Outskirts

Chapter Three

What Time is it?

In the darkest hour, when all that is held to be good and sane is shattered in one passing instant, life ceases, and despair takes hold of even the strongest hearts...

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

I had thought I was dead. I couldn’t remember falling asleep. I could just remember hovering there, the Raincap fence before me, and the death of all I held dear at my back. Then we crossed over. Everything beyond that was a blur.

I couldn’t move, my muscles felt exhausted, like I had just competed in an iron pony challenge. The sand shifted beneath me as I breathed, and the faint sound of muffled voices pulsed in my eardrums. With effort I opened my eyelids. My vision was blurred, and moving my eyes took effort. I was tucked under the blanket I had stored in my backpack; and Vanity was lying next to me, asleep. I tried to shift. A sharp pain shot up my right hind leg. I gently wiggled my ankle, pulses of discomfort accompanying the movement. I could feel that my wound had been tended, my ankle was wrapped in gauze from my first aid kit. The voices grew slightly clearer through my daze.

“…would have to at least check in at Canterlot before making such a trip.” The voice was of a mare, a mare whose inflections suggested a command over her language.

“There’s no time. You know how fast these ponies work.” This voice was familiar; I had first heard it only last night.

“Yes, but protocol...”

“Oh come now Twilight, let him do something good for a change,” another mare interrupted. This voice was regal and elegant, bearing an accent I couldn’t quite place to any specific origin.

I heard a deep sigh. “Fine,” started the first mare. “You may travel to Smuggler’s Cove to search for these ponies, but you’ll be on your own. The area is protected under treaty; we can’t send anyone to accompany you.”

“I understand. Thank you Twilight,” said the male voice.

“Okay!” began the mare with the accent. “Now that we’re through here, shall we be off Twilight?” She sounded rushed, nervous even.

“Nice to see you too Rarity,” the voice of the buck deadpanned.

I struggled, my eyes lurching up enough to see the three ponies in conversation. Across from the black, metal clad stallion stood a lavender unicorn with a purple and pink mane and tail. She stood postured, eyes focused on the buck. Next to her was a breathtakingly beautiful white unicorn with a purple mane and tale. Aside from maybe Vanity, I had never seen such a striking pony. In fact, she was even more of a sight to behold than the Raincap Pageant Queen. But only just. She was noticeably bothered, attempting to seem unperturbed even though she was clearly trying to stay as near to her lavender friend as she could.

“Oh…I…I’m sorry Warrick, dear. You know I am. It’s just that you’re so…” she seemed to scour her vocabulary. “Creepy.” A bit of an understatement, but I could tell she was being polite.

The black pony…Warrick, snorted at her gesture.

“Anyway,” interjected the purple unicorn, Twilight, drawing the attention of the others. She turned to Warrick. “Just remember, we won’t be able to maintain any contact with you once you enter Smuggler’s Cove. So please, for Luna’s sake, try not to cause any trouble. We really don’t need any added stress, especially not after yesterday’s incident.”

“Ugh! What a mess that was!” added the other mare, Rarity. “You must tell us how you got yourself into that debacle.”

“We’ll all get together and have story time over some roasted marshmallows,” retorted the stallion.

“Warrick, Rarity, if you don’t stop bickering I swear I’ll turn you both into potted plants,” reprimanded Twilight. A motherly tone colored her voice in the same way my mother’s did when she was punishing me.

My mother.

My thoughts immediately returned to the horrors from the night before. In the chaos of it all, I hadn’t even thought to look for my mother and father. What had happened to them? Had they escaped the hell that Raincap had become? I began to fluster, my weakened body taxing itself further to accommodate my frantic mind.

“Anyway Warrick, once you’ve finished at Smuggler’s cove you are to rendezvous at Ponyville II for briefing on our plans for the Pestilence strike team.”

Warrick nodded, taking a few steps back from the pair of unicorns. The unicorn I now knew as Twilight raised her glowing horn. The beautiful Rarity wrapped her forelegs around her friend and threw one last glare at Warrick, who sneered in response. There was a brilliant flash of light, and when it passed, the unicorns were gone. My vision began to fade, my spastic thoughts running them selves down. My head grew heavy; blackness filled the outer ring of my sight. I allowed myself respite from my raging mind, and passed out.

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

“...jiggle your tail, hmhmhm…”

I startled awake, the weight of exhaustion having loosened its grip over me.

“Wriggle your snout, hmhmhm…”

I blinked my eyes, adjusting to the unforgiving brightness of the desert sun. My ears perked at the sound of a soft melody.

“Wiggle your rump, hmhmhm…”

I was feeling much stronger now, strong enough to stagger to my hooves. A surge of pain lashed out at me from my injured hoof, and I dropped to my haunches. The sand was warm against my skin, its comforting embrace helping ease away the thought of pain. I looked down at my wrapped ankle. The gauze was stained through with my blood. A sharp pain pulsed within the bandaging, matching the beating of my heart. Vanity was still asleep, wrapped in the blanket we had shared, her shallow breaths blowing small tufts of golden sand into the air with each exhalation. The singing had stopped. I looked around, curious as to its origin. A glint of light reflected into my eye, forcing me to squint. A black pony was seated on his haunches, perched like a guard dog next to where Vanity and I had slept, the brutally vibrant rays of sun gleaming off his metal chest.

Warrick. That’s what those mares had called him. I couldn’t help but ponder over how silly of a name that was. I had never heard of a pony with such a name, but considering how strange the odd name’s owner was, it seemed almost natural that it would be something so ridiculous. Not that I was really in any position to talk. I was named after the color of my coat.

“Uh...hey there,” I said, waxing awkward. The last time I had spoken to this pegasus my home was being burnt off the face of Equestria.

He turned his head slightly towards me. “Good morning.” His tonality had changed. Gone was the commanding essence from the night before, replaced with a level inflection that complimented his light rasp nicely. “I’m glad you’re awake. I didn’t get a chance to thank you and your friend for helping me yesterday. Thank you.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. And she’s my sister actually,” I said, a bashful smile on my face.

“Ah, well you and your older sister really-”

“I’m the older sister,” I interrupted, a touch defensively.

His head cocked slightly, his expression curious. “Oh...well,” he raised a hoof and pointed to Vanity. “She’s taller than you.”

Ouch. Thanks a lot captain obvious. And to think I had thought you were cool. Jerk. I frowned weakly.

He squinted in confusion. “Uh...sorry?”

My frown faded. I suppose he was just pointing out a fact. And he had pretty much saved mine and Vanity’s lives just the night before. I guess this could be forgiven.

At my change in expression he seemed to grow more confused, then his eyes widened and he face hoofed.

“Sorry, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Warrick.”

“I know,” I said immediately, then bit my lip, wishing I hadn’t opened my mouth.

He grew befuddled yet again. “And how is that?”

I felt a dry shame nipping at me. “I...I heard you talking to your friends, those two unicorn mares, ‘Twilight’ and ‘Rarity’.”

He seemed surprised by this. “I take it that isn’t all you heard.”

My shame doubled. “I might have caught something about some cove and looking for somepony, but that’s it I swear! I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.”

He shrugged. “I figured I was talking too loudly. Probably my fault you woke up.”

“You knew?” I asked, now both confused and ashamed.

“I wouldn’t be much of a guard if I couldn’t tell whether the ponies I’m watching are sleeping or not.”

The logic of the statement belied the absurdity I was feeling.

“Thank you,” I said, a more serious tone driving my words, “For helping Vanity and I get out of Raincap safely.”

He nodded. “The way I see it, I owed you at least that much. You and your sister helped me. I don’t know why you did, but you did. And bravery like that is rare in ponies these days. So I appreciate it, but you don’t have to thank me.”

I smiled. I needed that. To feel like I had done something good.

“Was that you singing?” I asked, changing the subject.

“It was more like humming,” he clarified “But yeah, it was.”

“What song was it?”

“One I heard from a friend.”

“Which friend?”

I heard stirring from next to me. Vanity rolled onto her hooves, stretching out of her slumber. She shielded her eyes with a foreleg as she was met by the sun’s harsh vibrance.

“Peri? Is that you?” she asked. Her voice was slightly hoarse, as if she had been crying.

“Yeah, I’m right here, Vanity.”

She wobbled as she stood, her eyes still squinting. When she opened them, her gaze fell on Warrick. Her eyes widened and she looked from him to me.

“I...I thought it was just a dream,” she said, her voice weak and raspy.

Warrick stared at her, his expression betraying guilt.

“Nice to see you up again Vanity,” he said softly. My sister looked to him, a weak and forced smile spreading across her muzzle.

“Thank you Warrick,” she whispered, then immediately turned to me. “Peri, is your leg okay?”

I quickly looked at the blood soaked wrapping on my hoof, then back at Vanity. I pointed between her and Warrick. “You know each other?”

“You were out for a while,” said Warrick. “Vanity was very helpful when it came to taking care of you. Wouldn’t even let me help, actually.” The thought of that irked me; having been at her mercy. I’d have rather lost the leg.

“It still hurts, and you did a pretty shabby job of wrapping it too,” I chided.

“Oh...sorry.” She dropped to her haunches, sulking.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh come on Vanity.” I wiggled my hoof, sharp twinges running up my leg. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not that,” she breathed softly. “It’s just...mom and dad.”

I froze. All my thoughts became of my parents.

“I didn’t see them. When we got to the fence I looked for them, but I...I couldn’t find them.”

I looked to Warrick. “Did...did you see them? Did they get out?” I pleaded.

“Raincap was a massacre. I didn’t exactly have time to count bodies. And even then, I don’t know what your parents look like.”

A deep depression gripped my heart. I felt like curling up and sleeping forever, just to hide from having to face what was now reality. But why? This is what I had wanted wasn’t it? To leave Raincap for a life of adventure and heroism. I had even broken the law to do so. Spat in the face of respected order to satiate my desire for acceptance. I hadn’t planned for my actions to hurt anypony, but had I ever even stopped to question whether or not they would? A new layer of depression crushed down on my already heavy heart. Had what happened to Raincap been my fault? Had mine and Vanity’s descent into places unwelcoming to our hooves been a trigger for atrocity?

I sunk into the sand, burying myself in its gravely warmth, and began to cry softly. Vanity lied down next to me, placing a foreleg over my head. I could feel tears running from her cheeks onto my neck, dampening my coat.

“They may have made it out.” Warrick’s voice was subdued; he had little faith in what he was saying.

I forced myself to stop crying, sniffing back mucus and air as I looked at the pony that had saved me and my sister.

“The attack on Raincap was too abrupt, it all happened way too quickly. It wasn’t a planned assault. Those husks couldn’t have come from…” He paused, stopping himself. “They must have come from closer by. A few miles from here is a settlement, Smuggler’s Cove.” He looked at me. “The one you heard mentioned before.” I felt a pang of guilt for having eavesdropped. “If there were any prisoners taken from Raincap, and if those husks came from where I think they did there definitely were, they’d be taken to Smuggler’s Cove.”

I wiped the moisture from my eyes. “And why were you talking to those unicorns about this place?”

“I was asking for clearance to travel there.”

I looked to Vanity and she nodded. “When I told him about mom and dad he offered to help.”

I turned back to Warrick with a confused look on my face.

“Like I said,” he began. “I owe you at least this much. Now gather your things, we’re leaving in ten minutes.”

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

The world beyond the Raincap fence was astonishingly massive. As far as I could see, the golden expanse of the desert sand dunes dipped and peaked like waves in an ocean of glistening amber jewels. Small metal pikes poked out of the sand at apparently random intervals, small green lights affixed to the tops of the poles blinked lazily. The sky above was obtrusively blue, and completely cloudless, itself reminiscent of the actual sea. As I stared up into the endless slate of solid blue I allowed myself to imagine that once, all of Equestria’s clouds had been here, and that the pegasi had taken them for themselves, leaving the sky over the world beyond barren and eternally blue.

We had been walking for an eternity, or at least what felt like one, constantly treading on identical stretches of desert under the endlessly identical sky. The sand offered a malleable and cushioning surface, sparing our hooves from the pains of extensive travel; which was especially gracious to those of us forced into an awkward limp as per recent events. The depression I felt surrounding the fate Raincap had suffered was beginning to alleviate. Although I had just met him, I trusted Warrick. He had led Vanity and I to safety; and if his plan was to get us far enough away from civilization that nopony would notice him killing us, offing us in our sleep had been an option. Plus, he was from outside the fence; I couldn’t possibly test his knowledge of things out here, and if he felt there was a chance that my mother and father were being held prisoner, that was good enough for me. Well, that and the fact that I was living the dream, or at least some twisted version of it. I had finally left Raincap; and if this didn’t count as adventure, I don’t know what would. Heroically traversing a vast desert with a hot blonde (albeit my ditzy sister) and a mysterious dark stallion in search of my long lost parents in an attempt to rescue them from certain peril. Daring-Do would be proud. But looming doubt was still weighing heavily on me. In an attempt to banish such emotion, I had taken to passing the time by assaulting our guide with questions about himself and the world we trekked through. Questions that he, for the most part, either avoided or blatantly refused to answer. After several attempts to inquire about his chest and wings (a few of which drew concerned glares from Vanity) I had ditched the campaign and took to regaling him with stories of mine and Vanity’s time on the Raincap public school volleyball team, and various other exploits from my admittedly less than glamorous life. When that failed to illicit any interest, I turned to sight seeing.

“Why are there no clouds here?” I pondered aloud as I gazed into the endless blueness of the sky.

“Does it look like there’s any water here for the sun to evaporate?” Warrick answered with a frustrated query of his own.

“Well yeah I know, but aren’t there weather teams out here?”

“Maybe they like the color blue,” Vanity suggested, now staring upward.

“No, that’s dumb. They’d need rain right? And plus, it’s way too hot for them to enjoy this year round,” I reasoned. Then my thoughts turned to the actual landscape. “Hey Warrick, how can there be settlements out here? How is sand a proper foundation for construction?”

Our guide broke stride, stopping abruptly, then turned to Vanity. “Does she always ask this many questions?” Vanity shrugged, trying to cover a nod. “Well then can I ask you a question?”

“Of course!” I blurted. I figured any interaction was better than walking in silence, and maybe I could glean some clues as to our guide’s background through such conversation.

“Okay. How is it that you’re just a pegasus? How come you’re not an alicorn like your sister?”

I choked up. That was not the type of question I was expecting. And it was one I couldn’t answer. I had been asking myself that same thing since I was old enough to think, and the best answer I could come up with was the cruelty of the gods, the general unfairness of life, or a symbiotic amalgam of the two.

“Well,” Vanity interjected swiftly, coming to my aid yet again. “Our mom is a unicorn, and in science class they said that unicornness is re…regressive? Or was it dominant? I don’t know, but unicorn parents might not even have unicorn babies. And our dad is a pegasus, and that is just like being an earth pony, so we both got wings. Mom always said that it was just luck that I got a horn too.” Her eyes began to dart around. “And that makes sense, right?”

Bravo Vanity, you’re an idiot.

Warrick raised an eyebrow at her. “Sure.” He began to turn.

“Wait!” I called out, stopping him. “Now that we’ve answered a question about us, doesn’t that mean you owe us a question?” He turned back towards me and glared, his eyes narrowing. I had caught him in his own logic.

“Fine. One question.”

I thought carefully, and then it came to me. “Why were you being kept in that place under Raincap?”

My question had the same effect that his inquiry had caused me. He regarded Vanity and I for a moment, taking in our curious gazes.

“Because the ponies in your little town didn’t want anypony to see it when they killed me,” he said, altogether too matter-of-factly. Vanity gasped and my eyes went wide. Warrick turned and continued walking. I had a feeling we wouldn’t be doing much more talking on the way to Smuggler’s Cove.

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

“We’re here.”

Warrick stopped walking in the middle of the endless sand sea. I looked about, searching for any sign of a settlement. There was nothing but sand and sky. The only remarkable formation was an unusually large sand dune several hundred feet in front of us. If that was what ponies outside of Equestria called settlements, than maybe they needed to consult a dictionary.

“You’re kidding,” I said.

Warrick began to step towards one of the pikes jutting up from the sand.

“Right?”

He lowered his head and a beam of light flashed over his eye. The green light stopped blinking, and turned red. Warrick stepped back, rejoining Vanity and I.

“Now, if at any point in time you feel a need to say or do something while we’re here, don’t. Just stay close to me and try to keep quiet.” Warrick sighed, then postured himself. Vanity followed suit, as did I. The light on the marker switched from red back to a solid non-blinking green. I heard an electronic warping sound coming from under us that sounded like what I imagined a wet microwave would sound like. Beneath our hooves the ground began to glow a deep purple that was visible even through the sand. The glow formed a circle around where Vanity, Warrick, and I were standing. The sound grew more intense and began to fluctuate between the extremes of high and low pitches. Then there was a blinding flash, and the desert was gone.

I unclenched my eyelids, taking in the new venue. Before us was a large bronze door adorned with a carved mural that depicted several alicorns apparently in combat, similar to the pictures one could find in school text books symbolizing the struggle between Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon. On either side of the door stood guard ponies. One, a mare, had a deep green coat. Wisps of silver mane hung down between her eyes. The face of the other was shrouded behind the hood of the stark white cloak both were sporting. They stood completely still, not even turning their heads to look at us. Warrick began to walk forward towards the door. Vanity and I exchanged stares. Her eyes were opened wide and I was sure mine were too. A gleeful smile spread across her muzzle.

“That was so pretty!” she squeaked. Warrick broke stride and glared back at her. Vanity threw a hoof over her mouth.

I cantered around, taking in the entirety of the area. We were standing in a large clearing with a several story high ceiling that looked like it was made out of…sand? Behind us was a massive curved wall also made of the crystalline dirt. It was as if we were somehow inside of a giant hollowed out dune. I turned back to see Warrick had begun to advance again. As he approached the door the two guard ponies stepped inward so they were directly in front of the decorated entrance.

“State your name and business,” demanded what I now realized to be a buck under his hood, without even looking at Warrick.

“I’m here to inspect your prisoners from the Raincap assault,” our guide responded.

The two guard ponies broke their stillness, exchanged glances at each other. The evergreen mare observed Warrick with caution. “What is your clearance level?”

“Higher than yours. Now step aside.” The guards held their ground. The tension was palpable; I could almost see a cloud of pure anxiety forming between them. Warrick’s razor sharp wings unfolded slightly and his knees bent a little.

The guard mare sensed the tension and began to fret. She looked quickly between Warrick and the still stoic guard buck. “Well if you were able to get past the retinal scan that must be right. Right? No need for any of this malice.”

Warrick turned his head from the stallion to mind the guard mare. In that instant, the guard buck whipped his head back. His hood slid off, revealing a bald headed old stallion, and the odd contraption on his face. The barrel of a gun rested on top of his snout, a strap with a pressure trigger wrapping around the top part of his mouth connected to the barrel, serving as a firing mechanism. He pointed his face at Warrick and bit gently on the trigger.

“Naa. Uh tinf ooo shud eeev,” the aged guard mumbled.

Warrick’s eyes moved between the guards, his hooves began to slowly shift in the sand. Next to me, Vanity was trembling. I just stood there, transfixed on what was happening, desperately waiting for what was going to happen next. The guard mare was shaking, her wide eyes darting about the room. The two bucks stared each other down, neither moving an inch. Then, Warrick’s hooves left the ground and the guard buck lifted his head to follow him. I winced and Vanity covered her eyes.

“WAAAAIIIIIIIT!” The overly excited voice seemed to bellow out from all around us. Warrick froze in the air, his black steel wings flapping slowly. The old guard pony stood still, bearing his teeth over the trigger of his weapon.

The ground began to rumble, and with the grinding sound of metal on metal, the large door began to open. All eyes turned to the entrance. From within the shadows of Smuggler’s Cove emerged a diminutive grey stallion garbed in a decorated white cloak. Flanking him were two similarly dressed guard bucks. As he stepped out into the open space, the two door guards leapt back to their stations beside the entrance and returned to standing eerily still. The small grey pony wore a wide grin as he approached Warrick.

“Well if it isn’t the pony of defense himself,” declared the grey buck. “To what do I owe this great honor, old buddy old pal?” The pony’s voice was full of charisma; enough that I almost forgot that our guide had just nearly painted that lovely door in elderly pony blood. I imagined that he would make a fantastic salespony.

Warrick landed softly, his eyes narrowing at the lavishly dressed buck. “Brazen Charm,” he hissed. “I see nothing has changed around here.” Warrick’s wings folded up, his muscles also relaxing.

“Oh Warrick, I’m hurt. Is that any way to greet an old friend?” Brazen Charm placed his hoof against his forehead theatrically and mimicked a fainting daze. “And what’s this I hear about you nagging your elders?” He gestured towards the old guard buck, who bristled at the thought of being called an elder.

“I’m here on business. Your guards refused to let us in.”

Brazen leaned past Warrick, looking at Vanity and I. He shot me a friendly smile and cantered past the black buck. “And who are your lovely friends? And for that matter, why were you hiding them?” He lifted Vanity’s hoof and gave it a small nip. “Such beauty should be displayed readily.” He turned to me. “In all capacities.”

Warrick pushed the grey buck’s hoof off of Vanity’s and moved between them. “Listen. I’m here to inspect your prisoners from Raincap. Allow my friends and I passage and we’ll have no problems.” I knew it was merely a figure of speech, but to have a pony other than Vanity refer to me as a friend gave me a warm feeling.

Brazen Charm narrowed his eyes, contemplating something. He looked Vanity and I up and down. I followed his inspecting eyes and realized I was filthy. My coat was still stained with the rank blood of that husk monster Warrick had saved me from, sand had found its way over a large amount of my coat in a consistency that kept me from being able to shake it off (my tear reddened cheeks offered a nice canvas for the dirt to congeal), and the blood stains on my ankle wrapping were beginning to brown. Vanity was similarly disheveled, but as usual still managed to look far better than I. The grey pony’s eyes went wide and he began to laugh an infectious laugh that I would have shared in were I not so nervous and confused. He clopped Warrick on the chin playfully. The black pony’s eyes went wide with fury, those pupil-less amber orbs seemed to ignite. Brazen’s grin widened.

“Oh Warrick, I never knew you for the type to take part in charity.” His laughter continued. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. I’ll take you to the prison quarters so you may ‘inspect’ our stock. Consider it a favor, for an old friend.” The hooded grey stallion spun around and trotted back into Smuggler’s cove.

Warrick stood rigid, I felt like his mane and tail might erupt into flames right then and there. I opened my mouth.

“Not. One. Word.”

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

Ow. Ow. Ow…

The flooring inside of the Smuggler’s cove settlement was made of iron. Every step sent a stream of pain running up from my ankle, and Brazen Charm was taking his time. Regardless of Warrick’s attempt to keep this visit strictly business, the seemingly delightful grey pony had demanded that Vanity and I be given a tour of Smuggler’s Cove. The base itself was as strange as the ponies it served as sanctuary to. Brazen Charm and his guard ponies were leading us through the cove (which was more like a makeshift town built into the walls of a cave) via a system of catwalks that connected together over the settlement. Below us, dozens of cloaked ponies went about with their day to day lives. The town itself was made up of many amateurishly welded shacks being used for homes and storefronts. On nearly every corner stood a statue of an alicorn that seemed to be missing pieces of flesh from its torso. In the center of the camp was an immaculately beautified building with steeples at each corner. Groups of ponies flocked to the building, most bearing smiles, but I could almost hear the groans of the fillies and colts being marched in by their parents. It struck me as odd that they all chose the same form of dress, but I reasoned that it was likely designed to help when they ventured out of their home and into the sands of the desert. It was also odd that there was a vegetable garden in nearly every yard. There was no sun down here, or rain. Brazen noticed me staring at the structure in the town center.

“Ah, yes. I see you have an eye for our place of worship. Few can say they have resisted the power of the word,” the grey pony said proudly.

“Well yeah,” I began. “In Equestria, if you break the Princesses’ law, you get arrested.”

Brazen chuckled. “My dear, we don’t recognize the word of tyrants as law in Smuggler’s Cove.”

“No, you worship a psychopath,” Warrick retorted.

Brazen Charm lifted his head, the corners of his mouth turning down. “Oh ye of corrupted mind, may our wise lord have pity on your treacherous hearts when he doth rise to rightful power.”

This was all very confusing. These ponies weren’t even from Equestria. How could they claim to know the princesses, much less make ridiculous accusations that they were somehow tyrants?

Warrick rolled his eyes and signaled for Vanity and I to continue walking. Brazen and his guards returned to point and the three of us followed.

“We don’t have time for this Brazen. Just take us to your prison quarters so we can be on our way,” Warrick demanded.

The grey pony turned his head, his hood hiding all but the smirk on his muzzle. His reminded me of the smirk Vanity would wear when she actually managed to outsmart some pitifully unintelligent pony (which you’d have to be for the likes of her to get the better of you). “But of course. Right this way honored guests.” There was something off about his tone that I couldn’t place.

Brazen led us to an elevator set in the merging of the catwalks’ paths. He nodded and one of his guards pulled the gated door open. Brazen and his guards stepped inside, and then gestured for us to follow. One of the guard ponies pushed a large red button on the elevator panel. The gate closed and the cart began to descend with a melody of squeaks and grinding noises. We passed what I thought was the ground level, sinking past the ponies traversing the town proper. Everything went black as the cart dipped down under Smuggler’s Cove. Then everything became stiflingly hot. The cart slid down into a vast open sector beneath the settlement, into hell. The entire area bore an overwhelming red hue. Bursts of flame bellowed from stacks standing behind a massive open pit where several filthy and emaciated ponies walked between the corpses of hundreds more. A huge stove like furnace spit plumes of smoke and flame into the air that danced about the room. The stench of death was made thick by the humid heat. Breathing was a struggle, as was fighting back the urge to scream; an urge which Vanity could not contain. Brazen smirked at the sound of her shriek. I stared at the pit strewn with dead and dying ponies. Ponies wearing those odd snout guns walked around the rim of the ditch with their hoods down, groups gathering to watch and smile as the starving prisoners withered away. The elevator came to an abrupt stop. I stepped out as the doors folded open and leaned over the railing of the large circular walkway overlooking the furnace and prison pit. I couldn’t see my parents. Vanity propped up on the railing next to me but couldn’t bring herself to look down at the hell below.

“Is this some kind of cruel joke?” I heard Warrick ask. “How are all of these prisoners dead already?”

“Whatever do you mean old boy?” queried Brazen sarcastically.

“The attack was less than a day ago, how are these ponies dead of starvation?”

Brazen feigned confusion, then revelation. “Oh! Silly me. These are just the leftovers.”

“Leftovers?” Vanity asked, her hoarse voice full of sadness.

“But of course. Here, we are companionate even to our prisoners. All are given a choice. Either they may choose to be enlightened to the wise one’s plan, or they are kept here to see the error of their selfishness. Of those taken from Raincap, most made the right decision. The rest were gracious enough to provide warmth for their fellow guests.”

Oh dear sweet Celestia.

Before I could even turn to see it, Brazen was up against the elevator door, Warrick’s foreleg pinned against his neck. The two decorated guard ponies whipped off their hoods and pointed their face guns at the steel chested buck. Before they could shoot, our guide outstretched his wings and positioned one against Brazen Charm’s throat.

“Weapons down gentlemen,” the grey pony ordered calmly. The guards exchanged looks and removed their face mounted weapons, dropping them to the ground with a pair of clangs. “Now Warrick, is this any way to treat a friend?”

Warrick pushed against the smooth talking buck, slamming him against the rattling gate. “Enough of your games,” he growled. “If these are the ones that refused your little cult, then where are the ponies that you let live?”

Brazen began to breath heavily, but kept his mouth shut. Warrick’s wing dug into his neck and the guard ponies gasped. “Okay!” shouted the hooded grey buck. “The wise one took our stock early this morning. By now he’d already have them in his temple. If you want to take it up with him, be my guest,” wheezed the cultist from behind Warrick’s foreleg.

Warrick loosened his hold on his old friend. “Pestilence was here…” Warrick stepped away from Brazen. The grey pony fell to the ground. The guard ponies immediately picked up their snout guns and pointed them at the stunned black pegasus stallion. Vanity gasped and leapt in front of the guards, throwing her forelegs around Warrick’s neck.

“That will do boys,” said Brazen Charm through his coughs for air.

“Fut sirf, thif non feliefer attaft ooo!” raged one of the guards.

Brazen stood up and brushed off his robes. “Indeed my boy, but this non believer is protected under our treaty with the vile witches of Canterlot. Should we do the wise one’s will and strike him down, as tempting as it may be, our people would not be safe from the evil of the tyrant Celestia and her bitch of a sister, Nightmare Moon.”

At this, Warrick pushed Vanity away and thrust his wings open. He turned to Brazen and growled, dipping into a familiar battle ready stance. And that was all he did. The black pony with the orange stripe in his mane took ferocious deep breaths as he glared at the smirking grey stallion. I thought I could see smoke puffing from his nostrils with each exhalation. Vanity whimpered and crawled in between the two.

“Please,” she begged. “Stop.”

Warrick’s eyes softened, his breaths began to shallow. He stood slowly, his wings folding back in next to him.

“Wink. Come here,” ordered the razor winged stallion. It took a moment for me to realize he was speaking to me. I had never been called Wink before. In truth, I was actually shocked he had even remembered that much of my ridiculous name. I slowly backed away from the railing over the Smuggler’s Cove hell hole and stood next to Warrick and Vanity.

Brazen Charm stood between his honor guards, wearing proudly an expression too smug to bear. So I didn’t.

“Look at it this way my little ponies, at least if the ones you are looking for deny the wise one, he shall grant them a quick and-“

Crunch

Brazen let out a high pitched squeal as my hooves made contact with his snout. He stammered back behind his body guards, a hoof held over his bloodied muzzle, and scurried off into an open door way along the walkway, shouting something as he fled. The guards turned on me, clenching their guns’ pressure triggers.

Krak! Krak!

I doubled over as one shot grazed my flank, the other burrowing into my right hind leg. For a moment everything went white. The world faded away, being replaced by an all encompassing pain.

I had been shot. Twice.

When my senses returned, I realized I was whimpering spastically. Warrick dashed at the guards, and rolled between them. Before either could turn, those frighteningly sharp wings burst open, slashing the soft tissue behind the guards’ hind knees. The hooded ponies fell to the ground, writhing. I felt nudges on my back and turned to see Vanity prodding me to get up. I was in too much pain to move, I felt like I would pass out. There was my pain medicine, but now didn’t seem like the ideal time for a nap. I tried to roll to my hooves. Unholy pain engulfed my entire back end and I fell back onto the unforgiving metal walkway.

“Get up!”

I felt myself get whipped up into the air, and landed painfully on my hooves, nearly buckling again. Before me, Warrick was gliding down the walkway towards a quickly closing automatic door. All around the border over the pit similar doors were sliding closed. Vanity grabbed me in her forelegs, but let go at the sound of my pained shriek.

“Just go, I can run just fine!” I commanded, clinching my eyes to hide tears of pain.

Vanity stared at me frantically. As dumb as she was, even she could see through my pride. So I hit her. Nothing too bad, just a clop to the cheek. She recoiled, raising a hoof to her face.

“Hurry up! Those doors are closing!”

Vanity watched me for a moment more, tears in her eyes. I hadn’t hit her that hard, had I?

The pretty white alicorn, who’s cutie mark was a glittering star with a tiny little heart under it (a constant reminder of her aptitude for all things girly-girly) flapped into the air and dashed after Warrick.

I forced myself up, barely containing a scream as I planted my right hind leg down. I couldn’t use it. Between the bite wound and the bullet lodged somewhere in there I would be lucky if I ever could again. I steeled myself as best I could and began an awkward three legged gallop for one of the sliding doors. On the other side Warrick and Vanity had just landed. The door was about to close. I slid to reach them but Warrick had to pull back Vanity’s reaching foreleg from under the door as it sealed.

I was trapped in Smuggler’s hell. And I was alone...