Seeing what was once my home being bathed in the pink glow of the setting sun was something to witness. Watching the red sands shift shades to a pale rose pink along with the jagged cliffs and ridges being blood red change slowly to the beautiful pinks and oranges of the ending day. The unforgiving heat vanishing to soft cold breezes blowing the sands into slow dances causing it all to glide off of dunes and the bones of the weak. Looking farther to where the changlings and dragons clam home in the dark mountains as they are swallowed into the night's grasp as the sun dips below the land behind me.
"Badlands... I'll miss this, I truly will..." Smiling softly to the spectacle before me as the screams of death and hunger ripping apart the still air. The fight for life beginning anew as the vicus dog eat dog world comes to life once more. "I shall miss it..." Turning away from my birth place to look upon the softer looking white sands that Equestia rules with no blood staining them or creatures of nightmares running around. "Hello new life." Fixing the straps on my shoulders feeling the shifting weight of the armory and small bag of food shift ever so lightly. Stepping closer to the cliffs edge looking over the never ending drop to the dark land far below. Smiling big looking up one last time to see a light growing in the distance. Squinting hard seeing the light shift ever so lightly resembling a fire... A large fire at that. "Maybe it ain't so different here..." Spreading out the leathery wings I call mine feeling the embrace of the cooler air. Closing my eyes letting my body relax, ever so slowly leaning forward into a complete free fall letting gravity pull some work.
"What in name of the dragon priest happened here?" Staring wide eye at the dimly lit town of ashes and littered bodies in the mornings glow while reading a burnt sign reading of this town as Appalousa. Seeing what could have been a western styled town in stories I have heard from the dragons, no more than ash and bodies. Bodies of the young and old. No survivors and looks as if there would be no prisoners to take back. Slowly reaching down to my hips where my two rather large combat knifes that laid in hibernation. "Any living here?" Listening to only the soft crackles of fires and the hot winds blowing softly. "What happened? If this place is anything like the Badlands... There would be no bodies, just blood and bones..."
"What a treat~" Feeling the natural rush of blood pumping hard and the death grip on my blades tighten even more. "Thought we killed all of the bats! Guess the others really suck at their job." Hearing the gruff chuckles from the stallion behind me electing chills down my spine.
"What happened to this town?" Turning around slowly seeing for the first time a earth pony of a Diamond Dogs size. Looking slightly up at the 6 foot 9 inch frame of golden armor and what I guess is a rather large war ax. Shielding my eyes with my left arm trying to see anything other than gold and the early morning sun behind him.
"You're a small one compared to the others here... But a kill nether the less!" Seeing the sluggish movements of the ax raising behind his head aiming for a downward slash.
"That never answered my question sir." Hearing the slight hiss at the end of my statement surprised me slightly as much as the side step to the left as the ax came crashing down. Looking at where I was seeing the now double bladed ax deep in the sand and the bloody gold gauntlets that cover his hands on the black grips of the ax handle. "Now that you have tried to kill me can ya answer the damn question!?" Kicking hard at where his hands gripped onto the handle getting the weapon to canter to the side and the loss of his grip. "Please? It would serve me greatly!"
"Why you little-" Time seemed to pass me up as soon as his armor screamed weak spots from my critical eye. Back of the knees, hips, shoulders, waist, neck, and to top it off, elbows. "I'll kill you!" Seeing the movement of his right hand winding back for a powerful back hand making me roll my eyes in disgust. Ducking slightly and raising one of the blades letting it glide towards his elbow getting his own momentum do the hard work of cutting deep into the clothing, flesh, muscle, and bone. "GHAAA!" Sighing standing back up as the pain and power basically throwing himself onto the ground.
"Do you know there is a breed of dragon that has no weak points?" Turning to face him and looking at him, my dark purple eyes to his bright green eyes. Fear... Why does he have so much fear? Creatures of the Badlands never show this kind of fear in their final moments. Why is he? "The only way to even fight them is to stop them from using their elemental breath." Stepping closer watching him scooting away like a calf in the eyes of a wolf. Does he see me as a wolf? "Explosives are one of the few ways to do that... The best way to achieve it though is to have a honor match." Stopping all of my movements watching him still try to get away. "I challenge you to a honor match, to the death. Choose to say no and I let you leave, no more harm for the moment until we meet again."
"NO! I-I got a wife and kids! NO! for the love of Celestia and her sun NO!" Seeing pools of blue working their way free from the seas of green making me sick.
"Say yes and you win, get everything I possess and true honor rather than a crying sac of shit that I see now." Slamming my weapons into their homes still watching the stallion crawl away.
"NO! I-I'll be a crying sac of shit!" Watching him clamber to his feet darting away into the desert screaming about me.
"Now I track and kill~" Grinning madly letting my tongue run over my lips and fangs. "Plus, this Celestia sounds like something I can get answers from." Thinking of all the possibilities of what's to come is only a minor happiness compared to what is going to happen. Skipping slowly after the gleaming gold giant into the desert feeling the temperatures raise to nothing compared to the Badlands. "Fun this shall be~" Making sure to stay far behind him only to keep the glint of gold in view as small plums of smoke started to come into view a few miles out. Stopping my normally happy skip and changing into a dead sprint to make up the time I have lost staying far back and keeping a eye out. Maybe, just maybe I can make it to the camp before he does that way I can surprise him with bodies! Yes I do like the sound of that so very much more than having them prepare... Wait would they believe a stallion of his size that a mare did that to him? Maybe I should let him reach the camp first. Could prove to be more fun in the long run to be honest.
Looking up into the sky seeing noon approaching rather quickly and the temp slowly rising to the point where sleeping would be the better choice at the moment. "I know where they sleep, I'll strike at night, make sure that their fires light my face up while ripping out someone's throat before their eyes. Yes, very much like that idea even more, and it keeps getting better the more I think about it!~" Letting out a soft skree like the sound a bat would make stopping in my tracks. Shrugging off the little black backpack I fashioned out of a roaming changeling tied off by a black desert vine. Setting down the light pack into the sand while drawing one of my blades using it as a shovel and digging a shallow pit. What felt like a hour and having a pit big enough to lay a full grown stallion in, sadly only being three feet deep. "That will have to do for now..." Shrugging off my brown duster and crawling into the shallow grave using it to cover the top and block out the sun. "That will do perfect." Closing my eyes feeling the hot breeze creep under the coat to gently wrap me in its hold fighting the cooler sand.
"Theirs another smaller set of tracks that are fresh... Who ever attacked the big guy must still be close. I just hope he's lying about it being a mare... A bat also..." Hearing the multiple sets of armor rustling closer as the stallions started up small talk about their home lives. Snatching my weapons from their homes holding them tight to my heaving chest waiting to strike like a scorpion.
"She'll be getting her cutie mark here soon I hope!" Hearing them chuckle at the younger stallion as they now started to talk about these things called cutie marks. "She's a better cook than her mother so I can only imagine what she would be later."
"Fatherless...." Grinning hearing everything come to a stop and the groups breathing grow quick and labored. "See...." Sitting up pulling the sun shade to the side looking at the small army of 8 stallions. "I'm the bat mare that got ahold of your whore of a war horse." Standing up studying what they have for armor and weapons... If I'm right its top of the line gold armor and magic enhanced swords and spears.
"Wait.... You... Took out the big guy?!" Growling seeing as the setting sun was behind them leaving their faces hidden in the bitch of a ball of gas. Listening them break out into roaring laughter even going as far as leaning over and gasping for air.
"Guess actions speak louder than words..." Crouching down watching the golden black figures starting to take this on a real note.
"Oh shit... Well guess we can kill her and get back to the rest of you filthy night lovers!" Watching three of them charging at once each with a sword that glowed a pure pink. "DIE!" Darting backwards dodging all of their attacks ducking a weaving in a dance of death. Staying calm and moving gracefully keeping pace with their poorly timed swings and stabs.
"This is sad." Grinning slightly feeling the taller one on the left falter slightly and taking his life as payment. Dashing towards him slashing three times at his exposed gut sending his entrails into the sand with a viscus scream of agony. Not stopping there passing him up only to turn on a bit driving the sharp tools deep into his skull ending his cry. Leaving the blades in their temporary home jumping back as his friends sword drove deep into his back cutting the body clean in half.
"Oh sweet Celestia!" Watching the stallion let go of his weapon falling onto his knees believing he killed the poor soul. "W-what have I done?!" Turning to face the group seeing and feeling their rage and sorrow rise. Raising a hand begging them to come forward with a grin of pure evil etched onto my face.
"KILL HER!" Smiling big darting into the group twisting and turning past each weapon hearing war cries and cries of death as they each started to slay each other trying to kill me for one bitch. Closing my eyes keeping up with every dodge and cackle seeming that the Badlands where I raised myself, each day by one rule... The rule of life, only the strongest survive. That rule alone covered every other meaningless rule that I have been told. Opening my eyes watching a sword starting to swing towards me, ducking while grabbing the belt of one of the stallions pulling him in front of the swing letting his body mimic what mine should have done if I knew nothing about combat. Feeling the hot spray of the fluids from the pony drenching me and anything close by.
"See, combat can't be seen as a fight, more of a-" Leaning back as a spear passed over my chest only to go into the chest of the freshly killed stallion. "dance..." Smiling stepping out from the last three standing watching them pant hard and gasp for breath as they themselves seemed to have just slaughtered thousands. "One that ends with the best dancer still standing." Bending down keeping my eyes on the last of the group gripping my weapons from when our danced first started. "Do y'all wish to keep dancing?" Tilting my head holding my arms back loosely holding onto my knifes.
"Till the end bi-" Throwing my arms out letting the blades become ranged weapons making homes into the skulls of the two that seemed the most ready to fight leaving only one left.
"Oh sweet Celestia... W-what are you?!" Seeing the figure take a few steps back in pure fear.
"Just a mare from the Badlands wanting to start new." Before the stallion had a chance to retort a blade sunk in deep between his eyes. "A mare that takes shit from nothing." Grinning leaning my head to the side seeming to be completely insane. "Oh yes, something from the depths of a special place in hell~"
Gathering and cleaning what weapons I used and gearing back up seeing the camp fires growing only a mile out. Giggling darkly seeing the night starting to swallow the land just as every night. "Don't fear the darkness, fear me~" Making sure everything is strapped down properly opening my wings darting into the night air. Seeing clouds blocking out the stars and moon adding a extra special kind of darkness to this night. A night where this Celestia would know my name but not my face, and that's how I will keep it till we meet face to face...
