Chapters

Prolog
Chapter 1: The Lost and Found
Chapter 2: Red Blade
Chapter 3: Old Wounds
Chapter 4: Bad Deals and Inner Reflection
Chapter 5: Like Ghosts In The Night

Prolog
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Hearthfire The Sands of Time: Part 2

Prolog

(Heartland/Canterlot)

(Agent Zero)

"If first you don't succeed, try, try again."

It was a lovely moonlit night in the streets of Canterlot. 24 hour shops were full of late night commerce buying the latest in fashion from clothe stores or trying all new treats and cakes from the bakers. Pubs bustling with Ponies of all races, laughing and cheering in a blissful drunken haze, stumbling around and dancing with one another. Lovers roamed a nearby park, sitting on benches and embracing in affection and longful gazes. And there was a Gala going on in the streets, as Ponies yelped and cheers as giant sized balloons shaped into many forms of creatures, all cute and cuddly, were paraded around town. All of this, helped Agent Zero blend in, as she made her way through the streets and toward the one place that was completely silent.

Canterlot Castle.

This was her first visit in months to the castle and she wasn't looking forward to it. Agent Zero was a middle aged, Earth Pony Mare, who wore a black trench coat over her grey, silver body. Her long blue Mane, hid one side of her face, allowing only one, bright sapphire eye to peer out to the world around her. She narrowed that eye as she neared the castle and looked to the armed and armoured Royal Guard standing at attention on the path to the main entrance.

They, were not like the old Royal Guard that used to patrol the castle grounds. These new Royal Guard had new bulkier grey and gold armour that left no spot uncovered, not even their faces and they were armed with heavy staffs that at one end was a stun pike and at the other a deadly energy weapon that would melt a hole in Zero's chest, if she gave them reason to.

One of them looked in Zero's direction as she approached and nodded to one of his own to move and block her path. They towered over her, their eyes the only thing that showed through a single slit in their massive slopping helms. They glared at her, unmoving. "Come no further!" One of them stated in a gruff, hollow voice and crossed their staffs with a loud clank. "No one is permitted on the castle grounds at this hour. Turn back now, or we will force you back."

She didn't flinch at their display, as she lightly smiled at them and calmly placed her left hoof in her coat pocket and showed them a sheet of paper. "I am here by order of Princess Cadence. If you would like to confirm this with your Commander, I'd highly advise it."

One of them took the paper and read it, while the other didn't take his eyes off her. The one with the paper scanned it for a long moment, then gave it to his partner to let him read it. "This is a little on short notice, Miss..." He glanced at the paper again as the other kept reading. "Purple Heart?"
He shook his head, as if forgetting what he read and gave her a skeptical scowl. "I'm sorry, but I still can't let you onto castle grounds. Strict orders to keep anypony or anyone out." He sparked the stun pike of his staff on the ground for effect. "Now back up, before we are made to use our weapons."

"Stand down, soldier!" A new regal voice called and they all looked up the path past the guards to the newcomer. She was beautiful, with many jewels and a fine red silk dress draped over her pink body. Her pink and purple mane, was pinned back into a ponytail, while she wore a silver crown with blue gems on her head. It was Princess Cadence herself and her light ruby eyes regarded Zero with a welcoming expression. "She, will be permitted to join me in the castle grounds. She will be with me at all times and we are not to be disturbed while we converse. Is that understood?"

There was no bite in her words, instead they were like honey, that flowed with liquid grace. The guards nodded and parted to let Zero through. "As you say, your grace." They said as one and bowed their heads.

Zero nodded in thanks to the Princess and made her way past the guards and up to Cadence, who's see through dress blew in the wind gently. "Princess, it's good to see you again. I bring news you will want to hear."

"Let's then, take this news to a more quiet location." With a hoof outstretched she led Zero to a lone part of the castle grounds garden and stood by a low wall that overlooked the dark valley below. They stood in silence for a moment, just taking in the breath taking view of the mountains cloaked in the moons glow and shadows of the drifting clouds. "Wonderful sight, isn't it?" Cadence asked, in her calm and smooth tone. "Sometimes , I can spend hours out here, just watching as the clouds pass over the mountains and the how the breeze just settles my weary soul."

Zero, wasn't in the mood for this, as her soul was getting wearier by the minute without a cigarette in her mouth. "Ma'am, my I?" She gestured to her coat pocket and Cadence knew by know what she was asking.

With a soft sigh, she nodded. "Yes, you may, but please have the wind blow away from me as you do."

Zero shrugged. "Will do. I know how much you hate these." She took out a small pack of Samwood's Smokes and popped one out. "But, this weary one needs her fix, right now before I really loose my calm demeanor. You understand this, right?"

She pulled out a flip open lighter and flicked it once to make a flame. Then she lit her Smoke and drew in a long breath, letting it hang in her lungs for a moment. As she exhaled with her eyes closed, a gust of smoke left through her nose and she felt her body relax. "Ok, you can ask me what I know."

Cadence leaned on the low wall with one of her elbows and gave Zero a half smile. "We can drop the formal act now, Zero. You can be plain with me while no ears are near. What do you have to report?"

Zero took her Smoke out her mouth with her hoof and blow into the wind as she said in a deadpan tone. "It's a real fucking shit show out there. We're nowhere near finding the source of the enemy's stronghold and while we waste our time waving our dicks in the wind, the Infection roams the Barrierland unchecked and unchallenged." She looked Cadence in the eye and narrowed her own.
"Good Agents of mine died today, and for what? A scrap of fucking info that we knew already?"
She sighed heavily, looking back out to the dark valley below with a sake of her head. "I don't know if I can keep doing this, we're getting nowhere with our current strategy. We should be bringing the fight right to the Infected, not leaving them to gather in numbers. How can we..."

Cadence put up a hoof and Zero stopped talking. The Princess had a look of distaste on her face and she didn't look none-too happy. "I understand your frustration, but the fact of the matter is, and it pains me to say...but the Barrierland is lost, has been for a long time now." She put her hoof to her head and rubbed her temple, closing her eyes. "We can't waste resources on trying to take it back by force, the Legion already tried that and failed within a year. We need to start thinking about attacking the enemy at their source."

"That's why you formed the EHC, to combat the Infection in a more indirect way, to study it, learn its weaknesses and if possible, find a cure." She scowled and the Princess was taken aback. Zero tapped her Smoke angrily, making glowing embers blow away in the cool breeze. "Now you tell me that it's useless, that we're wasting our time trying to save what's left of the Ponies that still live beyond the Great Barrier, in the Quarantine Zone, you read my reports, you know there are still pockets of survivors out there. If only you would let us try to..."

"I'm going to stop you right there." Cadence stated, with her hoof now pointed at Zero. "I get where you're coming from, I respect that you want nothing more than to save them, but the fact of the matter is, things have changed." Zero wanted to retort but Cadence didn't let her have it. "I'm sorry, Zero...but my hooves are tied. From now on, all operations in saving survivors from the Barrierland is hear by cancelled, by order of...Princess Celestia, do to risk of spreading the Epidemic to the Heartland. I wish I could grant you your request to mount a rescue operation to bring the survivors back here, to the Heartland, but I can't. There's more at stake here."

"More important than saving lives, Ma'am?" Zero cut in, a hint of resentment in her tone.

Cadence was silent for a moment, as she just stared in shock at Zero, though she hid it well in the expression, but her eyes gave it away. She composed herself and gave Zero a soft yet firm look in her eye. "We've known each other for awhile now and I feel that we can speak freely to one another, even see us as friends." Her eyes hardened. "But you over step, Zero. You are important to the EHC, you practically made it, but that dose not put you above the word of Celestia herself."

Zero bit her lip to hold back all she wanted to blurt out. She took a long drag of her Smoke and then let it out slowly, as she said. "Yes, Ma'am, pardon my...over eagerness. I stepped out of line."

Cadence's hard expression softened, and her kind warmth returned to her eyes, as she put a hoof on Zero's shoulder. "I can't start to imagine what it feels like, what you lost, the efforts toward finding a cure. I want nothing more than to give you what you want. But again, I can't." She then moved closer to Zero and gave her a small hug. She respected the gesture, but it did little to make her feel better.

They parted and Zero saw the pain in the Princesses eyes. Zero took one last drag of her Smoke and then flicked it over the wall. "Will that be all, Ma'am?" She asked Cadence, her tone flat and even.

Cadence nodded, her formal composure back. "Your orders are the same, find out where Black Sun are hiding and what their plans are, so the Legion can move in and destroy them for what they have done."

Zero nodded with little emotion in her expression. "As you say, your grace." She turned and made her way to the stairs leading to the path out the castle grounds, but before she could put another hoof on the steps, Cadence called to her.

"Martha?" Zero stopped at the sound of her real name and looked over her shoulder, back at the Princess. She looked regretful, looked to be finding it hard to find the right words. "For what it's worth...I'm sorry about your husband. I hear he was a good Stallion."

Zero, or, Martha, just kept the same expression as before but gave her a respectful nod. "Goodnight, Ma'am."

With that, she turned back to the stairs and made her way out of the garden, leaving Princess Cadence alone with a look of regret on her face. Zero made her way out of Canterlot toward the train station, where a large Earth Pony Stallion was waiting for her. He wore a similar trench coat to her, but his was a dark green and was much bulkier, as if there was something hidden underneath. He had a rust coloured body, with black spots dotting his scarred face, a silver-grey short-cut mane and his left eye was covered by an eyepatch. His one good eye, that was a smooth blue, glanced her way as she approached the bench he was sitting at, while smoking from a pipe.

"Well, how'd it go?" He asked her, as she took a seat next to him. Before she could answer, he added. "From the death beams coming from your eyes, that I fear might melt me any second, I take it the meeting didny go so well?"

Zero snorted and made an irritated smile. "Observant, as always, Buckwood." She bit her lower lip again and took out her pack of Smokes again, popping one out with a tap on her leg. She lit the Smoke and drew in a long drag before speaking again. "For lack of a better word, we're fucked."

Buckwood took in his own drag from his pipe and let the smoke blow out his nose, keeping the pipe in his mouth as he spoke. "Well shit, don't say I didn't tell you so."

Zero smiled but it wasn't the happy kind. "Your sarcasm is noted, Buckwood." Her expression was plain again and she blew smoke out her mouth, then said. "Our orders are the same, nothing's changed."

Buckwood looked like he was thinking of throwing his pipe off the platform, but instead his just held it in his hoof, smoke wafting out of it. "Dose she have any idea what it is we face out there? How we've gotten nowhere since we turned our attention from those rotten faced bastards to this Black Sun? Why I'll give her a piece of my..."

"That's enough." Zero stated sharply, but her tone was still even and level. " The Princess is unable to help us, that is true, but not without reason. Her hooves are tied, caught in the middle of a political struggle. She can't allow us to mount a rescue operation 'cause it will draw too much attention and besides, Celestia has stopped all further rescue operations."

"So that's it, we're just giving up?" Buckwood looked like he was going to blow a gear, as a vein on his temple bulged slightly. "You said we would be able to save them, that this cloak and dagger shit would amount to something. Have I been used? Have you been..."

"I'm not saying that." Zero stated, cutting his protest off. "That's what the politics say. However, we don't exist on official record, there for unofficially, no one can really stop us from conducting our own off the books mission."

Buckwood looked impressed, taken aback really. "Are you suggesting, that we go Awall? Is that...wise? What of the Princess?"

"Princess Cadence is only one Pony, an Alocorn at that, but still just one. What she dose not know, won't hurt her." Zero finished another Smoke and flicked the bud away, as she let out what was left in her lungs. "Get Agent 042's team ready for deployment at 0:500. I have a very important task for them."

Buckwood smiled and stood up. "Now that's the Zero I know. What's the task?"

Zero stood as well, and begun walking down the platform to the other end with Buckwood right behind her. "There are survivors out there, ones that have lived for 4 years in that hell hole. If anyone can aid us in finding out where our enemy might be, it's them."

When they reached the end of the platform, a door opened up in mid-air and a dull blue light glowed outward. inside, was a Pony in a suit of sleek grey battle armour and they stood at the entrance waiting. "Welcome back, Agent Zero. Engines fired up and ready to move on your order." The armoured Pony had the voice of a Mare, but the helmet that covered her whole head and hid her eyes behind a silver visor, sounded electronic from a speaker on her helm.

"Thank you,Airmen, we move out now, I got a mission to construct."

The armoured Mare nodded and jumped into a waiting seat and gripped a control stick while flipping some switches. Zero and Buckwood took seats and strapped themselves in and as the door the came trough closed on its own, Zero felt the sensation of lifting off.

As they left the train station and rowed their invisible aircraft high in the sky, Zero thought of her late-husband's favorite moto.

"If first you don't succeed, try, try again."

Chapter 1: The Lost and Found
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Hearthfire The Sands of Time: Part 2

Chapter 1: The Lost and Found

(Somewhere in the Barrierland)

(Rossy Everfree)

The sun shown low in the sky and would of lit the land in it's soothing warmth, but the sky was covered in thick grey clouds. So there was no basking warmth and there was no shining light to lift the shadows. Everything was dark, gloomy and cold, and Rossy Everfree was feeling the sting of it, as a cold wind blew by strongly. Even in her heavy steel armour, the wind pushed her back on here hoofs and the chill from the snow that blew with it, seeped through her gambison and clung to her dark red coat.

A bit of her minty mane blew wildly from a gap between her helmet and neck plate and her deep green eyes were almost squinted shut, as a new and stronger gust of wind nearly blew her off her hooves. "I fucking hate blizzards!" She thought, as she stopped for a moment to get her energy back. She had been going through this weather for hours now and it was starting to get to her. She brought her right hoof up and checked a little device strapped to her arm called a watch, a little gadget from the Heartland that helped her tell time without needing to look at the sun.

It said, 07:25pm. "Shit!" Rossy exclaimed, as she looked around nervously. "I need to find shelter, now!" It was dangerous to be out at this time and it wasn't just do to the weather. Other things, came out at night, things that eat Ponies like her. She got a move on and quickened her pace. She pushed through some deep snow, her sword clanging off her armour as she dug through with her plated limbs. She could barely see from all the snow that blew in her covered face and she felt her heart rate spike as she heard a lone whale of the wind.

She stopped for a moment, listening carefully as more whales and then screeches traveled on the wind. She was breathing heavily, as her eyes scanned the fog for any movement. The calls were faint, meaning the creatures that made them were some distance away and she breathed a little easier. "Ok, just stay calm." She said to herself, as she got moving again. "Remember what Dad said. They smell fear, so as long as I don't panic, I'll be safe. Right?"

Her watch now said 08:15pm "Fuck!" What light remained was starting to fade and soon, she will be in complete darkness. "Got to move, got to move fast!" She whispered in alarm. "Got to find cover, NOW!"

She was practically running now, bounding through the snow like a dog in tall grass. Panic was now starting to creep its way into her mind, as the light grew dimmer every minute and the screeching was getting disturbingly closer. Just when she thought she was going to loose her mind to fright, she saw something in the dimming light. It was shaped like a building and the closer she got to it the more it stood out, till she found herself outside a barn. It was old, rotten and looked like it had seen better days, but it was the only form of shelter she could see and with little options, she pushed one of its doors.

It wouldn't budge and Rossy felt her heart rate spike again. "Come on!" She banged on the door in frustration and fright, as the screeching grew louder. She felt her heart rate hit its peak, as she now slammed her full weight on the door. "Fucking OPEN!!"

Just when she thought it wouldn't, it made a low creak and suddenly she was falling into blackness as the door gave way. She landed face first on hard ground and if she hadn't been wearing a helmet, she might have just knocked herself out. She groaned as stars danced in her vision and she lifted her dizzy head to look around. It was too dark to see anything and the screeches were very close now.

She decided she didn't have time to check for danger in here, when danger was coming this way, right now. So she got to her hooves and with little effort, she slammed the door shut again and pressed her weight into it to keep it shut. The screeching reached to new heights, as something moved around outside. Rossy held her breath, as a lanky figure scuttled past the barn. She let her breath out as softly as she could muster and peered through a gap in the wooden wall near the door. The light outside was almost gone, just faint grey rays that did little to give any real visibility. At first, there was nothing, the screeching had stopped and there was no movement of shadows in the blizzard.

Rossy Knew better though than to let her guard down and after a few minutes, she saw them. Moving slow and steady in the low light, were creatures that Rossy couldn't even make up in her worst nightmares. They looked Pony in shape at first, but when on closer inspection, they were far from it. She could only make out their silhouette, but they were disgustingly skinny, so much infact that they looked more like skeletons with thin skin stretch to the tearing point, over their enlarged bones. Little white dots glowed in the dark where their eyes would be and they twitched from side to side, searching.

They crouched low to the ground, as if they were sniffing her out, hunting. They made chuffing sounds, as if they were talking to each other while they scanned around. There were at least three of them and it seemed that they had not detected her. A few more chuffs later and they slunk off back into the darkness.

Rossy breathed a sigh of thanks to the gods that they didn't find her and eased off from the door. She picked up a old shovel and jammed it in between the floor and the door, wedging it shut. She felt so tired now but she wasn't in the clear yet. She finally took a good look around the barn this time for anything that might be a threat, or maybe something useful. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark by now and she could make out shapes of things in the barn. Some old hay bails here and there, a pitchfork that had sarcoma to rust, some other old farm tools all rusted and rotten and a upper level to the barn. Hey eyes drifted up there, trying to peer through the darkness, but it was too thick.

She wasn't going to be satisfied till she checked it out and since there didn't seem to be a ladder anywhere, she cast a teleport spell and in an instant she was up there. From her saddle-bag, she took out a small metal cylinder and twisted it once. A beam of light shot out the device and light up whatever she pointed it at. It was called a flashlight and it was another Heartland gadget. She shone it around till she was completely sure there was nothing in here with her, while being careful not to shine the light too close to the walls, so as not to alert any creatures outside.

There was nothing here, no signs of life, or otherwise. She was alone and she preferred it that way. Finally able to relax, she dumped her stuff down on the floor and turned off her light. She then got a lantern from her bag and lit it. A small flame came to life and it was bright enough to light her spot in which she sat in, bit not bright enough to attract anything outside. She fiddled with the strap on her chin that held her helmet to her head and after a moment of fussing, she managed to get it free.

She pulled off her helm and her minty mane came spilling out and cover her dark red face. She blew air out her mouth as some of it clung there and she peeled her sweaty hair away from her eyes. It felt good letting the air touch her skin, and it smelt more, pure, less stuffy and metallic. Most of her mane was had wrapped itself around her half broken horn and she painfully untangled it. After a moment of freeing and ripping some of her hair out, she pulled out a bottle of water from her bag, unscrewed it and tried not to guzzle it, even though her parched body screamed for it.

Once she was done forcing herself to sip some water and something to eat, a ration bar, she took some but not all of her armour off. Just the shoulder guards and gauntlets, too free up some movement in her arms and so she could lay down without the uncomfortable feeling of her armour digging into her shoulders.

"Damn, I'm exhausted." Rossy sighed, as she sat down on her makeshift bed of hay . With a yawn and crack of her neck, she pulled out a pencil and book from her bag and opened it to the last page she had been writing on.

"Log update. I have found a old barn to take shelter from the blizzard and the creatures outside. I am safe, for now but this time was way too close. I nearly didn't make it to cover before sun down, their getting more and more active down here, coming out of their dens, sooner than I would like. It's starting to worry me, I think their starting to become more resistant to sun light but I can't be sure.

I may...(scribbles something out)... I still have not found Red Blade. There are no signs but it's early days yet. I'll continue my search in the morning, hopefully the Skinnys have crawled back in their holes by then, but with the way their acting, I'm not so sure anymore. I'm lost out here and until this blizzard passes, I can't be sure where I am.

I miss you Mum, Dad, I hope to be able to return to you soon."

She closed her book and for a moment, she mulled over what she writ and decided to add. "P.S. I miss you too, Sister."

She put away her book and finally lay back on her makeshift bed and let out a heavy sigh. It didn't take long for sleep to take over her and soon she drifted off and fell asleep.

Many for her dreams were unpleasant, but her mind hung on to the good ones. Soon, a world formed around her and she was reliving her most fond memories. She 10 years old here and with her family. Her Mother and Father were baking some tasty treats in the kitchen, while she played board games with her 24 year old big sister. Her light blue coat shined in the glow of the fireplace and her minty mane was tied in a bundle, keeping it from getting in her face. She had a bump on her stomach, and their Mother had told Rossy that her sister was 4 months along. It did little to stem her sister's good looks though and Rossy hopped she'd look that good when she was that age. Her sister had a dice in her hoof and she was getting ready to drop it.

...

It was an old game of Ponies VS Wolves, a common game to among Fillies of the Legion. It was like chess, but one side was Wolven and the other Pony and each side had their own units, classes and abilities and it was up to the players and roll of a dice , on how successful and effective their units were.

With a flick of her wrist she rolled it and it landed on a 6. "Yeah!" Her sister cheered and looked at her side's guide book. The rules were, you could only move three tiles if you had the points and any extra went toward using abilities. Rossy's sister got six points from her roll and now it was up to her how to spend them. She was playing as the Legion, while Rossy was playing as the Wolven and Lilly drifted her hoof toward her units.

"Hey, I'd be careful." Rossy said, as she lay there on the floor of their living room, her head resting on her hooves, while she had her back ones up in the air, crossed and rocking back and forth as she waited for her turn. "Just 'cause you got a 6, dose not mean you have the advantage."

Her sister had a confident look on her face, and she smiled down at her little sister. "Ah know how the game works." She stated, in a playful tone. With her magic she moved one of her Magi three tiles toward one of Rossy's Wolven Shaman and picked her form of attack. Since she had three points left she could pick any one she wished, though she only had three to choose from, since every class had three abilities.

"Ah choose, Fireball." Rossy's sister stated, and rolled a second dice to see if her attack hit. She was about to roll it when Rossy said.

"Careful, there's a chance your attack might get reflected back at you. Shamans have a 20% chance to do that by default and the lower your score the higher the chance I get to deflect your attack back at you."

Her sister's confident smile faded a bit and now she looked unsure. "Um...I knew that." She rolled the dice and it landed on a 10% "No, oh com' on!" She exasperated, throwing her hooves up in defeat. Her little Mage figure fired a tiny ball a fire at the Shaman and it bounced right back. The little Mage bust into magic fire and faded to a dark grey.

"Ha, fire ball reflected, your Mage is toast!" She took her sister's Mage and then took the dice in her hoof and rolled it. It landed on a 5 and Rossy wasted no time moving her Bracurris two tiles toward her sisters's Commander. That unit had a high dodge chance and the higher her score, the better chance she had to hit . Then with the second dice she rolled it and get a 30% chance to land a hit. "I choose claw swipe."

The big Wolven figure suddenly came to life and moved one of its massive paws and swiped the Commander. The Commander's head popped off, only to pop back in and fain death, falling over and then resetting back to it's normal pose. "Ha, checkmate." Rossy cheered and Lilly put a hoof to her head.

"You cheated, that's not fair." Rossy's sister stated in annoyance, crossing her arms.

"No it's not, it's a game of strategy and chance, there's no way to cheat." Rossy, exclaimed, crossing her own arms. "You're mad 'cause I just got more lucky."

Her sister tutted at that, looking shocked. "Ah am not made." She trailed off and looked like she was trying to think of something witty to say but Rossy took her chance and beat her too it.

"You're just a sore looser, admit it."

She looked offended by that but her grin came back and she had that look in her eye, one that told Rossy she was about to do something to her. "Why you cheeky little sunflower. That's it you're gunna get it."

Her big sister then pounced on Rossy and she squealed in playful excitement as her sister started to tickle her. She laughed and laughed, till a screech ripped through Rossy's mind that she was torn out of her dream a she gasped in alarm, sitting up sharply. It was still dark outside but the moon was casting light through the gaps in the wooded barn's walls. She also didn't hear the blizzard anymore.

"Well, that's something at least." She mumbled, as she checked her watch. 02:44am, she had slept almost over 4 hours, but it didn't feel like it. Felt more like she had only slept 1 hour but it was better than none. She tried to get back to sleep, but the sound of screeches made that impossible. She sat back up and listened.

They sounded close, too close. So close infact she could hear them scuttling around outside some distance away in the snow. "Why are they back?" Rossy thought, when she suddenly hear scratching at the door. "Oh shit!" She whispered in alarm, as she leaned over to get a better look at the door from her position. Something was at the door, she saw its breath push through the gaps in the door frame and could hear it sniffing loudly.

This, was not good. If they were sniffing around this much, it only meant one thing. Something was climbing outside on the other side of the barn's walls. "They know I'm in here!" Rossy thought, her alarm now increasing at the realization of this. "I have to get out of here, or I'm meat."

She got up but not too quick in case she made too much noise and then calmly she began to strap the bits of armour she took off, back on. She had just secured her helmet when there was a thud on the roof and dust and bits of rooted wood, sprinkled down to the ground. One of them was on the roof and with every step it took, more dust fell. Then there was a low creaking sound and Rossy looked back down to the door to see it start to bend. Even with the shovel blocking it, the door was rotten through and through. It wouldn't take much to tear it down, if the thing at the door wanted in, it was going to get in.

She strapped on her saddle-bag and paused for a second to think of what to do next. She thought of fighting her way out, but that came with the risk of getting infected. One scratch or bit to her flesh and it would be all over. She wanted to avoid that at all costs. She could ran for it, teleport out and pray they don't notice her. That also had its risks, since she wasn't that very fast, even without armour she wasn't much of a runner and those things were a lot faster than her at any rate.

That only left two options to her. Hide and pray they don't smell her out, which she knew they would since they already have, or stand her ground and use the small space to her advantage and try stopping them from getting in. "Dammit, fuck...dammit!" She swore in angry frustration. She wanted to avoid this but it had to happen at some point, she was just mad it had to happen now, in the shittyest location possible. She'll have to make do with what she's got.

A two clawed hand suddenly bust its way through the door and was now thrashing the air, as if hopping to nick her or something. Luckily she hadn't been near it when it did. She pulled out her arming sword with her hoof, teleport down to the door and when she reappeared she brought the blade down in one swift motion and cut right through the creatures misshapen arm. It let out a whale of pain as the rest of its arm slid back outside, leaving behind a black blood spurting, still thrashing arm.

Rossy kicked it away from her in a grossed out, disgusted manner and then brought her attention back to the door when something slammed into it. She staggered back, dropping her sword in the process, as the door bulged and planks of wood splintered in their mid-sections. She saw the shadow of a head trying to push its way through and her own eyes bulged when she realized this. She quickly picked her sword back up and with some aiming, she jammed it into a gap in the planks and was rewarded with the sickening sound of a skull cap breaking. The creature outside had impaled its self on her sword as it tried to head butt the door again and was now still and inactive. "One down." She panted and pulled back to free her weapon.

It wouldn't budge. "What?! Oh no no no, not now!" She pulled harder but it still wouldn't come out sticking steadfast in the dead thing's skull. "You got...to be...kidding ME!!" She growled with strain in her voice as she kept yanking. It was coming out but not quick enough as a section of the roof suddenly caved in. Moon light poured in from the large hole and silhouetted in its rays was a wretched ghoulish form. It lowered itself in slowly and hung in the opening with one arm, while its glowing white eyes scanned and quickly locked on her.

"Oh, FUCK!!" Before she had time to react, it braced itself on the roof and then with blinding speed, sprang at her like a crossbow bolt. It collided with her and they tumbled end over end into one of the far corners of the barn. Surprisingly she landed ontop of the creature, but that didn't make her feel like she had an advantage, when it began squirming around under her like a snake with floppy limbs. Not knowing what to do or how to properly react, she screamed in fright when its claws scrapped off her side and stomach plates. Luckily she didn't feel its claws puncture her soft flesh under all her layers of protection, but this seemed to only serve to anger the beast, as It screeched in frustration and with surprising strength, it lifted her up off her hooves and threw her.

She screamed once more, when she felt her weightless for a split second, before coming back down hard. She rolled with the impact, making a metallic clang as her armour took most of the force. She screeched to a halt and saw stars in her eyes when her head thumped off of something wooden. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision and when it did, she noticed she was by the door again and still stuck in the door was her arming sword. Her eye's widened when she saw the weapon and the sight of it brought some energy back to her limbs and scrambled to her hooves just as she heard the creature get back to its own.

Desperately she tired to go for the sword, but the creature beat her to the punch, as it leaped out of the darkness and tried to knock her down. Even though she was terrified she was ready this time and met its charge with a buck to its oversized maw. She felt something give under her boot when she sent the creature tumbling back, screeching in pain and anger.

While it was distracted, she made a move for her sword and when she grabbed it, she put her boot on the door and pulled with all she had. With a gut wrenching pop, the sword finally came free and almost made Rossy fall off her hooves. She planted her legs firm on the ground, swiftly tuned her body, pointed her blade forward and bracing it against her leg just as the creature lunged at her once more. They collided again and this time, she buried her sword deep in the creature's black heart. They both fell from the force of the monster's impact and for a second, Rossy thought she was dead. When she opened her eyes again, she found she was not dead, but still alive and breathing...well breathing might be a little difficult, since the creature was on top of her.

She suddenly became very aware of what was on top of her and with a gasp, she scrambled backward in fright, till she had free herself from under its light frame. She breathed heavily, as she stared at the creature's dead form. Her sword stuck out the back of its bony body and black blood oozed out the neat holes her blade had made. She noticed that, that same blood was now on her stomach and chest plate and with a grimace, she sat up.

"Oh, gods..." She groaned, also noticing the stuff was on her hooves too. "Oh...geez, that's gross (Sniffs) Uh...it smells..." For the first time she actually got too, smell these things and she was not happy about it. It smelled like puss and something else that could only come from a corps. She restrained her gut from spilling its continence and started to stand. That was two now, but she remembered there being three. At this thought she froze. Where was the third creature?

Suddenly realizing she wasn't in the clear she looked around, till she saw something hiding in the dark. It was the eyes she noticed first, those white hunting eyes that seemed to look right into her very soul. She did not move, she couldn't move, she had spent what little energy she had on fighting the second creature and now, she had nothing left.

Rossy breathed heavily from terror and exhaustion, as the creature moved out of the shadows and stepped into the light. Now, she could see it in all its rotting detail and she felt her heart rate rocket out of control when she gazed upon its pale and sickly grey face. Its mouth, was disturbingly large, rotten away into a creepily long smile and its black maw was full of needle like teeth that looked to be made of its own jaw bone.

Slowly, she pulled a knife from her belt. It was small, no more than 12 inches, but it was all she had and she doubted it would be enough. It got closer and drool dripped out its ever widening maw as let out a high pitched screech and surged forward. She couldn't move, there was no time. She grunted as it slammed into her and pinned her to the barn wall. Before she could stop it, it bit down hard on her left arm and screamed at the sudden sense of crushing pressure on her limb. In panic and blind terror, she stabbed the creature over and over in its throat and face, but it didn't care, it had her.

"NO!" She screamed, "NO, NOT ME...NOT ME!!"

Just when she was sure it was going to rip her arm off, there was a sudden flash of bright golden light, a heavy zap sound and then the smell of smoke, as something blasted the creature's back. The creature let go of her and she fell back, slumping to the floor as something new had shown up and it was attacking the beast.

She couldn't make out who or what it was, since it was hidden in the shadows, but she did see something when another flash of bright golden light flashed out of the darkness and a split second later a golden bolt of energy smacked right into the creature's chest with another loud blast. What ever that bolt was made of, it left a hoof sized hole in the creature's torso and it let out a weak gurgle, before slumping to the ground and didn't get up again.

Rossy breathed in deep, ragged breaths, as she felt her arm burn with pain, that lanced up to her shoulder. "This is it...I'm infected." She thought. "No...I can't be...no..."

Darkness was starting to take over her mind, as she looked up and saw something approaching her. She had no energy left to care, she was fucked anyway. She just hopped this newcomer will make her end quick. Soon it stepped into the moon light and she was surprised to find, it was an Ophlidite. It was tall, slender and walked on two legs. It was covered in some sort of thick, overlapping plates of brownish armour she couldn't figure out the make of and it carried a sort of staff that at its tip a spear shaped casing closed with a click and it stood there, just watching her from behind it snake like helmet.

She wondered what it would do to her body. Would it eat her? Chop her to bits and boil her in a pot? Or will it use her as a lab rat, poking and stabbing her infected corps for shits and giggles. It didn't matter anymore, she could feel the infection start to take over and soon, she saw nothing at all.

Chapter 2: Red Blade
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Hearthfire The Sands of Time: Part 2

Chapter 2: Red Blade

(Barrierland, Location Unknown)

(Rossy Everfree)

Rossy found herself in a strange place between out cold, and barely awake. The first thing that came to her was sound, the sound of voices, but she couldn't be sure. They were too muffled for her to make out any words and just jumbled together. Next to come back to her was sight, but everything looked wrong. She saw shapes and colours mostly orange and black, and nothing had any real detail, just blurry blobs. Then her sense of feeling came back too and with it, a lot of pain.

The pain seemed to sharpen all her senses and quickly her sight and hearing became much clearer. She found herself in what looked like and cave, with a campfire build in the middle of it, with its orange glow casting dancing shadows on the walls and roof. There was books, supplies and other stuff cluttered about the place, including her own stuff that was piled in one corner but not her armour.

That's when she realized she was laying in a sort of makeshift bed, with furs and pillows supporting and covering her naked body. She tried to sit up but as she tried, pain lanced up her arm and into her shoulder, making her lay back back with a pained grunt.

"What? How...how am I still alive?" Rossy thought, gripping her arm and oddly not feeling a bite wound. She lifted the fur covers and to her surprise, she found that her arm seemed fine. No blood, no bite...no infection. She would have cried with joy at this, if it were not for the unfamiliar voices that suddenly came down a tunnel leading to where she was. There were two of them, one of them sounded odd to her, like their voice was not meant to speak Equestrian.

"I had very little choice. She was incapacitated and there were many infected in the area, not to mention she seems very young. If I had not removed her from her current location, she would have been taken."

"But did you have to bring her HERE?!" The second voice sounded more like a Pony, Stallion with a deep highlander accent and he sounded pissed. "I mean we talked about this, not to bring strays to the hideout."

"I believe that was about the cats, not Equines." The other said in a calm and matter of fact manner. "Are you saying I should have left her there?"

The second voice sounded like he was angry but at the same time, not angry. "I hate cats, they're noisy and...and leave hair balls all over the...What? Don't give me that look..." There was a pause, then he yelled. "Alright, no. You did the right thing. But now what? And no before you ask, we can't keep her."

She caught the sight of movement down the tunnel and saw a big shadow of something tall and slender. She couldn't see the other figure, but she saw his shadow. Defiantly Pony but something was off about how he stood. It looked like he was walking on two legs instead of four and his arms were waving this way and that as he spoke again in an irritated manner.

"Ok, go check the perimeter, while I go check on our new guest." The taller shadow nodded and moved off to somewhere else in the tunnels, while the Pony figure started walking in her direction.

She felt a little panic surge in her chest and she did the first thing that came to mind. She lay her head back down and pretended to still be out cold. She couldn't see him anymore do to her eyes being closed, but she did hear him come in and seemed to hover near the fire for a moment. She peeked open one eye and saw him. He had his back to her so she couldn't see his face, but she was able to make out what he was wearing. Her wasn't wearing much armour, just some old tattered brown tunic, black trousers with some wrapping around his lower legs and some padding on his back and she guessed chest. He was sorting through some things, looking for something. He seemed to find it, some sort of bottle and then he came over to her bed. She snapped her eyes shut and stayed very still as he came up to her.

"Alright, lets take a look here." She felt her covers being removed and when her upper body was exposed she threw a right hook upward before her eyes where fully open and only saw the Pony stagger and fall to the floor, with his hooves covering his nose. "WOHA, FUNKY... BUTT LOVIN'!!!"

He writhed on the floor, clutching his blood soaked nose in pain and kicked his legs around in the air. While this was happening she got out of the bed and went for her knife that was on the top of her pile of belongings. Pain stabbed through her left arm and she stumbled onto the floor. She went with it and rolled over to her gear and grabbed her knife, just as the Pony came up to her.

Again, without looking she guessed where his midsection was and buck out hard with one of her legs. Her hoof connected with the guy's crotch and heard the wind wheeze out of him, as she saw him fall over and in a second she was on top of him,

"Where am I, what do you want with me?!" Rossy shouted and pressed her knife into the Stallion's throat. "Who are you, answer me DAMNNIT??!!"

She was in a lot of pain, her arm was on fire and she didn't think she could hold this guy down for long with just one arm. What was she thinking? She should have just stayed still but he was going to touch her body and that just didn't sit well with her. The guy coughed and looked up at her with a pained expression and that's when she actually studied his features.

His wild spiky mane was blood red, his shaggy coat was a silver grey and his eyes were a bright blue that almost seem to glow, with a single ragged scar down his right eye. But that was not all, his face was very wolf like, with big pointy ears, a wolf like snout minus the an actual wolf nose and his mouth had what looked to be razor sharp teeth and she saw more of them as he grimaced in pain. Wait, she recognized him. She'd never actually met him before, not that she knew of but his features fit the description that she was told about.

"What the hell?!" The pony under her groaned, finding it hard to breathe. "I was just gunna give you some water, you crazy midget! AHA, my nose...why the nose? FUCK!!!"

Before she had a chance to say anything, she heard the sound of something make a electronic zipping noise and when she looked up she was met with the barrel of a staff weapon aimed right in her face. "Please." Said the same odd voice from before and she looked up to see the yellow eyes of an Ophlidite looking back at her. "I would prefer if you did not damage my comrade any further. Please, release him. I do not wish to cause you harm, young one."

"Oh Teal'c, relax." The Pony under her grunted, waving one of his arms in a dismissive way. "We're just having...having a bit of fun...yeah, that's the word. Fun, it's always fun having your balls busted...yep."

The one called Teal'c tilted his head slightly to one side and after a moment of silence, he closed the muzzle of his weapon shut and then held it upright so it was leaning against his shoulder. "If you say so, Theran, though I would have never considered you male genitalia being harmed as...fun."

Rossy's eyes went wide when she heard that name. Could be, was it really him, the Red Blade? Her thoughts were pushed to the side when Theran roughly pushed her off of him, while at the same time grabbing her knife in one fluid motion. It was so fast that she didn't even notice she had been disarmed till she felt the empty air in her hoof. She fell back and landed flank first on her bed softly, still sitting up while she watched Theran get up on his legs and stood upright, holding her knife.

"It's called sarcasm, Teal'c, maybe you should try it. And don't talk about my...ah forget it." He seemed fine now like he never got kicked in the balls and he looked at the tiny weapon in his hoof. Then he tossed it back over to Rossy's pile of stuff and addressed her directly. "Now, what the hell was that all about? I was only going to see if you were fine and maybe something for that arm. Fuckin' hell...ah...really messed my nose up too. Nice punch by the way, you got a good right hook there, ouch."

Rossy was speechless. She just stared at him like he was a great beacon of light, while Theran just stared at her in confusion, sniffing now and then as blood still dripped from his snout. Was it really him? Was it really, really him? Her mind was flooding with questions, so many that she kept on staring at him, her mouth agape. "I...I uh...um..." Was all that escaped her mouth.

"It appears you have damaged her, Theran." Teal'c stated, moving a little closer to see what was wrong with her. "Should I get the medical kit?"

Theran turned to look at him and had a (Are you kidding me) look on his face. "What? No, she's not damaged, she's..." He then looked back at her, finding the words. "Well...maybe she is? I don't know I didn't even touch her before she went crazy on me."

"Your name..." Rossy suddenly found her voice again and made herself speak., "You're...you're Theran Razorblade, aren't you?"

Theran's wolf like eyes widened in shock and then turned to look at Teal'c again, a silent question on his expression.

"I did not tell her anything of you, Theran." He stated plainly. "She was unconscious when I brought her here. No conversation was possible at that time."

Rossy's mind drifted off and she spoke her thoughts. "It's really him, it's thee Theran Razorblade." She looked up and her deep green eyes locked onto his. "You have no idea how hard it has been, trying to..."

"I'm going to stop you right there, missy." Theran interrupted and gestured to her. "First off, you the hell are you? And second, why are you looking for me? I don't even know you and it's kinda creeping me out."

Rossy suddenly felt embarrassed and her cheeks flushed a bright pink. "Oh, s...sorry I...I just..." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let it out. "My name, is Rossy Everfree, and I was sent to find you."

Theran was suddenly silent, his wolf like eyes glaring at her, studying her. It was unsettling to say the least. Then as if a switch had been flipped, his expression softened and looked to Teal'c. "I'm hungry, is anyone hungry?" He moved off back down the tunnel and vanished from sight.

Rossy was puzzled, that was not the reaction she had been expecting. "Um...is he...ok?"

"He is in perfect health." Teal'c stepped forward into the small chamber, his staff still resting against his right shoulder. "He is...not used to visitors." He glanced at her and looked up and down her nude body. "Might I suggest, you put some clothes on? The air, can be rather chilly at times."

Rossy looked down and her face went bright pink, covering herself with the fur covers. "Um...right...sure."

...

Time had pasted rather slowly since, Rossy woke up and kicked the shit out of Theran. He was till favoring his lower body, still sore but that least his nose had stopped bleeding. He had made all of them some soup and they had been eating in silence. It was odd, she had told him she had been looking for him, but he seemed to ignore this, as if she never said it. She had so many questions but she couldn't seem to think of the right one.

She looked at Teal'c for a moment, scanning him up and down. His staff was propped up by the wall he sat by and had his eyes set to the ground while he ate. She had never seen an Ophlidite so close before, infact she had never seen one at all. She just remembered what they looked like from the old stories her parents used to tell her as a filly. He wasn't as nearly as terrifying as the stories had made his kind out to be, but what did she know, he was the first she'd even met and he had saved her life back in the barn.

She felt she had to say something to him, anything. "Um...T...Teal'c?" He looked up from his bowl and peered over at her with his reptilian yellow eyes. They looked so alien to her, but she saw a kindness in those eyes and in his face. He was surprisingly beautiful to her, she couldn't think of it any other way. His head was just like a snake's but at the same time, so much more. His skin or scales were a soft green with some scales being a different colour, in his case he had red highlights running along his limbs and on his head.

He spoke to her and she was a little startled when she realized she had drifted off in her thoughts. "Yes, Rossy Everfree? You have a question?"

She was amazed by how soft and graceful his voice was. It wasn't even that deep, and that made it oddly soothing. Composing herself and remembered what she wanted to say. "I... I just wanted to say that I'm... That I'm grateful for you saving my life."

Teal'c raised one side of his scalely brow and then did something she didn't expect. He closed his eyes and gave her a curt bow. "I am pleased that you are not too badly injured. But your thanks is not necessary. If I were to be in that situation again, I would most gladly aid you."

Rossy blushed at that and didn't know what to say. So she gave him a little bow back, wondering if that was the right response. Teal'c seemed to like this and gave her an even deeper bow and went back to eating.

She then brought her attention back to Theran, who hadn't said a word to her or Teal'c since they started eating. She thought it was about time to ask him something now. "So, you've been out here this whole time?" Rossy asked, her mouth still full soup. In all her thinking, she forgot to empty her mouth. "I mean, what have you been doing out here, in the middle of nowhere? I only found you 'cause some locals far from here mentioned seeing some Pony that looked like you, and I thought I'd come and see if..."

Theran burped and she stopped speaking. He stopped eating and seemed to be showing signs of stress. He looked to his partner, Teal'c, but he was too distracted by his meal to even give him a glance. He finally looked at Rossy and gave her a grumpy yet puzzled frown. "Ok, lets just back it up a smidge. First off, how old are you? I know you're a teenager, that much is obvious but just for clarity's sake, I'd like to know before saying anything else."

Rossy suddenly felt uncomfortable, but she considered that it wouldn't hurt to share her age. "Well, I'm 14 but I'm coming up for 15 soon, just a month a..."

"14!! Are you fucking kidding me?!" Theran suddenly yelled in shock, almost too shocked for words.

Teal'c decided to join in on the conversation and addressed Theran. "Theran, mind your manners in the presence of a youngling. It dose not bode well for your integrity as an adult to use such words."

"What the hell are you on about?" Theran snapped, looking at Teal'c like he had grown a new head. "Do you hear, the crap that comes out of your mouth sometimes?"

"Are you saying I defecate through my mouth, Theran?" Teal'c asked, as he stuck a mouth full of soup in his said gob. "I must say, if such a thing were possible, I would shoot myself with my own staff."

"What...the...fuck." Theran exclaimed, seeming to loose his appetite, putting his bowl down and not seeming to know what to do. "Thanks, Teal'c, you've put me off my breakfast."

"You're welcome, Theran." Teal'c said in the same plain tone, making him hard to read.

Theran just looked amazed and glanced at him. "Did you just use, sarcasm? There's still hope for you yet."

Rossy was starting to get impatient, she could sense he was trying to avoid her questions and she didn't know why, so she pressed him further. "Mr Razorblade, I need you to answer me. What are you doing out here?"

"What dose it look like?" He asked in a sarcastic manner, his expression condescending.

Rossy didn't quite understand his question, looking around to the cave they were in. "Um...a cave I guess? I don't understand."

Theran just gave her a smug look and shook his head. "I bet you don't."

Rossy frowned at that. "What's that supposed to mean? You're not making any sense."

"You know what doesn't make sense to me?" Theran suddenly snapped, pointing at her now. "Why a 14 year old is all the way out here in infested lands, by herself, looking for a complete stranger. I mean how do you even know about me? Who sent you? In fact, who sends a 14 year old? Who dose that?" He looked to Teal'c but he just looked to the ground and lightly shook his head.

"Hey, I can take care of myself!" Rossy yelled at Theran. She felt insulted by his dismissal of her age and she felt her cheeks heat up in anger. "I've been out here for a month on my own and I've looking for your stupid ass, all the while dealing creatures that want to eat me. Don't you dare..."

Theran waved a hoof and cut off her angry protest. "I'm not interested in your hissy fits, I only want to know who sent you and if I should consider them a threat."

Rossy was shocked. Was he really considering her a threat? She answered quickly with confusion and disgust in her tone. "No...we're the good guys, you asshole! We fight against the Skinnys and the ones who make 'em!"

"...Skinnys?" Theran asked, squinting his eyes in confusion.

"I believe she is referring to the infected beings that roam the lands, Theran." Teal'c chimed in. "They are, quite skinny."

Theran looked like he was mulling that over for a moment, but just for a moment, when he suddenly locked his steely gaze back of Rossy and began questioning her again. "And who, exactly sent you to find me? Who are these...good guys, as you call 'em?"

Rossy had the impression that he was making fun of her and she didn't much like that. She put her own bowl aside and gave him an aiming glare. "You don't remember, do you? My Father said that all I'd have to say is Everfree and you would know. He told me you're a close friend to my family and that you would help us fight Black Sun." She shrugged, feeling her arm twinge a little. "After all, you've been fighting them since the beginning."

Rossy shook her head, frowning. "What is going on here? You're making no sense, you're avoiding my questions and you have him here." She pointed at Teal'c and he looked at her, puzzled. She coughed and made a nervous smile. "Uh...no offence."

"None taken." He bowed and looked at his bowl.

Rossy brought her eyes back on Theran and let out a big sigh. "Look, where's Violet? I'd rather talk to her if you won't listen to me."

Theran's smug look faded and was replaced with one that Rossy could only guess was stern realization. What was he thinking? It was hard to get a read on him, his expressions change from moment to moment so much she had no clue what he was actually feeling.

He was suddenly quiet, too quiet that it made her uncomfortable. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his head on one of his hooves. "Gods, damnit."

Before she could ask him anything more, he got up and just...walked off down the tunnel. "Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going?" He kept on walking. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" He didn't reply and soon vanished out of sight, leaving her stumped. "What the hell?! Where is he going?" She asked Teal'c.

Teal'c glanced at her, setting his bowl aside and standing up too. "He appears to be upset. I would not concern yourself with it too much."

Rossy frowned. "Upset? What's he got to be upset about? I just told him his friends are still alive and he's upset?"

Teal'c bent down and picked up Theran's discarded soup bowl that had some left in it and went back to sitting in his spot. "You have given him something to ponder. You must understand, Theran is not like you or I, he is something altogether, more complicated."

Rossy was even more confused now. "You're making no sense to me."

"In time, you will understand." Teal'c stated, as he began eating Theran's soup. "But for now, I suggest you get some rest."

Rossy frowned at this. What was going on? This was not how she had imagined this going, she thought he'd be happy to find out her family is alive, that he, Violet and Haze were not alone. Actually, she suddenly realized something. She looked to Teal'c

"Teal'c...where's Violet? I remember my Dad told me that she was last sen with him. I know her better than I know him since she visited my sister's home a lot." She glanced around. "So, where is she?"

It was hard to tell what Teal'c was feeling, since his face didn't move much, but the way he suddenly slowed his movement and slowly looked at her. She saw sorrow in his eyes, and bowed his head to her. "Rossy Everfree, I am sorry to say, but Violet is dead, has been for 4 years."

...

(Barrierland, Black Sun Stronghold)

(Red Wolf Jack)

Snow and wind blew strong in the high mountains of the Barrierland, as Red Wolf Jack strode confidently up a beaten path and seemingly, was heading nowhere. His blood red armour plating stood out in the snow covered rocky terrain around him, like a mobile blood stain on a otherwise pure white landscape.

His clawed boots crunched to a halt as he stopped at the end of the path and in front of him was more of the barren white land that stretched on for miles. He stood there for a moment and just gazed out onto the vast and, honestly dull view. Then with a sigh he pressed some device on his right arm and stepped forward, suddenly pasted through a shimmering field and in an instant he went from looking at a barren waste land to staring at a vast mountain scape that just appeared out of thin air.

A pare of massive twin doors opened for Jack, as he entered the great fortress of Kell'shak. It was once home to a powerful Ophlidite clan many, many years ago. They build their Keep right in the heart of a mountain and used it as a foot hold in Equestria, but was long since taken over by Black Sun and has remained their greatest point of power. Jack had to marvel at the amount of effort that went into its construction. If there was one thing that the Ophlidites were better at than any other race was mining out mountains.

He walked through the massive hallways, leading to many areas of the Keep, one of which was the office of his Boss. Stone pillars of intricate patterns of snakes and black marble bars running up their lengths, rose up to an arch on the roof and these pillars went on for about a mile all around the mountain.

The near black halls where made out of a dark red marble, lit by many crystalline lights affixed to the walls that bathed the walls and floor in a soft blue glow, giving off an almost twilight atmosphere. Jack heard the sound of marching hooves with a mix of chainmail and a guard patrol of Black Sun Equestrians marched by him and he stopped them for a second. No longer were these bands of cut-throats simple assassins, but soldiers, warriors kitted out in new practically designed overlapping plates of armour, made up of a large metal collar that protected the shoulders, neck and upper chest, while overlapping a two piece chest plate that also overlapped one another. They wore helmets that resembled a snake's head and completely enclosed their heads in metal protection, with small red lenses that seemed to glow in the low light.

They stopped and the leader, who had a different type of helmet, that was shaped like a bird of prey, with gold trims. He turned to Jack and the warrior pressed something on the side of his enclosed helmet and the top of the visor popped open. Inside was the masked face of a Pony that looked normal enough, but there was something odd about his eyes. The whites of his eyes were a bony yellow and his irises were a strong purple that almost rippled with a sort of energy and they glared at him with a frown.

"You want something of me, Inquisitor?" The warrior asked, his tone deep and sharp.

Jack always found these guys, dull and a tad creepy, but a far cry from their Elite counter parts. At least they know how to have fun, but they were still kinda dull, if what in a sadistic way. Jack was straight to the point with the warrior. "Is Vipress here? I have a mission report to give her and I'd rather it be now than later. I got things I want to attend to without interruption."

The warrior nodded and pointed down the seemingly endless hallway. "She is in her study. Will that be all, Inquisitor?"

Jack hated being called, Inquisitor. It made him sound like some sort of Zealot and he's never been into that sort of thing. He gave the warrior and curt nod and then just walked off, not bothering to answer, leaving them to resume their patrol. Soon after many long strides, Jack reached Vipress's main bed chamber and didn't even bother to knock, as he pushed the single large door and entered. The moment he entered he was met with the smell of candles and incense and it burned his Wolven senses. He coughed and felt his eyes water a bit, as he walked into the room and was surprised to find Vipress was't here.

"What? I thought he said she was here?" Jack felt his anger start to boil. He was tired, hungry and really needed to clean his gear from his last mission. He was not just going to stand around like some servant waiting on his master's summons. He looked around, seeing if there was anything new since his last visit. Indeed Vipress had some new decorations and other things that made his fur stand on end. Mainly her fascination with body parts, since there were many around the room, all in jars or mounted on the walls. Jack had taken trophies before, it was kinda his thing to do so if he thought the kill was worthy enough, but this was a tad bit over the top. Not to mention creepy.

"You got some strange hobbies." Jack mumbled under his breath, as he went up to one of the jars and tapped its glass with the tip of a claw. There was a Pony's head in the jar, male and it was staring right at him. He frowned at the head, wondering what Vipress could possibly see in collecting such things, skulls he could understand, but full heads with eyeballs and all the stuff in between. There was slight movement in the jar and Jack blinked in surprise. Was he seeing things? He took a closer look, putting his eye right up to the glass so he was now eye to eye with the head. For a moment, nothing happened, but then the eye twitched a little and Jack jumped back, startled.

"Shrahk!" He swore in his native tong and noticed he had his hand on his sword hilt. He paused for a second, thinking about what he was doing and then relaxed, letting his hand fall from his weapon.

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

Jack turned around to face the way he came in and sure enough, it was Vipress standing in the doorway. She didn't look too pleased to see him and sported a dark green silk gown that was slightly transparent, silhouetting her fit and lean form in the glow of the hall lights. He raised one side of his brow, as he took the sight of her in and had to admit, she looked very attractive. Shame she had a bad attitude.

"Ah, Vipress. I was wondering when you'd show up." Jack stated plainly, though with just a pinch of mockery. "I must say, you are looking fine this morning."

Vipress entered her chamber and scowled at him in disgust. "Mind your tong, Red Wolf, or I'll cut it out and add it to my collection."

He looked at the many jars and body parts on the walls and took her word for it. "Noted." He said in a weary way.

Vipress moved past him toward a desk with a mountain of paperwork on it and gracefully sat upon it. She crossed one cloven hoofed leg over the other and rested her weight on the palms of her clawed hands, leaning back. "So, do you have something to report, or do you just like standing around in my chambers, gazing at me with those repugnant eyes of yours?"

"Repugnant?" Jack just shrugged at that. "Someone's in a bad mood today. Tell me, is it the plotting and backstabbing that's got you down, or is it then lack there of? I can never tell."

Vipress rolled her bright orange reptilian eyes, shifting her body a bit and waving her lizard tail around lazily. "You are trying my patience. Do you have something to report, or not?" She noticed the way he was looking her up and down and gave him a shocked smile. "Or are you here to admire the view?"

She opened her lean, muscular legs slightly and licked her upper lip, all the while glaring at him, as if daring him to try it. He looked at her for a moment, taking it all in. Her scent, her silver hair, black scaled skin and Pony shaped face. She might not be Wolven, but then again that never really bothered him before and it certainly didn't now. He moved forward toward her, his steps, slow and careful, as he got right up to the desk between her legs and leaned over her, though he kept his hands clasped behind his back.

From a strap on her thigh, she swiped out a small blade and pressed it to his throat. She didn't do anything to him, she just kept glaring at him and sat there, waiting for him to make the first move. It was so tempting, so close he could feel her body heat and smelled her flowery perfume. He took that scent in, savored it and then leaned back, stepping away from her. He let out a sigh and relaxed his shoulders.

Vipress looked almost disappointed, as she crossed her legs again and leaned forward, crossing her arms as well. "Satisfied?" She asked, her tone plain but her glare still sharp as ever, flipping her knife and put it away.

Jack smirked and titled his head up slightly, enjoying himself. "You could say that." He said, his tone smug.

Vipress narrowed her eyes at him, but her expression didn't weaver. "Well, now that, that's settled, your report. Now."

Jack gave her his mission report and it was long and boring, going over how he killed this and how he hunted that and finished with a shrug. "And that's it, not much really." He was now thinking he should have just fucked her on her desk, instead of giving this dull ass report. But he still had some dignity left and he hated it.

Vipress had moved from sitting on her desk to sitting on the chair behind it and was now leaning on its surface with her elbows. She tapped one long claw on her lips for a moment, pondering and then spoke. "So, we're still no closer to finding it?" She said in a dull tone, seeming bored herself. "Well that's no good, not good at all." She rubbed her temple with a finger and looked rather frustrated. "You expect me to go to our Lord with this? This is nothing, a few dead rebels is meaningless in the eyes of them. You're going to have to do better than this if you want to keep their favor."

Jack frowned at that. He didn't like his work being sullied as if it were some mere errand. "Maybe if you didn't send those grunts you call soldiers with me on every hunt, I might be able to get you actual results."

Vipress looked as if she was going to claw his eyes out but she was restraining herself rather well. She clacked her claws off the marble surface of her desk and seemed to be in deep thought. "That will be all." She sighed, getting up from her seat and making her way to her large bed. Jack watched her as she got half way in her silky covers till she noticed he was still there. "What are you still doing here, go...do something, anything just get out!"

With that, Jack left her chamber and was now back out in the hallway. The door shut violently behind him and the impact kicked up a gust of wind, slightly rocking him forward. "That went well." Jack muttered to himself and made his way to his own chambers. There were teleporters he could use to get there faster, but he hated using them. Something about them made his gut twist and make him feel dizzy, so he walked till he finally reached his chambers and pushed open the door.

He was met by the familiar scent of his wooden furnishings and many skinned hides that hung up on his walls. One type of many of his trophies, for he had many, littered about and all displayed proudly. The wall of skulls was his personal favorite, 'cause it faced his massive bed and he could just sit there and look upon it, recounting all the glorious battles he'd fought in his years.

His most prized one was of an Ursine warrior. Now those were rare to find, let alone slay. He looked at the massive bear skull, as he started unstrapping his grime stained armour and set them upon an armour rack. He would clean them later, he just wanted to relax and maybe get some sleep. His eyes fell upon another wall and this one had bits of old war gear from times long pasted. This, was his collection of mementos, snap shots in time that had left strong emotional prints, emotions that left him perplexed. In short, they were memories of fights that where left unfinished, or didn't sit well with him.

He looked at two broken swords. One was of normal Equestrian design, with a standard hilt and standard blade. A long Sword they called it and it belonged to a Mare he had killed in the heat of a moment. He regretted that kill, she had been already injured when she came out of nowhere and stabbed him in his prosthetic arm. He hadn't meant to wound her fatally, but his blood rage had been to strong to hold back.

The next sword was a strange design, one that had magical gems forged into the metal itself. The tip of the sword was shaped like a spear head, tapering to a fine point and fine edge that seemed to never loose its edge. The hilt was a hone handed configuration and had a slight curve to it. This weapon had belonged to a Wolfkin, a blend of his kind and a Equestrian. He had been a formidable opponent, fought like a Wolven with the cleverness of an Equine. Now that had been a fight but it hadn't reached its full potential and was sullied by the Wolfkin's lack of animal rage and his refusal to use it. He still had the Wolfkin's severed arm and the piece of black steel armour that came with it. He wanted nothing more than to finish that fight, he hadn't even killed him i the end, never granted him a warrior's death. It had been a stain on his reputation and it still nagged at him to this day.

He had unstrapped his sword belt and was in the middle of taking off his padded jacket when he smelt something.

It wasn't one that belonged to his chamber and it smelled of oil and explosive powder. He knew only one with that scent and they were in this room now. Slowly, he took off his jacket and set it down on the floor, while he scanned the room. He didn't see anything, as he held his sword still in its sheath. There was something there, he could smell it and it was very close to him.

There was a shimmer in the air and Jack suddenly in one swift motion, pulled his sword free of its sheath and stopped it mere inches from the shimmering blob in the air. For a moment, nothing happened and then the shimmering blob suddenly turned into a blue and very naked Dacony. He instantly knew who it was, form her blue scaly skin, her shapely upright body, her wild blue hair and crazy purple eyes, that glowed like fire. It was Butter Cup and she was smiling lustfully at him, with his sword practically touching her neck. She didn't care however and stared into his eyes with a crazed look in her own.

"Hey there, Jacky." Butter Cup giggled in a playful yet daft tone, as her beautiful body slowly swayed from side to side, like a feral creature sizing up its prey. "I've been waiting for you, waiting a long time."

Jack let a wide smile creep across his lips and set his sword aside, as he pulled her in close, pressing her body against his and then bit into her scaly neck. She let out a high pitched gasp of pleasure and then sighed with a lustful groan, as she wrapped her own limbs around him and clawed into his furry back. He felt the sting of her claws sink into his skin and draw a small amount of blood.

"I missed you." Jack growled, as he cupped a hand behind her head and looked into her eyes.

She grinned madly and licked her lips. "I missed you more, oh you have no idea how boring it's been. Vipress has grounded me for causing too much trouble. She's no fun, always a killjoy."

Jack was now holding her up onto him with one hand cupped under her flank and the other now around her waist, as he carried her over to the bed. "What did you do this time, B?" He asked as he put her down on the bed, were she sat on her knees, keeping eye level with him. He always enjoyed the feeling of her smooth scales, their texture always satisfying to the touch. He also liked the way she ran she fingers through his fur, like a brush that grooms hair.

Butter Cup looked like she hadn't a clue, but he knew she did, she was a lot smarter than she let on and he liked that about her. "What? I only, may have just a tad bit...blew up a tiny, yet maybe large shipment of weapons grade explosives..." She then made a slight grimace as she added. "And...I may have blown up a bunch of our soldiers too..." She trailed off and just smiled at him. "I didn't do it on purpose, I was only playing around with some fire magic when, poof. Everything went boom and I lost my best clothes. It was kinda funny, one second you got clothes on and the next they turn to ash, but you know how it goes...you fry some, you burn the rest."

Jack smiled at that, as he put his real hand on her right cheek and rubbed a bit of TNT powder off her skin. "All that and I wasn't there to see it, damn...if only you were with me on my mission. I could have used your talents, far better than the Black Sun soldiers, they only get in my way and muck up my hunts."

"Oh...what happened?" Butter Cup got him to sit down and began to message his tense shoulders.

Jack just let out a sigh that had been stuck in his chest for awhile but Butter Cup's magic touch let that all out. "I don't know what Vipress expects me to do, when her efforts to back me up only lead to my missions failing. I only wanted to gain information and be on my way to the next lead, but Vipress's thugs think it's better to kill everything in sight, than keep a low profile." He gripped his right prosthetic fist tight, making it creak and whir. "It's almost like she wants me to fail, to embarrass me."
He went silent when he leaned into his hands and covered his eyes.

Butter Cup leaned on him, hugging his back while rubbing his chest. "Vipress...she's a bit a hard ass, sure...and a killjoy. But she's my big sister and I don't think she would risk one of our best to just make him look bad. Would she?" She seemed to think about that for a moment, but not for long when she got up and made him look at her. "Take me with you next time, just me and you. I'll even talk to Vipress, I'll make her see that sending two of the best is better than a army of dull, low thinking servants. How 'bout that?"

Jack looked her in the eye, those living gems that hide a fire so fine, it was as if he was starting into the heart of a star. He cupped his hands around her face and leaned in close and kissed her. When they finally parted, he stood up to his full height and looked down on her short frame. She was about chest height with him and she had to crane her neck to keep her gaze locked on his and smiled up at him. "I think, you are the best thing that has happened to me."

"Aww, Jacky you're too kind." She was fiddling with his pant's strap and finally made it come loose. She pulled them down and her grin went wider as he felt her hand go below his hips, ruining her clawed fingers through his thick fur. "You're gunna make me blush." She cud, licking her lips again and showing her razor sharp teeth.

Jack took hold of her and leaned into her till they were laying on the bed, with him pressed on top of her. "I'm going to make you do more than make you blush, my sweet, B."

"Animal." She growled, digging her claws into his back again and then rolling him over so she was on top. "I hope you're going to put up a fight. No one can make me blush that easily."

"Crazy lizard. Challenge accepted." He growled back and kissed her again, pressing even harder into her, making her gasp in blissful pleasure. Her erotic screams, could be hear all the way to Vipress's chamber and she moaned in annoyed torment.

...

(E.H.C Drop Ship, in Flight to Barrierland)

(Agent 0.4.2)

Wind blew by at speeds so fast, that if there wasn't several inches of steel and glass shielding in front of Agent 042, she'd be ripped apart . But she was perfectly safe, as she stood by the cockpit looking out the window, as clouds shot by like a thick mist. Two Airmen sat at the helm, pressing buttons and flipping switches as they neared the Barrier that cut the Heartland off form the Barrierland, and they were closing fast.

"60 seconds to barrier!" One of the Airmen called over 042's helmet radio, using robotic fingers on his armoured gauntlet to flip one switch and the blue lights in the Drop Ship turned red. "Take your seat, Captain!" The Airmen called again, placing his hoof on the throttle and wrapped his metal fingers around it.

042 did as she was asked and sat down in one of the rows of seats that lined the inner hull. She wasn't the only one, three other Ponies in near matching grey and black armour, sat on one row of seats, while 042 sat on the other on her own. She faced her team, who were checking their gear. Their armour, was designated Hazard Protection and Environmental Armour Systems, or H.P.E.A.S for short and it was their main line of defense against the Infected. It was made out of 24 hardened fiber plates, attached to the wearer's body by a gel like undersuit, made from a formula that hardens with high pressure impacts.
So anything short of an arrow will be completely stopped by the gel layer. Its aim is to protect the user from infection while giving the user full movement with the plates interlocking and flexing with the user's motion. It also had a health monitor built into the under layer, which links with the Helmet's HUD. 042 checked her teams vitals and they all read green, with steady heart rate and their friend or foe tags or F.F.Ts, appeared above their heads on her HUD.

The Helmet had a range of features, filters to protect against air born contaminants, being able to seal airtight if the need arises. It also gives user enhanced hearing with ear nods and allows Agents to communicate at a distance via radio.

The last feature of the armour is the Exo-Skeletal legs. These legs are hooked up to the Agent's own legs and allows them to stand up right. It takes all the pressure off the user's back with a spine brace, taking their weight, giving them full movement on two legs. Down side is the Exo-legs run on a battery just like their weapons and has to be recharged after every 10 hours of use. Luckily they all carried recharge packs and spare batteries just incase they don't have the time to wait.

"Weapon's check!" 042 ordered over team com and they quickly looked over their weaponry.

Two of them, Agent 212 and 326 were using the Arck-22, standard issue 77cm Rifle of the E.H.C and is capable of firing at a rang of 100meters and can fire a number of costume ammunition from, Lightening Bolts, Pyro Bolts, kinetic and Ice Bolts. It is mainly designed for firing lightening since the infected have a weakness to it, but for anything else they used Kinetic Bolts that could their stun or rip through a target, depending on the power level. The weapon has a split second delay before firing, charging up a round in its twin accelerator rods before it discharges through the accelerator chamber and is shaped into a bolt by the focus nods at the tip of the weapon. It can fire a max of 24 rounds per battery.

Then there was the Arck-12 standard issue pistol the simplest weapon made thus far by the E.H.C, and there for the easiest to use. They all carried one in a holster on their hips and was made of a single steel barrel, with simple iron sights cut into the barrel and It used the same ammo with a range of 20meters and can fire 100 rounds per battery, do to its smell energy cost. Down side is the weapon doesn't pack as much as a punch as the Arck-22 and has a tendency to overheat, but was probably one of their most reliable tools, do to its high fire rate and ammo capacity.

Her last team member, Agent 122 was using the Anti Freak Buster as it is colorfully known, or the AFB and is by far the most powerful weapon developed by the E.H.C. The long thick barrel of the weapon was collapsible for easier travel but once unfolded it is the size of an average E.H.C Agent, which is about 5, foot 9. It has the farthest range out of all of the weapons, reaching up to a mile. It is so powerful it can leave a hole the size of a dinner plate in what ever it hits. It can shred through stone walls and just about any form of armour. Instead of lightening it fires compressed raw magic and when it fires, it sounded like a crack of thunder. The down side to this god of a weapon is its size, the fact it can only fire five rounds per battery and overheats after every shot. Not to mention the battery packs were big, like as thick and long as her forearm.

"30 seconds!" The Airmen on the radio called. "Prepare for cross over. If you haven't checked your gear, now's the time."

"You guys all set?"

042 said of her teams coms, as she checked her weapons. She was carrying a brand new class of ranged weapon system, the TB-AMR rifle. It was a long barreled rifle with a full buttock and thumb hole to make a built in pistol grip and 12X magnifying scope. Instead of firing energy bolts, it fired a 10mm steel slug that when propelled with a small magical sparker, can reach speeds that can break the sound barrier and pretty much anything else that gets in its way. She pulled out some of the steel slugs from a pack on her gun belt and slide about 8 of them into a slot in the weapons thin under belly and then pulled on a charging handle on the side of its frame to prime the sparker to fire at any given pull of the trigger. It made a audible hum as the sparker came to life, and a little green light flickered on near the charging handle.

"Am ready." Agent 212, Unicorn, female, Tag name, Whimcy, said in her Appaloosaian accent, roughly smacking her Arck 22's palm charger and making the weapon hum to life. "Just point and A'll blow a hole in it."

"I'm ready too Ma'am." Agent 326, Earth Pony, male, Tag name, Buck, said in his Canterlot accent, as he rammed a mag battery in his Arck 12 pistol's grip and pulled on the charging slide on the back of the gun, with it also humming to life. "Just say the word."

"One sec." Agent 122, Unicorn, male, Tag name, Boomstick, said as he got the large mag into the massive AFB's frame and pulled on it huge charging handle with a loud chunk. It made a loud hum, louder than the other weapons. "Locked and loaded." He said, satisfied and folded the weapon up and secured it to his chest.

"Good, now stand by." 042 stated and looked over to the Airmen. "Airmen, statues?"

"Crossing in 10." The Airmen called, and stuck his hoof up with all four of his metal fingers ready to count down. "4...3..2..."

There was a slight shudder in the ships hull and 042 felt a tingling feeling crawl over her skin and make her HUD flicker. They passed it, with the static and flickering gone as well. "We are now pasted the barrier. Drop zone in 2 minutes."

"We all know what we're orders are?" 042 asked her team checking her pistol's charge and then holstering it.

"Ah know this mission isn't strictly legal." Whimcy stated, fiddling with a Arck type energy knife, twirling it in her hoof gloves metal fingers. "But when has that ever got in the way?"

042 looked at her team through her tinted visor. They were unable to see her eyes but she could see theirs do to them not tinting their visors, though they could if they wanted to. Whimcy's eyes were pink, Buck's were green and Boomstick's was red.

"I know but this mission is probably the most important mission we will ever under take." She clasped her metal fingers together and leaned forward a little in her seat so her elbows were resting on her knees. "Won't lie, there is a very good chance we might not come back from this. We either complete the mission, or don't come back at all, even if we do survive, there would be no point. So let's get it right and not fuck it up."

"Damn straight." Buck stated, charging up his Arck 22.

042 nodded to that and smiled from behind her helmet, feeling a bit of pride swell up in her chest. "We do this not just for the Heartland, but for all those we left behind in the Barrierland. Once we hit the ground, we try to make contact with a local resistance group, and seek out the one they call, Commander Farsight."

"Commander, huh? Sounds Legion to me." Boomstick added. "You think he sounds Legion to you, Cap?"

042 shrugged and shook her helmeted head. "I don't know. I was in the Legion for most of my life and I never heard of a Commander Farsight. At any rate, this is a long term mission, we might be in the Barrierland for months, maybe even years. So make sure you got everything you need, anything else, we get out there."

"We're coming up on the drop zone." The Airmen said over the coms.

"We're up, team." 042 got up and made her way over to the cargo ramp and stood by a big red button on the right side of the hull. Her team also got up and lined up next to their Captain. "Make sure your chutes are on nice and tight. I don't want to have to catch any of you if you slide out."

Being a Pegasus she didn't need a parachutes, but her team didn't have that advantage. They pat each other down, making last minute checks. A armour adjustment here, a pressure seal check there and com check with a few radio clicks. They were all set and ready to drop.

"30 seconds to drop." The Airmen called.

"This is it." 042 Said over team com. "If anyone wants to change their mind and sit this one out, well you can't. That ship has sailed."

"We're with ya 100% of the way, Captain." Whimcy stated as she gave 042 a sisterly thud on her shoulder plate with her hoof glove curled into a fist.

"You are clear to drop. Good hunting out there." The Airmen called and 042 saw him press a button and the ship's lights went from red to green.

042 smacked the big red button on the hull and the ramp began to open. Rain and wind blasted in from outside and rocked the ship slightly. "Alright out you go, go, go!"

One after the other her team jumped out and soon, 042 took a running start and then flung herself out and joined them in free fall. She put herself into a nose dive, keeping all her limbs straight and sped toward her team's FFTs. They were all together bin tight formation and soon she joined along side them. She eyed a read out on her HUD that showed how far they had till reaching the ground. "1000meters!" She called over team com. As she said that she noticed they had already pasted 200meters and falling fast. She watched the read out. 700, 650, 600, 550 and at 450 she made the call.

"Pull, pull, pull"

One by one they all pulled their chutes and came to a slow decent. 042 then spread out her armoured and suited wings and took flight, flying around her team as they drifted to the ground. She had her weapon ready in her hoof glove's grip and provided overwatch till her team touched down. The ground below was dark, muddy and caped with rain fall. She scanned with her 12X scope, looking for targets and saw nothing.

Her team were about a 180meters off the ground, when a sudden gust of wind blew in and knocked them off course. 042 was fine, as she went with the gust and leveled out but her team didn't have the same level of control over their aerial movement and Whimcy got suddenly tangled in her chutes cords.

"Shit, ma chute's wrapped up!" She called over coms. "AH can't get out!"

"Hold on!" 042 yelled in her helmet mic, as she nose dived toward her tangled team mate. "I'm coming now! Try not to thrash too much!"

"Easy for you to say!" Whimcy yelled back, as she was quickly falling to a nearby cliff. "Shit, Ah can't move ma arms!"

Before 042 could reach her, she struck the ground hard in a mess of rope and fabric. "Whimcy?!" 042 yelled and she landed roughly with a roll and then she broke into a sprint as Whimcy began to slide down to the edge of the cliff. Her chute was still catching air and it dragged her still form to the very edge and then pulled her over.

042 threw herself off the cliff's edge and fell straight down.

"Captain!" Buck and Boomstick called out as they got out their chutes and ran to the cliff edge. They stopped near the edge and looked down to see if they could make visual contact. "Captain? Captain please respond!" Buck said over team com and a few seconds later 042 called back.

"Fuck she's heavy!" She reappeared, flapping her wings rapidly as she pulled Whimcy up by her chute. She reached the lip of the cliff and clawed at its edge with the metal fingers of one of her hoof gloves, cutting grooves in its muddy surface while she kept hold of Whimcy's chute. "Help me, get her off this dead fall!"

They both put their weapons on their chest rigs and moved as close as they could till they were able to grip their Captain's arms and haul her up with Whimcy a second later. "Boomer, help me get her out of this. Buck, watch our six!"

Buck nodded and brought his weapon up and watched their backs while 042 and Boomstick tended to Whimcy. As they cut her free from her chute's cords, 042 checked her vitals and was happy to see she was still alive, with minimal damage to her bone structure. But she did have a minor concussion and a pulled shoulder but apart from that, she was fine. "Thank the EHC for fucking good armour." 042 thought.

Whimcy woke with a gasp and her pink eyes darted from side to side till they found Boom stick and 042 hovering over her. "What? What happen'? This doesn't look like heaven."

"You're fine, Whim." Boomstick said as he cut the last of her chute cords. "I'll be damned before I let you die by some stupid wind."

"Good to hear." She tried to move but suddenly shut her eyes in pain. "Oh...oh ma head...and ma shoulder. Fuck that hurts."

"You have a milled concussion and a pulled shoulder, but apart from that you'll live." 042 stated as she got out a small needle and inserted it in a slot in her armour, allowing it to bypass the gel layer and into her blood stream. "I'm giving you a low doss of pain treatment. That should stop anymore swelling and help ease up your shoulder."

"Thanks, Captain. I owe you one." Whimcy said in a pained sigh as she was helped up onto her hooves.

"You owe me two." 042 said handing her, her rifle. "Remember you still owe me that drink."

"Aye, aye Ma'am." Whimcy said, a smile in her eyes. There was a high pitched screech in the distance and they all tensed up. They all looked to their Captain and she looked at the sky.

She gripped her own weapon now and looked to her team. "Right, lets get a move on. Stay in stealth mode and keep enemy exposure to zero. Now lets get out of this rain."

They all saluted her, Whimcy twinging a bit as she did and then they all activated their camouflage systems. They didn't got invisible but made their armour match the colour and texture of the surface they walked on. 042 looked back one more time at the land over the cliff edge and then joined her team, blending into the land around them, with more screeches calling in the rain.

Chapter 3: Old Wounds
View Online

Hearthfire The Sands of Time: Part 2

Chapter 3: Old Wounds

(Barrierland, Location, Random Cave)

(Rossy Everfree)

Rossy had tried to get some sleep, since Theran stormed off and left her with nothing but confusion and now pain on her mind. Not just the pain in her arm, but what she had learned about Violet. She lay in her makeshift bed, thinking about her, thinking of all the times she visited her and her sister and how she was always so nice to her and her family. How could she be dead? How did it happen, why did it happen and..and..

She sat up with a big sigh, giving up on trying to sleep and noticed Teal'c was still here. She was a little startled when she saw him sitting on the other side of the fire. But he wasn't watching her, in fact he had his eyes closed, his legs crossed and hands clasped together. He wasn't wearing his strange armour right now, but he did have some simple clothes on, a brown leather vest with 'V' shaped collar, a pare of light brown, long sleeved fingerless gloves, a red silk skirt covering one of his legs and some light brown leggings that stopped just above his knees.
It almost looked like he was sleeping but his posture was too straight and his breathing looked too controlled. She also noticed his staff was on the floor in front of his crossed feet and it was doing something.

From a small slot in its shaft a light with tiny orbs of gold energy floated up and were orbiting his head. She could barely hear it, but she could hear a slight hum come from the spheres that changed in pitch. She stared at him in fascinated wonder, when she made a cup a water fall off the end of her bed and it smashed on the floor.

The light coming from the staff vanished with its hum and Teal'c's yellow eyes snapped open, blinking a few times in surprise. He didn't move from his position, as he just looked over to her, with that plain yet calm expression of his. "Rossy Everfree, you are still awake." He stated plainly. He then tilted his head and said. "Is the bed not to your liking?"

Rossy felt awkward and then looked at the broken cup with its content split on the floor. "Uh. No, it's alright, it's actually better than what I'm used to. Oh, and I didn't mean to wake you, I just..."

"It is perfectly, alright, Miss Everfree." He bowed to her and stayed sitting. He then narrowed one eye and Rossy was wondering what he was looking at. "Your eyes. They are leaking."

Rossy frowned for a second in confusion, till she put a hoof to her cheek and felt the still wet tears there. "Oh...that. i-it's nothing, I'm fine. Really, I'm fine." She looked at the staff and nodded at it. "Uh, what was that you were just doing?"

Teal'c kept his eyes on her, studying her. "I was in a state of Kel'nokgh, a body meditation I must preform at least twice a day while here in this land."

Rossy tired to mull over that word in her head for a moment and quickly gave up trying to figure it out and asked. "Why do you need to do this , Kel, thing, twice a day? What's wrong here?"

"Un like you, I am cold blooded. Your land is far too cold for my body to properly handle. Kel'nokgh, allows me to control my body's temperature, ensuring I do not fall ill to this land's harsh cold. In short, if I fail to meditate every 12 hours, I will die to hypothermia."

Rossy grimaced. "Wow, and I thought we Ponies had it bad in the cold."

"I assure you, I am perfectly fine and in no danger." He then gracefully gestured to the space beside him and nodded at her. "Please, will you join me by the fire. Its warmth is soothing."

Rossy looked at him for a moment, scanning his face but she couldn't read him. "Why?" She finally asked after a few seconds of silence.

If he was offended by her question, he didn't show it and merely arched an eye brow at her. "Is it not better to be in the company of another, rather than be on your own?" He nodded and closed his eyes again. "Very well, I can not force you."

"Wait..." Rossy suddenly said and Teal'c opened his eyes again to look at her. She thought for a moment and then gave in. "Ok, I'll sit with you."

Teal'c's eyes widened slightly and looked to the ground. "It was only a friendly gesture, you do not have to..."

"No...it's fine." Rossy said, standing up and moving over to him. The pain in her arm was great but she was used to pain and she sat down near Teal'c and pressed her sore arm to her chest. She sat there awkwardly, not saying anything for awhile and Teal'c did the same.

She looked into the fire and glanced at Teal'c now and then to see if he was looking at her and she found that he wasn't. He had his eyes closed again and was breathing slowly. She watched as his curved chest rose and fell and watched as air slowly misted out his nostrils in ghostly gusts. She had never been this close to an Ophlidite before and she was amazed by how tall he was, even when sitting down. He had to be at least 6 feet tall and his tail, his tail was huge. It had to be as long if even longer than his torso and long neck put together and it was wrapped around his crossed legs as if it were hugging him.

"You have questions, do you not?" Teal'c suddenly spoke, soft and low and it made Rossy jump a little, shocked. He didn't react to her sudden twitch of motion and remained as he was. "I can see them, burning in your eyes. I will answer them as best I can, if that is what you seek."

Rossy thought about that for amount, thinking of what to say. She felt her mind start to spin again so she took in a deep breath and calmed herself. When her mind finally slowed down, she found thew words she was looking for. "How...how did you meet Theran?"

Teal'c seemed to ponder that for a few seconds, his reptile eyes shifting from side to side in little movements. Then he spoke and his gaze fell on her. "I met him, 3 years ago, in a poor state." He looked at the fire now. "He, had been badly damaged and his mind was fragile, but I sensed great strength in him and saw a chance to make contact with someone of this land."

"Wait, hold up." Rossy interrupted him and he tilted his head in question. Rossy thought for a second and then regained her train of thought. "What, are you doing here? In Equestria I mean?"

"I am on a pilgrimage, one of great importance." He took a deep breath and seemed to compose himself. "My homeland, Odillia, has been tainted by what you call, Skinnys and my people are unable to find a cure. So I and others like me from different houses have been sent out into the world to find one, or at the very least, enlist others to aid us in this endeavor." He gestured down the tunnel and Rossy guessed he was still talking about Theran. "So I stayed with Theran, till he healed and told me about what is happening in his land. It is, most dire."

Rossy thought about what she just heard. So, the Ophlidites are also being affected by this outbreak too. She didn't know why, but she reached out and touched his arm. This seemed to surprise him and he flinched a little. "Sorry!" Rossy shifted a bit away from him as he looked at her with a confused frown. "I only thought...I was trying to..."

"It is fine." He reached over and put a scaly four fingered hand on her shoulder. His touch was surprisingly gentle and warm, very warm. "Do not fear, you can not offend me easily with a simple gesture. I know your kind show affection through touch and expression. Something my kind do not show very often. We find it, difficult."

"I see." Rossy put a hoof on his hand holding her shoulder and gave him a smile. "You seem to be able to. You're pretty good at it."

"I have had, much practice, though I still find it, difficult to know when to show emotion." He tried to smile, but it didn't look right. Maybe it was the small, needle like teeth, or the long fangs that unfolded slightly that made it unsettling to look at.

Rossy's eyes widened a bit and kept her smile, but it was slowly getting awkward. "Yeah, your smile needs some work."

"I apologize." He said plainly, closing his mouth and returning to his neutral expression. "I lack the fine facial movement your kind have. So many expressions, it hurts to do them all. How do you manage to do so many at once without being in constant pain?"

Rossy chuckled at that and Teal'c tilted his head again, like a puppy listening to a strange sound. "I think you can manage, just open your mouth less and raise the ends of your lips a little."

Teal'c looked to be thinking about this and did as she instructed. He opened his mouth just a little and the ends of his long mouth pulled up slightly. "Like this?" He asked, his voice a little muffled while keeping up the smile.

"Yes, that's it." She beamed and giggled. Teal'c also tried to laugh but it didn't sound right, as it sounded forced. They stopped after a moment of awkward giggling and Rossy thought of something. "What's it like in Odillia? Is the Ophlidites as bad as the stories say?"

"Stories?" Teal'c seemed confused. "Of what stories do you refer to?"

Rossy felt her cheeks heat up, nervous but she told him, if carefully. "Well, I heard that your kind take Ponies as slaves, and use them for live stock. A-And that you're evil and care for nothing but profit and exploiting others for your own gain."

Teal'c looked to be in thought and and Rossy wondered if she went too far. But then he nodded and this caught her off guard. "The stories you speak of are indeed, true."

Her eyes went wide. "They are?! D-Dose that make you..."

"If you are wondering if I am a slaver. No, I am not. In fact, my clan despise it. We view it as a weakling's game, to let others do what you can do yourself is an insult to our honour and integrity as a people." He tried to smile again and he was already getting better at it. "Do not fear, I am a friend. You have my word, for my word is my bond."

Rossy nodded with her own smile and patted him on the back. "You've given me no reason not to trust you. So, I believe you."

Teal'c seemed to appreciate that and nodded his thanks. They went quiet after that and Rossy thought of something else to talk about, anything than dulling silence. "So, you got a girlfriend, or wife back home?"

Teal'c looked at her tilting his head again, in what she was starting to understand was his way of telling he was confused. "I do not understand. What is a, wife?"

Rossy was dumb struck for a moment, her brain trying to reboot and comprehend what he had just said. "I'm sorry, but it's as if you don't get what I'm talking about."

"I do not." Teal'c stated, plain and completely innocent. "Nor do I understand the phrase, girlfriend."

Rossy was completely stupefied at this point, not really knowing how to respond to that. Though she managed to regain so of her wits and cleared her throat. "Uh, well. A wife is some, one, that you are very close to, like bonded...sexually. Same goes for girlfriend but lets not get into that."

Teal'c was still looking at her as if she had changed colour or something bizarre like that. Then he blinked and seemed to get at what she was talking about, when he said. Oh, you mean a breeder. No, I do not have one, no one dose."

"Huh?" Rossy was finding ti hard to process this. "Then how do you even have kids, if no one gets together and, you know."

Teal'c still had that innocent look on his face, but he at least was trying, when he said. "Well, all clans have what we call a Brood Mother, and it's her task to not only govern the house and all it owns, but also to ensure our lines continue through regular breeding."

"You got one Ophlidite to do all that? Then who dose she, do it with if you don't get married?" Rossy was finding this hard to stomach, not to mention awkward, but she want to chat, so at least there was that.

Teal'c tried his smile again and Rossy wasn't sure if it was him finding this funny or he was starting to get nervous. "Well, that is what the breeders are for. Ophlidites hand picked by the Brood Mother herself, to breed with her and she can have as many as she likes."

"Damn, talk about some serious booty call." Rossy said in amazement. "I bet you got some of that action before heading out here I guess. I know I would, he he."

Teal'c looked shocked for once and Rossy grimaced at the sight. "Me?" Teal'c stated in a startled voice. "No no, it is impossible for me."

"Why not?" Rossy was completely lost at this point. "I mean, you look good to me..I mean not that I'm saying I think you're attractive..but I'm not saying you're not attractive to your own kind, no I I only mean..uh.." Rossy's face had flushed bright pink and her pupils had shrunk down to pee sized. "Oh gods I am so sorry.. This is stupid, forget it, forget I said anything!"

Teal'c did something Rossy wasn't expecting. He laughed, actually laughed and Rossy was mentally curling up in a corner of her brain from the sheer embarrassment. Once Teal'c finally stopped, he wiped his eyes and said. "I can't, because I am female."

"WHAT?!" Rossy couldn't believe it. Teal'c wasn't a he, but a she. "But, I thought..you look..."

"Oh I am, I'm both. Well in a way I can be if the need arises, but for now, I am female. But you can refer to me in what ever way you like. He, she, makes no difference to me."

Rossy was finding this very, very hard to ponder. He, she was both? "How is that even possible?" She finally asked. It was a blunt question, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Teal'c just shook, her, head and made a small chuckle. "My kind have short life spans, shorter than yours at any rate. About 40 years but more powerful Ophlidites, like the Brood Mothers, can live for about 90. But not all of us get that powerful, and do to this fact, my kind evolved to be, flexible when it comes to reproduction. Though, since my kind is a more Matriarch society, we are all female in the eyes of the Goddess, but at the same time, all lower ranking or young Ophlidites are seen as male, till they rise in status or develop their neck frills as a sign of maturity."

"But you don't have neck frills." Rossy pointed out, noting Teal'c's lack of frills on her lean neck. "Shouldn't that mean you're a guy then?"

"Well yes, but I have a Military rank. Any Ophlidites with a Military rank no matter how small, is considered female, regardless if they have neck frills or not. Though I am on my way to gaining my frills, it's just this land and its cold is some how slowing down my growth."

"Huh, So, it's like puberty?" Rossy asked, raising one side of her brow in confused wonder.

Teal'c seemed to think about that for a moment and Rossy wondered if she even knew what she was talking about, but then she nodded. "Indeed, as you say, like puberty. But this land, I think its cold is slowing my metabolism. Hmmm, maybe that means I'm aging slower now too. Interesting."

A thought came to Rossy and she frowned. "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind." Teal'c said, then looking at the fire. "I am 8 cycles old."

Rossy's brain felt like it had popped a screw loose, when she tried to comprehend that. "You..you're 8 years old?" She looked at Teal'c's size and her brain took another double take. Not knowing what to say, Rossy just made an awkward smile and coughed slightly. "Well uh..you look, uh. You look, great, tall even, I think?"

"Thank you." Teal'c stated with a bow. "I understand you may find my age, alarming. But in your kind's years, I am barely 17, not considered as a proper adult yet by my older peers. I'm oddly the youngest Warrior servant that was sent out of Odillia in search for a cure for the Blight that Ills my people."

"Ah, yeah." Rossy mussed, looking at the fire now with Teal'c. "My home is in the same boat. Everyday a struggle to survive, watching your back for any sign of Skinnys lurking in the shadows, or a Pony that wants what you have." She shuddered at the memory of an encounter she had once. "I saw a Pony kill another Pony, all for a loaf of bread and some water. I mean, the Barrierland has always been a hostile place, but never like this. It's fucked up, and don't even get me started on Black Sun. Those fuckers are the worst, and there are roamers they started all this."

Teal'c looked shocked at the mention of Black Sun and looked at Rossy with wide eyes. "You mentioned that before. Is this true? Did they start this?"

Rossy thought about that, looking away and looking off into space. "I'm not really sure, just what others have told me and stories I over heard." She looked at Teal'c again and gave her an aiming look. "But one thing is for sure. They are a bunch of evil bastards, and I'm going to make them pay for what they've done to me and my family."

Teal'c looked like she wanted to say more, but they heard something clacking down the tunnel and both looked up in surprise and found Theran walking in with a big bag on his back, that he was holding with one hoof. "Theran, I did not see you there." Teal'c stated. "How dose it look out there?"

Theran walked in and bumped the bag on the ground and in made a loud metal clang. "Oh, lovely, clear skys all around, with pink little bunnies hopping through the fields."

Teal'c narrowed her eyes. "You are being humorous again, aren't you?"

"Yep." He stated in a blunt, uncaring way. "It's actually a total shit show out there. I guess the storm will last for another night before it subsides and when that happens, you'll be leaving." He pointed at Rossy and she felt shocked.

"WHAT?!" She exclaimed in disbelieve.

"Theran, you can not. The Infected will most surly..."

"I won't let her go on her own." Theran butt in and bent down to the bag. "You will be safely escorted out of this region and then you can make your own way back home."

"Unacceptable!" Rossy shouted, getting up on all fours and ignoring the pain in her arm. "I didn't come all this way, risk my own life on a whim that you were even still alive, just for you to kick me out now!"

"I'm not kicking you out now, only when the storm has passed." Theran stated, toneless and with mockery in his voice.

Without thinking, Rossy tried to punch him in the face with her right hoof and for her efforts he grabbed her wrist in one hoof and twisted it hard. Pain shot up her wrist and she fell to one knee. She could feel the tendon there start to strain under his grip and he loomed over her. "You caught me off guard last time, don't think for a second, you can do it again."

"Theran, you are damaging her." Teal'c said, standing in one fluid motion and was next to him now, looking down on him with a glare. "She is only a youngling, this is not needed." Theran didn't seem to listen, as he kept the pressure on her joint and scowled at her. Teal'c pressed in and was mere inches from Theran's ear. "Release her, now."

Theran looked at Teal'c now with that same scowl, but did as Teal'c asked and let Rossy go. She breathed heavily as she held her aching wrist and fell to the floor. "You make friends too easily Teal'c. You should know we don't take in strays."

"Fuck YOU!!" Rossy shouted, with some pain in her voice. "You horrible Pony, what did she ever see in you."

Theran's face became dead serous as she glared at her. "What did you say to me?"

Rossy looked up at him and spat in his direction. "If it weren't for you, Violet would still be alive!"

"You little shit...!" Theran almost threw himself on her but Teal'c stopped him, grabbing him by the throat, slamming him against the wall and holding him there. He gasped and thumped Teal'c's arm. "Put me down, NOW!" He sneered and struggled in Teal'c grasp.

"You are not in control of yourself!" Teal'c yelled at Theran and Rossy noticed something drip from her mouth. Teal'c moved her face closer to Theran's and hissed at him. "Stop this, at once. Do not force me to harm you!" More of the stuff in Teal'c's mouth dripped to the floor and it smelled strange, almost toxic.

After a long moment of silence, Theran finally stopped struggling and softened his scowling face. He nodded to Teal'c and she let him go, allowing him to step away. He was breathing deeply, rubbing his neck while he moved away from them and then leaned against a far wall. "What the fuck, Teal'c?" Theran asked his voice sounding sore.

"You went too far this time, Theran. I do not care how you feel, we do not harm younglings."

"I wasn't going to hurt her." Theran snapped. "I was only going to kindly, rain her neck in..."

"You are out of control." Teal'c snapped back, but she then composed herself. Rossy sat up and tested her wrist and found nothing was too badly damaged, but it still hurt. "Are you injured, Rossy Everfree?"

She looked up at Teal'c. What even that stuff coming out her mouth had been, had stopped now and her expression had returned to normal. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle." Rossy got up and glared over at Theran. He was quiet, not looking at them anymore. She wanted to say something, give him a ear full, but she hadn't the energy for it now. She was just done.

Theran suddenly got up and smoothed out his tunic, trying to look less roughed up. Then he walked calmly back into the room and bent over the bag again. She watched as he opened it and her armour, all clean and polished, spilled out onto the floor with a metal clatter. He picked up the scratched helmet and offered it to Rossy and she took it gingerly. She looked at him in confusion, a question on her face.

"Very interesting design, and good quality." Theran stated, the anger absent from his tone. "Whoever made this, knew what they were doing. I like the overlapping plates, they offer good..."

"What are you trying to pull here?" Rossy asked him, making him stop talking. "The moment I woke up you've gone from mean, mocking, violent and now you're trying to make small talk." Rossy shook her head. "Fine, you want me gone, I'll go. I'll go back home and tell them that Theran Razorblade, the one they thought would help them fight an enemy that he himself fought, is dead. Replaced with a good for nothing asshole that rather rot in a cave than take the fight to the ones that fucked up our HOME!"

She slammed her helmet on the ground in front of Theran's hooves and glared at him, breathing heavily in anger. He didn't even flinch, as he didn't make eye contact with her now and instead looked at the helmet on the floor. She hated his silence even more than his sarcasm and turned away from him in frustration. "You can stay in this cave and mope all you want, Theran. I for one have more important this to do, like help my family not die at the hooves of Black Sun." She sat on her makeshift bed and sighed heavily.

Theran didn't react with anger or violence like she expected. Instead in picked up her helmet again, brushed it off and placed it next to her on the bed. He looked her in the eye and she saw real pain there. "For what it's worth..." Theran said in a soft and controlled manner, without that sarcastic edge. "I'm sorry I wasn't what you expected."Without another word, he turned and left again, though this time Rossy watched where he went and saw him turn a single corner and vanished past it.

Rossy let out a shaky breath and pressed her face into her hooves. This was a lot more taxing than she first thought it be, dealing with flesh eating creatures was one thing, but a mentally screwed up Pony she was sent to find is a whole other game. She sat up straight, sighing heavily again and looked at Teal'c. She looked at where Theran went and seemed perplexed.

"He normally like this?" Rossy asked Teal'c, who suddenly looked at her. "'Cause I can't keep up with his constant change in mood. Actually what is his problem, can't he see no good will come of him just hiding in a cave?"

Teal'c looked down cast and then slowly moved back over to where she was sitting by the fire. "I told you before, he is not like you or I." She sat back down, crossing her legs and clasping her hands together.

"What dose that even mean?" Rossy asked, becoming exasperated. "He's not like you or me? What are you not telling me?"

"I can not say." Teal'c said plainly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Rossy frowned with her mouth slightly open and gazed off into space for a moment, but then shook her head and asked. "Why not?"

"I is not my place to say." She answered, her scally lids still closed. "If you seek to know, you will have to ask Theran yourself."

Rossy laughed at that and not the happy kind. More like the shocked and amazed kind. "Ask him? I don't know if it's escaped your attention big lass, but he hasn't been very forth coming on giving me any real answers."

"Perhaps you've been asking the wrong questions." Teal'c's eyes opened and she looked over at Rossy's puzzled face. "He is not completely unreasonable. If you are patient and confront him one to one like an equal, he will hear you."

Rossy thought about that for a moment, thinking of what she could possibly ask him that she already didn't think of. "But, how? Everytime I try to talk to him, he cuts me off. How do you expect me to confront him."

"Then do not simply talk." Teal'c stated, her tone raised slightly. "He is a fighter, one who values determination and strength of character. You are a fighter, I see this in you. Confront him as such, and you may find the answers you seek."

Teal'c then closed her eyes again and and stayed silent after that, leaving Rossy to her thoughts. Rossy didn't know what to think now, it was like this place was designed to fuck with her head and stress her to high heaven. She tried to get Teal'c's attention again but she was having none of it and kept her eyes closed, not moving at all. Rossy gave up on trying to get anymore out of her and threw her arms up in the air in defeat, making her wound flare up.

She then took a deep breath and let the air out slowly. Now calmer than before, she thought about what Teal'c had said, about confronting Theran one to one. Seeing no other reasonable option, she got up and limped down the tunnel for the first time and noted how cold it was. She shivered at the sudden feeling after leaving the aura of the fire, but shook it off and continued forward around the corner till she was in a new chamber. There was another fire place in the room but much smaller and noticed all the new stuff laying around. There were bits of old gear in one corner and a verity of weapons mostly made up of makeshift knifes and shanks. Then there was a old, rotten looking table against the far wall and on it was a set of black battle damaged metal armour.

She approached this table and looked at the parts of armour and was shocked and amazed at what she was looking at. It was a set of 16, Night Steel armour plates, with a battered full faced helmet that looked so old it would fit right at home in a museum. She picked up the black helm in here hooves and examined it closely. It was amazingly light and was surprised how firm it felt despite how thin the metal looked. It had a 'V' shaped visor with a carefully crafted slot for a Unicorn horn to fit snugly. She ran a hoof over its mat black surface, felt all the dents, scratches and burns and imagined all of them as a number of separate stories, all ending in blood shed.

There was a massive scar carved into the right side of the visor and it went deep, like it had been struck by some extremely hot. She put the helmet down and saw something else on the table, something that wasn't armour. By the helmet was a fancy looking compass and she picked it up and studied it.

It was pretty and made of a fine green marble and stainless steel bands, that gleaned in the light of the fire. She opened it and was shocked to see not only the fine craftsmanship but what it was made of inside. The metal fittings were made of a flawless silver metal, with gem stones of green and blue serving as the compasses directional arrows and at its center was a round purple crystal.

She swore she could see a faint light emanating from the crystal but it might have just been the light from the fire. She didn't get to find out when the compass was magically wrenched out her grasp and flew into the waiting hoof of Theran.

"You know, I once told a young Mare, a little like yourself, that from where I'm from, it's considered rude to touch another Pony's stuff without their permission." He said in a low tone, a hint of a threat just about hidden behind his words.

Rossy stared at him in stunned silence. How long hand he been there? How did she not hear him come in? She finally after a moment found her thoughts again and coughed too clear her sticky throat. "Uh, ehm...sorry, I didn't mean too..."

"What are you doing in here?" Theran cut in, his tone blunt and grumpy. "If you haven't yet noticed but this is where I sleep, and where I like to be alone. So if you don't mind." He gestured back to where Teal'c was and gave her a dirty look. Rossy had, had just about enough of this shit so instead she sat down and crossed her arms, ignoring the pain. Theran looked like he was going to pop a vein but took a deep breath and moved over to his bed.

He flopped onto it and lay on his back with his right arm covering his eyes. Rossy didn't move, didn't speak and just sat there, glaring at him. For about two minutes they stayed that like that, not moving and not speaking. Then after another minute Theran sighed roughly and sat up in his bed. "You're a really stubborn little spit fuck, aren't you?" He snapped, his wolf like blue eyes burning with frustration. "What do you want from me?"

"A straight answer." Rossy snapped back imminently and met his glare with one of her own. "And no bullshit this time, I want a complete and total answer."

Theran just rubbed his eyes and growled loudly, baring his sharp teeth. After a moment of him swearing under his breath and pulling his own mane, did he finally cool it and took a deep breath. "Fine, you get one question and it better be a good one, 'cause after that all bets are off."

Rossy thought about her nest words very carefully. She only had one shot at getting through that thick skin of his longer she waited the shorter her window was getting. She had to think tactically she had to think of something to get him talking. She had one ace up her sleeve but would it be good enough to break his armour.

She took and deep breath, composed herself and let it out. "How did Violet die?"

Almost as if a wave washed over him, Theran's stern expression turned to one of pain and shock and he let his mouth hang open a little. His eyes shifted uncomfortably around the chamber and looked to be finding it hard to keep his breathing under control. "No, I won't."

Rossy wasn't letting him get off that easy and she reinforced her point. "You said you would answer my question, so stop shutting me out and tell me!"

"NO!!" Theran shouted.

"YOU WILL!!" Rossy shouted back and felt a tear escape her eye. He saw this and frowned in confusion. Rossy was loosing control again, but she couldn't help it. Her emotions were starting to overwhelm her and she feared she was going to rupture a vein. "Please...I have to know." Her voice was shaky and she fought to control her temper as more tears pushed their way out.

Theran looked shocked, his face had taken on an expression she thought he wasn't capable of. He looked concerned. He bit his lip and looked like he was going to shut himself off again but he then shook his head and sighed. "Come here, kid." He gestured for her to come over to him and she shakily walked over to him, still fighting to control herself and sat down next to him.

Sighing again, he got a small bit of clean cloth and offered it to her. "Here, keep it too?" She looked at him through tear stain eyes and for a second she didn't do anything. But then she nodded, took the cloth and cleaned away her tears. He then gave her a pat on the back and and said. "You knew her, didn't you?" His tone was soft and oddly caring. She didn't speak, just nodded and Theran continued. "Well...I guess I should start from when we heard the first screams."

...

An hour had pasted and Rossy listened in silence the whole time, as Theran told her everything. From Splinter Bay to the escape on the boat to the boat being overwhelmed to getting to the boarder village to finally the part they both had been dreading to hear. "She...she tried to defend me from a Wolven in red armour that I had been fighting. It all happened so fast and I was to injured to stop it. He...he stabbed her, right in front of me...stabbed her in the chest with her own sword and left her for dead." He was visibly fighting back the tears she could see welling up in his eyes but Rossy wasn't holding hers when he finally said.

"I held her in my arms when she died, I felt her slip away...just...gone."

"No..." Rossy was barely holding back when she let streams fall from her eyes as images of Violet flashed in her mind, some were memories and others were made up to try and imagine Violets cold dead body. She shook her head banishing these images, but the pain remained and she hid her face with her hooves. "How am I gunna tell my sister, her friend is dead, our friend?"

"Your sister, is Lilly, right?" Theran asked, his voice calm and oddly soothing, no more of that smug sarcasm etched into it. She was unable to speak while trying to regain control of her emotions so she just nodded. "Yeah, I remember her. I knew her since she was a teen. Not as well as Violet did though, those two were thick as thieves." He chuckled a little, the kind you make when looking back on fond memories. "Ha, I remember when that time, they had a drinking contest and Violet could barely hold it together."

"She was such a light weight." Rossy managed to say to say but the moment she made them she lost control again and shut her eyes tight in emotional pain

She felt him move closer and wrapped an arm around the back of her shoulders and got her to lean into him. She didn't resist, she needed the close contact and the warmth of something living. She wrapped her own arms around his chest and burred her face in his shoulder and softly wept. "Yes, yes she was, but she was a damn good fighter...and a damn fine, wonderful friend and partner."

Theran sounded like he was crying now too and when she finally pulled her face away from his shoulder she saw that he was. His eyes and cheeks were tear stained but he wasn't crying as much as she did. It looked like he had already regained control of himself and was wiping his tears away.

"You loved her, didn't you?" She asked, clearing her tears away.

Theran gave her a little smile, a half smile. But that smile faded rather quickly and his normal frown had returned. He made a small sniffing sound as he cleared the last of his tears away and shuffled slightly away from her. "Anyway, you know now so, that's that."

Rossy felt her sadness be replaced with annoyance now at those words. "Oh come one, are you kidding me?!" She exclaimed in adjuration. "After what you just told me, I'm shocked you're not already out there kicking Black Sun's ass. My people could use some Pony like you."

"Firstly, I'm not a Pony I'm a Wolfkin. Secondly you don't need me." Theran stated sternly.

"Oh really? How?!" She gestured to what she guessed was the exit to the cave. "Have you looked outside? It's not getting any prettier and we need all the help we can get. And with your expertise with the Skinnys and Black Sun, we might actually stand a chance."

"No, I'll only put you in more danger, everyone I get too close to always end up dead." Theran stated again in the same stern voice. "It's not worth it."

"Not worth it?!" Rossy stood and stepped in front of Theran now. "Not worth it for whom, us or you? 'Cause it's starting to sound like the latter."

"I have my reasons." Theran growled, looking at her now with that oh so familiar scowl. "Trust me, you don't want me around. It's safer for you and it's safer for your family if you just forget about me."

"Safer? Fucking SAFER?!!" Rossy felt like her world was splitting in half. She could not believe what she was hearing. She snapped, she didn't hold back her rage and shouted. "NO where, is safe! I am no where near safer now than I was back at the fucking barn, the only difference is the infected didn't sniff me out this TIME!"

Theran cringed and looked worried as he glanced at the cave entrance. "Yeah, but they will defiantly fucking hear you if you don't pipe down."

"It doesn't matter, they will find us in the end anyway they always DO!" Spit was starting to fly out with her every rage filled word.

Theran was glancing at the cave entrance more and more, till he got up and tried to shush her. "Fucking keep it down, you'll let every fucker out there know where we are."

"Good, maybe then you'll see sense!" Rossy was starting to feel woozy as a pain began to burn in her head. "And...and then you'll...you..."

She suddenly felt very weak and began to stumble. "Hey, are you ok? Woha hey!" She fell over but Theran caught her and held her up. "What the hell? What's wrong, you're burning up."

Rossy sat down and felt her mind start to spin. "I...I don't know I...can't seem to...think straight..."

"What seems to be the problem?" Teal'c came into the chamber now and looked over at Theran. "Theran, did you..."

"I didn't do anything." Theran explained, as Rossy felt like her head was splitting. "She was shouting and then she just...fell." He took a closer look at her and she was finding it hard to focus. "Hey, when was the last time you had any real sleep?"

Rossy thought about that and it was getting harder to think with all the pain gripping her mind. "I...I don't know....maybe...3..4 days ago?" She slowly felt some energy come back to her and her dizziness faded, but not all of it and the pain was still there, if not a dull throb. "I'm, I'm ok now. Just lost my breath is all."

"Bloody hell." Theran groaned. "You're running on fumes lass, no wonder you're so cranky."

"Bite me." Rossy managed to retort. "Anyway, I said I'm ok now."

Theran just gave her a half smile and shook his head. "Fucking teens, you never know when to take some time out." There was a loud, sudden sound that came from outside, but it wasn't a Skinny's screech. It was the sound of a war horn and all eyes went wide.

Rossy looked to the cave entrance, shock and confused. "What, what was that?"

"I've heard that horn before." Teal'c stated, her body tensing up.

"What, what's happening?" Rossy demanded.

"Cultists!" Theran growled.

"What?!" Rossy yelled in shock and surprise. "Cultists? You didny say anything about Cultists!"

"It wasn'y important at the time!" Theran snapped. "You're just lucky we found you before they did." He looked to Teal'c and nodded at Rossy. "Take her back to her bed. I'll deal with our guests." He moved away from them and began to dawn his armour.

"Come now, Rossy Everfree. You are in need of some bed rest." Teal'c came over and scooped her up her small frame in her muscular lean arms and carried Rossy back to the other chamber.

"No, wait. I can help." Rossy stated, wriggling out of Teal'c's grasp. "I can fight!"

"No, you'll only get in the way!" Theran snapped, tightening the last strap on the black gauntlet on his left arm and then began to slide the shanks into slots on his belt and in his armour plating. "Besides, I've had run ins with these lot before, I know how to handle 'em."

He then got a short, one hoofed but broad blade that had a single curved edge and straight spine that tapered into a fine point. It was a Messer and he slid it into a hook strap on his back. Then he got some thin rope with a sort of small makeshift explosive attached to it and stuffed it in a pouch on his belt.

He finally picked up his scarred and dented helmet and strapped it on. Rossy was gob smacked at Theran's complete, armoured form and all the weaponry attached to his body. He looked like one of those antiant warriors she had read about in a old history book, even if his armour looked patchy and seemed to be missing some parts, such as the right arm plates and stomach plate. But they were all replaced with chainmail enforced leather padding, giving the armour a more 'A' symmetrical look.

"Ok, I'm off." He went to move to the cave entrance but Rossy called out and stopped him.

"Theran, just let me help, I know how to fight, I, I even now some magic that could...!"

"No!" He looked at her, his blue wolf like eyes glowing from behind his visor. He then shook his head. "It's too dangerous." He then moved to the cave entrance and was surprised to see a ladder when he started climbing up. She mustn't have seen it in the low light. "Stay down here, this won't take long!"

He opened a hatched and vanished past it and then closed it again. "Fuck that." Rossy stated, turning and went to get her armour and weapons. "I'm going out there."

"Theran can handle himself, he is a capable warrior." Teal'c stated, but she didn't sound so sure.

"I don't care, that was a war horn and when you hear that sound, oh you bet there's gunna be a lot of fuckers comin' your way." She entered the chamber with her gear and quickly began strapping on her armour.

Teal'c joined her and was surprised to see her start to dawn her own gear. "You are stubborn, Rossy Everfree." She then gave Rossy a small yet confident smile. "You have my support."

(Theran Razorblade)

When he closed the hatch, Theran silently moved in the darkness for a barn, the same barn Rossy happened upon. Theran was still amazed she happened to find his hideout, in a white out, completely by accident and probably would have found the hatch if she got nosy enough, but then the Infected showed up. The bodies of the Infected still lay where they fell and Theran huffed in disgust but at the same time he was impressed that Rossy had managed to kill two of the buggers on her own. No an easy feat for most, especially for a teenager. She's got spirit, he had to give her that.

He moved the rotten corpses the far wall of the barn and peered through the many gaps in its wooden frame. There was still a blizzard going on but it wasn't a proper white out yet, so he was able to see past the barn's flat, snow covered land and see the tree line of the forest. There were some other old buildings, small and house like, but just like the barn, they were starting to rot too and just for a moment, Theran thought about who might have lived here once and what their home was like before all this. Those thoughts were pushed aside however, when a small orange light cutting through the gaps in the trees appeared and the light quickly became a bright flame, as figures with torches came out of the shadows.

Theran watched them as they spread out of the forest and began to approached the old farm. They were Ponies, normal uninfected Ponies but they were far from friendly. They wore heavy looking fur coats, steel and padded armour and most disturbingly, some of them wore bones on their gear. One of them, a big Unicorn Stallion wearing a large Deer skull with antlers strode forward and began to bellow in a deep, commanding voice.

"Heathens! Hear me, for I am Jorm and I am a messenger of the gods!"

"Oh for fuck sake." Theran groaned to himself, shaking his head in annoyance. "This has to be a joke."

"The gods, are displeased with us!" Jorm the leader of this band of Cultists kept bellowing, while his forces spread out to the nearby buildings and some toward the barn. Theran counted at least 10 to 15 hostiles and he groaned a bit at the sight of them. Their Leader kept on gabbing on and on, that it was already giving Theran a headache. "We are unclean, lustful, greedy and have became blind in our arrogance!"

"You got that last part right." Theran muttered to himself, as he moved to the part of the barn's wall where the Cultists were closest to. As Jorm kept on going on and on about the gods, Theran got out the thin string, with the explosive attached to it and pressed it in the corner of the barn.

"The gods have made this clear, we are unworthy of their love and there for, have sent down upon us their judges and we have, The Clean, have been judged!"

"Yep, just keep talking." Theran muttered again, pulling out one of his shanks and a piece of flint.

"You, are yet to be judged and the more you hide from our gods, the less likely they will deem you worthy of their mercy." They were very close to the barn but not close enough. Theran had to get their attention and thought of a good way to do it.

"Then come!" Theran shouted and all eyes turned to the barn. "Lets have a taste of that godly mercy, 'cause you fuckers can expect none from me!" He sparked the string and it came to life, sizzling and spitting embers as it ate away at it. He then whispered. "For the gods abandoned me long ago."

He then vanished in a flash of blue and the Cultists flinched outside from the sudden light cutting through the gaps in the walls. They looked to their Leader and with his pagan style staff he pointed at the barn. "What are you looking at me for? Bring me the Heathen!"

They all looked at one another and then moved closer to the barn, weapons in hoof. "I see something!" The closest one to the barn said, looking into it through one of the gaps of wooden wall. She looked in closely and widened her eyes when she realized too late what she was staring at. "It's A TRA.."

Boom!

Splinters, broken planks and countless shards of metal blasted forth from the corner of the barn and ripped apart all those too close, sending chunks of meat, organs and blood flying in all directions. Those that weren't too close were still thrown off their hooves by the force of the blast and some took shrapnel to their bodies, screaming out in agony. Jorm was one of the first to get back to his hooves and stared in shock and disbelief at the scene in front of him. "What just happened?!" He shouted, his ears ringing in pain. "Where is the Heathen?!"

Just as he finished saying that, a small metal shank came out of the blackness of the night and embedded itself in a Cultists neck, just as he got back up. Arterial blood spurt and sprayed on Jorm's skull helmet, as the dying Pony fell back to the ground, pawing at his throat, unable to stop his life blood spilling out onto the snowy surface. More shanks appeared in the gloom of the night and several found their home in more bodies. "Where is he?!" Jorm shouted, as another of his flock took a shank in the gut. Half his war band were already dead or dying, and Jorm had yet to see the one killing his men.

There was a slight shimmer on the air and Jorm saw a watery, Pony shaped blob, rush out of the darkness and cut down two more of his band. It was like the air itself had cleaved through the Ponies necks and now, that same blood stained blurr, was coming for him. Jorm reacted just in time, as Theran came out of thin air and swung his Messer for the Unicorn's head. The attack was blocked by Jorm's staff, and then he parried of few more of Theran's quick, overhead sweeping cuts, as Jorm tried to find his bearings from this surprise assault.

Theran realized he had lost the element of surprise, when the Cultist leader began fighting back, swinging his staff like a club and forcing Theran back. But Theran wasn't intimidated by this guy's over extended attacks, and ducked under his blows. He was fast for a big guy, as his staff made wooshing sounds everytime he swung. He then swung for Theran's legs, trying to trip him, but Theran saw the move in time and jumped up in the air, feeling the gust of wind that followed the staff as it completely passed under him. In the same move, Theran jabbed out with his sword arm and the cross guard of his weapon struck Jorm in his skull helm. The blow had enough force to crack the surface of the skull and send Jorm stumbling back, stunned.

Theran then tried to stab him in the gut, thinking he could land a fatal blow while Jorm was open, but his blow was stopped by another's weapon, as one of the surviving Cultists rammed into Theran. His armoured bulk stopped Theran from falling over as the Pony tried to push him, but Theran dung his hooves deep into the snow and pushed back. He kneed the Cultist in the gut, making the air in their lung bust out their mouth and then slashed them across their lightly armoured chest, cutting deep and they fell. Theran didn't stop to check if the Pony was dead or just wounded, as he looked back at Jorm and got a staff right in his helmeted head.

The blow was hard, with enough force to make Theran spin on the spot and send stars to his eyes. But Theran didn't fall, as he went with the momentum of the blow and tried to counter with a thrust to his gut. But Jorm parried again with his staff and then he delivered his own counter with a swift stunning tap, of the other end of his staff to Theran's helm. The blow did little damage, but it dazed Theran long enough for Jorm to do something Theran wasn't expecting. He moved in fast and punched Theran right in the balls and not even his crotch protection could soften the royal hurt that flamed up in his lower abdomen.

Theran coughed loudly, the wind knocked out of him and he fought to stay standing, as his legs were already turning to jelly. It was useless in the end, as Jorm delivered an under hand swing to Theran head again and struck him right in his armoured chin. The blow was so hard it sent Theran flying off his already weakened limbs and crashed to the ground with a metallic twang, as his armour rattled under the impact.

Sickening pain and stars assaulted Theran's senses, as he struggled to breathe. He tried to move, while Jorm loomed over Theran and sneered down at him. "Come on! Is this the best you can do?!" He shouted, thumping his own chest in angry confidence. The survivors of his war band began to gather around and watched the display, as Jorm came in and kicked Theran in his face once more as he tried to get up.

It was so violent that Theran felt a tooth break, as he rolled over from the impact and now lay on his stomach. He tasted blood and felt dizzy, as his head throbbed and swore he had a concussion now. His ears were ringing and his vision was foggy, as he was only able to make out Jorm's padded hooves standing next to him.

"What's wrong, Heathen?" Jorm bellowed, as he roughly kicked Theran over onto his back and planted a hoof on his chest plate. "Don't tell me you're already tired. I was just starting to enjoy myself!" He bent down and violently wrenched Theran's helmet off, throwing it away and staring down at Theran's blood stained face. "Got nothing to say, dog face?" Jorm taunted, grinning in victory. "Where's that sharp wit? Come on, give to me what you gave my Brother a week back, before you killed him."

Theran took this opportunity to spit out his broken tooth onto Jorm's boot and glared defiantly up at him. "I'm gunna give you the same chance I gave to your Brother, before I cut his head off." Jorm scowled at the remark but seemed to restrain himself, letting Theran continue. "Walk away, Jorm." Theran said, calmly, even though his head was spinning and body ached. Then he added. "Trust me, it be the smart thing to do. Just walk away, before it's too late for you too."

Jorm and his men laughed and Theran rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Jorm spat, getting his staff ready to cave in Theran's skull. "I think I might have hit you a little to hard in the head. Perhaps and dirt nap will clear your..."

Just as he was about to finish his taunt, a golden bolt of energy struck one of Jorm's men in the back and blasted a hoof sized hole through his chest in bright gold sparks. "Another attacker!" One of the Cultists yelled, just as another gold bolt found her head, and removed the top of it in a splash of gore.

Theran just managed to see Teal'c, in full armour, standing in the still burning hole Theran had blasted in the barn and was firing her staff weapon at the remaining Cultists. "Take cover!" Jorm shouted, as a energy bolt slammed into his staff and blew it to wooden chunks. In that moment, Theran made his move.

From his vambrace, Theran extended a spring loaded, retractable blade from his armour and stabbed it into Jorm's leg. Jorm howled in pain and was pulled off his hooves and onto the ground, where Theran then pressed himself on top of the bigger Pony. He pulled a knife from a slot in his chest plate and stabbed it down for the gap in Jorm's own chest rig. But Jorm blocked the blade by grabbing Theran's forearm and held it there, the knife mere inches from his heart.

Jorm was strong, but not strong enough it seemed, as Theran began to put his weight into it and slowly the blade grew closer to Jorm's flesh. "Help me!" Jorm shouted in terror, as Theran began to press harder. "Shoot him, shoot him now!"

Theran caught the movement of a Cultist turning and aiming a crossbow at him, but just when the Pony was about to fire, another Pony in silver grey heavy armour plating, appeared beside the Cultist in a green flash and stabbed him right in the gut with an arming sword. The Cultist gasped and was dead before he hit the ground, as the armoured Pony kicked him and freed their sword.

Theran knew instantly who it was and it made him angry but amazed at the same time. Rossy quickly rounded on the next Cultist nearest to her and Teal'c was now engaged to close combat with the rest of the war band. Theran then brought his attention back to Jorm and as he did, Theran got a hoof in the face. With out his helmet on, he felt to full force of the impact and he also felt his nose break with a crack.

Jorm then grabbed Theran by the collar while he was stunned and threw him off using his leg as a launching pad. Theran rolled with the fall and landed back on his hooves if not unsteadily and ground to a stop, cutting grooves in the snow. His nose throbbed and bled badly, making it difficulty to breathe properly. He groaned in pain and suddenly realized his knife was missing. He wasn't surprised to find Jorm now held his knife, as he stood to his hooves and glared at Theran hatefully.

"This ends, now!" Jorm shouted, raising Theran's knife in a readied stance.

"Well come on then!" Theran shouted back, brandishing his hoof blade and getting in his own readied stance. "Let's this over with."

(Rossy Everfree)

The Pony Rossy rounded on was a Mare who yelled out in shock, as they fired their crossbow at her. The bolt bounced harmlessly off her thick plating and Rossy moved in close. In one quick step, she closed the distance and was about to end the Ponies life with one swift blow to their neck, when she realized there was another Pony that was standing right next to the one who fired the crossbow.

That Pony, a Mare with thick fur clothing and a hooded masked face, blocked Rossy's swing for the Mare with the crossbow and then threw herself on Rossy. She was so startled by this, she didn't react in time to stop the crazed Mare from tackling her to the ground in a tangle of hooves and weaponry. Rossy landed on her back with the Mare on top and the Mare tried to swing her mace down on Rossy's head, but she had other ideas.

With her free hoof, Rossy punched the Mare in the chest, interrupting her momentum and making her attack softly bounce off her helmet. Rossy's arm hurt like hell for punching the Mare so hard, but it had done the trick and she wasted no time kicking the Mare off of her in a violent, two legged buck to the gut. The Mare went tumbling off of Rossy with a pained grunt and Rossy rolled back to her hooves just in time, as the second Mare came at her with a knife.

Rossy was still in a crouched posture, so when the Mare was just about to slam into her, Rossy sprung up, ignored the knife that glanced off her shoulder guard, grabbed the Mare by the collar and head butted her hard in the nose. Rossy felt the Mare snout break under the impact and when she pulled back, she grimaced at the blood spilling out the Mares nose and how her eyes lolled back in her head.

"Oh that's nasty!" Rossy thought, as she kicked the limp Mare away from her and was shocked when something suddenly wrapped around her throat. She gasped when she felt rope begin to press and squeaze the plate around her neck. The plate stopped her airway from completely closing but it was still constricted enough to make it hard to breathe, as her lungs already started burning from lack of oxygen. The rope grew tighter and Rossy dropped her sword and groped at her throat, trying to lessen the pressure, but she couldn't find a grip.

The one holding the rope, yanked and pulled Rossy to the ground again. She didn't have the energy to stop it, when she was pushed face down into the snow and felt some one sit on top of her, while still pulling back hard on the rope. "Air..need, air!" Rossy thought in alarm, as black spots started floating around her vision.

She pulled and struggled to lessen the rope's hold, but it stood steadfast and the Pony on top of her wasn't letting up either. She tried to go for her knife, but the Pony shifted leg and pressed her arm to her side. Panic started to rush through Rossy's mind, as she clawed around the snow in front of her, trying to find anything to use as a weapon, but there was nothing under the snow.

The black spots were starting to get bigger now and Rossy thought this was it, when she saw glint of metal poking out of the snow just ahead of her. It was the end of an old pitch fork and even in her oxygen starved state, she had an idea. She focused what little energy she had left to reach out with her magic and grab the pitch fork. It glowed a faint green and Rossy made it move with all her will, till it suddenly bust out the snow and shot forward with deadly speed.

There was a frighted gasp as the Pony on top of Rossy let go of her, just as the pitch fork flew over Rossy's head by inches and struck the Pony. There was a sickening meaty crunch, as the pitch fork plunged deep into the Pony's chest and skewed them against the wall of an old house.

Rossy gasped and coughed loudly, as air returned to her body and the black spots vanished from her sight. Another close call, she would have to start making a tally soon with all the near death moments she's had thus far, but that could wait. Once she had gained enough energy to get back up, she looked at her handy work and realized it was the hooded Mare that had the mace, now pinned to a wall with a giant fork sticking out her chest.

Then she looked over to where Teal'c was and was stunned by what she saw. Teal'c was like a dancer in the way she side stepped blow after blow and how she twirled her staff weapon around with such grace and powerful persuasion. She had at least five of what remained of the war band surrounding her, while Theran was fighting a big looking Unicorn with a large deer skull for a helmet. Theran's fight was not so graceful, as the two Ponies came at each other with violent swings and sharp jabs, as one tried to over power the other.

She had to do something, instead of just standing there looking on while others fought. Her instinct was to aid Theran, since she had come all this way to find him and didn't know what she'd do if he died right now. But then she saw Teal'c take a hit in the side and saw green blood stain the white ground.

"Shit!" Rossy gasped and she knew hat she had to do. She grabbed her Arming Sword and made a beeline straight for the Pony that had cut Teal'c in the side. Teal'c was now struggling, slowed by her wound and would have been stabbed in the back, if it wasn't for Rossy driving her sword right in the back of the Pony that harmed her.

"Rossy Everfree?" Teal'c stated, her voice still somehow calm and in control, as she tail whipped one Pony in the face. "Your timing is impeccable."

Rossy freed her sword and parried another, as one Pony tried to make a swing for her. "Thank me later!" She yelled, as she kicked the Pony away and the fight suddenly came to a stand still. The remaining Ponies stood there and looked at each other, unsure if they should continue, as they also looked at all the dead bodies around them.

Teal'c spun her weapon around till the firing end was aimed straight at the survivors and yelled at them. "If you wish to live, now's your chance to take your wounded and leave!"

She sparked her weapon's muzzle for insistence and they all suddenly put their weapons away and scrambled, grabbing hold of any one still moving on the ground and dragged them away, leaving blood trails in their wake. Rossy breathed a sigh of relief, as she sat down with an armoured thud and panted heavily. Fatigue had finally set in and Rossy was spent, as her limbs trembled from strain.

She managed to look up and check if Teal'c was alright and she was surprised to find her kneeling down on one knee and had a hand over her wound. Green blood dripped from between her fingers but she didn't look to be in pain. "You alright?" Rossy panted, still trying to get her breath back. "That looks pretty nasty."

"It will heal." Teal'c stated, plainly. The dripping slowed and then finally stopped, but it was still running down her side. She took her hand away from her wound and inspected it. "The wound is superficial, nothing a little Kel'nokgh can't remedy."

Rossy coughed up some flem from her sore throat and spat it out when she took her helmet off, her sweat stained mane clinging in clumps on her face. "I still think it should be looked at. Gods know what could have been on that blade."

"As long as I preform Kel'nokgh, my immune system will kill any contaminates that may have entered my body." Teal'c stated, getting up now and looking to where Rossy had last seen Theran. Sure enough, he was still at it with the unicorn and wondered if they should help him.

"Do you think we should..."

"No, I think we should let them finish what they started." Teal'c stated, now slowly walking over to where the two Ponies fought.

"If you say so, but it starts to look bad for Theran, I'm stopping it myself." Rossy stated, getting painfully to her hooves.

"Fair enough." Teal'c said and they watched on as the fight seemed to be drawing to a close.

(Theran Razorblade)

"This guy just doesn't know when to quite." Theran thought, as he ducked under a left jab and countered with a light cut to Jorm's chest with his hoof blade.

Jorm just ignored the damaged and came in with a swift head butt to Theran's nose. Theran moved his head to the side to avoid getting his nose smashed again but Jorm came in with a follow up, wrapping one arm around the back of Theran's neck, pulled him in close and then, with the knife in his other hoof, he stabbed Theran three times in his lightly armoured side. He grit his teeth, as he felt each stab go past his ribs and into his left lung.

On reaction to this, Theran opened his mouth and bit down hard into Jorm's exposed neck with his razor sharp teeth. Jorm howled in pain and shock, as he dropped the knife and began punching Theran in his own neck. Hos armour plating took the brunt of it and he kept his jaws clamped firmly on Jorm's throat. Jorm then in desperation, punched Theran in his wounded side and that finally made Theran let out, as he shouted out in agony.

"Enough of this shit!" Theran roared and pushed Jorm away. As the bigger Pony stumbled back, Theran bent down, grabbed the knife and in one quick motion he drove it right in Jorm's chin. Jorm froze, blood dripping out his mouth, his neck and all the other cuts Theran had given him.

Then, with a final battle cry, Theran grabbed Jorm by the antlers of his skull helm and kneed the knife right up into Jorm's brain. Jorm staggered back with wide eyes, staring at Theran, while weakly pawing at at where the knife should have been, but was actually inside him now. With a cough and a sputter, Jorm's arms went limp and he flopped to the ground, dead.

Theran breathed heavily and found that he wasn't getting enough air in his lungs, as the punctured one was still trying to re inflate. With a wobble he fell to his flank and then lay down on his back, clutching his wound. He coughed and blood came up, making him shiver in discomfort. "Well shit, that could have, gone better." He muttered to himself, trying to breathe slow and careful, as he felt his lung start to knit back together.

"Theran!" That was Rossy and Theran grunted when she came skidding to a halt next to him and began patting him down. "Oh gods that's a lot of blood!" She yelled, making Theran's ears hurt.

"It's fine.." Theran coughed and gasped when more pain shot through his chest. "Most of it's his."

He didn't want her to see his wounds closing up, he couldn't let her know. "No, I saw him stab you three times!" She stated, the fright starting to show in her words. "Let me see your wound."

"It's fine." Theran gasped, as she tried to pulled his hoof away from his bloody wounds. "No, really it.."

She pulled his hoof away and looked at his wound. "What? But, how's that even possible?"

"What?" Theran fained ignorance and looked at his wound, and the motion almost made him passout.

His wounds were completely healed, with nothing more than light bruising left behind. "But, I saw him stab you, I saw the blood and.."

Theran didn't let her finish that sentence as he sat up, sudden;ly feeling much better now with his lung now re inflated and groaned. "I told you, I'm fine. Bugger only bruised me." He lied. He got up now and stood a little unsteadily. "We get 'em all?" He asked, looking around at the carnage.

"Some fled." Teal'c stated. "When they realized they were horribly out classed, they ran for the forest, taking many injured with them." She gave Theran a confident bow and then favored her side. That's when he saw the green blood.

"Teal'c, you're hurt." He stated, some concern in his tone. "You need some help with that?"

"I will be fine." Teal'c sighed, leaning on her staff for support. "I just need to rest."

"Sadly I don't think we have the time." Theran groaned, moving away from Rossy, who still looked at him in confusion. He wondered for a moment if she was fooled by his lie and from the look she gave him, he knew that she wasn't buying it. He'll deal with that later, there was more important this to attend to. "They know we're here now, so I think it's time to pack up and move shop."

"Really?" Rossy questioned and Theran rolled his eyes. "But, it's still dark out, and Teal'c she..."

Theran cut her off. "We can't afford to stay here any longer. Those survivors are going to go back to their people and when that happens, they'll send much more than what we dealt with here." He huffed and with his magic he summoned his sword and helmet to his hooves and moved off toward the hideout.

Rossy suddenly came up to Theran and he stopped when she moved in front of him. "Where would we go? I still got my family to go back to and they could really use your help."

"Not this again." Theran grumbled and put a hoof over his eyes.

"I just witnessed you take on most of these guys on your own and nearly got them all single hoofed. I've seen how you fight, my Dad was right about you." Rossy's eyes beamed with hope and desperation and Theran looked into those eyes and felt regret.

He groaned his still blood stained teeth together and let out a big sigh. "I'll think about it."

Rossy looked shocked and gave him a confused expression. "What?" She asked.

Theran sighed heavily. "I said, I'll think about it. Now can we get a move on? Those crazy bastards will be back and I dinny want to be here when they do."

With that, Theran moved past Rossy and saw for the tiniest of moments, a smile play across Rossy's face.

Chapter 4: Bad Deals and Inner Reflection
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Hearthfire The Sands of Time: Part 2

Chapter 4: Bad Deals and Inner Reflection

(Heartland, Manehattan)

(Betty Sunflower)

It was a calm late summer night on the outskirts of Manehatten's bustling city scape, with a cool breeze on the wind and the early morning rays just starting to glow in the distant sky, turning the dark night into shades of purple and light orange. Though even on the out skirts of the city, there were still many buildings around, but they were all industrial style and at this hour, there weren't many souls around.

Save for two. A pare of Ponies, one of them towing a large cart, trotted down a dimly lit path toward a lone warehouse on the very edge of an old shipping peer. The one towing the cart, was a Earth Pony Mare with a wiry light brown coat, fuzzy black mane and dull red eyes. She also had many battle scars dotting her lean body, a mixture of claw marks and bites. One of those claw marks ran across the left side of her face, and she dully looked at her companion.

"Are we there yet?" She asked in a bored tone, then added with a slight cringe in her voice. "Miss, Sunflower."

The Pony she spoke to, was a Unicorn Mare named, Betty Sunflower, and she was a little smaller than the Mare pulling the cart. She was thin, almost lanky looking, with a cream yellow body, long black mane and bright blue eyes. Betty looked to the Mare and gave her a winning smile.

"Oh don't be such a whinge, Eve." She said, her voice sounding almost squeaky, with high pitched tones. "It's a lovely time to be outdoors, with the early morning sky just kissing the horizon."

Eve just groaned and showed her teeth, that were oddly pointy. "You know what is also, as you put it, lovely? A bed."

Betty just chuckled and gave Eve a playful elbow in the side. "Aww lighten up, once we're done here, you can have all the bed time you want."

Eve growled and blew a bit of thick mane out of her own eyes. "Why do I have to drag this damn thing? It's pulling on my fur."

"Well, you're bigger and stronger than I am." Betty made a pouting face. "What, you want little old, frail me to pull that big mean cart? Is it too much for a, strapping young Mare like yourself to handle?"

Eve growled again, with a little grunt at the end. "I can pull it just fine!"

Betty smiled cockily at that and tilted her head up. "I'm glad we're in agreement." They finally reached the entrance to the long chain link fence, that stood in their way and Betty tapped a small black device in her ear that was hidden by her mane. "This is Sunflower, we're at the entrance to the meeting place. Is there anything passed this gate we need to be aware of?"

There was some static in the ear mic for a second, before a female voice came through the other end. "I'm looking. Seems all clear from here. Just get in there, make the deal and get out. Don't make me remind you what happened last time you got over confident."

"I'll keep that in mind Ruby. Just keep me posted and make sure no one spots you." Betty stated and opened the gate for Eve with her magic. It opened with a jiggling metal screech and Eve pulled the cart through, making her way to the warehouse.

"Please, no one ever sees me coming." The one called Ruby, said over the mic in a playful tone. "Anyway, if you play your cards right, I might have a little surprise for you when we get back home."

"Ooo, can't wait." Betty cued and chuckled. "Right anyway, got to go. Love ya."

Betty soon caught up to Eve and they stood just outside, by a big sliding door made of metal. Betty knocked on the door three times and added one more after a paused and waited. At first, there was no sound on the other side of the door, but then it made a loud clunk, and began to slide open.

Light flooded out of the opening, bathing Betty and Eve in its glow, while it shadowed the figures inside, making it hard for Betty to make them out. "Ah, just in time." A low, yet eloquent voice with a Manehatten accent stated. "How very professional."

Betty and Eve moved into the warehouse and were finally able to see who was talking to them. Inside the warehouse there were many old shipping containers laying around, with a upper level that had more all piled up. Around these containers were Ponies, all shady looking and the kind you wouldn't want to be seen in a dark alley with.

There were even a few Minotaurs with them, two of them were huge dark brown and dark grey males, nearly two meters tall and packed with muscle, and they were wearing some pirate style clothing. There was also a shorter, slender one stood in between them, who was wearing slightly different clothing.

It was a light brown female with white stripes running down her fit body. She had a wild mane of tied up hair, that flowed down to the back of her lean shoulders and was the colour of a golden sunrise. She wore a dark red leather vest, some fabric wrappings around her arms, legs and chest, that helped press in her small breasts and some dark purple jeans that were ripped short at the knees. She watched Betty with her deep sunset eyes, and Betty would have considered them beautiful, if it wasn't for the coldness she saw behind them.

But one person that stood out from the rest approached Betty, and she knew right away, this was the Pony that had spoke to them.

Betty gave this Pony a curt nod. "Being punctual is one of our mottos, Mr..?"

"Rusty." Rusty was a Pegasus, with a dark grey coat, black mane with red highlights and Purple eyes that almost seemed to glow a little. He also wore a long tartan green trench coat that covered most of his body, and he walked over to Betty and held one of her hooves in his. He kissed her hoof and added with a grin. "Rusty Red Feather, but you my dear, may call me Rusty."

Betty cringed inside but she outwardly gave him a warm smile. "I think we should stick to formalities and get down to business. Wouldn't you agree, Mr Red Feather?"

Rusty looked at her with those bizarre eyes of his, as if he were studying her, or sizing her up. It was actually a little unnerving to say the least, but after a few seconds he blinked and gave her a curious smile. "Why yes, of course." He let go of her hoof and turned away from her, walking back to where he was standing before. "So, what have you brought me? It better be worth setting this all up." He asked, gesturing to the cart.

Betty smiled and nodded to Eve. "Oh, I assure you, it's worth every Bit." Eve for a moment, didn't move, as she gazed over to the Minotaurs and had a strange look on her face. It was like she was in a daydream trance and was she, smiling at the big one? "Eve, Eve the cart." Betty whispered in a sharp tone and Eve shook her head.

"Huh? Oh right."

Eve unstrapped herself from the cart and went around to its side. She then pulled the grey tarp that was covering it off and showed its content. "10 bars of solid and refined Moon Silver. These are but a small sample of the rare metal, but just one of these are worth at least as much as one of the tall building in Manehatten."

Rusty walked over to the cart slowly, and eyed the silver bars with a passive expression. "Such simple little things." He stated, sounding uncaring. "What makes them so special to warrant such value?" He was going to touch one, but Eve growled at him and he stopped.

"Touch it, and I break your arm." She stated, huffing slightly as she got some of her wiry mane out her eyes again.

He smiled with a coy look in his eye and moved a little closer to Eve. "And if I, touch you?" He asked, reaching a hoof out for her cheek.

Eve snatched Rusty's arm up with one hoof and he grimaced when he felt how strong she was. The other Ponies in the warehouse all tensed up and looked ready to pounce, but Rusty waved them off. Eve growled at him. "Try it again, and I'll it off instead, chicken lips." She then let him go and he tested his wrist.

He moved passed Eve and she kept her glare on him. He looked at her flank and she gave him a low snarl. He smirked at that and moved up to Betty again. "So, tell me, Miss Sunflower, why should I be interested in this, Moon Silver?"

Betty smirked back at him and showed him a device that was strapped to her right arm. "See this? It's made out of Moon Silver, and with the tech built into it, I do things like..this." She tapped the device and in a flash of green magic, she had completely transformed and now looked just like Rusty.

Rusty gasped and was taken aback by being confronted by his own twin. He sounded amazed when he said. "What, what did you do?"

"Why, I'm you." The twin said, sounding just like him and gave him a cocky smile. "Clever, isn't it? With this device I can look like anyone I want." They tapped the device again and this time they turned into Eve. "Hey there, big boy. You from around town?" Eve's twin said to Rusty in a lustful way and the real Eve glared at her twin with a scowl.

"My, my, now this is a show." Rusty stated, sounding impressed and clapped his hooves. "Is that all it can do?"

Betty returned to her normal form and chuckled. "Oh, what I just did, only scratches the surface of what this stuff can do. For the right price, it could be yours."

Rusty huffed in amusement and walked past Betty to stand by his men. "And what is exactly, your price, my dear?"

Betty sat down and crossed her arms, then gave Rusty a knowing smile. "You're a rich guy in Manehatten, right?"

Rusty's smile faded slightly and looked a little confused. "Why, yes. I own several businesses and a few estates around Equestria. Why do you ask?"

"We want 20% of all your income from each of your businesses, and the name of the shop you got that trench coat from. I like the colour." Betty smirked, and leaned on the cart. "In exchange you'll get more of the Moon Silver. How's them apples?"

Rusty was quiet for a long time, so long in fact that it was getting awkward. Betty was starting to get a little nervous, she wasn't expecting him to take so long to answer. In fact, she was expecting him to be angry, try to tone the price down or something she was used to. But this, this was unsettling. She glanced around and saw the Minotaurs whispering to each other. The female was facing away now and was making hand gestures to the two males, now and then, looking over her shoulder at Betty. This was some odd behavior and she didn't like it, not one bit.

Then Rusty suddenly chuckled and cleared his throat. "Actually, I'm not interested in the Moon Silver. I'm interested in you"

Betty's eyes went wide and her practiced smile vanished into a confused frown. "Uh, come again?"

"I don't want your Moon Silver." Rusty stated, blunt and with little humor. "Besides, I know Moon Silver doesn't work the way you claim it works. That's all you, my dear."

Betty was standing up now, no longer putting on her show face. She felt worried and a little scared, when she tried to reason with him. "What? No, it dose work, you saw it."

"Oh please stop." Rusty said in a condescending way. "We both know that the only thing Moon Silver is good for is increasing magic output." He straightened his trench coat's collar and sighed softly. "Honestly, how could you try to swindle me like that. I'm hurt, but no matter, you can make it up to me."

Betty gulped, as she glanced around and noticed the other Ponies were starting to move a bit closer, eyeing her and Eve. Betty then looked at Rusty and tried to reason with him again. "Ok, I see I underestimated you. You're clearly no fool, and I'm sure we can work this out without doing something we might regret. My Boss will be more than happy too.."

"Oh drop the act already." Rusty demanded, his tone becoming irritated. "I know who you really are. Summer Haze."

Betty's blood went cold, her pupils shrank and her mouth hung open. "What? But..but how did you.." She backed up slowly toward Eve, while her heart began to race.

Eve slyly managed to put her hoof to one of her fuzzy ears and press her ear mic. She whispered. "Ruby, we're in deep shrahk here. Our cover is off."

"Please, don't make this harder than it needs to be." Rusty stated, nodding to the Minotaurs and he reached for something inside his coat.

Betty huffed and went for something on her side that wasn't there. But suddenly there was a flicker on her body and out of thin air, combat gear appeared on her frame, as she transformed. No longer was she a thin and small yellow Mare, as her form became more lean and defined, with a short sleeved grey hoody and grey shorts all with red trimmings covering her body, with light brown Kevlar armour covering her chest and limbs. Her hooves had holes in them, her mane turned a dark blue, with a turquoise stripe running through it. Bug like wings appeared on her back, her fur had turned black and her eyes were now a bright, vibrant green.

(Summer Haze)

Summer Haze, threw something round and cylinder shaped from her armoured vest and she saw Rusty's eyes go wide with shock. "Flash bang!" The female Minotaur shouted and dove for cover, as Haze and her companion dove behind the cart. Haze didn't see what happened to Rusty, as she closed her eyes and covered her ears, as the flash bang exploded. There were screams of pain, as eyes were blinded and ears burst from the sudden flash and loud bang.

"I can't see!" One goon shouted, smacking into another as they fumbled about.

"WHAT?!" Another shouted, punching the first Pony that got too close in the face.

"You half wits!" Rusty bellowed, seeming to be the only one unaffected. "You got one job, ONE! I'll fucking do this myself!"

Haze peeked her head out from behind the cart and almost had her head blown off, when a bolt of red energy blasted the corner of the cart away. "Damnit! Ruby, we could really use some intervention right about now!" Haze shouted into her ear mic, as another bolt blasted another part of the cart away.

"Hold on! I'm getting into position!" Ruby yelled over the mic. "There aren't many windows in this stupid building!"

"Just hurry, this guy's got a bloody death ray, or something!" Haze yelled back, as a new hole was burned into their cover. "Ah sod this! Teven, time for plan F!"

"The fuck it kind?" Eve asked, grinning with her pointy teeth gleaming in the light,

The top of the cart was blown off and Haze yelled "YES, that one!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" With a flash of green magic from Haze's horn, Eve, now Teven, turned into a 7 foot tall light brown Wolven, with a lean upright muscular build, a long snout with razor sharp teeth, long digitigrade legs with massive clawed paws and hands that ended in dagger like claws. She was also clad in similar Kevlar armour but her's was a dark green and much bulkier.

Her red eyes locked on to the group of Ponies and Minotaurs, and she licked her lips with a grin, as she eyed one of the big Minotaur males. "Ok boys, lets dance!"

"What the FU.." Rusty was cut off, when Teven put a massive four clawed foot on the cart and with her powerful limb she pushed the cart away from her and Haze. It shot forward with deadly speed, and the female Minotaur dove for Rusty as it sped toward him and was able to push him, as well as herself out the way of the speeding cart. Those that didn't have the sense to move out the way, got flattened as it flew to the far end to the room, and then crash into a wall with a hail of splinters and metal.

Then, while all were dazed and confused, Teven pounced for them and backhanded one of the Minotaurs right in his chin, as she continued to the other. In the same instance, Haze pulled out a sling shot and with a tiny ball baring, she aimed for the only source of light in the room and with a thwack of the sling, she fired the metal ball at the light. The ball struck true and the bulb smashed, blanketing everything in darkness.

All hell broke loose, and Haze took the opportunity to slip into the added shadows, while Teven had her way with the other Ponies. There was still some light coming through the windows, cutting bars of light through the darkness and silhouetting what took place in the dim.

Haze could see Teven pummeling through Ponies, their bodies being flung across the room or into one another. They were like toys to her, but the Minotaurs didn't let her completely have her way with them, as Haze saw them fighting back, with one of them being slightly taller than her. But Haze knew Teven liked bigger opponents and she was sure Teven would be alright, as she ducked and jumped around them laughing, even making them hit each other as she would push them into each other.

But where was Rusty? Haze's natural night vision allowed her to see quite well in the low light and it didn't take her long to see him standing on the upper level, aiming some sort of tubular weapon at Teven. He held it in one hoof and it began to glow a deep red, as he got it ready to fire.

(Teven)

"Come on boys, show a girl a good time!" Teven taunted, as they turned and glared at her. She grinned at them, with her eyes like daggers in the pale light. The othe goons had eighter fled, knocked out, or dead, but she didn't really care about that, now it was just her and the Minotaurs.

"We got nothing against you, She wolf." The smaller one said, shaking one of his fists to get the stiffness out and got in a readied stance, fists up high. "We just want the Changeling. No need for this to get any more violent than it has to be."

"Sorry, she is already taken." Teven laughed at them, grinning madly, "But I'm all yours, if you think you can handle me. No holding back now, I want your all."

They both blushed at that, struck dumb for just a moment, long enough for Teven, to pick up a small wooden crate and hurl it at them. The bigger one smashed it with his big meaty arms, but he realized too late that the attack was nothing more than a distraction, when Teven came in low and punched him right in the crotch. He doubled over in shock and pain, while the smaller one looked at her in stunned silence, his face going pale.

Teven eyed him with her predatory eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on his muscles. Since it was just the two of them for the moment, Teven straightened up to her full hieght and peered down on the smaller creature, with a glint on he ever widening grin.

"Such form, and respectable muscles." She licked he lips. "Oh, yes, very nice!"

The minotaur looked looked at he with a blank expression now, and blinked a few time in confusion. Then he spoke and he sounded conflicted. "Uh...thanks?" Then Teven came at him all of a sudden and he was helpless to stop her from jumping on top of him.

They fell to the ground in a heep and she pressed her weight down on him. She looked right into his frightened blue eyes and grinned a full set of jagged teeth, her hot breath bathing his face. "I've never tried Minotaur before." She said, licking her lips, with drool dripping out. "I wonder what you taste like." She then licked his well toned chest, and his eyes shrank to pees.

"What THE?!" The Minotaur gasped, trying to wriggle out from under her. "Bitch you CRAZY!" Teven then realized what she was doing and frowned.

"What am I doing?" She thought, as she lifted herself up off of him and punched him in the nose. "That was strange? What just came over me?"

"Ah, my nose!" The smaller Minotaur yelled, as he looked up at her in shock. He took a hand away from his face and she saw the blood. "Dude..you broke my nose!"

"Ok Wolfy, fun's over."

Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder and that hand pulled her off the smaller Minotaur with some force. It was the bigger one this time and Teven snarled at him. "Hands off!" She grabbed his hand and squeazed, feeling the bones in his fingers break under her vice like grip. He gasped in agony and fell to his knees and Teven loomed over him, no longer messing around.

"You're right, party is over." She stated and lifted her right hand up in the air, flexing her claws in the dim light.

"Teven, above you, LOOK OUT!"

"Huh?" She looked up and saw a red glowing light and that's when she realised her mistake. She let go off the Minotaur and side stepped just as a red bolt of energy shot toward her and passed her body by mere inches. It burned her lower torso, blackening the fur in seconds, but that wasn't the worst of it.

It hit the bigger Minotaur in the shoulder and the splash effect it made, sent him and her spinning into a wall from the sheer impact and Teven was out cold.

(Summer Haze)

"Teven!" Haze yelled out, shocked and mortified at what she just saw.

Rusty huffed in triumph and turned to look at Haze now. Some how, he was able to see her, even in the darkness and now aimed his weapon for Haze. "Uh oh!" She said, and then sprinted up some stairs, as red bolts smacked into the wall behind her. She felt the heat come off those bolts and felt her heart skip a beat when one splashed the wall in front of her.

She did the only thing she could think of. She jumped up in the air and kicked off the wall as a bolt just grazed her boots. Then with her bug wings, she shot forward and flew right into Rusty before he had a chance to aim. The two collided with some force and they went tumbling end over end till they smashed into some wooden crates.

Dazed and disoriented, Haze tried to catch her barrings, while trying to stand up. Just as she got to her hooves, she was met with a glowing barrel in her face and on reflex, she batted the weapon away. The shot went off in a random direction, smashing through a window on the roof and raining glass down on them. Rusty covered himself with his trench coat, while Haze covered her head with her padded arms, as the glass shards hit them.

Pain cut into the gaps in Haze's armour padding and down her back as glass shards fell into the opening of her hoody, as. She growled in pain and when it stopped, she looked up to suddenly have a trench coat thrown in her face. She pushed the coat aside on reflex, but the act had momentarily blinded her, when in the next second, Haze got a hoof in her gut.

Her padded vest took the most of the impact, but the blow was enough to knock her back on her flank and she cringed when she felt glass bite into her upper legs. She recovered in time to roll out the way, when Rusty came out of the shadows and tried to drive a knife in her chest.

Haze got back to her hooves and stood on her hind legs, when Rusty came in again and tried to stab her in the shoulder. She blocked the blow by back handing the knife out his hoof, and with her left hoof and in her right, she pulled out a spring loaded baton and quickly countered with a strike to Rusty's chin.

He moved his head to the side and tried to repost with a kick to Haze's ribs. She blocked his blow by tucking in her right leg and elbow over her right side. It hurt and rocked her a bit, but she kept her balance and with her still tucked in right leg, she unfolded it and like the spring of a snap trap she countered with a kick to his left shin. The kick connected and Rusty stumbled under the force, leaving his head open for Haze to deliver a swift strike with her baton to the side of his head.

It connected with a sharp thwack, and Rusty fell to the floor. He lay on his side and coughed while he pressed a hoof to his bleeding temple. "Wow, now that one I felt." He stated, sounding impressed and oddly not in pain. He continued as she started to sit back up, "You know some moves. I'll admit, I'm surprised." He began to get up but sluggishly. He used a wooden crate to help himself up and leaned on it while he kept talking.

"No wonder my Sister has had such trouble catching you. You've got the spirit of a survivor, and I respect that."

Haze was confused but also angry, and she got ready to strike him again. "What, who's this Sister you speak of? What dose she want with me?" In that moment, Haze got a good look at what he looked like under that trench coat and was shocked at all the gear he had on. He wore some strange looking armour, that was a dark grey, almost black in colour and it was made up a overlapping plates.

It looked a little too advanced for a simple rich thug, which made Haze conclude he wasn't just some simple thug after all. He chuckled and started to look a lot better. His cut on his temple was..closing, and Haze stared at him in shock and awe. "Oh, my dear, if only you knew the lengths we've gone through just to track you down. The years of planning, the barriers I've had to pass just to be here now. It's been quite the journey. But I've said too much already." He stood up tall and gave her a cocky smile. "I will tell you this. Your talents will be most valued by my Masters. Consider it an honour, to be chosen to be one of their angels of death." His eyes suddenly changed, just for a second and Haze saw blue reptilian eyes.

Haze was about to shut him up, when she felt a sudden sharp pain in her right arm. She gasped and cried out in shock and agony, as a blade was stabbed through her upper arm, making her let got of her baton. Then a strong hand grabbed Haze from under her chin and lifted her up in the air. She felt the soft bumps of breasts as she was pressed hard into a tall upright form and that's when she realized it was the female Minotaur.

"Now that's enough of that, wee Lassy." The Minotaur said, in a cocky rumbly voice and Haze struggled in her grasp, but her fingers were like metal clamps on her windpipe.

"Now, now, Venesa, be gentle with her." Rusty stated, in a coy tone as he got up close to Haze. "After all, we want her alive."

"She better be worth all this trouble." Venesa sneered. "You never said any'hing 'bout no bleeding Wolven. And you shot one of me guys!"

"You will be compensated." Rusty snapped, his tone getting edgy. "Now, bring her."

Venesa hesitated and glared at Rusty. "How can I be sure you willny just stick me in the back? Since you don't seem to give a toss about those you hired."

Rusty just smiled, a cold and uncaring smile that scared Haze more than Venesa's iron grip around her throat. "If you keep stalling, there'll be more than knifes in backs when I'm done here."

Venesa suddenly tucked herself around Haze and pressed her small body to her big one, as if using Haze as some sort of living shield. Venesa then pulled the blade out of Haze's arm and she screamed in pain. But her screams were cut short when Venesa pushed the blood stained knife to Haze's throat.

"I think we're already done." Venesa stated, backing up slowly with Haze.

Rusty gave Venesa an crazy glare, his eye lids twitching slightly. "I beg your pardon?" He asked, his tone low, and oddly shifty, like the pitch of his voice was going from low to high. Then his form seemed to shimmer, like some magic was starting to wear off.

Venesa then pointed the knife at his glitching body and she now sounded scared. "Fuck you, the deal's off. You can't be trusted you freak."

" Tier of this." Just then, something sharp and transparent, stabbed Venesa from behind her right shoulder and stuck out her front near Haze's head. Venesa gasped and dropped Haze, as that same invisible blade, lifted Venesa up off the floor and hurled her into the darkness.

Haze lay on the floor now, with her arm bleeding badly and she was unable to move, when Rusty loomed over her. He pulled out a needle and drew it close to Haze's throat. Haze was about to scream again, but Rusty clamped a hoof over her mouth. "Now, this might sting a little, but what comes next, more so." He said, in a whisper and moved the needle in for her jugular vein.

Just as he was about to inject the needle into Haze's neck, an arrow came shooting down from the roof and embedded itself in his right back. He grunted not in pain, but in annoyance, as he looked up and was only able to yelp in shock, when a Pony with bat wings came down from the roof and landed on him.

He fell flat on his back with a loud thud, with the arrow now sticking out his chest. He must be dead, no one can survive that. Haze wasn't so sure, there had been something wrong with him, but all thoughts were pushed aside when her arm flared up. Blood was starting to pool under Haze's arm and she began to feel lightheaded. "Haze? Oh gods, Haze!" Ruby was now by her side and Haze yelped when Ruby touched her arm.

"AH careful, oh gods it hurts so much!" Haze shouted,as she tried to sit up. "Where'd that Minotaur go?"

Ruby looked into the dark, her bat like eyes able to see ten times better than Haze's and she saw nothing. "I don't know, I can't see anyone. But that doesn't matter right now, not with your arm bleeding like that."

She put her bow down and cradled Haze in her arms and she painfully looked up at her. Ruby, was a Bat Pony, with a silver body, a short maroon mane that was pink on the ends and batty eyes that shown like sapphires in the shadows. Haze made a pained smile, and reached up to touch Ruby's cheek. "Good timing as always, but could you not let them stab me in the arm next time."

Ruby smiled down at her, a warm loving smile Haze always found comfort in. "I'll be quicker next time." She then leaned down and kissed Haze on the forehead.

"Aww, that's so cute." They both gasped and looked up to see Rusty was now standing again, with his energy weapon back in his hold and he was aiming it at them. How was he still alive. He had a arrow in his chest and it was bleeding, but it wasn't red. His blood was now green in colour and it was slowing down as his wound tried to close around the arrow's shaft. With a grunt, he snapped the arrow in half, with the broken half still sticking out, and he grunted at them. "But as much as I like romance, I got to break this up. Starting with you." He pointed the weapon at Ruby and began to charge it up fir a kill shot.

But that shot never came, when wolf like shape appeared suddenly and loomed out of the shadows behind him. He tried to turn and aim at the new threat but was stopped, when a furry hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed his arm. In one quick swipe, Teven brought her claws down and cut Rusty's arm off. He didn't scream, nor make any sound. He just stared at the bleeding green stump that had once been his arm a second ago and then he looked at Haze. "Well..that wasn't supposed to happen." He said, dull and disconnected.

Teven then grabbed him violently up in one paw and hurled him at a window. He smashed through it and fell down to a ground below, not making a single sound as he did, just stared at them one last time, and then vanished out of sight. Teven then howled in victory and then looked to Haze and Ruby. "Odd how he didn't scream when I cut his arm off." Teven said, a little annoyed. "But at least he's out of the picture. How are you holding up, Pack Leader?"

Haze sucked in a sharp breath and sat up with Ruby's support. "I've been better. What the hell just happened here today? How did they know who I was and why?"

"I don't know Haze, I only know I need to stop this bleeding." Rudy stressed and grabbed hold of her arm. Haze screamed, as firy hot pain burned through her shoulder and down to her hoof. "I know, it hurts, but I have to put pressure on it. Teven, give me a hand here." Teven bent down and was next to them now. "Keep pressure on this while I get a bandage."

Teven did as instructed and clamped her big hand all the way around Haze's upper arm and she felt like she was going to faint. While Haze wriggled on the floor under Teven's grasp, Ruby had gotten a medkit from her gear belt and was already Starting to unzip it. "Just hold on Haze, I'll fix you up right quick."

She fumbled with the bag and the medical stuff inside fell out. "Shit, oh come on, no" She fumbled around, trying to find the right thing but she was starting to have a panic attack. She was shaking all over, breathing quick and heart racing. "Oh gods, there's so much blood." She felt like she was going to loose it, when Teven put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a rough shake.

"Hey, steel yourself for fuck sake!" Teven barked at Ruby and she pulled herself together.

"Right, got to stay calm." She said, mostly to herself and looked again at the mess on the floor. She finally found what she was looking for and quickly snatched it up. With Teven's help, she finally wrapped up Haze's wound and stopped the bleeding.

Haze was so weak now, that she couldn't even sit up. But she managed to look up at Ruby and saw a tear in her eye. "I feel like crap." She groaned, then added. "But maybe a kiss will make me feel better."

"Oh hud yer wheesht." Ruby said, nearly balling her eyes out as she kissed Haze on the lips and then hugged her close. After a moment like that, Haze felt some of her energy return from Ruby's love and she breathed deeply, as live came back to her weak form.

She wasn't strong enough to stand yet, but she was able to sit up again with Ruby's help. "Thanks Ruby, I needed that."

"Don't do that to me again." Ruby stated, slapping one of Haze's ears. It hurt and Haze was going to protest when Rudy hugged her again. She then parted from Haze once more but still helped her stay sitting. "What the hell happened? How did it all go so bad so quick?"

Haze, still a little dizzy, found it hard to think of any good theory and in the end, shook her head. "I don't know, but we can't stay here. All this noise will have attracted some sort of attention and when that happens, we need to be far from it."

"Agreed." Teven stated and got to her feet. She winced a bit, putting a hand to her charred belly and it shedding a thin patch of blood.

"You think you can carry me, Teven?" Haze asked and felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. She didn't like being carried, but in this case, she was willing to make an exception since she still couldn't walk on her own.

Teven huffed and shook off any discomfort she was feeling. "I would carry you, if I only had one arm. This burn is nothing." Teven scooped up Haze in her arms and was about to move when Haze spoke again.

"Wait, take that weapon with us." She pointed at the dismembered arm and Ruby looked at it and frowned.

"You sure?" She asked, and Haze nodded.

Ruby picked up the strange weapon but the hoof attached to the arm was stuck in some sort of slot in the weapon and it took some yanking to get it frre. It finally came out with pop and fell to the floor witha meaty thud. Then with all said and done, the three left the area and vanished into the hills as the morning sun just began to fill the bluing sky.

(Barrierland, Frozen Tundra)

(Theran Razorblade)

"And that should just be about..there , done."

Theran had finished healing Teal'c's wound and she tested it by flexing her shoulders. There was still a scar, but that was the side effect of healing magic, and it stretched and bent with the movement of her skin with no sign of tearing. "Thank you, Theran." Teal'c said in her usual tone, but she bowed to him as a show of her real gratitude.

"Ah, it's nothing." Theran said, waving a hoof at her. "Just try not to get a habit of it, and we should be golden."

Teal'c didn't say anything to that, just gave a small bow again and then went to sit by their new campfire. They had packed up everything they could carry and now, they had made up camp under a large rock formation that stuck out the ground, located in a wide open tundra. Normally, Theran wouldn't have picked this spot, do to there not being any thick cover you would get in the forest, but at the same time, He didn't want to be in the forest since that was where the Infected lived most of the time.

At least from here, he could spot any would be attackers from sneaking up on them, and with Teal'c's staff, they had the range advantage, so maybe it wasn't so bad. Theran sat down by the fire with a loud metal thud and sighed heavily as his muscles got a chance to finally relax.

While he began taking off his upper armour, he looked to the other side of the campfire and saw Rossy was finally fast asleep. Most of her own armour, still stained with blood after their battle with the Cultists, was laying in a row in front of Rossy as she slept. She had a fur cover over her and her head lay on her own bag.

He listen as she softly snored, watched as her body rose and fell with her breathing and how her nose twitched as bits of her messy mane was being blown over her snout with the soft push of the wind. He felt a familiar ghostly feeling, one he had not felt in some time. Was it affection he was feeling? A parental instinct starting to resurface with a child being around him perhaps? What ever it was, it was making Theran care about this young Mare, and he hated it.

Why did she have to come into his life. Before, he knew nothing of what may have befell his friends and all those he knew 4 years ago, and in a way he was ok with that. If he didn't know, then in a way nothing had happened to them, they could just stay the way he remembered them, alive and happy, and forever stuck in limbo. Rossy's appearance had changed all that.

Now he knew, they weren't happy, they were struggling and they were looking for him. Theran roughly yanked on his neck plate and was only met with it not coming off. "Piece of shit." He muttered and yanked on it some more, only making it tighter.

"Allow me." Teal'c was next to him and before he could say anything, she was already fiddling with the strap and in a few seconds, it came undone. "There, it is off." She stated and stayed kneeling next to him. "Theran, you need to tell her."

"Tell her what?" Theran asked, his tone low and grumbley, his normal tone on most things.

Teal'c just narrowed her eyes at him and flicked her tong a little, a sign she was annoyed. "You know full well of what I speak of. I have spent must time with her, she is no fool and will figure it out in the end."

"Then let her figure it out." Theran complained, tossing his neck plate over to where his own bag lay.

Teal'c breathed in deep and let her breath out slowly. She shook her head. "If you don't, she will only resent you for keeping it so long from her. Why not avoid that by just being honest with her?"

"'Cause people end up getting hurt when they know stuff about me." Theran countered, giving her a sharp look. "So no, I won't. Anyway, she doesn't need to know 'cause she doesn't need me."

"If that is true, then ask yourself. Why is she here? If what you say is true, then why are you in the thoughts of her parents?" Teal'c said, as she sat next to him now and wrapped her arms around her own legs, leaning into her knees.

"They don't know any better." Theran retorted but it was weak and Teal'c knew it.

"We both know that is not true. You mean something to Rossy's family, something that Rossy herself risked to find. If that doesn't say what value you have, I do not know what will."

Theran shut his eyes for a moment and thought about them. He saw their faces in his mind, with each face a name. Blazer Everfree, always hot tempered but always knew how to put a smile on other's faces. Jully Everfree, Wife to Blazer and supportive mother. Lilly Everfree, who was a mother herself by now, and was completely stead fast in the face of danger. And there was Tim Everfree, and the last point |Theran had seen him, was at Splinter Bay, when the Infected first attacked. He wondered if he was still alive after that horrid night. Maybe Rossy knew his fate, but he feared to ask.

There were others, like Merry Weather, who always had something to play at the inn with that Lute of hers. Then there was Marvin and Ricky, who always bickered like a married couple but were also brave fighters. And finally there was the trouble maker teens, Sword Play, his brother Jake, Slick Wing and Snow Star. There were countless others Theran had gotten to know in his time at Rest Pit when he lived there, and he leaned forward, placing his face in his hooves.

He then took a deep breath and sighed slowly. He then felt he needed the comfort and leaned on Teal'c. She didn't protest, as she put one arm around his shoulders and placed her hand on his arm. She was warm and he took comfort in that warmth, as did she from him, as the two of them looked out on the tundra, the late after noon sun bathing the land in shades of yellow and orange.

"I consider you a friend, Theran." Teal'c said, soft and soothing. "One I have come to care for. This world, is a harsh one, but not without its beauty. Ask yourself, does it deserve to be destroyed? Does Rossy Everfree, deserve to suffer? Or does she deserve a second chance, does her family?" She looked at Theran now and he looked her in the eye. "Do you deserve one? Chances come and go, as surely as the wind carries away a storm. Life wants to give us chances, to change our lives and to the lives of others. The question is, will you give life a chance, to take a leap of faith and see where the winds take you?"

Theran was speechless, he just looked into those wise yellow eyes and knew deep down, what she was telling him. "I...I don't know."

"You got time. But does she?" Teal'c nodded at Rossy. Theran didn't say anything, he just looked at Rossy's sleeping form. "Oh, she's so much like Haze. Look, she even twitches her nose in her sleep like Haze did."

Theran nodded, but then frowned when he realized something. "Wait, I never told you about..." When he looked at Teal'c again, he was no longer looking at an Ophlidite, but a white Pony, with a light brown mane, with pink highlights and bright lavender eyes. He was staring at Violet.

"Violet?!" Theran stood up and stared at her, as she got to her hooves in a smooth motion and looked at him affectionately. She was so beautiful and he was awe struck by her grace. "But, how. You're..."

"Dead?" She gave him a look that said she was sorry but at the same time, forgiving. "That depends on your perspective. But that's not the point here." She moved closer to him, so close he could feel her hot breath on his face, could feel her pulse as she touched his arm and rested her forehead on his.

They stayed like that for awhile, just enjoying the moment. Then, Theran spoke and his voice was soft. "This isn't real, you're not real."

"Maybe." Violet said, in the same soft voice, as she lifted her head and looked him right in the eye. "But she is." Violet pointed to Rossy and Theran followed her direction. For the first time, Theran actually saw the young Mare, not as an annoyance, but someone who wanted his help, needed his help.

He felt his heart begin to ache and a tear escaped his eye. "What should I do, Vi? I don't know what to do. What if I'm not strong enough?"

"Follow your heart." She said, warm and full of love, as she began to back away from him. "Like you always have."

She then started to fade and Theran reached out to her. "Wait." But she was gone and Theran was now staring at Teal'c, who looked at him in confusion.

"Theran, are you feeling well?" She asked and Theran blinked.

He was sitting by the fire again and was next to Teal'c, who looked at him in a perplexed way as she had one arm around him. What had just happened? Had he dozed off? Was it a vision, or had he completely lost his mind? Whatever the case, Theran felt like things were starting to become more clear, sharper and he looked out on the tundra in front of him.

"I'm..ok, Teal'c." Theran stated in a soft manner and noticed Rossy was starting to wake. He half smiled and made a hearty chuckle. "We're ok."

Chapter 5: Like Ghosts In The Night
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Hearthfire The Sands of Time: Part 2

Chapter 5: Like Ghosts In The Night

(Barrierland, Near Resistance Base, EHC Squad)

(Agent 042)

It was late after noon, and the warm glow from the sun was slowly growing dimmer in the orange sky, as the evening began to creep in. A perfect time to move covertly, as the shifting shadows and changing colours of the light broke up the land, making it hard to see one slowly moving in the dim. Agent 042 knew this well, from her time in the Legion Spec Ops and was using what she learned from that time to move quietly on her belly, her suit helping her blend in with the terrain.

Like a mirage, she crawled along a grassy cliff side, her armour bending colours and textures as she crept through the wet grass. Snow, melted snow, clung to her suit but she didn't feel it. Her suit kept her body tempreture at a comfortable level and was completely water proof. But she still liked the feeling of the frozen water, reminded her of home, even though that home had been overrun four years ago. She wasn't alone, Whimcy and Buck were at her flank, crawling with her while Boomstick was elsewhere. They made it to a rise on the cliff side and when they reached the top, they stopped. They lay there and looked down on the valley below them. About 300meters away from them was what looked like an old fort and from here it was hard to make out if anyone was home.

"This the place?" Buck asked, his green eyes glancing at his Captain from behind his visor. "It don't look like much, and too open to be a proper base."

"More like a lookout post." Whimcy chimed in, her pink eyes also glancing at her Captain for direction. "Looks like no body's home. Cap, what ye thinkin'?"

042 pulled out some digital binoculars and pressed its curved screen to her visor. It fit around her visor perfectly and it turned on when she pressed a button on its top. A high res image appeared in her vision and it zoomed in 2x magnification. She scanned the battlements of the walls, towers and even through some of the windows on the lower levels.

Nothing. No movement and no signs of life. But there was something in there, just out of her line of sight. but she wasn't sure and shook her head to her team.

"I don't see anything either. I'm sure this is one of the places that Agent Zero showed us on the mission map." 042 said to Whimcy and Buck and then pressed her helm's mic to speak on team com. "Boomer, do you see anything from your end?"

There was a pause, and then Boomstick spoke. "Nah, it's like who ever lived here, just up and left."

"You comfortable up on that rock formation? It looked a little pointy to me." Whimcy patched in, sounding like she was teasing him.

Boomstick sounded like he found her question amusing, as he chuckled a little. "Honestly, it's better than laying in some soggy grass. Anyway, Captain, just let me switch to thermals and maybe I'll.. Oh, that was quick. Cap I got some heat sigs."

"You do? How many and what do they look like?" Whimcy asked Boomstick.

"Hmm, can't tell from here. I think the fort's stone walls are blocking most of the readings, making everything blobs of heat. But there are Multiple contacts inside the fort. Some red hot and others, not so much. Try looking again, I think something moved outside."

042 looked to the building again, and sure enough, there was something there. Out on one of the battlements, she saw an infected dragging a dead Pony by what was left of its right leg. It then dropped it and lay down behind the stone wall of the battlement, hiding from the ray of the sun. She moved the binocs away and looked to Whimcy and Buck.

"Infected, there's Infected in the fort. But there's also dead Ponies in there, how many, I don't know." 042 tapped her binocs in thought, while Buck shifted restlessly.

"I hate just sitting here. We should go down there and make them pay." Buck said, his tone low and pinched with a hint of anger.

"Hey, Buck?" Whimcy said to him, sounding annoyed. "Need I remind you that theose Infected, were once Ponies like you and me. They didn't want this, they don't know what they're doing. You can't just look at them liie they're the bad guys, 'cause they're not."

"And what would you call 'em then, eh?" Buck snorted.

"Victems." Whimcy simply said, tossing some snow on his face plate. "Looks like you forgot that part."

"I didn't." Buck wiped his visor clean and flicked what was left back at Whimcy. "I just don't let that get in the way of my job.

"Nither does it mine." Whimcy stated in a low tone.

042 eyed the fort up and down, considering all the angles and how best to handle this. She put away her binocs and got up in a low crouch. "We're moving in. Boomer, watch our backs and call out if anything else appears. Rest of you, keep coms to a minimal till I say otherwise."

"Roger." They all said at once.

042 unslung her rifle and stuck her left arm up in a 'L' shape. She then curved her hoof glove's fingers 90 degrees. This was the sign for single file formation and they stacked up behind her. She then straightened her fingers again and flicked her wrist a few times in the direction of the fort. This meant move out.

In a single line they moved toward the fort, quickly and low to the ground. They covered the distance in record speed and soon they reached the wall of the fort. Agent 042 quickly stuck her hoof up again and spread her fingers out wide, the sign to stop. They all stopped just short of the wall and watched their lanes of fire, while keeping one eye on 042 for orders. 042 looked up at the windows and tried to see into them. They were dark and made her feel uneasy when she heard screeches coming from within them, so she pointed at Buck with one finger, then tapped the top of her helmet and then pointed at the windows.

"Cover the windows." Those gestures told Buck and he did just that, keeping his weapon trained on them while 042 looked at Whimcy. She pointed at her, then tapped her helmet again but this time 042 pointed at herself. 042 wanted Whimcy to cover her while she moved up and Whimcy nodded, sticking close behind her and aiming for a door 042 was approaching. 042 stopped at the door and tested it. It wasn't locked, when the handle turned a the whole door moved a bit. She pressed her mic once to make a static burst sound over team com.

Both Buck and Whimcy looked at her and she pointed at her flank. "Stack up." That gesture told them and they moved to her up at the door. Buck went behind 042, while Whimcy went on the other side of the door. Buck put a hoof on 042's shoulder, a sign he was ready and Whimcy gave a thumbs up.

042 then pointed with two fingers to her own visor, then pointed at the door and then made the gesture of opening something. "Watch the opening." That sign said, and Whimcy nodded, aiming her weapon at the crack in the door, while 042 pushed it open softly. She cracked it open just enough for her to peek through and on the other side, she saw a couple of Infected roaming around, with some chewing on bodies, while others fought over meaty bones. 042 looked at Whimcy and with her hoof glove, she flashed her metal fingers a few times and Whimcy knew instantly what she wanted her to do.

Whimcy pulled out a Flashbang from a pouch on her chest rig and with a pull of its pin, she tossed it through the gap and 042 closed the door again. There was a loud POP, and there was suddenly many confused and pained screeches coming from the other side of the door.

042 then nodded and Whimcy made a, move it, gesture to Buck, and the two of them burst through the door, weapons raised and instantly firing, sending bolts of magic energy right into the blinded Infected. 042 came in behind them and aimed up high for the towers and battlements while the others aimed low for the grounds ahead of them. They were in some sort of courtyard and there were many Infected all thrashing around with their claws, blind from the granade's intense light.

042 fired a slug through the head of the Infected she saw earlier, that was slight feeding on the Pony it had killed. Her rifle made a loud, sharp, crack as the sparker within the weapon's frame, created a miny explosion and propelled the metal slug through the air for a nano second, before blasting the brains of the Infected out the back of its skull. Just as 042 was chambering another round with the pull of her charging handle, her sights found a new target, one that had recovered from the Flashbang and was charging toward them.

The rifle barked again, and a new slug punched through its skinny chest in a spray of black blood, as it made a leap for her and toppled to the ground, skidding to a stop just by her boots. She chambered a new round again, the weapon humming once more with power and she looked for her next target, but found there was no more Infected left standing. All the Infected in the wide open square were now dead, all with smoking holes burned in their bodies, and 042 flicked her wrist again, motioning for her team to fan out.

They searched for more threats, and so far, nothing challenged them. 042 eyed some of the bodies of untouched Ponies and looked to Whimcy.

042 pointed at her, then 042 placed two fingers on her own throat and then pointed at one of the bodies. "Check for a pulse." She signed and Whimcy got to work, checking around the intacted bodies for any signs of life.

042 lowered her weapon but didn't let her guard down, as she eyed the blood stains with dismembered limbs and melted spikes in many surfaces that looked too eerily like weapon's fire. She went over to one of those spikes that stuck out an old well, and yanked one of them out the stone. It was light, but very thick and longer than her hoof was wide, tapering into fine points at either end. It was blackened, as if it had been red hot when it struck this well, but had since cooled.

"Captain." That was Whimcy and she sounded puzzled. "Um, take a look at this."

042 came up to Whimcy, who was crouched by a Pony's body and she was looking over their wounds. They had the same spikes in them, and around the entry wounds, the flesh was charred. "You ever seen damage like this?" Whimcy asked, looking up at her Captain.

042 looked at the dead Pony and shook her head. "No, this is a first."

"Well, whatever this was, it was extremely hot when it hit 'em. Practically cooking the wounds on impact." Whimcy just shrugged. "All I can say is, who ever shot 'em, was aiming to cause as much pain and suffering as possible."

"Can we tell how long ago?" Buck asked, shifting slightly as he glanced around at the damage. "Some of these things are still smoking."

"Couldn't be no more than a few hours old." 042 stated, as she inspected a blood patch on the ground near a mangled arm. The blood was still damp, meaning it had been spilt not that long ago. But the biggest question was, what had happened here? Her first thought was Infected, but some of the bodies had spikes in them, suggesting weapon's fire and some of the bodies looked like they had been dead for more than a day, suggesting this battle was an on going one. This thought sent a chill down 042's spine, as she relived for a moment, a painful memory of a similar situation.

But her thoughts were pushed aside, when Boomstick's voice sounded over team com. "Cap, you still got heat sigs in the building."

"Are you sure?" 042 asked, as she stood up straight and aimed her weapon at the building of the fort. While Boomstick spoke, 042 tapped her helmet and then pointed at the building, making Buck and Whimcy aim for the doors and windows.

"I can confirm, there are heat sigs moving on different parts of the fort's interior. But the closest ones to you, seems to be chasing something with a lower heat sig. I think you got a survivor in the building right next to you, if you're quick you might save them from being something's next lunch."

"Roger that, over." She pointed at her team. "Switch to your F,A,Ws. We're sweeping and clearing this place!" She ordered and both Whimcy and Buck holstered their Arck 22s. They pulled out their Arck 12 sidearms and then pulled out another item. It was a little longer that their pistol's barrel, with a square mussel and hand grip. They attached these items to their Arck 12s and changed their weapon's appearance.

Now their sidearms were configured into a Arck 12-M, a fully automatic weapon that was perfect for close quarters combat. They powered their new weapon sets and waited for orders. "Get set to breach and clear, check your corners and put down anything that looks too skinny to be Pony!" They nodded and set their weapon's power levels high. 042 slung her rifle and pulled out her own sidearm, but she kept it the way it was, as she aimed it at the door they were stacked up to.

She nodded and Buck nodded back, and then with the power of his machine enforced legs, he kicked the door in. It crumbled under the impact of his boot and with speed and quick reflexes, they stormed in and checked every corner. There were small numbers of Infected in the hallways and they only had a second to snap their hollow gazes on the EHC squad, before getting blasted by a hail of bolt fire. Their F,A,Ws barked, and iluminated the halls blue, as bolts of energy punctured flesh, and broke bone. One managed to get through the hail and tried to go for Whimcy, but 042 was right there next to her, punching the Infected right in its over sized jaw and when it was stunned, she shot it clse blank range in its head.

"Thanks, Cap." Whimcy said, patting her on the shoulder and then snapped her aim back up, just as another Infected tried make make a swipe at her. She put it down with a burst from her F,A,W, blasting fragments of its head apart.

"Just don't let your guard down." 042 stated, as she also gave Whimcy a pat on the back, as 042 moved past her. "Buck, sound off!"

"All clear! Permission to move to the next floor!"

There were no targets left on the first floor so 042 nodded to Buck and they moved as a unit up a flight of stairs to the next level. The moment Buck set a hoof in the hallway of the second floor, he was met with an Infected's clawed hoof. It scrapped the top of his helmet and while he backed up from the sudden blow, 042 was right behind him, pushing him past her while she aimed her Arck 12 in the fucker's face and pulled the trigger. It's face blasted apart in a shower of skull fragments and brain, as its body flew back in the hallway in a skinny heep.

"Move, move!" 042 ordered, as she pushed Buck back out and they filed out of the stair way. Once in the new level, 042 called Boomstick. "Boomer, update."

"Tangos have moved rooms again. They are now directly down the next hallway to your left and it looks like the survivor has locked themselves in some room." Just as he finished saying that, they heard the sound of Infected and the screams of a Mare. Boomstick continued and he sounded just a little bit on edge. "I think you should get a move on, Cap, there's Infected trying to get in and I can't tell how many there are since they seem bunched up. Stay frosty."

"Roger, keep me posted." She looked to her team and gestured to the next door that led to the next stairs. They moved up to it and paused.

"What's the plan?" Buck asked, as he put a hoof on Whimcy's shoulder as she aimed for the door.

042 looked around and tried to think of something. She motioned her team to fall in behind her, as she crept down the hall and listened. Barks, and the sound of chuffing became louder as they neared a bend in the hall and when they came up to it, 042 pressed her body to its edge and peecked around. Down the next hallway, was a door, and crowded around it, was a bunch of Infected, all climbing over one another, trying to claw at its wooden surface.

She counted at least seven, and two of them were seemingly getting bored, as they began to creep back to were 042 and her team were. 042 quickly pulled herself away from the corner and looked to her team. "I count five, two are heading this way and it's very tight quarters. Switch back to your Arck 12s, and prepare for CQC."

They glanced at one another and then nodded without question, breaking down their F,A,Ws back into pistols and then pulled out their CQC knives. Now ready, 042 pulled out a Smoke grenade and took a deep breath. Then she pulled the pin and tossed it around the corner. There were surprised grunts, as the smoke grenade bounced off one wall and rolled to a stop under one Infected.

Then it popped and smoke burst out and filled the hall in a grey white screen of thick fog. "Let's go!" 042 shouted and tapped her visor as she rounded the corner, gun leveled. Her HUD flashed and green outlines of everything in the hallway was highlighted, allowing her to see through the smoke, as if it wasn't then and she aimed her sights right for an Infected's head.

One white flash and eletrical bang later, the first Infected fell and then she aimed her weapon for the next, just as it lunged for the flash of light. But instead of finding a tender meal in the smoke, it got a knife rammed in its chin and then a gun shoved in its mouth. 042 blasted the back of its head out in a spray of gore and just as she was removing her blade, the other Infected had noticed the new activity and rounded on her, charging right through the smoke blindly and with no fear.

042 thought she wouldn't get her weapon up in time to stop the first of them barreling into her, but luckily, Buck and Whimcy came forward and with practiced aim, they shot down the first two. Then as one, they aimed their guns forward and fired single shots into the mass of bodies. The infected didn't have much of a chance, as they cut them down, either shooting or stabbing them to death, till none were left standing.

"Clear!" Buck sated over team com, and sounded a little out of breath.

"Good work, but stay alert." 042 said, as she cleaned off her knife and put away. She then looked to the door and held her pistol in tow hooves, as she approached it slowly. "Buck, get a window open and clear this smoke." She asked, as she reached the door.

Buck went up to a window in the hall, but instead of just opening it, he smashed it open with an elbow and the smoke soo began to vent out. "You could have just opened it, like a normal Pony." Whimcy said, with some sarcasm in her tone.

Buck just shrugged. "Ah, maybe, but this was faster." He joked.

They chuckled at that, but 042 made them cut it out with a wave of her off hoof. She then knocked on the door three times and spoke. "Hello? This is the EHC, we're not here to harm you. Please, come out slowly and hooves where we can see them."

There was no reply and 042 looked back at her team, a question in her posture. Her team just shrugged and 042 pressed her helm's mic. "Boomer, is the survivor still in the room?"

A pause, then. "Yes, they are just behind the door."

looked at the door again and banged on it this time. "Hey, we know you're in there! If you don't open this door now, I 'll open it for you!"

"FUCK YOU!" A female voice shouted and 042 felt her tolerance thin.

"Alright, I warned you! Better back up, unless you want a door to smash your face!" 042 listened and heard the sound of hooves scramble away, as aimed for the lock. She blasted a hole right through it in a hail of splinters and with a rough kick, she slammed the door wide open and stepped inside.

Almost as quickly as she entered, she suddenly had an Earth Pony Mare right in front of her, with a crossbow aimed right for her chest. The Mare didn't wait for her to speak, as she fired and a bolt struck 042 right in her chest plate. The impact hurt like hell, but it was stopped by the plate's thick resin compound and bounced off her. The Mare stood there in shocked horror, as 042 suddenly shot forward and yanked the crossbow out of the Mare's grasp.

"What the fuck?!" 042 yelled, tossing the weapon away and sized the scrawny Mare up. "You better not try something like that again, or I'll.." She was interrupted, when the Mare, in a blind panic, pulled out a dagger and came at her with it, screaming at the top of her lungs. 042 holstered her pistol and with her free hoof, she grabbed the Mare's wrist, curling her metal fingers around the joint and then with her other hoof, she slapped the weapon out of the Mare's hold. She thought that would be enough, but the crazed Mare tried to punch her with her free hoof and was able to land a blow on 042's armoured chin.

She had just about enough of this, so she did the only thing she could do to make this struggle come to a halt. She gripped the Mare's scruffy collar on her loose fitting armour and with a twist of her body, 042 flipped the Mare over onto her back. Then she quickly rolled her onto her belly and pinned one of her arms to her back.

"Aaaa, just, kill me and get it over with!" The Mare screamed, crying her eyes out in pain and sheer misery as she kicked her legs around, trying to hit 042, but she couldn't quite reach..

042 was taken aback by this but kept her hold on the Mare. "Relax, we're not here to harm you. If anything, we're here to help." 042 tried to calm the distort Mare, but she didn't seem to hear her.

"Don't eat me, please I beg you, please no!" She cried and stopped struggling as she sobbed loudly. The smoke was starting to clear and when it did, 042 noticed this Mare was injured and recognized the same kind of spike, sticking into her side.

"Whimcy, Buck, get in here, NOW!" 042 yelled over team com and in seconds, her team came rushing in and aimed their weapons. "Stand down, she's subdued." They lowered their weapons and 042 looked at Whimcy as she put away her own weapon. "I need you to treat her, she's got one of those spikes in her."

"Uh, right, on it." Whimcy put her weapon down and got out her medkit. She then looked at 042 and Buck and looked at all the black blood on their suits. "Shit, guys we're covered in contamination! Get out, right now!" 042 looked at her and was about to object, when Whimcy grabbed her by the arm and hauled her off the Mare. "Now, Cap!"

042 knew better than to argue with her, even though she was only a Lieutenant, she was the team's medic after all and when it came to this sort of thing, Whimcy out ranked them all. "Ok, I'm backing up." 042 moved away, hooves raised and went to stand beside Buck, who was leaning cross armed by one of the door frame

It wasn't technically out the room, but 042 didn't want to let that Mare out her sight, so she joined Buck by the wall near the door and stood there, hoof resting on her sidearm. She set the weapon to stun, just as a percausion, while Whimcy got to work decontaminating the area. Her horn glowed and with a flash of pink magic, she coated everything in the room, in pink energy and slowly, all the dirt and blood in the zone, were cleaned away. Suddenly, everything from their suits to the wooden finish on the floor boards were completely, and utterly cleansed and Whimcy wasted no time getting to work on the Mare.

"Ok, Ma'am, can ya hear me?" She asked the Mare and she glared up at her face plate, in a hateful yet terrifised scowl. But Whimcy was calm and gentle with the Mare, as she knelt beside her. "There ya are. Ok, we are not gunna hurt you. Now,
I'm gunna roll you onto your side, so Ah can take a look at that wound there. Do ya understand me? Nod yer head if you do."

The Mare just kept glaring at her for a few more moments, before her face seemed to relax and nodded once. Whimcy then rolled her onto her side and the Mare cried out in pain and tried to struggle. "Hey, try not to move!" Whimcy, stated to the Mare, as she put a hoof glove on her chest to keep her still. She stared at the metal fingers of her glove and looked like she was going to faint as she took in sharp breaths of air. Whimcy quickly got out a oxygen mask and tried to put it on the Mare, but she flinched with fright.

"It's ok, this will help you breathe a little easier." She tried to put it open her again but the Mare was having none of it.

"You..you just want to knock me out..so you can eat me easier." The Mare looked like she was really struggling to keep her eyes open and Whimcy tried a different strat.

"Why would I eat you? Me and you are no different. Watch." Whimcy hooked something on the chin of her helmet with a metal finger and 042 saw what she was about to do.

"Whim, no..it's not.."

She opened the front of her helm and pushed the face plate up with a hiss, as the air inside escaped. Whimcy's face was a light purple, with dark purple freckles and a small bit of her red mane fell out of the new opening, to lay over one of her pink eyes. She gave the Mare a warm smile and put a hoof on her chest plate. "Ma name, is Charlie Whimcy, and I'm a medic who really wants to help you get better. But Ah can only do that, if you work with me here." She got the mask again and put it over her own snout. She breathed deep the oxygen within and it felt, rather good, as her body relaxed. "See, completely harmless."

She offered it to the Mare and finally, the Mare nodded and Whimcy put it on her. Quickly the Mare's eyes went wide and she seemed to look more alert now, as pure, clean air entered her lungs and brought some much needed energy back to her body.

Whimcy smiled at this reaction and got to looking at the Mare's wound. "There, now isn't that much better, than all this stinky normal air?" The Mare looked up at her and nodded, even laughing a little. She tried to get up but Whimcy put a firm hoof on her shoulder. "Hey there, sugar cube, not so fast there. You might be feeling better, but you still got a spike in yer gut."

The Mare seemed to remember she still indeed, had a spike sticking out her side and she lay back down, sighing in pain. Now that the Mare was calm and still, Whimcy spoke to her, while she cut away at her blood stained clothing with some surgical sissors. "Please, tell me about yourself."

The Mare just gazed up at Whimcy's kind face and a tear left one of her blue eyes. "Shada..my name is, Shada."

Whimcy smiled at that, as she managed to open up the clothing around the wound and get a better look at it. "Shada? That's a pretty name. Tell me Shada, what happened here? Why did you shoot at us?"

"I didny mean to." Shada stated, weeping as Whimcy pressed the side of the spike but didn't do it again when she saw it caused Shada pain. "I..I thought you was them.."

"Who's them?" 042 asked Shada, as she walked over to stand by Whimcy and look down on the Mare. "Shada, I need you to tell me. Who attacked your people? Are you the resistance?"

Shada seemed to find it hard to keep her eyes on either of them, as she grimaced when Whimcy applied some disenfectant to her wound. "They...they came in the dark, like ghosts..oh Gods, they started killing everyone, I can still hear the screams, as they tore them apart and..and.."

"Who, Shada, who attacked you?" 042 asked, getting inpatient.

"NOT, who..they weren't Pony!" Shada looked off into space, as if replaying events in her head.

"What? You saying Infected did this?" 042 asked, confusion in her voice.

Shada suddenly looked at 042's visor and grabbed her arm. "No, not Infected..worse!" Whimcy paused what she was doing and looked at 042 with a frown, as did she. Shada continued to speak and she was getting more histerical with every word. "They, they looked like Ponies at first..but we learned, they were far from it...they..walked on two legs, had weapons I'd never seen before and..and.." She started to panic again and they both had to hold her down when she stared screaming. "Oh GODS! We need to get out of here, before they find us and kill us all!"

Shada was out of her mind now and Whimcy had no choice but to give her a seditive. Once she injected the chemicals into her blood stream, Shada suddenly become more dosile and lay back down. "There we go, just relax now." Whimcy said, in a soothing voice as she put the air mask back on her and then waved 042 away from her.

"What was she talking about? About something worse than the infected?" Buck asked, still resting on the wall near the door.

Whimcy just ignored him and addressed 042. "Ok, Cap, I got good new, and bad news."

"What's the bad news?" 042 asked, also ignoring Bucks question 'cause really there was no proper answer.

Whimcy looked at Shada's wound and 042 saw that familiar look in her eye, the one she was going to hate. "Well, with how the spike went in and how its charred the tissue around it, I can't remove it without a surgery kit. Luckily I have one, but that's the thing. In order to remove it safely, I'll have to preform an operation on her, right here. Like now."

042 titled her head in question, but her face that was hidden from view, was shocked. "Like, now, now? Whim, this place is crawling with Infected and gods know what else, and you want to do surgery here?"

"If we try to move her now, gods know what damage that could cause." Whimcy shook her head and frowned. "No question about it, Cap. If she's going to live, I have to get this out of her the right way. Otherwise she'll bleed to death if I just yank it out."

042 felt like she was going to throw something. This was not what they needed right now and she put a hoof to her visor, as if rubbing her eyes. Then she let out a sigh and looked at Whimcy again. "And the good news?"

"Oh, right now with the spike in her, she's not loosing too much blood."

"Lovely." 042 said in a sarcastic tone and looked to Buck. "Come on, we might as well clear out the rest of this place while Whim works."

Just when 042 was about to walk away, Shada suddenly grabbed 042's boot and she stopped. "Please, my friends are still fighting them....help them..please." Shada moaned, as her eyes began to close.

"Shit, Shada? Shada I need you to stay awake honey. ..Shada?" Whimcy looked at her and saw Shada was out cold. "Damnit, Cap I need to operate on her soon, before she's too weak."

"Do it, Whim. Keep her alive." 042 ordered but then suddenly Boomstick came over the team com and he sounded worried.

"Uh, Cap? I don't mean to alarm you or anything, but you got new heat sigs."

"Come again?!" 042 asked, standing up straight and looking out the window.

"Some freak heat sig with a bunch of other normal ones just appeared on my scope, and the bugger's hot, really hot."

"Where?" 042 asked while she pulled out her sidearm.

"On the other side of the fort, and.. wow its movin' fast, shit it's bloody on top of the others and.. it's fucking killing them!"

"We're on it, keep track of it." 042 also charged her TB-AMR and fed it two fresh slugs to replace the ones she used, putting the ammo count back to 8.

"Cap, Infected can show up on thermals, right?" Buck asked 042 and she nodded.

"Yes, they show up, in fact they're even hotter than we are, so they should show up almost white." She thought about that and spoke to Boomstick. "Boomer, how hot are the new heat sigs?"

"Really bloody hot, the readings say a least 80 to 85 degrees."

"That's hot." Buck mused and 042 shook her head.

"Roger that, keep an eye on it." She let her arm fall to her side and took and deep breath. She then sighed and looked to Buck, who was standing there, waiting for her input. "Right, Buck you come with me and we'll check out the new activity. While Whimcy stays up here and keeps that Mare from kicking the bucket. And close your fucking helmet, Whim."

"Oh, right." Whimcy closed her helm's face plate and it sealed with a click.

"Right, lets move." 042 stated and made her way out the room and down the hall, with Buck right on her tail. They kept their weapons trained on everything in front of them as they moved down the next hallway, moving at a brisk pace. Then traveled over a long closed bridge that led to the other side of the fort and began to hear the sound of fighting. It sounded intense, like what ever those Ponies were fighting, must have been one tough S,O,B, as they entered the next part of the fort and followed the sounds.

The place was a mess, with dead Infected and Ponies laying about the halls. They had those spikes in them, and these ones were still red hot. 042 could hear them sizzling away as they burned flesh and charred fur. She was glad she couldn't smell the air in the halls, she never liked the smell of cooked meat, it always made her sick. The fighting was getting closer now and they stopped just outside a door when they heard the most gods offil screams.

042's blood went cold, when she heard skin being ripped, could actually hear tendons snapping as something was eating someone alive. Then something heavy slammed agaist the door on the other side and both 042 and Buck jumped. Blood, red blood, was seeping out from under the door and then they heard something new. It sounded like..breathing, heavy, beastial breathing and it was right on the other side of the door.

Then there was the ripping sounds again, as what ever that thing was behind that door, was eating again. 042 actually forgot to breathe and sucking in some air, she looked to Buck and he looked as freaked out as she felt. They didn't dare speak, even if their helmets could block it outwardly, they were just too stunned to move. Then Boomstick suddenly spoke and 042 nearly had a hearty attack.

"Cap, what's going on? You're just standing there, with the tango right in front of you!"

042 had to restrain herself from throwing a storm of profanity at him, when she got her heart rate back under control and managed to speak more steadily, but a hint of her anger still slipped into her voice. "Thanks, I already knew this."

"Then, why are you just standing there? Is it blind?"

"There's a door here you twat!" Buck spoke now and he was less cander about how he spoke to his team. "It's on the other side, chowing down on some poor sod it just ripped apart!"

"How was I supposed to know that?!" Boomstick sounded annoyed. "I can't see doors with the thermals you fuck wit. Maybe if you set it on fire then maybe I'll see it."

"Sargent!" 042 snapped, trying to keep her voice down. "Put a cork in it, both of you!" She also looked at Buck and he straightened up. She then took a deep breath and cooled herself off, as the thing on the other side of the door, continued feeding. 042 then got an idea and spoke to Boomstick again. "Boomer, it's right on the other side right?"

"Um, yes? Why?"

She aimed her rife at the door. "How low is it?"

"Huh?"

"How low to the ground is it?" 042 asked again.

"Um, it's crouching, like half way down the door." 042 moved her scope to the side of its frame so she could aim down its iron sights and aimed low for the door. She waited for a moment, listened for where the sound was coming from exactly and when she was sure she had pin pointed it's exact highet she pulled the trigger. In the small space, the gun shot sounded like a bomb going off, as the metal slug tore through the wood and impacted something soft on the other side.

The chewing stopped, the breathing stopped and all went dead silent. Was it dead? 042 looked to Buck, her rifle's barrel smoking. "I think I got it." 042 mused.

They relaxed, then the door suddenly came to life with a hail of molten hot spikes punching through it from the other side and they both fell to the ground in fright. 042 felt the heat from those spikes, as they narrowly missed them and sunk deep into the wall behind them. Heart hammering, 042 sat up when the hail stopped and looked at the door. Dozens of burning holes filled the doors surface and she saw for just a second, a glowing red eye, glaring back at her through one of the holes.

She suddenly came to her senses and pulled out her pistol and began firing at the door again. She didn't stop firing till her gun overheated and she had to vent the heat. As she vented her gun, Buck had gotten up and was aiming at the door with his Arck 22 but he didn't fire. Instead he side walked over to 042 and offered a free hoof to help her up, all while still aiming at the door.

"What's happening down there?" Boomstick yelled over the coms.

042 had gotten back to her hooves with Buck's help and spoke to Boomstick, sounding a little shaken. "Boomer, where is it now? Is it still there?"

There was a pause, then. "Uh, no. I think you got it."

"Only one way to find out." 042 nodded to Buck and they approached the door. She checked her weapon's heat meter and saw it was cool again, but the ammo reading said it was almost empty. She ejected the near spent mana battery and stored it away to be recharged later, while she got out a fresh one. She slammed the mag home and pulled on her weapon's charging slide and it hummed to life with a full ammo reading.

Buck did the same with his weapons, swapping his spent mags for fresh ones and now fully reloaded, he looked to his Captain.

She aimed for the door with her rifle, chambering a new round and then pointed at the door. "Buck, keep your guard up and check your corners. I don't like this." 042 said, and then pointed at the door ahead of them.

"What do you think's in there, Cap?" Buck asked, while he shifted his body a little and flexed his fingers on the grip on his Arck 22's barrel.

042 just shrugged and shook her head. "What ever it is, don't relax for a second." She hooked one finger on the door's handle and waited for a moment. Then she nodded to him and he got ready as she raoteted the handle with her wrist. The door opened, and then it suddenly was pushed all the way, when something slumped against it, flopped out into the hallway with a wet splat.

When it did, both of them backed up, startled at what they saw laying before them. It was the mangled body of a Pony, so messed up that 042 couldn't even tell what gender they had been, as there was nothing left of their face and lower body. 042 was disgusted but she was able to keep her lunch down. Buck, however, looked like he was considering throwing up right then and there, but he knew better than to puke in his helmet.

"You ok?" 042 asked him, as he still stared at the half eaten body.

"I'll be fine." He stated, but she could tell he was just putting off what he really felt. She felt for him, it wasn't easy seeing this sort of thing and it always left a mark on everyone that saw it.

She just nodded to him and then pointed into the room. They moved in slowly and looked around. What met them was nothing but an empty living room, expect for the dead bodies. Blood was splattered on all the walls and many of the dead were missing body parts and other internals that painted the walls. 042 aimed her pistol around the room, eyeing the bodies in shock.

Some of them still had blood dripping out of them, hell, some were even still twitching and it made her stomach turn. She was used to seeing death in all its indignity but there was just something about the looks of frozen horror on the dead's faces that sent a chill up her spine. Her boot bumped one of them and she looked down to see the dull gaze of a dead Mare, looking up at her. The body was missing its lower half and its mouth hung open slightly. The tears in those dead eyes, were still fresh and 042 bent down with a heavy heart and closed the dead Mare's eyes.

"No contact." Buck said, as he aimed this way and that. "Boomer, you sure it didn't run off?"

Boomstick came over the com and sounded annoyed. "Look, this scope can only see so much. Its not bloody xray vision."

"Boomer, cut it out." 042 growled, as her aim shifted suddenly to another door. This one was cracked open, and was the only other door into this room so, maybe the tango had doubled back. She pointed two fingers at her visor and then at the door. Buck nodded and moved for it, slowly pushing it open as he peered on the other side.

As he did this, 042 got the unnerving feeling of being watched and looked around again. She looked at the floor that was covered in thick red blood, but there was also something else in the blood. It was black and it left a dotten trail all the way up to where 042 was standing and she frowned at that.

Something dripped down on her outstretched arm and when she looked, her eyes widened. It stained the grey white surface of her vambrace black and that's when she realized it was blood. Another droplet hit her arm and that's when a sinking feeling hit her gut. With wide eyes, she looked up and saw a shadowy cloaked figure in the rafters and it was aiming some sort of big, twin barreled weapon for Buck's back.

Shouting wouldn't help and she was too far from him to push him out the way, so she did the only thing she could do to save him. She aimed up at the weapon in the stranger's pale, gloved and clawed hand, and fired a white bolt of magic. The shot hit the wielder's arm, and made it flinch just as it pulled the trigger of its weapon and molten hot spikes shot out. Two of them missed Buck completely, but the third grazed his left arm and breached his suit as the spike burned right through it.

Buck growled in pain and anger as he spun around and fired bolts up at their attacker. As the bolts peppered its shadowed form, it jumped down with a heavy landing and with blinding speed, backhanded 042 in the face plate. The blow was so powerful it sent her flying head over heels off her hooves and into the far wall near the door they had come through.

The impact of the wall made stars burst into 042's vision and she lay there slumped against the wall completely paralyzed, helpless to aid Buck, as he engaged the figure in CQC. It swung its weapon one handed on Buck and fired another burst of spikes at him, but he quickly stepped forward and slapped the muzzle of its gun out the way.

The spikes shot off in a different direction, and he brought his own weapon up and tried to shoot it in the gut. But it gripped his weapon's barrel at the last second with its free hand and pointed it up, making his shot go into and through the roof. It then yanked his gun out his grasp and tried to hit him with it, but Buck ducked it time and it missed. Then in the same fluid movement, he pulled out his side arm and fired several shots into its body. The shots didn't seem to effect it, when he realized it was wearing some sort of black metal armour under its cloak that reflected the bolts off of it.

While he fired his weapon in vein, the hooded figure smacked his Arch 12 out his hold again with it own weapon. This did little to slow him down, as he spun on his hoof and with a heel kick, he knocked the figure's weapon out their grasp, and sent it sliding over to 042. She was still too dazed to move, while Buck pulled out a knife and went to stab their attacker in the throat. But it parried his attack with a quick swipe of its gloved right arm, and in the same instance, it made a chopping motion with its left hand and struck Buck in his own throat.

He coughed, as he staggered back gripping his jugular with his off hoof, while blocking another chopping strike that was going for his head. He countered with a few well placed cuts to its exposed pale skin, all the while, ducking and batting its own attacks away. He tucked his body in all of a sudden, when it tried to punch him for his gut and his armoured limbs blocked it. He then countered with a fast upper cut to its chin and when its head snapped back from the blow, he saw his chance and stabbed it right in its exposed throat.

It bit in deep and he was sure he had done it, he had killed the son of a nag. But it suddenly grabbed his arm and with bone breaking pressure, it crushed his vambrace. Buck cried out in pain, but it was cut off when the hooded creature headed butted him right in his visor and cracked it. He staggered back, shocked and in pain, as he cradled his broken arm. Then the creature pulled his knife out of its throat and suddenly threw it at him. It struck him so hard that the blade sunk into his chest plate and got stuck in the resin.

He tried to kick it in its gut, but it grabbed Buck's out stretched boot, and brought its left elbow down hard on his knee. Buck howled in agony, as 042 heard a popping sound when his leg bent in the wrong direction. Then, as it let him go to hobble on his one good leg, It then backhanded Buck right in the side of his head, sending him spinning off his hooves.

His armoured body smashed into an old oak table and sent dust up in the air. 042 was just starting to get feeling back in her limbs, when the hooded figure loomed over Buck and began kicking, punching and clawing at him, while he lay there on the ground, completely helpless. It was relentless, as it savagely tore at his armour, cutting deep grooves in his Cami-Flex plating, making the fibers rip and unravel. Thankfully it didn't seem to be able to get past his under layer, as its claws failed to part the padding. But this only made it more determined, as It then grabbed him by the throat and hauled him up in the air, one handed.

Buck coughed and thrashed in the things grasp, as it began choking the life out of him. It even punched him a few times in the ribs, as if trying to force the air out of him faster. 042 had finally regained her ability to move, as feeling came back to her and she sucked in as much air as she could, before she flopped herself onto the figures weapon and grabbed it. It was heavy, with a massive drum attached under its barrels and long curved pistol grip with a lever like trigger.

She had to hold the damn thing in both hooves just to aim it, and when she had the hooded figure in its crude sights, she pulled the trigger.

White hot spikes shot out the weapon with such force knocked her onto her back. But she had managed to score a direct hit on the figure, as it roared in pain when the spike dug into its back. It turned its head at her and that's when she got a good look at its face. She couldn't really see its face, since it wore some sort of metal mask, with old jaw bones attached to its chin. But its eyes, they were like that of a predator's, glowing red with slit pupils that glared at her with hunger and rage.

Undeterred, 042 managed to roll back up on one knee and leveled the weapon for the figure's head. It's eyes narrowed at this and with startling speed, it spun its whole body and threw Buck at her. His limp and bulky form struck her hard, sending her back against the wall, as the figure made a dash for the exit. 042 still had its weapon, and she fired it at the thing, as she rolled Buck off herself. Molten spikes struck it in its back, a leg and a shoulder, but it didn't slow down, as it bolted to the other side of the fort, where Whimcy was.

042's heart almost skipped a beat when she realized this and called Boomstick and Whimcy over team com. "Boomer, you got a visual on the contact?!"

"Yeah. Damn that thing is moving fast! But , Cap, what happened? Where's.."

"Shoot it, Boomer! Its heading for Whimcy!" 042 shouted, as Buck suddenly coughed. "Buck?" She looked at his bio reading and it looked bad.

"Go, Cap.." Buck gasped, as he lifted himself up, "Don't waste time on me, GO!"

042 knew better than to argue with him, so she nodded, bent down and picked up her fallen pistol. She offered it to him, and the moment he took it, she sprinted after the hostile.

The sound of her breathing filled the inside of her helmet, as she ran two legged down the hallway and saw the figure just start to run over the bridge. "Shoot it Boomer!" 042 barked, and a second later, a blue ball of energy burst threw the wall ahead and completely destroyed the bridge, just as the figure was about to cross. The resulting blast sent the figure flying back and slammed into a far wall.

This seemed to do little to keep it down, as it was starting to stand just as 042 rounded the corner and aimed the double barreled weapon at it. It let out a snarl, as it rolled out the way, just when 042 fired more spikes at it. They all sunk into the wall, and the figure landed in a low crouch, one hand on placed on the floor. Its head snapped in her direction and for a moment, neither of them moved.

Then 042 pulled the trigger and was met with a low, CLICK. It was empty and 042 looked at the weapon in shock, just as the thing in front of her giggled at her. It rose to its full height, standing a few centimeters taller than she was and it began to move slowly toward her. Its red eyes burned with hate and animal hunger as it approached her, but then it stopped. Its eyes suddenly went wide and it back stepped just as another ball of energy blasted through the wall next to it and then cut a hole in the floor.

042 had no idea how it was able to react so fast to a AFB shot, but it provided 042 the time she needed to act. She threw the heavy, empty weapon at the thing, and it struck its head. It let out a pained grunt, as it staggered back from the blow and was unable to stop her from unslining her TB-AMR from her back and aiming at its chest.

She fired and a metal slug punched right through its body with a splash of black blood on the wall behind it. Its glowing red eyes widened in shock, as it looked down at the bleeding hole in its body and seemed to loose all power to stand, as it stumbled to the side and slumped to the floor.

042 breathed steadily, as she chambered another slug with the pull of the charging handle and aimed at the things still form. She was sure she shot it in the heart, there was no way it was still alive. Still she was careful as she approached the body, not taking her eyes off it.

"What the hell is happenin' down there?!" Whimcy suddenly came over the coms, and she sounded startled. "Was that Boomer's weapon shaking the building?"

"Yes, it was." 042 answered, as she got right up close to the body and kicked it onto its back. She was completely shocked at what she was looking at. It looked like a Pony, but its body shape was all off, like reshaped to suit an upright posture. Its arms and legs were vaguely still Pony shaped, but its hooves were cloven like a goat's and it had hands, three fingers and a thumb, all tipped with talon like claws.

"Cap, I'm looking at Buck's bio readings." Whimcy stated and she was rightfully alarmed. "He's got internal bleeding, dozens of fractures and broken bones. What the fuck happened down there?"

"Never mind that, he needs medical attention, right now." 042 stated, as she lowered herself down and placed a hoof on the body's face.

"But, but Shada, I can't just.."

"Is she stable?" 042 snapped, as she found a strap on the body's mask and began to tug at it.

"Stable enough since I got the spike out, but Captain... I can't just.."

"You know medical protocol. Patch up, stabilize and move onto the next. Do I make myself clear?" 042 barked, but regained her composure with a deep breath. Her team were good, but they were still fresh behind the ears and she had to double down on them when things got really rough. "You'll need to find another way to get to him. Boomer seemed to completely destroy the bridge leading here."

"Hey, you said shoot, so I shot." Boomstick said over coms, sounding disgruntaled. "Your welcome by the way."

There was a pause, but then Whimcy said, with reluctance. "Yes, Ma'am. I'm on it." 042 shook her head and huffed.

She finally managed to get the strap on the mask to unclip and then gripped the face plate. "Ok, lets see what you look like."

She pulled the mask off ans was stunned by what she saw, making her back up a bit. It looked like it had been a Pony at one time, but that time had long since past. Its face, was completely devoid of any fur, and its skin was a pale sickly blue, like all the life had been sucked out of it. Black veins spread out under its clammy skin like a tumorous growth, and it looked to have a second pare of nostrils at the back of its short snout, near its half closed eyes.

It looked almost like a female, but 042 wasn't sure. She'd never seen a creature like this before, she wasn't even sure it was native to this land. She put a metal finger to its upper lip and pushed up to see its teeth and they were sharp, curving inward and looked good for shredding flesh.

Just then, her coms burst with static and she jumped. "Cap, did you take the tango out?" It was Boomstick and 042 sighed.

"Yes, that's affirmative, it's dead."

"You sure?" Boomstick questioned and that made 042 frown.

"I shot it straight through the heart, it's deader than Stars whirl the Bearded."

"Well, I think you gotta shoot it again, 'cause that thing still has a heat sig, Cap."

042's eyes widened and she turned to look at the body. But it wasn't laying on the ground anymore, as its mutated face was right up in her visor and she gasped in fright. She tried to level her weapon and the creature smacked it out of her grasp with blinding speed, shot a hand out and grabbed her by the throat. Her eyes bulged from behind her visor, as air was cut off to her and she began to choke.

It was un Ponily strong, as it pressed a thumb right in her windpipe and lifted her up off the floor. It let out a growling sigh of pleasure, as it grinned a full set of those razor like teeth at her, and glared at her wide eyed. 042 kicked her legs weakly and punched the creature's arm, but its muscles were like solid steel.

"You seem like a tough bag of meat." It suddenly spoke, and it definitely sounded like a female, but its voice was all rough and gravely. It liked its lips with a long thin black tong and its smile widened. "Grow tired of dinning on these pitiful soft skins. I wonder if you will sate my hunger."

She had no intention of letting any of her get chewed on and reached behind her back. she gripped the knife that was sheathed there and in one swift motion, she pulled it out and rammed it in this mutant's neck. Black blood ran out of the seams and out its mouth as it coughed in shock and surprise, splattering 042's visor in the thick substance. It let her go and she gasped as air was allowed in her lungs once more and she collapsed to the floor.

She wretched hard, as her airway painfully cleared itself, while the mutant, yanked the knife out its throat and growled in anger. "You'll pay for that!" It shouted, its voice becoming more gravely.

It grabbed 042 again, this time at the back of her neck and hauled her up. It then jammed her own knife in her ribs and she exhaled violently as the air was knocked out of her again. Luckily, her suit stopped the blade from actually penetrating her body, but the force in which this thing jabbed her with it, was enough to crack one of her ribs.

The creature was confused, when it found the knife hadn't gone in, and snarled at 042. "Impressive, but there is more than one way to crack an egg." It stated, and with both hands it grabbed her belt while still holding onto her neck and to 042's shock and horror, it picked her up and threw her. Her body smashed threw a window on the bridge and out onto the courtyard, where she struck the ground hard and rolled couple of meters, before skidding to a halt.

She was in a world of hurt right now, as she found it hard to breathe properly with her busted up rib, and just moved sluggishly on the ground. Then the mutant came vaulting out through the window, its cloven hooves crunching on the shattered glass as it walked up to 042.

It snarled again but this time in smug satisfaction as it kicked her in the gut. Helpless to stop it, she could only cover her soft spots as best she could, as the mutant violently kept kicking her. Even with the gel layer of her suit, this hurt like being punch by a Wolven that was also a body builder, wielding a sledge hammer. It laughed at her helplessness, enjoyed seeing her curl up into a fetal ball, and flinch with every blow.

It then swiftly booted her in her visor and it cracked under the impact, making her HUD flash and flicker, as the software glitched out. "Pathetic!" The mutant howled in glee, as it picked her up again and held her by the back of her neck again. "I really thought you were more than these simple soft skins. But it seems under all this fancy tech, you're just like all the rest. WEAK, and PITIFUL!"

It then hurled her again and this time, she landed by the well. Every bone in her body ached, her ribs more than anything, along with her head feeling like a swarm of angry bees, jabbing at her brain, as she tried to stand once more. "Captain, can you hear me?"

That sounded like Whimcy, but her coms were all messed up from the beating she'd been taking. "Whim? Wh..where are you?" 042 asked, her mind fuzzy. Luckily the Mutant couldn't hear her talking from inside her helmet, as it didn't take notice to her casual conversation.

042 lifted her head, only to get a fist in her face plate, sending her back to the cold dirt. "I have a visual on your position. Boomer is on stand by to fire on your go. He just needs a clear shot, Cap."

"Oh, how wonderful.." 042 grumbled, as she was yanked back up and pressed against the edge of the well. "I..I might be..unable to give the order..in time.."

She felt her brain start to waver, as it got harder to think and her vision got really blurry. The mutant had her by the throat again and was putting just enough pressure on her windpipe to stop her from recovering in any helpful amount of time. It laughed again, seeming to savor her suffering as it held her there.

"What you going to do now, MEAT!" It asked her, licking its blood dripping chops again. It pulled out what looked like a metal hook attached to a chain and it waved it in her face plate. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy peeling you open and seeing what you're really made of."

Something suddenly struck the mutant's back with a blast of energy and it spun around to find Whimcy, firing her Arch 22 at it. "No, Whimcy..stay back!" 042 shouted, but the mutant slammed her head against the wall of the well and she blacked out.

She slumped to the ground with a plasticy thud from her resin armour plates and didn't move, as the creature glared at Whimcy and she suddenly felt like this had been a terrible idea. "Oh shitty tail feathers!" She swore, as she leveled her rifle and fired lightning bolts at the thing, as it slowly approached.

The bolts struck its body, but they seemed to do little damage to it, as it just kept advancing. What the hell was this thing? How was it taking so much punishment? Whimcy didn't have time to think, as she kept firing, taking a step back each time, but with each shot, the creature seemed to quicken its pace.

It then threw a metal hook attached to a chain at her and it hooked her weapon. With a violent yank, it pulled her weapon free from her grasp, but Whimcy's combat training came flooding in, as she quickly pulled out her Arck 12, quickly turned it into a F,A,W, set the power to max and held down the trigger.

White hot bolts of kinetic energy rained down on the beast and for a moment, she thought she might actually beat this thing, as her bolts ripped bits of its flesh away and chipped away at its armour. But then it suddenly lunged forward and kicked her weapon out of her hooves and tried to snag her with its hook weapon.

Whimcy back stepped the swing and with practiced motion, she pulled out her knife and just to give herself some breathing room, she quickly turned her back to the creature and bucked it hard in its chin. She then rolled forward with the momentum her kick gave her and sprang back up right. Whimcy then got in her CQC fighting stance and breathed softly, as she watched the creature rub its chin.

It seemed more amused than angry, as it flexed the joints of its jaw and with a sickening crack, it popped its bone back into place and smiled at her. "Yes." It sighed, ghostly mists of air leaving its grinning maw. It spat some black blood out and spread its arms in a welcoming gesture, as if it was asking for her to come over and give it a big old hug. "You got fire. I like that, makes what comes next, much the sweeter."

Whimcy flipped her knife in her hoof glove and held it facing downward. "Just try it, fuck face. But Ah must warn ye, Ah got a P,H,D, in really screwing up your respiratory system."

The mutant laughed, a hearty chuckle as it came closer. "Oh, I think you might just prove to be my main course."

It then suddenly came at her with the hook as a melee weapon and it would have snagged her right in the gut, if Whimcy didn't do something it wasn't expecting. She tucked in her stomach, letting the hook skim past her belly by inches. Then, with her free hoof, she grabbed its right shoulder to brace herself and with her knife, she cut a deep gash right across its forehead, just above the eyes.

Then with the hoof she had on its shoulder, she pushed herself away from it, as it tried to grab her and now she stood waiting, as the creature suddenly started blinking frantically. The cut she had made, was sending blood right down into the mutants eyes, and now it was having a hard time seeing. "What, what did you do to me?"

It growled, as it rubbed its eyes, trying to clean them, but this only seemed to make it worse, as more blood coated its face. Whimcy smirked from behind her helmet and flipped her knife again. "Oh, just the right kind of cut, just above the eyes. The kind that bleeds."

She then suddenly came in and carved her knife deep in the soft spot of its left armpit, severing the tendons beneath. It howled in anger as it tried to take a swipe at her, but found its arm flopped weakly and bounced off Whimcy with little to no impact. She countered with a swift jab with her free hoof right to the mutant's Tricia and it coughed loudly.

She then delivered a flurry of cuts, kicks and more jabs to its joints and soft spots on its body, till to stumbled back, falling flat on its flank. She had surgically severed many of its tendons and made some of its nerve bundles lock up, making it hard to move. "Impossible!" The mutant crocked, wheezing and coughing, as its limbs bled heavily. "You, you're a weakling, inferior compared to me!"

"No." Whimcy snapped, as she kicked it in the face. "Ye just don't get it. Y'all think just 'cause ye got a better body that ye can just bend the rules? Oh no, honey, I've cut up enough bodies in my time to know everything's got a weak spot, an' yer no different."

"Stupid soft skin!" The mutant shouted, as it suddenly began to be able to move again. "There are some things your mind will never grasp."

Whimcy suddenly realized she'd made a mistake. When instead of mocking the creature, she should have finished it off, when she saw to her horror the wounds had suddenly healed and while on the ground, it had picked up her Arck 22 and aimed it at her.

She threw herself for a low wall, just as a lightning bolt missed her spine by mere inches, and she crashed on the other side of the wall. "You can not hope, to defeat me!" The mutant roared, still firing at where Whimcy hid, blasting chunks of the wall away. "I am your salvation, I am your evolution, I, AM, YOUR FUTURE!!"

Suddenly, the side of its face was blasted apart, when a slug round punched right through its chin. Whimcy heard this and looked up over the wall to see half its face was missing, and it howled in agony, dropping the Arck 22 as it covered it horrific wound. Then, another round punched through its right knee and it fell to the ground, roaring in anger.

Whimcy followed where the shot had come from and she was shocked to see Buck, up on the bridge, holding himself up on the destroyed window and he was using 042's TB-AMR. He aimed down the scope of the weapon and fired a third shot in the mutant's back and made it scream.

Just then, something else snagged the thing in its throat and pulled back hard, impaling its windpipe. "Oh yeah?!" A voice sounded from behind the mutant and Whimcy looked to see 042 standing once more, with the hook chain tied in a knot around the wooden frame of the well. "Well you can keep all that to your fucking self. Boomer, NOW!!"

Suddenly there was a flash of red magic and Boomstick appeared beside Whimcy. Her eyes widened, when he lifted the massive AFB and aimed its huge barrel at the Mutant. "Dodge this, you slack jaw, two bit nothing, titty sucking..."

"Boomer, fucking shoot it already!" Whimcy shouted and he shut up, as the barrel of the AFB began to glow.

042 rolled for cover, as the creature tugged on the chain, but it was too late. It only managed to let out an enraged scream, before its torso was suddenly blasted apart in a shower of black blood, guts and limbs. 042, carefully poked her head out of the cover she had been hiding behind and looked on at the bloody mess that was left in the AFB's wake.

"That has to kill it." 042 said to herself, as she limped over to the well and sat down, leaning against the well's stone frame. "Sound off. Guys, you ok?"

"I'm still breathing." Whimcy huffed, as she stood up from her own cover and looked around in dazed amazement. "Wow, that AFB really did a number on that thing. So glad we have it now."

"You're most welcome." Boomstick mused, as he stood there, covered from head to hoof in black gore, his AFB smoking red hot. "I mean, I, Aim, to please."

There was a chuckle from Whimcy and she shook her head. "Never use that pun again, or I'll have to give you an early check up." She said, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Is that your way of saying you want to undress me?" He gestured to his gore drenched suit. "I mean, I got no problem with that."

"In your dreams, buck'o." Whimcy retorted, as she vaulted over the low wall and looked at what was left of the mutant. It was nothing but a stump and a per of legs, that still moved. "Oh gods, not even the body parts no when to quit." She picked up her Arck 12-M and fired a few bolts into the legs. They finally stopped moving and lay very still. She then holstered it and got back her Arck 22 and it was coated in black slime. "Uha, gross."

042 hugged her ribs, coughing hard as she found it hard to catch her breath. "How..how's Buck? Buck, you there?" 042 weakly asked, as pain burned in her chest.

There was a shaky breath over the com and Buck sounded like he was sucking in liquid. "I'v...been better.." He gasped. "I..I think I'm going...to need some of the first aid...right about now." Then they heard him hit the floor and then the com went dead.

"Boomer, get to him." Whimcy ordered him and he nodded, putting down his AFB and sprinted on all fours for Buck's location.

Whimcy then fixed her attention on 042 and she sounded concerned. "Cap, Cap can you hear me?"

042 coughed and that made new fresh pain stab at her lungs. "I hear you. Shouldn't you go see to Buck? Not me."

"Boomer may not look it, but he got the same medical training as I did. He may not be a doctor like me, but I trust him enough to know how to stabilize someone." Whimcy stated, as she got out her medkit and began prodding at her sides.

"And, what about the Mare?" 042 gasped, tasting a little blood in her mouth and more pain clawed at her ribs as Whimcy touched the spot that thing had jammed the knife into.

"She's alive and I managed to get the spike out with no further problems. As long as she gets some rest and doesn't rip her stitches, she'll make a full recovery."

"Good to hear." 042 sighed, as her lungs begged for air. "You, you did well Whim. Very impressive how you took that thing on."

"Stop talking, you got a bruised rib and some minor internal bleeding." Whimcy stated, getting out a needle and inserting it in an injection slot in her neck plate. She felt the tiny sting of the needle and then pure bliss suddenly flooded her system.

"Wow, that stuff works fast." 042 mused, as she giggled a little.

"I gave ye a good dose of pain killer. It's going to make ye feel bubbly inside and a little derpy, but it's better than the alternative." She patted 042 down and then got out a decontamination kit. She held out a hose and then sprayed a jet of sterilizing chemical fluid over 042 and washed off all the blood and grim from her suit.

"Oh, that actually feels nice. Like rain hitting a roof top." 042 giggled again, but coughed when her breath got stuck in her throat.

Whimcy was soon done and then put a hoof on 042's helmeted head. "Ok, your lung is also a little banged up but luckily, Ah won't have to drain yours. Buck on the other hoof, might need to." 042 came back to her senses just a little, to really think about that. This day had been a rough one, and it had only been day three. She was getting sloppy, she had to do better. Not just for her, but for her team.

"I buggered up, I buggered it good, didn't I?" 042 gasped, cringing as some of the pain loomed on the edges of her mind.

"We had no way of knowing. You can't expect to be prepared for everything." Whimcy said, as she opened her face plate and smiled at her.

"Whimcy, contact! Contact on the roof!" That was Boomstick and Whimcy and 042 looked up to the top of one of the towers and saw another hooded figure.

It looked a little different from the one they had just taken out, for this one had horns sticking out its hooded head. Even from here, 042 saw it wore a skull mask over its face but its glowing purple eyes burned from behind that mask. It just stood there, on the roof of the tower, looking down on them with those predatory eyes, cap blowing softly in the wind and holding some sort of long wooden staff.

"I don't got a clear shot. Whim, use the AFB, SHOOT IT!" Boomstick shouted and Whimcy came to her senses and picked up the massive weapon. It was heavy and awkward to hold, but she managed to line up the scope with the creature up on the tower and was about to fire, when it did something they weren't expecting. It raised its staff up above its head and in a flash of purple magic, it vanished.

Whimcy still fired the AFB and the ball of energy shot out and zipped past the tower, continuing on in the dimming evening sky. Whimcy put the smoking weapon down and just stared at where the creature had last been. "Where'd it go?!" She asked in shock, with a little fear in her tone.

"We can't help that right now." 042 stated, her voice sore and completely spent. "Let's just get our wounded and get out of here, quick.. before more show up."

Whimcy looked to be thinking about this and then nodded quickly. She closed her helmet again and spoke over team com. "Boomer, grab Buck, we're making an E,M,J out of here. You know the place, that old home stead we scoped out."

"Roger, emergency magic jumping now." There was a flash of red magic in the bridge and Whimcy knew he had jumped to the location she mentioned.

"Right, now let's get Shada and jump to the safe house." Whimcy stated, helping 042 up and slinging her arm over neck. She then picked up Boomstick's AFB and then they teleported to Shada and then after that, jumped to the safe house, leaving the wreck of the fort behind.