//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Heading Out // Story: From a Dying World to New Lands // by Electrician //------------------------------// Chapter 21: Heading Out Perspective: ??? Location: ??? Date: ??? “Nooooo -oof!” The shifting, the sights and smells, they were all unfamiliar. One moment I had been in a warehouse on the edge of the city. Now I was, I was… ‘Home?’ To be so forcefully ejected, something bad must have happened. I tried accessing the body I was just in. Normally, even after one of my Pawns die, some of my cells are still alive for a few hours, and I can glean some information from them. But when I tried accessing sensory data, sound, sight, anything, nothing happened. Nothing came back. ‘What happened?’ I felt a tingle in my hands, only to realize they were…vibrating? No, that’s not right. I dove through my human puppet’s memories. ‘Ah, shaking. This is a symptom of…fear?’ Was I afraid? Afraid of the people who tried to enslave me? The people that tried to eradicate me when their control over me failed? I’ll admit I was, at first. But they’re under my control now; they shouldn’t scare me like this! “What the fuck happened?” I voiced this time. I clenched my hands as anger began to override fear. What weapon had they used that was so devastating that it wiped all of my cells in that body from existence? What had the humans done this time, what was that horse lady thing, and why the fuck is it trying to kill me too? “What the fuck is happening!?” I screamed. A loud crash drew my attention. Looking left, the splintered remains of my desk littered the floor. ‘Great, now I need a new one. Clam down, focus, think.’ As I sent two Pawns to fetch me a new desk, a brilliant thought occurred to me. The Winged Unicorn Lady, the group of humans, they were all still at the warehouse. There’s no way they had escaped, not that quickly. I don’t normally actively target a group of humans, but this one grabbed my attention in the worst way, so I’m making an exception. I used infrasound to relay my message to everyone. “All of you, to the warehouse now! Find them and turn them!” You’re not getting away Winged Unicorn Lady. You have humanity’s secrets to give up after all. Perspective: Eddy Culivin Location: Southern United States, 25 miles from home Date: October 28, 2025 “There’s no way these Infected could have figured out where we were!” I said between labored breaths. The Model X was closing in fast as we raced towards it. “We’re missing something here. Killing one Infected quietly doesn’t attract a horde.” “While I agree with you, we need to focus on escaping right now,” Mike responded. We reached the car and practically threw ourselves inside, Celestia quickly helping the weak survivor into the vehicle. Mike took shotgun again, and pointed out our exit route. With all eight accounted for and buckled in, I slammed the accelerator, the Model X rocketing away from the warehouse. “If we follow this outer loop, it should circle the city and get us back on the road home,” Mike pointed out. As we left the horde behind, the others watched the surroundings for more signs of trouble. It seemed though, that it was just one large group that decided to attack a very specific location, like an army marching to a battlefield. Now that’s a terrifying thought; someone helping the Infected. But then again, how else would the mob have found us? A cold pit started settling in my stomach. What if some of them were getting smart enough to track us? I didn’t want that following us home. “We gotta throw them,” I said. “What?” “We can’t let a horde that large follow us back; they’ll rip the whole town to shreds! We have to lose them. I don’t know how they found us, but I’m going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” With a touch of the brakes and a whip of the steering wheel, the car left the road, heading out into the dirt. “What are you doing!?” Edgar shouted from the back. “Creating false trails. I’ll drive out for a little, before looping back and following the tracks I’m making now back to the road. Do this a few times, and the Infected will have a fun time following some dead ends. Meanwhile, we’ll take the normal road back, and leave no trail to follow.” I left a few more trails in the roads leading to our two-lane road, finally, coming to the intersection with it. Turning right would lead us home, but instead I disabled the Traction Control and floored the accelerator, giving the wheel a turn to the left. The tires screeched as the car shot back into town. “Eddy, we’re going the wrong way!” yelled Mike, who gripped the door and the edge of his seat tightly. I slowed the car down, turning it around before heading the right way on the road. As I reactivated the Traction Control, I enlightened my passengers. “Sorry about that everyone, I wanted to create a set of tire tracks leading back into the city, just for good measure.” “This idea really has you worked up Eddy,” Jonathon said. “Something wrong?” “This whole situation’s wrong Jon. They should have been no way in Hell for them to have known we were there. And did you see the size of that mob? They don’t gather together like that unless they’re chasing something. At most, we should’ve gotten unlucky and had a few wander up the road, which we would’ve had to have taken care of. But the ferocity they charged with, those numbers. They knew we were in there Jon, and that terrifies me. “What the fuck tipped them off?” Perspective: ??? “What do you mean they’re gone!?” I roared over the infrasound channel. One of my trusted informants, a man whose will to resist had broken entirely, went with the mob under my authority to supervise the extraction of the Winged Unicorn Lady. This was not the news I was expecting back. “Apologies my lord, but the vehicle is nowhere in sight. The most we found are the tracks it left behind, but they are…random, like the vehicle didn’t know where it was going-oh, one moment…yes…we found a set of tracks heading straight into the city!” So they panicked and made a wrong turn, huh? Something about that strikes me as odd. These individuals have to be the smart type, not the type to make stupid mistakes like that. They’ve stayed out of my control for this long after all. “The tracks, where are they?” “On the outer ring, on an intersection with an outbound road.” What was that human saying? Ah, those cheeky bastards, that was it. “Secure a perimeter around the city; nothing gets in or out. I want twenty or so Pawns to follow the outbound road where the treads were, and groups of ten to follow the other outbound roads. Alert all other cities of this possible menace. The rest of the Pawns are to search the city. I want those humans found!” “As you command, my lord.” As the link cut out, I returned my attention to the two Pawns in the room, who were just finishing up with the new desk. One of them grabbed a black box with cords hanging out from it, intending to put the box away. Instead I halted him. “Leave it on the desk,” I said. “You may take your leave.” The Pawns departed, leaving me alone with the device, a ‘HF Radio’, as the humans called it. Master gave one to each us. The plan was to use it to stay in touch with Master, since infrasound was too slow and short-range. But things didn’t quite work that way. While I can extract information from my Pawns, as well as make them perform simple tasks against their will, fine motor control was impossible; too many muscle commands to send seamlessly. As such, I can’t force my Pawns to restore power to the city, not if they don’t submit to me completely. And they stubbornly refuse to obey. I took a deep breath and unclenched my fist. ‘New desk. Brand. New. Desk.’ I needed that radio now more than ever though. Master needs to know about this new threat. This new human weapon that could potentially wipe us out without a trace. I could always bounce an infrasound message using Pawns as relays, but that would take a while. Still, there were no better options at the moment. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way.” Perspective: Mike Britowski Location: Southern United States Date: November 1, 2025 8:45a.m. When we arrived four days ago with our guest, the news spread like wildfire. Everyone went crazy; some even claimed the ponies were Gods, or agents sent by God, and prostrated themselves in their presence. While that whole mess was going on, we found someone who actually spoke Spanish, and had them explain the situation to Emanuel, the confused and scared survivor. He’s still being monitored and tended to, as apparently the Infection just barely keeps your body going. Didn’t stop him from joining us for one Hell of a celebration though. Good times. “And you’re sure you packed everything?” I asked for the umpteenth time this morning. “Remember that we might be gone for a little bit. You won’t be able to communicate with us or come back for anything once we leave.” It was probably the nerves, if I’m being honest. We’ve almost always ventured out as a group, but not this time. Worst still, I have to stay back. Part of the ‘big plan’. Celestia decided that this house could be like a base of operations. She spent all last night recharging, so she could return to Equestria today to gather unicorns and supplies for fortification. Eddy suggested upgraded generators to provide a much larger supply of magic. As the details were hashed out, it was decided that splitting up to collect the parts needed was our fastest bet. “Yes for the thousandth time,” Eddy droned. “We’ll be fine; we’ve got everything we need to crash at Phoenix’s for a few days after we nab those forklifts. This’ll be fun, right Twi?” “Sure,” was all she said, walking towards the Model X. “Oooh, someone’s still in trouble,” Jonathon remarked, earning a glare from Eddy. “It’s gonna be one awkward car ride,” Edgar joined in, much to Eddy’s displeasure. “Shouldn’t you guys be leaving already?” Eddy asked irritably. “You’ve got a much longer drive.” This was true. Jonathon and Edgar were heading out to a city further away to secure a nice big engine, since the city next door had been picked clean of any usable diesel engines. Eddy and, of all people, Twilight, are heading back to the same warehouse we rescued Emanuel from to steal their forklifts. Apparently, the electric motors in them can be repurposed as generators. Twilight offered to cloak the vehicle as it approached if needed, and to use telekinesis to get the heavy forklifts on the trailer. As for me, I was to stay behind and properly show the Royal Sisters to shoot. Though since they have to return to Equestria, and since the house would probably get dragged with them, guess where I’m going. I’m pretty excited, considering I’ll be away from the nightmare that is the Infection, though I’ll be worried sick about my friends. “Yea yea, we’re heading out,” Edgar replied, before taking on a more serious complexion. “Please, be careful out there guys. Even if Equestria’s pretty tame compared to here, I want you to take care of yourself Mike. Eddy, Twilight, that goes doubly so for you guys. I…I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you guys.” Eddy placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, we’ll be alright. We’ll be careful, promise. Right guys?” We nodded in agreement. “Now, go get that engine. Remember, lots and lots of torque, RPM is a secondary concern. It won’t be pretty, efficient, or regulated, but this beast of a generator’s going to push out fucking bucket-loads of raw power, got it?” “Got it!” we all replied. “Awesome. Now, with the exception of Mike, everyone should radio the other party once they’ve arrived back in town. Also call in if you need assistance. Jon, Edgar, radio check in one hour to make sure the HF radios are working right. They have an internal battery, but keep them plugged in as much as possible. Good luck.” Edgar climbed into his Ford pickup, with Jonathon following suit on the passenger side. In the bed were a myriad of tools, lots of extra diesel, and a few different types of weapons complete with ammo. I wanted them to be safe, since I didn’t know what situation they’d find themselves in. With a final farewell, they departed down the two lane road, heading towards the city next door. Unlike Eddy and Twilight though, whose final destination was that city, Jonathon and Edgar were heading there to connect onto a main highway, which should take them through to a more heavily populated area. I hope they’ll be alright. With a sigh, I turned to Eddy, who was telling Twilight not to wait in the car, since they had to wait for Jon and Edgar’s radio check before departing. “So, with an hour to kill, what now?” I asked. “Well, there’s not much to do really. I made sure the house’s electrical system was fine, and left instructions on how to check it once you made the jump. You’re stocked on biodiesel, you’ve got plenty of rounds to train Celestia and Luna, and the fridge and freezer are stocked.” So what you’re saying is, we wait.” I deadpanned. “Pretty much.” 9:45a.m. “Hey Mike, I need to talk to you about something.” I cracked a single eye to stare at the person who interrupted my siesta. Eddy had already taken a seat next to me. *Sigh* hopefully this would be quick. “What about?” I asked. “Look, I uh…I…fuck, this is harder than I thought,” he mumbled. ‘Oh? What has him all worked up?’ Now curious, I chased away the sandman and sat up from my reclined position in the seat, and gave him my full undivided attention. “Look, you’re uh, good with the ladies right?” A thousand thoughts of Twilight and him together flew through my mind, and a smile almost threatened to show. But Eddy was staring intently at me, as if he really needed my opinion on whatever he was trying to ask. If this was serious, then teasing him now was not a good idea. “I mean, I’m not inexperienced, but I’m far from the ladykiller Jon was before getting married.” I chuckled, adding “Hell, even after marriage he still was. This one coworker would not leave him alone. Pretty cute girl, but a little on the crazy side. In fact, if it’s advice on women you need, he’ll probably be a much better bet.” His eyes widened immediately in horror. “No! No no, Jon cannot know anything about this, ok? If he finds out I admitted to him being right about this, he’ll never let me live it down.” “Eddy, this is about Twilight, isn’t it?” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement. And judging by the quick glance he stole towards Twilight, who was still waiting in the Model X, I can assume I hit the nail on the head. “Well…yea.” ‘Bingo.’ I chanced a glance at Twilight as well, noticing that while she appeared to have not noticed anything from this distance, an ear had swiveled in our direction. I contemplated whether or not to tell Eddy, but figured this would be the only way she’d ever hear his true feelings; he certainly wasn’t going to tell her. “I just…I just don’t know what to do with her,” Eddy continued, while I returned my attention to him. “I do not like her the way Jonathon has been not-so-subtly hinting at, but I do consider her a friend. Or a kindred spirit or something, just, you know, closer than like, an acquaintance. “Well anyways, ever since the mission, she’s been…I don’t know, distant. She’s not being rude or going out of her way to avoid me or anything, but I can barely get her to say more than a few sentences.” He looked around, as if to confirm again that no one was nearby. “You swear you won’t tell Jon about this, right?” “My lips are sealed, promise,” I responded, smiling warmly. “I want you to feel like you can talk to me Eddy, so I won’t tell a soul.” “Ok, thanks. Well, you see, we, Twi and I, we used to just sit and talk sometimes, during the last few days on Equestria.” “Wow, you guys really warmed up to each other, huh?” “Slowly at first, but we started talking a lot more after I sincerely apologized for what I did during Nightmare Night. Afterwards, she would accompany me when I had work, and sometimes she’d invite me into town for lunch or something. We would trade stories, laugh together, she even invited me back once to play some games she indulged in every now and then.” “Games?” “Yea, like chess and checkers and stuff. Some cards games too. I would barely ever win, but we had fun, you know, doing what friends do. It might have been because she was genuinely interested in what I said, and that we always had fun together, but I really looked forward to hanging out with her, though I’d never admit it on Equestria. But lately, she won’t talk to me, and it’s bugging me a lot more than it really should. I don’t know what to do Mike; I have zero experience with women. I know she’s mad at me, but…“ “Then why don’t we start with that,” I offered, taking another quick peek at Twilight. Sure enough, Twilight had scooted over closer to the end of the vehicle which was closer to us, and her ear switched ever so slightly between Eddy and me. “You said she was mad at you, do you know what for?” “It was probably because I told her that she couldn’t come along. But I had to! There wasn’t room in the car, and everyone there was essential-” “Not everyone,” I interrupted. “We technically only needed one alicorn, and one of us could have stayed behind. If you had asked me to switch with Twilight, or even for you to have stayed here with her yourself, I would’ve backed you up. Come on Eddy, tell me the real reason.” “I just…She has so little combat experience and…look I just didn’t want her to get hurt, alright!?” His eyes widened, and he snapped his gaze towards Twilight. She quickly averted hers, but it wasn’t quick enough. “Aw shit,” he muttered. “She probably heard that.” “Jon and Edgar reporting in,” Jonathon’s voice suddenly came through the speakers. “We’ve hit the one hour mark, attempting communications check. Can you guys hear me?” Quickly snapping out of the shock, I grabbed the microphone. “W-we read you loud and clear guys.” “Great, we’ll continue on then. Good luck on your respective trips guys; we’ll see you when we get back.” “Happy hunting,” I replied, before clipping the microphone to the radio. I turned to find Eddy in a panic. “Mike quick, what do I do?” he pleaded. “What do I tell her, what do I say?" “You want to know what to do?” He nodded vigorously. “Talk to her, tell her what you told me. Despite the stereotype, women aren’t crazy. Now this is just my guess, but she probably thinks you abandoned her here, after you were getting along so well. A smart girl like Twilight though, she’ll follow your reasoning if you explain it to her. Now, go get her tiger!” With a playful shove, he was on his way. “And I told you it’s not like that,” he shot back. I laughed, standing on the porch until Eddy started the car. Silently, the vehicle stalked away and disappeared down the road. “Very sage advice Mike.” I hadn’t even realized I jumped until I hit the floor again. Behind me stood Luna. Her mane was actually flowing in the light breeze this time, no magic. Behind the door, I could hear Celestia snickering. After a moment to catch my breath, I responded. “Well, I’m by no means an expert on women, but that kid has virtually zero experience. I just did what I could.” “Then he is much like Twi in that regard,” Celestia said, emerging from the doorway. “As well-read as she is, and for all the experiences she’s had as a result of being an Element, she has little experience with stallions.” “So is that why you’re trying to hook those two up? Frankly, it’s not really any of my business, so I’ll stop pestering him about it so much.” I switched purposefully between the two. “But I suggest you stop pressing his buttons as well. Since he’s really shy about that sort of thing, teasing him every now and then is funny, I get it.” An accusing finger shot out. “But you especially Celestia, and Jonathon and Edgar have been hammering him on and on about it.” Celestia at least had the decency to look abashed. “I suppose I got a little carried away,” she said. “I’ll tone it down a bit, I promise.” “Good,” I replied. “Now with that out of the way, we should probably head out. If rounding up materials and soldiers is really going to take as long as you think it will, then we need to get going.” All doors and windows were locked down. The wind turbine was already taken down, and the solar panels rotated inwards. As per Eddy’s instruction, the switches connecting the chargers to the pack were set in the off position. All the lights, fans, the AC, and electrical appliances that were on were switched back off, relieving the pack of that large drain placed on it. Eddy thought some energy surge happened every time we jumped, so he drained the pack considerably so it could absorb the spike without more caps failing. A final check confirmed everything was secured and ready. “You may want to sit down Mike, as it seems humans have a tendency to pass out during teleportation,” Luna warned. It was a warning I readily heeded. As I watched, the Royal Sisters strode outside, their horns igniting in the late morning sun. While’s Celestia’s yellow aura was almost invisible, Luna’s blue aura contrasted her background, shimmering in the desert landscape. Beams of energy leaped forth from both sisters, rocketing towards the ring of cloud atop the house. Seconds later they entered, securing the front door. “Thirty five seconds until teleportation,” Celestia said. Though unnecessary for them, they nonetheless took a seat in the living room. As we waited for the final seconds to tick away, the short range radio came to life. “Hell of a light show for a departure!” Phoenix’s voice sounded. “It’s like the sky’s ablaze above your heads.” Quickly bolting over and grabbing the radio, I sat back down with eighteen seconds to spare. “Yea, those clouds are extremely bright when they hit the house. Listen, we’re heading out in like ten seconds. Take care of the town while we’re out.” “Godspeed Mike.” An intense light poured into the room. The familiar feeling of weightlessness took hold. Unlike all the other times though, for once I actually smiled as my vision finally cut to black.