Fallout Equestria: Legacy

"Whoever saves one life saves the world entire." - the Talmud

Spec peered through the scope of his sniper rifle on the encampment below. In the small valley, not far from the Everfree Forest, were the targets he was seeking: slavers. As he scanned the valley he counted at least a dozen well-armed slavers patrolling their compound. With his skills, Spec could easily snipe each of the slavers, but he was not here to do that… yet. He chose the best point for his reconnaissance: a high ridge approximately three hundred meters above the complex. Not only did he have all the angles covered from his vantage point, he was also concealed amongst all the rocks along the ridge’s edge, making him impossible to be seen (that, and he was also wearing a zebra stealth cloak).

Spec slowly scanned the valley some more. The factory complex was full of small shacks, probably used as guard quarters or storage. There were large boxcars sitting idly around the main buildings. Spec could see some more slavers within them. Several slaver guards were standing around talking and smoking cigars. At a table set under a tarp were another group of five slavers. They were apparently playing a card game.

Spec had already confirmed that slavers were here, but now he needed to verify that these were indeed the slavers he was looking for. A glance around the compound and he spotted a large barbed wire fence at the entrance to the encampment. In front of the gate stood a large pre-war sign: Welcome to Everfree Mills! The only entrance to the factory was along a train track that passed through the gate. Two slavers carrying assault rifles patrolled the gate. Another guard trotted up and down the train track. A short distance away from them was a makeshift guard tower. A sniper was at its summit. Fortunately there were no other guard towers, but that didn't mean that there were no more snipers in the area. Spec specifically needed to spot any snipers before the operation could begin.

Two more slavers carrying sniper rifles ascended the tower. Now they had to deal with three enemy snipers. The two snipers set up their rifles. Then they donned a pair of cloaks, and vanished. Shit! They've got stealth cloaks as well! Spec made a mental note of where they were before they vanished. With luck, they would still be there later.

Satisfied that all enemy snipers were accounted for near the entrance, Spec shifted his position a few feet along the ridge. Settling into his new position, Spec immediately spotted them. Locked within a large chain-linked fenced enclosure were the prisoners. “Jackpot!” Spec whispered to himself. “There you are.” In the enclosure were at least ten ponies, but he couldn't tell if they were the Applejack’s Rangers he’d come to rescue, for they were not wearing any armor.

One prisoner seemed to be having an argument with a slaver guard, a unicorn, at the pen’s gate. The prisoner kicked the gate several times with his forehooves. Spec couldn't hear what they were saying, but the guard looked pissed. After a few more moments of an apparently heated “conversation,” the guard turned to walk away from the fence. As soon as she turned, the prisoner spit on her through the fence. The guard stopped in her tracks. The prisoner laughed and spun around, walking towards the other prisoners.

Quickly, the unicorn slaver levitated a pistol from her holster. Without turning to look, the guard aimed the gun and shot the captive in the back. Spec could barely hear the “pop.” His eyes went wide. The stallion collapsed to the ground. The guard slowly returned to the fence. The stallion tried to crawl away. The guard opened the gate and entered the pen. She shot the stallion a second time in the back. POP! Looks of fear spread amongst the faces of the remaining prisoners. The prisoner stopped moving and it was impossible to tell if he was still alive from this distance. The unicorn shot the stallion again. POP! After a moment, the guard fired several more shots into the prisoner’s limp body. POP! POP! POP! Finally she stepped over the prisoner’s head and fired once more. POP!

The slaver magically reloaded the pistol and waved it at the rest of the prisoners who all slowly backed away from the corpse. Spec felt a surge of anger swell within him. The guard holstered the pistol and trotted out of the pen, sealing the gate behind her. As she slowly (and proudly) walked off, Spec aimed the crosshairs of his sniper rifle on her skull. Contemplating pulling the trigger, Spec reluctantly turned away from the slaver. He still had a job to do; shooting a slaver now would only give him away and the other slavers would likely kill the remaining hostages. “You will be avenged,” Spec growled, gazing back at the prisoners.

His recon was complete; it was now time to fallback. The brown earth pony stood up from his perch still wearing his zebra cloak. He turned to leave the ridge before something in the compound caught his eye. Aiming down the sights of his sniper rifle for a better look, Spec couldn’t believe what he saw contained within a large circular paddock. “No way! Where the hell… How the hell did they get THAT?” he asked stunned.

___________

Approximately two miles away, the remaining four members of Crusader Team Shadow awaited Spec’s return from his reconnaissance. Raging Thunder glanced around the scene they discovered only a half hour ago. In this barren stretch of wasteland were what remained of the Applejack’s Rangers patrol who had called for help. The area was extremely gruesome: bodies were strewn everywhere, blood soaked into the dirt and the few plants that were growing here, and several corpses were horribly dismembered. The body in the worst shape belonged to the platoon’s leader: Paladin Nightfury.

Nightfury’s armor had been removed, his legs amputated, his neck sliced ear to ear, and his torso sliced open spilling his entrails onto the dirt. As if the monsters responsible hadn’t desecrated the stallion enough, his corpse also smelled as if somepony had pissed on him. The worst part was… Nightfury had still been alive when he was cut up. Raging Thunder hoped that he’d at least had been unconscious so he wouldn’t have suffered such a horrible death awake. “Nopony deserves to die like that,” Raging solemnly whispered.

The other Applejack’s Rangers were more “fortunate” (that term being used loosely) then Paladin Nightfury. Most of their bodies were not violated at all. All the Rangers had been stripped of their weapons and supplies. Several were even missing their armor, including the Paladin. The attackers would have had to work very vast to completely remove a dozen sets of Applejack’s Rangers armor.

Other fallen Rangers had been ripped apart by heavy gunfire. Several Rangers had dozens of bullet holes coating their armor. Scorch marks were found in frequent locations indicating high explosives. Applejack’s Rangers found closest to those scorch marks had their limbs blown off. Two had lost their heads to explosions. It was a massacre.

Raging walked over to a fallen Initiate who did not have a helmet on. He knelt next to her and sadly gazed into her fixed, dark, unblinking eyes. He used his magic to close her eyelids. She was only a kid, probably not even twenty years old. She had her full life ahead her, only for it to be mercilessly ended. Raging had seen plenty of death in his forty-five years of life, but he was always most disturbed when it was youth who have perished. There was something familiar about her, though. Feeling his gut tighten he looked for her holotag and found it around her neck. Gently, he levitated it up to see the name. His heart immediately broke for the thousandth time. “Why did it have to be you?” he whimpered.

“Sir?” a mare’s voice said behind him. Raging looked over his shoulder to see Emerald Sapphire. Emerald is the team’s tech specialist and Raging’s second in command. She is a green unicorn with a blue mane (probably how she got the name Emerald Sapphire). She had also been born with two different eye colors: one blue and one green. Coincidently, even her magic aura’s color is a shade of bluish-green. She was a very unique unicorn, to say the least. “Is everything all right?”

Raging Thunder nodded. “Yes,” he lied. He looked back to the Initiate. “I just wish we’d gotten here sooner.”

Emerald stared at him for several seconds. “You’re not the only, sir,” she said softly.

“How’s the patient?” he asked without looking.

“We’re doing everything we can, sir. We have to hope she’ll make it.”

Raging fell silent. When he said nothing else Emerald put her hoof on his shoulder. “You mustn’t blame yourself every time this happens, captain.”

Raging said nothing for a moment, unable to look away from the Initiate. Finally he said, “This is the third attack this month where there weren’t any survivors. Well, almost no survivors,” he corrected himself. “Anyway, each time it was always us who responded, and each time there was nothing we could do except tell families why their loved ones wouldn’t be coming home again. Hell, we couldn’t even tell them why.” The dark blue unicorn closed his eyes tightly, trying not to shed a tear. “And I’m not just talking about the ponies we were unable to save.”

Emerald sadly glanced away from Raging. Knowing all too well what he meant. “Captain,” she sighed, “you must not keep reflecting on that. What happened then was terrible, but it does not help if you keep punishing yourself for it.”

“You wouldn’t understand, Emerald.”

“How wouldn’t I understand? If you just tell me, I can help.”

Raging Thunder thought for a moment before bluntly replying, “No.”

“But captain…”

Emerald wasn’t able to finish her sentence. He shook her hoof off his shoulder and quickly shot to his hooves while storing the holotag in his saddle bag. Slowly, he turned towards her. Emerald Sapphire took a step back. “I said: No!” he shouted. “Maybe one day you’ll know why I lament so much on the past. Maybe one day you’ll get to know the real me. But until that day comes, you will mind your own damn business!” Raging Thunder glowered at her. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-y-yes sir,” Emerald stuttered.

“What was that?” Raging barked.

“Yes sir!” Emerald saluted. Raging scowled at her before turning to walk away. Emerald shuddered; Raging had never raised his voice to her before. “What got him so angry?” she whispered to herself. Emerald Sapphire briefly glanced down at the Initiate. She looked back up to watch Raging Thunder trot away from the scene. She turned briskly on her hooves and rejoined the other two members of Shadow Team.

A short distance away Raging found a rock and sat down. He took a deep breath and sighed. “Emerald just wouldn’t understand,” he said to himself. Raging looked at the ground but ended up focusing on the device strapped to his left foreleg: his PipBuck. He was not from a Stable and so this PipBuck was not originally his. He came into possession of it several years before the day of “Sunshine and Rainbows.” Truth be told, it was actually a trophy he claimed while exploring Stable 13. The entire Stable was a death trap, but, apparently, so were all the others (so he’s been told). When he retrieved the PipBuck, he thought nothing of it except as a prize from the Stable. It was only several years after he acquired it that he learned what the device could do.

This PipBuck had platinum plating. He didn’t apply the plating; it was how he found it. He theorized it must’ve been of an extravagant make that only rich ponies ever got. Or the owner just wanted to show off and look so fancy while wearing it. Personally, Raging liked the platinum finish. He was proud of how he acquired it. He made sure it was polished every day.

Prior to creating Shadow Team, he modified his PipBuck to serve as a two-way radio. He can now both listen and respond to others on the same frequency. These days, he uses his PipBuck as his means of communication with Crusader Command, his team, and generally everyone else with a transmitter in Equestria. While communicators are mandatory for all Crusaders, he prefers to use this device instead. Its E.F.S. saved his ass multiple times over the years. Also, being a unicorn allows him to properly use S.A.T.S. Although, he has only used that function a few times. He is too good a shot to rely heavily on a targeting program. Honestly. Who has the time to look at their PipBuck and sift through the targeting parameters while under fire? It’s not like the enemy will be like, “Oh you’re activating S.A.T.S.? Okay, that’s fine I’ll just wait until you’re ready.”

Raging chuckled at that thought. He titled his head back and gazed at the bright blue sky. There were no clouds today, which was perfectly fine. He never liked cloudy days. Now, they won’t ever need to worry about permanently cloudy days again. Enjoying the sunlight, the dark blue unicorn closed his eyes and replayed the day’s events…

Crusader Team Shadow had been in New Appleloosa at the Turnpike Tavern. The team had been enjoying a few rounds of apple whiskey on the house; courtesy of the bar’s owner, Apple Whiskey. He didn’t owe Shadow anything, but Apple Whiskey just wanted the team to know that they were still appreciated; Shadow Team had been losing credibility due to their inability to prevent (or do anything about) the recent attacks. Raging Thunder didn’t drink much apple whiskey (not that he ever did, really). It was his way to make sure he would never get sloppy should (once) they get a call. In fact, he was only enjoying a bottle of Sparkle~Cola.

Flak, a bright aqua-colored earth pony, was downing drinks of apple whiskey like he was dying of thirst. Flak serves as the team’s explosives and heavy weapons specialist (no surprise he calls himself ‘Flak’). He wears a red bandana with a pony’s skull; he thought it made him look tough. Personally, Raging thought it made him look tacky. All Flak’d have to do was tell somepony he was a member of Shadow Team and he would already be a badass. He gulped down a drink and let out a loud belch. Everypony in the tavern stared at him.

Flak chuckled, “Excuse me.” He knocked on the mug. “Apple Whiskey, another round, mate!” Flak was from a distant land and therefore he had a unique accent in Equestria.

The tavern owner looked at him strangely. “Ah know ah offered y’all free drinks…” he said pouring more apple whiskey. “But Ah thought ya were only gonna ‘ave one or two. If ya keep this up, Ah’m gonna be all out o’ stock.”

Raging humorously spoke up, “Didn’t I warn you that the lad will drink you out of business? I said you’d regret that offer.”

Apple Whiskey looked at him. “Ah figured ya was jus’ jokin’.”

Raging grinned and shook his head. “I never joke.” Apple looked back at Flak who was already finishing another mug. Flak tapped the empty mug with his hoof. Apple Whiskey scowled as he began pouring more apple whiskey into the mug.

Raging Thunder laughed to himself and looked away from them. He noticed Spec, the team’s sniper, wasn’t really drinking much either. He was talking to, and Raging suspected flirting with, Emerald Sapphire. The two of them were sitting at a table. Nopony knew Spec’s real name, not even Raging. When asked why he called himself Spec, he said ‘Because that’s what he was to his enemy whilst stalking them, a speck on the horizon.’ It made sense (even though his name is not spelled with a ‘k’). As he spoke with Emerald he nervously stroked his yellow mane. Emerald was drinking almost as much as Flak.

Raging turned in his stool to see the final member of the team, Winter, an alicorn. She got the name Winter due to her solid white coat and mane. Winter has a mysterious origin as there are no other white alicorns in Equestria. She’s never elaborated on why she isn’t of the standard blue, purple or green coloration. There are some speculations as to her past: Some think when she was “created” by the Goddess something went wrong and she turned white. Others think that maybe she had the misfortune of encountering killing joke. Why it would’ve just turned her white is anypony’s guess. Maybe it had something to do with her name? Raging has his money on the latter. But personally he didn’t care; everypony has their secrets.

Regardless, Winter is a welcome addition to the team. Her magic is pretty strong in healing and so she serves as the team’s medic. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic about her are her crystal blue eyes. Some ponies have found themselves lost within them. Embarrassingly, Raging did too the moment he first met her. When she came into his office as a potential candidate for Shadow, Raging looked her right in the eyes and felt his heart leap. Not that he actually fell for Winter (he was far too old for her, after all). She was silently sitting across the counter from Raging levitating shot glasses up to her mouth with her blue aura. The old blue unicorn couldn’t help himself but stare at the mysterious alicorn. Again he reminded himself that love is not an option for a buck of his age. Still, if he were twenty years younger…

“Mayday! Mayday!” a small voice shouted. Raging snapped back to reality and looked down at his left forehoof. “This is Knight Glorious Dawn of the Applejack’s Rangers! Does anypony read? Our platoon is taking enemy fire! I repeat we are under heavy fire and request immediate assistance!” the voice shouted over Raging’s PipBuck.

Raging stood up from the counter and shouted into the device: “This is Captain Raging Thunder of Crusader Team Shadow! We read you! Say location, over!” Everyone in the tavern stopped what they were doing and stared at the unicorn.

“Captain Thunder?” the mare replied. There were sounds of what sounded like an intense firefight. “Our position is marked approximately five miles… eh… east of New Appleloosa!” Raging heard a series of explosions followed by muffled shouts, most likely the other Applejack’s Rangers.

“Roger, Knight Dawn! We have your position! Hang in there, we’re coming!” Raging shouted.

Another loud explosion, followed by the sound of minigun fire. “Please hurry, captain!” the mare begged. “We cannot hold out…” the voice was cut off by a loud explosion.

Raging Thunder panicked. “Knight Dawn, do you read me?” No response. “Knight Dawn, COME IN!” Still no response. Raging Thunder lowered his leg and turned to his team, all were staring at him intently. He quickly glanced amongst their faces. “Well? What are you ponies waiting for? A written invitation?”

He needn’t say anymore. The other four jumped to their hooves and grabbed their weapons. Flak downed his last drink. “Thanks for the drinks, mate. But we gotta go!” Apple Whiskey looked relieved at the news. The team bolted for the doors.

When they got outside, Raging pointed a hoof at Winter. “Fly ahead and get to the Rangers as quickly as possible.” The white alicorn silently nodded. She immediately spread her wings and soared into the sky over New Appleloosa before vanishing from sight. Without looking at the others Raging shouted, “Double time it, Shadow! We have five miles between us and the Applejack’s Rangers!” The team galloped out of the gates of New Appleloosa. “And beg Celestia, that this time we are not too late,” he said to himself.

As they dashed across the landscape Raging used his magic to change frequencies on his PipBuck. “Come in command, this is Captain Raging Thunder, Shadow Team. Over!”

A moment passed and a mare’s voice replied, “Roger, captain. We read you.”

“We are responding to an Alpha-One-Niner approximately five miles out of New Appleloosa,” the unicorn shouted. Alpha-One-Niner: Applejack’s Rangers in distress.

“Confirmed, captain. Proceed with caution! Command out!” The connection ended. It is a mandatory procedure to call in reports to command whenever a Crusader team was responding to a call. It was primarily for quality assurance. Crusader Command needed to know where the team was heading and what they were responding to. Once a team arrived on location, they needed to assess the situation and report back. Just in case the Crusader team perishes, command will know where to send another team to retrieve the bodies.

Ten minutes passed and it was obvious that Shadow Team wasn’t going to make it in time. This area of Equestria was still barren, and the rugged terrain was making it difficult for the Crusaders to reach the Rangers. By Raging’s calculations, they should still have another 1.5 miles to gallop. Another minute passed. “Captain, Winter here,” the alicorn’s voice came over the PipBuck.

Without stopping to check his PipBuck he shouted back, “Go ahead.”

“I’m at the coordinates,” she responded. There was no other sound, and so Raging assumed that the battle was over.

“Are there any survivors?” Raging demanded.

There was a pause. “Negative,” Winter said with sorrow.

Dammit. We’re too late… AGAIN!!! “Shadow, slow it down,” he said somberly. He could hear the sigh of relief coming from Flak behind him. Raging would let him have it later for that. The group slowed to a brisk trot. Everypony already heard the news. “Winter?” Raging asked his PipBuck.

“Yes, sir?” the alicorn responded.

“Are there any bodies that are not Applejack’s Rangers,” he asked.

“I can’t see any non-Rangers, sir,” she said back.

Just like the last ones. “Alright. Search the immediate area for any signs of the attackers until we get there,” Raging ordered.

“Affirmative, sir. See you all when you get here. Winter, out,” the alicorn ended the line. Ten minutes later and the rest of Shadow Team arrived at the ambush point. Raging’s eyes went wide at the sight of the carnage. Every single Applejack Ranger was in a pool of their blood. Emerald Sapphire gasped. Flak held a hoof to cover his muzzle. Spec gagged. Raging closed his eyes and sadly shook his head.

Winter circled overhead before landing next to Raging. She gave a one-wing salute. “Sir!”

Raging turned towards the alicorn. “Did you find anything?” He already anticipated the answer.

Winter shook her head. “No, sir. It’s just like the others. Not a single trace of the attackers.” Winter looked around at the massacre. “There is something you need to see, sir.” She sounded alarmed.

Winter lead Raging through the trail of bodies and pointed her hoof. The unicorn followed her hoof. His jaw dropped in shock. Somepony’s entrails were spilled all over the ground. The worst part is that they were arranged into letters. Those letters spelled out THE END. It was too horrible to look at. Raging looked away and began to violently choke.

Winter placed her hooves on his shoulders. “Captain?”

“I’m fine,” Raging Thunder coughed. “I’m fine, Winter.” He coughed once more and regained his composure. Winter took her hooves off his shoulders. He turned around just as the others approached.

“Oh my Goddess,” Emerald Sapphire whispered. Flak and Spec looked terrified. “What does it mean?” Emerald’s eyes were fixed on THE END.

“I have no idea, mate,” Flak spoke in his unique accent.

“Okay Shadow,” Raging coughed, getting everypony’s attention. “Standard procedure. We get this place secured and pick up the pieces.” They all gave him looks for that last part. “Sorry. But you know the drill. Let’s get going.” The others began to spread out. “Oh, and Flak?” Raging stopped the aqua pony.

“Yes, sir?” Flak asked.

Raging Thunder stepped towards Flak and shoved a hoof in his direction. “You get to find the owners’ of those parts.” Raging pointed at all the dismembered remains. Flak’s jaw dropped. “Before you say anything, I heard you take joy in my decision for us to slow down back there. You know I don’t tolerate that behavior. Get to it!” he ordered.

Flak looked at the bodies in disgust. “But I’m no unicorn, sir. That means I’ll have to pick them up with…” he whined.

“That’s right, Flak,” Raging replied practically. “You can start there,” he tilted his head towards THE END. Raging walked away saying nothing more.

“Fuck!” Flak groaned. He walked over to the T. He knelt down next to it. “Oh shite! Is that somepony’s intestine?” Spec gagged again. Emerald nickered. Flak and Raging both shot her a look. That was seriously uncalled for. Did she forget that somepony died so some brute could practice their spelling?

Raging said, “Keep it up Emerald, and you’ll be joining him.” Emerald Sapphire shut up.

While Flak, reluctantly, cleaned up the body parts, Raging Thunder walked amongst the intact (mostly) corpses of the slain Applejack’s Rangers with Winter. “Do we know whose platoon this is?” Raging asked.

“Affirmative,” the alicorn replied. “Paladin Nightfury, sir.”

Raging Thunder knew that name. Nightfury was one of the Applejack’s Rangers who fought in the Battle of Dragon Mountain. He was one of the only survivors in that battle. “I need to inform command about this Winter. Go help Spec and Emerald.”

“Yes, sir,” Winter saluted. She trotted off.

Raging lifted his foreleg. “Come in command. Captain Thunder here,” he said into his PipBuck.

“Command here. We read you captain. We need a sit-rep, over,” the mare’s voice spoke.

“We are on site,” he started. Raging hesitated before continuing, “There are no survivors. Paladin Nightfury’s platoon is wiped out. Just like the others.”

There was a moment of silence. “Solid copy,” the command agent said. “We’ll inform Elder Crossroads. Report back to your post ASAP. Command out.” Raging stomped his hoof on the ground. He really did not like his handler. She was certainly not Éclair. The captain still could not believe that Éclair'd been fired as his handler. She was far more compassionate than her replacement. Sometimes he just could not tell if she felt anything for all the ponies being killed in Equestria.

He held his face with his forehooves and groaned. “Captain!” he heard Spec shout. Raging looked between his forehooves at Spec. “Captain!” Spec shouted again.

“Yes Spec? What is it?” the captain asked.

“Sir, we’ve a got a live one,” he shouted excitedly. Raging lowered his hooves, his eyes widening. “We found a survivor!”

___________

Raging Thunder looked down at the Applejack’s Rangers Initiate. Her entire neck was covered in blood; an abysmal wound embedded in the soft tissue. She had suffered a gunshot to the throat, but was miraculously still alive. However, the bullet was lodged very deep and the Ranger had lost a lot of blood. The bullet that shot her also managed to knock her helmet clean off. The only reason Emerald Sapphire realized the Initiate was alive was because she spotted bubbles in the blood. Had the Initiate still been wearing her helmet, they would’ve likely missed her completely.

Winter was using her blue magic to remove the bullet while Emerald kept pressure on the wound. The Initiate was unconscious. Raging silently prayed that she would survive. The Applejack’s Rangers could use some good news today. With a little effort, the bullet popped out of the Ranger’s throat spurting blood everywhere. Emerald held a towel tightly to the Initiate’s throat. “Careful Emerald,” Winter cautioned. “She can’t breathe if you hold it too tightly.” Emerald nodded and eased up on the pressure. Winter dropped the bullet and floated her saddlebags to her. She began sifting through them. “I need a small pipe or tube.”

“What do you need that for?” Spec asked.

“I need it to clear her airway so she’ll be able to breathe easily again.”

Raging looked at Spec. “See if you can find anything.” Spec nodded and trotted away.

Winter continued searching through her saddlebags. “I don’t have any healing potions to give her,” she sighed. “But I do have some bandages.”

“Will they work?” Raging asked concerned.

Winter looked up at him. “They should stop the bleeding. But that bullet seriously messed up her throat. She’ll need surgery to fully recover.” She looked back at the Initiate. “But I can’t apply the bandages until I’ve got a cylinder of some sort. Otherwise she’ll choke on her own blood.”

Raging looked over his shoulder. “Spec!” he yelled. “Have you found anything?”

The earth pony galloped back carrying a small tube in his mouth. “Will this work?” he asked dropping the tube in front of Winter.

“Yes. That’ll do,” Winter snatched the tube with her magic. The tube levitated over the Initiate’s throat. “Fortunately, this will be easy as the bullet already gave me an opening.” The alicorn turned her attention to Emerald who was still holding the towel to the wound. “On my go I need you to move the towel. Ready?” Emerald nodded. “Go!”

Emerald removed the towel. Blood began to flow rapidly from the Initiate’s neck. Winter immediately lowered the tube right into the Ranger’s throat. Her throat made a soft, squishy sound as the tube was lodged into the windpipe. It was one of the most disgusting sounds Raging ever heard. Winter wiggled the tube around until she was satisfied it was in there right. I sure hope it’s in there right. I'd hate to imagine if it wasn't.

Winter released the tube. She pushed it in further with her hoof. It gave a sickening snap. Spec’s face turned white, it looked like he was going to throw up. Suddenly, the Initiate’s chest began to expand and recede; she was breathing again. Raging held a hoof to his neck and shuddered at the thought of needing to put a pipe in his own throat just to breathe.

Winter looked up at him. “That’ll help her breathe. Now I can apply the bandages to stop the bleeding.”

“Okay. Do what you can. I’ll radio command for a medevac,” Raging stammered. The alicorn began to gently wrap the Initiate’s neck in the bandages. Raging lifted his PipBuck. “Command, come in! This is Captain Thunder! Over!”

“Captain Thunder, command here. Go ahead,” the irritating mare said.

“Command, we have a survivor! I repeat we have a survivor!” Raging shouted.

“A survivor?” the mare asked stunned. She actually sounded like she cared. “Can you move them?”

“Negative, command. She’s in critical condition. We need a medevac or she’ll die, over!”

“Roger, captain. We’ll contact nearby friendly forces and have them…”

“NEGATIVE!” the dark blue unicorn interrupted. “The nearest friendlies are too far away! They’ll never get here in time! Contact New Appleloosa and have them send someone; they’re closest!”

“Confirmed,” the mare said sounding a little annoyed. Perhaps she didn’t like being interrupted. “We’ll check on it. Command out.” That’s it? She’s not even going to ask what type of injury she’s sustained? Or her condition? Check on it? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? She’s going to check if I’m right? That mare can go to hell if she doesn’t send someone.

“That bitch had better send someone,” Raging growled. “If the Initiate dies and no one arrives… So help me…” he fumed.

Winter finished applying the bandages and cautiously walked up to Raging; she knew he could turn volatile at everypony when he’s upset. Raging let go of his anger and turned towards her. “Will she live?” he asked softly.

She shrugged. “I don’t know, sir. I’ve done the best I can with what I’ve got.” The beautiful white alicorn sadly gazed at the ground. Even with her medical skills, she was far from perfect. “Even if I had healing potions, she wouldn’t heal properly. That pipe in her throat doesn’t help much either.”

“We’ve got to hope that someone will come and get her help,” the unicorn said. Winter slowly looked back up at him. Their eyes met. Once again Raging found himself lost within her blue eyes. His heart beat rapidly. Realizing what he was thinking, Raging Thunder refocused his attention. “So. We were you able to… uh… determine what kind of bullet it was?” he asked sheepishly. It was a good thing his coat was such a dark color, nopony was able to tell he was slightly blushing. Winter nodded and levitated the bullet to them. It was a sniper bullet. “I can’t believe this didn’t take her head clean off,” Raging exclaimed.

“That’s because the bullet was slowed down,” Winter explained. Raging looked at her quizzically. She turned her head towards another fallen Ranger. The Knight was slumped next to the struggling Initiate. “That Knight had been in front of the Initiate when the attacker fired. The bullet traveled through him and into her. After striking the Knight, the round lost most of its momentum, thus slowing it.” She looked back at Raging. “Of course, that doesn’t mean it is no longer lethal. Honestly, I think it was just a miracle that the Initiate survived it at all.”

“Captain!” Emerald shouted. “I think she’s regaining consciousness!” Raging Thunder and Winter trotted over to the Initiate. Spec and Flak joined them. The Initiate began to flinch. The captain knelt down next to her.

The Initiate slowly opened her lavender eyes. She looked first up at the captain and then at the other ponies staring at her. Abruptly, she sat up and tried to crawl away in panic. “Nonono!” Raging spoke softly. “Don’t move. We’re not going to hurt you. We’re friends.” The Initiate stopped and nervously looked around. She brought her forehooves up to her neck and felt the pipe. Panicking, she tried to pull it out.

Winter stopped her. “Don’t touch that!” she warned. “You’ve been shot in the throat. Those are keeping you alive.” The Initiate felt all around her neck trying to examine the bandages and the pipe. She looked shocked. Perhaps she didn’t know she’d been shot? She lied back down on the ground.

Raging stood over her. “Can you talk?” he asked. The pony opened her mouth but couldn’t make any sounds. It was just as he feared. He asked, “We are going to get you help. But we need to know who did this? Do you know who attacked you?”

As if realizing that she had just been in battle, the Initiate looked around at the carnage. Her jaw opened slightly and tears began to pool in her eyes. She tried to get back up. Emerald gently held her down. “Try not to move,” she said.

Raging knelt next to the Initiate. “I’m sorry,” he lamented. “There was nothing we could do for them.” The Initiate silently cried. Poor kid. She’s been through a lot. Shot and left for dead amongst her slaughtered team. That brought back painful memories. “I swear to you. We will get the bastards who did this. But first we need to know where they are.” The young Ranger looked up at him and slowly nodded. “You know who attacked you?”

The Initiate nodded again. She took her right forehoof and began to draw in the dirt. It took the dark blue unicorn a moment to realize she was spelling something. After a minute of drawing the Initiate finished her message: SLAVERS. “Slavers?” Spec gasped. The Initiate nodded again. Now Shadow Team knew who attacked Paladin Nightfurry’s patrol.

Raging asked urgently, “Do you know where they went? Or where they came from?”

The Initiate weakly raised a forehoof and pointed. The team looked where she was pointing. “She’s pointing north,” Flak mentioned.

Raging looked back at the Initiate. “Are you certain?” But the mare had already dropped her hoof and closed her eyes. Winter placed her hoof on the mare’s neck. “Is she…” the captain hesitated.

“No,” Winter answered. “She’s still got a pulse.” She stood back up and looked at the others. “I think she’s passed out.”

Raging breathed a sigh of relief. The Initiate still needs immediate medical attention. The bandages were already beginning to turn red from the blood. He turned his gaze in the direction she had pointed. The barren landscape continued forever, it seemed, into the horizon. There was nothing to see in that direction except for some scattered rocks and boulders and the occasional dead tree. “Does anypony know what’s in that direction?” Raging Thunder asked.

Flak spoke up, “The only thing I know of due north of here are the Everfree Mills.”

“The Everfree Mills?” Emerald asked.

“Yep. The Everfree Mills,” Flak continued. “It’s a factory complex. During the Great War they used it for harvesting minerals and other materials from the Everfree Forest.” He snorted. “Years ago, though, it was a raider stronghold.”

Raiders, huh? Maybe we are on the right track. “But that was before they moved shop to Ponyville,” Flak finished. “But from what I’ve heard, it’s been deserted ever since.”

“Perhaps not,” Winter suggested.

“Alright, Shadow. That’s our best lead for now,” Raging declared. “Spec,” he pointed a hoof at the brown pony. “I want you to scout ahead and see if these ‘Everfree Mills’ are as empty as they say.”

“Yes, sir,” Spec replied.

“Take your stealth cloak and stay out of sight. If you see any slavers or raiders, do not engage. This is purely reconnaissance,” the captain instructed.

“Affirmative,” Spec saluted as he picked up his sniper rifle.

“Oh and while you’re there… Be on the lookout for any Applejack’s Rangers,” Emerald Sapphire added. Everypony turned to look at the green unicorn. Flak raised his eyebrows.

“What do you mean,” Raging asked his second-in-command.

“I did some background checks on Paladin Nightfurry’s platoon,” she said. “He had about three dozen ponies in his platoon. There’s only about half of that number here. So it’s possible that these slavers took prisoners rather than killed everypony.”

Raging Thunder shrugged. “Alright, you heard her Spec. Recon any enemy presence and look for prisoners.”

“Acknowledged, captain,” Spec replied as he tossed on the stealth cloak. He vanished in an instant. Spec was the fastest member of the team (not counting Winter because of her wings). It was impossible to tell if Spec was still standing there. Raging didn’t have to wonder, however. Knowing Spec, he was already galloping over the next hill.

“Well if anypony needs me,” Winter interrupted the silence, “I’m going to be tending to the patient.” The white alicorn trotted back to the Initiate. The bandages were almost completely red. They just weren’t doing enough to stop the bleeding. Raging prayed that help would arrive soon. He trotted away to examine the remaining deceased. Emerald Sapphire stayed with Winter and the wounded Initiate. Flak went back to cleaning up the bodies. Several minutes passed and Raging Thunder found himself standing over the body of Paladin Nightfury…

Raging opened his eyes and stood up from the rock. As much as he enjoyed private moments to himself he needed to assist his team with their current situation. He stretched and walked back to the others. His PipBuck’s communicator activated: “Captain, Spec reporting.”

Raging stopped and lifted his foreleg. “Go ahead, Spec,” the unicorn said.

“I’ve finished my recon of Everfree Mills,” Spec said. His voice was barely a whisper. Raging was having a difficulty hearing him. Perhaps his stealth cloak was affecting his communicator?

“What did you find,” Raging asked.

There was a moment before Spec answered, “The Initiate was right, sir. This place is crawling with slavers. At least two dozen are patrolling the complex.” Raging expected that much. “Also, sir… Emerald was at least partially right, too.” That definitely caught Raging’s attention. “I’ve spotted prisoners in the compound. But I can’t tell if they’re Applejack’s Rangers, sir.”

The dark blue unicorn thanked Celestia; at least there was a chance to save more ponies from this nightmare. “Captain? Are you still there, sir?” he heard Spec whisper.

Raging forgot he hadn’t said anything for a moment. “Well done, Spec. Stay out sight. We’ll meet up with you later.”

“Affirmative, sir. Over and out.” Raging had to go deliver the news to the others. He galloped back to where he left Winter and Emerald. But then he stopped and looked back at where THE END had once been. Flak had removed the organs that spelled it (how, he did not want to know). The dirt had soaked up the blood from the entrails and there were still vague traces of the phrase etched in the ground. This was not the first time they’d seen a message left behind. But it was the first to be made out of pony remains. All the other “messages” were made out of debris. He still didn’t know what THE END meant. When he had the slavers by the throat he’d ask them.

He looked over to see Flak sitting on a rock. He was taking sips from his canteen, swished the water in his mouth, and spitting it on the ground. Probably trying to rinse a taste from his mouth. Flak was giving Raging a nasty look. “What have you learned, Flak?” he asked casually.

“That you’re a bloody arsehole,” Flak sneered.

Raging frowned at the aqua pony. “That’s not the answer I was hoping for.” It was certainly the one I was expecting. Flak looked away. Raging opened his mouth to chew Flak out but he was interrupted by a faint sound. He looked around drawing on his magic to levitate his magnum. Flak jumped to his hooves.

“Sir,” Winter shouted from nearby. “A sky wagon is inbound.” Raging glanced at the sky. He turned around in a semi-circle before spotting it. The sky wagon was getting closer. Eventually it got close enough for him to read the inscription on the side: Absolutely Everything.

Raging exhaled his breath. “Thank Celestia. Help has come!” The wagon gently landed a few feet from Raging Thunder. Flak, Emerald Sapphire and Winter trotted up towards the wagon. Raging walked up to the sky wagon’s driver: the pegasus ghoul Ditzy Doo. “Good to see you, Ditzy Doo.”

The ghoul smiled and waved at the captain. She pulled out her chalkboard and wrote: Hi Captain! Call for a doctor?

Raging smiled, “We sure did. Thank you.” He has known Ditzy Doo for several years now. The back of the wagon opened up and out stepped a white coated earth pony with a cotton-candy colored mane: the nurse of New Appleloosa, Candi. She quickly trotted up to Raging.

“We came as quickly as we could,” she apologized. Raging Thunder praised command for coming through for once. He silently took back his cursing of that mare. Even though she did deserve it… from time to time.

He grinned. “I didn’t think you made house calls, Candi.”

She chuckled, “Only when the need arises.”

Ditzy Doo waved to get their attention. Raging and Candi bothed looked at her. The pegasus ghoul held up her chalkboard again. This time it said: We deliver! Raging and Candi both laughed. You sure do.

“I really appreciate you both for coming. The wounded Ranger is over here.” Raging and Winter lead Candi to where the Initiate remained unconscious. Candi immediately knelt by the Initiate’s side and examined the wound. She gently tapped the pipe. The bandages were completely red and drops of blood began to streak down her armor, blending with the armor’s red accents. It would be a miracle if the young mare would even have a chance to survive now. Candi put a hoof on the Initiate’s neck checking for a pulse.

“She took a sniper round to the throat,” Winter stated. “I did what I could for the wound,” she admitted ashamed. “It’s a miracle she even survived that.”

“It’ll be a miracle if she even survives,” Candi responded. She gazed up at Raging and Winter, panic in her eyes. “She ‘as a very weak pulse. She does not ‘ave much time.”

That much was obvious. “Can you save her?” Raging softly asked.

Candi nodded. “Ah think so.” That wasn’t what Raging was hoping for. Still, it was better than getting a ‘No.’ “But Ah can’t help her here. We need t’ bring her back t’ the clinic at New Appleloosa.” Candi looked back at the Initiate. “We 'ave to move her carefully t’ the sky wagon.” Emerald Sapphire and Flak were both carrying a stretcher over to Candi. They placed it next to the Applejack’s Ranger. Raging and Winter both gently levitated the young mare onto the stretcher. Flak and Emerald carefully picked up the stretcher and slowly trotted back to the sky wagon.

The two ponies carried the stretcher into the sky wagon. They set it down and exited the vehicle. Candi stepped inside. She turned around and said, “If it’s all right wit’ you, captain, may Ah borrow your medic fer a while?”

Winter looked at her strangely. Flak giggled behind them. Raging rolled his eyes at Flak; he had quite a dirty mind. The captain knew what the nurse meant. “Of course.” He turned to the alicorn. “Go with her, Winter. Help her as much as you can. We’ll meet you at the Everfree Mills.”

Winter nodded and stepped into the sky wagon. Candi sealed the wagon’s door. Raging walked back to the front. “Thanks Ditzy Doo,” he said to the ghoul. She nodded in excitement. “That’s two that I owe you.” He owed her a debt; a debt he intended to repay.

Ditzy Doo smiled and shook her head. She wrote on her chalkboard: Just one! This one’s free!

“Very well, my friend. Take care.” The pegasus ghoul waved and nodded again; her eyes rolling in each direction. She certainly had character. Raging turned away as Ditzy Doo and her wagon began to rise in the air. Ditzy Doo slowly spun the wagon 180 degrees before speeding out of sight.

“We’re heading for the Everfree Mills, sir?” Emerald Sapphire asked.

The old unicorn nodded. “That’s affirmative. Spec has confirmed that the slavers are there and they do have captives. Whether or not they’re the missing Applejack’s Rangers is not known.” Flak and Emerald nodded in agreement. “So let’s get moving Shadow. Those hostages aren’t going to save themselves.”

“Sir, what do we do about these Applejack’s Rangers,” Emerald reminded him about the dead ponies.

Raging sadly looked amongst the corpses. Their bodies had been properly cleaned up and laid in formation. Flak did a good job showing them respect. He suddenly remembered the holotag he took. He would personally inform that Initiate’s parents about their daughter’s death. As much as it pained him to do it, Raging knew they’d need to leave the bodies. “We leave them,” he finally said. “We come back for them if we can. We can’t let the dead come before the lives of other ponies in peril.”

“Understood, sir,” Flak said.

Emerald hesitated before saying, “Yes, sir.” She did not show much enthusiasm. If must’ve been hard on her too.

“Okay. We move. We’ll meet up with Spec and plan our next move,” Raging instructed. He galloped away from the scene followed quickly by Flak. Emerald Sapphire remained with the bodies a few more moments, paying them their last respects. Shedding a small tear, she quickly caught up with the others.

___________

Raging Thunder stared out over the ridge at the factory complex below. Directly next to him was Spec. The two of them were sharing (somewhat) Spec’s stealth cloak. Only their fronts were hidden, their rears were completely exposed. It would really suck if some slaver shot them in the ass. Raging trusted Spec’s reconnaissance, but he liked to verify Intel himself. Also, Spec had not been observing the slavers since their last communication, anything could’ve changed. He’d already been shown the prisoner pen. Horribly, the slavers had executed three more of the prisoners.

“That makeshift guard tower conceals the snipers,” Spec whispered to Raging. “I spotted three snipers there earlier.”

The unicorn looked through his binoculars at the tower. He immediately spotted one slaver sniper observing the entrance to the complex. Raging could not see the other two. “I only see one,” he retorted.

“That’s because the other two are using stealth cloaks,” Spec said alarmed. “I saw two of them get into their positions and then throw the cloaks on. They should still be in that tower. Assuming they didn’t move while still wearing the cloaks, that is.”

Raging cursed to himself. That complicated things. He scanned the valley looking for a good route to attack. The front entrance through the main gate had little cover to sneak in. This side of the valley was a sheer drop of one hundred feet. The other side of the valley, opposite of their position, provided the best entry. There was still a steep incline, but the large boulders could provide better cover. Until the slavers knew Shadow Team was here, he wanted to take them by complete surprise.

“Okay we’ll infiltrate the compound on the opposite side of the valley. Those boulders will give us some cover. Spec, I need you to stay up here and give us covering fire on my order,” Raging whispered.

“Can do, sir,” the earth pony responded. Raging lifted the cloak off of him and began to crawl away from the ridge. “Wait, sir,” Spec quietly called. Raging stopped and looked back. “There is something you need to see first.” Raging crawled back under the stealth cloak and brought up his binoculars.

“What am I looking for?” the captain asked. Spec gently tugged the binoculars to get Raging to look in the proper direction. Once Spec stopped pulling, he saw exactly what he wanted him to. He was looking at a large circular paddock. The fence was at least twenty feet high. What would the slavers need a second pen for? At first he thought it may have been meant for more prisoners. He lowered his gaze to several large cables connecting to the fence. Following them, he noticed they trailed away from the fence to an electric generator several yards away. The fence is electrified! Looking back at the electrified pen he spotted something move within. Focusing the binoculars on the object he saw it clear as day. It was enormous! It was covered in thick blue fur. Its arms looked strong enough to tear through anything. When it stood up on its hind legs, it was just barely taller than the fence that contained it. Raging’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened. “Is that what I think it is?”

Spec nodded. “Yes, sir. An Ursa Minor.”