//------------------------------// // An Abridged Reunion // Story: Tales of the Battle Foals // by Sirdubya //------------------------------// Armed with the knowledge they needed, Quantum Tech and Zebota grabbed a couple jars of the glowing resin and began making their way back to the drawbridge. Quantum kept Stone Century’s journal in case she missed something about the resin that would help them properly use to fuel the drawbridge. They had to ascend atop another watch tower to get their bearings, and Zebota zip lined Quantum in the direction of the bridge, much to her nerves’ dismay. Just the other one, it led them to the roof of a small building, but there were thankfully no Fallen waiting for them this time. “….….Zebota, if I have to go through that one more time…” Quantum said. “Would you rather take more time by slowly walking the whole way? The Fallen seemed to take slightly more interest in us.” Zebota said. “Yes….I hope it’s not because of our possession of the resin. They seem to be attracted to it.” Quantum said. “Perhaps their memories of their worship of the tree that produced it still linger in their corrupted minds.” Zebota said. “Perhaps….” Quantum said. “Say….didn’t you say that the nature spirits that are here are in pain?” “Yes, but I do not know why.” “Could you try to commune with them and ask them about this tree? Perhaps its destruction is what’s causing their pain.” Zebota thought for a moment. “That is not illogical, but I fear that any communion with them will attract the Fallen, so let us get return to the drawbridge control room.” Quantum nodded. “I agree……say, why don’t we….ugh…..renew our masked scent.” Zebota reached into his bag. “Good idea. It has been a while since we last……huh?” Quantum cocked her eyebrow. “Something the matter?” Zebota looked at her with his eyes widened in horror and gulped. “The cloth is……gone.” Quantum’s eyes widened with his. “Wh-Wh-What!?” “I-It must have flown out of my back when were zip lining. How could I not foresee this happening!?” Zebota said. Quantum found herself starting to hyperventilate. Without her mech suit, she was completely helpless. Zebota was her only defense against the Fallen besides running, but without sufficient nature spirits to grant him power nor Shrapnel to protect him, he was almost as naked as she was. “I-I-It’s ok! We’ll just….u-uh…..W-W-We’ll just be a little more careful! Th-That’s all! Hehe…..yes…..n-nothing to it.” Zebota took a deep breath. “Let us try to remain calm and tread very lightly. The moment that a predator senses that its prey is afraid is the moment that its prey falls to it.” Quantum eased her breaths after a brief moment and nodded nervously. “Ok…” Just like before, Quantum went in front using her glasses to navigate with Zebota right behind here ready to strike if necessary. They carefully treaded downstairs from the roof and into the street. Visits from the Fallen were becoming a little more frequent than before. Whether it was because of their fading scent or their resin, they didn’t know, but they were constantly on high alert. They made damn sure not to trip over or kick anything over, anything that would make the slightest bit of noise. Quantum resisted the urge to try and fuel one of the hover carriages with their resin supply. They turned the corner to see the drawbridge only a few blocks away. Only a few Fallen were between them and freedom. Now all they had to do was make it there. “Alright….the last stretch.” Quantum whispered. The two started their way towards the drawbridge, but we stopped when another Fallen came to inspect them. They stopped dead in their tracks as the twisted mare stopped mere inches in front of them. Zebota didn’t draw his tomahawk for the risk of making too much noise; he and Quantum were as still as a statue. The mare’s blinded eyes burned into their souls as she bent her head down to stare the two down. Her glowing saliva drooled down her face and onto the floor like a rabid dog as she growled and gurgled. She held this position for what felt like an eternity, but was really about three minutes before slowly raising her head back up. For another few moments that felt like an eternity, she just…..eyed them. The two eyed her back, hoping that she would go away soon. They could practically hear each other’s racing heartbeats….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. “GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The mare bellowed a guttural scream that evoked the surrounding Fallen to their location. “RUUUUUUUN!” Zebota wasted no time taking Quantum’s hoof and leading through the gauntlet as they dodged through oncoming obstacles. “ZEBOTA, LOOK OUT!” Quantum screamed. She pointed to a Fallen pegasus swooping down from right in front of them. Zebota quickly drew his boomerang and flung it at the flying fury. It clipped one of his wings, and he plummeted to the ground. Zebota caught his boomerang as it returned to him. “GO! GO! GO!” With the small horde of Fallen right on their tails, Zebota and Quantum ran like no tomorrow towards the control room for the drawbridge. Quantum Tech managed to slow down their pursuers by magically destabilizing a tower of rubble, causing it to fall between them and the Fallen. “Good thinking!” “I do what I can!” Quantum said. They at last made it back to the control room and bolted through the door, slamming it shut as they entered. They wasted no time moving some furniture and the like in front of the door to barricade it. “Ok….Ok! Now let’s see.” Quantum took out her jars of resin and looked for instructions on what to do. Much to her relief, there were pictorial instructions painted onto the wall that were still legible! Below them was a machine that resembled a jukebox and was connected to a circuit-like pattern on the wall. Within it was a glass vial that still had a little bit of the resin in it. “Seems simple enough….” “Quickly, Quantum Tech! I do not know how long this will hold!” Zebota shouted as he stood against the barricaded door. “Right, right!” Quantum quickly filled the vial with the resin that they had recovered. It was full! “Yes! Now to activate it!” Thankfully, the machine was still operable with the resin. It made a humming noise as the circuit patterns on the wall began glowing the same blue hue as the resin. Looking outside the back window, she noticed that the same patterns were on the drawbridge, and they began glowing as well. She eagerly flipped the switch, and the drawbridge began lowering…..there was just one problem…..“OH, BLAST!!” “What is wrong!?” Zebota asked. The Fallen were becoming more aggressive. Quantum began to panic. “I should have foreseen this! This side of the bridge only controls this half of it! The other side has its own control console! It’s not coming down with the one on our side!” “WHAT!?” Zebota rushed over to the window and looked out. Sure enough, only their half of the drawbridge was lowering. The other remained as still as ever. “DAMNATION! What do we do now!?” Quantum looked around frantically. “Um…Um! Well, let me think! N-No need to panic! Um!.....Aha! Perhaps there’s an emergency switch on this side that lowers the other half!” “But we do not know if that half has power or not! Even if such a thing existed, it would potentially be useless!” Zebota said. “As if we have any other options! Now where might it be?” Quantum began searching around for a possible emergency override of some sort. There didn’t seem to be any sort of switch or the like inside, but another pictorial tutorial depicted next to the one showing how to power the controls showed a button on the outside in front of the bridge being pushed by a pony followed the opposing half of the bridge coming down. She looked outside to see said button. “What!? Why would they put it-….Gnrrrgghhh! It would be logical to think that it runs on its own power supply….” Zebota looked out the window with her. “It is glowing! That must mean that it will work!” A piece of furniture fell off of the barricade as the Fallen slammed on the door harder and harder. The two were starting to panic. “A-Although, we have the Fallen to worry about!” Quantum stammered. Zebota took a deep breath and looked Quantum in her eyes. “Quantum Tech, you got hit that button. I will distract the Fallen!” Quantum looked at him like he was crazy. “Zebota, are you mad!? There’re FAR too many of them for you to handle! That would be suicide!!” “I am no fool, Quantum Tech. I need only lure them away from here so that you may press that button. I will find my way back safely.” Zebota said. “Zebota, this isn’t some jungle that you can leap around in! These are lifeless, crumbling ruins!” Quantum said. “That may be so, but it follows the same laws of the wild. Please, Quantum. You must trust me. I know no other solution!” Zebota said. Quantum looked at him with worry in her eyes. Zebota was clever indeed, but the thought of letting him throw himself to these monsters made her heart ache. Nevertheless, she knew that it most likely their last option. She sighed and hugged the brave zebra. “Don’t you dare die on my account.” Zebota returned the hug. “Nor you, my friend.” They broke off, and Zebota took out a window on the opposite end of the small building with his sling. The shattering crash seemed to divert the attention of the Fallen as they stopped banging on the door. Zebota leapt out of it and whistled loudly. “COME AND GET ME, YOU CORRUPTED BEASTS!” Quantum could hear him galloping away with the Fallen hot on his tail. Once she could hear that the coast was clear, she quietly crept out the door after removing the barricades and made for the emergency button. She wasted no time hitting it. When she did, a visible pulse of blue energy rang out of the pole containing the button as if to send a signal. Whatever kind of signal it was seemed to be received by the other half of the bridge as it’s edges began to glow as well. Much to Quantum’s joy and relief, it started coming down and eventually connected with the other lowered half. “YES!” she exclaimed. “Now I suppose I should go back inside and wait for-” When she turned around, she found herself face to face with a trio of Fallen standing next to the door to the control room! They were trudging towards her as if to decide if she was prey or not. Before she could stick around to see their decision, she bolted for the bridge, praying that Zebota would eventually follow her. She didn’t care if she wasn’t in great physical condition; her adrenaline propelled her down the ruinous construct as she tried to get away from the feral fiends, desperate to lose them. Her glasses were getting readings, but she was too frantic to care. Suddenly, she tripped and fell! “Oof!” She looked up to see the pursuing Fallen charging towards her with no intention of slowing down! By the time she’d get on her hooves it’d be too late…..“AIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!" Quantum could only scream and cover her eyes as her untimely demise approached…. The suddenly loud noises prompted her to open her eyes to see the three Fallen….well, fallen and dead on the floor. “Ah reckon that ain’t no way to approach a filly.” Quantum’s eyes lit up as she looked up to see a very welcome sight. The trademark hat and vest coupled with two smoking guns were unmistakable. “Howdy, Ms. Quantum Tech. Hope Sound n’ Fury didn’t startle ya none.” he said as he tipped his hat. “KICKBACK!!” Quantum threw her arms around the young gunslinger. Kickback would normally try to push her off of him, but thinking about what she must have been through, he let her have this one moment. “QUANTUM TEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!” Quantum was forcefully knocked off of Kickback by a very eccentric…..eh, you probably figured it out. Crazylocks looked down at Quantum as she laid over her. “QUANTUM! QUANTUM! QUANTUM! QUANTUM! YOU MISSED IT! WE FILLETED AN APPLE GORILLA AND MADE A ROCKY HELMET OUT OF ROCKS AND SANG SLUG FOLKSONGS TO ALBINO MAPLE LEAVES AND LEARNED HOW LICK OUR TAILS WITH OUR EYEBALLS FROM AN EGGPLANT WIZARD AND RESCUED A SISTER THAT FIRE FIGHT DIDN’T KNOW HE HAD AND-” Quantum quickly got up and put her hoof over Crazylocks’ mouth. “Good to see you too, Crazylocks.” She said with overt frustration. She could then feel Crazylocks starting to drool and immediately retracted her hoof. Crazylocks started cackling. “Ugh! On second thought….” “Hey, Quantum! Drop something?” Spiral Galaxy said as she and Fire Fight put her precious mech suit down in front of her. “ My mech!” Quantum ran up to it excitedly. “And it’s still in one piece!” But before she could get in, Fire Fight stopped her. “Quantum, where’s Zebota?” Fire Fight asked her. “He’s being chased on the other side by the Fallen! We have to save him!” Quantum said. “The ‘Fallen’?” Greensprout asked. Quantum turned to face her, but was thrown off guard by the unfamiliar face. “Erm….I’m sorry. Who are you?” “I am sister Greensprout, and I-” “ YOU’RE GREENSPROUT!?” Quantum blurted. Everypony was understandably shocked that Quantum somehow knew their newest friend. “Da hell? How y’all know her, Quantum?” Turf War asked. “I’m sorry. I’ll have to explain later. We have to go and help Zebota!” Quantum said. Just then, she noticed a huge shadow being cast over her and the others. When they looked up, they saw that Shrapnel had leapt clean over them and Quantum’s mech and wasted no time rushing to his master’s aid, roaring loudly as he crashed through debris and rubble. “If…..his actions are of any indication.” “He says, ‘I’M COMING, MASTER’!” Crazylocks said. “And so are we. Let’s grab the zebra and get out of here!” Shadow Shroud said. Air Slash drew his swords and twirled them fiercely. “They will fall to my blades!” As Quantum lowered the seat of her cockpit down to her, Spiral tapped her shoulder and leaned in to whisper. “Air Slash likes her!” she whispered as she eyed towards Greensprout. Quantum raised her eyebrows and smirked upon hearing that. “Does he? Well then!” They giggled before following their companions. ***** Zebota could only bob and weave through ruined obstacles fire rocks with his sling to defend himself from the Fallen. Navigating through the stone jungle was more difficult than he anticipated, and it caused him to become lost. All he could do was run in random directions away from his pursuers as he tried to make it back to the drawbridge. He tripped occasionally, but quickly regained his balance. Some Fallen would hit him with thrown debris, causing him to stagger a bit and sustain some minor wounds. “Spirits, guide me….” Eventually he found himself in a town plaza where he found himself to be surrounded by Fallen! “Uh oh…” He had to stop himself in the middle of the plaza and looked around into clouded eyes everywhere. Suddenly, a bolt of blue energy flew towards him and exploded on the ground beneath his hooves, send him flying. “AAAAHHHHH!” Zebota hit the ground in agony. He could feel a few of his bones broken from the blast and fall, and he was badly wounded. As the Fallen began to draw near him, he suddenly recalled his parents. They had raised him to be a survivor worthy of the beasts he’d tame, but now it looked like this was it…. He clutched his brooch as he took a deep breath and let a tear roll down his bloodied cheek. “Mother…..Father…..It…..looks like I will join you soon. I do not fear death, but I have done as a survivor would and avoided them as best I could…..Know that my life, ever since yours ended has been lived for you…..Now……it is time for me to accept my fate………Shrapnel, Quantum Tech, Fire Fight, all of you……forgive me……..but, all is as it should be…….” Just before the Fallen could get with ten feet of him, one of the nearby buildings was suddenly toppled over by an overwhelming force. Clouds of dust plumed in the wake of its destruction, obscuring whatever destroyed it. Suddenly, a large mass leapt out of the clouds and landed atop Zebota. He looked up to see a familiar pair of green eyes looking back down at him. “SHRAPNEL!!” he cheered. The wooden titan excitedly nuzzled his wounded master before lifting him up into his chest. Seeing as he was too weak to fight by himself, Shrapnel roared a ferocious howl before going to town on the Fallen. Needless to say, they dropped like flies to the unbridled fury of the arborous monster……