Chapter 19: One final effort

The blood red sunlight of dawn creeped across the Castle as the new day arrived. All we had was a quick and shoddy breakfast of leftover gruel and apples. While I was no stranger to eating crappy food, it was still depressing to know that this stuff could be my last meal, I sullenly thought as I tried to swallow the dried mashed corn.

No one else was speaking much, just trying to eat whatever food they can before the plan came into action, which was in an hour time. I looked around me at the tense slave ponies eating their rations. Is everyone feeling the same as I am? The all too familiar feeling of butterflies in my stomach wiped out any last remaining appetite I had and I finally pushed my food away. Best to die comfortably as possible rather than in a puddle of your own puke.

Dark sky popped the last bit of dried carrot in her maw, crunching noisily and stood up. “It’s time. Everyone ready?” There was a murmur of agreement before the slave ponies stood up and formed a line at the door. I wrapped my rags around as best I can and took comfort at the feeling of cold, loaded steel at my side, Little Macintosh hidden under my slave garments.

Metallic clacking of firing bolts sounded as the renegade group of soldier ponies loaded their weapons and slung them. It was better to be prepared. If we were found out somehow before they got to the trucks, they may have to fight their way to gain control of the convoy. But I knew if that should come to pass, it was already over anyway. Chances of us getting out was already slim enough, and having to fight our way out against Blackheart and his forces in his own turf was even worse than suicidal.

Ironfist nodded at me, and I nodded back, wrapping a bandage splattered with red animal blood around my face to keep the illusion that I was an injured and disfigured slave pony. I covered the lower half of my face so that I could still see, and put my torn hood up over my head and mane. I winced at the disgusting smell, but took comfort at the fact that I could take them off once we have wrested control of the convoy when we were out. Now for the final touch, as the soldier ponies took out the slave collars and placed them on every slave pony, which would be removed as soon as the takeover was successful. I shifted and scrunched my face up with abhorrent disgust as the feeling of cold beeping metal was popped onto my neck.

Dark sky shifted the door and opened a crack to peek out, checking that the way was all clear. Satisfied, she stood back, and turned around to the helmeted face of Ironfist, the emotionless and stoic renegade soldiers, the fearful pale faces of the slave ponies and finally me. Every one of us knew what the stakes were.

“Remember, for our freedom and lives. Whatever it takes.” She determinedly said.

The door opened and we all marched out of the gloomy kitchen and up the hallway, never looking back.

The long procession, with me in the middle, moved out into the courtyard. The bustling sounds of working soldier and slave ponies everywhere disoriented me a little. I forget how crowded Blackmire Castle was sometimes, and how efficient it can be. Blackheart was a ruthless leader, but I cannot deny that he was a very capable one. I turned and looked at a terrified slave pony being yelled at for being too slow and my heart ached. I wondered if I should be leaving. There were ponies here who still needed my help, but the thought of Velvet, Calamity and Steelhooves was too overwhelming. No, I HAVE to do this, or the nightmare would never end.

The procession of collared slave ponies trudged through the courtyard as both soldiers and slaves moved aside to get out of our way. We kept our heads bowed and tried not to look at anyone as our mock guards herded us towards the main gate, where 4 arcane motorized carriages were waiting.

As we reached the gate, a high ranking guard at the gate tower stopped us.

“Halt! Who’s in command here?” he inquired, and Dark sky trotted up to attend to him.

I looked around nervously at the armed guards stationed at the two guard posts straddling the main gate, each with its own motorized high caliber machine guns and there were even snipers positioned up high over the gate parapet. If a fight broke out here, there was no hope. We would be cut down in an instant like meat in a grinder. The slave ponies fidgeted nervously but Three bit muttered assuring words to keep them calm. I looked down, not even daring to show my mostly covered face in case I was recognized and screwed us all to Tartarus.
“Captain Cold Whip, that would be me.” Dark sky marched up to address her now superior officer.

Captain Cold Whip raised a bushy eyebrow. “Skye! You? I know that these are the slave ponies that are part of the trade with the Bullet farms, but I was informed that the 13th Battalion would be providing the guards for the convoy, not these…” He glanced at the differing patches on the armed renegades. “Bunch of ragtag soldiers.”

“I’ve got orders, Sir.” Dark sky handed him a well forged document. “Orders directly from the Master himself. There was a slight change of plans. He wants the best guards to ensure that this trade goes off without a hitch. He hoof picked these boys here, and me.” She grinned. “You could check in with him if you wished.”

Captain Cold Whip read the document, keeping his thoughts to himself. Both he and Dark sky knew that Blackheart does not tolerate second guessing of his orders. Those that did quickly found themselves in a dead end job or simply dead.

“No need Miss sky. I’ll take your word for it. Just a quick note. The drivers here are from the Bullet farms to operate these carriages.” He pointed at the 8 motley crew of lightly armed ponies. “Blackheart only agreed to provide the guards, so just sit tight.” He said, before trotting off while waving a hoof at his subordinates to open the gate.

“Yes Sir, thank you.” Dark sky saluted before signaling to our guards and us to begin the loading.

We quickly divided up into 4 groups, each with our own guards, while Ironfist took one group at the front of the first carriage. I moved to the group at the last carriage, which was the one Dark sky was supposed to lead. As the slaves began loading up into the carriages, the drivers divided into their pairs to take the wheel in each one.

I took the first step into the carriage before being yanked back violently. Startled, I looked up into the disfigured face of a guard pony, who leered at me. He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized me intensely. I held my breath as my heart leapt into my mouth and I quickly looked down at the ground, trembling in fear. Is this it?! Have I been recognized?! I tried to steady my breath, getting my mind ready for the almost inevitable massacre…

“Is there a problem here?” Dark sky interrupted the tense confrontation. She glared at the disfigured guard, whose breath stank of cheap alcohol. I didn’t dare to look up, but from the corner of my eye I saw Dark sky’s hoof twitch and moved ever so slightly to her sidearm holster…

“…No. Nothing.” The guard rasped. He gave me one last look before he turned away, muttering something about having too much to drink and thought he saw me somewhere before.

“Get in then!” Dark sky turned and firmly shoved me into the carriage.

I struggled up and quickly found a seat on the rickety wooden bench in the carriage beside Three bit, who sighed in relief and wrapped her left forehoof around me. I closed my eyes and tried to steady my heartbeat, which was still so fast and hard that it felt like it was ready to burst out of my chest.

“Everyone onboard??!!” The driver stuck his head out the window to yell at Dark sky.

“Affirmative!” She shouted back and got into the carriage with me. She sat at the closest seat at the head of the carriage, just right behind the two drivers and right beside the door.

The door closed and the inside of the carriage darkened, with nothing but the light shining through the bars and planks of wood which made up the carriage’s body. The rickety carriage shook and shuddered as the drivers started up the engine. I looked around at the half relieved and half tense faces of the slave ponies and guards around me. I can’t believe we have gotten this far. But we still have a long way to go yet.

Well, this is it. I thought as the carriage trundled out past the gate of Blackmire Castle and out into the Marejave desert roads. I peered through the small opening of the planks, taking one last look at Blackmire Castle as it got smaller into the distance. Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Goodbye Pin, and thank you.”

We sat in silence, listening to the soothing and gentle rumbling of the engines as the carriage moved along, punctuated occasionally with the crackle of the driver’s radio as they contacted Blackmire Castle for a status update. I looked at Dark sky who was intently observing the two drivers through a crack in the boards, noting the way they drove and their methods of communicating and driving. She glanced back at me and nodded. That’s the signal for me to unravel my pipbuck. As per the plan, they needed my pipbuck to provide critical intelligence on their location using my pipbuck’s map, so that they knew the perfect time to strike along the road. If we did it too close to Blackmire or the Bulletfarms, the chances of us getting caught by Triggerhoof or Blackheart was too high.

The timing had to be perfect, at an equidistance to each base so that the chances of escape was maximized. From there it should be also the shortest distance to the 3 separate jails where my friends were kept. Everything has to be perfect, from timing to execution.

I quickly unraveled my pipbuck and made sure the light was turned down low so as to prevent detection by the drivers. I stared at the map as the little arrow which indicated my position slowly moved away from the Blackmire Castle checkpoint. We were almost at the midway point now, approximately 15 minutes judging from the rate at which we were moving.

I whispered to the slave pony next to me, “15 minutes” and signalled her to pass it down the next pony to Dark sky’s ears. The slave ponies complied quietly, knowing full well that now their lives fully depended on the renegade soldiers and me.

As the last slave pony whispered my message to Dark sky, she nodded and quietly crackled on her radio to Ironfist and the lead guard ponies in the other 3 carriages to relay the time.

The carriages moved along, kicking up mildly radioactive dust behind on their wheels and belching thick black smoke through their exhaust pipes into the air. The drivers joked with each other and laughed, throwing aside burnt cigar stubs as they did what they were good at, clearly unaware at what was about to happen.

Soon enough, it was time. Dark sky turned to me for final confirmation and I glanced down at my pipbuck. We were there. I quickly nodded back at her. Dark sky tapped the shoulder of the guard pony behind her and they both quietly stood up and knelt down, unslinging their rifles and taking aim at the thin wooden walls separating the drivers and their imminent doom. They aimed at the estimated level of their chest and heads, not too low otherwise they would risk damaging the driving consoles and mechanisms to move the carriages if the bullets penetrated far enough. I put my hoof on Little Macintosh and gulped.

The slave ponies inhaled a collective breath of fear and waited.

Dark sky crackled on her radio, “Initiate.”

A cacophony of gunshots rang out through the hot afternoon air. Blood and brains splattered the windshield of the first carriage that Ironfist was in, while the windows of the middle two shattered as bullets hit them, leaving blood and broken bones spraying out in their wake. One of the middle carriage skidded to its side and stopped as the driver slumped down on the wheel. Several slave ponies screamed out in shock as Dark sky and her partner opened fire. Screams could be heard coming from the drivers as the bullets smashed through their throats and chests, turning their cries into bloody gurgles which were soon silenced. The carriage screeched to a stop suddenly, causing the slave ponies to lose their footing and knocking into each other from the deceleration. I fell face first onto the floor and hit my nose hard, squealing in pain. It was over, and the moans of the slave ponies was laced with expletives as they recovered.

“Everyone report in!” The barking voice of Dark sky sounded out. “Is everyone good?!”

The door opened and light shone into the carriage, and the slave ponies bumbled outside into the hot desert, with wind blowing sand into their faces. I felt a hoof hoisting me up from the ground, and looked up to see Three bit’s concerned face.

“Are you alright?” She sounded shaken. I reached out to her. “I’m fine Three bit. Thank you.” I grimaced in pain as a trickle of blood leaked out of my nostril. Luna’s big tits damn it all! I cursed as I angrily wiped away the blood with a hoof and went outside with Three bit, the sudden heatwave and hot desert air blowing in my face.

The guards have already congregated outside with the slave ponies and started to take off their collars. Many of them looked shaken, having never seen such violence that resulted in death before. They were used to beatings, but one can never get used to executions. I grimaced as I watched a couple soldiers and brave slave ponies gingerly dragged out the bullet ridden bodies of the drivers from their seats and tried their best to clean up the shards of broken glass and blood.

I quickly ripped off my bloody bandage and gratefully inhaled the hot air, thankful that I can finally remove the putrid thing, as one guard used a key to click open my collar. Ironfist trotted up to us. “Everything is clear.” He reported. Dark sky nodded and signaled everyone to huddle up. It was time for the next phase.

“Ok everypony, so far so good!” She said, and a few slave ponies cheered. “But we are not out of this yet.” She glared at the ponies, who quickly fell silent.

“Now for this next phase, we have to divide into 4 groups.” She looked at the slave ponies. “Which one of you here knows how to drive?”

No one spoke for a bit, before one timid mare stepped forward. “U-umm, I might know j-just a bit. My father used to be a carriage mechanic back in Canterlot, b-before the b-bombs. He taught me a thing or two...” She looked at Dark sky nervously.

“That’s good enough.” Dark sky said. “Take the slave ponies with one carriage and drive out into that rocky canyon over there. There should be shelter and an abandoned bunker for you all to hunker down and wait. If we are not back in 1 hour, take everypony and head southeast, which is the shortest way out from the legion lands and into the first free settlement. From there on, you are on your own.” She pointed in a general direction.

The slave ponies eyes widened and some of them started tearing up. It was truly hard to believe for some of them that freedom was this close, no matter how hard that freedom might be. But soon they gathered their wits and bravery and started loading up the carriage, with words of thanks to Dark sky and the soldiers. Three bit approached me, with tears in her eyes. “I-I cannot tell you how thankful I am, Little pip….”

I hugged her as hard as I could. “Don’t be, I know you would do the same for me…” Three bit sniffed as she hugged back. “I would. I totally would, and even more.” She choked, trying not to sob too hard and ruin what could potentially be our last meeting together.

“Take care of the others, ok?” I told Three bit, who nodded in silence with tears dripping down her grimy cheeks. “And you must take care of yourself too! If by some chance this is where we part, me and the slave ponies are going to try to reach Crystal city, it’s one of the last survivor cities left in the Crystal Empire. Find us there if you are not too busy saving the world.” She said through choked sobs.

I nodded at her. Tears also streaming down my eyes at this point. “I promise.”

Three bit smiled and gave me one last loving kiss on the lips before turning around and heading off with the other slaves. I sighed, an almost overwhelming urge to follow them now as I gazed at the freed slaves. The carriage groaned and started up before slowly moving away, towards the canyon.

“And now for us,” Dark sky turned to Ironfist, me and the group of 20 odd renegade soldiers. “We will divide. Ironfist with one carriage and group of 7 will move to Calamity’s location to bust him out. He should have the least protection, considering Blackheart already thinks he’s going to die. Iron don’t forget to take the medic.” Ironfist rumbled in acknowledgement before he went to organize his party.

“And for you boys,” She pointed at 7 of the most heavily armed soldiers, you will move to the Steel Ranger’s location. I suspect he is quite well guarded, considering he’s one tough son of a bitch. Bust him out and report back at the rendezvous point ASAP. Keep up radio contact.” One of the soldier’s nodded and started to move out.

A thought occurred to me suddenly and I had to ask now, otherwise I may not get another chance to. “Why are you all doing this for me?” I asked them quietly. The soldier stopped next to his buddies before replying. “We all heard the stories of how you risked your life for one of us.” He cocked his helmeted head at Dark sky. “You know what that makes you?” He asked me.

I quizzically said. “Um brave?”

The soldier ponies raucously laughed at me, and I blushed in embarrassment. The soldier trotted up to me and put a reassuring strong hoof on my shoulder. “No ma’am, not just brave. It makes you one of us.” He said quietly. “And we take care of our own.” He moved off with his comrades and got into a carriage.

I looked at Dark sky and the remaining guard ponies. “Are you guys always this sappy?”

Dark sky grimaced, “Only little Firefly there. He’s a great fighter. Gotta remind myself to hoof him in the ass harder next time though.” She smiled at me. “Don’t let it get to your head. You and I have the hardest job of all. And I suspect she is the most heavily guarded one considering Blackheart’s knowledge of your background.”

I gulped and cursed under my breath. She was right, Blackheart does know that.

“Let’s go then, we have no time to waste.” Dark sky said as she boarded the carriage.

As I took the seat behind her, I took a deep breath and raised my pipbuck. I pressed a few buttons to set the brightness back and the software into combat mode.

*I’m coming for you, Velvet. Just wait a little more.* I thought, as the carriage engine rumbled to life.

Author's Note

OMG I didnt think it was possible, but i finished this in one night. Fug me.

Its finally almost done. Probably will end at chapter 20 to round it off, and maybe a short epilogue if need be. We'll see.

I'm done with my exams so I expect this story to end soon. Thanks so much for anyone still keeping up with this. :)