Chapter 9
The Cost of War
A white flash illuminated the computer screen and Chris’ face once more appeared on the screen. He wasted no time in typing in the command that started the recording. “Okay, video log number…” he trailed off and blew air through his lips, “four, five? I don’t know. Anyway, it’s been about a week since my last log, so let’s recap. About a week ago, a Machine Captain tried to find the Tree of Harmony. Why? Who knows, but it couldn’t have been good. Me and Sweetie, with a little help, managed to take him out. We got back to base and Sunset chewed us out for not following orders. I tried to make a counter argument and got pulled from combat until further notice.” Chris made an annoyed face at the camera before taking a breath and continuing. “So, in my best stroke of genius yet, I laid in bed for three days and mourned my hopeless existence. Luckily, Sweetie and Sam managed to break me out of my funk.
Since then, I’ve been working with Sweetie and helping her to perfect her own fighting style. She’s gotten a lot better, and has started integrating magic into her fighting.” He winced at a painful memory. “She packs quite a punch that way.” He shook his head to get back on track. “She’s also officially mastered her magic, which is great. Masters are given staffs to help channel their magic, and her’s is surprisingly weaponized. It almost looks like someone mashed Rita and Zedd’s scepters into one, with a crescent moon on top and a point at the bottom. The biggest difference I’ve seen though is that the crescent sits a lot more off-center to the actual staff and the jewel, a briolette emerald, floats in the center. It’s actually quite pretty,” he winced again, “and painful.”
“But, that’s not the best thing that’s come of my little vacation,” he said with a grin. “It’s given me a lot more time to study the Psycho Morpher, or rather its programming. Turns out there’s another safeguard that’s keeping one last set of abilities locked, though that’s not what has me excited. I navigated around it, carefully so that I didn’t end up shocking the scheisse out of myself again, and found what look like empty slots. I have no idea what they could be for, but here’s hoping it’s awesome.” He lifted his right hand, his index and middle fingers crossed. “Asides from that, everything is actually really boring, so until the next log.” Chris finished up with a false salute before shutting down the recording.
Cogs moved through the Everfree as silently as possible, a Machine Captain leading them. He looked like an old computer system, or maybe an arcade game, with arms and legs, it’s sinister face appearing through the static on his screen. They came to a stop and the Captain turned to the smaller robots in his command. “Alright, you lot,” he began, drawing every cog’s attention to him. “Our objective is the Delta Megaship. According to our intelligence, it is being housed in a hangar-like structure not far from the blackout area. Thanks to some sort of malfunction in the enemy’s cloaking, we got a good look at it.” He paused here to make sure the cogs were following. “Our mission is to infiltrate the hanger and put a virus into the zord so the next time the Psycho Ranger pilots it, not only will it disobey every command, it will also initiate the self-destruction protocol, taking that blasted ranger with it.” He let out a sinister chuckle before he jerked his hand over his shoulder. He stood, turned and marched off into the trees, his battalion of cogs following close behind.
All was silent in the space the machines had vacated. After a few moments, a pair of heads poked out of the foliage, staring in the direction the automatons had gone. A pegasus stallion and unicorn mare stepped out of the bushes. The stallion was dark green with dark blue eyes and a buzz-cut dark gray and black mane, a streak of yellow standing out. He wore army green cargo pants with brown boots and shirt, black, fingerless gloves adorning his hands, and a sword swinging from his side. The unicorn was pale red with amber eyes and a snow white mane and was wearing tight fitting black pants and ankle-high boots, a gray tank top, and an old aviator jacket.
“What should we do Heavy Weather?” The mare asked as she looked up worriedly at her partner.
“We get out of here,” Heavy Weather answered, not taking his eyes off the trees the machines had disappeared behind. He finally broke his gaze and looked down at the mare. “But first we need to call this in.” The mare nodded in understanding. He nodded back and lifted his wrist.
Before he could fully lift his arm, a metallic hand grabbed Heavy’s wrist over the communicator. There was a crunch as the cog crushed both the communicator and the pegasus’ wrist. Heavy Weather howled in pain and the mare, acting quickly, ignited a blade of amber magic around her hand and spun, decapitating the robot. As the bot fell and Heavy held his wounded arm, many more cogs rushed out of the undergrowth and surrounded the pair. The mare held on to Heavy for support, both his and her own. As the cogs moved around them, Heavy drew his sword with his left hand and formulated a desperate plan.
“Scratch,” he breathed softly to the terrified mare, “We’re going to open a hole, and you’re going to make a run for base.”
“What about you?” Scratch asked while removing herself from him and igniting her magic again.
“I’ll be fine,” he answered, taking up a fighting stance. “Just get back to the castle and warn everypony.”
Scratch looked up at the pegasus for a moment before swallowing her fear and turning to face the cogs. All at once the machines rushed forwards trying to overwhelm the pair through sheer numbers. Scratch and Heavy fought back valiantly, slowly whittling down their numbers. Eventually, the onslaught slowed enough to allow an opening.
“Now, Scratch!” Heavy shouted as he cut down yet another cog with a downward stroke.
Without skipping a beat, the unicorn cast a teleportation spell, flashing out of existence. She reappeared a few yards away from the fight and started sprinting as fast as she could away from the conflict. She ran and ran, never stopping to look back even as her legs started burning. She kept up her pace for a long while, clearing the better part of a mile before she started to slow down to catch her breath. She came to a stop, putting her hand against a tree to steady herself as she bent over to catch her breath.
“I’ve got to keep going,” she finally murmured to herself as her breath finally came back. She straightened up to start running again but stopped when something didn’t feel right. She gasped and turned around. The last thing she saw was a metallic fist swinging towards her.
A gloved fist slammed into the punching bag. Chris rested in that position, catching his breath. “Are you okay, Chris?” Sweetie asked from behind the bag.
“Yeah,” he replied, straightening up. “But I think I’m done with combinations for today. You?”
“Definitely,” she agreed, coming out from behind the bag. “What do you want to do now?” She asked as she picked up her towel and water bottle.
“No idea,” Chris replied as he too retrieved his water bottle and towel. “Any suggestions?”
Sweetie thought for a moment before replying. “Mind if we give the bench press another shot? I’d really like to see how far I’ve come.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Chris replied as they made their way over to the equipment.
When they reached the equipment, Sweetie paused. “Um, how much weight should I put on there?” She asked, pointing to the bar.
“I’ve always been taught that a healthy person should be able to bench their own body weight,” Chris answered with a shrug.
“Ohhhh…,” Sweetie trailed off, looking to the metal plates.
Chris let out an understanding chuckle. “No one’s going to judge, Sweetie,” he comforted. “Besides, knowing you, most of that weight is going to be muscle.”
“What do you mean ‘most’?” Sweetie questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Chris shrugged, never letting his small grin falter. “All I’m saying,” Chris explained as he picked a lightweight, “is that you don’t have to be embarrassed.” He handed the weight off to Sweetie, who looked down at the weight in her hands.
Finally, she let out a sigh. “Alright,” she conceded before pointing a finger at Chris. “But you promise not to mention this to anypony!”
Chris held his hands up in surrender. “Promise.”
Sweetie began putting weights on either side of the bar. She finished and sat down on the bench. As she laid back, Chris moved to stand behind the bar.
“You ready?” He asked, looking down at her while he moved his hands underneath the bar.
Sweetie nodded and grabbed hold of the barbel, lifting it from rest. She held the bar above her and took a deep breath. She bent her arms and began her first rep.
“Oy!”
Sweetie dropped the weight in surprise, a gasp escaping her lips. Chris reacted quickly, catching the bar and lifting it away from her. As he put the barbell down on its rest, he looked around to see who had shouted. It didn’t take him long to spot the culprit. A dark blue earth pony with a dark gray, slicked back mane and yellow eyes was approaching, his griffon partner not far behind. The stallion wore white tennis shoes and athletic pants, while a dark, zipped up canvas jacket hid most of his black undershirt. The griffon wore army green cargo pants tucked into black boots and a white t-shirt. Chris couldn’t shake the feeling there was something familiar about the pair.
“What’s the yelling about?” Chris asked as they approached. Sweetie sat up and got off the opposite side of the bench, standing up and facing the pair with the bench between them.
The stallion and griffon came to a stop in front of the equipment, both wearing a frown. “We’re using the bench,” the stallion said, jerking his chin to indicate the machine in question.
Chris looked around the bench press. “I don’t see anything around here saying you were here,” he replied, looking up into the eyes of the blue stallion. “Besides, I think that’s your water and towel you’re holding right there.”
The stallion let out a growl and clenched his fist, while the griffon’s frown deepened. “I don’t think you understand,” the pony replied through clenched teeth. “We always use the bench at this time, every day,” he took a step forward, “no exceptions.”
Chris frowned at the sign of aggression. “Well, I guess you should’ve been a little quicker on the draw then, buddy.”
The stallion let out a growl and took another step forward. “Why you-”
“Chris.” Chris had made to mirror the stallion’s movement but stopped at Sweetie’s warning. He looked to his partner and she flicked her eyes away from the group. Chris scanned the room and saw that quite a few of those present had turned to watch. Chris took everything in quickly and came up with a solution.
“Okay, buddy,” he started, looking back to the still glowering stallion. “I’ll make you a deal. Me and you, one on one on the training grounds, no holds barred. We go until one of us gives or gets knocked out. The winner gets dibs on the bench press when we’re both around, no exceptions. Deal?” Chris stretched out a hand towards the stallion.
The dark blue pony eyed the appendage for a few moments before taking it with his own and shook hands roughly. He looked Chris dead in the eye. “Deal.”
As Scratch started coming around, something didn’t feel right. Her head throbbed and her arms were held over her head, something holding her wrists together. She opened her eyes a little at a time to adjust to the light, and when she finally opened, she wished she hadn’t. Cogs surrounded her, some dancing around as they all stared in her direction. Her breath caught in her throat and she began to struggle. This only caused the machines in front of her to become even more active, which, in turn, made her struggle even more.
“Now, now, my dear,” a mechanical voice spoke up from behind her. She turned her head and found herself staring at a computer screen with a wicked face on it. “We wouldn’t want you to end up like your friend, now would we?” He brought up a hand and made to stroke her cheek. She jerked her head away from the appendage. As she did so, she got a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye. She turned away from her captor to get a better look and widened her eyes at what she saw.
Heavy Weather was tied up next to her, his face and clothing bloody and breathing ragged. “Heavy… Weather…?” She murmured slowly before panic overwhelmed her. “Heavy Weather!” She screamed out, struggling against her bonds to get to the injured stallion. “What did you do to him!!!” She yelled, turning her gaze to the Machine Captain, her panic twisting into rage.
“Oh, we only hurt him a little,” Mean Screen replied nonchalantly as he walked around Rose Scratch to stand in front of Heavy Weather. “And only because he didn’t tell us what we wanted to know.” He grabbed the pegasus under the chin and lifted his face so he could look into Heavy’s eyes. “Isn’t that right?”
Heavy Weather opened his left eye, the only one not swollen shut, and stared up at the machine, stone-faced. He didn’t say anything for a long moment before spitting a wad of bloody saliva into Mean Screen’s face.
“Hm-mm,” Mean Screen hummed as he let go of the stallion’s chin and wiped his screen clean. “Like I said, not very helpful.” The Captain made to turn back to Rose Scratch and suddenly slammed a gut wrenching right hook into Heavy’s left side. There was a loud snap and Heavy screamed out in pain. “Oops, silly me,” Mean Screen said sadistically, as he twisted his fist back and forth. “It seems I broke another rib.” Heavy continued to scream in agony as Mean Screen dug his mechanical knuckles deeper into his side.
Scratch stared in horror at the display of cruelty. Mean Screen removed his fist and Heavy’s screaming died down… until the automaton threw another punch into his stomach. The stallion arched forward, his mouth wide in a silent scream, his eye bulging a little. The machine continued to pound on the stallion as Scratch was forced to watch.
“No…,” she whispered as she watched. “Stop it. Don’t….” Then she started screaming and thrashing around with all her might. “Stop it! Stop hurting him! Stop it!!!”
Mean Screen stopped and spun around to face her. “Are you going to tell me what I want to know?” The machine growled.
Tears rolled down Scratch’s face. “No, I can’t, but, please, stop hurting him.” She slumped forwards, her bonds keeping her upright. “Please.”
A low growl emanated from Mean Screen as he raised his left arm across his chest and threw his arm out at a downward angle. A blade slipped out over his hand and he turned back to Heavy Weather. “Sorry, pal,” the robot spat out as he grabbed hold of the stallion’s mane with his right hand and yanked his head up. “Looks like she doesn’t care as much as you thought.”
The pegasus stared up defiantly as the machine brought his blade back. “Buck… you…,” Heavy Weather gasped out.
“That’s the spirit,” Mean Screen rumbled and thrust his blade forward towards the stallion’s exposed throat.
“STOOOP!!!”
The blade jerked to a stop mere millimeters from Heavy Weather’s jugular. Mean Screen turned to the mare. She slumped against her bonds tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide in terror. “Stop,” she said again, desperately. “I-I’ll tell you… just don’t hurt him….”
Mean Screen turned towards her once more, keeping the blade poised over Heavy Weather. “How many will they send to oppose us if we attack the hanger?” He asked, beginning his interrogation.
Rose Scratch breathed heavily and shifted her eyes between the robot and the stallion. Heavy Weather noticed her look and shook his head. Scratch stared at him for a moment then closed her eyes and took a breath to calm herself. “They’ll send ten squads of two,” she said slowly, opening her eyes and staring up at the Machine Captain.
“How long will it take them to reach the hangar once the alarm is triggered?”
“Eight minutes.”
The interrogation continued like this, with Mean Screen asking one question after another as Rose Scratch answered them. The questions came to an end and Mean Screen stared at the mare as he lowered his blade to his side. “Thank you for your cooperation,” the machine said. “Maybe next time it will come sooner.” He jerked his blade up in a blur and drove it deep into Heavy Weather’s chest. The stallion’s eyes widened in shocked agony without making a sound.
Scratch’s eyes also widened in horror as she watched everything unfold. She stared on in shocked silence as Mean Screen drew his bloodied blade out of the pegasus’ chest. “You…,” Scratch murmured quietly as she stared at Heavy as he hung unmoving and Mean Screen walked away. Her horrified face melted away into the face of pure rage. “YOU MONSTER! I’LL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME!?! I’LL KILL YOU, YOU BAST-” Scratch’s voice stopped and her body jerked as a buzzing sound filled the air. She looked down at her stomach and saw two clean holes burned into her aviator jacket just as the feeling of something warm started to spread out over her midsection.
Scratch let out a gasp of air, squeezing her eyes shut and groaning in agony. Mean Screen moved to stand beside her, bringing his face past her’s. “Have fun bleeding out,” he whispered before he stood up straight and turned to the cogs in his command. “You,” he pointed to a silver cog with black shoulder pads, its face sliding back down. “Stay here and make sure the prisoners die. The rest of you, let’s go!” With that, the Machine Captain turned away and marched deeper into the Everfree, his minions following close behind.
With the clearing empty except for those left behind, all was quiet for several minutes. The cog stared at the prisoners as they bled, never looking away and never moving. There was a sudden snap, and the cog lurched its head towards Rose Scratch just in time to see the rope that kept her restrained falling away from the tree branch above.
“You bots should really pay closer attention,” Scratch said quietly as she raised her head to stare at the robot with glowing eyes. The cog reared back in shock before regaining its composure and sliding its mask back up. Before it could get a shot off, however, there was a whistling sound as several amber glowing spears of energy embedded themselves in the machine’s frame, two smaller spears finding their way into the cog’s eyes. The cog sparked and electricity flowed over its body as it fell forward.
Scratch stood breathing heavily before igniting her hands and shredding her bonds. She turned and ran to Heavy Weather and cut him out of his own restraints, taking his weight on her shoulder to help him stand. The stallion looked up at the young mare, blood streaming from several cuts on his face and from between his lips. “I’m sorry, Scratch,” he said quietly.
“Shh, save your strength,” Scratch told him. “I’ll get you to help, I promise.” With that she looked up with determination, her horn lighting up as they disappeared in a flash. They reappeared a long distance away before disappearing again. Scratch kept this up, her mind focused on one task alone. Getting to the Resistance before Mean Screen.
Chris stood opposite the dark blue pony, his back turned as he strapped on his leather training gear. Sweetie stood in front of him, her eyes switching back and forth between Chris’ face and the back of the dark blue stallion.
“Are you sure about this?” Sweetie questioned worriedly.
“About as sure as the time I took on Nightmare,” Chris replied as he finished tying down the wrist guard on his left arm. He looked up at Sweetie. “But something tells me it’s this or something worse.” When Sweetie continued to stare at him in worry, he placed his hands on her arms. “I’m going to be fine, Sweetie.”
Sweetie looked at him for a few more moments then relaxed. “Yeah,” she finally replied. “Besides, I’m more worried about what you’re going to do to the other pony.”
Chris chuckled at the small joke. “That’s the spirit,” he said quietly before he turned around and started walking towards the stallion that was now waiting.
Chris, Sam spoke up for the first time that day.
Yeah? Chris replied as he approached his opponent.
This is the same pony from when Cruger visited.
Chris’ mind flew back to that day in the cafeteria. Oh my gott, you’re right!
Wonder what his name is.
Why don’t I ask him?
Bet it’s Pansy Ass.
Chris held back his eye-roll as he stopped in front of the pony. He looked the stallion over but stopped at one confusing point. “You going to take your jacket off?” He inquired, motioning to the heavy covering.
“Won’t take that long,” the stallion replied shortly.
Chris nodded, a questioning look still on his features. “One more question before we start. What’s your name?”
“Figures you wouldn’t remember me,” the stallion huffed arrogantly.
“I remember you just fine,” Chris replied with a frown. “I never caught your name, though.”
The stallion stared at him for a moment. “Cobalt,” he finally replied. “Cobalt Steel.”
Chris “hmm’d” as he took in the information. “Chris Scott,” he said, stretching out his closed fist. Cobalt looked between the fist and Chris, a puzzled look on his face. Hesitantly he reached out his own fist and bumped Chris’. Retracting his hand. Chris looked back to Sweetie and nodded. As she stepped forward, both fighters took up their own fighting stances. Sweetie raised her hand, which lit up in a light green aura and shot an orb of light over the two combatants. As the light cast a soft green glow, both opponents tensed. The orb exploded like a firework and the fight began.
Cobalt kicked out with a roundhouse towards Chris’ head. Chris caught the blow with his right arm, and rotated the limb and ducked his head so the attack flew harmlessly over his head. With Cobalt off balance, Chris rushed in, aiming a left hook at the stallion’s midsection. The pony took notice and moved his hand to catch Chris’ fist. Cobalt regained his balance and swung out with his right fist. Chris met the blow with his left arm, and swung out, only to be blocked again. Both opponents continued like this, trading blows and blocking, neither taking any more than a grazing blow. Cobalt swung a haymaker towards the side of Chris’ head. Chris reacted by dropping down, the fist sailing over his head. Chris swung his leg out and around in a sweep, aiming for the dark pony’s ankles. Cobalt leaped into the air and hung there a moment. He extended his legs and came down as hard as he could. Chris rolled away from the stomp and jumped back to his feet.
This guy’s pretty quick for an earth pony, Chris commented inwardly.
Head in the game, Sam reminded him as Cobalt came charging in.
Chris jerked his head up just in time to see Cobalt’s fist flying towards his face. He caught the stallion’s fist and responded by aiming a kick at the pony’s exposed side. The kick landed and Cobalt winced, but recovered quickly. He wrapped his arm around Chris’ leg to prevent him from retracting the limb, and used his other hand to get a better hold and started spinning. Chris lost all balance and control as he was thrown bodily across the training field. He landed with a thud and the air rushed from his lungs.
Incoming! Sam warned.
Chris immediately rolled to his feet, still gasping for air. Cobalt arrived a few seconds later, launching a right hook. Chris caught the incoming blow with his left hand and rushed a jab with his right. The stallion caught the blow, stopping it dead. Both combatants pushed against one another, each trying to overwhelm the other.
Need some help, Sam asked as he began to bring his consciousness forward.
Nah, Chris strained out, I got this. Chris let go of his mental limiters, feeling his full strength flood into his body. He slowly started to overwhelm the large stallion, pushing his arms back. Cobalt’s eyes widened in surprise and doubled his efforts, managing to slow down Chris’ progress, if only momentarily. Chris continued to push until Cobalt was almost down on one knee. This is it, Chris thought to himself. Just a little more-
Chris let out a roar of agony as searing pain slashed across the back of his legs. Cobalt’s eyes widened in surprise, but he took the chance to get back to his feet and shove himself away. He leaped back to gain some ground and watched as Chris slumped to one knee and clutched the back of his leg. After a few moments of staring, Cobalt noticed the gleaming red of blood on Chris’ hand.
“What in Tartarus?” He asked out loud.
“Thank me later.”
Cobalt jerked his head to the side to see his griffon partner, Garion, settle beside him. Upon closer inspection, Cobalt noticed a small bit of blood on his friends left talons. “Garion,” he murmured, looking back to his partner’s face. “What did you do?”
“Just providing a little insurance,” the dark colored griffon replied. “Besides, he tried to make a fool of my father.”
Cobalt stared at the griffon before looking back to his opponent. Sweetie Bell was at his side, treating the wounds.
“That was a dirty trick,” Sweetie said, looking away from the slowly closing gash to throw a glare at the pair. “Don’t worry,” she continued, looking back down at her work, “we’ll show them.”
“No.”
Sweetie looked up at Chris' face. “But-” She stopped when she noticed the look on Chris' face. It was a look of pure fury.
“If they want to fight dirty, then let’em,” Chris growled out. “Me and Sam will show them why it’s a bad idea to cross a ranger. Besides,” Chris looked over to the griffon. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but that griffon looks an awful lot like Guntram.”
Sweetie looked to the griffon as well, taking in every detail she could. While the griffon across from them more closely resembled a magpie than a raven, the similarities between the two griffons were uncanny. “I think you may be right,” she finally replied as Chris’ wound sealed shut, a slight scar all that remained.
“In that case,” Chris rose to his feet with Sweetie quickly following suit, “this just got a lot more personal.” Chris put a hand on Sweetie’s shoulder. “I want you to stay out of this one. If they have a problem they can take it up with me, and,” he looked her in the eyes, “I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Sweetie looked up at Chris for a moment, before putting her hand over his and nodding. They released each other and Sweetie moved away, leaving Chris to turn back to his opponents. As he watched, the two argued with one another, about what he didn’t know. “Are you two done yet?” He called irritably across the field.
The pair stopped and looked towards him. “There’s no reason to continue,” Cobalt answered.
“There’s every reason to continue,” Chris called back. “Your friend has a vendetta and we didn’t get to finish our fight.” Chris dropped into a fighting stance. “So, let’s finish this!”
Seeing that the young man couldn’t be swayed, Cobalt frowned and took a step back. “This is wrong-” Garion rushed forward, using his wings to add to his speed.
Chris saw the griffon coming and dashed forward to meet him. As they approached one another, the griffon brought his talons back, preparing to cut into Chris again. But Chris was ready for it. When they were mere feet apart, Garion swung his clawed hand forward, aiming towards Chris’ face and shoulder. Chris ducked below the strike and twisted his body, bringing his fist up. You ready for this? He asked his brother.
Let’s light’em up! Sam responded, melding his consciousness with Chris’. Chris locked his eyes on the griffon’s back and swung with all his might. The hit landed just underneath the joint that connected the wing to the rest of the body. Feeling his punch make purchase, Chris twisted his arm to dig the punch in deeper. Garion let out a cry of pain as his body was forced downward into the ground. Chris felt Garion’s body stop against the ground and pushed harder with his fist, driving the griffon deeper into the ground and using him to push himself away.
He came to a stop a few yards away from the griffon and kept his eyes on his unmoving body. Think we overdid it? He asked.
Not that he didn’t deserve it, Sam answered in a tone that signified a sneer.
Right, Chris responded, scrunching his nose up as well. Now where’s the other one?
Three o’clock! Sam shouted quickly.
Chris leaped out of the way just as Cobalt came zooming in, driving his fist downward with such force that bits of earth flew into the air. Chris’ eyes widened in shock. What the hölle!?! Chris exclaimed internally as he landed. Where did that come from?
No idea, but here he comes again! Sam replied in warning.
Cobalt was straightening up and Chris got a good look at the powerful pony. His jacket bulged upwards just behind his shoulders and his hands seemed to be smoking, however, Chris couldn’t be sure from his current distance. Before Chris could make any more observations, Cobalt dashed forward, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. The dark stallion launched a powerful right jab at Chris. Rather than take the attack head on, Chris moved out of the way and dodged the blow, and danced backward as Cobalt continued to throw punches at a rapid pace.
Verdammt, I can’t keep this up! Chris cried internally as he continued to dodge backward.
Then we’ll match him, Sam replied.
Chris nodded in understanding and activated his Static. Orange and green energy danced across his limbs as he came to a stop and finally blocked one of Cobalt’s punches. Although, now that he could get a better look, he almost wished he had stayed mobile. The stallion’s amber eyes had a darkened look to them, and when he looked he found that Cobalt’s fists were indeed giving off some kind of shadowy aura.
“What is-” Chris’ inquiry was cut short as the angry pony sent an uppercut into his stomach, sending Chris skidding back a few feet. The blow hurt, a lot more than anything Chris had been hit with before.
This even puts Sweetie’s magi-punch to shame, Sam noted, his tone wincing alongside Chris.
Yeah, this is getting out of hand, Chris responded as he jumped away to gain a little more distance. It’s time this came to an end. Chris focused all of his Static into his right hand, the condensed energy shimmering.
Didn’t know we could do that, Sam stated.
Me neither, but I’m glad it worked, Chris replied. Now for a little ‘umph’. Chris channeled earth magic into the mix, and the Static changed to a bright black color.
Better make extra sure. Sam funneled Red Static into their fist, the color changing again, this time to a slightly off white color.
“Alright,” Chris murmured as he looked back to his opponent and charged forward. “Let’s end this!”
“With pleasure!” Cobalt yelled back as he too rushed forward. They ran towards one another and once they reached a certain distance from each other, both fighters cocked back their right fists for a final haymaker. They came into range and both launched their attacks, one a misty black, the other an electric silver. In their haste neither opponent worked to put up a defense against the other and fists collided with chins with a resounding crack. Both fighters stayed as they were before both let their arms drop to their sides. Each stared at the other for a long moment.
“That was a good hit,” Cobalt finally said.
“Yeah,” Chris replied, “you too.” Both combatants stood unmoving as they caught their breath. Suddenly, both Chris and Cobalt slumped forwards. Chris caught the large pony and helped him steady himself.
“Guess we know how this turned out, huh?” Cobalt said as he got his feet back underneath him.
“Yeah, that was one hölle of a draw,” Chris replied, a grin spreading across his features.
Cobalt looked up in surprise at the young man’s smiling face. After a time, a corner of his lips lifted in a small smirk. “Okay, mister iron fist,” Cobalt joked quietly.
Chris let out a small laugh and looked over to the fallen griffon, his smile fading. “Is he going to be okay?” Chris asked roughly.
Cobalt’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, he’ll be fine,” he replied, looking to his downed partner. “His pride is more wounded than he is.” Cobalt was silent for a moment, then stood up straight, taking his weight off Chris. “I’m sorry about how this fight went. I didn’t want this to happen.”
“Don’t worry,” Chris told him. “We’re not responsible for the actions of others.” He looked over and saw Sweetie coming over, a look of concern on her face.
“Are you okay-” Suddenly, the announcement system rang out.
“All patrols report to the briefing room immediately. This is not a drill.” Shining Armor’s voice rang out from the speakers.
“Something’s wrong,” Chris immediately said and looked to Cobalt. “You and your partner better get going.” Cobalt simply nodded and ran over to Garion, who was quickly getting to his feet. Cobalt helped him to his feet and the two sprinted away towards the castle.
Sweetie took a step closer to Chris as they looked on. “What do you think is going on?” She asked, worry clear in her voice.
“I don’t know,” Chris answered before turning and starting to walk in a different direction, a look of determination on his face. “But I know where we can find out.”
Ponies scurried about the control room or typed hurriedly on their computers, all intent on their tasks. Nightmare stood at her elevated position, directing everypony’s task. There was a small beep and the sound of the metal door opening behind her. She paid it no mind, assuming it was another pony coming back after running some errand or another.
“Nightmare.” She turned to see Chris and Sweetie walking towards her. “What’s going on?”
“Chris,” she answered, moving her body to completely face him. “This is an emergency situation. Now is really not a good time.”
“Then I won’t ask any questions,” Chris said as he came up beside her, his eyes sweeping across the room. “Just give us the short version.”
Nightmare stared at him for a moment, her eyes searching for something before she let out a sad sigh. “I don’t think I can do that, Chris,” she replied, a frown on her face. “But I won’t keep you in the dark.” She looked around the room and finally came to a stop as she found who she was looking for. “Sunset.” The younger alicorn perked her head up and looked towards her superior. “Come here, please.”
She made her way over quickly, taking the few steps up to the group’s position in stride. “Yes, Nightmare?” She asked as she came to a stop in front of the dark alicorn.
“Take Chris and Sweetie Belle to the medical hall,” she said slowly, a certain melancholy in her voice. “Explain the situation to them.”
Sunset let a worried frown cross her face. “Yes, ma’am,” she answered slowly. “Follow me,” she told the pair as she made her way out of the door.
Chris and Sweetie shared a look and followed quickly after.
Nightmare watched as the door shut behind the trio. When it had closed she turned back towards the rest of the room and rested her hands on the console in front of her. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, letting a single tear roll down her cheek.
The trio walked in silence towards the med hall. Sunset seemed deflated and neither Chris nor Sweetie wanted to interrupt whatever thoughts were running through her head. As they approached their destination, however, Sunset spoke up. “We lost contact with one of our patrols earlier today,” she began, never looking away from the floor. “We figured it was a glitch, something that’s been happening during the last few days. We did our best to reconnect, but as time wore on, it became obvious that something was wrong. We sent out a few search and rescue squads but never heard back. Then, a little while ago, the patrol showed up at the castle doors. They…,” Sunset blinked back a tear. “They’re not in good condition.”
They came to a stop in front of a drawn curtain and Sunset cleared her throat and put a smile on her face. “Rose Scratch?” She called out. “It’s Sunset. I have some friends here that would like to see you.”
“Sure,” a weak voice called out from behind the curtain. “It’s always nice to see new faces.”
Sunset looked up at the pair beside her before looking back to the curtain and drawing it away. Rose Scratch lay in a hospital bed in a johnny gown, an IV in her arm and a heart rate monitor on her finger. There were bags under her eyes and she looked tired. The monitor next to the bed beeped slowly. Her hand stretched out next to her and held on to the hand of a green stallion, whose bed was pulled close to her’s. A heart rate monitor was placed on his finger as well, the machine beeping even more slowly than the mare’s.
“Hey, Scratch,” Sunset said softly, moving to stand beside the mare and putting a comforting hand on her arm. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been worse,” Scratch joked tiredly. “I just feel really worn out.” Her gaze shifted from Sunset to the pair standing by. “And if it isn’t an Element of Harmony and the elusive Psycho Ranger,” she said slowly, a mischievous smile on her lips. “What brings you to my humble presence?”
“They... would like to know what happened in the Everfree,” Sunset said hesitantly. The small spark in the mare’s eye died down, something Chris immediately took notice of.
“But we can get Sunset to fill us in on that,” Chris said quickly as he came to stand beside Sunset. “Maybe there’s something else you’d like to talk about instead?”
A look of relief spread over her eyes as she looked up at the young man. Chris allowed a small, soft smile of reassurance. “Well,” Scratch began, shifting in her bed. “I was wondering what it was like in that armor of your’s.”
Chris didn’t let his smile drop, but his eyebrow twitched, almost unnoticeably. “It feels like any other armor,” Chris started. “I put it on and I can feel all that power running through me. It’s amazing. I feel invincible,” Chris’ smile finally faded. “But when I take it off, I feel so small, so defenseless. It’s like the armor is the only reason I can do what I do. What’s worse is that the suit doesn’t feel like it belongs to me. It’s like borrowing someone’s shoe. It fits just fine, but deep down you know it’s not yours….” Chris looked over to the mare and saw a small smile on her face and she let out a short laugh as she saw his look of puzzlement. Chris let out his own breath of laughter. “What’s so funny?” He asked lightheartedly.
The mare let out another laugh before looking towards him, a smile still on her face. “I just wanted to see how you saw yourself. Whether you count yourself among the rest of us or saw yourself higher….” She took a ragged breath and started coughing harshly. As the coughs raked across her body, she lifted her hand and grabbed hold of Chris’ shirt. Chris took it in his own and held her hand, trying to convey as much comfort as he could to the mare.
The coughing stopped and the mare relaxed. “Thanks,” she murmured quietly.
“No problem,” Chris answered, lowering her hand back to the bed. He tried to let go, but she held on, so he simply wrapped his fingers around her own again. Just then, two pairs of footsteps could be heard walking towards the group. Chris looked up to see Apple Bloom and, to his surprise, Heavy Ladle walking towards them.
The pair came to a stop in front of Rose Scratch’s bed and Heavy Ladle’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Scratch….”
Scratch gave another small smile. “Don’t worry, mom. The doctors say me and Heavy are going to be okay.” Chris furrowed his eyebrows at her words and shot a glance at Bloom, who avoided his gaze. “They said that we’ll be going through a few procedures to patch us up,” Scratch continued and she looked to Apple Bloom. “Isn’t that right, doc?”
Bloom looked to the mare and cleared her throat. “Yeah, Scratch, that’s what we said. But you need to get your strength back first.”
Scratch smiled and nodded, knocking loose another horrendous cough. She squeezed Chris’ hand once more until the fit passed, before looking up at Heavy Ladle. “Sorry, mom,” she apologized. “I’m just really tired…,” the mare’s eyes began to droop.
A few tears rolled down Ladle’s face. “It’s alright, dear,” she said reassuringly. “You need your rest… but before you fall asleep, can I tell you something?”
“Of course, mom,” the young unicorn replied.
Ladle choked back her tears before going on. “I just want to say I love you. I love you both… so much.”
Scratch gave a weak chuckle. “We know, mom. We love you, too….” Her eyes drooped down and closed. Her breathing slowed, and her body started relaxing. Chris held on to her hand for several long minutes until it to relaxed. The mare let out a final breath, and the heart rate monitor next to bed let out a continuous beep. Just like that, Rose Scratch the unicorn left the world of the living.
For a moment, everyone present was silent. Slowly, Heavy Ladle broke down into tears, sobs escaping unbridled. Sweetie moved to comfort the older mare, bringing her into a comforting hug even as tears started to fall from her own eyes. Bloom stood still for a few more moments, allowing her own tears to flow silently before moving to turn off the monitor by the mare’s side. She then moved to the other side of curtained-off space and turned off the false monitor next to the stallion.
Chris watched all this in silence, letting his own tears fall without a word. He looked to Sunset to find that she too had tears streaming down her face. Chris looked back to the unicorn in front of him, and let out a ragged sigh. “Sunset,” he said slowly, getting the alicorn’s attention. “We need to talk.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he started walking towards the door. He pushed the door open and held it for Sunset as she followed him.
He turned to face her as the door closed. He took a few breaths to steady himself and wiped away the moisture on his face. “Who were they?” He finally asked.
Sunset took a shaky breath. “Their names were Rose Scratch and Heavy Weather. They were engaged,” Sunset sniffed a bit before continuing. “Scratch’s father was one of the first casualties the Resistance suffered. Heavy Weather was Ladle’s son… he was the only family she had left.”
Chris stayed silent for a few moments as he processed what he had been told. He eventually raised his hand to his face and rubbed his mouth letting out another breath. “What happened?”
“According to what Rose Scratch told us, they were following a group of cogs when they got ambushed,” Sunset paused. “They tortured Heavy in front of her until she gave up what they wanted to know. Luckily she kept her head about her and fed them false information. But when they got what they wanted they...,” she took another breath, “the Machine Captain stabbed Heavy Weather through the chest and had Scratch shot, and left them to die. Scratch managed to cut them loose and get back to HQ. Heavy Weather was dead before she got here but she didn’t know that….” Tears started rolling down her face again. “We couldn’t save her,” she choked out. “She overexerted herself and her magic trying to get back. Any procedure we would have done, even with magic, would have only killed her sooner.”
Chris listened intently to every word, absorbing every syllable. “How did she describe the Machine Captain?” He asked quietly
Sunset swallowed her sobs and continued. “She said he looked like a giant monitor with arms and legs. His face only appeared on the screen.”
“Mean Screen,” Chris said in recognition, his face screwing up in anger. He lifted his morpher and typed a message on the screen that he sent to Sweetie’s communicator to be read out to her later. He turned and started stalking away from the med hall.
“W-where are you going?” Sunset called out behind him as she ran to catch up.
“To give Nightmare the low down on this creep,” Chris replied without looking back. “Then I’m going to find him and beat his face in.”
~To Be Continued~