Chapter 20: Exodus
The morning came far too quickly, but was not unwelcome. I woke not to the pounding of hooves on a door, the din of battle, or even someone calling my name. When I awoke, all I heard was the soft breathing of the mare that lay next to me in the tangled sheets. I smiled, and sighed, a sign that her unconscious form took as a go ahead to nestle even further into my side for warmth.
Laying there, I thought back to the previous few days. I’d survived Neighwhere. I’d survived being a slave, and I’d survived a Steel Ranger attack. I’d lived through the worst that Hate and his crew could throw at me. Now what?
Kill Hate.
It didn’t have the urgency to it that it had possessed while I was in a cell below Neighwhere. Here, safe and warm with Shade by my side... Was there another way?
The thought crossed my mind that I could just take the cubes and leave with Shade. With half of the black Cubes, what could Hate do? I didn’t know what he planned to do with all of them, but if it was anything like what Pandemonium had promised me, it couldn’t be allowed to happen. I could leave, and live a peaceful life with Shade.
Have a family.
Give up fighting, and only kill to defend the ones I loved.
No more revenge. No more constant injury. Just as quiet a life as I could find in this hell called Equestria.
I needed to take a walk. Well, take a hobble. My leg still hurt. I’d not given it much of the rest it needed, but it had been worth it. I grinned stupidly as I stood, and silently unlocked the door. Sliding into the hall, I quietly shut the door behind me. Shade had a smile on her face that I wouldn’t dream of disturbing.
Turning, I immediately saw the griffin. Ash was sitting against the wall across from the door, Sight to the Blind propped next to him. He was staring at me, while holding Fraya’s sword across his lap. Giving me a slight wave, he made no effort to stand.
“Morning Kick. Have a fun night?” It was said without the joking manner that I would have expected, but I knew that he was poking fun at me.
"Yeah. I did." I nodded, crossing the hall and sitting next to him. Sitting silently, I waited for a joke. A playful jab. Anything. Ash just kept staring at the wall, running a talon along the length of the blade absently.
“How’s Cutter? You talk to him?” I broke the silence, asking what I was sure was on his mind.
“They cut off his arm last night. He’s too drugged to move right now.” Ash was distant. I was sure that he saw this as a failing on his part. He seemed to hold himself responsible for his younger brother’s imprisonment and current condition, even though it hadn’t sounded like he’d had much choice in the matter. “Sure is convenient we found this storehouse... or he probably would have died.”
“I just... I tried to get back to him. I tried, but I couldn’t do it alone. Now... you bring him back to me, and he’s not the naive griffin I knew.” He shrugged, defeated. “It’s not what I had expected... or hoped for.” He went silent, the only sound in the hall was the impact of rain on a metal window awning at one end of the hall.
“So... that picture...” I trailed off, not quite sure what to ask, but eager to break the silence. How his family was torn apart? Who the older griffin was? Why Cutter had so little remorse for his sister?
“Taken when I was still practically a cub. Cutter and I weren’t old enough to join the Talons...” He tapped his claws rhythmically on the steel of the weapon. “Fraya was, though. She joined, and Dad gave her this sword. Family heirloom.”
I’d gotten him into the reminiscing mood, which is what I’d been going for. He always seemed to get better after getting whatever weighed on his shoulders into the open.
He held the blade up for me to look at, the weapon now clean of the combined blood of the griffin sibling’s fight the day before. “This blade was in the war, you know. Been around a long time before that, too. Killed everything under the sun. Ponies, griffins, zebras... even a dragon, if the tales are to be believed.”
He spun it in one hand, the blade catching what little light there was in a gleaming arc. “Been passed down to the oldest in the family for generations... I never expected to hold it. Guess I’m the oldest now, huh?”
He had been looking for an answer from me, and tilted his head towards me. I nodded, still not sure if this was a happy or sad conversation. His siblings had just torn each other to shreds, and he hadn’t been there to save either.
“It’s not for me though... I don’t deserve it. I’m gonna give it to Cutter. He earned it... I’m just not sure how to talk to him.” Shoulders slumped, he sheathed the blade into its leather home and placed it next to him. The griffin was as healthy as I’d ever seen him, unwounded and in his prime, and yet I’d never seen him more beaten down. His eyes were bloodshot and sunken, and I could tell that he hadn’t slept.
“Look, Ash... Cutter knew that we were looking for you when he came with us. I don’t think he’s looking for revenge... I think he just wants some answers.” I put the hoof of my good leg on his shoulder in what I hoped was a reassuring gesture. “He’s your brother, I think he’ll listen if you explain it. Just... don’t go unarmed. Just in case.”
He nodded, a slight smirk crossing his beak. “Yeah... yeah, I won’t.”
Nudging me with an elbow, he grinned wider. He still looked like he’d been dragged through Tartarus, but at least he was smiling. “So you and Shade, huh? That was a long time coming.”
I smiled along with him, fondly remembering the previous night. “Yeah.”
“She’s not exactly quiet, is she?” I blushed deeply as Ash chuckled the sentence out, aware that she was indeed not. I suddenly envisioned every Whitecoat and escaped slave listening to the private act, laughing and placing bets.
Luckily, Ash cut in with something else to get my mind off of that little question. “So, did you say hi to Gentle yet?” As he spoke, my eyes went wide. I’d been so distracted when I’d gotten here, between the injuries, Cutter, and Shade, that I’d forgotten about my sister. The possibly unstable Paragon. Who’d been with former slaves and Whitecoats for several days. Armed and out of her element.
He chuckled slightly at my growing alarm. “Don’t worry... she’s kept away from everyone. Spent the last few days on the roof. I’ve taken her food and water, but she’s just been staring into the woods with her rifle. She’ll say a few words to me, but hasn’t talked to anyone else. I think you should see her.”
I glanced at the door behind which Shade still slept, and he caught the movement of my eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here when she wakes up. I... I need to think on some things anyways, so I’m not going anywhere.”
I nodded, standing slowly. My body hurt, and my shoulder ached. I still felt better than I had in a long time. I grinned my thanks at the dark griffin. “Thanks Ash... you’re a good friend.”
“Technically, I’m a good employee. But I’ll take it.” He chuckled, settling into his spot against the wall. I turned from him, trotting down the hall towards the stairs. I assumed I could make it to the roof that way.
The halls were clear of debris and easy to navigate. They weren’t very well lit, but there was still enough light coming through windows or the occasional hole in the wall to make everything visible enough to not smack my fetlock on rubble. There were a number of doors like the one I’d spent the night behind, but many of them were open. I could see visible pry marks on some of them, and shelves within. The recurring butterfly logo told me that there had been medicine within many of them, and supplies had been raided in just the last few days if the tracks in the dust were any indicator.
The stairs up to the roof were only missing a few steps where the metal construction had rusted through. I made my way up with a care for my still hurting leg, and before long found myself at a large metal door. There was a hole in it roughly the size of my head, but it swung open easily despite the damage.
Out on the roof, I found that it was still raining just as hard as the previous day. I had to wonder if my sister was still out here, or if she’d been driven inside. Only then did I see the lean-to. It was a ragged construct of old wood and a tarp she’d scrounged up somewhere. From one end jutted the long barrel of her rifle, and the faint glow of her PipBuck lit up the tent from within.
“Gentle?” I called out softly, but still loud enough to be heard over the pouring rain.
“Ripple.” She didn’t sound mad that I’d left her with a bunch of strangers and pushed her out into the cruel world. She sounded sad.
I rounded the edge, finding the smaller mare scooting over to make room for me. The bulky rifle perched on one side of her battle saddle, and I again marvelled that I had survived being shot with it. I backed my soaking form into the little shelter alongside her, and she dropped her head to the side, taking comfort in my neck despite how cold and wet I must have been.
“We really were wrong, weren’t we? Hate lied to us. These ponies aren’t bad... they aren’t monsters.” I’d told her as much when we’d been below Neighwhere, but I wasn’t sure that she’d really believed me. Now, having been with Shade and the others for this time, she must have seen the truth of the matter.
“We’ve done such horrible things... ripped apart families, murdered foals, sold ponies as labor to some horrible red eyed monster....” She let out a deep, sad sigh. “I guess I always knew. The rifle scope just... it just put me so far away from the truth. I didn’t want to get close enough to know for sure. I was scared.”
“Yeah... Hate messed up a lot of ponies. What I was...” I drifted off, the memory of Two Kick taking full control coming slamming back into my head. His voice was still a distant murmur, which I was very glad for.
“You were one of us. For better or worse, we were a family.”
“Hate knew us. He knew you. That most of us lost family in that convoy was useful to him...” Scratching absently at the roof, she drew my attention to a well worn section. The motion had been done repeatedly over the last few days, it seemed, and she was wearing a decent groove into the roof.
“He was very convincing.” She continued speaking, either unaware of my discomfort or determined to get that past out in the air. “He knew what our talents were, and how we could use them. He went after you first. Me and Sweepy... I followed you because you were my only family. Sweeps followed because she wanted to be close to you.”
I slumped even further. Sweeps’ death was still weighing on me. It had been since I’d buried her outside of Blank.
“She’s dead, isn’t she.” It wasn’t a question.
I nodded slowly, even though she was still leaning into my neck.
“Did you do it?”
“Yeah...” I let it out as a sigh, mournful in tone. It was painful to tell my sister I had murdered her best friend. I’d avoided it the last time Sweeps had come up, but it was unavoidable now.
Picking her head up, she turned to look at me. Her eyes were sad, but understanding. I’d expected anger, but there was none I could see. “Did she suffer?”
Two Kick was a sadistic fuck. She must have thought that I’d drawn it out, being more familiar with the old me. I recalled Sweeps’ last words, how she had expected it to hurt more. She’d seemed fairly peaceful in those last moments.
“No, she didn’t. I killed her defending a town, and buried her after.” It was probably best to leave out that I had crushed her under a big sign, and that she’d probably not felt the pain because her body was in shock from the scale of the injury.
She leaned back into my neck, seemingly comforted at the closure with her friend. “You were protecting ponies? That’s good... It makes me glad to see you’ve changed. I was afraid of you, especially after Uncle was killed.”
“Uncle Deal? He’s not dead. He’s with the Whitecoats now; trained most of the warrior ponies downstairs.” Stuff was always slipping my mind. I’d put my uncle out of my thoughts after the death threat. I’d been trying to avoid thinking about that whole topic, especially where Two Kick was involved. The last Gentle had seen of him was probably when he’d been exiled, set on fire, and shot in the back.
Her voice lightened at the first good news she’d gotten. “Really? Well... that’s good to hear...”
She went silent, and we both just stared into the rain for a while.
“Ripple... I’m glad that you’re alive... but I can’t be near you. I can’t be near any pony... I’m leaving.” It was my turn to pull away from her. I looked at her with surprise, not expecting that. She had seemed happy to see me alive, and I’d been looking forward to having my sister around.
“What? Why?”
She sighed, looking me in the eyes. “I already said it. The things I’ve done... the things we’ve done... I know you are working to fix things, but that’s not me. I need to go. Somewhere... away... just not near here.”
“No... you can help ponies, too. It’s easy.” It was best to leave out how my helping had arguably made the wasteland a much more violent place. The dozens, maybe hundreds, that had died as a result.
“How!?” She yelled in my face, tears springing to her eyes. “By shooting ponies I’ve lived with my whole life? Ponies that you and Hate turned into raiders and slavers and monsters!?”
Her horn glowed and the revolver she carried floated in front of us, Gentle matching the dead gaze of the barrel before pointing it into the pouring rain. “I hate that I’m a good shot, did you know that? I fucking despise that I am gifted at killing! I was just too scared to go off on my own, out into the real world.”
Slamming her revolver into its holster, she struggled to her feet against the weight of the rifle at her side. “I need to go... somewhere away from all the killing. I can’t do it any more. Don’t try to talk me out of this... please. You convinced me to be a monster... convinced me to leave my home behind, and now you want me to stay with ponies whose lives I’ve ruined.”
Tears were streaming down her face, but the look she was giving me told me that she was absolutely determined to leave. Detaching the rifle, she broke it down into separate pieces with practiced ease. She began stuffing it into a carrying case as I tried to find the words that would stop my sister from leaving.
"... at least take supplies with you.” I wanted her to live, and dying in the wasteland from lack of medicine or food was a fate I did not want for my sister. If she was going to leave, I had to make sure that she would be as well off as possible.
Without looking at me, she snapped the case shut and picked up a bag that had been at her side. “I have supplies. I gathered them a couple nights ago, while most ponies were asleep.”
Stepping out into the rain, she was soaked in seconds. The tears washed from her face, but the sadness remained. “I’m sorry Ripple... but you’ll be fine. You have new friends, and they love and treasure you... I just can’t do that anymore. I’m sorry.”
Mouthing that she was sorry, she turned from me and slowly trotted to the stairs. I stood there, on the roof, watching my sister go. Off into a world filled with danger.
No, this wasn’t right.
I followed after her, catching up quickly in the stairwell. As the door banged shut behind me, I tried pleading with her once more. “Gentle...”
She rounded on me, anger in her eyes. “No, Rip! Ever since we left the Stable, everything has gone bad. Ponies weren’t meant to kill, and that’s all we do. That’s all we’ve done since we came out into this world. You led me out here, made me what I am, and then GOT OUT! You got away from Hate and had your little redemption quest. Now it’s time for me to get away from YOU and do mine!”
Her eyes softened, and trapped me with her gaze. “Please... let me go, Ripple. Goodbye, brother. I love you.”
Then she turned, and left me in the hallway. I stared after her, even after she had left my sight. I slumped back, sitting at the foot of the stairs, dumbstruck at how this day had just taken a complete one-eighty.
I was devastated. I’d just lost my sister, because I’d tried to help her. I would never fucking understand mares.
“That’s rough, buddy.”
I turned, finding Ash leaning against a door jam. He was still in the hallway where I’d left him, but he’d apparently gotten up and moved around a bit.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to be feeling right then. I’d had the best night of my life, and then my sister had left because I’d forced her into horrors that no pony should have gone through.
Ash, however, seemed to know how to take my mind off of her. The griffin put a set of talons on my shoulder, similar to the gesture I had made, and gave a little grin. “She’ll be fine. She’s a Paragon after all, and you’re all pretty damned tough.”
I glanced past him down the hall, to where the closed door held my slumbering marefriend. He chuckled. “Don’t worry, she’s fine. You, however, have ponies looking for you.”
He received an alarmed look from me, but laughed it down with the wave of a hand. “Miss Traffic was looking for you. They’re having a meeting downstairs, said you should probably drop by.”
It had been a long time since I’d seen the polite Ash, that persona he only took on when dealing with ponies that he really respected. Traffic was his favorite pony for this phenomenon to appear towards, and it still took me for a loop. I was used to the rude and irreverent griffin.
I could only nod at him as I replied. “Yeah... okay. Thanks, Ash.”
Giving me a slight push towards the stairs, he stepped back. Ash gave me a mock salute, turned, and marched to Shade’s door. He took a relaxed guard position against the wall there, and motioned at the stairs again. I chuckled and headed off on my limping way.
He really was a good friend.
-----
Downstairs, the mood was just as somber as the previous day. A few of the more capable Whitecoats were patrolling as best they could, and the labored moans of injured ponies drifted from where most of them were resting. It was earlier in the morning than I’d suspected.
A familiar voice drew me to a door that was slightly open. Pushing it open, I came upon a low table surrounded by three ponies. Traffic, looking a little worse for wear than she’d been in Blank, was nearest to me. Viola was across from her, carrying a grenade launcher she hadn’t had when I’d last seen her in the tunnel. The third was a stallion I didn’t know, but recognized as one of the rescued Whitecoats.
Viola saw me first, and her muffled voice rang out in the small room. “Ripple! Good to see you awake. Care to join us? We’re planning the future of the wasteland.”
Traffic snorted a laugh at that. “We’re sorting refugees.”
“Victims and wounded, if you please. Hate and his lackeys did a lot of damage to a lot of ponies... my own order was decimated.” The Whitecoat spoke, a low, rumbling tone that filled the room. I was immediately wary of him. Willow had been complicated, Raw Deal had threatened to put me down, and Rhapsody was a straight up asshole. I didn’t have too much luck with any Whitecoats in a position of command.
Walking around the table, I came to the empty side. It seemed like this was too official of a meeting for me to be involved in, but they had wanted me here. I was responsible for this whole mess, so I guess it made sense that I take responsibility.
“So, to catch you up a bit, I was explaining to Traffic and Vigil here that we could probably house a good number of ponies in the tunnels near Underhoof. Just... we’d have to clear it with Rail Spikes and make sure the gnashers are all dead.” Viola was smiling with her eyes as she spoke, clearly enjoying that I was in the room now. She glanced quickly at Vigil, then back at me. I didn’t know what that meant, but I was already suspicious of the stallion simply for who he represented.
As I settled in, Vigil glanced in my direction. When he caught my eye, he nodded towards me. “We’ve never been formally acquainted, Two Kick. My name -”
“Ripple. Not Two Kick. My name is Ripple.” My eye flinched as I cut him off, growling as I spoke.
He stepped back slightly, clearly surprised at my tone. “My apologies. I meant no disrespect. Ripple, then.” He continued where I had cut into his words. ”My name is Candlelight Vigil, and without any of the higher ranking Whitecoats about, I am in charge of our number in this locale.”
“So, Rip, any thoughts on the plan?” Traffic was looking rather cross with me. Was it that she’d been held captive, or that I’d not noticed her in the ranks of those we had freed? She had always played an important supporting role in my plans and adventures, and now she was angry at me.
This was just another brick in the weight currently building on my head. I pushed all that aside for the moment, and focused on the discussion.
“The plan to put everypony underground?” I paused, thinking about that for a second. Underhoof was the single safest place I’d seen in the wasteland. The only real issue were gnashers, but they died easily enough.
I shrugged. “Sounds good.” I didn’t know the first thing about planning a refuge. I knew even less about dealing with large amounts of ponies. Killing gnashers... well, I was a practiced hoof at that.
After the confrontation with my sister, my mind was elsewhere. I was going to head up the mountain and show Hate his own goddamned entrails. I knew that I could just leave, and start a new life... but leaving him alive would come back and bite me. I just knew it would.
“There’s still the issue of the remnants of Neighwhere. If what we’ve heard is truth, Neighwhere has been demolished. That puts a large number of ne’er-do-wells out into the cold. It won’t be safe to move.” Vigil had an odd way of speaking, but what he said was dead on. The rest of the ponies at the table seemed confused, so I took it upon myself to translate.
“Many of the raiders died, but plenty escaped into the wasteland. They’re still out there, and I know that they’ll see a group of injured refugees as easy prey.” Vigil nodded as I spoke, but Traffic was just shaking her head.
“So what, we just stay out here forever? What about Blank!?” Traffic stepped forward, slamming both front hooves onto the table. “What about my ponies, Rip?”
Shrugging, I waved her gently back into her seat. “Most of Vigil’s friends are in what’s left of Blank. They’re about as safe as possible, as far as I know.” I looked at the representative Whitecoat. “How about you? Can your ponies get the refugees to safety?”
He nodded, slowly, but he didn’t seem too confident. “We have the skills necessary, but we lack any armaments beyond sticks and stones. The raiders are certain not to share in that deficiency.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I’d say give it a couple more days, let them spread out, then make a move for it.” I shrugged again as I spoke. I didn’t know what I was doing at this meeting.
Traffic and Vigil started talking at the same time, and I couldn’t make out what either was saying. Glancing across the table at Viola, I received an apologetic smile. She knew that this wasn’t my kind of show, but seemed happy that I was here to get between the arguments of the Whitecoat and the salespony.
A knock at the door saved me from that awkward moment. All four of us glanced towards the intrusion, and saw Ivory sticking her head into the room. “Sorry to interrupt.” She smiled, but then leveled a serious look at me. “Rip, Cutter’s awake.”
I was moving towards the door before I even realized it. I nodded at Traffic as I passed her, apologizing. “Sorry, but I have to go. Good luck with the planning.”
Then I was out into the hall with the pale mare, who had a playful grin on her face. “Master strategist, are we now?”
That got a grin from me, and I stepped around her. “Heh. Thanks for saving me, didn’t know what I was getting into.”
We were trotting quickly towards the room where I’d last seen Cutter, where he’d had his arm removed after the damage Fraya’d done to him. I could hear a growling sound ahead, which was an improvement over the screamed death threats from the night before. I still picked up my pace a bit. I glanced at Ivory, whispering to her in hopes that the griffin’s keen hearing wouldn’t pick it up. “Stay back a bit. Cover us.”
The pale mare just nodded and fell back a few steps, to follow me. I didn’t know what we were walking into, and her heavy weapon could mean the difference between a chat and me losing my life.
Entering the room, we found Cutter sitting up on a bloodstained cot. He was cradling the heavily bandaged stump of his arm, emitting a low growl as he did so. He glanced up as we came in, then went back to staring at his ruined limb. “I was sloppy. Should’ve dodged.”
It seemed that he was talking to himself more than to either of us, so we stood back a bit. I wasn’t sure if he was unstable or not, but the sight of one of the Whitecoats that was playing medic rummaging through a bag within arm’s length of the griffin was a little reassuring. He wasn’t munching on the pony. The memory of him eating that raider drifted to the surface before I buried it again.
“Cutter. How are you doing?” I regretted the question immediately as I saw the look that the griffin shot me. Rage and hunger. Not a combination I wanted to see from a predator.
“How am I doing? I lost my arm. I’m so drugged I can barely see you. I’m doing fucking great.” The sarcasm was dripping from his growled assessment. He glanced around the room at the various wounded still sleeping in the early morning. A few were awake, and staring wide-eyed at the wounded predator sitting amongst them.
“On top of all that, I’m chained to a wall again.” He tugged at the thick chain that was wrapped around his waist, running to a sturdy metal beam running near the wall. It made sense, after the chaos of getting Cutter sedated. The Whitecoat medic turned to leave, revealing the stubby shotgun holstered at his side.
My view of the griffin had been heavily influenced by his reaction to Ash, and I wasn’t sure how I would have dealt with him. Chaining him to a wall didn’t seem right. It wasn’t up to me though, he was in the care of the Whitecoats at this point. If they wanted him shackled for their safety, I wasn’t willing to fight them on the issue. My position here was undefined, the larger group of Whitecoats torn on how to deal with me. The ‘normal’ slaves just tried to stay out of my way.
Ash, on the other hand, had spent the last few days guarding them. Cutter attacking Ash had not gone over well with the Whitecoats.
“Cutter, they chained you to the wall because you threatened Ash.” A guess, but it was probably accurate. He had threatened Ash, and I realized that I didn’t have any weapons on me as I stared him down. I was glad he was chained to the wall, but I couldn’t let any fear show through.
The griffin scowled. “They could let me wander... chaining me to the wall makes me believe they’re no better than the slavers.”
“There’s a difference here, Cutter. These ponies have you restrained because you hurt one of them. Because you tried to throttle the life out of one of theirs while they were trying to help you.”
“Ashred is my broth-!”
“Ash is a valued member of this group, and if all you get for trying to choke the life out of him is chained to a wall, you should consider yourself lucky!”
He hissed at me. “Who are you to make that call?”
I took a step towards the drugged and crippled griffin. “I’m the pony that got you out of a fucking tomb under Neighwhere, Cutter. I could have easily just kept walking. You would have died in that cell.”
His eyes narrowed. “If you’re suggesting that I owe you... I saved you twice. You owe me.”
I shook my head, and snarled at him. “No, I don’t. I got you out, and brought you here when you were fucking bleeding to death. We’re even.”
Now face to face with the killer, I tried keeping my voice low but intimidating. I was just hoping he wouldn’t kill me. I needed this distance to make my point. “I’d suggest that you try to play nice! These ponies are trying to help you, and your brother wants to fucking apologize!”
I jammed the tip of my hoof into his chest right below the feather line. “Ash is my friend. These ponies have all been through a lot, and they don’t need you scaring everypony. So I’m telling you right here, that if you put so much as a scratch on Ash, or any of the ponies here, I will fucking end you.”
His treatment of his sister had just rubbed me the wrong way. I no longer had any time for him, and I was serious. I would kill him if he threatened any of my friends.
Do it anyways!
My eye twitched and I recoiled at how loud Two Kick was. I hadn’t heard a peep from him since I’d drowned him out with painkillers, but here he was, louder than hell and twice as nasty. The only thing I could think was that the emotion I was feeling towards the damaged griffin must have brought him out. I turned my head just enough to see Ivory at the door, weapon trained on the griffin. She was frowning heavily, an ugly look that wasn’t quite fitting on her normally beautiful face. Her shapely face. Her curves.
Fuck.
I’d had enough of Cutter. He hadn’t said much, but it was enough. I needed to get away from him and back to Shade. “Ivory, can you watch Cutter for a little bit?”
She took a long, cold glance at the griffin. While she was doing that, Pearl appeared next to her in the doorway. I didn’t know where she’d been, but I really should have expected her to be around the wounded ponies.
“What... Ripple, what’s going on?” Pearl looked very concerned at the heavily armed mare at the door. Without waiting for an answer, she stepped past Ivory, making her way over towards us. Without hesitation she walked past me and began checking on Cutter’s injuries.
As I replied, I noticed that she flinched. A habit of hers, literally beaten into her over the years. “I’m discussing Cutter’s attitude with him.”
She looked at me with those sad eyes, and part of me wanted to do unspeakable things to her. I blinked hard, twitching slightly as I did so. I could feel Two Kick clawing at the edges of my mind.
Cutter, surprisingly enough, let Pearl check his bandages. He must have recognized her as a handler. A handler that you could do anything to, and no one would care.
Anything you want. For hours.
Damnit, I had to get out of this room.
“I gotta go.” I pushed past Ivory, who shouted a question after me but I was already hobbling towards the stairs. I didn’t hear her, and I didn’t stop. Two Kick was jabbering non-stop. Threats against me, threats against those I loved, promises of horrible things done to everypony around me. I was at the bottom of the stairs when my legs stopped working.
I slammed face first into the lowest step, a spray of blood shooting from my still injured nose onto the worn material.
We’re not going back upstairs. We’re not going near her. I don’t like how you’ve been treating me, and this shit is going to stop right fucking now. You’re going to give my body back, and you’re going to leave my head. You fucking hear me!?
I forced control back into my legs, thinking hard about Shade. Her eyes, her smile, her laugh, her scent, her warmth. Anything and everything. I’d forced him out before like that.
It wasn’t working.
I got control of my front right leg, but the left kicked it out and my body dropped again. I tried again, but Two Kick again knocked me down. I slammed my head sideways into the ground, hoping to stun him.
Stars shot through my vision, and I tasted blood. I’d hit hard enough that I’d done damage, and I felt that Two Kick had gotten the same share that I had. I just hoped that my resilience was higher than his. I’d beat him to death if I had to. I could probably survive it.
He wasn’t going to give up.
I tried calling for help, but all that came out was a strangled gurgle and more blood. I’d bitten my tongue pretty hard when I’d tried stunning Two Kick.
What, you’re going to kill us both? Fuck you! I was here first; this is my fucking body you’re using!
“It’s... mine!” I grunted through the blood. I forced my rear legs to propel us across the ground, leaving a streak of blood as we went.
I was watching. You and your little marefriend. I knew she was a screamer. I was right, I can always tell. I would have really given her something to scream about.
His voice sounded pained. I knew he was just doing it to get a rise out of me, and it was working. We ran into the wall, and my legs just kept spinning. I didn’t know if I’d lost control, or if the two of us fighting was just triggering the muscles to keep going, but our legs just bunched us up against the wall.
“Stop!” I managed a shout as our body slid to the ground, legs spiralling in the air.
Why? I’ll never stop, you know. I will take back what’s fucking mine.
I heard a concerned voice calling my name, and I fought to turn my eyes towards the origin. It worked, and I found what I needed to beat Two Kick.
Blue and Violet. Shade. My girl.
Two Kick faded fast as she looked at us, the calming effect she had on my mind hitting as fast and hard as Two Kick’s influence had after my confrontation with Cutter. She had a worried look on her face as she took in my injuries. I could still taste the blood in my mouth, and was pretty sure that I’d torn open my scalp.
Ash was there quickly, helping me to my hooves. As I stood, I took in just how much blood I’d lost in the brief battle with my mind. It was pooled against the wall, and a smear ran all the way to the stairs.
“I... ugh.. I fell.” My mind was sluggish. Probably from the blow I’d dealt to both of us.
I looked at Shade, who was searching my eyes for something. I choked, tasting only blood, but gulped a mouthful when she asked a question regarding a matter I’d forgotten she knew about.
“Was it Two Kick?”
I gagged at how much blood I had just swallowed, but managed a weak nod. I was pretty sure that I had bitten through my tongue, but that wasn’t my concern right now. I’d almost lost control, and I’d only been away from Shade for a short while. Two Kick was getting more powerful.
Also, from the confused look on his face, Ash was figuring it out. I’d only told Shade about Two Kick in my head. I couldn’t avoid the matter any longer as I was supported by the griffin.
“He’s.... he’s fighting back more. My head hurts...” I rubbed a fetlock against my face, pulling it back covered with blood. My speech was slurred, but I wasn’t sure if it was my tongue or the concussion I was pretty sure I’d just given myself.
“Kick... you okay?”
“I need a potion...” Shade was running before the words were fully out of my mouth. Ash slowly helped me into a sitting position. I hated being concussed... but I really only had myself to blame. I wasn’t sure when I’d first started trying to bash Two Kick out of my head, but it never seemed to work. It was just an angry over-reaction. One that I should probably work on stopping.
“Kick... so he’s still here? Two Kick?” The griffin was looking cautiously at me, like he would need to take me out if I made the wrong move. Probably a safe move on his part. Then his eyes opened, and he suddenly looked apologetic. “Shit, do you mind me calling you Kick? Would you prefer Ripple?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. My chest was splattered with blood as I did so. “Kick is fine.” He’d called me Kick every time he’d spoken to me save for one instance in Blank. It’d be weird for that to change.
“Anything else you want to tell me?”
I shrugged. “Meds keep him down. Shade does too.”
He nodded thoughtfully. He was probably remembering how I’d acted since Blank. I knew that he knew about the Med-X. How couldn’t he? He was the most perceptive creature I knew. “Yeah, that explains a lot. I thought you were just turning into a junkie, to be honest.”
“No... I was just doing what was needed. The deal with Shade... well, that’s just a nice side effect.” My tongue kept getting caught on something when I talk, and I stuck it out at Ash. “Is it bad?”
He grimaced a little, holding up a claw in defense from the sight. “Yeah. Shade might want to hurry.”
I slumped. “Don’t downplay it at all...”
Glancing towards where Shade had rushed, towards what was serving as the infirmary, I decided that now was the time. I had to take action. “Ash, you need to talk to Cutter.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. “I already softened him up a bit. You shouldn’t have too many problems. Say what you need to say, give him the sword, and be done with it.”
It would have had a much greater impact if I hadn’t been drooling blood and tripping over the shredded remains of my tongue as I spoke, but the message got through. Ash was looking at me evenly, searching for any insecurity in my decision. Finding none, he eventually nodded. “Sure, Kick. Might as well get this over with.”
“Go. I’ll be fine.” I had already spotted the blue mare running towards me with a bottle of healing liquid clenched in her teeth. I’d be fine. Ash needed to talk to his brother, and he needed to do it now.
Ash stood. Unslinging the sword from his back, he nodded down at me. “Wish me luck.” Turning, he made his way towards the infirmary. He passed Shade in the hall without even a glance, and turned out of sight.
Shade got to me, pulling the cork from the bottle and offering it to me. Taking it in my magic, I drank the potion. Swishing it around my mouth before I swallowed, I could feel my tongue knitting back together. I couldn’t taste the potion, just the blood, but I knew it was working immediately.
The look of concern on her face faded as I finished the bottle. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, enjoying the soothing feeling that the potion brought to my mouth, one of the few places that I still had full feeling, before opening them again and looking at the soft mare. My head was feeling better as well, which had me thinking that it wasn’t actually a concussion, and I’d just knocked myself silly for a few minutes.
I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue, fairly certain that I wasn’t about to flap a shredded hunk of flesh and blood at her. “See. Better.”
She smiled, and risked a kiss on my cheek, avoiding the blood that I had managed to smear across my face. She handed me a damp rag that she had slung over her withers. “You might want to wash up. You’ll scare ponies like that.”
Thanking her, I traded the empty bottle for the rag, and began wiping my face. As the rag blocked my vision, I felt the faint warmth of Shade pressing her body into my side, her favorite spot. Two Kick was the quietest murmur in my head, exactly where I preferred him.
“Where was Ash going?” Shade’s voice was soft, as though she didn’t want the griffin’s acute hearing to pick us up, even though he was now in a different part of the building.
I shrugged. “He needed to talk to his brother.”
I felt Shade shudder, the vibration translating into my side. “I wouldn’t want to be him. I’ve seen Cutter fight...” She glanced at me, probably noting that I was wearing no armor and was completely weaponless. “Is he going to be okay?”
I nodded. Ash could handle his own against a drugged and one armed griffin who was currently chained to a wall. Hopefully my threats against Cutter would also have assisted in mellowing the moody murderer.
“Are you going to be okay?” She burrowed further into my side as she asked, scared for my answer.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I lied to her. Two Kick was getting worse and worse; hitting harder every time he came back. The thought of losing myself had been weighing heavily on me since the thought of Shade had knocked him out of control. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life stapled to her side. If I didn’t do something permanent about Two Kick, I didn’t know how long I would be running the show.
“That’s good... I don’t want to lose you.”
I kissed her on the tip of her muzzle. “I’ll always be with you.”
In one way or another, I would be. Even if it was in spirit.
I heard a soft rustle coming up behind me, followed by a light cough. I knew who was standing there before I even saw Fluster. I hadn’t seen her around, not even near Ivory, but now she had found me. Which meant she wanted something.
“Sorry for intruding... but have you seen Ivory?” Fluster shifted her weight slightly and I spotted the head of Fern poking out from between her front legs. He was walking along beneath her, and had decided to find out why they had stopped. He glanced up at me, and gave a small growl.
Fluster immediately dipped her head, and whispered to the little timber wolf. “Shh... it’s alright. It’s just Ripple.” He kept growling up at me, and I had to wonder if the little wolf knew what was going on in my head.
Right, Ivory had asked me a question. Looking up from the wolf, I caught her eye, glinting beneath her hood. “Yeah... yeah, Ivory is standing guard near the injured. I had her watch Cutter... Ash is talking to him right now.”
Fluster nodded. “I hope Ash is alright. Cutter is... Cutter isn’t a nice griffin.”
I nodded. Fluster smiled, and thanked me. As she passed us by, she whispered up into my ear. “I’m happy for you two.”
Once she was on her way, Shade and I were once again alone. She stepped away from me briefly, looking at our surroundings. My blood was still smeared across the ground, and the soaked rag lay where I had dropped it indifferently. She frowned, shaking her head, and gazed up at me. “Let’s go somewhere more private... and less covered with blood.”
I nodded at her, but as we turned towards the stairs, an avian shriek of rage filled the halls and a loud thump followed. That couldn’t be good.
Quickly, I looked at Shade. “Get Broken.”
She nodded rapidly, then turned and hurried up the stairs. I rushed in the direction that Fluster had just headed. I was unarmed, partially crippled, and still slightly concussed. I’d do what I could, but I really only had my hooves and my horn. Against a griffin, drugged or not, it wasn’t much of a fair fight, but I had put the two predators in the same room.
A room with a bunch of injured ponies. Yeah...
I slid around the corner as I ran, my leg threatening to give out as I did so. Compensating, I only ran into the wall and bounced off, continuing on my course.
Ivory came into sight, trying to get a good shot into the room. With all the injured ponies and Ash, though, I hoped that she wouldn’t fire Sweeps’ minigun, as the indiscriminate weapon would probably pulp anyone and everything in the room.
I had been so stupid.
“Rip! Do something!” Her eyes were filled with fear, and her voice was cracking frantically. I pushed my way past her, into the room.
All of the injured that were capable were as far away from the two griffins as possible. Cutter had Ash up against the wall, lifted from the ground by his throat. For being so filled with drugs he couldn’t move, he had achieved quite a bit. The chain was still wrapped around his waist, blood seeping from where it had cut into him. At the end of the dangling chain was a metal loop and piece of the wall, where he had ripped it out.
“Cutter!” I yelled, moving towards him. His eyes found me quickly, a sharpness there that I hadn’t seen when I’d talked to him just a short while before.
“Stay out of this. This is between me, and him.” His voice was enough to trigger the survival instinct in my head. It always seemed to kick in with griffins, more than any other creature or machine I’d encountered in the wastes.
Ash was fighting for breath, kicking feebly at his much larger sibling. His claws were dug into Cutter’s bulging arm, and it was obvious that Ash would likely pass out in a short while. His weapons were not on him, scattered around the room.
Even with the sheer predatory force behind Cutter’s warning, I found that I was already launching myself into the air from a charge. Plowing into the griffin with my full weight, I took the three of us crashing into a table covered with medical equipment.
Cutter released Ash as we hit the edge of the table, breaking it in half and sending the sharp medical equipment slashing into the air. A scalpel missed my eye by a hair, slicing across my brow. Rolling away from the wreckage, I leapt to my hooves and readied for the griffin’s attack.
Cutter sprang to his paws, again amazingly fast for the condition I had assumed he was in. His arm was to his side, braced to attack. He was growling death at me, while Ash fought for breath in the midst of the table ruins.
“I told you to stay out of this.” His eyes were narrowed, his body tensed for me to make a move.
“...and I told you that if you so much as scratched my friends, I would fucking end you.” I picked up the scalpel with my magic, drops of my blood spattering the clean floor. For the second time in such a short while, blood was again pouring down my face, but that was at the back of my mind.
Where Two Kick should have been. His voice soothed into my head, lacking the violence of before but filled with double the hatred.
You’ll never be rid of me.
Fuck. Come on. I have more important matters to deal with. If you interrupt, I’m going to die.
Fine, you stupid fuck. Don’t mess up my body any more, I’ll be collecting soon. I’ll be fucking watching.
Cutter glared at me, and I just glared back. I didn’t show any sign of the internal battle, knowing that it would probably cause the griffin to attack. No fear.
No fear.
I took a step forward. Cutter twitched and slumped, the fire fading from his eyes as the drugs broke through the wall of adrenaline. Whooping for joy would have set him off again, so I remained stonefaced and still. The griffin sighed, dropping out of the attack pose.
“Fine. I’ll just take my sword and go. I can tell when I’m not wanted.” He turned, keeping an eye on me as he went, and crossed the room to his cot. I saw now that Whitecoats had mustered, armed with whatever they could find. If they’d gotten in on the battle, this room would have turned into a bloodbath. Cutter picked up Fraya’s sword, which had been placed neatly next to the cot, most likely before the brothers had started fighting again.
Vigil entered the room, armed with a long piece of rebar, sharpened to a point. He was blocking the path for Cutter, who walked up to the pony and growled. “Out of my way, Whitecoat.”
Vigil glared up at Cutter for a few seconds, eventually giving in and stepping aside. Cutter stalked past without another word, brushing past Ivory in the doorway. Vigil looked at two of the tense Whitecoats. “Ticket, Parfait, please go with Mister Cutter. Ensure that no one causes him any problems while he is leaving.”
I stumbled over to Ash, finding that there were several large splinters pierced into my flank. As I pulled them out, Ash was pulling himself shakily to his paws. He coughed, rubbing at his throat. “That... could have gone better...”
“What happened?” I had to ask. I had thought that it would have gone much better, or at least not end with one griffin leaving and the other nearly choked to death.
“I apologized... gave him the sword... then I mentioned Fraya.” He rubbed at his neck, pulling his claws away covered with blood. “That didn’t go over so well.”
Pearl pushed her way through the crowd, joining in with one of the Whitecoats who was checking on the ponies that had been resting in the room. She made her way to the two of us, and immediately began cleaning my wounds.
“Pearl, handle Ash first. I’m good for now.” She nodded rapidly, likely due to my use of the word “handle”, and moved on to Ash’s wounded neck. My mind was elsewhere. Shade wasn’t there... it shouldn’t have that long to get Broken and come back, especially in the hurry she had been in.
Maybe she’s dead. Maybe your hope is gone. Your hope, your love, your future. All that, smashed like her pretty little head.
Shut the fuck up.
I tried to pushed my way past Vigil, who was already beginning to restore order to the aftermath of the griffin fight, but the Whitecoat blocked my path with a leg. “Might I ask where you are abandoning to with such haste?”
“Upstairs.” I pushed past him, eager to get back to Shade. It was either I returned to her, or I took a heavy dose of painkillers right there in front of half the population of the building. I pushed past Ivory, who was staring after where Cutter had gone, and headed towards the stairs.
The whole day had been pretty much a long line of disappointments. I guess that the wasteland wouldn’t allow me to have the happiness I’d had with Shade, and just let that stand. It was still the morning, and I was already done with the whole day.
Then I heard the muffled scream.
I ran. I ran as hard as I could. As far as I knew, nopony else was up here other than Shade.
The door was open, and I shouted her name as I ran. “Shade!”
As I came to the open door, I was struck full in the face by a pair of hooves. Blood exploded from my face as the hooked razors and barbs worn around those hooves caught flesh. The impact was great enough that I was thrown into the wall, landing in a bleeding heap.
I scrambled to my hooves, ready for a fight, but the figure that stood down the hall was just smiling at me. For a split second, I saw Fluster. Everything was wrong though. No robe, no scars, eyepatch over the wrong eye, and way too many blades.
Flurry.
Slung around her was the satchel that held the two Cubes I had planned on leaving with the Whitecoats for safe keeping when I headed up the mountain to kill Hate at my leisure.
“Two Kick, thanks for hanging onto these. Hate said you’d probably send them somewhere, but I see I was quick enough to catch you both.” She was smiling as she spoke, pointing out just how I’d shown her right where the cubes were hidden.
I jumped for the open door, looking for Broken. I couldn’t freeze when I saw Shade laying inside, bleeding heavily. I had to grasp for Broken where it lay next to her, splattered with blood. I spun back into the hallways, screaming in frustration.
Firing at where Flurry had been only a second before, I snarled as the buckshot ricocheted off of the floor. She laughed playfully at me from where she hovered near the ceiling. “You have a pretty mare there, but now she’s beautiful. I had fun last night... I know you did. These walls are pretty thin, you know.”
I fired again, but she spiralled to the side, unharmed and laughing. “I haven’t seen Fluster, did you keep her safe? I hope you did... since I couldn’t find my sister, I decided to play with your friend for a little bit.”
I screamed at her. “Bitch! I’ll fucking gut you!” I fired, hoping that she would die. That she would get ripped apart and suffer. I wanted her to live through the first hit, so that I could stomp her skull into ooze. So I could shred her bit by bit before she died.
So I could make her scream, and scream, and scream.
She pirouetted to the side playfully, clutching a bladed hoof to her chest. “Oh, you almost got me. Anyways, it’s been fun, but Hate’s waiting. I don’t want to keep him waiting.”
She flipped and kicked off of the ceiling, barely avoiding a fourth load of buckshot fired at her. She launched away from me, barrel rolling through the hallways, and was headed straight at a long shattered window. I fired again, my last shot, more out of hope than any real chance of scoring a hit.
I ran, ignoring my gimped leg, and ignoring how much blood I was losing from my face. I’d lost a ton of blood in short period, and I was starting to feel it, but I couldn’t give in. I had to get Flurry. I had to get the cubes back.
Hate couldn’t have them.
She pulled up short of the window, turning to give me a farewell wave. Her eye went wide as she saw me within hoof distance of her, flying through the air after a jump that I’m pretty sure tore some muscles in my legs.
I slammed into her, and we both went out the window.
She started flapping hard, but my weight was dragging her down. I bit into the strap of the bag, knowing that it was my best chance of holding on, or at least retrieving the cubes. She let out a strangled cry as the strap wrapped around her tightened with my weight.
She kicked wildly at me, scoring a hit in my face, catching along my clenched teeth and shredding through my lips all the way back to my jaw. It had shredded everything below my scar. The pain was almost blinding, but I held on. I was still gripping Broken with my magic, and spun it so that the butt was facing outwards.
Swinging it hard, I cracked the weapon across her temple, bringing a shriek of pain. She rewarded me with another kick, this one into my muzzle.
The blow knocked teeth from my jaw, and I felt myself sliding. I bit as hard as I could, but with missing teeth I slid off of the strap.
Dropping, I slammed into the upper branches of a tree, snapping several with the impact. The long dead tree branches were brittle, and didn’t hurt too much, but I felt more pieces of wood pierce my hide.
I landed back down on a thick branch, bouncing off in a flash of pain. I hit the ground, and blackness snapped into my reality.
-----
“Kick! Kick, wake up!” My eyes fluttered open as the world came back to me, and I saw the griffin looking down at me with what I could only describe as shock. It was still raining heavily, and his head was shielding me from the heavy drops.
“Shade...” My voice was low, but I had priorities. “Shade’s hurt...”
He nodded, kneeling down over me. “I know, Pearl’s already helping her. Flesh wounds, nothing else.”
“That’s good...” My voice was coming back, but it sounded weird. It felt weird to talk, like half of my face wasn’t working.
“You probably shouldn’t talk until we get some more potion into you.” He sighed, looking up. I knew that he was looking towards the mountain. Towards Maremack. He knew where we’d be heading next.
“Maremack...” I slurred out.
He nodded his head. “Yeah. Yeah, but not right now. We need to get you inside...”
He reached down, and lifted me bodily. It hurt, but that could be said about all of the parts that I could feel. I could barely feel his talons catching on my unarmored hide.
I was hurt. I was really hurt... going out the window might not have been the best idea. I’d had worse, but this was still in my top four most painful moments of the last month.
“Flurry... cubes... gotta be quick...” He nodded at me as I rambled through my shredded mouth, weaving through the trees and back to the building.
We were in the halls now, headed towards the infirmary. Again. I’d spent a lot of time going to that room today, and now here I was being carried. I heard a cry of dismay, and Fluster’s hooded face filled my vision.
“Ripple... what happened? Who did this?” It was uncanny how much the two looked alike, but I don’t think I could ever see this expression on Flurry. Concern, fear, and sadness, blended together. Care.
“Sorry... I almost had her...”
Then everything went dark.
It had been a while.