An hour later I had found my prey. A pack of eight timber wolves stalked the edge of the forest, trailing a group or three guard ponies just over the shield line. I followed silently from the tree branches, watching the wolves.
One of the guard ponies stumbled over a lose stone, and the wolves took that as a sign to strike. As they charged forward, I launched myself out of the tree feet first at one of the wolves in the rear of the pack. It started to turn from the sound of my movements, when my feet came crashing down on its shoulders. With a whine and a series of snaps its head and forelimbs separated from its body.
“RUN!” I cried, drawing the attention of both the guards and the wolves. The ponies, showing a remarkable knack for self preservation, took off running. The wolves, denied their initial meal, turned in force on me.
So much for our audience.
We saved them, that is what matters.
I couldn't comment, I was busy fighting. A punch to the chest of one of the wolves tore its right foreleg off, causing it to limp after me snapping its jaws. A whirling kick demolished it, sending wood spinning into the underbrush.
The whirling dance continued. Dodging two more wolves, I laid another out as kindling with a well timed blow. I will admit, I was showing off, but after nearly two weeks of frustration the ability to cut lose was invigorating
.
A wolf charged me, and its jaws clamped around my metal right arm. The look of surprise on it's face lasted only a moment before my left fist crashed through its head. I lifted its body and used it to smash another to pieces.
“Right, five down and.” I blinked at the sight before me, “Five to go?” There had been only eight when I started, but after killing five wolves five still remained. Worse still, two of the five seemed larger.
Minions first, then go after the big bads
I charged, and in a flurry of blows the three smaller wolves crumbled, though my haste earned me a scratch across the back by one of the larger ones. Their wooden claws were surprisingly sharp, and the force behind the blow was stunning. I spun ready to face the three large wolves.
“Three?”
Sarah, we have detected a pattern with regard to the wolves
“Make if fast Machina.” I charged one, and found that increased size also brought increased toughness. My blows that had shattered its smaller brethren were carving gouges out of the wolf's wood, but the beast did not fall to a trio of blows.
It appears as thought the prime motivator within these creatures is not inherant to a specific component or set of components. Furthermore-
A powerful blow destroyed the damaged wolf, and I drew on D's power to dismantle another with a single strike. “Faster Machina.”
The timber wolves are made of rotting fallen wood, and can assimilate more to-
They are regenerating?
I watched as the scattered pieces of my kills began to pull themselves together into a larger wolf. “THEY'RE MERGING!?” I cried. I could not stop the process, the wolves I was already facing were demanding my attention, attempting to pincer me.
Needing more reach than my feet and fists were giving me, I snapped a straight branch from a nearby tree and swung it like a staff. The increased range surprised the two wolves closing on me, and I shattered them.
The largest wolf yet was still pulling itself together, and I threw my branch like a spear into it's center. Instead of shattering, my branch stuck fast, merging with the pieces of the defeated wolves. This thing was already twice the size of the starting wolves and seemed to be drawing in any loose fallen wood nearby.
This may be a bit of a challenge.
The wolf righted itself, glared at me, then turned into the forest and ran.
“Why did it-” A burst of color above was the only warning I got of Rainbow Dash's arrival. “D, hide me.” I was a tree an instant before the prismatic mare touched down with a pegasus guard.
“Where is it!” Rainbow glanced around the woods, looking amazed at the signs of battle that marked the small clearing. “You said the creature was leading timber wolves against your guard unit, but I don't see any wolves, guards or creature.”
“It was right here I swear! It commanded its wolves to run after us, so we fled. We can't take on a dozen wolves at once, they'd all merge into one monster wolf.”
NOW they tell us.
As Rainbow Dash and the guard talked, I slowly slunk away to pursue the giant wolf. If I was responsible for that creature, then I would need to find a way to take it out permanently. Fortunately D's enhancements and the wolfs size made tracking its path through the forest easy. It had headed straight into the woods before veering to the right. We followed its curving path for a few minutes.
It's still hunting Sarah, see how it keeps shifting directions? It's stopping to sniff the air.
We are still beyond the town line, there should not be any guards out in the forest this late. The only thing even remotely close is-
There was a roar, a loud crunch, and a chorus of girlish screams.
The Apple Family Farm!
I took off running, breaking from the tree line and passing a smashed tree house. The wolf was now nearly three times the size of a pony, and it was chasing four small colorful ponies. Scootaloo, ever the athlete was in front, shouting encouragement to those behind her. Right on her heels was Apple Bloom, her farm work giving her the endurance to stay ahead of the lumbering monster. Next in line was Sweetie Bell, who was somehow able to give a long, almost beautiful scream as she ran
.
But last was a tiny white pony with a red mane and blue glasses, who didn't have all the prior crusading to keep her in shape. Twist was already breathless, and I knew I had to reach them before the wolf did.
But more importantly, I had to reach them before they all reached the shield, and that was getting damn close. I was running with everything I had.
“Cumon Twist!” Apple Bloom called over her shoulder as they all raced for the barn. “We'll be safe in tha storm seller.” Scootaloo was almost at the door already. The scream froze them all in their tracks.
The three original crusaders turned and stared at their newest members plight. The giant wolf had caught her cape in its teeth, and Twist dangled, pulling against the cape's knot to keep it from strangling her. They sat just on the outside of the town shield, the purple energy making the wolf a dark siloette in my eyes. The wolf swung her back and forth almost gently, then flicked his head upward, sending the tiny filly spinning head over tail through the air. As Twist reached the apex of her flight, The wolf reared its head up and opened its jaws wide. Twist fell screaming into the tooth lined pit, and the jaws snapped closed. There was no crunching sound, but there was a sickening gulp.
“NO!”
I had launched myself a second too late, but I was still committed to my trajectory. My fist cratered its cheek and made the wolf stumble sideways. I pulled at it, clawing away at wooden teeth and jaw. The beast shook its head hard, trying to dislodge me, but I was stuck fast.
At least until it swung through the shield. Then that bright red glow filled the air, and my punches became mere knocks on wood as D's power faded away. “Shit, Machina!”
Scans have located the life point on the wolf. A strike to the back of it's neck should destroy it.
The wolf had no intentions of letting me do that, especially now that I did not have D's strength and agility boosts. It swung its head violently back and forth before attempting to rub me off on the ground. I punched it with my right fist, hopping the metal casing would do more damage.
But I timed my last blow wrong, and the wolf caught my arm. Another quick shake and I was dangling from my right shoulder. The lock bolts whined slightly at the mistreatment, and I could feel the nerve connections tugging painfully.
I was trapped, caught in the jaws of this monster of my own making. The only good luck I had was that the alarm would bring enough guards to kill this thing, but not until it ripped me to shreds. If only I could hit that spot I-
My eyes flew open, and I stared into the wooden nose and lips of the grinning wolf. “Machina, plasma cannon.”
Such actions will drain a substantial part of my remaining power reserves, are you sure-
“Plasma cannon, target life point, 70% remaining power.” I could not see my right arm shifting, and I could not truly feel it, but I knew within two seconds that I now had a gun for a hand. The wolf noticed something odd about my metal arm as well, and gave me a confused look.
“Fire.”
Electric blue light seeped from between the wolves jaws, and a beam of light burst from the back of the wolves head and lit up the night. The thing stood rock still for a moment, before collapsing to the ground.
“Where is Twist?” I pulled myself from the wolf's mouth, brushing myself free of wood shavings. “D, I'm going to need power, illusion, translation-”
ONE THING AT A TIME! That shield takes a lot out of me and I need time to recover.
Machina had located the tiny pony, and placed a small beacon in my vision.
She appears to still be in part of the wolf.
I found the section to be its belly, the large form was thick and hardened. “Machina, saw.” The cannon became a small circular saw, and I made to cut a square shape opening. The saw made its first cut, nearly two feel long, then stopped spinning.
“Machina?”
I am now at 2% power, I can return your hand, but the saw is no longer operational.
To prove this point, the saw folded up out of the way of my hand.
“D, I need a claw and whatever strength you can give me.” What I got was very limited, my fingers slight claws and my strength only mildly boosted. I took what I could get. Digging my fingers into the cut I pulled, tearing handfuls of wood away until I had dug open a hole only a foot or two in diameter. Twist lay just inside, in a hollow half filled with some noxious liquid. The smell of rot and bile was overwhelming, and as I pulled Twist out I could see where the caustic soup had already eaten a couple of patches of fur away.
She wasn't breathing.
Sarah, we need to neutralize that stomach acid before we can do much else.
I gathered her up in my arms, the acid searing my skin and etching my metal arm. I ran to the barn, spotting a rain barrel. I slowly dipped Twist in, watching the fur float away and the water turn a sickly green. Once she was in though, I couldn't lift her back out, so I had to knock the barrel over.
“She still isn't breathing, and a human mouth isn't the best thing to give a pony CPR.”
I still don't have all of my powers back, but if we can get back to the castle I can draw from some of the artifacts there and heal her.
“We can't carry her that far fast enough. Can you still do that long range teleport?”
I can try. Hold onto Twist and keep both her and the castle in your mind.
I wrapped my arms around the tiny pony, focusing on the castle as hard as I could. If we could just get home, if we could just make it then I could correct this mistake.
“Han!”
I looked up to see Applejack with a determined expression on her face and a crossbow in her hooves.
“Teg yawa morf reh uoy hctib!” The arrow hit my left shoulder and I dropped Twist in pain. I reached back out for her, but even as I did she, the farm and Applejack all became insubstantial ghosts.
“No, NOOOOOOOO!” The castle faded into reality, as the one pony I was working so hard to save faded away.
I broke off the arrow, knowing D could repair the damage once he was able to use his full power. At the moment, power was all he could offer. Without his various abilities, the spell forms in the library were my best bet for saving Twist.
“What happened?” Nightmare asked as I stormed in to the library. The helm sat on the table and I nearly knocked it over tearing through my notes. “Thou have been shot! Sarah, whats going on?”
“I have to get back, I have to save her.” I flipped open a book and stared in confusion. “Melika? Atchu? The translation isn't fixed yet?!”
Hey, I'm doing my best! Twilight's shield and that teleport took a lot out of me. You are lucky you can understand Nightmare, audio translation is always easier than text.
“Read it aloud, we shall translate.”
“Eleka nahmen nahmen Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen Eleka nahmen nahmen Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen”
“Let her flesh not be torn, let her blood leave no stain. When they beat her, let her feel no pain. Let her bones never break and however they try to destroy her, let her never die.”
Invulnerability spell, I thought, and a nasty one too. Not healing, not teleport, try something else. I nodded, turned the page and began again. “Eleka nahmen nahmen Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen Eleka nahmen nahmen Ah tum ah tum eleka – beleka” My vision was blurring with tears as the pain and exhaustion of the ordeal began to overwhelm me. The thought that Twist might be dead, that so much had gone wrong at my hand clawed at my heart. I threw the book to the floor in frustration and screamed at the crumbling library around me.
“What good is this? I don’t even know what I’m reading ! I don’t even know what book I ought to try! Twist, do you still live? I left you not even breathing! One more disaster I can add to my generous supply?!”
I fell to the floor, the weight of my failure, of the consequences of my actions crushing me. All the ponies hurt, all my hopes destroyed. Every action I'd taken and the bitter cost of it all flashed through my mind.
“No good deed goes unpunished.” I lamented bitterly. “No act of charity goes un-resented, that’s how it seems. I walked a road of good intentions and look where such roads lead! No good deed goes unpunished!”
My life before becoming a dimension jumper was one long failure after another. Memories of how I had lost jobs, love, friends, even my arm stormed painfully through my mind. My defense of Ditzy had done nothing but mark her for torment and pain. And now Twist, dear sweet child Twist. Swallowed and cut and burned and hurt because I had to take on those timber wolves alone.
Everything I had attempted with good intent, every bit of aid or favor had brought nothing but pain.
Was I just being to blatant? Wanting recognition for my deeds. I looked up at Nightmare and saw, for an instant, a kindred spirit. Her actions as well had brought ruin, and all she had wanted was to be recognized for what she did. That was all I wanted as well, recognition.
The thought brought me up short. Recognition? Was I seeking good or just seeking attention? Is that what good deeds are when looked at through an ice-cold eye? And if that is all they are maybe that’s the reason why.
“No good deed goes unpunished.” I said, venom in my voice. “All helpful urges should be circumvented”
Sarah?
“No good deed goes unpunished.” I was chanting now, the words seeming to soothe my spirit and focus my rage. “I always meant well, but look what well-meant did.”
Sarah, what are you doing?
I stood, tears streaming down my face, thinking of those who hunted and persecuted me. Those brutes who tormented Ditzy just for my one time defense. That purple unicorn, intent on dissecting me for knowledge. The damaged equipment, the exploding conversion pod, everything in the forest trying to kill me. Everything in this world was against me.
And the last friend I had tried to save was likely dead.
I picked up the helmet, Nightmare's essence coiling down my arms.
“So be it then.” I declared in a hiss, turning the helmet around.
“If all Equestria is agreed that I’m evil through and through, and since I can’t succeed, dear Twist in saving you, I promise no good deed will I attempt to do again!
“NEVER AGAIN!”
I put the helmet on, feeling the spirit merge with me, her voice and mine twining in my throat, power flowing through my body. The arrow head fell to the ground, its wound already closing. In the broken mirror on the far wall I saw myself with long transparent blue hair drifting in an ethereal wind, my eyes glowing the same blue-green of that spirit.
“No good deed will I do AGAIN!”
Princess Luna looked up from where she lay, pulling herself away from the dreams and night she guarded so closely. Somewhere in the distance she felt something call to her. It pulled at her, in a way that she could not identify, so distant and yet familiar. The sensation faded but did not disappear completely.
She frowned and tried to focus, for whatever this sensation was, it disturbed her. She could not place it, but something about it sent a cold shiver down her spine.