Chapter Sixteen
“Mercy isn’t a sign of weakness, but of wisdom. Any fool can kill.”
I followed Winter down stairs then out side, to a large canopy in the plaza The whole town was standing around and under it, waiting in the light rain, for Arrow Dash to speak. The aged pony stood leaning against a rod, on a makeshift platform. He glanced over at me and nodded, then turned toward the crowd.
“Friends,” He began,”we are here to say farewell to the thirteen ponies that bravely sacrificed themselves for us all.”
He paused. Before he could finish, he was vaporized.
Screams of panic and shock filled the air as ponies went into mass hysterics. I just blinked. Two seconds ago, he was standing there, giving a speech, and then he was gone. I my eyes shot around the plaza, trying to spot who had murdered Arrow. Then another pony turned to dust. This time i spotted the culprit, a changeling, but not Chit. I focused and tred to break his neck, It
didn’t work.
The changeling's twisted horn lit up, and he began to fly towards me. Only seconds before he splattered me, Chit slammed into him, in full changeling form.
The enemy glanced at him.
“You Traitorous Bastard!”
Chit Scowled
“WHY DID YOU COME HERE!?” Chit bellowed ”TELL ME!”
The other changeling grinned
“Our Queen commanded it.”
“So, the Queen returns.” Chit replied. “Where is she?!”
“You’d really like to know that, wouldn’t you.”
Chit telekineticly lifted the other insect like creature off the ground.
“Don’t you know who I am” Chit said, his voice filling with menace,” I’m Chithalin the torturer. I was Queen Chrysalis’ highest ranking interrogator. I will make you talk, even if I have to remove your exoskeleton.
The other changeling’s eye widened in fear.
“Now, tell me where she is.”
“Never!” the other insectoid said defiantly, before he vaporized himself.
“Damnit!” Chit growled
I sighed. looks like I would have to explain my dreams.
“I know where she is.”
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Lead looked at me thinking. I had told Winter, Chip, And Chit about my visions, they had taken it well. The grey earthpony sighed.
“No, Diamond, I mean I just lost my sister, and nearly committed suicide. I’m sorry, I can’t come” He stated.
Blossom trotted up, pushing trough us.
“You need to go with them,” she said, like a mother to her foal ”you’ve got the most combat experience, out of everypony in this town, and if they’re going up against a changeling army, and an evil Queen to get justice for Arrow Dash, and Sandy Palms, they’re going to need you.”
He sighed again
“You’re right, Blossom. Guess I am coming” He said.
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I laid low behind a wrecked chariot as bullets whizzed by overhead. We had stumbled across a group of raider, and they we’re too happy to see us.
“Why don’t ya’ll come out, we’re just going to kill you.” One of them said.
Near by, a stray rocket fired by a raider, slammed into an old shop. Shinning Silver’s Mirrors. Several shards of broken mirror were flung from the blast, and landed near me, and several bounced of my stable barding, of course, I had already figured out it was armored.
I floated one of the reflective chunks of glass above my head, and used it to look over my cover. Then, levitating my rifle I fired into the face of one raider, then another. The rocket launcher raider fired again, this time the rocked landed in front of my cover, destroying it and sending me flying. I landed with a thud that knocked the wind out of me. My right hind leg burned with pain.
“Diamon’!” I barely heard Chip yell.
I saw him step out from his cover, and begin giving cover fire for Lead. The grey stallion dragged me back behind cover. I floated my rifle, and another mirror shard over to and fired, killing a raider who was about to throw what looked like a metal apple. Instead, he fell backwards into the other raiders. I heard several yells, and some obscenities, then an explosion.
I saw two more raider ponies pop out of cover. One was the rocket launcher pony. Before She could fire, her head fell off. The raider standing behind her turned into Chit with a flash of arcane fire. The changeling walked over.
“Diamond, we need to get that out of your leg.” He said
I glanced at my leg, which was still throbbing with more pain then I Imagined possible, and screamed. A metal rod was buried in my leg just below my knee. I saw the bloodied end sticking out on the other side above my hoof.
“I’m sorry, Diamond, this is going to hurt... A lot.”
I felt a strange pressure inside my leg, then a strange sliding feeling, followed by a sharp pain.
I gritted my teeth, and tried failingly not to scream. And then the pain subsided a very small amount. Then Chit’s horn began glowing.
“I may have been a torturer, but I know how to heal changelings and equines alike.”
I felt a strange sensation run up my leg, and the pain vanished almost entirely.
I got back to my hooves.
“Thanks, Chit.” I said
He smiled, “No problem, Diamond, after all what are friends for?”
I walked over to where the raiders where. There wasn’t much left, but I heard a grunt of pain. I glanced to my left, and saw a raider. I cringed. She had virtually been ripped in two, but she was still alive, barely. She looked at me, sorrow and hate filling her eyes.
“Kill me.” she said weakly
My eyes widened in shock, I had done this to her. I had just blown a pony in two. I had never hesitated to kill a raider before, but... This was different, she...
“Please.” The raider asked.
I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to kill her here, not like this, but at the same time I did.
“It would be mercy,” the little pony in my head said.” She’s going to die anyway”
My thoughts where interrupted by a gunshot, Lead had just shot the raider in the head.
“Y-you killed her!” I exclaimed.
“Sorry, Diamond, But raider or not, I not gonna let anypony die like that,” He replied,
”That’s why I make my shots quick, and as painless as possible. Now lets go find this queen, and kick her flank.”