CANTERLOT, COLORADO
240612TJUL30:
The morning light shone in the little home they shared. One, it had been a third-floor luxury apartment in the Canterlot Grand InterContinental; now, even despite the ruined condition, the luxury hotel still had much of its aura remaining in it. The fact that the generators and solar panels still worked after all these years helped a lot; that somehow, they’d survived living so long here made it all the more worthwhile.
As the woman the militia had nicknamed Hera sat up in bed, she looked out the window at the ruined Canterlot skyline. This was both her heaven and her hell. Her hell, because she’d opted to stay here and guide everyone, even as it had cost her everything, including the use of her legs. Her heaven, because in the process, she’d gained a husband out of all this, even if she hadn’t expected the relationship to go the way it had.
One that doesn’t mind the fact that I’m finally going gray after all this time, she mused. It was bound to happen; no one lived forever, after all. She just wished she could ward off the years a little longer, at least until she had a chance at a genuine happily ever after with her beloved. But that was no more likely in the cards than her aging process was likely to halt at her whim.
A few seconds later, a man walked in. Barechested and showing his muscles, his dapper smile shone through his well-tended beard. They called him Zeus, not just because he’d assumed the mantle of leadership for the Canterlot militia, but also because of his chiseled good looks and commanding presence. They had eagerly followed his command and under his leadership the Canterlot militia had not only survived but were now on the verge of taking back their home from the aliens.
There was, of course, another reason why they were called Zeus and Hera, but that had been put to rest long ago by the sheer trust and respect they’d built up for themselves over the years. None would gainsay them now, and the people knew that Zeus and Hera would gladly lay their lives down for Canterlot and its surviving residents if that was what it took to be free.
“I brought you some eggs and bacon,” he commented, setting the tray before her.
“I didn’t know we had any left,” she said, reaching for a fork and spearing the yellow yolk, its golden treasure running all over the whites of the over-easy dish.
“Oh, eggs we have plenty of,” he commented lightly. “The bacon…well, I’ve been assured that it is a meat of some kind and probably safe to eat. That, or we’ve eaten so much of it over the years that we aren’t likely to die any longer from what it really likely is.”
She took another bite before hearing the growl of his stomach. “You haven’t eaten yet,” she accused.
“I can grab a protein bar from the storage when we get down to the meeting area,” he told her. “Besides, it’s more important that you eat. You need your strength for today.”
Her mind rifled through her mental calendar. “Is today the day we’re meeting up with the Army?”
“Supposedly. I’ve asked Button to take the lead on this one, at least until we can be sure that we can trust them.” He sighed. “Never thought I’d ever say that in a million years, given my pedigree.”
“We’ve changed, love. For better or for worse,” she told him. She then narrowed his eyes at him. “Now, are you going to eat, or will I have to—”
“I thought we agreed that you would never do that again.” It was an old joke between them, the punchline given.
“Don’t worry, I have other ways of making you listen to me,” she said, smiling winsomely and completing the old statement between the two. He then leaned forward and kissed her tenderly, the sign of love between them overcoming their gap in age.
“Finish up, and then I’ll carry you to the shower. I’m sure you’ll want to look your best for our gallant military forces,” he told her. “And since you insist that I eat something, I’ll go whip myself something up as well.”
She nodded, then watched his form as he left. She could feel those strong muscles of his still as he held her at night, felt their bodies pressed together during their lovemaking, felt the warmth of his touch whenever she was physically or emotionally weak from her wounds. For better or worse, he was hers and she was his – and nothing would change that.
Moving forward slowly, but with purpose, the men and women of Company D, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment moved through the tunnels of the subway, warier than usual due to the confined spaces. The “Demon Dawgs”, as the unit was nicknamed, had a long and storied history, and under their current leadership, they continued to make history.
At the moment, said leader, Cpt. Flash Sentry, paused the group in order to speak to his lieutenants and sergeants. “So, looks like we got the easy job,” he commented with his usual wit.
“So you’re saying you would’ve preferred heading out to party with the SEALs?” 1st Lt. Summer Storm commented. A native of Arizona, he came from a long line of Army soldiers and Flash silently admitted that it wouldn’t have been a surprise if someday soon Storm would be heading up his own company instead of being Company D’s XO and head of the 2nd Platoon.
“Nope, fuck that – I might be Army gung-ho, but I’m not as suicidal as those bitches are,” chimed in 2nd Lt. Silken Steel, the 3rd Platoon leader. Out of all the members of Flash’s unit, she was the only one who knew that Flash was married to Fluttershy, but generally kept it to herself. Given, however, that she often flirted with him, sometimes Flash wondered if he should consider transferring her to another unit before she got out of hand.
“Cmdr. Apple is an old friend of mine, Lieutenant,” Flash admonished her. “I’d appreciate it if you gave her some slack, especially given she’s the senior combat officer here.”
“Be that as it may, sir, you don’t see me running around in Navy cammies and calling myself a sailor just because I have tits. I just have brains to go along with them.” A pause, as she realized she might have gone too far. “Sir,” she added in a sort of apology.
“Just keep walking into that fuckup, Silky,” the last member of their group laughed. 2nd Lt. Scattershot was the newest member of the group, heading up the Heavy Weapons platoon. He hadn’t been with them long, having been a replacement for a good officer whose career had been ended when his head had been removed from his shoulders.
As they moved through the tunnel, the cavernous feel only seemed to amplify every sound: every drop of water getting in from the surface, every metallic ring from broken, rusty pipes, every crumbling sound from disintegrating concrete and the scurrying of rodents, bugs and worse. The tunnel carried a noxious, fetid smell and though the air was breathable, it wasn’t the most pleasant in the world to inhale. Between that and the molding skeletons and frayed corpses of countless animals here, the soldiers had the impression as if they were invading a tomb, and that they would face off against ghouls and barrow-wights at any moment.
“This is some creepy shit, Captain,” Silken told him. “I feel like we’re going to get torn the fuck up any moment now.”
“Then we’ll just have to tear right back,” Storm said drily.
The soldiers took a few more steps before they heard another set of footfalls. Flash signaled for them to come to a halt and silently they moved to find whatever cover they could in the tunnel. This part of the tunnel was mostly intact and as such didn’t have anything to use as cover, so if they were to encounter Octos down here, it would be a bloodbath.
Pulling out his helmet mic, Flash tapped twice on the side, sending a prearranged signal to his senior cadre: Anyone have a view of the tangos?
One by one, the soft beeps came back into his earpiece: none of the others could get a drop on whatever it was there. The only way they were going to find out if this was a trap…was to spring it. Reluctantly, he gave a signal to Scattershot, whose troops were closest to the situation. In turn, the lieutenant signaled to have three of the soldiers closest to the situation move even closer. It would very well mean their lives, everyone knew, but if that were the case, the soldiers of Company D would make sure to avenge their fallen, swiftly and surely.
As the three soldiers crawled closer to the broken concrete centerpiece that they could use as cover, a voice from the darkness called out, “You don’t want to do that – we boobytrapped the whole area just in case.” One of the soldiers brought out a can of “aerosol trap detector” – or what used to be called Silly String back before Decimation – and hit the button on the can, spraying the gray goo everywhere. Long lines of gray aerosol foam fell towards earth…only to be stopped by thin lines here and there.
“Piano wire,” the soldier stated. “Probably triggered to IEDs,” he called back to his group.
“Yeah, well, hidden behind the rusting emergency repair box is a door. Go through that and it leads to an emergency exit. The exit itself is caved in, but the rest of the pathway winds around the minefield. We’ll meet you on the other side.”
“And how do we know we can trust you?” Silken called out to the voice.
Though the speaker’s face couldn’t be seen, it was clear that she was smirking. “I told you about the minefield, right? I could have easily just let you walk through it.”
Before one of his other soldiers could say anything, Flash moved out from cover. “Okay, round up; you heard the lady. We’ll meet your folks on the other side, okay?”
“How do you know I’m not alone?”
“Because it’d be suicide to focus on any opponent by yourself,” Flash said with a grin. “I’ll bet at the very least you have a squad of three with you, one of which whose job it is to retreat and report numbers if you were overwhelmed.” Not waiting for an answer, he headed towards the door, with several of his people immediately following him, and then, eventually, the rest of the company followed. Sure enough, they found the door easily behind the easily-movable storage locker, and, after quickly checking the door, immediately opened it to reveal a large corridor, roomy enough for five people across heading down and curving away, the dim LED lighting somehow still active after all these years.
As they moved into the emergency access tunnels, Flash made it a point to go first. Normally, as the company’s commanding officer, he would wait until most of the troop came in, but he’d always been the type to lead from the front whenever possible. Furthermore, they needed to show that they were not a threat to the Canterlot militia and the best way would be if Flash showed himself.
Once the company was in, Flash instructed them to sling their weapons and just walk forward. When his junior officers protested, as a concession, he allowed the lieutenants to have their sidearms at the ready, but that was it. And with that, he walked down the hall, trying to project an air of confidence he wasn’t sure he felt. He wasn’t worried about himself, but with Fluttershy and Applejack out on their mission, he was concerned for the safety of his wife. Applejack would keep her safe, certainly, but…the Octos were out there and even SEALs died from their attacks.
“That’s far enough.” Around a corner, a woman came out, carrying what looked to be an outdated, yet still maintained AR-15 – probably jerry-rigged to act more like the aged M-16s that Flash occasionally came across now and then – and she looked like she knew how to handle it. Despite her patched and relatively threadbare clothing, she still seemed very formidable, and from the way the other militia members behind her carried themselves, it was very clear who was in charge here, assisted by her commanding presence.
There was also something familiar about her, the way she carried herself regally, but Flash couldn’t put his finger on it just yet.
“So, I did the courtesy of letting you around the planted bombs, just out of respect for our leader,” she said, “but that’s as far as my courtesy goes. Now, do you mind telling me if you’re really here to undo the damage you’ve done, or just reporting on our status for the cowards hiding out to the south?” When one of the soldiers reacted uncomfortably, the woman laughed. “What, think we didn’t know about that? Oh, we know all about the quote, unquote ‘replacement Canterlot’ that’s being built down in Apple Corners.
“And that’s the problem – you all abandoned everything! New York, LA, Chicago, Canterlot – all of it destroyed and all you did was just build little out of the way towns for people to rebuild and to let those who stayed behind suffer! What else did you abandon?” one of the others behind the woman shouted. “Why did we have to pay the price so you could all live your comfortable lives an—”
“COMFORTABLE LIVES, MY ASS!” Silken snarled. “You think you’re the only ones who suffered? News flash, idiot! Ninety percent of humanity died five years ago! Explain to me how the fuck you get up and move on from that so easily, you sick son of a—”
“Lieutenant, stand down,” Flash told her softly, though his tone made it clear it was an order. Still not taking his eyes off the militia folks with their guns out, he knew he had to do something. His people were trained to take down threats and even though the guerrillas had the advantage for the moment, he had the numbers. But that wasn’t the issue – no, the pressing question was that his troops were ordered to win the hearts and minds of those here, because this would be the role model of how they would take back America and probably the world.
If he failed here, it could possibly – and with no hyperbole – mean the slow extinction of civilization and possibly humanity as well. His actions would decide on the future of the human race.
And I don’t have my wife’s particular skills, he admitted to himself.
He looked in the woman’s hard eyes…and then recollection came. It was just there for a fleeting moment, but it was there: a look he knew from long ago. In an instant, he knew who this woman was. It shocked him for just a second, but he recovered from that. He knew he could get through to her.
“I’ve never abandoned anyone,” he told her, removing his helmet so she could get a good look at his face. “Whenever someone needed me, I never backed down. I even left Sunset because of others that needed me more than her. I even recall a little girl who was afraid of a large dog, and instead of letting her stay afraid, I chased the dog off, even if it bit me hard enough that I needed stitches.” He chuckled. “I also recall the little girl cried because of that.”
Violet eyes opened in surprise, and then soon melted into nostalgia. A genuine look of shock came over her face. “Flash?” she asked in a choked voice.
Seeing that as his cue, Flash removed his helmet. “Yes, it’s me.”
The woman launched herself at him, unreservedly kissing him with unbridled passion.
One of Flash’s junior officers looked at the other. “I’m not going to be the one to tell the Major about this, are you?”
“Not if you want to keep on living,” came the deadpan reply.
After a few minutes of quick explanation and some friendly de-escalation between the two groups they headed off towards their destination. Giddy, the woman practically clung to Flash, while he genuinely brushed it off. His subordinate officers generally said nothing but catalogued all of it later for potential jokes.
“So, Flash, it’s good to see you again,” the woman said, with a heavy undertone of I’m available.
Flash sighed; he knew he had to nip this in the bud. “Look, I know what you’re thinking,” he told her, “but I’m married. Happily so, too – to Fluttershy.”
“A lot of people were married before Decimation,” she pointed out. “A lot of people still consider themselves so, even if their spouses didn’t survive.”
“Yes, but my wife is the leader of this expedition, and she’s with the other combat group right now. She’s also the senior doctor.”
The woman let go, a reluctant look on her face. “Oh, I, uh….”
Time to let her off the hook. “So…this might sound awkward, but how have you been? Haven’t seen you for a while.”
An unreadable look came over Silver Spoon’s face. “A lot of things. Many things I’m not proud of, too,” she told him. He said nothing, and without the prompting, she continued. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
“Are you sure you want to tell me?” he asked her in reply.
“You…might not respect me after I’m done,” she told him.
He gave her a smile. “We’ve known each other for years, Silvy. Unless you’ve murdered someone, you know I’m always going to be on your side.”
“I….” She turned away. “I did.”
Before Flash could comment, one of Silver’s people spoke up. “Hey, Janus, rule of the group, you know that! You did what you had to do.”
She looked at him. “Boomshot, you know that’s why they call me Janus, right? Roman two-faced god? Betrayer, duplicitous—”
“Janus was the Roman god of time, able to look forward and backwards, Silvy,” another member of her team reminded her.
“You guys didn’t kill the—”
The radio immediately crackled to life: “Delta Delta 6, Splash 3, do you read? Over.”
He tapped the radio. “This is Delta Delta 6. Go ahead.”
“We just got a report that the SEALs have engaged the enemy. Reports of casualties, and several injuries amongst the Changelings.”
He barked into the radio, “Is the Major—”
“She’s fine, sir. I understand she even participated in the combat herself.”
What? “Splash 3, repeat your last, over.”
“According to Cmdr. Apple, Maj. Fluttershy participated in the battle herself, protecting one of the downed SEALs and killing one of the enemies.”
“My God,” he gasped. His mind swirled. How would his wife, normally so delicate about such things, react to having killed one of the enemies? PTSD came all too often to battle-hardened veterans; how much easier for those forced into those circumstances? He felt numb even considering the concept.
“Cmdr. Apple says she has it in hand and will give you an after action, Captain.”
“I’d appreciate that. But for now, I have to get on with my operation. Let her know I’ll meet with her at her earliest convenience when I get back.”
“Roger that. Stay safe – we’ve already lost some SEALs and if that’s the case, well…. Splash 3, out.”
“Fuck.” He looked at his senior officers and noncoms. “I take it you heard all that?” When they nodded, he said, “Okay, good, I don’t have to repeat what you guys already know I’m going to say. We’ll continue on with this, since those are our orders. Worry about the future later, take care of the now.”
At his side, Silver looked at him. “That sounds all too familiar,” she said sadly. “She used to say that, too.”
Flash thought about it. Silver had been friends with a girl that had been a bad influence on her. There wasn’t much Flash could do about it, but the way that Silver had said that, combined with her earlier words…. “What happened?”
“Do you remember…Diamond Tiara?”
I’m really not liking this, Flash thought grimly. “I do; I recall that we told you to stay away from her.”
The two walked in silence for a minute before she admitted, “You were right. She was a bad apple and I should have learned. But by that time, I’d pretty much pushed all my friends away and you really didn’t have time for a kid like me.” She waved it off, however. “Don’t apologize – there’s a few years’ difference between us and it’s not like I’m your sister or anything. I get that. I just…I just wished I learned beforehand.
“She was controlling. Really controlling, much like her mother – her father wasn’t, from what I could tell, but he was never really around, and so…it was a recipe for disaster. And I don’t think I was really ever her friend. Not a servant, either, but…a toy. A thing to play with, and to keep her entertained. And for a while, I fell into that step, into that role. Her only friend, even to the point that when we graduated, we really had no one to say goodbye to – it was just me and her, headed off to the University of Colorado. And that’s when things got worse.”
“Worse?”
She bit her lip; would he respect her still if he told her? Especially if…. “I don’t know if I should say anymore.”
“You don’t have to,” Flash told her. Privately, however, he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to hear this. He’d already had the image of her as a younger child erased from his mind, especially how she’d come onto him earlier. How much more would be gone if he’d heard the rest of the tale? It was clear that something had happened between her and Diamond Tiara, and with her comment implying that she’d killed someone….
“Okay, looks like we’re here,” one of the militia personnel said, pointing to an area of the train tunnel that had been bricked off – of recent make, if Flash had to make a guess. There was dim lighting and a makeshift metal fence made of railing from within one of the trains.
“Our cemetery for our dead,” one of the militia explained. “We’ve recently started burying them here, as the Octos have taken over the three cemeteries in town. Plus, with those new creatures out there, we can’t expose the non-combatants to them. At least…this way our recently passed can have a decent burial.”
“Yeah, I just wish it wasn’t so close to—” another one said, then stopped.
“Look, we’re nearly there and I’m sure these guys want a break, right?” Silver stated. “We need to get them in to go see the brass so that we can get this over and done with. The sooner they meet, the sooner we can save Canterlot, right?” The group nodded at that and with that, they departed the cemetery, though there were clearly questions still unspoken.
A few minutes more of walking through the rails and they ended up at the Canterlot South station. “Okay, here’s where we depart; Olympus will be here shortly and if it all works out, you should meet with Zeus and Hera tonight.”
“And they are?” Flash asked, but Silver shook her head.
“I can’t tell you. You’re not even supposed to know my name – we’ve been given orders to not let you know our identities until both Zeus and Hera are sure that you can be trusted. I know it’s inconvenient and I’ll put in a good word for you, Flash, but…I’m sorry. This is the way it has to be.”
“Don’t worry about it. I get OPSEC,” he assured her.
“I…come find me after everything. Please. I need to….” She said nothing more and instead decided to walk off. Her people followed her, silently, wondering what exactly went on between her and the Army captain.
“Look, Captain,” Silken began.
“You don’t have to say it, Lieutenant,” he commented, knowing what she was going to say. “She was just someone I knew when I lived here in Canterlot, back when. That’s all there is to it.”
“Understood, sir, but just telling you to check your six regardless, because while it might not be anything to you, remember that some of these people don’t trust us. Might just give someone with an attitude an excuse to take out his aggressions against the government on you in proxy, you know?”
“Yeah, I hear you, Silky. I hear you loud and clear.”
“You have no idea how right you guys are,” a new voice said as footsteps sounded. “Frankly, I don’t like the idea of working with you motherfuckers at all, especially given how you bailed out on Canterlot and God knows how many other cities in the country.” A young man walked up to Flash, hefting what looked like a well-maintained AR-15. He was backed by several others, many of which also had guns in top shape. Flash suddenly had the same feeling he did before encountering Silver, except this time the distance between him and the others was far too close – and here, they were obviously outgunned.
“I’ll tell you what I told her: I’ve never abandoned anyone and I don’t intend to start now. You might hate the government – fine. I’m a part of that government, but I wasn’t the one that made those decisions, not back then and not now. You contacted us because you want people to be safe – you want your wife to be safe. I’m here to protect them, to protect anyone who needs it.” He gestured to his soldiers. “All of us share the same thoughts. We’ve all lost people, loved ones and friends, to the Octos. And we’re here to draw the line.”
Button’s eyes narrowed. “Those are some words. You want to back them up?”
“And how do you suggest I do that? Go storm the Octos right now without a plan of any kind? Kill myself just to appease your anger against what was done to you? You’re angry. I get that – how the government back then mishandled everything. But I was just a police officer back then; I hadn’t been pulled into the military. And in a span of days, ninety percent of humanity was killed. Wiped off the map. Denver doesn’t exist anymore. Nor does LA, New York, Miami, London, Paris or a dozen other cities I can name off the top of my head.” Eyes widened in shock and Flash continued. “We have been fighting non-stop the past few years, and every day, we lose more and more people. Humanity is on the brink of destruction and we barely can make a dent against those bastards.
“So you’re not the only one that’s lost people, especially here. I’m from Canterlot as well and I don’t know if you remember me, but I remember you. And since I do, let me tell you this: I promise I will get Sweetie Belle to safety. I don’t know if I can save Canterlot, or even everyone here, but I will make sure that your wife and unborn child get to safety.”
Button Mash continued to look at Flash, not sure about how he should act. Every instinct within him told him to raise his rifle and pull the trigger. The soldier said he knew him, but Button didn’t remember knowing any military jackboot type. Maybe it was in the past, and things had changed so much he couldn’t really recall any further. He really didn’t want to – his anger was just too palpable, too strong to forgive.
But if I do this…I can’t protect Sweetie. That was enough to hold him back. He loved her, loved her more than his own life. And the child she carried, his own heart and soul as well. He was going to be a father, not just some dork with programming abilities and a gun. He had to make it out of here so he could teach his child that the world was going to be a better place than the one he or she would be born in. And he had to be alive to do that; moreover, she had to be taken to safety. He knew she would hate him for that, but better that than to lose her.
And like it or not, it all depended on the man standing in front of him.
“Fine,” Button said, slinging his rifle. “Don’t remember you, but I don’t care. But I do care about Sweetie and our baby and if you’re keeping your word, then that’s all I care about. So fine, let’s go meet with Zeus – get this shit over and done with so I can get my loved ones to safety and you can get back to saving the world or whatever the fuck it is you do.”
“No need; I’m here.” Flash met face to face with a man his age. Unlike most, he looked a bit more upkept, with a dirty brown sweater, cargo pants and a tactical gear that looked like it had been taken from a military surplus store. However, it looked as though it had seen use, and the way the man stood indicated both authority and the willingness to get his hands dirty. Lastly, from the instant deference that the militia seemed to give him, there was no question as to who was in charge.
Moreover, Flash recognized him…and the moment he saw him, his jaw dropped. “I thought…I thought you were gone,” he said, his voice catching. “I didn’t….”
“Flash?” the man said, equally dumbfounded. “I didn’t…I mean…is it really you?”
The two men looked at each other for a second before fiercely embracing each other, their eyes growing moist.
“What the hell is going on?” Button asked aloud.
“I think I know,” Silken replied, “but that’s up to Flash to explain.”
The two men embraced each other for the longest time before pulling away, laughing in tearful joy. “The beard looks good on you,” Flash said, wiping tears from his eyes. “It’s been too long. Too damn long.”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect you to go into the Army, but I guess I should’ve figured,” his counterpart said. “We lost so many cops from Decimation and the rest were pretty much shanghai’d into the military, so I should’ve known.”
“It was my fault: when I found that my wife was still alive, I didn’t bother to even check to see if anyone else was. I’m sorry about that.”
“Neither of us did, I suspect. I heard you said that most of humanity’s been killed off, so it was natural to think that. Don’t blame yourself – I certainly don’t blame you. Fuck, I’m just glad you’re alive!”
“Me too. So you’re in charge of this place now?”
“Zeus” shrugged. “Someone has to be. I mean….” He sighed. “Look, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover and I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions, right? But before any of that, I think there’s something you should see.”
Completely confused as to what was going on, Button Mash figured he had enough. The Zeus he knew was always calculating, trustworthy and deserving of respect, but right now? The man acted as if he’d seen a ghost come back to life. Maybe he had…but without any answers, Button didn’t trust a single thing going on. “What the hell’s going on?” he asked.
“It’s okay,” came the reply. “We can trust him. I’d trust him with my life.”
“Well, I fucking don’t – and I only trust him with Sweetie’s, because he promised me he’d get her to safety. But I want some answers! How the fuck do you know you can trust this jackboot?”
In response, Zeus moved right next to Flash and said, “Look at us.” It took Button Mash a few minutes, but after a few minutes his programmer’s mind took over and he realized what he was looking at. Despite Flash’s dark blue hair and that of Zeus’ blond hair and beard, they had the same features and the same eyes.
“Are you fucking shitting me?” Button asked.
“No, I’m not.” Zeus – better known to Flash as Blueblood – hooked a caring arm around the other man.
“Why wouldn’t I trust my own brother?” he asked sincerely.
“I thought you didn’t have a brother and the only family you had was Hera!”
“Well, if you want to get technical, we’re half-brothers,” Flash told the younger man. “But we’ve never looked at it that way.” He then turned to Blueblood. “And who’s Hera?”
“Look, I’m sure you want to get down to business, but I want to see my brother, who the hell I’m surprised is still alive, okay? And furthermore, I think you’ll want to see this. C’mon. We’ve got a slight walk ahead of us.”
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
241719AJUL30:
Slowly driving through the burnt ruins of Budapest, Vytrachena Syhareta kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the strange gun he’d been given by the Angel. In the seat next to him, Zlata slept, somehow managing to stay asleep despite the rickety road and the hard driving they’d done over the past three days. It had been a long haul, but they’d made it past enemy checkpoints and those searching for deserters.
He wasn’t a deserter – not really – but he was on a mission. Was it one given to him by God? He had no fucking clue. But he knew this much: he couldn’t give it to his government. If he did, he’d be a dead man – they’d accuse him of consorting with the enemy and execute him and probably Zlata, without a thought. Likewise, he couldn’t trust the Russians. Old hatreds ran too strong in him to trust them, even though practically everyone on Earth who was human was an ally nowadays.
In his mind, that only left one group he could give it to. And so, not-really-deserting-but-yes-I-am-deserting, he commandeered an armored vehicle, enough petrol to get them where they were going and took off. He hoped he wouldn’t be questioned and by a stroke of luck or two, he’d made it as far as Hungary.
But now, it looked like his luck had run out. The fires and smoke indicated that there had been a battle here recently, and though he found no sign of combatants, he was enough of a soldier that he knew that fierce fighting had gone on and that this was either a lull, or he’d wandered into the battlezone in between probing attacks. Neither was good.
“Zlata,” he said giving her a gentle shove. “Get into the back.”
“No, it’s not comfortable back there,” she murmured as she blinked her eyes.
“Better that than dead,” he told her. “Do as I say and get back there.” She immediately caught what he meant and artlessly clambered over the seat into the armored back of the vehicle. Supposedly the Dzik-AT was the best the Ukranian military could buy, purchased from their fellow NATO counterparts in Poland. But the thing drove like shit, the vehicle rattled enough to make his teeth ache and he wasn’t sure the vehicle could survive an impact against a spitwad. But it was all that they had.
Carefully, he began moving the car forward, making sure his rifle was in easy reach. At the same time, he hoped that the luck that he felt the Angel had given him would continue to hold. Not just for his sake or even the world’s, but for Zlata’s.
After a few more seconds, he heard someone shout, “HALT!” and he put the car to a stop immediately. Likewise, he put his hands up, as several soldiers approached him. Even though he looked nervous, in the back of his mind, he breathed a sigh of relief. Americans, those fucking cowboys he was searching for. He would surrender to them and give them the plans. It would be the only way he could be sure that the plans would fall into the right hands.
One of the soldiers knocked on his window and Syhareta rolled it down. “Ukranian military, huh? A bit out of the way for you, don’t you think?”
“Maybe,” he replied coolly, “or maybe I’m on a special mission to contact your superiors,” he said in his best English. He picked it up both from school and from watching too many Hollywood movies, especially the ones with the girls with the great smiles and big tits. He was glad if there was one thing he’d paid attention to, because it at least let him speak a language he probably would have given fuck all about otherwise.
“Or maybe you’re a deserter. We’ve had plenty of reports of those lately,” the sergeant said coolly. “Would you believe we caught a Belarusian the other day, trying to escape with several girls. Fucker even tried to offer them to us if we just let him go. He’s now sitting in our brig, awaiting return to his unit.” The sergeant leaned over and looked at Syhareta’s rank insignia. “Private, huh? Usually when they spend a specialist, it’s a sergeant or higher. So how can I be sure that you’re not a deserter either?”
Syhareta felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn’t be stopped, not by these men. There was too much at stake. If they took him into custody, it would be all over. He had to get them to believe.
“I have important information for your superiors,” he said, hopefully sounding more forceful. “Please take me to them immediately, Sergeant.”
“And I should do that why, Private, uh…?”
He thought about giving them his actual name. He then thought about translating his name into English for them: Spent Cigarette. Centuries worth of nanoseconds ticked by as he debated what he should do. And then, it came to him: a name, from one of the American fantasy films he saw when he was younger. Back when he’d been a budding journalist, with Kvitka at his side. Back when the world was still bright and showed promise and that fantasy film he’d watched was merely fantasy instead of an envious lifestyle he wished he could exist in, because at least it was one at relative peace compared to this. At least in that film, the good guys stood a chance of winning.
“My name….” he began, then took a breath. “My name is Starswirl. Senior Soldier Starswirl, Ukranian Ground Forces. And I am on an urgent mission to meet your superiors, and I must not—”
The soldier laughed. “Oh, my fucking God, we got a comedian here, guys! Starswirl! Oh, it’s an honor to meet you!” he said, sarcasm dripping in his tone. “I’m Sgt. Gandalf, and this here’s Cpl. Dumbledore. Oh, and over there’s Spc. Obi-Wan! So glad to have you in our company!” He then jammed his gun in Syhareta’s face. “I don’t take kindly to cowards who would run off and let the rest of us die to the Octos. Personally, we’ve already been given orders to shoot deserters. Fortunately for your pathetic ass, we don’t do things that way. So instead, you’re under arrest, Private, and you had better come up with a better story than that, because it’ll probably be the last one you tell before we find out who you really are and ship your ass back. Now get the fuck out of the car!”
As the door pulled open and the other soldiers went to the back of the vehicle, Syhareta felt his heart sink. He had failed. He had failed Zlata. He had failed their unborn child. But most of all, he had failed the Angel…and possibly all of mankind.
For the first time in his life, Vytrachena Syhareta truly felt worse than his namesake. At least that had served some sort of purpose before it was discarded. Would he even be that lucky?
CANTERLOT, COLORADO
240923TJUL30:
As several members of both the militia and all of Flash’s unit stood by, the two brothers were off to the side, by a trio of graves. Flash, crying once more, touched the gravestones with a mixture of emotions stewing within him. “This…this means a lot to me, Blue,” he said, his voice cracking. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes I did,” Blueblood replied as he patted Flash on the shoulder. “She was family, too. She deserved this and Dad would have wanted it. Moreover, my mother didn’t hate her or you, and I think she would have wanted it, too.”
Flash continued to kneel at the grave of his parents: in particular, that of his mother, Scribblenote, whose final resting place had been next to the grave of his and Blueblood’s father, Due Process, the man who had been governor of Colorado when all hell had broken out. On the other side of the pair was Blueblood’s own mother, Sterling Rose, who had been Process’ wife and had known about his mistress. Despite being the son of an illegitimate relationship, Flash had a decent enough life and he’d known not only his father’s love, but that of a brother as well. And for all his faults, Flash had loved his father, too.
And now the trio were buried here in a small plot of land overlooking the ruins of what had been the governor’s mansion. Despite their father’s faults, Blueblood said, he’d been a believer in government and so it was only appropriate that he would be buried here, amongst the two women that had been the loves of his life.
“I remember Dad used to joke that he wished he was Utah’s governor instead of our state, so he could marry your mom, too,” Blueblood commented. “He loved her just as much as he loved mine and to this day I’m surprised that my mother was able to tolerate it. I never asked her why, but I think it was because of you. That divorce, or an ultimatum of some sort, would have meant that you would have suffered. And even though we went to different schools, she knew that we were close enough that she didn’t want to drive something between us.”
Flash looked over at the grave of Blueblood’s mother. She had done something for him, even though he would never understand why. And now, he had to make up for it, not just for his sake or his brothers, but in her memory – because she’d been wise enough to spare him a broken home when the common sense of the time would have said otherwise.
“Do you know what happened to the rest of my family?” Flash asked.
“For the most part, no. I know your maternal grandparents lived in Denver, and from what I overheard you tell Button, it’s gone. As for the others, well….” He was silent, stroking his beard in thought. “I don’t even know if your wife is still alive.”
“Flutters is okay. In fact, she’s not only a doctor, but she’s now in charge of this whole operation.”
“Now that is impressive. I always knew she was a smart woman, but to be able to take charge of all this is just amazing. You got lucky, you know?”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Flash commented. He didn’t want to add further, because even though they were a distance away, he still didn’t want to have his troops hear about it. The orders Col. Spearhead had given him were still in effect, after all.
“One thing I do want to know is what happens now,” Blueblood asked him. “I don’t know where you stand right now, but as for me…Canterlot is our home. I want to fight for it. I might not really hold authority here, not in any official capacity, but the people know and trust me and follow. I want to back their play, whatever it is, but this I already know: this city, even in the condition it’s in? It’s home to us, no matter what. This is what they want to keep.”
“Well, we should probably discuss this in a safer location. This is still a beautiful place, but a little too out in the open for my tastes.”
“Yeah, I don’t disagree. Anyway, we can head back to my place and discuss anything further there,” Blueblood offered. “Besides, there’s someone you’ll want to see: my wife.”
“Wait – you got married?” Flash said with surprise.
“What? It happens.”
As a response, Flash slugged him in the shoulder playfully. “What happened to the so-called ‘lifetime playboy’ that dated hotties like Sparkleberry Shine and Razzmatazz? I mean, hell, just before this all went down, weren’t you dating a pair of lesbians?”
Blueblood shook his head and chuckled. “Look, Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch were bisexual, not lesbian,” the bearded man said in a mock-scholarly tone. “Besides, that relationship went south fast when I found out the only reason they were, ahem, ‘interested’ in me was because they wanted children of their own and while they were more than willing for a sperm donor, they didn’t want much beyond that. I told them if I was going to be a father, I was going to actually be a father, and that was something neither of them wanted. We split on good terms and I hope they survived when they moved to Cloudsdale, but I don’t know beyond that.”
“So, tell me, who was the kind of woman that managed to tie down Blueblood’s heart, man? I’m all ears.”
Blueblood’s smile turned wolfish. “Oh, trust me, bro, I’m sure you’ll be as surprised to see her as she will be to see you.”