the Six Heroes

Ponies of down town Manehatten were leaning out of their windows, or stopping on the side of road and one the sidewalks, watching as Twilight and Applejack trot down the street with Plasma and Wave walk past them. the group was following a copied version of the map that the first group used, and were heading to the location where the, ambush, happened.

“…so.” Twilight uttered as she looked over her shoulder at the two humans. “What are you two going to do to this, Un-Natural?” she asked timidly, not sure if she actually wanted to know. neither of the two humans said anything, and just continued to follow the two mares, a focused look on their faces.

“Just take us to where Vermin is, and leave him to us.” Plasma said grimly.

“Y’all aren’t going to—”

“Just leave him to us.” Wave repeated as he transformed his hands into water, and Plasma’s right hand produced a foot-long blue fire shaft sticking out. Both mares clamped their muzzle shut, as they just continued to follow the directions that were jotted down on the map.

The group walked and trotted in silence, as they continued to maneuver through the down town section of the city, and as they continued the group started to notice less and less ponies being outside. In fact, every time they see a pony, they would only see them for a brief moment where they practically, lunged through the doors of their home, and slam them closed before hearing various locks click. Now that the group were the only ones in the streets of the down town district, they noticed just how, ominous the area was, especially with the clouds starting to be pulled in by the cities weather team.

Continuously walking through the streets, the group eventually made it to the general area where Feather, and her group were ambushed by Vermin. Looking around, the group started to look for anything, tracks, or the rats that seemed to connected to the Un-Natural. But so far they couldn’t find anything. Or at least, that’s what they thought. As the group headed deeper into the maze of buildings, a figure hiding in the shadows was skittering around, ducking from one dark spot to another. Always out of sight from the group. But the figure noticed that two humans seem to know they’re being watched, and looked ready to spring into action at any moment.

“There it is.” Twilight said as she pointed at a lone building at the end of the street, with the door completely torn off, and the windows boarded up.

“Wave, you stay here and keep them safe.” Plasma said to his teammate who nodded in response as he transforms his arms into water.

“Plasma…I’m not sure what yer planning on doing, but…” Applejack said as she took a step forward. “If you stop Vermin, we could probably help him, like what we tried to do with Dragonface. So try not to rough him up to much.” Plasma didn’t say anything as he ignited his Burn Saber, and walked into the abandon building. Leaving an ill foreboding silence among the ponies.

Entering the building the horrid smell immediately assaulted Plasma, but he pushed passed the rancid and foul smell, and started to wander around the lobby of the building…immediately finding the devoured bodies of Feather’s teammates, with a few rats lingering around them. waving his Burn Saber around, the rats chittered and skittered away from the bodies, leaving them for Plasma to set them on fire by sticking them with his weapon. As the bodies burned, Plasma gave a small bow and prayer, before heading deeper into the building looking for Vermin, using his weapon as a make-shift torch to light the darken halls. However there was no sight of the rat human, just more signs of small clusters of rats, and even a few bats, but Plasma continued to venture deeper, and deeper into the building.

“Where are you?” Plasma muttered to himself as he checked each room, only finding rodent droppings, and some bones of other ponies. No doubt from the ponies that went missing. “I know you’re in here.”

The light from the weapon starting to become the only source of light in the building now, the clouds outside blotting out the afternoon sun, and the boards restricting any rays of sun that sneak past the clouds. Heading further down the current hallway of the floor he was on, Plasma failed to notice the lithe, and sharped claws of a humanoid figure emerged from a hole in the ceiling. Once fully emerged, the figure used its sharp claws to cling to the roof, and slowly followed behind Plasma, its glowing eyes trained solely on the young man below itself. The figure slowly reached down with its left hand to try and deliver a quick strike, silencing the target before he could react.

Spinning around quickly Plasma lashed out with a wide swing of his weapon, creating a fiery trail of heat behind it, as the Burn Saber nearly cuts Vermin’s hand off! Leaping back, the rat humanoid screeched as it landed on the floor, its fur & quills bristling.

“…so it is you Vermin.” Plasma said as he got into a battle-ready stance.

“I gotta say…you look much worst in person than in pictures. Then again, I guess that’s what happens when the government gets their hands on you, and tries to make you a hunting dog.” Vermin chitters and snarls at Plasma as it walks side to side, looking for some kind of opening.

“You don’t even understand what I’m saying to you right now, do you?”

Vermin’s answer to Plasma’s question was just to spray several dozens of its quills at the young man, which were quickly cut down by blinding swings of Plasma’s Burn Saber. Vermin screeched and launched another volley of spines, but they to were cut down, but, the volley was to distract Plasma so that Vermin could leap to a nearby wall, and bounce off to lunge at Plasma. But the humanoid rat was meet with the end of the Burn Saber, which turned into a 8ft. long pole of blue fire, and was sent crashing through the wall, while also setting Vermin’s face on fire. Vermin rolled around on the floor as it scrapped at its face, smoke and blue embers wafting from its face. letting out several dozen high pitched screeches. Plasma walked through the hole in the wall, looking down at the agonized Un-Natural rolling on the ground, while changing his weapon from its staff mode, back to its neutral sword mode.

“I’ll make this quick.” Plasma said as he angled his Burn Saber at Vermin.

However just as Plasma aimed his weapon, Vermin made a wild charge at the young man, sending the both of them crashing back through the wall, and landing hard on the floor. But the combined weight, and force of the crash, caused the floor to give way. But it didn’t stop Vermin from lashing out with claw strikes, or bites, but Plasma wasn’t going to be an easy prey. Turning his Burn Saber to the size of a knife, he was able to cut through Vermin’s right hand, completely severing it from the wrist, and causing Vermin to screech more before the pair landed on the bottom floor. Ending up in what looks to be a destroyed kitchen. Vermin screeched out in pain as it held its severed limb, before running off further into the building, busting down one of the kitchen doors. Plasma meanwhile rose to his feet, recovering from the fall rather quickly.

“Plasma!” the voice of Wave called out as Plasma rubs his head, Wave sounding to be on the other side of the collapsed wall behind him. “You alright in there man?”

“Yeah Wave, I’m fine.” Plasma then re-ignited his Burn Saber before looking in the direction where Vermin ran off to.

“Do you need help!?” Twilight cried out.

“No!” Plasma shouted back to the others outside.

Walking to the door Plasma was about to step through, when a small swarm of rats erupted from the shadows. Small fangs and claws ready to tear into Plasma, but with a quick motion, Plasma reduced every rat into a burnt piece of chopped meat, while also cutting through the door way. After cutting down his thirtieth rat the swarm ended, leaving Plasma to walk into the back room of the building, where more bones and still decomposing bodies laid among ruined furniture and bits of the condemned building.

As the light from the Burn Saber lit up the room, Plasma could fully see the partially devoured decomposing bodies of the ponies, most of which were adults…but some were that of fouls. The sound of something swooshing through the air pulled Plasma out of his observations, before having a few spines being lodged into his leg and shoulder as well as his side.

“Fuck!” Plasma cried out as he wobbled from the impact of spines, and trying to pull them out.

But that’s when Vermin lunged and tackled the young man, feverishly slashing at the young man, who used his arms to try and shield himself. Vermin then clamped his jaws around Plasma’s right arm, its sharp teeth cutting flesh, and the strength of the bite nearly breaking his arm! Crying out in pain, Plasma quickly ignited his weapon, and used his Burn Saber to stab Vermin in the side, causing him to lurch up and cry out in pain, fully exposing his underside. Taking the chance, Plasma swung his weapon, the thing blade of super-heated blue flames cutting Vermin’s chest open, causing the beast to topple backwards, clutching the wound, and crying out in great pain. Dispersing his weapon, Plasma clutched his nearly broken arm with his free hand, before lightning up his grip as pain shot through the entire limb.

‘Damn it! I…think he almost shattered the bones completely.’ Plasma thought as he tried to get to his feet. But just as he got to one foot, Plasma felt a hand grab his forearm, and helped him to get to his feet.

“Damn man, he really fucked up your arm Plasma.” Wave said worriedly.

“Yeah he did. Nearly broke it in half when he bit down.”

Plasma said as he, and Wave looked over to the downed Vermin, who was now just laying on the ground. weakly panting as its chest still bared embers and burnt flesh and fur. The two young men heard two gasps from behind them, and when they turned to face the sources of the gasp, they saw the horrified looks on both Twilight’s & Applejack’s face. the two mare’s weren’t just looking at the beat Plasma, or the defeated Vermin, no, the two ponies were looking at all the dead bodies and bones. Tears began to flood the two ponies eyes, each going off to a different part of the room, un-able to look away from the sight. Never has either of them saw so much death than right now.

“Land sakes.” Was all Applejack could say as she just stared at the half-eaten body of a small colt…which quickly flashed to an image of a half-eaten Apple Bloom, which caused her to lurched to the side and throw up whatever she ate today.

“Wave…take the girls back outside…” Plasma said to his friend, before pushing off Wave, and looking at Vermin. “I still have something to take care off.” The Burn Saber was re-ignited as he walked over to Vermin, while Wave rushed the girls out. But before they left the room Twilight spoke up.

“Plasma. What—what are you going to do?” she asked with an obvious tone of dread in her voice as she watches Plasma make his way to Vermin.

“…I’m going to put him out of his misery.” Plasma said as he stood directly in front of Vermin, who could only weakly look up towards him, hands still clutched to his chest. Blood slowly oozing out of the gaping hole in his chest.

“But why!?” Twilight shrieked as she pushed past Wave. “We can help him! He doesn’t have to die like Dragonface, we can give him a chance at a normal life!” both Wave & Plasma stood stiffly still for a brief moment, before Plasma spoke up.

“…he can’t be normal again Twilight. He’s…broken. Physically, and mentally.” Plasma said as he slowly raised his weapon, the blade tip pointing squarely at the gaping hole on the beast’s chest.

“The people that hunt Un-Naturals turned him into a feral animal, unable to think, or even remember what it was like to be human. All because they thought they could use him as a weapon against people like us.” Plasma took in a deep breathe before continuing. “Vermin has killed many people, both normal humans, and Un-Naturals…even ate most of them.” the young man then turned to face Twilight, a look of guilt and sadness on his face.

“Can you really have a normal life after all that?”

Twilight couldn’t answer, she just stood there, head hung low as her eyes scrunched up as tears flowed through her eyes. Wave’s watery hand gently guided the unicorn to his side, where she & her friend were lead out of the building. Leaving Plasma alone with Vermin. He then raised his Burn Saber and held it over Vermin’s chest, directly over where the heart should be. Giving a silent prayer, Plasma struck Vermin’s heart, causing the humanoid rat to screech out, weakly flailing its arms before stopping. Smoke and embers slowly drifted off the body as the weapon slowly disappeared, causing the light in the room to vanish…but just as the last remnants of the Burn Saber vanished, Plasma could’ve sworn he saw Vermin give a gracious smile. Before his head slumped to the ground.

“May your next life be far more blessed than this one, brother.”

Plasma then left the room, limping slightly as he walked, holding his injured arm as he leaves Vermin’s body in its final rest place. Exiting out of the building Plasma saw that both ponies were still crying, with Wave trying to comfort them, but the mares seem unresponsive. Looking up away from the mares, Wave looked at Plasma who just looked exhausted, as well as slightly depressed. Sighing, Plasma walked the final few feet, as rain started to fall from the looming clouds over the city.

“Let’s go home.”