//------------------------------// // 23 - Worthless // Story: No Heroes: Beyond the Everfree // by PaulAsaran //------------------------------// Rex’s eyes narrowed. “What favor?” Pinkie struck the blunt sides of her blades together, producing a loud, ringing sound. “That’s private, buster.” He ground his teeth, one eye twitching and his head shifting slightly. He mumbled something, never taking his eyes off Pinkie. Talking to Fine, perhaps. After a moment his expression darkened even further. “So be it. I’ll devour you in front of the entire town. That should make up for butting in on my fun.” Saying nothing, Pinkie focused intently on her enemy. Winning a fight seemed certainly beyond her… but Discord was coming. She had to believe that. And if she believed that, then all she had to do was stall. Just keep him busy for a while. And if Discord didn’t come? Then she was going to die. Better to do it fighting, right? Rex stalked forward, thick claws scraping against the stone floor. “Are you scared, party pony?” Pinkie lunged, little more than a pink blur. “Let’s find out!” Surprise shined in Fine’s eyes as she closed the distance in a blink, one of the blades slashing in an upwards strike at his shoulder. Rex jumped back in time, but barely, his wings extending wide. When her second knife stabbed for his chest, he yelped and, with a flap, retreated. Pinkie gave him no time to think, charging in a veritable bum-rush. “By my scales!” Rex’s horn flashed and a thin beam shot at the advancing pony, but in Rex’s panic it flew wide. Pinkie dodged and kept coming, not losing any of her momentum. She leapt, prepared to stab once more. Rex’s eyes narrowed. His hoof shot out, a claw wrapping around Pinkie’s outstretched hoof. With a growl, he tossed her at the nearby wall. Pinkie landed on it as if it were floor, hooves splayed out, then kicked off just in time to avoid a slash of the claws on his rear hooves. “Why?” He snarled, flapping closer to the center of the room and glaring daggers as Pinkie settled for another defensive stance. “Why can’t I see your abilities?” She bared her teeth in turn. “Fine’s a lot smarter than you’ll ever know, Rep.” His eyes flashed, his claws shook. “My name is Rex!” His horn flashed, and Pinkie felt a powerful force clutching her throat. It lifted her off her hooves and began to squeeze. She set one of the knives to her neck, blade out, and swiped; the red aura snapped as if it were twine, disappearing in a cascade of bubbles. Pinkie landed on her hooves gracefully and was back in her battle stance. Rex stared at her, his lip twitching. Confusion mixed with fury in his eyes until, with a roar, he dove, claws extended and face contorted in rage. Pinkie responded by darting under his attack. She intended to strike at his exposed underside, but his hind legs came down fast, in perfect position to strike her head. Rex landed and spun around, eyes going wide once more at an unharmed Pinkie rearing up by the wall. “How? How? That attack should have knocked your head clean off!” “I’m just being Pinkamina.” She moved to attack, but Rex was ready. This time when he fired his beam, he didn’t hold back; the column of energy was three times the height of a pony. It tore right through the wall of the temple and into the open air. Upon winking out, it left behind a blackened hole and a long, clear path of charred jungle. Pinkie fell from the ceiling, her knives delivering shallow cuts into Fine’s flanks just above the cutie marks. He cried out and bucked, catching her in the stomach and sending her sprawling, but with a deft twist she landed on her hooves once more. In her anger she hardly even felt the blow. Rex spun in place, eyes darting about wildly as if he expected an attack from any direction. “You wretch! You think you can fight—whoa, wha?” His hind legs buckled and collapsed. His jaw dropped, his pupils shrank. Pinkamina was on him, delivering two quick strikes to the face with the handles of her knives before bucking him in the chest so hard he fell right out of the hole he’d created. His wings flared as he caught himself in midair. “Pinkie!” Her ears perked and she spun around, looking up at Fine with a sudden hope. Fine looked at her. Not Rex, with his smugness or anger or impatience. The eyes that settled upon her were familiar, focused, fierce and battle-hardened. This was a pony in command of his situation, and his was an expression Pinkie had seen enough times to never mistake it. So she listened intently, knowing that what he was about to say would be of grave importance. “Hurt me, Pinkie. Hurt me and I’ll help you!” He shook his head forcefully, clutching it and growling. “Y-you… You bastard. Stay in there!” Pinkie absorbed Fine’s words, and his meaning became clear near-instantly. An unexpected solution, like asking for slow music at a dance party, but not unwelcome. Pinkie had thought she had to hurt Fine just because of the fight, but now it seemed she had a reason other than survival to do it. A roar brought her back to the moment, and right on time too: Rex had his head reared back, flames rising from between his fangs as he inhaled. Pinkie yelped and jumped out of the temple, tumbling dozens of feet down the side of the mountain just as a stream of fire flew from the dragon spirit’s throat. The stream of flames followed her path, and Pinkie had to leap the last few feet to keep from getting turned into a burnt pie. She galloped into the deep underbrush as the fire pursued. A glimpse above the canopy showed Rex far too high for her to be able to reach normally. Pinkie had a few ideas, but first— Twitchy tail! She darted left as a thin beam hit the ground where she would have been a second later. The blast of fire stopped, but the flames had started a proper blaze. Pinkie ignored the fire and, dodging a few more shots with ease, literally ran up the side of a tree. If she could just— Twitchy tail! She jumped away just as another beam turned the trunk of the tree to ash. She landed on a limb and had to leap again as another beam struck. She dropped to the ground and began her dodging dance again, frustration filling her. She’d never be able to get to him like this! “Stop squirming, you filth!” Rex refused to go lower, and every other shot set fire to another piece of the jungle. Pinkie was rapidly running out of room to maneuver. The anger boiling under her surface was starting to fade, replaced by an ever more vicious twisting in her gut. She couldn’t keep dodging like this! The fires were spreading, and she couldn’t find a way to get to him! But she couldn’t just run, that would make things worse for everypony. She had to hold him here, but… but how? Rex’s insidious laughter rose over the fire and smoke. “You’re going to die here, pony! Die, like the worthless piece of trash you are. You can’t help Fine, you never could!” Cold fear hit Pinkie in the gut, a powerful opponent to the heat. He was right, wasn’t he? She really was useless. How had she ever thought she could fight him like this? This had been a stupid, stupid idea, probably the worst idea she’d ever had in her short life. And now she was going to die, as useless as she’d ever been. She hoped Fine hadn’t trusted her. She’d hate to think of how disappointed he would be when she got eaten. Fluttershy pressed her hooves to the struggling stallion’s cheeks. “Nye, please calm down.” He swatted her away with a growl. “No, I will not calm down. Pinkie’s in trouble and we’re just sitting here!” He tried to break free of the thestrals holding him back, but simply couldn’t manage it. It was unclear how long that would last, though; he fought so hard that they were no longer able to drag him away, instead settling for just keeping him in one place. “I know it’s bad,” Fluttershy admitted, her voice shaking, “But we can’t. Rex will kill us!” He tried to pull away from the thestrals, but they held his legs firmly. “And that means we should just stand back and let him kill her? We have to do something!” Fluttershy backed away from the snarling earth pony, her heart heavy in her chest. “B-but… But what can we do? Pinkie’s doing this so we can get away.” “I. Do not. Care!” With a roar, he managed to jerk his leg with enough force to finally free it from one of the thestrals’ holds. He elbowed her in the face before she could regain her grip, then delivered a punch directly to the other’s exposed belly. The stallion doubled over and Nye was free. The third thestral jumped in his way, only to be brought down by a lone strike to the side of the head. Panic welled in Fluttershy at the sight of his brutality, and she inadvertently retreated. She’d never seen him like this, and it proved almost enough to send her running. But far stronger than her fear of this sudden violence was one simple fact ringing through her mind like a ship’s bell: if Nye got loose, he would die. This fact spurred her into action, and with a cry she tackled him before he could get a running start. The two ponies collapsed in a tangle of legs and feathers, Fluttershy grasping desperately at the stronger pony. “Stop it! Horseapples, let me go!” Nye nearly threw her off, but she held on tightly, pinning one of his forelegs and preventing him from standing by her weight alone. “Fluttershy, we don’t have time for this!” “Please, Nye, don’t do this!” “I have to!” “Think about Rainbow Dash!” “I’ll never be able to face her again if I let Pinkie die!” Clink. Fluttershy’s ears perked. Even as she fought to keep her hold on Nye, she turned her head in the direction of the sound. Her eyes landed on a small bottle filled with a pink fluid laying amongst so many other things falling out of his pouches. It could only be Zecora’s awareness potion. The idea struck her so fast she nearly released Nye. Mind working frantically, she struggled to maneuver herself closer to his face. He broke free just long enough to start standing, but Fluttershy was ready, jumping in front of him and spreading her wings wide. “Fluttershy, if you don’t get out of my… My…” His eyebrows rose, his eyes widened, his chin began to tremble. His neck twitched, as if he were trying to pull his head away. Yet there could be no movement, no escape, no remorse. Fluttershy’s gaze bore into him, forcing him to acknowledge her presence and will. And he did, with a whimper and sharp gasps and a visible shaking in his knees. Fluttershy blinked, and Nye collapsed. He lay panting for several seconds, legs and tail twitching erratically. At last he managed to raise and shake his head. “D-don’t ever do that to me again.” Fluttershy dropped down to look him in the eyes. She felt the slightest twist of her heart when he flinched away from her gaze, but hardened her expression. “I have an idea, and if you’ll calm down for a minute I’ll tell it to you.” The jungle was an inferno. Smoke stung Pinkie’s eyes and the heat corralled her, but she kept moving. Moving was all she had left. If she stopped she would die. Every few seconds, a beam of red energy would flash into existence, just barely missing as she swerved, ducked or reversed direction. Rex no longer taunted her. The most he offered was the occasional curse as she wove around his attacks again and again. Even with the smoke, so much of the jungle’s canopy had been shredded and burned that Pinkie had no trouble spotting him flying overhead. When she did, it was always to the sight of a pony livid with frustration. Pinkie couldn’t die, not now. She knew dying was an inevitability, but she couldn’t let herself die like this! Oh, maybe being burned to a crisp wouldn’t be so bad. It might be quick, just a spark of pain and poof, nothing. No, it wasn’t the possibility of dying in and of itself that had her moving so frantically now. It was the knowledge that, if she did die now, Fine would blame himself. She couldn’t possibly put him through that, no matter what. And so she dodged and danced, her movements fluid and her mind frantic. She knew she couldn’t keep this up forever, but every time she tried to get away he’d find a way to corral her back into the blaze. There had to be some way to reach him, to fight back! If she could just hurt him, Fine would help. He said he’d help. She just needed to get up there! A new beam appeared before her, but this time it didn’t go away. With a steady hum, it moved for her, and Pinkie ran in a tight turn to avoid getting sliced. The beam didn’t stop, but shifted to follow after her. Alarmed by this sudden change in tactics, Pinkie was forced to twist her body almost backwards. The beam swept by, barely grazing her muzzle and leaving a biting sting behind. She stood up straight in time to see a few locks of her mane fall to the ground. A second later, a fireball erupted where she would have been had she not been forced to stop. The resulting explosion flung her sideways, and she hit the ground with a pained grunt. The intense heat of nearby flames singed her backside as she scrambled to her hooves… only to find herself surrounded by fire. Rex appeared above the flames, his expression calm but dour. His wings flapped in a steady rhythm that sent smoke and sparks swirling around his body. “To think that a mere earth pony would give me so much trouble. You are full of surprises, Pinkie, but no more.” Wobbly left ear, twittery tongue. Not knowing whether to be afraid or thrilled, Pinkie steeled herself in an aggressive pose. “I’m not out of surprises yet, Mr. Naughty.” Rex’s expression remained calm as his horn regained its ominous glow. “Then I’ll end it before you have a chance to continue.” “Wait!” Pinkie’s heart sank at that voice. She followed Rex’s gaze as Fluttershy flew over the flames. She hovered between the two of them, back turned to Pinkie and blocking her view. “Rex, please, you don’t have to do this!” Damn that mare! What was the point of sacrificing yourself to rescue somepony if they were just going to come right back? Pinkie’s hoof twitched with the desire to hit something. What now? Trying to get Fluttershy away wouldn’t do any good; Rex wouldn’t let her escape a second time. Hoofsteps sounded, and Nye burst through the wall of flames. His scrunched face loosened as he landed next to Pinkie and quickly checked to ensure he wasn’t on fire. Pinkie almost swore out loud; was everypony she was trying to die for determined to get themselves killed anyway? As Fluttershy continued her pleading, Nye turned to Pinkie. “No time to talk.” “But you can’t be—” Pinkie’s eyes widened as Nye produced Zecora’s pink awareness potion from his pouch. Suddenly, being angry didn’t seem appropriate anymore. Pinkie felt almost drawn to the thing, tiny motions and quivers in her body all but screaming at her to drink it right that instant! Pinkie Sense wanted that potion. Rex’s roar filled her eardrums, and both ponies’ heads snapped towards the exchange above. They were just in time to see the back of a hoof smash against Fluttershy’s face. Nye and Pinkie gasped as one when their friend dropped weightlessly somewhere beyond the flames. Rex screamed into the empty air. “You dare try to make a deal with me? As if we were equals? You puny, insignificant whorse! You are nothing more than a slave, a piece of flesh put on this world to serve my whims.” Pinkie Sense was going crazy. Pinkie did the only thing she could think of: she snatched the bottle from Nye. “You can offer me nothing, because everything you have is already mine to take!” The cork came out with a pop. Pinkie threw her head back and drank. “For your insolence, I’m not just going to kill her, I’m going to keep her alive, and I’m going to make you listen to every single scream!” She chugged the potion down, not pausing for breath or thought. She needed every drop. “I’ll keep it up until you want to end her life with your own hooves just for the mercy of it!” She tossed the bottle away with a gasp and turned to Nye. His horrified gaze remained upon Rex; he didn’t even seem to have noticed the missing bottle. “You will never ask for anything from me ever again, because you do not have the right, you filthy, flea-infested pile of feather rot!” Pinkie shook Nye. He looked at her with that same horrified stupor. So she hit him in the jaw. Hard. That did the job. “Hey, what are you—” She grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him away. “Go, get Fluttershy and—” The world shifted. Or twisted? Pinkie’s eyes bulged as a myriad of sounds slammed into her; the crackling flames, Rex’s screaming diatribe, her heart pounding in her ears, thestrals calling in the distance, and a lone pegasus sobbing where she’d fallen. But it was more than just sound. Pinkie could taste the ash in the air, feel the individual grains of dirt beneath her hooves, smell the sweat and grit in Nye’s coat. The pony himself was a vivid splash of crisp color. Everything was so phenomenally, amazingly clear. And then it was everywhere. Nye’s mouth blurred into afterimages, the minor shifts of his face joining in the shadow play. His voice came a second later: “Pinkie? What’s wrong? Are you okay? Good Goddess, it was as if he were speaking in her head. Her entire body tingled with… with something she couldn’t describe. She focused on Nye, and suddenly, she knew: Nye would hesitate, and be worried and fret, but when the fighting started, he’d do as he was told. How did she know that for sure? Pinkie wished she could say. All she knew for sure was that Pinkie Sense had been kicked into an entirely new level of craftsmareship. And it told her to move. So she did. Rex was turning towards her, his body a strange shaking blur of shadowy images. His gaze met hers, vicious and filled with a mad intent that only grew as his horn shined. Pinkie saw the bolt coming, could feel its course arcing through the hot air even before it appeared. Pinkie Sense spoke to her as it never had before, and here it said “jump.” She didn’t even have to ask “how high?” The bolt of red, electric energy sizzled through the air, connecting with the ground in an instant, but to her it might as well have been on pause. She came down and, acting on pure instinct, lowered her legs at that bolt and kicked off of it as if it were made of wood rather than energy. She climbed the electrical discharge like a chaotic staircase, her eyes hardening and her heart pounding. By the time Rex’s eyes had begun to widen at the sight, she was there, her forehoof impacting his jaw. She slammed into him even as he cried out, the sound echoing in her ears. With a snarl, Pinkie pushed off and caught one of his wings, dragging him out of the air. Rex twisted, screaming as his free wing flapped frantically. His claws grasped for her, but her position behind and below made it impossible for him to reach. A beam fired from his horn, but it went wide. Just before they reached the ground, Pinkie jerked down. Rex dropped below her, slamming back-first into the blackened earth. She landed deftly beside him, one leg stomping into his gut and making him curl into a ball. Pinkie snarled as she began pounding. “This is for hurting my friend! And this if for making me say all those horrible things to Fine!” She blocked just as Rex swung, the force of the strike knocking her back a few feet. Gasping for breath, the wide-eyed dragon spirit scrambled to his hooves and fired another beam. She caught it with both hooves and threw it right back. It hit him just below a front knee and sent him face-first to the dirt. Pinkie charged, her vision red, her heart in her throat, her skull buzzing with an unquenchable desire to hurt. But now Rex had recovered from his shock. His brow furrowed and he bared his fangs, wings spreading as he readied for her assault. He came forward to meet her, deadly claws swinging for her throat in a streak of brown shadow that Pinkie read like an open book. She turned sideways, lowered her body beneath the attack, and slammed her elbow into his chest. Rex stumbled back, horn flashing, but Pinkie followed up with a headbutt to his muzzle. A voice, Rex’s but not Rex’s, burst from his lips along with the blood: “Don’t stop! Beat him into submission!” Pinkie’s heart twisted at that voice, but she didn’t let it slow her down. A knife was in her hoof, aimed for the shoulder. Rex blocked the attack, trying to push her hoof sideways and out, but Pinkie saw the motion and rolled her leg down and around his, freeing it in one fluid motion that brought the knife up to cut his other leg as it was reaching for her. He jerked it back with a cry that cut off to a grunt when the hilt of the blade struck between his eyes; once again, the horn’s light winked out. Rex backed away, then jerked when his foreleg, the one she just cut, refused to move. He looked down at it with a terrified expression, then looked up in time to take a punch to the cheek. He turned his stumble into a sideways roll, just barely escaping her stomp. Pinkie growled with all the ferocity of a wolf as she pursued the retreating stallion. Rex shook his head as if to clear it, moving for the flames that had by now engulfed the forest in an uncontrolled inferno. “What level of Tartarus did you come from?!” He caught a burning log with his magic and swung it at her. Pinkie reared back to avoid the attack, teeth gritted as she let her anger boil. “My very own special one!” Two more logs joined the first, all swinging at her in a chaotic barrage. She leapt over the first, ducked her head under the second. The third came at her face, and the world blurred— —she landed at his side, knife coming down to dig deep into his shoulder. “What the—” Rex screamed, raised his leg to counter, then came to a twitching stop. Odd sounds squeezed out of his taut throat as he fell sideways, Pinkie having to jerk her knife out and jump back to avoid him falling on her. He landed, legs spasming and jaw clenched. Pinkie dropped her knife and pressed a hoof to his bleeding shoulder. Rex’s neck twisted as he stared up at her with venom in his eyes, but whatever words he tried to say were hindered by his locked jaw. She struck his face. “That’s for Bright Eyes!” And again. “That’s for Iron!” And again. “That’s for Evergreen!” She straddled his chest and began pounding. “And this is for Verity! Give me back my stallion, you son of a hydra! Give him back! He’s mine! Mine, mine, mine!” The afterimage flashed a brilliant red, and Pinkie almost didn’t escape in time. She found herself standing near the flames just as a wall of magical energy shot through where she’d just been. She stood, panting, as Rex gradually climbed to his hooves. His chest heaved with every breath, his gaze one of menace. His eyes sparked with the flash of his horn. Around them, the jungle burned. Sparks danced in a gentle wind, trees collapsed in a riot of noise, and in the distance she could hear the citizens of Tidal trying to stop the blaze, Sera and Fang’s distinct voices leading them. Somewhere beyond the blaze, Nye attempted to calm a tearful Fluttershy, his own panic barely under control. Pinkie could hear it all as if it were happening right beside her, the steady stream of noise pushing back the rage that had consumed her, but not able to eliminate it. Rex stood, half his body shining with flickering firelight and the other consumed by shadow. He rubbed his bleeding face and spat out a tooth, blazing eyes never leaving his opponent. His wings spread wide and he let out a snarl between huffing, steamy breaths. Blood dribbled from his chin as he bared his fangs with a hiss. Pinkie couldn’t help but think he looked every bit the demon he was purported to be. “So be it.” His voice was low, quiet, but possessed as much heat as the fires around him. “If that’s how it is to be, then I will take all the pain. So you just watch, Fine. Watch while I butcher your precious little whorse.” A stream of lasers erupted from his horn. Pinkie had only an instant to question if he could do anything else before she weaved through the onslaught, making her rapid way towards the fiend. Every shot came in a hazy pre-image, letting her predict and maneuver past every one. She slid under a pair, knocked another away, twisted between three more. Just as she was almost on Rex, he raised his forelegs dramatically and a fire erupted in front of her! Pinkie slid to a sideways stop, eyes narrowing as the future erupted before her eyes. A quick repositioning allowed her to deliver a punch just as Rex burst from the flames, his attempt to catch her off guard rewarded with a hit to the gut. Though he gasped for air, she had no time to follow up the move, instead having to leap away from another blazing log. She landed and snatched up the knife she’d dropped earlier in one swift motion. She looked up and found four logs covered in fire and flying right at her. Her heart hitting her throat, she dropped to her belly, wincing as the things sailed just over her head. The heat curled her hair, but she was already on her hooves and charging. A roar erupted from her lips and she swung her weapon, but a freshly recovered Rex caught her hoof. He spun and tossed her directly at the flames. She fell, landed in a roll and leapt, escaping the heat before it could cause any damage. By the time she turned around, Rex was soaring over the flames, traveling in a smooth arch to dive for her. It was only then that Pinkie noticed: The afterimage was gone. No time left to process that information; she retreated just in time to escape Rex’s claws. He’d already sucked in a breath by the time he landed, and Pinkie scrambled sideways to avoid the flames erupting from his throat. Combined with the heat of the burning jungle, Pinkie half feared she’d been cooked, but came away with only a half-burnt tail. Growling, she turned sharply and came right at Rex, ducking under the flames as his head twisted in her direction. She pressed her hooves to the top and bottom of his muzzle, feeling something shift where the top of it had already been broken. Rex choked, smoke rising out of his nostrils and his eyes bulging. An image flickered into being, and Pinkie jerked away as a claw came up. Too slow, she received a nasty trio of cuts to her shoulder. Coughing up smoke and sparks, clutching at his chest, Rex nonetheless approached. Pinkie shouted at the sky. “Damn you, why won’t you go down?” She blinked; the sound of her own voice wasn’t as clear as before. She took a moment to listen and realized she could no longer hear Nye and Fluttershy, or the thestrals, or— She barely dodged a stab of Rex’s claws. Grimacing, she steadied herself for his next attack. If she could just—twitchy tail! She rolled right just as a flaming log smashed into the ground where she’d been. She came up with a face full of Rex. The air left her. Pain. Lots of pain. Rex’s eyes narrowed. His claw twisted. A weak sound whistled out of Pinkie’s throat. He jerked his talons out of her belly, and she collapsed, curling around the open wound. Pinkie could barely breathe through the pain. She had no idea what he’d cut, but her stomach felt… wrong. Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to staunch the blood with trembling hooves. “It’s about damn time.” Something grabbed her hair. Pinkie yelped as she was lifted into the air by the mane, her eyes squeezed tight. She opened them when she felt the heat of Fine’s clawed hoof on her chest. It raked across forcefully, digging deep, and she clenched her teeth through the pain. Rex tossed her away; she landed on her side and promptly curled back up. “You were far more trouble than I expected.” Rex stood over her, his expression not losing any of its menace. He licked his bloody claw as he stared down at her. “Did you really think you could stop me? The only way is to kill me, and you wouldn’t do it. The moment you valued Fine’s life over his freedom, you lost.” Pinkie sobbed, pain and heartache searing into her brain. She wanted to crawl away, to hide and die in obscurity. She hurt so much, blood pouring from her wounds. Too much, it was too much blood. She whimpered as Rex ran that bloody claw gently along her flanks. When they reached the scar at her thigh, he paused. “What’s this?” The scars. Fine’s scars. That he was touching them, that Rex was using Fine’s hoof to do so, brought a fresh sickness to her stomach. She tried to push him away, eyes burning and heart throbbing. They weren’t his, he didn’t have the right. She’d lost. Despite all her advantages, it was over. She was going to die, and Fine was going to be her killer. She looked into his eyes, hoping for one last chance, one opportunity to see him inside the shell he’d become. All she found was cold anger. It was all over, and he would have to live with… with this. That idea horrified her far more than death. “F-Fine. Please, it’s not your—” A talon pierced the scar tissue. Pinkie shrieked. Rex, please, don’t do this! Fine was ignored. He wanted to look at Pinkie, to console her, to tell her he didn’t blame her. He couldn’t even feel her in his hooves as Rex carried her through the smoke-choked skies towards Tidal. But he didn’t have to see to know she was hurt bad. The place where Rex had stabbed her… She’ll die. She’s going to die. Rex, you have to do something. “Oh, I intend to.” A vision filled Fine’s head, a horrible one filled with shrieking and pleas and blood. No! You don’t need to do this! Oh, but he did. These creatures needed to be brought to heel, and nothing did the job better than pain. This pink wretch would be painted red, in demonstration of what happened to those who dared to defy a god. Rex… Let me talk to her. Please. At least give her that much! There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Tartarus. This pony would die without hope, without reassurance, without compassion. A miserable creature, fully aware of her complete failure. And the others would bear witness. You asshole! You murderous, bucked up freak! I’m going to torment you for the rest of your miserable existence, Rex. Leave Pinkie alone! Rex ignored him still. He adjusted his wings and began his descent, aiming for the center of the ruins. Thestrals were scattering at the sight of his approach like ants. Pathetic vermin. Buck you, and buck your Catrina. You were never worthy of her, and you never will be! When you finally meet her in the afterlife, she won’t even bother to laugh at your pitiable excuse of a reign. And why not? It’s not like she ever valued you. Rex dropped Pinkie as if she were no more than a sack of flour. She fell a good ten feet, landing with a cry on her side. For buck’s sake! Rex’s voice roared over Tidal like a raging storm. “Everypony get your tails out here, or so help me I will finish what I started, burn this entire town and slaughter each and every one of you!” The citizens wasted no time. They emerged from their homes and hiding places, scurrying to be the first to bow beneath his hooves. They kept a wide circle around Pinkie, not a soul daring to help the limp pony as she bled all over the dirt. Fine cursed them, each and every one. Once he was satisfied enough thestrals had arrived, Rex landed next to the pink mare. He gestured to his still-bleeding face. “Look at this, all of you. Look at it!” They did, and not a soul among them failed to express their horror. Rex lifted one of Pinkie’s legs so that she hung in the air. She whimpered, blood running in rivulets from the hole in her stomach. “Now look at this. You see this? How about now?” He swung his leg, striking Pinkie’s behind the knee. The crack was drowned out by her scream. Leave her alone, for Luna’s sake! “This wretched thing had the gall to attack a god. In her hubris, she actually believed she could harm something beyond her comprehension.” Rex tossed Pinkie forward by her broken leg, letting her fall on her face before the horrified onlookers. “Now look at her! She is alive now only because I will it, and that will not be for much longer.” Fine glared at the crowd. Here Rex was, weakened from a hard battle, and none of them saw the opportunity? They should be stampeding at the bastard! The burnt remains of Pinkie’s tail glowed, and she was dragged backwards across the dirt. She sobbed, her free hoof pawing helplessly at the ground. “I am going to hurt her. I am going to make her scream again and again and again. And you are all going to watch.” Fine spotted Sera in the back of the crowd. He wanted to scream at her, to demand she stand up to this monster. But Sera only watched in grim silence, tears staining her cheeks. Was even she unable to do anything? Rex pressed his claws on Pinkie’s back. He began to knead. A pitiful whining rose from the poor pony as fresh, shallow scratches were cut into her flesh. He kept his head held high, turning it slowly to take in the crowd with his imperious gaze. “I am through playing games with you creatures. I could have you all killed right now, then take a nap. And frankly, I should.” He thrust his face forward with a snarl, smoke and flames billowing from his throat. Fine snarled in turn, fighting one more time to regain control. He bashed the walls of his mental prison with everything he had. He couldn’t let Pinkie die like this, would give up his soul to save her. He had been so confident she could do it. She deserved better than… than this. “You will find, I am merciful.” Rex leaned back once more. He glanced down at Pinkie’s bloodied back, smirked, and pressed his hoof on the reopened scar. Pinkie cried out and squirmed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her voice came out hoarse. “St-stop. Please… P-please, stop.” The hateful creature just pressed harder, his toothy grin growing with the volume of her cries. His eyes turned to the thestrals before him. “I’ve had enough. I am going to spend today and all of this evening torturing this pony. Then, you are going to find my mistress, Fluttershy, while I cook this one.” Fine ceased his struggles, a renewed sense of horror filling him. You’re going to… to do what? “If my bride isn’t at my side by the time I finish devouring this piece of meat, Tidal burns. All of it.” He chuckled before stomping on Pinkie’s back, eliciting a yelp from her. “If you succeed, however, I will give you all the pleasure of watching me consummate our relationship. Right here. I assure you, it will be a joyous occasion.” Fine felt sick. He didn’t need a body for it. He stared at the crowd, the way they did nothing to stop this evil. He saw how Pinkie suffered, and realized that it was he who was responsible. His claws would dig into her body, his teeth would chew on her corpse. He thought of her cheerful smile, her bubbly laugh, her unique devotion. He recalled the way she sat with him in a dark room, whispering about things she never should have been aware of. The secrets they shared. The pasts they harbored. The trust. Yes… the one and only pony he could trust. Rex. Please. Don’t make me do this. Rex smiled. He bent low, until his head was just beside Pinkie’s. He cupped a claw beneath her chin. “Now… where am I going to cut next?”