Author's Note

This chapter contains indirect depictions of Sexual Assault.

It's not graphic, it's fairly short, but it is there.

A Lily Crushed Under Hoof

Lilly Grove was woken with a start. Bedlam had stood up, and in the dark she could hear Arinell moving around. She got up, rubbing her eyes, trying to get used to the darkness. She felt like she had just gone to sleep.

“Check on Leyin’s breathing, make sure his nostrils were not covered in the night,” Bedlam said, grabbing Lilly roughly and setting her on her armoured back. “Once you are done, we will get some altitude. come in with the moon to our front,” She said, spreading her wings in preparation. “We will fly away to get distance, then glide over, dive down,” Bedlam added as Arinell spread her wings as well. “Hold on Acolyte,” Was the last thing Bedlam said before they both took off.

Lilly was terrified. She was aware she was no longer on the ground. She was aware they were moving, but she did not know where they were or how high they were. She knew nothing important, and she couldn’t see where they were. It was now she made the decision that she hated flying, and would avoid it as much as she could. On the other hand, they were going to save her mom, so she had to be brave. She couldn’t let herself lock up when they hit the ground.

Before she knew it, they were falling. It took everything Lilly had to avoid screaming in terror She felt herself press into Bedlam hard as the griffon opened her wings, the two griffons screaming loudly as they landed. Gunfire started, magic flew, and Lilly jumped off Bedlam to get as far away as possible. They were the distraction, she had to find Twisted Visions!

When she fell, she landed in something wet, and someone beneath her started screaming, making her scream and scramble getting tied up in slimy ropes. She didn’t think about it. She didn’t want to think about what she landed on as she kicked her hooves and scrambled away from the pony she landed upon. She didn’t think it was going to be like this! She could hear agonized screams from where Bedlam and Arinell were, but she didn’t look. She just started running away from the fight as lights started to turn on all through the airfield. Everyone was running towards the two armoured Griffons wreaking havoc in the main terminal. She just needed to get away and into the airport. Bedlam and Arinell could handle the cultists, she was sure of it. They had to be able to.

She managed to get her way inside, hiding behind a counter as she heard yelling from further down the terminal building.

“What the fuck do you mean no one saw them!” An angry voice shouted, a group of ponies walking away from the fight quickly.

“I’m so sorry Master Red Mist,” A unicorn mare said, sounding worried. “I-I’ll have the guards punished! We’ll deal with the Followers!”

“You’re useless!” Red Mist shouted, turning around and hoofing her across the face, snarling. “You will do nothing of the sort. I’m grabbing my rifle, and you will wait for my return!” He snapped, leaving the mare alone.

The mare stood there for a moment, turning around suddenly. Lilly had tried to back away and kicked a can. “Who’s there!” The mare shouted, looking around and starting to search for the sound of the can. Lilly looked around frantically, picking up an old pen that was laying under the counter, not that she knew what she would do with it. It made her feel better though.

“Come out you heretic!” The mare growled, wandering around, her horn lighting up and drawing a pistol from the holster on her hip. Her dirty brown coat and pale yellow hair are the most noticeable aspects about her. “Come out and I might make your death a quick one,” She added, continuing to walk around.

Lilly crawled from one counter to the other, freezing as she saw the mare’s head poke around the corner. She was looking the wrong way, but Lilly could still feel her heart beating a powerful and fast tattoo in her throat. The mare started walking away again, and Lilly started to crawl away.

“Got ya you little bi- Lilly gro-?” The mare shouted, her face going from a sadistic smile to a shocked gasp. The mare didn’t finish what she said though as Lilly jammed the pen in her eye, the mare screaming out in agony and falling away. Lilly ran as fast as her legs would allow her, changing directions as often as she could before crashing into a room and slamming the door behind her.

She sat there, breathing heavily before breaking down into tears. Why did she argue! Why didn’t she just listen! Why did that mare know her name?! She couldn’t handle this, she should be back in memorial city listening to Tempo talk about the things he found while on the hunt, or practicing her math and reading! Not in the middle of an airport filled with murderous psychopaths while Bedlam and Arinell fought for their lives!

Bedlam and Arinell. That got her to stop crying. They were counting on her, and she couldn’t let them down. She couldn’t let her mom down! She took a couple deep, ragged breaths, before opening the door and slinking out of the room, looking around.

“You think I am going to believe that?!” She heard Red Mist’s voice from back where she came. “You stabbed yourself in the eye! You must think I’m an idiot! Get whoever is not fighting those fucking feathered fuckers and have them search the fucking terminal! Now, before I take your other eye you bitch!”

Lilly continued away from that, and thought about where they would keep Twisted. She had no idea where to go to find her. She wandered around, hiding in dark corners and behind counters as a few of the cultists searched the terminal. They were barely looking, just happy to not be fighting the griffons. They only kept a good enough eye out for someone attacking them, and the Filly melted out from their vision. It was like she wasn’t even there.

“I swear to whatever god we’re supposed to believe in,” One of the raiders said to another as they walked. “If I’m told to go fight those tanks, I’m gonna go down to security and fuck that preistess bitch to death before I fight that shit,” He growled.

“Hey,” The other said, giving the first a grin. “Why aren’t we doing that right now?” He asked, stopping mere feet from the overturned table Lilly was hiding behind. “I mean, who the fuck is he gonna blame? He can’t kill all of us you know,” He said, starting to walk away.

“Oi!” The first said, running to catch up. “wait for me!”

Lilly knew they were talking about Twisted, and she quickly ran to keep up with them without getting caught. She hid when she needed too, but she inevitably lost them. She looked around, wondering where they could have gone.

“Only Red Mist can see the pris-BANG!”

Lilly jerked her head in the direction of the gun. That must be where they went, but why did they shoot someone? She was scared. A large part of her wanted to wait for Bedlam and Arinell, but a part of her knew they were planning on killing Twisted. She whined, frowning before trotting towards the gunshot.

She poked her head around a corner and could see a pony laying on the ground, a growing pool of blood forming around him. She slowly approached, and as she got closer she could hear whimpering. She didn’t want to think about it. She was NOT going to think about it. She could see the dead pony had a knife, and she knew what her target was.

“We don’t have time to take turns!” She heard one of the stallions say.

“Shut the fuck up,” The other snapped. “This bitch had a smart mouth when me and Punji grabbed her, I wanna hear the bitch!” He snapped.

“Get fucked!” The first said. “I ain’t waiting cause you want reve-” Another gunshot, and Lilly’s ears rang. She couldn’t stop now, she had to save Twisted. She took the knife with her magic, and poked her head in the room.

The scene before her made her sick to her stomach, and the look on Twisted’s face made something snap in the filly. “That’s my MOM!” She screeched, running into the cell, stabbing the knife at the stallion. In a panic he lifted his front hoof, catching the edge making him scream just as the filly careened into him at full gallop, the two crashing to the ground in a huddle. Lilly didn’t stop though, stabbing the stallion again, eliciting another scream from him as she jumped on him. “YOU DON’T TOUCH HER!” She screamed, punctuating each word with a new stab, before she devolved into unintelligible screams of rage she didn’t think was possible. She kept stabbing the pony until her horn fizzled and she didn’t have the strength to keep up the act, weakly punching the bloodied corpse. Then she felt everything roil inside her and she let out a wail, covering her head and rocking back and forth. “I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE!” She screamed hysterically. She had never felt so alone and helpless as she started to cry loudly. She could feel the blood in her fur and on her face. She could even taste it causing her to retch violently, which made her cry even louder.

She felt a leg wrap around her, and looked up to see a hollow faced Twisted standing shakily over her. The mare collapsed shortly after though, weakly pulling Lilly towards her.

Lilly threw herself into Twisted, burying her face into the mares neck and sobbed uncontrollably. “I’ll never argue with you ever again!” She cried. “I promise if you tell me to stay I’ll do it just please get me out of her!” She begged but Twisted didn’t move, making Lilly cry even more.

Bedlam screamed in triumph as yet another heretic died underfoot, one of her wings shooting out and tossing another into a heap several feet away. She and Arinell had been fighting for several minutes now, and they had amassed quite the trail of bodies as they moved towards the terminal opposite of the side Lilly had entered, though she didn’t know that. She had lost track of Lilly the second the battle had started.

This was not the amount of resistance they had expected in this battle, but the cultists had poured out of buildings like angry ants from a disturbed hill. She could feel bullets pinging off her armor, and while none of them penetrated, she knew each shot was going to leave a hefty bruise. It hurt, but she didn’t mind that. It reminded her she was still alive and fighting. She heard Arinell scream in pain, turning to look at her. A cultist had managed to get a spear between the plates joining her belly armour and her back armor. Arinell swatted the pony away hard, snapping his neck in the process. She pulled the spear out of her side and launched it and skewered a cultist right through. Arinell was near lost in her rage, but that was fine for the moment.

Bedlam looked around the runway. The horde of ponies was starting to subside, but she could still see the flashes of gunfire from various points of the airport, and feel the thwap as they whizzed off her armour. Then she found herself thrown to the ground by a strike and a deafening boom filled her ears. Her breath left her lungs, and she scrambled to get back onto her feet before the cultists with spears could crowd her up, when Arinell plowed through an entire line, swiping away their spears, keeping them away long enough for Bedlam to get back to her feet.

“Get in the terminal!” Bedlam shouted, favoring her left side. She was still struggling to breathe. “They are using the weapon that took down Leyin!” She said, digging her feet in and beginning her sprint, charging through whatever cultist was dumb enough to try and get in front of the mass of angry feathers and metal. Arinell followed suit, letting out a screech of challenge as she did, and the two slammed through the floor to ceiling windows of the terminal like trucks. Inside they got a moment to breathe, and Bedlam groaned. She was getting too old for this. “I was hit,” She hissed, and Arinell quickly checked Bedlam over.

“It left a good dent, but it bounced,” Arinell said, looking around their surroundings quickly. “There are too many of them, Priestess! Even we cannot keep this up! We must hurry!” She added, and Bedlam had to reluctantly agree. She did not like running, but she was starting to see little choice. There were just too many ponies in too many places. They needed support. They needed Twisted and her magic and she was why they were even here!

Bedlam felt actual fear clutch at her chest as she thought of ways out. The Tower. That was where the weapon had to be if the weapon had hit her at the right angle to not only throw her to the ground but bounce. If they could deal with it, they could fly away without much concern but for their wings. She watched Arinell rip the spear out of the mouth of a pony and snap it across the former wielder's jaw, spinning him like a top. “To the tower! Cut off the head, the body will die,” Bedlam ordered, and the two began their charge again.

They met little relevant resistance. Nuisances without the support of their weapon, and the griffons slaughtered them like insects. By the time they reached the base of the tower, the purples and golds of their armor were dripping red. They saw a mare standing at the door, and she immediately fell back. “He’s still in the tower,” she screamed, trying to crawl away. Bedlam could see she had freshly lost an eye somehow, but she had no weapons. Another situation, she might have killed her just to be sure she didn’t stab them in the back somehow, but that was excessive for the moment.

They needed the weapon, they needed Twisted Visions and Lilly, and they needed to leave. “Arinell!” Bedlam said, turning around. “You get the weapon, kill the wielder, and leave! I’ll hunt down Priestess Visions,” She ordered, turning her gaze to the mare who was cowering in the corner. “You… Are going to lead me there or I will gut you,” She snarled.

Arinell went to argue, but Bedlam silently cut her off with a glare. “Follow your orders, warrior! Your comrade will need one of us when he awakes, and if I fail you will need to alert the Elders. GO!” She yelled, and Arinell reluctantly turned and started up the tower stairs.

Bedlam turned back to the mare. “Where were we?” She asked ominously, and the mare just nodded her head, running deeper into the terminal. Bedlam followed close behind. The gunfire ended once they were in the hallway, or was too faint for her to hear through her helmet. Still, she kept her eyes sharp as she followed the mare, until she heard a scream in the distance. “I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE!”

It was Lilly Grove. She barrelled past her guide, slamming her into the wall as she went by. A mercy, as she had planned to kill her, but Lilly was in trouble. She ran until she came to a dead pony, and could hear sobbing in a room. She took a moment to brace herself for what she would see, and looked into the cell. Two other ponies lay dead, and Lilly was sobbing into a motionless Twisted Visions. Bedlam’s heart sank, and she slammed her body into the bars of the cell, forcing her way in and checking on the mare.

She was alive, if not catatonic. She was thin and had plenty of fresh wounds to add to the collage of scars that covered her body. The sight had always fueled the fire of hatred Bedlam felt towards the cultists. The griffon pulled Lilly Grove away from Twisted and shoved her down between her breast and her barding. She wasn’t going to be flying out of this with Twisted, and her barding would protect Lilly from the movement of her armor, even if it would be uncomfortable. Not ideal, but Bedlam was without options as she dragged Twisted out of the cell, hoisting her onto her back and beginning her extraction.

She prayed to Discord, something she did not do often despite the strength of her faith. She prayed he would shift the wake to let them breathe. To give her the strength to control herself long enough to get her head over the water with her charges. She just ran, charging any pony dumb enough to get in her way. The fighting had grown sporratic, but she could hear heavy gunfire at the far side of the airport. Bedlam couldn’t stop to think of helping Arinell and Leyin. She just galloped across the runway at full tilt, then through the surrounding fields and finally into the forest.

The battle was a disaster, but, all things considered, Bedlam counted it as a victory.

Bedlam stood on a ridge overlooking the airfield. The sun had come up, and she could tell that it was like an anthill that had just been stepped on. She could only assume that Arinell finished her task, or else they would have been shot by the weapon. That was a dangerous thought however.

Paranoia had started to settle into the large warrior. It had been days since she got any kind of sleep, she was battle weary, and she didn’t know what happened to Arinell or Leyin. Twisted Visions hadn’t said a word, and neither had Lilly.

Hour previously, she had thought they won, but now? Now she was really starting to reconsider that idea. No matter. If Arinell and Leyin survived, they would head back to the city. She had given Lilly and Twisted enough time to rest, they needed to start moving. So she picked the two up onto her back, and began her hike back to Memorial City. Flying was a creature comfort that Bedlam was momentarily thankful she trained to not have, or this walk would be nightmarish.

The forced march was long, gruelly, but thankfully uneventful as they started to near Memorial City. Bedlam could hear a shout from the wall of the repurposed university, and the gate began to open. Several ponies ran out, and Bedlam instinctively prepared for a fight. When she saw the ponies were carrying bags, and two of them had a stretcher. She laid down, allowing the medicine ponies to take Twisted from her, and the group hurried her away.

The tiny griffon wasn’t far behind, slowing down to look at Twisted Visions as she passed them. A blind person could see the grimace cross his face as he continued to walk towards Bedlam. “Uh, Warrior Priestess Bedlam?” He asked, and Bedlam could hear that the words were uncomfortable on his tongue. “The other two griffons arrived about two hours ago. We have the hurt one in the medical ward, but the other won’t let our staff touch him, so we haven’t been able to do much for him. What the hell happened?” He asked as Bedlam stood up.

“There were more than we anticipated,” Bedlam said, exhaustion filling her voice. “We made it out, but the Cult will be angry. They will call for reinforcements soon enough, and by how quickly they got them the first time, they will nit be quiet, licking their wounds for long,” She said, walking through the gates. “I advise you prepare your forces for a seige. There is only one explaination for them taking that airfield, and it does not bode well for us at all.”

“Wait,” Talon said, standing in front of Bedlam. “How do you know they are going to attack? Sure, there may be a lot of them, but that doesn’t mean they are going to attack with any force,” He said.

“This is an island,” Bedlam explained. “An island that is perfect for rebuilding a society, given it’s enormous size and seemingly fertile soils,” She sighed. “That, and you have said they are primarily focused on the smaller island off the coast somewhere,” She pointed out, stepping over Talon Scratch. “The Airport is a rally point for the Cult to take over Prince Johns. If they take this city, with Memorial City, then they will hold the largest settlement on the island. From there, they can spread at their leisure, taking out communities, converting or killing ponies as they please,” She finished

Talon Scratch lost a little life from his eyes. “That’s not good…” He mumbled, rushing ahead to lead Bedlam to the Medical ward. The University had been a medical hospital, and Bedlam was quite impressed with their medical ward.

She could see Arinell standing between several ponies and Twisted Visions. She wasn’t wearing her armor but she was still a formidable force. Bedlam could see the exhaustion in the young griffons eyes, but she stood strong. Bedlam made a note to commend her to the Elders. Despite some little infractions, she had carried herself well. Bedlam was proud of her, but Arinell’s mission was not yet over.

“Stand down Arinell,” Bedlam said, getting a look from the griffon.

“But Preistess,” Arinell said, looking back to the ponies. “They intend to use their dr-”

“We do not have the luxery,” Bedlam cut Arinell off. “We are all hurt, and we have no time. We will have to take the risk,” She said, looking at one of the ponies. They hey a roll of gauze as their cutie mark. “What are the chances of addiction?” She asked.

“Painkillers?” The pony asked, looking at Bedlam. “Negligible if controlled and administered correctly. Addiction tends to happen when ponies use it against the advice of medical advice. As for healing potions, We have enough to give each of you one, and those aren’t addictive. All things considered, you should all be fine to let us look you over,” They said, and Bedlam turned to Arinell.

“See?” She asked, setting Lilly on a bed and draping a blanket over her. “As long as we remember to only take shortcuts when absolutely necessary, we should suffer no problems,” Bedlam said, starting to remove her armor. “Let the ponies do their job. I need you of all of us ready to fly,” She ordered. Arinell nodded, reluctantly moving and finally letting the medical staff through to treat Twisted and Leyin.

Arinell walked over to Bedlam, helping her with her armor. “What are you planning mother?” Arinell asked quietly, looking at the ponies busy at work. “What is our next step forward? The Cultists know we are on the island in enough force to be a problem, they are going to retaliate,” She said.

Bedlam nodded her head, letting out a soft sigh, relishing in not wearing her armor for a moment. “You are going to fly to other settlements on the island and you are going to warn them what is to come,” She said, looking at Leyin. He was already starting to move about. Even with the drugs, Bedlam could tell these ponies were talented. “Leyin, when he can, will fly back to the Sanctuary with a message. I will stay here and watch over Twisted Visions while she heals, while preparing every stallion and mare to deal with this infestation. We shall remind the Cult what happens when they draw too much attention to themselves,” She growled turning around.

“And if we fail?” Arinell asked.

“We won’t.”