//------------------------------// // Vision of the Furrture // Story: Dreaming of Paws // by Glassed //------------------------------// Vision of the Furrture. It’s funny how your thoughts do the kick-flip and cartwheels in your head when you’re bleeding to death. I let out a hiss of pain as I stumbled on the floor of the corridor leading to the reactor-room. Fuck it hurts! I could feel the tears start to well up in my eyes. Is this really it? This is how I’m going to go? Alone in a corridor, aboard a plant-like battleship controlled by shades? Why was I doing this again? Was it because of the oath The Big Cheese gave to Celestia back then? No. No way could I bet my life to fulfill an oath. I’m too weak for that. Was it because it was the right thing to do? Was that really all? I don’t think so…As much as I’d like my gravestone to say ‘He died doing the right thing’, I don’t think that’s why. Sorry Dresden. I try to move my left hind-leg and feel a surge of pain go through my body from where my paw once was. I let a single tear fall to the ground and gritted my teeth. No! Don’t you dare just lie down and cry like a baby! The others are out there fighting right now! You think you’re the only one who’s lost a freaking body-part? Griffin’s lost a wing and Celestia’s even lost both of them. That bastard Mango lost a hand way back when. Hell, Knightmare got turned into Changeling-shish kebab and had to get patched back together by the Equestrian equivalent of duct tape! He and all the others are out there right now, fighting to protect everything! You owe them this for fuck’s sake! Yeah… that was why I was doing this right? That’s why I sneaked aboard the mothership to sabotage it. If this works, all the other ships should fall out of the sky as well. The big guys will still be there, but I can at least give my friends a fighting-chance. And then out of freaking nowhere, a shade jumps me and slices my left back-paw clean off! I looked back at the small blood-trail I had left me. I ignored it, it didn’t matter right now. The pain didn’t matter! LISTEN TO ME! IT DOESN’T MATTER! Just get up and go through that door. Then just mess with the controls and the reactor should blow. If I’m going to die today, it sure as hell isn’t gonna be from blood loss. If I have to go, I’ll take this fucking fleet down with me! I got up and opened the door. [Self-destruct in 2 minutes] “That’s that then…” I’d done it. This ship is going down. Sadly, I’m going down with it. No way I can get out of here in 2 minutes. I touched the small ruby on the front of my bowler. “I still have ‘that’, but that’s not going to help me survive…” A small smile came onto my face. “But I may be able to leave a little gift behind.” I could feel my smile turn into one of my trademark grins. It was time to say my goodbyes. I concentrated on a massive area of power outside the ship and began focusing on my illusion. One last time. The battle was massively in favor of the shades. Their air-support was becoming a real pain in the ass to deal with. Suddenly, without warning, the shades stopped and turned to look at the mothership. The image of a black cat sitting atop it appeared. A roar of laughter was heard from the image. “HAHAHAHAHAHA, it appears that I have sunken your battleships fuckers!” I did a little victory dance, thankfully the illusion allowed me to do so without the pain in my leg. A boom of victory cries came from around the battlefield. With the ships out of the way, they could concentrate on the bigger issue. “But this may be my last performance ladies and gentlemen.” The cries became a bit quieter. With my grin still in place, I began what people normally call ‘one’s famous last words’. “What do you say when you’re about to go? That I’d like to thank all of you guys for the honor of fighting alongside you? That I’m proud of every member of The Big Cheese?” I swallowed a knot in my throat. “How much I love my family? Sadly, I don’t think the reactor allows me to use the eternity it would take me to properly say the words you all truly deserve.” I raised my voice, calling out to one person in particular. “Rocko! Promise me this! Take good care of the gang!” Atop a small hill, Rocko stood with his jacket weaving in the wind. His eyes focused on the image of his boss and long-time friend. The one he could call a brother. Tears ran down his cheeks as he realized what was going to happen. He slid his goggles down over his eyes to hide the tears and lowered his head. “I will bro. I’ll take care of all of them!” “With that, I’ll end this in the only way that suits me: horribly!” I let go of my control of the ruby and let the energy I had stored there for months, flow around me. The ruby itself shattered at the release and the air around me began blazing. I put my fists together, still grinning, and shouted. “So long! And thanks for all the fish!” The image flickered and disappeared. For a moment nothing happened. Then, in an amplified voice, came a loud shout. "Perfect Illusion: Dreaming of Paws!" And everything exploded. Back on the hill, Rocko was joined by the 3 generals of The Big Cheese. All of them looked at the burning ship for a while. Raising his head, Rocko bellowed in a volume remarkable for someone his size. “In honor of our boss. For Jazz. Our brother. Say it with me!” Rocko began. “When standing face to face with Death himself!” The demon-commander Angel himself, a sad smile replacing his usual scowl and his red cape flowing in the wind behind him, adjusted his red shades and continued the code. “When standing before eternal damnation!” Kessler, who would have laughed at this, years back, said the next part. “When faced with no way out!” Scatcat went after him, sadness showing in his normally cheerful face. “Wear your biggest grin!” All of them slammed their fists together. “And punch him in the face!” “We are The Big Cheese! Sworn to protect Equestria and the lands beyond! We will gather all the power we can get until we hit the limit! And that limit will be smashed to pieces! We are The Big Cheese!” ”JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?” ◥▶◀◤ ----------------------------------- "In dreams, as well as in life, imagination is nothing but the last obstacle to overcome and throw out the window! When done, you will truly understand the meaning of 'Freedom'!" - Jazz the Cat, Human Champion of Morpheus, God of Dreams, loving husband and father. Killed In Action.