Broken Worlds: A Sea Of Tears

I groaned as I looked around, dazed and confused as I shook my head to recollect my senses; my ears were ringing, my vision was blurred, and my head was pounding like a jackhammer. I narrowed my eyes and surveyed the battlefield around me with my still-blurred vision; many of the guards who were near me when the explosion went off had been thrown aside like toys, and there was a thick smokescreen blocking my view of the treeline.

That's when I saw it.

A slender, humanoid shape stalked out of the curtain of smoke, taking long, slow, deliberate steps, and sweeping the field with its vision. It had an angular blood-red, glowing eye on the left side of its face, and the right was dominated by a trio of different-sized telescopic lenses. The entirety of it's face was skeletal in nature, almost looking as though it was smiling pleasantly at the devastation around it.

I began to crawl backwards, hoping that the cybernetic horror wouldn't notice me, but the moment I shifted my legs, its gaze pointed directly at me.

“Time to run,” I groaned as it aimed its arm at me, which had a rifle-like barrel mounted on its wrist, and I quickly scrambled to my feet and began to haul ass as it fired several shots in my direction, and I could feel the wind as the bullets whizzed by my head.

I took cover behind a tree to catch my breath, and noticed that Rainbow Dash was also hiding behind another tree near me. “Dash!” I hissed urgently, “what is that thing?”

Rainbow Dash looked over at me, and I saw a look I had never seen on her face before: a combination of fear and hopelessness. It filled me with dread to see the usually brave, cocky pegasus in such a state.

“BlackTech Assassin Android,” she said plainly. “I thought this thing was destroyed the last time we fought it.”

I was confused at first, but then my mind flashed back to when Drayke told me the story of his greatest personal failure. “This thing killed your friend?” I asked quietly, “this thing killed Pinkie Pie?”

Dash nodded, her eyes screwed shut. “Headshot,” she whispered. “They call it Headshot.”

I peered around the tree and saw the android about to execute a soldier that it had pinned under its foot. I aimed my rifle at its head and fired, but it quickly jerked its head and fired it's wrist-rifle at me, barely giving me enough time to take cover again. “Twilight!” I called out, “Now would be the time to call in your friend!”

There was a pause, and I saw a violet ball of magic fly up into the air and burst like a firework. “He should be on his way; just sit tight!” I heard the princess reply.

Just then, I heard a familiar voice speak in Headshot’s direction. “Excellent work, Headshot,” a British-accented man said pleasantly. “Your reputation was no exaggeration.” I peeked around the corner and saw Victor Lars surveying the field proudly. “Nothing like a good safari,” he sighed, and fired a killing shot, without looking, at a guard who was preparing to charge at him.

I gritted my teeth angrily, and was just about to run out and challenge him, when I heard an angry cry sound from behind the man and the android. Headshot turned it's head as a blade extended from its wrist, and it raised the newly-unveiled weapon to block a downward slash from a crystal katana, which was held by a newcomer to the fight: a creature who I assumed was Twilight Sparkle’s friend, Crystal Midnight.

“You shall not harm my friends, human construct!” It screamed angrily, and began to duel with Headshot as the android extended a second blade to keep up with its dual-wielding opponent.

Victor was about to intervene, when Marcus’s cry rang out from behind me. “VICTOR!” he shouted, and the mercenary turned and grinned like he was seeing an old friend.

“Marcus! Small world, eh?” He called back kindly. “What brings you to Canterlot?”

Marcus dropped his rifle and rolled up his sleeves as he approached Victor. “I'm doing the right thing,” he replied angrily. “BlackTech’s goal is a lie, Victor; this war isn't for revenge on the devastation on Earth; they want to harvest Equestrian magic!”

Victor shrugged as he holstered his revolver and began to walk towards his old comrade. “It doesn't matter if their mission is to invent a delicious snack food that doesn't leave any grease or residue on your fingers; as long as I'm getting paid, I'm doing what they tell me!” He snapped, and ducked as Marcus swung a fist at him.

The two began to trade blows; punching, kicking, blocking, dodging, and perfectly countering each other as if they knew their opponent’s strategy just as well as they knew their own.

I glanced over at Crystal Midnight and Headshot, and saw that their fight was a little more one-sided; the android was much more focused and decisive in its strikes, and the glass monster seemed to be simply waving it's blades wildly in hopes that it might get one good hit. As the fight progressed and Headshot continued to push Crystal Midnight backward, I saw that Princess Celestia was struggling to stand behind them, her horn beginning to glow a bright yellow. “Knight, hold still!” She commanded, and Crystal Midnight froze as Celestia fired a beam of concentrated sunlight at the creature’s back. It let out a low growl as it crossed its arms over its chest and began to glow brightly, before thrusting its arms outward and unleashing a blast of multi-colored energy at the android, blasting it into the air and beyond the treeline; it was safe to assume that it wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

I turned back to the fistfight between Victor and Marcus, where things were looking grim; Victor had drawn one of his knives and was trying to go for a downward slash on his enemy’s head, while Marcus held the blade at bay by crossing both of his arms. I took aim with my rifle and pulled the trigger, but it just let out the agonizing “click” of an empty magazine. I rolled my eyes and held the firearm by the base like a club, and rushed Victor with the intent of getting one clean hit at that crew-cut wearing British bastard. He glanced at me and acted quickly, planting a boot in Marcus’s chest and knocking him backward, and then grabbing the rifle from my hands and sweeping my legs out from under me.

“You've got a lot of courage, kid,” he growled, drawing a revolver from his vest and taking aim at my head. “Just like your leader.”

I glared at him, feeling a trickle of blood pouring from my nose. “What are you gonna do, kill me?” I growled, “Like you killed Drayke?”

Victor looked thoughtful for a moment. “No,” he replied as a helicopter hovered over the clearing, and fired a shot into each of my legs. I screamed in agony and looked down in horror. “Annihilator rounds,” he explained as I gaped at the damage; my legs had been completely cut off at the knees! “Courtesy of the BlackTech corporation. Good luck walking after your Equestrian friends heal that. Until next time!” He said, grabbing a rope ladder that had been tossed to him from above, and he was gone in moments.

I screamed in a combination of anger and pain as I tried to move, and I heard frantic hoofsteps approaching. “Joseph, calm down!” Princess Celestia said urgently, and fired a beam of golden magic at my bleeding stumps. The bones began to knit themselves and my mutilated flesh began to regenerate, but something was still wrong.

“I can't feel my legs!” I screamed, a new wave of panic replacing the old one.

Celestia looked concerned. “I've seen something like this before,” she explained, keeping her voice low and calming. “A rare type of ammunition used by BlackTech that completely destroys body parts; healing magic can undo the physical damage, but nothing can be done to restore the use of the injured limb.”

I let out a shaky breath. “So you're telling me I'm useless now?” I whispered, struggling to keep my cool. This couldn't be real; my legs were right there in front of me, but I couldn't move them. I reached out a shaky hand and slapped my thigh, but I couldn't feel the impact.

“Joseph, I'm sorry, but-” Celestia was about to continue confiding me, but she was cut off when a frenzied soldier donning a BlackTech exoskeleton tackled her and began to strangle her.

“I bet I'll get a Medal of Honor for killing an alicorn!” He laughed madly, and I struggled to crawl over and help in some way. Just then, a man grabbed the soldier and pulled him off of Celestia, tossing him aside like a wet towel. I looked up and saw Cyrus standing between the mad soldier and Celestia, a look of raw fury on his face as the soldier charged. The crazed soldier darted forward, but Cyrus grabbed him by wrists and pushed him away from the solar princess.

“Leave… Celestia… ALONE!” he screamed, and tore the soldier’s arms off with relatively little effort. He let the armored troop panic for a few moments, and then smashed the top of his skull with one of the severed arms like a club.

We all gathered our senses for a moment as everyone regrouped. “Where's Tess?” I asked worriedly.

Fluttershy looked around with narrowed eyes. “Did… did BlackTech take her?” She suggested sadly.

There was a loud whooshing as Cadence landed beside us, and her visor folded away to reveal a look of horror. “That's exactly what happened!” She explained frantically. “I saw some soldiers grab her; I tried to help, but I couldn't get close without risking getting shot or captured myself. Joseph, I'm so sorry,” she apologized.

I gritted my teeth. “Get the exo off of that soldier,” I growled angrily. Marcus and Cyrus quickly obliged, undoing the harnesses from the exo and bringing it to me. After helping me into the metal framework, Marcus lightly pressed the neural implant against the back of my neck, and I barely felt the connection points poke my skin. “This is going to hurt,” he warned.

I grabbed a stick and stuck it between my teeth. “DO IT!” I screamed in a muffled voice, and I felt an indescribable pain rush through my head and spine as Marcus connected the implant with my brain stem, and I shot up to my feet as feeling returned to my legs. Not my legs I thought as I recovered my thoughts; the armored frame that now surrounded my legs was now an extension of myself, and with it I was able to walk as well as I had been before Victor had shot me.

“Sorry about the arms,” Cyrus said apologetically. “I don't know what came over me.”

I shrugged. “All I really need are the legs, anyways,” I replied nonchalantly.

Marcus grinned and reached into his bag and retrieved a propane torch. “While I admire your bravery, I'm not going to let you wander around in a broken exo. I've done some work on vehicles and machinery in the past,” he explained. “An exoskeleton without the arms is just going to leave you unable to support your own weight if you need to climb or mantle. It'll take some time, but when we've got this baby back in working order, we can go and find your sister.”

I nodded stiffly. “Alright,” I said plainly, and looked up at Cyrus. “You know New Phoenix better than any of us; would you be able to get us behind the wall?”

Cyrus shook his head, his face taking on an expression of panic. “If I enter the city’s walls, I'll be at the mercy of my father,” he explained, and turned around to show us a small, black chip embedded in the base of his skull, right where his neck peaked. “This is more than a tracking device; it also contains an explosive charge that will destroy my brain stem and most of my brain. A contingency plan my father uses in case any of his experiments fall out of line.”

Celestial took a careful step forward. “I may be able to help you with that,” she said slowly.

Cyrus’s eyes lit up as she said this. “Really?” He asked excitedly, “How?”

Celestia looked strangely upset. “It's going to hurt,” she warned. “I could use my magic to safely remove the chip from your head, but it will not be a painless process; it's embedded rather deep in your skin.” She scarcely met Cyrus’s eyes as she said this.

The white-haired man nodded slightly. “I can handle it,” he replied confidently. “Anything to be free of my father’s influence.”

Celestia sighed heavily. “Come here, Cyrus,” she requested, and Cyrus stepped over to Celestia as she wrapped her wings around him in a fond embrace. “You know I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you, right?” She whispered softly.

Chris nodded slowly. “I know,” he whispered in reply. The chip in the back of his neck became bathed in golden light, and Cyrus’s face twisted with discomfort as the chip began to wriggle ever so slightly, and a small trickle of blood flowed from the area. After a few seconds of Cyrus's cringing and Celestia’s comforting words, the chip began to slide from the man’s skin, leaving behind a raw wound that Celestia quickly healed, leaving behind no trace that there had been a dangerous explosive device there.

Cyrus moved away from Celestia and wiped a few tears from his eyes, smiling at the sight of the chip that had acted as a shackle for his whole life. “I'm free,” he whispered disbelievingly. “I'm free!” He gave Celestia a quick, tight hug as cheered, moving to each of us and also sharing an excited squeeze.

Even though I was worried about Tess, this little moment of joy helped brighten my spirits, and made me realize for the first time in weeks that we really had a chance at winning this war. After all, Cyrus Anderson was the former spokesman for a company who wanted Equestrians enslaved or exterminated; if he can see that they weren't that bad, then maybe we had a shot at winning this war after all.

I glanced down at my legs and gritted my teeth. Before it ends, though, I'm gonna make sure I have my chance to take out that murdering son of a bitch, first, I though angrily. I don't care if he and Marcus are old rivals; Victor Lars is mine.