//------------------------------// // Chapter 31: Run Like Hell // Story: Into the Black: A Mare's Tale // by shirotora //------------------------------// Twilight and the others turned around slowly. Xander and four other adepts with rifles stood at the door, a wicked grin on his face. “So it is you after all. How lovely,” Xander chided. “Relinquish your weapons and you'll live a little longer.” “Do as he says,” Seth said solemnly and dropped his rifle. The look on his face spoke volumes to the ones that knew him. “Good, now foll-” Xander was cut of by the zip-crack of Twilight's pistol as the round tore through his skull. Before the adepts could react, a different color bolt of magic slammed into each of their chests. They grabbed their weapons again and pointed them at the door, waiting for more reptilian zealots. When none came Twilight grabbed the book and they vaulted over the bodies. No more words were spoken, none were needed. They knew this part of the the mission; Run like hell. Twilight and Raak scanned the way ahead for life forces, but found nothing. They went back to the garage and stopped. The entire courtyard was swarming with Dratali. “You guys feel that?” Seth asked. “That's magic, a lot of magic,” Twilight informed her brother-in-arms. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused. “Fuck!” she exclaimed quietly, “There's a barrier surrounding us. It's hugging the back walls of the whole building so we can't leave the way we came. The only way out is through the adepts casting it in the courtyard.” “And with their numbers, we're screwed,” Debby said, “What do we have to work with here?” “That can thin their numbers sufficiently?” Curt ran through a mental list of assets, “We have a few more explosives, but they'll just scatter. There's a tank gun over there on the lift, but no tank to put it on. Other then that, we have nothing. Unless Twilight has some awesome mega spell she's been hiding.” “Hey,” Twilight scolded, “ Don't joke around about those. They're terrible weapons that should have never existed... hold on, I think I have an idea. Give me those explosives.” Debby handed them over as Twilight's horn lit up for the spell. “You guys might want to look away.” --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- The Dratali soldiers stood in wait. There was only one way out for the intruders, and that was through the courtyard they occupied. Xander warned them about the one like him. She was as strong as an Archon and twice as cunning. As they waited, the smaller door to the garage slid open and every weapon turned toward it. Instead of the expected unicorn and her allies, three rectangular objects flew through the door. The first thought in their minds were to run from the bombs, but as they looked at them another urge took hold. These things were suddenly the most beautiful objects in the world, and they all wanted them. They scrambled over each other, fighting and kicking to claim the glorious objects for themselves. All sense left them as they no longer saw each other as fellow soldiers, but rivals. Each wanted the sacred idols for themselves... no... not want... they needed them... even as they were swallowed by fire. The survivors of the blast turned toward the garage again as the main gate rose up. The lavender unicorn stood atop an APC with a Viper's cannon floating beside her. The massive weapon spat a volley of four shots, two at each Viper, destroying the armored vehicles. The lights on the vehicle blared to life, stunning the few remaining soldiers, and the transport lurched forward. The machine slammed into the circle of adepts and the barrier they were keeping up fell instantly. Another volley from the cannon removed the last obstacle in their path, and their enemies sped through the ruined gate as the garage erupted in a vicious explosion. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- “Twilight,” Curt said through the comm, “You're my idol. Remind me to start a fan club when we get home.” “You can do it when you take me to Earth,” replied the mare. “Deal.” “Shit, we've got company!” Twilight called as she noticed several light scout vehicles catching up to them easily. She spun the cannon around and fired off the last two shots, both were avoided by the nimble buggies. She flung the spent weapon at one of the pursuers, clipping the back wheel and sending it into a rock. “Seth! Get your ass out here and help me out!” The hatch flung open and their glorious leader climbed halfway out, LMG in hand. His machine gun opened up onto the enemy as Twilight opted for bolts of lightning. The enemy closed the distance and opened fire on the fleeing APC. A lavender one-way-shield surrounded the six spec-ops soldiers, protecting them while letting them shoot out. The down side to the protection was that it took all of Twilight's focus, taking her out of the offensive. To compensate, though, the rear hatch swung open and Curt, Debby, and Raak opened fire. Twilight winced from the feedback as two large shots impacted her shield. A pair of Icari scout tanks caught up to them. They may not be as dangerous as the Vipers, but they still pack a hell of a punch. One of the tanks' main weapons was wrapped in a swirling blue and magenta aura as Curt and Debby struggled to crush it. Success! The end of the barrel was dented inward a couple inches. Once the tank fired another round, the obstruction detonated the round and destroyed the pursuer. Curt's panting voice came over the comm, “I don't... think we... have another... of those in us.” “I can take the other,” Twilight claimed, “but I'll need to drop the barrier.” “Alright, shut the hatch,” Seth commanded. Once the rear was secure, Curt gave the okay. Instead of dispelling the barrier, Twilight waited until the tank fired another shot, letting the shield absorb the impact, and compressed the spell into a javelin. With a mighty push, she drove the magical weapon through the cannon and into the vehicle. “Hah! Take that you son of a bi-” before she could even finish her taunt, she was yanked off the craft by a bubbling black aura. She barely heard her name being called from the retreating APC. She flew for a few hundred feet before slamming hard into the trunk of a tree, forcing the breath from her lungs. Instead of gravity bringing her to the ground like she expected, she was pressed into the wooden life form, defying the force of nature. “I must admit, you caught me off guard with that under-hoofed little trick,” Xander said as he came into sight. Twilight stared in horror. She shot him right between the eyes at an angle that would destroy his brain stem. His death should have been instantaneous, but here he was, crushing her. “I never expected you to be so cold-hearted. I'm impressed, actually,” he praised. “H-how...” She squeezed out. “How what? How am I still alive?” he laughed, “I'm not, my sweet little pony. I've been dead for the past eight months, since my own spell killed me. Now I have the blessed, and cursed existence of a lich. They used a spell to recreate my body from my head and bind my soul. I cannot die, because you cannot kill what's already dead. I can still grow stronger, though, and my original plan is still my goal. I will find Avol, and I will take the power of the princesses.” He brushed his hoof across her short, spiky mane. “Don't worry, though, I’ll kill them quickly after I’m done with them.” “No!” Twilight forced herself to focus and blinked around the evil undead, driving her metal right hoof into the side of his head with all the power it had. He flew through the air and collided with a boulder, embedding himself into it. Twilight charged her horn and released a torrent of around two dozen magical bolts, pulverizing the rock and kicking up a large cloud of dust. That should have finished him, but Twilight wasn't taking chances. She poured all she could into a terrifyingly large orb. The purple mage released the energy in a deadly blast of pure destructive energy right at the unlucky stallion. The attack tore up the landscape as it carved its way to it's target. Anything in its path was pulverized into dust. When the light faded, and the dust settled, Twilight let a grin spread across her face as she gasped for air. A deep trench was dug as far as the eye could see. In the distance, even a mountain could be seen with a large hole drilled through. “Ha! What now, Butt Stallion! So much for can't kill what's already dead! You forgot who you were fuckin' with!” Twilight taunted and started dancing in place. “Oh, yeah! Who's bad? I'm bad! Uh-huh... uh-huh... uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.” Her celebration was cut short, though, as a something like a broken pole rose from the dirt. It bent and flexed before planting its end in the ground. With a shove, it brought a mangled mass of flesh out of the dirt and debris. Twilight was paralyzed with fear as the mutilated form twisted and cracked back into the more familiar image. It was then Twilight understood what Xander meant. When his jaw found its way back to his face, Xander laughed, “If it's any consolation... that hurt like hell.” Before Twilight could respond she was slammed into the same tree as before, but instead of being held, she was thrown into a second, then a third and fourth. Finally, she was driven in the ground at Xander's hooves. Her head was swimming, but she could still make out the sadistic grin on the zombie's face. “My my my, you have grown strong haven't you,” He said with a hungry look on his face, “That's good. The stronger you are, the stronger I will be.” His horn lit with a sickly black energy. With one hoof pressed to Twilight's throat, he pressed his horn to the base of the lavender mare's. Twilight felt an icy chill shoot from her head to her chest. The tendrils of dark magic felt like they were digging into her very soul. She told herself this was the end, that she was going to die and Xander would use her magic against her princesses. Just as she felt her magic being forcibly taken, an armored knee collided with Xander's skull, breaking the spell. Twilight had never been so happy to see the big lovable jackass. “Come on, Twi,” Curt smiled at her as he picked her up, “We have a shit ton of bombers and a couple destroyers moving in. We have to leave now.” He started running for the lift that would take them to the relative safety of the Black Beast hovering above, but fate was a cruel mistress. A blast from behind them severed the cable moments before a black tendril of energy wrapped around the snipers neck and yanked him back causing him to drop the pony. He landed on his back, looking into the face of a very angry undead unicorn. “You are a fool,” said the hell spawn, “If you would have just left you would have lived, but now both of you will die.” “Heh, nope,” Curt gave the stallion a sly grin, “Just me.” his hand lit up with his blue aura as he wrapped Twilight in his telekinetic grip and flung her toward the waiting stealth ship above. Twilight watched as the ground fell away from her. She tried to call out to her friend, but she still couldn't think straight. A green aura surrounded her as she entered the hangar, softening her landing. “Come on, Seth, let's go kick that little shit's ass!” Debby seethed with anger. Seth looked at Twilight with a sad, pained look. Before she lost consciousness she heard the Captain say in a sad, defeated voice, “Aden... get us out of here.”