The sun had set across the Everfree, a large thicket was cut away for a small camp set for the Royal Guard. Many patrolled the area to keep the dangerous creatures at bay though the pony's numbers certainly were a good deterrent. Under a tarp, Twilight helped Cliffheart, who was still bandaged up after their most recent battle with W, in determining the best course of action for the looming peaks of the ruined castle not far from the trail.
"Are you certain she'll be there? This creature sure loves to run away from fights she starts," Cliffheart couldn't deny it though, a small part of him was on cloud nine, the first challenge to usurp his last job before becoming a part of the Royal Guard. The idea left him feeling like his first job when he was just a teen.
Twilight nodded, rubbing her chin. "She's often seen hunting herself but always makes trips back here regularly, and... previous engagements left me... strained in investigating further," The taut tone of her voice, and the fact she winced at the words told Cliffheart all he needed to know. "...how did she even corral that many crocodiles in one place?"
"Say what now?" Even a few guards behind them stopped to blink and stare at the purple unicorn, only for her to huff and shake her head.
"Her impossibly ambitious traps aside, it's her explosives I'm worried about, and that stunt she pulled," It worried Twilight greatly, even Cliffheart. "That wasn't magic but... she was already so resilient to it before and then she just, I-I don't even know WHAT that was?"
It was no lie that everypony present was tense, those that saw her display of magic. A whirlwind of metal that tore through their magic like paper. It was harrowing to think such a monster had abilities comparable to that of unicorns. She was a force of nature, a demon.
"This is why we don't invest in stupid projects, 'kay?" W blinked as she closed off the trap that led down into the pit that was filled with sticky slime, only she accidentally lost a grenade and it kinda... made it into a fire pit? W's hindsight wasn't exactly stellar as she'd have liked, then again, she wasn't the real W, to begin with. "Okay then-" Pulling the lever, the doors shut, cutting off the smoke once her tail whisked most of it out of Astra's face while the filly coughed. "-new plan, much as roasted unicorn sounds like a nice meal, we've got too much heat to stay much longer." Her growl wasn't hidden by her strained grin. "They've got the place surrounded, clever, clever."
"Why can't we fight out?" Astra asked, and W had to admit, she was loving how less timid the little pony became
Ruffling her mane, W clicked her fingers. "No can do, best we can afford is to take a loss and try escaping, taking them on will only lead to them tailing us for miles, what we need is breathing room," It irked her to back down from a fight, but now she had a goal, and a real enemy to chase, she wasn't going to find the Merchant locked in chains. "Just say what's on your mind, kid, I won't bite."
A strange face had remained plastered on Astra's snout ever since they ran from Ponyville. W was the first to admit emotions weren't her strong suit, heck, her own were a rampant mess on the best days. It was hard to imagine any of this made sense to Astra, how the filly remained silent for so long concerned W of her mental health, the last thing she wanted was for Astra to end up like her or worse.
"I... I can't do anything right," The whitette admitted, lowering her head in shame, rubbing the floor with her hoof. "You took care of me, you hurt yourself for me, and... and I can't do anything to help." Her eyes were shaken, and W was left silent, face unreadable for the most part. There was a thought that passed through W's mind at times that left her breathless, fright and joy mingled together when it occurred.
Kneeling down, her fist tapped lightly to Astra's chest, tapping with her index finger jutting out slightly. "Now you listen here, Astra," Her voice was stern and commanding, drawing the filly's eyes back to meet her ember orbs head-on. One thing came to mind, an old saying that kept W... no, kept Aoi moving every day, "Kid, you've got the makings of greatness in you,"
The words rolled, without doubt, confidence in every letter, and a genuine, proud smile on the Sarkaz woman's lips. Her hand waved wide, "You gotta take the reins someday, make your own path with or without me," Her fingers tapped the filly's heart, standing tall as Astra's wide-eyed stare never left W, "Stick to it, grit against the pain! And when the time comes, you'll get the chance to really test your mettle and show not just me but the world what you're made of!"
Had it not been for her own fake confidence W might have stumbled over her words, but it was the truest words she could muster. Astra's face was ajar, a complete loss for words, or until she pressed her face against W's legs, nuzzling closer to the woman's body as best she could. W smiled gently, patting her head to gauge her eyes of any more doubt. "I just hope I can be there to see you light this world ablaze, kid."
Clearing her throat, she scooted Astra along, the filly wiping something off her face. "Now, you know the plan, meetcha at the tower, kid." With a final nod, the little pony ran as fast as she could, waddling off with her backpack.
Alone, W lost her smile, replaced with uncertainty while peering down at her open palm, the glove torn at the front, revealing her skin beneath. That power of hers... it left her second-guessing what she was exactly. "W can't use Arts, not that I know of... so why did that happen?" It wasn't a bad thing, more questions she needed answered eventually, it just annoyed her she had to wait so long. "Well, no use crying over spilled milk, better set the stage, hehehe..." Her toothy smile returned, and she picked up her cloak. "Wanna fight me, come get me, little ponies~"
Not long after devising a capture plan, Twilight and Cliffheart led their team into the ruins familiar to the studious mare. It was strange being back to the place she and her friends found the Elements and battled the darkness that consumed Princess Luna. Sadly, she felt angry, for a monster tainted that memory and this place, turning it into their nest. It may have been a bunch of broken walls and empty rooms, but it was still something significant to her.
"Um, Twilight?" Cliffheart poked the mare out of her daydream once they entered through the crooked doorway leading into the throne room. To her gasped shock, and the murmurs of the ponies behind them, the throne was occupied. It boiled her blood, seeing that toothy smirk glaring back at her amethyst eyes. "Look who was waiting."
"I can see that thanks," She snorted, horn beginning to glow brightly, even as W sat there, left cheek upon her fist propped on the armrest, her wail wagging as if to wave at the ponies mockingly from atop the throne.
"Ah, have you come to bow to your Queen? You shouldn't have," She mocked with a cackle that riled up the Guards while W stretched, leaning her right hand against the top of her weapon. "Bet I'd make a great monarch, atleast I'd do something besides sitting on my ass all day pretending like I know everything, tch, and that Princess of yours calls herself a ruler," W giggled almost hysterically at the idea. "Oh God, that's gotta be annoying for Luna!"
"Shut your mouth, beast!" One Guard snapped, only for his throat to hitch as a silver blade struck the seam in the tiles just before his hooves. This frightened many to backing away, afraid it may be another one of her explosives. W hummed a tune at their fright, making a 'Pop' sound that made them almost piss themselves.
"Ahahahaha, I love this..." She cooed, leaning forward. "So, Sparkle Butt, want to try listening now? Or am I not decent enough to have a proper conversation with, hmm?" Every fiber of W's being wanted to blow the Princess's favorite pony up but sadly she knew better than to bring the complete attention of the monarch on her head, and besides, she was corrupted too just like Applejack, she was just as much a pain in W's ass as she was a victim.
"No!" Twilight stopped her hoof. "You attack innocent ponies and threatened their lives, you hurt Rainbow Dash and me, and Cliffheart, and so many more!" Those eyes were filled with anything but friendship. "You took that filly and... and-"
"-Told her to say those things?" W lost her smile for a distasteful frown, almost disgusted by the ponies. She even removed her cheek from her fist. "Can you tell me with certainty that you believe that every word from her mouth was a lie? That her voice hitched with malice or deceit? That her body twitched with worry or fright?" She leaned forward. "Well? Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, can you?"
She wavered, "I - but she-" The Sarkaz's eyes narrowed, she saw it, uncertainty. People and ponies were very much alike. All give off bodily functions to indicate lies, maybe a habit they've picked up or that fact they are too honest for their own good, it was all too easy to pull apart once you've seen and heard so many pretty little lies wrapped up as truths. "-No," Closing her eyes, her magic expanded, so did Cliffheart's. "I won't be tricked, not this time..."
Silence reigned, and W's smile twisted, not with malice but sickly joy. A small part of her wanted this just to end, peacefully if need be. Sadly, all she could feel in that moment was an insatiable desire to burn the disgusting stains from her sight - The Merchant's manipulation be damned.
"...Then you've already lost any and all respect I had left for you," W's eyes blazed with hatred. "This is for degrading me to this point, you bitch." Her tail flicked out her detonator and she quickly pressed one of the black buttons, signifying the start of her game. "HAHAHAHA - BOOM!"
*BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!*
The floor suddenly lost its footing under several ponies, many dodged to the sides or ran for cover. The dust concealing the fact many pitfalls had opened up under the weakened floor, leaving a number of ponies stuck down in cramped pits. Twilight was helped up by Cliffheart, his magic discharging with many others toward the throne. W slipped behind the chair and rolled for the stairwell leading up to a spiral staircase located in a tower.
"Dammit!" Cliffheart sighed, waving to his guards. "Help the others escape, three of you come with me and Twilight, do not let her escape!"
"Right!" The trio and Twilight replied, following the ex-hunter toward the stairway where he threw half of his bo-staff into the hall, triggering a wire across the mid-section of the doorway, making the door retract and almost smack him in the face, his magic catching his discarded polearm and the door by the hinges.
"Tch, typical, all flare no substance." He mused, motioning for them to follow his hoofsteps
"Coming from you, that hurts - long journal entry about that one tonight," The ponies all gasped once a chandelier smashed between them, the pointed tail flicking around to tug a spear from one of the Guard's magic to slap Twilight across the cheek and into the wall. Using the element of surprise, W leapt over two bolts of magic, spearing the ground and using the flexible polearm to flick herself across the narrow yet tall hallway and toward a corner. Landing on both feet she stuck her tongue out and used a knife to cut another rope.
"Cliff!" Twilight reacted in an instant, erecting a shield over his body to block the several chairs, tables, and stools that were suspended in a net against the ceiling. The darkness of the hallway made it almost impossible to see. The many pieces of furniture shattered on contact, and W's tail slipped away up the spire, her cackling reverberating off the walls. "Are you alright?"
Cliffheart blinked, looking to Twilight before sighing a smile, nodding. "I will once we wipe that smug look off her face - Let's move, and watch your step, the traps are clearly meant to be obvious, she wants us to take our time," As he spoke he kicked his polearm out, the carpet bending downward where it stood out like a sore thumb. The floor then collapsed into another pit. "See?" The Guards and Twilight all awed at the insight of the ex-hunter, and he led them forward quickly and carefully.
The group cautiously approached a flight of spiral stairs snaking around a pillar, it was the only way forward to the rest of the ruins. Taking the vanguard, Cliffheart rose up the staircase with Twilight and the Guards, all careful not to step further than their commander who's eyes locked to every step, checking the cracks and any seams that had been tampered with. It was all basic one-oh-one trap placement. He chuffed, smirking at the lack of effort.
"She's either placed all her cards in confusing us in the main chamber or she's not as smart as I gave her credit for." Cliffheart's smile began to falter once light reached their eyes, and a gleam of ember orbs met his started gaze head-on. "Yah!"
"Hello there," W grinned ear-to-ear, kicking a plank out from a large barrel beside her and Astra. Twilight and Cliffheart both yelled in fright while the guards attempted to retreat but it was far to late. The large wave of slime swept them off their hooves. The four tumbled down the stairway again, slimed and slippery while W's laughter could be heard all the way down.
She clutched her stomach, wiping a tear from her eye. "That was great! Dear God, did you see the utter look of panic in his face!?" W giggled, stumbling down into the open air of a balcony alongside Astra, the filly hiding her smile behind her copy-cat scarf of W's. "Now, please keep all hooves, horns, wings, and tails within the frame of the slide at all times."
W motioned to the right where the wall had broken off, revealing the makeshift slide of wood, bark, and an assortment of materials that held together against the side of the castle. It wasn't pretty but it was sure better and far more exciting than just some ladder or staircase. Astra nodded and quickly hopped down the slide, slipping away as the slope steepened, building her velocity down into the thicket of the jungle below. Hearing grunts and slippy hooves behind her, W gave a curious middle finger and leapt back-first onto the slide with a cheer.
"I... really hate her," Twilight huff, wiping the slime off her muzzle with Cliffheart nodded breathlessly beside her. The two Guards were out cold so all that was left were the pair of them to chase the Sarkaz Mercenary down. "Let's go before we run into another surprise!"
"Why a slide though?" Cliffheart hummed, testing it with a hoof, then shrugged. "Well, certainly more practical as an escape than a ladder or staircase I suppose."
"Don't give her credit!" Twilight nudged with her hoof, Cliffheart smirked.
"Force of habit, my old life is just giddy at the idea of a new challenge is all - off we go!" He took the lead, sliding down on all fours hooves with Twilight copying to an amateur's degree
Closer to the end of the slide, W ducked from the surprising ambush of a pegasus from above in a broken window. W smirked, spinning around to grab him by the forehooves, slamming the dumb winged pony into the side of the castle, another narrowly missing her tail's flick, only to be backhanded when she twirled around, grabbing the edge of a wooden beam to swing herself into a large gaping maw under the castle wall. Astra waiting atop the old debris for the whitette.
"Love that slide," W grinned, patting Astra's head as the pair took off, turning only to see Cliffheart slam into the wall that marked the end of the slide, Twilight flattening him in the process. "Pfft hahahaha!" If W was honest with herself, this was the most fun she's had annoying the ponies that had been nothing but thorns in her backside. "Another point to this sexy asset, hehe."
"Miss W, we did it, right?" Astra inquired, the filly sliding down the mossy brickwork beside a small staircase leading deeper into the dark, damp dungeon chamber, W skipping down the steps.
The dungeon was wide with a low-bearing ceiling, makeshift torches lit the way forward, toward a natural cave that led to their desired escape. Behind them, W quickly pulled Astra into her arms, using her cloak to obscure them both once a magenta bolt of magic pierced the cloth. "Almost, kid," Setting Astra down behind her, W took her stand at the vanguard, holding out her grenade launcher. Cliffheart stood at the foot of the stairs, Twilight's horn basking them all in an amethyst hue from the top of the steps. Waving one hand, the mercenary smiled. "Seems we're at an impasse - si that what you're thinking?"
"You can't keep running," Cliffheart grunted, spinning his polearm around like it was some vain attempt at intimidation. Neither Astra nor W bought it.
Leaning forward with a callous smirk, W rebuttal came sharply. "Oh, I most certainly can-" Her arm fanned out to the dripping walls of the ruined underground. "Equestria's a big place, lots of strange creatures in lots of strange places - Be hard to find me to impress your precious Teacher, wouldn't it, Sparkle Butt?"
The purple mare's face lit with rage. "Don't insult Princess Celestia like-" Her words her cut by W's boisterous laughter, hand to her lips to mock in a high-and-might pitch
"'Princess'? Wonder why she holds that title and not 'Queen' or 'Empress'? I'll tell you why," W huffed, inspecting the faded red texture on her nails. "It's because she's a useless, lazy, incompetent monarch who relies on bratty ponies who think they're so special because they got their hooves on some fancy, shiny trinkets." W cooed with enough venom to poison the air. Twilight looked ready to burst into flames, even Cliffheart's face was locked into a furious stare-off. "You're not some great heroes, you're just another colorful manifestation of people with power - it's your word against the victim's but everyone will take the side of the 'Heroes of Equestria' won't they?" Twilight's ears flattened, W shrugged. "But hey, I'm no better."
W's frown emerged, allowing her grenade launcher to swing against her hip while raising her hands high, challenging them, noticing the subtle flicker of confliction in Twilight's eyes. This was what she waited for. "'Friendship'? Not everyone in the world shares the sentiment, and you haven't even seen the kinds of oppression and conflict that go on out there, have you?" Her words were like a snake bite, sinking deeper into Twilight's mind further and further.
The mercenary shook her head, "How far do you plan to go with your 'Friendship'? For someone like me, who's had the whole world turned against her, and for the person you've become, what exactly do you intend to do? Fight me? Help other races? The whole world?" With wide eyes, W stepped back, lifting up her weapon. "I want to know if these are the idealistic and starry-eyed dreams you promised your dear ol' Teacher to achieve, what would she really do once the truth gets out? When the lies are all finally brought down? What will she think of her dear student then and her friends?"
"That's enough!" Cliffheart lunged, only to be blindsided by a wall of smoke, blotting out W's view of Twilight's saddened and hesitant face. Through the veil, W raised her weapon high, finger taut against the trigger. "Grah, where did...?" Cliifheart tripped due to the snaking tail, using a small force blast of magic to clear the plume, revealing W with her weapon poised toward the ceiling. "Ah-."
The burning embers in the woman's eyes never lost their fire, but that rage simmered with a neutral analysis of Twilight's features, "Hey, I'm not trying to look down on anyone. but the sooner you start to wake up and see how your world ain't so black and white, the better off you'll be - tch, that's the last time I offer advice for free, got that?"
Then she lifted a finger, "Oh, one more thing," A smile adorned her face, fanged sharp and on display. "Don't fuck around with a Sarkaz Mercenary."
*BOOM*
The grenade splashed against the earthy ceiling above, sending a series of deep tremors through the earth, slabs of concrete and particles of dirt falling from cracks that began to split and widen from the flaming obstruction. Soon, the whole ceiling came crashing down, dividing the chamber between the two groups. Twilight and Cliffheart erecting barriers to fend off loose rocks that fell atop them. Meanwhile, W lifted Astra, fleeing into the cave system ahead, following the rush of a stream not far from the exit tunnel.
"All aboard," W hummed, stepping into the small boat tied to a rock against the river bank. It wasn't fancy but it didn't leak... after many attempts. Strange how easy it was for W to handle complex explosive devices but when it came to making a boat you might as well have told her to overthrow Equestria with a blindfold on. "Next stop - out of this Godforsaken forest."
"Can they find us now?" Astra pipped up while snuggling closer into a blanket they brought with them to stay warm on their long meander downstream. W smiled and cut the rope, pulling it with them to cover their tracks.
"I dunno, all of it's a gamble, best we stick to the river for a while to be sure," It wasn't the best solution but they needed to move, otherwise, the Merchant would get away. "We've gotta find him, maybe figure out stuff instead of always playing Guess Who."
"What's 'Guess Who'?" That simmered W's irked mind a little while directing them with a wooden paddle fashioned from driftwood.
"Nothin' important, kid, just get some sleep," Keep her voice low and assertive. W focused solely on the river ahead, content to allowing the young filly her rest with the events that transpired today. All of it left a sour taste in her mouth, one she was happy to rinse off now that they were moving.
"...goodnight... m-mo..." Astra soon fell into her slumber, exhausted from the running and chasing. This left W to feel her distant eyes grow wide, looking down on the snoozing filly with her head against their bags and a blanket nuzzled over her body. For the longest time, the stream carried them, allowing W to stare and stare toward the young pony left in her care.
"Did she... was that..." Her throat felt dry, unable to speak while her heart picked up dramatically. For the first time since arriving in this crazy world, losing herself as W the Mercenary. Aoi let a smile touch her lips. "Sleep tight, Astra." Humming along to the beat in her head, she sailed them deeper into the Everfree, their destination unknown.
To Be Continued...