Another Casting of the Cards

I reared up, and punched the thing in the throat with a forehoof, silencing it.

Continuing on the attack, I disabled it by strategically dismembering it. I would kick it half a dozen times on a shoulder or thigh joint and then it would fall off, slowly demobilizing the alsus.

Finally, I tied it to my back, with it's head by my tail, and facing up, so it couldn't bite me. I used some vines, and lashed it across my scrawny chest.

o.O.o

I staggered into the secure containment center, startling both the guard, and Twilight, who had apparently anticipated, or hoped for, what I had done.

I nodded to the guard, who nodded dumbly back, and viciously bucked the alsus into a cell, to the surprise of everyone present, except for myself. As the thing hit the wall, it left a bloody spatter on the wall, of chunky blood and congealed bodily fluids. I avoided thinking a out what liquids had likely seeped onto my back from it.

"You actually captured one? Oh my goodness, Sam! Thank you!" Twilight exclaimed, sounding unnecessarily gleeful.

I glared at her, lifting a foreleg up, letting some blood drip off, and a slightly maniacal smile creep onto my face.

"Twilight Sparkle, I have a present for you," I gestured with a still slightly bloody hoof. The alsus growled as he guard bravely secured the door of the cell. I continued speaking, carefully watching the earth pony as he secured the now limbless, grey alsus.

"Twilight, I'm sorry I rushed you out like that. It's just that I didn't want you getting hurt. Plus, you're my friend and I didn't want you to see what happened." I shuddered, not happy about my destruction of the unthinking beast.

"You have to completely elimanate the head to stop it?" she asked softly, suddenly sounding a little nervous over her scientific demeanor. I chuckled, and nodded, again raising a hoof with the now drying blood.

"I'll need Spike to send a letter to the Princess, and then more guards need to be posted at the center and around town." She began prioritizing, as we headed out of the center.

We started walking towards the library, and I almost totally zoned out as Twilight continued to talk- about the alsus, mainly.

Idly I wondered why these creatures were appearing out of now- we had been at the edge of the Everfree, after all, and they had apparently not been seen for long enough to become a legend.

Though I suspected that many a pony had been unaware of he alsus' magic-blocking ability, and unaware of their tastes for ponies, which was likely why they hadn't been reported for a long time.

"And we're here!" Twilight's voice broke into my thoughts as we stepped into the library. Suddenly feeling bone tired after all that skull-kicking, I sleepily nodded night to Twilight, and Spike, who was looking a lot healthier after the zombie-monkies had been dealt with.

As I crashed into the guest bed, I vaguely wondered what fresh hell I would dream about tonight, and if Luna would join me.

o.O.o

I came to in a small, windowed room, with a variety of technological equipment.

I didn't recognize the room itself, but I knew what it was-- the control room of a Rhino-class starship.

With two of these bays, it could launch a huge number of vessels, and the ship itself had a primary cannon that was so big, it could almost fit the Terran moon down it's barrel. It was equipped with a population of approximately four billion, as well as a drive that allowed it to slingshot around stars to enter subspace. This particular tub was called the Sky Phoenix, and it wasn't a planet ship, though it could colonize, and was more than enough to darken a planet, race, or civilizations doorstep.

This ship was the site of a massive battle, or rather, countless skirmeshes that never ended and were pretty much all interconnected, between the Razani and the Sylorians, and though the Razani outnumbered the Sylorians, there was still total loss of about a half billion souls.

Every single Sylorian combatant was killed in combat, because the only way you would see the back of a Razani, or Sylorian, for that matter, was if they were dead. Every noncombatant was imprisoned and put to work repairing damage dealt to the ship.

I, however, was  about to witness the event that sparked the battle-- a Sylorian had developed a heart and defect to the Razani. Normally, I wouldn't care any more or less about the war, but this was personal. To Thomas of course, but that was me when I had these nightmares, so what was the difference?

I felt Luna appear next to me, and at the same time, someone appeared in a doorway, and started sprinting towards he one plane residing within the cavernous hangar.

"You see the girl that just popped out of that door? Her name is Bayleigh, and she is the first Sylorian who got the C gene. She's decided to defect to the Razani. She was the head of… certain operations, and has a lot of information, the Razani could use. She was planted as a spy on his ship, but received an experimental treatment to artificially get the C gene. Everyone else who got the treatment died," I explained rapidly. As I was talking, a contingent of black-armored soldiers marched out, singing a war song. They fell into a long-legged step behind her, as she raced to he ship.

"She's being sent to the Razani High Command. See these guys in white armor that just popped out of that door? They are the Sylorian combatants, fully armed and armored. They are going to start fighting… right… about… now," I continued and they began fighting right when I had predicted. Most weapons were pulse rifles, with the Razani rounds a cyan that reminded me of the slightly arrogant but incredibly loyal Rainbow Dash, and the Sylorian shots were an angry red, like a two-day old bruise.

I must admit, it was an odd and slightly surreal sight, seein the multicolored balls of pure electrical energy zipping past.

This was the first time that the Razani had outnumbered the Sylorians in battle, and it showed-- their shots were more precise, and they had better armor and weapons than the worse off and rather more panicked Sylorian forces.

I turned to see Luna's eyes flicker, trying to follow the battle and it's progress. I could tell however, that she wasn't merely following the battle, she was following someone.

"Where is she? That… Bayleigh. Are they all fighting over her?" she asked, rather quietly.

I gestured with an equine hoof, as the plane lifted, excruciatingly slowly, with a whine of high-tech engines.

One of the Razani broke off, her face shield folding itself away as she ran towards the plane, not quite a dead sprint, but close enough.

I grunted to myself, whirling around and slowly paced around the room, the same way I did every time I had this particular dream. Just as I reached the window again, I caught Luna's questioning glance.

"She never really liked me and she never realized I knew she was a Razani. She was an awful spy-- might have fooled everyone else, but I knew. And obviously, no one believed me. I'm sorry, I'll continue the narration," as I finished, I shuddered as another of the black-clad Razani detached himself from the fray, Dodging rounds as he chased Beth.

He finally caught up to her, and I knew what he was saying, for he had related it to me at a later point, plus I had seen the mission logs.

"No, Beth, you can't go after her! You're my friend and comrade, don- don't do it! They'll kill you if you interfere, she'll kill you! I know what you're feeling, just don't try--" my repetition was cut short when Beth violently threw him off her, and removed her sidearm, and pointed it at Matthew.

As she cleared leather, however, the space-plane completed its takeoff procedures and rotated around to face the Sylorian company that was slowly getting whittled down.

With vengeance clear on her face, Bayleigh shoved the plane on top of the Sylorians and activated the atmospheric thrusters.

Flames danced under the vehicle as they cooked the Sylorians. With screams in the air, they finally died.

The Razani battalion erupted into cheers. Bayleigh turned off the atmospheric thrusters, and once again turned, this time to face the pod bay doors.

The ship paused, with the pilot onviously surveying her woek with prode. There was a click, and then a voice came on.

"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar," spoke Bayleigh as the plane soared into the fatal beauty of space.

"Any questions, princess?" I laconically inquired. I knew she would lose her inevitable pursuers in a corner of this solar system, then stay there. Only after reporting to Razani HighComm, obviously. I knew she would occasionally be called in as a consultant.

The scene faded to black as the princess shook her head no.

o.O.o