Chapter Two: Neo and Goliath
It was a rather uneventful sleep, nevertheless it was still sleep and it was still helpful to me as a whole. After this whole ordeal sleep has been much of a rather alien-like thing to me. Then I began to come back into the living world.
The voices and smells around me seemed to melt into one. I hear the voice of a mare and a low gruff animalistic like voice. The mare was pacing around her hooves clicking on another hard floor. My eyes were too heavy to open, maybe an anesthesia spell? I took a deep breath and sighed lightly.
Then the animal began to speak, "Stop making that face Neo. You are going to give yourself wrinkles." He paused sighing. "And if you keep pacing like that you are going to cause a dent in the floor."
The mare stopped abruptly a whisk of wind flew softly over my coat. "Oh ha, ha Goliath. For your information it would be a rut not a dent. This is concrete, not metal." She gave a huge huff. "I just don't want this pony to die."
"Even after all our hell you would rather help a possible infected? I mean look at him Neo! He lost an eye, Luna knows how? He lost a leg and he had shrapnel stuck embedded in his side. He is a crippled and infected."
The mare stomped her hoof I felt her mane glide across my neck. It took every ounce of will in my body not to spasm at that. Not only did it startle me but I can be sort of ticklish. I felt my face go hot as I tried to calm my nerves. The mare huffed, "I helped you didn't I Goliath you were stuck in Everfree with Zombies of your own kind after you. Now I will help him, my cutiemark is cybernetics isn't it?" Her voice began to perk up a bit. Cybernetics? I thought.
The mare spoke again her hooves once again clipping on the floor below. "All I need is my tool box, this, that, that, this and this." Her hoof steps grew closer once again. "Now I don't want to take any chances that he has been awake this whole time so." I heard the sound of magic rushing to a unicorn horn.
Shi- I sighed. Hello darkness my old friend. I've come to talk with you again.
I was madly galloping at a tiring speed. Well it wasn't me but it was me. To elaborate it was a third person view of me, from above. I was asleep, dreaming. Something that again was alienistic to me. I turned my gaze to my surroundings. I knew this place. This was when I had my first encounter with a Mind zombie. A Mind zombie is as similar as a normal one, however, they knew what they were doing. They were normally with a conscious pony mind that knew what they were doing, and they liked it. They liked the feeling of their teeth ripping through fur, flesh and bone. They loved the thought that they were gorging themselves on another ponies meat and blood. They didn't care if it was their family, best mare or super special somepony, they only knew that they loved it.
I never saw a Mind zombie till today and it frighted the horse apples from me. Even while dreaming in this back seat driver like state my legs throbbed in pain. I remember, I was cut of a rusty piece of pipe from a carriage that broke apart, probably by The Breakers, a group of scavenger ponies that steal everything they can get their hooves on.
I felt my lungs and nose burn as I galloped left, and right. I bolted into the Black Apple forest. It got that name after Appleloosa was struck with the plague. Most of the residents were zombified in a day, others fled. Now there were rotten apples littering the trees and floor. It wasn't an unpleasant smell. Much better than the corpses in the town over.
Dipping, dodging, ducking, jumping. That was all I was doing. Then it came into my, well my view. That damn shack I was just in! The shack I was surrounded in. This was then?! Oh Hell No!
"RUN AWAY!" I tried to call but to no avail, I couldn't even here me. I was stuck watching my own downfall, and it hurt. I looked up to the sky, still hovering above the me below as they ran. "IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU? I SCREWED UP I KNOW THAT! NOW YOU WANT TO SHOVE IT RIGHT BACK IN MY FACE ON A SILVER PLATTER? WELL SCREW YO-"
"Sir? Sir!" It was the mare! I jolted awake, my body plastered to the table. I was sweating, and was that a tear running down my cheek?
"Sir are you okay? You were sweating and thrashing while I started to finish up?" I looked over to my right. Beside me was a dark grey unicorn, she had a long white and pink mane. Her eyes were boreing through me, begging for answers that were just dancing on the tip of my tongue.
I sighed looking over to her, then I got something, a plan. "How about this," I began, "I will give you an answer to a question. Then you answer one of mine. We will go back and forth for every answer we can give. Fair?"
The mare pondered that for a minute. One side of her lip curled up in a smirk, "I like the way you think. Me first, what the hell was that just now?"
"A nightmare from the accident." I said blankly. Then I took in a breath and asked my question, "Who are you and who was that other voice I heard?"
"Ah, so you were awake then. Good thing I knocked you back out aye?" She put a hoof to her breast, "I am Neopolitan, Neo for short. That other voice you heard was Goliath. Goliath is out right now scavenging for any parts that The Breakers didn't already get their hooves on. My turn, who are you and why were you in that shack?"
I tried to mimic the same moves Neo did but again my body wouldn't work for my own command. Groaning I answered the pony as she stared intently on me, "I am Thunder."
She began to giggle, "An earth pony? Named Thunder?"
Sighing I continued, "Let me finish, like you that is my nickname. My full name is Thunderstruck, and the reason I was in that shack..." I paused my voice trailing off, did I want to tell her about the Mind Zombie?
"Is?" She pressed using her magic to levitate a chair over. Her magic was a mix of beautiful pastel colors, brown, pink, and white. Like the ice cream. Sitting down she rested her hooves on the bed I was stuck to.
Screw it. "I was chased by a Mind zombie they-"
"Hold it! You met a Mind zombie?! Goliath has to hear about this! I told him about them but he just cackled at me." Neo eyes lit up as she told me. As she was speaking I heard the door slam shut and large, ground shaking, footsteps climb stairs. What happened next made me almost lose my mind.
A Timberwolf the size of two full grown stallions burst in through the door, "Neo we got trouble!"
Neo jumped from the chair racing over to a rather frosted and cracked window. She placed her hooves on the window ledge sticking her muzzle against the glass. He breath fogged up the glass slowly, then it picked up.
"Shit! It's a horde! Probably the ones tracked on you Thunderstruck!" She turned back to me, her horn began to glow as I heard metal unclick. "Get up and try to walk. It may be shaky and sore but try dammit!" She ran over into a back room that I had not seen before now.
Shakily I tried to raise to my feet when my vision swam. Grunting I shut my eyes tight. Wait! Eyes, but my right eye was soup? "I-I can see? Out of my right eye I mean?" I said looking over to where Neo disappeared to.
She grunted, I heard the sound of metal clicking and fabric rubbing against fur. "Well yeah. We can't have you wandering with us with a shot eye like that?"
My hooves contacted the floor. Well I shouldn't say that all of them are mine, one is now sleek grey with a red light emanating where the joints should be. It was a metal leg. Glancing down to my side again it was silvery metal with red lights. Oh my Celestia! I am awesome! I thought to myself. Then I fell, more like I was pushed. Looking up I saw Goliath behind me, his wooden paw sticking out to his right. Setting his paw down on the floor he crouched down to my level. His muzzle only an inch away from mine. "Get your head back to Earth, Thunderstick." He huffed moving his head back, he took large steps towards Neo. Neo was now in the doorway of the room she was just it.
I stood once again stomping my hoof hard on the ground as I did. "It's Thunderstruck, and who the hay said that I wanted to travel with you two anyway? A Timberwolf, and a pony I just met?"
Neo walked over to me her nose touching mine, she jabbed a hoof into my breast. "Well then you can have fun and die. I will come back and grab all my stuff from your corpse that I went out of my way to add. Heck I guess you were right Goliath. We shouldn't have helped this soft belly." She walked past me her tail whipping my face. "Have fun with the horde."
The footsteps retreated, behind me Goliath was counting down softly under his breath, "5...4...3...2...1..."
"Wait!" Neo stopped not turning to face me. It didn't matter I knew that she was going to give me that pity and questioning look. That look that I have seen almost all of my life. "Just wait. I am sorry, I am just so confused. I woke up here, not knowing where here is might I add. Barely conscious I was hearing you and your friend here talk about things that just made me even more "Do not say anything like that again. You are not a burden,. Then I got into a nightmare of being chased by a Mind zombie pony." My throat felt like it was closing, my head hurt, and to top the big cake my eye burned, the natural one. I made a hicking sound as everything was falling apart right under my hooves. My vision began to swam in my own tears, it seems like the robo-eye tried to mimic the actions of my real one. "Dammit Neo why did you have to make this so realistic?!"
"Huh?" She looked at me turning around and now taking slow steps toward me.
"I was stupid enough to run into that shack and not assess what was around me. I was stupid enough to use every strong thing as my barricade for the door. I was stupid enough to hide behind a couch as cover from that grenade. I was stupid enough to-to"
Shit, I was crying, bad too. I gritted my teeth slamming my hoof on the floor. "Now I am stupid enough to have led these zombies to you both. I can't do anything right! I am a mess, a burden, bad luck. That is what my name is to me. I was named three weeks after my birthday when the room I was just in was struck by lightning. I am walking bad luck that is all I am, that is what I will be to you."
I was being squeezed, Neo was hugging me. "Do not say anything like that again. You are not a burden, you have managed to survive this long, and I bet most on your own too. Just shut it, put this on, follow my lead, and don't make a sudden moves. I got a plan and it will take all three of us to pull it off." She looked over to Goliath who was now standing right behind me. "Goliath you still got it?"
"Yup." He said muffled lifting up a beige saddlebag. The bottom of the bag was tinged with red. It smelled rancid, like burned flesh and fur.
I gagged you fight zombies, you are used to that smell, idjit. "What in the name of all of Celestia's feathers is that?"
Goliath dropped the bag, glowing green saliva dripping with it. "It is your flesh." He emphasized your.
"Why in the hell?" I said stepping back, bumping into Neo. Muttering sorry I looked back to the Timberwolf.
"So they get what they want and will leave us alone." I stood there one of my ears flicking down, I cocked my head to the side. "Elaborate for me, please?"
Goliath huffed sitting down he wrapped his twig and leaf tail around his wooden paws. Shutting his eyes he sighed, "Those zombies specifically travel in a horde like that. They walk, trot, and gallop together, often led by a smarter one."
"Mind zombie." I corrected pointing my hoof out lightly.
"Potato, Potahto, Tomato, I don't care." He huffed through his nose. Opening his eyes he continued, "They are led by one of those things. That one is often locked onto one target. In this case you. When we left there was some of your blood, meat and flesh stuck to the walls and floor of that rotting place. Neo encased them in her weird magic and placed them in a saddlebag. When I turned around there was horde zombie ponies down on their elbows licking and eating anything they could find. Made me lose my lunch."
Neo cleared her throat looking back over to me, "anyways those zombies want more so we can use that as our diversion. Goliath's saliva is poisonous and it has been seeping soaking into the meat. They can't smell or taste it since it has neither of those two things. The poison will kill them in twenty minuets that is when we make our escape. Good?"
I nodded taking a step forward. "Where do we dump it and how do we get out?"
"The roof and the roof." Neo said. Her voice gave a 'well duh?!' sort of vibe. I looked at her giving a small smirk.
"Um, care to elaborate once more?" I said leaning to my one side.
"The roof is where we will drop them. There are stairs out in the room I just came out of. Then we will jump down, you and me. I will use a spell to soften the fall. More for you since we don't want to damage the leg to much."
Goliath jumped in, "Then I will jump down. My log legs will not break under that pressure, it is only two stories high."
"And it is you and me in the lead so that you won't feel like we are trying to leave you behind and for dead." I turned back to Neo, then to Goliath. This plan is well thought out. If nothing goes wrong then this should work. Let's get real though, this is me we are talking about. Bad luck is my sort of shtick. "Let's go!" I slid the saddlebag, that Neo offered me earlier, over my head the fabric of the strap rubbing against my neck.
We ran into the room that that Neo had emerged from not long ago. The room we ran in had one bed and one bundle of blankets on the floor, that was it. The were not really living that much. I mean I know how hard it is to come by materials in this new Equestria but still this is pitiful.
Neo new what I was thinking about, "Don't you dare say a word."
I looked at her my eyes wide, "I wasn't-". She cut me off chortling, "I know, it was only a temporary situation."
We ran up the stairs hoof, by hoof, paw, by paw. As we got to the last couple stair we slowed our pace. Getting to the top we slunk down our bellies close to if not rubbing the rough ceiling, now floor. Goliath slinked over to the back of the house ready to jump down after the two of us were done. Neo slithered over to the edge the saddlebag being held with her magic. She turned to me staring at me intensely. I looked at her questioningly, what in Starswirls beard is she doing? I thought. She shook her head she muttered, "sorry I just wanted to see something." Changing topic she said, "you got real good control over that new eye of yours."
I chuckled softly the metal gutter ricocheting my breath back onto my face. "I had a good mechanic." I moved my eyes over to her. It was there faint and gone in an instant but it was there. Neo blushed. It was probably for my comment acknowledging that she was the one to gift this eye to me but still. That made this whole situation a little more brighter. She took the bag hovering above the horde that was banging on the door. Turning the bag upside down I saw the liquid remains of my leg, and my side. My eye, however, was still intact somehow. There was a hole cut through where the pupil and iris should have been. I gagged once again. This time body I will allow it. Since that is well part of me, and anyone would act like this in my situation.
That was when it happened. Neo jerked the bag back towards Goliath who was leaning on the edge. Simultaneously she jerked both herself and myself down to the rooftop with magic. We began to slink back, me significantly slower. The leg at points locked up on me and I had to slowly stretch the leg out just to pull it back and continue. As I moved though I heard the grotesque sounds that those ponies, no things, were making. Gulping, gagging, choking, crunching, cracking, gargling, screeching. Hissing? It made me want to hurl everything that I had in my stomach. I bit my lip, hard not wanting to vomit. Warm, copper liquid rushed into my mouth. Getting to the edge I nodded to Neo.
"We may need to tweak that a bit." She whispered poking her snout to the rather annoying leg. I felt a warm blanket envelope me as Neo wrapped me in her mixed color light wave. She jumped almost pulling me with her. I grunted as we glided almost gracefully down to the bottom of the house like building. Our hooves touched the rotting autumn leaves. I sighed as Goliath hopped down his own twigs and leaves giving him a muffled thud.
"Follow me. We are heading to Ponyville Outpost." That was Goliath.
"Ponyville Outpost? Since when did Ponyville become an Outpost?"
"Since zombie ponies walked the Equestrian soil. Ponyville became an outpost for all the raider, scavengers, and lone groups. It is where they can all be in peace away from the zombies behind a large cinder block wall with barbed wire so the Climber zombies won't get over. Amnesia Nation, Honor Order, New Sun Union, The Honorbound, The Deviants, The Asylum all of them under one sky and in one wall. Then there are us The Outcasts we take in any creature that is different. Neo and her magic, me being a Timberwolf, and you now being a cybernetic. Also before we get in there put this cloth over your eye. It was the bandage we used before Neo started, also this one on your leg. We will get this large one around your side. Limp as much as you can."
I held up my hoof, looking at the Timberwolf, "wait? Why?"
Neo walked over to Goliath taking the wrap and walking back over to me. I moved away from her defensively, "why?" Both of the stopped in front of me. "Because Thunderstruck, cybernetic ponies are rare. Most never survive gaining the cybernetic parts, they either die from blood loss or infection. Then if they do survive they are sold in the walls." Neo sighed. "Now sit."
I sat down obediently still confused about what exactly was going on, "Wait sold?! Like slaves?"
Goliath sighed giving a pitied look to Neo. They began wrapping me in bloody stained bandages. I wrapped the one around my eye, moving my black mane appropriately so it won't get caught under the cloth. When we were done I stepped back. Then Neo answered my question from a few minuets before. "Yes like slaves. You are now seen to some as property, and you will be treated as such. I am sorry Thunder, this is how it has to be from now on. When ever we are in a public area you have to cover your limbs no matter what."
"Well shit. Can't I just be the property of The Outcasts?" Both Goliath and Neo took a step back. Both looked pained. Both looked shocked.
"We can't do that to you Thunder. If you want that eventually then yes we may consider but now, hell no!" Neo looked at me. Her eyes spoke a thousand words.
I sighed. "Fine then let's go. Eventually they are going to get suspicious."
"We know." Goliath sighed his breath now on the back of my neck as we moved. Goliath shouldered around me. He began to run as did we.
"As we run let me.... tell you about the rules...." She huffed her lungs pulling in as much air as she could get. "They....are...."
"I can take in a lot more air than you Neo. Let me tell the pony." Goliath cut in giving Neo some what of a break. "The rules of the Outpost are. One: Don't Kill another. Two: Don't steal in the walls. Three: Keep all slaves at your side and tagged." At that one I gulped, tagged? "Four: You may give out and take work from others as long as the share is equal. Five: Keep all weapons out of sight and out of mind. These next rules are for the Battling Box, questions after please. One: Sign up three hours before the event. Two: No personal weapons in the Battling Box. Three: No getting outside help from members of your party. Four: No fillies or colts or hatchlings or pups, may enter at any cost. Five: Suck it up and fight. Six: This battle is to the death. Seven: Any slave that wins 3 consecutive fights will be immediately freed."
We continued to run, "The Battling Box?" I asked my lungs now burning and lactic acid bubbling in my muscles.
"It is a place for you to fight to win ammo, gear, weapons. However, as I said it is to the death so not many creatures win the grand prize. Before you ask the grand prize is a house in the area. The house has full protection, and is furnished. Only two creatures one, a griffon, and a dragon. So you can tell with the fact that those two creatures are some of the toughest that yes, this is the hardest fight in your life." Goliath huffed picking up speed a bit.
As we continued to run we eventually began to see a large grey wall. On top of the wall was a large spiral of spiky, rusted, barbed wire. I could very faintly see that there were two dark stallions waiting in front of a large set of doors. We slowed down to a walk."Why are the doors so big?" I asked to Goliath turning my head so I could see him standing to my right. He chuckled lightly still walking at a decent pace. "What?"
"They are like that because that means they need to be thicker to keep the all types of zombies out." He sighed to me speaking in a light hearted tone. I made a noise of approval. Huh, that makes a lot more sense than I thought. Zombie ponies if they want can be strong, especially in numbers.
We walked over to the doors with the two ponies at the front. One was a dark blue pegasus with a metal wing and riot gear. The other was a blood red unicorn, also in riot gear. Both had guns. The pegasus had a gun around the nape of the neck, a pipe was holding a bit in the front of his mouth. I bet if he bites that then the gun will shoot. I thought to myself. Goliath and Neo walked right past I, however, was stopped by a big blue hoof.
"Hold it!" A deep gruff voice ordered me. "When did you get those and how?" He pointed to my side, eye, and leg. I stood there not knowing how to respond. When did I fall unconscious? How long was I out? Oh, Cheesecake and crackers dammit mind!
"It happened three days ago." Neo stepped over. She nodded over to me as I took over the conversation. "I got it when I threw a grenade too late and didn't duck in time."
The unicorn grunted he spoke in a raspy voice, "Make sure he sees KillBuck. If you don't get a note within an hour you will be pulled aside for questioning." He said opening the doors with his horn just enough for the three of us. As we walked in I turned to Neo, "KillBuck?"
"The Outpost head Doc. We need to get a note from him. Annoying part is, he would want to see you to make sure you don't have the virus."
I stopped abruptly, "But I don't? Isn't three days the incubation time?"
Neo turned to me biting my mane to drag me a bit. I didn't budge, instead I went red, my face felt hot. "Come, on. You dun't haf it." She muffled mouth full of mane. I began to step again. "So do we ya know, forge it?" I hushed at the end of the question. Goliath turned to me his twig tail slapping me directly in the muzzle. "Ow." I said.
"No we do not forge it!" He screamed in a hushed tone. "KillBuck is my friend he will know what you will go through as a slave. The" He grunted his head moving back. If he was a pony he would have a double chin. "precautions of being one of them."
The PO was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Like 20% cooler than anything in the world. There was no blood, no guts, no gore, no zombie ponies. Instead there were tents of all types of dull colors with banners waving out in the front. Most of the tents were huge, like really big, one story house big! There were houses farther back in the center of the ring. In the direct center was a cylindrical grand building, the inner ancestor in me forced me to believe that at one point that was a Town Hall. Now it seems like it is either housing, or a storage area. The area was amazing, just as I was about to walk out into some random direction I felt a tug on the back of my mane. "This way hot shot." Neo once again was tugging on my mane pulling me in the way of what seemed to be a clinic from here. Well it was nice that they didn't force the clinic to be in a shoddy old tent.
Walking up to the clinic I stepped in my hooves touching a cool tile floor. "KillBuck?" Goliath called.
"O-One second!" He called, he had a very high pitched frazzled voice. "Just getting records together!" I chuckled slightly. That voice was the best thing I have heard. With that name it is perfect, they just don't fit that it is comedic. Seconds later a decently sized buck scampered out his hooves struggling to keep up with he momentum. He slammed into Goliath blushing with embarrassment. Stepping back he gulped cranking his neck to take in the sheer size of the Timberwolf. "Oh hai there Go-Goliath." He stammered swallowing saliva. His glasses askew on his face. His orange mane frizzy on his head and neck. His coat was a soft yellow with white barely visible spots. He was a unicorn, very tired and very fray. He looked like he was going to snap right when Goliath breathed on him. Goliath looked down to KillBuck, "KillBuck," he paused. Pulling himself together more he got strait to the point, "I need that favor from you now." KillBuck took a big gulp of nothing. "IF YOU WANT TO KILL ME I UNDERSTAND I WON'T PUT UP A FIGHT!" He cried out, his eyes shut tight and his head whipped back.
Goliath sighed, "Kill no. I am not gonna kill you. I want you to report that my friend here is injured, but can move and is not in any way infected." KillBuck scampered over to me at immense speed my own mane flipping and flopping in the wind. "Oh hai" He called to me a huge grin on his face. He pushed his glasses up more on the bridge of his nose his blue eyes staring me down. "Sorry Goliath. If I forge them and they are false we-"
Goliath growled at him. He took a step toward us shouldering both me and Neo aside stepping between me and KillBuck. I looked up at Goliath my eyes wide. He is protecting me, why? "No Deal. Remember your debt. I saved you from a gourgers."
"But we would get shoved into a pit of gourgers!" He screamed dropping to the floor his hooves over his head and ears. Almost like he didn't want to hear Goliath's reply because he knew that it would ruin him.
"No Deal." Goliath growled. I could see under his body that florescent saliva was dripping from his jaw. "KillBuck once you see Thunderstruck you will realize that we are trying to save his life, not ruin it for all eternity!"
"Please, Goliath I can't! I will give you anything else but that!" He whined his tail now curled around him and his glasses inches from his hooves. Was KillBuck, crying? He kept muttering, "I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't." His voice trailing off as he wept. "All of you will be in danger."
Goliath huffed, "Fine then look at him and we will compromise from there." Goliath stepped away and KillBuck shakily rose to all fours. "This way sir."
He led us to a back room. Turning on the light I see that this place almost looked good as new, except for the mildew on the walls and the bloody rags that were resting in the rusty trashcans. I cringed, only Luna knows where that came from. The smell of this room was the oak from the cabinets and hydrogen peroxide, those two things do not mix together well. My nose burned and my eyes began to water. Through the my tears I saw KillBuck walk over and knock his hooves on a metal plated table in the back of the room. I nodded slightly walking over to that table. Stepping up two oak steps each one giving a protesting creak. My own hooves knocking on the metal table, laying down the cold metal pressing against my underbelly. KillBuck sauntered over to the table his horn beginning to glow a soft green. My cybernetic eye opening as the bloody rag was pulled off of my head, then my leg, then by side. KillBuck took three large steps backwards his irises shrinking in horror. "N-neo, why?" He asked his voice shrunken and almost hollow.
"I had to, you should have seen him. He was mangled, torn, close to death. It was either this, or murdering him in his sleep." She stomped her hoof on the ground her tail whacking the metal leg of the table. KillBuck looked to Goliath who simply nodded from his corner.
KillBuck's rump bumped softly against the door and it slowly creaked open in annoyance and anger. "Goliath I-I" He stuttered in horror still looking strait at me. "I can't help you." He said turning tail and bolting out of the door.
I heard a rumbling growl from Goliath. He stood up abruptly turning to Neo his brow furrowing, the glow in his eyes growing. His lip curled somehow showing his pure white teeth. Glowing, luminescent, poisonous spit dripping from his maw. "Neo!" He barked at the mare, her body and mine lurching. Even though we knew Goliath was tamed, he was still ominously threatening. "Get him. You know KillBuck, you know he is going to Kaleidoscope!"
Neo nodded her body jumping forward her hooves pushing her across the floor. Her horn glowed as she poofed away teleporting outside. Goliath then turned to me, "Put those back on now. I can't help you right now you don't want to be hit with this poison. But move as fast as your hooves will take you dammit. Move fast and move now." I jumped grabbing the rags as fast as I could.
Wrapping the rags maybe a bit too tight in some spots I turned and nodded to Goliath. At that he nodded back getting up and glancing towards the window. "Not good. We gotta move." With that I turned and glanced out. Through the dusk light I saw a large flash of pale mixed unicorn rays. "What is that?!" I asked clambering off the table and onto the tile floor.
"That is a warning shot. It means the KillBuck made it and that Kaleidoscope and her men are coming here now. It also means that Neo may have issues getting her and not making it obvious." My face contorted into anger. How could he do this? This is a deed from Goliath. Goliath's tail smacked the back of my head. "Don't get mad at him now. Get mad at him if you get caught. I don't think that we have enough bits to buy you if you do become property."
I stopped my own irises contracting in horror. My fur bristled up and any wounds that I still had began to pound along with my heartbeat. "W-wait? Buy me?"
Goliath growled slamming his head against my rump. "Yes now run!" As he pushed me my hooves almost fell out beneath me causing me to collapse to the floor. I scrambled as I began to fall, getting my footing I bolted out of the exit and to the front of the building.
The space between the town and the clinic was a very small ill-managed field. Stepping out into the autumn air my eyes settled on four figures walking on the other side of the field. Then my eyes flicked over to Neo bolting across the overgrown grass. I blinked several times before looking up at Goliath, "Now what?" I asked him my eyes following the glowing saliva as it drips thick blobs onto the earth. The glowing goo burned and killed the grass smoke weaving it's way through the air climbing towards the clouds. I could hear his breath through gritted teeth.
"Well first we wait for Neo. She is running, they are walking. Then you jump on me. Next we all run for the exit. Neo will teleport us out from behind the doors. Then we will run till we can no longer see this damned Outpost again." I nodded to him that did make sense. Well it did make sense until from the darkness a gigantic dog leaped out slamming into Neo. My heart lurched and I began to run in her direction when Goliath in turn stepped in front of me.
"Whoa there Thunderstruck." He said low to the ground making his body block me from running any farther. I tried to clamber over him using his own sticks and branches as a stepping stool. He shook me off causing me to fall on my side with a thump.
"Goliath, this isn't the time to mess around!" I yelled at him scrambling back to my feet.
"I know." He said not even glancing at me. His head was still facing forward, now lower to the ground saliva still dripping from his jaws. "But this is not the time to go ballistic. I care about Neo, more than you think. She saved my life dammit! This is the worst scenario to happen but Neo would want us to negotiate with them. If that can not happen then we will get her back no matter what." I huffed at me in a low tone.
I sighed shakily relaxing a bit. Turning back to the ponies that are now only five feet away from us. The pony in the center was a unicorn mare with a pale purple coat and dark blue ,long, curly, mane. The two on her left were pegasus bucks. The pony to her right was another unicorn mare her horn glowing, a quill and note pad floating to her right. I could see out of the corner of my eye that the dog was now making it's way over, with Neo in it's arms.
The center mare's unicorn horn now glowed a deep purple. She was using a voice enhancing spell, just enough so we can hear. Goliath, however, was not too pleased with his heightened hearing. "Greetings pony and Timberwolf! I am Kaleidoscope, leader of this fine Outpost. It has been brought to my attention that Doctor KillBuck here has come to the conclusion that the pale brown stallion is in fact a cybernetic Pony. Please stallion step forward and remove the rags."
In my peripheral vision I could see Goliath put a paw up, "Firstly turn it down, you are killing my hearing. Second of all before he does that let us all come to a compromise."
One of the pegasi stallions took a defensive step forward. The Kaleidoscope waved him off looking back to Goliath, "Do tell your end of the compromise."
Goliath nodded stepping forward a tail length and took a slight defensive pose. I groaned inwardly, great, Goliath is now my hope. I'm screwed. Then Goliath spoke, "he will show you and go through the ritual."
"WHAT NO!" Neo yelled the large dog giving her a warning squeeze.
"Let me finish Neo. He will go through the ritual, but we get to keep him and Neo gets returned to us." Goliath finished his body still in a defensive position.
The mare contemplated then spoke her terms, "If this stallion has no more than three cybernetic parts then I will comply. If he has four or more your terms are ill-weighted and will be discarded." Goliath nodded. I noticed a small smirk on his face. He turned to me nodding. I turned my glance over to Neo. She didn't look happy, she looked defeated. Her mane was darker shades of pink and white. Her ears drooped down and her whole body slumped in the dogs arms.
I stepped forward taking off all of the bandages, there were in fact three cybernetic parts on my body. The unicorn scribe scribbled in her note pad every detail of me.
Kaleidoscope spoke, "Three cybernetic parts, a red eye, a metal leg, and a metal side. Your terms are valid. The ritual will begin now. Scratcher release the mare and make sure she can stand. When you three are ready follow me."
The dog who I can only assume to be Scratcher released Neo. Her legs were shaking but she assured Scratcher that she was stable enough to walk over to us on her own. As she walked over to us all she could do was stare at me. Her ears were still down and I noticed that her eyes looked hollow. Not wanting to meet my gaze she said, "I am sorry Thunder. I am sorry for not being fast enough, I am sorry for bringing you into this. I am-"
I cut her off pulling her into a light but firm hug. "Do not say anything like that again. You are not a burden, you have helped more than hurt. I am not as good with words as you are but I hope this next few words will help." I sighed taking a shaky breath, "This is not your fault. You did nothing wrong. Never change your morals for me or any pony for that fact. Just keep being you." I cut myself off there not wanting to say things I will regret.
She took a shaky breath, "thanks Thunder." She hugged me back. After a bit she stepped away looking to Goliath he nodded back to her. Shakily she said, "This is advice for what is to come, don't break. Stay diligent, stay strong. They are going to try and break you down but don't. If you can last 12 hours of this then you will be branded with our seal and given back to us. Until then do not break. I will heal any wounds you get physically. The wounds mentally you will have to mend on your own." She looked over to Goliath and he nodded putting a paw on my head.
"Don't break kid." I looked at him blankly, that was all he could say? Don't break kid? Wow aren't you the best pep talker to anycreature out there. Well screw you too Goliath. I sighed a small, "Thanks."
This was it. I looked over to Kaleidoscope nodding to her. "Okay lets move out everypony, and everypuppy." As we began I heard Goliath mutter that he was not a puppy. Laughing we followed the lead mare to my 12 hour torture.
Author's Note
SO I am going to say this now as I am writing the KillBuck Section. Yes as I was writing this I was thinking of Sunburst from The Crystalling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv_MDpdnpLw). He is mottled after Sunburst.
Now I am writing this to you at 11:08 at night. I am tired But I do not care. This is the longest chapter for anything I have EVER wrote. Which to me is crazy.
For any of you that are squeamish I will tell you this again next chapter but be warned! This will be detailed and gory so please read at your own discretion.
Stay pony my friends! 
