Broken Worlds: Age of Ruin

“Hey, Moore, you in there?” I was suddenly awakened from my daze as a hoof playfully knocked on my forehead. I turned to see Rainbow Dash grinning at me teasingly; I had spaced out in the mess hall. “You were doing that thing again.”

I sighed. “Yeah, sorry,” I apologized. “I’m just a little stressed out is all.”

Tess spoke up from the opposite side of the table. “What’s got you so upset?” she asked, concerned.

A bit of movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I looked up to see Wayne standing in the lunch line. The masked boy was scanning the mess hall slowly, his shades and bandana hiding any sign of emotion as he continued to study his surroundings. I clenched my fist angrily as Tess turned to see what I was staring at, and then sighed heavily.

“Joseph, you really shouldn’t worry about that guy,” she said, sounding a little annoyed. “He isn’t looking to hurt anyone, and he’s done nothing but help us on the few missions he’s been on.”

Dash nodded. “He’s a little on the quiet side and kinda comes off as hostile, but that’s just the skull-mask and dark glasses,” she explained. “He seems pretty calm and peaceful for the most part.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s a lone wolf,” I snapped. “and lone wolves only mean trouble. Drayke may think he’ll be of some use to us, but I can tell that he’s mainly looking out for himself in this,” I glanced up to see him walking away from the line with a tray of food, and he sat down at an empty table some distance from where we sat. “There’s going to be a time when it comes down to us and him, and I know what he’s going to choose.

“Just you watch,” I said, still watching Wayne as he pulled down his bandana and started to gnaw at a drumstick. “The moment any of us become a risk to his survival, he’ll abandon us without a second thought.”

There was a few moments of silence. “I think you’re just being over-dramatic,” Dash finally said dismissively. “Nobody can be that selfish.”

I glanced over at her. “We’re fighting a war that wants your species extinct so they can make a couple of extra bucks harvesting Equestria’s natural resources, and you say nobody can be selfish enough to abandon their team to save their own hide?” I asked disbelievingly. “You obviously need to take another look at the moral scale of the world, Dash.”

The cyan pegasus stared at me for a moment, a surprised and slightly hurt look on her face. “Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Moore,” she said slowly, “but you need to get that attitude of yours in check. I know Wayne is a stranger we picked up in the woods, and I know his methods may be a little… dangerous, but we need all the help we can get, and he is definitely capable of hurting BlackTech; isn’t that enough to give him a little bit of a chance to show us what he can do?” she asked, getting up from her seat. “I’m heading to my bunk for the night,” she said with a yawn, “I’ll catch you guys tomorrow.”

Tess waved slightly. “Nighty-night, Dash,” she said, returning the yawn. “We should probably get to bed, too,” she remarked with a glance at the clock. “Gotta be up bright and early for training.”

I nodded, casting another glance at Wayne. He was staring back at me, his mask back over his mouth now that he had finished eating. I stared at his black lenses, sending a challenging look to his shielded eyes. We stared at each other for a long time, until he finally rose to his feet and exited the hall without looking back at me.

I stared after him, feeling grim satisfaction from having stared him down and won, but I suddenly felt guilty for being so rude to my best friend and my sister. After all, I knew Dash was a pretty good judge of character, so who was I to mock her for trusting Wayne?

Eh, I had better get to bed, too, I thought, rising to my feet with a long, deep yawn. Maybe my head will be clearer in the morning.

~-~-~-~-~

I had the most disturbing nightmare that night. My vision was darkened and blurred, but I could make out that I was a pony, and I was being kept in a glass container and hooked up with all sorts of wires that drained my strength. I tried biting at the wires and slamming my body into the side of my prison, but my struggle just made me feel worse.

Just then, I found myself standing outside the box, looking inside of it. I could see the pony that was being held captive now, but I couldn’t make out any distinct features. I assumed it was an alicorn, like Drayke’s wife, Cadence, but there wasn’t much else I could determine from physical attributes due to my failing vision. I could hear a female voice crying out from inside the cage, her cries of pain muffled by the sheets of glass surrounding her.

I looked around, confused by what was going on, and decided to try and calm the imprisoned pony. “Hey, calm down,” I said soothingly as I studied the cage and the surrounding room for some way to release her. The room was empty, and looked like some kind of interrogation room, like you’d see on a crime show, like CSI or Law and Order.

As I spoke, the pony turned to face me, and her tormented cries stopped. She stared at me with wide, blue-green eyes, brimming with relief.

“I didn’t think… I was strong enough…” she said slowly.

I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” I asked, bringing my face closer to the glass so I could hear better.

The alicorn sighed sadly. “I’ve been trapped here, my energy slowly being sucked out of my body by these wires and tubes,” she said, spreading her wings weakly to show the full extent of her treatment. “But I found a way… I resisted their torture, and I saved enough to get word out…” she said, her weakness fading as her tone became filled with triumph. “You need to get me out of here. I cannot escape on my own, and you will need my help to defeat BlackTech.”

This got my attention. “What?” I asked quickly, “How can I get you out of here?”

The alicorn shook her head sadly. “You cannot help me like this,” she explained quietly, “this is just a dream; I’m using my power to send a message. When you awaken, you must find the Crystal Prince,” she said quickly, her ears perking as we both heard the sound of approaching footsteps. “He is the only one who can help you rescue me!”

I stared, uncertain of where to begin with my questions. “Who is the Crystal Prince? Where are you being held? Who are you?”

Just then, the door burst open, and a trio of lab technicians stormed in. “We’ve got brain activity on the subject; she’s using her dream powers to contact someone outside!”

Another one began pressing some buttons on a nearby console. “Sedate her, now! The largest, non-lethal dose we can give her,” he snapped urgently. Another technician nodded and rushed to the glass cage and pressed a button on the side, causing the alicorn’s prison to be filled with a strange, white smoke.

I pounded my hands on the sides of the cage as my already-terrible vision began to fade. “Wait! How can I help you? Who are you?” I cried desperately. I tried punching the lab workers who were studying some nearby screens, but my strikes passed through them harmlessly. I finally gave up moments before everything faded, and turned to see the pony staring at me through the glass; all I could see now was the faint shape of her body and her eyes, which were filled with joyful relief.

“My name is Luna,” she said tiredly as her eyes closed, and the dream faded to blinding darkness.

~-~-~-~-~

I did not have a clearer head in the morning.

I strolled into the base’s shooting gallery, rolling my shoulders and grabbing a training rifle from the gun rack, and took the booth next to where Tess was standing.

“How’d you sleep?” she asked, firing her twin SMGs at a group of practice targets. The bullets ripped the wooden mannequins to splinters, their heads and arms lying on the floor amidst a pile of sawdust.

I yawned. “Not too well,” I said tiredly. “I had the weirdest dream last night.”

Tess glanced at me. “About what?” she inquired, letting loose another burst of bullets. This time, the mannequins were ground down to their waists.

I shrugged and took aim at a separate dummy with my rifle. “I’ll tell you about it later; I need time to remember everything that happened,” I said, and pulled the trigger. A gunshot rang throughout the shooting range, and a bullet punched a hole in the concrete wall behind the target I was shooting at; the mannequin remained fully intact.

I rolled my eyes and lowered the rifle. “Whatever,” I sighed. Just then, I heard a series of shots, and looked down the lanes to see Wayne standing in a far booth, holding his odd-looking hunting rifle.

“You should go talk to him,” Tess said with a gentle nudge. “Try to bury the hatchet between the two of you.”

I glared at Tess for a moment. “Why are you so intent on getting us to get along?” I asked suspiciously.

My sister shrugged. “Which do you think is worse for a team: a lone wolf, or someone who refuses to give the new guy a chance?”

I sighed. “Honestly, I think the lone wolf is more dangerous,” I muttered, “but I’ll go talk to him if it will make you happy,” I added, and strolled toward where Wayne was practicing his shots.

As I approached, I got a better look at the rifle Wayne was holding; it was old and weathered, probably used for deer hunting; how he was able to survive for as long as he claimed with that thing as his main firearm, I have no idea.

“So, you’re a pretty decent shot with that thing, huh?” I asked nonchalantly.

Wayne unlocked the clip wordlessly and loaded eight rounds into it, and then locked it back into place again. “Yep,” he said simply, and rattled off all eight bullets into the mannequin.

I sighed and shuffled my feet awkwardly. “What, uh, what model rifle is that?” I asked curiously. “It looks like a .22, but it doesn’t look like any .22 I’ve ever seen before.”

Wayne stood motionless for a few moments, before turning to face me, holding the rifle out for me to inspect. “My uncle made it himself,” he explained, motioning for me to take the gun in my own hands. “The stock is from a 12-Gauge, and the barrel is from a Thompson. He modified everything from the trigger to the firing mechanism, so it’s dead-accurate, lightweight, and supports any attachments you may want to use.”

I whistled appreciatively as I studied the firearm; it was a Frankenstein's monster assembly of parts, looking both terrible and impressive at the same time. Some of its parts were the sleek, black steel of military- or civilian-grade weapons, while others were the rough, wooden finish of something that would be at home in a hunter’s arsenal. “Your uncle must be a great handyman,” I said, genuinely impressed; I had never seen anyone able to reverse-engineer their own rifle from miscellaneous gun parts.

Wayne nodded and took the gun back gingerly. “He was,” he said slowly, “but he’s gone now.”

I stopped, suddenly feeling awkward about my previous comment. “I’m sorry,” I said apologetically.

Wayne shrugged. “It’s all in the past,” he said, reloading his rifle and taking aim.

I held out a careful hand. “Mind if I take a shot?” I asked pleasantly. Wayne stared at me for a moment, then handed me the rifle again.

“Sure,” he said slowly, his tone much gentler than I was used to.

I held the stock against my shoulder and looked through the sight, finding the crosshairs fell right on the mannequin. I let out a deep breath and pulled the trigger, my shot knocking the target’s head clean off its shoulders.

Wayne nodded slightly. “Not bad,” he complimented. “I know you’ve been beating yourself up for taking the shot last night, but looking back I have to admit you’ve got excellent aim,” he added.

I shrugged. “Sniping is my specialty, I guess,” I replied proudly.

As I walked away, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, and I turned to see Wayne wasn’t quite done speaking with me. “I know you don’t trust me, and you think I’m some kind of selfish loner. Well, you aren’t wrong on that assumption,” he explained in monotone. “That’s why I’ve been on my own for so long, and why I didn't want to join this Resistance in the first place; I can’t hurt anyone if there isn’t anyone to hurt. I guess what I’m trying to say here is you don’t have to worry about me trying to hit on your sister or anything. I’m already going against my own rules by sticking around here, and it’d be even stupider for me to go and get a girlfriend.”

There was a strange sincerity in his words, and I slowly realized why I had gotten such a bad vibe from him in the first place. “You only pretend to be this badass loner so other people will stay away from you,” I said slowly.

Wayne nodded. “Kinda. I am pretty badass in my own right, but I’m not always so rough and cruel; that’s just so I don’t end up endangering anyone. I have trouble watching out for more than just my own skin when I get in trouble, so if mine is the only one to watch, then there’s no loss,” he explained, and laughed emptily. “I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone I told you that, though.”

I nodded. “Hey, one more question,” I asked as Wayne started to go back to his booth, and he turned and stared at me. “Why the mask? You told Dash that it’s like what insects do to keep others away, but she thinks that it’s because you want to protect yourself. What’s the real reason?”

Wayne continued to stare for a few seconds, his darkened shades continuing to do their job of hiding his emotions. Eventually, he let out a long sigh and turned to gaze at the shooting gallery. “Probably a bit of both,” he admitted finally, “but if I had to pick a definite answer? It looks damn cool,” he added with a laugh. “I’ll talk to you later.”

I nodded, smiling slightly at the boy for the first time. “Yeah,” I replied, and walked back over by my sister, realizing that my head was now much clearer than it had been before.