Broken Worlds: Age of Ruin

I sat at one of the many folding tables arranged in the mess hall, completely isolated from everyone else.

I guess nobody wants to share a meal with the guy that was willing to blow himself up to prove a point, I thought bitterly as I hungrily mowed away a piece of corn on the cob, holding the ends with my fingertips with the rest of my hands covered by my gloves. I didn’t care too much about the other Resistance members’ avoidance and uncertain looks, but I couldn’t help but feel conflicted by Gentle Blade’s sudden distance; although we had only known each other for a short time, I felt as if she was the closest thing I had to a friend, if I couldn’t call her one already.

“Stop it, Wayne,” I muttered to myself, “you’re better off alone. Friends will just slow you down and get you hurt in the end.”

I flinched as a curious voice spoke behind me. “You okay there, pal?” it said cheerfully. I looked back over my shoulder to see Rainbow Dash staring at me, her head tilted quizzically. “You were talking to yourself; you sure you wouldn’t rather talk to somepony a little more real?”

I stared at her for a moment through my tinted shades. “No,” I said gruffly, and went back to eating my food. I had devoured the last bits of my corn, and was now beginning to tear away at a chicken breast. I had no idea how they were able to pull it off, but the unicorns and their magic had created a completely unnoticeable copy of fried chicken; you couldn’t tell the difference if you had both the imitation and the real thing in front of you. “I’d prefer to eat alone.”

Rainbow Dash wasn’t dissuaded by my coldness, and trotted to the other side of the table and took a seat across from me. “Why do you wear those glasses and that mask?” she asked curiously.

I glanced up at her, trying to force an angry burning into my eyes to scare her away. “So people know to stay away from me,” I said darkly. “Just like how a moth has face-like shapes on its back to scare away other animals. People see my mask, and it scares them off.”

The pony gave me a teasing look. “A moth has those patterns to scare off things that will hurt it. Are you afraid of something hurting you?” she asked slowly.

I looked back up at her, further forcing my hostile glare. “It’s everyone else that should be scared of me; didn’t you hear about what I did in training?” I asked bitterly. If she hadn’t, then telling her would probably scare her off. If she had… well, then she’s just as crazy as I am.

“Yup,” she said, stretching her back and letting out a relieved sigh. “Didn’t you try to blow yourself up or something?”

Huh. I guess she is crazy. “I pulled a pin from a grenade and dropped it at my feet,” I explained, smiling slightly at the thought of Joseph’s terrified face. It was satisfying seeing that self-righteous prick finally getting a good look at how much people can afford to lose these days.

The pegasus nodded, almost looking impressed. “Well, you’d better not do that for real, huh?” she asked rhetorically.

I stared at her a moment longer, before giving her an affirmative grunt and continuing to eat my meal.

Just then, my unwanted company turned her head and smiled broadly at an all-too-familiar passing pair. “Joseph! Tess! Come sit down!” she said invitingly. The two gave me nervous looks, but quickly sat down beside their friend.

“Dash, why are you sitting next to this guy?” I heard Joseph murmur. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to keep me from hearing, or if he was just making it look that way.

“Because we need to treat our new friends with a little decency,” she responded, just a little bit quieter. “Besides, I think I’m getting through to him.”

I picked a last sliver of meat from the bones I held in my hand, and then let them clatter noisily onto my tray. “No, you aren’t,” I said flatly as I stood up and walked away, dumping the tray into a nearby trash bin.

“Wayne,” I heard Tess’s voice call after me. I don’t know why, but something about her tone made me stop and turn. “Please, sit with us for a little while,” she pleaded shyly. After a moment of uncertain silence, I quietly strode back to my former seat and sat down.

“So, Wayne, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where did you come from?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“Probably a mental hospital,” Joseph muttered under his breath.

I slowly turned to face him, while still directing my speech to Rainbow. “Minnesota,” I replied. “I was heading for New Phoenix before I ended up here in… what exactly is this place called?” I asked, not realizing the name of the dimension I now occupied.

“Equestria,” Rainbow Dash answered quickly. “Well, that’s the country we are in right now, anyways. Our planet is called Equus,” she added.

I gave her a blank look. “You guys really like your horse puns, don’t you?” I asked flatly.

Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly. “Hey, I didn’t name the place,” she responded. “You got any family?” she asked.

I tightened my fist a little. “I had an uncle,” I said in a hard voice. “My parents died a long time ago in an accident, and anybody else I was related to probably died during the Disaster.”

Rainbow looked confused. “‘The Disaster’? What’s that?” she asked slowly.

Joseph spoke up. “It’s what they call the Convergence back on Earth,” he explained, and looked back at me. “It’s been a while since any new human members joined us, so the ponies aren’t quite used to our slang,” he clarified.

I nodded. “I see. That guy, Drayke,” I asked, suddenly changing the subject, “Is he your leader or something?”

Tess shrugged. “You could say that,” she said slowly. “He handles all the big responsibilities around here and organizes the missions, but he isn’t really a leader. More like… a supervisor,” she said thoughtfully.

Joseph nodded. “He’s a pretty cool guy, but don’t get on his bad side,” he said darkly. “He’s been through some bad shit, even before this war began. I heard he was even with the Canterlot Royal Guard, but he left and formed the Resistance,” he added. “He didn’t agree with the Equestrian Empire wanting to drive humanity out, and instead decided to try uniting our societies.”

A looked at the two humans and pony that sat before me, one by one. They had obviously been through quite a bit during their training together, and had developed a close bond. I could see that they cared deeply for each other, but I couldn’t understand the feeling myself; I had never worked with someone long enough to develop that kind of bond aside from my uncle, and he was gone.

“Well, we aren’t going to get anything done by just sitting around and talking,” I said, rising to my feet. “What’s next on the agenda?”

“That is an excellent question,” I heard Drayke say behind me, and I saw the blonde man striding toward us confidently, his coattails trailing behind him like a cape. “I have received word of a BlackTech charity ball being held in New Phoenix, where there is most certainly going to be some high-ranking members of the corporation making an appearance; the CEO himself might even attend, but that’s doubtful,” he explained craftily. “We are going to infiltrate that ball, gather any info that we can, and, if we’re lucky, take out a few  of our bigger problems while we’re there. Who’s up for a little undercover work?” he asked, giving the four of us expectant looks.

Joseph and Tess leaped to their feet quickly. “Hell yeah!” Joseph said excitedly. “What’s the plan?”

Drayke nodded with satisfaction as he placed a map of New Phoenix on the table in front of us. “Tess, Wayne, and I will be infiltrating the party; Tess and Wayne disguised as a married couple, and myself disguised as an elderly stockbroker. Joseph, you will be camping out on the rooftop here,” he said, pointing to a storage warehouse less than a block away from the ballroom, “to give us some backup if needed.”

Dash looked confused. “But, Drayke, what if they recognize you?” she asked worriedly. “They might even recognize the others, too, if the security footage from our assault the other day has been circulated enough.”

Drayke grinned cleverly. “Cadence, would you care to do the honors?” he asked, and the slender, pink alicorn stepped out from behind him as her horn took on a vibrant, blue glow. Just then, Drayke’s facial features began to change, making him look older and wiser. The scar over his left eye had even been wiped away as well.

“An easily-reversible aging spell,” Cadence explained. “It will only affect your appearance, just to keep BlackTech personnel from recognizing you. We also have some sophisticated clothing for you to try on,” she added with a teasing wink to me and Tess.

Tess seemed excited to play dress-up, but I scowled behind my sunglasses. “I don’t wear suits,” I grumbled.

~-~-~-~-~

I tugged at the red tie around my neck, struggling to loosen it enough to allow more air into my lungs. “Cadence, could you help me out?” I asked, practically gasping as a light-blue aura surrounded the tie, loosening it just enough to release me from a strangle hold. I looked in a nearby mirror and stared for a long time, mesmerized by my appearance; I looked almost exactly like I had moments before, but my features were much more defined. My chin looked more sturdy, and my brow was more arched, making me look more like a ruthless businessman than a lone survivor. My hair had also been grown out as well, causing it to fall to my shoulders in uncontrollable wisps. Cadence had acted quickly, however, and painfully tugged at my hair with a comb until it was smooth and professional-looking.

“Part of me thinks I look like a spoiled asshole,” I said slowly, “but another part thinks I look damn good.”

Cadence giggled lightly. “I’m not as good as some ponies at beauty and style, but I can do good enough to get by,” she said modestly. “Let’s see how Tess is doing, shall we?” she asked, motioning for me to follow into the next room.

We walked into the second sleeping quarters room, and the sight that awaited me caught me by surprise. I could still tell it was Tess, but her hair had been taken out of its usual ponytail and straightened out so it reached down to her shoulders. She wore an elegant, white dress with blue trimming, and a pair of pearl-white stilettos. Her face had already been altered by the aging spell, but the changes were not as dramatic as mine had been; her chin was much smoother, and her cheeks were a bit slimmer, but anyone who knew her could tell it was still Tess.

“How do I look?” she asked blushingly, doing a quick twirl that made her dress fan out a bit.

I stared, unsure of how to react. It had been ages since I had had feelings for a girl, so I wasn’t completely certain how it felt to have a “crush”, but I had a good idea that this was pretty close. “You look… nice,” I said finally, which made her beam happily. Drayke walked in, dressed in a black tuxedo that completed his “old stockbroker” look perfectly. Joseph followed close behind, and was giving me a suspicious look.

“Well, now that everyone’s all set, what say we get going? There will be a vehicle waiting for us on the other side of the portal, which we can take to New Phoenix,” he explained, his voice sounding raspy and aged. I couldn’t decide whether he was a really good actor, or if Cadence had cast a spell to alter his vocal chords in some way.

We all headed for the exit, but Joseph stopped me as the others walked past. “I’m willing to overlook your little tough-guy stunt in training the other day,” he said in a low voice, “but this mission is all an act. You are not really married to my sister, and if you try any funny business with her tonight, I will make your life a living hell. Do I make myself clear?”

I stared at him for a moment, our scowls matching in intensity and neither of us willing to back down.

“Crystal,” I said finally, and Joseph let me pass. “but empty threats don’t have much effect on me,” I added.

Joseph raised a challenging eyebrow. “You don’t think I’m a man of my word?” he asked hotly.

I gave a slight, emotionless smile. “Not at all,” I replied flatly. “I just think it will be a little hard for you to top what I’ve already been through. I’ve slept in alleyways, abandoned bunkers and buildings, landfills, dumpsters, and out in the desert. I’ve fought off wolves, mountain lions, infection, and even people on my way here. Do you really think one man can scare me by saying he can give me hell, when I’ve been waiting ages to finally meet the devil?”

Satisfied with the confused and spooked expression that Joseph now wore on his face, I quickly departed to where the others were waiting.