Copper Heart

-The Everfree Forest-

The black pegasus stallion grinned demonically, a set of four arm-like appendages on his back flexing in an unnatural manner reminiscent of a spider. Their tips were caped with long, jagged blades, that of which had been visibly slashed across his shoulders and chest, leaving scabs and scars. His short mane and tail were crimson and his eyes were bloodshot.

Shadow Blade was an operative for Colonel Hurricane in the fight against those that had rebelled against Princess Celestia during the Crystal War, fifteen years ago. Such an operation, however, was deemed treason by the Princess, however, so those who were a part of it had to remain inconspicuous in order to avoid the post-apocalyptic execution for such an act. Shadow Blade had willingly taken a role in the operation, withholding a long-winded, and sanity-stealing grudge against a former friend of his.

As a result of his "enthusiasm" for eliminating threats, Shadow was sent out into the Everfree with the knowledge that an old ally of Wolf Heart had been seen out in the forest. Jackpot Ace hadn't been seen for three years, up until about a week ago, and Colonel Hurricane wanted him dead.

Hence, the pegasus had been dispatched to scout the Everfree for the unicorn earlier in the morning. His search, however, bore little fruit, and in spite of his never-waning lust for blood, Shadow Blade was growing bored. The stallion leaned back on his haunches, lifting one of his four long shoulder arms and scratching his scalp with the blade attached to it. He sighed...

Rising to his hooves, Shadow walked forward whilst scanning his surroundings for any potential signs for Jackpot Ace. The one place he could think that the obnoxious stallion could be was Beaver Hollow, an old cave alongside a river that was often used by squatters, homeless ponies who unlawfully took up occupation on other's land.

With this in mind, the stallion spread his plated wings and took off towards Beaver Hollow.

Unbeknownst to the agent, the pegasus was being watched. A muscularly built stallion peered out at him from behind a large tree, gazing at him with his one good eye. He scratched his beard, a scowl etched across his face. He recognized this black and red pegasus, and he despised him. Slowly, the earth stallion slunk out from behind the tree wearing heavy copper gauntlets laden with iron engravings. He was a pegasus, though his wings weren't feathered. Rather, they were dragon-like in appearance, bearing fingers, leathery skin between them, and serrated claws. The large stallion bore a full beard with a heavy mustache and he was old, with wrinkles of age annunciating his glare.

Slowly, he moved forward, following Shadow Blade whilst maintaining a distance to avoid detection.

-Beaver Hollow, The Everfree Forest-

Jackpot Ace tossed a small amount of the cold river water onto his face, wearing a solemn, flat expression on his face as he lifted his head and shook his hooves off. The unicorn stared down at his rippled reflection in the body of water and sighed, shaking his head to himself. "Pathetic," he muttered to himself, splashing at his reflection before rising to his hooves and turning back towards the mouth of the cave system that his old friend had once taken up residence at.

Jackpot looked down, seeing the old, heavily rusted copper forelimb that he only imagined was his friend's prosthetic before he had been given a replacement wing. Pieces of armor also littered the ground around him, including an old, tattered Wonderbolts uniform with the name "Dapper Jolt" emblazoned upon the breast pocket. Slowly, he approached the uniform and lifted it off of the ground, where pill-bugs and a salamander that had been dwelling underneath the weathered suit scurried away as their home was moved.

The unicorn ran a hoof through his mane and sighed, tossing the one-piece aside and kicking away a lone segment of rusted copper wing plating.

Ace scanned the surroundings. It was all a reminder of what had become of his friends. He himself was by no means in good shape, scarred and bearing chipped hooves and bloodshot eyes. As he looked around, Jackpot ushered a heavy breath, leaning back on his haunches before he heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, Jackpot."

Turning to face the voice whilst also hearing a thud and mechanical clicks, the unicorn deadpanned at seeing a black and red pegasus. "Shadow Blade!" he exclaimed with mock joy. "What a horrible surprise, now please, go fuck yourself," Jackpot snorted as the agent in question flexed his mechanical arms.

"You don't make yourself easy to find," Shadow Blade said, ignoring Jackpot as he approached.

"And for good reason, now piss off."

Shadow Blade grinned malevolently. "Nah, I don't think I will. You see, Colonel Hurricane wants you dead. I've never let him down, and I don't plan to start today," he sneered snidely before looking down at feeling something brush against his hoof. It was the tattered uniform, a navy blue, camouflage printed suit. "Mourning the loss of your dearly beloved, hm?" he taunted, snapping his head up with a psychotic grin. "I wish I could've been there," Shadow grinned. "Wish I could've seen the blade pierce his heart and make him choke on his own fluids... slowly... and painfully."

At the words, Jackpot broke, surging towards Shadow Blade in a blind rage whilst brandishing a long-bladed sword in his teeth.

Shadow Blade hissed, lunging back as Jackpot swung the blade with full force. The pegasus easily avoided having his throat sliced as his rival's eyes blazed.

"Dapper Jolt was five times the stallion that you could ever hope to be!!" Jackpot roared, whirling around and throwing his hind hooves back.

Shadow rolled his eyes with a scoff, taking steps back to avoid each of Jackpot's attacks with little effort. "Please," he snorted. "He was nothing more than dead weight to you and your group. He couldn't fight, and when he did, he got himself killed." As he spoke, he deflected another swing with a mechanical arm before he began to push forward, jabbing at Jackpot's hooves with a grin. "Now, let me show you how to fight."

As the unicorn staggered back, Shadow began to stab at his arms, some hits slicing across his fur and drawing blood, whilst others impaled him with unnatural speed, eliciting a series of pained shouts from him as he moved. Shadow attacked swiftly, purposely avoiding killing the stallion as Jackpot tried in vain to counter or dodge attacks.

After another moment, Jackpot collapsed to a knee, lifting a hoof and grabbing one of Shadow's appendages just as it hurled towards his heart. The unicorn struggled, teeth clenched, as another bladed arm jerked towards him like a scorpion's tail. Jackpot winced and ducked his head, where the arm impaled the ground.

"Just give up, Ace," Shadow Blade laughed.

He was unable to reply as a large stallion approached Shadow Blade from behind. "Dapper?" he coughed with wide eyes, noticing his gauntlets and clawed wings.

"Wait, what?" Shadow Blade blurted with fear before he turned away from Jackpot. He promptly received a branch to the jaw for his actions, where he stumbled back and fell, passed out cold. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth and he was now scraped across the face as the newcomer held out a hoof for Jackpot.

"No, I am not Dapper," he explained, hoisting the unicorn to his feet.

Jackpot could see now that his savior was indeed, unfortunately, not Dapper. He was older, with age lines visible upon his face. His mane was also shorter and swept back, rather than forward. The newcomer's wings were also different, as they were more bat-like than Dapper Jolt's were. The most prominent feature was the fact that he only had one eye which was a striking green-blue in color. Jackpot Ace sighed and dipped his head taking a step away from the stallion, but not without a pained grimace as his legs bled profusely.

"Thanks for the help," he shrugged, where the stallion nodded in acknowledgment. Looking back up at the stallion, he cocked a confused brow. "Who are you, anyway? And why did you save me?"

The pegasus lifted a brow. "I can wake him up if it's a problem?" he grunted sarcastically before answering Jackpot's first question. "My name is Astral Thunder. I didn't know Dapper Jolt personally, but I don't think our meeting was a coincidence, Jackpot Ace."

The unicorn leaped back with a wide-eyed expression. "How do you know me?!"

Astral rolled his eyes. "Calm yourself... I work for what uncorrupted government we have left in this damned country. Dapper Jolt was quite famous before he died, but not for the right reasons. He'd created a lot of enemies over the decades, and now that he's dead, those that sought to kill him are after what few friends he still has in circulation... That includes you, Mister Ace," he explained.

"And how do you fit in?" Jackpot asked skeptically.

"I'm the bodyguard. Don't worry, I've been trained more heavily than your average soldier, so you're safe. I can not say the same of your acquaintances, however. Currently, they, and you, are being hunted by a group of ponies who work under Colonel Hurricane's orders, but illegally. However, one of you is in particularly grave danger... Wolf Marie Heart. She was Dapper Jolt's closest ally if I'm not mistaken, and she had also made a fair amount of unwanted rivals. Hence, she and her family are being more heavily tracked," Astral Thunder told him, looking down at Jackpot to see a fearful look clad upon his face.

"What, you're serious?" the unicorn exclaimed. "Who again, is hunting Wolf Heart?"

"Her name is Flute Melody, and as you know Shadow Blade is also with them. Our sources say that they work in Canterlot without Celestia's knowledge, so we need to leave... I'll go into further detail as we walk," Astral ordered.

With that, Jackpot allowed for a small amount of magic from his horn wrap around his forelegs and slowly mend his wounds before he followed the larger pegasus.

-Ponyville-

Wolf Heart slept next to Steadfast on the living room sofa, her Crystal Imperial wings neatly positioned on a wall mount as they usually were when she was at home. The mare's head was nestled against his chest and a soft smile was visible upon her face, in spite of the events from earlier in the day.

June Bug was passed out on the floor, drool slithering down her chin as she snored softly

Steadfast smiled to himself, gently kissing his wife's forehead and tickling her forearm in a playful manner. The mare squeaked softly in her sleep, her tail twitching slightly as she buried her head underneath Steadfast's chin and drawing out a wide smile from the earth stallion as he chuckled. "I love you, Baby-girl," he whispered into her ear, flicking his own to attention and listening intently.

Before long, he heard her reply, albeit in a muffled, nearly incomprehensible voice as a result of her current state of sleep. "Luv youuu moar," Wolf Heart murmured, eliciting a smile from her husband as she rested her hoof across his belly. After a while longer, the mare's eyelids fluttered and she sighed, slowly looking up at Steadfast with a sheepish smile.

Slowly, she sat up, wiping a thin line of saliva from the corner of her mouth that made way for a slightly embarrassed smile at the realization. "Sorry," she said in a slightly higher pitched voice than she typically did, as was usual when she was tired or flustered.

"You're adorable," Steadfast chuckled, kissing her again.

-The Outskirts of Ponyville-

Astral Thunder and Jackpot Ace sprinted towards Ponyville. While Astral was managing to remain mostly calm, Jackpot was in a full-fledged panic. After a short while running, the two slowed to a trot, and eventually a walk.

Jackpot, in his state of panic, instantly started for Wolf Heart's home before he was stopped by Thunder. "No! We go for Mister Oak first. Colonel Hurricane will likely take him hostage to lure Wolf Heart towards him so that he can take care of her himself," he explained sternly.

The unicorn nodded and followed the pegasus, and before long, the two had neared Abacus Oak's home. But when they did, Jackpot saw something that made him sick.

A shorter alicorn mare in a uniform had a hoof around Abacus Oak's neck, the blade of a short sword to his throat. "Don't take another step!" she shouted out to the duo as Abacus struggled slightly, teeth clenched. The mare sneered at seeing Jackpot Ace, practically ignoring Astral. "You two are a couple of fucking idiots, aren't you?" she barked, looking back and forth between the two and dropping the blade to her side with a look of disappointment.

"No... you," Abacus grunted. "You fucking bi-"

Jackpot's eyes went wide as Flute Melody slit Oak's throat, blood pouring down from the wound. Astral Thunder's expression remained firm, though with his beard hiding his mouth, the stallion's expression was hard to read.

"I'll kill you next," Flute Melody snapped, dropping Oak's body with a sneer before she abruptly warped away with a flash of light. that burst from her horn momentarily.

Jackpot's breath came heavy as he gazed upon his friend's dead body. Astral Thunder, in that time, approached the earth stallion's body and hoisted Abacus Oak over his shoulder with an effortful grunt and solemn expression before he turned and looked down at Jackpot Ace. "You're not safe here. We need to go," he ordered.

The unicorn could only nod, speechless as Astral walked by him, Oak's blood soaking the white fur of his shoulder a gory shade of red. "Wh... where are we going?" he spluttered, face turning a sickly shade of green.

"Harsh as it sounds, we must inform Wolf Heart of the danger that she is in, in a way that will not raise any questions," Astral acknowledged flatly. "The sooner we can get her away from this place, the better off her and her family will be."

Jackpot was unable to respond, his head swimming as he took a deep breath and leaned back on his haunches. "Ohhhh, the PTSD," he exclaimed, lifting his head and looking up at the sky. "I can't deal with this anymore," the unicorn groaned.

Astral turned back towards Jackpot, furrowing a brow. "We need to go, Mister Ace," he ordered.

-Moments Later-

Jackpot Ace nervously banged on the wooden door, both nervous and terrified to see his old friend after what would be three years now. The stallion turned to face Astral Thunder, squeezing his eyes shut to avoid looking at Abacus Oak's lifeless body before the door swung open with a creak.

"Jack?" Wolf Heart's familiar voice exclaimed before he felt her leap into his arms with excitement. "Jack! It's you!" she laughed joyfully before he pried himself out of her grip with a grimace.

The stallion looked down at his friend solemnly. "Hey, Wolfie," he muttered, unable to find the same amount of enthusiasm as his friend.

Wolf Heart furrowed a brow as Steadfast came to the door holding June Bug in his arms. "Jackpot," he chuckled. "Long time no see!" Repositioning his daughter, the earth stallion held out a hoof for the unicorn.

Jackpot simply moved his gaze down and shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't come here to say hello," he muttered, beckoning a bat-winged, heavily bearded pegasus up to the porch.

At first, Wolf Heart almost mistook him for an older Dapper Jolt until she caught the sense of foreboding in his eyes and saw the grizzled, war-veteran visage spread across his muzzle. "Who are you?" she asked whilst furrowing a brow before noticing the shape hunched over his shoulder. "What... what is that?"

She received her answer as the muscularly built pegasus threw his arm, dropping a dead stallion onto the porch with a dull, lifeless thud. Jackpot squeezed his eyes shut and turned away as Wolf Heart screamed, where Steadfast's expression became that of disgust as he pulled June Bug's head away from the grisly sight.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Steadfast shouted angrily as his wife stumbled backward, tears streaming down her cheeks as she retreated back into the house. "Get the fuck away from my wife, and stay away from my damn house!" Steadfast shouted at Astral.

The stallion promptly received a hoof to the face for his actions before he collapsed, clearly out cold. In a panic, Jackpot Ace telekinetically caught June Bug as she fell before, with a small blast of light magic, he rendered her painlessly unconscious. Astral cocked an expectant brow, staring down at the additionally unconscious form of Steadfast before he let himself inside with a stern expression

"The fuck, Thunder?!" Jackpot shouted at him, where he received a fierce glare from the stallion in question.

"Go deal with her," he barked unrelentingly, pointing in the direction that Wolf Heart had gone to.

"Ohhh, no! I'm not done with you! You can't just show up to somepony's house and start throwing their friend's body around, for starters!" Jackpot hollered at him before Astral marched towards him, eyes blazing as he loomed over the unicorn.

"I said... go deal with her," Astral repeated, his voice a low growl.

Jackpot glared up at him before begrudgingly cooperating, locating the mare in the kitchen, hunched down in front of the dishwasher and sobbing.