To be Redeemedby shattered_skyChaptersTell me a StoryArrivalNew GameOddsTell me a StoryAn earth pony walked through the streets of Applelousa, his cloak covering any notable features. Things were a lot different then what he remembered. Sure there were still the distrustful gazes of some of the townsfolk, but he could feel a certain lightness in the air. Colts and fillies playing, construction of larger buildings, the large orchard and prosperous farms. These things were once unheard of in this town. Ever since the Celestial tyrants began their strikes of terror, regulated weather was quite unheard off. His Royal Highness Sombra seemed to be losing this war. But then the successful defense of Fort Craig, the survival of Applelousa and Dodge City. Death of dozens of Ideals, the elite soldiers of Queen Celestia’s army. The fall of the slave trade. And many more events that slowly eroded her powerbase in Equestria. And at the center of it all were these odd individuals, the so called Displaced. He’d heard of the frontier town and of the many heroes and outlaws. On how the town persisted, proving that live could survive – and eventually flourish – anywhere. On how certain individuals could overcome insurmountable odds. About hope that harmony could prevail. He doubted these stories would lead him to what he sought. But he was running out of options. For a moment he gave an unhinged grin, his red eyes shrinking to pinpricks. His thoughts wandered to all sorts of things. He slapped himself and shook his head. “I have… such pre-precious time.” His voice broke. “A-and I can f-feel it. This is merely the beginning. O-of something bl-bloody.” He took a few shuddering breaths. “War unheard of for millennia is on the horizon.” He concluded in a cold and stable tone. He then quickened his pace. Heading through the orchards and farms. To a small house far off. It was different from what he remembered, the once dilapidated house looked sturdy and had a fresh coat of white paint and a fence. A large stallion – the largest he’d seen – was on a rocking chair. Speaking to a young female buffalo and a Pegasus mare. The three turned to him as he opened the fence. The buffalo shifting into an aggressive stance and the navy blue Pegasus mare tensing. “What brings you here stranger?” She demanded. “You must be Little Strongheart. It’s pleasant to meet you.” He greeted. “Curiosity!? I-I mean Director?” The Pegasus mare stammered. “What brings ya ‘round these parts?” “Indeed, hello North Star. It’s been a while.” He looked over her lack of outfit and weapons. “Quite rare seeing you like this.” The large stallion remained silent through this, and feigned sleeping. “You know him Ranger?” Little Strongheart asked. “We go ways back.” Curiously smirked. “I’d simply wish she’d regale me with a story. Interesting people and events. It may help me with my search.” He disappeared and walked from behind the large stallion. Causing the two to jump back. He chuckled. “About which hooligan?” North asked. “The Mistwalker. Wraith. Angel of Death. The Redeemer. She goes by many names.” He smiled. “Reports don’t do her justice. And I know you gathered accounts of her, and you rode with her for a time.” He raised his head up. “Legends don’t simply appear. I want to know her origins.” North Star and Little Strongheart blinked. ****** Origins of the Displaced normally share two things in common. A not so glamorous - sometimes disillusioned life - of normal people. The other is the 'Displacement' as others call it, most talk about like going to a convention and meeting 'The Merchant by some video game. Usually given some prop related to their character. Well that wasn't the case for me. I was simply whisked away - the details of which I can't exactly remember because I was inebriated - after being given weapons and various abilities. Apparently I wasn't the only one, for during my travels I met many of these other individuals. Hundreds actually gathered together in some city up the Frozen North. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This account is gathered from myself, some friends and enemies alike. I witnessed many weird and horrible things I during my journey, some of which I was unceremoniously dragged into. I took up the name Senna, and even after I recovered my memory I decided to stick to the name. This is my story. The story of a mother, who only wanted to see her children again. ArrivalA curled up figure blended among the rust colored rocks scattered around the hot dessert landscape. Its back was slowly rising and falling, one would think it was an unusually smooth rock if not for that. The figure groaned and stirred, slowly getting up to its paws. She was a slender feline, coming up a head above the average stallion. Her emerald eyes opened but were closed immediately by the sun’s harsh glare. “Where am I?” She asked herself before laying back down in the warm sand. After a few moments she realized she was in the middle of the dessert. She shot up and looked around wildly. Sand as far as her eyes could see, and few cacti and boulders littered around. She began to hyperventilate but slapped herself to stop the incoming panic attack. “Okay, was I that drunk?” She spied her surroundings and saw a grey luggage bag inches from here. She stared at it dumbly for a few minutes before sitting down and taking shade under one of the larger rocks. “Sweet baby Jesus Dolores, did you drive all the way to Texas or something?” She asked herself. “I don’t even have a car.” Dolores frowned as she realized, she wracked her brain as she tried to remember past events. She came up at a blank. She eyed the suitcase again and decided that looking at the contents could illuminate her on what she did. She ran paw on the plastic surface and froze. Slowly she lifted her paws in front of her eyes and studied them, slowly opening and closing them. She leapt back and stumbled as her claws popped out. She screamed scrambled right into a rock. Her face slowly slid down the boulder and she faceplanted into the sand, her tail twitched with her peach staring right up. She stayed like that for around ten minutes. Rolling onto her back she wiped the blood trailing down her forehead. She then lifted her paws to her face and touched it all over. She let out a sound somewhere between a whine and a whimper. After panicking for a bit her eye twitched and she laughed hysterically. “Oh it makes sense now. This is just some dream.” She laughed again, this time it was the relieved sort. “Must be that boy’s video games, Maybe I drank while I tried them out.” She smiled and shook her head. “He throws quite the hissy fit when I try them out. I hope he’s not too angry at me when I wake up.” With this in mind she was a lot calmer and she decided to go through the contents of the suitcase. A large tome, a pair of ornate pistols, three outfits and in the corner was a dark green mist swirling around. As she touched one of the outfits she was enveloped by a blue light and when it faded she was wearing it. She stood up and looked herself over. It was a little tight for her tastes. The dark grey tights had thin black metal armor protecting her thighs, knees and her lower paws. “It’s really light…” She marveled. She did a twirl, the white cape fluttering and her metal boots rattled softly. She looked at the white vest on her chest to the dark brown leather with metal plates curving downwards her torso. She idly opened and closed the metal gauntlets she now wore. She smiled as she studied the outfit. “Wow… This looks quite nice.” A few dreadlocks fell over her eyes and she brushed it behind her head. She couldn’t help but laugh as she held her head. “Feels like I have a mop for hair.” Her hair was now done in dreadlocks and tied up, most of it hanging behind her. She grabbed one of the pistols – the one which its handle ended in a hook like fashion – and she ran an armored paw along the white barrel accented with dark gold. She held it with two paws and aimed for one of the cacti. She let out a shriek as a bolt of light shot out and burned through one of the cacti. She gaped at it for a while before hooking it on her belt. She grabbed the other one which was simpler on design and pushed it behind her belt. She grabbed the tome and read the title out loud. “Summoner’s Spellbook.” On the first page was two squares lit up. One depicted a figure surrounded by a golden dome. The other showed a figure in two places a short distance between each other. They were labeled Flash and Barrier. There were other greyed out squares labeled with names such as Ignite, Smite and Ghost. She flipped through the pages reading the instructions. “To use Flash visualize yourself disappearing in a flash of light and popping out a short distance away.” She read. Thinking about it she disappeared in a flash and reappeared a few inches from where she was standing. “Huh.” Her stomach ached and she retched. She held her mouth shut and she waited for the queasiness to pass. “I’ll try the others later I suppose.” She sighed as she flipped through the pages. A large cloud of dust could be seen over the dunes and she gulped. She gulped and grabbed the suitcase darting behind the rocks. “I-is it a sandstorm?” Her ears hugged her head as her tail tucked between her legs. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the storm she thought was coming. After a while she heard voices in the distance. Peeking from behind the rocks she saw three boats sailing over the sand. She stared wide-eyed at the scene. Pegasi were beating their wings to sustain a small tornadoes giving wind to the sails. The boats were occupied by few bipedal dogs and various ponies that were covered in bandages and cloaks. She took time processing this, her mind lagging as one of the Dogs lined up a riffle for a shot. The shot went wide, missing her by a mile. She shrieked and scrambled for cover. A dozen questions swirled in her head after the initial panic. Even after the shot she eventually decided to try and reason with them. As they neared she stepped out of the cover, she mentally cursed herself but she thought that she could talk things over. “Don’t shoot!” She yelled, raising her paws in the air. The Dog who squeezed a shot at her aimed for another. She looked in shock as one of the pony companions’ horn glowed yellow and forced the dog’s arms down. The sand boats came to a halt a good distance away from her, one of the Pegasi flew over to her. “Well now. What brings a pretty thing like you ‘round these parts?” The male Pegasus grinned with yellow teeth as he asked. She forced a smile as she glanced at the rotten teeth. “Uh… drifting.” She weakly offered. “Say, which direction is the nearest town?” She asked. The stallion looked at her in disbelief. “Yeah, likely story kitty.” A whiny and nasally voice piped up. Dolores looked at the stallion in confusion, the voice was much different from his raspy one. A small dog walked from behind the Stallion and barred his teeth at her. “A cat, here?” The pug growled. “Well I can’t help but be lost. There’s just sand EVERYWHERE!” She couldn’t help but snap back. “I don’t want any trouble, so just let me go on my way.” She added in a more patient tone. “Duke thinks you work for goldie pony.” The pug accused. “I don’t know Duke she looks like one o’ them adventuring types.” The stallion appraised the weapons on her hips and chuckled. “Those weapons of yours look mighty fine stranger.” She could have sworn she saw a gleam behind those goggles. “Who doesn’t like adventures? Travelling is nice you get to-“ “Ponies talk too much, cats talk too much!” The pug stomped. “You work for goldie pony! Why else cat here!?” He yelled as he pulled out a tiny gun – a Derringer but Dolores was not familiar with guns – and pointed it at her. Dolores took a few steps back. “Whoa, easy there! I’m just a lost lady trying to-“ She paused as he cocked his gun. The Pegasus shook his head and sighed. Dolores held her arms open and stared helplessly at the Pegasus. “I say we take her guns. They look pretty fine, the boss would appreciate them.” He slyly remarked. “Right!” “Excuse me?” And with that Duke, squeezed two shots at her. The first one missed and the second grazed her shoulder. She screamed and let out shots as she dove for cover. Duke pulled the Pegasus in front of him. The Pegasus let out a strangled scream as his chest hissed, a hole burned into it. Dolores imagined the barrier surrounding her and the dome of golden light surrounded her. Lightning and lead rained upon her as she scrambled for cover. The cracked barrier shimmered for a few more seconds before fading completely. She huddled behind the rocks and shook. Then she remembered her rationalization of her situation. “This is just a dream right?” She was filled with courage as she remembered all of the shots that missed. She felt that she was unstoppable and that if she wished easily take out her opposition. “I gave you people a chance!” She snarled, a scowl settled upon her face. Dolores felt mean and nasty. She leapt out of the cover and rapidly let out shots from both guns. Duke fumbled with his gun as he tried to reload, the corpse he hid behind rapidly filling with holes. He was spirited away by the unicorn from earlier and the sand people fired upon her. With a warcy one of the Pegasi flew towards her with a spear. She fired two shots which the stallion avoided. She dashed away from the swipes and let out another two shots, dropping the Pegasus. She danced among the magic bolt and lead, a few shots grazing her. She gritted her teeth and advanced downing them one by one. “KILL HER!” Duke shrieked as he dived behind a large crate. She let out a flurry of shots on his cover. Chunks of wood flew as the metal object inside it was slagged. Then she felt a shot hit her in the thigh. She let out a yelp, being brought to one knee. She raised her pistols to fire off more shots but her guns were shot out of her grasp. Another shot nailed her in her side. She let out a gasp, feeling it burn inside of her. Another shot off a piece of her ear. All she could hear was ringing and everything seemed to blur and slow down. The she felt something was choking her. The unicorn from earlier strode towards her, his horn glowing. She clawed at her chest futilely trying to suck in air. “You’re a feisty one eh? Sweet dreams.” He spoke in a cold voice. As her consciousness slipped away, she felt all of this was very, very real. Author's Note I like cats. Don't judge me. I also like guns and explosions. New GameThe large navy blue unicorn looked at the occupant of the other cage anxiously, Dolores was curled up in a ball and shivering. Her leg and side was wrapped up in a blood soaked black garment and she was drifting in and out consciousness. She groaned and lay on her back. “Dear God it hurts so badly. What is even going on?” She sobbed “You’re quite the resilient one ma’am.” The stallion remarked. He was wiping his bloodstained hooves with a handkerchief. He fumbled with it for a bit before moving to stuff it into his vest’s breast pocket. He let out a sigh and tossed away the once white garment. He pawed at a black ring around his slender and pointed horn. “W-where am I?” She croaked as she struggled to sit up. She let out a cry of pain as she dragged herself to rest against the steel bars. She hissed and shut her eyes tightly. She opened her eyes and blinked, staring at the middle aged stallion with a blank expression. “You are a unicorn.” “I’ve noticed ma’am.” He teased. “Also you are a cat.” He added. “I’m pretty sure I drank alcohol, not drugs.” She grabbed her head and gritted her teeth as previous events came back to her. “That all happened? No no no no, it must be stress. Or am I going mad?” She asked herself. Her train of thought was interrupted by another jolt of pain. “If it’s of any assistance to you, touching me would reveal if you are just hallucinating.” He frowned. “Then again, for some hallucinations can be touched and they can touch you.” At her irritated expression he coughed into his hoof. “Ah forgive me. Where are my manners? I am Blue Moon Miss Senna.” “Excuse me?” “I didn’t mean to, but I saw your name etched on your gun. Do pardon me.” She decided not to correct him. She looked around the dark cave they were trapped in, a lantern giving a dim light in the corner. She studied the torn coat used as bandages. “You helped me?” She asked. Blue Moon nodded in response. “Thank you.” She smiled and Blue Moon gave an embarrassed look. “I did what any Stallion should.” He sobered and he rubbed his muzzle. “However there is still a bullet lodged in your leg. I had no tools to remove it.” She swallowed. “I could die from lead poisoning. A few days at least if I don’t get it removed.” “I’d imagine our captors would offer no such aid. And my comrades are under the impression I’m at Las Pegasus right now. It would be some time before somepony would come for us.” He sadly concluded. “We’ll need to work together, to sort ourselves out of this mess.” “Me? What can I do!?” She squeaked. He blinked, startled at the outburst. “I was under the impression you were an adventurer. They gave quite the fit at the trashing you dished out.” He raised an eyebrow. “Pray tell, what are you then?” “I’m just a waitress!” She complained. “I’m just looking for my boys. Oh, I wonder if they’re all right.” She sobbed. “Then how did you do all that?” “Well they suddenly shot at me so I defended myself. I’ve never fired at another person in my life!” She paused as she remembered the firefight. She smelled burned flesh and tasted iron in her mouth. “I killed two of them… Oh dear God I Killed people.” She trembled and tears streamed down her face. Blue Moon looked at the cat with pity for a while. “Senna. Please look at me.” He spoke up eventually. She sniffed and turned to Blue Moon. “I need to ask you to put those thoughts aside for now. I’m asking a lot of you but we need to find a way to escape.” He spoke in a firm tone. “How can I? I’ve killed people.” “Because you did the right thing.” He raised his head. “W-what how can you say that!?” She got up with a start but immediately sank down with a cry of pain. “Those ruffians were evil. Those sand raiders carried a cannon with them. The ponies they were going to trade it was going to use it to hit caravans going through the area.” He walked over and held the bars of the cage. “Ponies in certain areas rely on those supplies to live. So in my opinion that makes you a hero.” “It doesn’t make it right!” “It’s justice. A civilian has as much right to dispense justice as a lawpony does.” Dolores snorted. “Fuck. From where I’m from self –defense is shooting someone who steps on your property.” She glared at him. “I can’t just say I did the right thing. Murder is the worst thing someone can commit. You expect me to just brush that fact aside?” She demanded. “No. I asking you – begging you in fact – to help me and yourself. We have loved ones out there for us. So you need to push those thoughts aside. And focus on what’s important.” He smiled. “We can schedule a therapy session later.” She wiped her tears aside and sniffed, she took deep breaths and calmed herself. A fire was set in her eyes and she nodded resolutely. “I can do that.” “That’s the spirit!” He beamed. “Now, we need to find a way to escape these cages. Can you pick a lock?” She shook her head. “No…” She got up with a grunt and leaned against the bars of her cage. She looked around, she hoped someone carelessly left behind something she could use. Nothing. They both studied the cage, Dolores concluded that she would just break her claws if she attempted to pick the lock with them. Not to mention she had no clue how to do that. “How are these cages anchored anyways?” Blue Moon bit his lip. “Hmm… They weren’t here the last time I was in this cavern. And I don’t see anything holding these down.” He shook his head. “This is going to ruin my teeth.” He bit the bar hard and managed to lift it a few inches. He let it drop and fell back. “Curses! I’m not strong enough to lift it.” He sat on his haunches and panted. Dolores walked forward and closed her eyes. She flashed forward a few inches forward and smacked against the bars. She collapsed with a goofy smile on her face. Blue Moon was surprised by her use of magic. “Are you alright?” A few minutes later she stirred and clutched her head. She lifted herself up again and tried it again. This time she reappeared on the other side. “I say, that is quite the surprise. Waitresses from your lands learn spells and gunplay.” He teased. “It’s a long story, now let’s try to get you out.” She shuffled over and slipped her paws under the cage. She gritted her teeth as she lifted it a bit, he joined her and together they managed to lift it enough so he could slip through. He quickly slid out and they slowly lowered it back. She leaned against him as her wounds reopened. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming. “We’ll need to retrieve your weapons. With my magic disabled you’ll need to shoot our way out.” Dolores winced. “The alternative is that you find a way to remove the inhibitor ring on my horn. If we can remove it I can teleport us out.” “I’ll need my stuff back either way however.” She concluded. She hissed and sucked in a breath. They walked slowly, side by side. They came near the entrance they saw a few Sand Raiders sprawled around, drunk. They were using the suitcase as a make shift table. They carefully retrieved it along with her guns. She was thankful she didn’t have to shoot anyone else and it seemed they were home free. They were going to leave but Blue Moon stopped. He pointed to a key ring on one of the unconscious guards. Dolores moved to grab it but the guard stirred. Blue Moon rushed forward and stomped on the guards head. With the keys acquired they managed to remove the ring. “Now, I simply need to orient myself on our location then we can teleport ourselves away from here.” He whispered as the sun began to set in the distance. “Oh? I’m afraid not trash.” A female voice condescendingly replied. They turned around slowly. Blue Moon backed away nervously at the sight of the figure. “Y-you!” Dolores squinted. “Is she a vampire pony?” Her eyes widened. “Those exist here!?” Author's Note Hey guys! I'm still trying to get a feel for the pacing for this story so please bear with me. I appreciate comments and I'd like to hear what you people have to say. Odds“Is she a Vampire?” Dolores asked. “Vampony I guess?” She offered uncertainly. She looked at Blue Moon, the unicorn was sweating and he trembled. “Blue Moon?” The magneta mare was lounging on top of the cavern. Her bat wings cast a shadow over the two. Her were visible in her condescending smirk. Her Cutie Mark was a well with red vine wrapped around and instead of water was a pool of blood. “I do believe I had you exterminated you filth.” She lay on her barrel and tapped her chin in thought. “Well, they decided on using me as a bargaining chip instead.” He replied, he calmed himself and flipped his man on one side. “For me it does seem dumb. I’d just slaughter you animals the same.” She rolled her eyes. “But then again I see Celestia’s point, one does need lesser creatures to lord over.” “Isn’t she your master you mongre-“ The Therestral let out a roar and spread her hooves, her body lowered and her wings splayed. “YOU DARE!? I serve my father only!” Her silver colored mane seemed to spike in response to her anger. Dolores just stared at the two uneasily. She was still overwhelmed by recent events, and it took most of her focus to not collapse right now. She felt that she was somehow floating but her head was sinking. She chose not to speak up. “Well this changes everything. I can’t teleport far enough, longer the distance longer casting time , she’d just catch us.” Blue Moon addressed Dolores, not bothering to whisper. “And even if could come up with a plan I couldn’t share it with you, her ears are sharp. She is stronger, faster and she heals insanely fast.” He listed down. “Smarter I’m not so sure.” He whispered to Dolores. “You do realize I can hear you?” “Which proves my point about super hearing.” He ended his statement with a nervous laugh. “So what can we do then?” Dolores worriedly asked. “The only thing we can do.” He replied with a steely expression… which lasted for all two seconds. “WE SURRENDER!” He raised his hooves in the air. The Sand Raiders stumbled out of the cave with their weapons drawn, they came just in time to hear his proclamation. Tense silence filled the air and a tumbleweed crossed between the two groups. The Therestral glided down, it looked like a broadsword materialized in her mouth. She stuck it in the ground and raised her head. “All of you are pathetic.” She snarled. The Raiders slumped over and crimson stained the sand. Dolores screamed and Blue Moon paled. “I should clean up this mess. What did I even expect from that cat’s associates? They can’t even keep prisoners.” “Everypony here is dying today.” She then grabbed the sword and assumed a combat stance. Immediately Blue Moon raised a shield spell, the Therestral blurred forward and strike. The surface cracked under the power of the blow. He dropped the shield and teleported the two of them few meters away. Dolores pulled out her guns and shot wildly, none of them hit the bat pony. The bat pony charged at her, the suitcase was thrown at her. She turned to slash it but the strike deflected off the suitcase and it nailed her in the face, dazing her. Blue Moon took the opportunity to slam the bat pony up and down several times. She didn’t lose the grip on her sword however. She struggled in his magical grip, eventually she managed to break free. Blue Moon recoiled and clutched his head in pain. She turned around to attack the unicorn but a shot hit her blade. Dolores guns were shaking in her grip and she let out a scream before firing again. The bat pony slashed at her, Dolores fell back trying to keep her distance from the bat pony. A few shots grazed the bat pony, before healing almost instantaneously. This gave Dolores pause and the bat pony took the opportunity to strike. She slashed through air as motes of light hung where Dolores once was. She flashed a few meters forward and she was sprawled out on the ground. Blue Moon fired a few stunning blasts in quick succession. Dolores remembered about the suitcase and she crawled towards it. She pulled out the tome and flipped to the spells section. She replaced the Flash with Ignite and the barrier with the healing spell. She managed to use the healing spell, her insides still burned but she felt that she could stand properly for a while. Following the instructions on the book she thrust her paw towards the bat pony and yelled. “Ignite!” Nothing happened. She tried it a few more times with the same results. The bat pony was already getting up. “Sweet Faust that should have taken out an elephant.” Blue Moon muttered in disbelief. Firing a few more of the stunning spells didn’t seem to deter her much. “I cannot hold her off any longer!” Dolores got up and opened fire. Most of her shots missed and the ones that did hit had no lasting effect. The unicorn stopped firing, his horn smoking. Dolores grabbed her side in pain, reminded for the hundredth time of her injuries. “You’re done now?” She asked, unimpressed. She grabbed her sword and slowly advanced, shaking off the remaining effects of the stun blasts. “No… It can’t end here.” Dolores whispered to herself. She was kneeling, her paws limp on the side. Something caught her attention. Her ears flicked and she turned her gaze to the side. A few minutes later a cloud of smoke could be seen by the two. One of the sand boats came into view. The sand underneath rumbled and formed bars of sand which surrounded Blue and Dolores. The bat pony paused as the boat neared. The unicorn, pegasus and Duke got off. “What brings you here?” The unicorn asked. “Boss didn’t say you were coming.” He glanced curiously at the cage. The Duke was waddling towards the two. “Duke knew! Cat work with blue pony! Both word for goldie pony!” He triumphantly declared. He then sniffed the air. “Blood?” He wondered for a moment. He looked to the two in the cage. He didn’t see any new injuries on them. His eyes narrowed, processing things. “I don’t need your master’s permission to be here. Step aside Amber Find.” The Pegasus spat. “Damn bat. You’re in his territory right now.” He grinned with rotten teeth. “Ya hear that Amber, no permission? Careful there bat, might end up as bones round these parts. It be a shame.” He chuckled. Amber Find scowled. “We’ll have the cannon in a week’s time. Something unexpected happened.” He glared at the occupants of the cage. He turned back to the Ideal. “So go back home to your cave. We’ll sort this out.” “Oh, I’m afraid that’s not necessary.” She smiled. Duke was growling now, Amber raised an eyebrow and looked at the dog. Seeing his gaze on the sword, wet with blood. The two ponies looked at the occupants of the cage and put two and two together. The Pegasus extended his wings, blades glinting underneath the bandages and Duke pulled out his gun. “Traitor!” Duke yelled, firing two shots at the Therestral. She grabbed her blade and deflected the shots. The Pegasus charged and twisted trying to slice her neck open. She parried and cut one of his wings off. He let out a scream and leapt back, Amber threw spears made of sand at the Ideal. She managed to deflect the projectiles while still going offensive, giving chase to the Pegasus. The Pegasus desperately deflected the strikes of the Ideal while backing up. Eventually he stumbled and the sword pierced his chest. His eyed widened then narrowed. He let out a gurgling laugh as he bit the blade down and wrapped his hooves around her neck. She beat him with her hooves, trying to get free. Then she was skewered by three sand spears. He floated the Pegasus away he pulled out a bunch of herbs, he chewed on them and soaked them with alcohol pressing them around the wounds. He wrapped bandages around the sword, forming a knot before wrapping the bandage around his barrel. He poured alcohol on the severed stump before wrapping that up too. He worked quickly but he came to an abrupt halt. “I’m at the end of my knowledge.” He sighed. He lay the pony down on his side and ran his hooves through his mane. “It’s just a flesh wound. Maybe not the wing but you’ll survive this Dessert Storm.” “The lungs are filling up with blood. You’ll need to pump it out.” Blue Moon spoke up. “Can you do it?” Amber leveled his cold gaze on him. Blue moon lowered his head. “Didn’t think so.” He floated him slowly unto the sand boat. “You killed two of us.” He addressed Dolores. Dolores paled as he neared the cage. His gaze sending chills down her spine. “But it was fair game I suppose.” His gave a wicked smile. “Then again, so is leaving you out here to dry.” Two more gunshots rang out. He slowly turned to Duke, just drilled two holes into the bat pony’s head. Duke holstered his gun and spat. “Got that out of your system?” “Duke is not yet satisfied. But Duke knows there are more important things.” He gazed at the sand boat. “Will he live?” “He’s strong. But we need to find a doctor as soon as possible.” He turned back to their prisoners. “Put the ring on the-“ They were interrupted by unholy screeching. The sand spears were slowly pushed out as she screeched louder. She then fell over coughing up blood and two bullets. “Jesus Christ.” Dolores paled. “Sweet Faust.” Both unicorns muttered in disbelief. “DIE BAT PONY DIE!” Duke yelled, trying to shoot her in the head twice again. She managed to charge at him, slamming her hooves into his gut. An audible crack could be heard and he rolled a good distance away. Streams of sand knocked her away, scraping chunks of her flesh. He barely managed to inflict more damage than what she could heal. Blue Moon closed his eyes and was muttering something. “We’re getting out of here. Grab my hooves.” Dolores did so and blue aura flowed from her and into Blue Moon. His horn glowed silver as he charged up the spell. Amber turned as Blue used his magic to throw a spear at him. This distraction was almost fatal for him, the Ideal released a red magic blast from her mouth which he narrowly avoided. He then surrounded her with walls of sand. He compressed the sand and formed a spear. He charged it with magic and hurled it at Blue Moon. Another layer of magic surrounded Blue Moon’s horn. Then as the two disappeared from the cage the spear struck his shoulder. He leaned against the cage, seeing cracks form along the sand cube he made. The cube shattered explosively, knocking him through the cage and sending him tumbling through the sand. He coughed blood and sighed. Slowly getting back on his hooves the mare stood there with a furious expression. The Ideal barred her fangs at him and hissed. “You filth! This ends now!” Blood trickled from her nose, forming a sphere of crimson liquid floating next to her. “You think your dirt can stop me!? The vultures will feat on what little remains of you!” Tendrils from the sphere lashed forward. Amber scowled and kicked up a large cloud of sand. The tendrils slashed at nothing, they flailed wildly trying to find their mark. She reared up and beat her wings, dispersing the cloud. She saw the sand boat speeding off in the distance. She trembled with rage, her prey escaping humiliating and unthinkable. Author's Note Three in the morning. Why did I even wake up? Might as well put this chapter here.
Tell me a StoryAn earth pony walked through the streets of Applelousa, his cloak covering any notable features. Things were a lot different then what he remembered. Sure there were still the distrustful gazes of some of the townsfolk, but he could feel a certain lightness in the air. Colts and fillies playing, construction of larger buildings, the large orchard and prosperous farms. These things were once unheard of in this town. Ever since the Celestial tyrants began their strikes of terror, regulated weather was quite unheard off. His Royal Highness Sombra seemed to be losing this war. But then the successful defense of Fort Craig, the survival of Applelousa and Dodge City. Death of dozens of Ideals, the elite soldiers of Queen Celestia’s army. The fall of the slave trade. And many more events that slowly eroded her powerbase in Equestria. And at the center of it all were these odd individuals, the so called Displaced. He’d heard of the frontier town and of the many heroes and outlaws. On how the town persisted, proving that live could survive – and eventually flourish – anywhere. On how certain individuals could overcome insurmountable odds. About hope that harmony could prevail. He doubted these stories would lead him to what he sought. But he was running out of options. For a moment he gave an unhinged grin, his red eyes shrinking to pinpricks. His thoughts wandered to all sorts of things. He slapped himself and shook his head. “I have… such pre-precious time.” His voice broke. “A-and I can f-feel it. This is merely the beginning. O-of something bl-bloody.” He took a few shuddering breaths. “War unheard of for millennia is on the horizon.” He concluded in a cold and stable tone. He then quickened his pace. Heading through the orchards and farms. To a small house far off. It was different from what he remembered, the once dilapidated house looked sturdy and had a fresh coat of white paint and a fence. A large stallion – the largest he’d seen – was on a rocking chair. Speaking to a young female buffalo and a Pegasus mare. The three turned to him as he opened the fence. The buffalo shifting into an aggressive stance and the navy blue Pegasus mare tensing. “What brings you here stranger?” She demanded. “You must be Little Strongheart. It’s pleasant to meet you.” He greeted. “Curiosity!? I-I mean Director?” The Pegasus mare stammered. “What brings ya ‘round these parts?” “Indeed, hello North Star. It’s been a while.” He looked over her lack of outfit and weapons. “Quite rare seeing you like this.” The large stallion remained silent through this, and feigned sleeping. “You know him Ranger?” Little Strongheart asked. “We go ways back.” Curiously smirked. “I’d simply wish she’d regale me with a story. Interesting people and events. It may help me with my search.” He disappeared and walked from behind the large stallion. Causing the two to jump back. He chuckled. “About which hooligan?” North asked. “The Mistwalker. Wraith. Angel of Death. The Redeemer. She goes by many names.” He smiled. “Reports don’t do her justice. And I know you gathered accounts of her, and you rode with her for a time.” He raised his head up. “Legends don’t simply appear. I want to know her origins.” North Star and Little Strongheart blinked. ****** Origins of the Displaced normally share two things in common. A not so glamorous - sometimes disillusioned life - of normal people. The other is the 'Displacement' as others call it, most talk about like going to a convention and meeting 'The Merchant by some video game. Usually given some prop related to their character. Well that wasn't the case for me. I was simply whisked away - the details of which I can't exactly remember because I was inebriated - after being given weapons and various abilities. Apparently I wasn't the only one, for during my travels I met many of these other individuals. Hundreds actually gathered together in some city up the Frozen North. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This account is gathered from myself, some friends and enemies alike. I witnessed many weird and horrible things I during my journey, some of which I was unceremoniously dragged into. I took up the name Senna, and even after I recovered my memory I decided to stick to the name. This is my story. The story of a mother, who only wanted to see her children again.
ArrivalA curled up figure blended among the rust colored rocks scattered around the hot dessert landscape. Its back was slowly rising and falling, one would think it was an unusually smooth rock if not for that. The figure groaned and stirred, slowly getting up to its paws. She was a slender feline, coming up a head above the average stallion. Her emerald eyes opened but were closed immediately by the sun’s harsh glare. “Where am I?” She asked herself before laying back down in the warm sand. After a few moments she realized she was in the middle of the dessert. She shot up and looked around wildly. Sand as far as her eyes could see, and few cacti and boulders littered around. She began to hyperventilate but slapped herself to stop the incoming panic attack. “Okay, was I that drunk?” She spied her surroundings and saw a grey luggage bag inches from here. She stared at it dumbly for a few minutes before sitting down and taking shade under one of the larger rocks. “Sweet baby Jesus Dolores, did you drive all the way to Texas or something?” She asked herself. “I don’t even have a car.” Dolores frowned as she realized, she wracked her brain as she tried to remember past events. She came up at a blank. She eyed the suitcase again and decided that looking at the contents could illuminate her on what she did. She ran paw on the plastic surface and froze. Slowly she lifted her paws in front of her eyes and studied them, slowly opening and closing them. She leapt back and stumbled as her claws popped out. She screamed scrambled right into a rock. Her face slowly slid down the boulder and she faceplanted into the sand, her tail twitched with her peach staring right up. She stayed like that for around ten minutes. Rolling onto her back she wiped the blood trailing down her forehead. She then lifted her paws to her face and touched it all over. She let out a sound somewhere between a whine and a whimper. After panicking for a bit her eye twitched and she laughed hysterically. “Oh it makes sense now. This is just some dream.” She laughed again, this time it was the relieved sort. “Must be that boy’s video games, Maybe I drank while I tried them out.” She smiled and shook her head. “He throws quite the hissy fit when I try them out. I hope he’s not too angry at me when I wake up.” With this in mind she was a lot calmer and she decided to go through the contents of the suitcase. A large tome, a pair of ornate pistols, three outfits and in the corner was a dark green mist swirling around. As she touched one of the outfits she was enveloped by a blue light and when it faded she was wearing it. She stood up and looked herself over. It was a little tight for her tastes. The dark grey tights had thin black metal armor protecting her thighs, knees and her lower paws. “It’s really light…” She marveled. She did a twirl, the white cape fluttering and her metal boots rattled softly. She looked at the white vest on her chest to the dark brown leather with metal plates curving downwards her torso. She idly opened and closed the metal gauntlets she now wore. She smiled as she studied the outfit. “Wow… This looks quite nice.” A few dreadlocks fell over her eyes and she brushed it behind her head. She couldn’t help but laugh as she held her head. “Feels like I have a mop for hair.” Her hair was now done in dreadlocks and tied up, most of it hanging behind her. She grabbed one of the pistols – the one which its handle ended in a hook like fashion – and she ran an armored paw along the white barrel accented with dark gold. She held it with two paws and aimed for one of the cacti. She let out a shriek as a bolt of light shot out and burned through one of the cacti. She gaped at it for a while before hooking it on her belt. She grabbed the other one which was simpler on design and pushed it behind her belt. She grabbed the tome and read the title out loud. “Summoner’s Spellbook.” On the first page was two squares lit up. One depicted a figure surrounded by a golden dome. The other showed a figure in two places a short distance between each other. They were labeled Flash and Barrier. There were other greyed out squares labeled with names such as Ignite, Smite and Ghost. She flipped through the pages reading the instructions. “To use Flash visualize yourself disappearing in a flash of light and popping out a short distance away.” She read. Thinking about it she disappeared in a flash and reappeared a few inches from where she was standing. “Huh.” Her stomach ached and she retched. She held her mouth shut and she waited for the queasiness to pass. “I’ll try the others later I suppose.” She sighed as she flipped through the pages. A large cloud of dust could be seen over the dunes and she gulped. She gulped and grabbed the suitcase darting behind the rocks. “I-is it a sandstorm?” Her ears hugged her head as her tail tucked between her legs. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the storm she thought was coming. After a while she heard voices in the distance. Peeking from behind the rocks she saw three boats sailing over the sand. She stared wide-eyed at the scene. Pegasi were beating their wings to sustain a small tornadoes giving wind to the sails. The boats were occupied by few bipedal dogs and various ponies that were covered in bandages and cloaks. She took time processing this, her mind lagging as one of the Dogs lined up a riffle for a shot. The shot went wide, missing her by a mile. She shrieked and scrambled for cover. A dozen questions swirled in her head after the initial panic. Even after the shot she eventually decided to try and reason with them. As they neared she stepped out of the cover, she mentally cursed herself but she thought that she could talk things over. “Don’t shoot!” She yelled, raising her paws in the air. The Dog who squeezed a shot at her aimed for another. She looked in shock as one of the pony companions’ horn glowed yellow and forced the dog’s arms down. The sand boats came to a halt a good distance away from her, one of the Pegasi flew over to her. “Well now. What brings a pretty thing like you ‘round these parts?” The male Pegasus grinned with yellow teeth as he asked. She forced a smile as she glanced at the rotten teeth. “Uh… drifting.” She weakly offered. “Say, which direction is the nearest town?” She asked. The stallion looked at her in disbelief. “Yeah, likely story kitty.” A whiny and nasally voice piped up. Dolores looked at the stallion in confusion, the voice was much different from his raspy one. A small dog walked from behind the Stallion and barred his teeth at her. “A cat, here?” The pug growled. “Well I can’t help but be lost. There’s just sand EVERYWHERE!” She couldn’t help but snap back. “I don’t want any trouble, so just let me go on my way.” She added in a more patient tone. “Duke thinks you work for goldie pony.” The pug accused. “I don’t know Duke she looks like one o’ them adventuring types.” The stallion appraised the weapons on her hips and chuckled. “Those weapons of yours look mighty fine stranger.” She could have sworn she saw a gleam behind those goggles. “Who doesn’t like adventures? Travelling is nice you get to-“ “Ponies talk too much, cats talk too much!” The pug stomped. “You work for goldie pony! Why else cat here!?” He yelled as he pulled out a tiny gun – a Derringer but Dolores was not familiar with guns – and pointed it at her. Dolores took a few steps back. “Whoa, easy there! I’m just a lost lady trying to-“ She paused as he cocked his gun. The Pegasus shook his head and sighed. Dolores held her arms open and stared helplessly at the Pegasus. “I say we take her guns. They look pretty fine, the boss would appreciate them.” He slyly remarked. “Right!” “Excuse me?” And with that Duke, squeezed two shots at her. The first one missed and the second grazed her shoulder. She screamed and let out shots as she dove for cover. Duke pulled the Pegasus in front of him. The Pegasus let out a strangled scream as his chest hissed, a hole burned into it. Dolores imagined the barrier surrounding her and the dome of golden light surrounded her. Lightning and lead rained upon her as she scrambled for cover. The cracked barrier shimmered for a few more seconds before fading completely. She huddled behind the rocks and shook. Then she remembered her rationalization of her situation. “This is just a dream right?” She was filled with courage as she remembered all of the shots that missed. She felt that she was unstoppable and that if she wished easily take out her opposition. “I gave you people a chance!” She snarled, a scowl settled upon her face. Dolores felt mean and nasty. She leapt out of the cover and rapidly let out shots from both guns. Duke fumbled with his gun as he tried to reload, the corpse he hid behind rapidly filling with holes. He was spirited away by the unicorn from earlier and the sand people fired upon her. With a warcy one of the Pegasi flew towards her with a spear. She fired two shots which the stallion avoided. She dashed away from the swipes and let out another two shots, dropping the Pegasus. She danced among the magic bolt and lead, a few shots grazing her. She gritted her teeth and advanced downing them one by one. “KILL HER!” Duke shrieked as he dived behind a large crate. She let out a flurry of shots on his cover. Chunks of wood flew as the metal object inside it was slagged. Then she felt a shot hit her in the thigh. She let out a yelp, being brought to one knee. She raised her pistols to fire off more shots but her guns were shot out of her grasp. Another shot nailed her in her side. She let out a gasp, feeling it burn inside of her. Another shot off a piece of her ear. All she could hear was ringing and everything seemed to blur and slow down. The she felt something was choking her. The unicorn from earlier strode towards her, his horn glowing. She clawed at her chest futilely trying to suck in air. “You’re a feisty one eh? Sweet dreams.” He spoke in a cold voice. As her consciousness slipped away, she felt all of this was very, very real. Author's Note I like cats. Don't judge me. I also like guns and explosions.
New GameThe large navy blue unicorn looked at the occupant of the other cage anxiously, Dolores was curled up in a ball and shivering. Her leg and side was wrapped up in a blood soaked black garment and she was drifting in and out consciousness. She groaned and lay on her back. “Dear God it hurts so badly. What is even going on?” She sobbed “You’re quite the resilient one ma’am.” The stallion remarked. He was wiping his bloodstained hooves with a handkerchief. He fumbled with it for a bit before moving to stuff it into his vest’s breast pocket. He let out a sigh and tossed away the once white garment. He pawed at a black ring around his slender and pointed horn. “W-where am I?” She croaked as she struggled to sit up. She let out a cry of pain as she dragged herself to rest against the steel bars. She hissed and shut her eyes tightly. She opened her eyes and blinked, staring at the middle aged stallion with a blank expression. “You are a unicorn.” “I’ve noticed ma’am.” He teased. “Also you are a cat.” He added. “I’m pretty sure I drank alcohol, not drugs.” She grabbed her head and gritted her teeth as previous events came back to her. “That all happened? No no no no, it must be stress. Or am I going mad?” She asked herself. Her train of thought was interrupted by another jolt of pain. “If it’s of any assistance to you, touching me would reveal if you are just hallucinating.” He frowned. “Then again, for some hallucinations can be touched and they can touch you.” At her irritated expression he coughed into his hoof. “Ah forgive me. Where are my manners? I am Blue Moon Miss Senna.” “Excuse me?” “I didn’t mean to, but I saw your name etched on your gun. Do pardon me.” She decided not to correct him. She looked around the dark cave they were trapped in, a lantern giving a dim light in the corner. She studied the torn coat used as bandages. “You helped me?” She asked. Blue Moon nodded in response. “Thank you.” She smiled and Blue Moon gave an embarrassed look. “I did what any Stallion should.” He sobered and he rubbed his muzzle. “However there is still a bullet lodged in your leg. I had no tools to remove it.” She swallowed. “I could die from lead poisoning. A few days at least if I don’t get it removed.” “I’d imagine our captors would offer no such aid. And my comrades are under the impression I’m at Las Pegasus right now. It would be some time before somepony would come for us.” He sadly concluded. “We’ll need to work together, to sort ourselves out of this mess.” “Me? What can I do!?” She squeaked. He blinked, startled at the outburst. “I was under the impression you were an adventurer. They gave quite the fit at the trashing you dished out.” He raised an eyebrow. “Pray tell, what are you then?” “I’m just a waitress!” She complained. “I’m just looking for my boys. Oh, I wonder if they’re all right.” She sobbed. “Then how did you do all that?” “Well they suddenly shot at me so I defended myself. I’ve never fired at another person in my life!” She paused as she remembered the firefight. She smelled burned flesh and tasted iron in her mouth. “I killed two of them… Oh dear God I Killed people.” She trembled and tears streamed down her face. Blue Moon looked at the cat with pity for a while. “Senna. Please look at me.” He spoke up eventually. She sniffed and turned to Blue Moon. “I need to ask you to put those thoughts aside for now. I’m asking a lot of you but we need to find a way to escape.” He spoke in a firm tone. “How can I? I’ve killed people.” “Because you did the right thing.” He raised his head. “W-what how can you say that!?” She got up with a start but immediately sank down with a cry of pain. “Those ruffians were evil. Those sand raiders carried a cannon with them. The ponies they were going to trade it was going to use it to hit caravans going through the area.” He walked over and held the bars of the cage. “Ponies in certain areas rely on those supplies to live. So in my opinion that makes you a hero.” “It doesn’t make it right!” “It’s justice. A civilian has as much right to dispense justice as a lawpony does.” Dolores snorted. “Fuck. From where I’m from self –defense is shooting someone who steps on your property.” She glared at him. “I can’t just say I did the right thing. Murder is the worst thing someone can commit. You expect me to just brush that fact aside?” She demanded. “No. I asking you – begging you in fact – to help me and yourself. We have loved ones out there for us. So you need to push those thoughts aside. And focus on what’s important.” He smiled. “We can schedule a therapy session later.” She wiped her tears aside and sniffed, she took deep breaths and calmed herself. A fire was set in her eyes and she nodded resolutely. “I can do that.” “That’s the spirit!” He beamed. “Now, we need to find a way to escape these cages. Can you pick a lock?” She shook her head. “No…” She got up with a grunt and leaned against the bars of her cage. She looked around, she hoped someone carelessly left behind something she could use. Nothing. They both studied the cage, Dolores concluded that she would just break her claws if she attempted to pick the lock with them. Not to mention she had no clue how to do that. “How are these cages anchored anyways?” Blue Moon bit his lip. “Hmm… They weren’t here the last time I was in this cavern. And I don’t see anything holding these down.” He shook his head. “This is going to ruin my teeth.” He bit the bar hard and managed to lift it a few inches. He let it drop and fell back. “Curses! I’m not strong enough to lift it.” He sat on his haunches and panted. Dolores walked forward and closed her eyes. She flashed forward a few inches forward and smacked against the bars. She collapsed with a goofy smile on her face. Blue Moon was surprised by her use of magic. “Are you alright?” A few minutes later she stirred and clutched her head. She lifted herself up again and tried it again. This time she reappeared on the other side. “I say, that is quite the surprise. Waitresses from your lands learn spells and gunplay.” He teased. “It’s a long story, now let’s try to get you out.” She shuffled over and slipped her paws under the cage. She gritted her teeth as she lifted it a bit, he joined her and together they managed to lift it enough so he could slip through. He quickly slid out and they slowly lowered it back. She leaned against him as her wounds reopened. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming. “We’ll need to retrieve your weapons. With my magic disabled you’ll need to shoot our way out.” Dolores winced. “The alternative is that you find a way to remove the inhibitor ring on my horn. If we can remove it I can teleport us out.” “I’ll need my stuff back either way however.” She concluded. She hissed and sucked in a breath. They walked slowly, side by side. They came near the entrance they saw a few Sand Raiders sprawled around, drunk. They were using the suitcase as a make shift table. They carefully retrieved it along with her guns. She was thankful she didn’t have to shoot anyone else and it seemed they were home free. They were going to leave but Blue Moon stopped. He pointed to a key ring on one of the unconscious guards. Dolores moved to grab it but the guard stirred. Blue Moon rushed forward and stomped on the guards head. With the keys acquired they managed to remove the ring. “Now, I simply need to orient myself on our location then we can teleport ourselves away from here.” He whispered as the sun began to set in the distance. “Oh? I’m afraid not trash.” A female voice condescendingly replied. They turned around slowly. Blue Moon backed away nervously at the sight of the figure. “Y-you!” Dolores squinted. “Is she a vampire pony?” Her eyes widened. “Those exist here!?” Author's Note Hey guys! I'm still trying to get a feel for the pacing for this story so please bear with me. I appreciate comments and I'd like to hear what you people have to say.
Odds“Is she a Vampire?” Dolores asked. “Vampony I guess?” She offered uncertainly. She looked at Blue Moon, the unicorn was sweating and he trembled. “Blue Moon?” The magneta mare was lounging on top of the cavern. Her bat wings cast a shadow over the two. Her were visible in her condescending smirk. Her Cutie Mark was a well with red vine wrapped around and instead of water was a pool of blood. “I do believe I had you exterminated you filth.” She lay on her barrel and tapped her chin in thought. “Well, they decided on using me as a bargaining chip instead.” He replied, he calmed himself and flipped his man on one side. “For me it does seem dumb. I’d just slaughter you animals the same.” She rolled her eyes. “But then again I see Celestia’s point, one does need lesser creatures to lord over.” “Isn’t she your master you mongre-“ The Therestral let out a roar and spread her hooves, her body lowered and her wings splayed. “YOU DARE!? I serve my father only!” Her silver colored mane seemed to spike in response to her anger. Dolores just stared at the two uneasily. She was still overwhelmed by recent events, and it took most of her focus to not collapse right now. She felt that she was somehow floating but her head was sinking. She chose not to speak up. “Well this changes everything. I can’t teleport far enough, longer the distance longer casting time , she’d just catch us.” Blue Moon addressed Dolores, not bothering to whisper. “And even if could come up with a plan I couldn’t share it with you, her ears are sharp. She is stronger, faster and she heals insanely fast.” He listed down. “Smarter I’m not so sure.” He whispered to Dolores. “You do realize I can hear you?” “Which proves my point about super hearing.” He ended his statement with a nervous laugh. “So what can we do then?” Dolores worriedly asked. “The only thing we can do.” He replied with a steely expression… which lasted for all two seconds. “WE SURRENDER!” He raised his hooves in the air. The Sand Raiders stumbled out of the cave with their weapons drawn, they came just in time to hear his proclamation. Tense silence filled the air and a tumbleweed crossed between the two groups. The Therestral glided down, it looked like a broadsword materialized in her mouth. She stuck it in the ground and raised her head. “All of you are pathetic.” She snarled. The Raiders slumped over and crimson stained the sand. Dolores screamed and Blue Moon paled. “I should clean up this mess. What did I even expect from that cat’s associates? They can’t even keep prisoners.” “Everypony here is dying today.” She then grabbed the sword and assumed a combat stance. Immediately Blue Moon raised a shield spell, the Therestral blurred forward and strike. The surface cracked under the power of the blow. He dropped the shield and teleported the two of them few meters away. Dolores pulled out her guns and shot wildly, none of them hit the bat pony. The bat pony charged at her, the suitcase was thrown at her. She turned to slash it but the strike deflected off the suitcase and it nailed her in the face, dazing her. Blue Moon took the opportunity to slam the bat pony up and down several times. She didn’t lose the grip on her sword however. She struggled in his magical grip, eventually she managed to break free. Blue Moon recoiled and clutched his head in pain. She turned around to attack the unicorn but a shot hit her blade. Dolores guns were shaking in her grip and she let out a scream before firing again. The bat pony slashed at her, Dolores fell back trying to keep her distance from the bat pony. A few shots grazed the bat pony, before healing almost instantaneously. This gave Dolores pause and the bat pony took the opportunity to strike. She slashed through air as motes of light hung where Dolores once was. She flashed a few meters forward and she was sprawled out on the ground. Blue Moon fired a few stunning blasts in quick succession. Dolores remembered about the suitcase and she crawled towards it. She pulled out the tome and flipped to the spells section. She replaced the Flash with Ignite and the barrier with the healing spell. She managed to use the healing spell, her insides still burned but she felt that she could stand properly for a while. Following the instructions on the book she thrust her paw towards the bat pony and yelled. “Ignite!” Nothing happened. She tried it a few more times with the same results. The bat pony was already getting up. “Sweet Faust that should have taken out an elephant.” Blue Moon muttered in disbelief. Firing a few more of the stunning spells didn’t seem to deter her much. “I cannot hold her off any longer!” Dolores got up and opened fire. Most of her shots missed and the ones that did hit had no lasting effect. The unicorn stopped firing, his horn smoking. Dolores grabbed her side in pain, reminded for the hundredth time of her injuries. “You’re done now?” She asked, unimpressed. She grabbed her sword and slowly advanced, shaking off the remaining effects of the stun blasts. “No… It can’t end here.” Dolores whispered to herself. She was kneeling, her paws limp on the side. Something caught her attention. Her ears flicked and she turned her gaze to the side. A few minutes later a cloud of smoke could be seen by the two. One of the sand boats came into view. The sand underneath rumbled and formed bars of sand which surrounded Blue and Dolores. The bat pony paused as the boat neared. The unicorn, pegasus and Duke got off. “What brings you here?” The unicorn asked. “Boss didn’t say you were coming.” He glanced curiously at the cage. The Duke was waddling towards the two. “Duke knew! Cat work with blue pony! Both word for goldie pony!” He triumphantly declared. He then sniffed the air. “Blood?” He wondered for a moment. He looked to the two in the cage. He didn’t see any new injuries on them. His eyes narrowed, processing things. “I don’t need your master’s permission to be here. Step aside Amber Find.” The Pegasus spat. “Damn bat. You’re in his territory right now.” He grinned with rotten teeth. “Ya hear that Amber, no permission? Careful there bat, might end up as bones round these parts. It be a shame.” He chuckled. Amber Find scowled. “We’ll have the cannon in a week’s time. Something unexpected happened.” He glared at the occupants of the cage. He turned back to the Ideal. “So go back home to your cave. We’ll sort this out.” “Oh, I’m afraid that’s not necessary.” She smiled. Duke was growling now, Amber raised an eyebrow and looked at the dog. Seeing his gaze on the sword, wet with blood. The two ponies looked at the occupants of the cage and put two and two together. The Pegasus extended his wings, blades glinting underneath the bandages and Duke pulled out his gun. “Traitor!” Duke yelled, firing two shots at the Therestral. She grabbed her blade and deflected the shots. The Pegasus charged and twisted trying to slice her neck open. She parried and cut one of his wings off. He let out a scream and leapt back, Amber threw spears made of sand at the Ideal. She managed to deflect the projectiles while still going offensive, giving chase to the Pegasus. The Pegasus desperately deflected the strikes of the Ideal while backing up. Eventually he stumbled and the sword pierced his chest. His eyed widened then narrowed. He let out a gurgling laugh as he bit the blade down and wrapped his hooves around her neck. She beat him with her hooves, trying to get free. Then she was skewered by three sand spears. He floated the Pegasus away he pulled out a bunch of herbs, he chewed on them and soaked them with alcohol pressing them around the wounds. He wrapped bandages around the sword, forming a knot before wrapping the bandage around his barrel. He poured alcohol on the severed stump before wrapping that up too. He worked quickly but he came to an abrupt halt. “I’m at the end of my knowledge.” He sighed. He lay the pony down on his side and ran his hooves through his mane. “It’s just a flesh wound. Maybe not the wing but you’ll survive this Dessert Storm.” “The lungs are filling up with blood. You’ll need to pump it out.” Blue Moon spoke up. “Can you do it?” Amber leveled his cold gaze on him. Blue moon lowered his head. “Didn’t think so.” He floated him slowly unto the sand boat. “You killed two of us.” He addressed Dolores. Dolores paled as he neared the cage. His gaze sending chills down her spine. “But it was fair game I suppose.” His gave a wicked smile. “Then again, so is leaving you out here to dry.” Two more gunshots rang out. He slowly turned to Duke, just drilled two holes into the bat pony’s head. Duke holstered his gun and spat. “Got that out of your system?” “Duke is not yet satisfied. But Duke knows there are more important things.” He gazed at the sand boat. “Will he live?” “He’s strong. But we need to find a doctor as soon as possible.” He turned back to their prisoners. “Put the ring on the-“ They were interrupted by unholy screeching. The sand spears were slowly pushed out as she screeched louder. She then fell over coughing up blood and two bullets. “Jesus Christ.” Dolores paled. “Sweet Faust.” Both unicorns muttered in disbelief. “DIE BAT PONY DIE!” Duke yelled, trying to shoot her in the head twice again. She managed to charge at him, slamming her hooves into his gut. An audible crack could be heard and he rolled a good distance away. Streams of sand knocked her away, scraping chunks of her flesh. He barely managed to inflict more damage than what she could heal. Blue Moon closed his eyes and was muttering something. “We’re getting out of here. Grab my hooves.” Dolores did so and blue aura flowed from her and into Blue Moon. His horn glowed silver as he charged up the spell. Amber turned as Blue used his magic to throw a spear at him. This distraction was almost fatal for him, the Ideal released a red magic blast from her mouth which he narrowly avoided. He then surrounded her with walls of sand. He compressed the sand and formed a spear. He charged it with magic and hurled it at Blue Moon. Another layer of magic surrounded Blue Moon’s horn. Then as the two disappeared from the cage the spear struck his shoulder. He leaned against the cage, seeing cracks form along the sand cube he made. The cube shattered explosively, knocking him through the cage and sending him tumbling through the sand. He coughed blood and sighed. Slowly getting back on his hooves the mare stood there with a furious expression. The Ideal barred her fangs at him and hissed. “You filth! This ends now!” Blood trickled from her nose, forming a sphere of crimson liquid floating next to her. “You think your dirt can stop me!? The vultures will feat on what little remains of you!” Tendrils from the sphere lashed forward. Amber scowled and kicked up a large cloud of sand. The tendrils slashed at nothing, they flailed wildly trying to find their mark. She reared up and beat her wings, dispersing the cloud. She saw the sand boat speeding off in the distance. She trembled with rage, her prey escaping humiliating and unthinkable. Author's Note Three in the morning. Why did I even wake up? Might as well put this chapter here.
