes that appeared to be either broken or burned. Another notable addition to the room was that the entire back wall...was a window. What lay beyond it was something Twilight could not see, as blackness met her gaze.
As she turned her head, she grimaced, spotting the office desk that rested near the right wall. Sitting in the desk...was the skeleton of a large stallion, a white lab coat splotched with blood resting over him. The name plate on his desk read 'Doctor P. Gen', and just like the rest of the room, the entire desk was in disarray. One thing Twilight DID notice however...was that the 'late' doctor had his hoof settled over a sort of black remote, fitted with one single button. The unicorn sucked in a breath and carefully made her way over towards the desk, letting out a low whine as she reached out towards the skeletal hoof.
With a quick flick of her hoof, she knocked the remote out from under the skeleton's grip and slid it across the desk. Twilight quickly moved over, peering closely at the remote for a moment before pressing the red button. She jumped slightly as the whir of machinery echoed out from above her, a projector, one that she hadn't noticed before attached to the ceiling, clicking on. The picture was slightly fuzzy at first, but it auto-focused soon enough. A single screen was displayed, one of a tan-like color. The words 'Please Insert Tape' were written across its surface, causing Twilight to look around. She didn't have to look long, as her eyes caught sight of a medium sized black rectangle attached to the wall, along with a filing cabinet next to it that was labeled 'Tape Storage' along its front.
She opened the top drawer of the cabinet with her magic, peering inside. Four tapes were inside, with only one looking like it was in working condition. The other three looked as if they had been melted. Melted on purpose, more like to Twilight. If Celestia wanted to cover her tracks...any evidence or recordings would need to be destroyed. "Looks like she missed one..." Twilight whispered, pulling the tape out with her magic and turning it slowly in the air. The tape was labeled with 'Ravage Virus - Final Experiment - Subject #223'.
Twilight narrowed her eyes, staring over towards the black rectangle on the wall. It had two buttons, a green and a red, and with a quick push of her hooves against the green button, the side opened up and displayed a slot big enough to fit the tape into. She slid the tape in with magic, closing the panel with the push of the red button and taking a few steps backwards. The machine and projector whirred slightly for a second before a voice began speaking from the speakers. The picture on the screen started to change, and Twilight, her curiosity fully peaked, sat down on her haunches to watch. ~*~
"February 11th...may this day forever be immortalized in the books of Equestrian History..."
Doctor Patho Gen muttered, his mane bouncing slightly as he pushed the 'Rec.' button on the side of the camera facing the window. He stood in front of the camera and sighed, pushing his glasses up against his face and speaking in a very bored tone "This is test number forty three...subject #223. All other previous tests have failed, of course...we still have yet to narrow down the gene sequencing and bio-genetics required for a perfect sort of...host. However...we believe that Unicorn-Class ponies may have a better chance...depending on their current level of magic potential and energy. Princess Celestia here...despite her refusal to believe it...is getting desperate."
"Watch yourself Patho..." Celestia growled "You have no idea what it took for me to do this!"
Patho looked towards a spot off camera and sighed, shaking his head "I know it took quite a lack of brains and sanity. Do you have any idea what you're about to do here Celestia?! Have you even the SLIGHTEST bit of sanity left?! The war is not worth this!"
Patho seemed to grimace as Celestia spoke, her words pained and dripping with guilt. "The war was always at the very front of our minds...how could we just ignore it? I regret many things in the thousands of years I have been in existence...but I regret this most of all. It wasn't enough that we had to wage war with the Gryphons...even though they attacked us first. No...what I regret is the fact that I agreed to this project...I shouldn't have volunteered this particular subject...
Oh Gods and Goddesses above what have I done?"
Patho sighed, looking towards Celestia with a face of pleading "Princess...please...we don't have to do this. We can find another Unicorn, one that's not...you know!"
"But it's as close as we could have ever gotten to a perfect cure!" Celestia whined, her voice changing from guilt to determination...even aggression. "No...we proceed Doctor Gen, begin the test!"
The doctor frowned, bowing his head for a moment before looking at the camera and speaking "May the Gods and Goddesses above forgive me for what I have done...and what I will do now. Subject #223 is ready for the test, bring her in!"
The doctor stepped out of the way, the camera now showing the window that covered the far wall. Lights blasted on from within, revealing the room to be a sort of...observation room. A single metallic table rested in the center with clamps and restraints littered on top of it. All around, several roll-able tables surrounded the middle one, each one adorned with several different medical instruments. What was most discernible, however...was a small vial of red liquid which was locked tight inside a metal sort of box, the vial visible through a small window of glass on its side. The box was labeled 'Ravage - 001'
The door that led into the medical room opened, revealing two Royal Guard who carried in...an unconscious Twilight Sparkle.
"No..." Twilight whispered, her hooves flying up to her mouth "Oh no...oh no please!" She whimpered as her eyes remained glued to the screen...her fate approaching quickly.
"Subject has been sedated, but should be recovering now. She will remain in such a state until the test begins, at which that time we will be able to gather more reliable results." Patho explained, watching as the guards strapped Twilight down to the table and left. After the guards left, a group of four ponies wearing haz-mat suits moved in, circling Twilight and preparing for the experiment to begin. "Ravage Virus is ready, as it our subject...begin the test."
Twilight stared in horror, tears spilling from her eyes as she watched the haz-mat ponies remove the vial from its locked box, using magic to levitate a syringe towards the top. The syringe extracted a decent amount of the virus...which Twilight could only assume was blood...and watched...crying out in terror...as they slipped the needle into her front right leg.
"Subject has been administered with the 'Ravage Virus'...we will now begin close monitoring." The Twilight on the screen stayed motionless for a moment...and then slowly opened her eyes. Her breathing was starting to increase...becoming more labored. Drool leaked out of the corner of her mouth, and her eyes looked around frantically in every direction. "Subject's saliva glands are becoming highly active, and she appears to be disoriented. First stages of the infection are complete, subject is confirmed to be infected."
"I was...I....they...I was..." Twilight stuttered with a whine, her body shaking as she continued to watch herself turn...turn into the very monsters she hid from for two months.
"Subject appears to be reacting...breath is raspy, eyes are slowly changing. It appears to be another dud Celestia...I hope you're happy. Another failed subject, and it was the Element of fucking MAGIC too! Oh may the heavens forgive us for this d-.....wait." Patho peered closely at the window, watching in curiosity as the scene before him slowly unfolded.
The Twilight on the screen...her eyes were changing, but not as a regular Afflicted's would. The whites of Twilight's eyes slowly began to swim with the color of blood...but the purple...the purple of her eyes gleamed brightly, as if they were their own source of light. Her breath quieted slightly, and her body had stopped fidgeting. "What...the hell?" Patho whispered, watching the unicorn closely.
Nopony moved...nopony breathed...and then...Twilight spoke...
"M...Mommy...?"
"Oh...my sweet stars..." Patho gasped, a choking sob echoing from somewhere behind him, presumably Celestia's. "Subject is confirmed to be infected with 'Ravage Virus'....but...she's also immune to its effects. Subject #223, Twilight Sparkle...she's a carrier. We did it! SHE'S A CARRIER!" The science team cheered as Twilight whined, her whimpers growing into words...
"Where...am I...? Let me go...let me out of here!!" She started to struggle, the clasps and binds rattling as she squirmed.
"Hey...sedate her!" Patho shouted "Knock her out! If she bleeds from those binds we'll have to sanitize the entire room!"
"LET ME GO!!! LET, ME, GO!!!!" Twilight roared, flailing about as her purple and blood colored eyes flashed...along with her horn. She reached out to anything and everything near by, the equipment and the tools. She flung them about, creating a sort of pushing shockwave outwards which knocked the science team back.
"Sedate her! NOW!!!!!" Patho shrieked, not even bothering to notice the syringe that had lodged itself in the side of one of the haz-mat ponies...
"Sir! We've got a situat- OH CELESTIA HELP ME!!!"
"GET HIM OFF, GET HIM OFF OF - AARRRGH!!!"
"Guards, secure the door, secure the door!!!"
"IT GOT OUT INTO THE HALLWAY! HIT THE ALARM, HIT THE ALARM!!!!"
Twilight wept loudly, blood and carnage spilling about all around her. The camera continued to focus on her, focus on the unicorn who yelped in fright when the newly born Afflicted fought and infected their way out into the main hall...causing what could only be the beginning of the incident. Suddenly, Doctor Patho himself ran into the room, his horn aglow with white magic. "FORGET!" he spat, swinging his horn and clobbering Twilight upside the head with a spell...a spell to wipe her memories. He looked up towards the camera and panted, tears in his eyes as he shouted "The 'Ravage Virus' has been set loose! The Carrier must be evacuated, at whatever the cost! She is our cure! She is our cure!!!!!"
And then...the screen went black...and the tape ended.
Twilight stared towards the black screen, stared with a look of horror that could not be described by anypony or any word in existence. Tears were streaming down her face, a pure wave of denial crashing inside her like a hornet's nest. She...she was Afflicted...at one point she was Afflicted. She had been infected with 'Ravage'...she was a carrier.
The pieces fell into place quickly as Twilight stared at the screen in a terrified panic
The answers to where the virus originated from...and who spread it.
The source of the misery which made up the last two months.
A Revelation.
And then...a voice...from the room where Twilight was infected...spoke out.
"You really are...a wonderful girl, Twilight Sparkle...did you know...how special you were? From the time you were just a little filly...I knew that a bright future was coming for you...but now...now look what you've done...you've beaten the 'Ravage'...you helped me discover why the virus was drained from your body...how you killed it. And now...I can set things right."
Twilight could not do...could not say anything at this moment...say nothing except one word...one single word...a name.
"Celestia...." |
Don't Go Outside... | Stand | Rule #9: Barricade yourself in
"The Gryphons wouldn't stop...oh I knew they wouldn't stop. This started as a project to stop the war...
A project to kill the Gryphons...but now...now it is us who are being destroyed...and I swear...
I will not leave my world to be...'ravaged', and scavenged, by those winged bastards...
I have to spread it...I have to spread it....I have to destroy Equestria...to save it."
-Princess Celestia.
Twilight stared towards the observation room in horror, the lights flicking on inside of it and illuminating the room. It was as if the entire room was painted in red paint...but Twilight knew better. She knew that the entire room was bathed in blood. Skeletons and fresh bodies, most of which were her Royal Guard, were piled in the corners. From the sight of their dead eyes, she could tell that there was a mix of Afflicted and Un-Afflicted.
"You really are...a clever little mare..." breathed Celestia. She was sitting on her haunches in the middle of the room, behind the observation table that once held the lavender unicorn in its deadly grip. Her eyes were closed, and a small smile was spread across her face. "I must say...watching you over the past two months has been a most interesting process. Studying...observing...watching. It really was a treat."
Twilight snarled, galloping towards the window and slamming her front hooves against the glass. She roared at the window, her eyes glaring at the alicorn "You son of a bitch! How could you do this to Equestria!? How could you do this to ME!? What happened to the benevolent teacher I used to know!?"
"Oh Twilight...." Celestia whispered, shaking her head "Why can't you understand...didn't Shadow-Mane tell you anything?" She shifted her weight slightly, bowing her head as she went on "War as a way of...reshuffling ones priorities. With the way things are now, the Gryphons realize that a small part of Equestria is diseased...and they don't want diseased land. However...if the 'Ravage' virus completely dies...they will invade, and steam roll us completely."
Twilight's eyes carefully followed the close-eyed Celestia as she got to her haunches, her hooves carrying her in a slow pace around the table. "The 'Ravage' can still destroy the Gryphons...all I needed was time...time for the afflicted to build up. Then...once they 'accidentally escaped' Ponyville...they'd spread, they'd go to Cloudsdale, to Manehatten...everywhere! They'd destroy the Gryphons for good!" Celestia let out a cackling laugh, her eyes open and staring up towards the ceiling.
The unicorn stared in horror at the sight of her eyes, the insane, mindless look that she gave. Her pupils were shrunken in size, and shook slightly, as if she was having trouble focusing. "You're fucking insane!" Twilight shrieked "You'd kill the entire Equestrian kind JUST to commit mass genocide against ANOTHER race!?"
"I can remake the world Twilight!" Celestia shouted at her, her face turning towards her with a look of rage "I can set everything right! I can rebuild from the ashes, just like before! I so nearly succeeded to until...you." She let out a low growl as she made her way to the window, looking down on a nervous Twilight as she spoke "You...you killed 'Ravage'. You were infected and filled to the brim with my lovely virus...yet somehow you cured yourself. You turned yourself back into one of the uninfected...and for so long I wondered 'How? How did she do this?!'. It doesn't matter anymore...your usefulness has reached an end anyway. I have waited as long as I could for the 'Ravage' to build up its numbers...and seeing as you're here, I can only assume that everypony else has escaped and that it will grow no more."
Twilight watched as Celestia made her way to the lab room door, beating her hooves against it as she screamed "Stop! You stop right there! Don't you even DARE let the Afflicted out of Ponyville! So help me Celestia I'll k-"
"KILL ME!?" Celestia shrieked, turning her head towards her former student with a look of utter rage on her face "How dare you threaten me!? After all I have done for you! After all I taught you, you would DARE stand against me?! I am eight times your superior in magic and strength Twilight Sparkle, you wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Try me you little SHIT!" Twilight snarled, turning on her hooves and galloping out of the office. She emerged into the lab area, turning her head to the right and spotting the door which led to the lab room. She ignited her horn and whipped her head around in a circle, welding the door with a high powered spell. From behind the door, the chuckle of Celestia rang in Twilight's ears, sending a chill down her spine.
"Silly bitch..." she chuckled, the door illuminating with yellowish magic. The hinges groaned and creaked with pressure, cracking and ripping free of the wall. With a mighty metallic groan, the door was blasted outwards, crashing into the giant lab area. The tubes and vials that littered the tables and floors shattered as the door barreled through the area, Twilight igniting her horn with magic in quick response. She targeted the shards of glass left behind from the vials, levitating it upwards and sending it hailing towards the door. Celestia emerged through the freshly blasted opening and gasped as the shards bolted towards her. Four gashes marked Celestia's cheek, side, and neck before she illuminated her horn and cast the glass into dust. She seethed in anger as she wiped her cheek with a free hoof, staring down at the blood she saw there. "You ungrateful little bastard..." she whispered, looking up at her "You really want to die!? So be it! Element of Magic or not, I will NOT hold back! NOTHING is going to stop me from wreaking havoc against my enemies! NOTHING!!!"
She let out a terrifying battle cry as she raised four metal tables up from the lab area, sending them one-by-one at Twilight. The lavender mare gasped and ducked as the first one flew overhead, diving quickly to the right to avoid another. With a quick illumination of her horn, she stopped the third in midair and sent it sailing back into the fourth, crashing them together and sending them apart and away from her. Celestia snorted and galloped across the edge of the lab area, launching magical bolts at the unicorn as she tried to make her way to the elevator. Twilight narrowed her eyes, flaring up a purple bubble-shield around herself to catch the bolts. They pelted the shield violently, drawing a heaving breath out of Twilight as she staggered backwards.
"Come on Twilight..." she growled at herself "Remember what you're dealing with here! Play smart!" She galloped towards the elevator, launching purple bolts of her own through her shield towards the Princess. Celestia simply scoffed, casting an equal number of bolts back and meeting Twilight's in midair. The bolts exploded against one another as the alicorn mashed the 'UP' button with her hoof, sending the elevator upwards at a slow rate.
"Too late Shitlight Sparkle! You lose!" cackled Celestia as Twilight lost sight of her in the elevator shaft.
"Oh no you don't..." muttered Twilight as she galloped towards the rising elevator. She looked up as she reached the shaft, staring at the small iron bars that were just within hoof's reach. She jumped up against the back wall and propelled herself upwards with another jump, hooking her front hooves over the iron bar and riding with the elevator upwards.
It was a small calm before the storm...and it was one Twilight would need to plan out her attack. She had to kill Celestia, she knew that, but the alicorn was right when she said she was much more powerful than her. She'd have to beat her in another way besides pure magic and strength. Cunning would need to be involved here, as well as trickery. She knew Shadow-Mane had a plan to destroy Ponyville...and if she could just hold Celestia off long enough, she would no longer have an Afflicted army to ravage Equestria with! But how...how was she going to keep Celestia at bay? Twilight frowned as the elevator stopped, ideas whirling through and out of her head as fast as a get-away cart wheel. Nothing came however, leaving Twilight to sigh and whisper "I've got nothing..." before igniting her horn and placing it against the bottom of the elevator. She licked her lips and teleported herself through the floor, appearing right on top of the platform.
She wasted no time in rushing out of the bunker doors, turning her head in all directions. She only barely spotted the white coat of Celestia as she galloped through the trees, presumably in the direction of Ponyville, and took off after her. With as much speed as she could muster into her legs, Twilight galloped through the forest, hot on Celestia's hooves. She dove over downed trees and weaved around bushes, trying her best to keep up with Celestia. "Why do you persist Twilight!?" Celestia shouted behind her "Why do you insist on death!? Leave! Flee while you can, it is hopeless!"
"I won't back down!" Twilight shouted ahead "I was raised BETTER THEN THAT, thanks to you!" Celestia didn't reply to this, simply pushing forward faster and making a beeline for the treeline which had just appeared in her vision.
As the two of them crashed through the treeline, a gasp tore itself out of Celestia's throat. "NO!" she shrieked, watching as smoke billowed around in the shield that held Ponyville prisoner, fire spreading throughout the town.
"HA!" Twilight exclaimed "You're too late Celestia! It's ov- ACK!" She was cut off as a ring of yellow clamped over Twilight's middle, the magic lifting her up and flipping her upside down.
She struggled and grunted as Celestia looked up at her, a look of extreme rage plastered on her face. "You...you think this is the end!? You think this is over!? Just because Shadow-Mane set off his little charges inside Ponyville!? You're wrong!!!" Twilight squealed as she was dragged violently out of the air, her back slamming against the ground and knocking the wind out of her. She gasped for air as she was brought back up, spun in a circle once and flung across the fields.
She grunted and yelped in pain as she tumbled and rolled across the grass, coming to a painful stop. Her body ached and her lungs heaved for air as she looked up slowly, watched as Princess Celestia gave a mighty shout and ignited her horn with near-blinding magic. She planted her hooves firmly in the ground and stared towards the east, her eyes wide and filled with panic as she hissed "RISE!!!!! RISE!!!!!!!!!"
"The sun...?" Twilight whispered "She's raising..the sun? Oh no...her power!" She got to her hooves quickly, turning and firing three bolts of magic at the princess. They struck the side alicorn's side violently, sending Celestia sprawling to the left. She grunted as she slid across the grass, her teeth clenching as smoke rose off the side of her body. There was no wound where the bolts hit, but a small patch of her fur had been burned black.
"You'll pay for that you little bitch!" she spat, getting to her hooves and lowering her horn. Yellow magic wrapped around the full extension of her horn, a pulsing light beginning to emanate from it.
Twilight gasped and ducked as a yellow laser blasted forth from Celestia's horn, beaming right over Twilight's head and into the Everfree Forest. Trees were felled were they stood as the beam disappeared, the unicorn lifting her head back up and charging towards Celestia. The sun was beginning to rise, however, as Celestia's spell continued to work its magic. An early scheduled morning was coming...and if Twilight didn't figure out a way to subdue her or enact some kind of plan soon, Celestia would be too powerful for anypony to handle. "Celestia STOP!" Twilight screamed as she rushed towards the princess "See reason!! End this murdering masquerade!"
"SILENCE!" Shouted the Sun Princess, another ring appearing around Twilight and throwing her up. She fell against the ground with a loud 'thud', a low whine escaping her as her belly ached from the impact.
"C...Celestia!" she whimpered, trying to crawl forward despite the force being pushed down on her.
"Oh what..." Celestia scoffed "Having a change of heart? Realizing that your efforts are futile!? It's too late Twilight, you made your choice! You chose to stand against me rather than with me...and for that, you will DIE!"
She threw Twilight up into the air and hit her with a blast of air, throwing the unicorn backwards with immense force. She tumbled through the air until her back smashed against a tree, a cry of horrific pain echoing out of the unicorn as an audible 'SNAP!' echoed through the air. She fell to the ground, weeping and twitching on the ground. "B...but why!?" Twilight cried, dragging herself forward with a hoof. Dirt and grime was smeared into her coat as Celestia walked forward slowly, the beams of the sun creeping over the hills and spilling out across the plains.
"Why what...?" Celestia growled, looming over Twilight and placing a hoof on her side, drawing a shriek of pain out of the unicorn. "Why do a necessary evil for the greater good? The Gryphons will stop at nothing to destroy us, it HAS to be this way!"
"No it doesn't!" Twilight wept, tears spilling down her face as Celestia's hoof pressed down against her "Please! Celestia I'm begging you! I'm begging you to stop! There are ways to win wars without death and violence! Even if there aren't, we shouldn't have to resort to such horrific methods to fight!"
Celestia frowned, staring down at her student for a moment as she writhed slowly underneath her hoof, trying to get away. "Nothing will change Twilight..." Celestia muttered "Equestria was not ready for war...I couldn't just sit by and watch what little forces we had get trampled by the tyrannic talons of the Gryphons!"
Twilight wheezed as she looked up, staring into Celestia's eyes as she whispered "There is always a choice...there is always the possibility of change...if we have faith in ourselves...and don't give up!" She flared her horn with magic, pushing Celestia's horn off and making her stagger backwards. The princess blinked in amazement as Twilight slowly got to her hooves, staggering slightly but managing to stay upright. "I'm demonstrating it right now Celestia!" She shouted "I am Equestria! I'm doing what I should have done against the Gryphons, against you!" Celestia opened her mouth slightly, words failing her as Twilight went on "I chose to fight, despite the odds! Knowing I was going to die! I am not afraid Celestia, I'm not afraid like you are!"
She took a step forward...causing Celestia to take one backwards and shout "But why!? What point is there in this?! What good is it if you die? If everypony dies?!"
"Because we have HONOR Celestia! We fight and die because it's the right thing to do!" Twilight roared back, painfully standing at her full height and pointing a hoof at the shocked princess "We will never truly die because history will remember us! They'll remember the ponies who stood up in the face of impending doom, and dared it to come after them! They chose to fight, knowing they were going to die, because they refused to simply just give up and roll over!"
She stomped her hoof as she ranted on.
"A fight worth fighting, despite its outcome!"
"A refusal to just give up and die!"
"A STAND!!!!"
As Twilight shouted those final words, a brilliant flash lit up the eastern horizon of Equestria. Celestia snapped her head to the left, gasping as she whimpered "W...what is that?!" Her breath caught as she saw...the moon. The moon was rising, catching up to the sun and beginning a Lunar Eclipse. "Luna!" Celestia squeaked, her voice trembling as her magic began to dissipate.
"It's over Celestia..." Twilight whispered, staggering slightly and trying her best to stay upright.
"NO!!!" The princess screeched "Never! Some of the diseased had to have survived! THE SHIELD!" She turned her head towards the shield, her horn flickering for a moment. She strained her eyes, screaming as her horn flickered and beamed with what energy she had left. Twilight watched as the shield started to shimmer, the magic beginning to wrap around the entirety of it.
Twilight felt her vision blurring...but she had to stay awake...she had to finish this! She ignited her horn, flaring what magic she had left into a sharp disc of energy. The edges morphed and turned the entire disc into the shape of a razor blade, its length spinning rapidly across her horn. She lowered her head wearily and panted, trying her best to aim.
One shot...
One chance...
One moment....and she shot.
The blade whirled from Twilight's horn as she started to fall, her body hitting the ground with a soft 'thud'. The lavender razor blade whirled through the air, spinning rapidly and flying towards Celestia. There was nothing the sun princess could do...not anymore. She saw the blade before it struck...and in that moment, everything changed.
As the blade sliced through the base of Celestia's horn, a gleaming shine of golden light ignited in the middle of the fields. The princess shrieked and screamed in agony as the blade sliced through her horn, cutting ti clean off. There was a shocked cry, and then...nothing.
The moon passed fully in front of the sun...covering the plains in darkness as Ponyville burned to the ground.
Twilight's breath was light and labored for a moment...her vision blurring fully and blackening.
And then...all was silent. |
Don't Go Outside... | Sparkle | Rule #10: Never Forget...
Smoke....
Wind......
Fire........
A pony looked upwards towards the billowing smoke that rose from Ponyville, the shield that covered it falling to pieces and crumbling downwards, dissipating in the air. Ash choked the red colored sky as the moon and sun rose together, casting a red tint across the land. This pony, a mare, had a blank look upon her face as she watched the pieces of the shield fade away, revealing Ponyville to Equestria after two long months of pain and suffering.
She slowly made her way down the hill, humming quietly as she put one gentle hoof in front of the other, taking care to step around the falling debris. Apparently...Shadow-Mane could not settle for just fire...no...he had to throw in a few high-explosives as well. Bits of houses and trees littered the area, making it look as if somepony had dumped a giant trashcan over the hills.
Her breath was calm and relaxed as she slowly walked across the hills, looking over towards her left and towards the scene that was displayed before her.
"GET YOUR HOOVES OFF ME!" Shrieked Celestia as Captain Shadow-Mane and a few others of the Lunar Guard tied chains and ropes around her. Her horn had been cut off, and her mane had stopped flowing, her ties to magic all but severed now. Sure she could still use magic, but oh how handicapped she would be. The very thought of it was even horrific enough to draw a shiver out of the unknown mare. She watched the five chariots circling over head, the ponies in them watching the four chariots and a prison-wagon below.
"Princess Celestia! By the order of her majesty Princess Luna of The New Lunar Republic, you are hereby under arrest for the crimes of immoral scientific endeavors, mass genocide, and direct violation of your rights and privileges as Ruler of Equestria!" Shadow-Mane barked, watching as his men lifted her into the prison-wagon with magic. After the wagon was secured, Shadow-Mane waved his hoof, signaling for them to take off. As the chariots and wagon flew up into the air with their flight crew, Shadow-Mane turned to one of his soldiers and muttered "Any sign of Twilight Sparkle?"
His soldier shook his head sadly, muttering "None...we think the explosion might have thrown her, but how far or where we don't know..."
The mare chuckled as she overheard these words, but not the ones that Shadow-Mane muttered next. From above, the four chariots and prison wagon turned and moved in the direction of Canterlot, leaving the rest to hover over and search the fields. They wouldn't find her though, per a simple invisibility spell. She would be killed if she was seen...and that would set so many things back.
She hadn't really considered the possibility that Celestia would actually fail...it being Celestia and all. At first the end result of the battle shocked her, more so then Twilight Sparkle actually surviving the 'Ravage Virus' in Ponyville. Alas...things happened the way they happened...there was no changing it.
...There was only Plan B.
...There was only the mare she hidden back at the ashen remains of Sweet Apple Acres.
With a quick teleportation spell, the mare found herself standing in front of the smoldering ruins of a barn, her body moving towards the old escape tunnel used by the Ponyville citizens. An escape tunnel indeed...for them....and for the others. A snarling sound rippled out of the hole, making the mare chuckle and hold out a hoof towards the hole.
"Come..." she hissed, watching as several sets of red eyes appeared in the darkness of the hole. One by one...slowly in pace...Afflicted ponies began to rise out of the escape tunnel, surrounding the mare...both of the mares. She had nearly forgotten Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who was also hidden with an invisibility spell and had placed beside the escape tunnel. She didn't need to be found...not yet at least, according to the unknown mare. She smiled down at her, her broken lavender body. She was alive, of course, but only just. Broken ribs, a leg, her body splashed with blood. She had been through hell it seemed...hell indeed.
"Infect..." she whispered, the Afflicted surrounding the two mares turning and bolting off towards the Everfree Forest, their galloping eerily quiet and their voices vacant of snarls. She stared down at the unicorn, walking up on her side and lowering herself down. She pressed her belly against the soft grass, her side nestling up against Twilight's as she was turned on her back by magic. She wore a calm expression on her sleeping face as the mysterious mare looked over her, smiling as a mother would over her filly. She pushed her soft mane out of her own face with a hoof and leaned down to the unicorn, whispering "Twilight...thank you. Thank you so much...."
The mare smiled, and lowered her head towards Twilight's, pressing her lips against hers and kissing her fully. She forced her way into a deep kiss, kissing her as passionately as she could. For a moment the mare laid there next to her, holding still as she kissed Twilight, and eventually she stopped, rising up and wiping her lips with a hoof. "Goodbye...Twilight" she whispered, walking slowly away and leaving the unicorn by the escape tunnel.
For five minutes, silence followed in the mysterious mare's wake...and then...a groan.
Twilight groaned, her breath catching and her lungs coughing and heaving for air. She started to writhe slowly on the ground as drool leaked out of both corners of her mouth, her sharp intakes of breath quickly becoming a pant, a desperate gasp for air. She started to cry out and seethe in pain as she rolled about on the ground, her physical and internal injuries causing her to scream more.
Eventually...Twilight fell still, her rasping breath coming out in short gasps. She rolled on on her back, her tongue lolling out of her mouth and hanging limp against the side of her lips. She took in a deep gulp of air and let out it out slowly...sighing as she opened her eyes and stared towards the sky.
Her wonderfully beautiful eyes...
Her gorgeous...glimmering eyes...
Her Infected....Afflicted....blood red and violet eyes.
Her Carrier eyes.
"Momma....?"
The End....for now...
To be Continued... |
Don't Go Outside... | Author's Message | And thus...we come to an end of our tale...the first chapter in a bloody sequence of events that I assure you...will rock you to your very bone.
You believe the horrors were over...? That justice had been served? Oh don't worry...there will be more to come...
Welcome...to The Fall of Reality, where evil NEVER dies.
There will be more mystery, more horror, and a lot more 'Ravaging' to be had in the next installments of our little tale.
So come, pull up a seat...and watch, as Reality falls all around you, and the world as you know it....
....dies.
(Hope you all enjoyed the story! So close to 300 followers and the special Tumblr Post! The next installment of Fall of Reality will be coming out sometime next week, so be sure to stay tuned everyone! This is a story you DON'T want to miss! Special thanks to all my supporters and followers, especially the ones who have been with me since Pinkamena! You all are great, and really inspire me to do and write great things!)
See you on the other side!
~Wolokai KuRR <3
http://askwolokai.tumblr.com/ |
Changing For The Better | pre | Once he was done, Spike sat back down to finish his breakfast. Chrysalis and her underlings left him to his business. What was strange is that Chrysalis and her bodyguards weren't as hungry as they were before. In the past few months, up until yesterday, they had no problems with feeding off of Spike's love, but now, their appetites were deteriorating.
After Spike had finished his breakfast, he put his plates in the sink before leaving the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Twilight was coming out of the castle library with a couple of books and noticed Chrysalis and her underling changelings, sitting around in the living room, looking rather uneasy and confused. Twilight felt concerned for them, which was a shock to her, but she still addressed them nonetheless.
"Is... Is everything alright in here?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen. As the changelings their attention to her, Twilight was actually surprised how they didn't hiss at her.
"Hardly. I don't know what to think anymore," Chrysalis replied. She didn't even make eye contact with Twilight as she placed her hands on her head.
"Well, maybe I can help. I don't know if I can be of any help like Spike is, but the least I can do is at least try," Twilight sighed, knowing this will be difficult.
Chrysalis groaned as she let go of her head. "I can't believe I'm resorting to this, but what choice do I have?" she sighed. "Whatever, I've got nothing more to lose and I'm out of answers. That assistant of yours is impossible to figure out."
Twilight sat down on the couch next to Chrysalis. "Well, Spike has always been one to put other ponies needs before his own. It's in his nature to help others when they need it most. I can't help myself but worry about him every time he puts his life in danger. I'm not always going to be there to protect him and he knows it."
"What does he hope to accomplish from doing something that reckless?" Chrysalis asked with annoyance obvious in her tone.
"He does it simply to be a good friend and to show that he cares. You'd be surprised of the bonds Equestria has formed because of Spike. He even showed it when he saved you and your bodyguards from that fire," Twilight continued.
Chrysalis sighed and kept her hand placed over her chest, trying to hide the blush which has grown across her face. "What am I going to do? That dragon friend of yours has been making me feel... strange ever since he rescued me. I've been feeling these weird poundings in my chest and I just want it to stop!"
Hearing Chrysalis explain her situation, Twilight had a good feeling what all this meant. Even though the ex queen had covered her face, Twilight was able to faintly see the blush which had formed. While she could have taken the chance to tease Chrysalis, Twilight remained mature.
"Chrysalis, I think that's because you actually have a heart... and what's more is that you're falling in love with Spike," Twilight said. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but I think that Spike's actions are starting to-"
"Y-You're mistaken!" Chrysalis cut her off. "T-There's no way a changeling can have a heart! I-It's just not possible!"
"Chrysalis... I don't think that's entirely true. If you didn't have a heart, you wouldn't be feeling the way you are now. Plus... I even did some research on changeling history and there was actually a time when changelings actually used to have hearts."
"Are you insulting our queen?!" Aphid asked, finally deciding to hiss at the princess of friendship.
"No, of course not. I'm merely saying that all changelings weren't bad to begin with. In fact, I think you girls and Chrysalis are probably the only remaining changelings who were born with actual hearts. If you didn't have hearts, you wouldn't be feeling this immense love for Spike," Twilight explained.
"But then... how come we're starting to feel this now? Tell me... HOW?!" Chrysalis asked, still feeling frustrated.
"There's only one reason why you haven't been able to show them up until now. But first, I need to know something: Has there ever been a time when you were abused and betrayed when you were younger?" Twilight asked.
"T-That... That's none of your concern!" the queen snapped as she stood up to take her leave. "Quite frankly, I believe I've heard enough out of you for now," she scowled.
"B-But Chrysalis..." Twilight protested, but to no avail as Chrysalis left the living room without looking back. Once she was gone, Tarantula and the girls started to glare at the purple alicorn for offending their mistress.
"I think you've done quite enough damage to our queen, princess!" Arachnea hissed and the other changelings agreed.
"D-Do you know anything?" Twilight asked carefully. The four changelings' harsh expression didn't let up, but after a long pause, Aphid decided to speak up.
"No! It's not our job to ask of our beloved queen's history!" she answered.
Twilight tapped her fingers against the arm rest of her favorite couch, as many thoughts raced through her head. 'What happened to her?' she thought as she looked out the window. She wasn't so sure how she could help Chrysalis and only hoped that Spike could think of a solution.
Wanting to get out of the castle, Spike had decided it would be nice to go over to Fluttershy's cottage. At the moment, he was enjoying some nice hot tea and cookies that the sweet yellow pegasus had made for him.
"Mmm, these taste delicious, thank you Fluttershy," Spike said, after gulping down on of the cookies.
"You're very welcome Spike," she said with a smile as she took a bite of her own cookie. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you wanted to come see me?" she asked.
"Oh yeah, that's right. Uh, Fluttershy, there's something I gotta tell you regarding Chrysalis and her bodyguards," Spike said before he let out a sigh. "You see, recently just yesterday, I went to get something for Chrysalis to eat so they wouldn't have to resort to always feeding on my love. Recently their feeding has begun to affect my health. Yesterday I could barely stand and it was difficult to walk around the castle. However that's not the key issue right now."
"What's the real issue, Spike? You can tell me," Fluttershy assured.
"Last night, before I went to bed... I..." Spike stopped and took a deep breath before he continued. "I kissed Chrysalis. It was only on her cheek, but I still kissed her. I can't explain it, but I think... I think I'm beginning to fall in love with her. What do you think I should do? It's not like she's going to say she feels the same way about me, she's too insecure. She worries about what other ponies think of her and I don't want to put any pressure on her or hurt her. I just don't know what to do anymore."
This news was quite a lot for Fluttershy to take in. "W-Well gee, I... I didn't know you felt so strongly about Chrysalis. Do... Do you feel the same way towards the other changelings?" she asked.
"To be perfectly honest, I couldn't help but feel attracted to her subordinates, too. But... I can't help but feel like I'll just end up making everything worse if I choose just one of them. That's why I need your help, Fluttershy. How can I fix this?" Spike asked.
"Love works in mysterious ways Spike," she began as she walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "If you think you're developing feelings for Chrysalis, you should go and tell her how you feel. There's also something Twilight mentioned to me some time ago. She said that long ago, ponies and other creatures would practice what we call "herding." Fluttershy explains.
"Herding? What do you mean?" Spike asked, confused.
"Well, basically, because of the population of mares being greater than stallions, the mares would all either date and sometimes marry one stallion, just to keep our species from going extinct and it's worked out so well. If you're experiencing these undying feelings for Chrysalis and her other, you might have a chance to be a part of their lives."
Spike was left speechless as he took in what Fluttershy had just told him.
"But, what if they're not ready for that kind of commitment?" Spike asked and then felt Fluttershy stroke his shoulder
"Not every relationship starts off nice and easy. There are a few bumps along the way. It's good that you're worried about such a thing. Maybe you should give them some time and allow them to open up to you in their own way. I'm sure that within due time, they'll start to accept you and welcome you into their lives, just as you did when you took them in and cared for them."
Spike felt a smile coming to his face as Fluttershy finished giving him advice. "I see. I'll keep that in mind when the time is right for me to confess. Thanks, Fluttershy," Spike said pulling Fluttershy into a warm hug. The timid pegasus hugged him back.
"Anytime, Spike. I'm just glad I was able to help," she said rubbing his back. The hug lasted for a few more seconds before Spike decided it was time for him to take his leave. Fluttershy allowed him to take the remaining cookies in a small bag as he left her cottage.
He waved goodbye to Fluttershy and vice versa. With a smile on her angelic face, Fluttershy closed the door once had Spike flown out of her sight.
After arriving back at the castle, Spike headed straight for his room in order think things over on how he'll be able to confess to the changelings. Of course, being the patient dragon he is, he chose to wait patiently and still keep up his usual routine, looking after the changelings and Queen Chrysalis. Speaking of which, Spike soon heard a knock on his door.
He looked up and turned towards the door with a questioned look. "Who is it?" he asked.
"I-It's me," Chrysalis replied from the other side. Spike got up from his bed and walked towards the door, unlocking it and opening it up. Chrysalis and her bodyguards all had troubled looks on their faces.
"Is something wrong, girls?" he asked, concerned. He placed a claw on the queen's shoulder and she placed her hand over his claw.
"We need to talk." |
Changing For The Better | A Curse Is Lifted | As the changelings led him up to his room, Spike had a feeling that he knew what it is they wanted to talk about. He didn't say a word and allowed the changelings to enter his room. They walked inside, one by one until he closed the door and walked back over to his bed and sat at the edge.
"Whatever it is you want to talk about, I'm all ears," he said. At first, Chrysalis' bodyguards were hesitant to speak up, but their leader sighed and got it over with, sitting down next to Spike, but chose not to make eye contact.
"S-Spike, there's something you have know and this is a rather personal subject. I want you to promise me that no matter what, you will not tell a soul," Chrysalis said, slowly looking at him.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Spike replied. Chrysalis was already aware of the "Pinkie Promise," and despite how annoying it is, she's relieved that he can keep his word.
"Very well then, here it is..." Chrysalis began with a deep breath. "Ever since you kissed me, I've been feeling this weird pounding in my chest and... your friend, Twilight says that it's my heart. I thought that she was lying, because changelings don't have hearts to begin with. But apparently, those books of hers told her otherwise. She said that long ago, there was a time when changelings used to have hearts. But, that was before..." she paused.
"Before what?" Spike asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Chrysalis shuddered, clenching her fists.
"...Before my late mother became queen. Her name was Imperatrix. She was a vile, selfish changeling who changed the ways of our kind, bringing pain and sorrow to everypony in all of Equestria, thus, her actions caused us to be casted away by order of the princess. Every day, she caused me so much pain and agony that I began to lose all hope in life. When I was crowned queen, I had enough of my mother's abusive behavior and... and... I drained her of every last ounce of love she had in that body of hers," Chrysalis explained, gripping her hair.
"But, you still chose to walk down the path that Imperatrix put you into?" Spike asked.
"That's right. I hated ponies so much! I was unable to feel anything but anger, hate, sorrow and even hunger. It was all my mother's fault that I hated ponies! It's ALL her fault! Even today, I hold nothing but hatred for my mother and I wish she were still alive so I could tell her how much of a heathenous wretch she was to me! She didn't even care that I was suffering!"
By this point, Chrysalis was doing something that surprised her subordinates. She was... crying. Spike felt a pain inside his heart when both he and Chrysalis's servants witnessed the queen shed tears for the first time. Naturally, being the kind-hearted dragon he is, he wrapped his arms around Chrysalis. Chrysalis hugged him back and sobbed uncontrollably.
"Now I believe I understand. You've lived a life of neglect and abuse for so long, you've forgotten what it really means to love," Spike said, rocking Chrysalis left and right. The changeling bodyguards couldn't stop themselves from crying either, but they didn't hug each other.
Chrysalis wasn't able to understand why she felt so comforted in Spike's embrace. Ordinarily, if someone had tried to hug her, she would have either hissed or drained them of their love, but now, Chrysalis had no intentions of doing such a thing anymore. All she wanted now was the warm embrace of the only creature who's giving her a chance to open herself up: Spike.
"S-S-Spike..." Chrysalis said, still choked up. Spike leaned his head back a bit just as Chrysalis did before they slowly leaned into each other, slowly closing their eyes and finally lock lips with each other. Chrysalis' body soon started to glow and the changelings gasped. A moment later, Chrysalis' body lifted up off the ground and shined brightly throughout Spike's room.
The light quickly fades away just as it started and Chrysalis landed on the ground softly, but unlike Thorax and the rest of the changeling kingdom, Chrysalis stayed the same.
"Chrysalis," Spike said, getting up and walking over to her. "Chrysalis? Are you alright?" he asked, holding her hand.
"W-Well, I guess. But I-I don't understand. I'm supposed to be rid of this cursed body. I'm... supposed to be beautiful."
"But you are beautiful," Spike assured with a smile. His words touched Chrysalis deeply, making her place her hand over her chest. Chrysalis had never been shown true love and kindness over the long, long years she once reigned as queen of the changelings until now. And because of Spike, she was able to discover the true nature from deep inside her.
For once in her life, Chrysalis was happy to finally discover the heart that was buried away deep inside of her.
"S-Spike... thank you so much!" Chrysalis said, lunging herself into Spike's arms and wrapping her arms tightly around him, crying tears of happiness. The other changelings smiled happily at their queen and joined in on the group hug.
Spike didn't object to it and returned his affections to the 5 changelings. Naturally, even the other four changelings ended up glowing brightly and levitated off the ground. The light from each of their bodies shined brightly and then slowly dimmed as they floated safely back down on their hooves. Their appearances remained unchanged as well, but the aching hole in their hearts were filled to the brim with everlasting love and kindness.
"I... I don't know what to say, Spike," Aphid said.
"I do," Tarantula replied, stepping forward. "Thank you... for always sticking by our sides, even when we were so hostile with you."
"We... We're really sorry, Spike," Arachnea said, putting her hands behind her back, twisting her legs left and right. "We shouldn't have acted so mean towards you, I feel like a complete jerk for putting you through so much pain."
"Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive us?" Hornet asked, grabbing his hand.
Spike not only forgave them, but each changeling received a kiss on the lips. Chrysalis didn't show any jealousy and allowed her subordinates... no... her friends to savor the moment as long as they could.
"Of course I forgive you, all of you. You've been living with this torment for so long. I always had faith in you girls in the vein hope that you all would be able to turn your lives around and you did. And now that you're all feeling better, there's one last thing I want to tell you all," Spike said.
The changelings all leaned in close, as Spike peaked their curiosity. "Girls... I love you. All of you, from the bottom of my heart," he said, making them feel surprised. "I had talked to Fluttershy earlier and she told me about how I should wait until the time was right to confess my true feelings for you girls. And I feel like this is the perfect time for me to tell you."
"Tell us what?" Arachnea asked.
"I've recently fallen in love with you girls," Spike began as he stroked Tarantula and Hornet's cheeks.
"All of us?" Hornet asked as she felt Spike scratch behind her ear. He nodded and started to scratch Hornet's ear as well, making sure not to draw blood with his sharp claws.
"Spike, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think it's possible for all of us to-" Tarantula was cut as Spike kissed her again.
"Actually it is. You see, girls, a long time ago, when ponies were on the brink of extinction, they'd practice this thing called "herding," which involves multiple mares going out with one stallion. It's still practiced today, thankfully. Though, I'm not sure if it applies to changelings, but I'm willing to give it a try if you're comfortable with it," Spike explained as he began to stroke Aphid's cheek next.
Chrysalis and her friends looked at each other, unsure if it's alright to accept his offer. While they could no longer deny their feelings for the drake, they still felt like they needed to sort this whole thing out.
"Um, could you give a minute, Spike?" Chrysalis asked, earning a nod from the kind drake as he got up and moved to the other side of the room to let them talk in private.
"It seems he's really serious about starting a herd," Tarantula began the conversation.
"I know, but, he only specified that ponies practiced that, he never said anything about changelings or dragons for that matter," Hornet argued.
"Maybe not, but I honestly think it might be nice to experience what it's like," Aphid said.
"But, how will his other friends take this, like, are they going to be against this whole thing, or what's gonna happen?" Arachnea asked.
"You're looking at the negative effects too much, Arachnea. Spike loves us very much. I also love him, too. Do you girls love him?" Chrysalis asked. The others nodded. "Then that's all that matters to us. Spike loves us and we love him, don't think about what others may think. I'm willing to put our differences aside and be with Spike, no matter what."
There was a long pause between the changelings, but then each of them smiled and nodded.
"If that's how you feel, then so do I," Arachnea said.
"Being a part of his herd might not be such a bad idea," Aphid said.
"He thinks about our happiness, and it's time we did the same," Tarantula said.
"Then all in favor of joining our drake's herd," Hornet said.
"AYE!" the girls said in unison, before standing up and looking at Spike.
"Alright, Spike. We've all made our decisions and... we'd be glad to join your herd," Chrysalis said, making their new drake-friend smile. He couldn't help giving Chrysalis a small lick on her cheek, making her raise an eyebrow.
"Embarrassed?" he asked teasingly. Chrysalis' eyes widened and felt her cheeks burn up from embarrassment, making her turn away.
"No, far from it!" Chrysalis shouted trying to maintain her dignity. She then lit up her horn and lifted Spike over to his bed. She climbs on top of the bed, giving Spike this evil grin and deep chuckle as she crawls towards him until she's only inches away from his lips.
"You might have won my heart, but I won't allow you to get the better of me! Perhaps it's time I showed you how I work my own magic touch," Chrysalis said, making Spike gulp. He was now regretting that he made fun of her and the girls snickered as they observed his predicament.
Chrysalis sat herself on Spike's lap and grabbed the strap on her shoulder that kept her dress from falling off of her. She slides it down her shoulder and slowly pulls down her dress, causing her massive H-cup breasts to bounce freely from their prison. Chrysalis gets off of Spike and proceeds to remove her dress completely, showing off her gorgeous, naked, hourglass figure.
"Face it, tiger. You just hit the jackpot," Chrysalis said, seductively, cupping her own breasts. Spike saw that her horn began glowing. His eyes went wide as her breasts began glowing as well, but not just hers. The the other changelings' breasts started glowing as well. Each one had about a D-cup size, but when the light died down, their cup size had grown all the way up to F-cup. Chrysalis' breasts jumped from H-cup to J-cup.
"Sweet mother of Celestia, those are huge!" he exclaimed, amazed by how she and the other changelings grew their breasts.
Chrysalis chuckled, "Are you going to stare at my bosom all day, or are you going to come up here and take a taste, big boy?" she asked, moving her breasts in circles. Embracing such an opportunity, Spike sat up and took Chrysalis' lips, thrusting his long, forked tongue deep inside her mouth.
Chrysalis gasped, but she started to feel good and kissed Spike back. Feeling her tongue push against his own, Spike grabbed one of Chrysalis' breasts. Chrysalis moaned into the kiss, stroking the back of his head.
"I get him first..." Chrysalis declared with a possessive tone after Spike pulled out of her mouth. His claws began to sink slightly into the skin of the changeling's breast, making her gasp in pleasure. Giving the J-cup melons a couple of good squeezes, he began to tug on her nipples. As he did so, milk started squirting out of her which aroused him even more.
Spike wasn't going to ask questions, instead he licked his lips greedily and latched onto one of the lactating teats. It was quite delicious, like a chocolate sundae, only sweeter. Chrysalis felt so much pleasure from Spike drinking her milk, she began to lose control. She allowed Spike to lay her on the bed and continue drinking from her giant breasts.
"Oh yes! That's it, Spike! Drink your queen's milk! Drink as much as you want!" she moaned loudly. As he did so, he reached down and gently began to massage Chrysalis's curvy waist. She shivered as she felt the dragon's claws tickle her sides.
The other changelings watched with jealousy as Spike took their queen and pleasured her. Due to her order, they would have to wait to have their fun with the drake. They couldn't help but want to undress themselves and rub their own breasts and keep watching Spike pleasuring Chrysalis and taking her as his own.
Spike let go of his lover's teats and smiled down at her. "How else can I pleasure my sexy queen?" he asked making her blush again. While she has been called "beautiful" many times, never before has she been called "sexy."
"Perhaps you could first take off those clothes of yours. It's not fair for you to be fully dressed while I'm completely naked in front of you," she said, giving Spike her adorable pouty face, puffing up her cheeks.
"Aww, anything for you, cutie," Spike said, pinching her cheeks gently. That's another thing Chrysalis was never called before. She was glad Spike was always complimenting her, but then, her thoughts got more... kinky.
Now that his clothes were off, Chrysalis looked down at his huge erection... or "erections." Of all those she has mated with, over the years, Spike's size was amongst the greatest she's ever encountered. Taking them into her hands, she couldn't help drooling at the sight.
"My my, Spike... I've seen a lot of cocks in my life, but to see that you've got two big erections, I'm not sure if I can fit even one of them inside of me," she smiled as she started to stroke him. "Though... that won't stop me from trying."
Licking the drool off of her lips, Chrysalis began to swirl her long tongue around Spike's bottom penis. She then took it into her warm mouth, making the young drake gasp in content. As Chrysalis bobbed her head on his shaft, Hornet and the others began to snicker.
"Think you can handle our queen's skills?" Tarantula asked smugly.
Spike was so overwhelmed by Chrysalis' oral skills, he didn't have the presence of mind to answer. Reaching down, he placed his hand on Chrysalis' soft mane, encouraging her to continue. Feeling his claws in her mane, Chrysalis chuckled and quickened her pace, bobbing her head up and down on his shaft and humming.
Spike shuddered and moaned softly as he moved his hand to play with her ears. Chrysalis blushed intensely from his claws playing with her ear and moaned as he gave it a light pinch.
Deciding she had sucked on his bottom shaft long enough, the queen pulled off and gave the other penis the same treatment. All the while, Spike continued to play with her ears and hair, enjoying the soft feeling of each.
Feeling devious from the treatment he was getting, Spike couldn't help what he did next. Raising himself up, he reached down and suddenly spanked Chrysalis' jiggly rear. Chrysalis's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.
"W-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO OUR QUEEN?!" Arachnea asked, getting defensive again.
"G-Girls, relax! This is normal! In fact, give it to me more, Spike. Spank me again!" Chrysalis urged him. Spike grinned and continued spanking her plump, round booty. Arachnea and the others dropped their jaws in shock that their queen was allowing this.
Meanwhile, outside of Spike's room, Starlight was reading one of Twilight's books when she heard the sound of loud slapping noises and moaning. She stopped a few feet away from Spike's bedroom door. She lit up her horn and used an x-ray spell to peek through the walls to see what was going on.
Starlight gasped when she noticed Chrysalis and Spike pleasuring each other and a blush soon decorated her cheeks. For some reason, she couldn't turn away from this. Not long afterwards, Twilight came along and noticed Starlight's embarrassed expression.
"Starlight, what's going on? Why are you blushing like that?" she asked before looking at the door. But upon what she's witnessing, a huge blush appeared on her face when she witnessed Spike and Chrysalis going at it.
"Twilight, d-did you think they'd take it this far?" Starlight asked.
Rather than answer, Twilight begins to panic when she noticed Chrysalis spreading her pussy lips wide open. Spike prepared himself to enter inside of her, but then...
"SPIKE, WHAT IN TARTARUS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!" Twilight shouted, bursting into Spike's room without warning. Spike nearly jumped out of his scales when Twilight barged in without knocking. He ended up falling out of bed head first, causing him to black out.
After Spike regained consciousness and getting dressed, he and the changelings were marched downstairs as Twilight demanded an explanation.
"Just what gave you the right to suddenly get down and dirty with each other, Spike?" Twilight asked, glaring at her younger brother. But, Spike had his own counter-argument.
"Twilight, before I explain, I want to know why you didn't bother knocking in on my door. Were you spying on me with some kind of magic spell?" Spike glared back. Twilight's glare left her that very instant and was replaced by a huge blush. "Why would you peek on me through the walls in the first place? You invaded my privacy... MY privacy!"
"S-Spike, wait!" Starlight intervened. "It was me who used the spell, not Twilight. I'm really sorry I peeped on you. I just heard smacks and moans coming from your room and... I got so curious and wanted to find out what was going on. I'm really sorry." Starlight hung her head down with regret.
Seeing how guilty the light purple unicorn felt, Spike slowly calmed down. "Alright, I guess I can forgive you, as long as you promise not to peep on me like that again," Spike forgave. Starlight nodded and received a hug from Spike.
"Now, as you for you, Twilight," Spike said turning to the alicorn. "You shouldn't be barging in on me like that. As far as what I was doing with Chrysalis, you shouldn't get so uptight about it, for I'm not the same naive brat I used to be. Chrysalis, Hornet, Tarantula, Aphid, and Arachnea are all my lovers now and we can do whatever it is we love with each other.."
"He's right, princess. We all love Spike with all our hearts. He's been nothing but kind to us, even when we were acting so cruel towards him. In fact, it comes down to it, I will gladly lay my life down for him," Chrysalis said, clinging herself to her draconic lover.
Twilight was no longer displeased, in fact Spike saw that she began to cry out of joy. The dragon that she has always treated like a brother has finally found the ones he wants to share his life with. Unable to contain herself, she ran up and hugged Spike.
"Oh S-Spike... I-I'm really sorry if I acted childish earlier when I invaded your privacy. And you're right, I shouldn't be treating you like a baby dragon anymore. If you're old enough to make your own path, then I won't stop you from doing so. But even so, just know that I will always be here for you in case you do need me," Twilight said.
With a smile, Spike returned his best friend and adoptive sister's embrace and began crying as well. As Spike kept his arms around Twilight, it was soon made into a group hug as Chrysalis and her changelings joined in.
"Spike..." Chrysalis whispered still hugging her official lover. "I think it's time we sent a letter."
"To the princess?" he asked.
"Yes, tell her to arrange a meeting with Thorax so we can discuss our plans. I've got a lot to talk about with him. I just hope he's willing to listen," Chrysalis said, a bit worried. However as she felt the warmth of Spike's scales, the queen was able to push her worries aside. |
Changing For The Better | A Night of Pure Love | Chrysalis leaned on Spike's chest while the two of them waited on the couch for Thorax. To ease whatever worries she might have, the drake softly combed his lover's hair, making her sigh. Chrysalis nuzzled into Spike's chest along with the other changelings. Spike smiled at all of his beautiful lovers and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek and sometimes the lips as well.
Sure enough, moments later, there was a knock on the door. The girls all gave Spike some space and allowed him to stand up off the couch and allowed him to stretch. With a sigh, he walked over towards the door and opened it up, revealing his good friend, Thorax.
"Hey, Spike. I got the letter from Princess Celestia. She told me that you ended up falling in love with Queen Chrysalis, is that really true?" Thorax asked.
"Yeah, that's true. Come on in and we'll talk more," Spike invited. Thorax walked in and Spike closed the door.
"Listen Spike, you're one of my bestest friends and have always been like a brother to me ever since I was given a chance to show that not all changelings are bad, but getting together with Chrysalis is just way too dangerous! She's probably just using you to feed off of your love! Think about how your friends and family would feel if you ended up getting hurt!" Thorax warned him.
"Thorax, I know what I'm doing. I mean, yeah, they did feed off my love at first... but now they've all made a vow not to do that anymore. Because of me, I was able to help them change for the better. I gave them a chance to redeem themselves and they did so with time and a lot of love. I get why you're worried, but there's nothing to worry about, now." Spike explained.
"Nothing to worry about? Why do you say that?" Thorax asked.
"Because as it turns out, changelings really do have hearts. Chrysalis just wasn't aware of that at first because of her abusive mother. Her mother turned her into the cold, ruthless and scary changeling queen we all once knew. Now, she's reformed and we've fallen in love with each other, same with her changelings followers," Spike explained.
"If she's redeemed, how come she still looks the same as when I last saw her?" Thorax asked, pointing out the obvious.
"Because it wasn't her body that was cursed... it was her heart. But I helped her lift the curse by showing her nothing but love and affection: two of the basic acts of kindness she's never been shown for over a thousand years. I love her, Thorax and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy. She vowed to do the same thing for me and so did the other changelings," Spike explained more.
Thorax was just filled with utter disbelief from what Spike has told him. At first, he was against the idea of Spike being in a relationship with his former queen, but the way he explained all that had happen in the past months, Thorax had no other choice but to believe him. He could see the devotion in his eyes and the everlasting love in his heart to know that Spike was telling the truth.
By this point they have retired to the room where Chrysalis and the girls were waiting for them.
"It's been a while Thorax," Chrysalis said.
"Yeah... long time no see," Thorax replied, awkwardly. "I uh... I heard the truth from Spike and I only want to ask... do you really feel the same way for him? Are you really giving up on feeding off of love?"
Spike decided to interrupt by this point. "Let me stop you right there. Did Chrysalis ever tell you what happened when she was young? The day she had the changelings attack Canterlot, did she ever tell you why?"
"No, she never talked about her past. Was it that bad?" Thorax asked.
Spike turned to Chrysalis and gave her a nod, signaling her to tell her story.
"I suppose I owe an explanation about all of this, so here it is: Long ago, my mother, Imperatrix, was the current queen of the changelings. We were once a peaceful hive before she became the tyrant I once knew. She brought so much pain and anguish to me, the hive... and the ponies of Equestria. She was the most vile, selfish changeling who ever existed!" Chrysalis explains close to crying.
"I... I had no idea," Thorax said, shocked.
"It was because of her that we were casted out from Equestria as monsters. I felt like there was no hope in escaping from that wretched, foul monster! Because of her, I lost the ability to love and show kindness and was now replaced and anger and hunger. Even though I hated her, I foolishly walked down the path she did... until now," Chrysalis explained. "But thanks to Spike, I'm finally free from that witch. And Thorax I just want to say that... I'm so sorry for all the years of torture and anguish that I brought to the hive. Can you ever forgive me?"
Thorax's fear for Chrysalis had turned into sympathy and pity. He had never seen his former ruler like this. He approached Chrysalis and gave her the biggest hug.
"Of course I forgive you. I'm so glad to know you're doing alright now, that's all that matters. Just promise me that you'll watch over my friend, Spike. He loves you very much," Thorax replied.
"Everyone deserves a chance regardless of their past or species, you're the one who taught me that, Thorax," Spike said placing a hand on the king's shoulder.
"I suppose you're right, Spike. If I was able to change, then so can Chrysalis. You're a really good friend, Spike. Never forget that," Thorax said, patting his shoulder. "I'll be sure to let the other changelings know about this wonderful news."
As he stood up to take his leave, Spike politely showed Thorax to the door. However, he failed to notice the looks of lust that have appeared on his lovers' faces as he got up. Especially when they were all staring at Spike's butt and long, scaly tail.
"We'll definitely enjoy ourselves when he comes back ladies," Chrysalis whispered, causing her changelings to giggle. "After all, we need to show him our... gratitude."
After Spike wrapped up his conversation with Thorax, he returned to the living room where he expected the changelings were still waiting. Only difference is that... the girls were all stripped down to their undergarments.
Spike felt his whole face turn red from the sight of his sexy lovers turning him on. Of course, this was all too obvious to the changelings, who began approaching him with lidded eyes.
"You've been so good to us Spike..." Tarantula cooed as she licked her lips. "And our queen says we have to show how grateful we are..."
Hornet spoke up next and her tone was just as seductive. "We had a bit of an interruption earlier... but that won't happen again."
"Well, gee, if you girls insist, then let's take this up to my room so Twilight and Starlight won't see us. Luckily, I've already warned them both not to barge into my room again," Spike replied with a wink.
The changelings all giggled as they all followed the dragon back up to his room. As soon as they were inside, Spike remembered to close and lock his door before taking off his shirt to reveal his impressive package.
Spike was about to reach for his pants, but then Chrysalis used her magic to poof the rest of his clothes off of him. Spike chuckled and approached his changeling queen and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I guess I should thank you for helping me out of those clothes," he said making her giggle. Chrysalis pulled in her dragon lover for a full-blown make-out session, pulling her onto his bed. The other changelings pouted like spoiled foals from the attention their queen was getting.
Tongue battling for dominance, Spike proceeded to use his claws to rip the frame of Chrysalis' bra off, allowing her beautiful breasts to bounce free. Chrysalis of course didn't mind that Spike had ruined her clothing, she was enjoying the attention of her lover.
Pulling away from her lips, Chrysalis smiled and prepared the spell that she knew her dragon loved. As her horn lit up, it wasn't long before the changelings' breast had began to grow. Chrysalis once again had a J-cup sized bust.
Licking his lips, Spike latched onto one of her enormous breasts and sucked on her nipple. Chrysalis moaned loudly from the intense pleasure that coarsed throughout her entire body. Spike's fangs were lightly pinching her nipples in order to tease her. She hugged Spike, panting heavily as he licked and sucked on her nipples more hungrily.
"L-Like I said... I-I get him first..." Chrysalis reminded her followers, who reluctantly nodded and stayed where they were. Having said that, the queen used up what little focus she had left to remove her panties before she lost all focus to her lover.
Like last time, Chrysalis began to lactate and Spike was going full throttle on drinking her delicious milk. Oh, how he loved the taste. While he suckled on one nipple, his claws slightly dug into the other breast as he continued his groping. Chrysalis felt like she was going to go crazy if Spike kept up with his amazing, pleasurable skills.
"S-Spike! I... I can't wait any longer!" Chrysalis moaned.
Spike gazed into Chrysalis' eyes with a teasing smile. "Ah, ah, ah. Good things come to those who wait," he said kissing her cheek. With that he began to suck on the other nipple. However instead of using his hands to play with her other breast, it reached down... between her legs.
Chrysalis bit her lip as she felt Spike insert his fingers into her pussy. He took his time moving in and out of her slit while licking her nipple. Chrysalis' legs started twitching and as the two kept going at it, the other changelings could only watch and pleasure themselves. They could only imagine Spike taking all of them and painting their insides white with his hot, dragon seed.
Finally, it became too much for them. Walking over to the bed, they knelt down and began to lick Spike's shafts, causing his eyes to widen. Looking down, he saw that Hornet and Aphid were enjoying his top member, while Arachnea and Tarantula were licking the bottom.
"I-I thought I told you girls it w-was my turn?!" Chrysalis scowled before letting out another moan. Rather than feel intimidated by their queen's tone, the changelings looked at her with a smirk.
"With all due respect, we just couldn't sit still," Aphid said before she went back to licking Spike.
"Besides... we're doing you... a favor..." Tarantula said between licks. "He'll be... nice and wet... when he's ready to... take you."
Spike's body shivered in pleasure from the horny changelings' impressive skills. It pushed him to pleasure their queen even more by sticking all of his fingers inside of her pussy, while his thumb rubbed her clit. He managed to maintain his focus despite the attention his penises were receiving.
Chrysalis, on the other hand, was spouting out gibberish with a goofy look on her face. Spike was really pushing her over the edge and he was loving the way she's looking right now.
"Enjoying yourself, Chryssie?" Spike asked, nuzzling her lovingly. The queen smiled at his nickname and began to pinch his cheek. However when she stopped pinching, Spike noticed that the girls have stopped attending to his shafts.
"What gives?" he asked.
"Our queen is ready for you to take her. Don't keep her waiting, lover boy," Aphid replied giving Spike a kiss. True to what she had said, Chrysalis' pussy was dripping wet, begging for the drake's attention. However, her pussy... wasn't the only hole which would be used.
As Chrysalis has said before, she has mated multiple times to build her nest, but she's never done anal before. Well today, Spike would have the honor of being the first to insert his member in the tight hole.
Soon, Spike removed his fingers and grabbed both of his hard, wet rods, aiming them at Chrysalis' pussy and anal hole. With one swift thrust, he inserted his top member into her pussy, however, he wouldn't be so swift with her ass. With great care, the drake stuck the bottom shaft into his lover's anus and slowly eased in.
As he expected, Chrysalis's asshole felt quite tight around his member, so he made sure to take things slowly as it opened up. It took a few seconds, but soon Spike was ready to begin his rhythm.
"H-How d-does it... feel to mate with... y-your queen for the first t-time my sweet dragon...?" Chrysalis asked.
"It feels great, Chryssie. I'll make sure to give your asshole a lot of attention since it's your first time taking anal," Spike smirked. As he thrusted, he felt a pair of hands wrap around his torso and turned to look at Tarantula. The green-eyed changeling looked at her lover adoringly before giving him a kiss, which Spike happily allowed.
Turned on by the sight, Hornet gave bedroom eyes to Arachnea, who raised an eyebrow. Before she could question her friend's behavior, Hornet locked lips with her. Arachnea was shocked by the action, but decided to accept the kiss and even began to fondle Hornet's breasts. Up until today, none of the changelings were into lesbian activity, but it was time to go beyond their boundaries.
Chrysalis looked and saw Hornet and Arachnea make out and it turned her on. She then looked over and Aphid who was left out of the fun.
"H-Hey Aphid... come over here... your q-queen needs you..." Chrysalis muttered before releasing another loud moan. Aphid walked up to her queen. Immediately as she leaned down, Chrysalis pulled her down towards her lips. Aphid's eyes widened and then slowly closed. Kissing her lover was one thing, but Aphid had never had the privilege of kissing her queen.
Spike was getting turned on by the sight of his lovers' affection for one another and began hammering Chrysalis' holes even faster than before. He then turned back to Tarantula and pulled her back to his lips. And of course, he wasn't able to resist the sight of the changeling's breasts and reached around her back to grope one of them.
"You're adorable..." he told Tarantula after pulling away to look at her. She blushed at her lover's comment and smiled at him. She winked at Spike before they went back to their make-out session. Spike resumed his powerful thrusting inside both Chrysalis' pussy and anal hole. Chrysalis moaned into the kiss with Aphid, enjoying the feeling of her draconic lover mashing up her insides.
Chrysalis had mated many times before, but this felt different. It wasn't out of lust, or to just build a hive. No, this time, she was mating out of pure love and passion. What's more is that she was also enjoying the close contact with her beloved changelings.
Tarantula yelped a bit as she was suddenly pulled away from Spike's lips and looked to see it was Hornet who had did so. Of course, the green-eyed changeling was far from amused.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded, but Hornet just smirked.
"I can't have you hogging our dragon's lips all to yourself. He's our dragon, too," Hornet replied, staring into Spike's eyes with her dark blue ones. Licking her lips, she invaded his mouth, moaning in delight as she did so.
Tarantula let out a growl and was about to tell Hornet off before she felt Arachnea touch her shoulder. "Oh, don't be like that Tarantula," she teased. "After all... you and I have plenty of time to get to know each other before we get our turn with Spike..." With that, Arachnea kissed Tarantula to calm her jealousy.
Spike couldn't help finding this to be amusing. Out of all of Chrysalis' four bodyguards, Hornet was initially the most aggressive towards him. Now here she was enjoying a nice, loving kiss from the dragon she used to constantly threaten and insult. Of course, Spike had always managed to get over her behavior.
Pretty soon, Spike's thrusting became quicker and more powerful. With his tongue still playing with Hornet's, he slowly began to feel the pressure increase in his two members. Smoke started to seep out of his nostrils and he let out a growl into Hornet's mouth.
With her experience in mating, Chrysalis knew that the increase in her dragon lover's speed meant that he was close. She opened one her eyes to look up at him while keeping Aphid in lip lock.
Unable to hold back any longer, Spike broke the kiss with Hornet and let out a ferocious roar as he blew his hot load deep inside the changeling queen. She moaned into the kiss with Aphid as both her pussy and her ass were filled with Spike's seed.
Breaking the kiss, Chrysalis looked down as her holes were overflowing with dragon seed. It felt much hotter than the release of any other creature she's mated with. Though while it was a bit painful, Chrysalis felt far more pleasure than she ever felt before.
Spike kept his members inside of the queen for at least five minutes, occasionally giving a couple of thrusts even after he climaxed. This proved that the young dragon still wasn't done yet. Pulling out of Chrysalis, the queen swiftly sat up and gave Spike a loving kiss.
"Spike, that was the most amazing sex I've ever had in my whole entire life! I might want to go for another round, but right now, I think it's time you pleased the other girls. They've waited very patiently for you to rut them savagely," Chrysalis said, after breaking the kiss.
"Unfortunately I don't think we can wait long enough if you do us one at a time..." Aphid said with a playful whine. Spike stroked his chin and felt an idea pop in his head.
"Not to worry, I know exactly how I can fix that problem!" he said.
Spike grabbed Tarantula, who by this point has ended her kiss with Arachnea and Hornet. He then laid them both on his bed gently, with Hornet on top of Tarantula, facing her. Unfortunately, Tarantula was still mad at Hornet for ending her kiss with Spike and wasn't going to submit to this so easily.
"Humph! I refuse to go along with this if this bit-" Her complaints her cut off as she felt Spike's member tease her pussy lips.
"Sure you don't want it?" he asked as he continued to brush against her hole. Tarantula shuddered and moaned, gripping the bed sheets and biting her lip. Hornet was about to start snickering, but she stopped when Spike began to tease her as well.
"H-Hey, d-don't keep us waiting! Shove it in already!" Hornet stuttered.
"I'm still waiting for an answer from the one who I believe was objecting to this," Spike said and continued with his teasing. "So Tarantula... any more complaints?"
Tarantula kept shuddering, trying so hard to keep her cool. Hornet was growing more impatient with her and let out a sigh.
"Look, Tarantula, I'm sorry okay? Now, please, for the love of Celestia, give him your answer so I can get fucked!" Hornet begged, practically in tears.
Now that Tarantula got what she wanted, she looked up at Spike with a grin. "Rut me, Spike! Make me your changeling like you did with our queen!" she screamed, looking up at Spike.
"Good girl," he chuckled and ended his teasing. In order to keep themselves from going insane, Tarantula pulled in Hornet for a full-blown make-out session. Spike was loving the sight so much, he decided to not keep them waiting any longer.
He grabs his two shafts and guides each of them inside of their pussies slowly and steadily. He wasn't aware if they were virgins, but he was considerate enough to start off slow so he wouldn't hurt them. Both changelings could feel him insert his cocks inside of them. However he stopped when each of his members reached... the hymen.
Both changelings looked at him and nodded for him to push in more. Spike did so without another thought and popped both of their cherries. Hornet and Tarantula gasped as their virginities had left them for good. Spike noticed some small droplets of green liquid leaking out of their pussies, which he assumed was their blood.
"You okay, girls?" he asked, concerned. The two looked at him with tears eyes, but warm smiles.
"Y-Yes... a little sore... but w-we're okay..." Hornet stuttered before her expression changed to one of excitement.
"Well... what are you waiting for lover boy?!" shouted Tarantula, whose expression had also changed. "Hurry up and rut us already or I'll ride your two dragon dicks myself!"
That was all Spike needed to hear. With a mischievous smirk, he began to move in and out of the changelings and they were smushed together.
"Like I said before, you guys are adorable," he said before leaning down to lick Hornet on her back. She laughed as his tongue tickled her and began to flap her wings.
"S-S-Spike...! T-That t-tickles!" she giggled, but that just seemed to encourage the dragon.
"Aww, is my pretty little changeling ticklish around her back area?" Spike asked playfully. He licks her back again and even gave her wings some attention, making Hornet yelp and giggle. Amused, Tarantula helped Spike by licking Hornet's neck. However the licking only lasted for a few seconds, as Tarantula soon went back to kissing her.
Chrysalis of course was still tired from Spike's work, but she still felt aroused as she watched him thrust into two of her bodyguards at once. She then looked down at her huge breasts, which were still leaking milk.
"Hey Aphid, Arachnea, your queen still has plenty of milk. Want a taste?" she said as she cupped both of her melons. The changelings couldn't help drooling as they eyed their queen's bust. They accepted her offer and latched onto her nipples, drinking her milk. Chrysalis moaned in satisfaction, rubbing the back of her bodyguards' heads.
Spike paid no mind to Chrysalis as she breastfed her changelings, as he was too busy with the task at hand. He sighed in pleasure, as both Hornet and Tarantula's pussies felt nice and tight around his members. Frankly, he would actually be disappointed if they were loose.
"H-How are you enjoying your f-first time?" he asked as he reached under and squeezed Tarantula's sweaty rear. Going back to leaning on Hornet, he kept one hand on Tarantula while the other began to squeeze Hornet's breast.
"Oh Celestia...! I-It feels so... good! You're so big!" Tarantula replied, gasping as she felt Spike's talons slightly dig into her.
"S-She's right...! I... I don't think even normal... stallions m-match up to you! I feel like I'm soaring high in the sky!" Hornet moaned.
Spike pulled his hand away from Tarantula's rear and leaned up so he could get a good grip of Hornet's butt next. She gave out a sultry growl and bit her lip and growled even louder when Spike smacked her ass hard as he kept up his wild thrusting. He would alter the spanking, smacking Hornet's left cheek before moving to the right.
Before long, Spike once again felt his climax building up in his groin. Though this only made him hammer into his lovers at a greater pace. Hornet and Tarantula moaned like crazy and their boobs mashed together as they hugged.
"H-Hornet!" Tarantula moaned.
"What is it?" Hornet asked, moaning as well. Before she knew it, Tarantula had wrapped her arms around her neck.
"Bring those sexy lips of yours down here right now! I'm getting close!" the green-eyed changeling demanded, mashing her lips with Hornet without waiting for her response.
Spike's willpower was strong, but he couldn't hold it in anymore. Throwing his head back with a roar, he let loose and released another fresh load into the kissing changelings. Like Chrysalis, Hornet and Tarantula were completely taken aback by the heat of Spike's seed. Their insides were overflowing with his hot, creamy, baby-maker release and they couldn't get enough of it.
The pleasure became too much for the changelings to handle and soon they both passed out in each other's embrace. Spike found it to be cute how they were still hugging as he pulled his cocks out of their cum-filled pussies.
"Rest easy, cutie-pies," Spike whispered, kissing both of them on the cheek. He then looked over to the other two changelings, who were apparently reluctant to pull away from Chrysalis' nipples. However, when they caught a glimpse of his two large sticks, Arachne and Aphid felt their bodies heat up.
Spike smiled, as he could tell that the changelings wanted his two large shafts and patiently waited for them to come over to him. Soon, Chrysalis grabbed their heads and pulled them both away from her gigantic breasts.
"That's enough milk from me. Now go to your dragon and get some of his milk," she ordered. At least ten minutes ago, they would have pouted, but now, they were overjoyed to finally have their turn with Spike.
Both, Arachnea and Aphid crawled up to Spike and were about to get into the same position as Hornet and Tarantula had when Spike stopped them.
"I just remembered, I haven't gotten a kiss from either of you since this little party started, haven't I?" he asked. Reaching over, he placed a hand on each of their cheeks and stroked them.
"Aww, we wouldn't want to leave our stud of a dragon out of all the fun, now would we?" Aphid said, winking at Spike.
"You just can't get enough of our kisses, can you?" Arachnea asked with a giggle.
"Guilty, you're ladies are just too irresistible for me to not want more. Beautiful changelings like you girls deserve all the love in the world," Spike replied still stroking their cheeks.
Having said that, Spike smiled and leaned down, locking lips with Arachnea first. She wrapped her arms around his neck, latching her fingers onto his hard, yet smooth scales. Spike slid his tongue inside of her mouth, dancing his tongue with hers. Arachnea moaned blissfully and felt her body twitch a bit.
Aphid patiently waited for her turn, and five minutes later her patience was rewarded. While Hornet used to b the most aggressive, Aphid showed the least hostility of all the changelings. Now that she has confessed her feelings for the young drake, nothing kept her from showing her affection.
During the liplock, Spike of course felt her tongue dancing with his, but not out of lust. She let out cute moans when Spike decided to give her a good spank. Aphid pulled away to look at her lover with a smirk.
"If any other dragon had done that, I would have ripped them apart, but you have every right to touch me like that. So, are you satisfied with the kisses you received?" Aphid asked.
Spike answered by pulling her back for one more kiss. For the next five minutes he took his time fondling and spanking the light blue-eyed changeling before pulling away. This time he allowed them to get into position, with Aphid getting on top of Arachnea.
"Are my two sexy little changelings ready?" he asked as he poked each of their openings. Just like with Hornet and Tarantula, he began to brush against them as he awaited an answer.
"P-Please! I want it more than anything! Give it to me, Spike!" Aphid begged.
"I've waited long enough, now hurry up and shove your cock inside of my pussy before I lose my mind!" Arachnea shouted just as desperately.
Unable to stand his beloved changelings' suffering anymore, Spike granted their wish and entered into pussies. This time he wasn't surprised to learn that they too were virgins.
"It'll hurt, but just for a moment my sweets," he assured, wanting to comfort them as much as he could. Though their expressions showed some nervousness, they gave him a nod, showing they trusted him to proceed. Spike nodded back and proceeded to thrust more inside of his lovers.
At first they cringed in pain as their hymens were broken and Spike saw the same green liquid as before. The two began to whimper and shake, trying to adjust to the feeling of losing their virginity.
"Just bear with it my dears..." he whispered.
After waiting a moment, Arachnea and Aphid stopped whimpering and instead moaned with pleasurable smiles on their faces. Both of their pussies squeezed his shafts tightly, as expected, seeing as how this was their first time.
"Thank you for comforting us Spike... Now go ahead and claim your prize!" Arachnea screamed.
"She's right! You've treated us so well with your kindness and gentleness that we're ready for you take us. Take us as your lovers!" Aphid added.
"Your wish is my command, m'ladies," Spike replied, thrusting inside of his lovers. As he did so, he caressed their beautiful bodies, squeezing Aphid's rear before moving under to grope Arachnea's flank. Both of them shuddered in bliss as they felt his talons slightly dig into their skin.
"Tell me Aphid, are you ticklish like Hornet?" Spike asked and the light-blue eyed changeling knew immediately what he was up to.
"N-No, please! Anything but that!" she panicked, but to no avail. With a chuckle, Spike leaned down and began to lick Aphid, causing her to laugh.
"So you are ticklish," Arachnea teased, however it wouldn't last long.
"You're gonna get it too, sweetie," Spike said making her eyes widen. Before she could protest, Spike reached under and began to tickle her sides with the tips of of claws.
"S-Spike...! I-I'll get you for t-this later!" Arachnea laughed, but Spike wasn't scared.
"Oh, we'll just see about that," Spike replied before quickening his thrusts inside their pussies, driving them over the edge. After amusing himself with tickling for a few more seconds, he let up and kissed Aphid's back.
"Did I go to far with the tickling?" he asked as their laughter died down.
"N-No... it felt... nice," Aphid stuttered. She then let out a loud moan as Spike gave her and Arachnea an especially hard thrust. By this point their minds were turning into mush from all the pleasure they were getting.
"D-Don't you d-dare... let up for e-even a s-second...!" Arachnea growled seductively. "I want you to pound us so hard, we'll need wheelchairs!" she yelled.
"Alrighty, but I got two words for you lovely ladies..." Spike paused to close his eyes before opening them back up with his pupils slit.
"SPIKE... WAAAANT!!!!!" he roared. Grabbing both changelings, he slammed his cocks inside their pussies with so much power.
Arachnea and Aphid moaned out loud, hugging each other with their tongues lolled out of their mouths with goofy smiles. They turned to look at each other and began making out. This aroused Spike even further and he growled and grunted with each powerful thrust. Arachnea and Aphid were at his mercy and they couldn't escape him, even if they wanted to.
"Oh s-sweet C-Celestia... H-Harder, Spike! Harder!" Aphid begged. Arachnea became annoyed that the light blue-eyed changeling had pulled her lips away.
"P-Put t-those... lips of yours back where they... b-belong you sexy bimbo!" she demanded. Licking her chops, Aphid did as she was told, screaming into Arachnea's mouth as their ferocious lover gave it his all.
Soon, Spike felt the pressure building up in his loins and he thrusted as fast as he could, trying to get into the deepest parts of their pussies. Smoke once again began to seep out of his nostrils. Finally, Spike had reached his limit and let out a roar. Slamming his members into the deepest parts of his lovers' pussies, painting their insides white with his seed.
Aphid and Arachnea screamed out of pleasure as they were being filled to the brim with their lover's cum. Their legs started to twitch from the intense love-making session they enjoyed. After a few last thrusts, Spike pulled out of his changelings and the girls gave each other one last kiss before Aphid fell off of Arachnea, completely spent.
Spike had regained control over himself, and decided to take a little break as he crossed one leg over the other. Chrysalis walked over to him, seemingly amused by what she had witnessed.
"There's quite a beast hiding behind this sweet dragon. A little sex is all it takes to bring him out," she giggled, making Spike blush.
"T-Thank you?" he said, feeling awkward.
Chrysalis then turned to her changelings who had been filled with dragon seed before reaching in between her own legs. She licked her lips as she observed the treat Spike had provided her. However when she put it into her mouth and tasted it... she knew she had to have more.
"Get up Spike," she commanded, confusing the tired dragon.
"E-Excuse me?" he asked, but gulped when he saw the lust in her eyes.
"We're not finished just yet, my dear..." she purred before gazing over to her sleeping followers. Activating her magic, Chrysalis conjured up a blow horn and used it. Spike couldn't help stifling his laughter as they fell off the bed.
"W-What time is it?" Tarantula asked as she pulled herself back into the bed. Chrysalis licked her lips at the question.
"Suffice it to say... it's time for round 2," she replied and the girls immediately got the message. Looking at Spike with hungry eyes, they noticed he was still hard.
Spike lost count of how many times he blew his load inside the changelings. Throughout the day, he had been taking his lovers in almost every position he could think of. Each of their bodies were drenched in seed and sweat from all the fun they've had.
Chrysalis was currently being hammered by her drake in a doggy-style position while the others laid around the bed, barely managing to keep themselves awake. After all, it was already nighttime and so far, Chrysalis had been filled with so much cum, her belly made her look at least 5 months pregnant.
"H-How many l-loads have... you released i-into me... S-Spike..." she asked as the dragon was leaning on her grabbing both breasts and chewing on her ear.
"I-I've lost c-count Chryssie..." he said before he stopped chewing on her ear and instead began sucking on it. One thing he did know is that his next release would be the last for tonight.
Teasing her nipples a few times, Spike could feel the all too familiar feeling in his groin.
He panted heavily, putting what little strength he had left inside of him into his thrusts. Chrysalis threw her head up to moan in ecstasy, giving Spike the chance to grab her cheeks and kiss her. Her skilled tongue danced with his, which then caused Spike to moan in her mouth, shooting the last of his semen inside Chrysalis.
Chrysalis moaned as he pumped her huge load in her deepest areas, causing her belly to grow a little more. He didn't want to pull away from his lover's lips just yet, so he held in the kiss a little longer, savoring every moment of it.
3 minutes later, he pulled away, panting heavily with Chrysalis. "I... I love you... Spike..." Chrysalis breathed out.
"I... love you, too... Chrysalis," Spike replied in between breaths. "And the others, too. I love all of you."
After that, Spike pulled his cocks out of Chrysalis' ass and pussy, allowing the cum to leak out of her freely. Now, Spike was completely spent and possibly couldn't go another round and so he went limp and fell on his pillow, exhausted.
The changelings giggled and snuggled up beside the dragon. He wrapped one arm around Chrysalis while the other wrapped around Tarantula. Aphid laid next to Tarantula, wrapping her arm around her and their sleepy dragon.
However Hornet and Arachnea went for another approach and went to lay down beside Spike's legs. His two members still haven't gone down yet and they decided to give him one last blowjob for the night.
Allowing the changelings between his legs to enjoy their treat, Spike sighed as he pulled the changelings that were in his arms closer to him as if they were teddy bears. Despite how tired he was, at this moment, he couldn't possibly be happier. He had not one, not two, but five beautiful changelings who loved him with all their hearts.
"Spike..." Chrysalis began as she snuggled in his arms. "You are probably the best lover anyone could ever have. To think that when I was on the brink of death in that forest, you and your friend saved us and gave us a chance to starting over.
Hornet pulled off of the member she was sucking to speak. "Despite how disrespectful we were to you, you never gave up on us. We've never met anyone who's more kind or more loving than you, Spike. I always thought that feeding off of love was all that changelings craved."
"However, you taught us that there's more to love than just taking it. You taught us that it's more satisfying to spread the love. And now, here we are," Arachnea added giving Spike another lick.
"From now on, perhaps we can all try and help spread the love across Equestria and bring peace to everypony around the world and fix the damage that was done in years past, maybe then we'll be welcomed back," Aphid said hopefully.
"Of course, we won't be able to do this without your help. There are still ponies out there who are still afraid of us and we'll need your help to let them know that we've changed for the better," Tarantula pointed out.
"I'll need some time to consider it," Spike said, as it was a big move leaving Twilight and the others behind. "For now let's get some sleep my lovely changelings," he said.
They all nodded and cuddled up to their dragon lover, closing their eyes and letting out cute snores while Spike was lost in thought. Once, he and his friends had fought against the changelings long ago, but now, he had a bunch of them cuddling against him. One thing he did know, there would be a lot of questions about his lovemaking tomorrow morning. |
Changing For The Better | The Start of a Brand New Beginning | Spike slowly opened his eyes as the sunlight hit his eyes from outside his bedroom window. He yawned and stretched out his body, or at least tried to, as his lovers were still laying on him. All of them were peacefully sleeping, nuzzling his body like he was their teddy bear.
"Girls, time to wake up," Spike whisper, moving his body a bit. The girls all groaned, still tired from last night.
"Just a few more minutes, Spike..." Chrysalis muttered, snuggling closer into his scales and admiring the warmth. "Mmm, so warm..."
"I'm not kidding, we need to get cleaned up if we're going to have enough time for breakfast. Last night was great, girls, but all the sweat and sex has to be washed away now," Spike said, moving out of bed a bit more, waking everyone up.
"Morning, lover boy," Hornet giggled before letting out a cute yawn. Tarantula stretched her arms out and then rubbed her eyes, tiredly and adorably. She then looked at Spike before giving him a hug.
"Did you enjoy ramming us last night?" she asked, causing the drake to chuckle as he wrapped his arms around Tarantula's waist. Even though none of them seemed to care how messy they were, it was something Spike would have to point out.
"Without a doubt, though I think it's time you ladies get cleaned up. Come on, I'll get you girls some towels and show you to the bathroom." Spike replied, before booping Tarantula on the nose, making her giggle.
Spike got out of his bed and headed on over to his closet where he picked out a couple of towels from the top shelf. He takes the stack of towels and gives them to his changeling lovers and then leads them out of his room, walking down the hall and approaching the bathroom.
Bathrooms back in the Changeling Kingdom weren't nearly as nice as the one they just stepped in. Like most of Twilight's castle, the walls and floor were made of crystal. There were three nice showers, big enough for two in each of them.
Arachnea and Hornet called dibs for the first shower turned the water on. They waited for the water to get warm enough before they stepped inside.
"Ahh, that's the stuff! It's a lot better than washing underneath a waterfall," Hornet sighed as she relaxed in the warm water. She began to leaned against the wall, enjoying the pleasant feeling of the warm shower water dancing on all over her body.
Chrysalis went over to one of the showers and smiled as the nice, hot water washed over her body. She made sure to wash herself thoroughly, removing Spike's dried sperm from her hair and fur as she scrubbed. However she failed to notice the same dragon sneak up behind her and grabbed both of her breasts.
"Gotcha good, didn't I?" Spike asked, earning a giggle from Chrysalis.
"Easy there, lover boy," Chrysalis retorted playfully, but the young drake refused to let up. Feeling him pinch her nipple, Chrysalis moaned softly and reached behind to grab and stroke one of her dragon lover's cocks. Because of his groping, Spike had become erect again.
Aphid and Tarantula grumbled as they watched Spike have his fun with the queen. Unlike Chrysalis' shower, their shower was the one in a glass box, which wasn't exactly comfortable, but the steam from the hot water was enough to keep anyone from peeking in on their naked figures, like their lover.
As Spike continued to groped Chrysalis, he remembered her proposal of leaving Ponyville to spread love to other places. As wide as Twilight's friendship map was, there were still many places outside of its view. Many of the them are places that were once ruled by the Storm King. No doubt even the tyrant is dead, civilians are still suffering from the effects of his reign.
Chrysalis of course had noticed how her lover had begun to slow down and raised an eyebrow. "What is it Spike?" she asked releasing his shaft to place a caring hand under his chin.
"Well... I've been thinking about the whole "spreading the love across Equestria" idea and I think it sounds like a pretty good idea. There are still places outside of Twilight's map that even it doesn't now about. Many of them places where the Storm King laid waste to and there are ponies still suffering out there. I feel like we should go through with this plan. If we're lucky, everypony might start trusting the old changelings again," Spike explained.
"Do you think your friends will accept this?" Chrysalis asked. Spike let out a sigh and held the changeling's hand.
"It's not going to be easy, but I think I can convince them. I've known them ever since I was just a baby dragon and I'm sure they'll understand if I explain it to them carefully."
Spike returned his gaze to the queen's bust and licked his lips hungrily. "But for now..." He gave both breasts a rough squeeze, earning a lewd moan from his beautiful queen. "...I think you need to be washed properly."
"Mmm, you naughty dragon you," Chrysalis giggled as she leaned into Spike, allowing him complete access to her breasts. She made sure to return Spike's playful behavior, teasing his large cocks with her dripping pussy and asshole.
In no time at all, the sound of moans echoed the bathroom as Spike and Chrysalis went for another round.
After a nice shower and an even nicer round of sex, Spike made his way downstairs with the changelings right behind him. After all the fun they've had, a good breakfast was definitely in order.
Spike stopped in the kitchen when he saw both Twilight was already at the table with a knowing smiles on her face.
"I take it you had fun last night, Casanova?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
Watching Spike blush, Chrysalis saw the chance to embarrass him even further. "Oh, we had a lot of fun. In fact, Spike here was the best I've ever mated with in my whole life," she said. The other changelings all group hugged him. Spike hugged them back for a short while before he got started on making breakfast.
Spike decided to prepare some pancakes for all of the changelings. Now that none of them had to feed off of love anymore, they were able to eat normally.
"It's almost ready my dears," Spike announced to his changeling lovers as they all take in the delicious smell. Chrysalis and the changelings walked to the table and took their seats. Spike gave the pancakes a good flipping and then tossed them onto the plates before serving them to his lovers and Twilight.
Spike got his own plate of pancakes and brought a bottle of syrup with him to the table. Everyone in the room ate in silence, but Spike knew a conversation would start eventually.
A few minutes after he finished his breakfast, Spike looked at Twilight with a serious expression making her curious of what he has on his mind.
"Spike, what's the matter?" Twilight asked.
"Twilight, I need to talk to you about something. It's about my lovers and me. You see, we're..." Spike paused, as he realized this was going to be even harder than he thought.
"Spike, whatever it is that you want to tell me, just spit it out. You don't have to keep it a secret," Twilight reassured as she leaned over from her chair and placed a hand on his shoulder. With a sigh, Spike felt the pressure leaving him a little bit.
"As we both know Twi, love is a very powerful thing. After what happened last night, I've begun to think about how many creatures out there who've never experienced what love is truly capable of. That's why... the girls and I have decided to go on a journey across the world and spread the love to as many creatures as we can," Spike explained.
"W-W-What?!" Twilight asked absolutely flabbergasted by what she had just heard. Of course, Spike wasn't surprised by her reaction.l
"I know, it sounds like a crazy idea, but I talked it over with my lovers and we've decided to embark on this journey. But, before anything, I was hoping you could gather the others so I can at least tell them goodbye," he said with a sad smile.
"A-Are you sure about this, Spike? The world is pretty big and it's not going to be easy-" She was cut off as Spike wrapped his arms around her. Though she was struggling to hold back her tears by this point, Twilight still returned the hug.
"I know it's difficult Twilight, but if we don't bring peace and love, so many will continue to live in despair and sorrow. Even as we speak, a poor soul out there is crying out for help, begging for the love that they so desperately seek. What good is it for me to experience if it's not shared with the rest of the world?" he asked.
"W-When... did you become... so mature?" Twilight asked, getting choked up.
"I have the best big sister who was there to help me become the dragon I am now. Because you and the others have educated me so well, I've developed the courage and smarts to make my own decisions and grow as a better dragon. And as a plus... I'm not alone," Spike said wholeheartedly as he glanced to his changeling lovers.
"Truer words were never said, Spike," Chrysalis agreed.
Seeing Twilight sob quietly into her little brother's shoulder, the changelings felt themselves getting choked up and began crying quietly.
After Twilight had calmed down, she let go of Spike and said, "I'll make sure to get everypony together so that we can all see you off. I'm so proud of you, Spike. You've made me the happiest sister no pony has ever imagined."
Just then, Starlight came walking into the kitchen, still in her pajamas, yawning from exhaustion. She was completely unaware of the big news that Spike had just delivered.
"Morning everypony," Starlight said with a yawn as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Things quickly became awkward when the light purple unicorn saw what was going on.
Twilight was still sniffling and trying to wipe any remaining tears from her eyes. Turning to the changelings, Starlight noticed how they were crying as well. Whatever it was they were crying about, Starlight could tell it wasn't anything bad because of the smiles on their faces.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I'll tell you later, but first, I need to send out a few letters to the girls," Twilight said, calmly with a sad smile and sniffle.
Later that day, Twilight had sent out the letters to her friends and told everyone to meet her at the entrance to the castle as soon as possible. Twilight only explained that Spike has something important to tell them. Right away, some of her friends finished up their daily chores and then headed over to Twilight's castle.
About 7 minutes later, after everyone arrived, the girls all got curious of what Spike had to say to them that was so important.
"Go ahead, Spike. Tell them what you have to say," Twilight said. Spike gave Twilight a nod and approached the girls.
"Everyone... the changelings and I have decided... we're gonna leave Ponyville and spread love all around the world," Spike said. Just like Twilight, the girls were completely taken aback by the young dragon's confession. It's not every day when a good friend of theirs is gonna go on a long, long journey around the world.
"Y-Ya bein' serious here sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she took her hat off.
"Yes, AJ. And so are my changeling lovers," Spike replied as firmly as he could. Rarity was the one who spoke up next.
"S-Spikey, what made you decide to go on such a journey? Surely you must know how big the world is and that it's no easy task! Are you sure this is really what you want?" she asked, concerned for Spike.
Spike took a moment to look up at the ceiling, admiring the beauty of the shining crystal. True to what Rarity just said, the outside world could quickly prove to be a harsh place as compared to the comfortable and safe life he has in Twilight's castle.
"I know it's a big world out there, as places outside Equestria's borders have it a lot harder. However, that's precisely the reason why I feel like I have to do this. You see, even as we speak, so many creatures outside Celestia's rule are suffering because they don't know what real love is like," Spike explains clenching his fists tightly. "We... can't turn a blind eye."
Spike's speech had left the others in shock. It wasn't until after at least five minutes passed that Fluttershy broke the silence.
"You must be really feel that strongly about leaving. I really don't want to see you go, Spike. But I understand why you'd want to take such a huge step like this. It warms my heart to see how much you care for those around you more than yourself. And the proof is pretty obvious judging by the smiles on your lovers' faces," Fluttershy said, placing a hand on Spike's shoulder.
None of the girls could hold their tears back. After Spike leaves, things just won't be the same.
"Spike, bud. Please tell me you'll be back one day! I know how much you want to get out there and help others, but Ponyville just won't be the same without you. You're like the coolest little brother I never had!" Rainbow choked up. "D-Damn... N-Now I'm acting all sappy!"
"And when you do come back, I Pinkie Promise to throw you and the changelings the biggest and most wonderfully, fantastic "Welcome Home" party no pony has ever seen! I'm really gonna miss you, Spike," Pinkie said as she ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He could feel Pinkie's body shaking from her crying.
It was finally Spike's turn to cry as he returned Pinkie's hug. The rest of the girls all huddled up and hugged Spike together, crying over their life-long bestest friend. They all know this has finally arrived, but they all wished it didn't have to happen so soon.
Soon, after everyone had calmed down, the Mane 6 all let go of Spike, allowing him to breathe. Surely however there would be more tears, as there were still many others who he has befriended over the years who are unaware of his imminent departure.
While it didn't take much more than an hour to notify all of Spike's friends about the news, it took longer to negotiate a time where they would all get together to see him off.
Shining Armor and Princess Cadance have long forgiven Chrysalis despite her actions during their wedding, and were the first to receive Spike's letter. As the savior of the Crystal Empire, he would be dearly missed but they weren't going to stop him.
After learning of Spike's affection for Chrysalis and her bodyguards, the rest of the Changeling Kingdom had eventually come to forgive their old ruler. Thorax would never forget the day Spike became his first real friend when he rebelled against Chrysalis and the rest of the hive. The way Spike listened to him and began to slowly trust him made Thorax feel like he could befriend anyone, just so long as he could keep his feeding habits under control.
Spike's caring and understanding nature really made him feel more welcome than anyone he had ever come across.
Next, Twilight sent out a letter to Dragon Lord Ember, who had not known about Spike's relationship until today. Nonetheless, she couldn't help tearing up a little from a complicated combination of happiness and sorrow. While she was happy her good friend was going to spread his knowledge of love, she would still miss him greatly.
She wasn't alone about the fact that she would miss him. Practically, just about anyone he has ever befriended all across Equestria was going to miss him. But Ember knows exactly why he's going through with this plan and she completely understands it. Now, the only thing she had to do was get herself ready so she could travel to Ponyville and see him off.
As painful as it is to send these letters, Spike deemed it completely necessary. Wiping his eyes, Spike prepared the his final letters which were to his friends that lived in Canterlot, especially Moondancer. For as long as he could remember, Spike had thought of Princess Celestia as a mother and she in turn loved him like a son. Princess Luna was always like an aunt to him and she loved him like he was her own nephew.
It came as a surprise when both princesses heard of Spike about to leave on a worldwide journey to spread the love to all those who never experienced it.
Such a feat seemed nearly impossible for Spike to do on his own. However, the princesses felt a sense of relief when they heard about his changeling lovers giving him a helping hand when they take off. To be honest, Celestia had never expected Spike to fall in love with a changeling, much less five of them since she always thought he'd end up with his lifelong crush. But that has long since changed when she remembered how he gave up on his pursuit for Rarity.
When it came time for packing, Spike made sure only to grab the essentials. An intelligent and resourceful dragon, Spike would surely find a way to get employment, even in a harsh environment. Though, he still packed a decent sized bag of bits.
At around 5 o'clock, everyone had gathered around in Ponyville where Pinkie Pie had set up the biggest "Going Away" party with a banner on top of town hall that said "See You Soon, Spike." Everyone from all across Equestria whom Spike befriended was there. Everyone celebrated what little time they had left with their favorite dragon, talking about the good and bad times that happened to them.
As the party finally settled down the next morning... it was time to head out.
Spike's friends had accompanied him to the edges of Equestria's borders to see him and his changeling lovers off.
"You really have grown up into a fine and mature dragon Spike," Celestia said as she wiped her tears away. "Take care of yourself and your lovers out there."
"Spikey-wikey? I know how you've grown out of that name, but... I just want you to know that I'm sorry for all the times I never took your feelings seriously. I hope you can forgive me and I hope you'll make it back home safely when you've all accomplished your goal," Rarity said before she hugged Spike.
Luna stepped forward and bowed her head. Like her sister, she too had tears in her eyes. "We'll be waiting for your return, dearest nephew. We only wish we had more time to spend thou," she said, hugging Spike.
Ember, who was standing beside Thorax and his changeling bodyguards gave Spike a thumbs up. She was wearing the same armor she wore during the Dragon Lord tournament, something that brought back memories. "See ya, squirt. You watch yourself out there and let me know when you're coming back, okay?" she asked.
Thorax nodded in agreement, "Like Luna just said, we'll all be waiting for you," he said with a wink.
"Thank you all for your support. I'll be sure to write to you all about what's happening. I won't let you guys down, I promise," Spike said.
Once the goodbyes have all been said, Spike took one last look at all of his friends who were waving at him. He waved goodbye to them with a sad smile and a tear dripping down his face. He turned to look at his changelings lovers and unfolded their wings. With one big leap, they all took to the sky and flew away.
As soon as they were far away enough from Ponyville, Chrysalis flew up close to Spike, as did her bodyguards.
"Spike, I think maybe now's as good a time as any to tell you something important," Chrysalis began, getting his full attention. "Do you remember how we pleasured each other that night?"
"How could I possibly forget?" Spike replied, making them all laugh.
"Good, then you'll probably be surprised when we tell you this..." Chrysalis looked at the other changelings, who nodded at her.
"Spike... we're all pregnant," they said in unison.
The look of astonishment and joy on Spike's face clearly meant he was liking the news. "That's great, girls! I can't wait for the day when we see our new children," he said, bringing them into a hug. "I love you girls so much."
With smiles on each and every one of their faces, Spike and his changeling lovers continued onwards towards their first destination with high hopes of bringing love and peace into the world... as well as bringing new life into their lives. This was really the start of a brighter and better future.
The End |
Bridles and Corsets | pre | "You mean the diaper thing...?" Twilight asked.
"No, coercing you into an embarrassing act, then rudely mocking you," Her friend corrected her.
"Oh, right..." The mare chuckled nervously. "Maybe we should leave that to Fancy Pants."
"Hmm, black-mailing and extortion would seem like a better option..." Rarity said, pondering a revenge plot, but then received a glare from Twilight. Escaping her train of thought, the white mare sighed in disappointment and replied, "Then again...two wrongs don't make a right, and that might only serve as more trouble." The escort-pony smiled again, trotting towards the door.
"I think now's a good time to leave," She happily said, Rarity giving a nod as she followed her friend downstairs.
"Spike~" Rarity called out into a lavish living room, spotting the boy lounging on a leather couch, boredly sipping some tea.
"Huh? Are we leaving now?" Spike asked, setting down the tea cup and hopping off the couch.
"Why yes," She happily replied, then asked, "Where did Jet Set go, by the way?"
"I dunno, something about a business meeting," He said, heading towards his crush. "Thank Celestia I get to leave this boring place, though!" He chuckled.
Twilight felt it was odd that Spike wasn't in shock seeing her in harlot's apparel, asking the dragon as they walked towards the front door, "So, you're not surprised that I'm like this right now?"
"Like what?" He bluntly asked, looking over at Twilight. "Fancy Pants already told us that you were working for him."
"What?!" Twilight exclaimed in a flabbergasted manner.
"Well..." Rarity said, covering Spike's mouth. "Perhaps I did spot a certain pony in Fancy Pants's Gentlecolt's club and felt a bit...curious." She grinned skittishly, pushing one of the double doors open.
"You know," the lavender mare added, the trio walking towards the front gate of Jet's mansion. "I think a better question to ask is why you let Spike anywhere near a Gentlecolt's club."
"Well, I couldn't just leave him outside, and the doorkeep didn't mind at all. Besides, he knows better than to gawk at other mares when he's around me," She reasoned, teasing Spike with the nudge of her elbow. Spike blushed, chuckling at the tease. Twilight let out another sigh, but let it go for now. No reason to get mad at a sympathetic pony like Rarity.
"I can't believe I got this on audio!" Jet Set cheerfully said, smugly chuckling to himself, listening to the heard footage that had been recorded from one of his mansion's many security recordering devices. He leaned back in his office chair, sipping some Earl Grey as he watched the white unicorn's reveal for the third time. "Oh Rarity...you underestimate me~"
To be continued... |
Bridles and Corsets | Chapter 6 | .
AN: I can't believe it took this long to write, proofread, and edit a single chapter. I apologize in advance.
"Hmm, that should do it," A butler pony said, securing the vinyl record with Rarity's back-and-forth with Twilight on it into a paper sleeve. He then carefully set it into a file with that day's date on it, storing that into a small file cabinet near the large sound console. The butler knew that his master was a bit paranoid about some of the ponies that entered his home, but it still bothered the butler a bit. "I think I sympathize with her more than Jet Set..." He said out loud just before leaving said security room.
The butler pony then made his way to a library room, delivering a perfectly hot cup of tea, that he quickly made after leaving the security room, to his master, a rather distressed looking Jet Set. "Sir Jet, I've finalized and stored that audio you wanted from our surveillance feed," He said, setting down the tray carrying the small cup of tea.
"Good to hear..." His master sighed.
The butler then asked the unicorn, "Sir, what seems to be the problem?"
The unicorn turns his head to the butler, replying to him, "My stocks have gone down quite a bit. Not only that, but its the height of new fashion line as well..."
"Terribly sorry for your loss, sir," The butler replied.
"Don't be, its not your fault after all," said Jet Set, punctuating his statement with a sip of his tea. "Its that Rarity that's bringing me down, along with all those other fashionista bimbos and buffoons that think they know a corset from a toupee. Why..." He then stood up and began to pace about, trotting away from his reclining chair. "If Fancy Pants hadn't made her look good at that garden party, I'd still be at the top of my game. What's she got that I don't have anyway?"
"She is one of the Elements of Harmony..." retorted the butler, watching his master trot back and forth.
"That has nothing to do with fashion, you idiot," Jet Set scoffed. "Their just pieces of junk that just so happen to ward off evil. They don't add to any of her mediocre designs!"
The butler blinked, then rolled his eyes with a sigh. "I do apologize, but I believe that-"
"I was getting to that, Butler, and thank you for apologizing," the unicorn interrupted, adjusting his glasses. "Yes, they give her fame, because she helped save Equestria. That's an unfair advantage, though. Why, I had to work my way up from nothing, and all was going just well, but then somepony becomes one of the Elements of Horseshit and just so happens to be in the fashion industry!" He ranted, stomping a hoof on the ground.
Taken aback, the butler pony swiftly, but cautiously, hands the drink over to his master. "Maybe you should calm down. Here, have anothe-"
The cup of tea then flies across the room and hits the floor. "I don't want your tea, dammit!" cried out the stallion in a fit of rage. The shatter of porcelain echoed throughout the room and Jet Set's ears. "...We never had this conversation, Butler," He spoke after a long, deep breath. "Destroy any remains of this little chat we had."
As Jet Set stepped towards the door, silently cursing to himself, his servant followed behind him. "I know just how to bring her down as well..." The unicorn said with a smirk on his face, making his way to the security room.
"So, you're staying the night here in Canterlot?" Twilight asked after swallowing down a mouthful of Caesar salad with hints of almonds and black olives in it. The white unicorn sitting across from her nodded, a napkin lightly dabbing at her lips after digging into her rather exquisite Carbonara.
"Yes, that's right. I hardly get any vacation or free time, what with my work schedule. Do you think Celestia would mind me and Spike staying at the castle suite again?"
"Honestly, it didn't take much to ask Celestia to let you stay there the first time," Twilight happily explained, sipping at her glass of water. Rarity's face practically lit up at that, a gasp of joy escaping her lips.
"Why that'd be just splendid! I especially love the balcony; such a lovely view of the city, as well....you really don't have to, you know."
"What makes you say that?" The lavender mare asked with a small giggle.
The small dragon beside Twilight then added with a scoff, "Yeah, Rarity. You're one of the most beautiful unicorns in all of Equestria. Not only that, but you're friends with Princess Celestia's one and only right-hoof mare. I mean, what's stopping you?"
The white unicorn smiled warmly at that. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry, I was just trying to be modest. Oh, did you want to split the bill, by the way?"
Twilight nodded, then looked over at Spike. "Are you sure you're not hungry, Spike? You're not trying to go on a diet, are you?" She joked.
The dragon chuckled and shook his head. "Naw, I had a big snack at Jet Set's house."
"Understandable," Rarity commented, taking another sip of her drink. "But there will be plenty to snack on in the suite, just so you know." Spike nodded, a server pony then giving the three their bill.
"I'm a bit concerned about Twilight," admitted a white unicorn after a small sip of her Chardonnay, her and Spike having retired back to her usual suite in Canterlot Castle. Her dragon fellow was reclining in a red, velvet armchair and snacking on some fruit.
"What makes you say that?" asked Spike.
"It's about Jet Set. I hardly chit-chat with him outside of commissions and orders, so the way he acted today was...rather revealing to me. He's never seemed so...so slimy!" Rarity replied with a sigh of abhor for the male unicorn. "Its like some mongrel school filly one day just decides not to be your friend anymore and embarrass you in front of the whole school through some barbaric way, like taint your daisy sandwich with spoiled mayonnaise, causing you to vomit repeatedly onto the floor!"
The boy had no response for the unusually vivid simile other than a confused stare. The unicorn sighed again as the dragon boy stared at her. "You get the point, Spike. I won't go into full detail, but I fear that he's trying to sabotage Twilight's image. It's odd how he went about it, though. Its as if he wanted to do a sloppy job or something to cover up some ace up his sleeve..." She began thinking out-loud.
"Huh..." Spike said as Rarity went on. "He didn't seem that shady to me. Then again I hardly know the guy..."
"I know," She replied, trotting up to the dragon. "I think we should be careful around him. Promise me something, Spike..." Rarity spoke in a serious tone, the dragon boy gazing up at her in full attention.
"Uh...sure thing," He replied, somewhat nervous now by her seriousness. "What is it...?"
"Promise me that if you see anything suspicious you'll tell us about it, okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it..." He chuckled to the pony. "You don't need to worry about that anyway. I mean, when's the last time I lied or talked behind somepony's back?" The dragon assured his crush. Rarity then lifted her frown back up to a smile, giving a quick peck on Spike's forehead.
"You really are a gentlecolt, you know that?" She giggled, then trotted over to her double bed, her magic carrying her Chardonnay over to a nearby nightstand.
The dragon could only blush lightly, smiling back at her with a nod. He then asked the unicorn with a yawn, "So where can I hit the hay?"
"Hmm..." The unicorn muttered out, pulling back the covers on the bed. "Actually, do you mind sharing the bed with me?" Spike blanked, blushing harder now at the suggestion.
"Uh...well..." He sputtered out, dropping the fruit in his hand as he slid himself down to the floor. "Are you sure its okay...?"
"Oh, Spike!" Rarity giggled, blushing a flash of pink across her cheeks now. "Of course its okay. And even if it wasn't, there's nopony around right now that could stop us...aside from the guards outside, but I don't think they care, really." With that, the dragon slowly climbed into bed, nervously inching up to his crush and pulling the covers over his scaly body.
"G-Goodnight, Rarity," escaped from his lips as he gazed up at the unicorn's face. She smiled and gave a quick kiss to his forehead, then closed her eyes, snuggling into the pillow she laid her head on. Spike couldn't help but stare into Rarity's sleeping face as his eyes soon began to close as well. |
Bridles and Corsets | Chapter 7 | Dear Princess Celesta,
Today I've learned the darker side of becoming an escort-mare. You see, I had hidden this fact that I, myself, had been reporting these
Twilight then heard a knock on the door. Curious, she set down the quill she was writing with and made her way to her suite's front door. Using her horn's magic, she opened the door slowly to a stallion she least expected at this hour. "Big brother!" The mare excitedly gasped, followed by a leaping hug towards Shining Armor. Her brother chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.
"Almost everypony at the castle mentioned that you were staying here in Canterlot, so I had to visit," Shining said in their warm embrace, rubbing at his younger sister's back. "Its always so nice seeing you again, Twily."
"Its always nice seeing you too, big brother," Twilight said, nuzzling into her brother's fur. Just hearing his voice and having his presence around her was enough to make the mare jump for joy. He was her B.B.B.F.F. after all.
"Heh, don't get too intimate. You might make Cadence jealous," her brother joked, watching as his younger sister quickly let go of the stallion, blushing quite a bit. "I'm just kidding, sis!" He laughed, walking into her condo, the mare chuckling to herself, though still blushing pink.
"Right...so how was the honeymoon?" Twilight asked, walking up beside her brother as his eyes wandered the flat.
"Fantastic, just how I expected it to be! You wouldn't believe the variety of cocktails they had, and wouldn't you happen to know that my golf swing is pretty good, too," He replied. "This place looks awesome, by the way."
"Thanks," The bookworm said with a smile, her blush having gone away. "I'm glad you decided to stop by, by the way. With how busy you are over there at the castle, I'm surprised you had enough time off to come by." Her brother then turned around to face her again, grinning to himself, looking like he was about to laugh. "...Uh, Shining?" The confused lavender unicorn asked. "What's so funny?"
"Did you dress like that just for me?" Shining Armor asked, an epiphany crossing the mare's mind as her face turned completely beat red: She was still wearing her escort-mare "uniform" in front of her own brother, something she had entirely forgotten about. She tried to laugh it off, but it sounded more like a nervous chuckle as a forehoof snug in one of her signature purple-and-fuchsia stripped thigh-high socks rubbed at the back of her head. "Relax, Twily," the stallion tried to reassure the mare, patting her gently on the head. "Celestia herself made sure to mention your 'new assignment' to me so that there wouldn't be any confusion or misunderstandings."
With a sigh of relief, though still blushing hard, Twilight replied to her brother, "Well, that's good to know. I'm just glad you're okay with it."
"Why wouldn't I be okay with it?" Her brother asked. "You're just following the Princess's orders. Plus, you're exploring your sexual side, and there's nothing wrong with that, right?"
"I guess...but I'm the Princess's protegee. Sleeping around with ponies for profit typically isn't what a high-class, Canterlot-born student does," Twilight explained to her brother.
"Hey, if anypony has a problem with my little sister having sex, then they can answer to me!" He said confidently, flexing one of this arms in front of her, with got a small chuckle from the bookworm pony. "And you are doing this for knowledge technically."
"True, but still-"
"Hey," The white stallion interrupted her with a more serious tone of voice, gently putting a hoof to her mouth. "Don't let other ponies push you around, okay? You know better than that, Twily." His sister slowly nodded, Shining giving her another reassuring smile. If there's one thing Twilight could count on with Shining, its his 'big brother' advice and wisdom. "You know how the Turnip Daily got shut down, right?"
"Other than the fact that it was a corrupt news organization that tried to screw-over its workers?" The nerdy pony retorted.
"Naw, that's why they got a bad reputation in general. The reason they got shut down is that they did a story on how you and I were 'secret lovers' ever since you were a school-filly," Her older brother explained, rolling his eyes as he was still in disbelief of that statement. "I have a clip of that article framed on my wall. Its actually a pretty entertaining read. I can show it to you if you want."
"I'm good," Twilight giggled. "I actually have a letter to write to Princess Celestia."
"Oh, sorry if I was interrupting you, then."
"Don't worry about it," Shining's little sister replied, walking up to her writing desk, only to find her unfinished letter missing. "Huh? Where'd it do?" She asked herself.
"Where'd what go?" Her brother asked.
"My letter to the Princess! It was right here before you got here..."
"Oh, want me to help you look for it?"
"Thanks, big brother. I'd love your help."
"It no problem! I'll just start over-"
A loud clearing of the throat was heard from outside the door as a royal guard poked his head into the condo. "...Right now? Seriously?" Shining Armor asked in an annoyed manner, the guard replying with a stern nod. "Sorry, but I have to head back to the castle now, Twily..." He said to his sister with a sigh.
"Its alright...they probably need you more than I do right now," She said, trying to cheer him up.
"You're right...I'll see you later, okay?" He replied, waving goodbye as he was practically hurried out of the condo. The bookworm mare watched her older brother get dragged out, the door slamming shut as he and the guard made their way back to the castle, the disappointed filly trudging back to her writing desk. She then noticed some other things missing from the desk, like her quill, ink, and the rest of her parchment.
A bright, luminescent light beamed inside of Head Strong's bedroom and onto his sleeping face, causing him to groan and question why his blinders were open. They were supposed to be closed, and he knew this because he made sure the blinders were practically glued in place last night. The junior soccer coach didn't have any morning shifts on the weekend, so what gives? Head was quickly given his answer once his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, recognizing the object spraying all this light into his bedroom: a spotlight being manned by an insect-like equine creature. "Oh shit...!" came out of the stallion's mouth as his body jumped back ten feet and met with the wall.
The creature hissed and glared at the pony, watching as Head's heart raced fearfully at the sight of a changeling right in his own bedroom. Licking its lips, the changeling splayed its wings and lunged for the stallion, fangs flashed and aiming right at his jugular. "Don't touch me, you filthy insect!" The stallion screamed, diving away from the critter and rolling onto his four hooves. He made a mad dash for the door, his horn grabbing the doorknob and quickly turning it, then yanking the open. Closing in on his exit, he turned his head to see the foe flying towards him yet again. Rearing his hind legs, the stallion gave a hard kick to the changeling, sending it flying back as it slammed against the wall.
With a smirk, he galloped out of his bedroom, only to be pounced and pinned to the ground in the darkness of his apartment. "No! Get off!" The soccer pony would grunt, trying to shake off whatever hissing, snarling fiend had his body bond to the carpet, but each time he would squirm and kick, the pressure and restriction on his body would increase.
"Enough!" came a gravely voice from the other side of his living room. On flicked a light, revealing a crook of a earth pony standing at his doorway; a skull and cross bones as his cutie mark. On his back were a couple more of those insect-like creatures, keeping him pinned and flashing their fangs in dominance. "Flip him onto his back. Spread eagle," The grey earth pony commanded his changelings, the grunts doing as their told, watching the unicorn stallion grunt and curse at them. "Good. So, you know Twilight Sparkle, correct?"
"What do you care?!" He yelled at the gravely-voiced stallion. With the roll of the earth pony's greenish eyes, one of the changelings pinning Head down then slammed a hoof to his crotch, grunts and groans of pain escaping the unicorn's lips.
"Lemme fucking ask you again. Do you fucking know Twilight-fucking-Sparkle?!"
Head Strong grew quiet now, recovering from the trauma to his bits, panting and squirming in pain now. "Y-Yes..." He weakly spat out. "I...I know Twilight Sparkle..."
"That's better. Tell me how you know her," The earth pony demanded, slowly making his way up to the restricted stallion, combing back his medium-length black mane with a fore-hoof, smirking at Head as he struggled. "I'm gonna bust yer balls if you don't. Literally bust yer balls."
Head Strong sighed in defeat, giving the earth pony what he wanted. "Fine, we've known each other since Magic Kindergarten. She was my best friend and even stood up for me when I needed it. I...I moved to Spurfield when we were still school-foals. She moved to Ponyville around a or two year ago and we just recently got back in touch with each other."
"Good...do you know a mare by the name of Rarity?" The gruff pony asked.
"Not personally...last I heard she and Twilight were friends..."
"And that's what I was gonna get to," The earth pony chuckled. "See, there's somepony out there that wants that white bitch outta the picture, and I'm here to make sure that happens. Seeing as you're linked to this mare, I'm gonna make sure no 'funny business' goes down with you. Now-"
"Why are you telling me this? I'm not afraid to die!" The stallion pegasus threatened.
"Don't interrupt me, you fuckin' faggot!" He cursed at the unicorn, smacking Head Strong across the face with a forehoof. "And yeah, I realize you're a bit of a nobody right now, so no one'd care if you're dead or not. Well, maybe those foals on the Junior Soccer Team would probably notice. Speakin' of foals..."
Just then, the changeling that had slammed into the wall morphs into a young filly, a blank-flank with a bubblegum-pink coat, short blonde mane, and an equally short blonde tail, trotting up to the bonded stallion with a dark bruise over her eye. "M-Mr. Strong...? Why did you hit me...?" the weak filly pathetically asked, face puffing up as if she were about to cry. "D-Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, tears trailing down her cheeks.
"W-What are you doing?" The unicorn asked, staring down at the filly-disguised changeling. "You can't just win me over with some filly I've never seen before."
"No, but I gotta find some dirt on ya," The earth pony explained, nodding to another changeling as it took Head Strong's appearance, a devilish grin on its face. "And if I can't find any, which luckily you didn't have any, until now that is...then I'll just make some. You two," He pointed out to the guised critters. "Go inside that bedroom and make it look ugly. I'll make sure to shoot plenty of pictures for the Solar News."
With that the changelings trotted into the bedroom, the unicorn stallion turning as white as a ghost, staring in awe as he was thrown into the bedroom as well, the rest of the changeling grunts closing and guarding the door behind them after their boss, the gruff earth pony, made his way into the room, equipping his camera. "I stole this from some Paparazzi punk that tried to rat me out. Pretty fancy, eh?" He chuckled to the fallen stallion. "Also, you get to watch."
"Fuck that," Head Strong scoffed, charging at the earth pony. Head watched as the gruff stallion rolled his eyes.
"I guess I'll have to tie you down then," The cold-hearted pony replied, sending a hoof straight for Head's jawline, stopping the charging pony in his tracks. The guised fiends then hurled themselves at the unicorn, restricting his limbs as the gruff stallion slung the camera along his back, pulling up a chair for him as the insect underlings sat him upright. Head couldn't fight their grasp no matter how hard he squirm, feeling a tight rope bound his hindlegs to the chair's legs, arms tied behind his back.
"Celestia-damned maniac!" He spat out, still struggling in his rope-bound prison, the disguised changelings making their way to his own bed again, the gruff pony watching Head squirm and grunt.
"That's cute and all, but I got more entertaining shit to look at," he said, readying his camera. "Who knows? You just might enjoy it."
AN: Well that was dark, but it does keep the story going. I'd say this is worth the month or so wait, anyway. How long until the next chapter? Depends, I'm taking college classes again, and this'll be my last semester to, so I have to make it count. Wish me luck, and see you next chapter!
Also, if you want a full-on, unedited version of what those changelings did, just tell me in PMs. |
Aliens Vs. Predator: New Blood | pre | "S-She was one of the first ponies I met when I came to Ponyville." Twilight laughed a little bit melancholy "Rainbow was always a hot head though but extremely loyal but stubborn."
"I bet she was the most loyal of friends." Daring said with a smile trying to cheer her up.
"Shut it Do." Applejack said angrily.
"Applejack, I said and I'll say it again, I'm sorry for what happened." Daring said to Applejack.
"Buck you! Dash is dead! And whose fault is it? Hmm, let me see. Oh yeah, IT'S YOUR DAMN FAULT!" Applejack roared as she snorted steam.
"Applejack, please calm-" Daring started.
"NO! AH AIN'T GONNA CALM DOWN! NOT UNTIL THIS FIRE INSIDE IS EXTINGUISHED!" Applejack roared again.
"I'M TRYING TO BE NICE TO YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!" Daring yelled at Applejack but the farm mare just glared daggers at Daring Do. Neither noticed the door that just opened up or the slime that they were standing on. But then a shiver went up the two's legs and up to their spines after they stepped in the slime. But shortly after their hooves touched the substance, the two slipped and slid like they were on ice until they slammed onto a wall which stopped them. Applejack was the first to get up and she nearly had a heart attack when she saw what was in the room with them. Surrounding them were dozen of the bizarre eggs from earlier and one of them started to open near Applejack.
She started to try and get away from the egg but found that her hooves kept slipping on them. Applejack's heart stopped pumping when spider-like legs started to squirm in the egg. But before the creature could leap from the egg at Applejack, a shot of pure blue energy flew into the room and blasted the egg and the creature to pieces. Applejack looked around the room and saw leaving from a door that was shutting a dull rainbow tail.
"R-Rainbow?" Applejack called out. The door closed though and the mystery savior already vanished. The farm mare turned her attention back to the slumped light brown pegasus mare who she considered leaving for a moment but then thought that this would probably hurt Rainbow even if she was dead. So Applejack trying to keep her hoofing on the slime covered floor, she picked Do up and took her out of the room with her but not before closing the door and sealing it shut.
Ah guess if Dash is alive, she'd want me to keep her alive, even with her crappy attitude. Applejack thought to herself. Twilight and the other two ponies ran over and helped Daring off Applejack's back.
"What happened?" Twilight asked as she placed Do on her back.
"We slipped into a room full of those egg things. One hatched and whatever was in them tried to grab me but a blast of energy blew it up." Applejack replied.
"A blast of energy? You mean-" Twilight started. Applejack then lowered her voice to where only Twilight could hear her.
"Yeah and no. It came from a monster's weapon but it wasn't the same hunter. It had a rainbow tail." Applejack interrupted.
"No. Are you sure you weren't just seeing things?" Twilight asked.
"Ah'm pretty sure. Ah think Dash is alive." Applejack replied boldly. Twilight could only look into her friend's face and sigh.
"Applejack I know how close you wanted to be with her-"
"THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT!" Applejack yelled. The other two ponies turned towards Applejack with a shocked look on their faces. Twilight just stood there stunned while Applejack soon took in who she just yelled at. "Aw shucks A-Ah'm sorry Twi' really."
"I understand Applejack. You've liked Rainbow ever since you first met." Twilight said with a smile.
"Ah-Ah'm glad ya' understand. Ah guess you're right about that." Applejack said as she blushed. She knew what her friend was talking about. Applejack liked Rainbow Dash. Really, really liked Rainbow Dash. Ever since she first ran into Dash when she first came to Ponyville. Whenever Applejack saw her, she felt her heart melt in her chest. Meanwhile as Twilight and Applejack talked, they didn't notice the facehugger crawling on the wall behind them. The last of the guards sent with the group, Wind Seeker, noticed it though and pushed Applejack out of the way as the creature leaped off the wall and towards the mare but landed on the guards face.
"NO!" Twilight screamed. But all she could hear from the guard was his muffled scream as the creature wrapped its tail around his neck. The group surrounded him and as Twilight looked at the guard, she began to panic. "WHAT DO WE DO?! WHAT DO WE DO?!" As she said this though she never noticed Applejack leaving and turning down a hallway.
"kIlL hIm." A distorted voice called out from the shadows. The trio started to try and pinpoint the origin of the voice. Daring Do then wakes up slowly from being knocked out and as her vision cleared, she saw something that made her heart stop.
"No. Not again. Nononononono!" Daring said as she backed away from the body. A vision of Rainbow's corpse appeared in front of her telling her. Why didn't you save me huh Daring? I thought you were supposed to be a hero not some selfish writer who ditches her friends. The corpse told her. Daring panicked for a moment before a slap from Twilight woke her back up.
"Thanks Twilight. I needed that." Daring said as she rubbed her cheek. Daring then got up and saw the guard with the creature on his face.
"Twi', what are we gonna do?" Daring asked.
"I-I don't know. I guess we keep him with us and see what happens to him." Twilight replied.
"KiLl HiM." The distorted voice said again.
"THAT'S IT! WHOEVER THAT IS, SHOW YOURSELF!" Twilight yelled.
"As YoU wIsH." The voice said along with the sound of hooves. Twilight turned around and was met with a hoof punch to her cheek sending her flying through the corridor. Doc ran towards where he thought the assailant was but was met with his head being slammed into the wall. Daring grabbed the guard's gun and aimed at the assailant. But as she fired at the attacker, she was amazed to see the attacker dodge every shot with amazing speed. The assailant then using its bladed gauntlet sliced the barrel off the gun.
"Alright. If it's a hoof-to-hoof fight you want. I'll give." Daring said as she flung the gun away and into a wall with a dink. Daring Do then got into a fighting position and prepared for the worst.
Rainbow Dash was amazed. Her own idol was prepared to fight her.
I didn't want to fight her. But if I gotta, I will. She thought as she got into her fighting stance. She extended the blades on her wrist and released a series of clicks.
Now I'm starting to sound like Yeyinde. She said as she blushed a little. Daring started the fight by swinging her hooves at Rainbow Dash. But Dash evaded the swings and when Do was off guard, she swung back making Do stagger a bit. When Daring turned her head towards Dash, Dash felt bad that she managed to give Daring a bloody lip.
"N-nice shot." Daring said as she wiped the blood off her lip. Rainbow was surprised to hear her say that.
"Now here's mine." Daring said with a grin. Daring Do then quickly turned and mule kicked Rainbow only making her step back a bit.
THAT THING SHOULD'VE FLOWN THROUGH THE AIR! These things are tougher than I thought. Daring thought in a surprised voice.
Wow. Not even Daring's attacks hurt. This is going to be real fun. Rainbow thought to herself as she smiled under her mask. Daring charged at Rainbow but each hit was countered and ended with Daring getting a gut buck that sent her flying into the ceiling. Sorry Daring but you were in the way Rainbow thought sadly as she looked at her idol. Daring then fell from the ceiling only to be knocked out as she hit the ground. Rainbow then looked at the guard and saw that the facehugger that latched onto him fell off.
It's too late for him. I'd better get to Yeyinde. Dash thought as she began to run. She then followed the corridor back to her friend that awaited her.
Applejack slumped off early on before the new combatant appeared and so never saw how it fought. She was distracted by the sound of hissing. Applejack continued down the hallway and soon heard a familiar voice.
"APPLEJACK!" The voice called out. Applejack could hardly believe her ears. She turned towards the sound and ran towards it the sound of her friend, no her marefriend, Rainbow Dash. Applejack quickly turned around and ran to where the voice originated.
HANG ON DASH! AH'M COMIN'! Applejack screamed in her thoughts. Applejack released tears of joy as she ran. For she had heard a voice she's been wanting to hear for a while. But when she came to where the voice spoke, she saw that Dash wasn't around. Only her unconscious friends.
"APPLEJACK!" She heard Rainbow call out again. Applejack turned her head towards the open corridor she left earlier that had the eggs from earlier but it was empty this time. She walked inside and heard "APPLEJACK!" being called out but much closer this time. She walked slowly as she followed the calls until her heart skipped a beat when she saw Rainbow Dash. She was covered in slime and stuck to a wall.
"Rainbow, you're alive!" Applejack said happily.
"G-good to see you too Applejack." Rainbow said as she smiled.
"Hold on. Ah'm gonna get ya' outta this." Applejack said as she walked up to Rainbow. Then using her might, Applejack ripped off parts of a black structure that pinned her to the wall until Rainbow fell onto the floor. Applejack helped her up slowly.
"Thanks AJ." Rainbow said as she began to walk.
Now's ya' chance Applejack. Time to tell her your feelings. Applejack thought boldly.
"Rainbow wait." Applejack said making Dash stop. Rainbow turned around and slowly walked back to Applejack.
"Yeah? What is it?" Rainbow asked.
"There's something Ah gotta tell ya'." Applejack replied. Rainbow gave her a weird look as Applejack took her stetson off.
"Rainbow, Ah'-" She started. But Rainbow placed her hoof over Applejack's mouth.
"I know Applejack. And I love you too." Rainbow said gently as she lowered her hoof from Aj's mouth. Then as soon as her hoof was on the ground, Applejack placed her lips on Rainbow Dash's lips.
Ah can't believe it! She actually loves me! Her tongue does feel....slimy though. Maybe she's got more saliva in her mouth than Ah know of. Applejack thought as she kissed Dash. But when she closed her eyes, she didn't notice the large, bladed tail rising behind Dash. Before the tail could do anything, Applejack opened her eyes and jumped back as the tail went down and impale the steel floor. "WHAT IN TARNATION?!" Applejack yelled as Rainbow threw her head back and laughed. The way she laughed was very... familiar and soon Applejack put two and two together. "No... no y-ya' can't be." Applejack stammered as Rainbow's form soon became engulfed in green flames and a horn protruded from her forehead and soon she wasn't Rainbow Miriam Dash but instead Queen Chrysalis. What surprised Applejack was how the Queen looked nothing like before. Besides the black skin that covered her body, a thick, bright blue exoskeleton covered nearly her entire body, a bony crown stood behind her horn, spiny ridges popped out of her back along with insect-like wings, in the mess that was her tail was a long, bladed tail, her head was the same except inside her mouth was a smaller mouth armed with fangs. This wasn't a changeling. This was an abomination.
"Glorious isn't it Applejack?" The monster said to her as it took a step forward shaking the ground beneath Applejack. the farm mare tripped and fell on her flank as she tried to back away. Chrysalis merely laughed at the orange pony's futile attempts at escaping her. She raised her tail up again prepared to strike when she felt something sharp and cold grab it. She turned and saw something her mother warned her of. A slayer armed with a whip made from her brethren's tail. Applejack quickly got up and used her time and ran. As she ran, she remembered her friends and wondered if they were okay.
"So you decided to join those monsters as well Chrysalis?" Rainbow asked the freak of nature that was once the queen of the Changelings. Chyrsalis merely laughed at the pony/slayer hybrid as she yanked the chain and sent Rainbow careening over her and hitting a wall.
"Join them? I WAS ALWAYS ONE OF THEM! I was born into a clutch of eggs until I was taken away onto a ship. It malfunctioned and I landed here." Chrysalis hissed as she flicked her tail in agitation. Rainbow got back on her hooves and snorted at her.
"Was that supposed to surprise me? That just means that I can go open season on you and your whole kind you bitch!" Rainbow yelled and then she released a roar that Yeyinde would've been proud of.
Chrysalis growled but then flicked open her wings and started to lift off.
"I will leave you for now Rainbow Dash but know that because of your stupidity to not kill my mother you have given this planet to me," She said as she blasted Rainbow with her horn and then a hole in the ship big enough for her to fit through and left the defeated hybrid alone to sulk in her failure.
Twilight groaned as she got back on her four hooves steadily. She remembered vaguely a creature landing on one of the guards but that's where the memory ended. But when she got up, she saw the guard laying with the creature next to him. She slowly walked up to it and when she poked it with her hoof, she was relieved when it didn't get up.
It must've died when we were knocked out. At least the guard's alright. She thought happily as she observed the creature. But then she heard two more groans and saw Daring Do and the Doctor getting up from where they laid.
"Oh my head. Did anyone catch the number of the carriage that hit me?" the Doctor asked.
"Sorry Doctor. But that assailant hit you pretty hard." Twilight replied as she helped him up.
"Thank you Twilight. Now, where's Applejack?" The Doctor asked as he looked around the corridor. Twilight looked around and saw that her best friend was gone.
"I don't know. I guess she ran after the attacker." She suggested.
"Maybe. Say, where'd that creature go? The one that latched onto the guard." He said. Twilight pointed to the dead creature next to the guard. The Doctor sighed in relief as he saw the guard.
"He's alive. But yet, why isn't the creature?" He asked out loud as he observed the creature.
"Ow. Did I get smacked by a Dragon?" An aching Daring Do asked as she got up.
"Good to see you're up and moving again Miss Do." The Doctor said with a smile. Daring came up to the two and saw the guard.
"Is he gonna be alright?" Daring asked as she gave a worried voice.
"By the looks of it. But I'm confused. If he's alive, then why is his 'friend' dead?" The Doctor asked. Daring just shrugged as she picked up the unconscious guard. They soon heard the sound of heavy hoofsteps as though somepony was running. Twilight was turning when suddenly a blur of orange ran her over. When Twilight was over her dizziness, she saw Applejack who had a worried look on her face.
"Applejack, what's-" Twilight started.
"CHRYSALIS! SHE'S....SHE'S A MONSTER!" Applejack screamed. But before Twilight could say anything, Applejack fainted from exhaustion. Twilight picked her up with her magic and activated her trail again and saw that the exit wasn't to far away. She sighed in relief but then.
"Twilight something's wrong with the guard." Daring said as she and Doc backed up. Twilight turned and saw the guard coughing up blood.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"N-no. My chest is starting to hurt. I think I-AHHHHHH!" He screamed as he collapsed. The three surrounded him and saw his chest. It started to turn red. But then what creeped them out was when the skin on his chest pushed outwards. The three ponies tried to hold in their vomit as they watched his skin push and heard his ribs break.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed. But then his chest erupted sending a tidal wave of blood and bits of his heart flew out of the hole as well. But then the screeching of a monster was heard. The creature was pale white and was small enough that it could be mistaken for a worm. It turned around to look at all the ponies before it sped off into the darkness like a snake. Twilight tried breathing to stop herself from having a panic attack. The scene of the dead guard and the creature that erupted from his chest was just too much for her to handle and she vomited.
"Oh my. Miss Twilight, I think I figured out why that creature was dead." The Doctor said.
"W-why?" She asked as she wiped the vomit from her lip.
"Well it might be sort of right. But those arachnid creatures must be holding eggs of those creatures. And when they disperse the egg, the crawl off the creature and die." Doc said. Twilight nodded and pushed a nearby button which opened to the outside world again. She put one hoof out and nearly cried in joy when she felt the solid earth beneath her. She looked up at the sun above her and she just basked in it's heat.
Yeyinde sat with Rainbow Dash in the equipment room of the ship. They couldn't believe what happened. Yeyinde's natural enemy has became loose, and Rainbow Dash's enemy is now a hybrid of Serpent.
"That's it. I'm doing something we should've done earlier." Yeyinde said as he got up.
"What are you going to do?" Rainbow asked as she followed him.
"Getting help." As he walked over to the hunter's pods. He then opened them and the two hunters walked out.
"Let the true hunt...begin." |
Aliens Vs. Predator: New Blood | The Hivemind | The hive. A place that the serpents called home. And sitting on the egg sack of the serpents, none other than Queen Chrysalis herself. As she sat there, one by one, a slimy egg came out of the sack and one of her workers took it to an empty spot in the hive.
My children. For too long the creatures of this world have rejected and feared us, as they should, for we are their superiors. Soon we'll have Equestria at our claws. She said in the language of her kind.
My queen. We've got a new one. Came from one of those ponies. One of her warriors said to her. Chrysalis was intrigued by this new development and asked they brought in the new family member. As soon as she saw it the serpent queen knew this one would be very useful as a drone.
M-my queen. I-it is finally nice to meet you. The serpent pony stuttered.
What is wrong child? She asked him.
Just a little n-nervous my queen. He replied.
There's nothing to be nervous about... unless you think me weak. Do you think I am a weak queen? She asked very sternly and caused the serpent pony to start backing away.
S-sorry my queen. I p-promise I'll try my hardest. He said boldly.
I hope so. Now follow my warrior. He'll take you to your station. She said as she stared at an armored serpent. He did as she ordered and began to follow the warrior. The black creature bowed and left with her warrior following behind it. Soon after though The Abomination walked in and started to walk up to Chrysalis.
My dear daughter how big you've grown since you hatched out of your mother's chest. The Abomination said in a cheery voice.
Thank you mother. As you can see, my.... our hive is growing rapidly. Soon we'll have enough serpents to take the surface world. Queen Chrysalis hissed happily.
I'm glad to hear that. But one question still eludes me.... why did you spare that slayer? She asked her daughter.
She wasn't worthy prey. With a swing of my tail she would've been dead. Chrysalis exclaimed. With those words, the Abomination lightly growled making the serpents stop what they were doing and slowly back away.
And yet she still breathes. I thought that I told you that under no circumstances will you spare ANY SLAYER! WE ARE TO KILL THEM YOU INSECT! The Abomination roared at her daughter causing her to growl back as they stared each other down.
WELL SORRY MOTHER! I GUESS I FORGOT! Chrysalis roared back making her mother step back.
I will leave you now. But I must imply that those slayers. Must. Die. The Abomination hissed as she leaped out of the room. Then as the beast left, the serpents came back into their working stations.
WARRIOR! She yelled bringing one of her elite guards into her room.
Yes.. my queen? He asked.
Bring in.... Rhino. She ordered making him swallow a lump in his throat. The warrior left to do as his queen commanded and arrived at a large organic cage. Inside was one of the biggest serpents to have ever lived. A massive serpent clad in black skin thick enough to handle a blast from a slayer's cannon and built to be nigh invincible. Swinging from his rear was a massive tail with a blade thick enough to slice through solid steel.
What does my queen demand of me? The Rhino demanded of the pathetic warrior in front of it's cage in a booming voice.
She wishes to see you. He replied as he climbed to the top of the cage. The warrior then raised the door and allowed the Rhino to walk out. With every step he took, the ground shook with the force of his step. Rhino walked into the queens chamber and stared at her.
My queen. What is it you ask of me? He asked her.
Rhino, I'm allowing you to have some fun. A group of ponies is on a slayer ship. I want you to.... have some fun with them. By now they will have located a possible exit. Be sure to utterly destroy the orange one so that none may recognize her except for her mark. She ordered her living tank. He simply nodded before charging through the wall of her hive and bellowing.
I'll need a few free drones to fix that. She thought as she groaned. She turned back towards a warrior. How are my eggs? Are they ready? Chrysalis demanded of it. The warrior nodded and helped to bring in some that were about to hatch.
Excellent. Now check up on the drones. They'll need someone to watch them. She ordered. He nodded before bolting to a hidden part of the hive where the drones were watching over a large clutch of eggs.
What is it warrior? One of the drones asked.
Our queen told me to keep my sight on you. How are these eggs doing? He asked.
Excellent. I heard Rhino charged his way out of here. The drone said making the warrior chuckle.
Yes. You go help the other drones fix up the wall while I'll keep guard here. The warrior replied and turned back towards the eggs. The first of which bared a living facehugger much to the excitement of everyone in the hive but it barely made it past it's egg before it died. Chrysalis merely snorted.
Another weak child. Take it out of my sight drones. She ordered. As she finished her sentence, a drone picked up the facehugger and took it away. Then as the drone left, a group of her spitters appeared in front of her.
My queen, we've found the ponies. They're right above us. A spitter said.
Excellent. Send a group of drones to alert Rhino about this development. Chrysalis grinned evilly as she saw the spitter do so. She then looked up and couldn't help but think that the lavender unicorn that caused her so much trouble in the past will soon be one of her first unicorn egg carriers. |
Aliens Vs. Predator: New Blood | Reunions | The group was happy. They finally made it out of the ship that a few of their friends have lost their lives on from vicious beings. Now, as they walked on the Equestrian soil, Applejack was lagging behind them with her head dropped low to the ground. She didn't want to talk about the fact that her friend, dead or alive, was still on the ship and she just... left her there. Ah-Ah'm sorry. Ah'm so sorry Dash. Ah wish you were still alive and 'ere but Ah know otherwise. She thought to herself sadly. Half the time along the way she thought of telling the others to just go ahead without her and just use her rope to end things for herself. But then..... she felt that Dash wouldn't want that. She'd want her to be strong.
Ah've gotta be strong. Fer Dash. Applejack thought as she brought her head up a little. But then as she moved a little quicker, she felt something. A slight tremoring in the ground making her and the others stop moving.
"P-Please tell meh Ah only feel this." Applejack begged. Daring was the first to respond with a scared shake of her head. They then heard the roar of a mighty beast as a giant midnight black monster unlike the others burst out from the trees beside them. It was about three times the size of the others of its kind, it had a hide thick like that of a Rhinoceros, a massive head with large jaws and a big inner mouth, swinging from its rear was a large tail with a thick bladed end, and it had hulking arms bigger than a Minotaur's. The creature roared at the group and charged the group at full speed.
"RUN!" Twilight screamed. Then as the creature neared them, the group broke apart giving the beast no target.
"Keep apart! It'll have to chase one of us!" The Doctor yelled as he ran. The group split up like he said but to his surprise, the beast did choose a target. Applejack. It bellowed like a ferocious animal and charged towards the farm mare with all its speed and might.
"HELP!" She screamed as she ran as fast as her legs would go. But the monstrosity kept on her and followed her into a thickly foliaged area. As she was running, though, Applejack tripped and fell into a small hole big enough for her to stand up in but the orange earth mare chose to just lay down instead so she could avoid the beast hounding after her.
Rhino was stunned. For his prey has escaped his sight. But that wouldn't stop him from ripping apart his prey. Keeping a lookout, he walked through the forest with thunderous steps and sniffing the air. His nose then caught a scent. It was close. Very close. He turned towards two nearby holes and noticed that the scent of his prey was in both of them. The idiotic creature thought she could try and fool him? He who was the greatest warrior in the hive next to the Queen and her mother? Rhino growled loudly as he walked towards one of the holes in the ground. He took one deep intake of the prey's scent and leapt at the hole to his left. The beast started slashing and raking his claws everywhere he could reach but he found that, even if he could reach down into the small hole, the mare wasn't inside.
Back at the ship's exit, out came Yeyinde and Rainbow Dash. But behind them were the new hunters. One of them was named Guan-thwei which translated meant Nightblood. The other hunter was given the name Bakuub or when translated Straight Spear.
"Yeyinde, where are we?" Bakuub asked her hunting brother.
"It is Rainbow Dash's home planet. But soon if we do not stop the serpents it will be their hive." Yeyinde replied boldly.
"Then what are we waiting for then? Let our hunt begin brother and sister.... sorry sisters." Guan-Thwei said as he made a nod to Rainbow, who was blushing. Both him and Bakuub were newbloods to the hunt. They were travelling with Yeyinde mainly to see what is like to hunt.
"Guan-thwei, since you're a tracker, can you find out if any other serpents made it out of the ship?" Yeyinde asked.
"Of course." He replied as he pulled a gadget off of his waist. It was shaped like a bird almost. Like a falcon. He then released the device and it took to the skies. As it flew, Guan-thwei watched through his mask and used his wrist gauntlet to control the device. "From what I can see brother the hive doesn't seem to be at any of the normal areas they would be at. Not the caves, tunnels, or any dark area I can find. It's almost as if they actually became smart for once." He said and chuckled at his own joke. He then got an alarm from his droid and saw a gigantic serpent clawing at a hole in the ground.
"Yeyinde, I see a huge Serpent. A few miles south from here. " He said as he called back his device.
"Tank Class. Bakuub, you have that special chemical with you?" Yeyinde asked his hunting sister. She replied by grabbing a vial from her waist showing off the neon blue content in it.
"Excellent. Now, Bakuub you use that to soften its shell, Me, Guan-thwei, and Rainbow Dash will make sure that it won't get up again." He explained to the group.
"Then let's go already! I don't wanna be standing here!" Bakuub said in a bold tone. They all ran towards, or in Rainbow's case flew, the serpent Guan mentioned. But along the way Guan had to ask his brother an important question.
"Why, exactly, did you save that mare brother? You know what our law states do you not?" Guan-thwei asked.
"I do. But she fought the serpents to protect her.... friends as she says it. And that is enough to earn my trust." Yeyinde explained.
"Friends? What the Pauk is a friend?" Guan asked.
"I'll explain later. But now we've got a serpent to hunt." He replied. Guan simply nodded before running with his hunting party.
It has been a few minutes since she fell into her little hole but Applejack was, for once in her life, scared. Sure she went through the Everfree forest to fight off Nightmare Moon but she wasn't about to die back then either. She heard the beast trying to claw into a nearby hole, which she thanked Celestia was there, to try and reach her though it was just her hat. Silently, she prayed to Celestia that something would distract the beast so she could get away from what could be her end. And to her surprise, she heard the answer to her prayer. A ferocious roar.
roar
Although she should be happy all Applejack could feel was rage. The monster that was going to save her was the same one that killed Rainbow. She watched as the beast backed up and roared in pain as something bright blue splashed onto its back. She then smelled what could've been burning flesh coming from the massive beast. It let loose a loud roar of pain as Applejack could hear it's claws hit the ground and the sound growing fainter with each claw slamming into the ground. She then saw several shadows pass by her and yelled at them.
"YOU SONS OF BITCHES! YAH KILLED MAH LOVE AND THEN THINK THIS MAKES US EVEN!" Escaped her throat. She tried to pace but then remembered that she was trapped in a hole. She watched as one of the beings leaped onto the back of the monster and rapidly stabbed it in the weakened part of its carapace. She scooted back as the acidic blood of the creature fell near the hole dissolving the ground. The black monstrosity then grabbed the being off its back and fling it towards a tree making the tree nearly snap apart.
Applejack wanted these things to die for killing Dash, but yet she didn't want to be eaten by the large black creature either. As she was trying to look at the fight she also swore she saw a blue blur pass by several times. The beast soon let loose a mighty roar and then, to Applejack's relieve, the beast soon left. The monsters though still followed the beast as it tried to run away from them. But then as the blue being was about to follow them, it stared straight at Applejack making her eyes widen. Applejack started to back deeper into the hole as the being walked towards her. Then as it closed in on her, Applejack raised her hooves ready to defend herself. "Come on then! Ya think cause Rainbow went down I'll die nice and quite like to! NU UH SUGARCUBE!" She yelled at the creature in front of her. She threw a punch and, unlike the other fight with Daring, the creature just took the blow face first. The being backed up from the hole and allowed Applejack to crawl out of the hole and get into a fighting position. Then the two circled each other like two Timberwolves. Applejack started the fight by trying to give the being a mule kick. But the being grabbed her legs and slammed her into the ground.
"Ow." Applejack said in a pained voice as she tried to get up.
"StAy DoWn." The being said to her.
"Why you-" Applejack started in an angry voice. Then with anger in her eyes, she started to swing at the being like a professional boxer, trying to land a hit on it. But the being dodged the swings that was delivered to it. But then as Applejack swung, the being blocked it but Applejack swiftly moved her back legs and bucked the creature in the jaw sending it flying into the air along with its mask falling off its face. Applejack leaped towards the creature and reared back a hoof but then the being flung open it's wings and knocked her sideways. WHY THAT NO GOOD! Wait those wings.... no. Applejack thought to herself but she couldn't find the energy to ignore the sight before her. Besides those wings on the bright blue body, a dulled rainbow mane and tail stood on its neck and rump. On its face with those large canines were magenta eyes. There standing in front of her, alive and well no less, was Rainbow Dash. "R-Rainbow? I-is that you?" She asked her old friend. Rainbow just stared at her before walking slowly towards her. Applejack backed up a little but soon was embraced in a hug by Rainbow.
"I-I'm so sorry Applejack. I n-never should've l-left you guys behind." Rainbow sobbed into her friend's shoulder.
"I-It's fine. Ah'm just glad to see ya' alive." Applejack said back as she hugged her friend. But then, Applejack broke the hug and look at her friend with a concern.
"Rainbow, there's somethin' Ah gotta say." Applejack said making Rainbow Dash give her a strange look.
"Rainbow Miriam Dash, Ah-Ah-Ah love you." She said. Rainbow chuckled a little when her friend said that.
"I kind of figured that out Jackie. You aren't exactly subtle with trying to ask me out." Rainbow said making Applejack blush.
"Well, do ya'-" She started but was interrupted with Rainbow Dash placing a hoof on her lips.
"I do Applejack Smith. I love you too." Rainbow said with a warming smile. Applejack could've sworn she felt her heart melt in her chest. Then slowly, the two mares leaned in for a breathtaking kiss. Applejack felt a sharp pang and realized she was nicked by one of Rainbow's canines. "Yeah sorry Jackie they aren't going anywhere." Rainbow said.
"It's fine." She said back. Rainbow giggled a bit before kissing her again. |
Aliens Vs. Predator: New Blood | Recalling and Loss | Deep in the forest of Equestria two mares were hugging each other and tears were falling down from their eyes. Applejack was so happy that her marefriend, Rainbow Dash, was now able to be called alive. Even though she was transformed in some ways, her mane now looked braided and her mouth had canines like a predatory animal. Other than that, though, Rainbow was unchanged and just as big headed as well.
"Rainbow, Ah'm just so happy that yer alive. How'd ya' do it?" Applejack asked her.
"Well... it was actually Yeyinde who saved me." She replied.
"Who?"Applejack asked, confused as to who this "Yeyinde" was. She surprised when Rainbow chuckled a little.
"Long story short. He was the Yautja who was trying to kill us earlier on the ship, we woke him up." She explained.
"Ya' mean we woke that... thing up when we entered that ship? How?" She asked.
"Well, I accidentally pressed a button that-" She started.
"Set off an alarm that actually woke 'Yeyinde' up?" Applejack finished.
"Uh-huh." Rainbow said. Applejack blinked a few times as she let everything just settle into her before she shook her head a little bit.
"So what about them weird lookin' beasts? The dark ones?" Applejack asked.
"They're called Serpents. They're what the Yautja are hunting." Rainbow explained.
"Alright. Ah'm startin' to understand. So the 'Yautja' are huntin' the serpents. And they're usin' Equestria for a huntin' ground?" Applejack asked hoping she had it right.
"Right. Oh no! That Tank! Come on!" Rainbow said as she bolted away with Applejack following behind.
Rhino was getting increasingly frustrated with these Slayers that were on his tail. Not only did they distract him from his prey they also had the nerve, THE NERVE, to actually challenge him to a fight! He reached towards his back with his hulking arms, hoping to pull the slayer from his back as it stabbed him with its blades. As he bucked like an angry bull, trying to knock the slayer off, another slayer threw a bladed disk at him, slicing his skin and making his acidic blood drop to the ground. The beast then started to worry. This was new to it as it never felt fear before, no creature had ever pierced it's hide before least among them were slayers. Then suddenly, a wave of adrenaline came over the Rhino making him bellow in anger.
Using his hulking arms, he finally grabbed the slayer and threw it into a tree, snapping the tree in half and severely injuring the slayer. Even though one of them was down, he had two to still fight. These were tougher than the other and the extended fight with them proved it. They dodged most of Rhino's strikes and then they blasted it's right arm with one of their energy projectors. Rhino roared as the flesh sizzled. But this only angered the mighty beast as it charged the two slayers. The two dodged and one of them launched a bladed disk and it sliced the burnt arm flesh, making the arm completely fall off. Rhino roared in pain as it held the bleeding stump that was once his arm. It turned around to fight them again but then felt a pain go through it's skull and saw a spear go through it's skull.
"That was for Bakuub you monster." The one wielding the spear said. Then suddenly, everything went black for the Rhino.
Yeyinde and Guan-thwei were not among the happiest of the hunters. For even though they slayed the Rhino Serpent, they lost a hunting member. Bakuub, laid slouched against a tree with green blood flowing from her lips.
"Yeyinde.... please. End it. I-I feel so c-c-cold." She told him as she coughed up the blood.
"I c-can't. Guan,-' He started. The Yautja simply nodded as his blades extended. Leaning to the female, he drove the blades with all his might into her chest, making her give a short squeal.
"T-Thank you." She said before her breath was taken from her. Yeyinde then held her close to him as he released a loud roar.
"Shall I... activate her wrist bracer?" Guan asked.
"No. We shall bury her." Yeyinde replied. The other Yautja simply nodded before picking her body up from where it laid. Using his claws, Yeyinde started to dig a small grave for the huntress. They then heard the flapping of wings and turned to see Rainbow appear.
"Yeyinde! I'm sorry I... couldn't.... no. NO!" Rainbow yelled as she saw the dead body of Bakuub nearby.
"She... sacrificed her life to help defeat this serpent." He said as he pointed to the large corpse.
"I-it's my fault. If I made it here sooner I would've saved her! THAT PAUK DE KIlLED HER AND I COULDN'T DO A-" Rainbow stopped mid sentence as Yeyinde slapped her.
"Rainbow that is enough! It is not your fault! She lost her life to protect us and your world!" Yeyinde said angrily at the mare.
"B-But I-"
"You might want to stop. You don't want him to get real mad." Guan warned her. Rainbow merely nodded with new tears in her eyes, hidden by her mask that she put back on a while back. Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes nearby causing all the hunters to aim their weapons at it, only to reveal itself as Applejack.
"NiCe To MeEt YoU." Guan said through his vocal translator.
"Nice to meet ya' too." She said back. She then noticed the corpse of Bakuub and asked if she could do anything.
"No." Yeyinde replied as he picked her body off the ground. He then walked over, with the body in his arms, to the burial they made for her
"Shucks. Was she yer sister?" She asked making him growl. Applejack huffed as Yeyinde placed his fallen ally into the hole. He then covered it with dirt, leaving her mask on the mound as a tombstone. The two Yautja that remained the began to walk back towards the way they came.
"Where are they goin'?" Applejack asked. Rainbow sighed before giving her an answer.
"To find the queen." she replied. Applejack suddenly had a bad memory flash through her head.
"It's Chrysalis Dash. But ya knew that didn't ya?" Applejack said. She heard Rainbow chuckle a bit before extending her blades.
"Of course. Now let's end this hunt." |
Aliens Vs. Predator: New Blood | Final Reunions | Twilight was still running through the forest, desperately trying to escape a gigantic beast that attacked her and the remainder of the search team earlier, when she ran into a tree and sprained her ankle.
"Miss Twilight, are you alright?" The doctor asked.
"N-No. I can't move my ankle." She said in pain. Acting quickly, Doc picked up Twilight and placed her on his back. The Doctor turned around headed back into the forest. "Why are we going back into the forest?" Twilight asked him.
"Remember I told you and the other two to split up?" Doc asked her at which Twilight merely nodded. "Well.... it did choose a target. It's going after Applejack." Twilight gasped at him and used her horn to teleport them to Applejack. Twilight was already tired, though, and teleported near not Applejack but.
"Daring Do?" Doc asked the mare.
"Yep. It's me. Where's Applejack?" She asked him.
"I don't know. But Miss Twilight is injured and I think that monster or different monsters are around." Doc replied. But as he said that, the sound of a demonic squealing. Then quickly, four monsters, muscular than the others and they had orange stripes on their heads.
"You had to jinx us?" Daring asked. Then the two were shocked as they watched the monsters lower their head and large, tusk-like objects rose out of them. The creatures charged the trio who ran deeper into the forest. One of the monster's tusks got caught in a tree and squealed furiously as it tried to get free It tore the tree from it's roots and soon freed the trapped tusk. It got closer to Twilight and Doc the creature soon felt a sharp pang go through it's forehead. The Doc turned and saw the creature had a spear through its skull and laid where it was impaled. He smiled until one of the creatures that remained rammed into his side without its tusks, sending him flying into the air.
"AH!" He screamed as he slammed into a tree. As he fell to the ground, the monster snarled as it closed in on him, opening its mouth to reveal another mouth within. But as it prepared to kill, a blast of energy was shot from a tree, blasting the creature in the ribs, sending the beast flying into a boulder. The beast roared at the tree where the blast came from and charged it. The tree rumbled and soon a beast jumped down and landed on the boar-like creature's back. The beast reared back and tried to toss the other creature off it's back.
"gIdDy Up!" The creature on the beast yelled. It soon became apparent to Doc that the creature yelling had a similar outfit to the monster that killed Rainbow Dash but it was much smaller in a body frame. The creature using its hands, reached around the neck of the monster before snapping it like a twig, making it fall to the ground. The bipedal creature as soon as it got up, another boar-like monster pounced it, sending it back into a boulder. It held the monster back as it tried to impale it with the hidden jaws. But it didn't notice the serrated disk that flew towards the monster, slicing through its elongated skull. The disk then flew back to another one of the hunters but this one had a pony like stature to it. Doc soon saw that it also had wings and a rainbow tail to it. It was a long shot but before he could say it Twilight saw the pony-like hunter as well.
"R-Rainbow? Is that y-you?" She asked with pain in her voice because of her hoof. The creature turned towards her and floated down. It's mask was unlike the other one as it had a strange mask with a weird filter on it. It raised a dull blue hoof and removed a nozzle. It did this about two more times before it removed the helmet and showed the familiar face with the addition of four large canines.
"Hey Twi'. Jeez you've seen better days." Rainbow said as she chuckled a little. As she was starting to talk to Twilight she failed to notice a brown pegasus flying towards her.
"Dash?" She heard a familiar voice ask. Turning her head, she saw a familiar face.
"Hey Daring." She said. But before she could say anything else, she was tackled by Daring who then quickly got her into a death hug.
"I KNEW YOU WERE ALIVE! I JUST KNEW IT!" Daring screamed in joy as she started to cry.
"Daring! Crushing! Me! Need! Lungs!" Rainbow managed to let out.
"Oops." Daring said as she broke her hold on Dash.
"Thank you." She said with a smile. Daring smiled to but soon felt a clawed hand grab her throat. The hand turned Daring around and she was looking at another familiar creature. A beast like the one from the ship but a little bit smaller. It cocked it's head side to side a little bit but before it could make a decision, Rainbow stepped in. "She's a friend Guan. Let her go." Rainbow stated before Guan let Daring go.
"Thanks Dash." Daring said as she rubbed her throat.
"Your welcome. Now, I need to explain why these guys are here." Rainbow said as she stood in front of the two hunters.
"Please do Miss Dash. I'd love to listen to their tale." Doc said.
"Alright. Basically, these guys are here to hunt the serpents, those black monsters. And if we somehow don't stop them, they'll make Equestria their hive. But then we have Chrysalis. She's the queen. If we can take out the queen-"
"Then the rest of them should be weak." Doc finished. Twilight just stared at Rainbow for a little bit before something in Dash's statement made her realize something.
"Applejack said something about Chrysalis being a monster..... OH MY GOSH APPLEJACK! WE NEED TO-"
"No need to worry there sugarcube.... but thanks fer the concern." A southern drawl voice said. Twilight, Doc, and Daring turned around and saw Applejack walking up to them, everything about her still okay except that she was missing her hat. Twilight tried to run forward but that only hurt the leg she injured earlier worse. "S-stupid leg."
"Applejack. Can you get them out of here? It would make me feel safer." Rainbow asked her. Applejack nodded right before she kissed Rainbow on the cheek. Rainbow suddenly had red cheeks that vanished the moment Applejack disappeared with the remaining team in the distance.
"Alright-" She started as she picked up her mask and placed it back on "Time to end the hunt!"
Meanwhile, back at the Xenomorph hive, the soldiers were gathered around their queen as she spoke her great speech.
MY CHILDREN! THE TIME HAS COME TO CLAIM THAT WHICH IS RIGHTFULLY OURS! THE SURFACE WORLD HAS TRIED TO SEAL US AWAY BUT WE HAVE SHOWN THEM THAT WE ARE STRONGER THAN THEY EVER THOUGHT! NOW GO FORTH AND DESTROY THOSE PATHETIC SLAYERS SO THAT NONE MAY STAND IN OUR WAY!!!! She yelled telepathically to her millions of children who all roared in response.
screech She smiled as her children all marched towards the entrance to the outside world. As she watched them she failed to notice her mother appear beside her.
Perhaps I was too quick to judge you my child. You truly are going to be one of our greatest queens. The Abomination told her telepathically. Chrysalis merely turned and smiled at her.
Thank you. But we must prepare now. I know the pegasus among the hunters and she will come here.... so why not let her. |
Aliens Vs. Predator: New Blood | Final hunt | Rainbow was practically sweating as she, Yeyinde and Guan made their way towards the changeling hive. To think this all started with one ship landing in a clearing. Now it's gonna end right near it to Rainbow thought to herself as the hunters got closer to the hive. She saw that it was indeed close to the ship which explained how Chrysalis was able to sneak in and pretend to be her. This was something Rainbow was not going to let slide easily.
"Guan-thwei, any serpents around here?" Yeyinde asked as the hunter released his spy drone. After a minute of the machine soaring around, it came back to the hunter.
"According to this, they're all near the hive's entrance. The serpents are now making their final stand." He replied as he placed the machine on his belt. Then as on cue, all three hunters extended their blades.
"Now, we know our mission. Slay the serpents and make sure the abomination is destroyed. If we should lose our lives, we shall make sure these beasts come with us." Yeyinde said as he looked to his wrist bracer. Their shoulder cannons also reacted as they stirred to life and aimed in various directions. The hunters then proceeded through the entrance to the hive and towards their prey. The moment they stepped in, Rainbow felt the squishy substance of the serpents mucus used to cover their walls and floors to ensure them easy grips and maneuverability. Suddenly, the hunters heard a sound that will stay in their memories forever. The sounds of a lot of Xenomorphs hissing.
Suddenly as if in a nightmare, what seemed to be thousands of serpents began to show through the cave's entrance.
"There must be thousands of the serpents! How are we supposed to defeat them all?!" Guan asked in a lightly frightened tone. Rainbow just growled as she flexed her wrist blades.
"We kill them all." She said in a cold tone as she charged headlong into the fray. Her blades tearing through the horde like they were made of wet paper. This was nearly short lived as the creatures soon had her surrounded and cornered next to a wall. Her cannon took out some of them but they just kept on coming, each and every one of them gunning for a chance to kill and drink her blood, until Yeyinde started to slash through them as well and helped clear a path through the horde for her to get through.
"Guan, any sign of the queen?!" Yeyinde shouted as he snapped a serpent's neck.
"No! My serpent vision isn't picking up anything!" Guan shouted back as he threw a battle disk, slicing apart seven serpents in a row.
"Maybe she's deeper in the cave! We need to get through these drones first!" Rainbow shouted as she took to the air and zoomed as far as she could. She didn't get far before she encountered changeling serpents meeting her in midair. The creatures hissed a little before they started to spit acid at her which she dodged with ease.
"IS THAT ALL YOU-" She began until she felt a powerful tug on her leg, causing her to slam into the ground below her. Rainbow looked, and saw what brought her down. It was the abomination.
"REALLY?!"
Meanwhile in Chrysalis' chamber, she sat on her egg sack and growled to herself.
These hunters. Why can't they leave us alone?! We've never done anything to them! We need to feed so we find our meals! Is that so-
"M-Mommy? What's wrong?" A young voice asked in a scared tone. Chrysalis turned to her side and saw the youngest changeling of her old hive walking up to her with tear filled blue eyes. She kept this one hidden and away from the spot where the rest of her brothers and sisters were converted into the drones that now were being slaughtered by the hunters.
"N-nothing sweetie. Mommy's j-just having a little problem now is all." She lied.
"M-Mommy, are those meanies coming to get me?" The little changeling asked. Chrysalis leaned down and stroked her cheek, wiping the tears away.
"No they aren't. I promise that they won't get you. Mommy will always protect you." She replied as she nuzzled her last and normal changeling.
"I love you mommy." She said, making the large queen shed a tear.
"I love you too." The little changeling said with enthusiasm.
The abomination slung Rainbow Dash through one of the walls which lead to a breeding room filled with other face huggers. She starred in revulsion at each one of them as she realized what would happen if even one of them got loose on the surface and latch onto a pony. The nightmare would never end. Everypony in Equestria would be converted into monsters bent on destruction and spreading. So acting quickly, she grabbed a mine from her wrist bracer and placed it in the middle of the room before running out of it. After pressing a few of the buttons on the bracer, the mine beeped before exploding, destroying every single egg within the room.
"Talk about fried eggs." She joked. She smiled under her mask but it was short lived as the abomination soon had her in it's clutches once more. It raised it's tail over and began to bring it down when it was blasted by the familiar shot from one of the hunter's energy cannons. It turned around and saw Yeyinde standing defiantly on top of a pile of drone corpses with his gauntlet blades extended to their full length. The Abomination roared before charging directly at the hunter. But Guan-thwei managed to land on its back, causing it to change directions and break through a hive wall, making the two land in a new room.
Yeyinde couldn't believe that his hunting brother had that much courage in him. He observed as the two rose to their feet and began to walk in a combat circle. But before the combatants began, Guan detached the air nozzle from his mask.
He's not- Yeyinde thought as he watched the hunter raise a clawed hand to his mask. And then, Guan removed the thing that protected his face, revealing underneath it a sight beyond sights. His reptilian skin was a tannish yellow with brown surrounding the ridge of his forehead. Bright yellow eyes with reptilian slits watched the abomination as it hissed and swung its mighty tail. His mandibles twitched as he growled at the monster. Then the two combatants released their best and mightiest roars.
The abomination made the first move as it flicked its tail towards the hunter but Guan was fast of his feet as the tail missed him by an inch. He responded in kind as he blasted the monster with his plasma caster but it grabbed him with it's tail, it appeared to be very effective in this, as they both went crashing into a wall but the abomination grabbed Guan in it's claws. The hunter struggled to break free from the monster's grasp. But then the abomination began to squeeze the hunter, hoping to crush him like a bug. But then a sharp pain shot through the abomination's back. It turned and saw the other slayer with a smoking plasma caster.
It growled as it charged the other hunter but found this one to be faster than the other and even stronger as it grabbed both of the abomination's claws and actually started to bend them downwards causing it to screech in pain. Then with a powerful crack, the abomination's fingers broke, making it howl in pain as the blood flowed from the openings in the fingers. With a smack of its tail, she sent the hunter flying into a wall, dizzying him. It approached him, hoping to finish it off. As it closed in for the kill the abomination felt a sharp pain in its head and felt that its dreadlocks were sliced off. It slowly turned around and saw the hunter from earlier standing proud but bloodied. The hunter emitted a short roar as he ran towards it. Guan crashed into the abomination and the fight continued. They scratched and slashed at each other but the fight kept going until each of them bore so many scars and wounds it was amazing that either one were still standing. Suddenly, the abomination launched its tail forward, impaling him through his shoulder causing his neon green blood to fly out and onto the wall and floor.
"GUAN!" Yeyinde shouted as he watched the monstrosity fling his body into a pile of bones. Yeyinde then charged as fast and hard as he could towards the monstrosity and to his surprise, knocked it off of its feet and onto its back. The surprise was short lived as he felt the tail wrap around his neck as it started to squeeze the life out of him. The abomination managed to get its version of a grin in as the tail started to squeeze every last bit of breathe out of Yeyinde but soon felt something grab it and looked down.... to see Guan grabbing onto it and start driving it towards a nearby hole. Guan smiled at his brother as the plasma caster on his shoulder blaster the tail end off freeing Yeyinde in the process. He then grunted as he pressed the button that opened his wrist bracer and activated the self destruct sequence.
"GUAN! DON'T!" He yelled as the hunter moved the monster towards the pit behind him.
"YEYINDE! MAKE SURE THE QUEEN IS SLAYED! I WILL SEE YOU IN THE HEAVENS!" Guan shouted as he made the abomination sink back and fall into the pit.
"NOOOOOO!" Yeyinde roared. The only sound that was heard soon after was the explosion of a wrist bracer which signaled the end of the last of the youngbloods. Yeyinde silently cried to himself as he took off his mask.
Rainbow, while the fight with the abomination was going on, snuck off and headed towards the chamber of the queen serpent. Knowing what was ahead she was surprised to see that the chamber was unguarded. She saw several guards hiss at her but they didn't move a muscle to try and stop her.
"Welcome hunter." A familiar voice said. She looked at the main part of the hive and saw her main reason to come in here.
"Chrysalis. Finally, I can end all of this." Rainbow growled.
"Why do you want to do this Rainbow Dash? What've we ever done to you?" Chrysalis asked her. Rainbow rolled her eyes under her mask.
"'What've we ever done to you?' Gee let's see. First you try and take over Canterlot and nearly hurting my best friend-"
"We were starving and had no choice."
"-You then team up with an alien parasite that only cares for killing and spreading-"
"They're family."
"-and then you take my form and nearly kill my marefriend in the process. You've done plenty to make me hate you-"
"But we do that to survive. I need to find love for my children or else we starve. We're doing nothing more than what nature had intended for us to do Rainbow Dash. And we were intended to feed off of love." Chrysalis explained.
"What are you-"
"But we are treated as monsters when we just are innocent. Is it wrong to feed? Is it wrong to be different?" Chrysalis asked. As she finished saying this Rainbow noticed movement from behind the queen. Chrysalis realized she was trying to look behind her and sighed as she used her tail to nudge the little changeling out from her cover. She did so reluctantly and managed a small smile towards Rainbow.
"Is that-"
"It is. This is my last original child. One that was directly born from me instead of turned. I have kept her normal and have tried to keep her safe. But it seems like it is impossible that you're now here. If you want to, please kill me. But do not harm my child." She begged. Rainbow stood where she was stunned. Here it was, the last of a dying species that she had always thought was a monster and it was merely an infant and it's fate was in her hooves to either end or spare. Rainbow raised her gauntlets and leaped.... towards Chrysalis. She made sure that the blades hit a vital area so that it would be a quick and painless death for the former queen. She gasped and coughed up some of her own blood."P-please.... don't hurt her." Were her last words before she moved no more. Rainbow felt cold wet tears come to her eyes. Suddenly, she noticed the little changeling, and saw her crying her little eyes out. Rainbow slowly floated downwards to the little changeling but as she approached her, the little creature moved back.
"Hey, it's alright. I promise I won't hurt you sweetie. Come here please." She said in a calming voice as she reached to the child.
"G-Go away! Mommy told me about you and your mean friends!" She screamed as she swiped Rainbow's hoof away. This hurt the pegasus huntress as she never intended to hurt the little changeling.
"I-I'm sorry but.... mommy was very sick and I had to help her get better." Rainbow said through clenched teeth.
"W-Will she get better soon?" The little changeling asked.
"Not for a while. But I'll watch you until she can see you again. Is that alright?" She asked as she reached out again for the little one. Slowly but surely, the little changeling reached her hoof out and tapped it against Rainbow's hoof.
"See, I'm not mean. I promise I'll make sure you're very happy." Rainbow said in a soothing voice. Just as the changeling seemed willing to walk with her she crawled back.
"T-take it off."
"Huh?"
"Y-your scary face. T-take it o-off." She ordered Rainbow, who realized that it was the mask that made the changeling so scared of her.
"Alright." Rainbow simply said. She then unhooked the air nozzle to her mask and removed it, making the little changeling gasp a little. But then she started to make funny faces which caused the little one to giggle. A few moments passed and the changeling had finally agreed to go with Rainbow. "I promise. I won't hurt you okay? I won't let you get hurt like this ever again." Rainbow told the changeling who suddenly changed. Rainbow had to hold back a gasp and several tears as the changeling took the form of her deceased sister.
"I-Is this good?" The changeling asked as she observed her fur which was a pink color and her mane was a dark blue.
"It's amazing. Now how about for a name we call you... Firefly?" Rainbow asked.
"Firefly? I love it!" She said happily.
"Well then Firefly, how about we go home?" She asked as she grabbed the filly's hot pink hoof. The filly nodded with a smile of her face. They were halfway out when she ran into a grieving Yeyinde.
"Hey Yeyinde. Where's Guan-thwei?" She asked as she looked around for him.
"He... sacrificed himself to make sure the abomination was killed. I tried to save him, but I was too late." He replied. Rainbow gave a face of sadness for a moment before speaking.
"He was a great youngblood Yeyinde. We'll remember him for how he saved Equestria." She said boldly. Yeyinde looked back and sighed. All three of them walked out of the now dead hive and into the bright sun Celestia herself seemed to have made especially for them. They knew from then on out that things would be different and that they would make sure that it would be for the best. |
My Worst Enemy | pre | Apple Bloom snorted and smirked. "Then you gotta be the dumbest, smart pony I ever met. Ya don't do any work and y'all can't even get us dumb ponies to do it for ya."
Diamond Tiara opened her mouth, closed it again, opened, then closed again. Finally she huffed and turned her back on Apple Bloom. "I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you." she said in a haughty tone. "you....you worthless farm pony hick."
"Spoiled brat." Apple Bloom snapped back.
"Blank flank."
"Better a blank flank than lookin' like ah got a piece of cheap costume jewellery on my butt."
Diamond gasped and stared at Apple Bloom like she'd been slapped. "You take that back."
Apple Bloom shook her head. "Ah won't!"
"I said," Diamond launched herself at Apple Bloom. "take it back." Apple Bloom reared up on her hind legs and grabbed Diamond in mid-leap. With a twist of her body she slammed the prissy pony into the ground and pinned her. Diamond struggled, growled and tried to kick but Apple Bloom had the strength advantage and held her down with ease.
"I won't." Apple Bloom growled into her opponents ear. " 'cause it's true." Diamond struggled underneath her but Apple Bloom held her fast. Now that she had her long-time bully in this position she had a lot of things to get off her mind.
"Y'all pick on me just 'cause I'm a blank flank, or 'cause my family lives on a farm. An' right now I don't know why I let you get away with it for so long. Y'all are a weak, lazy, ungrateful, spoiled baby of a brat. You ain't got no earth pony instincts, y'all ain't done nothin' for yur'self your entire life. Y'all go on how good your fam'ly is, your mom, your dad, even your great-great gran'daddy Stinkin' Rich. You know what ah don't hear? How good you are. What have you ever done? Y'all tradin' on your family name without doin' nothin' to earn it, hold it up or make it better. Ah don't know why I ever let you get to me Diamond Tiara, 'cause now I get a good look at y'all, all I see is somepony to feel sorry for.
"You ain't nothin' but your cutie mark; a cheap imitation of a good thing. Y'all might look good from a distance but when ponies get close they see how nasty you are." She finally climbed off the pink filly. "I've hated you and been afraid of you, heck I even been jealous of you, once. Right now I just pity you. 'Cause that's all you deserve." She strode over the the far corner of the stall and sat with her back to Diamond Tiara.
The rich filly picked herself up in silence. Her first instinct was to attack apple Bloom while the filly's back was turned. How dare she say those things. She couldn't talk to her like that. It was horrible, insulting, cruel and.....true.
Apple Bloom heard sniffling behind her. Somepony was crying and trying not to be heard. In the small space of the stall there was only one candidate; Diamond Tiara was crying. She tilted her head slightly to look out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, Diamond had retreated to her corner of the stall and had lain down to cry. Her head was resting on her hooves, her cheeks were already becoming tear stained. As much as she was trying to be quiet her short gasps and quiet sobs were as loud as a thunder storm in the deathly silence of the cowshed.
I ain't gonna feel guilty. Apple Bloom thought to herself. She turned back to face the wall, putting Diamond Tiara out of sight, but not out of sound. She deserved to hear all that. It's all true anyway. Ah won't apologise. It's no worse than anythin' she'd say to me. It's about time somepony told her the truth. Diamond Tiara continued to sob. She does sound real upset though. Maybe I did go just a little overboard. Ah heck, Apple Bloom why do you have to be the good pony? Diamond Tiara don't apologise for nothin she ever says. I guess that's what makes you the better pony. If Y'all don't apologise, then that makes you no better than her.
She started to turn toward Diamond.
"Oh come on!" Diamond Tiara stomped her hoof on the ground. Apple Bloom whirled to face her. The tears and sadness were gone from her eyes, only annoyance remained. "That always works."
She was fakin'. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. Of course she was fakin'. A few fake tears and I bet her daddy melts like warm butter. "That's exactly what I'm talkin' about." she managed to keep her tone calm and neutral, trying not to tell in her tone that she'd been taken in by the act and had been on the verge of apologising. "you ain't nothing but cheap tricks and nasty feelin's. That's why nopony likes you."
Diamond Tiara gasped and looked shocked. "Ponies like me, more than you anyway. Look at all the ponies who came to my cute-ceanera."
"Y'all mean, all the ponies who went to a party where there'd be cake and icecream." Apple Bloom responded promptly. "Pinkie Pie throws so many parties that ponies just turn up to them. They don't pay no mind to who's party it is, or what it's for, s'long as it's a party. It could have been a party for Pinkie's pet alligator and ponies would still come." She stared Diamond Tiara in the eyes. "Face it, the only pony who seems to be able to stand you is Silver Spoon."
Diamond stared, open mouthed. "Tha....that's not true."
Apple Bloom just shook her head and turned her back to Diamond again. "Keep tellin' yur'self that."
...***...
Big McIntosh moved with a surprising lightness of step for a pony his size. He carried two saddlebags over his back as he approached the cowshed. He couldn't hear any sounds coming from inside but didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad one.
He walked silently into the shed, heading straight for the one stall with the door closed.
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were still trapped but they hadn't beaten each other senseless, which Mac saw as a slight plus. They were sitting at opposite ends of the stall with their backs to each other. Both fillies looked half asleep with boredom.
The sound of Mac unstrapping the saddlebags caught their attention.
"Big Mac," Apple Bloom rushed up to the stall door. "can y'all get us outta here?"
Big McIntosh barely glanced at his sister, he'd been warned not to by Applejack. He was big but too soft in the heart, one look at Apple Bloom's puppy-dog eyes and he wouldn't be able to refuse her. "Nnnope." He opened one saddlebag and tossed in a single blanket and pillow.
Apple Bloom put on her most adorable face, hoping Big Mac would look at her. "C'mon, please? We're bored, and we can't stay in a cowshed all night, it'll be cold. We ain't got nothin' to eat."
Mac lowered in paper bags, holding identical food of daisy sandwiches, a slice of apple pie, a bottle of milk, a couple of apples and even a couple of peaches each.
"What if we need to go to the bathroom?" Diamond Tiara snapped.
CLANG
Mac dropped in a small metal bucket, which had a wooden seat tied to its top and a foul smelling chemical slopping around in the bottom. A home-made chemical toilet.
Diamond Tiara had to lean against the stall wall to stop herself fainting. Even Apple Bloom was shocked at the sight of the thing.
Before either filly could get over their shock Big Mac dropped in the last couple of items, two books and one roll of toilet paper. "G'night." he drawled. "AJ'll see y'all in the mornin'." |
My Worst Enemy | Chapter 6 | My worst enemy...
Fanfic by Englishwitch
Chapter 6
Applejack yawned as trotted down the path toward the cowshed. This was an early start, even for her. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and she hadn't had breakfast yet.
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara hadn't shown up at the house in the middle of the night, so either they hadn't learned to work together, or they had escaped and chosen to run away to somewhere else. Applejack knew which option she would bet her Bits on.
As the cowshed came into view Applejack caught a smell on the wind, a harsh chemical smell that attacked the nose and stuck in the back of the throat. The smell of the chemicals the family used in the outhouses. As harsh a smell as it was it was preferable to the clouds of flies and the scent of sewage, especially on a hot day.
"Consarn it." she muttered to herself. "it's too early for this." she didn't even have to look inside, her thoughts were already beginning to put the pieces of the unseen puzzle together, she could figure out what had happened and why the smell of the chemical toilet was so strong on the air.
Applejack looked in on the two fillies in their stall. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, but it wasn't great.
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were at one end of the stall, both in different corners. They each lay on half of a torn pillow; both halves were almost empty of their feather stuffing. The feathers were all over the place inside the stall.
The chemical smell --as Applejack had thought-- was coming from the bucket/chemical toilet, Big Mac had provided. The bucket had been kicked over at some point, spilling its chemical contents. The blanket that had been given to the fillies to share had been used in a hasty attempt to mop up the mess. The sodden mess of blanket had been dumped in the far corner, along with the unused toilet.
Most of the food had been eaten but Applejack could see puddles of smashed messes pressed into the dirt, which told her they had fought with, rather than eaten, some of their meals.
Apple Blooms eye had turned into a real shiner overnight. During her fight with Diamond Tiara at school yesterday the pink filly must have gotten in one heck of a lucky shot to cause that kind of mark. There were new signs that the two fillies had fought during the night. Apple Blooms bow was torn in two, hanging on her head by a few threads of material. Her mane, coat and tail were scuffed and messed.
Diamond Tiara had a smudge of dried blood around her nose, her own mane, tail and coat were just as messed as Apple Bloom's, she also sported a large purple stain covering the entire left flank, probably where the blue toilet chemical had splashed onto her coat during their fight.
Applejack rapped her hoof against the stall door. The two fillies started awake.
"Mornin'." Applejack spoke flatly. "I see y'all couldn't even make it one night without fightin'."
"She started it." both Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom said at the same time. They looked at each other, opening their mouths to start to argue. They were silenced before they got started when Applejack slammed her hoof on the ground.
"I don't care who started it. I'm gonna finish it, one way or 'nother." she opened the latch and swung the stall door open wide. "This didn't work, so it's time for plan B."
Apple Bloom knew she wasn't going to like the answer but she asked the question all the same. "What's plan B?"
Applejack went to a dark corner of the cowshed and emerged carrying a length of rope. Taking a lesson from Pinkie Pie, she kept them hidden all over the farm; in case of rope emergencies. "All situations have the same Plan B; I get my rope and tie somethin' up."
...***...
"Hurry up, my arm's gettin' tired." Apple Bloom growled at Diamond Tiara.
"Keep your horseshoes on." Diamond snapped. "It's almost gone."
Using her free hoof Apple Bloom pushed her wet mane out of her eyes. "I ain't never known anypony stay in the dang shower so long."
Diamond Tiara huffed. "It's your fault, you knocked the bucket over."
"You insulted the food."
"You call that food?" Diamond quipped.
Apple Bloom snorted and yanked her hoof hard. Diamond yelped as her front was pulled away from her. She almost overbalanced, only stopping the impending fall by staggering into Apple Bloom.
Applejack had been swift and sinister in her punishment. She had tied the two fillies together, Apple Bloom's left foreleg was tied to Diamond Tiara's right foreleg. There was little more than a foot of slack between them. Both fillies had tried everything to get the rope off but it was no use. It was tied with one of Applejack's special knots, which only she knew how to untie. Ten minutes with a pair of scissors had been been enough to convince Apple Bloom that AJ had, at some point, asked Twilight Sparkle to enchant the rope so it couldn't be cut or broken. Either that or those had been some incredibly dull scissors; the rope hadn't even frayed.
For the last twenty minutes the two fillies had been forced to share a shower as Diamond Tiara had insisted on getting clean and trying to scrub away the stain on her fur. It had faded but was still present and noticeable.
"We're done here." Apple Bloom muttered flatly. "Can we get dry and get some grub. I don't wanna go to school on an empty stomach."
Diamond Tiara started, "School? You think I'm going to school like this you're dumber than I thought."
Apple Bloom turned off the shower and dragged Diamond Tiara behind her as she left the shower. "You're dumber than you look if you think Applejack is gonna let us stay here." she tossed a towel and Diamond and grabbed a second one for herself. Apple Bloom started to dry her mane, only for her hoof to be yanked away as Diamond Tiara started to dry herself. Apple Bloom pulled her arm, yanking Diamond Tiara off balance.
"Quit it." Diamond snapped. She pulled their tied limbs.
"If I had to stand there while you tried to scrub your fur off, you can stand there while I dry first." Apple Bloom pulled back, hard, sending aches into both their wrists.
The two fillies pulled back and forth roughly, fighting for dominance of the bound legs.
A hoof pounded at the door.
"Y'all hurry up, you're gonna be late." Applejack's angry voice yelled from the other side.
Their forelegs sore from where the rope had pulled at them and their bodies only half dry, the two fillies left the bathroom and went into Apple Bloom's bedroom.
"Told ya we'd still go ta school." Apple Bloom muttered.
"Shut up." Diamond Tiara dragged Apple Bloom over to the vanity. She took the hairbrush in her right hoof, dragging Apple Bloom's left up with her.
Apple Bloom pulled back roughly. "No way. I need both hooves to put my bow on."
"Well you're going to have to wait." Diamond said snidely. "I have to brush and style my hair." She pulled at the rope, Apple Bloom pulled back, putting them into a tug of war with each other.
"You got 'nother hoof, use that to brush your hair."
Diamond shook her head stubbornly. "I'm right hoofed, it won't look right if I use my left."
"Y'all better switch hooves," Apple Bloom growled. "or the only look you'll have is bucked in the face."
They glared at each other furiously for several seconds, neither one even daring to blink.
Finally Diamond huffed, "Fine!" she switched hooves and allowed her right hoof to be dragged around like a puppet on a string while Apple Bloom tied her hair up with her bow.
...***...
Walking was the only thing the two ponies seemed to cooperate on, although it wasn't by conscious choice. Forced to walk so close together they instinctively fell in step with each other and moved in a natural rhythm not much different from a six-legged race.
They walked in silence, side by side, as they walked up the dirt road to the school. Neither one of them enjoyed the attention that they were getting from ponies they passed.
"This couldn't get more embarrassing." Diamond Tiara growled under her breath.
"It could." Applejack said behind them. "And it y'all don't stop fightin' y'all are gonna find out just how bad it can get."
Apple Bloom hung her head as they entered the school yard. She wished she could turn invisible. Tied to Diamond Tiara, there surely couldn't be anything worse.
The fillies and colts had started to notice their predicament, they were starting to point and laugh.
"Y'all go find your friends," Applejack told them, "I gotta have words with ms Cheerilee." She strode off into the schoolhouse.
At the same time Apple Bloom and Diamond tried to move in separate directions. They were pulled back and fell on top of each other.
"Get off me!" Tiara yelled. She kicked her legs, pushing against Apple Bloom.
"That was your fault." Apple Bloom snapped. "Y'all knew I'd be goin' to my friends."
Diamond brushed herself off with her hoof. "And you should have known that it's bad enough I have to be tied to you, I ain't gonna hang around with your blank flank loser friends too!"
Apple Bloom started snickering, which only frustrated Diamond Tiara more. "What?"
Apple Bloom continued to laugh. "You said ain't." she giggled.
Diamond Tiara flinched. "No I didn't."
Apple Bloom grinned knowingly. "You did. You said ain't." she giggled all the harder.
"Quiet!" Tiara stamped her hoof. "That's you fault. Being around you all day is dragging down my intelligence. Listening to your stupid talking is ruining my brain."
"What's going on Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo interrupted their argument.
"Great." Diamond sighed. "It's turning into a whole loser convention." She glared at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were unaware of her gaze as their attentions were fixed on the length of rope between the two fillies.
Apple Bloom was relieved to see her friends. She needed something to distract her from the fact that she was tied to Diamond Tiara. "It was Applejack's idea," she explained. "she don't like it when we fight, so she decided to tie us together. She thinks it'll help, somehow."
Sweetie Belle looked dubious. "I don't see how. I would think it'd make things worse. I mean, you can't get away from each other when you're fighting."
The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the school bell, signalling the start of the school day. Both frowning at each other, Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom moved inside. The door was a bit of a squeeze but, with only a small amount of pushing and shoving, they made their way inside.
Cheerilee smiled at the two of them. "Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, if you wouldn't mind taking those two desks over there." She pointed a hoof to two desks which had been pushed right up next to each other so the two fillies could work without the foot of slack rope between them being a problem.
Cheerilee turned her attention to the board. "Now class -" she glanced over he shoulder. "No, Diamond Tiara, you sit on the left, Apple Bloom, you take the right." She waited for a second as the two feuding fillies rearranged themselves.
There were, at least, no arguments while they were working. Both fillies used their mouths to write, so the length of rope on the hooves didn't cause any trouble.
Cheerilee pointed to the board, "Now, does any pony know the names of the first ponies to settle in Equestria?" A pair of hooves shot into the air. "Diamond Tiara?" Cheerilee smiled at the pink filly.
Diamond Tiara shook her head. "I didn't put my hoof up." She threw a dirty look at Apple Bloom. When the farm filly had risen her hoof she'd dragged Diamond Tiara along.
Cheerilee smirked and tried not to laugh. "Sorry Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, you know the answer?"
Apple Bloom nodded, "Princess Platium, Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead were the leaders, and they had their assistants, Clover the Clever, Smart Cookie and Private Pansy." she beamed at Cheerilee, who smiled back at her.
"Correct." the teacher nodded. "well done Apple Bloom."
"Egg-head." Diamond muttered.
"Well, after seein' Applejack rehearsin' so hard for the Hearthswarmin' Eve play, them names are kinda stuck in my head." Apple Bloom admitted.
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "It was bad enough having to watch the play, you actually bothered to watch the rehearsals?"
Cheerilee tapped her hoof against her desk. "Girls, please pay attention. You will be tested on this later. Now," she turned back to the board. "contrary to popular belief Princesses Celestia and Luna were not the first alicorns, or the first rulers of Equestria. That honour goes to-" she turned her attention back to Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom, who had ignored her request for silence and were exchanging a heated --albeit whispered-- discussion.
...***...
"That was your fault." DT snapped at Apple Bloom.
"Was not." the filly snapped back.
"Was too."
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
Their argument had earned them losing recess so Cheerilee could give them a lengthy and difficult pop-quiz on the ancient history of Equestria.
It was now lunch time and the two fillies were restless for fresh air.
They pulled in separate directions, which only resulted in yanking the two of them back together when the rope grew taut.
Diamond Tiara pulled on the rope again. "I'm going to Silver Spoon." she ordered.
Apple Bloom pulled back. "No way, I'm going to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle."
Diamond stomped her hoof against the ground. "I am not hanging around with your loser friends." she yelled. "it's bad enough I have to hang around with your loser family."
Apple Bloom yanked the rope so hard she almost pulled Diamond off her hooves. They were nose to nose and Apple Bloom glared right into Diamond Tiara's eyes. "You take that back right now." she growled.
"What's going on here?" Cheerilee's stern voice cut into their developing argument.
"Nothing Miss Cheerilee." both Fillies chanted at once.
Cheerilee nodded, although she looked doubtful. "Good," she said flatly. "why don't you call your friends over to you, rather than try and go in two different directions?"
"Yes Miss Cheerilee." the ponies responded in unison.
The teacher slowly went back into the schoolhouse, keeping her eyes on Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara until the very last second.
It was with a begrudging reluctance that the CMC's and Silver Spoon approached the two fillies. Like representatives of warring nations they loathes the be in each others presence.
"You okay DT?" Silver Spoon asked her friend. She looked at the rope that bound her friend to the farm pony. There was no denying the rumours now, Diamond Tiara must be staying with the Apple's, how else could this have happened?
"How do you think I'm feeling?" She rose her tied hoof, dragging Apple Bloom's along with it. "I'm stuck with this loser blank-flank farm pony like some kind of prisoner. It's torture."
Apple Bloom looked at her with a deadpan expression. "Y'all know, I'm right here."
Diamond Tiara frowned, "Don't remind me." she didn't even glance in Apple Bloom's direction as she spoke.
Apple Bloom tried to ignore Diamond, a very hard task considering the filly was right next to her. She turned her attention to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "This is gettin' real annoyin' you guys. I don't know what Applejack is tryin' to do, but I'm startin' ta think she's gone a little bit crazy."
"I can't believe you're tied to Diamond Tiara," Scootaloo commented. "Can't you get the rope off?"
Apple Bloom shook her head. "It's Applejack's toughest knot, only she knows how to open it. And I think she got Twilight to do some magic or somethin' on the rope 'cause we can't cut it."
Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" she looked around the yard for a second. "Hey, Snips, come over here."
A pudgy unicorn colt with a light blue coat an orange mane and a cutie mark of a pair of scissors trotted up. Snips' special talent was cutting things; he cut his own hair all the time, which was the reason for its uneven scruffiness and habit of sticking up in all directions.
"Hey guys," he smiled at them. He barely gave the rope a second glance, as though it wasn't something unusual. "what's up?"
Scootaloo pointed to the rope between the two fillies. "Cut the rope."
"Okay." He pointed his horn at the rope. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara shuffled away from each other as far as they could, pulling the rope tight, bringing it right up to the tip of Snails' horn and putting themselves as far away from Snails' magic as possible. It would be just their luck if one of them had a leg amputated.
Snips scrunched up his eyes and concentrated hard, he looked like he was about to hurt himself. The tip of his horn started to glow, a clover green. He gritted his teeth and shot out a thick green line. It hit the rope and bounced off, shooting upwards at an extreme angle. The bolt hit the corner of the school building and sliced a corner off the wooden tiles.
The rope wasn't cut, frayed or even dirty. It did glow with a faint magenta light, which proved to them all that the rope really had been enchanted.
It made sense to Apple Bloom for the rope to be enchanted, even if it wasn't going to be used to tie ponies together. If you knew the rope wasn't going to snap or break you didn't have to worry about keeping an eye on it when you were lifting heavy things, like all the timber needed when you were raising a barn. AJ was all about doing things the earth pony way but that didn't mean she was against the use of magic on a farm entirely, just against using it unnecessarily. Casting a spell on a rope wasn't the same as, say, making a plow move itself across a field. Making farm equipment do the work for you was cheating, making sure the equipment wouldn't break when you used it was just good sense.
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Wow, that's on there good."
"Ya think?" Apple Bloom dead-panned. |
My Worst Enemy | Chapter 7 | My worst enemy...
Fanfic by Englishwitch
Chapter 7
Apple Bloom glanced to her left and noticed Diamond Tiara had drifted off to sleep. She knew math problems were dull but that was no reason to snooze.
Then she noticed that Diamond had propped her head up on her right hoof; the hoof tied to her left one.
She smirked. The opportunity was just too good. She pulled her left leg hard. Diamond Tiara's right hoof was yanked from under her. Her head fell and slammed into the table.
BANG
It sounded like a hammer hit the desk. The whole class, including Cheerilee all jumped in their seats.
Groaning, Diamond Tiara lifted her head, her hoof clutching her cheek. She threw a dirty look at Apple Bloom. The look was replaced with one of pain a few seconds later. She put her hoof to her mouth.
Cheerilee came over, concern on her face. "Diamond Tiara, are you okay?"
The teacher took Diamond Tiara's hoof in her own and gently eased it away from the filly's mouth. Diamond bared her teeth, revealing a large hole where one of her front teeth had been. It had chipped on impact with the desk and only a tiny point was left behind.
Diamond Tiara's tongue brushed over her teeth, it paused over the gap in her smile. "Wha?" she gasped, her mouth still open.
Cheerilee tapped DT's hoof comfortingly. "It's okay Diamond Tiara, it probably feels worse than it looks. It's not too bad. Still, you'd better leave early. I want you to go straight to Colgate's dentist office in town, I'm sure she can repair the tooth right away." then she remembered the rope. "Apple Bloom, you'd better go with her."
Apple Bloom gave her a look to say no duh! but she said nothing while she and Diamond negotiated themselves off their chairs and around the desks.
Apple Bloom threw one last look to her two best friends as she followed Diamond Tiara out of the schoolhouse door.
"I know that was your fault." Diamond snapped the second they were outside; out of sight and out of earshot.
Apple Bloom's eyes widened and she scrunched up her mouth like she was trying to eat her own lips. "I don't know what y'all are talkin' 'bout." she was as good at lying as her sister.
Diamond huffed and set off towards Ponyville proper. Apple Bloom was dragged for just a second before she fell into step next to DT. "I'm going to get some ugly cap on my tooth and it's your fault." she moaned as they walked. "I hate the dentist, I hate needles and drills and," she shuddered, "and I'm going to have an ugly crown, that means more visits to-"
"Okay." Apple Bloom snapped. "I get it, you hate the dentist." She shook her head.
"I'm telling your sister what you did." Diamond snapped.
"Tell her what?" Apple Bloom snapped back. "You fell asleep in class?"
"I was thinking!"
"You were snoring!"
Diamond shuffled so the two fillies were nose to nose. "You pulled my leg. You made me fall and you made me break my tooth." she jabbed her hoof into Apple Bloom's chest with every sentence. "so you're gonna pay for this," she indicated the missing part of her mouth. "you or your family. I wonder how many apples it'll take to pay for this."
"You can't-" Apple Bloom's eyes widened in fright.
Diamond started grin, she was frightening Apple Bloom, "I can and I will." she said haughtily.
Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder, "No, you can't. Remember, Applejack said we'd get in real bad and embarrassin' trouble if we were fightin' again. She ain't never gonna believe this was an accident. You want somethin' worse than this?" she held up her bound hoof to illustrate her point.
Diamond couldn't imagine what would be worse than being tied to Apple Bloom, but if there was something then Applejack had probably thought of it. "Fine," she sighed, "maybe I don't have to tell her." she shook her head. "she'll probably find out anyway, we still have to go to the dentist." she tugged on the rope and started walking again.
Apple Bloom followed on at Diamond Tiara's side. She was right, Applejack would probably find out anyway. Then froze as something caught her eye.
Diamond Tiara didn't see her stop, the rope grew taut and she tripped over her own leg. "WAAAAA!"
Apple Bloom felt the tug on her leg and glanced down at the pink pile of pony on the ground."What're y'all doin' down there?" she shook her head.
Diamond grumbled under her breath as she climbed back to her hooves. "What did you stop for?" she contemplated just hitting Apple Bloom, if she could get away with it without losing another tooth or two.
"The forest." Apple Bloom muttered. She started trying to make for the trees. Diamond Tiara pulled on the rope to get her attention.
"The Everfree Forest? Are you crazy? What the hey do you want to go in there for?" She pulled as hard as she could but Apple Bloom was too strong and DT found herself being dragged through the dirt.
"Zecora." Apple Bloom continued dragging the unwilling filly.
"That crazy zebra?" Diamond Tiara tried to dig her hooves into the ground. Apple Bloom was almost to the tree line. "What's she got to do with anything?"
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Ah thought everypony knew," she stopped and looked at Diamond Tiara, "Zecora makes all kindsa potions an' stuff. Ah remember when ah chipped my tooth once, she gave me a magic potion to make it grow back." she began to look excited, "If we go to her house and get some it'll make your tooth grow back. You won't need no dentist and we won't get in trouble."
Diamond Tiara managed a smile, crooked by the gap in her tooth. If it meant no trouble and no dentist then she was willing to listen to the blank flank this time.
Apple Bloom led Diamond Tiara down the familiar paths of the Everfree forest. The place was dangerous and she knew it but it wasn't too bad if you didn't go in too deep. Apple Bloom had visited Zecora so often she knew the safest routes, what to look out and listen for as she walked through the trees.
Diamond Tiara on the other hoof, had never been any closer than the edge of the Everfree forest. Her dad had told her all about the creatures that lived inside, Timberwolves, Manticores, Ursas both Major and Minor, Parasprites, Dragons, cockatrices and lots of other monsters that would probably think the taste of little fillies was a delicacy.
"You sure this is safe?" she flinched at a noise in the distance. "Zecora isn't going to turn us into toads, or something?"
Apple Bloom giggled and shook her head. "Naw, Zecora's real friendly s'long as ya don't break nothin'." she took a sharp left and went along the path a little more, keeping her ears open for any signs of dangers. Zecroa's home was safe and the path to that home was safe enough --safer than the rest of the forest anyway-- the monsters were cautious of it and Zecora's zebra magic, but still a creature would occasionally throw caution to the wind and patrol the path in the hope of running into a pony. "C'mon, it's just up ahead."
They rounded a bend and the great tree home came into view, gourds and bottles hung from the low branches, mysterious masks, which always reminded Apple Bloom of dragons, provided decoration, thick vines hung low and a yellow light glowed from the windows. Despite being almost noon the depth of the Everfree forest always cast Zecora's home in the shade.
"Creepy." Diamond Tiara tried to hang back but Apple Bloom kept her pace, dragging the prissy pony with her.
"I guess it can be kinda creepy at first," Apple Bloom smiled, "But its kinda nice when you get used to it. Jus' like Zecora."
She knocked on the door. From inside came the sound of movement and rhyme.
"A knocking upon my door, a visitor to make my heart soar."
The door opened, spilling the light onto the two fillies. The silhouette of the zebra was framed against the lamp-light, they saw she was smiling. "My little friend Apple Bloom, a welcome sight, come into my room." she stepped back to allow them entry. "and who is your little friend? You have a problem I need to tend?" she looked down at the rope between them with a raised eyebrow.
Apple Bloom shook her head. "I doubt even you could undo this knot Zecora, and Applejack would just tie us up again if we got out....long story." she waved a hoof dismissively. "This is Diamond Tiara," she indicated the pink pony, "and we had a little accident,"
Diamond Tiara snorted, "More like an attack."
Apple Bloom broke away from her conversation and faced Diamond Tiara, "more like somepony was dumb enough to fall asleep in class."
Diamond glared at Apple Bloom, "which wouldn't have been a problem if somepony's stupid family hadn't woken me up before I got to sleep."
"That don't make no sense, I know you was asleep, you had my arm pinned under your fat butt."
Diamond Tiara pushed herself so close to Apple Bloom their eyes were almost touching. "It's not fat! you're the fat one here!"
"It's muscle!" Apple Bloom snapped back. "Which you'd have is you ever did a days work."
"QUIET!" Zecora pushed her hooves between the two fillies and pushed them as far apart as they could go. "if all you do is scream and shout, that you are friends I have some doubt."
Diamond rolled her eyes and huffed. "That's an understatement."
Zecora's expression remained neutral. "I shall not ask why you are bound, just tell why upon my door why did you pound?"
Apple Bloom managed a nervous smile, "Well Zecora, we was wonderin' if you had any of that potion that helps fix broken teeth. For Diamond Tiara,"
The pink earth pony opened her mouth to show Zecora the missing section of her teeth. Zecora leaned in close to look, which made DT nervous. The other ponies of Ponyville might have accepted Zecora but Diamond didn't know her well enough to have that trust yet, the zebra lived in the monster filled Everfree forest for Celestia's sake!
If Zecora noticed Diamond's unease it didn't show on her face, "Your problem I see quiet clearly, and I would like to help you dearly. But I have no more of this potion, because of a pony's strange notion. A mare named Colgate came to me, for reasons which you shall see. She felt my potion did rob, from her tooth related job. To fix ponies teeth with such ease, would cast her business to the breeze. Her reasons to me did seem fair, so to make no more I did swear."
Diamond Tiara blinked several times before turning to Apple Bloom, "What?"
Apple Bloom looked apologetically toward Zecora while she translated for Diamond Tiara's sake. "Colgate the dentist asked Zecora not to make any more of her potion because if ponies came to Zecora to get their teeth fixed it'd put her out of business." she turned from Diamond and looked at Zecora again. "So you ain't got none?"
Zecora shook her head. "Your hopes I do not wish to chop, but of this potion I have not a drop."
Diamond Tiara facehoofed. "Great, just great," she rounded on Apple Bloom. "you dragged me all the way out here to talk to this witch for nothing!"
Zecora stamped her hoof onto the floor. She glowered down at at Diamond Tiara, who paled and realised she'd gone too far. She shrank back, her ears flattening against her head.
"Apple Bloom, are you sure you wish to help, this ungrateful little whelp?"
Apple Bloom gave Diamond Tiara a long look before she finally nodded her head. "Yeah, we gotta fix that tooth."
Zecora's dark expression faded. "Very well it is a cinch, I can make more potion in a pinch. I have all that I need, stand back, I make it with speed."
The two fillies were pushed back into the furthest corner of the room as Zecora got to work, setting out her cauldron and lighting a fire and bringing water to a slow boil as she added various jars of power and bottles of oddly coloured liquid. All the while she muttered and chanted in the mysterious native language of the zebras. She'd once told the ponies, The words I chanted were from olden times. Something you call a nursery rhyme. Which she used to help her remember which ingredients went into the potion she was making. She moved quickly, just as she'd said. Her movements were fast but graceful, she almost looked more like she was gliding than trotting around the room. It was almost beautiful to watch.
In less than an hour the potion was brewed and had cooled enough to be drunk. She poured a portion into a large bowl and passed it to Diamond Tiara. She looked at the puce coloured concoction dubiously. For a few seconds she wondered if getting in trouble was better than drinking a potion brewed up by the mad mare who lived in the woods.
Then she thought about spending another night in the cow-shed. She knocked back the potion in four large gulps. It was warm and made her insides itch. The itching rose up from her stomach into her mouth. She moved her tongue over her missing tooth just in time to feel the enamel grow back into place. "wow, okay, that was pretty cool." she looked gratefully at Zecora, the trust was beginning to develop. "thank you."
Zecora bowed her head. "You are most welcome little one. In future, my company, I hope you do not shun.
"Thanks Zecora," Apple Bloom smiled, "you really saved our hay-bacon."
"It is no problem Apple Bloom, it is always fun to prevent your doom." she laughed lightly.
The two fillies left Zecora's home in considerably higher spirits than when they'd arrived, confident in the knowledge that they wouldn't be getting into trouble.
Apple Bloom wore a cocky smile as she trotted, which was the only thing spoiling Diamond Tiara's good mood. "C'mon,"
Tiara frowned. "What?"
Apple Bloom's grin became smugger, "y'all know what, so c'mon and say it."
Tiara shook her head gently, "I'm not going to say it."
"but y'all thinkin' it. Jus' say it already."
Diamond growled. "I know what I'm going to say, you know what I'm going to say. We both know what I'm going to say, so there's no need for me to say it."
Apple Bloom chuckled lightly. Was a thank you really so hard for Diamond to say? "You're welcome." she laughed as Diamond cringed.
As one their noses wrinkled. "What is that smell?" Diamond put a hoof to her mouth, trying to suppress a gag.
Apple Bloom gulped and tried to breath through her mouth. "Diamond, we gotta run. We gotta run real fast."
"Why?"
Apple Bloom slowly moved her head to look over her shoulder. "Because there's a Timberwolf right behind us." |
My Worst Enemy | Chapter 8 | My worst enemy...
Fanfic by Englishwitch
Chapter 8
Huge wooden stakes for fangs, glowing green eyes, a breath so foul it could only come from the depths of Tartarus. A timberwolf stared down at the two fillies with a hungry look on its wooden face. It opened its mouth and growled, pulling back to lunge.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Both fillies screamed, the combined volume and shrillness was so loud the Timberwolf reared back from them, putting its paws over its ears.
Apple Bloom tugged on the rope. "RUN!"
The two ponies raced away from the recovering Timberwolf. It howled loudly, the howl was answered by the distant howling of more Timberwolves.
Apple Bloom and Diamond jumped over a fallen log. "This way!" they called together, both tried to run in opposite directions. The rope grew taut and yanked them back together they fell into each other. The two ponies glared, pushed and kicked to separate themselves.
"This way." Diamond pointed.
"No," Apple Bloom put her hoof down, "it's this way." she pulled on the rope, trying to drag DT with her.
The sound of four howling timberwolves came from behind them. To this left and right green eyes flashed in the shadows.
Both fillies pointed straight ahead; the only clear path. "This way!" they yelled in unison. They charged off as the timberwolves came out of the shadows, slinking toward them slowly. The wolves barked and howled and broke into sprints to chase after them.
Diamond Tiara started screaming. She could feel the hot, foul, breath of the timberwolves on her flank.
"JUMP!" Apple Bloom yelled just in time. The two fillies leapt over a large rock, Diamond Tiara just cleared the obstacle, Apple Bloom sailed over easily. A timberwolf wasn't as lucky, ramming into the rock, muzzle first. It shattered onto a pile of logs and twigs.
WAAAAAAA
Diamond Tiara skidded on a thick mud puddle, she was pulled off her hooves, yanking at the rope and pulling Apple Bloom down with her. The two slammed into each other, their momentum carryind them. They rolled along as a mess of mane and hooves. The yellow and pink mass rolled like a ball off the forest path and through through the foliage of the forest.
The ground suddenly dropped away from them. The two ponies screamed as they fell into empty space, down and down and down into a deep pit.
WHAM
Soft dirt cushioned the fall but it was still a hard landing for the dizzy ponies. It was harder on Apple Bloom when Diamond Tiara crash landed on top of her.
Dizzy, dazed and confused Apple Bloom groaned, she felt the weight pressing on her body, she could smell the scent of wet earth around her. Wherever she was it was cold and dark.
"Owwwww." Diamond Tiara eased her eyes open. There was darkness around her. She started, afriad that this was the inside of a Timberwolf's stomach. Apple Bloom groaned as she stirred.
"Gerroff," her voice was muffled by the dirt. She pushed Diamond Tiara, rolling the filly off her. Diamond landed hard on the soft dirt. Now that her eyes were beginning to adjust she could see that she wasn't trapped in a pitch black pit like she'd originally thought. It was a huge hole in the ground, a deep pit, she could see the small disc of light high above them.
"What's the deal with this place?" she grumbled and tried to brush dirt off her body. "who the hay digs a hole in the middle of nowhere?"
Apple Bloom looked around the little hole, cylindrical all the way down, like a tube into the earth but the floor was uneven, the earth was soft like it'd been turned over recently. She looked at it closely and saw shaped that looked like oversized pawprints. "Diamond Dogs. They musta dug a tunnel here or somethin' maybe escaping' or lookin' for gems." she look up the tunnel, there was nothing but the shape of light, no head of a timberwolf peering down at her, or the head of a pony that could help them out. "it's a long way up."
Diamond Tiara looked down at herself, all her efforts to brush the dirt off herself just rubbed it deeper into her fur. Nothing was going right for her, ever since her home had burned down. Nothing! "I'm such a mess." her breath caught in her throat. "why?" her eyes stung as tears welled up. "it's not fair," she sobbed, "I wanna go home." she started to sob as days of anguish bubbled to the surface and poured out. She'd lost her home, had been forced to live on a farm, been made to do chores, lost her tiara, broken her tooth and, worst of all, had been forced to spend a freezing night in a barn. She just couldn't take it any more.
A hoof patted her back gently. Apple Bloom didn't say anything but held her forelegs wide, offering a hug. Diamond rubbed her eyes with her untied hoof and shrugged Apple Bloom off. "I'm dirty enough without your muddy hooves." her tone was weak, lacking all the usual venom and teasing that such a sentence would usually have. DT sniffed and wiped her eyes dry again.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and let the sentence slide. "Cheer up." She looked at the walls of the tunnel, while being careful to not drag Diamond around by the slack of the rope. "Well, c'mon, we can't stay down here all day."
Diamond forgot her tears, she cocked an eyebrow. "Are you crazy? This hole's, like, 20 feet deep? You gonna grow some wings?"
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, "look, you can either sit here whining or you can actually listen to me and do as you're told for once. Take it or leave it."
Diamond looked up at the distant light of the exit. Unless one of them turned into a pegasus she didn't see how they were going to get out of this. "Fine, what do you have in mind?"
...***...
Back to back the two fillies locked their forelegs and brace against each other. They pushed their back hooves against the wall, both of them grunted with the effort of keeping their legs straight to push themselves off the ground.
"okay," Apple Bloom grunted, "we gotta do this step by step, got it?"
Diamond Tiara felt a sweat breaking out on her forehead. "Yep," she grunted back.
"On 2!" Apple Bloom responded. She began to count out, 1, 2, 1, 2, over and over on each call of 2 they took a step, pushing against each other to keep themselves braced against the walls. One step, them another and another. They rose two feet from the floor, then three, then-
Diamond made a misstep, her hoof slid out of place. DT felt her stomach jump into her throat, she fell down in the hole. Both girls yelped as they fell back down to the floor. The soft earth cushioned their fall but it was still rough, Apple Bloom felt the landing shake her entire body right up through her bones.
Diamond rubbed the thighs of her back legs, they were hot and throbbing. Even the brief exercise had been harder than she'd ever pushed herself in the past.
"Again." Apple Bloom climbed to her hooves and dusted herself off.
"You're kidding, right?" Diamond looked at her like the filly had gone nuts.
Apple Bloom gave her the same look. "You wanna spend the rest of your life down here?"
Diamond growled then sighed. "Fine."
They braced themselves together again and started to climb up the wall once more.
Two feet...
Three feet....
At four feet Diamond yelled out, almost screamed. A sharp pain, like a knife blade, stabbed her leg. "CRAMP!" She twisted and writhed, trying to ease the agony in her leg.
Apple Bloom tried to brace her, try and hold them in place. Diamond couldn't take it, she couldn't unhook her arms from Diamond Tiara, couldn't pound or massage her leg to ease the pain. It was too much. The ground beneth her hooves slid away. They fell through the empty space again, spinning then slammed into the floor. Diamond crashed hard, Apple Bloom landed on top of her.
Diamond pushed Apple Bloom off her. She thought of a long string of insults to yell at her but the pain in her leg demanded her attention. She rubbed and pounded the sore muscle, trying and failing to work out the knot in her limb.
Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck and took several deep breaths. Diamond Tiara realy was weak for an Earth pony. She had no strength in her legs and no stamina. She wanted to yell at the filly for her failings; that's why she was taking the deep breaths, to calm herself. They had to work together to get out of this hole and breaking down into a fight wasn't going to help anything.
"You okay?" she sounded a lot calmer than she felt.
Diamond grunted and groaned for a few more seconds while she rubbed her leg. "It's easing up. Yeah, I'm okay."
Apple Bloom took several more breaths and looked up at the distant light. It seemed further away than ever. "We can do this, we gotta try again."
Diamond sniffed, fresh tears fell down her face, staining her fur. It had nothing to do with the fading ache in her leg. "I don't want to do this anymore. I can't. I....can't..." she buried her face in her hooves and started to sob.
Apple Bloom rubbed at her wrist, the rope was really starting to hurt, all this activity was rubbing her ankle raw. "Look, Diamond Tiara, if y'all tell anypony ah said this and I'll deny it... Y'all can do this. You're the most stubborn pony I know, even if you ain't the strongest, smartest or nicest-"
"Some motivational speech," Diamond muttered.
Apple Bloom nodded. "sorry, but the point is, when y'all decide to do somethin' you go and do it. You don't let nuthin' stand in your way, not even the rules. Y'all ain't gonna let no dumb stinkin' hole get in your way." she held out a hoof to her, "Now c'mon, let's do it again, I ain't gonna let you fall this time."
Diamond Tiara looked at her and saw the sincerity in Apple Bloom's eyes. A weak smile found its way to her face. "Okay." she took Apple Bloom's hoof and was pulled up from her sitting position.
Placing themselves back to back the two ponies braced themselves against the earth wall, pushing against each other for purchase. They began to climb. As before they walked up the walls of the tunnel, keeping step to the chants of "One....Two...One...Two!"
Four feet...
Six feet...
Eight feet...
Diamond Tiara was covered in sweat, her legs burned and slipped on the soft earth. "I'm....slipping..."
Apple Bloom moved her hooves to get some more purchase. "We're....almost....there," she grunted. "Just...hold....on..."
The edge of the hole was in sight, just a little further and they could reach it.
They managed another step between them. Apple Bloom knew she could reach the edge if she had her forelegs free, but that would mean letting go of Diamond Tiara and losing the brace that was keeping them two of them up.
"Again!" she grunted.
They shuffled forward another step. Diamond Tiara screamed, her legs gave way and her stomach leapt into her mouth as she fell downwards.
Apple Bloom threw herself forward, kicking her hooves off the wall. Her jaws clamped tightly on a tree root. Splinters buried themselves into her cheeks and tongue but she held fast. The rope grew taut, diamond Tiara yelped as her entire weight was yanked through her wrist. Apple Bloom felt like her teeth were going to be pulled out. Surely she couldn't hold their combined weights with her jaw.
"Don't let go." Diamond called up at her.
"Don rurry," Apple Bloom grunted through her clenched teeth and the tree root. "ah ronn!"
She reached up with her free hoof and searched for anything to grab onto. But the tree root was the only thing in reach but she couldn't grip it with just one hoof. If only she had claws like Spike. "Diond," she called down to the filly, "ca ya clim uh?"
"What?" DT called back up. She sounded like she was in pain, dangling with your entire weight pressing onto your wrist was almost as painful as holding the weight of two ponies by your teeth.
Apple Bloom snorted through her nose. "Ca...yooo...clii....uh?" she spoke slowly, trying to pronounce the words around the obstruction.
Diamond struggled to work out what Apple Bloom was saying, pain wasn't good for concentration. "Can, you, climb, up? Yeah, I think so. Hang on."
Diamond stretched up her free hoof and hooked it around Apple Bloom's hip. Bracing her back legs on the walls she pulled and walked upwards. The pressure around her bound wrist eased, much to her relief. She climbed onto Apple Bloom, putting her fore-hooves on a fillies shoulders and scrambling up her back.
Apple Bloom grunted and strained as Diamond Tiara's weight pushed and shifted around her. Her teeth scraped along the root several centimetres, she felt the wood chip and splinter inside her mouth. She suddenly tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth.
Diamond climbed off Apple Bloom's shoulders and onto the solid ground. Immediately she grabbed Apple Bloom by the hooves and pulled her up and clear of the sink-hole that had trapped them.
The two fillies collapsed and lay flat on their backs, panting rapidly to catch their breaths. Both were covered in mud and sweat. Apple Bloom spat the splinters out of her mouth. There was little blood, the injury had been nothing more than a splinter in her tongue. Diamond massaged her wrist, it had bad rope burn and a horrid bruise was already starting to develop. All her limbs throbbed and burned and her ears were full of the pounding of her heart.
Apple Bloom glanced at Diamond Tiara, "Thank...you," she panted.
Diamond glanced at Apple Bloom. "You...too...thanks," she said breathlessly.
Somewhere in the distance came the sound of a branch breaking.
Apple Bloom struggled to her hooves. "Maybe...we should...finish restin'....at home..."
Diamond nodded in agreement. |
My Worst Enemy | Chapter 9 | My worst enemy...
Fanfic by Englishwitch
Chapter 9
Applejack's jaw dropped as two mud covered fillies trotted up the dirt road toward the farm. Then her teeth clenched and her face tightened in anger. "I don't believe it!" she yelled. She raced over to Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara, who had the gall to look calm and casual at her. "Y'all been fightin' again! I warned y'all what would happen if you didn't get along-"
"Relax, Applejack," Diamond Tiara interrupted, "we weren't fighting. We just had a little accident."
"Which wouldn't have happened if y'all hadn't tied us together." Apple Bloom pitched in. It was true, more or less. If Applejack hadn't bound them to each other Diamond Tiara's tooth wouldn't have been broken and they wouldn't have ended up in the Everfree forest running for their lives.
Diamond nodded her head, "but hay, no worries, it was just one or two little pitfalls"
Apple Bloom smiled, even giggled lightly, "nuthin' we couldn't handle."
Applejack looked at the two of them, neither one was trying to blame the other, it had to be the truth. "What happened to you?"
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara shared a look. They didn't want to mention that they'd been in Everfree, or bring up the circumstances which had led them there.
"We'll explain later," Diamond said dismissively, "but right now we need a shower. C'mon, Apple Bloom."
Before Applejack could stop them the two fillies raced off toward the farm house. The adult pony could only stare after them, hardly able to to believe what she'd just seen. Yesterday they'd been at each others throats, now they were getting along. She had expected tying them together to work but not so quickly. They'd only been tied together this morning.
A figure emerged out of the orchard; Filthy Rich. He'd decided to come home early from Barnyard Bargains to see how Diamond Tiara had coped with her night in the cowshed and day being tied to Apple Bloom. "Well..." he smiled at Applejack, "I have to admit, when you told me what your plan was, I thought you'd gone a little crazy. But it worked, it really worked."
Applejack nodded, her eyes still fixed on the house, which the two fillies had vanished into. "Yeah...it really did."
...***...
Diamond Tiara massaged the shampoo into her mane while Apple Bloom stood under the shower stream and washed herself. The hot water was welcome on her body, her legs and back were sore and starting to ache.
The muck of the day's adventure ran off her face, down her legs and away down the drain, carrying her worries with them.
Diamond tugged on the rope gently, "okay, you ready to switch?"
The two ponies traded places, Diamond washed her hair while Apple Bloom started to rub more soap into her fur, there was a little mud being stubborn.
"Hold on," Diamond tapped her shoulder, "pass me the soap, you missed a spot on your back."
Apple Bloom passed the cake of soap to Diamond and looked over her shoulder to see the spot she was referring to. "That's one hard to reach spot," she explained as Diamond started to scrub the area of her lower back, just above where her flank began. "Ah always struggle to wash it."
Diamond shook her head lightly, "You should use the shower brush once in a while. That thing hanging on the wall out there," she pointed toward the shower curtain. Apple Bloom knew beyond was a long-handled wooden brush with soft bristles. "it reaches all the spots you can't."
"is that whut that's for?" Apple Bloom rinsed the soap off her body. "Ah thought it was decoration."
Diamond Tiara just rolled her eyes and said nothing.
...***...
The two filled shared one large towel to dry themselves off.
"Do your legs hurt?" Diamond asked, "my legs feel stiff."
Apple Bloom shook her head, but realised that with the towel over their heads they couldn't see each other. "I'm a little tired but ain't that bad. But then, you ain't worked your legs all that hard until today. You'll be real stiff tomorrow, but after that you'll really feel better; stronger."
They separated from the towel, Diamond Tiara took her hairbrush in her left hoof while Apple Bloom pushed her hair into place and grabbed her bow.
"Hold up," DT stopped her, "You're just going to put the bow on? No hair brush?"
Apple Bloom cocked an eyebrow. "My Mane's dry and looks fine, ah jus' need the bow to keep it outta my eyes."
Diamond shook her head. "No way," she grumbled, "I won't put up with this. If I have to stay tied to you, you need to at least try to look presentable. Turn around, let me show you what a brush can do."
With a sigh of resignation Apple Bloom decided to surrender, it would be easier to just let Diamond do what she wanted this time rather than listen to, yet another, rant about being forced to live on the farm.
"The key to a good mane," Diamond explained as she began brushing. Her progress was slow, Apple Bloom had a lot of knots in her hair, "is to brush it at least a hundred times."
The brush snagged on one large and tight knot. "OW!"
Diamond smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. In your case, lets just try to brush it once," as carefully as she could she worked the brush free of the tangled mane. "Don't you have any kind of mane-care routine?"
Apple Bloom looked at Diamond via the mirror. "Ah wash it."
Diamond looked at her in despair. "Oh dear, you have a lot to learn."
...***...
"Girls, dinner's ready." Applejack called up the stairs. She wondered if the peace between the two fillies had lasted. She hadn't heard any fighting or arguing in the last couple of hours. Either they were getting along, or they'd knocked each other out. The former would surprise her more than the latter.
She looked back at the table, laid out with a generous meal of oat cakes, salads, hay fries and some fancy thing Filthy had brought home and had insisted on cooking; a vegetable patty made from soybeans, lentils and tofu; he called it Soylent. Filthy said it was good but Applejack didn't hold with such fancy food.
Filthy was sitting at the table, talking with Granny Smith, "it really was surprising to see them in such a state," he said to the matriarch of the family, "I was certain they'd been fighting. When Applejack asked what happened I expected arguments and blame being thrown around and maybe even more fighting, but no, I saw Diamond smile and the two girls were getting along pleasant as you like."
Granny Smith nodded along, "well shucks, I knew those two could get along, iffn they had the right motivation."
Rich nodded, "well it looks like tying them together really was the best idea." He glanced to Applejack, "I'm sorry I doubted you," he said humbly, "I thought tying them together like that would make things worse, not better."
Applejack shook her head as she took her place at the table. "To tell y'all the truth I didn't think it'd work this well, least wise not this fast. Them two is actin almost like friends now." Then a thought occured to her, "maybe it's a trick. Maybe they're just pretendin to get along so we'll take he rope off em."
Granny Smith gave Applejack a hard look. "Shame on you, young un, thinkin yur own sister capable of bein so devious."
"I ain't sayin she's tryin to be bad Granny," Applejack rushed to explain before Granny Smith got too riled up. The mare was frightening when she was angry, "I'm jus sayin she might try anythin to get herself untied from Diamond Tiara."
Granny opened her mouth to respond but at that second came the sound of hooves coming down the stairs. The conversation quickly died and nopony else could think of anything to say.
Applejack stared at the filly who looked vaguely like her sister. Apple Blooms hair had lost its usual frizzyness, now it was smooth and straight. It had been tied back in a ponytail, her bow holding the whole thing in place.
Diamond Tiara had a bow in her own mane, taking the place of her tiara, which was still missing. It was an old silver coloured bow, smaller than Apple Blooms huge accessory. Applejack recognised it as a bow Apple Bloom had worn for a Hearths warming eve party a few years ago.
What surprised Applejack the most was that the two fillies were still smiling. Without a word of argument they took their seats at the table.
Diamond's eyes brightened at the sight of the Soylent patties. "My favourite, thank you daddy."
Rich smiled and nodded, "it's no problem princess."
Without saying a word to each other; no trading of information by expressions, body language or any other kind of signal, Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara reached across the table with their bound hooves, each took one side of the plate of Soylent patties and lifted over to themselves.
The whole family found themselves staring at the synchronisation that had somehow developed between the two fillies over the course of the day.
Applejack cleared her throat, grabbing their attention. "Well, ah jus' wanna say we're all glad y'all managed to learn to get along. How'd y'all manage to put aside your differences so well?"
Apple bloom and Diamond Tiara shared a look. Apple Bloom shrugged. "It ain't no big thing."
"yeah," diamond agreed, "when you're both stuck in the same problem you have to learn to work together or neither one of you is going to get out of it."
Filthy Rich tapped his hoof on the table enthusiastically. "hear, hear." he smiled at his daughter. "who knows, maybe this'll be the first steps in you becoming friends."
"Doubt it!" both fillies chanted at once.
Apple Bloom gave Diamond a sideways glance, "She's still annoyin',"
Diamond gave her the same look. "She's still a loser."
"prissy."
"crybaby."
"Okay." Applejack yelled over them, breaking the argument before it became too heated. "Lets just chow down in peace. If y'all can behave yourselves the rest of the night I'll consider untyin' y'all in the mornin' in time for your chores."
Diamond Tiara's mouth dropped open, "Chores? we still have to do chores?"
Applejack, nodded, "darn right. Y'all got responsibilities and you've been shirkin 'em while y'all been fightin'. We ain't pickin up your slack no more."
Apple Bloom sighed as she helped herself to another portion of Soylent. She'd need the energy for tomorrow
....***...
Dawn. The animals stirred and the farm ponies woke around the same time.
Diamond Tiara stirred, feeling warmth spread through her body, her brain began waking up.
it was an early, unholy, hour when any reasonable pony would still be asleep. Yet, she didn't feel too bad, not as refreshed as she'd like but not as drained and exhausted as she had been the first time she'd been forced to wake up on the Celestia-damn farm.
The smell of cooking rose up through the floor, a large breakfast was already started. Diamond felt her stomach growl. She knew she should get up but the bed was comfortable and the blankets warm and tight.
A flash of red in the corner of her eye. Diamond glanced down and felt her heart stop. Apple Bloom was still asleep, her forelegs were wrapped around Diamond, holding her like a teddy bear. Diamond was doing the same in return; while they'd been asleep they'd hugged each other and hadn't let go.
Diamond shuffled, trying to loose herself from the grip of Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom's eyes snapped open. She looked around for a few seconds before her brain engaged and she realised the situation they were in. They stared at each other, unblinking, for what felt like a whole yeah.
"Uh...hey."
Diamond sighed deeply. "We never talk about this again."
Apple Bloom untangled herself from Diamond Tiara. "Agreed."
They said nothing else, the awkward silence pressed down on them as they prepared themselves for the day ahead. It was preferable to talking about things. More specifically it was preferable to talking about their unusual sleep arrangements.
...***...
The two of them, tied together, descended the stairs and moved to the breakfast table. As always the Apples had laid down a veritable feast. The two fillies began helping themselves to generous portions of hay bacon and hash browns.
"Morning, Diamond Tiara." Rich smiled at his daughter as he sipped at his coffee.
Diamond actually managed to smile back, a feet she would have thought of as impossible just 24 hours ago. "Good morning, daddy." she was silenced as she stuffed her mouth with portions of hay bacon.
"Remember Sugar cube," Applejack took her place at the table, "today's the day ah take off the rope," Both Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara looked pleased to hear that. "but first, y'all got chores."
Apple Bloom jumped up in protest, "AJ, y'all said you'd take the rope off before our chores."
Applejack nodded, "Ah did say that. Ah admit it. But Filthy agrees that we ain't really seen y'all workin together on sumthin yet. Y'all said kind works and ain't been fightin but can y'all work and get along? If y'all do your chores without fightin, then I'll take the rope off."
Diamond looked at her father. "Daddy!"
Filthy bit his lip, his face was strained like he was forcing himself to shake his head, "now, Diamond Tiara, Applejack is right, I would like to see how well you can work with Apple Bloom before we end your punishment."
With a dejected sigh the two fillies finished their meals, Apple Bloom wolfing down her portions with gusto, while Diamond continued to take small, ladylike, bites and chewed properly before swallowing. Both of them wondered if Applejack would shift the goal line again and come up with another excuse to keep them bound.
Diamond glanced at Apple Bloom's gorging and felt her appetite wane. "How long before we can go back home, daddy?"
Filthy laughed lightly, her experiences on the farm hadn't changed his daughter all that much. "Well, it depends sweetie," he sipped his coffee, "our bedrooms weren't damaged by the fire, so if you want you could back in right away," Diamonds eyes brightened, it broke Rich's heart to disappoint her, "but we wouldn't have a kitchen, nothing to eat at all really. The insurance ponies are still making their decision on when to pay, so repair work hasn't started yet. If you want to go home to a half burned, cold house that'll soon turn into a construction site we could do that honey, but if you'd rather wait until everything is repaired then we still have another few weeks here."
"Few weeks?" Diamond's ears flattened against her head. "I don't have to spend another night in the barn do I?"
Applejack chuckled, "S'long as y'all behave yourselves you can stay under this roof and never have to look at 'nother piece of rope again."
...***...
Apple Bloom trotted toward the barn, "Kay, first thing is to feed the pigs," she glanced at Diamond Tiara, "I know you can't go do somethin' else, but y'all don't have to help, you can leave this to me if you want to. I done it by myself lotsa times."
Diamond was surprised, her expression betrayed that much. she thought that being tied like this would have been the perfect time for Apple Bloom to say something like, y'all ain't gots no choice but help me now, no choice no how, y'all, or whatever it was farm pony hicks would say in such a situation.
"No," she sighed, "if I'm stuck here the next few weeks I've got to do this, whether I want to or not."
Apple Bloom was obviously impressed, "Alright, just do what I tell ya and we'll be done before ya know it."
...***...
Apple Bloom pushed the mop back and forth across the kitchen floor while Diamond followed close behind, carrying the bucket of soapy water.
"Ya see, y'all gotta squeeze out the mop every time you dip it in the water, put 'er down." Diamond put the bucket onto the floor and Apple Bloom dunked the mop, "and wash it often, else y'all just spreadin' dirty water."
Diamond nodded along as she surveyed the freshly mopped floor. "You missed a spot." she pointed toward a corner.
Apple Bloom frowned at her. She was suddenly tempted to see how good a mop Diamond Tiara's head would make.
...***...
"Get 'em!" Apple Bloom screamed. the two fillies raced across the field toward two fleeing rabbits. the bunnies grabbed their bounty of carrots and made a run for their holes. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were right on their heals.
The rabbits made a dive into their warren, Apple Bloom leapt, her hoof outstretched. She slid along the dirt, dragging Diamond Tiara with her. She slid into the warren up to her shoulder. she moved her hoof around the dirt but felt nothing but cold earth.
"Dang it." she growled under her breath.
"Can we go now?" Diamond moaned. she brushed mud off her coat. "before you embarrass us in front of the local wildlife any more?"
Apple Bloom rubbed herself down as she climbed to her hooves. "Yeah, didn't mean to take your job away from you." She snorted through her nose.
Diamond glowered at her, she opened her mouth to throw a few insults at her but she managed to bite her tongue, you never knew if Applejack was listening. She wanted out of her rope by the end of the day, not spending another night in the cowshed.
"Let's just go, we'll be late for school."
Something shiny caught her eye. Diamond's head whipped around in time to see a brown rabbit, wearing her tiara, the bunny blew a loud and long raspberry. Diamond growled under her breath. "My tiara." she made for the rabbit but Apple Bloom yanked her back.
The farm pony smirked, "C'mon, we got school." |
My Worst Enemy | Chapter 10 | My worst enemy...
Fanfic by Englishwitch
Chapter 10
Applejack and Filthy Rich were sitting at the kitchen table with Granny Smith, sipping coffee and sharing stories of days old and new.
"Chores are done sis." Apple Bloom announced as she came through the door.
Applejack smiled as she looked around the kitchen, admiring the freshly mopped floor. "Ah see. And no fightin'?"
"None." Diamond Tiara shook her head enthusiastically. "Now, can we please get this rope off?"
Granny Smith chuckled lightly. "C'mon Applejack, half-pint and her friend have been good, keep yur promise."
"We ain't friends." Apple Bloom jumped in.
"Really?" Applejack laughed as she turned her attention to the rope binding the two fillies together. "Seems to me y'all are real close these days."
Both fillies gave her deadpan expressions, which only amused Applejack further. She seemed to perform some minor miracle of magic with her hooves as she untied the knots that had held both fillies tightly for the last few days. Within seconds the rope fell away and the feelings of relief that washed over the two ponies - mostly coming from their wrists - was almost palpable. They both sat down to rub and look at their limbs. The fur was rubbed a little thin, the skin underneath was red but it didn't hurt too bad.
"Okay," Filthy came up to stand beside Applejack, "now just because you aren't forced to work together anymore I don't want to see you two falling back into old habits and fighting again. The rope can go back on as easily as it came off."
"Yes Mr Rich."
"Yes daddy."
Applejack nodded. "'kay, now, y'all get you lunches and head on out before you're late."
Both fillies gave each other a sideways glance. Twin smirks on both their faces. "NOW!"
The adults were thrown off their hooves as the two fillies tackled them. In a blur of pink and yellow the two fillies clambered over their siblings, then leapt away as quickly as they had jumped onto the two adults.
Diamond rushed to the other side of the kitchen and grabbed the two bagged lunches. Granny Smith started laughing raucously.
Applejack was the first to her hooves. "What the hay-" she was cut off as she realized what had just happened. Her foreleg was bound tightly to the same rope she'd just unhooked from Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara, the other end of the rope was tied to Filthy Rich. "very funny Apple Bloom." she tugged at the knot with her teeth, it didn't open, if anything it tightened.
Apple Bloom smirked. "It's kinda funny. You ain't the only one with knot skills." Diamond Tiara was at her side and the two fillies rushed out of the house. They were off down the dirt road before either adult could get their coordination down and start running after them.
Granny Smith's laughter was so loud and lively they still heard it as they were leaving the farm land and turned toward the schoolhouse.
...***...
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle raced up to Apple Bloom with beaming smiles on their faces.
"You're free." Scootaloo said with a laugh. She gave Diamond Tiara the most furtive of glances. Diamond didn't return the look, she didn't stop, she just trotted past the three crusaders and toward Silver Spoon, waiting by the schoolhouse.
Silver grinned as Diamond approached without Apple Bloom on tow. "So they took the rope off."
Diamond nodded. "Just before we left for school." *
Apple Bloom, on the other side of the yard, was talking avidly with her two friends, catching them up with the prank she and Diamond had pulled on Applejack and Filthy Rich. "Big Mac taught me that knot, once its tied it ain't openin' again. they'll have to cut it off."
Sweetie Belle cocked her head. "but I thought the rope couldn't be cut?"
Apple Bloom giggled all the more. "nope, it can't. They'll have to go to Twilight for help on that." her giggles turned to full laughter. "they'll have to walk through Ponyville together and tell Twilight how they was jumped and hog-tied by two fillies." she was laughing so hard her face was beginning to turn red, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were also laughing at the same mental image. *
Silver Spoon couldn't take her eyes off the space above Diamond's head where her trademark tiara had been. She still couldn't get used to it missing. Diamond without a Tiara was like a pony suddenly waking up without their cutie mark.
"It must be hard living with the Apples, making you work on a farm, waking up at dawn and tying the two of you together. It seems kinda cruel."
Diamond threw a quick glance over her shoulder, snatching a peek at Apple Bloom. The pony was loud, uncouth, a dumb farm pony and a blank flank to boot. But that wasn't to say she was stupid, Apple Bloom knew what she needed to know, she was also honest and cold be relied upon in a crisis. "They're not so bad, in their own way."
She didn't like Apple Bloom but, perhaps, she might be able to respect her....a little....and not in public. She had a reputation to uphold after all. *
"So what was it really like dragging Diamond Tiara around?" Scootaloo grinned. "C'mon, now she's not here you can be really honest."
Apple Bloom just shrugged her shoulders. "She's spoiled, whiny and never done a days work in her life," she darted her eyes to glance at Diamond quickly. "but once you know how to handle her, and if y'all are patient enough to teach her a coupla things, she ain't too bad ah guess."
Diamond Tiara had never had to work for anything in her life. She literally didn't know the meaning of hard work. But she could push herself when she had to and she could learn, even had a willingness to learn....kind of. She would fight kicking and screaming the whole way, but she would learn her lesson. If she could learn how to do an honest days work she might become a decent pony one day. Unlikely considering her father spoiled her all the time, but there was the possibility. Apple Bloom wouldn't ever call Diamond Tiara a friend, she doubted she would ever like her, but now she knew, she understood her.
...***...
Back at the farm.
Big McIntosh dropped the axe and shook his head. His coat glistening with sweat. "Nnnope." he sat down and wiped his face with a rag.
The old stump which the Apple family used to cut wood had almost been cleaved in two by his spirited efforts to chop the rope that was now binding Applejack and Filthy Rich. Despite the damage to the log, the rope wasn't even frayed.
"Dagnabbit!" Applejack pulled and yanked at the knot with her teeth and hooves. "Them fillies is gonna pay for this." with a grunt she finally gave up on the knot. "We're gonna hafta go to Twilight and get her to take the unbreakable spell offa this." her eyes widened, "dang it. Twilight's in Canterlot learnin' 'bout bein' a princess. She won't be back in town until the end of the week."
Filthy glanced toward the town, taking in the time on the distant clock tower. "Maybe we can send her a letter or something, but later, I'm late opening the store." he started to walk down the path but Applejack yanked him back by the rope.
"Hold up Filthy," she caught his attention by using his first name rather than his preferred Rich, "maybe we hafta make the best of this, maybe we'll think of somethin' later, but if we do gotta go 'bout our business tied together, then its gotta be Apple family business. You gots ponies to run your business for you, it's only me and Big Mac on the farm." She tugged on the rope, indicating the trees, "so c'mon, we got trees to buck."
Filthy pulled back, "Now, just wait, I might have ponies working for me but nopony knows how to run Barnyard Bargains like I do. Owner and Manager," he said with pride, "I need to be there for the daily running of the place. "You got that walking brick wall of a brother to pick up your slack."
Applejack glowered at him, "y'all tryin' to say your job is more important than ours?"
Filthy returned the glare with equal intensity, "Yes, I guess I am. Barnyard Bargains is the backbone of Ponyville."
Applejack leaned closer until the two of them were almost nose to nose. "They hay it is! Ponies go all over the place for stuff, not just your store. Ponyville ain't gonna fall apart jus' 'cause Filthy Rich ain't sittin' in his office."
"It AIN'T gonna fall apart just because a few apples stay on the trees a couple of days longer." Filthy pushed himself forward so the two were now touching nose to nose.
"Ponyville ain't gonna fall apart, but the farm will. We need to get these trees bucked to sell the apples. Y'all can take a day of bad profits, we can't!"
Big McIntosh watched the heated exchange, his head shaking back and forth as each pony tried to convince the other that they were right. "Nope." slowly he backed away, deeper and deeper into the orchard until he was out of sight. He knew what Applejack was like when she got into an argument, better to stay out of it until the war was over. |
My Worst Enemy | Chapter 11 | My worst enemy...
Fanfic by Englishwitch
Chapter 11
The final bell of the day rang. The fillies and colts of Ponyville school raced out to the freedom of the fresh air and sunshine.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran in their group. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were much more willing to hang around with Apple Bloom now that she wasn't attached to Diamond Tiara.
"What do ya say to a milkshake at Sugar Cube Corner?" Scootaloo suggested.
Apple Bloom licked her lips, "sounds great."
Behind them, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon cantered along at a casual pace, trading their gossip and laughing at their own private jokes. Diamond stopped for a second as she passed the crusaders. Apple Bloom stopped and looked at her too. Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, her hackles raising, while Sweetie Belle's ears flattened against her head.
"I guess I'll see you back at the farm." Diamond said to Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom nodded, "Yeah, see ya later."
Diamond trotted off, Silver Spoon right behind her.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared looks of confusion. Diamond Tiara had passed them by without a single joke, insult or even a dirty glance. It was almost scary.
"C'mon, let's get those milkshakes, I'm thinkin' vanilla."
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed in a stunned silence. It was several seconds before Scootaloo broke the silence. "What the hay did you do to her?"
Apple Bloom looked confused. "Nuthin'."
Scootaloo shook her head in disbelief. "No way Diamond is that nice, what happened?"
Apple Bloom laughed lightly. "Ah ain't done nuthin, we just kinda came to an understandin'."
Scootaloo continued to look doubtful. Finally Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, "Kay, but y'all gotta promise not to tell nopony, if Applejack or Filthy Rich found out we'd get in lotsa trouble."
Both fillies nodded their heads. Apple Bloom didn't consider it as binding as a Pinkie Promise, but it was good enough. "Okay, it started when Diamond broke her tooth. We di'nt go to the dentist, we went to the Everfree forest instead..."
...***...
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared in awe across the table at Apple Bloom. Their milkshakes were temporarily forgotten.
"That was...awesome!" Scootaloo's eyes were so wide they were almost popping out of her head. "So cool, I can't believe you had such an awesome adventure with Diamond Tiara of all ponies."
"It sounded scary." Sweetie commented.
Apple Bloom shrugged. "It was when we was gettin' chased. But after we fell down that pit all that mattered was gettin' out again."
Scootaloo was so excited she was almost bouncing on the spot. "C'mon, a death-defying chase though the Everfree forest, escaping from Timberwolves and gettin' your worst enemy on your side," she glanced down towards Apple Bloom's back leg, "I can't believe you didn't get a cutie mark from that."
"Never thought about it," Apple Bloom glanced at her flank, "but what kinda cutie could all that have earned?"
"A running away cutie mark?" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"An escape cutie mark?" Scootaloo chimed in.
Apple Bloom laughed, "a running away from Timberwolves cutie mark?"
Scootaloo's wings fluttered in her excitement, "having a Timberwolf on your flank would look so cool."
Sweetie Belle sniffed deeply, "hey, anypony else smell burnt hair?"
"Apple Bloom!"
The three crusaders froze, turning slowly to the source of the yell. Applejack and Filthy Rich were fighting for position in the doorway, both wanting to be the first into Sugar Cube Corner. They pushed and shoved and growled insults to each other until, finally, Applejack shoved Filthy aside with one mighty push and jumped through the door before he could recover.
With Filthy in tow Applejack strode across the Sugarcube floor, her face tightened in anger. "Y'all in big trouble little lady."
Apple Bloom shrank back slightly, a nervous smile on her face. "Hi Applejack," she laughed nervously, "hi Mr Rich."
"Apple Bloom," he said coldly, barely giving her the smallest of nods, "where's Diamond Tiara?" he looked around as though expecting to see his daughter somewhere in Sugar Cube Corner.
"She ain't here, she went visitin' Silver Spoon after school." Apple Bloom didn't like the look of annoyance that played over his face. She wondered if he'd hoped Diamond would be here, then both fillies could be yelled at and punished together.
The smell of burnt hair grew stronger, all three crusaders wrinkled their noses. Applejack seemed to know what their problem was, held up her hoof and the rope bound to it, the fur was singed and darkened by soot. It didn't look serious, but it did look painful. The rope itself, however, was completely in tact. "Turns out dragon fire ain't even good even against magic rope. Spike was more than obligin'. After he sent a letter to Twilight he tried to burn off the rope for us."
"Spike's runnin' the library on his own?" Apple Bloom pressed.
Applejack nodded, "Someone needs to look after the place while Twilight is away -" Filthy gave her a sharp prod in the ribs with his hoof. Applejack stopped mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing, "don't try and change the subject on me missy. You get yourself home, we're gonna have a long talk 'bout you and your behaviour."
Apple Bloom's ears flattened against her head. POP
A colourful cloud of confetti rained down on them all, followed a second later by a pink blur of a frizzy mane popping up from under the table, appearing at Apple Bloom's side. "Hey there!" Pinkie said with her usual enthusiastic smile. "I saw frownie faces. No frownie faces allowed at Sugar Cube Corner." With lightning quick speed she placed cardboard party hats on every ponies head. "So I thought I'd come over here and fix that."
Filthy Rich yanked the party hat of his head, tossing it to the ground without care. Pinkie didn't seem to notice his disrespect of her party supplies. "If you don't mind miss Pie, we're trying to talk with Apple Bloom."
Pinkie pouted, but there was a cheeky smile creeping into the corners of her lips, "aww c'mon, I just wanna see you smile."
Applejack shook her head and took the party hat off the top of her stetson. "Not right now Pinkie, Apple Bloom's in trouble."
Pinkie giggled, "why, because of the tying you up prank?" she giggled and looked to Apple Bloom, "really good by the way," then she turned her attention to Applejack, "C'mon AJ, you had Apple Bloom tied up and she managed to get you back with the same prank, that was really, really funny and no-pony got hurt."
"You got it all wrong Pinkie," Applejack assured her, "when I tied Apple Bloom to Diamond Tiara it was to get the two of 'em to work together. What she did with me and Filthy t'weren't helpful atall. It stopped both of us gettin' work done and left us fightin'." she snapped her mouth shut but it was too late, she had revealed the one thing she hadn't wanted Apple Bloom to find out.
The filly looked at her with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "After all the talkin' y'all did 'bout gettin' along you were fightin' with Filthy Rich?"
"You don't understand." Filthy said harshly, "you interfered with our jobs, neither one of us could get any work done because of what you two did."
"Filthy," Applejack snapped at him, "Ah don't like your tone. Y'all agreed to let me handle Apple Bloom and you could handle Diamond Tiara." she looked at Apple Bloom for a second, but then turned back to Filthy as she decided she had more to say. "anyway, ah only couldn't get my work done 'cause you were fightin' and complainin' all the time. I was fine buckin' trees 'cept you were complainin 'bout you precious store."
Filthy Rich glared at Applejack, unblinking, "you know my business is precious, money from my business has been helping you pay your bills, we sell your apples, you think your little market stall and cider season brings in the money that keeps your farm going? HA! If it weren't for y family your farm would've gone under a long time ago."
Applejack's eyes burned angrily, "You-"
"Oooh," Pinkie popped up between them, he constant smile beamed like a spotlight upon them, "sounds like two ponies have got a bad case of the grumpy wumpies," she giggled, "if you ask me you two could do with taking your own advice and learn to get along."
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement, "yeah, you made it sound real important Diamond Tiara and me get along and here y'all are, fightin' worse than me and her did."
Pinkie appeared next to Apple Bloom, nodding along with the filly. "Smart little egg on this Apple's head," she tapped Apple Bloom's head gently, "you get some flour, water and put her in the oven and you get yourself one smart Apple pie."
"Stop encouragin' her Pinkie. Apple Bloom it's diff'rent for adults. it's..." she glanced at Pinkie, then at the store and realised just how much of a crowd their loud discussion was beginning to attract. "we'll talk 'bout this at home. C'mon now."
She found the party hat back on her head. "C'mon AJ, stay and have a cheer up and forgive Apple Bloom party. It'll make you feel better."
Filthy Rich tugged on the rope, "We're not staying Pinkie," he tried to move for the door, "Applejack, get your sister and let's go."
Applejack tugged back, pulling him to a halt, "I'll go in my own time Filthy." she growled angrily. She looked back at her friend, her sister and the two other crusaders, "Pinkie, we ain't stayin'. Apple Bloom, home. Now. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, sorry, but Apple Bloom is grounded until Twilight is able to come and get this rope off us."
The three fillies and Pinkie, let out long awwww's. Applejack was unfazed, she had been on the receiving end of Apple Bloom's cute face far too often for it to have much power over her any more.
Filthy Rich pushed Applejack aside and glared at Apple Bloom. "She said, now!"
Apple Bloom sighed and looked at her friends, "guess we gotta wait a little longer before we go crusadin' again." she moved away from the table and followed Applejack and Filthy Rich. The adults barely noticed her presence anymore, they were too busy delving into a fresh argument.
"That what you call leavin' me to handle Apple Bloom?" Applejack growled, "maybe I'll show y'all how I can stay outta your business with Diamond Tiara."
"You just try and interfere and-"
Apple Bloom tried to tune them out.
...***...
Something hard jabbed Apple Bloom in her side. She groaned quietly and rolled over. She was being dragged to reality but she wanted to go back to sleep. Sleep was good.
The hard thing jabbed her again. "Hey, c'mon, it's time to get up."
Apple Bloom forced her eyes to open. Diamond Tiara was awake, out of bed and looked like she was halfway though brushing her mane.
"I'm still asleep." Apple Bloom muttered, "ain't no way you're up and about before me."
Diamond smiled cockily, "well keep dreaming blank flank, because this dream up, ready and on her way to breakfast." she stuck out her tongue before turning her attention back to her reflection. She moved her brush slowly through her mane as she counted, "56, 57, 58,"
Apple Bloom moved the pillow over her head in a vain attempt to shut out the noise of Diamond's counting. It was a move all in vain, the noise seemed to be bypassing the feather down of the pillow and running straight into her ears. Finally she snapped, "Can you count in your head?"
Diamond threw her a look, "can you count?" she smirked at her own joke then put the brush down on the vanity. "as much as I'd like to continue this riveting conversation, I'm off to get something to eat before I have to start the slave labour, I mean, the chores." she stuck her tongue at Apple Bloom again and trotted out of the room.
Apple Bloom groaned quietly and forced herself to sit up. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hoof she managed to make her way over to the vanity without bumping into anything. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, wondering where the dark marks that had settled under her eyes had come from.
When the duo of Applejack and Filthy Rich had tracked down Diamond Tiara they had taken both fillies home and had yelled up a storm. They still argued and bickered and seemed to be able to unite when it came to punishment.
After a long, and loud, lecture about what the two of them had done wrong Apple Bloom and Diamond had finally been grounded. They would only be allowed to leave the farmhouse to do chores and go to school. At all other times they were to stay indoors, preferably in their shared bedroom.
There had been no response from Twilight, so for the moment it seemed that she wouldn't be rushing back to Ponyville to free Applejack and Filthy Rich. Most likely she would be arriving back in Ponyville at the end of the week; about three more days.
Apple Bloom grabbed her bow then hesitated, her eyes caught by Diamond Tiara's hairbrush. She glanced to the door conspiratorially. Maybe just this once, not that she'd let Diamond Tiara know. It had left her mane feeling silkier and it had certainly been more cooperative and less knotted. She put the bow down and grabbed the brush. "1,2,3,"
...***...
The tension around the breakfast table could be cut with a knife. Applejack and Filthy Rich were doing their best to pretend the other didn't exist. They were still angry at the fillies and wouldn't talk to them. Big Mac, who was silent at the best of times, couldn't think of anything to say that might even come close to being able to break the tension.
As near as the fillies could understand, Applejack and Filthy had spent a very awkward night sharing a bed, lying back to back, neither one able to move without disturbing the other.
After the rough night came the awkwardness of the morning routine. Apparently using the bathroom had been a major embarrassment to the both of them. Although Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara had to both stifle giggles at the thought of that. They were still young fillies and the embarrassment translated into humour for them. The only thing stopping them laughing out loud was the prospect of further punishments from furious family.
Breakfast was a much more humble affair than was usual in the Apple household. Neither Applejack nor Filthy Rich had contributed, they were unwilling to work together even on such simple tasks. The whole task had been left to Big Mac, who had produced long racks of toast with a selection of preserves and a large bowl of scrambled eggs.
Apple Bloom tried to keep herself as small and unobtrusive as possible as she entered the room. Applejack caught her in her gaze all the same. "nice of you to finally join us missy. Ah suggest y'all eat up quick, 'cause you gots lots of chores to do before you leave for school."
Apple Bloom hung her head as she took her place. "Yes Applejack."
Applejack eyed her with suspicion. Even in her angry and sleep deprived state she noticed that Apple Bloom's mane was different that usual today, shinier and fuller with no tangles. Almost like Diamond Tiara's. "Maybe y'all can start with scrubbin' out the cider barrels. All of 'em."
Apple Bloom dropped the piece of toast that had been halfway to her mouth, "but there's, like, a hundred barrels, it'll take forever."
Applejack took a sip of coffee before replying, "then ah suggest y'all work quickly. You ain't leavin' the farm 'till all the chores is done. If that makes y'all late for school you'll have no pony but yourselfs to blame."
Big Mac cleared his throat, "AJ, don't y'all think-" the twin glares of Applejack and Filthy silenced him before he could get started.
"Big McIntosh," Filthy said curtly, "when you get hog-tied to an annoying, stubborn mule you can contribute an opinion, but until then, leave the punishments to us."
AJ turned on Filthy, "y'all callin' be a stubborn mule now?"
Rich met her gaze, "it's better than what I was really thinking. Lucky for you some ponies are too polite to use foul language in front of fillies."
Applejack huffed, "now y'all implyin' ah go cursin' in front of fillies? Anythin' else y'all wanna say Rich? Ah really wanna make sure you earn the busted nose I'm about to give ya."
Filthy Rich gave her a derisive snort, "you just try it and I'll-"
"Oh, SHUT UP!"
Big Mac reared himself up on his hind hooves as he bellowed down at them. At his full height his head brushed the ceiling. When he landed it was with a hard and heavy stomp that made the table shake. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara hid underneath the table, huddled together; although they would deny that detail in the retelling.
Applejack and Filthy Rich stared in shock and more than a little fear at Mac, as though they had noticed for the first time just how large and strong he was. His bulk seemed magnified by his anger. "Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves, both of you," he snapped the two adults, "you're actin' like a couple of spoiled foals. Throwin' your little tantrums just 'cause thing ain't gone the way you wanted. What kinda example do y'all think your settin' for Apple Bloom an' Diamond Tiara? All y'all been tellin' 'em is that they hafta get along and work together, to learn to like each other and co-operate. Yet the second y'all are given the chance not jus' to tell 'em but to show 'em how it's done y'all end up fightin' and bickerin' worse than they did. If y'all ain't ashamed of yourselves then I'm ashamed for you. 'cos right now them two fillies is actin' more like adults than the adults are."
"Big Mac-"
"Don't Big Mac me Applejack," he snapped, "gettin' tied up ain't what you deserved, but it sure as hay is yella is what you need." he took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "if y'all don't learn to get along maybe I'll give you two a night in the barn and see how you like it."
His face suddenly appeared under the table and he looked at Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara with his usual gentile expression. "C'mon you two, how 'bout we go get breakfast at the cafe today. We can leave these two foals to see if they can learn to behave."
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were more than happy for an excuse to leave. They practically left clouds of dust behind them as they raced out the door.
Big McIntosh walked out with a gentle and slow pace. He didn't look at the two ponies, nor said another word to them as he left.
Applejack lowered her head, hiding her eyes under the brim of her hat. Filthy Rich's ears were flattened against his head. The awkward silence built up between them for almost a full minute and when they spoke, it was at the same time.
"I'm sorry." twin blushes rose on their faces.
Filthy managed to jump in before Applejack could talk again. "No, Applejack, I'm sorry. You were right. Barnyard Bargains doesn't need me in the office every day. It wasn't right of me to try and drag you away from the farm and all the important work that you need to do around here. I should have helped you, not fought against you."
Applejack adjusted her hat with a nudge of her hoof them shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. Not about Barnyard Bargains, I was right along on that," they both managed a light laugh, "but ah said a lotta hurtful things Rich and none of 'em were true. And ah shouldn'ta tried to force y'all into doin' it my way all along. Your my neighbour, but more than that, your my friend. Your practic'ly fam'ly and ah shoulda made more of an effort to see things your way, hear you out and maybe even talk it over so we could reach a compromise."
Rich smiled weakly, "well, how about we agree to forgive and forget? Wipe the slate clean? And work together until we get this rope off?"
Applejack returned the smile, "that'd be great Rich."
Rich nodded, his smile growing stronger, "well, we'd better eat up, since Big Mac and the girls are gone, we've gotta pick up their slack."
They laughed.
...***...
Slowly and nervously three ponies walked up the dirt road toward Sweet Apple Acres. Big McIntosh with Apple Bloom on one side and Diamond Tiara on the other.
Apple Bloom put a hoof behind her ear, "ah don't hear no yellin'."
"Nnope."
Diamond Tiara looked at Apple Bloom, "can you hear anything through that frizzy mess you call a mane?" the insult was weak and half-hearted at best, both Big Mac and Apple Bloom could tell that. It was just Diamond's way of coping with her worry.
"Better a frizzy mess than a white streak like ah gone premature grey." Apple Bloom said with the same half-hearted tone. She was just as worried as Diamond was, perhaps more. When Applejack got really riled up she could make some pretty bad decisions on impulse. What if she and Filthy had argued until they started fighting? Applejack was pretty strong and Filthy Rich didn't look like a weakling. She had sudden images in her mind of the two of them lying in the middle of the floor, unconscious and covered in bruises.
The house continued to be silent as they approached. The silence was more frightening than anything they could have heard.
As they reached the porch Big McIntosh stopped the two fillies, "y'all just wait a second,"
The two fillies waited without protest as Big Mac climbed onto the porch then nudged the door open with his hoof. A smile broke out on his face and he nodded to Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara, "Okay, y'all can come in."
Inside Granny Smith was sitting at the table, sipping at a cup of tea, while Filthy Rich and Applejack were standing by the kitchen sink, working together to wash and dry the breakfast dishes. They smiled at the two little ponies as they entered.
"Well hay, there y'all are." Applejack waved a hoof covered in soap suds, "we was beginnin' to wonder if y'all had gone right to school."
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara gave each other a look. "You're not mad? Diamond ventured.
Filthy Rich shook his head, "still a little annoyed," he admitted, "but no darling, not angry. And not fighting anymore."
"That's right," Applejack nodded along, "Fightin' weren't gettin' us nowhere. We decided it was better to get along and work together until we could get the rope off."
Both fillies stared. "Well how 'bout that," Apple Bloom said in disbelief, "they didn't even need to fall into a hole to figure it out."
Both adults stopped their dish cleaning and looked at the two ponies intensely, "a what now?" Applejack gave her younger sister an unblinking glare.
Granny Smith broke the tension, "hey, young 'un," she waved to Diamond Tiara, "lookie what Applejack and Filthy found in the carrot patch." she tossed a shining object across the room. Diamond leapt into the air, snatching it in her mouth. She spat it into her hooves as she landed, her eyes widened and she put on a smile to match.
"My Tiara!" Quick as a flash she returned the shining headpiece to its rightful place atop her mane. She breathed a sigh of relief as the familiar and much missed weight settled onto her brow, "Thank you," she giggled to Granny Smith. "Thank you, thank you," she repeated to her father and Applejack."
Applejack waved a hoof dismissively, "T'weren't nothin' sugarcube. That silly rabbit couldn't run properly with it on his head anyhow. Dunno how he gave y'all the slip for so long."
Apple Bloom gave her a deadpan expression, "maybe because we couldn't chase 'em properly when we was tied together."
"We managed it," Filthy Rich joked.
The jovial atmosphere was broken by sudden loud clang, clang, clang, echoing on the air. It was the school bell ringing to signal the start of the day.
"Aw heck!" AJ snapped, "y'all gonna be late. Quick, grab your lunches and run. Cut across the north field."
The two fillies grabbed their saddlebags and yelled hurried goodbyes as they tore out of the door and across the yard into the orchard.
Applejack and Filthy Rich watched them go, both proud of their fillies. Not only for the lessons they'd learned about co-operation they had learnt, but what they had taught their elders in turn. A lesson the adults didn't even know they'd needed teaching. |
The luck in our stars. | pre | Celestia had a worried look on her face. "Then you should've told me and gone to the hospital! Here, have some tea."
Celestia moved her teacup towards me, and I said, "No, thank you, sister. I've had enough tea to last a lifetime."
Celestia thought about something and said, "Do you want me to raise the moon for you? You might not be strong enough."
I screamed, "No! I'm not weak! I can raise the moon on my own, sister." Then I stopped screaming and said, "You should go now; you wouldn't want to get my illness, would you?"
Celestia smiled at me and said, "Thanks for the reminder, Luna. Bye."
And like that, she left. I was happy and sad. I was happy because I hated the smell of tea, and Celestia had gone with her teacup.
I was sad because I thought that Celestia might care enough to say that she'd send a card.
But I guess she forgot about me. I remembered the days before we got our cutie marks.
We used to have so much fun together, staying up at night to read comics, falling asleep over our bowls of soup. I missed those days.
When Celestia cared about me more than she did now.
When I was ill, she always used to stay next to me, not caring if she got sick too.
Always giving me cards and being the best sister ever.
I wiped a tear away from my eyes. Those days were far gone. Lost.
Nothing like that would ever happen again.
I couldn't stop the coming storm of tears and buried my face in my pillows.
Then, I let the tears flow. I let the storm of tears out.
My pillow was wet with tears. I wiped the last of them from my eyes and then continued writing my letter to Sombra.
I finished writing and sent it.
Then, I entered the dream world to watch everypony's dreams. |
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