The Memory Spill

I sit on a wooden bench in a dungeon like room with several sets of weapons hanging on the wall. This is where the fighters prepare themselves before a fight. It is here that ponies retrieve their weapons and armor before a fight. The equipment itself is stored in a cellar that a guard travels down to fetch gear. There is a desk opposite to me with wire link fence surrounding the corner, ensuring that no pony is try anything while the guard fetches equipment. If a new pony arrives without weapons and armor, they are assigned generic equipment. This is also where the unicorns and pegasi get their gold bands removed.

Hours have past since my conversation with Shady Deal. It was now time to fulfil the first phase of the new plan: Destroy the enemy. Shady told me that I need to not only kill my enemy, but humiliate, mutilate, and decapitate her as well. Whisper is famed for striking fear into the hearts of her enemies. Most ponies hire her services in the arena to kill anyone who wrongs a specific gang. If I kill her, I’d more than likely fill her position for pony executor. And if I had the ponies the Shady said would work for me, I’d have a small gang of executioners at my side. But I cant just kill her with one blow. It might look like a lucky hit, making me look like an amatuer who should’ve died in the fight. I need to assert myself and look like a champion to these ponies.

Shady also warned me that a machete and riot shield were just too basic. I knew that a good chunk of the weapons I had stored were a series of medieval and pre-gunpowder melee weapons. I was afraid to use them since they break so easily, but then I remembered that they could be easily repaired and replaced if I just sent the broken ones back and spawned a similar weapon. Shady decided that the best weapon for fighting her would be something along the lines of a durable blade. A basic shortsword is what I decided would be perfect for her. The riot shield could only be replaced by a European Spartan styled riot shield. It was lighter than a tower shield, but it still looked lame. I would have deal with the appearance and use that in battle.

Iron Will was sitting next to me, yapping about another story of how he bested a Dragon at some stupid competition. Listening to him would only cause my IQ to drop in a slow, molasses speed. I muted him ten minutes ago, and replaced his mind rot of a story with Chopin’s Nocturne Op.9 No.2. It made quite the difference. The sounds of the pianos sweet story helped clear my mind. The bass notes creating a reliable foundation for the Soprano notes to playfully sound their notes. It reminded of a sparrow, flying high above a Manhattan skyline. Below the sparrow is chaos, a barrage of frustrated pedestrians and noise polluting cars. To fly in between the buildings would require attention, and would create order for the sparrow. But above it all, is a vast, blue and white clouded playground for the sparrow. A canvas for the Sparrow to fly freely. The bass notes are other sparrows flying through the massive skyscrapers, the Soprano resembling the original Sparrows playful flight patterns. It is in this moment that I find myself in complete and utter bliss. For I was flying with the Sparrow, in my own beautiful canvas. The world around me began to slow down, and I was detached from life itself.

A sudden jab to my side pulled me from the brilliance. It was Iron, who had a dumbfounded expression residing on his face. I muted the Chopin, and listened to what he had to tell me.

“I didn’t know you could cast illusions!” Iron exclaimed.

“Whaddya mean?”

“I looked over at you to make sure you were paying attention to my amazing triumph over the Samarei ponies to see you, well, floating in clouds!”

“Be more specific Iron.”

“There was a ten foot radius around us. In that space was just light blue! There were clouds whizzing past your head, and a bunch of birds flying under you. You could also see Manehatten below our feet. I didn’t notice at first because I was really getting into the story!”

Holy crap. I forgot about that! The holographic projection unit in my suit must’ve been on standby while I was lost in my imagination. I wonder if I could start using this to my benefit. It’d require me to be alone, since I have to concentrate my hardest on one thought without my ADD taking over and derailing my train of thought. But who knows what possibilities await with this. Iron Will then added,” Except, it looked like a really detailed version of Manehatten.”

“Iron, that wasn’t Manehatten. That was my country's largest city, New York City.”

“But I saw all the landmarks! Like Central Park and the Empire State building!”

“Iron, the more I hear about your world and mine, the more I think your world just copied mine.” The similarities have gone from lame puns to outright creepy identical copies. Once this was all over, I’ll find out why there is so many connections from their world to mine.

*****

There was still ten minutes to kill. And I don’t want to go back to Chopin, for worry of the HPU turning on again. I might as well hear a good story from Iron. And I mean, a GOOD story.

“Iron.”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Tell me about humans.”

“Aren’t you a human? Shouldn’t you know the stories?”

“My version of the story and this worlds are incredibly different. Just tell me what you were first told about humans.”

“Well, Mama Iron warned me about humans. That if I didn’t eat all of my dinner, the Humans will sense that I’m weak and eat me.”

“Why is that?”

“Humans are known to eat other living things! Like cows, pigs, birds, and ponies!”

“Well, you're right about that.”

“What?! Don’t tell me that you’ve actually eaten ponies before!” The guard behind the weapon desk shifted uneasily away from me. I had to be delicate with this one. It might not be wise to tell him that steak was one of my favorite dishes. I could just fib about it and face the consequences later. But that’s how betrayals happen. If I’m going to tell him, I might as well tell him.

“No, Iron. Humans don’t eat ponies. Before the invention of cars, humans would ride them.”

“Really? It’s hard to imagine the ponies agreeing to that!”

“Well, that’s also the thing. Ponies weren’t sentient. They didn’t really have a choice. We’d tame them, then ride them. Same with Cows, pigs, birds, and other creatures that can now think and talk.”

“Did you have to teach the unicorns to do certain magic? Or did they just know when to use it when needed?”

“We didn’t have unicorns. Or pegasi. Or magic!”

“What!? Then how can you spawn-”

“Science! This is all the work of several years of research in inter dimensional technology! There’s nothing magic about me.”

“But what about you flying in the clouds! That was magic, right?” Iron began to panic. The thought of a world without magic was like the thought of a world without oxygen.

“That was all just a Hologram. Tiny bits of projected light from my helmet that alter light waves around it to create false images. I was just deep in thought and it started creating my happy place.”

“But how! How did humans survive without magic?”

“Persistence Iron. Our tenacity is brutal. Humans won’t stop until they get what they want. It’s just in our nature.”

Iron stood dumbfounded. He couldn’t possibly understand a world without magic. I know that he’d never understand, but that was the beauty of it all. I have a very small chance of tainting this world with my technology, just because it requires zero magic to exist.

“Iron, there’s something else that I’m going to tell you about humans, and I don’t know if you’re going to like it.” I figure now is the time to strike while he’s still confused. With any luck, he’ll just add it onto our strange customs.

“What is it?”

“While I don’t eat it anymore, Cow, pig, and bird are the primary food sources of humans. We eat them all them time.”

“What?!?”

“I’m sorry, but when I left there were more cows than humans, and all of them were used for food. Except for the Indian cows.”

“B-but…Why are humans so cruel?”

“I don’t know Iron. That was the one things had yet to figure out.”

“You said you didn’t eat cows right?!”

“Well, not anymore. I don’t eat anything anymore. This suit injects me with a vitamin enriched soylent to keep me alive. But that doesn’t mean I am without sin. I’m sorry.”

Iron sat in silence for several seconds. He was trying to process this all. I wonder what he thought of me. After all, I’d be shocked too if I had a boogie man roommate who used to eat people. Iron Will looked back to me and sighed.

“I forgive you, Anthony. This was in the past, and it should stay there."

“Thanks.” If I ever got out of this suit, I’d need to begin the apology process again. I need a healthy source of proteins in my diet. I suppose fish don’t have the ability to think, maybe they’d make a great substitute.

“Tell me more about humans, Iron.”

“Well, it’s said that they are very strong. They have brown or black skin and travel in hordes. They wield axes and are highly aggressive. They mainly live in huts and they are lead by shamans, clan chiefs, and strong hunters. A successful human will go pillaging towns for loot and woman to be their slaves.” I think humans here are confused with Orcs...or they got it right and only studied Vikings.

"You've got it all wrong Iron. Humans are...well...complicated.”

"How so?"

“Well…” Damn, it’s becoming difficult to even explain my own species. There are so many contradictions with my people. I cant say that we’re peaceful, nor can I say we’re warmongering. For every Charlemagne there’s a Hitler to counter. For every Mother Teresa helping children in need, there was a Taliban soldier to put them back to work. And we’re not even accounting for those right down the middle. Businessmen, scientists, even politicians lie somewhere in that gray area in between good and bad. There are good businessmen and evil scientists, but they are dedicated to one cause, and that's to find progression. Whether it be expanding their business, discovering a new technology, or changing the course of political history.

Wait. That’s it! I’ve just summed it up right there!

“Iron” I began with hands ready for complex gestures. “Humans are categorized into three groups. There are humans who are good and do things out of the kindness in their hearts. There are humans who only seek progression, who only care for business or science. And then there are humans who do wrong, who only seek for power and for the misery of mankind around them. Since my hologram unit is working, I can explain this to you in a simpler manner.”

Iron will had a slight look of offense draw over his face. I guess simpler wasn’t the proper word to use with him. Oh well, he’ll get over it. I focused back on creating a visual representation for my Minotaur friend. Eyes closed and mind focused, I managed to create a bright and colored bar in the air. It appeared to a be a thermometer style bar lying on it’s side. On one end was a green side, and on the other was red. The middle of the bar was gray. As the green and red parts of the bar got closer to the gray, the colors began to fade into a greenish gray or reddish gray mix.

I pointed towards the green end and explained,”This side represents the percentage of humanity that is good. The red side represents the bad. The gray is neutral. On the very far end of the green is the nicest of the nice. That part is reserved for three very pure gentlemen: Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi.”

My finger slide down from the green end to the red end.” On this side, we have the very evilest of the evil: Attila the Hun, Caligula, and Heinrich Himmler.” My finger raced to the middle of the red section. “This section is mainly reserved for thugs and gang members who just want to be a part of something bigger. But it can also include of soldiers from an extremist group who fight for their beliefs or thieves who rob others to feed themselves.”

My finger slid again to the middle of the green section.”This part is just for the everyday guy who recycles, donates every so often, and helps out someone when they need it.” My finger strolled slightly towards the grey section. The color it created was a slight tint of emerald in a sea of bland. “This is where I am. Don’t get me wrong, before the war I was on the other side of average joe. But now… well, war changes a man.”

“Are humans fond of war?” Iron asked while studying the red section of the bar.

“Are you kidding me? It’s all over our culture. Video games, movies, TV shows and even some songs are filled with war! Our children play war games, and our high schools all have recruitment stations! I’m not saying I hate our army for doing this, I just hate war as a whole.”

“If you hate war so much, why are you a soldier? And, while we’re at it, a soldier who’s so heavily armed?

I sat back and sighed. It was about time that I told someone my actual story. It’ll be good to let Iron know about my past. I don’t care if the guard in the corner hears. If anything, it’ll just make the guards more secure with being around me if they know I’m a softy.

“I was drafted into the Allies when I was nineteen. Before that, I lived on a farm with my family in the middle of Colorado.”

“You mean Colt-”

“If at any point I name a familiar location without a horse pun, do not correct me.”

“Got it.” Iron replied.

“I was raised to be good. My father was an accountant with several ties to the city council. He was a bit of a music geek. He introduced me into so many different types of music, most of the stuff in my suit is from his old playlists. He was strict, but only because he knew it would make me a better person. Whenever I got into some really weird TV show, he’d tease me until I saw how embarrassing it was to say I liked it. Whenever I tried to weasel out of manual labor, he’d shame me into doing it. He was hard, but fair.”

I sat back and tried to keep the positive memories of him in my mind. The memory of his tears when I was drafted will always be imprinted in my memory over everything else. I tried my hardest to suppress that thought deeper into my mind.”My Mother was a nice woman. Never really strict, but always kind. She played games, watched football, and drank with the rest of my family. She was practically one of the guys. She was just so laid back, like there wasn't a care for the world in her thoughts. I always wanted to be as jovial as she was. Maybe some day I can be as carefree as her.”

“I remember wanting to take a year off after high school to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I finally decided that wanted to pursue Law as a career, and maybe sing in a local choir as a hobby.”
I shifted myself forward and hunched over. My hands began to twiddle about as I began my next statement. “But that was before the war. I was drafted soon after my nineteenth birthday. I was forced into a boot camp for frontline infantry to fight the Monarchs.”

“Who are they?” Iron inquired.

“The Monarchs are a group of Russian and Eastern European soldiers ruled by a Russian geneticist named Aleksandr Stanislavovich who believed he had the perfect genetics. He was near super human, and people on that side of the planet started to say he was the next step in human evolution.”

“What did he do to get the Allies so mad at him?”

“Well, he kidnapped famous Virologists and geneticists to create a virus that altered other peoples genetics to create a race of super humans. It was spread through a gas, and would later be spread by a transfer of fluids from a superhuman to a victim. It normally would mean beating the victim until he bleeds, then spitting on his open wound.”

“What was so bad about these superhumans? I mean, you do have guns and swords on you, they can't be that bad.”

“Well, that’s the thing. Superhumans are almost invincible.” I focused enough to create a holograph miniature of a Superhuman to show Iron what I was talking about it. He marveled at the sight of the beast before him.

“This is what they look like. Standing at seven foot with barrel chest and same generic face, these baddies are the envy of the world. Unlike humans, they prefer to be nude and unarmed. They do not need clothes nor do they need any other weapon besides their own fists. They’re lack of sexual organs or any other opening in their body shows that they have no weakness. Their blank white skin is evidence that they’re skin does not burn or absorb any of the suns radiation. It also has a tightly bound weave of harder than steel cells which protect it from most hits from a knife or bullet. Even if it gets through, it won’t matter. Superhumans organs and muscles will start to regenerate if destroyed or injured. Even if you remove their heart, they’ll just grown a new one in seconds and keep fighting. And its bones are literally cast iron. The same density, the same color, and the same compound as iron.”

“Wait, can’t you regenerate from blows too?”

“Only with the assistance of a first aid unit and a liberal application of stem cells. Superhumans can do it just….because!

“Because why?”

“We don’t know. We’ve never killed a superhuman and been able to bring the body back for analysis. When encountered, we mainly just run. They are vicious, and will attack anyone on sight. Even other Monarchs. The only person they don’t attack is Aleksandr. They take direct orders from him and only him.”

I pulled away the imaged of the superhuman and continued with my story. “For years, the Monarchs have been using the superhumans to slowly conquer most of Europe. Our strongest marines were no match for the power of the superhumans. We’d always get overwhelmed by them before we could find an advantage point. That is when the ACA developed an answer to the superhuman problem. The Shadow Marine.”

“I assume that’s what you are, right?” Iron Will inferred.

“Yep. With every single weapon thought imaginable placed in a space station and at the disposal of five thousand angry soldiers, we started to make great progress in the war. Eventually, we found out the weakness of the Superhuman. They could be killed by destroying the spine, completely removing the brain, or draining them of blood. And while these actions are incredibly hard to pull off, it was now possible to kill a superhuman.”

“And that’s where you came in, right? They placed you in a suit and you were on your way?”

“Well, no. Promise me that you won't tell anyone.”

“I promise. Just tell me already!”

“Alright. The Shadow Marines are always assisted by a group of three other soldiers. A medic, a mechanic, and a replacement. The medic and mechanic are pretty self explanatory, but the replacement was someone who was the exact same body type as the original Shadow Marine. If the original were to die anytime during a fight, the medic and the mechanic would be tasked with putting the suit on the replacement. To prevent the replacement from wimping out on the last second, they made it so the suit could not be unequipped by anyone else besides a mechanic. That’s why I’m still in this now. My mechanic died on the last mission.

“So you were just a replacement? How long have you been in that suit?!

The guard behind the desk used his magic to lift the gate to the door leading to the arena. The stare in his eye and the grin on his mouth explained that it was time.

“Too long, Iron. Way too long. I’m afraid that it’s my time to go.” I rose from my seat and progressed towards the door entry way. I turned back and looked a worried Iron Will in the eye and asked,”Wish me luck.” Then trudged down the long hallway to the arena.

****

The hallway reminded me of the one they first brought me through when I arrived at G-block. Concrete bricks, white light at the end, and a small feeling that the room I arrive in will be my death. Only this time, I was alone. I could take my time and go over the strategy for taking Whisper down.

Shady told me that I shouldn’t use anything too big on her. He wanted to keep the guards thinking that I could be kept under control if there was a riot. If I whipped out anything ranged and bigger than my arm, then I’d be placed in solitary confinement. If I used anything that looked too powerful, like a flamethrower or a rocket launcher or even a submachine gun, then they’d try to keep me in a tiny concrete cell where all of my weapons would be useless. I asked Shady if I could use a shotgun, he said that it’d be a serious risk and that it should only be used if I have no other choice.

Closer and closer I approached the white light until I finally passed through and entered the lit arena. Taking a few steps in, I observed my surroundings. The entire block looked much bigger from this perspective. Maybe it was the lack of a black cloud in the center that gave it the size. Ponies lined up around each row, cheering and chanting for their favorite contestant, Whisper. Shady had mentioned that my move in the lunch room only made me look like an asshole. I guess I should’ve killed them more discreetly. The spotlights on the top made it impossible to see the ceiling. The fighting arena itself was larger than I expected. If I had to guess, I could compare the size of it to a standard Colosseum arena. There was a chalk outline circling the arena, leaving a five ten foot radius that I assume would be ‘out of bounds’. There was a wooden and iron door opposite to me. With a small shudder, it began to rise. It was at this point that my door began to shut.

Through the dark abyss came a white unicorn with several clouds floating around her. Odd, when she moved her legs stood still. And there was a cloud surrounding her hooves. I assume she casted a spell on her weird pony magic on herself to make her look more like a ghost. Her eyes were gray, which either meant she had nice contacts, or she was blind. I didn’t know if this was an advantage or not. Clouds aside, I noticed she was also wearing a white cloak with a gold trim. She hovered to a white chalk outline designated for the opponent fighter. I quickly shot my head around to find my chalky way point a few feet to my left. Whisper lowered her head in a bow like stature. I returned gesture and lowered my head.

A very loud and apparent ding echoed through the arena, signaling that the battle was on. A revolver spawned in both of my hands. The first strategy was to make her think I wasted all of my ammo on her. I pointed both guns at her and fired in rapid succession. Each bullet was then halted in mid air at least a foot before its destination. All twelve bullets were dropped to the ground as I relinquished my firearms to the black clouds. The circular riot shield and shortsword took place of the guns. I then hid most of my body behind the shield, with sword pulled back and pointing forward. I slowly began walking towards my opponent. With every step I took, she was covered by more clouds of smoke. Once I got to the center, her entire body was engulfed by the fog. The smoke had dispersed only to reveal she was not there. It was almost instinct for me to believe she was behind me. My blade moved forward and then spun around to strike the ghostly pony.

Alas, she was not behind me. I stood dumbfounded at the lack of any enemy until I heard her whisper into my ears,”...it’s no use…” as a painful sting wrapped around my neck. She managed to slit my jugular in the confusion. The crowd cheered in delight by the sight of my blood. It wasn't even much of a show to be killed by the first blow. I suppose they just really wanted me dead. My HUD didn’t even warn me before cauterizing and applying ESC gel to my wound. The sound of singeing flesh and the soothing coolness of the gel helped take my mind off the discouraging chants. A slight prick in my arm had notified me that a blood pack was injected into my body.

Whisper moved to the front of my body, ready to finish the job. Her horn glowed white as a dagger was lifted from her side and prepared to stab. But before she could plant that sucker into my chest, my right arm pulled back and stabbed into my opponents side. Or, at least, it attempted to before she disappeared into smoke again. A ball of pure smoke was now circling the outline of the arena. It stopped to reveal Whisper, charging another spell. There was a red gash along her shoulder, showing that my sword actually managed to hit my target. She wasn't bleeding, which is odd seeing how the same hit on a person or even a regular horse would've cause blood to come running down their shoulder.

I held my shield up to protect myself from whatever spell she had in mind. Her horn fired a several bolts of light into my shield, followed by one larger bolt. The smaller ones bounced off but the larger launched me off of my feet. I landed on my back, skidding along the ground. My head quickly rose to see where she had gone to. There were three balls of smoke similar to the one she just traveled in. Only one traveled left, one traveled right, and one was heading straight towards me. If she was hiding in smoke, I could detect her heat. My thermal came activated to reveal a small heat source coming from the left smoke ball. She wasn’t expecting me to know where she was. So it must’ve been a shock when I turned to her and swung my sword at her as she charged within striking range. I managed to slice her chest before she veered off and crashed into the dirt of the arena. The other two balls turned from my path to hers, creating a giant crash of smoke and engulfing the entire arena with a cloud of smoke. The crowd began to yell. Such things as,”What gives?! We wanna see the action!” Could be heard in the distance. Whisper was trying to mend her wounds with something from her saddlebag. My thermal didn't have a heat signature on the exact object, but it looked almost like an aloe plant. What good would allow do? This isn't a sun burn! Unless the aloe I once remembered also evolved from the former plant. Now would be an excellent time to start toying with her before she dies.

I replaced my sword with a revolver and used my QuickDraw system to take my time and line up my shot. With extreme certainty and wonderful precision, I managed to shoot her horn. The aloe plant was dropped, but something much more interesting happened. Her horn started producing more heat than my thermal vision could registrar. I quickly replaced my pistol with sword and raised my shield in defense. Her head pointed upwards and she howled the most terrifying howl I had ever heard in my life.

“YYYYEEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!!” She wailed as the clouds of smoke quickly dissipated. Since the cloud was gone, my thermal switched to normal vision. Her horn was emitting a glowing white gel from her horn. It was fascinating, it floated to the ground, so I assumed it was more dense than air, but fell like a feather falling to the earth. If I had to guess what that stuff was, I’d guess liquid magic. My eyes were taken away from the unicorn and towards the audience. There was a dead silence among them. Some of them had their jaws open in awe, others just appeared to be disappointed. My eyes turned back to my opponent, who glared at me with more passion for death any Monarch, Superhuman, or even prisoner combined.

Her head lowered and her horn glowed brighter than ever before. The gel falling from her horn began shooting from it. Aside from magic, tears and whimpers were the only products of Whisper as of this moment. Her horn fired a missile into the ground, which yielded no effect at first. But then, a sharp pain was met at my feet. A glance downwards revealed a dead tree root, wrapping around my feet in a vine like fashion. My sword swung down and struck the root in response, but no visible damage was made. The root yanked my feet from under me and two other roots shot from the ground and grabbed each arm. I was forced to relieve my weapons from duty.

Whisper had made her way over from her original spot and then placed herself a few feet from my left side, ensuring that any pistol shot would be inaccurate. The pain of anguish and defeat washed over her face, though she appeared to be the victor in this context.

“...for guaranteeing my death, I shall ensure yours will be a painful and excruciating one…” She promised as another tear fell from her face. Her horn glowed another time, and three smaller roots stabbed through the ground behind me and through my torso: one through my left lung, one through my diaphragm, and one through my shoulder. I was gasping for air, the pain so excruciating. I was almost paralyzed by the wound. The wounds started to cauterize as my suit desperately scrambled to keep me alive. I had a feeling that it would take more than ESC gel to save me after this. IF I would survive at all.

I know that I wasn't supposed to break Shady’s rules. I know that if I do this, I risk potential solitary confinement. I know that this could fuck me, Iron, and Shady alike…

...but I have no other choice. My vision started to blur, my organs were on fire, and my left hand felt like it was grasping something hard. Like an Italian ‘Lupara’ sawn off shotgun handle. I focused as hard as I possibly could on my enemy as I could. The QuickDraw system slowing down my perception and ensuring a good shot. The first barrel was a test.

BAM!

And it succeeded. A hunched over Whisper had her front right kneecap blown out as four shards of shrapnel floated in mid air. The shotguns scatter shot style of projectile had overwhelmed her ability to stop bullets. The pain must’ve taken her attention off of me, because the roots decided it was time to return to their home. My arms and legs free from their grips, and my wounds now swimming in ESC gel, I managed to roll onto my side, my stomach, and then onto my feet. The shotgun was replaced with the shortsword I planned on killing her with.

The crowd was now on my side. They had never seen a spectacle like this in months! At least, the ones who hadn’t placed bets were on my side. Meaning a good third of the crowd had begun booing. Adrenaline was coursing through my body, I decided to make a statement of her. My left knee was brought upwards into her face. Her head tilted backwards in answer, her body no longer giving much of a fight. Like a batter swinging at a ball, I swung my sword upwards to her neck. A clean slice! She was decapitated. Oh, but I was not finished. The QuickDraw system took itself over and slowed time for me. Whispers head danced so elegantly through the air. In slow motion, I was able to think about what I wanted the finished product to look like. My gun vanished from my left grip. But my right began to feel the strong lumber of the ten foot french pike. The pike took a couple of seconds to spawn as two separate black clouds shot forwards and backwards, leaving a wooden shaft and, eventually, a sharp tip at both edges. My left hand gripped closer to the tip for better aim. I use my slowed perception to line up the head and my weapon, before plunging the polearm into the neck and out of the temple of Whisper’s head.

There was just one last detail that was missing from my work of art. It was one thing to impale her head upon a pike, but it needed to be a true overkill. I wanted everyone to know my strength, and I wanted them to know their new gang leader was strong. I planted the Pike into the ground, making sure Whisper’s head did not fall off or sink to the bottom of the pole. Once the pike was firmly attached to the ground, I shot my right hand upwards. The handheld flamethrower was equipped and was ready to spit fire. My hand pulled the gas rings attached to the valve back, firing the flame upwards and igniting Whispers head. Her hair catching fire first, then the rest of her followed in suit. I released the gas rings back to their original place, and bid farewell to my weapon as the clouds arrived to take it away.

I could only stand back and marvel at my work. It was beautiful! I couldn’t believe the very thought was bouncing around my mind when just yesterday, Itchy’s death plagued me unbearable guilt. Perhaps it was because I thought there was a chance that I could befriend the residents here. Or that I wanted to be a new Anthony who only fought for peace. It turns out, these ponies are just as bad as humans! And since I only have one real talent (I doubt a half earned degree in theatre studies gets you far in this world), I would have to show the world that I am the best at what I do. Like Boudicca when she overthrew Roman control of Britain and burned Londinium to the ground, I too must overthrow Symphonian control and burn this facility to the ground.

A sharp pain stabbed in my lungs. It felt as if there was a jagged marble, rolling around in my chest. The pain went from slight ache, to horrendous pain in less than a second. My hand reached up for my chest, but stopped short of my bottom ribs. I was becoming immobilized. Perhaps Whisper did get the end she wanted. She wanted me to have a painful death. My body lurched to the side and plummeted to the ground. It became hard to breath. My entire body grew incredibly cold.

Damnit. This wasn't how I was to die! I expected to die from something much greater than that. Humanity does not deserve to go out like this! I must fight this! I must...oh, what’s the use. I can't do anything, I’m paralyzed. And whatever Whisper left in me is doing more damage than any amount of ESC gel can heal. Which is amazing, seeing how that stuff can be used to replicate entire vital organs if needed. And besides, this is how T.S. Elliot predicted humanity would end in his poem The Hollow Men. “Not with a bang, but a whimper.” I just wish I could do more than kill Whisper. I wish I left a bigger imprint on the world around me.

I guess I never realized this until now, but I wanted people to know my death. I want to be remembered. I want there to be a funeral with several morning friends. Or a celebration, marking an era of peace and happiness without my humanity plaguing the new world. I don’t care! I just don’t want to be another spec in the wind who was never remembered.

It didn't matter what I wanted now. I was dying! All I can do is focus on making my death easier. Using what was left of my mental capabilities, I activated my suits sound system and played Chopin’s Nocturne. I didn't have a preference at which part of Nocturne, so I decided to play it from the beginning. I closed my eyes and began to drift, allowing the reaper to carry me away to the great abyss of death.

*****

The sounds of Chopin were still fresh in my mind. Either I left it on loop, or heaven just has it playing on the speakers. My body was still stiff, and still in pained. But the sharp object in my chest was absent. With all of my strength I attempted to exit sleep paralysis and open my eyes. My eyelids were under heavy paralysis and almost refused to open. Though, through much strength, the eyelids began to lift, and I examined my surrounds. First was the ceiling lamp staring back at me. Next, was the cave like ceiling that reminded me of my incarceration. My neck lifted my hefty skull to examine the room. It was the prison infirmary. The eye charts on the wall, the cluttered office desk opposite to the exit, the series of hospital beds all lined up in columns. I was definitely not dead. While a relief at first, I was a little bummed that I didn't get to see what happens after we die.

I didn't notice at first, but Shady, Iron, and another pony appeared to be discussing something of importance by the doorway. I wonder if they were talking about me, or the fight today. Iron was the first to glance over and see that my head was risen and that I had awoken.

“He’s awake! Thank Celestia!” Iron shouted as he sprinted over to me. I was half expecting a gigantic hug from him. Alas, he knows better than to do that to someone with chest wounds. Shady, and the third pony followed suit. The other pony was a light brown unicorn with a black comb over. His cutie mark was of a scalpel and syringe crossed over each other.

“How are you feeling, kid?” Shady asked with caution.

“Like death gave me the most seductive strip tease.” I said with a pained lung.

“Here, let us get you up. Help drain the fluids from your lungs.” The third pony said with a slight Russian accent. Whatever ‘fluids’ he was talking about must’ve been the ESC trying to heal my the injury. His horn shined blood red for some odd reason. My torso was lifted upwards into a sitting up position.

“Err. Who is this?” I asked.

“That, is Dr. Quack.” Shady answered.

“DOCTOR KVECH!!! We've been over this before you grease covered snake!”

“Right, Dr. Kvech. I’d shake his hoof if I were you. He’s now your crews official medic.”

“At your service!” The light brown unicorn announced as he extended his hoof at me. I grabbed his hoof in response and shook it firmly.

“The pleasure is mine, doctor. But tell me, what was that pain in my chest?”

“Darkroot!”

“Darkroot?”

“Oh, you don’t know? Well then, let me explain. Whisper’s most powerful asset was her ability to spawn dead and decaying roots of trees with wood stronger than steel! She had this ability for years before she even arrived her. After a while, she started to tweak the formula to create new, eh, flavors of Darkroot. Then one she stabbed you with was a parasitic Darkroot that remained in your lungs. She knew it would kill you after she passed away, and she knew it would cause you the most pain! But what she didn't know was that you had the best doctor in Symphonia to help rip it out of your chest before it attached itself to your spine!” Dr. Kvetch explained.

“How did she know that she was going to die?”

“Well, you shot her in the horn! There was liquid magic falling from her horn! She would’ve been dead in minutes anyways!”

“Right, final question. How did you manage to operate with my suit on?”

“It was difficult, the cloth parts of the armor were thick and hard to cut. And after a few minutes, it would start to sew itself back up!”

“Smartfiber. It sews back up in case we are faced with a pathogen or get exposed to the elements.”

“Right. Anyway, I had Iron Will act as my assistant and continue to cut the fibers while I operated. Never have I ever seen such a primate so pink and hairless! When they told me you were human, I didn’t believe them. I still dont! But after witnessing your strange anatomy, I’ll just accept whatever you claim to be you strange boogeyman.”

“I see.”

“Plus, the strange liquid I found in your chest appeared to heal whatever (cough) mistakes (cough) that occured. It gave me more freedom to be aggressive against the root, making it easier to remove!”

“Alright. It’s good to hear that I’m not going to die. But Shady, what do you mean by ‘he’s my crews official doctor’? Do I have a crew now?”

Shady nodded with pride.”It’s true kid. You won the fight. It took some reassuring for them after the watched you pass out on the arena, but they agreed to join after some slight persuasion. You are now the crew leader of sixty seven very skilled hitponies.