Fallout Equestria: Desperados V3 (Bonds of Platinum)

Fallout: Equestria

Desperado’s V3: Bonds of Platinum

Ch 30, Those with Eyes to See.

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I was back there again, that horrible place that I tried to forget. My brother's victims, all thrown into a flooded part of the metro to be forgotten. I flailed in the putrid waters, the faces of the dead watching me, obstructing me. I could see a light, but as much as I wanted to get out of here, I had to save Vibraphone.

I didn't know what happened to her, but she had frozen and then panicked, causing her to fall out of the pipe and into the water. I had to dive in after her, but when I swam down, she was too heavy for me to keep up for long.

Again and again I tried, each time her breathing became more shallow, and more she coughed up water. Each time I became more tired, my legs went numb.

An even more rotting corpse then appeared in front of me, but I had no energy to scream.

“Miss, go swim to my camp, I'll get your friend.” The corps spoke as it dipped below the water.

At a loss, and low on energy, I swam to the light, having to push more corpses out of my way. There I found a small campfire made from a tin can, and huddled up next to it. I was so cold that I could feel it in my bones, and I wouldn't have been surprised if I had died.

From the water, the ghoul emerged with Vibraphone on his back, tossing my limp friend on the ground. “Fuck missy, why you mirage ponies jump into the drink when ya aint got no legs.” he then tossed two of her prosthetics onto the ground. “Now stay there, your friend is still in danger.”

“B… but sh.. she's he.. here now.” I said with clattering teeth.

The ghoul shook his head. “She breathed in too much water, I need to get it out.”

I watched as the ghoul the breathed air into Vibraphone, then began compressing her chest, pushing out a bit of water, again, and again, and again. I hoped, and prayed she would get up, yet…

“This is where Vibraphone died.” Cold Iron spoke as she trotted over. “And where I started to come to be.”

I glared at the ghostly mare. “No! Vibraphone lived, she helped me get to the skyport, then found me in the jungle. Got me back home, and was captured with me and taken to the Weeping Pegasus. She… she came for me at the bottom of the R&D stable.”

“And was she truly her throughout that?” Cold Iron asked.

The scene changed, becoming flashes of memory. And ever since the corps filled the pool, Vibraphone colors were slowly fading. It was slow, but now seeing it happen so quickly, it was unmistakable. She didn't change all at once at the bottom of the stabe, she had been changing all this time. And seeing her in that vast and confusing room, fighting an undead dragon in front of the time and space megaspell, it wasn't Vibraphone, how could it be.

I wasn't sure it was even real, with how insane it all was.

She was a ghostly white bicorn in a black dress, her cybernetics were battered beyond repair, moving by magic alone, and her scarf was nothing but tatters. The mare's head was unstable on her neck, flickers of blue flame escaping from under the neck.

I grimised, not wanting to believe it, but I knew it was the truth. “But… why? Why can't she be alive!” I shouted at Cold Iron, removing my hat and tossing it at her. “This is hers, the hat and the pin! Your saying I can never return them?”

“The dead don't need such things.” She said without a hint of remorse.

“To be fair,” the voice of Dionysus spoke up as the stallion appeared again, causing the scenery to change to something more festive. A room made of wood, tables everywhere, each with a barrel that smelled a lot like the port wine that Pewter drank. “We can actually deliver it to her.”

“But the dead would much rather the living keep such momentos, and remember them.” Zagreus said as he appeared as well. “Then again, we can deliver her a message.”

The sound of heavy metal hoofsteps then caused the two stallions to freeze as another pony showed up. This one clad in the same armor as Cold Iron, but with a helmet on and draped in a purple robe engraved in silver and gold. He, I was sure it was a he, felt regal byond regal, something beyond nobility or royalty.

“Zagreus… Dionysus… what is this?” The stallion spoke, deep authority in his voice.

The two stallions looked more annoyed than any bit worried though.

“Father, don't even try to lecture us, not when you and mother have been messing with the mortals lately.” Zagreus said flippently.

Dionysus chuckled at that. “Ya, and we haven't been children for thousands of years, so don't go thinking you can just intimate us so easily. Anyways, we didn't intervene too much.”

Their father looked around, then at me before letting out a sigh and removing his helmet. He was a rather handsome bicorn with the most fetching mustache and goatee, of which I couldn't help but blush by looking at him. “My apologies Princess Harp Melody, it seems that my negligence has led you, and those around, you to be caught up once more in events that you shouldn't be caught up in.”

“Once more?” I said, then asked. “Good sir, may I have a name.”

He tilted his head up in the way to denote superiority, of which I had no doubt he was. “I am Hades Olympian, king of Tartarus and all that resides in the underworld, god of all things in the end.” He then looked over at Cold Iron, who lowered herself to a very submissive position. “There was a chance your friend would have survived, but she had been… convinced to work with a spirit of death, so to better help you. This deal was done under my muzzle in which to slay Phobetor. Cold Iron is the result of that deal, the part of Vibraphone's soul corrupted by death magic, and cut off so that she may be free to enter the Underworld as an innocent. Unfortunately this makes Cold Iron rather… impolite to say the least.”

Hope then filled me, though small “Wait, then does that mean-”

“No, she isn't, Vibraphone.” Hades cut me off. “She has already passed on, and what remains is something not her.” I felt at a loss with his words, unable to deny them. “But, she is happy to know you're alive, and when your time comes, and so long as you don't fall into darkness, she will be there waiting for you. And not just her, Stratus and your mother as well.”

Hades then cleaned up my mane with his magic before taking my hat from the ground. “But until then, live. And as a token of my apology, I'll give you this.” His hoof then tapped the metal plate of my hat and it changed to the same black metal as his armor. The ‘M-C’ that was once on the plate vanished, and in its place was an image of a small owl holding a key, and bordering it on either side were engravings of flowers. “It's a small token, but it should protect you from dark magic, and open your way in and out of here with any door to my realm. But be warned, abuse this gift, and you may never leave the underworld. Understand?”

I nodded in full understanding. He had given me a way out, like a key to his home. It would be absolutely rude if I just gave it away, or dropped by anytime I wanted. “Thank you, and be sure, I'll take good care of this gift, and make sure it won't fall into the wrong hooves.” I said as I put my hat back on, it felt both a bit heavier, yet comforting.

“Now for one last thing.” Hades said as he tapped his hoof onto the ground, and the the surroundings vanished, returning me to the undercroft, where Lair and Fizzy waited.

Fizzy bolted to me, and wrapped me in a tight hug. “Oh, we thought we lost you!” She then looked to see the four new ponies. “Oh, friends of yours?”

A loud crack then caught our attention as Lair slammed her head to the ground in absolute submission. The normally confident mare was now trembling, not even daring to look up.

Hades then trotted over to Alpha, kneeling at the badly hurt Nightstalker and petting her. she let out a happy, yet pained wimper “Good girl, but it's time we go.”

“Wait! You… don't tell me?” I spoke up, realizing what was happening.

Hades petted Alpha a bit more. “She's already an old girl, one that survived many battles and birthed many pups. You gave her pack the opportunity to live a better life, a life that they were meant to live. One besides their masters, not lost and forgotten in an ancient mine shaft. But now it's time for her to go and be with her mate and all those she loved and lost.”

Magnificence slowly got up, looking more like a ghoul than before. “You, I… know you?”

As Hades got up, Alpha joined him, he glanced over at Mag. “You have done well guarding this tomb, but now is the time you let go. The age of strife has finally begun to wane, and the young must learn to stand on their own. But you have one last thing to do.”

Mag gritted her teeth causing a rainbow like fluid to drip from her mouth. “But… must I?”

He nodded. “This place was never yours to inherit, you understood this as soon as you met the princess.”

“I… but why couldn't I be her, I was her after all.” Mag said before hanging her head low. “Why can't a copy become the real thing?”

“Because a copy is its own individual entity. Just as a reflection cannot become the original, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.” Hades told her as he then trotted to the gates where my ancestors were entombed, the gates opening up for him on their own. “Now we all must leave this place, and let the dead rest, otherwise I will act to make it so.”

With those words, his sons, Cold Iron, and Alpha joined him on the other side of the gate. Alpha looked back, giving a happy yip as the gates closed and they all simply disappeared.

After a long moment, I then peeled Fizzy off of me, and trotted over to Magnificence. “You… okay?”

“I feel over two hundred years older, but all things considered, better than I should.” Mag said, quite literally looking that old now. “Now help me up, I… don't think I can trot far on my own anymore. That damn La Fay drained nearly every drop of magic out of me.” I attempted to give her some of my own magic, but none of it stayed within her. “It's fine Harp, just help me… return to the surface.”

Fizzy came trotting over, helping me help Mag up. “Elder…”

“Just call me Mag, you silly filly.” She said, sounding more like an old grandmother.

“Mag, you're not going to die are you?” Fizzy then asked.

Mag shrugged. “In a way, but not just yet.” She then looked over a Lair, whose head was still down on the ground. “Hay bicorn, you can get up now, or did you knock yourself unconscious!”

Lair slowly stirred, peeking out at first, then finally raising her head. My friend had a bloody nose now, and looked drained of color. “Are they… gone?”

“Yes they left.” I told her. “And they aren't that scary? They were-”

“I'm not you!” Lair snapped, her whole body still trembling. “I can't just look upon gods and be… calm.”

“Yes…” Fizzy said, sounding unsure. “All I could see was shadows, and a vague outline of something not a pony. Well not all of them, the one with the beard I could sort of see. He even gave me this.” Fizzy then held up a decorative wine bottle that smelled strongly of alcohol. “I think he wanted me to make something with this.”

“Oh lucky you.” Lair said bitterly as she slowly trotted over on unsteady hooves. “I couldn't see anything, but I could feel them. It was like a mountain was pressing down on me, waiting for me to error once, hoping I gave them a reason to take my head.”

Lairs face then went very pale, and she puked.

After a moment of her dry heaving, Lair stopped shaking, and seemed to recover her confidence. “Right… I feel better now. Let's collect our things and fuck off.” She then tapped the plate on my hat. “That should open the way for us.”

“An owl, a key, and flowers? Pretty.” Fizzy said.

“A Screech Owl, actually. It's one of the symbols of Hades, along with the key to the underworld, and the flower Narcissus that grows along the edge of the river Styx.” Lair said as she started gathering her cursed coins. “My Uncle would be excited to study that.”

“Then let's get out of here then.” I said, looking towards the exit and seeing just a wall. “I'm sure Purity Spiral has long gotten away now.”

Mag then chuckled. “Who knows, but the flow of time down here in the underworld is a bit… strange. Or so my studies have told me.”

“Mine too.” Lair spoke up as she passed me my ruined rifle. “I don't know if this can be salvaged.”

“Might as well take it with us. It would be disrespectful to leave even more junk behind.” I said as I trotted to Order’s drone body, giving it some power so that it could fly again.

Order wobbled about, still trying to recalibrate its systems.

Trotting to where the exit should be, the magical torches would flicker to life as we drew near, and like an illusion the doorway appeared. With a deep breath and sigh, we trotted up the stairway, the torches igniting and extinguishing as we passed them, as though ushering us along, and making sure we wouldn't go back. We had places to be, and the underworld wasn't one of those places, not yet anyways.

“Mag?” I spoke up. “What did they mean, calling you a copy?”

Magnificence smiled, but only slightly. “What else could they mean by that? You're not a dimwit, Harp, you already know the answer.”

“You're Majesty's clone.” I said, and she nodded.

“Not any clone, but one made from the cutting of a tree of life, that tree of life you saw down there. Majesty made me to be her body double, powerful in magic like her, and smart enough to understand my purpose.” Mag explained

“Wait, what!” I nearly shouted. “Then… what?”

“That tree was your mother!” Fizzy said in shock.

Mag shrugged. “In a sense. I don't know too much about the tree of life, not many did, and those who did, they took the secrets to their graves. The closest I got was one kept in hoofington, and only after it was destroyed. It was used by the ministries to make blank clones and monsters, much in the way I was made, but for mass production. The damn enclave had recovered a cutting of that tree, but before I could convince them to hoof it over me, their lead scientists went mad and destroyed everything. But, from what information I could gather, the original tree was grown from a cutting recovered from here, during an incident in which a tree grew out of the tomb, in which Majesty managed to make three cuttings before that tree shriveled into the one we saw down there.”

“Three?” I asked.

“Yes, but one was stolen. The one found in Hoofington as you can probably guess. It's probably why Majesty never got along with the Ministries, they never saw eye to eye, or trusted each other.” Mag explained. “The other two were used to make me, and make Fizzy's ancestor.”

“My… ancestor!?” Fizzy said in shocked surprise.

“Blackcharry Blackroot.” Mag said, “Both Majesty and Blackcharry cloned themselves as the threat of assassination became very real, and from both sides of the war. But now I understand that there was a greater role for us that Majesty had planned.”

Mag reached up and removed her hat. To our shock, a plant had sprouted from under her mane, a sapling of a tree. “Soon I'll take root and become a new tree of life. When La Fay drained what magic I still had, it only took away what kept me a pony, and so now this life is over for me, but a new one will soon start.”

“Are you scared?” I asked.

“A little.” Mag sighed. “But I think this was Majesty's plan for me. Let me and my sister live on as ponies, then when it would do the most good, take root and grow into a magnificent forests.” She then gave a rather sad look. “Blackcharry and I never found her, Mystic, Blackcharry's clone. She was with the Blackroots in Whinneapolis when the bombs fell. So when Fizzy appeared at my doorstep, to say I was shocked would be putting it lightly.”

Fizzy scratched her chin for a moment. “Wait, then does that mean I'm part tree?”

“Frankly, I don't know. But I suspect that Blackcharry's brother was behind it. He was… obsessed with his sister to say the least.” Mag said, causing us to go silent for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Mag then focused forward as the end of the stairway came into sight. “Enough history for now, It seems that we're arriving just in time.”

My ears twitched as the sound of yelling became audible, followed by clanging of metal and gunshots.

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Leaving Mag in the first room of the tomb with Fizzy to look after her, Lair, Order and I rushed up to see what was going on.

The museum was an absolute wreck as some of the replicas had been damaged in some kind of explosion, and what sounded to be a small war was going on outside. One of Purity's priestess lay dead on the ground, riddled with bullets. I looked back at Lair, and she gave me a concerned look back. “It sounds like the Corps Brigade has made their move, we probably should wait doun in the-”

I was jerked back as a wing wrapped around my neck, razors hidden within pressing into my flesh. “Oh thanks for saving me the trouble of returning to this shithole.” Purity snarled. “Now if you will, drop your guns and blades.”

“This isn't going to go the way you want it to.” Lair warned. “You don't have the upper hoof here.”

Purity pressed up on my throat tighter, causing a bit of blood to drip. “Having the princess is only a bonus to me, her corps alone might be good enough as a prize. Now drop your weapons.”

With a sigh, Lair dropped her big pistol and both swords. Once disarmed, Utopian trotted out and did the same to me, finding my knife, and feeling me up before finding my father's revolver. “Let's double check to be sure.” Utopian said as he took extra time molesting me, and feeling up my rear and under side.

I wanted to kick him, but his mother held me furly.

Taking our weapons, Utopian laughed. “Don't worry princess, there will be lots more soon. I promise you that.”

“Just slit my throat right now.” I snarked.

“Don't tempt me.” Purity said with a smile. “You don't need all your brain cells to bear my son a foal.”

I shut my mouth, fully knowing that she wasn't bluffing.

Letting me go, Purity then tossed me to the side as she drew a pistol out to direct Lair to join me. “Now just sit tight, our ride out of here will be joining us soon.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” I asked as I felt out with my magic.

Purity chuckled. “Oh, you haven't seen what's been going on out there. As much as you attempted to prevent this rampage, you all were ill prepared. You know, It's surprisingly easy to take out power armor and spell slingers with the right tools, after that, it's a simple slaughter.”

The ambient magic was normal, other than a spot I couldn't quite sence, as though my attention was being pulled away from it… it was a familiar feeling I knew all too well.

“They're using anti-magic pulse technology.” Lair grimace. “It makes sense she'd have more than just the bomb. But why, what would the clergy be after by doing… of cores, the power armor.”

Purity nodded. “Yes. Mark two Tesla armor, you know how rare that armor is, only a hundred ever made, and all of them can be found right here. Reclaiming my family's magic mirror is just a bonus for me. A well earned reward for my faith.”

The familiar presence was hiding not far from us, having moved closer to where Utopian dropped our weapons. There was an opportunity now, and I just needed to wait for it 5o come to me.

“Harp, on my word, have Order fly out to attack.” Lair whispered, and I nodded. “Now!”

I hit my pipbuck and Order flew out and began firing, spiking Utopian with a bolt as Lair drew her other pistol and began firing. All four of us ducked for cover as the chaos erupted, both Lair and Purity firing wildly.

Once the shooting had stopped, the two quickly reloaded their pistols.

“I should have just shot you from the start!” Purity yelled.

“Same here.” Lair shouted back. “It save my bleeding ears from your damn voice.”

Watching through my pipbuck I watched as Utopian got back up from Orders point of view as he pulled the bolt out of his side. With a huff, I told Order, “just kill him, shoot him in the head.”

“Yes my lady.” Order dutifly said.

*BANG*

With a shower of sparks, Order hit the ground, one of its wings blasted to pieces.

“No, I don't think you will.” Spoke a mare with an all too fake Canterlot accent. She was a pearl white unicorn with a raven black mane and tail. She was dressed in an overly frilly black dress, making her look more like a doll than a real pony. Floating at her side was a familiar lever action rifle, the same .308 that Azure had.

Purity groaned in annoyance. “You took your time, Puppet Strings.”

Puppet Strings rolled her eyes at the Bishop. “Impatient as always. This attack would have gone much smoother if you hadn't revealed yourself to the Desperados. Not only were guns waiting for us at the church, but the power armor we desired was spread throughout the city.”

“Watch your tone with me filly.” Purity snarled.

With a sigh, Puppet then focused on us. “No matter, let's claim the princess and be gone from here.” Her eyes then glared at Lair. “You on the other hoof.” With a flick of her horn, Puppet cast a spell that made my skin crawl. “You can just die.”

The corps of the priestess then convulsed before getting up, blood and flesh falling out from her exit wounds. The dead but moving pony then charged at Lair.

“Oh fuck me and all this bullshit!” Lair screamed as she unloaded into the corps, but it did nothing as it practically flew at her. It jumped over our cover, tackled Lair, but my friend managed to hold it back, using her fenlock to keep it from biting any sensitive parts.

I got up to help her, but stopped at the feeling of a gun to the back of my head. “You stay there and watch.” Purity said gleefully as she stood on top of our cover.

Blood dripped from Lair’s leg as she suppressed a scream, punching the corps with her other hoof, but getting no results from it. I could feel the sickly magic infesting the corps, something was inside of it, controlling it, and it in return was being controlled by Puppet Strings. I attempted to draw the magic away from the corps, but it resisted me, causing me to wince in pain.

“Oh princess, my magic was crafted with the idea of tampering in mind.” Puppet said as she slowly trotted closer. “But I am impressed you can even attempt it.”

Feeling out with my magic, looking for anything to use, the disruption I felt before was closer to me, and glancing, I saw Azure holding my revolver in his mandible. He appeared injured, but still all in one piece. Then Azure nodded at me, and I ever so slightly nodded back.

“Full of surprises, aren't you.” Purity said as she rubbed my cheek with her pistol. “But it's now time for you to watch this bitch die, and not a thing you can do about it.”

Once Purity moved her gun away from my face, Azure slid my revolver over to me, it clattering along the ground loudly for a fraction of a second before I entered S.A.T.S. With only two actions to take, mine were obvious, using my pipbuck to grab the gun, then to shoot Purity. My accuracy was garbage, with a body shot the only guaranteed hit, so I took it.

It all happened in one smooth motion Purity not even realizing what had happened even as the bullet slammed through her chest. As time reasserted itself, Purity stumbled and fell back. Azure then tossed over Lairs cutlass to her, which she immediately hacked off the corpse's head, and when it started kicking her, she lobbed off its front legs.

As Azure trotted over to join us, he dived down as a defining bang went off, Puppet shredding his hat with his own rifle. “So this is where that damned monster ran off to. You're making things harder than it should ever be.”

Joining us under cover, Azure shrugged. “I'm rather good at attrition warfare, something nobody appreciates.”

Lair hissed in pain, her leg was in such bad shape I could see bone, which had several bite marks in it. “That's good and all, but we're going to need help, and soon.”

Azure nodded as he passed Lair her other gun and sword. “No worry, I sent a signal that you're here. Help is on the way.”

I could hear a hobbled trot from behind us, and looking over, seeing Purity stumble away, blood dripping all over. It wasn't a kill shot, but I did hit something important.

Utopian began to run to his mother, only to be grabbed by Puppet's magic and be dragged back.

“Puppet, you miserable whore, get me a damned healing potion. I think she got me in the liver.” Purity demanded.

But Puppet just stared back at her, Utopian looked worried, but didn't move himself.

“What's the meaning of this!” Purity yelled as she hobbled closer to the unicorn. “Do as I tell ye, or I'll rape you with my sword!” She then screamed.

Laughter then came from outside as a pony trotted in, a voice I had come to hate. “Now now my dear Bishop, no need to get ugly. It's… unbecoming of you, right?” Victoria said as she revealed herself. Dressed in a decorative purple frock coat, embroidered with a gold colored thread along the hems. On her head was a similar looking bicorne hat, decorated with red and green feathers. “It would be a shame to have my last memories of you like this.”

Purity glared up at Victoria, snarling out. “You… you wouldn't dare. Not after everything I have done for you! Pulling you out of that shithole city, promoting you to the clergy, and letting you have the Weeping Pegasus!”

Victoria smiled a wicked grin. “And I am very appreciative of you for it. But I have also grown tired of you.” With a smooth and skilled motion of her hoof, Victoria drew her cutlass and ran Purity Spiral through. “All you had to do was keep your mouth shut and head low. If you had just done that, everything would have been in our hooves. The mark two armor, the princess, and even your damned magic mirror. But you were always a failure, so much so it's amazing to me why the Pope ever took pity on you.”

Spitting blood in Victoria's face, Purity gave a pained laugh. “You and I are… no different in that. Defective pawns the both of us… fated to be… thrown away.”

Letting Purity collapse, Victoria pulled her sword out, and flicked the blood off of it before sheathing the blade. “No, unlike you, I'm something special.” turning her gaze to me, Victoria took a deep breath and smiled. “Here's the deal princess, surrender yourself to me, fully, and I will not punish you. I will not cut off your legs, cut out out your eyes, and fuck you up the ass with my scabberd. You understand?”

Her eyes were filled with the madness that told me she was absolutely serious with her threats. All of them.

But I had not come this far to just surrender, I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of it. “Then do it! But I will never simply give myself up to the likes of you!” I told her.

“Oh, but that's where you're wrong!” Victoria said maliciously as her eyes flared with magic, attempting to assault me, yet nothing happened. Victoria grimaced before she clicked her tongue in annoyance. “So that's going to be, very well then! Puppet, take the princess back to the base, and let the colts know she's their new toy for the day. The bicorn too, even the monster, but give it to the chef, I'm starting to feel quite hungry.”

“Yes mistress!” Puppet said with pride, and as her horn flared up. Four moving corpse then teleported in, and charged us, each having buttons for eyes, and stitches all over, like macabre dolls made of flesh.

With a flash and a pop, three ponies appeared before us, followed by the head of one corps getting lobbed off.

“Vile heretic, we will cast you down in Celestia's name!” Hollow screamed as she fired off her heavy pistol at Puppet, forcing her to drop Azur's rifle as she jumped for cover..

A wave of magic then blasted the rest of the moving corpses away. “Finish them off Star, and I'll tend to the injured. Hollow… just keep screaming!” Willow said as she dashed to us, shoving a healing potion in both Lair and my mouths.

Star let out a hardy laugh before drawing her sword, jumping at and cutting the corpses as they attacked her, slicing them to peace. Victoria, Utopian and Puppet then counter attacked, firing wildly with their pistols. Willow put up a barrier as Hollow and Star rejoined.

“Harp! You okay?” Star asked as she shethed her sword.

“We had some trouble, but were alive… most of us.” I told her.

Star then glared over at Victoria. “It's over! Now end this madness!”

Victoria sighed. “Oh deer, you still don't understand. It starts when I say it starts, and ends when I say it ends.”

A hail of gunfire rang out around us, destroying Willow's barrier as a power armored pony trotted in. It was Tesla power armor, but more crud looking, along with it being covered in wax seals and parchment. The pony in it was levitating a large caliber machine gun in its magic.

As Hollow took a step back, Willow struggled to put up another magical barrier, though I doubt it could do anything.

“See. Even now I have the upper hoof. All you can do is struggle and run.” Victoria said with a wide grin. “Puppet dear, get Utopian out of her before he starts crying. And Utopian, give her the counter magic pipbuck.”

Utopian passed the pipbuck over to Puppet before she flicked her horn, the stallion was glaring at me as he held onto the mirror, then he was gone.

Victoria returned her attention to us, eyes still wide with a malicious madness. “Now, I guess it is the best time to close the curtain on this fun, but not without a grand finale.” She then pulled out a grenade with blue stripes on it. I glared at it, then at her, and Victoria laughed at me, “you know, I really love these things. The Zebras really out did themselves with finding out how to disable magic. Too bad for them they, miscalculated where they would need them the most, and who they should be trusting to help smuggle them into Equestria. Well, in the end it helped Thorn take over the oceans completely. To think the Steel Rangers were her biggest threat back then, and those pathetic Zebras helped rendered them near powerless against her. And I get to use the same tools she used back then, here, even claiming Tesla armor for myself as she had.” All sence of joy dropped from her face, and a cold hatred bubbled to the surface. “But I should have been more successful, this should have been a glorious victory!”

Star took a step in front of me. “Shut the fuck you bitch! All that's going to happen is that I will make you pay for what you did to my mother!”

Victoria calmy tutted at my friend. “You shouldn't have told me no, Star. There are consequences for denying me. And you have yet paid enough… the both of you.” Her eyes fell on me again, “Has anypony told you, that you have… very pretty eyes.”

Victoria then threw the grenade, and it exploded in the air, filling it with energy that pushed away all magic. Willow’s barrier shattered and both Lair and Hollow lost a hold on their weapons. Charging forward, Victoria jumped over Star and between Willow and Hollow, kicking one then the other, sending both crashing hard to the ground. Star then charged, drawing her cosmic cutlass, Victoria drawing her sword as well, and the two clashed. With wide swings, Star attempted to get a straight slash on Victoria, but the pirate easily dodged and deflected the attacks, eventually locking swords. Both growled at each other, but Victoria managed to knock Star unbalanced before forcing her cutlass out of her mouth and headbutting Star.

Before Star could recover, Victoria then bucked her, sending my friend flying into and down the stairway. Victoria then again locked eyes with me, ready to change.

Lair limped in front of me, her leg still mangled. “Bitch, you know what enemies you're making.”

Victoria chuckled, her cutlass still gripped in her mouth, then dashed forward. Lair attempted to defend herself with her own rapier in her mouth, but the thrusting sword was clumsy when used like that, and Victoria quickly gained the upper hoof.

My eyes went wide in shock as I saw one of Lairs legs flying away from her body, my already weekend friend falling to the ground with a hard thud. Then, a glint of light hit my eyes as I saw Victoria coming right at me. Fast, too fast, and there was no place I could go.

Another flash. Of light? Pain? Darkness?

I let out a scream, falling back as my eyes felt like they were on fire, and I couldn't see. A heavy hoof landed on my chest, knocking the wind out of me and stopping me from screaming. “Oh, it's not over yet, princess. Can't have you making a full recovery now.”

I heard the distinct pop of a cork being removed from a bottle, then liquid poured over my face. It was like fire, like I was on fire, it hurt so much that I couldn't even scream.

“YOU BICTCH!” Star screamed, and I could hear a scuffle, but couldn't move it hurt so much.

Again Victoria laughed, at what, her victory, our pain? “Next time, next time you will not tell me no!”

Then silence.

“Harp, oh fuck! Stay with me.” I felt someone hold me up, Star maybe.

Letting out a breath I had desperately held, all I could do was wimper out, “it hurts.”

Something was forced into my mouth, and a bitter taste filled it. “Drink, fucking drink damnit!” Star demanded and I did.

The pain, it was still there, but dulled. I was also becoming… very… tired.

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