The Wastelands Sacrifice to be

The day after was just as confusing as the last one. I really lost my motivation for once as I levitated my armor in front of me to clean it. Morning was just another time of day for me to worry on the events that have come to pass. I was still sore but my armor had kept the wound’s bandages warm. The armor itself was on me except the front chest piece. I was polishing it after fixing the bullet hole in it. That hole could cause burns to my chest if I left the hole alone.

The others were sleeping still. Levitating the chest piece in front of me, I had Miles leaning on me asleep. I smiled to him as he just moved slightly in his sleep. Miles really was a stallion with a presence to enjoy. I thought on my feelings about him as I cleaned my chest plate. This line of thought kept me occupied for an hour until I found myself being poked.

Silver Shine had poked my flank with a hoof. I set my newly fixed chest plate back on as the mouth visor came down over it to secure it as I looked up to him. Silver Shine spoke up with a smile as he seemed jovial today, “Come on. I want to talk to you. Let’s go…”

“Alright… Let me set him down without waking him,” I said while gently setting Miles on the ground. I flew after Silver Shine as we sat on a hill staring at the mountain that held the vault we used to call home. I looked at him then the place I knew the entrance was speaking coldly, “It was the council am I right?... Why can’t they leave me alone? Or allow people to worship Luna? She is… Was a great pony to look up to.”

He sighed as his silvery coat did as his namesake, shine in the vague rays of sunlight. Silver spoke up with this cold tone, “Yes… No doubt about it. We always suspected this betrayal but not like this… They killed Tiger Shade. Why?” He looked down stones below with this frustration that seemed to be ageless. Silver stamped a hoof as he shook his head.

I sighed and stared at the vault until something caught me. I spoke up so the armor would hear me, “Mouth guard and display up now.” With that my mouth guard came back up and display played over my eyes so I could see it. I looked at a zoomed picture of the vault door to see a green smoke and a form stumble out and fall to its death. I kicked a hind hoof at Silver Shine, “Silver Shine! Somethings wrong at the vault. A green smoke is there and… Somepony just died from the cliff edge. Get Miles!”

Silver Shine looked up and saw nothing. He just nodded and ran to Miles. I heard a hind quarter get kicked with a loud ouch from Miles. I heard a little arguing but I was worrying about the vault more. Miles ran over to my side as Silver Shine trotted to the other side of me. Miles spoke up with worry and slight exhaustion, “What? Smoke? Whats going on?”

“Something is wrong. I don’t care if we’re not welcome I’m not leaving them in danger. Luna grant us strength,” I spoke with a tone of sincerity and determination. I took off towards the fallen stallion as fast as I could. I heard their cries as they flew after me with haste. I used my own magic to speed up my flight as I landed, sliding to a stop near the body.

What I saw was not what I expected to find coming out of the vault. The fallen pony was mangled with bullet holes and filled with this green substance that could be blood. I took a step toward it as it moved in seconds. The body moved as it heaved itself up with a ghastly cry. I tried to take a step back but I tripped onto my rump. For once, I felt helpless as it beared down at me. In seconds, the body lit up like a candle of blue flames and was being clawed by Saphire.

“Cryo!” Miles ran in front of me as he held up his pistol in his teeth. He fired away as Saphire fled. The mangled, possibly undead pony stopped moving as it fell back to the ground. Silver Shine caught up and stared at the vault pony that fell, “Hey I’m h…. Is that a Zombie pony? Why did it come from the vault? Whats going on?”

I had frozen in place as I stared at the body in front of me.  My voice was lost and ghost-like, “Someone shot that pony… And… And… It still moved… Ponies don’t survive that… What is going on here?” I backed up until my sensor went off. It was an attack incoming. I shook my loss off as I looked around. Then I looked up to the falling bodies as I cried out, “Run! Fly quickly!” I kicked Miles out of the way with my hind hooves. I grabbed the jacket on Silver Shine to throw him back as I put a barrier around us. I lost control of my form as my armor conformed around my alicorn body.

Silver Shine readied his battle saddle machine gun and aimed at the oncoming army of zomponies. He was ready but worried firing in the shield. I could tell as he looked up at me struggling to hold the shield. I nodded feebly as he fired away, clenching down on the bit trigger. Miles did the same as he fired his pistol at the oncoming army. I held the shield as long as I could until I began to sweat from the use of the spell. It was taking too much out of me.

They finished off the army as I sunk to the ground weaker than I thought I could be. My wings wouldn’t even move, less so for my hooves. I was drained. I had never used so much magic before this. My body was limp and umoving to my own will. Silver Shine looked at me then the zomponies at the cliff top readying to jump. He lifted me onto his back after letting go of his trigger bit. He called to Miles, “Lets go. We need high ground to rest… Miles!”

Miles shot a few coming down and flew after Silver. Silver carried me for a while as he led Miles to a high mountain nearby. He found a small one room cave to stay in as he lay me down. Miles ran over and nuzzled beside me worried, “You okay? You hurt?” He was scared and I understood but I felt so tired.

“Fine…. Need rest. Used too much magic….” I lay my head against his neck as I slept easily. I could feel him staying there with me as I slowly drifted to sleep. My world was the moon once more as I saw Luna come to me now. She had helped me up as she looked me over. I spoke up with a weakened smile, “Shields are exhausting…. How’d you manage that?”

Luna nodded and gave me a hug, “Remember young mare, you cannot forget you have limits. If not for your friends… I shiver to think what would happen.” Luna held me in that hug as I could feel something like a memory.

I spoke up with a cautious tone, “Luna… I remember things… Like memories. Its as if I’m remembering things that happened. That attacked, it brought back something but why? Its like a flash… It drained me to have a vision spell hit me while holding a shield…”

“Because your memories are a few of mine… That memory would have been when I became Nightmare Moon. I felt it as well. As long as you live, we share these memories in moments like that. I tell you that you need to be cautious of that. Those memories can paralyze you as it has now. Now here is a trick that I learned. Focus your mind when our horns touch,” she spoke trying to teach me as best I could learn.

I stood up straight and did as I was told. Just as my own horn touched hers, lights sparked as if a new world around me. She showed me the event when we fought the zomponies. I looked at her with confusion, “Why are we here? I don’t see the importance of reliving this. I know what happened now. A memory caught me off guard.”

“Its not what I want you to see something. Look in the vault as that zompony comes out of the entrance. You’ll see what I mean,” Luna said as she lifted us towards the entrance. She watched the entrance as I started to as well. Luna was right, I saw a black figure with green wings.

I gritted my teeth, “That little weasel… I’ll rip him to pieces!” My fury caused my flowing mane to flow like a burning fire of blue in my anger. I knew he had something to do with this. My tail blazed behind me as I saw my armor shift from simple design to a phoenix like wing cover and jagged blaze edges on the armor now.

Luna put a hoof on my shoulder and hugged me, “Rage and anger are not the answer. They will corrupt you as they had me so long ago. It turned me into Nightmare Moon and I hurt those I loved. My subjects were hurt. Calm your emotions please…” Her hug got tighter as she seemed almost scared that my anger did this to me.

With a calm mind, I took a few deep breaths to focus myself once more. I  saw my armor fade back to its simplistic, regular design. I looked at the figure, “Thats him… That changeling… I remember him from your memories. He is trying to stop us… Its a problem if he does. That thing can’t stop u… Wait whats entering now?” She looked where I pointed a hoof to as she stopped. I froze and thought on it, “Is that a… That one of those metal ranger things…”

“Steel Rangers… Not just any Steel Ranger though… Thats… He died…” Luna seemed to stop in her own memory she was lost in as she saw the metal covered invader. She seemed clenched in fear as the vault door closed.

I put a hoof on her shoulder, “Luna… Luna! Tell me whats going on? Who is that?” I spoke up to her concerned. I saw her fear and tried to hug her as it was only me trying to keep her form from shaking further. I looked up at her as I gave up the ruse to show my alicorn state. I was tall enough to hug her properly instead of hugging her leg.

Luna must have been crying as tears fell onto my back, “That is your great grandfather… You were named after him. If I remember correctly, he went by Knight after the wars started. I lost him to the wars but to know he’s still… He’ll die in there…”

“I’ll go… I can teleport right and I’m resting. So when I wake I can go in and save him. I know the codes to everything in that stable. Let me go in. I’ll save him and get him out… Please Luna and after you do… I want you to take my power until I truly earned it alright?” I spoke determined in my thought process. I needed to discover me first before I did this.

Luna stopped and pushed me back, “What… Lose your power? I… I…” She thought on it and nodded, “I will leave you with fractions of it. When you have learned the full lesson of friendship, you will gain them back. Not the shape but the magic. Don’t worry I won’t give you a horn. Just these…” She raised a hoof as she set it on my eye. Her other hoof landed on my other eyes as I heard magic begin to wrap around my eyes.

I felt pain like no other as I held back cries of pain. My eyes were burning as the pain seared into brain like a wave lapping over me. My body was shaking as my mind could barely function through the pain. I heard Luna speak softly, “Tell him I love him and to look to his dreams for me… You have enough power to teleport in and use some of your minor abilities.. Let your eyes rest…”

With that I sparked awake, covered in sticky sweat and shivering as the blanket on me had been soaked. I knew this place as a small raider outpost, whose people I had long killed. I looked to see Silver Shine making something in a crock pot as I smiled. Beside him sat Apple Miles, talking but I only just caught the tail end of the conversation. Miles had been speaking about a blurred discussion till now but what I heard scared me.

“We should let that stable stay closed… Its not safe for us and I reckon she isn’t in a state to talk after that surge of magic,” Miles had said full of concern and worry for the situation at hand.

Silver Shine wasn’t having it, “Did you see that Steel Ranger go in? We have to rescue him… But without a way in we’re not going to be able to help. Besides Tiger Shade left a vault behind for defense. Meaning new weapons we can pawn or sell off, maybe even use. Some good armor that might fit you too…”

“His name is Knight… He’s my Great grandfather… Luna’s somepony,” I spoke up with a hoarse tone to my dry throat.

Immediately Silver Shine grabbed his canteen and handed it to me, “Here. Drink up… Its a magical healing flask from the stable I kept in my flask.” I stared at him and took a sip. The pain eased up as the burn of my eyes started to go away. My pain seethed into a dull ache. My mind swam as I looked around. I saw Silver Shine look at me worriedly, “Your eyes…. Cryo…”

My mind knew Luna did something to allow me to keep my magic but what I didn’t know. So I moved to use my chest plate as a mirror. My eyes, I thought, there was no pupil or anything… Just a faint blue orb. I looked to Silver Shine, “I… I know why… I told Luna to take my power until I understood and deserved it. So instead of giving me alicorn shape she did this instead... I’m sorry but Silver shine is right. We have to save him. I can’t explain but we have to…. Thing is only I can get in…”

Miles turned around with a fire in his eyes, “No way hosey! You are not going into a ghoul infested stable alone… I won’t allow it. I won’t…” He walked up to me with an expression of fear and concern. I just watched him carefully as he had a hoof on my shoulder.

Silver Shine stepped beside him, “She’s right and you know it… With her magic, she can get inside. If he’s important enough to save, then do it. Open the door when you get in. We’ll help you.” Silver Shine just gave a kind smile as he held a hoof out, “Your going to be safe right?”

“Always,” I lied as I stood up and put my armor on. I was happy to be myself again. A bat pony, true and true. So I looked at Miles, “Trust me, I’ll open the-“

Miles kissed me without warning as he stepped back, “Promise you’ll open that door? Please…” He seemed coated in worry and loss as he gave me this look. It was a look of fear.

Flustering for a response I just managed to mumble out, “I promise…” I put a hoof around him with a rose cheeked smile. He hugged me back with a smile. So I just closed my eyes and stayed like that. I knew what I was supposed to do now but I had to do it alone…

Could I do this alone?....