//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Resistance: Remain Human 
// by Hurgusburgus 
//------------------------------//

At first she felt pain. Then she wondered who and why had beaten her up so badly, until the helmet strap came undone.

Oh. Right.

London Tower.

What in the blazes had happened there? Did she make it out of there alive? Who was that, fiddling with her backpack?

Water. Someone. Please.

“Mlgaaaa…” She managed to utter. Awful. Not even a drunkard would understand.
“Oh, she’s waking up! Quickly, get me some water, Ted!” A gruff, deep voice reached her. It was like a LAARK to her eardrums, but moments later, she felt the blissful wetness of cold water on her lips.
“Easy there. Don’t hurry. You’ve been out for a while.” The same rumbling voice repeated and she slowly forced her eyes open, and was treated to the sight of a Titan holding a cup to her lips.
“AIEEE-Glglglglglglgllgggg!”
“Oh, bloody hell!” Said Titan cursed, lifting her up and giving her a pat on the back, trying to get her to cough up the water.
*kaff kaff* “-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” The Titan dropped her on the ground unceremoniously.
“Calm down!” The towering Chimera sighed, rubbing his face.
“Y-y-y-y-you’re a Titan!”
“Nooo, you think?” He shot back.
“H-h-how are you talking?”
“It’s sort of a long story. Now, if you promise not to try and run away, you’ll be fine. Snaggletooth might try to leap in your face, but he does that to everyone. By the way, I’m Fred.” He stuck out his hand.
“Ah… Ah’m Sergeant Alice Bradley. 1st Rangers.” Her small palm almost disappeared in Fred’s huge slab of a limb.
“Nice to meet you, Alice! Now, would you like something to eat?”
“Wait a moment. You said there were others?”
“Aye. James, Jen, Ted, Snag and Tag. And we also found some other Americans along with you.”
“Really?” Alice perked up at that.
“Yep. They’re having lunch outside.”
“Cool! Oh, how long was Ah out?”
“Three days. Snag found you unconscious out in the woods.” They exited the cave and Alice winced in the bright sunlight.

Fred had found some Americans a couple of days back. Of course, being the kind soul he is, he carried them back to the cave. I at least had the foresight to take care of their Folsoms and equipment. It wouldn’t do for someone to freak when waking up and start shooting anything that had more than two eyes. And I’d say Fred wouldn’t take too kindly to Snag getting injured. The skittish Leaper had grown on him. Just then, a chorus of voices snapped me to attention. Fred had emerged outside, the last Yank at his side. Other soldiers rushed over to her, clapping her on back, steering her towards the blazing fireplace. The woman seemed shaken, but fine. I grunted, leaning back against the tree trunk. Well, our merry little group of misfits just go bigger. And merrier. I spotted Jen returning from patrol. She walked up to my tree, looking at me.
“Those damned guards are here again. Should I send Tag?” I shook my head at that.
“No. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” I stood up, jumping down, ready to go, when Jen grabbed my shoulder.
“Look, James… About my recent behaviour… Sorry.” She sounds sincere, I think.
“It’s okay.” With that, I leave.

Women. How do they work?

The two guardsponies cautiously advanced, casting a horrified glance at the corpse of a manticore long killed.
“Sweet Celestia… How did they kill a manticore?”
“Don’t care! We-we just have to find out where those things are, and then hoof it back to the outpost.”
“I know! Keep quiet! I don’t want to see any other manticores or worse following us just because you can’t keep your mouth shut.”
“It’s not the animals you should be afraid of.” Six glowing, yellow eyes showed up in front of the two wary ponies and I stepped out from the tree trunk I had been hiding inside, fangs dripping with saliva to scare them senseless.

The roar I let out seconds later was also a nice touch.

Celestia looked around the bustling base they’d constructed inside the Everfree Forest. A call alerted the lookout that the scouts were returning. The two ponies galloped inside the wall and collapsed on the spot, panting and whimpering. A couple of other guards ran over to them.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Did you get attacked?”
“…No. Worse…” The other scout shuddered.
“I’m not going back there again. Not for anything…” Celestia walked up to them, worried.
“Can you tell me what exactly happened?”
“W-well, we were just walking past this dead manticore, when that thing just… appeared from nnowhere!”
“Did it say anything?” Celestia leaned closer.
“’It’s not the animals you should be afraid of.’ After that, it roared at us, and, and, well… we ran.” The guardspony hung his head ashamedly.
“You have no need to be ashamed. You did your duty. Commander! Prepare to move out. We shall put an end to this one way or another.” She turned to the armour rack containing her old armour that had been doing nothing but gathering dust for a thousand years. A group of ponies secured the straps of the shining plates together across her body. Her sword, sharpened and polished, rested in its holster.
“And I had hoped it would not come to this.”

Ted settled down in the soft pelt we’d taken from those lion scorpion things, manticores, they were called.
“This is the life, eh, Jimmy, my boy?”
“I thought you were hell-bent on getting back to London.”
“That was then! Now, I’m thinkin’ we could maybe stay here. It’s sorta strange, not getting shot at, eh?” I was about to respond, when I heard a branch snap. Moments later, a pony arrived from nowhere; Snaggletooth firmly entrenched upon its back, as the Leaper had some sort of impromptu rodeo ride.
“GEDDITOFFGEDDITOFF!” The terrified pony squealed, but the Leaper kept at it.
“Geddim, boyo!” Ted cackled. I simply chuckled. One of the Yanks had chosen to accompany me and Ted. He was the only one who had taken the current situation in stride, saying nothing more than ‘Huh’ at our explanation. He was settling down on his tree branch right now, bringing his Fareye up.
“Easy, there, Bill.” I whistled sharply. “Snag! Get over here!” At my voice, the small Chimeran beast leapt away, clambering up our tree moments later.
“Aw, hell, boys… We got trouble.” Bill muttered. I looked where he was pointing.
Dozens of armoured ponies were advancing upon us. And leading them was that damned white mare, also clad in armour.
“Bollocks.” I muttered.
“My thoughts exactly.” Bill whispered back.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go back to your queer little town and never return!”
Celestia ground to a halt.
“Ted, that’s not exactly diplomatic.”
One of the guardsponies took a step forwards.
“If YOU know what’s good for you, you will surrender immediately!”
“We’re quite happy sitting here if you’d like to sod off, thank you very much! Go away, wankers! Snaggletooth! Sic ‘em, lad!” Celestia noted a small disturbance in the grass and moments later, a small, strange beast landed itself on her back, flailing its tail.
“I take it you are Snaggletooth. Could you bring your master to me?” The yellow-eyed beast eyed her curiously, undoubtedly surprised that she was unafraid of him. What he didn’t know was that Celestia barely restrained from bucking him off her back.
“Skree.”
“Princess, what are you-“One of the ponies tried to spear the beast, but she interrupted him.
“There is no need for that.” She patted the chattering beast with her hoof.
“Bloody heck, Jimmy, did you see that? She just- Well, I’m all outta tricks.” Ted sighed. Just then, Snaggletooth showed up from nowhere (again), leaping in Ted’s face. Together, they fell from the tree, with Ted howling in a rather pissed-off manner.

Celestia watched, slightly amused, at the scene unfolding near the tree.
“Excuse me! Is James there? Could I speak with him?” She raised her voice, letting it echo around the small clearing.
Up in the tree, I tensed up. How did she know my-Oh. Right. I’d told my name to that purple pony some time ago right before everything went down the crapper. I nodded to Bill, who kept the white mare in his crosshairs. Just to be sure.
I jumped down from the tree, warily holding my Bullseye. I noticed Ted running off towards our cave, to warn the others, probably. Snag was trying to leap on his back again.
“Don’t worry, pardner. I gotcha covered.” Bill reassured me. I nodded back to him, strapping the Bullseye to my back, walking slowly towards the ponies. I came to a halt five meters away from the white mare. We eyed each other for a moment – my fierce, yellow-eyed glare versus her calm, serene magenta gaze.
“What do you want?” I know that’s blunt, but I don’t care.
“I wish to talk.” She simply responds.
“Why? You nearly became my lunch.” She narrows her eyes for a moment before answering.
“Twilight Sparkle told me that you saved three lost fillies from certain death. And now, I truly do not know what to do with you and your companions. There is much conflict in my mind.”
“Leave us alone, maybe? We’re dangerous. You don’t want to get involved with us.”
“And yet you are killing animals that reside here. For what purpose?” The white mare took a more forward approach.
“Food.” My answer was simple.
“That’s it? You murder innocent wildlife just to satisfy your own hunger?” Well, I wasn’t having any of that self-righteous crap.
“Don’t you dare judge me or my friends. You haven’t the slightest idea what we have been forced to endure.” I was suddenly right in front of her, growling angrily. She took an involuntary step back, uncertain fear in her eyes.
“We were human once. And then we were killed, twisted by the Chimera to serve their campaign of genocide against humanity. You have no idea how it feels to be forced to live with this body, this twisted husk of what I was.”
The feral me made his bombastic appearance once more, egging me on to eat the mare, who was rather horrified right now. I pushed the ghost personality away.
“Get away from here. Never come back.” With that, I left, but one of the ponies must have heard me wrong, and tried to pounce on me. I knocked him to the forest ground with a punch.
“Idiots.” I snarled at the mare, passing the tree. Bill threw the manticore’s hide down to me, joining me on the way back to the cave.

“Well, that went just perfect.” He muttered quietly, lighting a cigarette, passing one to me.
“This place is too peaceful and innocent, barring this forest, actually. We shouldn’t wander too far away, either deeper in the forest or out of it.” I responded.
“I hear that.” He answers slowly, his sniper rifle on his back. We keep heading down the well-trodden path. Fred had cleared it out using his bulk.
“Y’still sure we can’t come to some sort of an agreement with them?”
“Dunno, mate. I really don’t.” I shook my head, drawing on the cig in wedged between my teeth.
Fffffft.
A cloud of smoke rolled forwards from my mouth. We didn’t say anything for the rest of our trip.

Fred looked up to us just as we entered the light of the crackling bonfire.
“Hello, there, James, Bill! How did it go down?” 

Straight to the point, eh, Fred?

“Not too good. Told them to stay away. Not sure if they’ll listen, though. I’m running out of scary things to say.” That got a chuckle out of him.
“I guess that’s true. Well, never mind that. Are you feeling up for the dinner?” He gestured to the roasting slices of hog. That made my mouth water.
“Anything else?” Bill piped up.
“Some wild fruits and berries. Fish. And peppermint tea. Some bread from my own stores.” He brandished a large pot that had steam rising from it.
“Neato.” The black-skinned American whistled, just as everyone else showed up – Alice, Jen, Ted, Snag, Tag, and the two other Americans, Jack and Will. Quietly, we sat down, some of us having a quiet conversation or two, but mostly we kept to ourselves.

We finished our dinner half an hour later. The Yanks kept thanking Fred for taking care of them and for the delicious meal he’d made.
“Ah, it’s nothing, my good friends.” He smiled his trademark grin.

Then, a whisper of a blade being unsheathed. And another. More soon follow.

“In the name of Princess Celestia, surrender!”

I SAY AGAIN.

BOLLOCKS.