Game of Circumstances

Chapter four: I need to get out of there!

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. Why can’t I think about the trap before stepping right in it? Find something to escape, now. Oh, yeah, I still had my knife! I took it and hit the net several times. Shit, it was too resistant for me to tear it open. A strange noise came then to my ears.

Somepony was lowering the trap.

They were here. Now, I was really trapped. As they opened the net, four of them took one of my limbs, neutralizing me. It’s the first time in my life that I feel fear. Real, oppressive, creepy fear. The one that make you useless, prevent you from doing anything.

I could hear my heart pounding at an alarming rate.

They carried me from the Lyre’s shop -I think it was called the ‘Heartstring’s heaven’ or something like that- to the central hall where they had established residence. A big fire burned in the middle of the tents and the bench they had disposed in circle. They transported me a few more time, to a shop that had been transformed into a cell. I couldn’t help but think that even if they were criminal scums, they were the reutilization’s masters.

Visibly, they lived three or four a tent. What? No, of course, their boss lived alone in a tent bigger and much less worn than the others. Leader’s privileges, I think.

I winced as the shop improvised doors were sealed by outside. They had taken my armor and all my stuff before throwing me in that room closed by the biggest sheet metal-made wall I had ever seen.

I quickly analyzed the few I could see of the room. It was dark, even darker that I was used to. I couldn’t see anything. It was like there was a black screen between me and … hmmm… guess I can call that a cell? Ok, so, a black screen between me and the rest of the cell.

I walked cautiously. I finally reached a wall, knocking my muzzle on it. By Celestia, that hurt. I stifled a hideous swear word, and sit, putting my back against it. I had to escape from there before they came back and make whatever they planned to do to me. I didn’t want to die! And I still don’t, of course.

And then, somepony turned the lights on. I swear that I thought I had nails in my eyes because of how these lights were dazzling. ‘’ SURPRISE!’’ The same pony yelled. I couldn’t see anything with this light. I think that being in the dark was better, because it hasn’t been hurting my eyes.

‘’ With you turn these stupid lights off?!’’ I yelled. ‘’ I don’t want to be blinded!’’ He/she lowered the light power, so I could see perfectly without having my eyes burning as I was looking in something brighter than a fire.

‘’ Rohhh… ‘’ The pony said. She was definitively a mare, not much older than me, with a bright red curly mane and cream-colored fur. She had also this kind of big, blue eyes, which are so cute on a female.’’ Did I hurt those big, purple eyes of yours?’’ She was kind of… what? Yeah, strange, that’s the word. But you’ll see pretty soon that this mare could be added in the dictionary as a synonym of the word ‘strange’.

‘’ Surprise?’’ I asked, my a-little-over knocked brain finishing processing what she had said.’’ What kind of surprise?’’

‘’ Your surprise welcome-in-the-cell party, duh!’’ She replied as it was an obvious fact.

‘’ A surprise party… because I’ve been caught by these sons of bitches?’’ I said, raising an eyebrow. ‘’ Are you kind of crazy?’’

‘’ Of course I am! If I wasn’t I couldn’t have survived three years there!’’ She said, wearing an impossible smile on her face.

‘’ Oh, great…’’ I muttered. ‘’ I’m locked in a cell with a crazy pony.’’ I swear that when you have reached this point one time, there are only a few things that can still surprise you.

‘’ I’m Happy Pie, from the Pie clan, professional party goers since the 1st Sonic Rainboom!’’ She claimed happily. Sheesh, she didn’t have stolen her name. ‘’ And you?’’

‘’ I’m Callixus, standard wanderer in the Ash Desert since I was born. And what in hell is a ‘Sonic Rainboom’?’’ I asked. That reminded me something my parents used to tell me when I was younger to get me to sleep. Her family name too, by the way.

‘’ I’m sure you know it!’’ She said, smiling even more widely. ‘’ You know, these stories with the harmony things that your parents used to tell you when you were young!’’ I couldn’t believe she had really said that. Was she reading my mind?

‘’ Wat.’’ I managed to say.

‘’ Oh, come on! I know you liked these stories! There’s even my grand-grand-grand-grand-grandmother in it!’’ She replied. And there, it was becoming odd. ‘’ You know, the pink one, Pinkie Pie!’’

‘’ Are you telling me that you’re a fictional character’s descendant?’’ I asked.

‘’ Of course not! They really existed! Two hundred years ago!’’ My mouth hanged open. She suddenly moved with a bullet speed and pushed something down my throat. I swallowed, taken by surprise.

‘’* cough* what was *cough* that crap? *cough*’’ I said, violently coughing because half of the thing was stuck in my windpipe.

‘’ What? It’s a cupcake, don’t you see?’’ She said. ‘’ It is leather flavor!’’

I won’t lie to you, it was probably as good as the time where I was stuck three weeks under a rock and I had to feed myself with a rotting corpse. Yeah, disgusting, isn’t it?

‘’ It’s… uh… not so bad!’’ I lied.

‘’ You don’t like it, do you?’’ She said.

‘’ Uh… no?’’ I said, faking a smile.

‘’ Bah, we’ll have plenty of time to taste plenty of other flavors! Rusted nails, dust, I’ve got everything!’’ Here, a piece of my mind died. One of my eyes itched. I had to restrain myself with all my mental strength to not run on the door and knock on it while yelling to the raiders to kill me, anything they wanted, at least as long as they got me out of there.

‘’ And what if…’’ I was interrupted by the opening of the door.

‘’ You, the new one! Come here!’’ It was a mare with an armor covered in spikes and old blood. I walked to her. She slapped me right on the face. Now, that was something I hadn’t been prepared to. I yelped in pain as I went directly on the ground. ‘’ You have five minutes to prepare yourself, and then I will come back to take you!’’ And she closed the door, knocking the left side of my head. I think I know for what they needed me, and I can only wonder how my ‘new friend’ could have supported that kind of treatment for three years.

That’s here that I have to add something about Hap’. Even if she’s definitely crazy, she’s one of the best friends you could even dream to have. And she seems to like being friend with everypony she meets. It must be some family trait. What? Oh, yeah, Hap’s her nickname.

So, yeah, Hap’ helped me to get back on my hooves, and, suddenly, out of nowhere, she took a surgical tape and put it on my wound, where the door had knock. ‘’ But… how?’’ I said.

‘’ Shhhh…’’ She said, still healing me. ‘’ It’s one of the good side effect of being a Pie’’ she answered. I never asked about the bad effects, but I didn’t know that I’ll be answered pretty soon… and trust me, I’d rather preferred never have seen that.

She finished. I made then something simple, normal, but that had the strangest effect I’ve ever seen: I smiled. Suddenly, she stopped moving, sat up, looking at me. And then, she jumped to the roof, yelling her joy. ‘’ WHO HOOO!!’’

‘’ What the hell…?’’ I said. I came back to reality. I had something to do, and I’d got to focus on it. I headed to one of the toolboxes that still lied around in the shop. These raiders weren’t really good cleaning up messes. I opened it, and I’m sure you know what I was looking for.

A screwdriver. I smiled as I put one of them out of the box.  The party mare had for long stopped yelling and was looking at me as I got the tool out of the box. ‘’ Stupid raiders…’’ I said.

‘’ What’s that for?’’ The creamy pony asked, pointing a hoof to my screwdriver.

‘’ Today’s lesson’’ I said, putting my back against the wall, next to the door. ‘’ How to kill a pony with a screwdriver. Please turn off the light.’’ She nodded. I smiled as the dark took over the cell again.

I took the tool as a dagger. The raider opened the door. ‘’ What the buck...?’’ She said. I didn’t let her any more time and pushed the improvised weapon under her head. Her eyes widened in surprise as the tool made its way through her brain, killing her instantly. I quickly searched her. I smiled as I took the rifle that was on her back.

Quite damaged, but it could make my affairs. I took all her ammunitions too, of course. And I said to my fellow ex-prisoner. ‘’ Let’s get out of this shit!’’ She nodded ‘’ Run in three, two, one! NOW!’’ I yelled. And we galloped the fastest we could. The raiders had heard us, of course. I accelerated as the bullets began to stifle around us.

We passed a door that I closed behind me, being slower than her. I took my new weapon, reloaded it and stopped just a few seconds to catch my breath before beginning to run again behind the party pony. I could feel my adrenalin rate getting up. Bullets again. I stopped, turned to face our chasers, and shot a quick gust at these bastards. One of them fell on the ground with a horrible scream. One other let unintentionally his weapon fall with a yelp as his left foreleg was performed by a bullet.

I put again the rifle on my back and galloped. The party pony was exactly doing what I told her to do, and not waiting for me. I was all alone again, but I think I recognized the place. It was the … oh, shit, how did you call that again? Oh, yeah, cello…

It was the cello shop! Salvation wasn’t too far! But some of the raiders were cleverer than their allies, and had blocked the passage. I took the assault rifle, jumped above a pile of old, broken cellos, made a quick roll on myself and emptied a load on the nearest of these…

He went face right on the ground as it was reddened by his blood. I reloaded, turned and dodging luckily a knife aimed at my neck, then shot my attacker right on the face. Blood sprout everywhere as his head exploded in a disgusting ‘plop!’ I used the corpse that was falling on me to protect me from the bullets of another raider, took one of the numerous knives that hanged on his belt, and throw it on the last one, who was reloading. He saw it coming, thought, and dodged it. I rolled behind the counter. The raider shot again, destroying their precious drinks.

I jumped again over the counter, shooting while I was again in the air. The raider couldn’t make anything other than see the death coming as one of the bullets ripped his hind leg off in a big spray of blood. I approached and finished my load in his head. As he stopped convulsing, I quickly searched if there was something interesting on them. I took a knife, some ammo for this rifle that I was really getting to like, and I even found a grenade.

I must say that at this very point, the strings were out of my mind. I opened the door, putting the rifle on my back again, and I made my way through the two first rooms that I had originally traversed the first time. And I finally bucked the last door and stepped out of this hell.

And something hit me on the chest. I was sent on the ground, and I opened my eyes to find a raider visibly much cleverer as the normal in front of me. Who knows, maybe wasn’t he even drugged? Hmm, no, it’s not possible for a raider. They got standards, after all.

However, I was still on the ground and this bastard aimed at my head. ‘’ Bad end, hero!’’ He said. ‘’ I assume that the others don’t know this entry, these stupid drunks.’’ He smiled, revealing his trimmed-in-fangs teethe. ‘’ So… given that I found you first, I think that I can be the first having fun with you!’’ He smiled even more wickedly. I swallowed hard.

Suddenly, the raider, who was still above me, stopped smiling. And something warm and sticky stained my fur. He coughed a few time, and he fell on his left side. I looked to the pony that had just saved me. I’m sure you know who it was. Yeah, it was Hap’. With a fire axe. Don’t even ask how she got it, I fuckin’ don’t know. But she had just saved my flank, in more terms than you might think.

‘’ You were right!’’ She said. ‘’ It’s so fun to play this game!’’

‘’ Uh… you know, this ISN’T a game. Plus, I’ve never said that it was fun.’’

‘’ Whatever.’’ She replied, still smiling – and quite covered in blood, I noticed-. ‘’ It’s still fun!’’ I had given up any chance to understand her for long now, but she was damn right when she said that she was crazy. We quickly reached the gate.

Surprisingly, all the raiders that protected the entrance of their territory were dead, with horrible wounds on them. I prefer to not tell you, because it’s really, really horrible. Some of them had tried to run away, but they had all been caught by their killer. There was blood and other gory things everywhere.

‘’ What the hell..?’’ I whispered.

‘’ Oh, these? I needed a quick training.’’ Happy Pie answered. I swallowed hard. Great. Did I just set free a psychopath on the wastes? I asked myself. Turn out that she’s perfectly able to restrain herself in public, but in fight it’s still the most horrifying nightmare you can think about.

Still, we were free, and even if I have lost my stuff, I had found somepony to help me and I was still alive. Things could have been worse.

Right?

Author’s notes:

That was much funnier to write than I thought it’ll be.

Added Pinkie in the Characters because Hap’s quite the same pony, although she’s not able to see the 4th wall and she’s not half as good as her ancestor in cooking.

Hope you liked this! To everypony who has read it, have this song !