Hollow Hope

CLANG
The abstract form slammed into the wall, moments away from breaking Sunny in half; he had narrowly avoided it, and was galloping for dear life along the outer wall of the web-room.

Cloudy was running with him--faster than him, even--he winced as his bad leg buckled, stumbling into the wall. He picked the pace back up as the Abstract Daddy's massive legs began stomping along toward him. With a yelp, he turned--tumbling--as the thing's clawed feet overtook him. He fired the shotgun up into the monster's belly, but the shot scattered again; one of its legs slammed into his side, and with a painful, choking cry, he flew through the air. His head bounced when he hit the floor, and his vision doubled for a few seconds. The shotgun skittered along the floor, and he didn't bother to reach for it.

He wondered, for a second, if this is how he will die. As much pain as I'm in, he thought, maybe dying won't be so bad. Maybe while this thing sucks him dry, Cloudy can escape. The thought comforts him, if only for a moment; he closes his eyes, and waits for the sudden stabbing pain...

He felt a pair of clawed limbs clamp down on his shoulders, dragging him to his hooves, as the long-legs sank to its knees before him. He felt hot breaths on his face--the monstrosity's foul stench made his nose itch. The meat-tendril snaked out of its hole, throbbing, pulsating as it dragged across his cheek.

shunk

The creature hesitated, for a moment. It slowly turned its head, staring balefully at Cloudy--who had snatched up the crowbar from the floor, and driven it into the monster's shoulder, through a gap in the chitinous plating that covered it.

"Get your filthy fucking claws off my dad."

Sunny's eyes snapped open, and through the blur, he saw his daughter--he saw the tears in her eyes, and the twisted, enraged scowl on her face, as she twisted the crowbar, prying a chunk of carapace loose--his daughter, fighting to save his life. And, Sun and Moon bear witness, he was proud of her.

With a deafening bellow, the long-legs lurched upward, dropping Sunny and bringing Cloudy with it--she yelped, letting go of the crowbar and tumbling to the floor! Sunny rushed to her side, ignoring the twinge of pain in his ribs and the sting of his bloodied leg.

"Cloudy!"

"Ngh--keep moving! We gotta get that armor off it--"

"Cloudy, I--"

"We can talk later! Kick that thing's ass!"

Sunny wrapped a leg around her, and held her tight for a moment--she threw her hooves around him, and held him close--and then, with a curt nod and a confident smile, she untangled herself and started running around the edge of the room.

"Hey! Ugly! C'mere!" she shouted. "Y'want a snack? Come get some!"

Sunny scrambled for the shotgun--its weight felt reassuring, as he hefted it in his magical field. It felt like a true weapon, now--it felt like something powerful. Sunny felt strong--he felt a surge of will that he once thought he'd lost forever.

Behind him, the long-legs bellowed, charging at Cloudy--she leapt out of the way, and it crashed into a metal pillar, crumpling to the floor. With a triumphant cry, she jumped on it--kicking at the crowbar, which was still stuck fast inside the monster's armor. The long-legs growled and sprang back up, sending Cloudy scrambling away--

"Over here, you--you son of a bitch!" Sunny yelled, and the monster lurched toward him. "That's right! You and all the disgusting, freakish things you've done--you wanna go? You wanna have a li'l tussle? COME AND GET IT!"

It charged at him, howling indignantly, at a speed that no mere pony could reach--and Sunny scrambled aside, as it CLANGed into another metal pillar! As it sank to the ground, he wheeled and brought both his hindlegs down on the crowbar, breaking a massive plate of chitin off with a sickening snap.

"You! I'm sick and tired of you!" Sunny cried, as he snatched up the crowbar with his good hoof. "All you've ever done is make everything worse!"

He took a wild swing with the crowbar, and hooked another chunk of its carapace, tearing it clean off. The monster groaned, its legs spasming.

"Every time you touch something, it makes me sick! It makes me die inside!" He jammed the crowbar up into the base of its neck, and pried, and even more of the thing's plating came loose--exposing the back of its skull. He planted the barrel of the shotgun there, and the thing whined pitifully.

"I will never--ever--let you hurt me again!"

He pulled the trigger, and the monster's grey matter splattered across the grating, dribbling into the troughs below. The pus turned a dark red as blood seeped into it.

"...it's done?" Cloudy muttered, trotting up beside him.

"It's done."

"I don't...like you," Cloudy said softly, as they walked through the unending halls. "But that--that doesn't mean I don't care about you, all right?"

Sunny nodded. "I was...worried."

"Yeah?"

"That you'd never want to see me again," he whispered. "That you'd be better off if I was--"

"Dead? Hell no! I wouldn't just let you die. What kinda pony do you think I am?"

Sunny chuckled a little. Cloudy laughed. "No, no, you're--you're kind of a dick, and I'm still mad at you for leaving, but..." She sniffles a little. "You're my dad. I can't make that go away. Heck, I don't want it to go away. I just want you to do your frickin' job already."

"Hey, I'm trying!" Sunny laughed, and Cloudy slugged him in the shoulder, and soon she was laughing too.

Sunny stopped, suddenly, and took a knee. "Hey, c'mere. Hop up."

"Oh, come on. I'm a grown-ass mare, I can walk--"

"Shut up and hop on. I gotta do my job, right? Gotta start somewhere."

She rolled her eyes, and grinned, and clambered up onto his back. He shook a little as he lifted her up--she's nearly fully-grown, after all--but he's able to carry her, and his steps get steadier as he goes on.