The raiders hadn’t followed the terrified Maretown refugees. They were probably already celebrating their victory.
Where Twilight Sparkle and Applejack had helped to heal the people as much as their skills allowed, Rarity and Pinkie had tried their best to cheer them up, however difficult that was. Maretown was lost, and everyone knew that the chance of getting it back was just as big as surviving a casual stroll through the crater; nihil.
Not many people had survived. About two dozen of them were still alive. More often than not women and children, as their husbands had tried to fight the raiders off. Whether they had been brave or stupid, no one could tell. But whatever they had been, no one could deny their devotion to preserving Maretown, their home.
Amanda had driven the tank slowly, so the people could keep up. Mayor Mare had concocted a clever plan. As she walked alongside the people, she mentally prepared a little talk she would have with Filthy Rich. As did Applejack, for that matter.
And now, Plaza City came into view again. Their trip was—hopefully—over. Now they finally had time to rest and grieve and forget.
Of course, the traders and people in Plaza City observed the procession and the arrival of so many people at once with questioning faces underneath their gasmasks. When they saw who were leading the crowd, they were met with even more bafflement. The colorful horses, of whom there were five now, instead of four, looking grim and frazzled and worn-out, had, apparently, returned to the city. Of course, Jenny the reporter fought through the crowd towards the front, eager to get the story on the airwaves and the speakers of Plaza City.
“Can you tell us what happened? Was this your special mission Filthy Rich sent you on? Twilight, what happened to your ear?! Why did you bring those people here? What is going to happen to them? Who is the new pony in your group? Did you fail or succeed in your mission?”
The questions were fired upon them rapidly and in a random order. Nopony said something—nopony but Pinkie Pie. “There was a beautiful village, and we had tea and biscuits in Mayor Mare’s huge house. Then we had an assembly with angry people, and after that, I played hide and seek with Rarity, and won! Can you believe it?”
On one hand, Jenny was glad some of her questions were answered, but on the other hand, Pinkie’s answers only created more riddles in her mind. As she returned to her office, she kept trying to piece the story together by the scraps of information Pinkie had given.
They descended the big, marble staircase, and were led to the pretty door, where Filthy Rich awaited them. But when he saw the bedraggled, soot-covered figures of the ponies—and Twilight with a bloody bandage around her head—his smile disappeared. “I take it your mission didn’t go quite as planned?”
“You’re darn right it didn’t!” Applejack said, stomping her hoof on the ground.
“Whoa, whoa, easy my dear Applejack,” Filthy said. “I’m sure we can have a nice long chat about everything. But first, allow me to take care of your poor friend.” Filthy Rich clapped his hooves twice. In a matter of seconds, a servant came rushing in. Filthy told him to treat Twilight’s wound, and so he did.
Meanwhile, the rest of her friends managed to calm Applejack down, they sat and had a long talk. Pinkie was left outside to ‘go play with the guards.’ She shouldn’t hear a word of what they were telling Filthy. They told about the terrible battle, the string of refugees, and the state of Maretown.
“Well, that’s actually not that bad,” Filthy Rich said, tapping his chin in thought. “I think you have succeeded in your mission after all.”
Applejack jumped up. “Not that bad?! What do you mean, ‘not that bad?!’ It was a total disaster. People have died!”
Filthy Rich raised his hooves. “Now, calm down, Applejack. That is not what I meant. I meant that I can now send some of my army to swipe the place clean, and rebuild Maretown from the ground up. I’m sure I can make it look lovely again. So, that’s why I say, you have completed your mission. Maretown is mine, and you have earned my favor.”
“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute,” Applejack said. “We still haven’t discussed the business part yet. Mayor Mare here is still the owner of Maretown, even though it is temporarily annexed. As soon as your soldiers would clear out the place, Mayor Mare will be the mare in charge.”
Filthy Rich bit his lip. Applejack was right, and he, as an honest businesspony, had to honor this fact. He cleared his throat and loosened his tie. “Very well. You are right, Applejack. Maretown is still legally the property of Mayor Mare, and the only way I’m going to get it is when I buy it from her. So, Miss Mare, what do you want in return for Maretown?”
That was something Mayor Mare had to think about. If she wouldn’t sell it, she was stuck with an invaded village, because Filthy Rich wouldn’t send his army to liberate it, or employ builders to rebuild it. The town would be useless to the people that once inhabited it, and they would never see their homes again.
The people…
The people had to come first. As a leader, her citizens should be priority number one, and she should care for them and help them. That’s why Mayor Mare raised her hoof as if she were going to give a very important speech, and made her decision.
“Let me THE FUCK in!”
That was not what Mayor Mare said; that was someone on the other side of the door. They could hear the sound of heavy hooves upon the marble, the sound of the doorknob turning, and then the thud and splintering of the wood, as Raspberry Trick bucked in Filthy’s poor door—something he was getting very good at.
For a split-second, everypony and Amanda glanced at the strange, blood-red pegasus, his suit strapped open, his gasmask hanging around his neck, and his scarred face twisted into a snarl. Then Amanda stepped up, jumped towards the pegasus, and hugged him. “Triggerhoof! Is it really you?”
Normally, Raspberry Trick would shove off anyone who even thought about hugging him. But now, he felt that hugging was what was best for Amanda. “Yes, Amanda. I’m back. I’m alive, and… I am happy to see you too. I thought you were dead.”
“And I thought you were dead!” Amanda said, her voice cracked. Already there were tears pearling off her cheeks.
Raspberry Trick gently ended the embrace. The corner of his mouth twisted into a half-smile. “And I am also happy to say that I brought a friend…”
“Trick! Wait up!” another voice shouted from behind.
But Filthy Rich was not going to let another intruder step through his door. “Guards! Guards!” he yelled. “Where are my guards?!”
“Why, playing with Pinkie Pie, of course,” Rarity said, and couldn’t help but smile.
Seconds later, a bearded man, wearing full soldier’s garb—helmet, bullet-proof vest, suit—appeared in the doorway.
“General Johansson!”
Now it was the general’s turn to be abashed, as Amanda ignored all soldier’s protocol and trapped Johansson in an embrace too. “I-I-I didn’t know where you were,” Amanda said. “I was going to look for you, but instead, I found these mares.”
“The elements of harmony,” Trick said, as he let his gaze scan all the ponies in the room. It looked as if he were threatening them all, as the guns strapped to his barrel moved from pony to pony too.
“What in the hay is the meaning of this?” Filthy Rich shouted.
“Shut up, moneybag,” Trick barked, “I’m talking with the elements here.”
Such power was in Trick’s voice, that Filthy Rich said nothing more. That, and he got two guns aimed at him.
Twilight Sparkle stood up, and stuck out a wing, as if she wanted to shield Filthy Rich from the pegasus. “We are… eh… very glad to see you again, Mister Triggerhoof. It’s been a long time since we met.”
“Yes,” Trick said, “and I should have stayed with you. I should have helped you there and then.” Reaching back, Triggerhoof bit the belt buckle and loosened the straps that held his guns. They clattered to the ground. “I came here to help you, to offer my guns to your cause. I came here to swear my fealty to you, as that is what Zecora wanted.”
“What Zecora wanted?!” Twilight exclaimed, “she’s here too?”
Raspberry Trick said, “Yes,” and then quickly summarized his adventures in the forest with Zecora. The ponies couldn’t believe what they heard. They wanted to help her immediately, but also knew that would be difficult.
Taking out his GPS, Trick said, “I’ve got her location on the GPS.” He tossed the thing to Twilight, who caught it with her wing. “You can always go back and help your zebra friend.”
“That’s… mighty kind of you,” Applejack said.
“Indeed it is…” Rarity added. Where before Applejack and Rarity had been unpleasantly surprised by Trick’s behavior during their first meeting, now they saw this pony was different from the one they had met. Something had changed. It wasn’t much, but it was something, although neither of them could lay a hoof on it.
Twilight looked from the GPS back to Raspberry Trick, still weary of the situation. “If you’re really here for us, then we would very much like to know what it is you want.”
“We want to help you,” General Johansson said, stroking Amanda’s head and gently nudging her aside. “Raspberry Trick here said you were on a mission, possibly a combat mission. We are soldiers, and we stand by your side.”
“Oh, wow. That’s… good?” Twilight said.
At the same time, Raspberry Trick and General Johansson gave a salute. Then Johansson said, “So what do we have?”
Twilight tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“Guns, soldiers, artillery, explosives, intel on the enemy, on the battleground, your battle plan,” Trick clarified.
“Well… eh… nothing.”
Mayor Mare, who had watched the whole scene with wonder and amazement, continued where she left off, as she saw opportunity. She looked at Filthy Rich, and addressed him as if this whole soldier reunion had never happened. “Mister Rich, could you provide us with everything this… eh… gentlecolt just summed up?”
Filthy Rich saw what direction Mayor Mare had in mind. “You want to have a slice of my army in exchange for the neighborhood?” he shrugged. “That seems like a fair deal, I’d say. You can have two companies, three hundred soldiers. Accord?”
“But not only that,” Mayor Mare said, who wasn’t done yet. “I want you to take care of the refugees from Maretown. Give them food and water, give them a place to sleep, and, once you have recaptured and restored Maretown, you will let them live their lives there as if nothing happened—if they want, of course.”
Filthy Rich straightened his tie. “That’s a lot to promise for a small piece of land…”
“But a small piece of good land,” Mayor Mare said. “Good land without irradiated soil or irradiated skies. A place where you and whoever else can live in safety, as if the catastrophe that destroyed this world never happened.”
“Well, if you put it that way…” Filthy Rich was playing a game, but, unfortunately for him, Mayor Mare saw that. There was nothing he could do to cheapen the price. He just wanted that land—so badly. He too, wanted to live the dream Mayor Mare described so vividly; a chance for him and his family to live a normal life in a world ravaged by war. That’s why, after a long and drawn-out sigh, he admitted his defeat, and said, “Accord.”
“Wonderful!” Mayor Mare stuck out a hoof, and they shook hooves. The deal was done.
**
They spent the rest of the day on one of the lower—and richer—sublevels. There was a small cocktail bar with a bartender who behaved as if the world had never ended, able as he was to still do a normal job in the world.
Amanda, General Johansson, Raspberry Trick, and Twilight Sparkle sat together around a table. They took the responsibility of leadership. Mayor Mare was there too, hoping that she could help in some way, even though she knew she hadn’t much to offer them. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie went off to explore Plaza City, but were sure to stay underground, as they knew that would be the safest thing to do.
They sat together, planning and plotting the upcoming battle. Filthy Rich had given them everything they needed; soldiers, about three hundred of them—half of Filthy’s army—armed and ready for battle. The plan was to split up, and attack from two directions at once. Johansson wanted to stay with Filthy Rich’s army, and lead them into battle. Raspberry Trick and Amanda were supposed to go with Twilight Sparkle and her friends, and attack from another direction. They were going to board the Winter, drive as deep in enemy territory as they could, and then make their move, while the army would provide cover and a distraction. They were convinced by Trick’s statement that a good distraction is really helpful. Of course, General Johansson knew all too well that was true.
When both clock-hands pointed at twelve, they were done with their battle plan. The tasks were divided, and everyone knew what role they had to play. “Are you really sure this assault will work?” General Johansson said. “It’s not as if I don’t trust you all. I mean, we have a battle plan. It’s just that I don’t want to lead my troops into a suicide mission.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded. “I understand what you mean. I think it’s safe to say that everyone will be doubtful about the outcome of the battle. My answer is ‘no,’ I don’t know if the assault will work.”
“What do you mean?” Raspberry Trick said. He didn’t like the sound of this.
Sighing, Twilight said, “We were supposed to make a stand against Chrysalis when the elements of harmony would be together. We still need to find one element; our friend Rainbow Dash. Without her, the elements will not have maximum power. She is still somewhere here on Ground Zero.”
Raspberry Trick slammed a hoof on the table. “But we have to attack now! Democracity is lost, and I’m sure the changelings will attack another major base or compound soon. Hell, they might just choose to destroy Plaza City. It’s so close to the crater and important to all the people of Ground Zero. I can’t even guess why they haven’t attacked yet. We have an army now. We have weapons now. Now is our opportunity to strike. It’s not gonna get better than this.”
“I agree with Trick,” Johansson said. He briefly paused, and rubbed his face with his hand. “Democracity was a slaughter, it really was.”
Twilight nodded. “I understand your arguments. As much as I hate to admit it, I am afraid that we will have to attack Chrysalis without the element of loyalty. You are both right; we have a golden opportunity now. I just… I just hope we’ll get a chance to find her afterwards.”
Suddenly, Mayor Mare raised a hoof. “Princess Twilight, I couldn’t help but notice that you said you need only one element, but you told me that two are missing; loyalty and kindness.”
Twilight’s look of despair changed, as a knowing smile curled on her lips. She looked at Mayor Mare. “No, Mayor, we are just one element short, as we have found the element of kindness already, in Maretown.”
Mayor Mare’s mind worked on these words. She began thinking about other ponies that lived in Maretown. But there weren’t any other ponies living in Maretown. Could a human be the element, then? Suddenly, realized what Twilight meant. She let out a big gasp, her mouth open and her eyes big. “You mean… You mean I…”
“Am the element of kindness,” Twilight said.
Mayor Mare looked at everyone in turn, as if she waited for someone to clarify. “But… how? Why? Are you sure?”
Twilight took Mayor Mare’s hoof in her own. “We saw how you ruled Maretown, how you tried to solve the argument to fight or flee. We saw how you tried so desperately to avoid any bloodshed, up until the very last moment. And when the raiders did attack, we saw how you immediately thought about the poor citizens, and wanted to help them together with Applejack. No, Mayor Mare. There is no doubt in my heart. You are the element of kindness.”
Still, Mayor Mare couldn’t believe it. If Twilight hadn’t told her right here, right now, she knew she would never have come to that conclusion herself. “I… I can’t believe it.”
“But I can, Mayor,” Twilight said. “All my friends and I know for sure that you are one of us.”
Mayor Mare shook her head. “But that means I must go with you. I must go and fight our way through the changelings, and confront Chrysalis.”
Sighing, Twilight said, “I’m afraid so. I know that I can never ask something like that from you, especially after everything that happened in Maretown. Yet still, there is no other—”
“Don’t you worry, Twilight, I will go.” Mayor Mare winked. “This old Mare is still bucking, and ready for the world, however cruel it is.”
Instantly, Twilight’s smile returned. “Thank you, Mayor Mare. Thank you so much.”
“I would do anything to help save lives, whether here or in Equestria, it doesn’t matter,” Mayor Mare said solemnly.
“We know, Mayor. We know…”
**
As they all went to the sleeping quarters Filthy Rich assigned them, Amanda knew it was time to make her move. The conversation about the missing elements had caused goosebumps on her skin. She felt as if she were lying to them, and, in a sense, she was. But that had to change. She had to tell them. Now.
Amanda slept with the ponies, while Trick and Johansson had their own room. Their bedchambers were actually two different bed stores, so they had plenty of beds and mattresses to choose from. When everypony was inside, and Amanda closed the door, she knew it was time.
But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t find the right words to tell what she wanted to tell. She wanted to tell it gently, wrapped in the right words so that it wouldn’t shock them. Of course, there was no way to do that.
“Is something wrong Amanda?” Pinkie said. She had seen her mulling. “Why the frowny face?”
Amanda stiffened. She should have hidden her sorrows better. She was just about to say that is was nothing, when a surge of courage made her speak the words. “Everypony, I… I have something to tell you all.”
Everypony turned their eyes to Amanda.
Amanda didn’t look back; she looked at the ground. “I… have something t-t-to tell you all, and I should have told you sooner. You see, Rainbow Dash, I… I found her but she… she…” And that was when the tears came. Her voice was so broken by sadness that she was unable to speak the words. She didn’t even need to, as Twilight Sparkle guessed what Amanda tried to say, and she guessed right.
“Come on, come on, Amanda, spill it!” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down.
Twilight Sparkle unfolded her wing and laid it on Pinkie’s shoulder. She tried to hide her tears. “I’m afraid Rainbow Dash is going to play with Fluttershy now, Pinkie.”
“Oh…” Pinkie said, all the enthusiasm gone from her voice. “Well, I hope they have fun together.”
“We hope so too, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “We hope so too.”
Slowly, everypony walked towards Amanda, and sat down in a circle on the floor. Amanda joined them, and began to explain just what exactly had happened with Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, her story became interrupted by tears, and then the ponies too, had to cry. She told about the Russians, how they had captured Rainbow Dash; about her quick conversation with her in the prison cell; and about her execution. The last part was the hardest to tell. Amanda just couldn’t express what vile thing had happened. She ended her story in tears.
“And I am so, so sorry, everypony,” she said, her head buried in her hands. “I should have done something, but I just didn’t know what. A-a-and I should have told you sooner. It was just… it was just…”
Twilight folded a wing around the sobbing woman. “Don’t worry, Amanda, we understand. We’re not angry. We’re just… having trouble accepting yet another loss.”
And so the evening ended in complete silence. Twilight, Amanda, and Rarity sobbed softly, as they couldn’t get the picture of the execution out of their minds. Applejack pushed the sadness away with anger—anger aimed at the Russians. If she would ever see one of them, she swore she would let him have a taste of her hooves. Pinkie Pie was in deep thought, wondering what games Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were playing in the afterlife. They had all gained one element of harmony, but lost another.
In the end, they all fell asleep, exhausted as they were. They all dreamed about Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, alive and safe. But the dreams of Raspberry Trick and General Johansson were filled with war.
**
The next day, it was time to take inventory. General Johansson and Raspberry Trick took a good look at the three hundred soldiers they had. They were gathered outside on Ground Zero, and every one of them stood in tight formation. General Johansson stood on a pile of rocks, with Triggerhoof next to him, overseeing the troops. The ponies and Amanda weren’t there with them, but had retreated together. They were not in the mood to see any more soldiers and guns.
“Present arms!” Johansson called. Some of the soldiers raised their weapons, and some had no idea what they should do.
Trick and Johansson looked them over. Their army was a mishmash of professional soldiers, mercenaries, thugs, and ex-commandos. All of them had different guns, and all of them looked differently. The military veterans were clad in black Kevlar, while the mercenaries and guns for hire had leather padding and ammunition belts slung over their shoulders. And now it was General Johansson’s job to let them fight together, to create one army out of them. But Johansson knew how to do that; by emphasizing the common enemy.
“I’m not going to lie, soldiers, this fight is gonna be tough,” Johansson said, pacing around on the natural platform. “We know we are outnumbered, but… we are not outgunned. It is not raiders, reds, or other scum we are going to fight. No, we are going to fight changelings.”
And this was where Raspberry Trick took the word. His voice was rough and powerful, the voice of a professional soldier. “The changelings are unlike anything you’re used to. They are about my height and size, and with wings too.” He flapped his wings to show them. “Also, they are poisonous, and any bite is sure to leave you dead in a matter of minutes. Trust me, I speak from experience.
“So the nature of our enemy is special. The changelings can change. They can shapeshift into any other thing or creature, so also into you and your fellow soldiers. You must all watch your backs, and keep a firm grip on your guns. The changelings cannot conjure objects out of thin air, like guns, so that’s gonna be our code. If you see a soldier moving in our ranks without a gun, shoot him on sight.”
The crowd of soldiers shuffled uneasily. Trick saw that. “Stand still, you bloody wimps. Just keep your gun where it belongs; in your hand. It’s that fucking simple!”
Raspberry Trick cleared his throat, and continued the briefing. “Something else they can do is leech on your positive memories and your love. This ability also works if you’re wearing gasmasks. The changeling will make sure you stay put, open its mouth, and feed on the love in your soul.”
“Bullshit!” one of the soldiers shouted.
Trick jumped, landed, and swiped his tail. Before the man knew what hit him, he lay outstretched on the ground. “Do you think I’m joking?” Trick snapped. “Then I want to talk to you again when the changeling has fed on you. I want to talk to you again after the love is gone from your soul, leaving just a black, empty hole. I want to talk to you again when the skin of your face gets ripped off your skull, and your eyes incinerate. I want to talk to you again if you’re still alive after that, and not screaming for every fucking god you know.” Trick paused to pretend to be thinking. “Or… on the other hand, I don’t want to talk to you again. I want total obedience, or people will get killed, and I don’t want to have this talk with every fucking soldier here. And as for you—” Trick bent down; their gasmasks bumped together—"I’ll be sure to place you in the front ranks.”
Johansson watched the scene. “Triggerh—eh, I mean Raspberry, I think he gets the message. Why don’t you stand up here with me again, and resume the briefing.”
Without a word, Raspberry Trick turned around and jumped on top of the rocks again. He took a moment to throw a nasty glance to every soldier, before he started talking again. “Everything I told you, applies to both the normal changelings as well as the elite ones. Now, the elite ones are the real bastards. They can shoot a magical energy lance from the tip of their horns, which will incinerate you, and give you a nice souvenir.” Trick turned his head, so the others could see his scars through the visor of his gasmask. “They can also shoot sticky goo, immobilizing you or disarming you. As I said, keep… your… gun… in… your… hand! The last thing I have seen them do is leech life. Where the regular changelings can only take away your love and positivity, the elite changelings can drink the life right out of you. You don’t want that to happen. If you find yourself caught by an elite changeling, and you have no way to free yourself, then put your pistol against your head and shoot. Trust me, that’s what you want to do.
“And that’s about it. That’s all we know of the elite changelings. Maybe they have even more abilities, but then that will be a surprise for us. Isn’t that fun?”
The troops said nothing. Even the most ruthless warriors were now looking at the blood-red pegasus, impressed. If the enemy was really as powerful as he described, then he did a hell of a job at fighting one.
Raspberry Trick looked the soldiers over, and then spoke about the positive parts. “So now we know what they can do against us, but what can we do against them? The normal changelings can be killed with any weapon; bullets, grenades, knives—everything. But the elite changelings are a different story. I emptied two magazines of heavy caliber assault rifle rounds on one of those bastards. It did nothing. I guess their hides must be like our Kevlar vests or so. Doesn’t matter. What matters is that you can only harm them with every sharp weapon you have. Knives, bayonets, tomahawks, etcetera. Hell, if you can find a sword, I say go for it. Aim at the shoulders, the eyes and the neck; those are the open spots in their armor.”
The troops mumbled a bit. Some soldiers were already busy putting their bayonets on the barrels of their guns.
“Are there any questions so far?” Trick said.
A man raised his hand. “I have one, sir.”
“Shoot.”
“Can we actually win this battle?”
To that, Raspberry Trick frowned, and looked the man straight in the eyes. “I have no idea.”
**
The rest of the briefing was spent telling the men about the terrain, some specific tactics they could deploy, and maneuvers they could use. They also practiced, playing different scenarios out on the bleached fields around Plaza City. A throng of people left the traders in the city alone to gather in front of the shopping mall, so they had a good view of the soldiers. Naturally, Jenny the reporter had told the citizens of Plaza City all about the upcoming fight against the changelings. Now the people also knew that they were in danger, and that they should be ready for anything.
As the army moved in tight formation, General Johansson and Raspberry Trick stood by and watched. Johansson crossed his arms. “Are you ready?”
Trick looked up to his general. “What do you mean, sir?”
“Well, you’ve made sure that our soldiers are ready, with the briefing and all, but I was wondering if you are ready.”
There was silence for a moment. Trick considered whether or not to tell Johansson what he really thought. But, as mentioned before, Trick would never lie against his superior. “I am not, sir, and I never will be.”
“Why?”
“The crater, sir.”
Johansson nodded. “The radiation.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t worry, I understand.”
Suddenly, Raspberry Trick felt the urge to speak out his heart with his general—his friend. It was completely against his nature, yet, he figured that if they might die—and the chances of that were pretty high—they might as well share their thoughts. “It’s just… the idea of an enemy which you can’t see, smell, hear, touch, taste, or feel… It freaks me out. I can’t do anything against radiation, just making sure it doesn’t enter your body and fuck up your bones. Back in… back in Equestria, there was no radiation at all. I guess I never got used to it here on Ground Zero.”
“I understand,” Johansson said again.
“It’s that, and… and I would like to go to my parents. I would like to see them, just for a second, and tell them I remember, tell them I am really their son, and not just a soldier.”
“That’s something we can all relate to.”
“Yeah.”
On a command of one of the soldiers, the formation changed. They now stood in a circle, back to back, as if they were making one final stand against the imaginary enemy. Both Raspberry Trick and Johansson knew that they would use that maneuver. There was no doubt about that.
“And I want to see Doctor Goodman,” Trick said, completely out of the blue.
Johansson tensed. He cracked his fingers.
“I wanna say to him that I didn’t shoot him, before I go down to hell. Do you think I’ll get that chance?”
Johansson thought for a moment, scratching the back of his head. “Well, Goodman used to say that God is merciful, so yes, I think you’ll be able to see him.”
Raspberry Trick nodded. “And are you ready?” he asked. “Are you ready to fight?”
“I am,” Johansson said. “I am ready to fight for a cause and die for a cause.”
“And so am I, sir.
“And I have seen that,” Johansson said. “Who would be so crazy as to fight countless Russians to protect some random bunch of people in a bunker? Who would be so crazy as to fight changelings and nearly die to get a radio part? Who would be so crazy to fly halfway through the state in order to find his people, and be reunited with his friends? Who would be so crazy as to save his friends in a daring rescue mission from hundreds of changelings? And who would be so crazy to go on a suicide mission to get those magical… artifacts?”
“Elements, sir. The elements of harmony.”
“Yes, that.”
Raspberry Trick shrugged. “No idea, sir. I think it’s in my nature or something.”
“If that’s true, then you are a valuable ally, Raspberry Trick. I really hope you’ll succeed in your mission.”
“And I hope you won’t all get slaughtered by those damn changelings,” Trick said.
Johansson patted the pony on the head. “Raspberry, even if it gave you one extra second of time, I would fight and die and be a legendary distraction.”
To that, both soldiers grinned. The tension was out of the air.
But there was also something in the air. Raspberry’s ears swiveled backwards, as they caught a sound. It was like a distant hum. At first, he thought it was the tension flowing away from the air around them. But then he realized that was total bullshit. When he turned around, he saw something approaching, but, as far as he could see, it wasn’t changelings. It looked like a big, black cloud heading for Plaza City, ready to unleash its radioactive rain upon the bleached soil. Johansson saw it too. “You think we should make sure everyone is inside? Not everyone in that crowd has protective suits.”
“Yeah… I guess…” Trick’s voice was absent, as he continued to observe the cloud. It came ever closer. Trick thought it moved awfully fast for a raincloud. And the sound increased as well. Do radioactive clouds hum because they are radioactive?
But Raspberry Trick had read a book about radiation, as he had wanted to study his worst enemy. There was nothing in those books about humming clouds. Gamma rays make no sound.
The cloud came closer. Trick saw what it was.
“Sound the alarm! Sound the FUCKING alarm!”
One of the spectators heard Raspberry’s cry. Just a few moments later, an airhorn resounded, and everyone retreated inside.
“Soldiers, regroup! This is not a drill!” General Johansson shouted. Immediately, as practiced, the soldiers lined up before the pile of rocks, while some manned the big Howitzer cannons. They awaited the command.
With the sound of the airhorn, Raspberry Trick felt the adrenaline surge through his body like an electric river. His senses primed, his muscles quivered. War was upon him, and it felt good.
But… where were the ponies?
“Oh shit!” Raspberry said, as he realized that. He turned towards General Johansson one last time, and saluted. “I’ll see you again, sir. And if not, it has been an honor serving you.”
Johansson crouched down, grabbed Raspberry’s head, and gently made their foreheads touch each other; Johansson’s more badass version of a hug. “It’s like the Romans used to say; ‘those who are about to die, salute you.’”
Raspberry Trick had no idea what he meant, but patted the general on the back, and then took to the air. He shot into Plaza City, where many frightened people were either trying to find cover or trying to find their guns. When Raspberry Trick reached the big staircase, he already saw Amanda, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Mayor Mare scaling it. Trick met them halfway. “Let’s go, everyone! Let’s go to the tank!”
“Yes sir,” Amanda said, “pave the way!”
That was exactly what Raspberry did. As Twilight and her friends ran, Raspberry Trick flew ahead, waving his hooves, cursing, shouting, and shooting warning shots, so that the panicked population of Plaza City moved out of the way. They ran over to the withered bushes, where the Winter was hidden. Amanda opened the hatch, crawled inside, and scooted into the driver’s seat. Twilight sat in the co-pilot seat, ready to help Amanda if needed; Pinkie Pie manned the gun, excited as she was to actually fire it; Rarity tried to stay out of the way as much as possible, and kept an eye on the radar; Applejack got behind the heavy machine gun; and Mayor Mare sat behind Amanda and Twilight, ready to give advice.
And then they had a problem.
With so many ponies in one tank, it became really cramped. There was no way another pony could take place.
Raspberry sighed. “I get it, I get it… Just don’t stand in my way when I shoot.”
Chuckling, Amanda said, “Roger that, Commander Trick.”
The engine rumbled to life. Trick took to the sky. They were ready to go. Amanda drove the tank around Plaza City. When she rounded the bend, however, she let go of the steering wheel.
“Oh my God!”
The cloud had almost reached the city, and Amanda could make out the individual changelings as specks in the gloom. There were easily three thousand of them. The air kept droning and rumbling like the tank, as their wings flapped, and they neared the enemy.
So that meant that every soldier had to kill at least ten changelings. The sooner they started fighting, the better. That was exactly what General Johansson and his army did. The first bang could be heard. The first plume of smoke could be seen. The battle had started.
General Johansson had ordered an artillery strike. After the first, nine other explosions sounded, almost at the same time. The shells flew high up in the air. When Amanda looked closer, she saw some specks raining down. The shells had found their mark.
Raspberry Trick landed at one of the large Howitzer artillery guns, and helped with the reloads. There was a continuous serenade of exploding shells, accompanied by the droning of the changelings’ wings, and their shrieks and battle cries.
Hatch open, empty shell out, new shell in, primer, fire. Hatch open, empty shell out, new shell in, primer, fire. Raspberry Trick worked like a machine of war to feed a machine of war. He didn’t pay much attention to the changelings; he let another person aim. But his attention was quickly drawn to the changelings anyway, as the front ones had reached the soldiers. Triggerhoof could actually hear Johansson’s battle cry, as he stormed into the fight. The other soldiers soon followed. They ran over the hill to face their enemy, three hundred men, three hundred guns.
The men at the Howitzers abandoned the artillery, grabbed their rifles, and moved towards the battleground. Already the sound of rifles could be heard, chattering and barking lead. Trick pulled the bolts of his twin assault rifles back with his wings, checked his quiver with arrows and his bow slung around his shoulders, and followed the other soldiers.
**
Amanda drove the tank around the charging soldiers, so she could defend their flanks. As soon as she reached the side, the soldiers reached the changelings too. She could see battle all around her. Changelings were snarling, biting. Men were shooting, shouting. Amanda turned around. “Somepony man the main cannon.”
“Already on it, Amanda,” Pinkie said.
They had been so wise as to restock the Winter, and now it was time to put those new shells to good use.
“Good,” Amanda said. “Shoot at the changelings, especially the red ones if you can spot them. Aim deep into their ranks, and be careful not to shoot too close to our soldiers.”
Rarity perked up. “And, Pinkie Pie, while you are allowed to aim, you are not allowed to see where your shot lands, ok?” It was a desperate attempt at keeping Pinkie Pie away from the horrors of war.
“Don’t worry, Rarity,” Amanda said. “She can’t see anything through the smoke from the barrel.”
“Ah, good,” Rarity said. “I’d say our situation is already quite dire.”
“Did you say fire?” Pinkie said.
Rarity waved a hoof. “No!”
BOOM!
To her right, Amanda could see how a fountain of smoke rose around a crater in the ground. The changelings were blasted to pieces.
With a clunk, the empty shell fell to the ground. “Oh! Is that my reward?” Pinkie said, eyeing the smoking brass casing.
“Eh… no, Pinkie,” Rarity said. “You’ll get a reward… at the end… yes. Now, it means there must be a new… eh… tube in, so you can fire on.”
“Roger that!” Pinkie began reloading the gun as if she had reloaded a million guns before.
Mayor Mare looked at her swift and sure movements. “Wow, Pinkie! Do you have experience with guns?”
“Years of party cannon blasts,” Pinkie said, and peered through the scope again.
**
“Fight! Fight! Don’t let them pass!” General Johansson shouted, inspiring his troops. So far, everything went well. The guns kept roaring, and the changelings kept falling. Most of them had already landed or were flying low, so the soldiers had an easy time shooting them out of the air.
Johansson had only spotted five or six human corpses, but already the changelings were forming a large heap. With a chuckle, Johansson reckoned they must climb over it to get to the crater. If the battle would continue to be like this, they wouldn’t just prevent the changelings from entering—they would actually drive them back! That was exactly the intention.
Suddenly, he felt something bump him. He turned around, swiveled his gun, and almost shot Raspberry Trick.
“A lovely place to meet,” Johansson said, as he shot a changeling heading for his throat.
“I’m glad to stand back to back with you, sir.” Raspberry Trick reckoned he could stay here and fight alongside his general for a while, while Amanda drove the tank onwards. “Let’s push forward, so we’ll get closer to the crater.”
“Roger that,” Johansson said. “Everyone! Let’s move!”
**
“Look!” Amanda said, pointing ahead. “There’s the small town. We can find an entrance there easily.” The only thing was, that there was a whole cohort of changelings standing in the way. They hissed and put their heels in the ground, ready to withstand the tank.
“Well, I don’t know what they think they are doing…” Amanda said. “Pinkie, fire!”
“Yes, my name is Pie,” Pinkie said.
“Not Pie, FIRE!” Applejack called.
“Hey, you don’t have to yell, you know?” Pinkie said, returning to the cannon. She swiveled the barrel around, took aim, and fired.
Now the changelings knew what they were dealing with. As they saw their comrades being shredded to pieces, they quickly made way for the tank.
Amanda let the engine roar, driving forwards at full speed. She drove through a couple of streets, where no changelings had yet settled into an ambush. As she rushed straight through a half-crumbled brick house, she saw the exact thing she had been looking for; a stairway down into the metro.
**
Raspberry Trick saw the tank speed ahead. He also saw that there were a couple of changelings following, flying in mid-air so the tank couldn’t shoot them or see them.
“I guess you gotta go, Trick,” Johansson said. “They need you.”
Raspberry Trick bit his lip. A changeling charged towards him. He twirled aside, let the changeling pass, and fired a burst of lead in its ass. “Are you sure, sir? The red-armored changelings haven’t yet shown themselves. I would much rather stay with you and make sure—”
“They need you, Trick! I think you are worth more to them than you realize.”
“But—”
“Stick to the goddamn plan, Trick. I’ll be fine. Now that’s an order. GO!”
Johansson said it loud and clear. Raspberry Trick took to the sky, and bolted after the tank.
**
Clang, clang.
“Something landed on the tank,” Twilight said. “Pinkie, get to the periscope.”
“Aye, aye, captain.” Pinkie scooted over to the periscope, unfolded it, and looked. Everypony started when Pinkie let out a terrible shriek.
“What is it? What do you see?” Rarity said, clutching at her hearth with her hoof.
“Oh, heh, never mind, everypony. It’s just Triggerhoof. Hi, Triggerhoof!”
Indeed, Raspberry Trick was standing on the tank, as it neared its goal. He had to make sure that no changeling saw what they were about to do. He aimed for them and fired. They rolled and twirled through the air, avoiding Trick’s bullets.
“Ok, fuck it!” Trick reached back, got his bow, nocked two arrows, and fired them simultaneously.
One changeling got a third eye; another a second mouth. Both changelings thudded to the ground.
Suddenly, the rumbling stopped. Raspberry knew what that meant. He quickly jumped off the tank, and met up with the rest.
“Well look at that,” Rarity said, “he actually showed up.”
“Of course!” Trick snapped, “we had a battle plan, and we had an agreement.”
“Will you stop bickering and get into the metro already?” Applejack said.
Raspberry Trick and Amanda turned on their flashlights. The horns of Rarity and Twilight began to glow. Together, they descended.
When Raspberry Trick and General Johansson had drilled their fighting force, Amanda had taken the time to make preparations of her own. She unfolded the map of the metro she got. In the middle was a big circle; the threshold of the Aurora crater. She jabbed a finger at the map. “Okay, we went in at Hope Station, so we should be here.”
“Quite fitting, that name,” Rarity remarked.
Amanda chuckled. “Yes, it is. Now, we have to go through a few tunnels. There’s this long tunnel we’re in now, and then we’ll enter the fun part.”
Raspberry Trick followed Amanda’s finger, as she entered the circle. Trick tried to sound indifferent. “The crater.”
“Yes,” Amanda said. “We’ll have to keep following the tunnels, and go through two stations, before we reach the part we want to be. Then we’ll be in the exact center of the Aurora crater.”
Where the radiation will be the worst, Trick thought, but said nothing. He swallowed, and tasted something funny in his mouth. He took a deep breath, masking it as a sigh, and said, “Roger that. Let’s get moving, everybody.”
**
General Johansson and his army had driven the changelings quite far back. They were retreating now towards the ruined village, and even further, to the crater. The changelings had discovered that the army had guns, and weren’t afraid to use them. They tried haphazardly to regroup and launch another attack, but many of them panicked and flew off towards the hive.
The army stormed the village. Johansson was not that happy with being in the village; now the changelings could take cover behind the buildings. He was afraid for guerilla warfare. But, as it turned out, the changelings were far too afraid of the army and its firepower. Only a handful of hardy changelings decided to stay in the village, using the houses as cover, hiding behind them and creeping closer.
But when Johansson and his group trained their guns on some suspicious movement behind some buildings, it turned out to be one of their own. A man with a black suit and Kevlar stepped from behind the buildings. Seconds later, he was followed by other members of the team.
“Oh, there you are,” a soldier to Johansson’s right said, “we were wondering where our east flank ran off to.” He swung his gun to his back and stepped closer to his comrades.
Johansson himself put one and one together. Why were they facing the opposite direction? Why did they look so clean and unscathed? And, above all, why didn’t they have any guns?
“Fire! Fire!” Johansson yelled. “Don’t let them get close.”
The illusion broke. In a flash of green light, six changelings appeared. With more flashes of light, Johansson’s squad eradicated them.
“Well, this is easy,” Johansson said to himself, as his target went down. But easy as it seemed, he also realized that the real challenge had yet to come. This first wave had been a test; a test to see how the army would react to a threat, how they would move, how they would fight, who was in command. This had been a ‘test wave’ to gather information about the enemy. The worst had yet to come. Johansson knew that.
Johansson watched his men. “Conserve your ammo, everybody, and keep your knives ready! I think we’ll get some special guests soon.”
**
Step by step, the ponies and Amanda moved through the tunnels. They were on high alert, because they had spotted some of those hanging membranes. Slime had covered the ground. They were fresh. Their flashlights skittered over the walls and the arched roof of the metro tunnel, checking every spot, every shift of shadows, and every sound. They kept their guns at the ready, their fingers on the triggers and the safety catches off.
Rarity, who grew increasingly worried with every minute in the tunnels, and every second of tense silence, finally couldn’t bear it any longer. She had to talk, or she would go mad. “Miss Amanda, what is the name of the next station, might I ask?”
“Endeavor,” Amanda said, “Endeavor Station.”
“Thank you. And the name of the one after that?” Rarity was trying to make small talk, but Amanda had to focus.
“Stand Station.”
“Oh, ok.” So much for conversation.
They reached a curve in the tunnel, where the rails slithered to the right, forming a bend. They kept following the rails, and rounded the corner. As soon as they did, Rarity let out a shriek.
“Everypony, RUN! Changelings!” The ponies turned around and ran for their lives. Twilight’s mind was already feverishly working on some way to camouflage themselves, just as they did when they sneaked into Canterlot Castle.
But, Amanda and Raspberry Trick didn’t move. They kept standing still, eyeing the changelings.
There was an awkward moment in which the changelings looked at the human and the pony, and Amanda and Trick looked back. No one moved.
“How many do you think there are?” Amanda said.
“Two dozen. Maybe more,” Trick replied.
Some of the changelings began skittering closer, moving on the ground, sideways on the wall, and upside down on the roof.
“You got enough ammo?” Trick asked Amanda.
“Yes.”
Some changelings took to the air. Almost all of them opened their mouths to reveal a nasty, forked tongue. The tunnel became filled with hisses and curses.
But Amanda and Raspberry Trick weren’t afraid at all—they were just normal changelings.
Trick took aim; so did Amanda. “Fire.”
An ear-splitting rattle rolled through the entire metro. Amanda and Trick shot and shot and shot. Changelings were torn apart by the bullets, dropping dead as flies from the ceiling. Some tried to retreat; others tried to take cover. But the retreating changelings were mercilessly mowed down, and the ones that sought out cover couldn’t find any—there was just metro tunnel. Bullet cases gathered at his boots, and a grin split Trick’s muzzle. He finally had some of the revenge he was looking for. Now it was the changelings’ turn to be slaughtered. Sometimes, there’s nothing like a good slaughter.
Twilight and her friends stopped running away, as they heard the barks of the warriors’ guns. When they turned around, they saw the flashes and shadows coming from the tunnel.
“Oh! Pretty lights,” Pinkie said, and hopped over to the tunnel.
Twilight pumped her wings, and was just quick enough to stop her. “I’m sorry Pinkie, but that there is not a pretty party.”
“Aw! But they’re having fun without me!”
That was definitely true, at least for Raspberry Trick. He let out an unearthly laugh that rolled along with the roar of his guns, transforming the scene into something out of a 21+ movie. When at last the final unfortunate changeling fell down, Raspberry stopped shooting. His barrels smoked, and he laughed.
Amanda let her gun hang, and turned back towards the ponies. “We’ve neutralized the threat. We can go through now, but… well… you might want to blindfold Pinkie.”
“Aw, why?” Pinkie called, “I want to see how you chased the changelings away.”
Letting out an awkward chuckle, Amanda said, “Chased away… yes…”
Rarity took it upon her to keep her hooves in front of Pinkie’s eyes. When Pinkie stepped over the heap of changeling corpses and landed with her hoof in a puddle of green blood, she frowned. “Well, you surely made a mess of things.”
Raspberry Trick, still wearing that wicked grin, said, “Affirmative.”
**
After the village, shit really hit the fan.
General Johansson and his army regrouped right outside the village. From the squad of three hundred, there was ninety percent still alive. Johansson took off his helmet for those that had died. They all took a moment to remember the fallen, and then moved into formation again. The land began to dip down. It did so very gradually, almost unnoticeable to the soldiers. But then the slope became steeper. Their Geiger counters yelled at them. The air became thick, like a green mist that came from below, decreasing visibility. It was at that moment that everyone realized they were going inside the crater.
Marching at the front of the group, General Johansson could spot the shape of Chrysalis’s palace in the distance. They were close; perhaps it was only a mile more. Johansson wondered how far Raspberry Trick, Amanda, and the rest of the ponies were on their journey underground.
Behind him, the general heard whispers and hushed voices. The men were getting restless. That’s why Johansson stopped for a moment, and turned around.
The men stopped too. All eyes were aimed at their general. Was he going to sound the retreat?
“I know you are frightened,” Johansson called, making sure his voice was firm and powerful. “You would be an insanely stupid soldier if you weren’t. Yes, as you all can see, we are moving further and further into the crater. We will march towards that there.” He pointed behind him. “I know that there will be more changelings, elite changelings, waiting for us. But we are ready. We have prepared ourselves for the upcoming battle. We have armed ourselves with the knowledge we need to defeat this enemy. I know we can do this. For ages, we humans have managed to conquer this planet. And after the nuclear war, we were still able to survive, and build wonderful communities like Plaza City, where you all came from. I say, we will not let those monsters beat us humans. This is not just a search and destroy mission—this is a battle for humanity! Now, tell me, are we humans or not?”
“Yes!” the men shouted, raising their weapons.
“And can we survive all of this?” Johansson said, spreading his arms and turning around.
“Yes!” everyone shouted.
“Then let us make sure that the monsters won’t survive this.”
“YES!” They accompanied their cry with stomping feet.
“Let’s make sure they won’t survive US!”
“YES!” everyone shouted, clenching their teeth.
Johansson smiled. His little speech had fired up the men, as he expected. He was a leader, after all. “Then let us fight today, and kill some bugs!”
“YES!”
Johansson raised his bayoneted assault rifle in the air. “Today, we fight for HUMANITY!”
“FOR HUMANITY!” the army parroted.
“Follow me!” Johansson shouted. “Follow me, and I will lead you into the fight of your lives!”
Like ancient Viking berserkers, the soldiers clattered their knives against their guns, or pulled out their side-arms to bang them against their rifles.
That’s how they marched on, straight into the trap.
An unseen breeze managed to whisk away some of the greenish, radioactive vapors, and revealed the elite changelings. They were with twice as many as Johansson, all clad in red armor with nasty spikes. They stood in front of the army, with the ghostly appearance of the hive in the background.
But the army was still worked up into the frenzy Johansson had brought them in. The ones that hadn’t yet attached bayonets to their rifles did so now. Some soldiers drew swords, katanas, axes, machetes, or their trusty knives. There were a few guys who actually had crossbows, and six that had a high-powered compound bow. They knew they had a chance. Their general had told them so. They slung their rifles upon their backs, and set their heels in the ground, ready to charge like an army of Vikings. They roared and yelled at their enemies.
In response, the changelings showed off too. One rank at the time, they unfurled their wings in complete synchronization. Some bent down and scratched the dust with their hooves like bulls. With their wings outstretched, they looked almost twice as large. Some men stopped yelling and fell silent. Johansson took that as his que. He had to attack now, while his soldiers were still confident.
“CHARGE!”
Everyone followed. No one was left behind. Everyone followed their general into battle.
But they all forgot that they were only effective close by, and that the changelings could deploy ranged attacks. They could, and they did. The foremost rank now completely bent down, while the rank behind it locked their eyes on the enemy, picking out targets. Their horns glowed. They focused on the fiery blast, and then unleashed their energy lances.
The changelings didn’t fire upon random soldiers. No, they targeted the left flank. There weren’t even that many screams, as the entire left flank got incinerated instantly by the massive energy wave.
Everyone turned their heads, but there was no going back. The only thing they could do was fight.
One man threw a tomahawk. It landed right between the eyes of one of the changelings. With a metallic clatter, it went down. Cheers and jeers came from the charging army, as they realized their enemy was not indestructible—just hard to kill.
And the time to kill was now. The two armies clashed. Johansson immediately ducked down, away from a changeling’s sharp, barbed horn. Then he thrust upwards with his bayoneted rifle, piercing the creature’s throat.
At first it looked as if they actually stood a chance. The men chopped, sliced, stabbed, and hacked at the changelings, who hadn’t expected their enemy to be wielding weapons they weren’t immune to. But that’s why they were wearing armor. Most of the hits struck only the armor of the elite changelings, and created momentum for the changelings to retort. Already, screams could be heard as people got grabbed and sucked empty of their lives.
And not only that. The changelings prepared a second attack! The back ranks had silently moved, while the front ranks were busy fighting. They were heading straight to the unprotected left flank. Johansson only realized that when more and more screams came from his left. “Regroup! Regroup!” he shouted, although he knew it was already too late for that. Like the jaws of a giant monster, they got boxed in between the changelings.
A changeling took the chance to bite at the general. Johansson moved his neck away just in time, so the changeling bit his arm instead. Instantly, Johansson felt the acidic poison spread. In a flash, he considered hacking off his own arm, but knew that the blood loss would kill him anyway. He staggered back.
Where at first there had been the sound of clanging metal, now there were mostly cries for help. The changelings had them where they wanted them to have, and weren’t afraid to go and feed on the love and life in the soldiers. When Johansson, his face contorted in pain, looked behind him, he saw there were changelings too, which had flown right over his troops. That was also something he briefly forgot. For a moment, he wondered if he had been naïve. His conclusion was; maybe.
But, thanks to the thinning of the changelings’ ranks, the front most fighters were able to push on. The changelings stepped back, as they saw the waving blades in the air. Johansson’s army—or what was left of it—made some progress, conquering yard by yard. Maybe they managed to take two hundred yards, before they realized that they were slowly eaten alive from behind and from the left.
They had no idea what to do, and neither had Johansson.
**
Amanda, Raspberry Trick, and Twilight and her friends approached Stand Station. Amanda had helped to reload Trick’s guns, and she had a fresh magazine as well. They didn’t speak about what had happened earlier, as they still wanted Pinkie not to hear about the gruesome things that happened in this gruesome world by these gruesome people—or ponies. And besides, after everything they had already seen of Ground Zero, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Mayor Mare had no trouble visualizing what Trick and Amanda had done.
They were close to Stand Station now. Thanks to the signs on the wall, they saw it was just a matter of a few hundred yards. Still they looked around and were aware, but after the slaughter, Amanda and Raspberry were certain that they could overcome another changeling threat easily.
As they had moved further and further towards the center of the Aurora crater, the Geiger counters of Amanda and Raspberry Trick started whispering. Then they spoke, then they yelled, and now they screamed to them. If they could talk, they would say, ‘Get out, you insane idiots!’
Raspberry Trick bit his lip. He checked the little yellow box again; it was the fifth time in a minute. The needle was all the way in the red, and stayed there. He felt a shiver go over his body, and imagined it was the gamma rays, surging through his body, settling in his bones, searing and blotching his skin, and fry him from the inside. Raspberry Trick tried to ignore his brain and his thoughts. He kept telling himself that he was wearing a suit and a mask. He was safe.
I’m safe, I’m safe, I’m safe, he kept telling himself over and over again. But no matter how many times he thought those words, Raspberry Trick couldn’t stop his rapid breaths and the tensing of his muscles. He wondered if they had reached the center of the crater yet, where the nuclear bomb had been detonated so long ago.
Distraction came in the form of a pink, happy pony. Whether Trick wanted it or not, Pinkie had something to ask him.
“Buuuuuuuuuuut,” Pinkie Pie said, talking over the clicking of the dosimeters, “I’m still wondering, why did you change your name to ‘Raspberry Trick’ and not ‘Triggerhoof?’ I mean, I liked that name, and I finally got used to it. Triggerhoof, Triggerhoof, Triggerhoof, Triggerhoof, Triggerhoof! Aaaaaaaaand, thanks to the tank, I finally found out what a ‘trigger’ is.”
Unfortunately, Pinkie’s enthusiasm didn’t infect Raspberry Trick. “I didn’t change my name. It was Raspberry Trick to begin with,” he said gruffly.
But Pinkie wasn’t taken aback by the stallion’s irritated voice. “Really? Ok, but why did you not change your name but, eh… restored it?”
“I found someone I had lost,” Trick grumbled. “And I lost someone I found.”
Pinkie tilted her head. “So it’s a riddle? I love riddles. Well, the founding part is easy. You found us, of course. But who did you lose after you found him or her? Hmm… let me think.”
“I didn’t mean you mares,” Trick said. He had more than enough of the talkative pink pony.
“Then who did you find?” Pinkie asked.
After a long sigh, which ended in a muffled curse, Trick said, “I found my parents. They’re somewhere in this fucking metro.”
Pinkie let out an enormous gasp. Everypony turned around and looked at her. “Did you all hear that, guys? Triggerhoof found his parents here on Earth!”
Despite the dark, gloomy place they were in, everyone smiled at Raspberry Trick.
“Well, that’s quite something,” Applejack said. “I reckon you must have been very happy to see them again.”
Trick looked back, as if there was something going on behind him. “Yes. It was a happy moment,” he said.
“Well, that calls for a PARTY!” Pinkie squeaked. “When we’re done fighting that greeny meany Chrysalis, we’ll throw the happiest, most extravagant party you have ever seen!”
Everyone let out a laugh—everyone but Raspberry. He shook his head wildly, then sighed. “Just let’s go. We’ll worry about other problems later.”
But Pinkie didn’t realize that Trick called her party a ‘problem,’ and kept jumping and skipping through the tunnel, all the while summing up what she would need. “We’ll need streamers, confetti, a banner with Trigg’s face on it…” When she paused to look at Raspberry Trick, she saw the irritated stare he shot to her. “Hey, don’t worry, Triggerhoof. I’ll paint you without the scars and with a smile on your face. Believe me, it will be a huge improvement.”
Raspberry rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Anyway, we’ll need presents, loads of presents, and lampions colored every color of the rainbow. We’ll also need party favors, flutes, guitars, and some bongos if we can manage to get a hoof on them.”
Looking at everyone in turn, Trick sought desperately for some way to change topic. He didn’t think he could stand one more word in that squeaky voice. “Princess, how’s your ear doing?”
Twilight looked at her hurt ear, which was still tightly wrapped in bandages. “Pretty good, actually. It doesn’t hurt as much, and Filthy’s manservant said that I will probably be able to use it again after the wound has healed. It’s not gone or anything.”
Trick nodded. “That’s great. Every soldier looks prettier with a few battle scars.”
Smiling Twilight said, “Thank you for your concern, but please, you can just call me—"
“Triggerhoof! Are you listening? This is important,” Pinkie squeaked, a bit too close to Trick’s ear.
“No, I’m not listening,” Trick snarled.
Despite that, Pinkie blabbered on. “But, the most important thing we need, is of course cake! A big, fancy, beautiful cake—preferably red.” Pinkie let out a squeak. “Oh, it’s gonna be awesome! We’ll have an enormous, super-duper party which will last until the morning of the next day. Trust me, Triggerhoof. When you let me handle things, I’ll make sure your party will never—”
“Stop!” Trick called out. Everyone froze.
“What is it, Raspberry?” Amanda said, already keeping a tight grip on her rifle.
They were just a hundred yards away from Stand Station. The only thing that was in the way was a stretch of tunnel with some side passages.
“I understand. There’s… something in the side tunnels,” Amanda said, as she listened closely. “It sounds like insects.”
“Exactly,” Trick said. ”But we know how to handle those.” He pulled the bolts of his assault rifles and grinned. He was really in the mood of another slaughter. “Let’s do this.” He stepped forwards, and fired a single bullet from one of his guns. It reverberated through the not-so-empty metro tunnel. “Come out, come out, wherever you bastards are!”
“What’s a ‘bastard?’” Pinkie said. But she didn’t get an answer to that question, as the changelings came in first. There were eight of them in total. They stepped forward calmly, moving their hooves in complete synchronization. Letting out a hiss, they stepped into battle position.
And they were wearing red armor.
Raspberry Trick slowly reached for his bow, and held it tightly in his wing. “Well, fuck.”
Before anypony could get ready, make a move, or run, the changelings delivered their first strike. While the front four bent down, the four in the back charged their magic. The tips of their horns glowed a menacing green. They all chose a target, and fired.
With a flap of her wings, Twilight jumped in front of the group. She concentrated, and then a purple shield flashed to life.
The four magical death rays slammed into the shield. Twilight gritted her teeth. The effort it took to keep the shield standing against such force was like a boot camp from Rainbow Dash. Sweat pearled down the sides of her face, both because of the effort, and because of the searing temperature of the beams. At last, even the changelings couldn’t continue their assault any longer; they needed to save their strength. The beams disappeared in a sizzle.
Twilight panted. Her knees felt as if she’d climbed a million stairs. But she kept standing. The changelings might decide to fire again if they saw her falling.
But they weren’t planning to. They saw that one of their most powerful weapons didn’t work. In a split-second, they decided to try something else. All of them opened their mouths, and let out a terrible sound, like a cough and a hiss at the same time. Then, green vapors drifted out of their mouths, quickly creeping towards Twilight and her friends.
Rarity, who stood almost at the front, sniffed the strange smoke as if it were an expensive perfume. That was a terrible mistake. Rarity felt her lungs cramp, as the vapors flowed in. She quickly stepped back, and coughed the stuff out of her lungs. “Twilight, these vapors are poisonous—and they stink horribly.”
Twilight, despite her tiredness, took action. “Everypony, gather round.” As soon as they did, the poisonous cloud had almost reached them. Everypony nearly hugged Twilight, getting as close to her as they could. Twilight closed her eyes. The vapors touched her hooves.
In a sparkle of magic, the ponies found themselves enclosed in a bubble. They watched the vapors carefully. The nasty green mists couldn’t get through the bubble. Everypony looked in amazement at Twilight Sparkle.
Now it was Raspberry’s turn to spring into action. He leveled his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired at the nearest changeling.
The arrow bored straight through his throat. Their necks were horribly exposed, as they spit out their vapors. The changeling closed his mouth, tried frantically to grab the arrow with his hooves, and then fell down. His last words were unintelligible, lost in a wet gurgle.
Now the seven remaining changelings, realizing their tactical error, closed their mouths. But the mist didn’t drift away. There was no airstream, so it kept floating in the air. It spread out, until it completely clad the metro tunnels into a sickly green color.
Twilight could barely hold the bubble. The strain from the magical shield she had cast weighed heavily on her. She moaned with the effort. Opening her eyes, she searched for Rarity’s. Through clenched teeth, she said, “Rarity, help me!”
Rarity, on the edge of panic, began to stutter. “B-b-but how, I can’t—”
“Please try!” Twilight almost collapsed.
Rarity observed the shield, and put her brains into high gear. Well, I did once decorate a room with magical lampions… She closed her eyes. Her horn glowed a faint blue, the color merging with Twilight’s magic. Suddenly, a second layer popped up, and strengthened the bubble’s walls. Rarity looked up in amazement. “I did it! Twilight, can you believe it?”
She could believe it, and she could feel it. It was as if someone helped her lift a heavy chest, by grabbing the other hoofhold. Opening her eyes, she tried to flash a smile to Rarity. “Thank you.”
But the changelings weren’t at all happy with Rarity’s accomplishment, and saw the red pony nocking another arrow. Time to bring out the heavy weapons. They threw their heads back, and spit bright green goo at the bubble.
“Ew, gross!” Rarity said. The goo hit the shield, and dripped down on the ground, where it buried itself in the concrete. “And deadly.”
Once again the changelings spat a whole stream of acid upon the ponies. The whole top of the shield got encased by the sludge, and it dripped over the walls.
The impact of the acid felt like a punch from a boxer to Twilight and Rarity. They both grunted, and let their magic slip for a moment. The bubble flickered. It barely held.
“Trick! We gotta kill them now!” Amanda shouted. She held a knife in her hand.
“Yes, but if the shield fails—”
The changelings spit a last wave of acidic spittle, covering the shield completely. With a pulse of magic, the shield fell.
Immediately, the green vapors moved in, covering the ponies. They tried to hold their breaths, but Rarity and Twilight needed to pant. Their eyes became teary. Twilight wanted to say sorry to all of them. She knew they didn’t stand a chance now. She was exhausted, and couldn’t even muster the strength to flap her wings. But even if she could, she doubted that the mist would retreat. It looked like a green, solid wall.
Raspberry Trick and Amanda also held their breaths, but then discovered it wasn’t necessary. Their gasmasks protected their lungs from the vile air.
But what about the rest?
“Buddy breathing!” Trick shouted. “You take two breaths; I take two breaths!” He hoped they had all understood what he said. There was no time to verify. Raspberry took a deep breath, and then he did something he would never do. Deep in the Aurora crater, with radiation trying to kill him from within…
Raspberry Trick took off his mask.
He pressed it against Twilight’s face, who finally got a chance to pant. When Trick reckoned she’d calmed down, he took two breaths, and then jammed the mask into Rarity’s face.
Amanda quickly understood what Trick meant. She inhaled, slipped off her gasmask, and started giving it to all the ponies in turn.
But that left them vulnerable. With Trick and Amanda buddy breathing, and with the ponies trying to survive in the cloud, there was no one engaging the changelings. One changeling, who stood closest to them all, charged towards them, aiming his horn towards Trick’s side.
After a quick breath, a flash of inspiration hit Twilight. She focused on Amanda’s big knife, waited, and then made it hover in mid-air, about as high as the changeling’s face.
Carried by his own momentum, the changeling charged straight into the knife. The knife completely disappeared into his eye, mashing up his brains. He went down.
Now his friends saw what happened, so they kept their distance. One of them aimed at Trick, and spit a gobbet of goo towards him.
Raspberry Trick gasped, as his back caught the goo. It burned through his suit and reached his skin, eating away the pony hide. He screamed and dropped the gasmask and fell down. He screamed both in surprise and horror. His suit was open; radiation could get to him. The poisonous air gathered in his lungs, stabbing it with a million needles.
Twilight quickly hovered the mask over to Trick’s face. He took a thankful breath, then coughed a few times, getting rid of the poison in his lungs.
Amanda looked in shock at her friend. “This is not gonna work!” she shouted, pressing the gasmask against her face. “We gotta fight!”
Twilight was next. “I’m sorry, Amanda, but I lost your knife.”
“Fuck!” Trick shouted, both in frustration as in pain. His back felt as if he lay onto a mattress of spikes. When it was his turn to breathe again, he said, “Then I’ll kill the bastards!”
“No, Trick!” Amanda yelled, “one mask is not enough for all the ponies.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Trick took a deep breath, gave the mask to Pinkie, grabbed his bow and arrow, and turned around.
It’s playtime now!
One of the changelings drew back his head, ready to spit. As quick as he could, Trick nocked an arrow and fired.
The changeling staggered backwards with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. Trick saw what that lousy shot got him, shook his head, and charged. Before the changeling knew what hit him, Trick had already begun his maneuver. He grabbed the arrow in his mouth, ripped it out of the changeling’s shoulder, and stabbed it through his heart.
That’s better.
“Trick! No! You’ll suffocate!” Amanda shouted from behind.
He wanted to shout, ‘I don’t care’ back, but wisely decided not to waste the breath he had left. He looked at the next changeling, which was charging up a beam of lightning. But before it could fire, it got an arrow to the face. It staggered backwards, and the beam launched itself out of the dying changeling’s horn.
Just in time, Trick jumped out of the way, as the beam of light rebounded from the concrete ceiling and headed for the pony. But when he landed flat on his belly, the impact knocked all the air out of his lungs.
He had to be fast. Two at a time now. In the blink of an eye, two arrows were on his bow. He fired.
One hit a changeling’s head, but the other clattered against a changeling’s helmet.
Fuck!
Raspberry Trick felt the need for air. His lungs slowly began to burn. He felt as if someone lit a fire in his chest. Without thinking, he reached for another arrow and fired.
With a final hiss, the changeling went down.
Three left, But Raspberry needed some air. He couldn’t take it any longer. Breathing was a natural reflex. He breathed in.
Immediately, the vapors tortured his windpipe to settle in his lungs, where they stung him as if he swallowed a whole beehive. Trick wanted to yell and scream of the pain, but he knew that if he did, he would have to take another breath. His hooves began to shake, as he nocked another arrow.
His aim was still true. Another changeling went down.
The two that were left saw what was happening. Tapping their horns together, they charged another magical blast.
Trick saw black spots cloud his vision. He had to breathe again. He had to. He drew in a terrible gasp. Little to no oxygen entered his lungs; the rest was filled up by poison. He tried to cough, but that only made things worse. His lungs exploded. His head swam. Trembling, he grabbed another arrow.
Magical energy surged, focused itself at the changelings’ horns, and then sped towards Raspberry Trick.
Even though his knees felt like giving in, Trick jumped, aimed, and let his arrow fly, all in one movement. It flew right through the changeling’s forehead. The arrowhead tickled its brains.
But as Trick fell down, he gasped again. He reached for his throat, but it did nothing to diminish the intoxication. Like a fish out of the water, Trick desperately tried to find more oxygen in the air. He didn’t find any. Gasping once again, Trick felt as if his lungs collapsed. But his job wasn’t done; there was one changeling left.
The changeling saw that Trick was weak. With one flap of its wings, it stood opposite him. The changeling picked him up, and began to feed.
Raspberry Trick could offer no resistance. He briefly wondered what would kill him first; the poison or the changeling. His last thoughts went to the mares he swore to help and protect. A-a-at least A-A-Amanda is still l-l-left…
Suddenly, he felt someone jerk at his quiver. He felt the last arrow being grabbed, and then heard the shriek as Amanda stabbed the thing in the changeling’s eye.
But she was too late. As the changeling let go of Raspberry, he slumped to the ground, where he lay motionless.
Amanda and the ponies kept buddy-breathing as they ran further into the tunnel. Stand Station was just a few meters away. Twilight and Rarity used their combined magic to lift Raspberry Trick in the air. They did give him the gasmask every time, but if he used it, he didn’t show it. His eyes remained closed. Although they couldn’t spare their breaths to talk, all of them worried about the red stallion. They had to find a way up onto the surface, out of the poisonous smoke.
They entered Stand Station, and found something interesting. The platforms were covered with green changeling goo, and the entrance to the exit tunnel was blocked by a dark membrane. It looked black and nasty, and seemed to pulse as if it had a heart. It went up and through the roof of the metro, where it disappeared from view.
Twilight Sparkle didn’t waste a second. She charged a bolt of magic, aimed at the dark wall, and fired.
In a flash of purple magic, the bolt exploded. It looked pretty, but that was about it. The magic did nothing.
Twilight looked up at Amanda, who shared a desperate expression. But then, her expression changed to a grim look of determination. She fumbled in her bag, and got out a grenade. Taking a deep breath and giving the gasmask away, she walked towards the wall, laid down the grenade, removed the pin, and ran.
With a terrible bang and a flash, the grenade did nothing but send more smoke and dust into the green air.
Everypony looked at each other. All their gazes were filled with worry. They couldn’t stay here and buddy-breathe forever. When Twilight waved a hoof, she saw that the poisonous gas was still thick and drifting in the air. That was not going to fade away.
The unthinkable happened. A hole appeared in the membrane, all by itself. It got bigger and bigger, and once it reached its maximum size, it grew smaller again.
Everypony and Amanda ran through the hole, realizing what it was they were running into.
They had entered the hive.
**
The dark pinnacle of the changeling hive stood before Johansson and what was left of his army. They had made it far, although their numbers were dwindling. There were maybe fifty soldiers left, desperately trying to keep the changelings away. Despite their dying numbers, they kept stabbing with their bayonets, slicing with their swords, and hoping with their hearts. But they realized they were fighting in the jaws of a beast. In front of them, there were changelings; behind them, there were changelings; to their left, there were changelings; to their right, there were changelings.
Slowly, they were driven back, until the men could see each other. They stepped further and further back. The changeling hive was right behind them.
Johansson was so close to it, that he could see the balcony. His eyes went hazy. He grimaced at the pain, as the poison ran through his veins like liquid sandpaper. When he looked up again, he finally saw the enemy they were fighting against.
The changelings stopped fighting. They stood erect, and saluted their queen. “HAIL QUEEN CHRYSALIS!”
Even Johansson’s soldiers stopped fighting and looked around.
There she stood, overseeing the carnage. A content smile played over Chrysalis’s lips, as she saw what her children had accomplished. “Playtime is over now!” she called, magically amplifying her cruel voice. “Kill them all, just as I taught you!”
Upon hearing Chrysalis’s voice, Johansson briefly felt cold mingle with the heat of the poison. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the queen. She looked even more fearsome and monstrous than he imagined.
The changelings didn’t move closer. They all opened their mouths, and breathed out their poisonous gas. In a matter of seconds, the battlefield was shrouded in a green fog.
But that didn’t matter; everyone was wearing a gasmask. They prevented tiny radioactive particles from entering the soldier’s lungs, and they protected against poisonous gasses too.
General Johansson stood up. His left leg and his left arm felt numb, as if they had been hacked off. Yet, he managed to stand. He wanted to look the queen in the eyes, and see the shock on her face, once she would realize that the gas couldn’t harm him and his soldiers.
“Interesting…” Chrysalis said. But she had expected the humans to protect themselves. She looked closely at their gasmasks, the filters, and the visors. Then, she let a laugh like an icy river flow over the green mists on the battlefield. Some soldiers immediately dropped their weapons upon hearing it; others stood and shook. Then, the laugh began to change. The terrifying note became higher and higher, as if Chrysalis was singing an opera of death. Her voice went higher and higher and higher, until the ears of the soldiers rang. Seconds later, other sounds filled the air. The sound of glass breaking.
One by one, the visors of the soldiers’ gasmasks broke apart in splinters. The poisonous gas streamed in, pricking their eyes and searching for their mouths. Their gasmasks were useless. Some men screamed; some fell down silently; some prayed to God as they met their demise; some craned their necks, hoping to find some fresh air; but all of them died.
General Johansson knew he was going to die. His gasmask had shattered too. He didn’t care. He kept looking at Queen Chrysalis. Slowly, his trembling hand reached for his pistol, and pulled it out of the holster.
Chrysalis watched him, but kept standing.
The gun barked. Johansson fired once, twice, thrice.
Still, Chrysalis didn’t move.
His bullets missed. Before long, Johansson realized he had just one left.
Chrysalis nudged her head.
A changeling flew over to General Johansson, the last man standing, and wrapped its wings around him. Opening its mouth, it began to feed. Johansson could barely see Chrysalis through the haze of green magic. He felt all the positivity leave him. He knew what was going to happen. Soon the beam would turn red, and he would be flayed alive.
Luckily, he had one bullet left.
He took one more shot at Chrysalis. He missed.
But a grim smile appeared on the general’s face. At least he died fighting.