Chapters Light. Bright blinding light. The light of the sun was shining down upon me. With a start I arose from where I lay or at least tried to. I was tied down to a gurney that was way too small for me. I was also naked but a once over cleared me of any fears over whether anyone tried to slip me something just to have their way with me. Or did it? After all I had been kidnapped. Whoever did this clearly did have their way with me even if I was for all I knew unmolested. They had me where they wanted me. Tied up and awaiting whatever grim torment they had in store for me.
This left a few questions to be answered. First. Where am I? Looking around I found myself to be in what looked like an abandoned clinic or hospital. I couldn’t remember where I was before this, but it definitely wasn’t here.
Second. How could I get out. Trying the bonds I found that with enough effort I could break one of the seemingly ancient restraints holding my arm in place. With a snap I had freed my left hand. The other straps however refused to give. This problem was quickly solved using a scalpel I found on a nearby tray covered in all manner of nasty medical equipment. With the small blade in hand I hobbled from the bed towards a broken window in the corner of the room. My legs felt unused to walking which raised the third question. How long have I been out?
I wouldn’t know until I was outside and could perhaps find a newspaper or ask a passing pedestrian. Outside the window the sun peeked through the clouds shining upon the dilapidated corpses of what must have once been ornate homes and businesses. Looking through the window it occurred to me that the entire city might be abandoned. Rising above the ruins was a great obelisk of magnificent proportions with what appeared to be wings rising from its sides. It rose even above a great palace which wrapped itself around what looked like a mountain. The palace dominated the city with what appeared to be sinister spires and ruined towers. It seemed to perch above the city almost like a vulture circling its next meal.
This wasn’t a city I was familiar with and it certainly didn’t look anything like anywhere I’d been before accept for the winged pillar. The structure vaguely resembled the Washington Monument, if the Washington Monument had grown a pair of wings and then had flown through a warzone. The monument didn’t look at all out of place among the once artsy buildings and now filth covered streets.
Looking for some clue as to what befell the inhabitants of this once great city I noticed something eerie. Permeating the buildings and the very air itself was a pink mist. It seemed thin in and around the hospital, but further in it formed into frightful clumps so thick I couldn’t even see past them. I couldn’t make out any shapes of animals or people. They must have all fled when the pink air pollution hit. The people of this city had obviously not heard of the dangers of overusing hair sprays, aerosol room fresheners, and other such contaminants.
A drop of rain struck the tip of my nose. Just like that the sun was gone and the world took on an even more gloomy appearance.
A quick exploration of the facility revealed that it was indeed a hospital with operating rooms, waiting rooms, storage rooms, and a few offices. Everything was a shade of white, gray, or pink. Many of the rooms had collapsed and those that hadn’t were in some state of decay. There was no sign of my kidnappers or of the original inhabitants. The entire area seemed empty of life. The place got creepier the longer I was there.
Travelling down hallways and peering into rooms is a good way to find useful items. In one room which was apparently the office of the manager, a man by the name of Gentleheart, I found the strangest equipment. In a once locked cabinet in the corner was a disproportionate suit of ornate battle armor and some kind of machete. I took the machete and grabbed the first first aid kit I saw, making my way to an exit.
The machete had come with a baldric and sheathe. I promptly attached the first aid kit, which curiously bore an emblem of a pink butterfly, to the belt and made my way out into the rain soaked streets. The scalpel was still clutched in my hand and I felt ready for any danger that could rear its ugly head.
*****
Within an hour of waking I had found myself wandering the streets and the rain had reached a torrential downpour. I found that there were numerous canals and moats all over the city which seemed to empty into a valley below. It seemed that the entire city was built upon a mountain with waterfalls pouring out. These waterfalls were being fed by impassable rivers and more than once I was forced to turn back as I found the street in front of me completely flooded.
If it wasn’t rain than it was the pink cloud that I had seen earlier. There were broken buildings whose interiors were shrouded by an impassible barrier of the mist. I had the feeling that braving these places would result in my eventual death. The pink material had even seeped into the water tinting it slightly as it ran off the cliff.
I now had a new problem. I was starting to feel hungry and that just wouldn’t do. From a vantage point atop a wall and between crenellations not unlike an ancient knight’s castle I could see for miles. Once the entire plain below had been rolling farmland, but now though it was a desolate wasteland. There was no food out there or at least none that I could see. I had turned back toward the city, resolving to find food tonight. I would wait until the return of the sun before I set out. Then I saw it.
Wandering through the streets almost like a drunk was what looked like the silhouette of a donkey. My grip on the scalpel tightened and I manically smiled. Dinner was coming to papa. I ran as quietly as I could down the ruined and garbage strewn street and behind the creature. I slit its throat. It was a quick clean kill. Upon closer inspection I found that the creature seemed sickly pale and emaciated. It would hardly provide more than a small handful of meals. At least it would if I let all the extra parts like the internal organs and bone marrow go to waste. It should have been dead. When I had dragged my kill only a short distance by its tail it seemed to decide to suddenly not be dead. My first warning was an odd hissing noise coming from behind me.
Turning, I cursed saying all manner of foul things as it lashed out at me with its hooves. I fell back collapsing into a pile of garbage. Rolling out of the way I came to my feet. With a cry I noticed to my great alarm that the cut across the beast’s throat had completely healed. He turned with me albeit more slowly. A plan started forming in my head as I flipped the scalpel. I cursed my own foolishness as I cut my thumb on the blade.
My hand slick with blood I closed the distance between the two of us. I feigned left then brought the scalpel down and across the tendons in the creatures left leg. Using my left hand I vaulted over the demon donkey and before it could turn or buck me I shoved my blade into the thigh of its right foreleg leaving it there. The creature fell forward. I kicked its head before drawing my new machete, and I brought the weapon down with both hands to hear a sickening crunch. I repeated this four more times. It was neither a clean or complete decapitation, but it didn’t matter. The foul thing would never move again.
The meat was cooking over a fire illuminating the debris strewn storefront. I sat watching the flames ripple and dance while I pulled a splinter from my back. It was part of the garbage that I had fallen into. Good god this place was filthy. Garbage seemed to line every street. It was some kind of unknown combination of hard and mushy stuff. Pulling out the shard I gazed down at it. No, I now knew exactly what the garbage was. I tossed the bone fragment into the deluge outside.
The skin of the creature was laid out over a table. If there were more of these fiends out there than I wouldn’t walk out there unprepared. I didn’t know how to tan leather, but I was confident that I could turn this skin into something passable for armor. At the very least it would keep me from getting as many scrapes and bruises during a fight.
When the meat was done I hung the skin from the ceiling and hoped that by morning it would be dry. I took the skewer I had used to roast the meet and went to sit next to a stone slab against a wall. It had likely once held a display of some sort and it must have been good at the job. It now was good at the job of holding the meat I wasn’t currently in the process of eating.
My first bite was daintily taken out of the creature’s heart to celebrate my first kill. I sincerely hoped that this would be the last time I took a life. The rain made it feel like the world itself wept for the innocent demon donkey that I had slain. Regrettably I couldn’t deny that the creature’s meat even without being properly cooked or professionally prepared was one of the best meals that I had had in my entire life.
*****
I brought the machete down again. This was the third of the creatures that I’d fought. They only seemed to be able to be killed when you cut through their neck. Not an easy task when the neck in particular is that of a horse. While exploring the area I’d learned that these creatures were probably some kind of horse. The people living in this city seemed obsessed with horses. Some of the corpses that I’d found earlier were even similar to the feral beasts now prowling the neighborhood. I brought my most recent kill back to my base camp. This was the third day that I’d been in this ruined city.
The rain had not stopped and now most of the streets were impassable. I had kept the fire going because I was afraid I’d never be able to relight it. I separated the meat from the skin and the waste and skewered the meat over the fire. Then I moved onto building my new protection suit. I had scavenged together scrap electronics and metal components and began laying them over the first skin along with some of the two creatures bones then binding it all together with a glue I’d found. “Wonderglue” was truly wondrous even if its creators didn’t advertise that the glue that came out was the same shade of pink as the pollution outside. I then added a second snowy gray skin that would be the outer layer of the outfit.
This second creature whose skin I now held had put up a hard fight. It had even managed to bite my left shoulder. For that I took off its left hoof. This left a gap in the suit, but I had found a solution on a nearby corpse. As I donned the gruesome armor I lifted up the “pipbuck” and plugged extension cords on my left side to corresponding ports. The cords ran up my shoulder and along my right arm. With any luck this would allow me to download any useful information that I came across by simply plugging my suit into the computer.
Examining the pipbuck I found that it possessed several major functions I had not been aware of. The three main ones seemed to be an app to sort and organize my belongings, a vitals monitor, and something called an Eyes Forward Sparkle or EFS. Apparently this EFS could track targets and lead me towards targeted locations. I looked over the built in map. On it were a collection of locations and a marker showing I was in the city of Canterlot. I barely suppressed a giggle. Sadly, I realized that this was the first noise I had made so far, that wasn’t a cry of pain.
To complete my new look I used the skull of the second creature. I had left it mostly intact because of the result of a bad experiment with a brain breakfast. I was grateful that the rain had washed away the bile as well as any other traces of that horrible experience. After attaching the skull I now had a gruesome hood that came down to cover my face and keep my head dry.
*****
I went back to the hospital hoping to get more medical supplies. The box with the pink butterfly on the front had only a handful of medical supplies that I’d quickly used up after yet another fight with the demons. Searching the hospital I found a plethora of strange chemicals. Very soon I was weighed down with bags marked radaway, an anesthetic called med-x that looked suspiciously like morphine, a few antibiotics, some steroids and combat drugs with names like Dash, Buck and Rage, as well as a few dozen “health potions”. It was honestly hard to imagine somebody creating an all-purpose medicine to treat burns, bruises, scrapes, cuts, and bullets, but somebody had apparently managed it. If I didn’t know any better I’d say it must be magic.
On my way to the exit however I noticed something I’d missed the last time I was here. There was a basement. The only reason I even knew that there was a basement was because of the auto map function on the pipbuck. My curiosity got the better of me and I went down to explore. Unsurprisingly the door down into the basement was locked. What was also unsurprising was that an appropriated fire ax can open most wooden doors in under a minute. I proceeded down the stairs and immediately started getting the “don’t go into the basement” vibe.
I gripped the ax as I pushed through the door to the stair well. I was in a hallway that had originally been painted white and had broken light fixtures at regular intervals. There wasn’t a single working light bulb in this entire city. Thankfully my pipbuck’s screen could be turned up to cast nearly as much illumination as a conventional flashlight. The light revealed that permeating the air was a thick pink mist that I was becoming all too familiar with. Just breathing the stuff was making my chest and lungs burn.
Oh and did I mention the blood. Blood covered the walls and dripped from the ceiling. Several bodies were strewn across the hallway interspersed with the decomposed skeletons that covered the streets outside. I turned down my pipbuck’s light and drew my machete. Something might still be down here. I crept up to the first doorway and peeked inside.
I saw the bodies of two of the demons both wearing their own pipbucks and looking better groomed than any of the ones I’d fought out on the streets. Then I heard the buzz of static and my head exploded. I quickly leapt back breaking one of the skeletons in the process. I used my arm to wipe the tears from my eyes. I quickly stopped when I saw that the tears were a bright crimson. I decided I wouldn’t go back into that room again and downed a health potion.
Most of the other rooms held long dead skeletons with very little of value. My insides were now starting to burn as if they were on fire and it felt like I had a severe rash running the length of my body. I was starting to reconsider coming down here. By now I had already been forced to drink a dozen health potions and inject myself with Med-X.
Opening the last door I quickly ducked down. There was someone in there. Peering in again I made out the creature’s shape illuminated by a glowing computer terminal. The creature looked vaguely similar to the monsters I’d killed outside except that this one was larger and had a horn and wings. I could just barely make out blood dripping from the horse creature’s mane. It couldn’t possibly be responsible for the new macabre décor, could it?
I almost jumped when I heard it start muttering to itself about a “Nightseer”, and a “Goddess”. They can talk! They are intelligent! And I ate some of these creatures! Am I a cannibal? No I told myself. I’m not a cannibal. They aren’t human so it can’t be cannibalism. I only did what I had to do to survive. Life demands sacrifices and sometimes we have to do unpleasant things in order to survive. Survival is necessary to pass on the traits necessary for success to the next generation. For a moment I wondered if it would be possible to crossbreed with these creatures and if the offspring produced would be fertile.
Shaking my head I tried to listen to what the creature was saying in perfect English no less, but none of the things it muttered made any sense to me. It’s insane I thought. Insane and judging by all the blood it is also very dangerous. That was not a healthy combination. My EFS marked the creature as hostile so that settled it. If it would kill me given the chance, then I wouldn’t give it that chance. I carefully set the ax beside me and crept forward clutching the machete in both hands. I didn’t know what this thing was capable of and it was better to be safe than dead.
The creature’s ears twitched as I launched myself at it. It turned just in time to catch a sword to the flank. It struck out at me with its hooves throwing me back. The weapon clattered to the ground about a yard away. As I scrambled to grab my fallen weapon it was surrounded in an odd blue glow. The same glow was emanating from the creatures horn. The glowing machete lifted off the ground.
It can use magic! This was no fair. I pulled out the scalpel ducking under a clumsy swing and charging the horse again. Before I reached the creature it disappeared without a trace. I stood for less than a second in stunned silence and almost lost my head. The machete was still after me. I blocked the bloody machete and realized the creature must still be bleeding. The machete clattered to the ground as I knocked it out of the telekinetic sheath. Snatching it up I quickly ran for the exit assuming that the thing would try to run.
In the hall I saw small streams of blood falling from the invisible creature as it dashed away from me. I ran after it when suddenly it stopped crying out in pain. Apparently that dreadful static noise had the same effect on these horses as it did on me. The thing became visible again. It had lost a lot of blood and could barely stand. Shakily it lifted its head and its horn lit up. A shimmering bubble formed around it. This was definitely not fair.
I lifted the ax up from where I’d set it and ran to meet the Unicorn Pegasus thing. I battered against its shield for a few moments before it shattered. My next blow ended the mad creature’s life.
I wiped the blood of mytho horse on her blue hide. Seriously why was this thing’s fur blue? Assuming that it must have been dye I searched the corpse on the off chance that it carried the dye with it. In a satchel hanging off its flank I found an extra strength health potion, a RadX syringe, three syringes of med x, a bottle of some kind of antidepressant, an empty tome, but not a drop of blue dye. I took the satchel and threw it over my shoulder. Hopefully I wouldn’t need the antidepressants after this nightmare was over. Perhaps writing down my thoughts in this book would help me come to terms with the wretched deeds I’d committed. At the very least it would tell the reader my sad strange little story.
Inside the room, with the terminal, I found several more cabinets as well as a row of lockers. By the end of my looting I had amassed a collection of random junk. I now had six rolls of duct tape, four empty syringes, ammo for a 9mm, some surgical tubing, a pair of hot plates, a carton of cigarettes, a lighter, several unidentified electronics, a pair of headphones, a dozen gold coins, a 9 mm pistol, a sparkle-cola car (seriously sparkle cola), a six pack of aforementioned sparkle cola, and a dinosaur toy. I promptly discarded the carton of cigarettes, but opted to keep everything else. Who knows maybe this crap might be useful, especially the gun. The fight with the blue one had left me a little shaken. Insane and dangerous or not the girl, which I now knew that it was indeed a girl, was still another living breathing thinking person.
I now addressed the elephant in the room. I accessed the computer terminal and looked through the files. I found several files that had recently been added tried to read through the first one marked Subject 62, but found that it was in some weird code that I couldn’t read.
I took a moment to administer more med-x and health potions. I copied the files to my pipbuck and was turning to leave when I noticed the security camera. I’d seen security cameras throughout most of the facility. I ran from the basement, drank another health potion, and then searched for a control room. Night had almost fallen by the time I found the room.
Inside the small room was more than a dozen screens most of them having gone dark. I took a second to marvel that anything in this hell hole was still functional especially after being left on all this time, before I set to work logging into the system. After several failed attempts mixed with backing out of the system I took a moment to drink another potion. That is when I saw a plastic wrapped copy of Sword Mares tucked under the desk. I pocketed the comic for future reading before typing SwordMares into the terminal. I let out a whoop and began searching the recent security footage until I found what I was looking for. I saw a horse creature in a white lab coat punching things into the terminal and then plugging in her pipbuck into a jack in the computer. She was a mare with a horn making her a unicorn. She also had a Jolly Roger like butt tattoo of a unicorn’s skull over a crossed hammer and test tube.
*****
I sat staring into the fire and pondering the great questions of life. I had killed. I had murdered. I had eaten of the flesh of a living thinking sentient creature. I was no better than a cannibal. I was worse than most cannibals. I had desecrated the bodies of the slain and now wore their skin around like a trophy. I was a monster. Was it right to do this in order to survive? Did I need to kill in the first place? Is it ok because I didn’t know? Would it be ok after I stopped? The problem was that I hadn’t stopped, yet. I was still wearing that repulsive armor.
I leapt to my feet and began tugging and pulling at the armor trying to rip it off. I had made it to come off, so why didn’t it want to come off. I pulled until I hurt and even bled but it wouldn’t budge. I grabbed at my right sleeve and tried to just pull it back. Part of the top layer moved exposing something out of a nightmare. My skin was sealed to the demon skin and even to some of the metal above. I sat there stunned my tail flicking nervously.
Tail? I turned my head and stared at where I thought a tail had been. No tail. I can’t worry about these things now. If I do I shall go insane. I have to sleep and in the morning… What would I do in the morning. I would bury the dead. It was the only thing I could do. It was the right thing to do. I didn’t need any more food. I had already gorged myself on the flesh of man (sort of). I probably wouldn’t be able to ever eat again. In the morning I would honor my victims even the unicorn thing in the basement. And after that? After that I didn’t know what I’d do, but I would be damned if I let myself become the victim of another madman’s experiment.
My sleep was troubled by strange nightmares of more of the horse creatures. These ones spoke to me, but I couldn’t seem to understand what they were saying. It sounded like an apology of some sort. Then they put a mask with a funnel onto my face. After that the burning started across my entire body. I wanted to scream, to cry out, to say something, but my body refused to do anything. I just sat there staring forward as they made me drink some kind of accursed concoction.
I awoke with a start feeling pain flair across my shoulder blades and forehead. I took a moment to steady my breath. The rain had stopped, but the clouds remained casting a gloomy shadow over the entire world. Checking my pipbuck’s clock it appeared to be midmorning. I struggled to my feet, stretched, and then went to gather my equipment for the coming hunt. If my target didn’t bring me to her lab, but was still able to drag me around a city than it made sense to assume that my target didn’t have her lab in the city. That was probably for the best. If she was then I’d have to find her and demand an explanation. The truth was that I didn’t know where she was, and I couldn’t stay in Canterlot. I wasn’t going to eat anymore equine meat, and that was the only food that I could find in this city.
As I was pondering which way to go I heard a noise outside. It was the sound of gunfire.
I extinguished the remnants of my fire afraid that the smoke would give me away before slinking into the shadows by the large broken window. I cautiously peered out into the flooded street.
A crimson coated mare ran down the street and then into the building I was hiding in. One look at the occupant of the building quickly turned her around and had her running back into the street she’d just come from. And right into the arms of her pursuers.
A pair of bird like monsters landed outside the doorway. One held an automatic rifle while the other had a pair of revolvers holstered over his feline chest. Griffins! Real life griffins. Both of the noble predators wore black armor which bore a strange emblem. An image of an eagle’s claw divided down the middle by an ugly scar.
Checking my EFS revealed the presence of another Griffin. Who I now saw was perched upon the roof of a building across the street staring through the scope of a sniper rifle.
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to let me live?” The mare asked trying to sound upbeat as the two griffins calmly approached her.
“Lie down, don’t resist us and we’ll let you live a little longer.” The griffin with the automatic weapon spat. It took me a moment to grasp what was meant by this. Ok so not so noble birds after all.
“We have orders to bring Scar your head. You know as well as I do that if we fail than he’ll have our heads. That is, after all, the price for failure. A price that you now have to pay. I’m sorry Hay.” Said the griffin with the pistols. Oddly enough he actually sounded like he felt sorry about being sent to kill this mare.
“I didn’t fail, I deserted.” Isn’t that worse though? “Scar was working with raiders and slavers. I don’t regret ending my contract prematurely.” The mare stated defiantly lifting her head up high. It was at this point that I noticed that her eyes were different. The left one appeared to be normal blue, but the mare’s right eye stared unblinking and glowed a soft red. The mare’s red eye bothered me. Normal human and normal equine eyes, as far as I knew shouldn’t glow.
The two griffins just stood there. Pistol guy asked in his sad voice, “Does it really matter so long as we are allowed to live? Why couldn’t you have just finished out the contract and then gone into a different line of work someplace else?” Neither of them moved and this bothered me. Weren’t they here to kill this mare? The sniper!
I drew the 9mm I had found and crouched low so as to stay hidden. I aimed the gun at the sniper who was himself lining up a shot. I pulled the trigger several times in rapid succession until the sniper griffin fell onto the street. The griffin with the automatic rifle sent a spray of bullets into the building forcing me to keep my head down.
Meanwhile the mare and pistol griffin were having a scuffle. Somehow mechanical arms had sprouted from the mares back. What was this horse, a cyborg? She’d gotten ahold of one of the griffin’s revolvers, but before she could get off a shot the griffin backhanded her. The force of the blow knocked her to the ground and her shot went wild. Blood trailed from three parallel scratches that ran from her ear to her muzzle.
The other griffin was looking in through the window into the dark storefront trying to find me. I was still crouched by the window. If I moved he’d see me and then I’d be dead.
“Kill the bitch and let’s get out of here.” Growled the griffin I was watching. I took a deep breath readying myself for what I was about to do. And the griffin heard me quickly turning as I rose up firing a bullet almost point blank into his beak. He fell back most of his face destroyed and I fired another bullet mercifully ending him.
The griffin with the revolvers tossed something in through the window. I leapt out just in time to avoid being shredded by an explosion of shrapnel. I pointed the 9mm at the remaining griffin.
The clicking noise that followed made me regret granting the previous griffin any mercy. The griffin staring at me raised his remaining revolver. I charged at him and he shot me. The bullet ripped through my armor, through my bicep, and out the other side, but somehow I kept moving. He clawed at me, but I was only dimly aware of it. My vision had turned red and I could feel only a decadent primal rage. I drew out the scalpel and stabbed the griffin again and again until I collapsed next to the mare.
“Thank you.” She whispered. Then the world faded to black.
*****
I awoke feeling strangely numb. Checking the time I saw that I hadn’t been out for more than an hour. I sat up groggily.
“Careful. I wasn’t expecting you’d wake up for a good long while.” Said the mare who appeared to be rummaging through the medical box before emerging with a syringe in each of her metal claws. The claws themselves looked extremely deadly appearing very similar in design to the claws of the griffins we had just killed.
I looked down at myself seeing bandages wrapped around most of my midsection and around my left shoulder. “You patched me up.” I said and then added “Thank you talking horse demon.” I offered her a toothy smile.
“I wouldn’t really call it patching up. You’ll need to see a medical pony before you’ll be back to normal, but you’re welcome.” The mare said in a cheery tone while injecting herself with one of the syringes and then coming over and injecting me. In a few moments I felt the effects of the drug wash over me. It gave me the strength to stand, but made my head feel a little groggy. “Thank you talking monster, for saving me.”
“My name is Ulysses. You?” I said extending my hand.
“Haywire” She said grasping my hand with a metal claw.
We looted the bodies as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Funny, I had never thought myself capable of killing three people, and then looting their mangled corpses, while humming the overture of Carmina Burana. Well I had already become a serial killer that ran around wearing my victim’s skin and eating their flesh, so is robbing a corpse really all that bad in comparison? Nope didn’t think so. And on the bright side at least I’m still alive right.
Before long the mare set off toward some unknown parts. Figuring that she must know a safe way out of the city I resolved to follow her. After a few steps she turned back and, glancing between me and the corpses, seemed to make up her mind about something. She shrugged both her normal and mechanical shoulders before continuing onward and calling over her back, “Make sure you’ve got everything your gonna need. It’s a long way back to civilization.”
*****
A few hours later found us walking across a plain down a broad cobblestone road that had long since fallen into disrepair. My companion had been almost completely silent the whole way and would occasionally glance at me when she thought I wasn’t looking. For my part I was conflicted. Even if I’d only lived there for about a few days, the ruins of demon horse Camelot had become like a home to me. Oddly enough I could not remember having a home before waking up in that hospital. Perhaps it was trauma from my recent experiences, but I could remember very little of my past. All that I could remember were only indistinct fragments and scattered memories. The ruins had been something real and solid and now I was leaving them behind along with what had become my home.
The question remained what I was going to do. I had not buried the dead. The mare had insisted that we leave at once or we would quickly die of exposure to the pink mist and could not be dissuaded. Now we trudged on in silence neither of us daring to speak. She was a talking cybernetic demon horse and I was now a literal wolf in sheep’s skin. She cast another furtive glance my way and at last I’d had enough.
“See something you like?” I asked my tone hinting at my dark mood. She glanced away, but not before I got a look at her eyes. I can’t say how I could tell but there was no loathing there or fear or hatred, at least none directed at me.
“I’m sorry it’s just, well,” She looked back at me, “I don’t think I can bring you into town dressed like a psychopathic raider.”
“I’m a survivor, not a raider and my fashion isn’t one of choice.” I said defensively.
“So your saying that someone actually glued that hide to your body?” She asked skeptically.
“Eeyup”
“Oh,” We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. “Sorry then, I guess, I mean I can’t even imagine what kind of sick fuck would attach somepony else’s skin to another creature.”
“I would, and I did, and technically it is two skins not one.”
She mouthed an O then said, “I’m still not bringing you into town with me.” The awkward silence returned.
“So where are we headed anyway?” I asked hoping to get another landmark in this strange and unknown hellscape.
“A little farming village a couple miles northeast of here.” She made a vague gesture with her hoof in the direction we were currently heading, “The ponies there are good people by Equestrian Wasteland standards, but they aren’t exactly fond of outsiders.”
“All the more reason for me to stay out of town then.” I said. “I suppose that we’ll be parting ways after we get there.”
“If you want. I honestly wouldn’t mind having something like you around to watch my back.” She said. Hearing her words it seemed that she honestly wanted my company.
The silence returned as I contemplated what to do. I doubted a sane magic pony would want to associate itself with someone like me who had committed such wretched deeds, so this offer of companionship was surprising to say the least.
We made camp at around dusk. A golden light made the two of us turn from our work. In turning we beheld the Glory of the sun setting behind the once glorious city. The sight held us spellbound for several minutes and I found words come unbidden to my lips “A day shall come when sacred Troy shall perish, And Priam and his people shall be slain.” Such has indeed been the fate of all things mortal, but so also it must be that the ending of one chapter of history should be, but the prelude of another. Throughout mortal history there is only one thing that has remained true and unchanging. War. War never changes.
End of chapter one (Level Up)
Ulysses Haroldson
Level 1 Resident of Canterlot
Special
Strength 4 +2
Perception 6
Endurance 7 +1
Charisma 4 -3
Intelligence 6
Agility 7
Luck 6
(Download Complete: New statistic added Insanity Threshold)
Insanity Threshold 24%
Melee Weapons 13 + 7 / 100 Sneak 19 + 5 / 100 Small Guns 19 + 5 / 100
New Traits
Guiana Pig (1)-You have a permanent +1 to your damage threshold, +2 strength, and gain a substantial bonus to your insanity threshold. You also slowly regain limb condition and health while irradiated. Sometimes you will notice odd things about yourself like forgetting most of your life or you might occasionally have flashbacks to earlier points in your life.
Second Skin-You have been permanently fused to the skin of another creature. For some reason this seems to bother most people. Benefit +1 endurance, but -3 charisma penalty with non-allies, and you automatically receive the Terrifying Presence perk. Your armor condition can be slowly restored through exposure to radiation. You cannot remove your armor. You can however wear certain apparel over your current armor and negate the charisma penalty. The over apparel won’t be restored by radiation.
New Perks
Terrifying presence- In some conversations, you gain the ability to initiate combat while terrifying a mob of opponents, sending them fleeing away for safety or attacking you in fear of their lives.
Quest Perk - (Totally Not a) Cannibal- You can eat corpses to regain Health, but every time you feed, you lose Karma, and if the act is witnessed, it is considered a crime against nature.
Raiders in the Dark 1: Scouting the Options
It was a sunny day and I sat in a tree overlooking the little town of Plowton, situated on the edge of some far northern forest. A sniper rifle was tucked against my side and a sandwich in my hand. Living the good life, I thought while voraciously tearing into my vegie on cornbread sandwich. Haywire was in the town below talking with the farmers.
This wasn’t the first pony village that I’d seen, but rather the thirteenth. Each time we saw the same cobbled together huts or dilapidated buildings, the same stark eyed, suspicious ponies, and the same guns and pointy things pointed in our general direction. Well in Haywire’s direction. I was usually safe behind a grassy knoll or in a tree somewhere.
Each time Haywire would ask the same questions. Have any griffins been through here lately? No. How about unicorn with a hammer and test tube cutie mark? Thank you, Haywire for remembering me. No. How much for some food and water? We always carried more food than we’d need to get to the next town in case their demands were too steep. This had only happened twice, in the tenth and eleventh towns, and both were because of a drought.
We bartered for what foodstuffs we could get which if fresh were usually maize and maize products, using any of the junk from Canterlot that we didn’t think we’d need. We had already been forced to trade the automatic rifle in exchange for about two months’ worth of clean water. We would have also sold the 9mm except that it broke after about three uses. Apparently the decay from the pink cloud had crept into the pistol and its mechanisms making the entire device dangerously fragile. I count myself fortunate that when the pistol did brake it didn’t injure me too badly.
It looked like this was another of the towns which we wouldn’t be trading with, I thought as Haywire strode back down the road. It was the first real road that either of us had seen in weeks. We had abandoned the Canterlot road weeks ago, as soon as my companion had decided that she knew a better way to escape this Scar griffins and the crazy unicorn scientist with her strange tribal mark.
I clambered down from the tree and ran to meet her, being sure to keep myself out of sight of the townsfolk. “So on a scale of one to ten, how willing to trade are they?” I asked sauntering up to my pony pal.
“Zero. They refuse to trade with anyone until the local raiders have been dealt with.” Up until this point I hadn’t seen a raider despite more than three weeks of travel. Apparently these raiders were supposed to be very common, but if they were than we must have been doing something wrong or we were just very lucky. We had however run into a plethora of wild animals many of them with a taste for pony flesh so perhaps they ate any ponies they found outside the small and isolated agrarian communities.
“Great, I have been hoping to get a look at these fearsome savages.” I said taking another bite of my sandwich. “Did they give us directions?”
“Simmer down.” Said Haywire holding up a hoof. “These aren’t your ordinary raiders. In fact I think it might be best if we pass this town by altogether.” This puzzled me as my companion seemed to enjoy helping people.
“What makes these raiders so special?” I said now lowering my sandwich.
“Apparently these raiders have gotten ahold of magical energy weapons and stealth bucks.” She said with a shiver.
“Oh. So they have some kind of super special, high tech magic stuff.” Now this peaked my interest. High tech magic stuff could be useful for future endeavors.
“Yes and since neither of us has any experience fighting invisible enemies…”
“I do.” I interrupted. To answer her skeptical look I explained, “Back in Canterlot there was this blue horned Pegasus. Or would it be a winged unicorn? Either way its dead now.”
“You killed an Alicorn?” asked the mare, shocked. I filed away the word Alicorn, in case I ever met another one.
“It was crazy and hostile. I had no choice. It threatened me so it had to die.” I couldn’t understand why she seemed so shocked. She knew I had already murdered innocent people. I was literally wearing their skin, so it was kind of hard to forget.
“Oh no, I’m not accusing you of anything.” She took a breath steady herself, “I’m just surprised. Those things are supposed to be like gods. How did you kill it?”
“I chopped it up.” I said thinking back to the moment, “It wasn’t really all that hard. Yes it had magic and could turn invisible, but in the end it was flesh and blood like you and me.”
“Okay, so let’s say that we did fight these raiders. How would we do it?” Asked Haywire, who still sounded like she wasn’t entirely onboard with the idea.
“First, before we can make an actual plan of action, we’d need to have an idea of how many raiders we’ll be dealing with and how many of them are using these magic watcha macall its.”
“Stealth Bucks. And how do you plan on counting these raiders without first killing them all?”
“Reconnaissance.”
“Reconnaissance? They’re invisible. They are invisible crazy murderous psychos armed with some of the best weapons that money can buy! And even if you knew where they were hiding, how in Luna’s name will you survive going near them? The moment they see you, they’ll kill you.”
“Eeyup. Reconnaissance. I figure that these raiders have to sleep at some point and probably won’t be using their Stealth Bucks while they’re doing it. As for getting close to them, leave that to me. So, did the townsfolk give you any directions to their hideout?” Haywire sighed in exasperation, but decided not to argue.
*****
Apparently Haywire hadn’t even asked. When she went back into town to get directions I also had her ask for a few tools that I’d need in order to get close to the raider base of operations. Apparently they were holed up in an abandoned asylum little more than a mile Southwest of the village and inside of the forest. We weren’t supposed to fight the raiders as they had taken hostages, but the townsfolk dubiously accepted the offer to find out more about the raiders. So far all that was known about them was that they were invisible, they had magical energy weapons, and they were led by a pegasus named Silver Wing who’d made unreasonable demands from the townsfolk in exchange for the return of the hostages. To prove that he was serious about getting what he wanted he had crucified one of the hostages and would continue to execute hostages until his demands were met.
Within the hour we were headed out into the deep dark forest on the edge of town. I had decided to enter it from a roundabout point in case the raiders had left an invisible scout watching the town. Haywire thought that it was a ridiculous precaution, but she was also the one who had been saying it was too dangerous to even be meddling with these raiders. I chose to error on the side of caution on this occasion.
As soon as we found a suitable tree I flung a long rope with a weight tied to one end over one of the lower branches. As the weighted end of the rope came tumbling down to earth I grabbed onto the opposite length of rope. My cyborg companion then grabbed onto the rope with her claws and hauled me up into the tree branches. From this point on I would be operating alone.
Using my pipbuck to get my bearings I saw that I would have to travel due south about two miles. Taking out another length of rope I secured a grappling hook to the end and tossed it onto a nearby tree in the general direction of south. After checking to make sure it was secure I used it to swing across. I repeated this process, occasionally checking my pipbuck’s automap, slowly and painfully making my way towards the asylum.
At last I arrived at the edge of a clearing and my pipbuck marked the place as the Plowton Insane Asylum. I didn’t dare come any closer for fear of being spotted by an unseen sentry and instead opted to wait until nightfall. I got out an issue of Sword Mares and started reading.
As the sun was setting I crept over to the edge of the branches and peered out. The shadows had lengthened to the point where I would be completely invisible, unless they were sitting on top of me. I have to admit that the Plowton Insane Asylum and base camp for a group of invisible blood thirsty killers was a little underwhelming.
A twenty foot wrought iron fence surrounded a compound consisting of four buildings. It looked like there were two barracks, some kind of visitor’s center, and a building that I couldn’t identify that was more than twice the size of even the visitor’s center. All of the buildings had the same fading paint and broken windows that I’d come to associate with the modern or rather postmodern world of the demon horse.
What made the place underwhelming was that most of the buildings were painted in bright and garish colors with posters of smiling ponies peeling off the walls. The asylum in its current state looked more welcoming than the creepy that one would associate with the words asylum and invisible blood thirsty killers. There was even a huge sign in the front featuring a smiling white unicorn with a flowing rainbow mane and the words “Welcome To the Plowton Institute for the Criminally Insane Where Dreams Come True!”
The current inhabitants had done their very best to make their new home look more formidable by adding bloody graffiti to every available surface including the sign, which now featured several grim threats about torture and anal rape. The raiders had also put the skulls of two ponies up on the gate to their little village, but the pastel colored heads barely provided any contrast with their background. In the middle of the courtyard was an erected cross with a dead mare attached. More startling than the sight was the fact that I was unaffected, but then again I had lost more sleep reading Sword Mares than by wearing and sleeping in the skin of two dead ponies. In my defense Sword Mares had a good plot.
The raiders themselves looked little different from the town ponies except that most of them had odd glowing weapons and glowing devices attached to their fore hooves. They were also armored and their armor looked piecemeal and spiky, but aside from that they looked like ordinary ponies.
Three of these raiders were roasting some kind of winged lion over a large fire. There were several moving in and out of the barracks. Full told I guessed there were about a dozen or so in the camp. I watched and waited as they came out of their barracks and gathered around the fire to eat. I noted that while raiders came and went from the visitor’s center there were always at least three who were inside it. I didn’t see their Pegasus leader anywhere and assumed that he must also be inside of this building.
I also noted that while the raiders went about between the barracks and visitors center they seemed to shun the large building and had even made a makeshift barricade around the door with bits of scrap and cinder blocks.
There were also two sentries who had taken up their positions on the roof of one of the larger buildings and in a single guard tower on the opposite side of the compound. I only saw them because they became visible long enough to get a slice of lion from their compatriots. The pony at the top of the tower appeared to have a sniper rifle while the pony on the roof of the building had an assault rifle. Both were attached to what I had learned was called a battle saddle.
Now I had information to deliver to the townsfolk. About a nine raiders on the ground, at least three constantly in the visitor’s center probably guards, two sentries and one leader for a total of fifteen raiders.
I carefully made my way back to the departure point remembering the scrapes and bruises that I had received simply getting to the asylum. As I approached my starting position, I heard the sounds of violence. Following the sounds I brought out my sniper rifle and turned on the night scope. I couldn’t make anything out other than rapid movement.
The sound of twin revolvers rang out and the movement stopped. My breath caught in my throat as I stared into the eyes of a predator as it let out a howl of pain. I was shaken by the sight but managed to fire twice and the creature’s howl turned into a pitiful squeak. The rifle dropped from nerveless fingers and clattered to the base of the tree. The predator heard it land.
I saw movement as the creature turned and then charged towards the tree I was in. Within a moment I could see the beast and a
moment later it was scaling the side of the tree. Trembling I drew the machete and nearly dropped that as well. The creature backhanded me from the tree and I fell a dozen feet to the ground below. I felt blood on my face, and as I tried to rise my chest seemed to catch fire.
The sniper rifle was out of reach and in the fall I’d dropped the machete. I couldn’t pull out my axe quickly enough as it was strapped across my back. All I had was a scalpel to fight a massive predator. The creature I was fighting now leapt down from the tree and stalked towards me with a noticeable limp. I raised the scalpel towards the creature in front of me who was now revealed by some eerie and unseen light. I could now see that it was a winged lion like the one that the raiders were eating except that now I also saw its scorpion tail.
The Manticore approached me brazenly. It wasn’t intimidated by my puny weapon and could smell my uncontrolled fear. The world seemed to infinitely slow down as I defiantly slashed towards it, but I knew I was a dead man. The creature accepted the stroke and I now saw in its eyes that it was in some kind of blood rage. It would gladly take a dozen slashes from my scalpel if it could get in a single strike against me. I didn’t get another shot with the scalpel as its tail lashed out like a striking serpent, and I felt a sharp pain in my arm followed by numbness flowing from the point of impact. Just as the creature was about to rake at me with its claws the sound of a sniper rifle sounded from only a few feet away.
I was barely cohesive by that point and only remember a frantic run through the woods, a collision, a gunfight, and then bright lights. Bright lights were shining all around me.
*****
I hurt so much that I wanted to cry out. I tried to move my lips, but no sound came out. I couldn’t move my mouth or any other part of my body. I was on a table again and now I saw that there were ponies all around me. Many of the ponies around me were unicorns. The one closest to me held a vial in her purple levitation field. A mask with a funnel was lowered over my face.
“Hold him down!” Shouted a gray maned unicorn satllion who levitated a syringe in his magic. The light had changed now to a dim red. There was no mask over my face.
“What’s going on here? By the goddess what is that thing?!” Shouted another voice. They were too loud. Why did they have to be so loud?
“Stay back! He’s with the traveler.” Said the unicorn as if that was enough of an explanation. I dimly noted that he was one of only three ponies in the room.
“I’ve got him doc.” Said another voice. This one was calm and feminine. With a start I realized it was Haywire and I tried to rise to see her and be sure that the manticore hadn’t gotten her as well. The keyword being tried for I soon found myself restrained with a pair of hooves and mechanical arms. I struggled for a moment before the doctor was able to reach me. Even after he injected me with something I continued to fight. Resistance was futile, but as if I cared. After a few long minutes of fighting I started to feel very sleepy and knew no more.
When I awoke I found that I was no longer being restrained. I was also no longer on a table, but rather on a tattered couch. A quilt was covering most of my body from the neck down. It conveniently also covered my gray fur coat. I felt a slight ache in my chest and found it to be covered with bandages. Closer examination however revealed that with the exception of some minor scarring I had made a full recovery so I carefully folded the bandages and standing, laid them out neatly on the floor.
Looking around I saw Haywire asleep at the foot of the couch. “Some friend you’ve got there. Most folk, even decent folk wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of fighting their way back to the nearest town to get you treatment for your injuries.” I looked up to see the man or rather the pony from earlier. This wasn’t the unicorn doctor, but rather the pony who’d barged in. He was based on the ponies I’d seen so far a tall and well-built earth pony stallion, but at the same time he also wasn’t burly by earth pony standards. His coat was tan and his mane was a rust color. His voice was gruff and somewhat deep, but it was far from being baritone.
“She is isn’t she?” I said pensively.
“The names Sun Flare.” He said extending a hoof.
I assumed he intended to do something like a fist bump, so I brought my fist up to meet his which he shook fiercely albeit somewhat awkwardly, “Ulysses Haroldson”
“I heard her story about how raiders had glued the skin of dead ponies to your body.” He said conversationally.
“Um. Yes.” I said never having heard this story. It had to be made up. Perhaps Haywire wanted me to go along with it, so that we wouldn’t get chased out of town. I suppose it is the least I could do for her after the whole her saving my life stuff.
“I also know that it is a load of minotaur shit. Monsters like you don’t deserve friends like her.” He said looking me in the eye.
I gazed into his bright golden eyes and said, my voice firm, “Maybe not, but It sounds to me like you trust her. As soon as she found out that the organization that she was working for had some rather unethical business practices she quit, even though she knew it could get her killed. She is currently on the run from those slavers and raiders. As for me, it would be laughably easy for her to get rid of me, just tell the people in the next town that she is being chased by a big scary monster and then I’m dead. My friend, Haywire, has let me stay with her, because she trusts me. If you trust her, and she trusts me, than you should trust me.”
He averted his eyes and fidgeted for a moment as if unsure of himself. “I trust her to do what she has to do to survive.” he looked up at me again, “She said you had an idea abought how to fix our raider problem and were busy scouting when you’d been attacked.”
“Yes. I estimate that there were only about fifteen or so raiders in the group.”
“Fifteen huh. Well it could have been worse. I’ve heard about much larger groups up North closer to the trade routes.” He made a motion using his hoof like a human scratching his chin and I noticed some prominent fur on his chin that vaguely resembled a goatee. “Fifteen is still more than we can handle in a firefight, especially on their turf. How many have stealthbucks?”
“All that I could see, but only two of the ones I was watching were actually using them.”
“And exactly how many could you see.” He asked skeptically.
“I could see fourteen. Of those fourteen every single one of them had a glowing device on their foreleg and glowing green weapons.” I didn’t understand what he didn’t understand about what I’d told him.
“In the Sun’s name how on earth did they get ahold of so many stealthbucks and energy weapons?” Now I understood.
“Stranger things have happened. The important thing is that We are going to have to find a way to kill all fifteen of these raiders.” I said putting an emphasis on the we. These ponies had helped me and I wasn’t going to forget that or leave them to fight fifteen invisible magic ponies on their own.
“All too true,” he said looking at me, “What about the hostages? And did We find anything else out about our enemy?”
Noting his emphasis on the word we, I replied “I didn’t see the hostages, unless you count the three ponies that they murdered, but there were always at least three raiders inside the visitors center.”
“So they left some of them alive then, although I suppose that the hostages probably wish they were dead. I’ve been there before when I was a colt. Visitor’s centers the big round one at the entrance?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see any of their sentries, or were they all invisible?” He asked.
“Only two, one on the roof and a sniper in the tower. Do you have a plan?”
“Yes, but we’d need a way to get most of the raiders out of there in order to do it.”
“In order to do that we’d need even more information about these raiders, information that we couldn’t get from just watching them from a distance.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Said the stallion, now smiling, “There are actually sixteen raiders. Your friend ran into one just outside of town.”
“Is she alright?” I asked suddenly very concerned.
“He is fine. We’ve got him in an old storage shed around the back.” Said Sun pretending to misunderstand me.
“I meant my friend, Haywire.” I said gesturing in the mare’s direction.
“I know. And if you want to know than why don’t you ask her.” Sun Flare said also gesturing towards my friend who I now saw was drowsily wiping sleep from her eyes with her mechanical claws. I will never understand how she can do that, only one of her eyes is cybernetic.
Sun and I left the doctor’s house where I had apparently been staying. Haywire stayed behind with the unicorn doctor as he fussed over what she considered to be flesh wounds. Sun gave me the sentry’s stealthbuck and had me invisibly accompany him around the unusually large house to the back.
It was the oddest experience trying to walk without being able to see your body. It was insanely disorienting and I felt unsteady on my feet. Despite all this I soldiered through like a roman and I was even able to do some sightseeing during our short trip.
The town was built around a hill with the doctor’s house situated on the top. Apparently he was part of the original family that had lived there and his house now hosted town council meetings. This part didn’t surprise me. No, what surprised me was that this town was easily as large as three or four of the previous towns that we’d visited combined. Where all the other towns we’d seen looked more like hamlets, this place actually looked like a real and functioning town. The reason I hadn’t seen all this from my perch in the tree was simply because the hill with the doctor’s house was in the way.
Around the back we came upon a small shed that was made out of bits of metal welded together. It looked like typical post war construction and was slightly asymmetrical. Sun knocked five times on the door and then twice. The other pony I’d seen in the room with me, this one also a unicorn, opened the door for him levitating beside him a cowboy repeater. He was a lanky, albeit slightly muscular, unicorn stallion with a light blue coat. “Storm Breeze” said Sun and I saw that the unicorn’s long mane was the gray of storm clouds interspersed with white and yellow streaks.
Storm wore a white cowboy hat and some kind of weird but matching white ceremonial flank garment. While fashionable the garment also looked somewhat spartan as if there was something that was left to be desired about it. It took me several moments of thinking about it before I realized it was also supposed to be a dress. A moment after my revelation the transvestite spoke, “Is the ‘raider victim’ with ya”. He did little air quotes when he said the words raider victim.
“Yes, I’m here. Mind inviting us inside?” I spoke up from right beside the stallion’s ear. I shall admit that I was pleased by how high he jumped although I was less pleased by the unwelcome sight that I soon beheld. As the door guard reclaimed his dignity I made sure to avert my eyes from sights I did not wish to behold.
“Celestia buck. Why’d ya have to go scarin me like that?” He asked to nowhere in particular. After a moment he said, “Fine come on in if ya must. The prisoner has so far been uncooperative.”
“I bet I can make him talk.” I brazenly declared.
“We ain’t gonna torture him.” Said the unicorn, and then less certainly, “Right Flare?”
“We’ll do what we must.” Said Sun Flare walking towards a motionless figure chained up in the dimly lit rear of the shed. “It’s up to you, trash, do we need to torture you?”
“Torture me if you must, but I will never tell.” Said the raider in an evil voice, and then appended, “Townie Scum.”
“Yes. Yes. You’re really tough,” I turned to my companions saying, “I can take it from here.” Storm made as if to object, but he was quickly silenced by a look from Sun who I assumed to be of some kind of high rank like mayor or sheriff.
The prisoner seemed unaware that I was even there until that point. This time he was faster with his comeback, “Think you’re tough just cause your invisible. Your pathetic attempts at intimidation are laughable.” After saying this he proceeded to do just that, laugh. In the meantime my companions vacated the premices leaving the two of us to my own devices.
As soon as the door was closed the room became almost pitch black. I turned off the stealthbuck and waited for our eyes to adjust to the light. In the mean time I said nothing.
As his eyes adjusted the raider stopped laughing. I could tell that he was slightly put off by my appearance although I couldn’t be sure. Neither of us could clearly make out the other. “Oh you’re a hellhound.” He said his voice quivering ever so slightly, but within a moment his tough guy attitude was back, “So what did the townies offer you to work for them? Do they let you lick up their scraps and call you a good dog? Do they rut your arse when they can’t find a cow’s? Oh no. They,”
His next words jumped off a cliff and into the pit of his stomach, along with his fighting spirit, in the very instant I turned on the light of my pipbuck. A crimson glow filled the room and in the red light my armor looked blood stained. I looked into the raider’s eyes as he took in my appearance and the mangled corpses that had become my one-z. A finely honed ax was strapped across my back and the ornamental machete was sheathed at my side. In my left hand I held my surgical scalpel freshly sterilized by my new unicorn host.
I approached him determined to creep him out to the best of my ability. Hopefully I won’t have to torture this wretched pony, I thought bitterly, and briefly considered what kind of fate must have forced him into this sordid life of banditry and murder. Then the thought was gone. I had a job to do if I was to save all the ponies who’d been taken hostage.
“Do you know how I came by this marvelous armor?” I asked shoving my pipbuck under his nose. I admit that the effect would have been magnified if my armor had decayed at all during my travels, but instead it had become more wholesome looking, until at times I imagined that it was the skin of a still living creature. To my question, the raider’s response was a rapid headshake.
“I think you’re lying to me.” I said bringing the scalpel out and then letting the edgeless part of the blade dance lightly along the bandit’s spine. He shivered, pricked himself and then shrieked. I winced seeing the look of hurt in his eyes, but I also saw that his defenses that hadn’t already crumbled due to his imprisonment were starting to give way to the fear and the shock of seeing me.
“Skin. You skinned ponies.” He said shaking slightly.
“How many did I skin you little rodent?” I asked. He just stared not seeming to understand. “How many of your kind did I skin? Tell me meat.”
“One.” He said and cringed as I brought my scalpel to rest gently beside his groin.
“Strike one. You have two more guesses or mister happy gets it.”
I heard him muttering, “Not one, not one.” Before he at last said, “Two. You’re such a large creature it would take two to cover you.” I considered giving him anther strike for the large creature comment, before deciding it must have been his way of giving a compliment. Looks like he might be willing to talk now, I thought relieved.
“Very large creature.” I said and he echoed it.
“Very large, scary, pony eating creature.”
Again he echoed it although this time he asked dubiously “You eat ponies?”
I forced back memories of when I gorged myself on the flesh of living breathing thinking creatures like the one before me. “I tell you, you’ve never lived until you’ve dined upon the flesh of pony.” But he couldn’t know that while you’ve never lived until you’ve eaten the sweet flesh of pony, part of you also dies inside for each and every bite. “Do you really want to bet your own flesh, that I don’t eat the meat of an animal like you?” He shivered in fear. “Now repeat after me; very large, scary, pony eating, and working for the highest bidder.”
As he was echoing these words he tripped over the highest bidder part. “What is this about highest bidder.”
“The townies are offering me a lot of food. Do you think that you and your little band of raiders can beat that offer.”
“Yes! Come work with us. I promise three meals with fresh meat every day and some of the best tech in the entire wasteland. Just get me out of here. Oh what I’d give to see the sun again.”
“How do I know that they’ll take me?” I asked doubting his offer.
“Trust me, one look at you and Silver will make you his right hand pony!” I knew that he was exaggerating, but his next words surprised even me, “You don’t belong here among these town ponies. You don’t belong where there are stupid rules and sheriffs. Come join us. You’ll be free. We raiders look after our own, if we like them,” and then laughing, this time a genuine hearty laugh, “Or if they can scare us shittless with a look. Tia’s Teats, Silver Wing will love you.” While I had decided from the start not to take any of the raider’s offers, his monologue had given me an idea.
“I’ll make sure you get some sunlight.” I said turning for the door. Opening it, I turned toward the prisoner and flashed him a winning smile “it’s the least I can do for all the help you’ve given Us.” Turning toward Storm who stood by the door I asked, holding up my scalpel, “Do you have a cloth I can use to get rid of these grease stains.” Everyone just looked at me completely bewildered.
Haywire came up at that moment, “What did I miss?” she asked curiously looking between me and the ponies around me. Seeing the scalpel she used her mechanical arms to snatch it away. “Were you rubbing this all over a wet dog?” She wiped down the surgical knife, disinfected it, before wiping it down again. “You should really take better care of your things.” She said passing me the knife. “So, what did I miss?”
“At last my scalpel has been liberated from the foul smells of an unwashed raider pony.” I said dramatically, before with a flourish putting the scalpel into a hidden section of my armor where it would be safe. “As for what you missed, our raider friend gave me an idea. Gather round kids, it’s planning time.”
We argued for nearly an hour over the best course of action, thankfully hidden from the sight of the townsfolk, inside of the Doctor’s large. The plan was as follows. I would let myself be captured by raiders and earn their trust. If I got any opportunities to either help the hostages or weaken the raiders without compromising my position within their ranks I was to take it.
I would work to convince the raiders to infiltrate the town in order to acquire some mysterious pre-war artifact. Apparently this relic was extremely dangerous and the raiders wanted to trade the hostages for the dangerous relic. The relic would of course be moved, but additional guards would be posted around one of the pre-war warehouse’s to create the impression that the relic was hidden there.
The raiders might have also been willing to participate in a hostage exchange even if they didn’t leave. When Haywire asked the towns ponies why they hadn’t tried to negotiate one Flare’s response was simply that they didn’t negotiate with raiders.
While I was infiltrating the raiders, Haywire would work with Storm to prepare the trap and then Storm and the Doctor would organize the defense of the town. When I would be heading out to get captured, Flare would lead a small group of some of the best trained militia from the town into the forest and set up camp in a secret place nearby.
The defenders would fire up a flare to signal them when the trap had been sprung. By that point it would be too late for the raiders to do anything except run away. Flare would then storm the compound and eliminate the remaining raiders at their base, and then he’d kill any others who came in. Without a base or living compatriots, he hoped that the raiders would be inclined towards running for the hills.
This third part had been his original plan from the start, but my idea to put someone inside the enemy ranks, he said, greatly improved his chances of success and allowed us to split up the enemy. Raiders he said are best handled when in small groups.
The reason we thought that they would be willing to try and infiltrate the town to steal the relic was simple. Because they were outlaws, they would naturally try to take what they wanted. First they would try using force like what they had done with the hostages. If that didn’t work or proved to be too difficult and they were very determined than they’d settle for more subtle methods like infiltration via stealthbucks. If both of these didn’t work or were too difficult and no other options made themselves available than the next best course of action would be for the raiders to separate themselves from the problem and find easier prey elsewhere.
Haywire thought that this would be difficult, because she believed that these raiders were being employed by somebody. So long as their employer or their employer’s agents still had power over the situation than they’d likely try to get the raiders to fight to the death. This was part of the reason why I would be placed within the raider’s ranks.
My only job really was just to survive long enough to convince the raiders that the relic was hidden in the warehouse without being too obvious about it and to also convince them that they’ll want to keep their hostages alive until then. I expected that I would fail dismally and a lot of people would get hurt, but I swallowed my fears. I whispered the mantra, “We have nothing to fear accept fear itself” to myself all night, but it did nothing to quite my nerves.
End of Chapter 2 (Level Up)
Ulysses
Level 2 Raider for Hire
Insanity 16%
Speech 13 +11 / 100 Sneak 24 + 6 / 100
Haywire
Level 4 Wanderer
Special
Strength 6 +2
Perception 6
Endurance 5 +2
Charisma 6
Intelligence 5
Agility 7
Luck 4
Small Guns 40 + 5 / 100 Unarmed 20 + 5 / 100 Medicine 15 + 5 / 100
Traits
Extreme Cybernetic Enhancements-You have received mechanical upgrades that not only enhance the ordinary functions of your body, but also provide you with additional limbs making you just a little overpowered. +2 to strength and endurance. + 10 unarmed. +10% experience to increase in level.
Fast Shot-You don't have time to aim for a targeted attack, because you attack faster than normal people. It costs you one less action point to use guns and thrown weapons.
Raiders in the Dark 2 Seeking Asylum
I trudged down a rain soaked and roughhewn trail. I was wet and miserable although for entirely separate reasons. I was being sent on a suicide mission into the enemy camp and if I failed than a lot of good townsponies were going to die. Then as soon as I thought that my situation couldn’t get any worse it started raining. If that wasn’t bad enough, as evening crept on, I started to see the red eyes of the vicious bat race appropriately named bloodwings, staring down at me. The bat like creatures however would keep their distance. It seemed that they knew to keep their distance from obviously more dangerous predators or that they thought I wasn’t even worth the effort to kill.
I checked my pipbuck to see how much further I would need to go before I was in sight of the gates to the asylum compound. Not far I thought, just another minute or two. As I looked up I saw a funny looking gun pointed at my face. The gun was held by a claw and as I followed the claw up I saw the beaked face of a griffin. “Don’t move,” purred the majestic beast. Resisting both my impulses to get an even closer look and to jump back in terror, I instead took a steadying breath and looked around. I was surrounded by three of the raider ponies equipped like the ones whom I had seen earlier and a griffin who I hadn’t seen. This brought the raider count back up to sixteen.
“By Celestia, that dog really is wearing pony skin!” said one of the raiders in a gruff voice. He was a unicorn stallion with a mucus green coat and slightly darker mane and tail. His face looked deformed with gross flaps of skin creating the impression of a mustache and tentacled beard. His eyes however appeared as simply large black orbs. The pony had no chin to speak of.
“I don’t think that’s a hellhound, Squid Face.” said a mare, addressing the mucus green pony. Squid Face seemed like an appropriate name for the mustached creature. The mare who had addressed Squid Face was tall and young, with a lean body and black coat and mane. There was a white stripe running through her mane and down her charcoal tail. She had a battle saddle and instead of an energy pistol she had attached to the saddle a minigun and what looked like a grenade launcher. She was also a Pegasus and I hadn’t seen any Pegasi during my earlier scouting mission. I also would have remembered seeing a pony as distinctive as Squid Face. This meant that there were at least eighteen raiders unless this mare was Silver Wing. “What are you?” asked the mare sounding genuinely curious.
“I am an American.” I proudly proclaimed. The raiders stared at me perplexed. Clearly they had never heard of America.
“I’ve never killed a Merican before.” said the griffin smiling evilly.
“Good, than I won’t have to kill you, yet.” I said smiling right back.
“Omega!” Admonished the mare. “Silver Wing said he wants anyone we capture to be brought to him.”
“And I say we kill him here.” Said Omega keeping the gun leveled with my head. “What if he’s here to free the hostages, or worse what if he’s here to kill your oh so wonderful father figure?”
“With what? The American only has an ax and a sword. Do you doubt our leader’s ability to defend himself from a mere mutant armed with low tech weapons?” It was true that I was only equipped with the machete, fire ax, and of course my trusty scalpel which was currently hidden up my sleeve. I had left the sniper rifle back in Plowton and in the care of Haywire. If the plan worked than she would need it more than I would.
Omega didn’t answer the question instead choosing to ask, “What if he’s working for the townsponies?” The other three raiders looked between me and Omega before breaking down into snickers.
“You really think that the townsponies would recruit a creature that runs around wearing the skin of dead ponies? That sounds like something that we’d do.” said Squid Face, his tentacle like flesh wriggling about as he chuckled.
“Are you?” I asked seeing my chance.
“Are we what?” asked Omega.
“Are you hiring?” I asked.
“We are, but No Americans Need Apply.” said Omega, sending one of the many pains of the Irish through me.
Looking at me funny, the Pegasus said “I think we should let Silver Wing decide that.” The other ponies surrounding me nodded in agreement.
“What if an accident happ,” Omega didn’t finish his sentence before a minigun and two faintly glowing energy pistols were pointed towards him.
The second pistol was held awkwardly in the mouth of a silt black earth pony stallion who grunted something like “Don’t even think about it.”
“My employers won’t be happy when they hear of this.” Said Omega. The two pistol wielding raiders looked uncertainly between the mare and Omega.
“No they won’t.” Said the mare before appending, “They won’t like to hear that their representative would risk the whole mission and their precious relic all because he didn’t like the look of a prospective recruit.”
“On your own head be it.” Said the griffin, “but Hawke, mark my words, this creature is trouble.”
The griffin lowered his gun and we walked as a group down towards the compound with Omega leading the way. The Pegasus mare walked beside me, with Squid Face taking up the rear. The last raider turned invisible again and returned to sentry duty.
“I’m sorry about Omega. He isn’t actually part of our band.” said the mare. “I’m Black Hawke” she said proffering a hoof. I made the hoof bump shake motion again, this time much less awkwardly.
“Ulysses,” The mare nodded before continuing.
“So you want to join the Silver Wing Slicer Family?” Family? I briefly wondered if all the raiders I’d seen were related in some strange way. Perhaps the only way to join was to marry into the family. That would make my mission even more awkward and my eventual betrayal all the more painful. Seeing my expression the mare laughed. “Oh no, we aren’t related that way.”
“Well, I’m alone and out of a job, so yes, I suppose I would like to join up with your raider family.” Thinking about what could happen if Silver Wing didn’t accept me, I added, “That is if Silver Wing shall accept me.”
“He will, after all he offered to let Omega join the family, even after meeting him.” Black Hawke assured me, albeit at the slight expense of my pride. We shared a laugh, although I laughed more out of relief. The argument that Silver Wing would let less qualified individuals into the band had done a lot to help reassure me. Omega looked back scowling and we laughed again with Squid Face joining in with his own hearty, gurgling laugh.
As we came to the compound the large heavy gates swung open and I was marched toward the center of the compound. The raiders all gathered around us watching intently as I was brought onto a raised platform in front of the crucified mare. I noticed two things about the dead mare. First, that she was actually a striped zebra, and secondly, that there was an unusually greater quantity of blood over her private areas. I didn’t want to know what that implied about her fate.
Black Hawke sprinted off and several other raiders, these ones unicorns levitated chairs out of the barracks. In ten seconds flat all the raiders present were seated and a massive tarp depicting a sunny afternoon had been draped over all our heads. I was even given a large, clean, sky blue towel with a picture of six seemingly random ponies, an oversized iguana, and the words “Plowton Institute for the Criminally Insane Where Dreams Come True!”
When Black Hawke reemerged she was accompanied by a much older Pegasus, this one obviously Silver Wing. Silver Wing had a charcoal gray coat with a silver white mane and tail both cut military fashion. His pinions were silver and he wore clean and simple black barding that was accented with a pair of silver medals. His tribal tattoo was of a burnt black cloud and a similar thunderbolt. It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen the tribal marks of any of the other raiders. As I looked around the only other symbol or insignia I could see was one on the griffin’s armor. The dead zebra mare appeared to have had her mark cut off with a knife. Even the tribal marks on the posters and paintings had been covered up, using blood, knives, and fire of course.
I didn’t know what this meant, but I decided I would find out before I led these raiders into the trap that I had waiting for them. It was obviously important to the Silver Wing Slicers and therefore it was the least that I could do for them, what with the whole infiltration and backstabbing that I was about to do.
I stood from the seat that had been provided for me by the raiders as a sign of respect to their leader. Silver Wing walked up, looking very official despite his plain black barding. He stood opposite me and extended a hoof which I accepted, now somewhat accustomed to the peculiar form of greeting. My hand was almost shaking, but as I looked Silver Wing in the eye I found some inner strength to steady myself. With a firm hoofshake I said cordially, “My name is Ulysses Haroldson, sir. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Silver Wing nodded at my hoofshake and then he took his seat and I soon followed suit.
“The pleasure is mine, but there is no need to be so formal. As I am sure you already know, my name is Silver Wing, the leader of the Silver Wing Slicers.” He had an odd way of sitting that was different from the way that I had seen any pony sit up until this point. It seemed if anything somewhat human with back legs out in front and forehooves clasped in his lap. “Now I hear that you’re looking to join the family. Is that true?”
“Yes,” I had to force myself to omit the sir, but decided that it would still be best to maintain a professional appearance. I was thankful that I had had the opportunity to clean myself up a little before meeting with the raider chief.
Silver Wing smirked maniacally “Well then before we decide if you have what it takes to be part of the Silver Wing Slicers, why don’t you first tell us about yourself.” Sensing a loaded question I took a brief moment to formulate a response.
“This world is alien to me, a couple weeks ago I woke up in a city called Canterlot. I killed a few ponies with my machete and ax. This here’s the skin of two of them. I also killed a few mercs on my way over here along with a few dozen wild animals. You know, whatever it takes to survive, right?” I said trying to sound like a gun for hire. Thinking about it, I decided that so far, I probably didn’t seem any better than a common cut throat, especially to the pony in front of me who was probably a professional killer. Maybe being a common cut throat could get me the job, but I needed to do better. I needed to become somebody that these raiders could trust and rely upon before they started killing anymore hostages, or
Flare got too impatient waiting and launched the surprise attack ahead of schedule. I continued, “Probably the most dangerous creature I have ever killed was a blue Alicorn.”
I was interrupted as every one of the assembled raiders who had steadily been growing more restless, now rose up shouting. “Objection!” cried out one raider stallion with a particularly spiky mane.
Silver Wing quieted them with a raised hoof before turning to me, “It is true that we Slicers sometimes like to exaggerate our accomplishments, but you go too far”.
“But it is the truth,” I said, surprised that he would doubt my sincerity, especially when I was literally fused to the skin of some of my victims.
“The Alicorns are all dead and anyone who set foot in Canterlot would also be dead. This is a known fact,” Said Silver Wing. I remembered all of the hazards that I had faced when I was in Canterlot. It was no wonder that anyone who went there had died.
“Do you know why everyone who went into Canterlot died?” I asked calmly, quietly, as I recalled the horrors of my first home, since awakening.
“I don’t, but Omega does.” Silver Wing looked out at the assembled and Omega stepped forward grinning.
“The Pink Cloud is the number one hazard in Canterlot. It even killed the princesses. And even if you a mere mutant son of a bitch had somehow survived, there would be signs that you’d been in the Pink Cloud, like your clothing being fused to your body.” said Omega smugly. I took a moment to examine him more closely. He was wearing a suit of armor like the kind worn by the talon griffins. Over the talon symbol on his armor there was a scar, not unlike the scar on the other talon griffins’ armor.
I flashed a victorious smile towards Omega before turning back to Silver Wing. “As you can see I have been fused to my armor.” I extended my arm toward Silver Wing and he nodded.
“I’m sorry for doubting you about that part of your story. How about this Alicorn? Omega are there really Alicorns in the Equestrian Heartlands?”
Reluctantly Omega nodded. There was a stunned silence from all of the assembled raiders.
“Well I’m impressed.” Said Silver Wing, “So, why is such a mighty hunter, wanting to join my little family?”
“I am looking for a place in the world and most people usually prefer the shoot first and ask questions later policy, especially when they see this,” I theatrically gestured toward myself, “Walking towards them.”
“Sounds good to me” Said Silver Wing. “Well, since you want to join the family, and families share their secrets, why don’t you tell us your greatest weakness, you do have one right? After all I’m curious to know what kind of weaknesses an Alicorn hunter might have.”
“It was only the one Alicorn.” I said. Thinking, I decided to try to turn my supposed weakness into a potential strength. “As for weaknesses, I am afraid that I can be a little too determined to get a job done. I of course wouldn’t ever consider cutting corners, but if I do anything that seems either too zealous or foolhardy you shall now understand why.” I decided to ask my own question at this point, “What is the best thing I can do as a member of the Silver Wing Slicers?”
Silver Wing nodded before saying, “The best thing you can do is to help protect and provide for the family no matter the cost to yourself or to others. Here in the Silver Wing Slicers we have a, well it’s not a rule, more of a guideline. First comes family. Second comes duty. If you have to sacrifice your duty for the sake of the family than you’ll be forgiven. Lastly comes honor. This part is left mostly to your interpretation, but we raiders do have to have a sense of honor. Do you understand?”
“Family, Duty, Honor.” I said nodding.
“I’m curious, why are you travelling alone? I’d expect a social creature like you to have at least one friend.” Asked Silver Wing, and again I sensed a loaded question although I couldn’t fathom why.
“I would expect the same thing. The only reason I’m out here alone is because there are not that many open minded people in the world.” It was basically the truth. If my mission was a success, then the townsponies might accept me. That and of course the supplies which they had offered as payment.
“Well I think that’s about all that we needed to hear.” Said Silver Wing said rising and turning towards the assembled raiders.
Thinking I might have made a mistake I hurriedly asked, “Is there anything else that you’d like to know before making your decision on whether or not I shall join?”
Smiling Silver Wing said, “Don’t ask me, they are the ones making the decision.” He said extending his hoof out towards the assembly.
“So,” I said turning to address the ponies before me. I smiled at the sweet smell of democracy in the morning and asked “You whom I’d wish to call brothers and sisters, is there anything else that you wish to know about me?”
“How did you kill the Alicorn?” asked a young buck with a yellow coat.
I explained the Alicorn fight to my audience. I first briefly explained my situation in Canterlot, how I woke up without any idea of how I’d gotten there and a few of the things that I did after waking up. I then told them about the actual task of taking down an Alicorn and explained the actions I took to accomplish this. Finally I told the assembled the bloody and admittedly satisfying result of my actions.
I even showed them the loot I got from killing the Alicorn including the odd book that I had almost completely forgotten about. Sword Mares really is an addictive comic series and it had successfully made me forget about the horrors of my life on more than one occasion. I made a mental note to ask if there were any issues of the comic book series lying around the compound.
“Which way do you swing? And are you a Mare or a Stallion?” asked a unicorn pony of questionable gender.
I chose to ignore the pony’s first question, and only said in response, “I’m a guy, and are there any other questions?” The raiders began to ask their questions all at once creating a deafening cacophony. After a moment’s thought I raised my hand for silence and added “Questions related to the actual decision making process? And could you also raise your hooves, please.” I did not want a repeat of the last question, in any shape or form, as it made me somewhat uncomfortable. I was after all the only human I knew of, in all of existence, which made for lonely nights.
Now there were only two questions. Turning to Omega I said, “You aren’t part of the family, so I’ll answer your question later.” I then turned to the only hoof in the air, “Black Hawke, is there something that you’d like to know about me?”
“Yes. Are you only planning on staying with the family until someone else gives you a better offer?”
“No. Family shouldn’t be something that can be so carelessly cast aside. It doesn’t need to be your biological family, after all a husband and wife create a family with their union. Family should be there for you even when nobody is able to get along and it all seems like one crazy mess. Family should be able to lean on each other rather than tear each other down. So, family, a real family, isn’t something that can be sold away to the highest bidder. And if someone has something that isn’t like that, than I’m not sure if that is really a family.” My answer seemed to satisfy Black Hawke.
With the last question answered, the assembled ponies prepared to vote. “Those who are for Ulysses Joining the family rise and take your place at his side.” called out Silver Wing. I saw Black Hawke stand along with half a dozen other ponies including Squid Face and the unicorn from earlier. These ponies then moved up onto the stage and stood beside me with the unicorn uncomfortably close. “Those opposed to Ulysses joining the family rise and take your place in opposition.” Omega moved to respond, but Silver Wing waved him down. One of the ponies made as if to stand up, but seemed to decide that it would be too much trouble and remained seated. “You are now an associate of the Silver Wing Slicer Family. Congratulations”
“Yes!” I shouted while punching the sky.
Then Silver Wing stamped on my enthusiasm, and killed it dead, “Now to celebrate your association with the family I have a special assignment for you,” this wouldn’t be good, “And a gift,” although the gift might make it worthwhile. Silver Wing began, “You won’t really be one of us until you’ve shed blood beside us.” I probably wasn’t going to like this. Would they only trust me after attacking the town? That would render coming here in the first place almost useless. “As father of the Silver Wing Slicers it is my honor to give you your first mission. You will be assisting in clearing out the Treatment Center of the compound,” Silver Wing gestured towards the largest of the four buildings with the barricade around the door, “of its current inhabitants.” That sounded ominous.
“Sounds good to me.” I said overjoyed that the crazy plan that had brought me here just might actually work. Remembering the second thing he had said, “What was this about a gift?” Silver Wing chuckling lightly used one of his wings to bring out an object wrapped in heavy cloth. I unwrapped it to find an ornate and handcrafted magical energy pistol. It was black with wires running along it in complex patterns connecting the various green emeralds that shone with a supernatural light. The words “Silver Wing Slicer” were engraved in silver along one side of the gun. Upon the other side were the words Familus, Munus, Honos. “So about this mission, shall I be going alone, armed only with a pistol? Admittedly a very awesome magical energy pistol, but still only a pistol.”
Silver Wing and several of the half dozen ponies around me laughed, “Of course not. Who do you think we are the damned Steel Rangers. I don’t plan on sending a potential family member to an early grave.” said Silver Wing.
Black Hawke spoke up now saying, “You can’t exactly shed blood beside us if you aren’t first fighting alongside us.”
“Exactly!” said Silver Wing, “Black Hawke, I would like you to assemble a team to lead into the Treatment Center. As for the rest of you layabouts.” Said Silver Wing turning back towards the assembled. “What are you looking at? Back to work!” He shouted this last part, his voice full of mock gruffness. Without turning from the assembled raiders and with his voice now barely more than a whisper he added, “Oh, and Black Hawke, take Omega with you.” Both Black Hawke, Omega, and I groaned in perfect unison.
*****
Within half an hour I was standing outside the Treatment Center with Black Hawke, Omega, Squid Face, and four of the ponies who had stood up for me including the unicorn. A pair of earth ponies pushed a metal grate away from the door. I could hear Squid Face gulp nervously, but then he took a tentative step forward. One of our unicorns used their telekinesis to open the door.
Instantly a pony in a white nurse uniform sprang through the door. Its face was covered by a random top hat, but I could still see the pony’s hairless flesh. The creature before us was covered in severe abrasions that resembled scrapes. In some places there were scabs and in others pale bubbles within the creature’s skin that I realized must be filled with puss. The worst part was that I recognized these wounds as severe radiation burns.
Before the zombie pony had even cleared the doorway, the raider team had let off several glowing green blasts of magical energy. “Nopony gets a point.” said Black Hawke, which left me to wonder if this was some kind of game. “There are more inside, Come on!” cried the Pegasus and howling she charged in seemingly heedless of the danger. Howling we followed after the mad mare into the depths of the asylum.
The raiders around me gunned down another three nurse zombies in the entry hall. “Squid Face, Ember, guard the door.” said the fearless mare. Squid Face took up a position behind a desk and knocked over a few chairs creating a barricade. Another unicorn this one with a fiery red coat and an evil look in his one remaining eye took up his position standing in front of the door. Ember had already killed personally two of the zombies that we’d encounter and seemed eager to kill more.
The rest of us continued on, going from room to room and slowly exterminating the undead infestation. Within an hour my raider companions had only had a single injury. One of the two earth ponies with us had cut himself on broken glass and had to be carried to the exit where half a dozen dead nurse zombies lay charred around the unicorn magi.
The rooms themselves were rather unusual. There were several once brightly painted rooms that appeared to have been used for group discussions. There were other rooms as well, some devoted to art and literature, and all with a noticeable absence of anything that could be turned into a weapon. There were even several store rooms filled with drugs, but one look at the labels, by the raiders, sent them backing away. Apparently whatever these drugs were, wasn’t something that the raiders would want to use recreationally, or even for medical emergencies.
I wasn’t happy. One reason was that this was a perfect opportunity to begin eliminating potential enemies and it was being wasted. The other reason I wasn’t happy was because this seemed a little too easy. As we journeyed deeper into the facility I got a rising feeling of unease that my bloodthirsty company didn’t seem to share. As we came upon a stairwell running both to an upper and a lower level an idea struck me like a slap to the face.
“We should split up. I haven’t been able to get a single point with you glory hogs stealing all my kills.” I was amazed that I sounded more confident and petulant than I felt. The raiders began to loudly debate amongst themselves until Omega dragged Black Hawke off to the side and had a quick whispered conversation. As if by magic the dispute was settled. Black Hawke and I would go up the stairwell while the remaining earth stallion and the unicorn of unknown gender were lead down the stairs by Omega.
I was overjoyed to be going up the stair well. As we travelled up, despite having significantly less company, I could feel my sense of unease fade. With my unease gone I was even able to score two kills against the mindless zombies. Soon I found myself talking with my sole companion. “So what are these zombies anyway?” I asked curious.
“Don’t call them zombies!” admonished Black Hawke, “The politically correct term is Feral Ghoul.” I added the term Feral Ghoul to my ever growing list of new words and phrases wondering how long it would be until I added various pieces of superstitious mumbo jumbo to the list. “As for where they came from,” Black Hawke continued, “they used to be ponies, but when the megaspells hit, the magical radiation changed them into monsters.”
“So these ghouls, they were originally the people who lived and worked here?” I asked the unease returning, although I couldn’t tell the source. I was already aware that these zombies used to be the people who had been here, so what was the source of my fears.
“Yep. Don’t start feeling bad about killing them though. If any of them retained an iota of their intelligence they’d still be dangerous psychos.” Black Hawke added as we burst into what appeared to be a third barracks after the two outside. This one was filled with about a dozen feral ghouls. “Oh Shit!”
We were in luck. Three of the feral ghouls appeared to be tied down to the beds that lined the walls as if the room were a medical ward. We quickly shot each of the ghouls, a task made even easier by the raider mare’s heavy armament. “Let’s not tell the others about this. I don’t want to get disqualified.” I suggested still feeling uneasy, and now also feeling sick, two of the tied down ghouls were mares and the one that wasn’t looked like he could have been used as one. Each had a striped coat and they looked like they had each suffered the perverse whims of whoever had tied them down, but that wasn’t even the end of it. Each was to some degree eaten alive.
Feeling sick I found a chest at the foot of one of the beds and removing the contents retched. I cleaned my face with a scrap of paper from the chest before thinking to look it over. “This is sick.” said Black Hawke sounding enraged and completely forgetting or ignoring my disqualification comment. “The patients here deserved what they got.”
“I don’t think that the mental patients did this.” I said staring at the scrap of paper, it was a letter addressed to a Doctor Brain Surgeon. This was apparently where the staff slept at the facility. I assumed that the tied up zebras had been brought up here for some kind of party, as evidenced by an ancient and empty bottle of champagne lying nearby, streamers hanging over the windows, and a banner gleefully proclaiming an “End of The World Party”. “All of the ghouls that we’ve fought so far were wearing white uniforms with this butterfly logo weren’t they?” I asked the pegasus while gesturing to my medical box. My companion nodded. “So where are the ponies that were so crazy that they had to be institutionalized inside of a forest and separated many miles from actual civilization?”
We heard a blood curdling scream from down the hall. Like a pair of complete idiots we ran towards it, only to find Omega panting at the top of the stairwell. There was a loud bang and a flash of light. When my eyes readjusted I was staring at a now melting stairwell. “What happened?” demanded Black Hawke.
“I’m getting out of here.” Wailed the griffin, but before he could scamper out the nearest window Black Hawke had grabbed hold of his tail with her teeth. I did not envy my Pegasus comrade as the pungent odor of wet griffin reached my nose. Omega turned, fear etched across his face, “There are … things, down there.” He pointed a claw down towards the melting stairwell. “They aren’t like the others. They’re intelligent. They were waiting for us.” Glaring down the stairwell he said with cold finality, “But I gave them a little present.” Laughing the laugh of someone who has just barely managed to escape the jaws of death he yanked his tail out from the black Pegasus’s teeth and leapt out a broken window leaving blood and feathers in his wake.
My sense of unease had faded slightly at the explosion, but somehow I knew that going down to the basement would not be fun. I walked towards the stairwell where the griffin had come from. In his haste he’d dropped something. I picked it up examining it. It was dotted here and there with pulsing green crystals and had a pin at what I assumed was the top. I held a magical energy grenade.
“Come on,” said Black Hawke, “That fool left two of the family to die.” I was about to object that I unlike her I couldn’t fly, before she galloped towards me and collided with me with the force of a piano falling from a delivery wagon to land on some poor unsuspecting and curious individual. She spread her wings in an effort to slow our descent, but we still crashed to the ground like a pair of rocks.
“That hurt.” I said to the pony who’d landed spread eagle on top of me. She shakily got to her hooves before falling awkwardly and again landing on top of me. I was suddenly very grateful for my armor, and just a little bit concerned for my raider companion, “You alight?” I asked helping her to her hooves, before rolling to my feet.
“Fine,” she said in a tone of voice that screamed not fine.
“No you aren’t.” Before she could protest and against my better judgment I got out a health potion from the box at my hip. Thankfully it hadn’t been damaged in the fall. “Drink this.” I said passing over the bottle. Reluctantly she accepted.
“Thank you.” she coughed past her pride.
“No need to thank me.” I said, “After all aren’t we going to be one big happy family.”
She gave me a soft smile before her expression turned grim, “Let’s go then. Our family needs us.” We quickly got our bearings. We were in a dark room and surrounded by piles of melted goo. I turned on my pipbuck’s light casting dim red illumination several meters around us. There was a scream and we soon found ourselves sprinting down a shadowed corridor.
It wasn’t hard to find what we were after. All we had to do was follow the trail of blood through the darkness. Occasionally we’d see ponies in ripped up straightjackets hiding in the shadows. Twice these ponies armed with lead pipes or holding dripping syringes sprang at us from the sides, but Black Hawke fired her minigun into their midst scattering and dismembering them. If they got too close together she would fire her grenade launcher towards them leaving only broken husks in her wake. Her righteous anger was something to behold.
In about a minute the trail turned and entered through a door. The unicorn who’d literally stood up for me was strapped into a chair and looked badly beaten and bruised. The raider pony’s tear filled eyes were wide and it was breathing heavily. A bag intravenously administered some unknown drug. There was a shaven section of the unicorn’s scalp, all around the area where its horn used to be. It looked in my direction and I realized the unicorn was in terrible agony. Around the raider were a pair of unicorn ghouls preparing for surgery. One held a scalpel and was levitating it towards the now hornless raider. I ran forward shooting both ghouls. “Help me.” pleaded the bound pony.
Images of bright lights and ponies all around me flashed through my vision. I was again on a table and couldn’t move. I felt the mask with the funnel being placed over my face. I could see a unicorn staring through the glass of the mask. Black Hawke’s minigun sounded from the hall. Another thought flashed through my mind. I could kill this unicorn and nobody would ever find out. The scalpel was right there. I could make it look like we were simply too late to save the pony.
I scolded myself for thinking such a treacherous thought, after all hadn’t I once been in a similar position to this pony. Hadn’t I also had crazy evil unicorns do unknown and unwelcome things to my body, while I was restrained, helpless, and forced to watch it all with the knowledge that there was no escape? Well there will be an escape for one of us, even if it happens to be too little too late. I couldn’t give the unicorn back its horn, but I could give it its freedom. I drew my own scalpel and cut the unicorn free.
“You’re free now.” I said gently as the pony fell into my arms. I suddenly learned that ponies were very heavy, even scrawny unicorn ponies. I briefly noticed a medical textbook beside the chair opened to a page titled “Corpus Callosotomy” with pictures of a split brain and bloody writing along the page margins.
“Pain. I’m in horrible pain.” I gently lay the pony down on the floor and injected the hornless unicorn with a syringe of med-x. I was surprised that the raider hadn’t just passed out from the pain, but looking at the bag of unknown fluid I found the reason. The bag was filled with about a quart of the combat drug Steady. The ghouls down here wanted him awake for their odd procedure. I grabbed the bag which was only half full, after being partially emptied into the injured unicorn, and put it into the medical box riding my hip.
“Black Hawke, I’ve got our unicorn.” Black Hawke came into the room the sounds of her battle saddle having faded not long before. “He, she, this guy is hurt.”
“Willow, what have these demons done to you?” asked Black Hawke, but there was no reply from the lethargic pony. With a grunt the Pegasus lifted the drugged and injured Willow onto her back. “You ready?” she asked me. Checking my weapon to be sure I had enough ammo I nodded. Again we were racing down the halls although this time we took it more slowly for the sake of our wounded comrade. We still hadn’t found the missing Earth stallion.
The rooms that we passed seemed far more sinister than those on the upper floors. These rooms were at the very best pitch black padded cells, but just as often we’d pass a sinister looking room with bloody operating tables and strange electrical devices. Saws, drills, and other instruments, kept in meticulously pristine condition lined the walls in harsh contrast to the rust and blood around them.
The sense of unease was just as strong as it had been before and it was now also starting to get to my companions. “Do you smell that?” asked Black Hawke.
“It smells like candles.” said Willow. It was the first thing that she’d said since being rescued. Personally all I could smell was blood, death, and the chemically smell of cleaning materials. We continued to kill the ghoul ponies. We’d already killed about a score of ghouls, and we were running out of living undead to kill. We were incredibly thorough and as we came at last upon the very last place in the entire God forsaken compound with any ghoul life, I was able to smell strange incense and candles.
“This looks to be the last room in the facility.” said Black Hawke, “I suppose that it’s about time that I tell you the reason why we came in here.”
“You mean the reason other than clearing out the creepy ghoul neighbors?” asked Willow as Black Hawke lowered her onto a nearby gurney.
“Yeah, you see… Well where should I start?” said Black Hawke.
“The beginning usually.” I suggested somewhat unhelpfully. I didn’t like these ulterior motives and hidden agendas.
“The beginning is a good place. Ok. Well. The patients here weren’t what you’d call normal.”
Willow and I looked at Black Hawke for a very long moment. Willow gestured towards her hornless head and said “I noticed.”
“Back before the war, ponies like us would sometimes be put into special facilities like this one. The patients here weren’t normal even for psych patients.” said Black Hawke, “The Plowton mental institute was specially reserved for practitioners of the dark arts, the reportedly possessed, and a hoofful of political criminals from before there was a Ministry of Morale in Equestria, and they didn’t just come from Equestria either. About a third of the patients here are from Imperium Zebrum.” I still didn’t understand the significance of any of this, but Black Hawke continued, “Political criminals from the Zebra Empire were usually more than just your regular terrorists and malcontents, often also worshipping and sacrificing to their strange star gods.”
“When you say sacrifice you mean that they killed the occasional chicken or other wild animal right?” I asked hopefully.
“You’ve met the sick f-cks that live here. Do you really think that they’d settle for a chicken sacrifice? Most of the ponies and zebras in here didn’t actually kill anyone, but most of them were still acolytes and disciples of more powerful practitioners of necromancy.”
“But what does that have to do with why we’re here?” asked Willow from her place on the gurney.
“A confiscated artifact, a magical dagger was kept somewhere in this facility, and I have a feeling that it is now kept behind this door.” Said Black Hawke.
“Why didn’t I know about this magic dagger shit?” piped Willow, the pony’s voice high with petulant anger.
“Omega’s employer made Silver Wing, and I swear to keep everything we were told on a need to know basis. It was wrong, but it was the only way that they would agree to be our patron.” I didn’t understand what any of this meant, but I was sure it might be important later. I now really wanted to meat Omega’s employer and get an explanation for our brief nightmare trip.
“So Black Hawke shall we?” I asked, ready to get the job done as soon as possible. She squared her heavily laden shoulders, took a deep breath and nodded. The two of us moved to open the door.
The door was locked. I moved to rectify this using my axe, but before I could, Black Hawke bucked the door open. I was hardly prepared for what I saw inside. Beyond the door was a round room with a domed roof about forty feet in diameter. In a circle upon the tiled floor was a circle of strange symbols written in blood. In the center of the circle we saw our dead ex comrade the Earth Pony Stallion lying upon another gurney. There was a pair of unicorn ghouls around him adding odd braces and manipulating odd instruments and surgical implements. Upon an altar, behind the circle, were half a dozen candles and a curious relic, a dagger made of a strange blue metal. The blade was stained red with the blood of the deceased pony.
Leaning on the altar and perched on his hind legs was a Zebra ghoul. We’d seen several on our way here and it appeared that they made up almost half of the loonies in the loony bin. All that made this one distinctive was an odd bronze mask that he wore. It bore a youthful horse face that appeared to be locked in constant agony. The mask flayed out from the head in a mane like fashion forming four points. Each point was topped with a star. All of this combined to make the zebra looked extremely ridiculous.
The dead stallion who lay in the circle looked anything but ridiculous. The pony had been a good buck, but now he had been turned into a creature out of a serial killer’s wet and macabre dream. The pony’s forelegs had been replaced with a saw and a drill. His back and legs had been attached to metal supports along with braces running down the legs and ending in strange horse shoes that resembled claws. Attached to the spinal supports were spark batteries which had wires running between them to the drill and more disturbingly into the pony’s spine, limbs and the back of his neck.
“Ah more uninvited guests.” said the zebra. I put a hand onto Black Hawke’s shoulder. She looked to me and I shook my head. She seemed to get the message and didn’t shoot.
“We’re just here for the knife, if the three of you will let us take it, we will let you live.” I kept my hand on Black Hawke.
“I’m afraid we can’t just give you the knife.” said the Zebra now jumping up protectively on top of the altar.
“Then I regret to inform you that our business here has come to a close.” I said with an evil smile that conveyed less sorrow than a humorous parade with lots of cheese, following the wedding of a pony princess and a majestic unicorn, during the most wonderful birthday celebration of somebody’s pet alligator. I took my hand off of Black Hawke and moved it to my pistol which I had holstered when I was trying to open the door using my axe. “It was still worth a shot.” I said as I drew the pistol and fired a shot.
The ghouls weren’t idol with the masked one jumping behind the Altar and the two unicorns picking up the dagger in their telekinesis. The minigun started spinning even as my first shot downed the closer of the two unicorns. The second however had managed to plunge the dagger into the dead earth stallion. I was only a mildly surprised that the act of wanton desecration actually had a point to it.
The runes around the earth stallion shone bright red before an explosion knocked Hawke and I to the ground. The ghoul who had been in the circle with the dead stallion had also been knocked to the ground. The only one of us who was on their feet was the dead stallion. I wondered how that had come to be and then decided that it wasn’t as important as the fact that we had new enemy to fight.
The monster that now stood over all of us was at least six feet tall. Using the braces on its legs for support and the bulky equipment strapped to its back as a counter balance, the dead stallion easily stood in a way not unlike that of a human. Black fluid spilled out of every hole in its body making it appear as if it had just bathed in petroleum. All of this combined created a frightening appearance. The construct scared me.
I was surprised to see that it went after its supposed ghoul ally first, lifting the unfortunate creature into the air on the end of its drill before it brought the saw down on the ponies neck before drawing back the saw and in two quick motions, back and forth, it had cut through about half the ghouls throat. The ichor blood of a ghoul spilled onto the floor and onto the saw even as the creature turned towards me and Black Hawke.
I looked into the creatures dead eyes and saw the infinity of space. Suddenly staring into those two soulless voids I felt very small and very fragile. I was suddenly aware of the massive force of will and malice driving this creature and it scared me to a point almost beyond reason. I couldn’t move even though the creature approached me with murderous intent. My vision began to darken. I stayed there and did nothing as it pointed its drill towards my head and all I could hear was the spinning. Then I noticed something odd. The spinning that I heard wasn’t coming from the drill, it was coming from behind me.
“How dare you!” cried Black Hawke, “How Dare you turn my friend’s body into some twisted weapon!” She had to shout to be heard over the sudden roar of lead flying around the room as the muzzle flashes of her minigun turned the darkness into bright day, but the darkness continued to encroach upon me. The bullets tore into the monster and into the altar behind it, making the zebra cowering there pull a blood splattered tail behind the safety of his stone table. The monster on the other hand turned towards her as if unfazed by the bullets which seemed to simply bounce off its glistening hide, and it began to stalk towards her. Despite no longer staring into the demon’s lifeless eyes I was still paralyzed by something I had seen within it. The darkness consumed me and I felt myself falling.
In the darkness I beheld light, the light of stars. I found myself in a great city, upon a bridge, overlooking a vast river. I stood at the edge of the bridge, and looking down I saw darkness truly stygian and far blacker than the lightless expanse around me. I couldn’t see what was down there, but simply looking down, I recalled the old words, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.” I knew as I looked down, that there was something looking back up at me. It was ancient and primordial, born when my world was still young. It was waiting and hungered for something that I couldn’t fathom. My only comfort was that it couldn’t reach me, for my body was safe somewhere else.
I quickly backed away from the edge of the bridge, and looked at the great city around me. The city was big, but more than that, it appeared to be too big, as if I was nothing more than a little ant, on the entire island of Manhattan. The buildings themselves were above all abnormal to the point of being not wholly describable. As the monolithic structures rose up towards the starry heavens, it seemed that their angles changed so that if one were to look at them as a whole they seemed to be somewhat hyperbolic.
The stonework itself I recognized as cyclopean, but it came together with seemingly impossible precision, as if every single block was chosen and cut by a great mastermind. What doors I could see radiated malevolence in their shape alone, despite that their shape was nothing more than an elliptical indentation, with tendril like protrusions radiating from the center, not unlike enviably long unmentionables, or perhaps tentacles.
I wrenched my vision from the city and gazed into the infinite expanse above. It seemed as if the stars and planets were, after unspeakably long eons, coming into some unnamable alignment, involving a lot of ninety degree angles. Directly above the city I could even make out the far distant shapes of what some primordial, but preternatural, instinct told me were the planets. The sun which shone no more than twice as bright as Sirus was in the middle of the planets, with the planet I was upon coming close to what I somehow knew would soon be a perpendicular alignment, in relation to any of the planets, and a heliocentric origin. My eyes while they did wander from celestial body to celestial body were unerringly drawn towards one of the planets. I blinked once and the planet seemed to rapidly grow larger before my eyes. First I could make out continents, then smaller features like forests and rivers, and at last, a facility with four structures that seemed as familiar to me, as a half recalled song.
“Ulysses! Help me!” I don’t know how many times Black Hawke had been screaming this before my brain finally managed to piece together what was being said. “Help me!” My friend was in trouble I thought.
My friend was in trouble. All thoughts of the city and river were gone along with any fear I still felt from the ordeal. Black Hawke had her back against a wall with the creature blocking any attempts to flee. Her minigun seemed to have been exhausted of ammo for it spun now without its lethal spray of bullets. The monster seemed to have been enjoying her suffering, but had now seemed to have grown bored with the game. I found my machete grasped in both hands and myself crying “Eulalia!” as I charged forward interposing myself between the eldritch abomination and my friend. We traded blows several times while my friend ran behind the creature.
I didn’t know what she was doing, but I would buy her time to do whatever it was. The monster managed to get in a glancing blow to my arm using its saw making me drop the machete. I moved back to the wall ignoring the pain and brought out my axe. If I had to die I would die fighting. The creature took a step towards me, before I heard a magical energy pistol discharge from right behind the undead horror. It fell forward for a moment and let out a preternatural shriek. I took a swing at it with the axe which only bounced uselessly off its impenetrable hide.
The beast turned towards my friend and I saw a noticeable burn in its side from where the blast had struck it. Seeing this I got an idea and, running forward, I leapt onto the creatures back. As my friend shot the monster again it screamed again although it seemed to me more a cry of anger than of pain. The pistol could hurt it, but it wouldn’t be enough to kill it. As the creature let out its cry of rage however I shoved Omega’s lost plasma grenade down its throat. It seemed startled and bent over trying to cough up the grenade. It even tried to drill through its own throat, but it had just as much success penetrating its hide as we had had. I let the grenade’s pin fall from my fingers. The undead abomination exploded in a brilliant flash of green.
We dragged the zebra ghoul out from behind the altar before decapitating the miserable wretch. Our thirst for vengeance sated we gathered up the relic and both our living and dead companion and left.
We would return later to scavenge, so looting wasn’t important. I also learned that who got first pick of the loot was in order of kill count. I had only killed ten of the ghouls, while Black Hawke had an impressive count of twenty. Apparently boss kills counted for additional points which put me in a position to get second pick of the loot instead of Ember who had eleven kills.
Apparently before Omega’s first grenade had gone off destroying the stairwell, a group of eight ghouls had made an attempt to get outside. The entrance hall had been held against them by Ember and Squid Face who I learned was known for his skill with getting headshots. Several of the dead ghouls by the entrance had plasma burns on their faces. It seemed that this peculiar sharpshooting tentacle faced raider had never heard of aiming for center of mass.
Within five minutes we were all outside and standing before a large crowd. There was no tarp over our heads this time and the sky wept above us. Black Hawke stepped forward and told Silver Wing what had transpired. Then I was called forward. I still held the blue dagger which we’d taken from the asylum and now kneeling presented it to Silver Wing. “This dagger won’t bring back our fallen comrade and it won’t restore Willow’s horn, but it is all I can give in tribute for your loss.”
Silver Wing came forward and I saw that there were tears in his eyes, “It isn’t enough, but you aren’t the one who owes the blood debt.” He turned around facing Omega who had stood quietly off in a corner all to himself. Silver Wing moved like lighting and struck Omega, in the beak. The blow dropped the griffin to the soggy earth. “I will remember.” growled Silver Wing looking down at the prone form. Then he turned to me, and scooped up the odd knife in a wing. “I will remember,” he said again this time more subdued, “You have done well my son, rise.” I did, “Ulysses, welcome to the family.” Then he turned towards the other Silver Wing Slicers, “Familus, Munus, Honos. Family, Duty, Honor”
The Silver Wing Slicers solemnly chanted back as one, “Family, Duty, Honor.” and I found myself saying the words as well.
End of chapter 3
Ulysses
Level 3 Silver Wing Brother
Insanity 26%
New Perk: Berzerker(1)- Each level of this skill increases your damage for +10% (up to a maximum 50%) when health drops below 30%
Energy Weapons 19+6/100 Melee Weapons 20 +5 / 100 Medicine 17+6 /100
Black Hawke
Level 9 Forest Terror
Special
Strength 7
Perception 6 +1
Endurance 6 +2
Charisma 7
Inteligence 6 +1
Agility 4
Luck 4
Traits
Family Mare- You are a family oriented mare. +1 perception, strength, and endurance when around members of your family, -1 perception, strength, and endurance when away from members of your family.
Tragic Past-You have an angst ridden past. With this trait you will occasionally get some special conversation options. +1 Angst, -2 Parents, minus all foalhood friends, +1 ruined cute-ceañera, and more criticals with sharp objects like razors and knives.
Perks
Intense Training (4) – With the Intense Training perk, a single point can be put into any S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute.
Big Guns 35+7/100 Sneak 20+11/100
Raiders in the Dark 3: Morals
Raiders in the Dark 3: Morals
I rested with my head in my hands. The only sound I could hear was the low breathing of the mare on the cot and the rain outside. Approaching hoofsteps brought me out of my stupor. I looked up to see Black Hawke slowly walking toward me. “Can’t sleep either?” I grunted the affirmative, but otherwise gave no answer. The pegasus nodded, I noticed that she wasn’t wearing her battle saddle and her sleek form rippled with muscle. “How is she doing?” asked my friend gesturing towards the cot where Willow was recovering.
“Not well. She’s been out for a while. I’m not surprised. After all that she’s gone through,” I shrugged, “I’d have passed out too.” My voice was hollow. It would have been so much easier if this raider, Willow, had not spoken up for me. Had just been an anonymous and seemingly androgynous unicorn. Instead I had a person, who I could at least start to relate to. Instead all the faceless evil raiders who took hostages and executed their prisoners suddenly were also people.
Black Hawke sat down beside me. We were in the small clinic in the visitor’s center. There was a yellow bench on one side of the room where I sat with my pegasus sister. Opposite that was the bunk which held the comatose Willow. She had passed out almost immediately as soon as the initial effects of the Steady drug had worn off. Above us a bright yellow fan slowly twirled. A breeze blew through the open window letting in the ungodly chill night air.
We sat there quietly for a minute or two. I tried to take my mind off the fact that I would soon be leading every one of these ponies to an early grave. I tried to focus on the first thing I could. The covers of Willow’s bed kept my attention for a time. It was the same three pink butterflies on a yellow field as my medical pack. “What does that mean?” I asked before I even realized I’d spoken.
“What does what mean?” asked Black Hawke, confused, “Is this some kind of deep philosophical stuff?”
“No, the symbol on Willow’s blanket, I’ve seen it before, and want to know more about it.” I clarified.
“Oh that is the symbol of the Ministry of Peace.” At my blank expression, Black Hawke explained, “Back during the war, there were six departments of the government that were created to help the war effort. One of them, the Ministry of Peace, built hospitals, and researched new medicines. It was run by Fluttershy. Her cutie mark of the three pink butterflies became her ministries logo. Most everything produced by or in any way connected to her ministry has it.”
I remembered the cutie mark lecture that I had gotten from Haywire. Apparently these three pink butterflies were in some way symbolic of this Fluttershy mare’s special purpose in life. I tried to wrap my mind around that, but it made my head hurt. I couldn’t imagine how a grouchy warmongering head of state could have their purpose in life be defined by a trio of pink butterflies. Perhaps this Fluttershy was different from the heads of state on my world. Perhaps she cared for peace and the pink butterflies were meant to represent her huge and caring heart. That made sense when you combined it with the fact that her branch of government was only focused on the means of fixing people rather than breaking them to pieces. I felt a chill run through me that was entirely unrelated to the cold wind gliding through the still open window.
“Are you alright?” asked Black Hawke, “You look pale.”
“Yes. I am fine. I am just remembering, something.” I said, not sure what it was I was trying to remember. It was something about breaking people to pieces, or putting them back together. Maybe it was both.
“If you say so,” After a moment’s thought she then said, “You look cold, why don’t I go close that window.” She flew off for a moment and, standing upon her rear legs, used her forelegs to pull down the window. With a crunch of old wood the window slammed shut and the cold slowly ebbed away.
I wanted to forget about my old world for a time. This was my home now and I’d best get used to it. It helped that I couldn’t really remember having any home on Earth. I mostly just moved from place to place and city to city doing whatever it was that I was doing. To take my mind off the gaps in my memory I turned to my companion, curious about her story. “So what is your story then?” I asked conversationally, “How did you wind up with the Silver Wing Slicers?”
“The Silver Wing Slicers have been the only family I’ve ever known,” said Black Hawke somewhat morosely. I waited for her to continue, sensing some internal conflict. She paused briefly as if deciding whether or not to share any more of her story with me. At last she continued, “I was born in a Stable, a kind of shelter for when the bombs hit. The ponies there lived safely locked away from the pain and troubles of the Wasteland.”
She swallowed before continuing, “When I was just a little filly, all of that changed. The doors that had kept back megaspell detonations couldn’t keep a small band of determined ponies out. The ponies that came were armed and armored. They killed everyone and there was nothing we could do about it.” Black Hawke sniffled slightly before angrily wiping a hoof across her muzzle, “I was six. I had just gotten my cutie mark. I was the first in my class. We were celebrating my Cute-ceañera in the atrium when they came through the doors. They gunned down everypony indiscriminately. They didn’t care if the ponies they were killing were small colts and fillies. They didn’t care if they killed cripples and the elderly, or if their victims were foals. All they cared for was death. Death and technology.” A single tear escaped her watery eyes, but I saw something else in her violet eyes as well, rage. “That is when I learned the truth about this Wasteland, if you want to protect those that you care about, it comes at the expense of somepony else. It might be a manticore in the forest, it might be a centuries old ghoul psychopath, or it might be some poor townspony. I know that since the bastards murdered my family, they gained a sustainable source of food, renewable clean water, and a virtually indomitable fortress.”
“How did you survive?” I asked hugging the mare to comfort her. She resisted at first, before submitting to the embrace.
“The invaders thought I’d died. I was dying, but I wasn’t dead yet. That’s when Silver Wing rescued me. He led a group of power armored pegasi in an attack against the invaders.” Black Hawke spoke of Silver Wing with obvious admiration. She then went on to describe in near excruciating detail just how Silver Wing defeated the invaders and just how awesome he was. I was surprised at how quick my companion’s mood had shifted from being depressed over the death of her original family and friends to fangirling over her new father.
“Loop-de-loop around and wham! Ten. Seconds. Flat,” Black Hawke had just finished a part of her excessively long story which apparently required her to go flying in circles around the small clinic to demonstrate exactly what Silver Wing had done, when she finally noticed that I wasn’t the only member of her audience. Willow was sitting up glaring at me, “You just had to get her riled up, didn’t you.” I just looked at her with a shell shocked expression. Black Hawke had nearly taken my head off in the past ten seconds alone. I was about to respond when Willow just shook her head, “No, don’t say anything. I don’t even want to look at you. Out! Both of you.”
Black Hawke moved to protest, “But I was almost done, just eight more chapters.”
Willow gestured towards a clock on the wall, “No buts. It is four in the morning. Any sane pony would be asleep right now.” I hadn’t even noticed that it was so late. “Both of you, out now. Don’t make me get out of this bed!” threatened the now hornless unicorn. It was illogical, but the scrawny and injured pony mare scared me. Apparently Black Hawke was also intimidated and we slowly backed out of the clinic.
“She is right about us needing sleep.” I said, starting to walk in the direction of the visitor centers exit.
We passed several rooms that had originally been used for families to spend time with their mentally unstable loved ones. Inside were board games, a snack bar, and a couch. Three of the rooms had been repurposed for holding prisoners, which actually didn’t require any change since there wasn’t anything in the room that could be effectively repurposed as a weapon. The three ponies with the misfortune of guard duty certainly didn’t appear to be afraid of having their throats slit with bent playing cards or being stabbed with sharpened plastic game board figurines.
Black Hawke and I then passed through the twin glass doors and into the chill night air. I shivered as we passed by the crucified zebra mare. We at last came before the two brightly painted barracks. “So which one will I be sleeping in?” I asked, “Is there one barracks that is only for mares and another for stallions?”
“Nope.” replied Black Hawke. “They used to be segregated, one barracks for Zebras and another for Ponies. Now, you’re free to choose where you want to sleep. Remember we don’t have any rules, only guidelines.”
“Okay, so which barracks is Omega sleeping in?”
“The one on the left.” Said the pegasus.
“Then I will sleep in the right barracks,” I said and proceeded towards it. Black Hawke followed me in as I held the heavy wood door for her. She snickered at this, but said nothing, so as to avoid waking the half dozen snoring ponies in bunks lining the walls. We walked through down the aisle between bunks, with each bunk being curtained off for privacy. When we came to the end of the occupied bunks, Black Hawke turned right and plopped down unceremoniously onto the bed. I noticed that the bed was notably untidy, and lying next to it was the mare’s heavy ordinance battle saddle, “Weren’t you just energetically flying about? How can you be tired?”
“I’m always ready to sleep.” said the mare as she lay unmoving. “You can sleep in any bed that doesn’t already have somepony in it.”
I shrugged before plopping down upon the nearest bed, the one immediately next to Haywire. I was surprised at how tired I felt. I had been active since that morning and after the events of that afternoon I felt exhausted. Haywire’s lengthy story was the final nail in the coffin. Within a moment I was asleep.
That night I dreamed of Earth. I was upon the prow of a ship. It was setting out from the Tokyo harbor with the rising of the sun. Throngs of people lined the docks to see our departure. Many of the people were clapping and cheering, but many others held signs and shouted angrily. It wouldn’t matter. What was done had to be done. It still bothered me that there were so many who didn’t see it that way. Without even looking I knew that those signs cried out for independence. I knew that those people opposed the emergency annexation. Within a few minutes the dock and the people were out of sight, and the ship was hastening ever westward.
*****
The next morning I accompanied Black Hawke on a hunt. Willow had still been asleep and we doubted that she would awaken until late afternoon. Nobody bothered her as she slept, but Black Hawke and I did leave some food by her bed before we set out. I hoped that Willow liked mutfruit and manticore meat.
Black Hawke and I set out along with Squid Face and the other pony that had ambushed me. As soon as we’d cleared the facility we activated our stealthbucks. I followed the faint outline of distorted air in front of me as we moved into the depths of the forest. As we moved I got the feeling that I was being watched, and was often looking over my shoulder. I didn’t see anything, but then I couldn’t even keep track of all of my companions. I suspected that someone was watching us, and I was sure that I knew who it was. Thankfully our invisible pursuit didn’t make himself known and we were able to hunt in relative peace.
Our quarry was a young manticore. It had apparently passed near the facility the night before and had been injured by the sentries. After the rain the day before, the ground around the facility had been turned to mud. The mud still bore imprints of where the manticore had stepped the night before. Occasionally we found spots of blood on nearby leaves and branches. After an hour we found the predator collapsed in a clearing by a small stream.
I felt Black Hawke tap me with her wing. I turned in the direction of the tap and was pulled down to the mare’s level by a strong pair of hooves. “Last night this manticore ran after ponies started shooting at it. Circle around to the other side of the stream and then signal me. On my signal turn visible and start shooting. That should get him to start heading in this direction.” Black Hawke then repeated the message to our two companions.
The three of us carefully crossed the stream a few dozen yards north of where the beast slept. When we were in position I lifted up a fallen branch. As I lifted the branch, I saw the bottom half of it slowly disappear, starting from where It had come into contact with my hand. I lifted the mostly invisible stick up and waved it about. A stick lifted from the opposite side of the stream and started to disappear. It was also waved about for a moment. The message was clear.
I checked my weapon before deactivating my stealthbuck. Around me the four other invisible creatures deactivated their stealthbucks and started shooting at the manticore. The manticore was already injured from the night before and wasn’t too eager to stay around and fight us. We continued to fire as the creature charged back the way we’d come. Black Hawke rematerialized as she started firing her battle saddle.
The creature glanced behind it seeing five raiders on my side of the stream. It couldn’t retreat. For a moment we locked eyes and it held me there. I saw the fear and the pain that the creature felt and knew that I’d won. The manticore turned to fight with Black Hawke, but it knew that it was pointless. For the young manticore, this was the end.
I turned to Omega and an earth stallion with a battle saddle. I recognized him as not only the machine gun sentry from the roof, but also the pony who had almost stood up to oppose my joining the family. Omega had his pistol pointed towards my chest. The gryphon was only twelve feet away. He wouldn’t miss. “Hold your snakes tongue, Merican. Squid Face, Black Guard, You’ve known me for some time now. You know that I wouldn’t act against the interests of our patron. This monster, I know he’s here to kill us.”
“You’re crazy Omega” said Squid Face. He turned his pistol towards the gryphon, “Lower your gun.”
“Omega’s patron has done nothing but help us. I know Omega. I don’t know this cannibal. Drop the gun Squid Face.” said the Machine Gun Sentry who now pointed his gun towards Squid Face.
“You didn’t let me ask my question from yesterday.” Said Omega a murderous look in his eyes, “What did the townsponies offer you to bring us down? Food? Weapons? Asylum? I suppose that it doesn’t matter. Prepare to die Merican!”
If I stood still I was going to be shot, so I wouldn’t stand still. If I didn’t help Squid Face then I’d be alone fighting these raiders. This meant that I had to save Squid Face and myself. These thoughts flew through my head in the instant before I leapt towards Squid Face. Omega’s shot caught me in the side, but it was only a flesh wound. The machine gun of the earth stallion erupted with light and noise. A stream of lead followed me and my only ally. From across the stream I could hear Black Hawke as she slew the injured manticore, but it was too late. She wouldn’t get here in time.
Black Guard our only other companion saved both Squid Face and I by shooting the earth stallion in the head. Omega shot Black Guard and the stallion turned into a pile of glowing green goo. Then the gryphon turned to face me and my only surviving companion. I looked into his eyes trying to make him freeze like what the manticore and the undead horror had done to me, but it seemed that my uncomfortable stare had no effect on the gryphon. He shot me twice in the belly, but thankfully I didn’t turn into a pile of goo. My armor seemed to have stopped most of the damage, but it still hurt like a bitch.
Suddenly I heard the sound of a sniper rifle and Omega stepped back. A piece of his armor had been shot off, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. Black Hawke finally arrived and nearly lost her head to the sniper. She ducked, and as she did Omega leapt into the air and started flying for his life. I turned to see that Squid Face had struck his head on a rock when I had knocked him out of the path of the machine gun and he was now unconscious.
Black Hawke’s hoof struck both my stealthbuck and the stealthbuck of my unconscious companion. “We have to get out of here. Did you see where that sniper is?” I hadn’t, but I knew who the sniper was.
None of the townsponies owned a sniper rifle, and the only raider with a sniper rifle had an experimental energy rifle. The only sniper rifle that used bullets and made loud noises was my sniper rifle which I’d given to Haywire. My good friend was still watching over me. I was under the impression that she was a lot less keen on watching over and protecting my new raider friends.
The three of us ran for our lives, or more accurately Black Hawke tried to run with her heavy battle saddle and a bulbous Squid Face on her back and I lightly jogged to keep up, my long legs eating up the distance between the clearing and the facility. I’d grabbed the piece of Omega’s armor when Black Hawke wasn’t looking. It was the plate from directly over his heart and bore the Scar Talon emblem. There was a bullet lodged inside it just over the bisected eagle’s claw. If Haywire had just aimed a quarter inch to the right than Omega would have died. If Haywire didn’t already know that Omega worked for Scar then she would as soon as I got this to her.
*****
Again I sat inside of Willow’s room with my head in my hands. She was awake and eating what we’d brought for her. I was sitting on a chair that I’d dragged in from one of the visiting rooms, because Squid Face was lying on the couch still unconscious from his fall. Black Hawke was explaining what had happened in the clearing to Silver Wing.
Since I arrived three of the raiders had died, Omega had deserted, and both Willow and Squid Face had suffered injuries that could keep them out of action. There had originally been eighteen raiders not counting the prisoner in Plowton. Now there were only a dozen members of the Silver Wing Slicer family still in action, not counting myself.
Black Hawke entered the room. “My father wants to see you. He’s not happy about what happened earlier.” I could see wetness in the mare’s eyes. She had been crying. She turned her head refusing to meet my concerned gaze.
I simply nodded and proceeded to walk out the clinic door and towards Silver Wing’s office. It wouldn’t matter if I lost his trust. I had already done more than enough damage just by being here. My presence alone had helped to bring the raider force down to more manageable numbers. With any luck the Silver Wing Slicers would pack their bags and leave. With a little more luck Haywire would also find a way to join the family and all of us would be able to live out the rest of our mortal lives in peace. We could then find a way to heal Willow’s injury, or we might even be able to bring the surviving ponies from the raid on Black Hawke’s home to justice. With a little more luck the world would fix itself.
It was useless to dream of such things, I thought as I opened the door to Silver Wing’s office. He wasn’t wearing his barding and instead had it on a pony shaped mannequin behind his chair. The silver medals gleamed in the orange light of a fireplace. Silver Wing sat like a man in his rolling chair facing the hearth built into the wall. “Whatever you think I did, I’m innocent. I swear.” I said a little too quickly. I must be the worst secret agent in all of history.
“No my son, you do not need to be worried. I know that you are innocent. In fact I dare say that you’re the victim.” He gestured towards another seat in the room, “Sit.”
I sat in the chair and said nothing for a minute. Silver Wing grabbed a poker and began to prod at the fire. I tapped my feet for a moment as an awkward silence descended over us. At last I broke the silence, “It looks like Squid Face will be fine.”
Silver Wing nodded solemnly, “We still don’t know if he’ll make a full recovery though. Head injuries are like that.” He turned to me and looked towards my belly, at the place where I was shot. “What about you? I heard Omega shot you twice, are you alright?”
“Yes, I believe I will be. I drank a health potion after we reached the facility, so I should be fine.”
Silver Wing looked at me apologetically, “I should have killed that gryphon yesterday. It’s my fault this happened. I should have realized that Omega was going to bring trouble as soon as he started butting heads with my Hawke.” He looked back into the fire, “Four dead. Black Guard, Trample, Buttercup, Star Shot.”
“Four? What happened?” I asked, concerned that I had miscounted.
“Townies got Buttercup. They’ll probably hang him if they haven’t already. That’s what town ponies do to people like us.” I looked at my feet. At least Buttercup would see the sun before he died. At least I did that much for him.
We sat for a time in silent mourning for the dead. At last Silver Wing broke the silence, “I wanted you here, because I wanted to hear what you had to say about the fight in the clearing. Black Hawke has told me what she saw, but I wanted to hear your side of it. Black Hawke says that you spoke to Omega before he attacked you, but that she didn’t hear what either of you had said.”
I pondered where to start, and made a decision, “We set out early that morning to hunt a manticore that the sentries had shot at the night before. Black Guard and Squid Face had accompanied us on the hunt. Unbeknownst to us, Omega and the pony with the machine gun,”
“Star Shot.” Interjected Silver Wing.
“Yes, Star Shot and Omega followed us. We only knew that we had been followed after we started shooting at the manticore. While the manticore was distracting Black Hawke, Omega started making wild accusations against me. Squid Face tried to confront Omega which provoked Star Shot to threaten to shoot Omega. Omega then started shooting before I could say anything. I did what I could to save Squid Face, which ended with him striking his head against a rock during the struggle. Black Guard shot Star Shot. Afterwards, Omega murdered Black Guard. Then a sniper started shooting at us while Omega ran away.” I took a deep breath to steady myself, “Then Black Hawk and I high tailed it out of there with an unconscious Squid Face. I did what I could, but it wasn’t enough to save Black Guard.” I at last concluded my story and observed Silver Wing’s reaction.
Silver Wing also took a moment to steady himself before saying, “You did what you could. I just wish that Black Guard had died a better death than being back stabbed by a psychopath. What about this sniper? Black Hawke says that he was probably a townspony.”
I shrugged, despite knowing the truth. “Black Hawke is probably right about that.”
“Do you think that Omega might have been working with the townies?” asked Silver Wing and I was shocked to hear Omega’s accusations against me being thrown right back at him.
“I don’t know sir. I didn’t see the sniper, but I know Omega wouldn’t have gotten away if the rest of us weren’t cowering trying not to be shot.” It was true that if Haywire hadn’t started shooting than Black Hawke might have killed Omega. Of course I’d have been killed as well, so I wasn’t going to complain.
“This job will be the death of us.” Spoke Silver Wing somberly, and then he surprised me asking, “What would you do, Ulysses, if you were in my place?”
Surprised at the sudden turn of good fortune, I almost forgot that I hadn’t been told what the raider’s job was yet. I decided to improvise, “I’d get the job done as soon as possible. We just need to deliver the blue dagger to some kind of patron right?”
“We have to do a little more than that. The dagger is one of two relics that we were sent to collect from this asylum. It turns out that the townies had already beaten us to the other one of the relics and now have it hidden somewhere inside their town.”
“I’ve witnessed firsthand the destructive power of these relics. If I were the townsponies I wouldn’t want to keep a dangerous artifact like that ceremonial knife inside my home. Instead I’d keep it in some kind of public area like a warehouse or a church.” I added the part about the church to hopefully keep Silver Wing from suspecting that there was a trap.
“Why?” asked Silver Wing sounding surprised by my answer.
I continued to improvise, “It would be easier to hide the relic inside a larger area. It would also be easy to guard it from thieves since because of the wide open space it would only take one person, or in this case pony, to look after it. If it were in a house, because of the halls and tight spaces you’d have to guard all of the back doors and windows separately. It would also be easier to keep a large number of ponies around the relic. You’d have trouble fitting a dozen or so ponies inside of an improvised shack. Even with a Church, you could still bar the doors and nobody could get in without great difficulty. Lastly in both a church and a warehouse you’d have a lot of cover that you could use to defend yourself, while a firefight inside of a house would be more like shooting fish in a barrel.”
Silver Wing shrugged, “Well, it could be worth a shot. There are two warehouses in the town and one of them has an unusual number of guards. At midnight we’ll sneak in, take it, and we’ll finally be rid of this damnable place. I’d suggest that you get some sleep now, because you’ll be coming with us.”
“Goodnight then.” I turned to leave, but turned back remembering my question from earlier about Silver Wing’s flank mark, and the lack of flank marks on any of the other raiders. “Sir if I may,”
“Not if you keep calling me, sir, my son. Either call me papa or Silver, but I won’t have anyone in the family calling me sir.” Silver Wing said giving me a sad smile.
“Well Silver, I was wondering, why don’t any of the other Slicers have those flank marks?”
“Any of those other Slicers, implies that there is an exception. None of us have a cutie mark.” I was confused and I think that Silver Wing saw the confusion on my face, for he soon clarified, “My cutie mark was branded off when I resigned from my old job, so I could finally become a stay home dad.”
“Now I’m confused about why you need to be branded to become a stay home dad.”
Silver Wing laughed at my comment, but his laugh was a quiet laugh tinted with the recent sorrow and half remembered woes. “My child, I was not branded because I wanted to become a stay home dad, but because of who I wanted to be the dad of.”
I took a moment to process this before asking, “Were you branded because you had a natural born child?”
“No, I have not had any children of my own. Instead I adopted.”
“So did you adopt some kind of public enemy, like a communist?” I asked grasping for any possible reason why somebody would be branded just for adoption.
“Close enough, although I don’t know what that has to do with Marexism. I got branded because I adopted a tribal.”
“I sense a story.” I said genuinely curious.
“I’m sure you do. You see I was born in the Grand Pegasus Enclave. Most every pegasus in Equestria lives in the Enclave. When I was old enough I served in the armed forces just like any other young pegasus. I quickly rose through the ranks and distinguished myself as a capable and much beloved leader. That is when calamity struck. One of my fellow pegasi, a stallion called Deadshot Calamity started making waves with his talk of helping the poor ponies of the wasteland. Until that point most ponies in the Enclave thought that the wasteland beneath us was only inhabited by savage mutants that were better pitied from a distance. Naturally the young Calamity disappeared a short time later.”
Silver Wing paused his rant for a second, before continuing, “The reason I’m telling you all of this is because Calamity started something. Even though he disappeared there were some ponies who continued to make the argument for intervention, myself among them. We knew that it would only bring us trouble, but ponies like me stand up for what we believe is right, no matter the cost. Several of my fellow rebels disappeared, but I was too well liked to just disappear. Instead I was moved to a remote post away from the ponies that were loyal to me and to a place where I hopefully wouldn’t be able to cause any more trouble.”
“I assume that that didn’t work out. Otherwise I do not think you would be here.” I said smirking.
“You would assume correctly!” laughed the ex-military pegasus good naturedly. “Their plan completely backfired. The out of the way outpost I was sent to, also happened to be built right next to a Stable. One day a group of power armored ponies came to the stable and broke down its door. They made quite a lot of noise doing it so naturally I was sent with a search party to find out what was causing the ruckus. We discovered that there was a fight going on between the armored ponies and the Stable dwellers, a rather one sided fight. When my team finally caught up with the invaders, they’d already killed most of the Stable’s populace, and were finishing off the last of the defenders. My team fought well and we lost only one soldier, a mare by the name of Wind Rider. In the end the surviving invaders were sent running with their tales between their legs.” Silver Wing was grinning as he relived his past glory.
“Did you ever find out who the invaders were?” I asked.
The grin was gone from Silver Wing’s face as quickly as it had come, “No, and the only survivor of the massacre was Black Hawke. She was just a little filly at the time and had lain dying among the corpses. My team rescued her and brought her back to our base where she was treated. When the Enclave High Command found out they again separated me from my subordinates. The new pegasi had orders to make Black Hawke disappear before the public discovered her, and started clamoring for the government to start helping Stables. I wasn’t about to let anyone kill an injured filly, so I tried to steal her away during the night. I also decided to steal away the best liquor on the base.” And at this Silver Wing brought out a bottle of whiskey from underneath his desk, and proceeded to pour two cups which he’d also taken from beneath his desk.
“But they caught me as I was leaving and branded me with this.” said Silver Wing gesturing towards his flank, “It’s the mark of a dashite, a traitor to the Enclave. They made Black Hawke watch too, but otherwise didn’t try to hurt her. I suppose that they thought that with both me and her leaving, we were as good as dead. I wasn’t going to take any chances, so I led her as far away from the Enclave as I could, to find a new home. Along the way we met other destitute ponies, many of them no older than teenagers, and adopted them into the family. Black Hawke started the tradition of burning away the cutie mark as a kind of way to honor my sacrifice and the others hearing my story removed their own cutie marks. And that is the story of why none of us have cutie marks, and also the story of how the Silver Wing Slicer family started.” Silver Wing smiled as he ended his tale and took a sip of whiskey.
There was a commotion in the hall followed by a gunshot. I leapt to my feet and drew my pistol. Silver Wing did the same and quickly started slipping on his barding, “Go, I’ll be right behind you.” He said calmly despite the impending crisis.
I ran from the room and saw with great horror just what was happening. Two of the guards were holding one of the hostages at gunpoint. They’d already shot him once in the leg, but that wasn’t what horrified me. One of the other hostages a young mare, who couldn’t even be a full adult, was being held down by an Earth Stallion, the same Earth Stallion who had accompanied me into the asylum and been injured by broken glass. The stallion was whispering something into the mare’s ear like, “Nobody wants to fuck a lifeless corpse. If you don’t stop resisting and don’t start at least pretending to enjoy this, than your friend over there will pay the price. Do you want that?” The mare rapidly shook her head, tears in her eyes. She swallowed her dignity and will to resist and with her only free hand, which she had previously been using to fight the Earth Stallion, wiped away the tears from her face. I looked into her eyes to see such pain, such humiliation, such shame at the indignity of her situation, and such resolve to do whatever it took to protect her loved ones that I felt myself called to immediate action on her behalf.
My vision was tinged with bloody crimson. I was so angry at the inhumanity of the evil before me that I don’t even remember much of what happened. I was mad with rage. I remember shooting the would be rapist. I remember standing in a pile of burnt and bloody bodies, my sword in one hand, and the other being used to help the mare to her hooves. I remember Silver Wing shouting as he held me pinned against a wall, an energy pistol at my throat. I remember mumbling something and then being struck in the face hard with a hoof. It was hard enough to snap me out of the temporary madness brought on by my righteous anger.
“You will bury these bodies, now.” growled Silver Wing furiously, and then solemnly added, “And you’ll think about what you’ve done.”
I did think about it and for a long time afterwards I thought about all that i'd done. As I dragged the bodies outside I passed by Silver Wing’s office, and saw him drinking straight from the bottle, with both the glasses already emptied. I wondered if I wasn’t the only person who was disturbed by the raider’s actions. As I brought both of the bodies out to the center of the facility, and I saw the crucified zebra mare, I resolved to bury her as well. It seemed wrong that a rapist would be given a better grave than their victim? Unfortunately these three raiders were my first victims whom I’d buried.
As I buried the bodies of the four before the wooden platform and bloody cross, I thought about what I could possibly do now. Now that I knew so much more about the raiders, I was uncertain if I could kill them. Now that I had lived and fought alongside the raiders, and knew the truth about their existence, I lacked much of my earlier resolve and zeal. I now saw the raiders as people and as friends, and I was about to betray these people, these friends. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I also thought that there was nothing that I could possibly do to stop it, short of telling the raiders that it was a trap. Grimly I realized all that would do is get me killed and prolong the conflict. I decided that one way or another this small scale war between the raiders and townsponies would be decided before sunrise. I decided that I would follow orders and let events play out without any further interference. I hoped that I was making the right decision, but still thought of myself as deserving of no better a fate than the raiders whom I was about to get killed.
End of Chapter 4
Ulysses
Level 4 Turncoat
Insanity 27%
Energy Weapons 25 + 3/100 Melee Weapons 25 +5/100 Sneak 30 + 4/100 Medicine 23 + 5/100
Squid Face
Level 1 Silver Wing Brother
Special
Strength 4 (+1)
Perception 7
Endurance 4 (+1)
Charisma 5 (-2)
Intelligence 9 (+1)
Agility 7 (+1)
Luck 4 (-1)
Small Guns 17+20 / 100
Traits
Tentacled Visage –You look like Cthulu’s love child. You gain the Tentacle Grape attack, get +1 agility and -2 charisma.
Star Touched – The stars have given you an unknown fate and their blessing. You will be their instrument upon this Earth until such time as they have no further need of you. +1 endurance +1 strength +1 inteligence -1 luck
View Online
Raiders in the Dark 4: Midnight Gunfight / Aftermath
I was with a group of seven raiders standing within the visitor’s center. Silver Wing quickly informed the other raiders of the plan. We would cloak and then sneak into the town. Using information gathered from Buttercup we’d steal the relic about half an hour before the changing of the watch. If all went well than the watchers would be too tired to spot us, and we’d be gone before more alert guards took the place of the old watchers.
Somepony would need to reveal themselves long enough to grab the relic or else it wouldn’t turn invisible. We’d probably look a little suspicous running around town with the flashy and very visible magic relic seemingly floating on its own through the air.
After grabbing the relic Squid Face who apparently also specialized in illusion magic would create a hologram of the relic in place of the actual relic. Of the raiders who I’d be accompanying, I only recognized Black Hawk, Squid Face, and of course Silver Wing. Ember was also told the plan and he would be left to watch over the family while we were gone. When Silver Wing was done we each activated our stealthbucks and like ghosts slipped out of the compound leaving Ember to run things in our absence.
As we crept through the forest I attempted to approach Black Hawke, in the hopes that I could talk to someone about what I’d done earlier that night. Despite my attempts, my friend would just walk away from me. It hurt.
Soon we were in sight of the town. The warehouse with the artifact was on the side opposite the asylum. As we silently strolled through crooked streets I truly realized just how large this town was, at least compared to the others I’d encountered in the wasteland. We passed several blocks and within a minute stood before the warehouse. A guard passed by us, his horn glowing like a flashlight. Seeing nothing he kept walking.
We didn’t encounter any further trouble until we found the relic. In the center of the warehouse, upon a pedestal, and underneath a beam of bright moonlight shining down from a hole in the roof sat the relic. It looked like an Egyptian Idol. It was made of the blue metal like the accursed dagger and shaped in the likeness of an earth pony sitting on its haunches. Above the idol was a pair of catwalks. A pony sat upon each catwalk with an assault rifle on each of their battle saddles. Silver Wing nudged me and whispered “Take out the guard on the left, the other seems to have fallen asleep.”
I quickly moved to obey, finding a ladder and climbing up to the catwalk. I carefully crept up behind the guard, “I’m on your side. Play dead until the raiders are gone.” I whispered into his ear as I brought my hand over his mouth. He jerked in surprise and then went limp. The observers below probably thought I’d just killed him. I silently lowered his form to the floor of the catwalk.
Below me Squid Face became visible and touched the relic. His hoof went right through it and the illusion vanished. In its place was a funny looking circular device. Beep. Beep. Beep.
“It’s a Trap!” cried Squid Face. I heard the sound of my sniper rifle and the back of Squid Face’s head exploded. A second later the mine went off and a burst of strange energy rippled through the air. As it passed over the raiders they suddenly became very visible.
“Pulse Mine” cried Black Hawke taking diving behind a crate. The other raiders followed suite, save for one who was either too slow or too unlucky. The sniper sounded again and silenced the poor fool.
The other sentinel, the one who’d fallen asleep awoke with a cry and aimed his assault rifle towards the raiders. He fired several bursts keeping the raiders pinned. The moment he stopped to reload Silver Wing emerged and fired several shots from his energy pistol. One shot struck the raiders hoof and he howled in agony. The rest struck the catwalk, burning several holes into its steel frame. After a moment the catwalk snapped and the unfortunate townspony fell to the earth. The sniper fired again, this time striking exposed Silver Wing, and the injured dashite fled behind cover.
I leapt off the catwalk and landed badly injuring my left ankle. I hobbled over to my two friends as quickly as I could and then turned off my stealthbuck. “We need to get out of here.” I said to Silver Wing who nodded.
“We can’t go out the way we came. The townies will have been woken up by all this commotion and will come running from that way.” He started to lead us away from where the sniper had been picking ponies off.
After several moments of slow skulking we could see the warehouse doors and broke into a sprint. The sniper sounded again and Silver Wing cried out in pain, but he kept running. As soon as we got outside we found a number of rifles leveled towards us by a mob of angry townsponies. In the sky above us was a golden flare that burned so bright that it turned night into day. Behind the mob was the forest.
Silver Wing stumbled forwards towards the armed group and flippantly said “Evening Mares and Gentlestallions. Is there a problem?”
“Silver Wing, for crimes against the people of Plowton, you are under arrest.” Said a unicorn I recognized as Storm Breeze. I was a little surprised to see him wearing a suite of militia barding over his dress.
“Am I? And just what am I being accused of?” asked Silver Wing innocently. I could see his tail twitch with barely suppressed anger. Storm didn’t notice the tail twitch and began to recite a long list of crimes including taking hostages, murder, and attempted theft.
Black Hawke nudged me with her hoof and whispered quietly, “When we all get down, cover your ears and close your eyes. Trust me.”
One of the townsponies noticed this, “Hey what are you whispering?”
“My friend here doesn’t like the idea of surrendering. He’s allergic to defeat. I’m just trying to get him to see reason.” said Black Hawke also sounding completely innocent. The townsponies stared at her in complete disbelief.
“Well we may as well do what the nice townsponies are saying.” said Silver Wing as he prostrated himself before the townsfolk. I noticed that his hooves were conspicuously covering his ears. The three other raiders and I did the same. I closed my eyes and then felt something go off nearby. Black Hawke nudged me and I got up. The townsponies lay all around us stunned. “Flashbang” said Silver Wing grinning wolfishly. The sniper rifle sounded a fifth time and Silver Wing again stumbled, a sizable chunk of his foreleg was now missing. “Into the Forest. Run!” he cried. I ran to his side to help carry him. Black Hawke apparently had the same idea and got his other side. Then we were all running for our lives.
Silver Wing stopped us after we were out of sight of the town. We could hear the townsponies recovering and then running into the forest after us. “Leave me. I can buy you a few minutes.” He shakily got to his feet. “Get to the compound, and get everyone out.”
“NO!” I was just as surprised to hear my voice as the next raider. Did I really want to save these raiders? Yes I wanted to save my friends. Did I betray these raiders? Yes, I betrayed my friends. Because of me one of my friends was dead. Because of me Squid Face was dead. I’m surprised it took this long to sink in. I’m even more surprised that I feel so little over it. If I hadn’t intervened on the town’s behalf, than the raiders would have gotten away with the relic safely. Squid Face would still be alive. If I hadn’t intervened than that town mare would have been raped. If I hadn’t intervened than the townsponies would have attacked the compound without first trimming the raider’s numbers. “The townsponies sent up a flare. That was probably to alert an attack group that we’d sprung their trap and it was time to take the compound. We have to assume that the asylum is now full of enemies.”
“We aren’t abandoning our own if that’s what you’re thinking.” said Black Hawke glaring at me. I couldn’t let the raiders return to the asylum. They would be slaughtered.
I turned to address Black Hawke, “Circle around through the woods. Keep a low profile once you’re within sight of the compound. Round up any survivors, but don’t let anyone see you. I’m going to,” I hesitated choking on my words. I did this. Of all the monsters here I was the worst. I deserved to die. I wouldn’t let Silver Wing or any of the others sacrifice themselves for me.
Drawing upon some inner reservoir I gathered my strength and stood resolute. “Silver Wing,” I brought out an extra strength health potion and a syringe of med-x, “Take these, your family still needs you.” I turned to Black Hawke whose expression had softened. She sensed what I was planning to do. “Here my friend you’ll need this,” I said handing her my still functioning stealthbuck, “Promise me that you will be careful.”
Black Hawke took the stealthbuck and to my surprise leapt onto her back legs and pulled me into an embrace. Her eyes closed as our mouths connected in some kind of ritual exchange of saliva. Her tongue entered my mouth and I awkwardly reciprocated. I felt something stir in me as we touched under the light of a full moon. A few seconds later we disconnected, finished with the odd ritual. I saw tears in my friend’s eyes, “I promise.” she said, “Promise me that you’ll come find us when your done.” I noticed that she said WHEN and not IF. Apparently she had a great deal more faith in me than I did.
I nodded, “When this is over, I swear, I will try to find you, but where should I look?”
“Manich a city about a day’s trot West of here.” said Silver Wing as he injected himself with Med-X. The raiders began galloping away as silently as they could. Silver Wing stayed long enough to say, “I can’t say you’ve done good for the family, but you have done your duty, and you’re more honorable than I ever was. It has been an honor to serve with you.” Then like a deer he bounded after the others with only the slightest limp to his step. When they were all gone I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, then took out Buttercup’s stealthbuck. I would buy the raiders as much time as I could by giving the townsponies someone else to chase.
Drawing my pistol I set off in the direction of the townsponies. I saw Storm Breeze and shot the ground immediately in front of the stallion. He quickly got behind cover and signaled those following him to do the same. I then ran in the opposite direction that my friends had gone waited for the townsponies to start moving again and then shot again. This went on for the better part of an hour as I would shoot at them and they would try to shoot at me.
My distraction worked without any trouble until at last disaster struck. I had been moving to a new position when suddenly Storm Breeze leapt out of a bush at me. My plasma blast caught him full in the chest and he fell to the ground breathing heavily. I moved to help him, but just then a burst of machine gun fire tore through the place I’d just been. One bullet cut my cheek, but somehow I ignored the pain. I knelt over Storm Breeze, and would have tried to save him, if I hadn’t seen the light already leaving his eyes. He was staring right through me, but his eyes seemed almost peaceful. It was as if he had died, but had been happy when he did. I looked behind me to see what he must have seen, and got an excellent view of the town of Plowton with the Doctor’s house upon the hill. Storm Breeze had died thinking of his home. He had died in defense of his home.
I withdrew from the fighting after that, unwilling to risk any more lives. My friends would be far enough away at that point with all the time I’d managed to buy them. It was unfortunate that Storm Breeze had to pay the price for my friend’s safety, but my friends were safe. It was time for me to reveal myself.
I appeared within the Doctor’s house upon the hill and waited for somebody to arrive. I didn’t have to wait long as Haywire came through to pick up some of our supplies which she had left in the house. “Ulysses!” Cried my friend as she tackled me to the ground from the chair I’d been brooding in.
“I killed Storm Breeze.” I said quietly.
Haywire drew back startled, but her look of shock was soon replaced by a somber expression, “I’m sure that you did what you thought was right.”
“It was an accident.” I whispered as I sat up.
“Then it’s not your fault. I heard that Storm Breeze died in the line of duty chasing down the last of the escaping raiders.” Said Haywire.
“He died trying to hunt me down. I was buying the raiders time so that they could get away.” I said my voice ever so slightly beginning to rise in volume.
“Why?” asked Haywire, and I noticed that her voice didn’t sound angry. To my surprise she sounded almost sympathetic. Her voice conveyed only pity for me. I couldn’t fathom why she’d pity me for the evil I’d done.
“I know that some raiders deserve to be sent to Hell.” I was no longer whispering. Laughing like a madman I continued, “Hell. I’ve even sent a few there myself. But there are some raiders who are a lot like us. They try to do the best they can with the world their given. I can’t blame them for having shit in their lives, only for when they make other people’s lives shitty.” Returning to a whisper I admitted, “Living among the raiders I actually started to care about some of them.”
I looked at my feet, waiting for Haywire to start yelling at me, or to laugh and tell me that I was crazy. Instead I felt her forelegs around me. “If you accidently killed a stranger pony protecting those you care about, then you can at least say that you tried to do the right thing.” I looked up at her and I could swear that there were tears in my eyes. “The only thing worth fighting for in this Hellhole,” said Haywire as her metallic arms extended around me, “Is love.” She rested her head on mine and I was glad for my friends company. At some point we fell asleep while still locked in our embrace.
We awoke the next morning when Sun Flare pulled the curtains back abruptly letting the too bright sunlight flood the room. “Aah my eye!” cried Haywire, falling away from me, as she covered her normal eye with her front hooves.
“Wakey Wakey my little ponies!” exclaimed Sun Flare, basking in our sunlight induced misery.
I stood up groggily, the events of the past few days running through my mind. I was still upset about the killing, but now I had a new goal. I had made a promise to Black Hawke, and I was going to fulfill it. “Sun Flare, how far away is Manich?”
“Manich? Why on Earth would you want to go to that hellhole?” asked Sun Flare.
To my surprise Haywire supplied the answer, “The raiders probably went to Manich, we were just gonna head over there, and make sure that they didn’t cause you townsfolk any more trouble.” When Sun Flare looked at me, I nodded in confirmation.
The stallion grimaced, but said, “Manich is about sixty kilometers down the road, Southwest of here, but I wouldn’t go near there if I were you. Back during the war the Equestrians dropped a megaspell on the city. Any creature living there is a sub-pony mutant, a zebra, or a raider.”
“Sixty Kilometers to the Southwest. That would be about thirty-five to forty miles then.” I said thinking out loud and ignoring everything else that Sun Flare said. I prepared to walk out, but hesitated as a thought came to me, “The relic, the real relic, can I see it?” I asked. I didn’t know why I asked, other than to see the reason why any of this madness had happened. Sun Flare looked reluctant, but after a moment’s thought he finally nodded.
“This way.” said the Earth Pony as he turned and strode deeper into the abode with me right behind him. I was reminded of all of my reasons for why it was a bad idea to store the relic inside somebody’s house, but ultimately the biggest problem that I had with the idea was that I didn’t want to be living near something as dangerous as the magical dagger.
Haywire followed us saying only, “I also want to know what this relic business is all about.”
We walked through the house until we came upon a trapdoor to the cellar. As we descended my nose was immediately assaulted by the smell of ancient brandy and mold. Haywire gagged as she trod down the stairs after us. After a lot of wandering around the dark cellar, which must have been at least as large as the entire house above it, we came to what appeared to be an ordinary brick wall. Sun Flare placed his hoof upon a brick that was slightly off color from those around it and a section of the wall silently swung inward upon well-oiled hinges.
The secret room was massive, being roughly thirty feet in diameter, with a high dome. Along the walls in alcoves were stone sarcophagi, each with identical sculpted pony faces. There were two other ponies in the room who both were wearing faded red robes and strange copper masks that were morbidly reminiscent to the pony faces on the tombs. They were both gathered around an altar where lay the still form of Storm Breeze. The sole source of illumination for the entire room was a familiar looking glowing blue idol at the head of the altar.
“Wow!” softly exclaimed Haywire in amazement. I looked back towards her to see her looking directly up towards the roof of the crypt. I looked up as well and saw an image of all the stars carved upon the roof. I also saw that the image displayed the sun and planets with Earth at the center. The starry ceiling reminded me of my brief vision of the strange city and the malevolent thing in the river.
I tore my gaze from the roof and back to the strange relic. Almost without thinking I approached the statuette. I could feel it radiate power. All I had to do was submit, reach out and grab it. I reached out to grab it. I gazed into the reflective depths of the idol’s eyes and then drew back terrified. In its eyes I saw the shape of a demon with green skin, a short muzzle, smoky hair, and leathery bat like wings. I withdrew my hand and turned away. I cast a look over my shoulder towards the artifact, and then I strode out of the room, opting to forget all about these strange blue relics. “I’ll see you both in the lobby. We’re going to need supplies for our trip to Manich.”
We left the Doctor’s house with two full packs of food, water, and medicine. We also were given a Geiger Counter to use on our journey. Apparently Stable-Tech pipbucks had built in Geiger Counters, but my pipbuck we assumed had been damaged from prolonged exposure to pink cloud.
As we were leaving we passed by the tree that I’d originally been hiding in, I noticed that it was a large willow tree. Hanging on nooses from its branches were the corpses of each of the raiders who’d been killed. There were eleven in all. I even saw the raiders who I’d killed among the dead. The townsponies had exhumed their bodies from the graves I’d dug for them. I briefly felt angry, but decided that it was better this way. The would be rapists didn’t deserve the shallow grave I’d given them. As we walked away I cast one last mourneful look towards the tree and my two friends Squid Face and Willow.
End of Chapter 5 (Level Up)
Ulysses
Level 5
Insanity 30%
New Trait: Star Touched – The stars have given you an unknown fate and their blessing. You will be their instrument upon this Earth until such time as they have no further need of you. +1 endurance +1 strength +1 inteligence -1 luck
New Perk: Toughness– +3 DT permanently
Energy Weapons 28 + 7/100 Sneak 34 + 3 /100 Medicine 28 + 7/100
The journey to Manich took all of that day. The trees on either side slowly gave way to pale lifeless husks. When we at last came within sight of the city, night was falling, and we noticed an odd stillness to the air. It seemed that the only movement in the wasteland was a single great plume of smoke rising from the center of the city. This close to any city or town we should have heard something, but we didn't. Haywire was worried and said that I should turn invisible and watch her from afar while she went in alone. I convinced her to let me go in alone; after all I didn’t know how the raiders would react to meeting her.
I strode towards the city and as I got closer I noticed that ashes and debris lined the street as well as several empty crosses. As I got closer I saw that there were bones amid the debris piles. Oddly enough there was even what looked like a lottery ticket. Manich wasn’t a town. It wasn’t even a large town like Plowton. This was a city. Its population in its heyday, no pun intended, could have easily been over a million ponies. After the Megaspells were dropped many of the ponies must have died.
It was apparent that many of the tall buildings and cathedrals had fallen down centuries ago, probably as a result of the nearby Megaspell detonation. It was also apparent that many ponies had been living here as of recently, maybe not as many as before the war, but it was definitely a larger population than that of any other settlement I had seen thus far. There was fresh gore intermixed with the debris and more than a few surfaces had been stained with blood. There were the burnt remains of huts, built from the debris of the dead city, erected alongside the road as well as the broken stalls of vendors who use to sell food or various odds and ends to passersby. Now that I had passed into this shanty town built upon a fallen city I was able to hear the sound of a far off bonfire and smell the burning bodies.
I walked as if in a dream through the broken city remembering something long forgotten as I drew towards the source of the burning. I passed a superstore with a hoof painted sign out in front and boarded up windows. There was a hole in its side as if it had been struck by an artillery shell. I passed a cathedral that had recently been set on fire, so recently that I could even hear beams breaking from within it. Outside was a damaged hoof painted sign that looked like it said “Esoteric Order of Dragon”. As I walked I passed yet more of the empty crosses. Despite being empty the crosses were almost all slick with blood.
Once I reached the center of town I saw a massive pyre. The flames reached towards the heavens rising at least forty feet from the ruins all around them. It took me a long moment to comprehend what I was seeing. There were simply so many bodies that I had to briefly wonder, how such a thing was even possible. As my senses returned to me I realized that I wasn’t alone.
There were a handful of ponies sitting around and watching the fire, seven ponies just staring up in awe. Two of the ponies seemed to sense my approach and got up to meet me. Silver Wing limped towards me as Black Hawke tackled me to the ground. After that I asked what happened to the city. They said that it was the legion. Silver Wing even told me something that surprised me. The crucifixion of ponies was a special punishment reserved for only the worst criminals. According to a former acquaintance of Silver Wing nopony had been crucified by the legion since the middle ages. The ponies must really have pissed off the legion to receive this kind of treatment.
The Silver Wing Slicers after discovering the massacre had taken all of the bodies off the crosses and built a pyre for them. There were barely four hundred dead, about a tenth of the city’s population a few weeks ago. The other ponies probably had had the sense to flee north.
That was where we would be heading. Silver Wing said that Omega’s boss was in to the Northwest at a place called Mareburg and Silver Wing still blamed Omega for the trap that I had led the Family into. I could not dissuade Silver Wing from his present course. The Family wanted blood. They wanted to kill Omega and his employer. With a heavy heart I followed the raiders north on their revenge mission and I was, in turn, followed by an invisible Haywire.
*****
It has been a day since we left Manich again entering a great and sickly forest. In that time I haven’t been able to talk with Haywire, but I know that she’s there. I have however found out what happened to the population of Manich. We crossed an irradiated river this morning that Silver Wing said marks the boundary to Magna Germania. The Zebras had lost the province during the War after having fought hoof and hide to take it more than a millennium before. It was here amidst dead trees that we found more crosses lining the road. They were spread out with one about each tenth of a mile. Upon each cross was the same label declaring the dead pony’s crime, “Executed for Raiding, Slavery, Heresy, Organ Harvesting, Allowing Foal Prostitution, Rape, Endorsing Slavery, Harboring Raiders, Harboring Slavers, Defending Drug Lords, Defending Pimps, Defending Heretics, Aiding, Abetting, or in Some Way Participating in the Aforementioned, and Opposing the Will of Roam”. Silver Wing showed me a map indicating where we were going and said that there must be thousands of them.
We traveled for a few days along the road, occasionally passing through small settlements. Most of the settlements that we passed through were for the most part untouched by the legion. Even here the road was lined in crosses as a warning to the inhabitants of what would happen if they crossed the legion. Every once in a while though we would pass through a small burned out settlement where the inhabitant's bodies had been left to rot beside the road. We did our best to ignore the dead in the towns and on the crosses. There were simply too many to bury them all. A handful of the ponies on crosses still lived and they cried to us for mercy. We gave them each a last drink and a bullet. It was all the kindness we could give for they were so far gone.
I would have tried to slip away at times to meet with Haywire and tell her where we were going, but Black Hawke was always watching me with hungry eyes, as if daring me to wander out of sight of the others. I felt bad for Haywire, the nights had gotten colder, but she couldn’t light a fire or she’d risk being seen. I shared a fire with the raiders and even with the fire Black Hawke still needed to huddle with me for warmth.
Eventually we got to a point where all the trees were dead and there were no more bodies beside the road and in the distance across a blackened field scarred with trenches and shell craters we could now see a line of fire. So it was that on our way to Mareburg we came to the outskirts of Flankfurt.
Ulysses
Insanity 39%
View Online
Fighting in Flankfurt 1: Ek Mein Ein Flankfurter
As we approached the city we could hear thunder even under a cloudless sky. Blasts of light occasionally would erupt from the far off city. Here a small spec of red fire and here a flash of purple lightening. Occasionally the flashes of light would illuminate silhouettes of buildings. At one point there was even a high pitched whistling followed by a detonation barely thirty feet away. We got off the road after that.
“Why can we not just go around the city?” I asked.
“We have to cross the river Mane.” said Black Hawke, “The last time that we went through here the river was full of radigators and the only bridges for a hundred kilometers go through Flankfurt. The ponies here made sure to blow up every other bridge they could find.”
“Why would they do such a thing?” I asked.
“All of the bridges in Flankfurt were toll bridges. Any pony that wanted to cross used to have to pay to get across. Ponies would pay the toll no matter how outrageously high it was or they could try their luck with getting radiation sickness if the radigators didn’t eat them first.” said Silver Wing.
“But we can fly.” I pointed out.
“I can’t carry anything bigger than a foal in my condition.” said Silver Wing, “So Black Hawke would have to make six trips carrying each of you and the river is wide.”
I thought to myself that Haywire couldn’t fly across anyway. “So do you have a plan to get across?”
“Hopefully most of the radigators inside the city are dead and we can just swim across the river once were in there.” said Silver Wing. I didn’t like the sound of this hopefully.
As we approached the city we ran into a new problem. There was a group of five ponies walking towards us in the darkness. It was apparent that while we could see them because of the besieged city behind them they couldn’t see us. Black Hawke pulled me aside and we broke from the rest of the group. I saw another two ponies doing the same, Ember and an amiable Earthpony named Clay. The five ponies from the direction of the city almost walked right into Silver Wing and the remaining three raider ponies.
One of the newcomers brought out a lantern and I saw that he was actually a zebra. It looked like all of the newcomers were zebras. Each of the zebras wore what appeared to be roman style body armor. One zebra had a lantern attached to an odd bracelet like device. Two of the zebras had large curved shields on their backs which they brought out using their hoof bracelets and placed before them as they drew short stabbing swords again using their odd hoof devices. The zebra with the lantern also drew a sword. Another one of the zebras had a battle saddle with dual shotguns. The last zebra already had his sword drawn and wore an oddly plumed helmet. I assumed he was their leader.
“Decanus, what should we do? Nopony is supposed to be coming from this direction.” said the zebra with the lantern.
“Well speak up, Pegasus. What are you doing here?” demanded the zebra wearing the plumed helm. Apparently he was called a Decanus.
“The name is Silver Wing. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” said Silver Wing and offering a dashing smile.
“I didn’t ask your name, Pegasus. You are interfering with legion business. Tell me what you’re doing here or turn around and walk away. Otherwise we will kill you.” said the zebra. I did not like the way this zebra was talking to my friend.
Black Hawke nudged me pointing at the Decanus. I nodded. None of the zebras had seen us yet. I raised my pistol aiming for the zebra’s feathery helm.
“I don’t like your attitude.” said Silver Wing. The only response from the zebras was the zebra with the battle saddle pumping his shotguns.
At that moment all hell broke loose upon the five zebras. Black Hawke fired a grenade directly behind the zebras who hearing it scrambled to escape. I shot the Decanus as he tried to leap aside from the blast. Ember cooked the shotgun wielding zebra in his armor and Clay trampled one of the zebras who had leapt beyond the lanterns circle of light. The grenade exploded killing the remaining two zebra. Seeing that
the Decanus still lived I drew my machete and cut him down. The entire engagement was done in ten seconds flat.
“What a rude zebra.” said Silver Wing who had silently stood through the carnage, “You probably should have left somepony alive for questioning.” I guiltily looked down at my bloody machete before wiping it on the Decanus’s fur.
“Nah they’d have screamed and brought the whole damn legion down upon us.” said Ember who was inspecting the dead zebra’s armor.
Silver Wing shrugged, “Take their armor, we could probably walk right past them while wearing it.”
“What about Ulysses?” asked Black Hawke.
“You still have that stealthbuck?” asked Silver Wing. Black Hawke nodded, pulling it out of her saddlebags, before handing it to me. “Shadow us from a safe distance. Try to keep a low profile, see if you can keep unwanted pursuit off our tails, and most importantly don’t die.”
The raiders with the exception of Silver Wing quickly changed into the legion armor. Ember seemed proud to wear the burnt armor. Clay picked up the battle saddle and examined the shotguns with a well trained eye before adding it to his arsenal. Black Hawke dawned the Decanus’s armor. She even took the dead ponies hoof bracelet and sword. Lastly she put on the feathered helm. I briefly thought about how beautifully the helm complimented her feathered wings. Then I wondered if there was something wrong with these ponies since they just pulled bloody clothing off of other dead ponies and then put it on without even bothering to clean it off first. Weren’t they bothered about having another pony’s blood all over them? Then I remembered my own attire and just shook my head at it all.
Seeing my reaction to it all, Black Hawke laughed. “Yeah I guess we do look rather ridiculous in these disguises.”
“I’d say we look rather dashing.” Declared Ember, as he grinning struck a pose with his nose in the air, horn held high, and his hoof upon the crispy face of the burnt legionnaire. There was a sadistic glint in his eye.
“Dashing and ridiculous.” Silver Wing gently smiled, “Well let’s hope that these dashing and ridiculous disguises work.”
As we approached the city we saw more zebras and I started to hear the far off sounds of gunfire. We reached the outskirts of the city without incident strutting in as if we owned the place. It seemed like Silver Wing radiated confidence as he stepped over the bodies of dead ponies and zebras and past legion patrols. There were only a handful of these patrols and they passed us by without a second glance or only after asking if we were alright. I guess that they noticed the blood and shrapnel.
Oddly enough the legionnaires didn’t seem to care that we were ponies. I guessed that they must recruit from both races and after a thought I decided that it was only logical. Why alienate a significant portion of your population or even a minority if the alternative is more beneficial for every creature?
Now that we were in the outskirts of the city I noticed that this was the area that had been most heavily shelled. There used to be a wall on this side of the city. Now the wall and most of the buildings around us had been reduced to piles of rubble. We passed several groups of legionnaires busily working to clear the road of IEDs before the tanks could roll in. A few of these groups called to us for help but we ignored them. I noticed that as we proceeded the sounds of thunder grew louder as did the sound of rifles and machinegun fire.
Within a minute of climbing over rubble and past broken barricades we finally reached the action. Ponies and zebras in slate gray uniforms hid behind broken walls and barricades coming out to fire upon the invading legion.
A shell landed about a dozen feet away from us and the explosion sent us all running for cover. The raiders huddled next to several legionnaires. One of the legion soldiers had been shot in his hind leg. Ember seeing this went to the injured soldier’s side. He started demanding things of the soldiers around him and a zebra decanus came up as the other soldiers continued to fire over their barricade. The two started shouting at one another but I was focused on the defenders.
I noticed that the color and pattern of their gray uniform matched the rubble around them. I guessed that they were fighting in their preferred habitat. If that was the case than I also guessed that they probably had some way of handing the legion their tails. I wondered how they would do it. It seemed that they were wasting the lives of their soldiers by fighting for every inch of ground. I could only guess that they were trying to buy time for something. Maybe they hadn’t gotten all of the civilians out yet?
A hoof tapped me on the shoulder. I turned but saw nothing. “Haywire?” I asked as loudly as I dared.
“Yes” she said back, also trying both not to be heard by the others and to be heard over the sounds of gunfire and shelling. We awkwardly embraced. “I’ve missed you.”
“I have also missed you. I would have tried to visit, but Black Hawke was always watching.”
“I saw. Do you have a thing for her?” asked Haywire.
“No, was I supposed to have a gift for her.” I replied
I heard the distinctive sound of Haywire’s forehoof connecting with her cybernetic eye before she said, “Never mind. Do you have a way to get through all of this?”
“Not really. Once we got to the river we were going to swim across it.”
“If you could go through the sewers it might be easier.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I took a look into one of the ponyholes. The blood flows in the direction of the river. I think that the sewers empty into it.”
“Sounds like a plan, but what if the Flankfurters are expecting something like that.”
“It would probably be easier to go through the sewers than to fight your way across all of this. The legion also doesn’t care as much about the sewers. They’re focusing on capturing the bridges since they need to get their vehicles across.” I was reminded of the teams working to clear away any IEDs. If the legion could get a single tank to the front then they could potentially clear away each of the guarded barricades.
I nodded then remembering that Haywire couldn’t see I said, “Then I shall tell the Family to do that.”
“Good.” grunted Haywire. I couldn’t tell if she was angry, jealous, or sad or perhaps it was a mixture of all three. I would have asked why she was upset, but we couldn’t stay out there in the open any longer. If we did either the legionnaires would hear us or a stray shell might kill us.
“Stay safe,” I squeezed her cybernetic form before letting go.
I meandered my way between the legionnaires before reaching the nearest one that I recognized. I whispered into Ember’s ear Haywire’s idea. Ember turned his attention back to the decanus, “Hay, why hasn’t anybody tried going through the sewers?”
“The sewers are crawling with the bastards.” Replied the zebra decanus, “Also my orders from the Centurion are to link up with other contubernium in the area and to try and reach the second bridge.”
“I’m going to lead my troops through the sewers and hit the Flankfurters from the flank.” Black Hawke declared chuckling slightly at her pun.
“What about my buck?” asked the decanus.
“I’ve done all I can for him.” said Ember, “He won’t be bleeding to death, but he won’t be able to fight either unless you give him something to kill the pain.” Ember said this last part with a glare. Apparently that is what the two had been arguing about.
“I told you, I can’t allow that. I’ve orders from higher up for strict rationing of medicine. I can’t spare any painkillers unless it’s an emergency.”
“I think this,” Ember gestured towards the injured zebra buck, “counts as an emergency!”
“Ember, it’s time for us to go.” said Haywire sternly. Ember grudgingly obeyed, but cast one last glare back at the decanus who was now issuing orders for the injured pony to be taken back behind the lines.
We backed away through the ruins doing our best to avoid becoming a target for the defenders. After a few minutes we found our way to a ponyhole. One by one we clambered down and then tore off our disguises. I was a little surprised to see that the raiders stashed the disguises in their saddlebags as opposed to getting rid of them. I hoped that we would never run into the legion again. If we met any of the legionnaires down here we would now have to kill them.
Ember lit up his horn like a flashlight and looking around the sewers I saw they were much cleaner than the world above, they had an arched ceiling, and the walls were made of old brown bricks. It seemed that our first obstacle in getting through these sewers was an ancient metal gate, rusted shut, which we burned through using our magical energy pistols. With a loud clang it fell to the ground.
“It looks like the party will be coming to us then.” observed Silver Wing.
We followed the streams of blood through the sewers. We didn’t make it more than a dozen feet before we ran into a group of eight legionnaires. They’d probably heard the gate falling.
Black Hawke fired a grenade into their midst as her minigun started spinning. The first two fell, but it seemed that they had absorbed most of the shrapnel leaving the rest relatively unharmed. The remaining legionnaires raised their shields which our blasts of energy bounced off of.
“Run!” cried Silver Wing and we ran back to the safety of the entrance. Looking back I saw the legionnaires slowly approaching and their shield wall opened. A flurry of bullets flew past us and buried themselves in the wall. One of the raiders behind me cried out in pain and looking forward I noticed that the holes in the wall glowed with an inner flame. I did not want to be shot by that rifle.
As soon as he was behind cover Silver Wing brought out an apple spotted with green crystals. I recognized it as the same kind of magical energy grenade that Omega had had and that I’d used against the abomination. Ember was bent over an injured Clay.
“Black Hawke lay down suppressing fire. Spirit, make a hole for me.” Silver Wing calmly ordered.
Black Hawke fired a grenade at the ceiling and it bounced further into the tunnel, hopefully among the ranks of the enemy. After the detonation she leapt out of hiding, her minigun roaring. The silver unicorn mare named Spirit also leapt forward her horn glowing. I peeked around the corner and saw that she was in a game of tug of war over one of the legionnaire’s shields. As soon as she’d pulled the shield about half a foot away from the zebra’s body Silver Wing who was peeking around the corner pulled the pin, quickly counted to three, and then threw his grenade. We ducked back behind cover just as a blast of green fire and two partially incinerated shields flew past us.
I poked my invisible head around the corner again, “All clear.”
We crept out of hiding and quickly searched the bodies. It appeared that several of the legion shields had survived the blast. The legionnaires and their armor on the other hand had been almost completely destroyed by the explosion and parts of the walls and ceiling had even melted. I picked up a piece of the legionnaire armor and was a little surprised to find that it was made of Kevlar. I test fired one of the strange zebra rifles and I was surprised to find that, despite being burnt black, it was still fully functional. I took it and was again surprised when I saw that it used normal, not glowing, bullets.
We moved forward as swiftly as we dared and watched for movement around every corner. After about two minutes of this we saw shadows coming down the passage and heard ponies talking.
“Wait, I hear something.” called one of the ponies ahead. “Are you friend or foe?”
“I am a Flankfurter, so you tell me if I’m friend or foe.” said Silver Wing.
“What was Sleazy Bear’s Quills and Mattresses famous for?” demanded the pony ahead. I assumed that this was some kind of security question and that we couldn’t answer it. If we had to fight the Flankfurters on top of fighting the legion then I doubted that any of us would make it through this warzone. I was reminded of the old adage out of the frying pan and into the fire.
“Way I remember it; it was famous for two things. Not selling quills and not being family friendly.” replied Silver Wing.
One of the three Earth Ponies in our party, a mare named Steel Flower chuckled and with a wry smile said, “I don’t think it was meant to be family friendly and I’d say it was famous for quite a few other things.”
Silver Wing gave the young mare a disapproving glance before continuing, “They should have put a sign up or something. I walked into that accursed bugbears establishment with foals. Foals!”
A pony in slate gray military fatigues came around the corner. He was a young zebra buck and wore a battle saddle. “Damn. You actually brought foals to a whorse house.”
“Wasn’t I eight when that happened?” asked Black Hawke. The military zebra just shook his head.
“Had to explain the birds and the bees to five little fillies and colts. I hope that bugbear pimp is dead.” muttered Silver Wing looking down at his hooves. He looked up suddenly, “We need to get out of here. The legion could attack us at any second.”
The zebra nodded, “Follow me. We’ll escort you out. We’re evacuating the last of the civilians now.”
“You didn’t evacuate them before the legion attack?” asked Black Hawke shocked.
“The legion attacked us about a week ago.” said the zebra, “They started shelling us at night and out of nowhere. The first attack trapped many ponies on this side of the river. We freed the last of the ponies that were behind rubble a few days ago, but there were still a lot of ponies who were hiding. It has taken us the past six days to find everypony who was still in their basements or underneath desks.”
The zebra introduced us to his squad mates and they escorted us to a wharf to wait among a small crowd of civies. Apparently the defenders were ferrying ponies across the river. This I decided was a good thing since I did not want to swim in radioactive water especially if it could mean being radigator food.
The ferry left the wharf with about a dozen civies on it as well as two of the soldiers. There were about five soldiers left on our side and half a dozen civies not counting our group of raiders. I noticed that all of the civies on the raft wore black hooded cloaks. I could tell that four of them were mares, but not much more than that. The raft came back and our group boarded. I did my best not to bump into any of the hooded ponies, but it was a tight fit.
“Hay there’s still a space open,” said one of the military ponies.
“Leave it.” said the zebra stallion who had led us there. I saw that he stood near me on the raft, “The raft is already overcrowded as it is. Anymore weight and we’ll sink it.”
“Are you calling me fat?” asked the pony, but he was smiling. “Goddess speed.” he said as he untied our raft from the wharf.
The pony had a smile on his face even after a plasma blast struck him from behind and ended his life. The zebra beside me cried out. On the wharf were a group of three gryphons. I could just make out a symbol on their body armor, an eagle talon bisected by an ugly scar. The raiders around me opened fire upon the gryphons. One fell dead but the others took cover further in the sewers.
The other soldier, a young unicorn stallion nodded to the zebra soldier who I realized was shaking. The zebra composed himself and raised a walky-talky to his ear, “This is lieutenant True Iridescence. The civies are all clear. Repeat the civies are all clear.”
After a few moments of static a voice said, “Roger that, all units fall back to the bridges. We’ll hold them there.”
We reached the other side of the river and tied our ferry to a wharf there. True iridescence then led us up a ladder and into the city proper. This side of the river had also been shelled, but many of the buildings were still standing. Many of the buildings were so untouched by the artillery bombardment that I could even see where the fire storm following the megaspell detonation left its mark. We were led to one such building, an abandoned hotel. Once we were inside a dimly lit room that appeared to be a combination bar and lobby he said, “You’ll have to wait here until morning. Nopony is allowed to leave the city at night.”
“Why?” asked Haywire. I looked around and realized that she was one of the ponies wearing a black robe.
“The legion has tried sending ponies around behind us. They had those damned gryphons flying small groups of soldiers over. We’ve lasted this long only by shooting everypony we seeing moving about at night.”
Haywire’s nod was almost imperceptible underneath her hood.
The ponies began to wander about the hotel and met with other groups who had arrived before us. Silver Wing was saying something to the assembled raiders as Haywire listened in while pretending to be searching the bar. I would have also been listening but just then I heard True Iridescence whisper something from right beside me. “I don’t care who you are or why you want to remain hidden, but you need to prove to me that you aren’t working with my enemy.”
“How did you know that I was here?” I asked startled.
“The floor of the sewers was covered in a stream of blood. There were two spots where the blood flowed as if it were flowing around hooves. I also saw how that group of ponies left a sizable space in between them on the raft. I knew that you were there. Now you will either prove that you aren’t with our enemy, or I’ll kill you.”
“Or I might kill you.” I said matter-of-factly.
“Or you might kill me,” the zebra conceded surprising me with his simple and honest tone, “I don’t know which of us would win in a fight. I only know that you’re alive now instead of one of my dearest friends.” I recalled the pony who had wanted a place on the raft, the pony who had wanted my place.
I thought for a moment about how I might prove myself to this zebra. I remembered the armor plate that I had gotten from my scuffle with Omega. “You saw those gryphons that killed your friend.”
“Yes they were talon gryphons.”
“They were Scar’s Talons.” I said recalling the symbol that I had seen on the gryphon armor in Canterlot. I brought out the armor plate. “They are also my enemies.” I said as I set the armor plate on the nearby bar counter. As it left my hand it became visible.
“You know the one that the legion contracted to do this job?” asked the zebra.
“Not personally. My party is on a mission to kill him.” I said. I noticed that the black robed pony at the bar had an ear cocked in our direction.
“Come with me.” he whispered, “There is someone you need to meet.”
End of Chapter 6 (Level Up)
Ulysses
Level 5 (Double Agent)
Insanity 42%
Ember
Level 8 Adventurer
Special
Strength 4
Perception 6
Endurance 5
Charisma 5
Inteligence 8
Agility 6
Luck 6
Traits
Sadist- You enjoy the suffering of others. When you were a foal you would burn ants with a magnifying glass. Your first real victim was your neighbor’s dog who you tortured to death. +5 to melee weapons +5 to attacks against animals +5 to killing anything in a painful or personal way (ie with fire, knives, strangulation, beating to death with your own bear hooves, etc). Causing another pony harm will give you a temporary bonus to your next action proportional to the harm done. If you go a week without hurting another creature you will receive a temporary -1 to luck.
Philanthropist-You have a deep-rooted love for your fellow pony. +5 medicine +1 to any action that is done out of love for your fellow pony. -1 to any action meant to hurt your fellow pony.
Perks
Comprehension -You gain one additional skill point for reading books and double the skill points for reading magazines.
Living Anatomy -Shows health and Damage Threshold of any target. +5% bonus to damage against humans and non-feral ghouls
Pyromaniac-+50% damage with fire-based weapons
Swift Learner-+10% XP whenever XP is earned
64+11 /100 magic 65+10/100 medicine
Fighting in Flankfurt 2: A Simple Choice
True Iridescence led me back out into the night. After we had walked for about a minute I realized that something was off although it took me another minute to figure out what was wrong. The artillery fire seemed unusually distant for some inexplicable reason. The Flankfurters did have artillery. I remembered several shells raining down when I was on the other side of the river. “Why are we not shooting back at them?”
The zebra frowned at the word we, but said “We aren’t shooting so that we can conserve ammunition.”
Suddenly I was struck from behind with the force of a runaway train car. I fell to the ground with an incredible weight on my back. “You betrayed me!” someone screamed from directly above me.
“Haywire?” I asked confused. Her response was to smash my face into the concrete. I could see blood fall from my face. “Haywire, how did I betray you?”
“You are going after Scar.” she accused.
“I cannot stop the others. I have tried.” I said trying to turn. She got off my back and I put an arm around her. I was shocked to see that I’d become visible again. Looking up quickly, I noticed that True Iridescence was watching us passively. I looked at the zebra as if to ask him ‘You are okay with seeing somebody running around in somepony elses skin?’ His response was merely a nod then he walked a few feet away to give us some privacy.
“I’ve been running from that life of raiders and Scar” she said softly.
“And I’ve been running with you away from scar instead of looking for the one who took my life away” I didn’t have any realistic chance of finding that accursed unicorn after leaving the heartlands, but I kept going as much for Haywire’s sake as because I couldn’t live without her.
“Wasn’t the life we had together better?”
“Than Canterlot? Yes. I liked travelling with you yes, but I miss my old life. I want to go back. I want revenge. I didn’t ask for any of this?”
“You asked to see what raiders looked like. Then you wanted to find them in Manich. Don’t pretend you have had no choice in all this.”
I had to admit albeit reluctantly that she had a point. I was responsible for us getting entangled first in a fight between raiders and townsponies and now in a fight between the legion and the Flankfurters, but I remembered another decision that I’d made, “and the choice to attack three well-armed gryphons and save you?”
Now she was on the defensive, “Hay, I’m not saying all of your decisions have been bad, just this one.”
“What is wrong with getting revenge and getting rid of one more enemy? What is to be gained by running?”
Her response was automatic, “A long and healthy life.”
I thought over her words and my reasons for going along with Silver Wing in the first place, “A life with nothing in it at all except running and fear, never staying in any town too long, never settling down, and always being afraid that Scar might have agents even this far out.” I swept my hand about in an all-encompassing gesture that ended with me pointing back across the river, “But as Fate or Fortune would have it, here we are hundreds of miles from where we started, and Scar is barely sixty miles from us. So here’s a question, how far will we have to go to really escape him, another continent perhaps?”
Haywire let out a tired sigh, “What else can I do. I can’t kill him alone.”
“You won’t be alone.” I didn’t want Haywire to have to face anything alone.
“Two against a small army, now that would be a story for the telling.” She said bitterly.
I smiled and moved so that I was now sitting next to her, “it wouldn’t just be the two of us we now have allies”
We sat like that for a few seconds in silence when she said, “And when those allies find out what really happened in Plowton”
“If you were anyone else…” I said surprising even myself with how aggressive it sounded. True Iridescence shifted his hoof almost imperceptibly towards his rifle.
“If I was anyone else than what?” the mare said drawing away to look me in the eye.
“I don’t know I don’t even know who I am or what I’d do anymore!” I put my face in my hands and growled in frustration.
“You are my friend” she said putting a hoof to my chin and lifting my head to look her in the eye, “Whatever happens next that won’t change.”
“You know I don’t just stay with you for the food.” I said offering her a sad smile.
“I know.” She smiled sadly back.
We got up and let True Iridescence lead us away. We talked for a bit catching up with each other after being separated for about a week. We were barely even paying attention as the Zebra led us down into the sewers which were on this side of the river lit by fluorescent lightbulbs. Eventually we reached some kind of bunker with a rounded metal door emblazoned with an image of a crowned scarlet eagle. We passed several large rooms, one was an armory, another was a debriefing room, and in another there was a pony speaking into a microphone. When asked about it our guide told us that it was the civilian radio station and that the pony was giving everypony updates on what was going on in the siege. The bunker we were in was the hub for all civilian and military communications throughout the entire city.
Haywire and I continued catching up as we were led into some kind of waiting room. There were only two other ponies in the room, a stallion covered from head to hoof in heavy barding was muttering curses as he hammered away furiously at a pipbuck and a tall bespectacled blue unicorn mare wearing a worn travelling cloak who was reading a prewar book, Marechivelli’s The Princess.
“What I really want to know is why Scar moved to Mareburg. He had a perfectly nice base in the Heartland.” said Haywire as we took a seat near the blue mare.
“Heartland Equestria?” asked the blue mare looking up so suddenly that her glasses fell down her face.
“Yes actually,” said Haywire sounding slightly annoyed. She looked the mare over, “Have you thought about getting those adjusted?”
“Well no, but” the mare was saying when Haywire grabbed the glasses in her metallic claws. She brought the spectacles before her glowing red eye and the iris began to extend. Her spider arms worked furiously to fix the glasses. The unicorn mare snorted, “Not everyone gets to have access to Stable 101 tech.”
“Do you want me to make a mistake?” asked Haywire as she focused on the glasses.
The unicorn mare looked down towards her hooves. “I’m sorry, it’s just seeing you reminds me of…” she hesitated a moment, “What I meant to say was, I’m sorry. I know what happened to the ponies in that stable.”
“That is one chapter in my life I won’t be revisiting.” Haywire said as she handed the reading glasses back to the mare. “How does that work for you?”
“Much better thank you.” said the blue mare as she placed the glasses upon her snout.
“So what brings somepony from the Heartland all the way out to Germaney?” Haywire asked conversationally. I was examining a peculiar bump underneath the mare’s travelling cloak. I would have said that they were saddle bags if I didn’t see a pair of bulky saddlebags sitting on a nearby chair.
“Are you an alicorn?” I asked curious. She looked at me for a long moment as if she hadn’t noticed me before.
“I’m with the Followers of the Apocalypse.” she said and the clasp of her cloak lit up in a black aura, “and yes, I am an alicorn.” Her cloak fell to the floor and her wings spread out behind her. I noticed two things about her wings. The first was that her wings were disproportionately large compared to her body. The second, that there were marks on her shoulder as if somebody had tried to cut the wing off of her. As I averted my eyes to the floor I noticed something just as bad, if not worse. Her ankles above the hoof were covered in a myriad of scars. The mare saw me watching, “Yeah, well uh, I guess you could say that I’ve been in some bad places in my life.” She chuckled nervously, “But that is behind me now. Now, I know my purpose, and I won’t hesitate to fulfill it.”
“I’ve never heard of these Followers of the Apocalypse. So that is why you’re here?” asked Haywire confused, “Your trying to fulfill some kind of purpose for them?”
“Not exactly, I’m here because my sisters couldn’t stand me and sent me away, but not before I realized the truth.” She looked at us with wide eyes that looked almost comical underneath her spectacles. Her face screwed up in confusion for a moment, “I’m sorry, you had said something about the Heartland after walking in.”
“Yes,” said Haywire, “Have you ever heard of a gryphon named Scar?”
“No, but he probably works under Gawd.” said the alicorn, trying to be helpful.
“Scar doesn’t work under anypony, but I found out that he was helping Stern.” Haywire spat the second name as if it were a curse. I was starting to get confused by all of these names that I’d never heard before. Haywire would occasionally tell me about her past, but it was always about contracts that she took when she was a merc. She had trouble talking about what happened before she became a mercenary and until our conversation out on the street she’d had the same trouble talking about Scar.
“You don’t have to worry, one of Red Eye’s slaves killed Stern during the Battle of Fillydelphia.” said the mare. Haywire seemed relieved at the news.
Haywire almost looked desperate as she asked, “And Red Eye? Please tell me that he also died in this battle.”
“He didn’t die in that battle, but he is also dead slain by the Toaster Repairpony.” Haywire gave the mare a deadpan look. “She’s more commonly known as Light Bringer.” The Alicorn mare said as if to clarify.
“Good. I’m glad he’s dead.” said Haywire remembering some old evil.
“So this Red Eye character was killed by Lucifer?” I asked and now it was my turn to give the Alicorn a deadpan stare.
“You really don’t know, do you?” asked the mare, “A lot has happened since you were last in the Heartlands. The Equestrian Wasteland is under new management.”
“That is excellent, except that I’m not going back there. You see we’ve got a plan. We’re going to kill Scar and then,” she turned to me expectantly, “Sorry I’ve been so caught up in this killing Scar business, that I’ve forgotten about everything that was supposed to come after.”
“After killing Scar we are going to live our lives.” I said.
“I guess that will work.” said Haywire with a shrug.
“It definitely works.” said the Alicorn stomping a hoof, “You know what you want and you won’t let any pesky things like details and collateral get in your way.” The Alicorn looked at her hooves for a few seconds until we thought that she’d fallen asleep or forgotten us when suddenly she looked up, “Would you hate it if I came with you? I never got a chance to get revenge against Red Eye and his lackeys and whatever this Scar is up to, it can’t be good.”
“We don’t even know your name.” said Haywire. I had to admit she had a point, but I’d fought an alicorn. They were formidable, so having one as an ally could be useful.
“I think it is a great idea. My name is Ulysses.” I said offering my fist for the awkward hoofshake. I was getting really good at this.
Haywire shrugged, “What the hay, we could definitely use the help.” she offered her hoof in turn. “I’m Haywire.”
“And they said I couldn’t find friends,” Haywire and I exchanged glances, “My name is Sable Grace”
*****
We talked in the waiting room for about half an hour before someone came over to speak with us. “Ulysses and Haywire.” called True Iridescence. We got up and followed the soldier into an office. The room was fairly Spartan. There was a filing cabinet in one corner and a table with a coffee maker in the other. There was an ornate desk with a computer terminal on it along with several maps, and letters stacked neatly in the corner beside a mug holding an assortment of multicolored pens. A flag was pinned up along the back wall of the room proudly displaying the image of a white gryphon wearing a crown and holding a magnificent white prewar suspension bridge in its talons and all of this was upon a blood red field.
A sky blue earthpony stallion with a slicked back black mane sat behind the desk. “My name is River Waltz and I believe I already know who you are,” the pony said with a smile.
“Oh,” asked Haywire narrowing her eyes, “and who do you think we are?”
“I think that the two of are the ones who are going to get these damn gryphons off our backs.” he said as his smile faded slightly as he met Haywire’s eyes. “You’ll be helping a lot of people.” he said quietly.
“Yes I suppose that we will be.” Haywire said just as quietly.
“I want to first thank you on behalf of all of the people of Flankfurt.” River’s smile was back, “Coffee?”
“Yes please” we said in unison.
River poured coffee into two clean mugs, “So I take it that you will be going to Mareburg to kill Scar?”
“Yes we will.” I said smiling back as I accepted my coffee.
“And you know about the outbreak there?” he asked. He raised an eyebrow at our blank expressions, “You don’t know about the outbreak do you?”
“No, what is this about an outbreak?” asked Haywire sounding uncertain.
“Before the war it is said that there was a terrible disease that swept through the population and killed quite a few ponies. During the war the MAS tried to weaponize the disease. It ended badly as I’m sure you can imagine. Even today the virus is still a menace upon society.” Looking into his face and hearing his voice, it almost seemed like he could relate to the plight of the infected.
Haywire sighed, “But what does this change? We still have to find some way to kill him.”
“I take it that you don’t want to risk you or any of your companions getting infected.” said the Stallion.
After hesitating for a moment I said, “That is correct.”
“As it so happens, I have vaccines.” the stallion smiled.
“I take it that you want something for them?” Haywire said as she ground her teeth. “That is how it is in this wasteland, right? I scratch your back, you scratch mine?” she spat that last part looking rather sick.
“Something like that, yes.” River’s smile turned into a crazy grin.
I sighed burying my head in my hands, “Who do you want us to kill?”
“Kill? Who said anything about killing?” asked the stallion trying to seem shocked. It didn’t work though as his face was still locked in a smile.
“It seems that whenever I need to help someone do something it usually involves killing.” I looked up, my hands still covering my face, “I am fucking sick of all this killing.” I growled through my fingers.
“Like I said, I never said anything about having to kill.” he stopped smiling suddenly, but his maniacal look remained and there was a dangerous light in his eyes, “There is something that I need you to get for me. It could hold the secret to ending this entire damned war and bringing the legion back to the bargaining table.”
“Back, I thought that their attack was a complete surprise?” I asked eyeing him suspiciously.
“It was, but we knew that we’d gotten on the legion’s bad side even before that.” River Waltz leaned forward conspiratorially, “You see, the legion sent some delegates a couple months back even before the Legate Marcus’s Manich Massacre. The legion came wanting to buy our bridge. We said no these bridges are our livelihood. The legion didn’t like that and their representatives went away in a rage.”
“Why couldn’t you just let the legion have the bridges or give them a free pass or something?” asked Haywire.
“Didn’t you hear me, those bridges are our livelihoods. They are the reason why Flankfurt has prospered since the war. Because of trade we’ve become rich and powerful and it’s the reason why we blew up all the other bridges that weren’t taken out by the megaspells. The legion didn’t want to compromise, not even for free passes across. They wouldn’t accept anything less than our complete cooperation and of course management of our bridges.” He seemed almost dangerously calm now, but there was a strange light in his eyes.
“How did any of the bridges survive the megaspells in the first place?” I asked, “And don’t tell me that they were just built to last.”
“The megaspells didn’t directly hit Flankfurt like they did with most other cities. The point of the megaspells was after all only to kill ponies. Because of this many of the structures of both Flankfurt and Mareburg survived mostly intact despite the population of our good Flankfurt being,” he paused as if to find the right word, “Substantially reduced. Nopony however was worried about Mareburg giving them any trouble, so it didn’t matter that they were on the very edge of the nuclear blast. For all intents and purposes that town had been taken out of the war, because of the outbreak that still persists today.” He looked between us for a long moment his smile retuning, “So where does that leave us?”
“What do you want?” asked Haywire taking out a notepad and snatching a pen from the coffee mug holding pens. I sipped my coffee and was more satisfied by the bitter taste than at any of this stallion’s failed attempts at seeming sweet. I didn’t like what I saw in his eyes.
“In exchange for the vaccines I want an Aquila.” At our stunned looks he elaborated, “It’s a golden eagle about this big” he demonstrated with his hooves, “the legion uses it like a standard. It means a lot to them. If you can get it and bring it back than we can finally have peace.”
“I don’t think it will be that simple.” Haywire said pointing her pen at the stallion.
“Does it matter if it is?” he asked, “You get the vaccines when I hold that eagle. You don’t even have to kill anybody. It is really that simple.” He smiled, “That is of course assuming that you want the vaccines. I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing this. It is still possible to go through with your mission to kill Scar without the vaccines.”
Haywire looked to me as if this were my decision. I shrugged, “Give me some time to think on it.”
“Alright, you have one hour, but any longer to make up your mind and no deal.” We nodded and rose to leave when he called back, “and send Lieutenant Iridescence in here.”
*****
We returned to the hotel and I went to talk with Black Hawke. “Look who decided to turn visible.” She said with a wry smile as she got up off a partially burnt couch and met me halfway, “so what did they want?” I filled Black Hawke in on everything that happened as best as I could without indicating any prior relationship with Haywire. Black Hawke eyed Haywire suspiciously. “Silver Wing will probably want to hear this.”
“Alright, should I wait here?” I asked.
“No, he’ll want to hear it from you.” said Black Hawke shaking her head. She then led me to a balcony on the still intact third floor.
Below I could see the distant shapes upon the bridges fighting and dying as the legion struggled to overwhelm the barricades. A group of legionnaires had formed into a block like formation with their shields out to the sides and above their heads. The legionnaires reached the first set of barricades and made short work of the defenders there using their short stabbing swords. A volley of grenades and missiles struck the shields of the invaders and many of them were scattered about like leaves and with bits of shrapnel imbedded within them. The defenders rushed forwards to fill the gap and the gruesome scene was repeated.
“Isn’t it tragic?” asked Silver Wing from a lawn chair as he stared out towards the starlit night and the battle raging beneath us. I saw that he was slumped in the chair and was trying to keep his weight off of his left wing and right foreleg. Ember knelt by him and with wide eyes he watched our approach. Nobody answered the raider chief and the only sound apart from his heavy breathing was the distant thunder of the legion guns.
Silver Wing held a spoon in his left foreleg and he raised it up inspecting it. We briefly saw the reflection of his eye in the polished surface of the spoon. Seeing me Silver Wing quickly tried to compose himself, but in his haste he crushed his wing against one of the chair’s metal supports and let out a silent cry of agony. The dashite looked back towards the starry sky as if nothing had happened with an almost wistful look on his worn face. He seemed much smaller slumped like this. It seemed to me that he was like a once mighty angel the prodigal son of heaven that had been struck down by his creator or perhaps he had fallen by his disobedience. Now this fallen angel lay like a broken toy upon some balcony of an endless sphere of war torn radioactive hell. “Isn’t it tragic?” he asked again.
“How bad is it?” I asked my vision haunted by the images of the hanging raiders, Willow after her horn was cut off, and lastly seeing the innocent lamb of the slaughter Storm Breeze dead by my own hands. Unconsciously I found myself glancing at my hands as if afraid that they were stained red. Thankfully none of the others were watching. Black Hawke was looking mournfully towards her foster father and Ember was sterilizing the medical supplies. Silver Wing had returned to examining his spoon, but he seemed even more lost in thought than when I had first come onto the balcony.
He quickly stirred himself from his thoughts and his voice and posture regained much of their former vigor, “How bad is it? Well it won’t kill me if that’s what you’re afraid of, but I won’t be winning any Best Young Flyers competitions anytime soon.” He did his best to turn in the chair and after a little hobbling Black Hawke galloped over to help him. “So I’d like to pretend that you came over here to spend some quality time with me,” he gave me a gentle smile, “but I know better. That zebra lieutenant led you and one of the cultists away to somewhere, so I take it that you have something to report?”
“Yes.” I said recalling my entire conversation with River Waltz, “but first I have to ask, what do you guys know about an outbreak in Mareburg?” Ember looked up suddenly at the word outbreak.
“Nothing much. My guess is that it has worn itself out by now. Most plagues do that.” replied Silver Wing looking for the first time since I’d seen him to be uncertain. Ember looked for all the world like an eager school filly wanting to answer a question from her teacher, but he kept silent until Silver Wing nodded to him.
Ember’s voice was somewhere between solemn and awe as he said, “Unfortunately this is something much worse than a simple plague. Prewar researchers from the Ministry of Arcane Science built a whole research facility devoted solely to creating the perfect biological weapon and somehow it got loose in the surrounding town of Mareburg. The disease even before the megaspells were dropped managed to burn through more than three quarters of the population while the researchers were scrambling to find either a vaccine or a cure. After the strain was exposed to radiation it has since evolved into two strains, one that is fast acting and another that is less contagious and can take as long as a decade to kill its victim. Between the two of these the virus strains have slowly cut down the population of Mareburg to no more than three thousand ponies.”
“This doesn’t change anything.” declared Black Hawke with steel in her voice.
“I should have known!” cried Silver Wing stomping his right hoof down upon the table. He grunted in agony and Ember gave the wounded dashite a death glare. “It isn’t too late for anypony to back out.” he said quietly.
Ember and Black Hawke exchanged a look before they both nodded in unison. “We aren’t backing out now.” said Black Hawke.
“We could probably buy some hazmat suits from the Flankfurters.” Ember suggested. At Black Hawkes glare he grimly smiled adding, “And if we don’t get enough suits for everyone than I’ll be going in without one.”
“If anyone has to go in without a suit it will be me.” Black Hawke and Silver Wing said in unison. They looked at each other.
Before either of them could speak I butted in, “Well I suppose that I will have to take River Waltz up on his offer.” The assembled ponies looked up at me in confusion, “He has offered me vaccines if I steal some trinket from the legion.”
“It can’t be that easy.” said Silver Wing suspiciously. I hesitantly nodded.
*****
Ten minutes later I found both myself and Haywire back in the waiting room. True Iridescence disappeared for a moment before returning with maps of a standard legion encampment. He told the four of us all of the details of our mission. I would undergo this mission in the company of a Mercenary who called himself a Fell Pony, an overly friendly alicorn, and my dear friend Haywire. We would break into the legion camp using three stealthbucks and one invisibility spell. We would go to the center of the camp where the standards were kept and would steal their gold bird and then sneak out. It seemed so simple yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Fighting in Flankfurt 3: The Enemy Camp
True iridescence led us back to the rafts and we crossed back into the sewers. We left him there and proceeded with our mission to find the Aquila. The Fell Pony took point and we quietly walked through the sewers. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dark. In the darkness the arched ceiling and ancient brickwork of the sewers looked like a crypt.
After a few minutes of travel there was the sound of footsteps ahead of us. We activated our stealthbucks and took to the shadows. A trio of talon gryphons passed us. Haywire who I knew stood next to me sucked in her breath when she saw the emblem on their armor, but didn’t attack or run. Thankfully the gryphons didn’t hear her for at that moment a shell struck somewhere nearby. The gryphons panicked scampered down the tunnel as fast as they dared.
We uncloaked long enough for the Fell Pony to pass a rope between us so that we would be connected and then we were off again. After a little walking we reached a ladder that wasn’t blocked by the debris of a broken building and ascended from the depths and into the war torn night.
Invisible we crept past the teams disarming IEDs. It looked like they had almost finished their work. We passed a behemoth of a machine rolling over the rubble. It was vaguely animal shaped with four treads and a massive double barreled turret. Its slanted armor looked to be nearly a meter thick. By some mischance though, the street beneath the massive tank had completely collapsed under its weight. Now a group of legionnaires was rushing to fill in the gap with whatever they could. Here were a team of zebras dragging with ropes a rusted pony wagon and here a team dragging behind them the side of a ruined building.
We silently walked around the legionnaires now each connected by a rope that the Fell Pony had brought with him. We followed a pair of legionnaires bearing away their wounded companion. His chest had been torn asunder from a frag grenade and now he lay barely breathing upon an impromptu stretcher born between them. The trio approached a low hill dotted here and there with legionnaires and sounded by a deep spike filled ditch. On either side of the hill we could see the vague silhouettes of twin batteries of artillery. A door opened in the side of the hill and I realized that it wasn’t a hill at all but rather some kind of fort.
We snuck in behind the pair and we followed them into their camp. We walked steadily forward passed neat rows of tents knowing that our goal lay at the heart of the enemy camp. We passed many injured legionnaires some of whom were even missing limbs. I could hear shouting and crying or worst of all quiet voices delivering painful news. One legionnaire was wandering about as if in a daze and one his fellows came over to help the zebra. This new zebra had a partially burnt mane and hard scarred features. Despite wearing the same armor as everypony else in the camp minus the helmet this zebra seemed to project an air of authority. “Go back to your bunk Immunis, you’ve earned your rest.” Said the second zebra his voice gruff, but gentle, the kind of gentle sounding voice that can only be reached by the truest and deepest compassion for ones fellow pony.
The one called Immunis just shook his head and I saw that half his face had been shredded. He seemed as if not to see the other zebra as he said, “I need to go back to the front.” He walked in the direction of the forest before retching.
His companion ran over to him and held him while his body convulsed. “You can’t fight in your condition. Rest now, the gryphon said that you would live.”
“Should go to see the medics.” slurred the legionnaire, “can’t be resting back here while others are dying. Psycho or jet. That will fix me.”
“The medics are all dead.” said the other legionnaire quietly, “the enemy has been picking them off for days now. Last one died in the assault you were in. Do you remember the assault?”
The other legionnaire nodded sluggishly, “My face hurts. My head.”
“We’ve had to rely on the gryphon’s medic for the past four days now. I’ve been told that you’ve been slipping in and out of consciousness for about a day now.”
I didn’t hear the first legionnaire’s response, because they were now too far away. Their voices were being drowned out by other similar conversations.
At last we came to the center of the camp and beheld a circle of concrete with a small rundown office building and a badly burnt and dented mobile home. In front of the building was an attack helicopter. There were bullet holes up and down the vehicle and the cockpit window was broken. One of the rudders looked to be slightly warped. No doubt this helicopter had seen some action, but to my amazement it appeared from the outside to still be fully functional.
We quickly scanned the mobile home, but found only a few items of interest. There was an ornate helmet that the Fell Pony discretely took. On a bookshelf we found several books labeled Strategematicon, The Art of War, a copy of Julius Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War, a small guidebook titled Legionary the Roman Soldier’s (Unofficial) Manual, and lastly a book titled Fifty Shades of the Legion with a cover depicting a hogtied legionnaire beside a leather clad mare with a centurion’s crest. This last one we found underneath a metal cot with a burnt mattress. Sable Grace discreetly placed each of the books into her saddlebags. As if as an afterthought she offered me the Fifty Shades book, but I politely declined having no interest in a book that appeared to be about tying ponies up.
We raided the refrigerator and found only radigator meat and a half-eaten box of cram. In a small chest that Haywire unlocked we found a pile of small silver coins. Haywire whispered into my ear the name of the coins, “Denarii” as Sable Grace silently levitated the coins into a saddlebag.
“We’ll split the loot later.” whispered the alicorn her voice as gentle as the headwaters of some great river, “It looks like the Aquila isn’t here. It must be in that building outside.”
I raided a suitcase with a purple cape and purple toga. I placed the entire suitcase onto my baldric. On our way out the door I took a forest green travelling cloak from a hat peg by the door. I clasped it about my throat and headed out the door. With any luck it would keep me warm on these cold winter nights. I almost considered stealing the blanket as well, but decided that the poor sod we were robbing didn’t deserve to be left without even the simplest of comforts.
As I emerged from the mobile home I saw the legionnaire I had seen earlier galloping into the office building followed closely by another zebra with a horizontal half-moon crest on his helmet. The other zebra legionnaire with the damaged face had likely gone back to rest. Whatever the case, we followed behind the legionnaire with the odd crest and entered through the revolving door just as the two zebras were leaving it. The two of them took a turn to the left and we followed.
The zebras trotted into a small office. “Take that blasted thing off.” growled the zebra we’d seen earlier.
“This?” asked the officer indicating his helmet’s crest.
“Of course that!” shouted the first zebra as he threw over his shoulder the baldrics of a pair of sheathed swords. Quietly he said, “Those savages have snipers shooting anyone above the rank of decanus. I don’t want you to become a target so just take that damn thing off.”
Without another word the officer took his helmet off revealing youthful features and he ripped the crest from its socket before placing the helmet back onto his head. He set the crest into his saddle bags before carefully shoving rolled up maps and letters into another section. The other zebra only nodded and turned to leave.
We followed the two as they galloped through the building and led us back to the entrance. As they stepped out through the revolving doors Haywire and the Fell Pony tried in vain to get Sable and I to budge, but something happening outside kept us captivated. I let go of the rope and it fell to the ground. I stepped into the revolving door and barely got out without sending it spinning again. As if in a trance I stepped out into the dark night.
A blinding light forced me to avert my eyes as I heard an impossibly quiet whistle of propeller blades. Half a dozen gryphons also walked up from deeper within the camp. Another seven flew in a V shape from the direction of the besieged city. From the former group stepped Omega his forearms and coat stained in blood although it appeared that he had tried to at the very least wash his talons. He wore no armor but I dared not start shooting now when he was surrounded by his fellows and within my enemy’s camp. If that wasn’t enough of a reason I still couldn’t look towards the source of the bright light.
The light slowly descended and I was able to make out the silhouette of what looked like the misbegotten offspring of a flying car and a tank. A curved door with a rounded window like a porthole swung outward and a pony in a suit of silver and aqua blue armor stepped out. In his armor he stood as tall as Sable Grace and a pony head taller than the tallest zebra around. The armor was like no other armor that I could recall seeing before. It completely covered the pony’s body in thick overlapping curved metal plates. There was a built in automatic magical energy pistol on the ponies armored forehoof. The shoulders of the pony were covered by massive domes of intricately carved metal with a diameter of about two feet. When the pony moved his legs it made the sound of servos turning and light glowed from blue magical energy crystals set throughout the suit and especially from crystals set within the headpiece. This headgear looked almost like a gothic knight’s helm, although it appeared to have two filters set into the sides of the muzzle piece and had two wedged shaped, glass covered slits that covered the eyes which glowed blue staring lifelessly forward. On the ponies flank as well as between his eyes were three copies of what I assumed to be this pony’s cutie mark, a ring of stars set around an Erlenmeyer flask.
The circular centers of the domed shoulder pieces extended themselves out and I saw what looked like two more automatic magical energy pistols and the glowing lights of two cameras. The built in turrets swiveled about using some kind of triple beamed purple laser targeting system to search for targets. I ducked behind the centurion and the beams passed by without touching me. Finding no targets the pair of turrets hid themselves. Another turret lifted up the plates of armor covering the half cylinder of the ponies back. This turret was armed with a high powered sniper rifle and looked frighteningly similar to the magical energy weapon that the raider sniper had been using. It spun about as well, this time looking towards the sky. When it had finished its survey it returned to its place in the armor. “All clear” said the armored pony in a voice that seemed to reverberate. He moved aside allowing his companion to exit the vehicle.
The armored pony’s companion stepped out and appeared to be almost completely identical to the first armored pony except that this pony had a different and vaguely familiar cutie mark a Vial of bubbling chemicals crossed with a hammer beneath a unicorn’s skull. I remembered even comparing it to a jolly roger at some far earlier point in time. Then it hit me. She was the mare from the security footage I had found in Canterlot. I stood dumbfounded as Omega and the legionnaire that I had been following walked forward and each of them shook hooves.
While my body was frozen, my mind was on fire. What were these ponies doing here? Were they in league with the legion? Why did they come? Who is this mare with the skull mark? Why did she abduct me? What was she doing to me? Could I kill her now? Could I get revenge for all that I had suffered now? I reached for my pistol. I had seen magical energy pistols reduce a pony to a pile of goo. If I could get in enough shots before the others brought me down…
There was a commotion to the side that got all of our attention. A zebra was chasing the legionnaire I had seen earlier. While he did gallop unsteadily, he no longer stumbled, and he ran in a mostly straight line. The side of his face was still disfigured by the explosion but even with only one eye he now seemed more alert than most ponies I had met. “Stop that zebra.” called the pony chasing the disfigured zebra.
It was a waste of breath however because the injured zebra came to a halt next to his companion from earlier. The zebra officer who had been accompanying the zebra with the two swords stepped forwards, “Immunis, I thought that you had sustained injuries too severe for you to report for active duty. Was that a lie? Speak or you will be flogged.”
The zebra with the two swords stepped forwards as well putting a hoof onto the shoulder of the officer, “Peace Centurion Pisces.” He turned his full attention to the Immunis before him and the pony running up behind him, “Immunis Scipio, I believe that I ordered you to return to your tent. Do you mind telling me why you are risking your life running around like this?” the zebra’s rough voice seemed to bleed kindness. At the sound of this zebra’s voice the two armored ponies and many of the gryphons stopped their own conversations and came over to watch the confrontation.
The zebra who I now knew was called Scipio responded to the zebra by nodding his head eagerly and speaking faster than I could understand. The rough voiced zebra raised a hoof, “You’re saying that, after I told you to get some rest, you instead ran off and got yourself high on a hoofful of combat drugs?” Scipio nodded even faster this time. I smiled as I thought jokingly about how if Scipio kept this up he would probably break his neck.
The zebra leader turned his gaze from Scipio to Omega. “Omega, did you give my legionnaire a potentially lethal dose of combat drugs?” Gone was that quality of kindness. The zebra’s voice was now dangerously low and he put extra emphasis on the word lethal as if it were a not so subtle threat.
Omega just looked tired as he said, “I didn’t do anything. And he didn’t steal from me neither. Hell we’ve been outa combat drugs for the past two days.” The gryphon wiped sweat off his forehead not seeming to care that the rag he was using was covered in blood. It left a scarlet strip across his face where it touched him.
The zebra commander nodded before turning his attention to the zebra that had been chasing Scipio and who was now trying to slip away without being noticed. “You there. Yeah, you. Look at me when I’m talking to you. What’s your name legionnaire?”
The centurion stepped forward whispering something into the commander’s ear, “What is this?” cried the commander in a sudden fury. He stalked towards the pony, “Sextus. That is your name isn’t it?” the other zebra nodded cowering before the wrath of his superior. The commanding zebra lifted up the other zebra by his armor and forced him into a standing position. “Stand up straight. Now I hear that you’re a pony who knows how to acquire certain things, is that true?” Sextus hesitantly nodded. The commander lifted Sextus bodily and threw him across the concrete. The zebra skidded several feet before slumping.
The legion commander dangerously calm walked towards the downed zebra buck drawing one of his swords. In a steady voice he said, “Milites Sextus, you have hoarded much needed medical supplies from the legion. For this I have found you to be guilty of treason against Roam, her people, and her legions. What say you to these charges against you?”
Sextus spat, “It doesn’t matter what I say, because you’re still going to kill me.”
“Sextus, I give you three options; you can run and you will be dragged back here by these lovely gryphongs. If you choose this option you can bet that I’ll be the one nailing your hooves to the cross.” he smiled as if he were daring the pony to run. The gryphons looked onto the scene with a hungry amusement as if they would enjoy the chase. Omega just huffed and turned away.
Sextus silently stared at his commander. “Your next option,” said the zebra as he halting threw the sword he held the last dozen feet between himself and Sextus, “is that you can fight your way out. If you can kill me than you can go free.”
“I’ve seen you fight. I’ve heard the stories. Whatever I am, I am not an idiot.” he moved as if to kick the sword away, but the other zebra lifted a hoof. Sextus automatically stopped kicking the sword and listened.
“Your third and final option is that you can die as a legionnaire of Roam. You have disgraced yourself, so I give you the opportunity to die with honor.”
Sextus after a long moment’s thought lifted up the sword between his hooves and his hooves shaking attached it to his bracelet device. “Thank you, sir. I choose to die a soldier of Roam.” He said solemnly. I expected him to charge off down towards the battle, but at the encouragement of his commander he set the hilt of the sword to the ground, “Legatus Marcus, it has been a pleasure to serve under you.” And then Sextus cast himself upon his sword. It was not a quick death. The sword missed the heart leaving Sextus slumped over the sword coughing up blood for half a minute.
Marcus looked on impassively until it was over then he came forwards and took the sword. He wiped it clean on the body of the dead stallion. “Place him with the other dead.” He ordered a pair of legion soldiers who had been watching the spectacle. He passed Scipio and then faster than the eye could see he grabbed the pony. He moved his muzzle up to the legionnaire’s ear, “Do you think that this will be your last run?” Scipio opened his mouth to speak, but apparently thought better of it. He nodded. Marcus wrapped the pony in a hug. He drew away and coughed as if embarrassed more by the public display of affection than by the death of Sextus. “We’d best be getting to our meeting.” He said to the assembled ponies and gryphons.
As Scipio turned to return to the battle Marcus whispered something into his ear. Scipio solemnly nodded before rushing over to one of the gryphons. He grabbed a pair of plasma grenades from the talon gryphon’s belt and then darted towards the battle. The gryphon opened his beak, but Marcus called out loudly, “We should get going.” The gryphon, taking the hint, grunted and with one last look over his shoulder marched with his fellows into the office building.
I heard a commotion from the offices behind me that made me turn. Behind me I could hear Marcus saying to one of the armored ponies, “Just the guards having a little fun. I wonder where they found a whorse in all this.” turning again I saw that he gestured in the direction of the besieged city. I turned Marcus’s words over in my head for a moment. The guards hadn’t been guarding the door and they hadn’t been guarding the office with all of the maps and plans. That meant that according to True Iridescence’s description of the camp and the map he had shown the group these guards were either guarding some kind of religious idol or they were guarding the standards. I muttered curses under my breath as I ran back to the revolving door and into the office building.
I sprinted up the stairs to the second level of the building and desperately searched for the source of the commotion. It wasn’t hard because the sounds had grown much louder now. I burst through the door to see the Fell Pony pinned to the wall behind the door by two of the legion spears. They appeared to have been thrown and like an armor piercing bullet they went right through the Kevlar of the poor buck’s heavy barding.
Haywire lay on the floor next to him. Her mechanical parts hung limply, but it looked like most of her organic parts were still working. She had a black eye and a number of bruises across her body. A legionnaire was sitting on her back and reaching for a whip at his belt. Seeing this I found my scalpel had slipped into my hand and I drew a red line across the bastard’s neck. Killing him however dispelled my invisibility and it would be a while before I could use it again.
Visible now, I entered the room seeing six legionnaires gathered around Sable. I cast the scalpel into the leg of a zebra mare wearing a dogs head. She turned in surprise from where she had been holding down one of the blue alicorn’s wings. Sable was loudly moaning in pain and kicking wildly. Her other freakishly large wing threw the ponies holding it to the ground, but the other four legionnaires kept hurting her.
One zebra that had been holding her head down didn’t seem to notice me and shouted, “Principissa Lupa, Nutrientibus mei nouse!” I didn’t understand what he was saying and drew my pistol shooting him even as he lowered his bulk onto Sable Grace’s head. The blast struck his shoulder and crying out he toppled off her. The other legionnaires were now aware of their invisible herald of doom.
I ran forward with my machete in one hand and gun in the other. I shot two of the ponies who were turning to face me, but missed a third one who was still holding down Sable’s rear legs. I cut down the zebra mare wearing a dog’s head and shot one of the remaining ponies restraining Sable Grace. It was then that I realized exactly what these legionnaires had been doing to her. I now knew the kind of fun they were having, because of my careless mistake.
Sable Grace no longer restrained hurled the pony between her legs to the floor. He was still inside her as she started to beat him to death. She reared up and brought her hooves down upon his chest. I heard his ribs crack, but he wasn’t dead yet. She reared again, but his time brought her horn to bear and pinned him through the throat to the floorboards. With an effort she ripped herself free of the floor boards and then of the parts of the stallion still attached to her. Trembling she stumbled towards the corner of the room and curled into a ball.
I moved towards her but found myself turned to face an angry Haywire. There were tears in her pony eye that she furiously wiped away with a hoof. “Let me help her.” She whispered. There was a crash from behind us. “Go take the Aquila and go. We’ll catch up.”
“No. I’m not abandoning all of you for some stupid vaccines.” I said angry more at myself than at Haywire’s suggestion. “Not again.” I whispered and now I was crying. I wanted to hit something. I wanted to hit myself most of all. If I hadn’t gone off investigating then Sable wouldn’t have been raped. If I hadn’t gone off investigating then I wouldn’t have seen that unicorn that had been experimenting on me. I was torn between revenge and regret and I hated myself for it.
“I can hear ponies on the stairs.” said a deep voice behind us. I turned to see the Fell Pony. He had usually been secretive, but he seemed to have become talkative now that he was dying. “Take their symbol of power. They’ll follow you instead of coming for us. Give them a good chase.”
I found the eagle. It was attached to an extendable rod like a supersized radio antenna to whatever heathen gods these bastards prayed to. Almost as an afterthought I grabbed the dog’s head helmet from the dead zebra mare. After one final look to Sable Grace I stalked out of the room. As I was passing the Fell Pony he held out his hoof stopping me. I turned to him confused. Trembling he took off a round medallion with the image of each of the three pony races on it running in in a circle and surrounded by flowing Celtic designs that resembled waves or perhaps flower petals. “The symbol of Epona.” said the Fell Pony coughing. “I do not want these bastards to get it.” He broke into a coughing fit, blood and saliva falling onto his barding. We heard the sound of armor scraping against armor from nearby. “Run.” Wearing a dog’s head and an amulet to a horse goddess, while carrying a golden eagle on a stick, I ran like a hound out of hell.
End of Chapter 8
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Fighting in Flankfurt 4: Dulce Et Decorum Est
I ran down the hall of the office building until I found the legionnaires who were looking for us. There were eight or nine standing in front of me, but either way there were too many for me to fight on my own. Waving the eagle I crashed into the shields of the front rank. The shields parted and swords struck out. One of the swords pierced my side. Because I was already kicking off from their shields, the wound was shallow. Or at least I hoped it was. All I knew was that my side felt like it was on fire.
I clenched my teeth, sprinting away from the soldiers and then I heard a machine gun firing a burst behind me. My left hand, the hand I was now holding the eagle in literally caught on fire. My vision turned red as I felt my hand engulfed in the flames of hell itself. “Washington. Jefferson. Jackson. Shit! Shit! Shit!” I waved my hand about trying to put out the fire burning my hand. I almost dropped the eagle. Now, holding the eagle in my right hand and waving my burning hand about, I focused on just running for my life.
Not looking where I was going I crashed through an ancient pony sized window. Pieces of broken glass fell around me and I barely managed to catch myself on the window sill. I hung from the window my hand blackened by the fire which was now travelling up my arm. My hand was bleeding from holding onto broken pieces of glass. Other pieces of glass fell around me and cut the unprotected skin of my face. My vision began to darken as I screamed like a little filly.
I was dimly aware of bullets flying over my head from the zebras pursuing me. I had lost all feeling in my hand and numbly dropped to the ground. My ankle twisted as I fell and I bit my tongue. My mouth was filled with blood and I spat out something small and fleshy. Blinking past tears I saw a pair of legionnaires running towards me. I tried to activate my stealthbuck. It sparked, but refused to work. In horror I realized that the bullet that had set my hand on fire was lodged in the side of my stealthbuck. I hurt. I wanted to lie down and fall asleep. I wanted an end to the pain.
Looking up I saw the legionnaires looking at me funny, “Quid tu facit?” said one of the zebras. He had a bandaged foreleg and was missing one of his ears. He wore an eyepatch and his face was marred by a long scar. He offered me a syringe. Not knowing what to do I took the syringe and held it for him. I was shaking from the pain and my sleeve was still on fire. The two legionnaires smiled and saluted me. Hesitantly I stuck myself with the needle and felt sweet relief flooding through my body as the med-x entered my veins. The pain wasn’t gone, but it wasn’t as bad as it was before.
When my vision cleared I saw the legionnaires walking away from me. I spat blood out of my mouth before gargling, “Thank you.” The legionnaires turned to face me and the one who had given me the syringe grunted in pain before nodding. Numbly I realized that he had given me his medicine. I looked down at the syringe in my hand feeling guilty. I briefly wondered where I should go from here. My left arm was hurting and I smelled something burning. Oh right my arm was on fire. I started to roll on the muddy earth to put out the flames.
“Ecce Furem!” cried a voice from above. “Prehende Furem! Ignavus canus est surripere Aquila.”
The smiles on the faces of the two legionnaires turned into determined scowls. The one who had given me the medicine mournfully cried, “Esto! Gods forgive me. What foul deed have I wrought?”
I leapt from the ground and ran forwards striking one of the soldiers over the head with the eagle. He fell dead. I kicked the bandaged soldier in the leg. When he crumpled from the pain I dropped his syringe beside him. Hopefully he wouldn’t be blamed for giving it to me. Hopefully there wouldn’t be another poor bastard falling on his sword while Legate Marcus watched.
Again I ran and as I ran an idea came to me. Soldiers turned to look at me as I ran. My bruised body was covered in mud, blood, and even a little fire. I must have struck quite the imposing figure. Because of the dog hat that I had randomly stolen and the eagle I had purposefully stolen it seemed that the legionnaires were mistaking me for one of their standard bearers. Because I held their gold eagle I commanded their attention. A cruel smile distorted my face. I wanted a bath to put these flames out and these legionnaires could probably use a bath too.
Leaping onto a soapbox I cried out, “The Flankfurters have mocked us for long enough. Will you stand for it? Will you let them take everything away from us?” I punctuated each question by striking the box with the butt of the standard.
“No.” said the legionnaires somewhat uncertainly. I grimaced. They weren’t cooperating like I had hoped that they would. I needed some enthusiasm from these bucks. Looking around my eyes settled on the countless bandaged limbs in the small crowd that was gathering around me.
“They killed our medics.” I said quietly so that only the front row could hear me. “They killed our medics.” I said mournfully. I slammed the eagle staff down onto the crate shouting, “They killed the medics. The dogs murdered all the medics. They are forcing us to rely on a gryphon.” I let my hatred of Omega color my voice, “They are making us rely on a hired raider. The dogs in that city, the greedy pigs that wouldn’t share a few stupid bridges,” as I said the words I felt my own anger flare up. Why did so many have to die over a handful of stupid bridges? It was wrong. I waved my charred hand towards the city. “They are trying to torture us to death. First they take our friends. Then they take our peace and fill our lives with suffering.” I waved my hand around to show them the burnt flesh. To make them feel the kinship brought by our pain. “Now they are trying to take our pride. They are trying to take away what it means to be a roman.” I remembered my Ivy League classes, the courses I had taken in Latin, and some of the hazing I had gone through to get into a fraternity. “I will not insult Jove’s name by cowering back here. Mars is with us. Diana and Phoebus Apollo guide our bullets. We cannot lose.” I turned in a full circle looking each of the soldiers in the eye. More than one of them was missing an eye. I also spotted a small group running towards us from the center of camp led by Marcus, but they were too late. “Our roman gods are watching us. Whatever awaits us, make sure they are not ashamed!”
I leapt off the soapbox and marched double time towards the besieged city. As one the crowd around me, some forty two ponies stepped forward in unison. We quickly marched as one towards the city the soldiers behind me chanting a bawdy song about a mare back in Roam who was waiting for every one of them. I didn’t laugh or smile at the parts that I understood. The song reminded me too much of what the real standard bearers had done to Sable.
As we marched towards the city the eagle I held began to glow bright red as if the gods really were watching over us. In the red light I saw that many of the craters around us had been partially filled with water. It must have rained recently I thought trying to keep my mind off the occasional faces that bloated stared accusingly up from the water. Part of me wanted to stop then and there and douse myself in water, but I couldn’t ruin my image. That is what I told myself, but the real reason was because I couldn’t stand to look at those faces. I was about to be adding forty two more faces to a watery grave. I briefly wondered if the river Mane could wash away my sins. I clenched my teeth in defiance of the world and instead made myself think about my current condition. I was still bleeding and my muddy body was still smoking. I held a red beacon in my hand as if I were the herald of Mars himself.
I briefly considered actually leading the roamans against the Flankfurters. I thought about glorious battles. I saw myself standing beside Haywire and Black Hawke, each of us clad in legion armor and standing upon a bridge. Against us swarmed a hoard of feral ghouls, monsters, and savages. I recalled the words of the poem Horatius at the Bridge, “To every man upon this Earth, death cometh soon or late.”
In the vision Black Hawke sang sweetly in the voice of a nightingale, “And how can a mare die better…”
Haywire then added “Than in facing fearful odds.” I could see among the approaching army, monsters from every nightmare. There were minotaur intermixed with bears and wolves, tigers, jackals, dogs that walked upright with claws of iron, creatures that were once ponies but now were twisted by radiation or disease, ponies covered in bright steel armor armed with heavy weapons, pegasi in black chitin armor with scorpion tales, and even a dragon.
“For the ashes of her fathers.” sang Black Hawke her minigun started spinning even as the hoard drew within spitting distance.
The savages were almost upon us. My machete was in my hand but as I held it, it morphed into an actual sword. I quickly looked behind me and across the bridge I could see seven hills. I turned back to the army, “And the temples of his gods.”
I wanted it. I wanted the glory. Holding the eagle I felt powerful. I could have this. If I could win a single bridge and hold it against the Flankfurters just long enough for the legion’s tanks to arrive then I would have also won a home with the legion. I could have a home. My eyes were filling with tears, but it was probably because of the smoke coiling around me and the mist forming around the eagle. The eagle was the key and it promised me incredible gifts. All I had to do was take the bridge. Haywire and Black Hawke would come to aid me. The eagle could summon them. We would hold the bridge together. The eagle glowed brighter.
I drew my machete seeing it morphing slowly into the sword of my vision one of the longer roman swords that was used by cavalry. What was it called? “A spatha,” said the red eagle in a voice only I could hear. In the spatha’s blade was reflected the red light of that eagle. The same light glowed in my eyes. I looked into it as I marched. My face distorted so that I had a muzzle and my ears flicked about impatiently. For some reason I thought this was funny and grinned. My reflection grinned back with rows of pointed teeth. I was reminded of my reflection in the blue metal idol.
Wincing I looked away from the sword and considered my options. We were now entering the ruins of the city and as if by chance I saw the body of one of the Flankfurters. She was gazing back towards her home with a smile on her face. Suddenly I was reminded of the body of Storm Breeze who had a similar smile on his face. Not again I silently vowed to myself. Even if I have to lead these zebras to their deaths I won’t make the same mistake twice.
I looked back into the sword seeing that the red light was leaving my eyes. The eagle’s glow faded and I felt something from it. I couldn’t tell if it was grudging respect or barely restrained hatred, but I knew that it did not love me. I held onto the standard tighter as if I were afraid that the eagle might fly away. Looking back at the spathe I saw that it was now once again an ordinary machete.
I thought back to Haywire and Black Hawke. They wouldn’t actually stand beside me against the Flankfurters. The Flankfurters were our allies and we had seen what the legion did to the ponies that stood in their way. I muttered under my breath, “Now who will stand on either hand and keep the bridge with me.” Nopony would stand beside a faithless turncoat. I was now committed. The eagle reluctantly pulsed with light one final time before going still. And just like that I was an ordinary man covered in mud, soot, and small tongues of flame leading a bunch of hopeless people to their graves with a shiny metal idol on the end of a stick.
At last we came to the battle. Bullets started flying about us but none seemed to be able to touch me. The legionnaires locked shields as we marched steadily forward. When we were within sight of the river I said, “We are going to charge forward and swim across that river. It sounds crazy, but the eagle has brought us this far. It will protect us while we cross.” The former part of this was to some degree true, nobody had been killed, at least not yet.
I heard grumbling behind me. “What was that?” I asked spinning about. I stood in front of the shield wall. It must have seemed to the legionnaires like the eagle protected me from the rain of bullets, but I knew better. I had recognized one of the Flankfurters on the opposite bank. True Iridescence it seems had told his fellows not to shoot me. “Does getting wet frighten you? Fine! Go back to the camp. As for me and any true roaman we will earn us some glory!” At that I turned and running leapt into the water crying the only Latin I could remember, “Senatus Populesque Romanus!” I heard forty two voices join mine before I plunged feet first into the river Mane.
*****
I fell, face first, onto a stone walkway. Awkwardly standing I wiped the blood from my nose. Where was the river? Where on earth was I? Or was I perhaps on some other world?
Looking around I found that the latter was correct. I stood in the starlit ever night of that strange barely comprehensible city that I had visited once before. The walkway I was on was actually the bridge over the black river. Beneath me I could feel the familiar and sinister presence even though I couldn’t see it. Strangely it seemed more curious now than angry. I looked over the edge of the bridge. I could feel its eyes on me. They seemed to bore into me stripping me naked and then tearing into my flesh. I backed up quickly. I didn’t want my soul to be left naked to this thing whatever it was. After a few seconds everything returned to relative normalcy.
I looked up towards the stars to see if it would again return me to the planet that my body was on. My gaze was tugged towards a relatively small planet. With a titanic force of will I slowly pulled my eyes away. I did it again to make sure it worked. Panting I lay with my eyes shut. I had a way home, but I wasn’t ready to leave the city around me without first getting some answers. Rising to my feet, I confidently stepped off the bridge.
A wave of pain overcame my senses. I collapsed to the ground my forehead and back being sliced open. I fell onto all fours. After a minute the pain gradually ceased eased. I opened my eyes. My vision blurry I looked around for the source of the attack. Seeing nothing, I wiped my eyes and resolved to keep going. As my vision cleared and I saw what had happened I screamed. I forgot about the monster living under the bridge and the mysterious city in front of me.
My fingers were gone and in their place was a glossy glowing hoof. Looking down at my body I saw that it was the silvery fur coat of a pony. Looking at my back I saw that I had grown a pair of wings. My tail flicked in irritation and my ears peeled back as I snorted my contempt for my new form. I hated that I was now deprived of my humanity and turned into something else. I looked around again for the cause of my trouble, but found nothing.
Well not quite nothing. There was a silvery mist around the bridge that wasn’t there before. I stepped towards it tentatively and stuck my hoof into it. To my astonishment my hoof disappeared from view, but I could now feel my fingers on the other side of the barrier. I stepped into the mist and found myself once more in human form. I rose from my crawling position and looked back towards the sky. Just as I was about to return to my body I remembered my curiosity. How could I give up on an adventure after just getting a bloody nose?
I turned back towards the city and strode forwards. Again I fell forwards, but the transition wasn’t as painful this time. I noticed two things that I hadn’t the first time I had stepped off the bridge. First, that the glow from my body was easily as bright as a torch so that I could probably be seen from the other side of the city. The second thing that I noticed was that I wasn’t exactly alone. In the corners of buildings were ghostly shapes that seemed to flee from my light. Two of these shadows seemed to notice me and charged forwards.
As they neared me I could make out their shape. They were about half my height, but they were still about as long as me. Their bodies seemed to be created by absorbing the light around them making it nearly impossible to make out their shape. I could however tell that they were four legged and that they vaguely resembled large cats or wolves.
As the two creatures got close to me and with nothing else that I could do I reared up and struck the first creature in the face with my hooves. His form dissipated into a smoky mist. The second creature took my moment of distraction to sink its fangs into my hind leg. I cried out in pain and then the pain in my leg was replaced by a dull ache. I kicked my attacker off. It rolled away before rising to its feet just in time for me to slam my shining hooves into its face.
Now that the threat was gone I took a moment to examine my hind leg. There was a dark splotch on the silver. I watched for about a minute as the black splotch slowly dispersed while the dull ache spread throughout my body lessening as it did so. After about another minute the pain was completely gone and my coat had returned to normal.
I continued to walk away from the bridge and towards one of the buildings wary of more of the creatures. I crept up to the door and found that it would not open. I let my curiosity lead me about the city for a little while as I took in the sights. I first went right from the bridge and then walked left under some kind of overpass connecting two of the larger buildings. I went straight at an intersection dominated by claw like structures that reminded me of a starburst. I crept down the street doing my best to not draw too much attention to myself.
It failed and a black shape swooped down from a massive structure with black talons aimed towards my face. I ducked under its claws as it passed over me. It faded into an amorphous dark mist before reforming facing me again and again diving towards me. I leapt onto my hindlegs and struck out with my hooves. One hoof connected with its form searing away part of its body. Both of the specter’s sets of talon’s struck my side. I collapsed letting the poison touch of the claws diffuse through my body.
I looked up to see the specter was also nursing its injuries. It turned to me and let out a silent screech. I covered my ears as the sound pierced my being. While I was ducking it dove towards me. Without thinking I head butted the creature. It quickly slowed and then came to a stop a quarter inch from my face. I didn’t know what happened, but as I watched it slowly fade away I saw something on the edge of my vision. A shining silver horn jutted out of my forehead. I was walking around this city in the shape of an alicorn. Part of my mind was telling me that was important, but I had no clue why.
Shaking my head I examined the building that the specter had been guarding. It had a high dome in its center with rays of snake like tentacles radiating out of its center. The door to the building was ajar so I casually stepped into the structure’s dark interior. The first thing that I noticed was a pillar of starlight coming out of the ceiling to rest on a rounded stone table. Around the table were raised concentric terraces so that the strange alter at the center of the room was at the lowest elevation and a person entering the room was at the highest elevation.
I trotted down a set of oversized steps to get a better look at the stone alter. It was about eight feet in diameter and was divided into four sections. I clambered onto the nearest section and ran my hoof along carvings set into the surprisingly warm stone. There were images set into the stone of creatures engaged in acts of violence, a forest fire, a beam of light burning through a field of lesser creatures, and other stranger things. I ran my hoof along another segment and found to my disgust that this section was not only colder, but felt slimy. The carvings on it were all of tentacles, giant fish, massive sea serpents, sunken cities, water dragons, battleships, schools of fish, submarines, jellyfish, whales, and some kind of fish monster that was unimaginably huge and horrible.
There was a sound at the entrance of the door being pushed open and my hoof slipped across the wet surface of the stone. I felt something in me activate as if I had flipped a switch. My hoof burned from where it had touched the stone. As I examined the hoof I saw that burned into my flesh was an elaborate image of animals dancing in a circle around some kind of behemoth. Among the twenty or so animals were the small images of earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, zebras, and gryphons. Alicorns were conspicuously absent. Among the other creatures in the image were wolves the size of ponies, bipedal dogs, minotaur, and bears. The brand started to glow.
I pulled my eyes away from the glowing brand and turned my gaze towards the entrance. Before the light of the brand blinded me, I beheld an Alicorn mare on the other side of the room shielding her eyes from the glow. Her coat was a glowing sky blue streaked here and there with thin bands of scarlet.
*****
The vision changed. I was strapped down on a hospital bed. I lay unmoving and could feel that my eyes were being held open by clamps over my eyelids. Men in white coats sourounded me. One of them held a syringe filled with a glowing fluid. He stepped towards me. I wanted to shout, to tell the man to stay away. Slowly his name came to me, Octavian Milton PHD.
I remembered that I had at one point considered him to be a friend. We had met at college in New Haven. Octavian and I had shared a passion for history that nobody else seemed to be able to understand. I recalled that Milton was passionate about a lot more than just history. He had also majored in mechanical engineering and genetic engineering. He always liked to talk about how humans were no different from machines and like machines we were able to be understood and predicted. Back in college we’d occasionally take something apart like a car, a television set, or a computer to find out what it was made out of before putting it back together again. I suppose that he was now going to take me apart. I wondered if he would be able to put me back together again when he was done. I hoped that I would be working better if he put me back together than the computer that we had taken apart.
As the needle entered my arm my vision changed although I was still lying on a hospital bed. The first thing I noticed was that I was no longer tied down. I immediately sat up. I noticed that Octavian and the other scientists were gone. In their place were a handful of the Silver Wing Slicers. None of them were wearing armor and none of them seemed to be armed either. Ember removed the syringe from my arm grumbling something about uncooperative patients. Silver Wing came towards me, “I heard about what had happened out there.”
I nodded, “Yes, it was quite an unpleasant affair.” I thought back to the ponies who had been with me in the legion camp, “What about the others, are they alright?” I asked as I leapt to my feet. If Haywire was captured I was ready to run back to the legion camp to rescue her.
“One dead and one injured.” said Silver Wing solemnly, “Much better results than most suicide missions.”
“Who was injured?” I asked. To my shame I hoped it was Sable Grace. I couldn’t live with myself if I had gotten Haywire injured after promising her that everything would be alright.
“You, you moronic bastard.” cried Black Hawke. Her eyes were on fire and she moved as if to punch me. I cowered in a ball, but the blow never came. Instead I felt warm forelegs wrap around me and black wings envelop me. “You almost died.”
“You would have died, if I hadn’t been here to save you.” said Ember, “You really need to take better care of yourself. Oh and don’t use your left arm for a while. I did what I could, but burns aren’t easy to heal, not even for me.”
Clay was chuckling from where he sat reading a magazine. On the cover was the image of a young pegasus mare posing on a cloud with her wings spread in an inviting gesture. Beneath the image were the words Wing Boner. Black Hawke turned like lightening towards him and bared her teeth. “The two of you should get a room.”
“This is no laughing matter. Ulysses could have died.” said Black Hawke contemptuously.
“But he didn’t. You underestimate our Mercan friend here. He’s tougher than he looks.” Clay offered me a sincere smile.
“Yes, I do believe there is more to our friend here than meets the eye.” said Silver Wing quietly. He started as if realizing that he had just said this aloud. Something behind Silver Wing caught my attention.
“What is that doing here?” I demanded pointing at the Aquila. It was currently propped against the wall. It was supposed to have been given to the Flankfurters in exchange for the vaccines.
“That zebra lieutenant from earlier said that you had to be the one to deliver it to his boss.” said Silver Wing looking at the eagle oddly. Apparently he also suspected that something was wrong with this.
“Where are the two mares who had accompanied me on my mission?” I asked. I would have expected Haywire to be by my side through this.
“I sent them away because that alicorn looked like she wanted to murder you in your sleep.” said Black Hawke a happy note in her voice. “It took a lot of persuading, but I convinced the two of them to let you recover in peace. There on the room down the hall.” Taking a look at my surroundings I saw that we were in the bunker that Flankfurters had used to organize the mission to steal the eagle.
I stood, “There is something I need to say to them. Something really horrible happened while we were out there. I want to make sure there is no bad blood between us.”
I said my thanks to the raiders and promised that I would meet up with them as soon as I was done with my mare problems. I took the eagle and stepped into the hall.
I entered the waiting room to see Haywire and Sable Grace talking quietly in the corner. Haywire upon seeing me leapt her feet. “Your alive.” she cried running towards me. She wrapped me in a bear hug and I felt my back pop. Seeing the open door behind me she backed away and sheepishly said, “Yeah, uh fellow adventurer who I never met before. Your alive.” she finished lamely.
Smiling I wrapped her in a hug of my own. “I am so glad you made it out of there without getting hurt.”
“Yeah whatever you did to distract the legion worked.” said Haywire. I smiled for her sake, but I felt horrible on the inside. I had murdered all those legionnaires, all forty two of them.
I looked over at Sable Grace. There was a cruel light in her eyes. “Don’t expect me to hug you.” said Sable.
“Sable.” snapped Haywire, “It isn’t Ulysses fault.”
“I am still partially responsible.” I said quietly. I stepped forward to look the alicorn in the eye. “For my part in what happened, I am sorry.”
The alicorn met my eye and I saw in her eyes that the cruel light was being replaced with something else. Her eyes widened as if she were realizing something. “I’m afraid that you being sorry won’t help me forget what happened and I doubt it will get rid of any other possible consequences of… of what happened.”
I wondered what she meant by other consequences before realization struck me like a falling anvil. “Your pregnant?” I asked quietly.
“Its it is not impossible.” she said just as quietly. “If I am with child then what will you do.”
“I,” I thought about it. What would I do? I was responsible for what happened to Sable Grace or at least partially responsible. Therefore I must also be responsible at least in part for what happens as a result of it. “I shall do what I can to ensure the child has a good life.”
Sable didn’t stop looking me in the eye, “Do you swear that you will ensure this childs future. I will have no part in it.”
“I swear.” I swore.
Out of nowhere she said “Do you know why I was sent away from the Followers of the Apocalypse?”
“No.” I said surprised. Her horn started to glow.
“If I wasn’t still a member than I wouldn’t even be bothering with this. I would just end the problem before it could be born.” She stamped her hoof onto the ground. I stayed silent letting her work out her anger and pain on the floor. Her horn suddenly glowed several times brighter. Something on my left hand was also glowing. I looked to my hand afraid that it was the animal brand from my dream. There was nothing there, but my hand still glowed faintly. “There is almost no magic in you. What kind of monster are you?” whispered Sable. I remained silent.
Sable Grace rose up to her full height and looked me in the eye, “Part of the reason I was sent away from the followers was for learning the dark arts. I know a spell that will force you to keep your oath.”
“I already swore I would take care of the child. Is that not enough?” I asked wary of any magic labeled as the dark arts. “These dark arts that you are talking about, they cannot be healthy.”
“If you were sincere about wanting to take this part of the responsibility then you have nothing to fear.” she said gently although I had the feeling that she was saying it the same way she would be explaining something obvious to somepony who was slow. “And as for the dark arts they are just a means to an end, a tool. The megaspells that destroyed all of these cities were also tools originally made to save lives not to take them. The tool isn’t what kills ponies. Ponies are what kill ponies.”
“Fine.” I said a little hurt that she didn’t trust in me to the point where she was trying to use a dangerous tool to force me to keep my oath, “What do I do?”
“Hold out your hand. It is a link to your soul. If you forswear your oath then you shall die.” she touched her horn to my outturned palm. The horn and my palm were enveloped in a sphere of darkness, “Do you Ulysses Haroldson take responsibility for any child born of my womb?”
“Yes I take partial responsibility for the child in your womb.”
The alicorn grimaced but continued, “At the end of eleven months’ time and if a foal is born will you accept in into your keeping?”
“Yes, unless I find a better home for her.”
The alicorn’s horn glowed bright red and then the sphere around it was sucked into our point of contact. I pulled my hand away and examined it. In the middle of my palm was the image of a circle of twenty three animals dancing around a behemoth.
“What is that?” asked Haywire from where she stood. “There is some kind of seal on your hand.”
“What?” asked the alicorn trying to see what Haywire was staring at.
“Not now.” I said feeling suddenly very tired. I leaned on the eagle I held to keep from falling over. I think I felt something change in the standard, but it might have just been my imagination. “We should give this to River Waltz. Is he in his office?” I asked.
“No.” said a stallion’s voice. True Iridescence was leaning on the doorframe. “What is that on your hand?”
“Nothing.” I said hiding my left hand behind my back. I didn’t need to though as the brand had by that time almost faded out of sight.
“Suite yourself.” sighed True Iridescence, “I’m here to take you three to River Waltz. I’m assuming that you all still want your vaccines and money.”
I nodded. “Let me just round up the family.” I stepped outside to see the raiders already there.
“We saw the Lieutenant here and figured that he had come to collect you.” said Silver Wing. He and the other raiders were wearing their barding and every one of them was armed with several weapons. On the hip of each of them just over their burned off cutie marks I saw a magical energy pistol identical to my own right down to the writing on the side.
“Everyone here?” I asked counting seven raiders, one alicorn, one cyborg pony, and one Flankfurt soldier. “Good. Lieutenant Iridescence please lead the way.” True Iridescence nodded and then led us all away.
We passed the sound proof room with the radio pony. He was telling everyone to stay away from the bridges, because the legion was launching a massive assault.
“Yeah. Yeah. the legion has been attacking the bridges for the past six or seven hours. Tell us something new.” said Clay, “Tell us about the legion’s maneuvers or our countermeasures. Give us advice on how to survive in the wasteland. Just tell us something that we don’t already know and are sick of hearing again and again.”
“They only announced the major attacks against the bridges. There hasn’t been one of these since the legion lost their eagle. Even before then though, we didn’t have any ‘massive attacks’. My guess is that the legion’s tanks have arrived.”
“Then why didn’t the buck say anything about tanks?” asked Clay, “Everypony needs to be warned.”
“Part of the Art of War is deception. We can’t risk the legion learning about our surprise.” said True Iridescence. He seemed to be genuinely troubled by this surprise that the Flankfurters had prepared.
“This surprise of yours, it wouldn’t have anything to do with our mission into the legion camp would it?” asked Sable. I looked at her, examining her carefully. She looked like she had completely recovered from her ordeal. She was now healthy, happy, and ladylike. She appeared to be a completely different mare than the one I had made a crazy death vow with. She saw me looking and her visage changed very subtly as our eyes met. I saw the pain that she was concealing for a brief moment and then it was gone. She was hiding it from the others.
“Something like that.” said True Iridescence again sounding troubled.
“So that is where you disappeared off to.” Accused Haywire, “After we,” but she was interrupted.
“River Waltz will explain it.” True Iridescence looked down at his hooves. “All I can do is offer myself as tribute for my part in all of this.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, “What is all of this about tribute?”
“You’ll see.” said the zebra. By this time we were already well into the sewers. No amount of verbal or physical prodding could convince the young soldier to give up his secrets.
We came out of the sewers to find the world wrapped in predawn twilight. The sky was overcast and for once the guns were silent. “Where is the thunder?” I wondered aloud.
“The Flankfurters ran out of most of their ammunition two days ago, so they have had to use what they have left sparingly. We have hardly heard any artillery fire since you fell into the Mane and that was about four hours ago. They must be saving all of their shells for this tank assault.” said Clay.
I nodded, “And where is River Waltz?”
“By the river.” said True Iridescence. The moment the zebra broke his silence he was again bombarded by Haywire, Black Hawke, and Sable Grace’s questions.
This went on for a minute or two before we came to an alley with a view of the river Mane. I could see that the legionnaires had constructed their own barricades out of the rubble, but didn’t appear to be firing. The flankfurters had also stopped firing. The world was eerily silent, the calm before the storm.
Along the side of the alley was a large industrial machine that was covered by a tarp. Along the other side was a dumpster. In the middle of the alley stood River Waltz along with a retinue of five soldiers. Two of the soldiers carried heavy metal boxes that vaguely resembled suitcases. Another two carried briefcases which I guessed were full of money.
“I have that eagle that you wanted.” I collapsed the eagle’s staff and handed it to River Waltz.
“Wonderful. Marvelous job.” he said examining the eagle. He tossed it from hoof to hoof for a few moments while we watched perplexed by his strange actions. “It’s a nice eagle, but as good as it would look on my mantle I’m afraid I can’t take it.”
“What?!” cried our entire party in unison.
“We need those vaccines.” I shouted stepping forwards.
“And you will have your payment. I only said that I can’t keep the eagle.” The crazy light had returned to his eyes and he seemed to be growing impatient.
“Then why were we sent to get this eagle in the first place?” asked Haywire.
River Waltz seemed to become more fay by the moment, “Yes I did didn’t I. Really sorry about that.”
“Sorry?” asked Sable. It sounded like she was crying. Haywire held onto her and whispered something into her ear.
“Yes, I am sorry that it was necessary.” River Waltz alternated between looking at a stopwatch and looking at the brightening sky. “I needed a distraction and something to get the enemies minds off us, to make them angry. To keep them focused on their hate and not on finding out what we’ve been up to ever since we sent you lot over.”
“A distraction for what? What did you not want the legion to know about?” asked Haywire.
Silver Wing whistled, “This is one finely preserved Howitzer.”
“Shut up.” whispered several of the Flankfurt Soldiers.
There was a noise in the distance and River Waltz laughed. It was a fay sound, like the laughter of somepony torn open at the core. “Behold the death of our fair city of Flankfurt!” cried River Waltz extending his arms out to the sides like a preacher.
Two of the mammoth legion tanks rolled into sight. “This is the largest and most well preserved bridge.” whispered True Iridescence as if he was afraid to draw attention to himself, “It figures that the legion would focus their best weapons on this bridge. The first of the tanks easily rolled over the abandoned outer bridge fortifications. Machineguns fired streams of bullets towards the Flankfurters driving them back first from one defensive position and then from another. The second gargantuan tank fired its main cannon at some of the fortifications on our side of the river. Within a minute the bridge was clear of defenders and the Flankfurt soldiers were all retreating.
River Waltz was clicking his tongue, “They are early.” He looked up at the sky and smiled, “Real shame that the bridge can only safely support one of their monsters at a time. Ah well that is what these beauties are for now isn’t it?” One of the ponies holding a briefcase came forward and opened it. Inside was some kind of detonator. River Waltz lifted this, “Heres to the life we led.” He activated it.
Explosions erupted along the entire length of the bridge and it fell along with the mammoth tank into the river. The remaining legion tank moved as if to retreat when River Waltz activated the detonator again. The road all along the other side of the river collapsed trapping the remaining tank. It turned its turret and began to methodically fire at the buildings on our side of the river. River Waltz waved a hoof and the ponies around us galloped over to the howitzer. They ripped away its tarp and then pointed it towards the trapped tank. It fired once and the front armor on the legion tank shattered. The legion tank reoriented its turret to face the alley when another shell struck the main gun blowing it to pieces.
River Waltz nodded and proceeded to activate the detonator another three times. When he was done the ruins on the other side of the river and the quite a few of the legionnaires on it were destroyed. It looked like an earthquake had struck the already wrecked portion of the city.
The tank in the river turned its gun towards us and fired. The tank was on its last legs. It had sustained incredible damage, but it wasn’t out of the fight just yet.
River Waltz turned to us. There were tears in his wide eyes. He still held the detonator. “I would suggest that you all stand back.” he was trembling. With a start I noticed several bulges in his coat. He laughed another sad painful laugh, “That legion tank that fell into the river is still a threat even if it is no longer mobile. I can’t risk the legionnaires repairing it. The legion will be stopped here and when winter comes,” he laughed again this time it was a sadistic laugh, “I want to see them left with nothing. Nothing I say. After what they took from us, from me, I have nothing. With nothing I came into this world. I worked my way up from nothing. Schemed, planned, and achieved great things with my great ambition. Then it amounted to nothing and now I must return to nothing. From dust” He threw off his suit jacket and underneath it were a dozen explosives duck taped around his midriff, “To dust!” He sprinted over the side activating the detonator for a final time.
When the smoke had settled True Iridescence said, “The other bridges are also down. We have bought time for those behind us to prepare. Hopefully when winter comes the legion will return to Roam.”
A few of us nodded, but nopony spoke. “What now?” I asked.
“You lot have a gryphon to kill.” said True Iridescence, “And I will come with you.” He hesitated for a moment and he pawed at the ground nervously, “That is if you’ll have me. Especially after,” his voice trailed off.
Silver Wing stepped forwards and took the stallion’s hoof. “Of course we’ll have you, and any pony else who wants to come.” He looked concerned for a moment, “You do have enough vaccines for everypony, right?”
The Flankfurt zebra gave a weak smile, “Have we? We have twenty here. Do you think that that will be enough?”
And so it was that seven raiders, six Flankfurt soldiers, a cyborg pony, an alicorn, and a human with a bad skin condition set out on a quest with high hopes for the future.
Haywire was on the run, and I would go with her since I couldn’t figure out anything else to do in this wasteland. I could hunt for the mare with a strange flank mark, but she could be anywhere. The only way that I’d find her is by wandering around and asking questions, which I couldn’t do because of my second skin. Haywire could however, and I was grateful that she did ask around at every town we came across.
There isn’t much to say of my wandering with Haywire from Canterlot to the borders of Equestria. During the war Equestria had apparently annexed some nearby City states and small independent kingdoms resulting in something like the Iron Curtain which I could barely recall from my own world.
As we travelled first northeast and then far to the northwest I noticed that the perpetually gloomy weather gave way to occasional glimpses of sunlight. While the lands we passed were similar irradiated desserts, I noticed that the amount of vegetation was steadily increasing.
Because most of our traveling was done off of the road and away from any population centers from before the war, there isn’t much to say of it, or at least for the first couple of weeks of travel. We would occasionally stumble upon small hamlets, with no more than two or three dozen ponies, living together in a handful of crude shelters.
We never met any raiders, and overall the travel was rather boring. We did occasionally come across wild animals that tried to kill us. They provided for much of our food and tradable supplies. Only occasionally having to fight, and then only against dangerous wild animals, made for a blissfully uneventful life. Leading a blissfully uneventful life helped my psychological state. It was a dull and lonely way to live, but I almost wish it could have lasted. Life would be so much simpler.
Ulysses
Insanity 14%