Fallout Equestria: A Cut Above.
Ch 9: On The Run
The short trip through the rocky cavern where Sunrise lived was uneventful. Lyrical was listless and downcast, I was concerned. We made our way through the steel and white dust of the turbine room in silence. As we mounted the stairs, Lyrical sniffed a tiny sob, so quiet I almost missed it. I tucked in closer to her as we climbed, our forelegs brushing as we walked. We made the top of the stairs in good order, Lyrical's sobs held in for the moment. I was taking a breath to say something, not sure what it would be, when the cheery 'ding!' of the elevator halted us both in mid step.
"Well I don't know where the little tribal's run off to, Mr. Brick, but he's just as at fault as Lyrical. I demand you do SOMETHING about him." Arcane Scroll declaimed, his voice clearly audible as the elevator door slid open. My eyes slammed wide, and I shot a glance at Lyrical, who had covered her mouth with a hoof. Thinking fast, I nudged her into motion, and we snuck into the branched hallway. The layout of that room still didn't make sense, but I wasn't going to turn my nose up at a place to hide!
Brick responded with a grunt, and Arcane resumed ranting. I tuned out the words, focusing on the location of the speakers. Arcane was kind enough to keep up a steady stream of abuse, and I heaved a silent sigh of relief as they took the direct path to the stairs. I took a look at Lyrical, who was frozen in place, her eyes wide and staring, a hoof in her mouth. I nuzzled her gently, and she startled, thankfully silent. I tossed my head, indicating the hallway, and she nodded. We set off, sneaking our way to the elevator.
The elevator door slid shut behind us, and we both let out deep shuddering breaths. Lyrical immediately burst into tears, deep hitching sobs that shook her shoulders and bowed her head. I tucked her into a hug, pressing her into my chest as firmly as I could. The obscenely cheerful ding of the doors opening made me blink, but I stayed where I was. Lyrical hitched a shuddering gasp of a breath, then sighed. I squeezed tighter for a moment, then drew back. Lyrical stared up at me through the fall of her mane, tears streaming from her eyes. I jerked away to stop the door from closing, and when I had turned back, Lyrical was facing away from me, wiping at her eyes.
I paused, unsure of what to do. My hesitation provided all the time Lyrical needed, though, and she turned back to me, her eyes red and puffy, but her jaw set.
"Let's go." Lyrical said, and I nodded in response. She trotted out of the elevator, and I scrambled to follow. I poked a hoof at the armory door as we passed it, but it was locked. Catching up with Lyrical, we rounded the corner and I nudged her into the cafeteria. She shot me a quizzical look, and I tossed my head at the counter.
"Let's stock up on chow while we're here – I think we can afford the time."
Lyrical nodded agreement, and we detoured into the kitchen. It was empty of people, but there was plenty of food in the refrigerators and cabinets. I dug through the cabinets, tossing out packages of pre-war foods. I looked up to see Lyrical adding a pair of plates and a mess of silverware to the pile. I selected 'healthy', as much as that was possible with pre-war foods, but a few Fancy Buck Cakes still went on the pile.
By the time I had tossed one side of the room, Lyrical had gone through the other, and we met back at the counter. Our pile of foods and utensils was sizeable, and we shared a smile over it, before stuffing our saddlebags to overflowing. I strained against Lyrical's magic as she pulled my saddlebag shut, Blinky pushing on the top of it. The latch clicked shut, and we bolted for the entrance, giggling.
As we pelted into the entry lobby, the bathroom door opened, and Engineer stepped out, wiping his talons on a towel. We skidded to a stop, and the raggedy griffin eyed us. I traded glances with Lyrical, then took a step forward.
"Please don't tell anyone else, Engy, but we're leaving. The Collegiate are going to hang Lyrical out to dry, and it looks like they're going to take me down with her. We're leaving first."
The griffin's beak fell open in shock, and he looked from me to Lyrical and back. Absently clutching the towel, he made his way to the front counter and sat heavily. We looked at him nervously, and he finally shook his head, gesturing with a talon.
"I'm not gonna stop you two. I'm don't think Brick would throw you under the cart like that, but I can't hold you," He said. "Just.. hold on a second," Engineer ducked down, rummaging through the drawers in the desk. Me and Lyrical approached the side of the counter as he dug, and he shortly came up with a red stick, capped in milky plastic. "Flare. Either of you familiar with them?"
Both Lyrical and I nodded assent, and he pushed it towards us. Lyrical took it with her magic and slid it into her already-bulging saddlebags. I stretched a forehoof over the counter, and Engineer took it in a firm grip. "Thank you. For everything," I said, and he nodded, squeezing my hoof. I dropped back to all four and tossed my head. "We got to go."
"I'll be leaving with Hellen, most likely the day after tomorrow. If you head south until you get to the end of the desert, then turn west, we'll catch up to you. I'll go with you as far as Shattered Hoof, and we'll see what happens there." Engineer replied, and it was my turn to freeze in astonishment. I turned to look at Lyrical, who was grinning broadly.
"Thank you, Engy!" Lyrical said brightly, cantering around the counter and surging up to give the startled griffin a kiss on the side of his beak.
I learned that griffins can in fact, blush. Engineer went pink to the crown of his head, and sat stunned as Lyrical trotted back around the counter towards the door. I hustled to follow her, shaking my head and laughing at the unpredictability of mares. The inner door opened easily, revealing Main Spring, peering out the windows set in the outer doors. She waved a greeting to us before returning to her peering.
"Hey you two, what's up?" Main Spring asked. Her voice was thick with boredrom, and I felt the tug of the perverse, which I gave into willingly.
"Well, we're basically escaping from Arcane Scroll, who is working up the nerve to have us hung because Chalice died due to his stupidity, so we figured to take the choice away from him. And also his wallet." I said in one long breath, shouldering the door open and gesturing to Lyrical, who gave a little unicorn bow and trotted out the door. "Take care of yourself, Main Spring, it was a pleasure meeting you!" I added brightly, and let the door swing shut. I couldn't help but giggle at the completely flabbergasted look on the green mare's face as I turned to catch up with Lyrical.
We made our way out of the compound and through the gates without further incident. I thought I recognized Windy on the surveillance platform at the gate, but I wasn't certain. The gate itself was open, and Lyrical shifted up into a gallop, streaking away from the compound. I chased after her, having to push myself to catch up with her, and leaned into her, slowly bending her path off to the south. We evened out and pelted through the early day, the rising sun burning off the thin lake mist and warming our hides as it scorched the desert.
We galloped until we couldn't, then trotted. I tried to signal for a rest or a break several times, but was rebuffed. Every time I would make a sign or try and push to slow down, Lyrical would shake her head and speed back up to a gallop. I could feel myself heating up, and I was seeing lather start to pop out on the cream unicorn. I scowled, and nudged her again.
"We need a break!" I huffed past my own blowing breath. Lyrical shook her head, stumbled, and fell. She slid across the sand, fortunately not tumbling or rolling. I frantically slowed my own pace, sprays of sand shooting up from my hooves. I managed to come to a stop without losing my own balance, and darted to Lyrical's fallen form. She lay on her side, sharp gasps of breath blowing sand from in front of her nose, her eyes wide and staring. I brushed her wild mane out of her eyes and knelt in front of her, drawing her into a loose embrace and stroking her withers.
"It's OK, it's ok, rest a moment." I soothed. I got one of my canteens out, and held it to her. "Drink. Small, just a mouthful."
Lyrical nodded, and took the canteen in a flicker of magic. She pulled herself into a more composed kneeling position, took a small swallow, rinsed and spat. Taking a second, slightly longer drink, she passed the canteen back. I returned it to my harness, checking on Blinky, who was agitated but in good health. Lyrical knelt where she had fallen, in the small depression between two sand dunes, blinking silent tears out of her eyes. I squeezed her in a quick embrace, then carefully made my way up a dune.
Even this little bit of height afforded me a good view of the surroundings. Our headlong flight had taken us further than I had thought, far enough that the walls of the compound were only barely visible above the horizon. The lake would be just to the east of it, but wasn't visible. Originally, I had been traveling south-east to get to the compound. Our course west, then south, had taken us into unfamiliar territory. The sand stretched out, rolling gold and baking under the sun.
A slow scan revealed... Nothing. A wide expanse of desert, fried to a crisp by the sun. The familiar slow wavering of heat over emptiness, and sand. Sand sand sand. I squinted, staring south as hard as I could. I couldn't see anything except more desert. With a sigh, I cautiously made my way back down the slope of the dune to Lyrical, who was watching my approach. I noted her dry eyes and alert expression, and smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey," She replied. I made it to the bottom of the small depression with a thump and sputter of sand. Lyrical managed a tiny smile.
"So what's next?" Lyrical asked, her smile cracking at the edges. I leaned up against her, and she curled into my embrace.
"Well, we rig for desert travel, and head south. Just... slower." I said, laughter bubbling in my voice. "First thing is, we need hats. At least, something to keep the worst of the sun off."
Lyrical nodded, and I dug into my saddlebags. I came up empty, and turned back to see Lyrical holding a bolt of light blue cloth. I grinned, diving back into my saddlebags, and came up with my shears. A moment's work with Lyrical's help, and we had two squares of fabric, the remainder back in her bags. I went back for needle and thread, and swiftly bashed together two floppy, but serviceable, sun hats.
Shortly thereafter, we trotted across the Wasteland. Lyrical copied my movements, her gait smoothing out into a fair approximation of the distance devouring lope I favored. I kept an eye on the pale unicorn as best I could, and when she started panting we'd stop for water. Blinky stayed asleep, surprising nopone. Most of the day passed like this, the rest breaks coming closer and closer as Lyrical wore out.
I left the poor peach mare crumpled in a heap in the lengthening shadow, trotting to the top of the next dune. The angle of the sun threw shadows across the desert, making precise navigation difficult. The land-change was clear though, the golden yellow sand smearing into a darker brown scrub. I'd been watching the verge get closer as the day progressed, but Lyrical's rapidly flagging strength made it a goal for tomorrow. A slow survey of the surrounding desert revealed more nothing.
I was grateful for that emptiness. The trip here had brought three raiders into my life, and shortly out of their own. I was OK with that, accustomed to vermin showing up in equine form. Lyrical almost certainly wouldn't be. Her reaction to Chalice's death was starting to worry me. With the complete mess that our departure from the desalinization plant had become, Lyrical had been jumping from crisis to crisis. With no chance to think or feel, she hadn't been able to even start to cope.
My head felt heavy with worry as I made my way back down the dune. Lyrical lay sprawled in shadow, her chest heaving slowly. I knelt in the shade myself, pulling the floppy hat off my head and considering it. The pale blue fabric was stained with sweat, encrusted with sand, and generally filthy. The shape of the hat was true, and the seams strong and even. Lyrical pushed herself onto her side with a grunt, and lay staring at me. I smiled, and gestured with the hat.
"We do good work as a team, you know."
"We do -hooo- indeed." Lyrical replied. I smiled and nodded approvingly. Her breathing was deep and regular, the sign of a pony worked hard but not nearly exhausted. I sat there, waving some air into my face with the hat, as Lyrical's breath slowed. A few minutes later, I tugged the hat back onto my head, the wide floppy tail draping over my neck. Blinky was still asleep, curled up in a pink ball on my back. I stood and stretched, nudging Lyrical with a hoof.
"Come on, lady. We're not going to clear the desert before nightfall, but I saw a cactus just a couple minutes away, we'll stop there for the night."
"Stop at a cactus?" Lyrical asked, shooting me a confused look before turning to examine her Talon armor. Shaking some sand out of a hem, Lyrical jogged in place. Happy with the fit of her armor, she tossed her head. "What's a cactus get us?"
"Food, water, something more interesting than plain old sand. You ready?" I replied. Lyrical nodded, and we made our way across the dunes. Minutes later we arrived, trotting up to a cactus standing spikey and dark green just shy of the crest of a dune. We stood, staring at the cactus. The lowering sunlight glistened off of it's plump green paddles, sparked off the tips of its needles. The occasional pink blossom shone amongst the spikes.
We stood, staring. The sun finished its descent, leaving us in a rapidly cooling darkness. I jolted back to alertness as Blinky rolled off my back, grumbling his way down the dune to a depression and burrowing into the side of it. I nudged Lyrical, who startled out of her daze.
"What just happened?" Lyrical asked, rubbing her eyes with a forehoof.
"We both just zoned out. Too much desert, messes with your head." I replied. "Lets get some dinner gathered and hunker down for the night." Putting deed to word, I kicked my weapon into my mouthgrip and took aim. Careful strikes knocked off a hoof-full of plump green paddles, Lyrical catching them with her magic as they fell. I tucked my weapon away and we made our way down the side of the dune to the depression. This close to the edge of the desert, the ground was a firm hardpan in the encircling sand of the dunes. I swept a place mostly clean with a scrap of leather from my saddlebags, and laid it out flat. Lyrical dropped the cactus on it, and I began peeling the tough outer layers and needles off.
By the time I had finished that, Lyrical had laid out the rest of the bolt of blue cloth, which doubled over, would keep us off the sandy ground. I nodded approval with a smile. "Don't forget to loosen your armor. We don't want to take it off, just in case, but there's no reason not to be at least a little more comfortable."
Lyrical nodded, and began working the straps and clasps of her Talon armor. I did the same, swiftly working the familiar straps loose. Sitting on the clean cloth, I checked myself over for the minor chafing and dings anypone could expect to pick up in a day of travelling. Everything was OK, and Lyrical plopped down next to me with a long sigh.
"Nice to be moving again." I said shortly.
"Yeah, even if it is more work-" Lyrical said, interrupting herself with a yawn. "Than I had expected."
"It'll get easier. How's the armor feeling? Got any hot spots, or places where it's rubbing?"
"Not really, this is good stuff. I think there's a little rub just above my tail, but it's not painful or anything."
"Well, let me check it out." I said. Lyrical stretched forward, her legs tucked underneath her. Sure enough, there was a thin spot, where the trailing edge of the armor was starting to rub off the hair. I poked it with a hoof, and Lyrical bent around to examine the spot.
"Oh!" She exclaimed. I nodded in response.
"Not that bad, really, but we'll certainly need to put some padding on that spot tomorrow to protect your skin. Travelling, like we did today, is a whole different thing than exploring or fighting, it doesn't wear on you the same way."
Lyrical nodded her understanding, and we shared a cold meal of cactus and water, Blinky claiming part of both. We spent the next hour or so just talking, not of anything important, but of our early lives, the places we grew up. Lyrical drifted off to sleep in mid sentence, and I pulled the edge of the sheet over her drowsing form. It was thin protection against the cold of a desert night, but it was better than nothing. I shifted until I was comfortable, the gentle rise and fall of Lyrical's breathing comfortably warm on my side, and focused.
I paid attention to the regular soft rhythm of Lyrical's breathing, marking it as normal and right, then ignored it. I could hear the tiny whisp of noise from Blinky's burrow of sleeping molerat, and that familiar sound was tucked away too. I closed my eyes and listened, letting the desert itself stand guard for me. My father had taught me this, when we were out away from the tribe. Even before the clouds parted, the desert was not dead. The ever-changing sand played host to any number of living things. The cactus we had just had dinner from, tiny insects that fed off of its flowers. I could hear the quiet tread of a scorpion, making its way across the sand, and the just-slightly-quieter tread of a shrew or other furry critter chasing it. As the two fought their deathly battle in the night, sleep crept up on me. I embraced it gladly, my ears and part of my mind alert for any disturbance.
Morning brought soft silver. A thick fog turned the sunlight into a lambent glow, the sun itself a bright coin only occasionally visible. Lyrical had curled up into a ball of unicorn, her green mane contrasting nicely with her cream coat and the light blue of our sleeping pad. Her soft breath tickled my barrel with each exhale, probably what had woken me. I stretched, feeling the waking-up complaints of well worked muscles in my back and legs. I grinned at the sun, sniffing the morning air and looking around. Our stopping place was undisturbed, and a quick trip up the dune revealed nothing more interesting than the tracks of last night's shrew, and the nibbled clean corpse of its scorpion dinner.
Returning to Lyrical, I nudged her gently, drawing a sleepy grumble. "Wake up, lady, time to get moving." I said quietly. Lyrical grunted and uncurled, stretching luxuriously. I left her to it, and stuck my hoof into Blinky's burrow. The molerat latched onto my hoof with his stout teeth, and I jerked him out of the hole, sputtering curses. Dropping off my hoof and rolling across the sand, Blinky fetched up against Lyrical, who was shaking out the blue fabric. Laughing, she folded and stowed the cloth. Pulling a canteen from her saddlebags, Lyrical gave the grumpy molerat a drink, before taking one for herself.
I followed suit, tucking my canteen away before turning to Lyrical. I pulled a bandage out of my saddlebag, Lyrical unrolling it and folding the absorbent fabric into a pad. I tucked it under the edge of her armor, just ahead of her demurely dropped tail. She stretched and bounced a couple times before stretching around to examine the padded area.
"Looks good to me."
"Me, too. Let's get moving."
Lyrical swung Blinky up to my withers with a bit of magic, and we put deed to word. The concealing fog burnt off in minutes, and we fell back into an easy lope, cruising south across the desert. Our midday rest was in the dubious shade of an actual tree, just over head high and scrubby. The tree was healthy, though, and possessed of a proud crown of green leaves. Lunch under it was hay fries and pre-war apples, and a Salisbury steak for me. Lyrical shuddered seeing it.
"I know that's food, I mean, I could eat it, but that was… a creature, once. Like Blinky, or Mona, the dog we had back at the College."
"Well, it's just a food now." I replied, rapidly snarfing my lunch. I put paid to the last of the rich brown juices, and tucked the empty can into a saddlebag. Lyrical finished off her last apple with a sigh, and we got back to our hooves again. The tree fell behind us as we trotted south, the desert beginning to thin. Sand slowly gave way to brown dusty dirt, and cactus gave way to rock and brush.
Occasional breaks slowed our pace, but we kept pushing on through the rising sun. I had plenty of time to think while the miles rolled away under my hooves, and I used it all. Lyrical was the central figure in my thoughts, today. I still didn't have a coherent grasp of what to do for her. The crash was coming, and the only thing I could think to do was be there to pick up the pieces. Engineer had said that he and Hellen would be catching up to us soon, I hoped he would have some advice.
And catch up he did. I was casting about as we travelled, looking for a good place to stop for lunch. The desert had fully given way now, and low scrub dotted the plains. Every rock or hollow, lump or depression had green around it. I was sure there was sciencey reasons for that, probably water availability, but I liked my father's phrasing on it. "Life finds the edges."
We were gonna need to find some edge ourselves, soon. I could feel the sun beating on my shoulders behind the coverage of my floppy hat. I skidded to a halt as I saw motion out of the corner of my eye, turning to focus on a speck in the sky, almost completely behind us. Lyrical streaked past me with a surprised yelp, curving off and slowing herself in a more controlled manner.
"What do you see?" Lyrical asked, squinting at the sky.
"Two dots. Fliers, descending." I answered shortly. We slowed to a walk, and the dots soon resolved to griffins. The grey and white feathers of one of the griffs were just a smudge, but the black and tan of the other were visible. "That's them!"
Engineer and Hellen landed easily, walking next to us as we made our way across the Wasteland. I nickered a greeting at Engineer, and he nodded gracefully. Hellen opened her beak to say something, but subsided when Engineer shot her a sharp look. We walked on in silence, until a small rise revealed a pond in the near distance.
"Perfect." Engineer said, indicating the water hole with a toss of his head.
"I like it." I replied.
"Hope the water's clean." Lyrical added. Hellen remained quiet, and we picked up the pace. The waterhole was empty, fresh vibrant greenery spreading out from a small, clean pond. The ground near the pond sloped gently upwards, just enough to hold the output of whatever spring or seep was here. Engineer had actual camping gear with him, and he busied himself setting up bedrolls while I scouted the waterhole and immediate surroundings.
I came back to a scene of tension in balance. As I sloshed water over my hooves to rinse off the last of some radscorpion goo, I eyed Hellen and Lyrical. They were still and silent, the cream unicorn kneeling on a bedroll while Hellen crouched on another, her tail twitching and lashing under its bushy tuft of feathers. Engineer busily assembled a small firepit, stacking rocks and scraping dirt out of the center. His gaze kept returning to Hellen and Lyrical also.
"So, what are those two up to?" I asked Engineer, lending a hoof to the firepit construction. The older griffin gave a low chuckle, shaking his head.
"Dominance, I'd imagine. Your mare friend seems to have the upper hoof, so to speak."
"Eh?"
"Look closer."
So I did. I had already noticed that Hellen's tail was lashing, but closer examination showed that she was restless. Kneading her talons into her still-rolled bedroll, shifting her weight. In contrast, Lyrical was almost completely motionless. Her half lidded eyes and slow breathing gave the impression of a pony on the edge of sleep. I couldn't help but giggle when I figured it out. Lyrical, a prey animal, was showing dominance over Hellen, a carnivore. Hellen was not dealing. I stretched around and nudged Blinky out of his drowsy slumber.
"Go make yourself useful and break that up, rat." I said. Blinky grumbled and rolled off my back, landing on the sandy loam with a thump. I smiled as I watched the molerat trundle off towards the girls. If nothing else, this would be interesting.
Blinky stopped between the two, flickering his whiskers and sniffing. Grunting, the wrinkled pink molerat turned to Lyrical. Making his way onto her bedroll, he curled up against her side and let out a happy sigh as he went back to sleep. Lyrical glanced down at him and smiled broadly at Hellen. Engineer chuckled low in his throat as Hellen's talons pierced her bedroll.
"Hellen, I've got camp almost ready, go fly a patrol, burn some of that energy off." Engineer commanded. Hellen exploded off her bedroll in a flurry of wings and lashing tail, disappearing into the sky in a black and tan flash. Lyrical watched calmly, then climbed to her hooves and walked the short distance around our campsite to me and Engineer. As she drew nearer, she started shaking. She was trembling like a leaf when she leaned against me, and I tucked my neck over hers.
"What in Luna's name was that all about?" Lyrical asked, her voice quivering.
"Dominance thing. Hellen was trying to be 'in charge' of you, and you shut her down like a circuit breaker." Engineer replied. I stayed wrapped around Lyrical. "You probably won't have any problems with her any more, I wouldn't think."
"I don't know why I did in the first place." Lyrical replied, her voice calming. I gave her a gentle nuzzle and stood aside, tending to the firepit.
"It's a predator thing, really." Engineer lectured. "Hellen is young enough that she is still strongly influenced by what she is instead of who she is. As much as it seems like we're all just people, especially around the Talons-"
"Griffins aren't Ponies." Lyrical said.
"Exactly. Hellen's young, and she's having some trouble right now, but she'll get over it. Right now, it's my job to get her back to Shattered Hoof and make sure she doesn't get in trouble."
"Trouble?" I asked, looking up from the finished firepit.
"Well... The Talons aren't some heartless outfit, really. But, if Hellen injures or kills someone, she's going to face the same penalty as any other. Her youth won't enter into it."
"What would the penalty be?" Lyrical asked.
"For assault with injury, lashes. How many depends on how bad the injury. For murder... Death."
We fell silent, then. I shook my head, and began casting about from the campsite for firewood. This close to the desert, my haul was primarily twigs and small sticks. My luck was with me, though, and I found an ancient beam half buried in the sand. The aged wood was dry as could be, and would feed a nice compact campfire for the whole evening.
I dropped my meager load of sticks off at the firepit. Lyrical accepted them gratefully, and began to put together a fire as I went back out for the beam. Dragging that back was quite a struggle, and I collapsed on my bedroll with a sigh once I had it dropped off at the firepit. I rolled onto my back and stared into the sky, watching the clouds drift overhead as I relaxed. High noon had passed us by while we were travelling, and it was the crest of the afternoon, lazy and warm. The occasional brush of wind stirred my coat, and I felt good and relaxed, taking in the sun and the sky. A dot resolved itself into the form of a griffin, high above and falling fast. I drew a deep sigh and braced myself. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what was coming, and not long to wait. Sure enough, Hellen streaked directly towards me. I only had a sliver of time to think. Hellen was under orders not to hurt me or Lyrical, very strict ones. There was no way she would intentionally injure me, especially as badly as a full stoop would.
I closed my eyes.
A rush of air was the only warning I had, before Hellen's landing shook my bedroll and sprayed sand into my mane. My heart racing, I faked a yawn, and slowly opened my eyes, looking into the furious orbs of the black and brown griffin.
"Oh, Hellen, hi." I said sleepily, blinking. With a snort of disgust, Hellen disappeared. I could hear my pulse in my ears as I rolled over and stood. I kept seeing my guts splattered over my bedroll. I could feel the skin on my belly twitching where the claws would have pierced me. This had to end, and I was fresh out of ideas on how to do it nice.
Hellen was at the top of what passed for a hill near our campsite, talking quietly with Engineer. I stalked past an alarmed Lyrical and mounted the short slope, my blood thundering and my vision beginning to mist red. I smiled. Reaching out, I tapped Hellen on the shoulder, gently, gently... She whipped her head around to stare at me with shrinking pupils. I wasn't sure if she was saying anything.
"Hey, Hellen. Let's spar." I said through my teeth. I think I was still smiling. I may have been grinning. Hellen's beak moved, and I stared at it curiously. That was the thing she talked with, I was fairly sure. I made my way carefully back down the hill, past our rough campsite and away from the watering hole. I stood with my legs spread wide, stretching my neck back and forth to loosen the muscles. I wasn’t sure why they were so tight.
I had finished my neck, and was working my forelegs when Hellen joined me. I looked around, taking in the terrain. A tiny hill was the only notable feature, the sandy ground flat and boring. No brush or trees, not even scrub broke the lines of the terrain.
“...I guess the first person to tap out will yield the match?” Hellen said. The words started to make some kind of sense, and I thought about them. Yes, that would work. After I had beaten her, she could tap out on the ground. I smiled wider.
“Sounds good to me. No weapons, no claws.” I said. I was surprised at how calm, even cheerful I sounded. Hellen nodded, and I broke from my stance into a charge. The griffin’s eyes shot wide, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks as I leaped into the air. She wasn’t able to do anything more than hunch defensively as I came down, and a forehoof gently touched her between her shoulders as I landed.
She hissed in rage as she whipped away from my pulled blow, and a fisted talon shot out to catch me in the jaw. I almost shouted in joy as red slammed into the edges of my vision, but the only thing I had time for was the attacking griffin in the tunnel of my sight. Her next strike was another fisted talon, backed up by a twist of her torso and a wingstroke for extra force. I slipped inside it with an easy spin, and rode my momentum around for a backhoof, putting everything I had into the side of her face.
She flew to the side with a dismayed squawk, and I lunged to follow up, to no avail. Hellen exploded into the air in a shock of noise, wind, and feathers. I circled, keeping my head up to watch as she fought for altitude. I wasn’t familiar with griffins as a species, but I could tell she was laboring, either hurt or winded already.
Good.
As she turned over at the top of her climb and shot back down, I turned out of my circle into a straight line, and walked several slow steps as I counted my heartbeats. At the moment, the critical moment, I bunched my forelegs and bucked.
Perfect.
Hellen collapsed out of the sky a tiny fraction of a second earlier than she had been planning, and instead of knocking me to the ground in a ball of pain, she ran into my lifted rump and arched back, face first. Her hard beak sent a stabbing shard of pain into my hindquarters, just off to the side of my spine, but that was the worst of it. Off she bounced, and I stretched my legs out in the final movement of the buck. Balance intact, I whirled and put a hoof on the dazed griffiness’ head.
“You’re lucky I pulled that buck.” I said quietly, before turning away from her to trot up the tiny little rise. I kept moving, my awkward canter bouncing the pain out of my rump and keeping my hot muscles loose. Hellen shook off her daze and stood, crying a scream of challenge. I inhaled until my chest hurt, braced myself, and roared in response.
Hellen faltered, but charged. She was willing and ready, coming up the hill like a flicker of shadow over sunlit gound. I leaped into the air, and for one frozen moment, I was happier than I had been since home. Hellen came in low, one talon swinging from far behind to eviscerate me. I came in from above, and a single forehoof with all the weight of my body and momentum of my leap crashed against her head.
In the stillness that followed, I stood panting. Engineer sidled over, and pried one of Hellen’s eyelids open, then the other. I remained still, until Engineer touched the beak wound on my rump. Then I started shaking.
“Not too shabby, Wicked. Go soak your head and cool down. I’ll see to this dumb bird.”
I did as directed. The cool water wasn’t doing enough for me by drinking, so I knelt and dropped my head and shoulders into the pond. That helped, and the absurd sound water always made when I was submerged was like a button being pressed in the back of my head. I stood up tired and happy, shaking myself dryish. Turning back to the bedrolls, I knelt and stretched out.
“Wicked?” Lyrical asked in a small voice. I met her eyes, feeling the tiniest bit of shame. “What just happened?”
“I got mad. Hellen’s been acting like the high god queen of all Equestria, and I just.. lost it. Something had to be done before she hurt somepony, and I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“I see.” Lyrical said. I looked away and closed my eyes, letting the warm sun cook the last of the tension out of my muscles. I heard Lyrical getting to her hooves, and quiet hoofsteps.
I twitched when I felt her hoof lie gently on my shoulders, but remained still. Her warm breath in my ear was a surprise, and made my body go all warm again for a completely different reason. “I think that was precisely what she needed. Good job.” Lyrical whispered. The touch of her hoof disappeared, and her quiet steps faded away. I fell onto my side, exhausted. The light off the surface of the waterhole was fascinating, and I watched it as I drifted off to sleep.
A nap sounded like a wonderful idea, after all that.
Footnote: Level Up! Skill upgrade – Unarmed +12! (42)
Level Perk: Lady Killer: +10% damage to the opposite sex and unique dialogue options with certain characters.