The Dead City

Part 7: -.. . .- -..

Derpy’s breaths are low and forced, and there is no twinkle of empty-headedness that I had seen before in her eyes. Fluttershy’s eyes have lost their tint of rage. I am speechless. Lyra is shaking.

It is almost too much for my mind to comprehend. Lakota and Rocky. Why didn’t I see it coming? I should have…no. There was no way I could have known. It didn’t make sense, and now they are both dead. Derpy picks up Lakota’s crossbow and inspects it with profound interest. I shake my mane free of Lakota’s blood and try to speak.

“…”

No words. I can’t say anything. It’s just so horrible. The city, the death, the darkness…

For some reason, I find myself thinking back to the hotel staircase. The crying and the never-ending steps and the being with the white hands. All rushing back to me, collapsing on me like a waterfall, threatening to drown me.

A new sound, rhythmic grunting, and I know immediately without even looking. Rocky is still alive. Derpy hears him too and runs over to the side of the hotel. We peek over as Fluttershy joins Lyra.

Sure enough, the minotaur is climbing up the building, grunting, blinded by blood. I knew a creature like him wouldn’t have been killed by a mere fall. He is too far for me to see the rage in his eyes, but I know it is there.

“Shiny Armor, what do we do?”

I sigh. The minotaur is ten floors down. Plenty of time to kill.

“Give me the crossbow.”

I’d had archery training back at Canterlot, but we’d never taken on anything as big as a minotaur. But Rocky is slow-moving as I aim the crossbow down the building’s broken façade.

My hoof tightens on the trigger. Seconds later, Rocky falls again, landing on a jagged rock with an arrow in his skull, dead. In a spurt of rage that comes from nowhere, I hurl the crossbow off the building with a loud, hoarse roar. Smoke curls underneath the roof’s entrance doorway. The fire has reached us. Any second and the roof will collapse, entombing us in flame.

We have to escape.

“Alright, everypony,” I say, taking lead as I inspect Lakota’s body. “We’ve gotta get off this building. We have two pegasi and two unicorns, though I don’t have any magic. We need…”

But something catches my eye as I rummage through the dead unicorn’s pockets. A large loop of rope lying upon a flat piece of wood.

Crude. Insane.

But our only option.

“Here’s what we can do. Derpy, Fluttershy, take that rope and loop around yourselves and the wooden board. We can use it as a platform to get across. Lyra, do you have any magic?”

“Only a little,” the unicorn says uncomfortably.

“That’s okay, we should be able to make it across the river.”

“But what about the creature?” Fluttershy asks anxiously.

“There’s nothing we can do about that, Fluttershy,” I answer. “We have two options. Fly over or burn to death. I don’t know about you, but I am not burning to death.”

“Me neither! Fire is bad!” Derpy yells.

“Right,” I say. “Get to it! I’ll join you in a moment.”

They get to work, and I go to inspect Lakota.

She is no less beautiful in death than she was in life. I nearly cry when I realize that I never really noticed her beauty until now. But I remember her betrayal. What prompted that, anyway? She seemed smart enough to know that there was safety in numbers. And yet she’d been motivated by…by what?

My head hurts. I close my eyes and open them again, catching sight of a shining object jutting out of Lakota’s pocket. I reach down and grab it, examining it. It is a pendant of purple jade, scratched and faded. This must have been her sister’s.

Sister…

I find myself wondering what would happen if we were ever to meet Lakota’s sister. I struggle now to even remember her name. Sara? Selena? I can’t remember. But what would I tell her?

Hey, little girl. My friends and I killed your sister. Wanna come with us?

I stop thinking that as the pain in my head increases. There’s no chance in Tartarus that we’ll ever find her. No chance.

Pain…building in my skull…

Oh…

“Mister Shiny Armor?”

Darkness.

• …. .

-.- .. -. -..

…. .- …

-.-. --- -- .

[Echo Team, right side! Right side!]

SCANNING…

...today speaking out about the biohazardous possibilities regarding last Tuesday’s incident…

The note is scribbled on a napkin. 770-355-644-. Call me. :) The last number is blank.

INTRUSION DETECTED. ACTIVATING DEFENSIVE MEASURES…

[Comms, we’re losing too many to these fuckers! And something just appeared on our scopes that we cannot identify. Repeat, unidentified entity at…]

…President saying that he does not regard these events as the results of a biochemical or biogenetic attack, but refused to comment further…

770.

355.

644-.

What?

[Echo Team, check in!]

ERROR. ALERT. SYSTEM FAILURE. SYSTEM FAILURE.

• .. -- .

.. …

.-. ..- -. -. .. -. --.

--- ..- -

Wouldn’t you agree, Shining Armor?

You shall awaken soon. Go back to your friends. Are they your friends?

You don’t know me. You can’t even respond. You are in danger of burning to death. I can’t have that. It’s not wise to let one’s key fall before it reaches the lock.

You have not reached the lock.

.-.. --- -.-. -.-

But worry not, Shining Armor. You will see me again. I won’t let you die.

Not yet.

… --- --- -.

I bear a message from your sister. Are you ready to hear it?

• …. .

-.- .. -. -..

…. .- …

-.-. --- -- .

I’m here, Shining Armor. I’m here.

Go to her. We shall meet again.

-E

The sun rises above the terrible night

the endless hours of worry and fright

dawn illuminates the grave

of ponies that he couldn’t save.

“GAAAAHHHH!”

“Ack! Ooh, you scared me good, Mister Shiny Armor! Scared me real good!”

I am back on the roof of the hotel. It is nighttime, but the fire lights up the area. It has reached the steps. A few more hours and we will all be cooked alive.

“Shining Armor! We did it!”

Fluttershy? She nudges me and I look to the side to see a crude contraption of canvas and wood, limp like a deflated balloon.

“Uh…good, great! Yeah, great!”

“Are you okay, by the way? You just sort of dropped out there.”

“H-how long have I been asleep?”

“About four hours,” says Lyra.

“Oh, buck.”

“Again with the language?”

“Not now, Derpy…go and…go and help Fluttershy. I need to think about something.”

She does what I say as I stumble to the railing, gasping. I nearly vomit over the side of the building as smoke curls in my face.

What just happened? What was all that? I saw nothing, but heard so many things…

I don’t know. I can’t explain it.

But my sister…

I’m here, Shining Armor. I’m here.

I know, Twili. And I’m coming.