//------------------------------// // 11: Improvisation // Story: Chaotic Emergence // by Gambit Prawn //------------------------------// A well-dressed professional compulsively adjusted his glasses as the bus rumbled under him. The sound itself repulsed him, and sometimes he felt as if he might gag at the sour taste it left in his mouth. It was packed today, and he could feel the radiated body heat from those around him. The other passengers were mostly focused on the idle amusements provided by their ubiquitous smart phones. He had tried such distractions before, but his constantly chirping mind never allowed his ruminations to cease. He looked out the window at the passing streets and felt a deep sense of remorse. Munich had once represented opportunity for him, but now it served as a reminder of how far he had fallen. He had considered moving back home, but truthfully he didn’t want to face his family after ‘the incident’. Distracted, he almost missed his stop and had to yell for the driver to wait for him. Thanking the woman, he stepped out of the bus and straightened his hat. Male-pattern baldness had taken a toll on him, and he insisted on wearing the high-end hat everywhere. It was a stupid behavior that concealed nothing—he knew that objectively, yet he still couldn’t shake it. Yet, as of late, it had taken on a new, more useful purpose. He climbed the stairs to his third floor apartment and moved to unlock the door, but he felt his feet hit something, and he looked down. The man gave a drawn out sigh. “Not again,” he muttered, exasperated. A small box was sitting on his welcome mat. It was clothed in wrapping paper depicting a familiar creature. He was tempted to chuck the package based on this fact, but it could be something important. Reluctantly, he brought the box into his home and flipped on the lights. His small one bedroom apartment was less than he could afford, but he preferred its snug living quarters. The den had just enough space for his many books, and he was particularly fond of his recliner, which was ideal for reading. Noticeably absent was a television, as he had fallen out of the habit completely during law school. He set the book on his coffee table and stepped into his small kitchen. It was a bar-like area that blended into the den. Behind the counter he had a basic sink, refrigerator, oven and microwave, all scaled to fit his minimal needs. He moved to the fridge to prepare himself a sandwich when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. “Hello, Nils,” said a mischievous voice as he felt a paw tapping him on the shoulder. “Go away. You’re not real.” Nils said, not even bothering to turn around. “Oh, don’t be so cold m’boy,” the voice said. “Did you see the present I got you? Did you?” Nils turned to face the creature. It was the same delusion as before—a multicolored dragon-like creature with mismatched horns, an asymmetrical colored body and a mixture of paws and claws for limbs. It was about two feet tall and floated wispily through the air. “I know you know I saw it. You seem to know everything else about me.” In vain, Nils checked his prescription bottles on the counter. Sure enough, he had already taken the maximum allowable dosage of his medication. If anything had warranted “as needed” surely it was this. “What do you want anyway?” he asked the creature. “Are you going to start benign before becoming violent with your suggestions?” “No, nothing of the sort. I come offering opportunity,” the creature said. “The life you live right now—working to live, doing boring paralegal work—surely this is below what an exceptional individual such as yourself is capable of.” Nils scowled at the creature. “I’ll have you know that Dr. Brandt and I are quite proud of this job. It’s proof that I’m back on the right track.” He turned his back on the creature and walked around the bar back into the den. The strange hybrid floated back in front of him just as quickly. “Oh,don’t listen to that stuffy psychiatrist! Surely you yearn for more out of life! Some adventure? Some excitement?” “You’ve got the wrong person,” Nils said flatly. “Maybe I have the wrong person,” the creature said with a grin, “but I’ve certainly the right stallion.” Nils paused and felt his ears. The emerald green fur he had shaved that morning had already grown back, and his ears had started to change shape, becoming floppier. It had started a few days ago. He had come home from the used bookstore when all of a sudden this creature had appeared before him as an apparition. At first, it would just circle around him like a two-dimensional projection, but yesterday it had taken on a more tangible form. It had started to talk to him around the time he started to imagine his ears changing. “So you are part of the whole ‘turning into a horse delusion?’” Nils asked rhetorically. “I hallucinate my ears changing, and you come along to reinforce it?” The creature laughed. “Well I’m certainly not denying it, Nils. After all, you were the one who stood on the roof at your old firm and shouted down—” “Stop it! Stop!” “Well, of course you know the rest.” “Just leave me alone,” Nils pleaded. “You should be careful what you wish for,” the apparition replied. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll answer one question—anything you want. Surely you are curious about me and this whole situation or your ears, for instance?” “Look, would you go away already?” “I will in approximately one minute and nineteen seconds,” he said coyly. “And I’m sorry to say that will count.” Nils shrugged. “What? No reaction? Come on! It’s like accidentally wishing for something with a genie. It’s supposed to be comedy gold!” “If you’re supposed to be a genie, then I’m relieved to escape without somehow turning the sun into a lamp.” “Bah! You’re no fun,” the creature said. “You must be one of those high-strung types that would wish for nothing out of fear of wish corruption.” Nils said nothing and instead started to make a peanut-butter and banana sandwich. On cue, the creature vanished when he said he would but not before blowing a raspberry. Victorious over the delusion for the moment, Nils walked back into the den and found the package where he left it. Sure enough, the odious design had vanished completely along with the wrapping paper and now it was now merely a standard brown package. He was torn, surely he should contact his psychiatrist about this. He was starting to have convincing delusions once more. Yet, he was fearful of this possibility. He had come so far finding work again; he couldn’t afford to be institutionalized. Without anything else to do, he examined the package, turning it over and shaking it a couple of times. It was unmarked, and he was not expecting any mail, so he couldn’t even hazard a guess as to its contents. Tentatively, he tore open the packaging and recoiled at what he saw. It was a thick, green hardcover book with yellowed pages. His eyes fell on the title and he read it, despite knowing exactly what to expect. Storm Chaser Equestria’s Myth and Legend. Domenico carefully observed the pony, who was looking puzzled. “In truth,” Storm said, “I had seen the book in a used bookstore just days before. When I turned into a stallion as described in the book, I started to suspect the book had cursed me. For the next couple of days, I was in denial about the changes that started happening to me. Eventually, reality was so overwhelming that I couldn’t any longer. I still partially subscribe to the curse hypothesis, but when I met the others and heard about their books appearing suddenly, I started having my doubts.” “That thing that appeared before you,” Domenico began. “Considering the impossible already happened with you turning into a pony, why are you so convinced that it was a delusion.” “A couple of reasons. First of all, it behaved like my other delusions. It insulted me at every turn and brought up my past. It also showed knowledge of things I had only thought previously.” Domenico was unconvinced, refusing to rush to rule out any possibility regarding the ponies. “I see,” he mused. “You appear to be quite sane—right now at least. Still, based on what you’ve told me, why should I trust you to be competent based on your past?” Storm looked down and away. “That’s been a prejudice I’ve faced a lot over my life,” he said. “Ever since I was diagnosed with delusional disorder, everything I’ve said has been suspect. However, I think the change in species may have changed my brain too, curing me perhaps?” “How so?” Domenico asked, skeptical. “In addition to having delusions, I was also epileptic. However, ever since I started to change, the seizures have stopped completely. This has been an enormous relief,” Storm said. Domenico sat down on the edge of the bed, crossed his ankles and brought his hands together. “So, you’re saying that you think your psychosis is in the past?” “Essentially, yes,” Storm said. “At least I hope…” he added, forlorn. “That doesn’t answer the big question, though,” Domenico stated. “Why are pretending to be this Storm Chaser?” The pony’s expression took on a tinge of guilt. “When I finally accepted that I was a pony, I took wing. I didn’t know how to fly, really, but at that moment it was do or die. If I fell out of the sky, who knew what would happen to me. People probably saw me, but I didn’t care. I just needed to get out of the city. Somehow I did it. Then, wandering the countryside I met a pony named Jackie. She—well, she was a woman who had become a pegasus stallion.” Dom blinked in surprise. “So it is possible… continue.” “I started traveling with her. We had no idea what we were doing in truth. We tried living off the land, raiding some farmhouses for food, doing whatever we could to survive. I’m not sure we would have managed if both of us weren’t pegasi. It helped a lot that we could sleep on clouds. The very physics of clouds seemed to be different for us. And out of necessity we became skilled flyers. We became confident—overconfident, rather. We snuck into the nearest town, hoping to scavenge some news about this pony phenomenon. However, rumors about us had started to circulate and the feds cornered us.” “And you abandoned Jackie?” Domenico asked disdainfully. Storm sighed. “I wish it was that easy. At least then this guilt would be understandable; at least then I would know I am lower than low and unworthy of companionship… No, we got away. But at that point, Jackie snapped. She couldn’t take it anymore. The uncertainty, the barely managing to get by, the hunger. She surrendered herself to them.” “I think I may now understand where you are coming from,” Dom said. “You don’t want to repeat that experience with these companions?” “Precisely! Though that is getting a bit ahead of things. When I lost Jackie I decided that if submitting to reality meant giving in, then I wanted no part in that reality. If her decision was sane,why I would rather be insane. So I made a decision then and there to live as the heroic stallion of legend. If I fail so be it, but if I succeed maybe I could do the impossible and thrive. And when I made that decision”—Storm gestured to the marks on his flank—”I earned these.” Domenico examined the pattern once more. They were like a strange tattoo on his fur, depicting a cannonball tearing through the top of a windmill. “I nearly killed myself in the process, but I developed my flying prowess by flying to the peak of Mount Ebrus in the freezing cold. I learned my magical abilities by careful study of Jackie’s book. And well, then I met Lynne and Xavier. And I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t let them give up like Jackie did.” Domenico scowled. “I can understand if you wanted them to think you are the real Storm Chaser. That would certainly help them feel safer. But why didn’t you throw out the book that casts doubts on your identity? I don’t get that at all.” Storm nodded. “I’ve been wondering that myself. Part of it is guilt I suppose. I feel bad for deceiving them.” “Then what’s the point?” Domenico asked, genuinely puzzled. “After all, none of them believe you are the real Storm Chaser anymore, so why persist?” “The difference,” Storm explained, “is that they believe I believe I’m the real Storm Chaser.” Domenico raised a brow. “I’m not sure I understand.” Storm nodded knowingly. “They believe I’m actually completely bonkers, and that’s what I want! If they think I’m crazy enough, they’ll believe that I’m truly as confident as I appear. They may think I’m delusional, but they’ve come to rely on my confidence to face the rough road ahead. If I can serve as a paragon of bravery to allay their fears, then that is enough. If even part of them buys into my false confidence, maybe they can persevere where Jackie could not.” What a crazy idea! Dom thought. I suppose I should expect nothing less from him. Still, it may be working, since his reckless regard for danger has gotten them results. Storm apparently didn’t know what to make of the silence, so he built on his explanation. “In short, the last thing I want them to believe is that I’m actually as uncertain and afraid of this situation as they are.” Domenico intuitively understood what the stallion was saying, far better than he thought he would. I suppose I’m like him in a way, Dom mused. I’m putting on a performance as a hardened mobster, trying to hide from them that I’m actually uncertain and out of my element…No, I can’t show weakness now. “I think I get it,” Dom said. “What about the captive pegasus?” “What’s complicated about that? I want to save her.” “Are you a fool? You do realize how many things could go wrong with this, right?” “I don’t care,” Storm said dismissively. “I’ve worried all my life about what might go wrong and been crippled by fear. For once I want to do what’s right.” Dom felt the idea resonate with him faintly, but he pushed it aside and said softly, “I suppose it’s no more foolish than me tagging along to save Diego…” “If you’ll help us, I don’t care if your reasons are personal. Just make sure the mare comes first. That’s all I ask.” “Nils,” Domenico said hesitantly. Storm practically flinched at the address. “Can I trust that you are sane?” “I—I think so…” the pony said. “Well, if we’re going to do this we’re going to need a plan. You’re the one who scouted the facility, so I would like to ask your help in mapping things out.” Storm laughed haughtily. “Very well, Sir Domenico. I shall gladly assist you with my honed military intellect. They won’t know what hit them!” Domenico rolled his eyes. “Incidentally, I am very impressed by your English!” Storm added. “Forgive me for underestimating you, but I didn’t think your vocabulary would be so broad as to include words such as psychosis.” The mafia heir scratched his head. He could get by with his English, but surely it wasn’t so good to warrant praise. He felt a chill. Wait a minute. Did I ever learn such a word? Come to think of it, the conversation had flowed effortlessly despite him working in a foreign language. Surely these few days hadn’t been enough practice to take him to the next level of comprehension. It unnerved him. When the day came, everyone was silent, a shared anxiety linking them. Storm put on a brave front, and if Dom didn’t know what to look for, it would have fooled him completely. They awoke at the crack of dawn and filed into Domenico’s car. He’d had to take the back seat out to make room for four—no, five ponies. Despite his offer, nopony had volunteered to be stuffed into the trunk. Channeling Giovanni, he triple-checked everything. He had his gas mask, three loaded guns, and—well, that was it. The plan was stupidly simple—far too simple for his liking. Essentially, it would start with Storm grabbing the monster’s attention; then they would break in, grab the mare while she was being escorted back to her cell and get out. Dom thought they had better than a fifty-fifty shot. He would have never agreed otherwise. Still, he tried his best to think of any refinements as he drove for hours along the rural road. Traffic was light, but he still checked the expressions of those driving by him for any sign of alarm. He had covered his rear windows with blankets, tarps and whatever he could find. Still he had forgotten to obscure his own view to the back seat and the ponies. He was fairly confident nobody driving by would be able to spot them unless they were looking for them. Still, he considered it a dumb oversight. Or, perhaps, he just wanted to keep an eye on them. Glancing back they were all hugging the ground on either side of the open space. Taylor and Lynne were curled together on one side, while Xavier and Storm were rear-to-rear on the other end. Something had clearly happened between Taylor and Lynne, but whatever conspiracy there was between two so recently acquainted could wait. He stiffened his body and focused on the road ahead of him. They had prepared as well as they could. This was his first true chance to strike a blow against the enemy he barely understood. It was more than that, actually. Diego was suffering, a slave of the mions. On his honor he could not allow this to stand. Still he failed to rationalize his fear. Was it fear of death? No, I walked into that restaurant prepared to die, so what—what is it? He looked back. They’re all expendable, so that can’t be it… I suppose what I’m afraid of is ending up like Diego. Yes, that has to be it. Giovanni had confirmed from practical experience that his pegasus partner, Yuki, was immune to the corrupting gas. That left him, the only human, as the only one at risk. He paused. That’s a strange thought. There’s actually another advantage to being a pony. I suppose I’d rather be a pony than lose my mind, but they’d never let me live it down. He’d make a ridiculous pony that’s for sure. Then again, none of the others, save maybe Lynne, were particularly good at being ponies. He silently chuckled. At least I’d make a better pony than Giovanni, he thought, imagining a well-kempt, mustached stallion. These were strange thoughts, though he supposed they made some sense given he was the odd-one-out when strategizing for a mostly pony party. At Storm’s signal, he steered off the road and started to drive along an uneven slope. After about two minutes, Storm indicated for him to turn, and he parked just outside a thick patch of woods. It was the perfect spot, relatively out of sight and close to their final destination. Domenico stepped out and opened the right rear door. Four furry ponies jumped out one-by-one and followed him to the edge of the woods. Dom pocketed his guns and strapped on his gas mask. “We’re really going to do this?” Taylor asked. “Of course,” Dom said, “it’s too late to back out.” “No, the other thing!” Taylor said, impatient. “Oh, that?” Dom said, shrugging. “There’s no other way around it. I’m not able to keep up with you guys otherwise…” “You riding me, though? Come on! I mean I’m half your size almost. Your feet can practically touch the ground…” Dom didn’t answer his complaints. Despite his protests, Taylor had actually proven consistently to be the strongest among the ponies. Quick tests had also confirmed that he could manage a full gallop while carrying Dom. “I still don’t get why you have to ride me on the way there. Can’t we just walk?” Storm shook his head. “Nay, Dearest Taylor. It is prudent that we master the conditions under which we are escaping. If you are unaccustomed to carrying Domenico through the forest, it could hinder our escape. Besides, if you are unable to perform the feat, it is critical that we learn this now.” Taylor looked down, defeated. “I still can’t believe I’m agreeing to this…” Lynne leaned into Taylor. “It’ll be fine, Taylor, I know you can do it. It’s what we’ve prepared for, Just think: we’ll be able to do some real, tangible good today. Imagine how that pony will feel when we’ve rescued her.” “I hope you’re right,” Taylor muttered as Dom mounted him. The mare grunted, but gradually grew accustomed to the weight. The group exchanged silent assent and they began to put the plan into action. Storm took the lead, having memorized a path through the woods. Dom had his legs pulled up to avoid them dragging. He had to duck frequently as they weaved their way through a thicket of trees and bushes at full gallop. This was only possible due to Storm’s route, but still the ponies had practiced reflex training in the woods near the cabin in order to make this feat possible. It was a circuitous path, but amazingly, it only took them ten minutes to reach the outskirts of the manor. It was a two storey wood building and had an aged aesthetic to it. It was painted white and had pale purple shingles. “Here we are,” Dom said hesitantly while dismounting Taylor. The mare looked at him as if violated, and he had to stop himself from reflexively whispering an apology. “Now, we wait,” Storm declared. Having nothing else to do, Dom scanned the fence. Crouching he followed the perimeter of the fence until he found what he was looking for. The iron-wrought fence was quite old and rusted in places. However, one section looked considerably weaker than the rest. Finding it, he gestured to Xavier. “How about it, Xavier? Do you think you can blow it up?” “Piece of cake,” the unicorn replied. “Where’d you learn that idiom?” Dom asked. “What idiom?” “Nothing,” Dom replied, at once intrigued and disturbed. Xavier normally didn’t have the English ability for such idioms. Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Dom was concerned about this part of the plan. Although this was certainly the weakest part of the perimeter, Xavier’s magic was rather unreliable. From what he had seen, the unicorn would channel his rage and create an explosion. It was powerful, but it would still backfire with some regularity, leaving the unicorn with a soot-covered face. Lynne on the other hand, was far more consistent, but her levitation was limited in its application. As they waited, Dom ran through several scenarios in his head. Storm had estimated that, including the monster-man from before, there were sixteen mions in the manor. From what the pegasus scout had seen, all of them had red skin pigmentation. Dom saw this as fortunate, as there would be less reluctance to kill, both for the ponies and for himself. He still doubted if he could bring himself to pull the trigger on Diego, but he had hopes that Diego’s inhuman complexion would make it easier. Finally, after about forty minutes, he saw Diego exit the manor with the pony on a leash. He was flanked by the rancher imposter and four mions. As predicted, the pegasus made ill-fated attempts at flying, hitting the ground each time. Each time, she failed, she earned more abuse from her captors. It was hard to watch, so he tore his eyes away from the scene. Unlike the ponies, he was prepared to abort the mission at any time, so he couldn’t afford any sympathy for the mare. Instead he looked to the ponies, whose eyes were wide with empathy. Lynne and Xavier had looks of remembered horror mixed with righteous indignation. Taylor, meanwhile was just stunned. “Dang,” Taylor said as the captive mare started bleeding from re-opened wounds.. “I didn’t think it would be this bad.” Dom nodded. It would be for the best for Taylor to be fully onboard with what they were about to do. Any hesitation could very well cost them. Storm was grinding his teeth and started to hover nervously. Dom pushed him down to the ground and shook his head. “Perfect, Xavier said. “Our big problem has left the group.” Dom shut his left eye to shield himself the mare’s torment and followed by eye the short, red-skinned monster of a man. When he had shut the door, he turned to Xavier. “I’ll ask again: think you can do this?” “Damn right I can,” Xavier replied, trying his best to make his girlish voice sound as not cute as possible. He wasn’t very successful, but Dom still felt his determination come through. “Remember,” the mafioso announced, “if you can’t do this we abort mission and try again tomorrow.” He eyed Storm as he said this. Murmured assent spread through the group. With a deep breath Xavier gritted his teeth and focused intensely on the fence. An orange aura started building up around his horn, growing brighter and brighter. An almost comical expression of determination formed on the unicorn’s face as if every muscle thereupon was willing the fence to blow. Finally, the aura swelled in size and the other ponies and human ducked. With a bang the rusted segment exploded away from them as small pieces of scorched metal scattered on their side of the fence. Domenico quickly examined the hole and found it perfectly suited to their purposes. He could comfortably gallop through while riding Taylor with room to spare. Following this cursory examination, he nodded to Storm who saluted and took off through the gap. The pegasus flew up to the second storey and crashed through a bedroom window. From what Storm had observed, it was where the mion leader’s routine would take him after menacing the mare. Storm avoided a spine as he flew backwards out the window and did a backflip—the signal. Taking a deep breath, Dom ran at a full sprint behind the three trotting ponies. When they reached the manor home, Taylor turned around and bucked the large living room window full-force. Taylor had practiced by bucking trees near the cabin, and the experience had taught them that the earth pony’s kicks were in fact quite powerful. This time, too, they were not disappointed as Taylor’s blow to the window succeeded in knocking it inward, frame and all. With zero hesitation, the four of them jumped through the newly-created entrance, side-stepping shards of broken glass. Immediately they came upon a pair of mions rushing into the sitting room to confront them. Domenico drew his weapon as quickly as he could, but still one of the mions was faster. Identifying the human of the group as the biggest threat, the gun was pointed straight at him. Trusting the plan, Dom continued to raise his weapon at the armed mion. Lynne’s magical aura then appeared, jerking the enemy’s weapon towards the ceiling just as it fired. Seizing his chance, Dom shot their adversary right between the eyes, dropping him. Meanwhile Xavier had ignited an explosion near the other mion’s face. Although not lethal, it caused the man to stagger backwards. Taylor then turned and bucked the mion full-force in the chest, cracking ribs. Without breaking stride, Dom shot the remaining mion in the head. Silence prevailed for a tense moment. Intermittently, Dom could hear the sounds of fighting upstairs. Glass was breaking, furniture was smashed and a primal roar was let loose. He couldn’t spare a thought for the stallion duelist though, as five mions flooded into the ornate dining room they were in. Lynne’s eyes bulged in intense concentration as Lynne grabbed a pair of enemy guns simultaneously. They floated upwards slightly, and the enemy braced themselves to try and bring them down. Eventually, their physical strength prevailed over the pony’s magical force, but the mare didn’t give up. As the enemy fired, she jerked their weapons to the side, causing them to miss badly. The remaining three mions didn’t wait around, though. Taking advantage of the narrow quarters a particularly bulky mion grabbed one of the two joined dining room tables and flung it across the room. Dom had to make a lightning fast calculation—he was near the corner he could avoid it; the ponies would have to retreat. Shit! He thought as realization dawned. What if the table blocks their way? There was no getting around it, this was a gaping hole in his analysis. Swallowing hard as the table continued hurtling through the air, he resolved to follow his plan, sidestepping and shooting the two armed mions. He got only one of them in the head, but both of them dropped to the ground. Observing the table through the corner of his eye, he saw Lynne’s magical aura envelop it. The table seemed to slow in midair. Then, a determined look flashed across Taylor’s face and the mare jumped, rotated in mid-air and repelled the projectile with a mighty dual-hoof impact. The wood table creaked and splintered as its momentum reversed before dropping on top of its earthbound twin with a crash. Unfortunately, Taylor’s landing was much less athletic than the move, and the pony landed on his back. Dom urged himself to take advantage of the opening Taylor created. Trigger finger trembling, he rushed and shot over the remaining mions’ heads. The mion closest to Dom then grabbed a hefty piece of fractured wood and charged straight at the young man. Dom froze momentarily, but in that short timespan Xavier detonated the chair leg in the charging man’s arms. Still, the mion continued pressing forward, and Dom had to duck to avoid a savage left hook and awkwardly drop to the ground and roll away to cause a strong kick to miss. Fortunately, Taylor had righted himself and headbutted the enemy at a full gallop, repelling him. Without bothering to pick up his dropped pistol Dom drew a backup weapon and gunned down the remaining foes while Lynne aimed their guns at the ceiling. “Go!” Dom commanded, and the group galloped to the next room. It was a spacious foyer with ascending and descending sets of stairs. Immediately, Dom spied two mions running up the stairs. This time his aim was true and he effortlessly dispatched the two enemies. Then, through the void of silence left by the gunshots, he briefly heard some panicked neighing coming from the basement. And I just blocked the stairs with corpses. Shit! Domenico thought. Many sets of feet could then be heard trampling down the stairs. Mion reinforcements were coming down fast.  Thinking quickly, Dom started to call out an order. “Xavier!” However, the unicorn had already had the same idea, as a thick orange aura surrounded his horn. It spun loose from the horn as if flung and hurtled through the railing of the stairs above before exploding. Fragments of a wall rained down on the stairs and piled up into a rubble roadblock. Nodding his approval, Dom returned to the problem at hand. Looking down the stairs and towards his goal, he grabbed the first corpse by the ankles and started pulling it from the descending stairwell. With hesitation the unicorns joined in by biting down on the fallen mion’s legs and pulling upward. With each tug Domenico felt their precious time tick away as he heard the enemy above trying to smash their way through the barricade. The mion was heavy and the three of them had to synchronize their pulling in order to heave it up the stairs. Momentary stress flashed through Domenico as he anticipated repeating the task with the other body. However, as soon as they had pulled the first corpse off the stairs, Taylor quickly trotted down the stairs, pulled the other corpse on his back and dropped it off at the base of the other set of stairs. Dom was tempted to kick himself for not letting the earth pony take the lead, but he had no time for regrets and took the lead down the stairs. He scampered down the narrow stairwell, which turned sharply at the bottom. Immediately he was confronted by an animal musk as he turned to see a modified wine cellar. First, he noticed a quickly improvised holding area apparently created by welding bars and a gate onto the two-meter tall ceiling. Then, concurrent with a rapid shock that convulsed through his entire being, he noticed his mark. Diego looked almost exactly as Dom had last seen him—brown coat, hair combed the same sleek way, mischievous complexion. However, the bright red skin and the blank expressionless eyes betrayed the fact that the friend he had once known was long gone. He had imagined this moment poetically when he had drawn his plans up: Diego would go out with a fight, requiring all four of them to subdue after a lengthy struggle. Then Dom would lament the tragic circumstances aloud before announcing poignantly, “Now I give you peace, Diego.” Reality, however, failed to live up to such lofty dramatic standards. Recognizing the immediate threat that the changed man now represented, Domenico simply fired repeatedly, aiming for the head. He only offered a silent apology as the unarmed mion fell to the ground dead. His goal achieved, it was only then that Dom noticed the trembling pegasus mare. She was smaller than any of the ponies in Dom’s party with a tropical orange coat. Her mane and tail were a mixture of bright red, lime green and banana yellow. It was as if these bright colors were declaring war on their dreary surroundings. The mare was trembling, and she crouched to make herself smaller, ears drooping. “Come on! We’re here to rescue you,” Dom said. The pegasus’s scared complexion only took on an added contour of confusion. Impatient Dom tried different languages. “Come on! We need to go. ¡Vamanos! Allons-y!” The pegasus scanned the ponies in his party as the remainder of the group touched down on the cellar floor. At first the pony looked reassured; then she looked heartbroken. Finally she nodded. “Oui…” Clearly the pony wasn’t grasping how much of a rush they were in, so Dom ran up to the mare and picked her up before directing his group back of the stairs. He heard a steady hammering; then, there was a crash and their rubble blockade burst. Some of the mions drew guns. “Lynne!” With his warning the unicorn knew exactly what to look for as the half-dozen mions came into her field of view. In a rush, she jerked their guns to the side with such force that they came loose of their lax grips. Shocked by her success, Lynne allowed the guns to drop to the base of the stairs. ‘Good enough!” Dom shouted as Xavier directed a quick explosion at the center of the enemy group. They reached the front door. Dom fumbled with the lock for a few seconds before hearing Taylor running behind him. He dodged with a second to spare, and the earth pony pounded the door full-force with his front hooves, knocking it out of its frame. Holding the heavy pony like a football as he scrambled out the door, Dom realized he couldn’t go on like this. “You’re going to have to run on your own,” he said, dropping the pegasus. Fortunately she seemed to understand and ran with the pack as soon as she was free. He started to loop back towards the rusted gate as planned, but then Storm called, “To the West! They have the East blocked off! “What!?” “West! West!” Stormed repeated. “Fuck,” Dom swore. He wanted to keep to the plan so badly that he almost considered that the pegasus was lying. This was a possibility he quickly dismissed, however, so they kept to a straight path away from the busted door. Up ahead, another iron gate came into view. He could hear the mions’ footsteps close behind them. “Xavier,” Dom said, “it’s all up to you.” “Right,” Xavier squeaked, as once more an orange aura enveloped his horn. It swelled and swirled before bursting into a cloud of smoke. Xavier coughed and gagged and began to slow. Instinctively, the entire group slowed to accommodate the mare. Gunfire started whizzing by them. “Xavier! Again!” Dom ordered. “I c—c-can’t,” Xavier coughed. “You have to!” Xaviers horn glowed again before immediately fizzling out. “It’s either you blow up the gate or we all die!” Dom warned grimly, as he looked back. Storm had begun to circle around the south side of the manor, bringing the spined monster and three mions on his tail. “To the North then!” Storm shouted, broadcasting their next move to the small mion army. “There’s no gate on the North side!” “Then why the fuck did you say West originally?” Dom said, furious. They were clearly going to die, so he felt no need to hold back. “The backup route,” Lynne said reminding him. “It must be the backup path Storm said he memorized another way. But if Xavier can’t get the gate it’s no good.” “Fuck!” Dom repeated. “No way around it then, it’s North or die.” “Wait!” Taylor shouted, looking nervous. Swallowing, he whispered to nobody in particular, “please work…” Taylor stopped on a dime and reared before slamming the ground with his front hooves. The ground shook and Dom felt a shockwave rumbling under their feet. It travelled at a rapid speed underneath the surface of the earth, appearing as a large molehill speeding headlong towards the gate, tearing up the soil as it traveled. Reaching the gate, it sprung upwards with a bang, as if it were a landmine. Reeling from the great impetus, the gate warped upwards creating a small gap. Taylor shook his head in disbelief. “I’ll be damned. That part of the book wasn’t fiction.” “You did it!” Lynne cried, hugging Taylor as they ran. “A fluke…” Taylor replied. “You can congratulate each other later. Let’s go!” Dom nodded in agreement with Xavier. Meanwhile, the pegasus mare didn’t say a word. One -by-one the ponies ducked beneath the fence and pushed their way through. When it was his turn, Dom froze in disbelief. Unthinkingly, he gestured for the pegasus mare to follow the herd. Watching her, he pondered his fate. I guess they’re leaving me behind. It’s no surprise; I can’t fit under there, so they may as well save themselves. I’ve no regrets I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. A gunshot grazed his arm. This was the end. It was either fight and die or try to escape in vain. He glanced at Storm flying high above and chose the latter. What good was bravado anyway? Moving to an unmangled area of fence he tried to pull himself up and over. The fence was taller than he was and it was tipped at the top, so there was no chance. Still, he tried to pull himself up and over it, but it wasn’t to be. He felt a pair of hooves pulling on his shoulders. Storm was hovering above him and pulling as hard as he possibly could. Realizing the possibilities of their combined strength, Dom once more started to pull himself up, and together the two of them tumbled over the top of the fence. “Good thinking, Sir Domenico. I couldn’t have lifted you on my own,” Storm said. Dom was silent and he turned to the four mares who were waiting for them. With a sigh Taylor lowered his muzzle to the ground, and Dom mounted him once more. “I know the way,” Storm said. “Onwards everypony!” Once more, they followed Storm through a maze of trees, bushes, brush and bramble. Despite his efforts at avoiding branches and thorns, Dom added many further scrapes and scratches to those inflicted by his fall over the pointed gate. This second trek was even more lengthy than the first, or perhaps it was only his perception of time that had shifted. In any case, the whole while Dom was tormented by the imagined sounds of pursuit. The steady hoofbeats did well to drown out extra noise, but every rustling of the leaves still put him on high alert. Upon reaching a wide stump, Storm flapped his wings and sat down on it, inviting the others to join him. “I’m almost positive we’ve lost them,” he whispered tensely. “I would hope so,” Taylor snarked. “I’d be hardpressed to tell you which way we wound up going after all of that.” Catching his breath, Storm walked to a pair of trees and peered between them. “For this next part, I’m going to have to ask you to trust me.” Lynne gave a measured nod. “What do you mean?” Taylor asked. That is not good, Dom thought. Taylor’s curiosity got the best of him and he joined Storm at what he quickly discovered to be the edge of the woods. “Hang on! Aren’t we—” “Just North of where we were? That is indeed the case.” “I see,” Dom said, mused. “We were going to have to loop back to the car regardless.” “I get that, but wait a second!” Taylor demanded. “There has to be another way around.” Storm shook his head. For the first time Dom noticed a shallow cut directly underneath the stallion’s right eye. “If we go any further North, we will reach a well-traveled highway. We can’t afford to be seen—at least not by that many. Besides, if we take too long, they will discover the car, and we’ll be stranded.” We? Dom thought. You’re the one who can always escape on your own. Still, he and the others sided with Storm. Casually, he looked on the mare they had rescued. Meeting his gaze, she seemed to shrink away. Upon pressing his masked face closer, the mare was actually starting to tremble. Does she even understand that we’re rescuing her? You’d think other ponies would comfort her. Eventually, the clear consensus was to go, so they dashed across the open area at a brisk pace Domenico could keep up with. Even still, the mare lagged behind. They took cover behind trees when possible, but they were inevitably exposed for long seconds at a time. The old chateau loomed large, a constant reminder of the real peril they were in. No matter how well-controlled, the beat of hooves was too loud. His own panting too was far too loud and threatened to expose them. Still, after about two minutes Domenico started to feel safe. He started thinking the bold gambit had worked. Then— “Quickly, take cover!” Storm ordered, flying up into a large tree. Dom didn’t even see the threat, but he obeyed nonetheless, taking a few steps back to hide behind a skinny tree. Xavier and Lynne huddled together under the tree Storm had taken refuge in, while Taylor pulled the mare of unknown identity behind a large rock. He started to doubt Storm, but then he saw the tiny outline of a man approaching. Deep red, leathery skin, spines tearing his mud-matted fine clothes. A tense minute passed as he grew ever closer. “Come out. Come out,” the man repeated, desperate. Dom was strangely calm,despite adrenaline coursing through his system. His life was but a whisker away from being snuffed out. Objectively, fighting should have been an option, but somehow he doubted bullets would work against a monster of this nature. Still, Dom’s body primed itself, ready to take action. Truthfully, he expected himself to be more terrified than he was, but he supposed he was grateful he retained his logic. Currently, hiding had the best probability of success. He looked above and saw Storm starting to gather clouds just in case they might need them. At first he reasoned that Storm could reprise his role as a diversion, but he quivered upon realizing how easily it could be assumed that the group was together. Dammit Storm. There was no way around it now. He would have to hope that the monster wouldn’t look up. Fortunately, as if coming to the same realization the pegasus slowly slid downwards and slipped into the tree without making a sound. Thinking as fast as he could, Dom scanned the area for anything that could give them away. Naturally, his first suspicion was on the mare. However, she was silently cowering, muddy hooves glued to the ground. Wait! Mud!? NO! Sure enough, Dom spied a patch of mud just a few meters away from where Taylor was hidden, a cluster of hoofprints clearly visible. Thinking quickly, he waited anxiously for Lynne to meet his gaze. It took her only a few seconds, but it felt like each beat extracted a blood price. When he had her attention, he pointed, and she nearly gasped. Concocting her own scheme, she used her magic to pull on Taylor’s tail. The earth mare winced and looked at Lynne confusedly. Lynne returned a serious expression as she gradually swept Taylor’s tail against the muddy pegasus’s hooves. Taylor gave a wordless gasp. Lynne then crinked his tail a bit and pointed towards the mud puddle, nodding at him. It took Dom a second to comprehend. He loathed to rely on such an unpredictable variable but it seemed like their best chance if it was out of Lynne’s range. However, they had little time to plan as their pursuer inched closer. He had his nose to the ground like a bloodhound though his body contorted to remain balanced on two legs. Levitating a medium-sized rock, Lynne tossed it at another rock a small distance away to simulate the sound of movement. Momentarily distracted, the mion spun around and started to jog in the direction of the noise. Taylor seized the opportunity and lightly pounded the earth. It was far too loud, Dom thought. The mud puddle bubbled and slopped like a shaken pot, erasing the crowded hoof tracks. However, the mion immediately turned around. Even more suspicious, he approached the unicorns’ hiding place. He sniffed once and roused himself at the smell of horse. Fuck! “Take this, FOUL ONE!” Storm shouted, pounding on one of his clouds to let loose a lightning shock. The mion was caught unaware, and the high voltage momentarily stunned him. There’s no time! We… Lightning, tree... That’s it! The tree! Abandoning all hope of hiding, Dom started to bark out orders. “Xavier, blast the tree!” Lynne dodged out of the way, and the other mare obeyed his command, charring the tree trunk with a loud pop. “Lynne, hold him in place with your magic!” Lynne’s horn glowed, and the enemy struggled momentarily against Lynne’s magical shackles before succeeding in moving his feet for the first time. “Taylor!” “I gotcha!” the pony shouted, bursting from his hiding place. In a single gallop, he took position behind the tree and bucked it with all his might. The tree creaked and swayed before tumbling under its own overwhelming gravity with an almighty crash. The mion was squished like a bug, the cracking of spines standing in for the crunching of an exoskeleton. He didn’t need to order it, and within seconds of their triumph they were running behind Storm. He momentarily thought the orange mare had slipped away, but she caught up to them in no time. “Onward, Everypony!” Storm shouted, diving into the forest. Taylor and Xavier followed him. “Ow—oww!” Lynne cried, tripping over a rock. She righted herself and tried to run again, but just as quickly she stumbled again. Meanwhile, A horde of mions appeared, closing the distance fast. Without hesitation, Dom doubled back and threw the unicorn mare over his shoulders, bullets whizzing by as he did so. In this type of situation, the mare’s weight was an immense burden, but through sheer willpower Dom pushed himself to keep up with the ponies. He was panting heavily even as he entered the eastern forest, ducking under thick branches. His lungs felt they would burst any second, and he imagined a particularly sharp branch might even be able to pierce them. Mercifully, this third trek through the forest was the shortest yet. The downside of this was that the mions were able to more easily track them. With just enough time to spare, Dom unlocked the car, threw Lynne in the back seat and started the car, trusting the other ponies would get in themselves. He floored it, not even looking back when gunshots pierced the rear windows. Delvaux sat in a stiff, purple armchair, freshly bathed and awaiting his sentence. At his side was Diego, whom, through their incomprehensible new biology, he was able to resurrect by sacrificing his remaining mions. It made sense: he was fond of his new manservant, while the other mions had failed him utterly. Speaking of utter failures... said a woman’s voice in his head. “Who—who the hell are you?” Delvaux asked fearfullly. Are you truly too feeble-minded to remember? She asked. It wouldn’t surprise me. “Wait! You were the one who converted me that night. What are you doing in my head? Where’s the Herald?” An utterly insignificant insect such as yourself no longer has any right to demand a god’s attention. As your overseer, I have been given responsibility for your punishment. Allowing the mafia boy to escape, letting our pony be stolen from under your nose, wasting our resources to resurrect a mere servant. Clearly, your incompetence leaves a lot to atone for. I thus, revoke the blessing. Whereas, succumbing to the mion plague had been an agony, being severed from it was on another level. Delvaux screamed incessantly at the top of his lungs as his mind was purged of billions of threads uniting him to the hivemind. As each was painfully ripped away, some of his sanity came loose. In his mind, he cursed the woman with every profanity he could muster. Gradually, sentences became words, words became syllables, syllables became thoughts, and thoughts gave way to pure, animalistic emotion. When she was done with him, only instinct remained. Her psychic attack had rotted away all of his superior cognitive faculties, leaving only the brainstem fully intact. The shell that had once been known as Delvaux drooled, forevermore oblivious to what had just happened to him. Take him away, the overseer commanded in Diego’s head. He will make good fodder for our weapons tests. Diego nodded and obeyed. Invisible, Discord appeared and wrapped himself around the shell. “Well, well, well,” he said, mischievously rubbing his claws together. “What have we here?” He magicked himself into a gardener’s outfit and slightly pulled down the former dignitary’s trousers. Digging slightly with his trowel, he planted a seed near the man’s tailbone and examined the spot with a magnifying glass. Squinting he could barely make out a single bronze hair. “It’s a girl,” Discord chuckled. “Now, now,” he said, putting his claw under the oblivious man’s chin. “Don’t think Uncle Discord’s going to leave you out cold and alone in this cruel world. You’re special, my little pony. In fact, one might even say that you will be reborn under a lucky star...” Laughing, Discord disappeared, leaving the mion and former mion none-the-wiser to his presence.