Chapter 5 pt 2: Hop, Skip and Jump

The shot echoed through the canyon as it impacted just feet from us, shattering the rock that it collided against and sending shards of stone at us like miniature daggers. I turned to the others and pointed for one of the many cavern entrances that littered the canyon.

"Inside there! come one!" I looked up and drew my revolver trying to find some sort of vapor trail or something that could have been used to track our shooter. The sniper however didn't need much help trying to get a bead on us.

PAK

I doubled over onto my back as my magnum shattered into hundreds of metal shards that embedded themselves into my barding and coat. My ears were still ringing from the miniature explosion of the shots impact. Even still that shot wasn't a misfire...he was toying with us. Finally I scrambled to my feet and rushed inside the small pocket in the wall.

"How the hell are we suppose to even get up there? We don't exactly have wings and sure as hell wont have any time to climb up the sides." I growled in frustration as I kicked a rock out of the cave.

PAK yeah, fuck you too buddy.

"Well, these caves were designed for ambushes, so there must be a way to travel through them and get to the other side right?" Scarlet glanced to Juniper who examined our small cave. I squinted into the darkness and noticed a small glow. I quickly figured out that, that glow was emanating off my pale white coat. "Agh! Mind stepping back a bit Shamrock? you're starting to radiate again."

"Again? You mean he does this often?" Juniper tilted her head and reached into her pouch, levitating a packet of rad-away to me.

"Long story...basically, I'm a walking nuclear reactor." I sighed swallowing the tangy flavored fluid only to vomit it back up along with a good portion of toxic waste that glowed green. "Well, that's new." I looked down at my pipbuck to see that the radiation alarm stopped ticking for the time being at least.

"And apparently you can vomit up nuclear biohazards, you are one interesting pony Shamrock." Scarlet snickered as we continued to trot through the cave. Sure enough, the cave was more like a hallway with a winding ramp at the end of it that led to the upper level of the canyon.

"Okay, well now we know that these things are more or less connected...do you think our friend knows where we are?" I asked carefully trotting out along the side of the cave, starting to move for another tunnel.

PAK The shot narrowly missed my ear, the aftershock nearly knocking me off my perch and down thirty feet to the ground below.

"There's your answer!" Juniper bit hard on my tail and yanked me back into the tunnel. "Well, we know that he's on the other side of this canyon at least. Question now is, how exactly do we get across?"

Stupid Idea in t-minus

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My horn glowed white as I looked at the other side of the canyon. It was about a forty foot gap. Give or take a few yards.

"I'm going to jump it..." I was certain though, I might be able to levitate myself in the air for just a few seconds and with any luck, those few seconds would be enough to clear the gap.

"Shamrock, please tell me you're joking." Scarlet looked at me and then at Juniper.

"I'm 3 for 3 on stupid ideas Scarlet, what is one more to a buck like me?" I smirked, stepping all the way to the back of the tunnel and got into a running stance. My vision focused on the tunnel entrance that sat on the other side of the canyon. That was my target.

"One more is going to be your death Shamrock! You're insane!" Scarlet shouted, Juniper nodded in agreement as she looked at me.

"Maybe you should listen to her Shamrock, there's no way you'll clear that ledge!" Juniper pleaded. I could do it, no sweat, just a hop skip and jump.

I bared my teeth and lowered my head, stamping my hoof into the ground as I took off at full speed. Just a hop, skip and Jump. I reached the edge of the tunnel and pushed off its side with all of my strength, closing my eyes as I channeled the rest of my energy into staying up in the...

PAK

My entire side felt as though it had been hit Atlas' monstrous hoof as I careened through the air. The world around me spun as I saw blood flying in every direction. I had no clue what condition I was in, but I could tell that it wasn't going to be pretty by the time it was over. I felt the wind (and a bit of blood) get knocked out of me as I slammed against the wall of the canyon side, having a brief moment of hang time against its side before staring down at the ground beneath me. To my fortune, there were multiple steep ledges to break my fall. However, to my misfortune, those multiple ledges broke bones along with my fall. One after the other I cringed and writhed as I heard bones shatter like clay, white hot spikes stabbing every nerve in my body just to let me know how thoroughly I fucked up.

Time slowed down in my mind; all I could see now was my mothers face, staring at me with a look of disappointment and pity. My entire life began to flash through my eyes, depicting every pitiful failure that I experienced in my existence before it suddenly showed something that I didn't quite understand. It was an image of a large facility, a once flashing neon sign that read "Tranquility".

You were made for something better Shamrock. Your time is not here...for the Goddess has much left in store for you. The voice had returned to give me one final lecture.

I watched as my mother's face disappeared and was quickly replaced with the ground as time sped up and brought me crashing down onto the unforgiving world. I laid on the gravel, my entire body left numb. The pain had become so intense that it went full circle to a simple tingle, blood trickled down numerous wounds and pooled under me. Scarlet and Juniper quickly rushed down through the tunnels and onto the valley below, speaking in distressed muffles and incoherent chatter that was too distant to understand. My blurred vision caught a small glint of metal: the muzzle of the enclave sniper's rifle. I tried to lift my head up and warn them, yet as I opened my mouth, all that came out was a shallow, raspy moan. I had become a prisoner in my dying body, forced to watch as my friends tried to bring me back. My eyes continued to follow the sniper's muzzle as he suddenly extended his wings and leaped into the air, dropping down silently behind the two of them.

He drew a pistol that looked like a smaller version of Junipers energy rifle and began to speak through clenched teeth. I watched in silence as they began to speak between one another, occasionally pointing towards my crumpled mess of a body. I tried to listen to what they were saying, yet the only thing that I could hear was the loud ringing in my ears with an occasional word getting through. Then all three of them stopped their discussion and turned to me, wide-eyed and mouths gaping. I glanced down at my chest as the green gem in it began to pulse, causing my entire body to tingle and twitch slightly. I could feel the cuts on my body begin to close up.

Something better, Shamrock... My mother's comforting voice told me as the pain that filled my body began to fade away into a small sting. I slowly got to my blood covered hoofs and looked at the Enclave pony. He immediately took a step back and slipped his helmet on.

"Shamrock...what the actual fuck did you just do?" Scarlet murmured in shock. To be honest, I had no clue either. All I knew was that I was alive and that I was going to have some long waited revenge. My pain had been replaced with a burning fury as I lunged past Juniper and Scarlet, tackling the Enclave Soldier to the ground and immediately smashing my hoofs repeatedly against his bug eyed helm.

"That's enough Shamrock! he didn't know who you were!" A light but determined voice called out from behind me. I turned my head instantly felt as though I was going collapse all over again.

"Spring Breeze? We thought you were dead..."

Footnote: Level up.

New Perk, Adamantium Skeleton: damage taken by limbs reduced by 50%