The Blade Chronicles: Book Two

The sounds of gunfire rang out as a yellow coated mare with a pink mane and pink tail flew around quickly in the air. She had a scrap pistol in her mouth as she fired a shot at a stallion that was approaching a pre-blaze army truck, its cotton cover had holes inside of it. His coat was greasy from months of not bathing, his body was covered by leather armor and on his snout rested a gas mask. The stallions armor had holes in it as the shots made contact, the first two hit him in the chest and two more hit him in the side. He couldn’t stand any longer as his body gave out. The stallion fell to the ground, his eyes glazed over as the pegasus that shot as him landed in front of the deceased male. She had on a set of scavenged light armor, a pair of goggles rested on her forehead as she turned and trotted up to the caravan. Inside sat a wounded Seeking Blade along with a couple other ponies. Seeking Blade’s family was amongst them as the pegasus climbed inside and one of the other ponies climbed into the driver's seat. The pegasus soon sat down next to Seeking Blade and began to tend his wounds.

“Um, Seeking Blade…” the timid and soft speaking voice said as the pegasus had begun to talk in a gentle tone. “I am sorry for not having had the chance to speak with you or introduce myself to you, but… My name is Fluttershy.” She took a first aid kit from underneath the stallion that was in the passenger seat as she trotted back. Opening it as she took out some alcohol and gauze, getting to work on healing the wounded stallions front right shoulder wound.

Seeking Blade grunted as the alcohol stung his wound, he had been shot, he looked from Serene Morning, to Sun Spot and Night Eye. He then turned his gaze to Fluttershy, his voice was gruff as he spoke to her in a tough tone. “Where are you from, Fluttershy?” he asked as he soon felt her wrap his wound in gauze and a bandage.

“Oh, I come from Equestria.” She said with a smile as a small, white rabbit peeked its head up and over the top of her head.

Seeking Blade blinked a bit. “Equestria…? Where Discord resides? What are you doing here?” He asked in a surprised tone.

“Indeed, the very same! And well…” Fluttershy closed her eyes and exhaled as she put the alcohol, gauze and bandages back into the first aid kit. She trotted back to the passenger in the front seat and handed the first aid kit over to the stallion before she then trotted back to Seeking Blade. She sat down next to him and gave a soft smile. “Well, it all started a few days ago when I was called up to Princess Celestia’s castle.”

A few days ago…

Fluttershy tilted her head curiously as she landed in front of the large, white oak doors at Princess Celestia and Luna’s castle. Her hoof came to rest on the door as she pushed it open and trotted inside. The pegasus shut the door behind her as she then began to trot towards the princess’s throne room. “Oh dear, I wonder what caused the princess’s to call us here, Angel. I do hope that everything is alright with everypony and the animals.” The small white rabbit gave a shrug as it sat on Fluttershy’s back and ate a carrot. As the pegasus trotted through the grand corridors, she soon made her way into the throne room where the two princesses sat on their thrones in wait. As she made her way to the steps that led up to the thrones, Fluttershy knelt down on one of her front hooves in respect as she felt her rabbit companion tumble softly to the floor in front of her, Its carrot plugged its mouth as it slowly chomped it down to bits and swallowed. The two princesses looked to one another and smiled as they got up and trotted over to her as she stood up, lifting her bunny companion back up onto her back with her left hoof.

“Ah, Fluttershy, thank you very much for coming on such short notice.” Princess Celestia said, her white coat shone softly in the warm light of the sun as it filtered in through the stained glass window behind them. Her rainbow colored mane and tail rested against the side of her neck, and on the floor. She smiled to the pegasus softly.

“Oh, yes. About that, what exactly is the problem?” the pegasus blinked as she looked between the two sisters. She cocked her head to the side as she tried to size them up. She had been curious as to what had caused them to call her to their castle.

“Right. let’s get down to business, Fluttershy.” Princess Luna said in a solemn tone, her black mane and tail rested fully against her body as her deep blue coat absorbed some of the warm sunlight. She spoke to Fluttershy calmly, though the pegasus mare could hear the well hidden worry in her voice. “Discord has just returned from a sojourning to Everglow, and says that it’s been turned into a wasteland that is full of nothing but ruins, ash, and monsters. Things that are terrorizing ponies and many other races, as well as the animals from the land. We would like you to go and see if there is any way that we can help out the races of Everglow with supplies or an extra set of hooves to help out with rebuilding. These are troublesome times for them, from what Discord said.”

The yellow coated mare gave a firm nod as she spoke. “Alright, yes. I’ll go and see what I can do! After all, it’s not like I can’t talk the sweet and adorable little animals that are there into helping me.”

The present day…

Fluttershy sat back on the seat as the truck kicked up ash behind them, her eyes looked to the other passengers as she laughed a bit. “And that’s the story about how I got here. Once I arrived, I remember talking to what looked like some cute and adorable critters, but then I started flying because they began to chase me. After flying for who knows how long, I bumped into your group here and well… here I am, getting a lift to the nearby town so that I can start looking for a way to help everypony out here as well as all of the other races.” she folded her wings against her back as she hummed a bit, her eyes closed as she listened to the rolling of the tires beneath them on the ashy surface.

Seeking Blade gave a nod as he blinked a bit, he looked at the bullet wound where the shot had been removed by Serene Morning. He and the other ponies had become exhausted from the long and tough day of fending off Raiders and monsters alike. They had been returning to Murrage after a recon mission, some of the other ponies had their eyes shut. Seeking Blade looked around a bit, before returning his attention back to Fluttershy. He had met Discord a good few years before the bombs fell, his parents almost attacked him due to being unsure as to what or who he was.He spoke to the mare who helped them out of the jam that they were in earlier, an appreciative tone came into his voice.

“Fluttershy, thank you for the assist. You really saved our flanks back there. We’re exhausted and just got done dealing with those crazy sun’s earlier. Wore us down to the bone. We also ran into some raiders before we ran into you.” he said and leaned back, a calm smile on his face. They all had settled in as the ride back to Murrage lasted two hours due to the distance they had traveled. As the sun drifted just beyond the horizon, darkness fell. The group had returned to the city and began to debrief as they lined up outside of the truck.

Meanwhile, in a small town to the north east of Murrage, about forty miles away… The sounds of swords echoed through the air, the cold steel clashed with a blade that was made of darkness. The two that were facing off against one another in the street, was an Alicorn mare who had a crown on her head with a scarlet red coat, facing off against her was a Leatherwing stallion who had on a dark black bodysuit. The False Queen had dark blue eyes that glinted in the darkness as she swung her sword once more, catching the stallion off guard briefly. He reared back on his hindlegs, his red eyes widened in surprise as he left himself open inadvertently. The False Queen took the opening, and tackled him to the cold ground below her as her sword raised to the side of his neck. His own rested against the side of her neck in return as he grinned at her.

“Well fought, your highness. Now, how about you let me up so that we can go and perform our sweep of the nearby areas for any threats that might be hiding out in the wastes?” he asked with a playful grin. His sword dissipated into the air as he looked her in the eyes.

“Oh, but of course!” The alicorn shifted her weight a bit before she got up and off of the leatherwing, she had a sache draped across her neck and chest proudly, the crest of a shield was able to be seen as she put her sword in its sheath that rested on the side of her hip. She stepped back from him so that she could give him room to stand up.

As the leatherwing stallion stood up, the alicorn mare got a look at the bulge at the stallions crotch as he stood up. He looked to her and gave her a nod, the two of them trotted towards the south side of town. The alicorn had a long and elegant snow white mane that rested against the left side of her face and covered her eye. Her well kept and combed tail rested against the backside of her hind legs, her uncovered eye glanced at the stallion as they trotted for a couple of minutes before exiting the gate. The two of them trotted a couple of miles away from the town as they began to search.

“So, Dark Heart… I must admit that since we met a few years ago, I really do wish to say that I have grown to respect you.” The alicorn mare said, her wings rested against her side softly as she gave a smile.

“Thank you, Divine Kiss! I must admit that you came across roughly at first, when we met. Normally, I would have outright killed you right then and there… What with you being a False Queen and all.” Dark Heart said to Divine Kiss in return, he had his own wings folded against his backside as he gauged her with his eyes. He couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering her body as he lost his focus for the brief moment. He managed to pull his eyes away from the lovely mare that he had been working alongside, underneath his bodysuit his emotions betrayed him and caused his cheeks to begin to burn a bright red. Thankfully, it was unable to be seen from underneath the bodysuit.

Two hours passed before they had both gotten back around to the gate that they had exited out of. Dark Heart and Divine Kiss were about to make their way back to their corresponding homes when there was a sudden sound of steel falling onto the ash covered ground. It landed with a thud, and the two had turned around with their weapons immediately at the ready. But they didn’t see anyone or anypony, at least not at first. It took the leatherwing stallion a moment before he had caught a look at a small pony that appeared to be made of steel. Dark Heart made his sword vanish once more as he made his way to the small pony, and noticed that it resembled a Steelheart. It was a mare whose eyes were closed and was still breathing. He motioned to Divine Kiss as he looked at her with a reassuring glance.

“It’s okay, she’s unconscious. But she looks like she can use some help. Let’s get her into the town and to my home, so that she can recover. Despite the coldness of the wastes, we should still give her refuge.” He said as he hefted the small mare up and onto his back, with Divine Kiss’s help. She gave a nod and blinked as she looked to the unconscious pony.

“If she is a steelheart, then she is going to want to kill me right as soon as she wakes up…” Divine Kiss said with a soft sigh, she had helped the steelheart onto Dark Hearts back and rested a wing on top of the mare to keep her from falling off.

As the two trotted back into the town, they headed directly for a mansion that rested atop a hill in the distance, though it didn’t take them too long to get there and inside. The two had found an empty bedroom to rest the small mare in. Laying the steelheart on the bed carefully, Dark Heart looked to Divine Kiss and led her out of the room. The door closed behind them. It was hours before the mares eyes slowly opened, she found herself in an incredibly dark bedroom as she looked around. Her blue sensors scanned the room slowly. It was bare aside from the essentials. There was a dresser, a door that led into a bathroom, and the bed that she had found herself waking up on. The small steelheart climbed off of the bed as she approached the bedroom door and pressed her left ear against it. She couldn’t hear anything from the hallway as she drew a slow and soft breath of air, exhaling as the bamboo chute inside of her took it in alongside of her apparatus.

“Okay Metric, You’ve got this! Whoever it is that ponynapped you is in some deep trouble now… They don’t know what pain or trouble they are in for with Metric Zoom at the ready!” Metric Zoom said out loud, her sensors widened in fear as she heard the knob begin to turn, and in a sudden rush of fear she dove back underneath the bed covers! As the door opened, Dark Heart spoke softly into the room.

“Hey, you don’t have to be scared of me… I’m Dark Heart, my companion, Divine Kiss and I found you outside of the city unconscious. Are you hungry?” He asked as he softly opened the bedroom door entirely. As he walked inside, Dark Hearts wings held a tray full of food in between them, balancing it carefully as he gave looked to the mound that originated from underneath the bed covers. He set the tray of food down on the dresser and trotted to the bed, taking a seat next to the nervous mare.

“I-I’m not scared of you!” the mare retorted as she poked her head up and out of the covers, her sensors scanned the leatherwing stallion over calmly as she took a couple of deep breaths and exhaled once more. Her tone came off as tough, but it clearly wasn’t showing since she was still hiding under the covers partly. “I’m just scared of where I am… who are-”

She was about to finish her sentence before she saw the most precarious thing walk into the doorway. It was pitch black, like the darkest of darkness as two green eyes looked at her. The being was short and lithe as it approached the edge of the bed and jumped up onto it. It looked to her, then back to Dark Heart.

“Hey, Dark Heart, who’s this? This isn’t that Divine Kiss that we’ve heard so much about, is it? Doesn’t look like royalty.” The monster scoffed as he looked Metric Zoom over slightly, acting judgemental. “Besides, this gal is too short for you, Dark Heart! You need someone big, someone that can-”

“Enough…” Dark Heart said to the monster as an agitated tone came into his voice. He glared at the small creature with a look that could kill a person. “I have heard enough, Darkling… now, go back to sleep.” The stallion pushed the Darkling off and onto the floor, where it landed with a soft thump. Not injuring it as it evaporated into smoke. Dark Heart got up to his hooves after a few moments and gave the mare a smile, regaining his cool and collected composure. “”I’m sorry, I forgot my manners. I am Dark Heart, what about yourself?” He asked in a polite tone as he extended his right hoof to her.

Metric Zoom hesitated for a brief moment before she sat upright and hoof bumped Dark Heart. “My name is Metric Zoom, I do suppose that I must thank you for getting me out of the elements and someplace nice and safe.” Dark Heart was able to get a better look at Metric Zoom, his eyes scanned her body only to find that she was entirely steel, her voice was feminine enough to where he could clearly tell that Metric Zoom was indeed a mare. “Um… do you mind if I crash here for a while? At least until I can get my bearings and figure out where I am.”

Dark Heart gave a soft nod as he trotted to the dresser and took the tray back to Metric Zoom, offering it to her, he balanced it on his back softly. “Here, get some food in you. I’ll show you around the town tomorrow.” he felt her take the tray off of his back and gave her a smile. “What are you, anyways?” he asked out of curiosity as he turned back to face her.

Metric Zoom swallowed the food that she had already put into her mouth, her eyes moved from the tray and up to Dark Hearts eyes. “I am a Blossom Forged, one of the units that Cog gave away and allowed to be abused…” She went quiet as she spoke Cog’s name, her jaw clenched shut around a piece of food that was inside of her mouth and snapped it in half. She had to take a breather as she kept herself calm, knowing that it wasn’t exactly the greatest idea to attempt to injure the stallion that had given her refuge.

“Ah, I am afraid that I am unfamiliar with the Blossom Forged. However, finish eating and you may get some sleep in, if you’d like. Feel free to explore the mansion at your leisure. If you have any questions, one of my Darklings shall assist you.” He said as he turned and trotted out of the door, vanishing.

Metric Zoom finished eating a short while after Dark Heart had left her bedroom, she was tired, but her curiosity was becoming more prevalent as she got off of the bed and left the bedroom. She had begun to explore the lavishly furnished mansion, starting off in the library as she looked at the walls lined with books upon books. However, she didn’t spend too much time in the library. Metric Zoom’s exploration had taken her throughout the entire mansion, with the aid of the Darklings she had seen everything that there was to see. As she began to return to her bedroom, there was a heavy pounding at the front door. Metric Zoom stopped in the center of the entry hall and looked, her sensors flicked all over the place. And before she knew it, the front door was busted down as two stallions with scrap rifles took aim at her.

“Where’s Dark Heart?! We have some payback for him!” Said one of the stallions as the other fired a warning shot by her ear without hurting her. These two were out for blood, whoever they are…

“I don’t know where he is!” Metric Zoom said in a nervous tone. “I only saw him a little while ago, really!” she had seen every room in the mansion, and she didn’t see Dark Heart in any of them. Her sensors went wide as the two stallions approached her slowly.

One of them smirked as he looked at Metric Zoom. “I see! Well then, how about we get what we want from you?” as his companion chuckled. They had reached her as their eyes wandered her body a bit.

The stallion on the left sighed as he spoke. “ Eh, she has no mare bits… though she does have a mouth that looks to be pretty useful!” he said with a perverted and horrible grin that caused Metric Zoom’s stomach to churn. The stallion on the right side of her grabbed her by the back of the head with his left hoof and pulled her close.

“How about this!” Metric Zoom yelled out as she was grabbed by the stallion. She quickly slammed the one that had taken hold of her with a hoof as hard as she could in the face. Sending him backwards as he stumbled a bit, blood dripped down his face.

The two stallions moved back and with their scrap rifles up, they both aimed at Metric Zoom, and pulled the trigger…