Will To Survive

“…but be weary, for your sake”

“Evergreen has been found…”

Time seemed to ultimately slow as I walked down the dark cold tunnels to Roseberry’s shop. I can only think of how this night is going to go. We bust in and take care of him, ending this little pandemonium once and for all.

When I walked in the front door, most of all the light where turned off except the one in the living quarters. Inside was everyone who I was meeting with, Golden, Sparky, Black Mail, and Cosmic who was sharpening one of her hidden knives. They all look to me and nodded.

Black Mail tosses me a black robe with a large hoodie to wear while also getting me my equipment. A small pistol that shot full-auto. It was dead silent with no conversation at all. My friends including myself were mentally preparing themselves to go into a very dangerous situation.

Finally Black Mail spoke up to break the silence. “Alright, listen up. We’re going to this orphanage to get rid of Evergreen. This psycho has been on us for a few days, if not a couple of years, and now and it’s time to put an end to it.”

Everyone nods their heads in agreement. “Are we ready to go?”

We all stood up and loaded our weapons, concealing them in the black clothing we were wearing. We headed onto the streets and onward to the orphanage, my old orphanage.

As we walked, a flood of old memories began to overwhelm me.

I crawled on the ground, covered in bruises to escape the torment that was being bestowed upon me.

“Get up you wimp!” a kid yells at me as he steps on my tail. “Fight back you loser.”

I struggle to get back up and make one last attempt to flee from the bullies’ harassment, but it was no use. As soon as I was back up one of his friends pushes me back down and punches me square in the face.

“How do you like it now!?” The kid yelled as he kept swinging his punches at me. I open my eyes and time began to slow as I finally block one of the punches. My mind fills with rage as I spin my hind legs around and kick him in the head.

The pain was gone, and the anger had control of me. I get up and immediately tackle the colt who was stepping on my tail. I sat on him as I swing punches back and forth across his face. One of his other friends pushes me off and tries to pull his crying and bloodied friend away.

“What are you doing you maniac?”

I get up and pause as more rage begins to fill me? “Oh, I’M the maniac? I’m not the one who attacks a pony for no reason until he hurts so much they can’t even leave bed in the mornings. I’m not the one who puts fear into ponies every day, like you. I’m not the maniac, you are, all of you!”

Tear were rolling down my face as I see the ponies that I attacked stumble away. The one I kicked in the chest was holding it trying to regain his breath, and the one I punched in the head was bleeding profusely.

He points to me one more time, “You stay away from us.”

“And you stay away from me.”

“Hey we’re here.” Cosmic says tapping my shoulder. We stood over a hill that was behind the orphanage. I could see the backyard filled with all the play equipment, none of which I was allowed on due to the kids.

“What’s the plan?” I ask.

“Same like the warehouse we raided those months back. Sparky cuts the power as we go in. Black Mail and golden go in one side, you and me in the other, and Sparky will follow behind us later.”

“Where is Evergreen?”

“Somewhere in the basement we presume. Ready? I can see Golden and Black Mail heading inside.”

“Let’s go,” We headed down and hopped the fence and snuck to the back door. Cosmic and I pull out our pistols and slowly made our way into the old broken building. Inside we heard voices, but they got louder once the power was cut and the whole building went dark.

Only the full moon lit up the building. There was a few we saw which we took out by smacking them over the head and knocking them out. It wasn’t long until a gunshot went off, but it came from where Golden and Black Mail was. Screaming and yelling followed suit. We were detected, and it was time to make this quick.

As we turned a corner one of the ponies was a unicorn, using her magic to illuminate the area. Quickly Cosmic takes her out while at the same time alerting the ponies nearby. They spin around and open fire at us. I duck behind the wall and started to shoot where small bursts of light that was coming from the gunfire. Eventually it stopped. I whisper out to Cosmic to which she replies back with a simple whistle sounding like a bird.

At this moment, Sparky made her way to us. With only Luna’s moon illumining the building through the dirty windows we made our way to the door that lead the basement. Right when we were about to open the door, Black Mail and Golden ran up to us. With no words we step aside from the door to have Cosmic open it up with her magic. Once the door was open, a fully auto machine gun began to open fire on us.

Luckily we weren’t in front of it as the bullets flew out of it. Cosmic uses her magic to levitate her weapon and blind fire into the dark basement below. Eventually all noise stopped. We were a bit skeptical to head down. As I was about to head down, Black Mail stops me and goes instead. No bullets came out, so we began to head down with Black Mail in the lead.

When we got to the bottom of the staircase the lone machine gunner was dead on the ground with three bullets wounds. At the bottom, the basement split in two. Both splits looked identical, but it was difficult to see when the darkness consumed it.

“Cosmic, Sparky, and I will take the right, you guys take the left.” I whisper to Black Mail and Golden. We all nod our heads as we began to walk on. We headed down the linear corridors trying to find our way to Evergreen, where ever he was.

I don’t know these parts, the kids and I were never allowed down here. The walls and floor were made completely of cement. Doors were old wood and rotting away. It seemed as if this part of the building was never hit by modern times. Everything was older fashion, dusty, and seemed in a time trap.

Eventually we find our small hallway with some doors leading to a few rooms. We walked in and went into a random room, nobody. Went into another, still nobody. Right when we were about to go into another we heard gunshots, and they didn’t sound like ours much thicker sounding, like a rifle. We looked behind us as gunfire went back and forth. A violent shout was heard and then silence.

We stood in the dark with the moons light showing only enough to see our path. Cosmic looks to Sparky and I.

“I’m going to see what’s happened.” And without another words she ran down the hall into the darkness.

Sparky and I still searched the rooms looking for anyone or anything. But each room was barren and empty. After a few moments we get to the end of the hallway were there was a turnoff to the left leading into a part of the basement that looked remodeled. The walls were painted and the floors were made of cheap wood that felt new.

In front of me was a door with a large rectangular window, allowing you to see clear through to other side. I walked to the door and it was locked. After a second I turned to ask Sparky if she could unlock it, but she wasn’t there.

There was a banging noise on the window of the door. I go to look to see Golden with tears in her eyes and hitting the window.

“Blue! Help me, get me out of here.” She was trembling in fear. “Evergreen is over here.”

I look back to find Sparky, but she wasn’t there. I start bucking the door to break it down, but it was no use. The door what attached to well, and the glass was shatterproof.

“NO! Please don’t give up! Help me!”

I continued but there was still no hope. When I stopped and looked at her again a faint figure appeared behind her. Before I could speak up he was already next to her and a machete went clear through her and popped out her chest.

There was no scream, there was no noise as the machete gets pulled out from her and she falls to the ground.

On the other side of this windowed door, was Evergreen Reign. Only half his face in the visible light. He smiles and he begins to hit the window with his machete, but it fails to break it. I aim my pistol at him and shoot, but it stops the bullet dead in its track.

Evergreen places the bloody machete on the window to show it to me.

“You’re next…” He says in a dark but happy voice. He turns around and walks away. I start walking backwards and looked for Sparky. I find her in the hallway walking towards me.

“I heard a gunshot! What happened?” She asked tilting her head to the right.

“We need to get out of here, now!” I say beginning to sprint to the exit.

Sparky and I make our way to point where the hallway split. Once we got there we headed up the stairs. We get back in and the lights to the building turn back on. When we got to the top Sparky and I were ambushed and kicked to the ground. I fell on my side but couldn’t move. I struggle to get up but it was no use. There was the weight of a pony on me.

Sparky put up a small fight before she was kicked to the ground. A hoof came down and smashed her horn. A scream of intense pain broke out as she begins to tear up. The last sight I saw was a black bag being put over her head, and then, mine as well. Soon, I was knocked out by a powerful plow to my face.

“Wake up… wake up my friend.”

My conscience began to come back as my vision was blurry and faded. Looking up from the ground I see a faded figure standing in front of me. When the rest of my senses returned I realized the horrible position I was in. I was strapped to a chair with only my wings free. I couldn’t move at all, even the chair was bolted to the ground.

“Well, hello there friend,” said a voice in smooth and calming fashion. I look up to see Evergreen looking me in the face with a smile. “What wonderful day it is, isn’t it?”

Evergreen steps back to reveal himself more. His teal eyes were bloodshot and even with his smile his eyes gave an angry expression. To the left of him was a white mare with a light purple mane that had an eye patch on. To Evergreens right was a Stallion, brown coat with darker brown mane, but one feature stuck out to me. His eyes, they were like mine. However instead of 4 colors there was only two, dark green for his left and a light blue for his right.

“I would just like to say thank you for visiting my orphanarium!” He smiles waving a hoof through the air. “But the placed closed and we had to get you out ye’ drunkin’ bastard.” He ended his sentence on an old fashion style.

“W-where am I now?” My throat hurt very badly so my voice sounded blatant.

Evergreen Reign smiles, “You are home my friend.” He steps back and the mare lights up her horn revealing where I was.

Home…

This was my ‘home’ so to speak. It was the old apartment I stayed at, in all its glory. We were in the room that I used to sleep in. I could see out the window into the darkness of the city and the bridge connecting one island to the other with the lights all on it.

The stallion speaks up, “Do you know why you’re here?” Right after he said that Evergreen grabs him and slams him into the wall causing it to break and him falling to the other side.

“I ASK THE QUESTIONS!” Evergreen yells. He looks to me and points to his comrade who he just badly injured, “What he said, do you know?”

“I-I…” I was in so much shock it was hard to speak.

“I’ll tell you. You hurt, me, myself, my organization, and my family.”

“Y-you said yourself twice.” Not sure what made me say it, but it happened. Evergreen runs up and puts both of his hooved on the back rest of the wooden chair and stares me in the eyes only inches from my face.

“I OUTTA…” he pauses and looks up with a blank expression. “No…” He backs away with a saddened expression on his face. He snaps and begins to freak out and begins punching the wall next to him as hard as he can while screaming.

He pulls his hoofs out of the wall and looks at them. Blood trickled down them as he begins to laugh hysterically. He looks at me and throws some of it on my face. He giggles while he did it. The mare had a disgusted look on her face, but she hid it from Evergreen.

He eventually stops and sighs, he grabs the machete he had from the corner and drags it over. It was still dripping slightly from Golden’s blood. He brings it over and stabs it into the ground.

“So here is the thing, since you owe me, you got to help me with something that has been bugging me.”

My eyes go wide, “W-what?”

“There is a rumor that pegasi can only walk on clouds due to the magic ability given to them by their wings.” He says rubbing one of mine.

My eyes go wide seeing two pegasi flying near the window with a cloud. The stallion Evergreen attacked comes to my right side while the mare goes to my left and they grab my wings and open them up. I try to resist, but it was no use. Evergreen pulls the machete out of the floor and looks at me.

“You are going to be our test subject.” He says with a sly grin. I try to squirm my way out, but they had me in a death grip.

Evergreen raises his machete. Before he swings it down the mare levitates a bandana and crams it into my mouth and puts duct tape around to keep my from spitting it out. Evergreen gives a smile to the mare.

“Nice touch,” Evergreen quickly raises his stone cold blade once more and comes down on my right wings, cutting it off completely on the first go. I scream in agonizing pain and begin thrashing around, but I was still strapped to my harness. Tears roll down my face as the pain became unbearable.

The mare held up my left wing and with one more slash the large machete comes down on my left wing, but doesn’t come off. Quickly, Evergreen strikes once more cutting it off. I start to become dizzy as my world started to fade around me.

I look over to see the mare levitating my wings and placing them into the bucket filled with a clear liquid. It begins to bubble as my wings start to dissolve. They let me out of my harness and I fall out of the chair, I became too weak to move.

They grab and drag me close to the window. Outside I look down, to see the road far below me. I see the cloud, my only refuge if I can still walk on them.

“Ready?” Evergreen says whispering in my ear. He taps my shoulder which sends pain all throughout my body. “Do it,”

The two Vimont members toss me over the edge to the cloud. I grab on and I was able to hold on with no issue.

I hanged on over the ledge of the cloud, suspended over the cement ground below. I struggle to get on top, but was too weak to do so.

“Huh, I guess they can still walk on clouds even without wings.” The mare says.

The sound of a revolver being cocked pierces through my ears.

“Not today,” Evergreen says aiming it at me.

He fires the weapon, the piece of metal goes straight through me and goes out through my chest. I lose my grip and begin to fall.

The last sound I heard was the noise of my bones shattering as I hit the ground.

“Clear…”

“Clear…”

For a brief second I hear a faint beeping noise.

“He’s coming around…”

A painful shock goes throughout me as I gain conciseness, but couldn’t move.

“Yes….” A familiar voice says in tone that sounded as if she was crying.

“Oh my… I am a GOD!” This voice I didn’t recognize. It was another mare; that was for sure. I open my eyes to see a pure white mare with puffy pink and red hair. She was shaking in excitement.

“You see that Cosmic, I resurrected him! How many doctors can say that? Huh!?”

She looks at me and points to me, “You are one lucky bastard, ya know that? You… were legally dead for four hours, and now you’re alive! ‘Cause of me!” She begins to do some dance that looked as if she was having a seizure.

I look back to Cosmic Joy, she just shook her head, “Ignore her, how do you feel?”

I try to move; surprisingly I was able to move a little with no pain. “Fine, but didn’t my bones break?”

The doctor looks to me and taps her horn, “I was trained in helping heal broken bones. I healed most of them. Your legs ‘re good, your spine and neck. Well, most are good; you’ll be able to walk in a few days.”

“How come I can’t feel anything?”

The doctor lifts up a bag of the powdered drug, the one I’ve been making for so many months. “There is a chemical in this that disables pain sensors in your body. I extracted it and used it.”

I relax in the bed I was in. I don’t know where I was, but it’s better than where I was before. I turn my head to Cosmic who had her head down. I managed to lift my arm and rub the top of her head and mess up her mane even more. She looks up and smiles.

“What… happens now?” I asked

Cosmic looks down trying to hold back her tears, “I don’t know, I have no idea.” She gets up and gets the doctor out of the room and closes the door. “She says you’ll walk in a day or so. Until then I’ll keep an eye on you.” She opens the door and begins to walk out; she stops halfway and looks back. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She says with a smile and closes the door.

It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

Two Days Later…

The pain is no longer around, whatever is in the powder it sure does knock it away. I’ve been letting the past couple of days slip by relaxing on this nerveless trip. Honestly it’s a good way to relax, it still blows me away that I was dead. The fact I’m given a second chance actually scares me for some unexplainable reason.

The radio in the corner was playing the morning news. Most of which has been actually quite relaxed. The city has taken a bit of a turn. The candidate I saved, Silver Bill, is helping the current mayor right now even before he’s put into office.

However, there are still some parts of the news that revolve around this city’s crime issues. Most of which now are caused by Vimont.

Vimont… that word keeps going through me. Evergreen is the leader, and only when he goes down will the organization go to. I sigh, we had the chance and lost. There is no way for me to find him and by this point all hope seems gone. Golden was killed right in front of me, Black Mail was shot, and Sparky…

Sparky… I have no idea what happened to her, the thought never occurred to me. I start to move out of the bed I have been in for the past few days. It was early morning, Cosmic was asleep on the couch and the doctor wasn’t here. I walk outside into the streets of the bleak city.

I knew where I was, I’m about a half hour away from downtown. The building was a comic shop, and I’ve been in the basement. I chuckle a little as a dumb little thought comes through my mind.

I was underground. My grave… and now I’m out and alive.

The streets were still lively as usual, this city never quits moving. I pass through the shopping district and ended up at Mezzo Park. I’m looking at the bench where I talked to DimLight. All sounded faded away as I remember the conversation. I sit on the bench and look straight forward and stare at a building that had completely slipped my mind.

My eyes go wide as I get up and quickly limped my way over to it. I enter the inside and pass the empty receptionist desk and up the stairs. I open the door to show me to a tan stallion.

He looks up at me and his eyes go wider than dinner plates. He was looking at a folder with my name, a report on me with a large word across it saying, deceased. He opens his mouth but says no words, eventually he comes up with some.

“H-h-how are you alive? I was told-” I stumble over to his desk and place both my hooves on his desk, grab him and pull him only a few inches from my face.

“I… I want Evergreen dead.” I said through my teeth in anger.

His shocked expression quickly changes to a smile.