"I saw what he saw. I know what he knew. His memories are my memories."

-Alex Mercer

“Mo…mommy? I-I…is that…you?”

“No.”

“Mommy…I don’t feel good…”

“I’m not your mother. And that’s not surprising, you do have a virus inside you that is devouring every cell in your body and replicating itself in their place after all.”

“I don’t think I can go to flight school today…”

“Oh…kay…I don’t really know if you even go to school anymore but that’s…alright I guess.”

“Mommy…can I have a glass of water?”

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Fluttershy! She’s waking up!”

“Really!?” In a flash, the butter yellow Pegasus was at Rainbow Dash’s side, tears in her eyes and a relieved smile plastered on her face. “O-oh, Rainbow, I was so worried! I’m so glad you’re okay!” She hugged her friend tightly in a death grip that would make Pinkie Pie want to take classes.

“Wha…F-Fluttershy? Where…where am I?” Rainbow Dash tried to crane her neck to look around the room, but was barely able to move far enough to see anything but pink mane.

Mercer rolled his eyes. “Oh sure, her you recognize…” He reached over and grabbed Rainbows hoof, stretching her leg out to its full length so he could get a better view of it. Switching to infected vision, he scanned her limb to see how far the virus had progressed.

Fluttershy finally let go when she noticed Mercer holding Rainbow’s hoof. “Is she alright?”

Without looking away, he replied “She’ll live. But she’s not quite ready to start moving around just yet. The virus has only converted about eighty percent of her cellular structure to biomass. What’s left of her immune system is still fighting off the viral cells, so it might take a few more hours until she’s-”

Just then, the door to the cottage flew open, cutting him off. It slammed against the wall and made Fluttershy literally jump in the air, causing her to hit the ceiling and cling to the rafters. It was even enough to make Mercer wince, but he otherwise gave no reaction except to turn his head to look at the idiotic intruder.

“What in the hell is wrong with you, Nick? Were you born with a missing chromosome or something?” Nick was standing in the doorway, a guilty look adorning his face as he surveyed the damaged wall behind the now broken door. When he heard Mercer’s voice, he turned his attention back to the hooded pony and walked over to stand next to him by the bed.

“Mercer, I have something to report.” He gave an awkward salute, like he wasn’t sure what exactly he was supposed to do in this situation.

Mercer raised an eyebrow. “Does it justify you barging in here like a maniac and breaking Fluttershy’s door?”

“Yeah, that was…my bad.” He looked up. “Sorry about that Fluttershy. Guess I don’t really know my own strength yet.”

“I-It’s okay…it was creaky anyway…”

“Anyhow, Pierce and I were in Ponyville looking for more candidates like you ordered-”

“Really? I figured you two would just go to the bar or something.”

“Well, we were, but we never got inside. Look, that doesn’t matter. A guard approached us-”

Mercer stiffened. “A guard? What do you mean a guard approached you? What did he say?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you! He asked us about Zecora!” The room fell silent. Mercer stared off into nothing for a moment, lost in his thoughts. What exactly would they want Zecora for? What are they up to exactly?

Finally he narrowed his eyes at Nick and asked “What did you tell him?”

Nick shook his head. “Nothing. Pierce pretended to be drunk and I played dumb. I don’t think he got suspicious of us or anything.”

“You don’t think he got suspicious?”

“Well, he didn’t look it…”

“What did he want Zecora for?”

“He claimed he wanted to ask her some questions about that whole ‘attempted murder’ thing but it was obvious he was lying. They wouldn’t send so many guards here if that’s all they wanted.”

“There are more? How many of them are there?”

“I counted seven on the way over. There might be more, but I can’t be sure.”

Mercer brought his hoof up to his chin. “They must really want her then…that means they don’t know she’s dead yet.” He looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was still half awake and muttering something about Spiderpony while staring up at the ceiling. “Go back there and try to find out more about what they’re planning.”

“Pierce is already on it.”

“And that means you can’t help him?”

Nick glared. “I suppose not.” He turned to leave, but stopped. “Hey, what did you do with Zecora anyway? You told me you killed her, but what did you do with her after-”

“Sssshhhh!” Mercer shushed him, cutting him off mid question.

“What? I was just asking what happened to her body-”

“Shut the hell up!” The white Pegasus closed his mouth, looking around the room to pinpoint just what he was supposed to be shutting up for. Mercer was staring at the doorway, where he knew the sound he’d heard came from. He switched to thermal vision, lighting up the silhouette of a prone equine form hiding behind the wall next to the door. “We’ve got company.”

Wasting no time, Mercer activated Whipfist and sent it flying through the wall at the figure, easily breaking through the wood without slowing down. The pony was quick, jumping out from cover and avoiding his attack. Now out in the open, the spy turned out to be a guard, a midnight colored Pegasus wearing the familiar armor worn by those in the Royal Canterlot Elite. He looked from Mercer to Nick, then to Rainbow Dash. Glaring at all of them, he opened his wings and turned to take off, getting a running start and flapping his wings a few times to get in the air.

There was small boom and large gust of wind as Mercer took off after him, forming his own wings to keep up. He heard Nick yell something behind him but thanks to the rushing air he wasn’t quite able to hear what he said. He thought it sounded like “Wait, hold on a second!”

The ground rushed by quickly beneath him as he caught up to the fleeing Pegasus. Mercer gave a big push with his wings and shot forward, holding out his hooves to grab the other pony before he got any farther. Unfortunately his grapple never made contact as the Pegasus tucked in his wings and made a perfect barrel roll to the right, easily putting him out of harm’s way. Mercer shook off the failed attempt and continued his pursuit, determined to catch this pony before he got any closer to town.

His next attempt to take down the guard was met with a bit of success when he managed to get in front of the pony and force him into turning around. Mercer could smell the sweat coming off the ponies head after one of his claws nearly took it off, but the fact he was still unharmed made the Prototype curse silently. The game of cat and mouse that followed made Mercer realize just how soft he’d become when it came to fighting these ponies. He was used to taking out unarmed or ill-trained ponies, and so far the toughest opponents he’d gone up against in a while were those Gryphon spies that had been stalking him. But it was becoming apparent that these Canterlot Guards didn’t mess around. Mercer wasn’t going to be able to half-ass his way through this fight.

After a few more dodges and a well-placed kick that only made Mercer growl in annoyance, the Pegasus finally made the mistake Mercer had been waiting for. When Mercer tried to grab the guard again, he twisted out of it and tried to kick himself away using Mercer’s face as a springboard. But that meant leaving his belly exposed; a temporary vulnerability that might ultimately cost him his life. Before he could jump away, Mercer grabbed his back leg and pulled him back, spinning his body around and kicking him in the stomach, sending him rocketing to the field below. He slammed into the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of his lungs, making him gasp and choke pathetically as he tried to get it back. Mercer descended slowly and landed a few yards away from him, watching carefully as the Pegasus managed to get air in his body and stand to his feet again.

The guard wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth. “You’re well trained…I wouldn’t expect this much resistance from a pony who wasn’t sure of his own strength…I assume you’re the one we’re looking for.”

“That assumption is well founded. They really know how to train them over in Canterlot, don’t they?”

“Alex Mercer…you don’t realize just how much trouble you’re in.”

“Story of my life.” The sound of flapping alerted Mercer someone else was arriving on the scene. Though he didn’t turn his head to look, preferring to keep his eyes locked on the guard in front of him, he knew it was Nick.

“I see you…uh…caught up to the target…”

“You have a firm grasp of the obvious, Mr. Flash.”

“So how are we going to do this? Should I circle around and flank him while you create a distraction-”

Mercer held up a hoof. “Nick, even if you hadn’t just said all that out loud in front of the enemy, it would still be a moronic and utterly useless plan.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Then what do you think we should do?”

“We aren’t doing anything, and you are going to stand there and not get in my way. I’m taking care of him myself.” He took a step forward and shifted to his Blade power, swinging it out to the side and holding it horizontal to the ground. With a quick hop, he launched himself right at the armored pony, swinging the blade at him once he got within range. Nimbly, the other pony jumped to the side, dodging the attack and countering with a strong kick. Mercer ducked it, backed up a step, and swung the blade again, cursing when the guard pony once again evaded it.

With a smirk on his face, the guard spat on the ground at his hooves. “We were warned not to engage in a fight with you. We were told you were too dangerous to take on in one on one combat. However, it seems our Captain’s caution was for not, for I have yet to see any real skill or power from you that would justify his concern.”

Mercer snarled. “What did you just say!?” He jumped at him again, thrusting his blade forward and aiming for the guard’s heart. When the pony sidestepped it, he brought the tip down, sticking it into the dirt and using his momentum to swing in a circle on it and kick out with his back legs. The kick connected, resulting in a loud metal clang as the armor dented inwards, pushing the guard back a few feet and throwing him off balance. Without slowing down, Mercer pulled the blade out of the ground and swiveled around for another swing, sure that this time he would hit flesh and shut the pony up for good. What he didn’t expect was his blade to suddenly deflect off something metal and bounce away, putting the other pony out of harm’s reach yet again.

The guard backed off, holding the circular saw-like blade attached to his front hoof up defensively as he gained some distance from Mercer. Once he did so, he inspected the damage to his armor from the corner of his eye, narrowing them when he saw the massive dent tarnishing his magic armor. “It seems I spoke a bit early.” To Mercer’s surprise the dent in his armor began to crinkle and pop, like someone was blowing air into a paper bag, until it disappeared completely, leaving behind no trace that it had ever been there at all. “Alex Mercer…from what I’ve heard and now what I’ve seen, I’m positive that our search for Zecora will be in vain. And since I can only assume it is your doing, I have no other choice.” He brought his other hoof up, letting an identical retractable blade shoot out of its sheathing and lock in place with a click. “In the name of the crown, her Majesty Princess Celestia, I, Storm Shade, will strike you down today and end this madness before you bring harm to anypony else!”

Mercer scoffed, bringing his own blade up in a similar, mocking fashion. “My, what wishful thinking you have.”

The two rushed each other, colliding weapons first in a chorus of ringing metal and beastly snarls. They attacked, blocked, parried and evaded, throwing every bit of their combat knowledge and close quarters prowess into the fight. It was a brutal affair, neither party afraid or reluctant to wear all the hatred and anger they felt for the other out on their sleeves.

Well, one of them anyway. This was the first real fight Mercer had been in since his fateful showdown with Heller. The others he’d had since could hardly even be called skirmishes. He’d caught Berry Punch and those adolescent Gryphons off guard, and Zecora was hardly a match, despite her heavy use of Poison Joke infused Bloodtox. Even the Gryphon spies he’d killed stood no chance against him. But the skill and ferocity of a member of the Royal Canterlot Guard was so great, even he had to admit there was a chance he could lose this battle.

And he was loving it. With every swing and stab, every block and counter, the wicked smile on Mercer’s face grew more and more. Even when Storm Shade managed to slip past his defense and score a good slice across his chest, Mercer barely registered the pain. He simply kicked the pony with his left hoof and slashed out with his right, barely cutting through his armor and leaving a shallow gash on his left side. Storm growled at the stinging pain and jumped away, waiting for his armor to fix itself before attacking again.

The battle continued in that fashion, with Mercer all but abandoning his own defense in favor of attacking the pony relentlessly. He found himself filled with energy, one that he hadn’t known before. Any cut he received from his opponent healed instantly, but even faster than normal. His regeneration was working double time, stitching his wounds shut before the other pony’s blade was even done slicing it open. He didn’t know what was coming over him, and frankly he didn’t really care. All he could think about was seeing this pony lying at his hooves, he wanted to hear the last words choked out on his dying breath.

Wow, he was kind of screwed up, wasn’t he?

A growl escaped Storm Shade’s mouth after Mercer once again ignored direct attacks to his own body and slashed a deep cut across the pony’s cheek. “You truly are some kind of monster, aren’t you?” Mercer didn’t reply; he simply chuckled and jumped forward, bashing his left shoulder against the pony and throwing him onto his back. Storm Shade recovered quickly enough to avoid Mercer’s air slice, scrambling across the grass to get as far away from the madpony before he managed to pull his blade out of the ground.

Panting heavily, Storm took a second of reprieve to figure out his next move. Alex Mercer was proving to be a stronger opponent then he first thought. He was unstoppable; a one on one fight wasn’t going to end well. It was about time he called in a tactical retreat and regroup with the rest of his comrades.

At about that same time, Mercer was realizing he was having a bit of trouble with his own performance. As in, he wasn’t able to pull his blade out of the ground. In fact, he could barely stand at the moment. Seemingly out of nowhere, that energy he’d felt before was suddenly gone, and he felt more drained then had ever felt since he was still human. That bloodlust he’d been under just a second ago was no longer clouding his mind, and now that he was clear headed again, he was berating himself for losing his senses so easily.

After his umpteenth failed to attempt to remove his blade from the ground, he shifted his limb back to its normal form so he could put all four hooves under himself. He was still weak, so he knew he wasn’t going to get his strength back until he consumed some more biomass. But he wasn’t about to tell Storm Shade that.

Summoning what little power he did still possess, he dug his hooves into the grass in a fighting stance, giving the impression he was still ready to fight. He groaned inwardly when his opponent did the same, though he refused to show his despair.

When Storm galloped straight for him, Mercer prepared for the worst he could bring. Just as they were about to collide, the guard pony jumped the remaining distance onto Mercer’s face, again using it like a spring board and launching himself into the air. He spread his wings and gave them a few flaps, turning around and flying back to Ponyville.

Mercer, furious for being treated like a trampoline and unwilling to let his enemy get away, focused as much biomass as he could spare to his front foreleg and swung it in an arc, launching several knife like projectiles at the retreating pony. Most missed, but a few of them managed to hit his right side, embedding themselves in his flesh as well as slicing his wing off completely. Storm Shade cried out in pain, plummeting to the ground with only his remaining wing to help slow his descent. He landed on his side with a loud crunch, where he made no attempt to get up afterward.

Once he was sure the fight was officially over, Mercer allowed himself to sink to his haunches, barely holding himself up with his front hooves. While he was resting, Nick, who he had forgotten was still standing off to the side, walked over to stand next to him, a worried look on his face. “You okay there, Mercer?”

“I’ll be fine…”

“You sure? You look pretty-”

“I said I’m fine!”

Nick backed off a step. “Fine. Yeesh…” He looked over to where Storm Shade still lay. “Did you kill him? Or is he still alive?”

“I can still hear his heartbeat. He’ll live yet.”

He whistled. “Hard to believe, you kicked his ass. That was pretty brutal, brony. You were growling and flashing your teeth; you were like an animal! I’ve never seen anypony fight like that!”

‘Neither have I’ thought Mercer. ‘Maybe next time I could get a heads up before my powers decide to evolve without me.’

“So uh…what should we do with him?” He heard Nick ask.

“Bring him over here. I want to ask him something.”

Nick obliged, walking over to the injured pony and poking him to see if he was still conscious. Storm let out a moan, coughing violently as he did so. Nick gulped, already feeling guilty for the pain he was about to put this pony through. Grabbing his tail in his teeth, Nick slowly dragged Storm over to where Mercer was still sitting, taking care to not to disturb him too much. Regardless, the movement caused the guard to groan pitifully.

Once he was finally right in front of Mercer, Nick carefully rolled him over so they could see each other face to face. There was a long pause where neither spoke, the two just chose to glare at each other.

After what seemed like an hour, Storm spoke. “They will look for me…my brothers…they will notice when I don’t report by noon…they will know something has happened.”

Mercer smiled weakly. “That’s true…unless…you agree to help me.”

“I will do no such thing!” He sat up halfway, the action making him grit his teeth and fall back down. “I would never help a monster like you.”

Mercer chuckled. “It was worth a try.” He turned his attention to Nick. “Mr. Flash, why don’t you do the honors?”

Nick was taken aback. “W-what? Me? Y-you mean…kill him?”

“No. I want you to tickle him. Of course kill him!”

“Like…right now?”

“I wouldn’t think this sort of thing needs to be spelled out.”

“Right…just uh…give me a moment, will ya?” Nick gulped, looking down at the pony with pity. He raised his hoof, hesitated, then lowered it. “Why don’t you take this one, buddy? I think you could use the energy more than I do.”

Mercer sighed. “It’s not about the energy, stupid. Like he said, they’ll be expecting him to report back later on. If he doesn’t, they’ll know something is up. And don’t call me buddy.”

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Consume him, take his form, and go make sure they don’t realize anything is wrong.”

“Is that all? C’mon, Mercer, give me something challenging!” Nick laughed nervously, utterly failing at giving off the bravado he was going for. He looked back down to Storm Shade, who was wearing a confused expression on his face. It was obvious he was trying to piece together what was going on based off what they were saying, though he didn’t seem to be doing well. Nick gulped again, casting one last glance at Mercer before focusing the biomass in his body to his front leg, the unfamiliar feeling sending a shiver down his spine as it turned into a serrated blade with an angled edge, similar in shape to his own cutie mark. Storm’s eyes widened at the sight, a whisper escaping his mouth that Nick just barely caught as sounding like “They’re all monsters…”

Mercer huffed impatiently. “Would you just do it already?”

Without any further stalling, Nick thrust his blade down into the prone form at his hooves, stabbing it through Storm Shade’s chest in a brutal fashion. Before the life left his body, Nick felt several tendrils extend out from his own and wrap around the pony, constricting him like a snake and absorbing him completely.

Almost immediately Nick’s head exploded in pain, stars appearing in his vision and remaining there even after he closed them tightly. Hundreds of memories began to flash across his mind, none of them ones he recognized. They flooded his thoughts, drowning out his own so much that was unable to think. All he could do was bear it and watch, until finally it all turned black and he passed out from the strain.

Mercer watched Nick seize and writhe on the ground, clutching his head in his hooves and groaning through clenched teeth. Is that what he used to look like when he did this? Was it really that pathetic looking? He shook his head. Oh well. At least no one was around back then that cared.

When Nick stopped shaking and lay still, Mercer pulled himself up to his hooves, and set about dragging the unconscious Pegasus back to Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Nick. Wake up.”

“…Ugh…”

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad. Quit being a baby and wake up already!”

“…M…mommy? Mommy is that you?...”

“Oh for the love of-I am not going through this again!”

“Here, let me give it a try.”

“Mommy…my head hurts…”

“Oh, that’s okay little baby. Let me make you feel better…”

Nick found himself suddenly forced awake by a strong pain in his abdomen. He sat up harshly from his spot on the floor, placing his hooves over his stomach to prevent any further blows. “Ow! What in the name of Celestia did you do that for?”

“You wouldn’t wake up. I figured it was the best course of action.”

He looked over to the hooded pony standing off to the side. “And you’re just going to let her do this?”

Mercer glanced at the rainbow headed mare he was referring to and shrugged. “Better than what I was going to do.” He noticed the glare he got for that reply. “Oh relax; you’re awake now, aren’t you? If she hadn’t done that you would have just stayed there mumbling in your sleep. Be grateful she didn’t aim lower.” Nick gulped at that, crossing his hind legs instinctively in case Rainbow Dash decided to try anyway.

Speaking of Rainbow Dash, it had just dawned on Nick that she was awake and standing before him. “Holy Celestia! You’re awake!”

Everypony in the room facehoofed. Even Fluttershy, who had at some point while they were gone, climbed down from her perch on the ceiling.

“Wow. Nothing gets by you, does it?” Came Rainbow’s sarcastic remark.

“Absolutely amazing analysis.”

“You rock. Woohoo…”

The black maned pony hung his head in shame.

A knock sounded at the door, making Fluttershy flinch and hide behind Mercer. A cheery voice rang out on the other side. “Helloooooo! Fluttershy? You home? I got some mail for ya!”

Nick lifted his head. “I’d recognize that voice anywhere. It’s Derpy.”

“Who the hell is Derpy?” Mercer asked without taking his eyes off the door.

“She’s the mailmare.” Then thinking it over, he added. “And she’s not dangerous.”

Derpy knocked on the door again. “Fluttershy? Is everything alright in there?”

“She’s getting suspicious. Rainbow Dash, go get rid of her.”

“What? Why me? You do it!”

“Just tell her to get lost!”

“No.”

“Oh sweet Celestia. I’ll get it!” Nick huffed and walked over to the door, just as Derpy knocked again, the force of which caused the apparently still broken door to fall inward, right on top of him.

A grey wall-eyed mare wearing a saddle bag full of envelopes stood in the open doorway, hoof still raised mid knock. “…Oops.” Derpy looked in and saw three pairs of eyes watching her. “Ooh, are you having a party? Are there any muffins?” She stepped inside, only to stop when she heard a voice underneath her. Looking down, she realized she was standing on the door.

“…Derpy…could you please…get off?”

“Oopsie. Sorry Mister Door.” She stepped off and went to stand by Rainbow Dash, allowing Nick to push the heavy wooden object off himself and stand up. “Oh, hi Nick! What were you doing under there?”

“You know, just…lying around…”

Rainbow looked at the blonde confusedly. “Derpy, you know him?”

She smiled. “Of course! We used to work together!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! He got fired though. Something about him losing more mail then me.”

“Not my fault. There was a hole in my bag.”

“This is all very entertaining, but can someone explain how we got to this point in our conversation?” Mercer piped in.

Derpy gave him an odd look. “Who are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.”

“I’m new in town.”

“So you’re the new pony I heard about? How come I haven’t seen you?”

“I’m still getting acquainted with this place.”

“Well that’s no excuse. Where do you live? I would have remembered if I’d delivered to you…” Her eyes, which had been looking in different directions a second ago, suddenly focused on him, as if she were trying to memorize what Mercer looked like and commit his face to memory. “Do you even get mail where you live?”

For a mare that looked like she was simple, Derpy was surprisingly smart. Not a lot of ponies knew this about her, but she was actually more intelligent than the majority of ponies in Ponyville. Part of the myth that she was stupid came from when she was in school. She had been pulled out of class in the middle of the year, and a rumor spread that it was because she was being put into a special class that catered specifically to mentally challenged ponies. The reality was that she was being pulled out to be placed in a higher grade; the teacher had expressed concern she wasn’t being challenged enough with the material she was given.

Out of every resident in the town of Ponyville, only a handful actually knew this fact. The rest were ignorant or just unbelieving. Most only saw her eyes and wrote her off immediately. Of the ponies currently in Fluttershy’s cottage besides Derpy, only Rainbow Dash and Nick knew the truth. Rainbow Dash because she had befriended the grey Pegasus when they were younger, and Nick because he had heard it through an open window when he was regrouting a brick wall.

The first time Nick started working with her, he was afraid to ask for fear of making her angry. But as he came to know later, that was nearly impossible. When he was finally able to work up the courage to ask, she told him everything. The reason why the truth had never gone public was because the mare didn’t want to make ponies feel bad, either for making fun of her or doubting her in the first place. It was easier to just let them go on thinking she was simple. Plus, she loved her job as a mailmare.

Being as smart as she was, it wasn’t difficult for her to notice the obvious flaw in Mercer’s backstory. He had no place of residence that she knew of, no mailing address, and had never stopped in to set one up. “What’s your name?”

Mercer hesitated. It was weird, but this seemingly innocent question asked by this equally innocent mare came off as intimidating to him. He just couldn’t put a hoof on it as to why. “…Uh…Alex Mercer.”

Derpy continued to study him a second longer, until her face finally lit up and she held out her hoof to him. “Well it’s nice to officially meet you Alex Mercer. I’m Ditzy Doo, but you can call me Derpy Whooves. I don’t mind either way.” Mercer slowly took her hoof and shook it, remaining wary of any possible deceit that may lie hidden behind her façade. He didn’t trust her, no matter how cute and innocent she acted.

“Yeah…sure. Glad we finally met…”

“Hey, Derpy? Wasn’t there some reason you came by…?” Rainbow indicated the mail bag hanging on Derpy’s back.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Digging her muzzle into the bag, she brought out an envelope and passed it over to Fluttershy. “Here ya go! I hope you’re not mad at me for taking so long. It kind of slipped my mind.” She turned around and walked back to the door. “Well, I better get going. I’ve got a lot more mail to deliver. See ya later everypony!”

As soon as she was out of earshot, Mercer turned to Rainbow Dash and shouted “You call that fixed!? She literally knocked on it and broke it! I thought you said you could fix it ‘better than new’!?”

“I meant I could fix cloud home doors! Give me a clump of cumulus and I can fix any old stratus door. But I can’t do anything with a wooden door!”

“Yeah, no shit!”

“Um…Mercer-”

“I know; Pinkie Promise, blah blah blah. Whatever…” He turned to Nick. “Flash, you seem to know a medley of useless crap. Fix the door and make sure no one can get in that easily again.”

Nick was flabbergasted. “Wow…Mercer…that was…almost a compliment.” He walked over next to Mercer and placed his hoof on his shoulder. “Thank you.” After that he went over to inspect the door and see how he could fix it.

Mercer’s eye twitched. “…Freak.”

Author's Note

Funny story; I posted this chapter about three days ago and was starting to get mad no one had read it yet. Then I noticed I forgot to publish it. You can all just go ahead and ignore the message I left in your voicemail. It was just a joke anyway...

So, a couple things about this chapter. First off, it might seem rushed. That is normal. Second, Mercer loses his GOT DAMN MIND! That is also normal. It may seem a bit confusing, so allow me to explain.

I wasn't able to find a spot where i could properly explain it in the story without it sounding forced, but that was actually my idea for a new Devastator. From now on, it's called Bloodlust. It's an evolution he gained after he consumed that Manticore in the first chapter, but since he had no need for it because he was staying low profile, it never showed itself until now.

I first thought of it as a possible power during my playthrough of the first game, after I broke a controller and my coffee table on my 20th failed attempt at beating the Supreme Hunter at the end. I was wishing there was an extension to his invulnerable state evolution thing that kicks in when your life reaches critical, since I was relying on it so heavily anyway, I figured there should be something better to it. What I think Bloodlust would do is it increases the damage you deal and decreases the amount you take, eventually making it so you dish out massive amounts of damage and take next to nothing in return. But it wouldn't last long, and when it does run out, it drops your health down to critical and gives those precious few seconds of invulnerability as a chance to get away so you can consume some people or walkers to get your health back up. I find that would have made the fight with Mother and the Supreme Hunter so much freakin easier. Also, because the games have a severe lack of projectile capabilities outside of guns and launchers you need to pick up or rip off of helicopters, I added those spikes he launched at Storm Shade. Those I would imagine being more useful against foot soldiers so you don't have to charge in under crazy amounts of gunfire and kill one so you could pick up his gun and use it. I don't know what to call them yet. For now, I will use Spikey-Wikeys as place holder until I figure something out.

Thirdly, I have decided to defy all head canon concerning Derpy and made her a genius. She is now officially the exact opposite all those dickhead parentals accused her of being. Take that society!

And lastly, because I have run out of things to say, and because why should I do all the talking, I will leave you with this question:

What kind of power would you give Mercer? Obviously you can't use mine, I already called dibs. Give it a name, what it does, how it works, etc. I might even use some if I can find a place in the story later.

-Poly