Evershade Dominion

Failure is the first step to success, especially with technology.

January 17th, 2004 8:55P.M.

Canterlot, Equestria

[Are you two in position yet?] I asked as I released the talk button on my headset. I was standing in front of a bar with a drink in hand, waiting for Nezumth and Onyx to get into position. I had tasked Onyx with infiltrating the castle and locating the Queen while having Nezmuth set up near the castles secret exit so we could get in and out fast.

[In position at the exit, awaiting orders.] I heard Nezmuth respond over the headset.

[I need two more minutes to find the Queen, hold.] Onyx whispered back to us as I sighed and shook my head. I stared down into my cup and swirled the soda around a little, getting slightly irritated. Although this was a bar, I couldn’t be bothered with being intoxicated while doing this contract as one slip up could mean dire consequences for us.

Two minutes later Onyx responded, [I have located the Queen and incapacitated the guards to her cell, awaiting further orders.] I smiled and put my drink down on the table before taking off towards the castle.

[The operation is a go, start escorting the Queen to the exit and I will create the distraction. Remember the first priority is to get the target out safely.] I said as I reached down to my belt and pulled off two grenades and took the pins out. There were two guards at the front entrance of the castle that saw me running towards them as they raised their guns yelling for me to halt.

I ignored them as I chucked the grenades at them and ducked into the alleyway. The grenades blew not only the doors open but the two guards into smithereens as one of their helmets flew past the alley. I jumped out of the alleyway and rushed into the castle as I was greeted by several guards who were carrying M-16 assault rifles and were dressed in all black body armor.

“Put your weapons down and surrender!” One of the guards yelled as I smirked at them before launching several throwing knifes at the large group while jumping to the side as they started to fire their weapons at me. All six knives hit a target in the throat, killing them almost instantly.

“Not happening ye bastards!” I yelled over the gunfire as I ran into the entrance of the castle as guards ran down the hallway in response to the sirens blaring throughout the castle. They quickly took aim as I jumped behind a pillar and set a c4 charge on it before jumping behind the next pillar and doing the same. I pulled out my rifle and mowed down the guards coming in the front door, I charged some magic up before jumping between the pillars towards the large group down the hallway and dropping a grenade in the middle of them.

“Presents for all of ya!” I yelled as I pressed the trigger to detonate the c4 charges at the entrance of the castle. The entryway crumbled into a large pile of rubble from the explosion and the group of soldiers were too occupied by the c4 explosion to notice the grenade in time. The hallway became coated in blood and guts as the guards became nothing more than a disgusting mist of blood and rubble.

I dropped down from the ceiling onto another group of guards with my sword drawn, quickly dispatching two of the guards as the others tried to hit me with their guns. I jumped backwards then back at one of them, swiping my sword at him from below as he blocked it with his gun. I quickly slinked my arm around his neck and put him in front of his comrades as they fired at us. I used his body as a shield as I charged the small group again, throwing the body at two of them while using my sword to kill the other one.

I turned around and slammed my sword into the neck of one of the grounded guards before picking up the rifle of the other one and shooting him in the head. I was starting to breath heavily as more guards got into position at the other end of the hallway and started to fire at me as I jumped behind a pillar. I concentrated on the area behind them and built up a small amount of magic and released it at that point, creating a flashbang as their firing stopped.

I quickly ran over to them and got behind them as their sight returned to them. They were all confused as to where I went as I walked up behind the one I assumed was in charge of this squad and stabbed him in the neck. his body hit the floor with a thud as the rest of his squad turned to see the source of the noise. I grabbed the closest one by the neck and slammed him down as I threw a knife into one of their necks. I crushed the neck of the one I had grabbed and ripped out his throat, ensuring his death.

[The Queen is out, I repeat the Queen is out! Pack it in and get out of there Lost Solstice!] I heard Nezmuth relay over the headset as I nodded my head.

[Roger that, see you all at the rally point.] I responded as I started to run down the hallway before being grabbed in a yellow aura and slammed into the wall head first, knocking me out cold.

January 21st, 2004 ??:?? ?.?.

Canterlot Dungeons, Equestria

I hung upside down as the dungeon master brought a white hot brand in the shape of the sun into the chamber. “Oh you’re going to brand me now to show she owns me? Go right the hell ahead ya sadistic fuck!” I growled at him as he tilted his head to the side and pushed the brand onto my chest as the fur burned and my skin melted under the heat. I gritted my teeth to the pain but didn’t let it truly phase me.

They have been torturing me for four days now to try and get information out of me. My nails were pulled, my skin mauled, my left eye blinded, my feet broken, several teeth removed, hell they even tried shocking it out of me. They wanted to know where the queen had been taken, who had sent me, who I was, where I came from, and they wanted me to swear loyalty to their queen. “Pathetic! My dead brother could hurt me more than you!”

I could hear a low grunt come from the large earth pony as he pushed the brand further into me. Although I was near fainting, I still liked to agitate him. Through my daze I thought I felt the ceiling above us shake as I started to wriggle around in mid air from the chains. “Down with the bloody red queen!” I exclaimed as I let out a crazed laugh as he growled and pulled the brand away from me and walked out of the chamber, promptly closing the door behind him.

Not a second later after the locks were put back did I hear a nearby explosion and through the small bars I could see a door land on the dungeon master. “It seems he wanted to make an explosive exit.” I smirked at my small joke as I waited for Nezmuth to come into the room. The locks on the door slide open and the door slammed into the wall as four creatures suited in dark purple and blue armor walked into the room

“Are yo-” I cut them off.

“Who in the hell are you and what do you want with me?” I was short with them as I crossed my arms over my chest as one of them shone a flashlight over me. Two of them looked away in disgust and the other two seemed shocked at my appearance. “This is what happens to people who oppose the Queen of Equestria, take it all in and remember it for years to come. Now who are you?” I demanded now as the one I presumed to be the leader cleared their throat.

“We were sent here to retrieve you by our Commander; at least that is our task if you are the one called Lionel Varellian?” they asked as I tried to stand but crumbled to the ground with my broken feet.

“I would stand to my old name but it seems my feet are of little use to me right now. You seem to have gone through a lot of trouble to get me and yet I don’t know anything of you or why you would risk war with Equestria to rescue someone as fallen as I. Tell me, you know my name but not I yours, may I ask it?” I said as they motioned to the two squad members who were standing idle. They quickly lifted me up with one arm over each of their shoulders.

“I am Captain Seralath of the Third Evershade Dominion Raider Batallion. My squad was sent here to retrieve the captive known as Lionel Varellian and bring them back to General Dusk.” she informed me as I nodded my head.

“As much as I would love to see your General at the moment I have better things to do.” I said as I brought my arm to my mouth and bit down on my wrist. As soon as my teeth broke the skin did they break the emergency teleporter chip. The air around me started to crackle with energy as the two soldiers who were holding me let me go. I brought my other hand up to my forehead and used to fingers to salute them goodbye. “Gotta get back to Dystopia, come find me at The Marked Raven Bar if you get out alive!” I said as Seralath screamed over the crackling air.

“HOW DO WE GET THERE?!” I smirked at her and shrugged my shoulders.

“YOU FOUND ME HERE, SO I THINK WITH THIS TRACKER!” I yelled back as I picked the tracker off of my shoulder that one of the soldiers had placed. “I’LL SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS OR A FEW WEEKS, DEPENDING ON THE SHIP YOU TAKE!” After that the sound became so loud it was impossible to hear anything else she said after that.

A few seconds later I disappeared in what was the equivalent to that of a clap of thunder and appeared in the bar area of The Marked Raven Bar. I coughed up a bit of blood and nearly gave up what fluids and food I had left in my stomach as the smell of burnt flesh and hair filled the air. “SOLSTICE!” I heard someone exclaim as the world started to spin and become blurred before I felt myself fall into the floor breathing slowly.

I felt someone trying to lift me up but their voice was nothing but a muffle now as my eyelids became really heavy. I tried to say something but I couldn’t. I allowed my eyes to close after a few seconds, thinking the whole while goddamn experimental shit.