The Things I have Seen
All eyes were on Resistance as his helmet slowly swings back and forth so he can see all present. Through the visor on his helmet he can see each of their expressions ranging from fear to anger on others. While he can see their eyes they cannot see his leaving his emotions tightly locked away under visor, mask, and helmet.
“They’re going to attack you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“You’re right. From their expressions I bet they are just going to give you a big ol’ hug and say thanks for lying to me.”
“Well…Pinkie might.”
“…Ok I’ll give you that. Incoming.”
“Wa?” *THWACK* A wooden pole from a spear collides with Resistance’s unprotected gut knocking the wind out of him.
“Ok…probably deserved that.” He says while trying to catch his breath. Then, again the pole collides with his guts causing Resistance to collapse.
“Probably deserved that one too.” For a third time the pole makes contact. Resistance looks at the soldier with the spear. “Hey buddy, wanna give it a rest? You’ve made your point loud and clear.”
The spear rises again but it is stopped by magic. “Enough” Shining’s voice commands.
“Thank God.” Resistance whispers.
Shining Armor approaches the collapsed Resistance. “You need to explain what is going on. Right now,” he commands.
Resistance sat up and looked through his visor to look straight into Armor’s eyes and could see how serious the situation was, but Resistance knew the situation all too well. “I don’t have time to explain everything that’s happened. What came out of that ship is nothing compared to what could be waiting in town or if this virus starts to spread.”
“I’m just supposed to believe that shit?” Armor’s horn began shining as he charged up a spell. Resistance shifted his weight and brought the Bullseye up and aimed at Shining. The soldiers readied their spears and magic while other backed away. A standoff had begun.
“Look, I know you have no reason to trust me right now but I swear I will explain everything once I come back from the town over there. Please, we’re running out of time.” Resistance started to lower his weapon but still kept his hoof on the trigger.
The standoff continued with eyes shifting from Armor to Resistance waiting for one of them to make a move.
“Enough.” The kind but authoritative voice of Celestia calls out. All eyes turn to her except for Resistance and Shining, who continue to stare each other down. She steps forward enough for both to see her in their peripheral vision. “You know what these creatures are, Resistance, but we have no idea what they are. Where did they come from? What are they doing here? How dangerous are they? These are the questions running around in my head and I’m sure many of my little ponies. I want to know if we can trust you. You haven’t been honest with some of my most trusted subjects so I have no reason to trust you. In fact I should throw you in the dungeon for all of this.”
Celestia pauses and takes a deep breath. She slowly lets it out before she continues. “But since you know this threat so well, I am willing to give you a chance to deal with it and prove you can be trusted. You will go into this town and solve this threat and rescue my little ponies.”
Resistance’s eyes shifted to look at the Solar monarch. “Princess, I’m sorry to say this but it is unlikely any of your ponies are still alive in that town. Like I said once they are in the cocoons they become another piece in the collection of the Chimera hive mind. Best I can do is make sure they don’t harm anypony else.”
Celestia closed her eyes in thought. Images of her ponies ran through her mind as she could see their smiling faces and playing with their family and friends. It pained her heart deeply to believe that she lost so many to a new and fierce creature. “She opened her eyes again and looked to Resistance. “You will enter the town with Shining Armor and a few other soldiers to take care of this new threat. They will assist you, but as you have already guessed, they will be keeping an eye on you to make sure you return. After you get back, you will tell me everything and you will leave nothing out. Is that understood?”
Resistance thought about the offer laid out before him. There was no way she would agree for him to go alone since he could not be trusted, but he preferred to work alone on a job like this. They would just get in the way, but he had to take them. “Deal.”
Resistance lowered his gun and Shining’s horn stopped glowing. He signaled for a few more guards to step forward. “All right, Resistance. Let me introduce you to your team for this mission. This is-.”
“I don’t need your names. I’ll make this clear. You have absolutely no idea what we are going up against and I will not give you individual attention. You will do exactly as I say when I say to do it if you want to survive. If you ignore me then you are welcome to die without me ever knowing your name.” Resistance word’s stunned all present. “Now that we got that out of the way, strip off the heavy armor. You’ll give away our position and it will only slow you down. I’ll be right back.”
As Resistance turned back towards the ship he heard one of the guards speak up. “Uh, sir? Do we really have to get naked in front of everyone?”
This question stopped Resistance in his tracks. He looked at the guard then to everyone and back to the guard. “Arrrre you serious right now? Everyone is naked over there. The only thing the princess is wearing is a crown, necklace, and some shoes. Get over it.” Resistance went back into the ship.
Once inside, he grabs the few Bullseye rifles and grabs some of the chimera armor vests. He goes back outside to see all of the guards stripped of their clothing, including Shining. “Nice to see you guys will actually listen to me. Here, put on these vests. They don’t cover as much of your body as your armor did, but they allow for more freedom of movement. They are a little better than your metal armor, anyway, in blocking attacks. Here are your new weapons of choice. They are called Bullseye. Their accuracy is shit, but they can do some serious damage at close range, which is what we will be working in.”
Resistance tossed one of the guards a Bullseye, and his catch was less than ideal. The gun was fumbled around in his hooves since he had no idea how to hold it. Resistance put a hoof to his head in frustration. “Well, this is going to go bad quickly. Alright, listen up. The weapon you are holding is the most dangerous thing you have ever held. It does not care if you are friend or foe. Once you pull the trigger it will fire at whatever you are point it at, so be extra careful not to point it at any of your allies.”
All of the guards gathered up the weapons but Shining. They were a gun short, and like any caring leader, he thought of his troops first. Resistance took his Bullseye and tossed it to Shining, who caught it easily. “You can use mine, Armor. I don’t want your death hanging over my head.”
Resistance slides his Marksman off his side and slaps a magazine into it. This catches one of the guards’ attention. “Hey, Resistance? Why is your weapon different from ours? Is it a better version?”
“Oh, this? This is called the Marksman. Unlike your weapon it has great accuracy but it fires only in bursts. That means that I can’t just hold the trigger like you guys can, and I have to squeeze it again and again. Also it is not meant to be used in close combat, but I can adapt my tactics to allow me to use it as such.” Resistance slides the Marksman onto his back and approaches the ship.
“What are you doing?” Twilight asks.
“We’re gonna need some big explosives if we want to rid the town of the Chimera. These power cores will do nicely as bombs.” Resistance starts to take the panels that had been destroyed in the crash off the ship.
“You’re gonna blow the town up?!” Rainbow Dash yells.
“Ugh, that’s the plan.” Resistance pulls one of the panels from the ship and begins to work on the next one. “It’s the best way to make sure that we kill off the virus.”
Shining armor walked up next to Resistance and begins to tug on the panels as well. “This seems a bit extreme, though.”
“This? Extreme? No no no, extreme would be leveling the town in a huge nuclear explosion that would render this area uninhabitable for decades. This is a much more practical solution.” Another panel gives way and reveals a power core. “Perfect. Shining, I need you to pull that power core out but be gentle. We don’t need it breaking and spilling its contents all over.”
Shining armor’s magic wrapped the core in a soft glow, and he slowly pulled the prize from the wreckage. Once or twice it bumped inside but the contents stayed nestled up inside of the container, and soon it was sitting on the ground in front of Resistance. “Excellent work, Armor. Now we just need six more of those and we can move out.”
All the soldiers began to pull pieces of metal off, exposing the cores hidden within. After several minutes of careful work they had seven energy cores lying on the ground. Resistance examined each one with care to make sure nothing would leak out as they were transported. The stallions watched with great interest as the odd Pegasus walked back and forth looking over the strange tubes of glowing liquid. Satisfied with his inspection, Resistance nods his head and turns to his team.
“Alright, this is how we are going to do this: You will each pair up and take one of these cylinders. One will carry it while the other provides cover with his Bullseye. To fire, just insert this into this point on your gun and it will be ready to fire.” Resistance points out the magazines and the place to put them in the Bullseye. “Okay, Shining, you’re with me—everyone else pair up.”
The stallions moved quickly to pair themselves with the ones they knew the best on their team, and they decided amongst themselves who would carry the cylinder and who would cover. Shining walked up next to Resistance and began to pick up the core, but Resistance stopped him. “I’ll carry it Shining. I trust you can take care of it but I want you to cover me.”
“Fine, but keep in mind I will be keeping an eye on you.” Resistance nods and picks up the cylinder. He balances it on his back with his backpack and wings. “All right, team. Say your goodbyes because we are moving out.”
With that, the troops began to march towards the town where they are told monsters like they have never seen await them. Many fear they will never come back, while others think of things they have never done. Some march on with some curiosity in their minds thinking of what these creatures in the town look like and why they are here. Whatever their feelings may be, they march on, following their two leaders.
********
About halfway to the town Resistance raises a hoof to signal all the stallions to halt. He turns around. “Alright, we will take a break here while I try to see what in the town up ahead. Get some water if you have any and share with others who don’t.”
The stallions settled down to rest while Resistance moved on to a high rock not too far away and stared at the town to see any movement in it. He hears hoof steps behind him and spins around to find Shining Armor had joined him. Resistance turned his attention back to the town and Armor joined in on the staring. Several minutes passed in silence as both leaders watched the town for anything of interest. Both minds raced with what they should do next. Their breath was slow and steady as their chests rise and fall in rhythm. Finally, Armor breaks the silence with a question.
“So, who are you?” Armor’s eyes never left the town as he asked. Resistance did not turn and continued to stare at the mass of buildings in front of them. A minute of silence rolled on by before Resistance spoke, but he, too, kept his eyes on the town.
“Do you know what a human is?”
“Uhh…some kind of mythical creature?”
Resistance chuckled a little at that. “Well to your kind they might as well be. I was originally a human from a planet we call Earth. For thousands of years, we lived on it and only fought each other as the need arose. Not the most glamorous of histories but that’s how we did things back home. Then after the largest war we had ever seen on our world the plant was divided.”
“Wait wait wait, what about the other species on your planet? Didn’t they have a say in anything?” Armor questioned.
Resistance just shook his head. “There was no other species like ours on our world. Humans conquered all with our ingenuity. We are not the strongest, fastest, or largest of any creatures on Earth, but we are the most intelligent which made us the kings of all the lands.”
“…Wow” Was all Armor could say as he continued to stare into the town, where all was still quiet.
“Well, after the planet was pretty much split by a great wall, a comet struck in a nation on one side of the wall. At first, nothing really happened but soon stories started to leak out of entire town disappearing in a single night to cities becoming deserted in only a few days. For almost a decade this went on behind the wall until the creatures responsible for it broke out and began to flood the rest of the world with the disease. We called these creatures the Chimera.”
“So, like those creatures that attacked us at the ship back there.”
Resistance nods. “Yes. Those creatures are called leapers. Fast and agile, they can rip you apart in seconds, and they always travel in packs. While they are bad, they are one of the lowest forms of Chimera. What the Chimera do is steal bodies to make more troops.”
“What about killing their leader?”
“We tried that at first and it worked great but they can adapt to the situation and soon had other means to survive. You see, the Chimera have a hive mind so if you kill one the others know about it and will rush to the area their buddy died in. They swarm, and most of the time you just lose to sheer numbers. Anyway, we better get going. I haven’t seen any movement. We need to take this chance before they hatch.”
With that, Resistance stands up and heads back to the group with Armor following closely behind. The Stallions gather up their gear and continue to march into the town. They march in silence as they approach a building on the outskirts of town. Resistance signals for everyone to stop. He places the core on the ground and pulls out his Marksman. Slapping in a mag he starts slowly towards the building.
It was an old school building. The windows were broken and glass was lying all over the ground. Desks still sat in each room waiting for a child to come sit in the seat and store the book inside. On the wooden tops were scores of marks from all their years of use, ranging from grades to names of students who used them. If one could read the scratches you could see years pass as subjects changed and the ponies that used them grew. Finally, when a new building was built, this one was abandoned, leaving everything inside. So here the desks sit and wait for the next group to arrive, but they will never come.
As Resistance closes in, a smell of rotting flesh wafts into his nose, telling him that something was inside but he was not sure what. With the barrel of his gun he pushes the door leading into the building open keeping his hoof on the trigger ready for anything. The door creaks and squeaks as its hinges have not been oiled in years. As the door open the smell pours out like a wave splashing Resistance in the face. The mask helps to cut down the smell but some still gets through.
Entering the building was risky due to the fact it could sound an early alarm for any Chimera in the town, but this was Resistance’s best chance to see how far the sacks have come along. The floor creaks and bends under the weight of the stallion. The years have not been kind to the floor from the roof leaking and the floor splintering. If the Chimera never came this building would probably be torn down within the year.
*splish*
Resistance looks down and his hoof is in a puddle of blood. Next to the puddle are scratch marks from hooves trying to stop themselves from being pulled into a nearby room that has its door closed. The blood on the ground made it clear there would be no chance for survival even if they were turned into a chimera so it left only one option, food.
Again with the barrel of his rifle, he pushes the door open. It gets stuck for only a second before resuming to open. A bone falls to the ground next to the door with a thud, and rocks back and forth. The smell of death fills Resistance’s mask and he gags a little inside. Peeking into the room, he finds it filled with decaying carcasses and skeletons from the feeding frenzy. Skeletons from grown mare and stallions line the room, but even a few foal bodies lie in the pile of blood and bones.
Resistance closes the door and makes his way outside. There, he finds his troops hidden behind rocks to stay out of sight while he was inside. He approaches them and one asks a question.
“Did you see anything in there?”
Resistance turned to the grunt and pulled off his helmet to look him in the eyes. “You would not believe the things I have seen. In there is a sight that will haunt your nightmares till the day you die. Be glad you didn’t see it.” Resistance slides his helmet back on and reaches his canister.
“Ok, I’m heading back inside, so everyone get ready. As soon as I come back out, we will head into the town.” Heading back inside, Resistance placed the core in about the center of the building. Setting a timed explosive on it, he was prepared to leave when he hears a scratching noise coming form the back room.
Resistance pulled his Marksman up and spoke in a commanding voice. “Who’s there? Come out!”
No reply came except for more scratching. Resistance began to slowly step towards the room with his rifle at the ready. The noise of the creaking floor floods his years along with any other noise in the building. His eyes focus solely on the room. The smell of the building no longer bothers him with all his attention focused on the thing just around the corner.
Sweat began to pour down his face as he drew closer. One final creak and the scratching stopped. Resistance rushes around the corner but sees nothing in the vacant room. A few claw marks are found on the wall and by the looks of them they do not belong to leapers. A gargled growl comes from behind and Resistance turns to see what happen when a pony becomes a Grim.
Its large eyes are now yellow and the pupils are more like a cat’s. Two more eyes sets of eyes have grown into the skull and rotate independently. The flat teeth of a horse have been replaced by razor sharp teeth the poke out in different directions. The teeth are so messed up that the creature can no longer close its mouth or it would pierce its own flesh.
Oh how Resistance wishes it could close its mouth because coming from it is a stench like no other. The smell of the guts inside digesting the rotten flesh it came here to eat poured out with each breath. Drool falling from its lips and teeth dripped to the floor as it stared at its next meal. The fur was practically gone and underneath the skin was gray and bumpy. The flesh looked like it was rotting while still on the body. The hooves had become more pointed and caked in blood from the tearing of flesh from the living and dead.
Resistance’s eyes were wide as he swung the rifle around. The Grim was too fast and jumped him, knocking him to the ground and the rifle away. It became a wrestling match between the two, as resistance tried to keep the chimera from biting his vital points, and the chimera tried to avoid getting knocked off. Over and over, they tumbled across the floor trying to get the upper hand. It came when the Grim rolled into a piece of wood sticking up from the floor, giving Resistance the chance to kick it off. The Grim hit the floor hard and tried to scramble to its hooves, but it was too late and Resistance was upon it. Resistance took his hooves and began to pound the head of the chimera into the ground over and over again. The Grim howled with pain as it was slammed to the ground. Resistance did not falter and continued to bash the skull of his target. The bone cracked and snapped with each successful hit, and soon all that was left was a mess of red blood and bone sticking out from the skin. An eye lay across the floor after being fired out of its socket due to the force applied to it.
With heavy breath, Resistance stepped outside, where his troops were getting ready to rush in once they heard all the commotion. They all froze when they saw Resistance dripping with blood and walking towards them. They were just about to ask what happened when he put up a hoof to silence them.
“Let’s just get this done.” Is what he said and turned towards the town. The rest followed behind but they all took one last look over their shoulder to look at the first obstacle on their journey that held them up for so long.
As they entered, everypony took note of the silence that held the town. In a normal town, this time of the day would be busy and ponies would be rushing back and forth, completing their tasks for the day. Stalls would be open and haggling would commence. Now the stalls sit empty and their wares sitting out either rotting in the sun or slowly rusting.
Some start to shake wondering what is hiding in the shadows just out of sight and others move their heads back and forth, trying to find any form of normalcy from the destroyed town. Building with holes in the sides stand quietly waiting for someone to enter and buildings with businesses have their doors wide open with an “OPEN” sign sitting in the windows.
Then the smell begins to enter the soldiers’ noses. Never had they smelled something like this before in all their times crossing Equestria. Many felt like vomiting while others covered their noses and tried to think of happier things to take their minds off of it. All this time, Resistance and Shining were up front, not paying any mind to the town and focusing on the mission.
Shining could put it out of his head from his years of training and he needed to be strong for his troops in this situation. Resistance on the other hand was just use to scenes like this after all his time fighting the Chimera. The smell was burned into his nose and the sight marked on his brain. He had come across many scenarios like this back on Earth, and to him, this was just another day in the office.
Resistance places another core in the middle of town and turns to his troops. “Okay, pair up and fan out. Place each core at a different point in the town, we need to make sure the blast will vaporize everything in this town.”
The troops salute and spread out. Shining armor turns to Resistance. “You think they will be alright?”
Resistance looks at him. “It’s our best chance to get out of here unnoticed. If we travel as a group to each point, the enemy will sniff us out. This way, we have a better chance of escaping.”
********
Through an alley, two of Shining’s guards travel. One carries the core on his back while the other has his Bullseye ready. The weapon quivers in his hooves as he swivels his head back and forth trying not to be surprised by anything. One of them is a pegasus who had joined the guard after he finished school only a few years ago. He was so excited that he was given the opportunity to defend the queen and country that he ran home to his parents to tell them the news. They were so proud of their son and all that he had accomplished. That night they ate a big meal of all his favorites to celebrate. A year later he fell in love with a unicorn and a few months later they were married. His first child was born about eleven months ago and a second was on the way. He feared for them as he carried the core through the alley way.
The other was a unicorn that was always thought to be brave and strong. He was considered to be a genius back in school for his high grades and popularity. It was these things they gave him the chance to join the guard in the first place. Everyone was so impressed he was considered to be the next in line to lead the guards. Too bad it was all lies and deceit. He was not a genius but rather feigned being one to boost his image. He cheated on every test and used bribery to get his way in many situations. He aimed for the top by using and sacrificing everyone underneath him. Now he regrets it because he was pulled into such a dangerous mission. His life was on the line now and there was no one to cheat off of, no one to bribe, or no one to take the fall for him. He swallowed hard as the Bullseye shook in hooves.
Suddenly a low growl filled the air, freezing both stallions in their tracks. Their heads swiveled around, trying to find the source of the noise. The Pegasus placed the core on the ground and brought up his Bullseye. The unicorn was practically peeing himself with fear as he looked around. Another growl filled them with dread, and they began to search even more frantically. Sweat began to pour down their faces as their fear grew.
From above a drop falls on the unicorns head. Slowly he looks up and sees a sight that would scare even the toughest of fighters: a group of leapers on the side of the building looking down at them with a few Grim ponies sitting on the roof tops. Drool drips from their fangs as they bear them at the ponies below. Their glowing yellow eyes stare at their prey and the urge for them to hunt rises. There is silence as the two sides look at each other. One paralyzed with fear, and the other waiting for someone to make the first move.
The first move belongs to the unicorn. He aims his Bullseye as best he can and pulls the trigger. The energy the weapon fires doesn’t have much of a kick but it surprises the inexperienced unicorn. The gun barrel goes flying up and blasts of energy go flying into the air in multiple directions. Any rounds that head towards the chimera are easily dodged. The leapers shriek and jump down, landing on the unicorn and begin to bite and stab his hide. The Pegasus tosses the core and pulls up his Bullseye and starts to smack the leapers off the unicorn’s back. The unicorn barrels past the Pegasus, knocking him down. Before he could stand back up, he was face-to-face with a Grim. The Grim seemed to smile before opening its mouth and clamping down on the pegasus’ face. He screams and begs for the young unicorn to help him.
The leapers turn their attention back to the Pegasus and jump on his back and begin to tear him apart. The unicorn runs as fast as his hooves can carry him through the streets to try and reach the others. He wondered why the creatures did not give pursuit and looked back to see nothing. Blood poured from his wounds and he could hear the dying cries of his comrade. He turned his head back around and came to a sudden stop. In front of him were five Grims all ready to strike him down. Now he knew why they didn’t pursue. It was because they had already set up an ambush. He cries out for anypony nearby as a Grim charges in and crunches down on his neck. The blood flowed down his neck and soon, other Chimera approached, ready to feed.
********
The shots and screams do not fall on deaf ears. Resistance and Shining rush to the noise as quickly as they can. As they round the corner they, come across a gruesome scene. The torn apart body of the unicorn lay on the round with his eye wide open even after death and his tear-and-blood-soaked face. The Chimera on him tear flesh from his bones as they feed as quickly as they can.
Resistance shoulders his Marksman and lets loose a flurry of attacks. The Chimera were so focused on their feeding they do not notice the bolts of energy until it was too late. One by one, they are torn apart by the powerful blasts. They scream and cry out as they are ripped apart and fall all over the ground. Shining joins in and fires his Bullseye as well. His shots are less accurate, but he lands some good hits.
Soon, the Chimera are dead and Shining begins to advance to search for the other missing soldier. Resistance stops him and shakes his head. “The other is already dead. Let’s hurry back to the others and move out.”
Shining looks back at the unicorn’s body one last time before heading back with Resistance. When they reach their starting point, they could already see several of the other guards were in a furious battle with the Chimera. Several had deep wounds on their bodies, and anypony who wasn’t hurt was trying to put up a defensive circle around the wounded.
“Fuck! They set up an ambush!” Resistance said as he joined the fray. Bolts of energy flew out of his Marksman and blew a Grim off its hooves. Resistance ran to the wounded to check their conditions. They managed to avoid any serious wounds but the bite from a Grim is not just painful but deadly. Like a komodo dragon, their saliva is filled with bacteria that infects the victims’ bodies. All a Grim has to do is bite and retreat and let the infection finish its prey off. Grims are not smart enough to use this tactic and prefer to beat and smash their prey to death instead. However this bite could still take their lives if they don’t get medical treatment soon.
Shining jumps into the fight and fire his Bullseye at a group of approaching Grims. They scream and blood flows as their bodies are hit by the rounds. He runs up to the wounded and helps with the defense.
One by one, Chimera pour from the buildings onto the streets and try to over whelm the battered troops still in a defensive ring. The ground is red with blood from Chimera and ponies alike. After several minutes of savage fighting, the Chimera roar and fall back into the town to get away from the flurry of fire.
All of the troops begin to cheer in victory except Resistance that stares after the Chimera. “This is no time to cheer. They are regrouping and are preparing another assault.”
One of the soldiers still high from the adrenaline of battle steps forward. “Did you not see them fall back? We slaughtered them like they were nothing. They would be stupid to come at us again.”
“Think again. Chimera do not fear death like you and I do. They will lay down their lives just so a single one of them can get through to finish off the wounded. Do not let one victory cloud your judgment of this race of creatures. If you lower your guard for a second in their territory you will end up as their dinner.” Resistance looks at the wounded guards. “All of you who can stand need to get up. We will need as many guns up as possible if we want to make it out of this town alive. Those of you who are almost out of ammo need to carry those who can’t stand.”
As the group prepares to leave the town, many moan and groan from their wounds. Their wounds are infected and soon they won’t be able to move without assistance. If they are still in the town when they collapse they might have to leave them behind. It is the highest priority that as many of them as possible get out of this town.
The group moves as fast as it can through the streets and out of the corner of their eyes, they can see leapers watching from the roof tops, and every now and then, a Grim in a window with drool dripping from its mouth. Guns swivel back and forth, looking for a target close enough to justify the shot. Resistance leads the group with Shining close behind. Both were looking straight ahead looking for their way out of town. As they come to the way they entered the town, they find an obstacle in their way. The obstacle is a mass of sacs, each containing either a single Grim waiting for somepony to get too close or a group of leapers ready to pounce when a pony’s back is turned.
“They moved quicker than I imagined. So they did notice that I killed that Grim earlier.” Resistance whispers. He turns back to
Shining. “We need to find another way now. Do you know one?”
Shining thinks for a few seconds. “I’m gonna take a guess and think every back alleyway out of here is blocked off by those things as well which would only leave one way, the main entrance into town. Which means we are being led by them.”
“We don’t have any other choice. Okay, turn the group into a circle with the wounded into the middle and those who can fight on the outside. They will strike just before we get out of town and they will strike hard.”
“Can we wait them out?” Shining asks.
Resistance shakes his head. “No, I have placed timed explosives on several of the cores and we are rapidly running out of time. We need to move fast.”
The group retreated back to the center of town and saw that all the bodies of the Chimera were gone. The soldiers looked around in confusion wondering where they could have gone. One guard decides to voice his question. “What happened to all the bodies?”
Resistance looked from building to building before answering. “They took them, and before you ask, no they don’t bury their dead. They eat them, which will distract a few of them but most will still be waiting for us at the entrance.”
The group rushes toward the entrance as fast as their hooves will carry them. Their hooves pounded the ground trying to get out of the town before the explosives go off. The noise their hooves create does not go unnoticed. In the buildings that line the streets, the chimera feed on their dead. The sound of ripping flesh from the bones and bones being crushed in powerful jaws fills the rooms as they feed. They have no feeling towards any of the dead as a young Grim that was created from a filly rips flesh from the Grim that was once its mother. The windows in the building vibrate from the thunderous hooves outside. The Grims and leapers turn their attention away from their food and look to ambush their newest meal.
Down the main street they moved, heads swiveling back and forth, watching the windows. Adrenaline pumped through their blood as they could see the yellow eyes gazing out windows as they passed. Some could already see the teeth of the Chimera in the windows as they closed in all around them.
One Grim leaps from the roof of a nearby building and lands in front of the group, bringing it to a halt. A few more close in from behind to keep the group from falling back.
“Shit.” Resistance says as he can see more Chimera moving in and time was running out. “Armor! Take everyone and get out of here. I’ll try to create an opening!” Resistance pulls up his Marksman and shoots the Grim in the head causing brain matter to cover anything close by.
“Are you crazy, Resistance?! You won’t survive a minute with this many of them!” Armor levels his Bullseye at a Grim close by and plants some well-aimed shots into its chest, causing it to curl up on the floor and die. The rest had begun to fire back at the chimera, trying to keep the waves from overcoming their small numbers.
“Damnit, Shining, I have no time to argue with you! Just get everypony out of here!” Resistance fire his Marksman several more times and snuffs out a few more Grims and leapers. All eyes turn to him. Resistance seeing now that he has their attention starts to run down a nearby alleyway. “Come and get me, you motherfuckers!”
A roar from a Grim and just about all the chimera give chase to the lone pony with only a few staying behind to try and bring down the tiny group. Those few Chimera are finished off quickly and the squad stares down the alley where Resistance had disappeared. In the air they could hear the Marksman being fired and Resistance voice yelling out. Chimera screams also filled the air as they fell one by one to the well-trained warrior. One stallion steps forward.
“Captain? Are we going after him?” Armor just stared down the alley for a few more seconds before answering.
“We are getting out of this town just like he told us to. He has a plan and let’s just hope we will see him again.” The soldiers nod and all make their way towards the exit with each of them uttering a quiet prayer that Resistance will make it out alive.
********
“You need to keep moving.”
“You don’t say?” Behind Resistance the chimera dash and jump over obstacles trying to close the distance between them and a tasty meal.
“Ah, this is just like the good ol’ days.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call those days good ones.” Resistance doges a grim by jumping on a nearby barrel causing the grim to collide with another that was close to it. “More like terrifying and incredibly bloody.”
“You just didn’t see things from my perspective.”
“I am now considering feeding myself to the Chimera just to shut you up.” Resistance ducks under a leaper aiming for his throat.
“Shutting up.”
Down streets and alleyways, Resistance tore up the ground trying to get away from the chimera following closely behind. He was wishing that he had gotten the hang of flying, but he would only crash and burn right now if he tried. Every second he wasted was another one closer to the cores detonating. Resistance jumps into a nearby building and runs up the stairs. From behind he can hear the sound of scraping as all the chimera try to pile up the stairs at once.
On the second floor were rows of doors, and all were opened. At the end of the hallway was another window, and Resistance could see a roof on the other side. Resistance starts to book it down the hallway as quickly as he can to build up speed for the jump. As he passed each room he saw nest of leaper eggs ready to burst if anything got too close. Behind, a few Grims had managed to make their way up the stairs and were giving chase once again.
Resistance tucks in his wings and leaps through the window. The glass shatters, sending shards in all directions and raining down to the ground in a brilliant shower. Resistance spreads out his wings and reaches out with his front hooves. He glides to the next room fairly easily but tumbles on landing. The Grims attempt the same jump but only one had wings though that wasn’t saying much. What was left of the wings was a mess of feathers and flesh; those wings weren’t carrying that Grim anywhere and he plummeted to the ground. All Grims smack into the hard ground crushing their bodies on impact.
Resistance turns and starts to run across room tops for safety. He could avoid all of the chimera except for the leapers as long as he stayed on the roofs. Jump to jump he managed to avoid, and pursuing Chimera and was almost out of the town. He glances over his shoulder and sees a few Grims make it to the room and several leapers giving chase as fast as their tiny legs will carry them. Feeling confident that he had escaped, Resistance allows himself a smirk. But that feeling was short lived as a roof he was standing on gives way. Down he falls into a room and onto a kitchen table that collapses from the sudden impact. Something sharp pierces Resistance’s side, the pain nearly knocks him out. He maneuvers his body to see that it is a leg from the table and it has pierced several inches into his lower guts. Resistance had little time to worry about the wound and stood up as quickly as he could. His legs were shaking from the pain and warm blood run down his side dripping to the floor to collect in a forming puddle. His vision blurred but he stepped forward on his stumbling hooves.
A low growl comes from the corner of the room. Eyes wide Resistance turned to see that a Grim had been deeper in the house and had come to inspect what all the noise was about. Having seen the pony the Grim rushed and knocked him to the ground. The Grim roared and bit wildly in the air, trying to catch a piece of pony flesh. Resistance tried to push the Grim off, but the wood in his side was causing an immense amount of pain, and he was losing. Time was so short now and scenes from his life began to pass before his eyes. Tunnel vision started and the world started to darken around him. His eyes began to roll back into his head and his legs were losing strength. The Grim’s teeth inched closer and closer to his throat and the end of his story.
“Hey, get up. It’s not time to die yet. If you don’t feel up to this, then perhaps it’s my turn to take the wheel.”
The world suddenly snapped back into focus and Resistance placed a hoof on either side of the chimera head holding it in place. It tried to scramble and get away to no avail. Resistance applied more pressure and gave a furious roar before crushing the chimera’s head. With his teeth he rips the wood from his side and the wound closes rapidly. In a nearby mirror Resistance appearance had changed slightly. Veins showed through his fur as the blood pulsed through his body. His teeth had become sharp and needle like. His eyes were not like that of the gentle ponies anymore. No, his eyes were a deep yellow color and his pupils were like slits. His eyes where now like those of a chimera. Resistance threw his head back and released another roar and charged the door.
*SMASH!* The door splinters under the force and Resistance winds up on the main street once again. A sharp pain emanates from Resistance back and he can see a leaper had jumped on and was now trying to rip him apart. Resistance grabs the creature in his jaws and pries it from his back. The creature tries to escape, thrashes about, and attempts to stab Resistance with its tail. Resistance crushes the creature as his teeth pierce its outer shell and the softer flesh inside starts to bleed. It squirms a few more times before succumbing to death. Resistance tosses the body against a wall and turns his attention back to his exit. He barrels down the street while most chimera still search for him in buildings. Only a few notice and try to pursue him out of the town.
Just as he leaves, there is a small chirping he picks up in his ears. That noise was something he didn’t need to hear right now. Soon after the explosions started, the Chimera near the core were vaporized before they even knew what happened, and all that remained were shadows where they once stood. Others felt the instant heat and their bodies began to boil from the fire. Buildings were set ablaze and others just collapsed from the sheer force of the explosions. Chimera tried to flee but most were inside and could not get past all the others trying to leave through the same doors.
Resistance didn’t look back and put all the strength he had left into his legs and dashed as fast as he could still hearing some of the core exploding. The heat drew closer to him but he just kept running. When the heat felt too intense, he took a look over his shoulder to see the fire ball engulf him. He lets out a scream of pain and the world goes black.
-Several hours later-
“Check over there. We don’t leave until we find something to tell us what happened to him.” Shining Armor and reinforcement had approached the town now that the fire had started to die down. The blazing town still lit up the surrounding area, so they started to search for the comrade that gave them a chance to escape. They had been searching for a while and had come across a few dying Grims. They finished them off quickly and got back to work.
Shining and the others were hoping to find at least some evidence that Resistance still drew breath.
“Captain Armor!” A grunt shouted from a distance away.
“Did you find something?” Armor shouted back.
“I found him Captain! He’s in bad shape and needs a medic quick!”
Shining starts to run towards the grunts but shouts back to a few soldiers. “Go get a stretcher and some doctors quickly!”
Some ran off to complete the task as their captain approached the Pegasus stallion. He put his hoof over his mouth at the sight. Resistance’s body was badly burnt from the fire and most his feathers were missing. Most of his fur had been burnt off and his clothing torn badly. His weapon was only covered in soot but his body was so bad. Even though his wounds were so severe his chest rose slightly from his shallow breaths.
Shining armor leaned in a little. “We’re here, Resistance, don’t worry. You’re safe now.”
Inside Resistance’s mind a little voice spoke up. “Safe? There is nowhere safe as long as the Chimera draw breath. Foolish pony.”