//------------------------------// // 1-5 Picture That // Story: Renegade // by Slendy //------------------------------// Two days later... *Boosh-Ping!* A blur of red, black, and white sailed by two Guards, detaching the wire from the muzzle of their launcher to sling themselves between the dozens of trees, rolling down into the clearing, drawing a knife instead while the ponies scampered into view, drawing an exasperated sigh from the Sarkaz, tail flicking angrily. "You know, you guys could do so much better, right?" W sneered, hand on her hip while displaying her sly smile. "I mean, just look at me? I got the curves that'd put any girl to shame, hehe." "Do you ever stop talking!?" Cliffheart huffed, spinning his polearm to poise it defensively. By now, W was surrounded by several Guards amongst the trees. It was a pain but the ex-hunter caught up to them and almost got the drop on the group had Astra not felt their malicious auras closing in, that, and one of them fell into a random pitfall W dug up just to test a few new traps. Drawing her knife close to her chest, W kept her guard up, eyes peeled for so much as a twitch she didn't like. "Where's the filly?" "Wouldn't you like to know..." Cliffheart sighed, bitterness in every word. "You can't keep running from your crimes." "And you can't keep sexually harassing me." That made his orange orbs widen. "W-what? I haven't done anything like that!" He spurted out in the first truthful words W had had the pleasure of hearing. She smiled, shrugging her head to the left, faking innocence. "See, now I'm falsely accusing you, isn't this fun?" Her constant prodding was the one thing she had against the Royal Guard. She had no filter. "So yeah... um, whatever your name is." "I. Am. Cliff. Heart!" By now, even the other Guards were starting to doubt if W was stupid or just playing dumb. Some bet it might very well be both. "And. I. Do. Not. Care." Now W frowned, lowering her guard with a disappointed scowl. "Honestly, why would I care even for a fraction about the very same pony that's been a thorn up my ass for days now - more so than Sparkle Butt was - and that's saying something given her ass-kissing to Celestia." "Watch you mouth!" Bingo. W grinned, slipping down to her knees to strike with her right foot against the muzzle of the first Guard, his spear clattering to the ground with blood and spit while the others rushed in with Cliffheart. The next lunged with their spear, only for W to backflip, her feet taking out the spear once she landed, spinning herself around to backhand the stallion with the butt of her knife, followed by a mean left hook to the snout. The third had her right boot pressed against the stomach, his eyes following the silverette as she spun around, delivering a painful snap-kick to his neck, knocking him out cold. During her twirl, W snatched the head of a fourth spear by the neck, bringing it down on her knee to snap the staff, she flicking the spear half upside down, bringing it up through the helmet of the unicorn, shattering the spearhead with a ringing chime that left the pony dazed until he too fell over. "You guys really suck at this whole, 'capturing' thing," W tilted her head left, evading the jab of the staff while diving backward over the horizontal swing, her own blade blocked by Cliff's barrier. It collapsed, allowing the staff to jab against W's right shoulder, spinning her around, knife drawn down against another small shield, deflecting the blow and leaving her exposed for a jab to the stomach and a crack of the staff against her head, leaving a welt. "Ooow!" "This ends here!" Cliffheart declared, bringing his weapon down to shave across W's knife, herself flinging two daggers he quickly evaded, lunging forward with a backswing, W swiveled right, thrusting her knife forward. Cliff parried it, splitting his staff in two, the right piece smacking W's cheek while her blade grazed his cheek, cutting the strap that held the helmet, freeing his blonde mane that his widened eyes pierced, barely avoiding another throwing knife by batting it away with the left stick. His magic could react in time, the thin, crimson barrier flickered out, the mercenary's fingers seeping through like snakes to curl and bring a solid left cross to his raised forehoof. Through the wisps of red, W swiped with her right leg, dropping the Captain while using her knife to pin the retracting left stuck between a rock and the dirt. She quickly snatched up the right half, even as the magic faded, it burnt her hand through the glove. Cliffheart wasn't through, however, quickly adjusting the angle on his back to press his forehooves against her hands, the two wrestling on the ground. Cliff managed to use W's own weight to throw her behind him, buying him enough time to straddle her own waist, pinning her arms by the wrists with a refined variant of telekinesis, even if the sight of her wrists smoking lightly upset his stomach. "Give up already, you can't run forever!" He grunted, applying his hooves to W's shoulders to keep her from straining his magic further. For a flash, fear scored her demonic eyes until all that remained was a fiery conviction. "Then you can keep failing forever, Captain." Though it burnt her wrists, visibly making the woman bite back a grunt she shattered the veil of red and coiled both hands around Cliffheart's throat, cutting off the airflow instantly. "I could snap your neck and leave you to rot," Her iron grip worsened, ignoring the weak, desperate kicks he forced. "I could burn all your bodies to ash and bone and no one would find the remains - don't you get it? I'm a merc who will do whatever it takes to get by." With one strong heave, W threw his body across the forest, his back striking a tree, landing on the silver strip of wire crossed between two oaks. By the time Cliffheart ceased his gagging, he realized it too late, now suspended from more wires nestled in the treetops. W giggled at the sight, lightly tapping his nose to rock him back and forth. "Try to get down before the blood rushes to your pretty little head, Cap, bye~" "G-get back here!" He yelled but she just tucked her scarf closer to her smile, humming softly to herself. "W!!!" She showed him The Bird, vanishing into the forest. "And that about sums up the fight, if you can call them flailing angrily a 'fight'." W summarized under the massive roots of a tree, time and geography resulting in a small, semi-underground cave beneath a tree. It was far away from Cliffheart and his Guard and secluded enough to light a fire and start cooking dinner. While Sora patched up W's wrists, Astra kept the pot's stew stirred. "Ah." "Sorry," He smiled awkwardly while applying the healing bandages to her wrists. "I've never see magical burns like this before, then again, I've never known a person to have a high resistance to magic at all." W chuffed, biting her cheek. "I'll take the compliment - Astra, add that to the list, 'Highly resilient to magic' - fu... ngh!" That made her wrist recoil, but the binding remained while her fingers twitched. "His magic's stronger, guess I forced his hoof." W blinked, then shook off the use of pony-terminology. Sighing, Sora packed the extra bandages and healing potions Mir gave them, "Well, it's not perfect but hopefully they'll be healed by tomorrow," He shook his head. "You really are too reckless sometimes." "Give up already, you can't run forever!" The absurd words stuck to W's mind constantly. Could she really keep this up for much longer? Keep Astra safe? Keep them from discovering that Sora, their freakin' prince, had been helping her? Can... she still be herself? That made the memories of her fights with Equestria all the more surreal, she wasn't W per se, but with the constant abuse of her body, her mental stability, the gravity of her mission, what much was left of Aoi? She didn't say it, a bad habit of hers, but while her life back home wasn't something to aspire to, she was somewhat content, and now that was gone with no hope of returning. All that remained of Aoi was memories and her personality. But how long would that last? "What the hell's the line between us, eh, W?" Her own tail snaking up made her jump. Closing her eyes, W fought back that fear. "I'm a failure." Without a word, W stood up and made her sharp exit from under the tree. "I need some air." It was ironic since there was a breeze passing through the cave constantly. Sora stared off at her abrupt departure, and Astra stopped focusing on the pot, frowning sadly. "W's scared..." "About what?" Sora inquired, looking to the little seer for a clear answer. "Not about Mr. Cliffheart, but I think it's about her dreams," Astra rubbed her chin, brow furrowed. "Hmm... it's weird, she mutters alot and says alot of names I've never heard," Astra's eyes wandered a bit between Sora and the fire. "'Doctor', 'Reunion', and I think stuff like the Originium monsters too, and um..." The more she thought about it, the less she could recall. "I think W's remembering stuff too, but not stuff she's experienced before." "Like overlapping memories?" Sora suggested, the filly nodding slowly. "That makes sense, it's happened to be a few times - heh, I almost forgot my real name because of it, used to say Valiant instead," Now, that realization sunk in, Sora grabbing one of his twin silver swords. "I'll be back, call if you need us." "Okay," Astra waved, then looked up. "S-sora?" Pausing at the roots, he looked back to the worried look on her face. "Please help her." "Why won't you come back...? I can help you...please," Turning to her right, W saw the still conflicted state of the Doctor - no, her old friend that had no sense of who or what he was before. A part of her hated that, the person she was after was no longer there, just some hollow husk. Another... stung, it, of all people in the world, it just had to be him, the person that was there for her, that comforted her before her life became so much worse. "Tch, 'helping me' would be to leave me be - for the best, really," She huffed, turning her attention back to the city below, arms crossed tightly under her chest. "I get it now, more than before - bunch of stuff is screwed up now and I need... to sort things out, alone." She wanted to take his hand now but she needed this, for both their sakes less she does something that pulls the webbing of her plans apart. "Got my own agenda I can't just let slide for anyone, even if... it's you," "I..." His head lowered a moment, then rose with a determined frown. "I get it - I just hope that... we can see each other again." His words always remained so goofy. It was a strange change of pace W had long since forgotten the feeling of. Reaching over, she patted his heart, simultaneously dropping an old, folded card into his hand. She flashed him a grin, and hopped onto the edge of the rooftop, dangling her life against the concrete. "You're still too nice to a girl as messed up as me - hmph, I'm glad that hasn't changed." With a flick of her tail to mean goodbye, she dived off the edge, disappearing from his starstruck view. "Don't die, Kaid." "Stop!" W grabbed the sides of her head, squeezing her temples as if to shut out the false memories. It made her pace, frustrated that another slither of a life that she never had come to infect her mind. Who was Kaid? That Doctor from the first memory she had? That city too, what was it called? Again, W slammed her head into the side of a tree, ignoring the blood that trickled down her face, thanking that the buzzing sensation cleared her mind a little. "Just... stop..." It was growing unbearable. "Leave me alone already..." Who was she? Was she W or Aoi? What part of her was real? Who was she? "Get out of my head already!" She kept hitting her temples. "Dammit, why did I pick up that stupid scarf!?" *Thump* A sudden warmth hit her back, folding around her torso. "Calm down, you need to breathe," It was Sora, but even so, W still fought, almost throwing him aside. "Get off of me!" Her voice dripped with venom, she didn't mean it but her emotions were spiraling out of control. "Leave me alone!!" "Just... calm down," Not once did he raise his voice, hugging her tightly with his head against her nape. "You need to relax and take a deep breath, these memories are just a side-effect of being Displaced, the real you is still here," His left hand moved to rest against her heart. "You're still you, W - come on, deep breaths." She did as she was told, mimicking his motions with a heavy inhale, holding it for a few seconds before releasing. The motions repeated for almost a minute, her panic attack settling in his arms while the two fell to their knees. W let her arms hang limp against her sides, head down while shaking. Not even Astra saw her this shaken, and W preferred it that way for the girl's sake. Sora wouldn't say a word, W hoped. "Tell me about your life before this, it usually helps," Sora murmured, not unwrapping his arms from her body, leaving W defeated and a mess of emotions. She didn't even try and fight back, aimlessly following the fireflies in the treeline ahead of her. "I... have a serious phobia of wasps, so much so I'll run the second I see one get too close," Why was she saying this to him? It didn't matter, her lips were already moving of their own accord, sinking into his arms. "One day I was cornered by one without realizing it - I quickly took one of my friend's bikes, and I rode it as fast as I could, laughing like an idiot," W's smile was broken but genuine, voice barely a whisper. "Heh, I never knew how to ride a bike until then - stupid how my own fear fixed that..." "Atleast you got to finally ride a bike - with a little fear added in," Sora nudged to boost her spirits, hearing her giggle gently, feeling her body relax against his chest, head tilting up just enough for him to see the pain-stricken look in her eyes, a tiny smile of content on her pale features. All glossed in the moonlight, surrounded by fireflies. "I'm still terrified of them, funny, given all that I've done," She reminisced, running her hands over her bandages. "...are you... really Sora?" It wasn't a case of curiosity of what his identity was, that didn't matter to W. What did, was how it would affect her gradually. His hands tightened at her sides. "One and only," He smiled slightly, eyes curved at her strangely quiet shift in personality, it was peaceful. "Sora is my name, and... even if I have memories of the Aasimar I am now, the person I was from the beginning will always be here, it's who I am, that's something no amount of false memories can change," He quickly added, "I believe that's the same case for you." Her eyes widened slightly, feeling herself sink deeper into his embrace, his words tickling her ear. "I met W, but the person underneath is my friend, regardless of what happens." "..." How many days had she wanted to hear that too? That... she was still Aoi underneath, sure, she liked being W. The Sarkaz that was strong, confident, who didn't take shit from anyone, it felt so liberating to be... herself. Had she know the memories would crop up, that this new world would turn its back on her, then she'd have never taken that scarf. Peeking up, W felt... safe, somehow, that alone was worth all this pain, right? "...what's with the cheesy lines?" Her smile shined again. "Not used to all the hugging too..." Sora chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck quickly, avoiding her eyes. "Eh? S-sorry, guess being stuck around ponies that really like showing affection kinda rubbed off on me, it's been a long time." His arms shuffled, losing their firm hold on the mercenary, or until a black appendage slithered around to run across his arms, curling lightly around W's chest and his biceps. "..." She didn't speak at all, eyes hazy, looking only toward the little green motes amongst the trees. Sora felt a little hesitant to move at all, but judging by how W kept herself rooted against his chest, he doubted moving would help. Relaxing his muscles alongside the silverette, he kept her close until she felt like moving again; When the W he knew would come back and tease him for his soft, supportive side. He was alright with that. Time passed by and W spoke again. "Why the Infected?" Her inquiry drew his eyes down on her silver hair. "Of all the things he could've sent after me, Sarkaz Mercenaries, W's old teammates from way back, heck, even visages of Rhodes Island, why the monsters and people infected with Originium?" Sora pondered on her question, adjusting his hold on her waist while peering up at the fireflies. "He did the same with me I think, the Necromancer was a Fallen Aasimar that conjured crystal beasts using the materials in the Crystal Barrens, he made a villain that had ties to my body, to Valiant." "So the Infected, the Slugs and Reunion Soldiers, they're my equivalent," Looking off to her right she felt her hand play with the aqua highlights of Sora's braid, the action soothing her state of mind. "...I chose W 'cause she was strong alone," Finally, she admitted it, closing her eyes momentarily, seeing her original form shadowed by W's protectively against the dark with a toothy grin. "A mercenary who made a deal with her enemies to get in close, fought against everyone and everything with a smile and a laugh, she was strong, fearless, and everything I wanted to be... and everything I've become." Irony seeped into her mind since day one, how Equestria turned against her at the flick of a madman's wrist. She was her own army and nothing more, in a way, she used those that did trust her to her vantage, but to survive as W had in a world devoid of kindness even a good person has to get their hands dirty. "You have us now," His words lifted her eyelids. "I mean, I'm here, same with Astra, s-so that's not the case, and I think the W you are now i-is better, you know, then the one you admired." W nodded gently against his collarbone, enjoying his presence selfishly with a smile. "Dummy..." Somewhere... The moonlight grazed a dark, gloomy ravine with its dull radiance. Rocks and boulders were piled at the base of the earthly scar, some tumbled simply from a light breeze traveling through, and some shifted due to gravity itself. *Boosh!* A deformed, cracked hand shot from the rubble, clawing away at the boulders with black claws flaked with semi-transparent crystals that grew slightly to coat and mutate the clotted wounds across the arm. Whatever lay beneath the earth growled, reaching out toward the moonlight angrily, thrashing under the prison of stone. To Be Continued...