Mad Mare

The natural colosseum shone upwards, illuminating the thick covering of the clouds that began to dissipate. As the pale-mauve mare got closer to the source of light, she saw lines of ponies of all sizes, shapes, and colors queueing up towards a high gateway. She approached the crowd, passing some the queuers. They were mostly sick looking earth ponies and donkeys both male and female. From time to time a unicorn or a griffon figure would appear in the crowd and disappear back into it.

She approached the entrance. A tall half cylinder made out of welded and twisted bulks. Once an aluminium alloy circle fifty meters in diameter, now a half was buried under the sand, embedded into stone underneath. As the mare looked inside, she saw this wasn't the only one. The same arcs continued into the well of rocky hills, connected with each other in long lines of pipes. Like a giant snake that died and decayed, the metal carcass bent over one of the sides of the crescent mountain. Various huts and tents, and domes filled the snake’s belly, amaturely built of scraps and tires. A fence separated the town from the outside.

“No preservatives, just pure water!” A plucked and sickly old griffon announced, his voice like claws on a chalkboard somewhere deep in a windmill. A walking kiosk was strapped to a saddle on his back, shelves, and cages filled with various bottles, boxes and brochures protruding from his sides. The glass and talismans dangled and chimed with each step. “Cool, clear water!” He spotted the mare with his blank white eye that rushed before his other one. His golden iris was paled with ages. “Step up, honey, get some dealing done!”

She nodded to the start of the line that had just moved, “That's my go.”

“Don't you understand?” The griffon bounce to her, “This is water. You can't live without it.”

“It's irradiated, isn't it?” She gave off a playful smile.

“What's a little fallout, ey?” He chucked, starting forward, “Have a nice day!”

The mare followed the line to a big dome and the only concrete building around. The entrance was miniature compared to the one in the Chairmare Building. She came inside. She was greeted by an amphitheater-like room. The place was poorly lit and crowded. A counter stood by a hallway forward into the town, covered in various little boxes and globes, and stones and even somewhat elegant knives. Behind it sat a massive in height and width unicorn stallion. His coat was nigh-absent, only a few patches of pinkish fur and a few strands of greenish mane faded to grey on his head. One of his eyes the color of winter grass was covered in a peculiar set of lenses contracted into a single headset that held on by two leather belts. He was analyzing some kind of cloth, talking to another unicorn opposite side of the counter. The latter was covered in rags and self-compiled armor made of scrap metal and sliced tires.

“You get a sack of grain...” The Collector turned the fabric over, his voice deep and growly like a bulldozer in a quarry, “... or a mare for two hours.”

The unicorn in rags nodded and went into the corridor, disappearing in the town beyond. The Collector carefully rolled the fabric and put it away into a box under the counter. The mare stepped forward.

“What are you trading?” He raised his eyes, looking the mare over.

“I am looking for someone.” She informed.

“Are you trading or not?”

“A unicorn mare. Red coat, yellow eyes.”

“Creatures come here to trade, make a little profit, do a little business. If you have nothing to trade, you've no business in Haggletown.”

“An hour inside.”

“Next!” The stallion called out.

“I got skills.” The mare refuted, “I can trade them.”

The ghoulish Collector leaned forward with an annoyed expression on his face, “Sorry. The brothel’s full.”

That struck a nerve. The mare banged her hooves on the counter, raising herself so their eyes are on the same level. The crowd split apart behind her. As she turned, she saw a grey earth pony mare spinning a bladed chain in her mouth. She was barely dressed with only chest guard made of chainmail and squirrel furs and a pair of shorts modified from an old military uniform. Her short oily black mane and tail were braided with shoelaces. A headwear made of feathers and small bird skulls crowned her scalp, strapped tightly with thin leather streaks. She was swinging the chain in all directions, looping and jumping through it like a contestant at a rodeo.

This showing off, though impressive, was not entertaining enough for the pale-mauve mare. She banged the counter before her, sending the boxes and knives flying upwards, and punched one of the blades. The cutter whistled right above the show-off pony’s head and the shredded feathers puffed in all directions. The grey mare stopped reluctantly, the chain dropping to the ground with a lazy cling. She was looking at the pale-mauve mare with a dull expression as she spat out a torn piece of a black feather.

A flash came from behind grey earth pony, giving the room a navy blue tint. A charcoal unicorn mare appeared in its place. She was smaller than her barely dressed ally, dressed in an unzipped black leather jacket, held together only by a single strap; pants and tough boots. Her clothes matched the color of her coat, giving off an unconventional feeling. A life-sized skin mask of a white horse's head with blue mane was suspended above her by two aluminium poles, strapped to a saddle on her back. Her horn glowed sapphire, marching the color in her eyes. Four tomahawks floated beside her body, wrapped in the blue aura of her magic.

Collector’s horn glowed rancid green, but the pale-mauve mare was quick to stop him in his tracks. In a blink of an eye, a hoof was already pressing into his neck, a single drop of blood lolling down its edge. Mare’s eyes were determined; her entire expression stated unboundable annoyance. Collector’s eyes sparked with long-lost excitement and curiosity as the aura around his horn imploded. The unicorn and her grey companion were ready to intervene but were stopped with a decisive hoove gesture form the stallion.

“One hour.” The mare asked.

“And if you find her?” The Collector inquired.

“I’ll ask her to return what’s mine.”

“And she’ll be so desperate to clear her conscience.”

“She will be.”

“You’re that good?” He asked already knowing the answer.

“Mhmmm” The mare nodded.

“Perhaps you have something to trade after all.”

“Keep talking.”

“Twenty four hours of your life. In return, you’ll get back what was stolen.”

“Sounds like a bargain.” She smirked.

“It’s not.” Collector refuted, stepping back, “Let’s talk. Come inside.”

He stood down from the counter, nodding for a griffon that was not visible before to take over. The pale-mauve mare followed the stallion, getting a shove from the charcoal unicorn, who, along with the grey earth pony, trailed behind, weapons close. They went through the corridor, emerging in a small room with another counter in it. It was mounted into the wall, separated from another room with steel bars. An old brown earth pony mare was waiting in the vault, looking bored and deep in her thoughts.

“Leave your weapons here.” The Collector nodded towards the counter, “It's the law.”

“I have none.” The pale-mauve mare refuted.

“Bullshit!” The grey earth pony burst.

“What?” The pale-mauve mare rhetorized playfully, “I really don’t have any.”

Sapphire glow wrapped her, pushing her body into the wall opposite to the counter. The charcoal unicorn stepped closer, the expression not changed in a slightest. Her obsidian hooves quite roughly scanned the mare through and through, go everywhere on her body.

The pale-mauve mare could not help herself and chuckled with a smirk, “Easy there, filly, buy me dinner first.”

“You can stop now, Jackstraw.” The Collector informed when the unicorn mare was ready to research her pinned guest.

Jackstraw shook her head, confirming that the pale-mauve mare had no weapons on her. The aura imploded, letting the mare go. The mare adroitly dropped on her hooves, shaking her head and following the already leaving Collector. Even more guards dressed like Jackstraw and her grey companion joined the gang. They entered the town, it was crowded with ponies, griffons, and donkeys of all shapes and colors, going around, minding their business, chatting, walking, meddling. Wires and ropes stretched from huts to tall metal poles, to the giant arcs of metal that painted dark shadows over the town below. The rock cauldron that surrounded it, cooled down and contained the air. Smells of sweat, burning plastics and spices interchanged at random.

The group approached the center of the village, going under a big cylindrical structure, suspended on top of a metal arch. Multiple cables and chains, wrapped in levers and pulleys, suspended from it. A small caged platform awaited underneath.

The Collector stepped onto it, followed by the mare. Jackstraw and her companion closed the cage with a safety chain from the inside. The others silently moved to a contraption nearby. A vertical wheel with planks sticking out of it; sitting on an axis that grew out of the ground and a hank of cable wrapped around it. The guards grabbed the handles and pushed. With great effort, the wheel began to turn, pulling wrapping more of the cable around itself. The platform slowly began to ascend, going up towards a hole in the structure’s floor of the same shape.

The cage reached its destination. Jackstraw detached the chain, moving into the room before them. Now inside, the pale-mauve mare looked around, carefully examining her surroundings. The place was spacious with almost nothing inside. The room was circular, separated from eight smaller pointed rooms on each side by thick grey curtains. Melodic harmonies filled the air, coming from a small snow-white donkey, playing a saxophone. He was dressed in nothing but a short pair of shorts. This strange sense of fashion among the privileged citizens of the town earned the donkey an eye roll from the pale-mauve mare. The music froze as he noticed the company, slowly turning his head towards the guests. His eyes were blank, white film covering the irises. He was sitting on a small chair. Beside him, stood an old long wooden table with a silver plate on top. Various fruits rested peacefully on it. A wide glass bottle hung from the ceiling on a long tough string.

“A warrior, Agnate!” The Collector announced, “Lost everything. Looking for a deal.”

“But she’s just a raggedy mare.” A raspy deep voice spoke; the grey curtain unveiled as a tall female griffon emerged. Silver feathers covered her head and neck with cinereous droplet-shaped spots around the mustard eyes. Her light grayish orange coat matched her brilliant-tangelo wings and tail. Iron-colored talons topped the picture. She was dressed in a strange outfit, but that seemed to be a trend in Haggletown. Chainmail covered the entirety of her body, folding several times over layered shoulder and flank guards and leaving her legs and tail completely exposed. Grey reflective fabric was sawed in between the tiny metal coils down from her waist as well as wrapping around her neck and waist in a separate decorative long piece. Various chainlets and braces dangled on her wrists.

“She’s quick.” The Collector pointed out.

“Jackstraw...” Agnate faced the unicorn, “... can she do it?”

The charcoal mare shrugged with a spiritless expression on her face, “Probably not.”

The griffon thought for a moment before calling the pale-mauve mare up with a claw. The mare obeyed hesitantly.

“And what did you do before this?” Agnate slowly circled around the mare like a hungry vulture waiting for a crippled animal to die in the middle of nothing.

“I was a war medic; a high dweller.” The mare didn’t seem to mind.

“But how the world turns. One day a cock of the walk, next, a feather duster.” She smirked, turning around to the patiently waiting white donkey, “Play something tragic, Ton Ton.”

He obeyed. Lingering melancholic sounds of the saxophone filled the room, quiet enough to peacefully continue the conversation.

“Do you know who I was?” Agnate resumed, “Nobody. Except on the day after the Talon Carnage, I was still alive. This nobody had a chance to be somebody. So much for history...” She sighed, drifting into her memories for a moment, before snapping out of it and giving the mare a quick smile. “Anyway. Water? Fruit?” She proposed, moving towards the table and picking a ripe-looking apple up from the silver plate.

The mare, exhausted, thirsty, hungry and still a bit dizzy from the head trauma, could not refuse such a proposal. The iron muzzle, polished and sharpened by the sandstorm and widened through her travels, barely restrained mare’s bite, but still giving her the semblance of a vicious predator baring its pearly white fangs. Though her movements showed distrust, she approached the table, already leaning over to bite a juicy yellow mango.

Agnate took a large bite off the apple. Sounds of weapons being readied quietly echoed from all around. Four guards that were waiting in the curtained-off rooms emerged, carrying bats and blowguns in their mouths. They were all earth ponies, both mares and stallions, all dressed the way Jackstraw and her show-off ally were.

“If any of you want an out - now is the time.” The pale-mauve mare announced with a sigh.

No response. She bit the plate, flinging it across the room and into a head of one of the new guards, a pink mare with a blowgun. A dampened, dull cling and the plate bounced off of the side of her eyebrow and into the neck of a yellow stallion beside her. Both dropped to the floor with a thud, a hurt moan escaping their lips, followed by the belling of the fallen plate.

A dart whizzed by pale-mauve mare’s ear, piercing Ton Ton’s saxophone. The music stopped. The mare ducked, reflectively, rolling over to the source of the shot - a beige stallion. Not losing a single newton-second of momentum, she extended her hind leg, sweeping stallions front appendages off the ground and making him drop to the floor face first. The dart gun rolled aside a bit. She sprung up, ready to kick the weapon as far away as possible, but was stopped by the end of a whip flying from behind and wrapping around her neck. It was suffocating, burning deep into her skin. She cried out as she felt a hard tug from behind followed by a hoof in her spine that stayed. She was fixed in place, only able to look at the one who kept her that way. It was Jackstraw’s friend. The last guard - a midnight blue earth pony mare - run up with a bat in her teeth. The pale-mauve mare felt a sudden surge of pain in her stomach that rooted deep into the body, stagnating her breaths and spreading through her spine up to already hurting brain. The bat bounced back and air came rushing back into her lungs.

Another dart flew her way, this time reaching the target. Twenty-five centimeters of sharp tempered steel pierced her chest like it was made of gelatin, burying itself deep within her lung. The head of the nail scraped the edge of her rib, tearing off and pulling the soft tissues from it. The lung began to fill with blood, forcing the mare to cough it out in a spray of crimson. She tried to scream, but could not. There was no going out of this situation. It was kill or be killed - the golden rule of the Wasteland. The notion washed over her like a cold shower, clearing her thoughts and dulling the ache.

Her leg sprung upwards, bouncing up from the midnight blue earth pony’s muzzle and pulling her body behind it. The second leg was not so gentle, crashing hard into guard’s jaw, dislocating it with a grinding sound like nuts being crushed between stone millstones. The guard dropped to the floor while the pale-mauve mare continued her motion upwards, flying over the show-off guard and landing right behind her. Mare’s movements were quick and precise, the whip looped around silver filly’s neck as a hind hoof pressed on it hard, forcing her into the floor. The pale-mauve mare bit the end, pulling it away with a monumental but smooth force. The guard began to choke, squirming and convulsing in vain search of air. The pale-mauve mare’s chest burned like it was filled with smoldering coals, she screamed, but no air escaped her lips. Instead, it bubbled and squirted out in a crimson mixture out of her chest. A sudden tug of the rope and the silver guard stirred no more.

The pale-mauve mare let go. The whip was no longer holding her. She rolled forward, dodging another iron nail before dropping her weight onto the stallion that shot her with a blowgun. He was still on the floor, but that didn’t bother the pale-mauve mare as she crashed onto his ribcage with her front legs again and again, and again. A surge of pain blasted through her chest with every drop. The stomach-churning sounds of breaking bones filled the room as one by one his ribs gave in and snapped. There was a visible dent in his upper body when she finally stopped.

There were only three left: Jackstraw, Collector and Agnate. The griffon stayed aside, observing and accessing the battle rather than being a part of it. Jackstraw’s horn was burning bright, charging up a magic attack. Collector was already swinging a battle ax in his teeth. For such a hefty figure he was surprisingly fast and nimble. The ax came crashing down with immense force, splitting the floor and getting stuck in it. For the pale-mauve mare it wasn’t even a concern. She easily dodged the powerful attack. With a mare’s mighty buck to the upper side of the stomach, The Collector spat a single bloody cough. A strike into his back and the gigantic figure froze, looking down with an agonizing expression on the face as crimson fell down on the floor in a single gooey streak.

Jackstraw fired. The pale-mauve mare anticipated it. A beam of bright blue light scorched through the air with a crackling of a muted thunder, going just beside the mare, close enough to burn the hairs on her cheek. Small blazing particles slowly floated down like snowflakes on a windless night. The wall behind the pale-mauve mare malted down, leaving a hoof-big hole in it. The charcoal unicorn was ready to fire again, but her opponent was faster.

The pale-mauve mare ran up to Jackstraw, twisting, spinning on one hoof. Excruciating pain shot through her chest and head as the iron nail turned inside of her lung, scraping it and tearing it more. A monumental buck had enough force behind it to send the unicorn flying into the wall right behind her. The impact forced her on the hind legs - an extremely disadvantageous position for a unicorn in a battle. The horn lit up again. A hoof flew into her cheek and the blue aura popped. The pale-mauve mare stood on her hind legs just a breath away from the unicorn, their eyes at level. Her front hoof buried itself into a side Jackstraw’s stomach. The latter tried crying out but had no time as another hoof struck the other side with the same immense power. And again. And again. And again. And again, and again, and again the pale-mauve mare was hitting her like a punching bag with lightning speed. Just four seconds later, the hit count was way above ten. The mare stopped, making a single step back. A powerless and heavy body of Jackstraw began to slide down the wall. The pale-mauve mare huffed heavily, watching Jackstraw’s body not moving.

“Congratulations.” Agnate smugged, still standing in the far side of the room, spectating, “You are the first to survive the audition.” She held a small crossbow, armed with a similar nail like the one that rested inside mare’s chest.

The mare sharply turned her head towards the griffon, enough anger in her eyes to make the formidable hostess of the event hesitantly take a step back. Agnate threw a small flask of bright green fluid like the one Spike gave her before. She gracefully caught it with her teeth. Her breathing sounded heavy and forced, wheezing with every inhale and hoarse when exhaling as her injured lung collapsed. The adrenaline rush began to wear off and the pain kicked back in full scale. The mare dropped to her knees. Trying to stay up, she leaned over on a pillar, picking the silver plate from the floor. She flung herself towards the table, dropping the plate on it.

Various fruits were still scattered all over the wooden surface. The mare grabbed several walnuts, crushing it with a hoof until the oil came through. Her legs gave in for a split second, but with a hard, wheezing breath she regained her footing. She seemed determined, grabbing a banana and roughly peeling it. She squeezed the juices out of the skin, throwing the withered cover away. An apple leaf was the last to repeat the process. She grabbed the bottle that still was hanging from the ceiling on a thread and poured a bit onto the conglomeration of ejected oils, quickly mixing it up. Her breathing became even harder.

She took the plate to the charcoal unicorn. Jackstraw moaned hurt, still conscious. The pale-mauve mare forced the liquid down Jackstraw’s throat. The latter obeyed and soon her eyes as if sparkled, her horn lighting up. The pale-mauve mare grabbed the temples of the unicorn's head. A tingling sensation followed by a strike of pain radiated through her body as a bloodied steel nail exited her chest. The lung inflated. She let go of Jackstraw’s head and fell down on the floor. She uncapped the flask, chugging down the bitter green liquid.

Her wounds began to seal up. The mare huffed in relief, before recollecting Agnate's words, “This is a shit audition.”

“You didn't like it?”

“You almost killed me.”

“And you killed my friends.”

“None of them is dead… yet.”

“You broke poor Silvertwist's neck.”

The mare groaned, “She's paralyzed, not dead. Give her a couple of healing potions and put a brace on the neck. She'll be good as new in two weeks.”

“Collector is still bleeding.”

“Give him a weak HP and let him rest till he can move.”

“You broke Creamie's chest.”

“Nothing a couple magical bandages can't solve.”

“You broke Midnight Bloom's jaw.”

“Just dislocated.”

“You beat Jackstraw senseless.”

“Just let her rest a bit.”

“Sunrise and Sunny Sunbeam are on the floor, unconscious.”

“Siblings? Now that's just adorable.”

A sincere chuckle escaped griffon's beak. She lowered the crossbow, feeling more at ease. The ropes that had taken the mare, Collector, Jackstraw and Silvertwist up before started moving again. The caged platform came up, supporting 2 small griffons that looked almost identical. They were dressed in robes and white shoulder bands with a very recognizable mark on it: a yellow cross with three pink butterflies in a white circle. Medics. Agnate must have called them at some point. She quickly recited the directions the pale-mauve mare gave. The medics, with extreme caution and grace, yet with remarkable speed that earned an awed expression from the mare, got Silvertwist and Creamie onto stretchers and got them out.

“Quite a display you made. Whawhai. Vinnge Stoot. And whatever that was with Collector.”

“Fallen Keiser.”

The griffon looked at the mare with an expression of awe and disbelief, hearing the name of the infamous zebra martial art. The medics came back, taking away Midnight Bloom and Collector. All the while they were working, both Agnate and the pale-mauve mare remained silent. Only when the medic griffons left with their new patients Agnate spoke.

“Zebra… ” The griffoness murmured, a sound of disgust in her breath.

“I’m not a zebra.”

“Then tell me, not zebra, what kind of non-zebra sorcery did you use on Jackstraw?”

Now it was the mare’s turn to laugh, “Not sorcery, just an aphrodisiac. I needed to get the nail out. I didn’t think of anything better than to use unicorn magic.”

“But you forced her to use magic. How?”

“Well… When unicorns are excited enough…” She began in a birds-and-bees-talk manner, earning a little glare from the griffon, “... They tend to...” She paused, trying to find the right word, “... Spark. I’m surprised it worked so fast though. Then it was easy to make her pull the nail out after: just grab and pull.” She turned her head towards Agnate with an apologetic and awkward expression, “You might want to clean that up afterward.”

Agnate had regained her smile again, though the mix of disbelief, caution and a hint of revolt had not fully faded. She strolled to the mare, passing patiently-waiting Ton Ton and the table, grabbing the water bottle. She offered a helping claw. The pale-mauve mare accepted. After getting pulled up, she was offered the water. The medic griffons returned once again, taking away the Sunbeam siblings.

“Drink.” Agnate nodded, “It's ok.”

The mare took the vial. She finally quenched her thirst, drinking half the two-liter bottle.

“Come with me,” Agnate called, walking behind one of the rooms’ veils.

The pale-mauve mare followed. The room that appeared before her had a trapezoid shape and small size. A big window replaced the wall, opening a view on the town below. The griffon stood right by it, looking down in affection and satisfaction. A big flat screen was mounted on the ceiling above her. A small black slit of glass like the one she saw in the Chairmare building before, but less resilient to damage. Small red symbols glowed on it. The mare joined Agnate.

“Look around. All this I built. Up to my feathers in blood and shit. Where there was desert, now there's a town. Where there was robbery, there's trade. Where there was despair, now there's hope. It's civilization.” She smiled, watching the razzle below like a mother watching her peacefully sleeping child. She turned her head to the pale-mauve mare, “I'll do anything to protect it.” Her smile faded away as the next words came out, “Today it’s necessary to kill a creature.” She paused, “What do you say?”

“What do you pay?”

“I’ll equip you...” She said reluctantly, “Vehicles, animals. Fuel if you want.”

“It’s a generous offer, but that’s not why I’m here.”

“The red mare, I know. She is involved in this too.”

“Why me? You’ve got warriors, weapons. Just give the order.”

The Griffon sighed, awaiting this dreaded question, ”We are dealing with subtleties here. It’s no enemy. It’s almost… family.”

“I see, real civilized.”

Agnate touched the black display. The screen above the two lit up, showing an image of a big square hall, somewhat resembling a hangar interior. The ceiling was high, at least eight meters. A tall platform took up the center of the place, eight catwalks extending from it like a spider, ending in entrances to tunnels. Various air vents and pipes riddled the place, going along the ceiling, walls and under catwalks like spider webs. A flock of pigs swarmed the floor. Several ponies and griffons stood among them, holding shovels and scrubbing the floor towards four big drums filled with dark brown liquid. A big creature reminiscent of an anthropomorphic dog stood on the platform. It was dressed in leather pants; two belts wrapped around its chest, holding a basket-like contraption to its back. A pyramid-shaped helmet covered its head. A small deformed unicorn figure peaked out of the basket, angrily shouting something at the ponies and griffons below.

“It’s called Underworld.” Agnate informed. “This is where Haggletown gets its energy.”

“Coal?”

“Shit.”

“No way.”

“The lights, the motors, the vehicles - all run on high-powered gas called methane. Methane comes from shit.” Agnate gestured towards the monitor, “Have a look. What do you see?”

“I see a big guy giving a little guy a piggyback.”

“MasterBlaster. They are a unit. The little one is called Master. He runs Underworld. The other one’s Blaster. He’s the muscle. Together they are very powerful. And very arrogant. We want to keep the brains, dump the body.”

“Diamond Dog?”

“Worse. Hellhound.”

“Never heard of those.”

“The mutated version of a Diamond Dog. Bigger, stronger, faster.”

“How strong?”

“He can beat most creatures with his breath.”

The mare was taken aback by the notion. She composed herself, going into thoughts for a minute. She was out long enough for Agnate to start worrying. The griffon was already extending her talons to shake the mare when the latter jolted her head towards Agnate.

“I want a closer look at it. How do I get there?”

“It’s a factory.” Agnate grinned, “Ask for work.”

“I know nothing about methane.”

“You can shovel shit, can’t you?”

“Where do I ask for it?”

“By the Thunderdome. It's further into town, at the bottom of the rock.”

The mare nodded. She poked her wounds, “My injuries haven't fully healed yet, they might get infected. I will need another HP. Also, can I leave some things here? Better looking inconspicuous down there.”

“You ask a lot.”

“You want a lot.”

The griffon threw another vial of the bright green liquid. “Don't go exhausting my stock. Healing potions are hard to get. As to your things, leave them in the main room.”

The pale-mauve mare emptied the potion, scowling from the bitter taste. She nodded to Agnate, already going towards the elevator. She left the adjacent room, appearing in the main circular area. Jackstraw was already gone, the medics must have come back and taken her. She took off her ranger hat and the overcoat, leaving the long cloth and the vest that were underneath. It felt refreshing. She neatly wrapped her belongings, leaving them outside of Agnate’s room. She approached the elevator. The platform came up fairly quickly, taking the mare down to the town. She looked around at the huts and booths that spilled around like a marketplace under the tall metal arcs. Merchants sold an impressive variety of items and services. Various spices, fresh, smoked and salted meats, fruits, drinks, metalworks, weapons, and the list kept on going. The mare didn't approach any, she had no money nor anything to trade. She moved through the crowds towards her target.

The Thunderdome lived up to its name. A circular arena fifty meters in diameter was buried two floors into the ground. The head of the metal beast that laid dormant over the Haggletown topped it off like a cage. A small part of its dome was biting into the rocky hill of the cauldron that surrounded Haggletown. It looked like it collapsed inwards when the serpent died and the pit was dug under the nose of the creature. The dome was covered in ponies and griffons like an old fruit in flies. They were shouting, cheering, betting with a thunderous loudness, closely looking at what was going inside.

Beside it was a square opening that led deep into the mountain and under the city. It was roughly five times higher than the pale-mauve mare, layered with concrete and metal plating to prevent a collapse. A small concrete booth stood right on the entrance, buried into the rock. A small light bulb lit the room and an old and really bored griffon inside. Even though he looked like a pre-war relic, he was well groomed and taken care of. His deep ocean eyes sparked seeing the mare approach him.

“You don't look local, Little Lady.” He grinned, happy to finally have some company to talk to.

“Is it the mask?” The pale-mauve mare joked, clinging her hoof on the steel muzzle on her face, “I feel like it's the mask.”

He chuckled, “What brought you to us?”

“Got a debt. Have nothing. Want to change that. Got anything?”

“I’ve got a free slot in the Underworld and a couple of errands to take care of. What do you say, Little Lady, up for some danger?”

“I’ll settle with Underworld.”

He pressed a lever. With a squeak and a thud, it gave in. “Ain’t afraid to get your hooves dirty, eh? Wear this at all times while down there...” He threw a small dog tag to the mare that swiftly caught and put it on. “You don’t look much of a sharer, so I took my creative initiative.”

The mare turned the tag over, reading the inscription, “Little Lady?” She sighed a bit, “I can work with that. When do I start?”

“How ‘bout now?”

She nodded before entering the tunnel. The faint smell of concentrated feces filled the air, growing stronger the deeper the mare went. The light from the outside faded away, the hallway illuminated solely by long industrial lamps. The stink became suffocating. A twisting feeling filled mare’s stomach. She lifted her ranger hat, pulling a loose end of the bandage over the muzzle and securing the hat back on. A deaf sound of cheerful, rhythmic drums echoed through the tunnel and the further she went, the louder they got. More instrument faded in from nothing. She passed several closed heavy doors on her way until she saw the first living soul. A cesius unicorn stallion with a silver mane, dressed in black shirt and old special forces black cargo pants. He was standing right on the exit from the hall, on a railed catwalk, looking down into the same room the pale-mauve mare saw on the screen. His ears perked up, hearing a loose pebble skip around from the mare’s purposeful step.

“Who are you?” The stallion yelped.

“New worker. Here to repay a debt.”

“I don’t care about your debt. Take a shovel and join the others on the lower level.” His horn lit up. A black nylon halter flew from around the corner and wrapped around mare’s head. She took a step back reflexively, but calmed down immediately, giving off a sigh and lowering her head. The straps were slightly too tight, but at least it wasn’t either too humiliating nor too demeaning for the mare. The side of the strap, part were headstall met the browband, had a hinge secured on it. An earth pony shovel flew in sight. A loud click and the tool was secured to the halter. The mare bit a mouth grip sticking from the side of the stick and stepped forward onto the catwalk.

The room was bigger than the screen at Agnate’s showed. There were three floors to it: the lower level with pigs and workers, the second floor with the platform and spider-leg catwalks from it into tunnels around, and the top one with a simple square catwalk around the perimeter, steel cables stretch across the room, ventilation hoods, loudspeakers that played the music and powerful industrial lamps suspended from them. A staircase down was right at the corner, leading to both lower and middle levels. The mare obeyed the unicorn. The bottom level was filthy, swarming with pigs. They were unusually big, almost the same height as the mare, making it a bit uncomfortable for her and forced a bit of a pout and blush to her cheeks when she tried navigating towards one of the drums, but got lost, several times.

Loud thumps echoed through the room. The mare looked towards the source of the noise only to see the MasterBlaster stepping onto the middle platform. The creature was much bigger than the mare expected, completely towering over a griffon that already stood there. There was a vehicle being disassembled right below the platform, separated from the pigs by a fence. Behind the machine, the room continued deeper, but the mare could not see what was inside.

“Hey, you!” The mare cried towards him, “Let’s talk!”

The deformed unicorn in the basket looked around, but the mare was barely visible in the swarm of pigs and her attire accidentally camouflaged her with the surroundings. Not finding the source, he turned back around. The mare was ready to call again but was stopped by claws grabbing her shoulder. She turned. Before her stood a female griffon twice the mare’s length if counting the tail. She had a charcoal coat, contrasting her pearl-white talons. Coal-black feathers covered her neck and wings, the latter ending in deep-garnet tips, so did the tail. She had three long lines of scars along her cheek. Her eyes, like peaches - a glimmering dark ruby star around the pupil on a pleasant-pale-orange iris. They were brimming with life, though tired from hard manual labor. She was dressed in a baggy overall made from sackcloth, similar to what the pale-mauve mare wore just a day earlier, but with short sleeves and hems. Several skin belts and chains were wrapped around her waist, chest, and shoulders, like a jacket. “Pig Killer” was written on her clothes. She was filthy and almost sickly looking, covered in dirt, ash and pig secretions.

“Here, free mare, come help a convict.” She smiled, quite sweetly which took the mare by surprise. Her voice was pleasant like a pine forest after rain. She glanced towards mare’s target, “You don’t want to end up like me.” She gently pulled the mare.

“The big one. Life.”

“For killing a pig?”

“Had to feed the kids. Doesn’t worry me. Life down here is two-three years.”

The mare was about to say something when a loud shout prevented her.

“Where is Blackeye?!” Master yelped.

“He’s right underneath you.” The familiar cherry-colored mare emerged from the tunnel, laughing at the unicorn. The black and golden locket dangled from her neck.

The pale-mauve mare scowled. “So that’s how she is involved…” She spoke under the breath.

Master looked out of his basket and rolled the eyes after spotting who he searched for. He tapped Blaster’s shoulder. The behemoth dropped to the lower level, sending a shock around like a miniature earthquake. The pale-mauve mare raised on her hind legs to get a better view. A creeper seat rolled from underneath the disassembled vehicle. A dark magenta unicorn with dull cyan hair that matched his eyes laid on it, covered in car oil and dust.

“We have a real problem.” He nodded to car’s underbelly, “Six kilos of dynamite set to blow.”

“You are an expert.” Master cried, “Disarm it!”

“Right...” Blackeye exhaled nervously, riding back under the car. For a moment he rolled back out, as if trying to add something or protest, but he only repeated “Right…,” nodding and rolling back. He carefully inspected the bottom of the vehicle before rolling from underneath it on the other side and springing up. “This is a class job.” He smiled uneasily, “One mistake, it’ll blow the crap out of this place.” He paused for a second, before adding: “Literally.”

“Then think what to do!” Master rolled his eyes.

“Yeah. Right… Um...” He walked around the trunk, “Now… The explosives are connected to the timing device....” He pointed at a small metal box with three small lights: one red, one yellow and one green. The yellow light was on, while the green one was flickering in and off. “...Which is connected to the switch, which I can’t find… Which is connected to… battery!”

“Then disconnect the battery!” The cherry unicorn spouted like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She walked down a ladder.

“I wouldn’t do that.” The charcoal griffon refuted, emerging by the fence and leaning on it.

The unicorn growled in annoyance. The pale-mauve mare looked around, not believing her eyes, but the griffon behind her was gone.

“Who are you?” Master glanced towards the filthy griffoness.

“Gadget, sir.”

“You know what to do?”

She nodded, turning to Blackeye, “That’s a well made anti-disarming bolt action device with a secondary coil fuze. If you try disconnecting the battery, you will trigger it. This looks like a back relay circuit type. Do you know any electric shock spells?”

Blackeye nodded.

“See the yellow light? You will need to send a very powerful discharge into it, that will overload the circuits and should make a second-long delay on the switch and timer. You will need to snap all the wires connected to the explosives in that time frame. If you break them before that, you will trigger the secondary fuse and we are dead, if you snap the wires after that, the electric overload will detonate the explosives and we are dead.”

“Get on then.” The red unicorn barked.

“Wait.” The griffon disregarded, earning another annoying look from the unicorn, “Do you know about all the explosives?”

“I think so.”

“Do it then!” The unicorn grew impatient.

“Have you checked beside the suspension?” The griffon ignored her.

Blackeye froze for a second before disappearing under the car. “Yeah! More explosives! This should be it!”

“You know what to do.” The griffoness tensed up, gripping the fence tightly.

The unicorn’s horn burned bright celeste as the matching aura wrapped the wires around the dynamite. Another layer of aura blanketed the horn, beaming even brighter as arcs of electricity sparked in and out of it. He took a deep breath and swung his head right into the yellow light. A flash of light blinded the room. The pale-mauve mare closed her eyes, turning away from the light and bracing for an explosion. It didn’t come. She opened her eyes. Everything was still intact, the unicorn’s horn extinguished, letting off a thin trail of smoke that quickly dissipated in the air.

“Blaster, lift the car,” Master asked.

The gargantuan creature obeyed, pulling one side of what looked like a multi tonne car with one arm.

“Blackeye, take the dynamite,” Master ordered.

Blackeye quickly levitated all the explosives, disappearing with them in the tunnel behind. Blaster let go of the car and it flopped on the floor with a loud thud, bouncing up because of the suspension. It triggered the vehicle’s alarm. Loud high pitched ringing filled the smelly air. The scared pigs joined the choir, squealing and oinking in a cacophony of tones and pitches. This didn’t seem to bother any of the workers much, but Blaster looked like it was in excruciating pain, twisting and turning, grabbing the sides of the pyramid helmet.

“Turn the damn thing off already!” Master cried out.

Blaster punched the car’s hood, leaving a massive dent in it. The alarm stopped with the loud thud. The liquid coal combustion engine broke free from its place and feel on the floor.

“I’ve seen enough.” The pale-mauve mare murmured, going back to the silver unicorn upstairs.

After being freed from the halter that managed to leave marks in just a couple of hours, she went straight to Agnate’s. The warm comforting morning gave way to the blazing desert noon. The streets became less crowdy. The shades had the opposite effect, every tent and booth that had a canopy was swarmed by creatures. The guard that was responsible for raising the lift refused to give the pale-mauve mare a ride, but after hearing that she has an arranged meeting with Agnate, he obliged. The coolness of the room was refreshing, the shade - soothing. The main room was cleaned, the table reset and the fruit basket full again and Ton Ton gone. Sunny and Sunrise Sunbeam stood on guarding duty. They were not too happy to see the pale-mauve mare, gladly pointing their weapons at her.

“What are you here?” The stallion growled.

“Why do you want?” The mare added.

“You two should be resting, you had a concussion.”

“I repeat my question.” Sunrise scowled.

The pale-mauve mare sighed, “I’m here to see Agnate.”

“She’s not receiving guests right now.” Sunbeam refuted.

“Stop holding grudges.” The mare replied, “You all knew what you signed up for. I even gave you an out. You refused.”

“It’s ok.” Agnate poked her head from behind the veil, “I was expecting her.” She nodded, inviting the mare to the room. The latter obeyed.

The walls were covered in rows of shelves. They were filled with various rugs and boxes. A wide metal-alloy table, carefully painted to look like oak wood, giving it a distinct antique feel, stood in on the far side of the room. The griffoness was sitting a soft looking pillow on the floor beside it, writing something on a piece of paper. A single long, flat box laid dormant beside her on the table. It was made from what looked like black crystal with golden encrusting on it, somewhat similar to what the mare’s locket looked like. The golden crest took up the whole center of the front panel. It looked like a slim six-point star. The top beam was protruded more than the others. Two golden wings extended to the sides from the body.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Agnate asked.

“You said that MasterBlaster were very arrogant.” The mare sat down on the floor, “What did they do to force you to hire me?”

“Constant embargos on electricity to raise public unrest. Failed pork deliveries to starve the griffons. Public humiliations of my people who fell in debt to them. Two failed attempts to assassinate me to take Haggletown for themselves.”

“Why?”

“We have different views on the world. I believe in civilization and unity. Master believes in self-preservation and self-gain. And recently, he had been hiring mercenaries. There are also rumors of his involvement in the slave trade. I would’ve put him in his place long ago, but he is protected by Blaster 24/7.”

“Understandable.” The mare thought for a moment. The curiosity finally took over her, “What’s that box?”

“Someone dug it up and traded here. It looks like it has something valuable in it, but we can’t open it. It’s too strong to break or melt. Even magic is just absorbed.”

“What about the lock.”

“It’s one of those M.A.S. locks. Can’t open without the owner. But they made a mistake while designing these.”

“Mistake?” The mare came closer to the table looking over the box. She extended her hoof and touched the golden star on its top.

“A direct descendant of the owner…” The box clicked open, “...Is still recognized by it…“ The griffoness could not believe her eyes. She looked at the mare with a shook, almost offended expression. She got up, standing back to observe and give the pale-mauve mare space by the table.

The latter moved forward, carefully lifting the top of the container. It swung back, revealing box’s contents. The insides were lined with soft, foamy material. In it, in neatly cut out holes laid several photos, a long red scarf, a white chess queen piece, and three luminescent pink orb crystals. The mare gently lined up the slightly scratched and faded from time photos. They were all showing the same pony - a mulberry unicorn mare with violet eyes. Her straight-cut dark-sapphire mane had two streaks running through it by the horn: one - purple, the other - raspberry.

She seemed happy and cheerful. On one of the pictures, she was sitting at her table by a window in a room made of wood. A bright clear moon shone down onto a valley with neatly organized houses beyond the glass. The mare herself was surrounded by stacks of books of all sizes and colors, some were brand new, the others - old as time. She was dressed in grey sweatpants and a white shirt. She was levitating several open books, a scroll and a feather with her raspberry-colored magic. On the other picture, the most scratched one, she was on some kind of a balcony. The background was faded. The purple mare was in a fancy yellow dress and a golden tiara. Several other ponies stood around her. Two earth ponies, two pegasi and a unicorn.

The pale-mauve mare touched the red scarf, sliding her hoof along the length of the neatly folded neckwear. It was knitted from thick woolen strings and was warm and very pleasant on touch.

“What are those?” The pale-mauve mare asked, pointing at the glowing spheres.

“Memory Orbs.” Agnate informed.

“Memory Orbs?”

“An old Equestrian magitech that allows storing of memories of developed creatures.”

The mare looked them over, “How do you activate them?”

“Only a unicorn can do that.” Agnate paused for a moment, scratching the underside of her beak, “Or you need a Recollector, but I haven’t heard about any in these places.”

The mare stepped back from the table, moving out of Agnate’s way. “Who is the red mare?”

“Squad leader Crimson Sin of Lord Gigantus’ Marauders.”

“Who are they?”

“Mercenaries, headhunters, raiders, scavengers...”

“Why are they here?”

“MasterBlaster made a contract with Gigantus. I don’t know much, just that creatures disappear and there has been a rise in lost shipments of fuel, munition, and provision.”

“How big of a role does the red mare play?”

“Key to keeping it up.”

“I want food, water, vehicle and a list of herbs.” The pale-mauve mare finally stated extending her front leg.

“Deal.” Agnate grabbed her by the forehoof and shook it.

“How do I deal with Blaster?”

“Challenge him. A fair fight to the death in Thunderdome.”

“Rules?”

“No jury, no appeal, no parole. Even number of creatures. The fight is to the death.”

“Weapons?”

“Anything possible. Chance decides.”

“Thunderdome. How do I get in?”

“That’s easy. Pick a fight.”