The Furies
---<^^>---
Mare Do-Well lifted the manhole cover slightly before peeking through with a periscope camera she produced from her belt. “Any sign?” Rarity asked.
“It looks like a deserted alley. We’re probably inside a facility,” she replied.
She retracted the periscope and pushed the lid back gently, making sure not to make any noise. The four of them crawled out, Flutterbat shaking herself like a dog and sneezing quietly as the smells of the surface hit her. “It aint half as bad as it was down there,” Applejack chuckled. “Though Ah forgot how hot it is.” She lifted an arm to shade her eyes from the blazing sky.
Mare Do-Well went immediately to the corner and checked it for any approaching guards. Behind her the others talked.
“You know I never got to thank you,” Rarity said to Applejack as she dusted herself off. “From what I understand you had a lot to do with freeing me from Nightmare Moon.”
Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “It was nothin’. Heck, Ah didn’t even know if it’d work.”
Rarity smiled and placed a hoof on her shoulder pulling her into a hug. “It did and I’m really grateful.”
Something about her body language set off a warning in Mare Do-Well’s mind. What was she looking so sad for? She was free, right? Nightmare Moon was trapped back in that crazy world with Discord. But she didn’t have time to worry about that now. She was here. In Aklopolips. The one place she didn’t want to end up on this freaking adventure. She was telling the truth to the others. She had never been here before. But that didn’t mean she didn’t know about it. It and its dead master.
“Twilight?” She turned to see Rarity behind her. “Any idea what to do now?”
Before she could answer there was a whistling sound. “Get down!” Applejack shouted. Mare Do-Well turned to face the source of the sound but AJ grabbed her and pulled her back. Good thing though as a projectile collided with the ground where she stood making a giant crater. The force of the impact sent them all hurtling back and out of the alley into an open area. All around them ponies in disheveled clothes with skinny bodies scattered in fright. Applejack got to her hooves fast and pulled her sword. “It’s them.”
Mare Do-Well followed suit as well as Flutterbat. She put a hoof on Rarity and pushed her to the center between all three. “Stay here for now.”
“But I can help!” Rarity insisted.
Mare Do-Well shot her a look that even through her opaque lenses was felt. “Do as I say!” Rarity backed in between them.
When all the regular ponies had ran off and they were alone, they heard a large scraping sound. Through the alley they’d come in, the giantess Applejack described from before emerged. She hefted her mace on her shoulder and scowled unfeelingly at them. A cackle came from the other side and the tiny yellow mare from before crawled atop a wall and smiled down at them. The sound of a whip came from behind and the black mare flayed her ribbon-like tails slashing the air as she prowled toward them.
“Ha!” Applejack chuckled. “Same crew from before? We took you down easy enough last time. What makes you think we can’t when the odds are four to three?”
The black mare smiled wickedly. “Oh, you better recount, honey.”
Mare Do-Well jumped back as an icicle jutted out from the earth where she stood. Her eyes widened as she saw another figure coming at them from the front, sweat beading her forehead and a machine hissing with steam strapped to her back. Matterhorn glared at them with a heated scowl. The icicle melted and slid toward her being sucked up back into the machine. “Oh, buck me,” AJ muttered.
“Seems like a fair fight to me,” the black mare snickered. “Attack!”
Mare Do-Well reacted unconsciously, pulling a smoke bomb from her belt. She tossed it down and a plume of gray smoke obscured them as the four assailants attacked. Maltreated ponies watched from hovels and behind walls peeking their heads out as all eight figures disappeared into the smoke then scattered again as they burst out. Applejack tumbled out and caught herself in a roll as she turned to fight her opponent, the giantess. Flutterbat flew out of the smoke in a tangle of yellow and green fur as she kicked and scraped against the fiendish little mare attacking her. The sound of a whip echoed as Rarity was thrown from the smoke and landed in the dust, stepping up wearily to face the black mare as she stepped from the cloud. Mare Do-Well jumped back into the open air as an icicle went hurtling by her head. Matterhorn stepped out next to face her.
“Seems everypony’s got their dancin’ partners,” Applejack muttered.
“Not a very good time for humor,” Mare Do-Well grimaced.
The black mare stood straight and flayed her whips. “Girls? Go nuts.”
---
Applejack ducked the first swing but just like last time, wasn’t surprised to find the giantess preparing another immediately after. She decided to try her luck and go for the back legs as she slid into her duck and slashed underneath her opponent. AJ was surprised to hear a ping and see sparks as her blade grazed across the giantess’ armored legs. She got back up and was rewarded with a back kick to her flank. Her body went sprawling forward and she nearly dropped her sword from the pain. This mare hit harder than Sombra, and that armor was no joke. Applejack struggled to her hooves, her back legs a little wobbly from the kick. The giantess approached with a dead stare. This wasn’t going to be fun.
---
Rarity stared harshly at her opponent trying to show no fear. The black mare simply chuckled at her attempt. “Isn’t that sweet? You must be the charity case.”
“I am no such thing!”
The black mare waved her hoof dismissively. “Oh, please. Even I can tell you have no skill or power. Mundanity simply radiates from your every pore.” She swayed her many tails but made no attempt to attack, like she was simply playing with her. “Let me guess, pampered princess? The kind of pony that’s born to a finer lifestyle? So used to perfumes and dresses that the moment you arrived here you gagged and vomited your silver trayed lunch.”
Rarity dug her hooves into the dirt. “You know nothing of me. I’m strong! And I’ll show it to you!” Her horn glowed and she made the residual smoke in the air come down surrounding her and giving her cover again. The black mare stopped for a moment and checked her now covered surroundings.
“Okay, neat trick. Gas manipulation is a hard one to pull off for unicorns. You’ve obviously had training.” Rarity approached from behind, ready to stomp down on the base of her tails, stopping her movements. But one of them moved on their own accord and shot into the smoke wrapping around her arm. It pulled and she went flying again landing directly in front of the mare. “But that doesn’t disprove my point. Your loud and clumsy with no idea of what you’re doing. Honestly, I almost feel sorry for you.”
Rarity struggled against the white ribbon-like tail holding her down but it had a strength of its own and she was no match. It squeezed her a little tighter bringing tears to her eyes. “Yeah, that’s it,” the mare said viciously as she looked down at her. “Keep that face. I just love it when they die with that look of defiance.”
She could feel her lungs constricting and her breath growing shorter. A blackness began to encroach on her field of vision and she began to panic. She moved her hooves frantically as if struggling but rested them on the thing she hid in her mane. It could save her. But then that’d be it. No telling what could happen. Still, her fear was boiling over, she needed to do something. She grabbed the talisman.
Then suddenly something exploded in front of the mare. Her tail unwrapped itself and she went flying in another direction. When Rarity regained her breath and sat up she noticed a lazy corona of colors surrounding her, dissipating in the air. Dust flew, settling to the ground obscuring a winged figure that turned to her. “Are you alright?”
---
Mare Do-Well side jumped as Matterhorn summoned a spike of ice from below her. If this Twilight moved in the way she thought then she needed to keep on moving. She ran a circle around the mare, her cape fluttering behind her and Matterhorn followed. Her movements were slow and deliberate since she needed to lug that machine on her back. If she could just get to it and disable it. Matterhorn’s powers relied on ice. Strip her of that and they’d be on equal footing.
You really think that, she thought. She needed to get ideas like that out of her head. She was fighting Twilight, that was that. No inner battles right now. Think carefully and proactively and you can take her.
But Matterhorn’s actions were more erratic than she expected. When they first met on that rainy castletop, she knew how to enclose and trap them. She was fast and moved with purpose. Matterhorn was now hampered but she should have still been acting like she had a plan. Instead the angry mare created a circle of icicles around her and shot them off in all directions in an attempt to hit her. She was acting erratic.
Why isn’t she talking either, she thought. Since arriving, Matterhorn hadn’t uttered a word, just affixing her and the others with a heated glare and growling. Mare Do-Well frowned and dodged the wide attack easily then proceeded to jump close to her. Matterhorn didn’t react fast enough and she grabbed her hoof and twisted it behind her back. “What are you doing here, Matterhorn?”
The purple mare grit her teeth hard enough to crack as she fought. Mare Do-Well could even see spittle form in her mouth they were so close. She thrashed out with her teeth attempting to bite her. She was like an animal. Mare Do-Well had to let go or she’d actually get bitten, but not before slipping a shuriken from her belt and slicing the coolant pipe attached to her machine. The surge in temperature created a blast of wind that she used to soar back and Matterhorn crumpled to the ground. That went too well.
When the coolant was all gone, Matterhorn raised herself to her full height. Some of the icy mixture had dripped onto her face and neck freezing solid around those parts. She shook her head to regain clarity then narrowed her eyes on Mare Do-Well. “Fine, we don’t need to talk. I’ll just knock you out and take you back with us when we get out of here.”
Matterhorn’s eyes widened and she suddenly began to laugh. This made Mare Do-Well pause uneasily. “There’s no… escape.” Her first words spoken through laughter, as if they were hard to say. “Thisss is… the end.” She continued to laugh but something in her eyes belied any joy. They were the eyes of somepony who’d witnessed true fear and despair. Something she never wanted to believe could be reflected in those eyes.
Matterhorn threw off the machine and slammed her hoof into it. When she removed it, a glistening gauntlet with steamy vapor was attached. She lashed it outward and the water on it flew out only to freeze in the shape of a sword. She pointed it to Mare Do-Well like a duelist would and forced down her laughter. “Fight… me!”
Mare Do-Well could still see that fear in her eyes. It only made sense. If she was here, then it couldn’t have been by her own design. No doubt the world had done something to her. Stripped her of sanity, or morality. That’s all this world did was take. “No,” she replied bluntly holding up her hoof.
Matterhorn didn’t seem to notice her denial as she sprang forward, much faster now, and slashed. Mare Do-Well dodged it but was surprised to see that at the last moment Matterhorn’s sword turned to vapor. Then an instant later it refigured. Mare Do-Well cried out in pain as the vapor froze into a point right where her shoulder had been, tearing through her suit. She jumped back just in time to see Matterhorn swing again with the malformed sword. So the blade was just a ruse. She’s still able to think and plan. Maybe be reasoned with too?
“Come on, Twilight. Talk to me! I know you never wanted to be here. It was probably that portal that sent you here, right? Then they caught you and did unspeakable things, right?” Matterhorn seemed to stop for a second at this but then roared and kept slashing. Mare Do-Well kept the splash radius of the sword in mind as she dodged these blows. “I understand! The indignities! The horrors! The hopelessness! But you can fight it!” Matterhorn kept swinging, her face a blur of rage. “I know because your Twilight! And your stronger than this!”
Matterhorn finally paused, if only to breathe. She panted heavily and fell to a knee, furrowing her brow and shaking her head as if trying to remember something. Mare Do-Well took the chance. She walked toward her and held out a hoof. “Just help me and we can get you out of here. We can find Fili-Second and-”
Matterhorn’s eyes widened and she lifted her head. “Pinkie?” For a moment Mare Do-Well thought she saw recognition. Then her face contorted once more and she swung at her. She moved back to dodge but she was too close. The water came to within an inch of her nose before it simply disappeared. Mare Do-Well looked around and found she now stood to the side of Matterhorn. The mad mare followed her swing but blinked in confusion when she vanished. A pink blur zipped between them and stopped.
“Pinkie?” Matterhorn asked, legitimately confused as to her appearance.
Pinkie frowned and smiled at them both. “Hey!”
“What are you-”
“Just needed to get you out of the way.”
Mare Do-Well frowned. “Out of the way of what?”
A ball of yellow and green fur went flying and slammed into Matterhorn. They rolled together and landed by another body Mare Do-Well just noticed. The black mare groaned to her hooves and cast angry glares at them all. A loud thud caught their attention and she turned to see the giantess fall on her face. Applejack waved her hat to fan herself as she stepped from the large opponent’s back. “HOOWEE! That was like fightin’ a bull.” She pushed on her back a little too. “That’s gonna be sore in the morinin’.”
Flutterbat, Rainbow Dash and Rarity all walked up to join them and stood together triumphantly. “Give up now?” Mare Do-Well asked.
The black mare grit her teeth and hissed, pulling up her companion and then Matterhorn. “Furies do not retreat. Furies do not surrender!” She grabbed Matterhorn, who seemed less than lucid, and looked into her eyes. “Honestly, your as useless as that other one that came with you! I don’t know why our lord favors her so much!”
Mare Do-Well straightened up at this. “Other one?” Pinkie asked. “Was she blue with a gold and silver mane?”
The black mare raised an eyebrow at them. “I should have known you’d have something to do with their arrival. But this just makes it more delicious.” She grabbed Matterhorn by the arm and whispered something into her ear. Immediately her eyes widened and her demeanor changed. Matterhorn’s eyes became white and magic surged around her as she screamed into the heated sky. Her ice machine exploded and the moisture flew into the air, her magic circulating and cooling it at a microscopic level.
Mare Do-Well felt the temperature change immediately and knew what was going to happen. “We need to get out of here now!”
“But Twilight!” Pinkie shouted. Already the colliding temperatures were creating a whirlwind that was beginning to circulate faster and faster.
They covered their eyes from the flying dust and watched as Matterhorn continued to spew forth more and more magic, her body showing signs of clear strain but seemingly unable to stop. Mare Do-Well frowned but set herself. “It’s too dangerous! We need to leave before she turns this into a hurricane!”
Wind picked up a mass of crumbling wall and threw it at Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Pinkie moved fast enough to save them pulling them out of harms way. She looked back at Matterhorn as the dust grew so thick that she disappeared and nodded to Mare Do-Well gravely. “Alright.” They all gathered around Pinkie as she vibrated and with a sonic boom they disappeared.
---
They reappeared on a same stretch of red dusty land. Mare Do-Well looked at the fire filled sky and gritted her teeth. “Why are we still here?! Why didn’t you take us back?”
Rainbow got in front of Mare Do-Well to calm her down. “Woah! Calm down, Twilight! There’s a lot we need to catch up on.”
“Then we can do that at the Lair!”
“No, we can’t…”
There was a pause between all of them as they looked hesitantly between each other. “Are we safe right now, Pinkie?” Applejack asked.
Pinkie nodded disparagingly. “I’m pretty sure.”
“Then Ah think we probably should catch up. Just so we’re all on the same page.”
Mare Do-Well looked at all of them. Finally she threw up her hooves with a huff and groaned. “Let’s get this over with.” The sooner they were gone from this world, the better.
{[(SxT)]}
Suntrix continued her painting as the Furies approached their lord’s throne in front of her. Nanny Nobility stood off to the side, a grim look on her face as her Furies lay prostrated before the throne. Detraad snickered from the opposite side of Nanny, glancing her way as she shot him sneers.
“You have failed to eliminate your enemies.” The way the master said it was more stating of fact than question. “This is twice you have disappointed me.”
The Furies sunk their heads lower, Matterhorn included. She trembled with fear and strain as her muscles tried to keep her posture even in her incredibly weakened state. To create a storm on that level took a lot of effort and she didn’t know if she could take it anymore. But the master’s words gave her enough fear to keep trying.
“Rest assured, my lord. They will be properly punished,” Nanny smiled delightfully.
“I’m surprised you don’t find this a mark on your own record, Nanny,” Detraad grinned.
They shot each other dirty looks across the throne room. The master stood up and his movement immediately silenced the room. He walked down the steps of the throne and to the balcony looking out at the bleak landscape. “This world is mine. So what does that entail?”
“Everything upon it,” everypony replied in unison.
“And all that step hoof on this soil are mine as well.” He walked over to the Furies and stood before Matterhorn. She could feel him staring down at her, his sight almost burning a hole through her skull. Finally he spoke. “Rise.”
She complied but tried her best to look away. But her sight was simply drawn to him. His was a form that simply demanded to be recognized. “You still show the light of resistance in your eyes.” Matterhorn felt her blood run cold.
“No, master! I swear! I-I am loyal! Nanny’s training has been so… good. I only wish to serve you!”
The master kept staring into her eyes and she into his. Those dark orbs. Like two unfathomable pits with an incomprehensible horror lying in wait below. She immediately experienced vertigo and her legs crumpled beneath her.
He finally turned his gaze to the black mare. “She is a soldier under you, correct?”
“Yes, my lord,” the black mare replied, still not raising her head.
“And you gave her an order?”
“I told her to give everything for her master.”
He returned his gaze to Matterhorn. “And yet I still see you here.”
Matterhorn was trembling outright now, her mind had gone through so much torture that all this was simply too much. Still she struggled to reply. “I… I used all the magic I had. They… They…” Her fear gripped her and a thought occurred. She patted her suit pocket and felt a familiar object. It had been so long she almost forgot about it. But yes. At first she intended to just study it at the Veloci-Lair but if the master wished it, she would use it on herself. “I will not fail you again, my lord.”
He turned from her and walked toward Suntrix. “Go. Prepare for the intruders’ arrival.”
The Furies all rose and left with Nanny Nobility. Detraad looked at the master with a confused expression. “What makes you believe they will attempt to come here?”
The master walked to the mural and touched one of the ponies that had finally been colored and painted. They wore a purple outfit with a long hat and cape. “Because they are heroes. That is simply what heroes do. And I have trampled greater heroes than them.”