//------------------------------// // The Dogs Of War // Story: [Forlorn Ascension]|[Rites of Dominion] // by Desrium //------------------------------// "And then there was one," Phineas snarled, his head held below his shoulders, hooves spread wide. The energy blade hummed and droned as the stallion whipped his tail about. The chimera's lips curled, its pupil-less cobalt eyes seeming to stare past the pony with obvious fury. "As long as you still stand, there will always be two," he growled, his voice rattling and abrasive. The advanced hybrid stood to full height, towering over the armored stallion. Phineas was wired, his body a coiled spring ready to spring at the most opportune moment. His eyes were glued on his opponent all the while beneath the yellow screens. "The hell are you going on about?" he spat at the chimera. The Hoof-Talon leader crossed his arms. "Hmmph," was the hybrid's response. The anger that was once etched onto the chimera's face faded away, replaced by a bored visage. Phineas raised a brow underneath his helmet. Just what was going on? What was with the Hoof-Talon's shift in expression? And how was it related to what he said- "Duh." The chimera nodded and almost immediately after, Phineas dropped to the floor. The drawl of blasters gave way to a screech and pop, the two crimson shots soaring over the stallion and smashing into the ceiling a few feet behind the chimera. The plating there exploded and for a short moment, the chimera was silhouetted again amidst a shower of light and sparks. Phineas shot a look at the still-living Hoof-Talon. It had rolled itself over and was now sitting on its haunches, its rifles deployed and its stumps held to its sides. "I do not know what to make of it," said the chimera. "Either you have delayed brilliance, or my last minion is incredibly sub par." "It's no fault of their own," Phineas growled. "I'm sure the rest of their friends would agree I'm hard as hell to hit!" The Hoof-Talon let out what sounded startlingly similar to a howl as it flapped its wings, taking to the air with a powerful thumping beat. "I will take out your tongue for that remark!" it roared as it dove abruptly. Phineas threw himself to the side, landing with a grunt and a thud when his armor came down on the floor. He rolled over and spun around to face the remaining Hoof-Talon soldier. It was staring him down, its wing beats loud, the shadows of which ran across the stallion's body. "Take my tongue!?" Phineas yelled, "take my tongue with what!? Your beak!?" He jumped back, a flurry of sparks erupting where he once stood, molten metal and scorch marks marking the spot. "What!? It's a legitimate question!" The blaster fire smashed against the ground, Phineas racing ahead of the explosions of searing magic like he was back on the academy's racetrack. "Why. Don't. You. DIE!?" the Hoof-Talon bellowed. Whenever it changed tactics -firing where Phineas would be instead of where he was, for example- the pony would leap or slide across the floor to avoid the damage and continue dashing across the ship's command room. The chimera only continued to watch as if the confrontation was a spectacle, cold eyes locked on Phineas all the while. "I refuse to die!" Phineas shouted. He sped across the room and hopped, letting his lower body swing forward. His tail blade retracted by time he hit the floor once more, with him sliding towards his utility pack. He grabbed onto it, flipped himself over and slipped it back on. It fastened itself into place on his back, a loud click and whir sounding off right after. "Not while I still have business to tend to in this life!" His boosters flipped out and Phineas roared off of the floor, arcing through the room, trailed by thundering blasts and sparks. He rolled and spun as he closed in on the Hoof-Talon, shot after shot narrowly passing him by. The stallion flipped end over end just a few feet away from the hybrid, bucking his rear legs into its midsection and casting it to the metal ground. It came down on a line of terminals, the screens all cracking, the consoles contorting around the point of impact, smashed and broken. There the Hoof-Talon lay, its body just as twisted upon its bed of demolished devices. Phineas hovered, panting as he continued to eye the body, making sure the solider was truly dead. "Even with the element of surprise, they failed." The chimera shook his head. "For shame." "N-... Not over... yet." The Hoof-Talon sat up on the jagged spread of simmering scrap, bones cracking. By time it pointed the killing end of its blasters at the gray-armored stallion, however, Phineas was in front of it, landing hard on his hooves. He stood in a low crouch, tail blade energies dissipating behind him. A simple front flip as he let himself fall had been turned lethal. "I'm sorry... but it pretty much is." The stallion looked away as the hybrid's halves started to peel apart into fleshy slices on the computers. He walked away from the grisly scene to where his toolboxes were resting side by side, surrounded by all the slaughter. He put them back on his flanks and then turned his sights on the chimera. He was being watched still by the horrendous creature. *** "I am compelled to congratulate you, Federation pony." "Save the praise. I don't want it. Certainly not from you." The chimera chuckled. "You are not gracious in your victory." Phineas snorted. "Haven't won yet. Not while this ugly son of a bitch I'm looking at is still standing." The chuckling continued. "I suppose you're talking to me, pony?" the chimera asked, arms spread. "You're the only other one alive on this damn spaceship." The advanced hybrid's chuckling escalated into dark, condescending laughter. Its eye flashed green, the jagged black horn on its head glowing. "Remember when I said as long as you are still standing, there will always be two?" "It wasn't that long ago... and you were wrong, by the way," Phineas replied. "Such ignorance... is so painful." The chimera donned a malevolent grin. "I can only strive to make sure your spawn do not share the shortcomings you have when it comes to your mental capacity." "... What?" Phineas said flatly. The chimera only proceeded to laugh even more, a strangely refined though deeply unsettling sound to behold. "You wiped the slate clean and have allowed me the chance to improve the universe's chosen... surely my God works in mysterious ways..."