“Ya know, Applejack, somethin’s been botherin’ me,” Pa said.
We were havin’ lunch at the top of the unfinished tower we were helpin’ put together fer some billionaire that wanted ta rebuild it. Ah’d opened the red box Ah’d packed with our lunch and sat on the edge of the exposed beam we bolted in earlier this week.
“What’s that?” Ah asked.
He took a deep breath and then came and sat next ta me. “Somethin’ about all this just don’t feel right.”
Ah frowned. Ah looked all around us, but Ah couldn’t figure out what he was talkin’ about. It was bright and sunny, not too hot, the sky was clear, the air this far above the city streets was nice, and the view of everythin’ below was amazin’. Ponies like us don’t get a chance ta see sights like this very often, so Ah just couldn’t think what it was. “Well, why? Nothin’ looks wrong.”
The old stallion leaned back and shrugged. “Just a feelin’ Ah got, not much else ta say about it.” He reached inta our lunch box and grabbed a sandwich. He bit a chunk off it and went on chewin’. The clouds moved slowly, the wind moved peacefully, and we ate in silence above the rest of the world.
“How’s the married life treatin’ ya?” he asked.
Ah don’t know why, but the question made me blush. “Aww, come on Pa, don’t ask me that…”
He chuckled. “Well, so long as ya enjoy each other, Ah’m sure you’ll have a happy life together.” He sighed. “Can’t believe he came back fer ya after all these years… Ya got somepony real special there, ya know?”
Again, the bubbly feelin’ in my chest refused ta go away and Ah had ta try my damndest ta keep from smilin’. “Ah know, Papa; he really is… he’s the best thing that’s happened ta me in…”
A crack shot across the sky. Light was breakin’ in between the edges of blue sky and the white void threatened ta make everythin’ crumble. Ah bit my lip and swallowed my words.
“In… in a long time.”
He nodded and took another bite out of his sandwich. “So it is…” He finished the rest of it and let his eyes drift ta the sky. Just like me, just like Mac; his eyes were green as emeralds. Unlike me, unlike Mac, when Ah looked inta those eyes, there was… there was a strange kinda sparkle. Life was there, but at the same time, it wasn’t. The crack in the sky widened.
“Applejack…”
“Yes, Pa?”
He turned and peered inta me, almost through me. His eyes bored so deep it felt like Ah needed ta do everythin’ and anythin’ Ah could ta hide. “Do ya… hate me?”
“Wha- no! Pa, Ah could never hate ya!” Ah was shocked. Startled that he would ask such a question. But, Ah knew why and next he would say…
“Are ya… are ya sure about that? Ah lied ta yer faces fer four years and up and left without so much as a goodbye. Ah was all ya had left; my only job was ta make sure that y’all grew up happy and healthy and Ah failed. Ah should’ve been there ta see ya get married. Ah should’ve been the one ta give ya away, not Blood. Ah should be there fer next year, when-”
“Pa, stop! It wasn’t yer fault!”
The crack grew even larger.
“It was my fault, damn it!” He stood. “Ah was the one who made my decisions! Ah decided ta don the cape! Ah decided that yer futures would be best secured by runnin’ out there ta try and be a hero, and Ah was the one that fell when Ah was needed most!”
Blood tricklin’ inside my mouth, Ah matched him and grabbed him by the overalls. The overals faded away the moment Ah touched them though, and instead, Ah was holdin’ some kinda nylon white suit.
“It wasn’t yer fault, damn it! Ya didn’t die at yer own hooves, it was somepony else! They… they took ya from me! They took ya from all of us…” My gaze fell and the anger started ta turn. Ah wrapped myself around the old pony and held him tight. “Please, don’t go…”
The crack reached the ground. Buildings and roads started ta fall apart at the horizon. The background was slowly bein’ eaten away and soon enough it would reach us.
He put his forelegs around me and held me back. “Ah’m sorry, Applejack. Ya know Ah can’t stay.”
“No, Papa please!” He separated himself from me and shook his head. The ground began ta rumble as the white light stole more and more of our tower. It would only be seconds now before it reached us.
He looked me square in the eyes, one hoof on my shoulder, and said, “There are things ya don’t know, Applejack. Things about me, things about yer uncle. One day ya may very well learn these hidden truths, and when that day comes Ah… Ah want ya ta remember who ya are. No matter what ya think, no matter who tells ya what, youare a hero. What a hero is, what a hero does and… who a hero forgives, is who you do.
“Ah didn’t want this life fer ya. Ah wanted somethin’ better fer all of ya. But life happened and mistakes were made. Even though all that, ya still ended up who ya are, and Ah couldn’t be more proud of ya. Just… keep that in mind when the day comes, alright? Promise me ya will?”
The crumblin’ world was all left ta the beam we were standin’ on and it would get him soon. Desperately, Ah grabbed him and took him as far away from the growin’ white light as Ah could. “Ah promise, Papa.”
He took a shudderin’ breath and patted my head while he held me. “Ah love ya, Applejack. Don’t repeat our mistakes.”
And in a flash, the white light took us.
“Hey, hey! What’s wrong? Applejack? Applejack!?”
Ah was in a cold sweat. My whole body was shudderin’ like Ah was freezing to death, and my face was wet. Ah grabbed hold of Goose ta try and stop it, but somethin’ felt like it had me in some kinda icy death grip.
He patted my back a couple times. “Too… tight!”
Ah took a deep gapin’ breath, and finally, the shakin’ stopped. Still invaded quickly and quietly, and Ah relaxed my grip on Goose. Ah let the breath out like a popped bag. “Oh, Goddess… what a nightmare…” Ah buried my face in his chest and held him a little tighter. Pa was short and stocky where Goose is tall and lean, but the shape was… just similar enough.
Goose rubbed my back and rested his cheek on the crown of my head. “You alright?”
Ah nodded, but Ah didn’t let go. It was just a dream. Everythin’ Ah know should tell me that it was all just a dream, but… Ah felt like if Ah let him go, he might just fade away too. “Mmhmm.”
After a while, he pulled away and turned all his concern on me. “What happened?”
Talkin’ about it was the last thing Ah wanted ta do. But, Ah knew this was comin’, and if any of my past experiences are anythin’ ta go by, talkin’ about it is the only way ta get over it. “Ah… dreamt about Pa.”
He frowned. “About your dad?”
Ah nodded. “Ah’ve had dreams like this before, but not in a long time. We… it always starts with us workin’ on some kinda project. Ah’m always as old as Ah am at the moment, and Pa looks just like Ah remember him. Middle aged yellow stallion with a bushy brown mane and beard; just as toned and bulky as my brother, but about the same size as Ah am, if a little bigger.
“Ah make our lunches in the mornin’, we get ta work on whatever the construction company told us we need ta do next, and after a few hours, we sit down fer lunch. That’s… that’s when it usually starts ta fall apart. He always says, ‘Somethin’ about all this just ain’t right.’ Ah ask him why, but then Ah begin ta remember. He asks me if Ah hate him fer just up and disappearin’ on us like he did, he blames himself fer dyin’ in that fight and then… the dream falls apart. Only… this time, somethin’ different happened.”
“And that was…?”
The memory was more vague than Ah’d like it ta be. “He said… somethin’ about mistakes and… forgiveness.” There’s usually a lot of clarity in my dreams and Ah can usually remember just about every detail, but these ones… they’re always like this. He tries ta tell me somethin’ again and again, and Ah can just… never remember what he said at the end.
Goose clicked his tongue. “Hmm… I don’t really know what to make of that. Maybe your old man is… trying to contact you from beyond the grave or something.” He waved his hooves and made a ‘spooky’ moan and howl. “Maybe he’ll say, ‘How’d ya end up with a criminal like that guy? Ah raised ya better than that!’ Course, if it were my dad, it’d be the opposite. Slap my shoulder with the force of a truck doing 60 down the road and say, ‘That’s my boy, what a catch.’”
Goose smiled his sharp sharky smile and damn it if it wasn’t infectious. Ah turned away from him and let out a breath, and begrudgin’ly, a giggle. “Take me seriously, damn it.”
He wrapped his forelegs around me and put his cheek on mine. “Baby, ya worry too much. I know your track record with dreams isn’t exactly one to scoff at, all things considered; but is this one really something to be concerned about? Everypony makes mistakes, and forgiving them is important when need be, but is that worth having a panic attack over?”
Ah sighed and relaxed against him. Maybe it is nothin’, maybe Ah just can’t relax with what’s ahead of us today; maybe Ah should. It’ll be hard, but things are gonna play out how they play out. As Matarael taught us, there’s only so much we can prepare fer. Ah took a deep breath and reached fer my phone. Six in the mornin’, on the dot. Six hours before what’s likely ta be the hardest fight of our lives.
Figurin’ that sleep was outta the question, Ah freed myself from Goose and sat up. “Well, no use in actin’ like things ain’t the way they are. Ah’m gonna go take a shower.”
Groaning, Goose rolled over and got outta bed himself. “Fffine. At this point, trying to get you to come back to bed is like herding wet cats.”
An idea sparked in my head and a smile grew on my face, Ah passed him by and dragged just the smallest tip of my tail across his snout. “Might not be a cat, but Ah’ll give ya a chance ta try herdin’ me~”
Up on his hooves and up right ta attention, Goose affirmed a “Yes ma’am,” and followed me inta the bathroom.
“I just… do not understand how this is even happening,” Twi said.
We’d decided ta call the ‘upgrade’ C.T.C. or ‘Complete Trump Card,’ and so far, everypony else that tried it broke just after turnin’ it on. Pinkie’s legs snapped, Rarity attempted it, but stopped just before another fantastical horn explosion, cued when her horn started ta crack at the base. Shy couldn’t manage it, and Dash can’t do it. Goose got close, even had it ta the point he could get two hooves runnin’ it at the same time, but just like all the others, he broke after a couple of uses of it. Twi, of course, was forbidden from even attemptin’ such a thing, especially after what we saw with Rarity.
“How do ya mean?” Ah called from the outside of the ‘enclosed safety zone’ Twi’d made. It was necessary, ta be completely honest. The cold was nearly unbearable. Luna in her ‘nightmare mode,’ as Celestia called it, was somewhere between ‘blizzard’ and ‘vacuum of space’ levels of cold. Ice had built on all the walls, my extremities, and would freeze over the window if it weren’t fer Celestia actively keepin’ heat on it. And me, fer that matter.
“What she means is, it just does not make any sense as to how you have managed to force your magic vessels on.” Luna said. Much like Celestia, her voice gets all distorted when she makes herself scary like that. Just like the day she made me turn on her armor, she became this terrifyin’ spiky, black, demonic lookin’ thing; the opposite way Celestia does, but with Luna’s powers on, it was even more nightmarish. Aptly named, Ah suppose.
She dismissed her powers, revertin’ her coat from stark black ta its usual night blue and her mane ta its more ‘sparkly night sky’ cloud appearance. Heat flooded the room, which Ah was thankful fer, and Celestia warped the rest of the girls and Goose down ta the frozen trainin’ room with us.
“Yet, it seems with practice, it is possible to have Trump Card force them on, as we’ve seen the beginnings of that in Goose and Pinkie. Though it is a violent and painful process at that,” Celestia said.
Goose passed me a towel and a water bottle, and after suckin’ down what was left in that Ah asked, “So, ya think it’s just my powers that made it work fer me fer so long?”
Celestia stepped forward. “I am not so certain that the two don’t simply act in concert. When the others made their attempts, we were actively recording how the magic seems to flow within one’s body. In Rarity’s attempt it almost immediately forced all the magic within and around her person to gather in her horn. I mean no offence, but that is all far too much for somepony with such a low capacity,” Celestia nodded ta Rarity,
“The effect results in magical overload and a high potential of breaking her horn. Any unicorn attempting this would likely face similar consequences. Only the most physically capable unicorns could manage it, and I have my doubts even Twilight would be ready for that level of concentrated energy, had her horn not already experienced overload.”
Rarity shrugged. “Well, I’m not about to say that it didn’t scare the devil out of me when I felt the pounding on my skull, but after seeing the video feed of it, I’m more shocked that I didn’t start to break apart sooner. That was enough energy to cast something like a city-wide barrier. Not a very strong or durable one, yes, but a massive one. I can’t normally cast a barrier spell to begin with.”
Twi nodded. “And that’s just her. We could see traces of magic trying to work its way down both Rainbow and Fluttershy’s wings, it forced its way up Pinkie’s forelegs before it shattered them like an overloaded horn, and Goose even managed to have his energies meet at his chest; though I suspect that has more to do with the mirror than his native powers. It’s just all so weird.”
“Truly,” Celestia began, “had we more time to explore this, I feel as though at the very least, Pinkie and Goose would be able to fully realize the complete version of Trump Card, but… that just simply isn’t the case.” She popped her golden slab of a phone out of thin air and checked the time. “It’s nine-thirty right now. I believe we could run simulations from now until eleven since I can account for the ‘bug’ in the system. They should be far more accurate than before, and with the extra training to get you used to the speed and unnatural movement of Sahaquiel, I believe the results might even fare better. Or so we hope, anyways.”
“Oh, don’t give me that!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Things’ll be fine. We’ve been here before; let’s just do it and get it over with!”
As much as Ah hesitated ta be optimistic in the moment, Pinkie was right. “Yeah… it’ll go how it goes, and we’re doin’ all we can ta be ready fer it. We’ll get through this and… things’ll be fine.”
A pink blur appeared at my side and Pinkie gave me a hearty swat ta the shoulder. “That’s the spirit! We’ve had our fair share of shit to deal with, but ya know what? We’ve always come out of it! Let’s kick this guy’s ass and finish this fight!”
The gang rallied with a ‘Yeah!’ and that settled it: things were gonna go how they go. We’ll do our best, we’ll make it through, and we’ll see tomorrow. Things… things are gonna be fine.
“Heroes… and others, today I bring you what may be your final challenge!” the Mask began. Silicon began. I couldn’t help but chew on my tongue. That was a jab, but he meant it. “Sahaquiel, if you please…”
The Mask motioned in its black void on the nearest electronic billboard ta us, and sure enough, from the shadows of an alley walked out… a teenager. A short cut pale blond mane, a brown and tan coat, and brown eyes. If Ah didn’t know any better, Ah’d assume he was just some lost kid. How… scary it is, ta have power like that.
Sahaquiel took a bow. “Hello, dear heroes. You’ve no ideahow long I’ve been waiting for this day.”
The Crow shook her head. “Yeah, I’m pretty sureI have a good idea.”
Sahaquiel stood, shrugged, and began to float in mid-air. With a smug look on his face, he said, “Why, yes; you may very well be right. However, I used the word ‘heroes’ when I addressed your group.” Then, his face turned and he scowled at the Crow. “Youdon’t qualify for that title.” He reached one foreleg over and stretched it across his barrel. “I do believe, of all the ponies I’ll kill today, I will take the most joy in killing you, traitor.” He stretched his other foreleg out. “I want to have a bit of fun with it first though. I hate asymmetry, so I think I’ll start by making your wings match.” He flashed her a smile. “Now doesn’t thatsound like fun?”
“Not gonna happen.” Ah stepped forward. “We’ll put y’all down and be one step closer ta endin’ this whole charade.”
He turned his attention ta me, but that only made him smile wider. “Will you? I’d like to see you try!” Then he paused. He put a hoof to his face and tapped his lips a couple times. “Actually… I really would like to see youtry, Marevelous Red. You’re the one that caught my eye, after all. You certainly can’t compare to me in terms of speed, based on what I’ve seen, but in strength? Every time I watch you take another of my brethren down, it always seems like you’ve got a little bit more to pull out of nothing. I wonder if I can’t find the bottom of that seemingly endless reserve… or will you break before then? I simply can’t waitto find out.”
He turned ta the Mask and kneeled as if he were standin’ on somethin’. The ‘unnatural movement’ he had about him was even stranger than when Celestia and Luna were usin’ magic ta mimic him. Ya could tell that they still had ta think about how ta make themselves move, because there was definitely a slight ‘pause’ while we sparred when they didn’t use their wings ta fly. This guy lacked the wings and the pause, which didn’t bode well fer us.
“Master, if you would…”
The Mask shook. “Not quite yet, my dear friend. We still have a surprise for them to share.”
Sahaquiel clapped his hooves. “Ah, yes, of course! How could I forget?”
My lip twitched. Ah don’t like this one bit. “Twi, get a hold of Brightness fer me.”
“Sure, one sec.”
“Much like our last encounter, we added a new twist to the game!” Persona began.
“What’s up?” Brightness asked.
“Any idea what he’s on about?” Ah asked.
“Given what I know about the guy, he’s probably going to announce targets. Sunny and Moony should probably be ready to evacuate a city or two at any moment.”
“Not to worry. After the last event, I’ve since prepared a task force within the infantry to mobilize the moment he picks his locations. Cantermore will not happen again,”Celestia added.
“I have done some research, heroes! Though I have no certainevidence to your identities, I have found some very interestingdetails about ponies in this city that… just so happen to be very similar to you.”
Oh no.
The Mask disappeared from the screen, and ta replace it were camera views of… Saltlick, Ponyville, and Phillydelphia, the place where my family goes ta avoid the fightin’… along with most of Manehattan. “I do believe that you all have various ties to ponies in these cities, don’t you? So, here are the rules: I will assign one pony to each city. If said pony falls to Sahaquiel, I will unleash the virus on that city.”
“You bastard!” the Crow shouted.
“No, no, both of my parents were together when I was born. Alas, yourparents live in one of these places, don’t they? See, that little fact I happen to know for sure. I won’t spoil the surprise of letting themknow that you die here today though. They’ll see it themselves in due time. But, other ponies here also have loved ones within these other cities, Phillydelphia being a common retreat for the ponies of Manehattan on days like today.
“This is going to be a battle of attrition! I want to see you squirmto survive! Somehow, it feels like there’s been a string of overwhelming victories for you as of late, and to be quite honest, I just don’t think that’s fair! So much power from the outset and you keep getting stronger and better as a unit? With every loss, my chances of success dwindle, and that is simply… unbalanced. So, in the spirit of fairness, I’ll give you a chance.”
The screen shifted, the cities aligned to one side, and next to each were the faces of our heroes. Blur, the Crow, and myself, each lined up ta… the rightcity, as it happens.
“For every pony I’ve targeted here that survives, I will give you one of my patentedVanities to use however you will. Study them, take them apart, roll the dice and see if you can’t get yourself a new power! We don’t have a concrete sample size on this generation, maybe you’d like to be test subjects, hm? Ah, it matters not to me what you do with them. Assuming you get one at all, that is.” A pause.
“Should you win, I will have them delivered posthaste and a drone will arrive in minutes with your reward. And next week we’ll meet in person so I can finally give mostof you the adoration you deserve. But, should you lose, your cities will crumble, this city will fall, and I will be coming after my favoritepony in the world, personally. You know who you are.”
The Mask winked, likely directly at Luna.
“Normally I would just start, but today may very well be your final day! Do the heroes of Harmony have anylast words?”
Ah stopped my teeth from grindin’ against each other and took a step forward. “You’ve taken a step too damn far this time, Persona! Justice will find ya, and Ahwill be her escort!”
“Oh my, a threat from the ideal hero herself? I’m simply quakingwith anticipation. Very well then! Go beyond, heroes! Sahaquiel, begin!”
The Mask disappeared from the screen leavin’ behind the image with each hero next ta their city. Without so much as a sound, Sahaquiel launched himself at his first target; Diamond. Quick on his hooves, the Black Knight grabbed her just as Sahaquiel reached them and warped away.
Accordin’ ta the plan we made earlier, Diamond was gonna hide out as best she could while bein’ near enough ta use her powers fer the entirety of the fight. Not havin’ her last time was such a detriment that this time we decided ta keep her out of sight.
The Crow and Target took ta the air, the latter in her new black body suit under a large coat, hat and new mask while Blur and Ah split up in opposite directions. Sahaquiel didn’t bother stoppin’ his attack and let his hoof slam right inta the roof of the buildin’ we were on.
Like a wave, the rooftop caved in from the center out, then the floor below that followed, then the floor below that, and all the glass on every floor of that particular office shattered. After the dust had settled, Sahaquiel was left floatin’ there alone. “Not even going to try and protect the structures this time? Boring, but at least it’s a marginally intelligentdecision. My darling Crow, where have you gone!? It’s been so longsince I last got the chance to admire your pretty feathers, won’t you show them to me again?”
“Oh, goddess, I think I just puked a little,”the Crow said over the link.
“It doesn’t matter what he says, keep the plan in mind. Don’t come out unless Ah say so, and be near enough that when Ah call time you’re ready ta help. Is everypony in position?”
“Yes ma’am!” the others responded.
“He hasn’t shown us what he can do yet, so that’s what we’ll need ta figure out first. Knight, Blur, you’re up. Blur, keep yer distance. You’re one of the targets. Yer family’s survival depends on yers, remember that.”
“… Right,” she said after a pause.
From either side of Sahaquiel the Black Knight and Blur came out of alleys. Sahaquiel pursed his lips and tapped a hoof against his chin. “Hmm… now what could this be? You all have a habit of doing things in one fell swoop, so is this a new game? Whatever, let’s rack up a high score!”
At first, it looked like he was gonna dive fer BK, but he turned on a dime and went after Blur. Like a bullet, he shot inta the ground where she’d just been, but Blur was faster, if only by so much. The painted pony’s eyes widened when he saw he missed and Blur had loaded a trump card in her hoof; the magic so intense that everypony could see it.
“Don’t fuck with my family!” Jab, jab, straight, Blur slammed her charged hoof right in the center of Sahaquiel’s neck. A wave of wind blew dust around them from the tail end of Blur’s attack, and as if it were a delayed reaction, Sahaquiel went flyin’ with his head cocked ta the side like it was broken. His body spun and twisted, but just as he started ta slow, BK made his move.
Sahaquiel had just enough time ta hear the quiet grindin’ sound of static that the Black Knight makes when he warps. Their eyes met just in time fer BK’s hooves ta land directly on the crown of his’s head.
A cloud of dust accompanied the boom of Sahaquiel landin’ in a new crater in the street. BK warped back ta Blur’s side and then they waited. Had they hit me, or anypony with even an enhanced body like mine, Ah’d be in bad shape right now. The question here was; how is Sahaquiel now?
A whirlwind came from inside the ball of smoke. The dust cleared and there floated Sahaquiel, a tooth missin’, blood runnin’ from his snout, and a wild grin on his face. “Excellent! Simply marvelous! I haven’t been hit like that in ages! Our failed experiments are never any fun to kill, but you!? Youcan be hunted like proper beasts! You’ve had your turn… and now it’s mine!”
We didn’t even see him move. In the blink of an eye, Sahaquiel had gone from floatin’ above his crater ta havin’ his foreleg catch BK by the neck and threw him off in the air like a rocket.
“Blur, tag out! Target, catch BK! Crow, with me!”
Ah leapt from my vantage point just as Sahaquiel turned on Blur. Aimin’ carefully, Ah shot my cable at his back. Unfortunately, he twisted and caught the blade end of it in his hoof. “Come now, a surprise attack? Please. It’s not so easy to get the jump on me!”
Though she’d been silent while Ah had his attention, Sahaquiel spun around and kicked Blur in the face before she could nail him again. As she flew away, Sahaquiel pulled my cable down ta earth like a whip. The concrete caught my back and my head bounced off it. Somethin’ inside cracked.
Just as Ah started ta regain my senses, my foreleg felt like it was comin’ outta its socket as Sahaquiel pulled me close. “Tools aren’t fun! Fight like a mare!” His foreleg reeled back and I saw the muscles in it tighten and reshaped what might be a normal teen’s leg inta somethin’ the looked more like a body builder’s. The hoof ready ta fly toward my face spelled death, but just at the last second, a sword swung where Sahaquiel’s head was.
“Motherfucker!” the Crow cursed when he ducked.
“Maybe someday, but I prefer younger mares right now~” Rainbow’s blood covered her like a dome and Sahaquiel twisted around and slammed me inta it. The blood cushioned the blow, and finally, he let go of my cable. Ah quickly reeled it back in and once the Crow regained her balance, we turned ta see Sahaquiel stretchin’.
“You know, I’m a little disappointed. Here I was, standing completely erect from the rush of getting hit like that, then you two come out here and give a paltry performance. I expected less from them and better from both of you. Way to kill my boner; why don’t you try that cable thing again, Marevelous? I’ve never played with whips before, that was fun!”
A nerve had been touched. Power flooded my hooves and Ah was near ready ta launch at this little bastard when a voice yelled in my head.
“Hey! Keep the plan in mind, alright?”
The anger faded a little, and Ah stopped the fire. Two can play at this game. “Ah know, Ah know. How are ya? Is Blur still alive?”
“I’m… not dead?”she responded.
“And I’m mostly okay. Neck’s gonna be sore tomorrow, though. He doesn’t hit as hard as you do, so that’s a plus,” BK said.
“He’s t-too fast for me to support you from this vantage. S-should I…?”Target trailed off.
“Not yet. Save that fer when we really need it. Ah doubt he’s serious just yet, but if anythin’s clear, this kid is still just that; a kid. Target, get him in yer sights, but don’t fire until Ah give the signal. Blur, are ya faster than him? Ah can’t tell.”
“I am, but I thinkone of my forelegs is broken. Or fractured at least. It hurts, a lot.”
“What am I looking at here? Are you just standing there, waiting? No… no, youare having a team meeting right in front of me! I am, quite frankly, insulted. You will look at me!” Sahaquiel launched himself at me, but this time, Ah was ready fer it. In one motion, Ah raised a charged hoof ta block, and lowered the other ta counter. Sahaquiel’s foreleg slammed against mine, but my hooves were steady and Ah didn’t so much as budge. The percussive wind flew behind me and blew the Crow back a meter, and Sahaquiel was shocked.
“Don’t’cha worry none. Ah didn’t forget about ya.” His mouth fell open, but Ah was quick ta close it. My hips twisted left and my hoof rocketed up inta Sahaquiel’s jaw. A satisfyin’ clock ta the button under his chin as his teeth smashed together, then a boom shook the concrete we were standin’ on as the shockwave reverberated through his body, just as he soared inta the sky.
“Target, now!”
Gunfire rang out as bullets pelted the ragdoll flyin’ straight inta the stratosphere. A knee hit, a shoulder hit, a knee hit; blood rained and Target took aim one more time.
“Finish it!”Target shot again, but this time, somethin’ was very wrong. Sahaquiel twisted in time with the fire and a spark shined and the bullet ricocheted off him, an instant later the Crow’s helmet flew off her face and she went down.
“Hold yer fire!”The Crow’s head was bleedin’. The helmet had stopped the bullet, but dented inward so far that there was a chance it hit her skull. There was too much blood ta tell. Shit, shit, shit!
“TOKI WO TOMARE!”
“ZA, WARUDO!”
Color evaporated from the world and Diamond ran out from an alley ta me. “What happened!?”
“Ah… Ah think he turned her slug and aimed it at us… somehow. Whatever it was, she’s bleedin’ bad. Take her back and have her and Blur get fixed up. It doesn’t look like Sahaquiel can heal himself, so this shouldn’t take much longer. Next time Ah get him good enough, Ah’ll call time and try ta finish him off. Be ready.”
Diamond nodded. “Okay, be careful. We’ve still got seven minutes of my time.” She picked up the frozen Crow. “Don’t let him swing you around like that again. We don’t need you too banged up now, alright?”
Ah nodded. “You’re tellin’ me.” Diamond ran off with the Crow’s frozen body, and Ah used the remainin’ time ta get a good look at our ‘Kaiju.’ Sure enough, his eyes were focused dead at where the Crow just was, and his body was twisted half around with one of his hooves out in the air. Ah doubt Ah’d be able ta reach him without help, so instead Ah stretched my legs again and prepared ta give orders.
Color flooded the world and time had restarted. “BK, get Blur ta Diamond, those two are taggin’ out fer now. Once you’re done with that, it’s down ta us ta take this kid out. Target, adjust yer position and back off fer now. Ah doubt he will, but if he comes after ya, fly ta me and we’ll take his attention.”
“Ma’am!”the gang responded.
Sahaquiel repositioned himself, then came to a halt in mid air. One hoof moved ta his jaw and after shiftin’ it in a way that looked like it would hurt, he moved his mouth around and started ta sink back toward us. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that one was meant to kill. Surely you aren’t already tired of playing with me, are you?”
BK warped ta my side and after a quick glance between us, we started ta casually walk toward Sahaquiel. “Maybe. But then again, ya did nearly kill one of yer targets with a bullet we fired, so Ah’d rather not have this drag on.”
His jaw twisted and clicked back into place once more, then the teenager smiled. “Only nearly? And here I was sure I’d hit just the right spot. You must have an incredible healer on your team to recover from something like that.”
“Yeah, we certainly do. Ah’m just surprised y’all still wanna play, what with the shape you’re in right now. How are them legs doin’? She gotcha in the knees, it looks like.”
His good foreleg raised, he shrugged. “Oh, they’ll be well enough soon. Though clearly not as efficient as my brethren, my regenerative powers are enough to keep me well after something as trivial as a bullet to the knees. The tooth the blue one knocked out is already grown back, you see?”
As he flashed his smile, my dismay grew. Not a tooth out of place, though one looked a fair bit whiter than the others. Not seconds, but minutes; and his body fixes itself. Ah sighed. “Well, that’s just peachy.” A slug pushed itself out of Sahaquiel’s other foreleg, then he stretched and moved it around. “Ah guess…” Ah lowered myself, “we’ll just have ta see how many times Ah need ta kill ya before ya die.”
Ah launched with all the force Ah could muster in my hind legs. Sahaquiel was fast, but not faster than Blur, which meant Ah had a good shot at hittin’ him like this. Forelegs open, Ah managed ta wrap them around his neck before he reacted ta what Ah’d done. He attempted ta jab me in the stomach, but Ah was quick ta pull away. Ah twisted my left hoof up the side of his neck ta his face and wrapped the other around the base of his neck. Tightenin’ my grip on his mane, Ah grabbed and pulled as hard as Ah could the opposite direction.
SNAP
Suddenly, there was no magical force holdin’ us up in the air. We dropped ta the ground like a sack of bricks, and just before we fell, Ah jumped off and backed away. And then… Ah just stood there fer a second. What… what did Ah just do?The thought was fleetin’ though, and pulled out of it, Ah called ta Twi. “What’s his status? Still alive?”
“I… I’m not sure. I still detect a heartbeat, but brain activity has stopped. What did you do?”
“Something I honestly wasn’t sure she was capable of. Damn,”BK added.
Ah tilted my head and stared dead at the Black Knight. “Really?”
“Yes, really, geez. It’s not like I thought you were joking or anything, but I didn’t expect you to just slam into him and snap his neck.”
Celestia sighed from somewhere. “That’s not going to look good on camera.”
Ah groaned. “Who cares how it looks!? It’s either him or most of the populace! Ah didn’t think that was a hard decision ta make!”
Twi interrupted, “Hold on. Brain activity restarted.”
Attention back on the body, Sahaquiel’s forehooves started ta move up ta his head. In a quick, sharp motion, his head twisted the other way. The ruptured skin and bone of his neck realigned and slowly formed back the way they were supposed to be. The once dead eyes lit back up, then Sahaquiel blinked.
“Well now! Somepony was serious! To think that I would see death twice, only to be dug up from a shallow grave yet again!” He sat up and popped his neck on either side. “Apparently, it’s going to take more than that to really kill me. You two on the other hoof… aren’t quite so durable!”
Sahaquiel launched at us, and immediately, Ah started ta feel a strange sense of déjà vu. BK and Ah ducked ta avoid the initial slam and Ah turned around ta see him nowhere. Ah feltmovement above my head and Ah turned and kicked myself off BK ta get us both outta the way of Sachiel slammin’ himself inta the ground where we just were. As soon as Ah got my bearin’s again, I knew he was gonna come after me next, so Ah raised a foreleg just in front of my face and braced ta catch him.
SLAM
Ah shifted back, my hooves diggin’ inta the concrete as the wild eyed teen stared deep in my eyes with the biggest smile on his face. “What are you!? Having your head bashed against the concrete should’ve killed you, but no, you stand and still you’re so strong! You see me coming, you protect your comrades, and then you counter me with such incredible violence!Marevelous indeed… you’re a monster, just like me!”
While that unsettled me, it wasn’t quite enough ta make me focus solely on him. Ah saw movement outta the corner of my eye and wrapped my free hoof around his foreleg. A cable shot inta Sahaquiel’s back and the teen arched in response. The Black Knight flew toward Sahaquiel at the hip followin’ his cable, then he twisted a knee in time ta smash his armor right inta Sahaquiel’s head. The younger pony spun away like a flipped coin, tearin’ the cable free from his back, rollin’ head over hooves against the ground until finally he flopped ta a stop.
BK sighed. “While I figured I might have to push away other stallions trying to make advances on you, I didn’t expect to have to use killing force when I did it.”
Ah blushed a little, thankful nopony could see it, and scratched at my chin. “Well, you’re a little more gifted in certain places than he is and, well, not a psychopath; so ya shouldn’t be too worried. That kid is some kinda creepy.”
“And I had to work with him! For half a year! I swear, dude’s like… fight-sexual or something.” Rainbow said from the other end somewhere.
“Speakin’ of, is somepony sendin’ y’all back out soon? Ah… hate ta have ta think like this, but maybe usin’ a sword wouldn’t be a bad idea here. Or… somethin’ that kills him a little faster.”
“Considering that she had a half inch wound on her forehead just from onerandom counterattack, which was stopped just barely by a sheet of enchanted plate mail, I believe that would be unwise. Scootaloo can’t bring ponies back from the dead, unlike our adversary, and you two seem to be the only ones strong enough to endure his attacks,” Celestia answered.
“I also dropped it when I got shot, so it’s probably still on the road if somepony didn’t already pick it up,” Rainbow added. Ah looked over, and sure enough, there was her katana; layin’ on the street forgotten. Then Ah heard the wind.
“Ah, ah, ah… don’t look away.” My eyes managed ta catch a glimpse of the tan hind leg swingin’ at my head just before it connected. Pain flared, my ear twisted in a way it was never supposed ta, and my body shot away. Ah flew and everything moved in such a way that Ah couldn’t tell up from down. My body hit the ground, but even as much as my head could fight the pain, my limbs weren’t willin’ ta stop me.
KLANG
The clash of metal rang out, cuttin’ through the ringin’ in my head and finally makin’ my legs function right. Ah looked up ta see the Black Knight standin’ firm as he took punch after kick after punch from Sahaquiel. He’d formed a stance with his left foreleg blockin’ the repeated blows and just when he saw an openin’, BK countered hard with his right, a downward hook inta Sahaquiel’s face.
The teen was shot firmly inta the ground head first, bein’ half buried in it. Then, in a move Ah wasn’t sure he was capable of, the Black Knight stood above the teen’s head and stomped a hind hoof down on it. Once, twice, three times. The body twitched and shivered. BK’s boots were painted red.
Ah didn’t feel any less sick. He is evil. He is a child. He is our enemy. He’s somepony’s son. He’s some twisted creature. He’s a victim of circumstance. It must be done. Why did it come to this? It all feels so… wrong.
BK, satisfied with his work, warped ta stand over me. “Hey, are you okay?”
He helped me up, but that just made me sicker. This should be easy. He’s a monster.But he doesn’t look like one. What he looks like… is a kid.Ah swallowed the thought away, locked it deeper this time, and then steadied myself. “Just a little shook up, that’s all.”
“Diamond, get ready. We don’t know what will kill this guy, but if he’s anythin’ like the others, then the thing keepin’ him alive through all this has gotta be a mirror near his heart. Ah can’t take another hit like that, so we have ta end this, sooner rather than later.
“Target, while he’s still down there, try and plant one right at it. If… if he somehow protects it, then we know what we need ta do. Ah don’t feel like gettin’ shot though, so don’t shoot more than necessary just in case, alright?”
“Ma’am!”they echoed together.
Target turned ta take aim at the still… partially dead kid and Ah prepared my hooves fer a deflect, just in case.
POW!
Just as the bullet was fired, a hoof shot up from the body and a brick exploded on the side of a buildin’ nearby. Slowly, unnaturally, the body shifted up from the ground. What remained of the head was still reforming itself and we were greeted with the half formed face of what was truly, a monster.
“As it turns out, the third visit only feels nostalgic.”The bone of his skull slowly reformed itself, then a thin sheet of muscle and tendons stretched out from under his skin, and finally, the rest of him closed back up as if his head had never been smashed in in the first place. He popped his neck again, and then that awful smile returned to his lips.
“Neck snapped, skull shattered. That’s two, heroes. That is, of course, if two ponies that are the ‘faces of justice,’ as it were, who can so readily kill a teenager should be called as such. I suppose that knowing he’ll come back in a moment or so could ease more tender hearts, but yours are farfrom that. No, no… those were brutalways to end a life. Practicedways to kill, something that speaks of experience with it! How many lives have you ended with those hooves, hmm? Does wearing a cape and killing in the name of the law validate you?”
Ah shook my head. “You’re a sick bastard, Ah tell ya what. Not a single thing is right about any of this.”
He shrugged “Guilty as charged. I do derive a certain pleasure from it, but… do you not? The way you fight, the constant struggle for your life, the exhilaration of surviving though it all! To ponies so powerful, ponies strong enough to kill your lowers without so much as a thought, is it not the most wonderfulfeeling there is?”
The Black Knight made a noise of disgust. “Sick just doesn’t even begin to cover it. You know what a wonderful feeling is? Knowing you’re loved, that’s a wonderful feeling. Killing for the sake of it, spreading suffering for the sake of it, plunging cities into panic for the sake of it, none of that is anything more than a twisted desire. We are here to protect ponies we care about from you and that freak in the mask, and that’s all there is to it.”
Sahaquiel put a hoof on his heart and ran another though his mane. “Oh, how you wound me! Sickness? Twisted desire? Can that really be all my aching heart wants?” He lowered his head and stared BK down. “For those of us that have never felt love, I suppose that’s really all there is left for us, isn’t it? SHOW ME HOW IT FEELS!”
Sahaquiel launched, and Rainbow’s Katana was within reach. Sahaquiel collided with the Black Knight, blowing dust and rubble in the air from the force of the impact. The moment was now, and Ah called time.
“TOKI WO TOMARE!”
“ZA, WARUDO!”
Color retreated from the world and Ah galloped, grabbed the sword off the ground, then ran back. Ah pushed my frozen husband out of the way, lined up the sword right with Sahaquiel’s chest, just in front of his frozen heart, and tightened my grip.
“Release!”
In the blink of an eye, time restarted all around me. Sahaquiel’s body started to dip deeper into Rainbow’s sword and as soon as Ah saw it, Ah added a thrust myself. Only, the moment Ah started ta move the sword, it never went deeper inta the body. Inch by inch, frame by frame, like watchin’ a film in slow motion, the sword went forward, but the body did as well. By the time Ah was at my full extension, Sahaquiel had come off the sword.
His eyes had focused on me, a smile so wicked that it might as well had been a ‘V’ filled with teeth formed on his face, and his head tilted. “I’d been waiting for that little trick of yours. Don’t you know… that dirty tricks only work once?”
Sahaquiel twisted and his hind hoof came up and kicked the sword out of my grip and high inta the air. The ringin’ of the singin’ steel filled my good ear as the sensation of what had just happened started ta fill my heart. The encroaching horror of what Ah’d done, the very idea that if even fer a split second, somethin’ inside me had made a horrible mistake. His body shifted forward, that same hoof high above his head suddenly swung down right on the crown of my head.
“Marevelous, look out!!”
Who said that? My head didn’t feel right. Somethin’ wasn’t connected. Ah wasn’t movin’. Ah couldn’t move. Why was that? Did he hit me so hard that there was somethin’ wrong with my spine? Ah couldn’t feel much of anythin’ at all right now.
“Target, me, TOKI WO TOMARE!”
“ZA, WARUDO!”
Ah blinked and suddenly Ah was in The Black Knight’s forelegs. He’d set me up against a buildin’ just ta the side. Gunfire rang out from somewhere above, but each and every shot went off with a ‘ping’ and a ‘smack,’holes formin’ in the ground all around that child. He swung his hooves around in time with each blast, until finally he spun himself around completely and the light of another blast went back where it came from.
“Ahhh!”
Somepony screamed from up high. My knight disappeared from my side and he blinked next ta the fallin’ figure of a three-legged pegasus. He blinked again and she was set beside me.
My head was still ringin’ and the sound of that sword finally hittin the ground didn’t make it any better. Pain started ta flare up in my neck and my back arched. “Gah!” A noise came out of my mouth and Ah fell over. What in the world is goin’ on?
“Get them out of here!”
“I can’t, I just used my powers three times in a row, I’ll need another thirty seconds to recharge!”
“We don’t have that kinda time! He broke her back and she’s bleeding out!”
“I told you not to look away!!!”A yell outside of my head, something that Ah could hear clearly through the ringin’. My knight turned around ta face the wind as he came rushin’ after him; forelegs raised, standin’ firm in front of us ta keep us from harm. The moment they collided, they blinked away.
Further down the street, Ah watched as the Black Knight took blow after blow after blow, a low buildin’ orange light in his hooves. The teen managed ta get behind him and raise his hooves well over my knight’s head. Just as the light in his hooves had hit a peak, Ah noticed it glint off of Rainbow’s sword, stickin’ up firmly outta the ground beside them.
Sahaquiel swung his hooves down hard in an attempt ta hit my husband the same way he hit me, but just as it came, BK blinked behind him. Sahaquiel turned just in time ta see that glowin’ hoof release all the power within it, stabbin’ straight through him like some kinda cannonball. The dust and rubble behind the little monster swirled in a whirlwind formin’ a small tornado out of the force my knight had released.
The young colt’s body slid off of the Black Knight’s hoof. With his left spent, his right still glowed with an ever growin’ intense orange light. Sahaquiel hacked and coughed, a wave of blood gushed out of his mouth and the new through hole in his stomach. Sahaquiel locked eyes with my knight as he stepped on his body, preparin’ ta unleash the final blow.
What Ah could see, and what my husband couldn’t, was somethin’ that glinted in the light. What Sahaquiel had grabbed when he fell, what the Black Knight didn’t see as he leaned down ta kill the monster, was a sword that had failed to kill him.
As the black knight reeled back his charged hoof, Ah did everythin’ in my power ta scream. Not a sound would come out. My mouth wouldn’t move, my body didn’t respond, and just like in my darkest nightmares, Ah was frozen as Ah watched.
My eyes felt wet.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. We practiced! We fought him over and over and over, and even still, we managed to win! This isn’t how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to die when we stopped time! We had time on our side, how could this have happened!? Nopony was supposed to get hurt! Why can’t Ah move!? Move damn it, move!!!
Just as the Black Knight moved in fer the kill, the glintin’ sword went up through a gap in his armor. The tip of the blade, dark red with crimson, exited through the side of his neck. He stopped in his tracks. The light that once glowed from around his hooves dissipated all at once, and his forelegs fell limp.
His head turned ta me. Ah couldn’t see his face. Ah had no words ta make out on his lips. A thought was passed over.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t keep our promise.”
Blood gushed out from under his helmet.
The Black Knight fell.
“… N-no… no, no… no, no, NO, NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”