//------------------------------// // Heart of the Storm // Story: Wild Card // by Barrel-of-fun //------------------------------// “Sweet merciful Celestia...” “By the Moon and Stars...” “...Shit...” Many and varied were the swears that rose up from the Guard ranks as the giant serpent burst out of the sea on their portside. Swaying side to side as it considered its latest prey, the sea monster known as Ol’ Rustjaw towered over the boat, the top of his scaly head on level with the highest mast. From her position near the helm, Summer could clearly see the rows of teeth that inhabited the monster’s grinning maw, each individual tooth larger than a pony. It was at times like this that she cursed her acute pony sense of smell, as she could practically taste the rancid breath of Rustjaw who, possibly due to his position as a beast of the deep sea, was sadly out of touch with modern dental practices. She could only imagine how bad the smell must be for a diamond dog like Biter. Despite her disgust at Rustjaw’s stench, Summer remained a capable leader and began to assess the enemy, all the while resisting the urge to throw up a little in her mouth. The first, and most noticeable thing, about Rustjaw was the sheer size of the beast. He was already towering above the ship and Summer was willing to bet that a good portion of his body was still concealed beneath the waves. Then there was his teeth, each one capable of ripping a pony to shreds, not to mention the fact that he apparently had a magical breath that turned things to metal. Finally, and most formidably, was the creature’s scales; they looked thick enough to shrug off any conventional attacks with ease. Realising all this, Summer made an executive decision. “Fall back! Unicorns, start casting cloudwalking spells on all non-winged ponies! Pegasi, get us some clouds! We are abandoning ship!” “Summer, are you sure?” Sergeant Brick asked from beside her. Looking into his eyes, Summer could see what he wanted. He’d been locked up, humiliated and forced to work for the enemy as a slave whilst they took over his city. If they ran away now, they had no way of catching up to the pirates. Her mind was conflicted, but Summer managed to keep her expression stern, “I’m certain. Our duty right now is to keep the Guard alive. We’ll catch up to those pirates eventually.” ‘And Ace’ went unsaid. Summer could only hope that the satyr would be okay, though she felt disgusted with herself that she was being forced to abandon her friend. This was wrong. The unicorn Guards, happy to be free of the magic-cancelling rings they had been stuck with, had gathered over to one side of the ship and begun casting their cloudwalking spells on the ponies closest to them. The now enchanted ponies then leapt onto the hastily created rescue clouds that the pegasi had brought down. Throughout it all, Rustjaw simply observed the ponies, seemingly content to watch his prey scurry about in a panic, taking some strange enjoyment from the fear he was creating with his mere presence. New movement on deck caught the attention of both Rustjaw and Summer, the giant sea snake and the unicorn looking down to see Biter and Iron Will rush up from the cargo hold. Evidently, Rustjaw came to the decision that the huge minotaur and the diamond dog would make a great appetizer to all the scrawny ponies. Rearing back, the serpent’s jaw opened ridiculously wide, sickening gunk dripping out from between his teeth, before he shot forwards like a bolt from a crossbow, aiming to swallow Biter and Iron whole. Summer and Iron acted almost simultaneously. The minotaur grabbed his diamond dog companion and lifted him with ease into the air, spinning around once before tossing the canine out of the way and into the nearby form of Private Truffles, who unwittingly acted as a cushion for the airborne dog. Meanwhile, Summer desperately drew in as much magic as she could, dragging it forcefully into her horn before blasting it out in a wild, unrefined bolt of pure energy. It was crude, it was inelegant and if her combat magic teacher had seen it he would be having a fit. But it was also damn effective. The bolt slammed into the side of Rustjaw’s head, which was mere metres away from coming down on Iron Will, who was recovering from his entry into the international diamond dog tossing competition. To the surprise of every being present, Rustjaw and Summer included, the sea snake was actually knocked back by the attack, his entire body jolting sideways as his head was knocked off course. A great crashing went up as the serpent smashed straight through the deck of the ship, his jaws failing to catch juicy minotaur and biting down on naught but tasteless wood instead. Save for the groaning of wood as Rustjaw heaved himself out of the hole he had made in the deck, there was complete, amazed silence. There was definitely not an undignified shout of triumph from a certain unicorn mare which sounded distinctly like: “Oh yeah! Suck on that you great scaly son of a whore!” Nope. That definitely didn’t happen. It was a shame that Rustjaw didn’t simply ‘suck on that’ and leave. In actuality, he sucked on that, found that he didn’t like the flavour and got mightily pissed off about it. With a splintering of wood, Rustjaw tore his head out of the deck plates, furious eyes shooting round until he found the source of his pain; a defiant Summer Storm glaring back at him. As unicorn and sea beast stared boldly into each other’s eyes, with Iron Will unsure which of the two combatants it would be more dangerous to approach, another set of eyes realized the conflict. Sergeant Brick, who was helping pull the last few unicorn Guards onto the rescue clouds, looked up for a moment and witnessed the epic staring match. His jaw dropped as he noticed the near-suicidal levels of defiance in Summer’s eyes, as well as the hunger and vicious instinct that filled Rustjaw’s. If they faced each other, then only one of them would be walking away that was for sure. Brick just worried that it might not be Summer who did. He looked back at the other Guards, who were mostly on the clouds by now. They were almost broken. Summer had come along and given them hope; hope that they could beat the pirates and reclaim their home. Without her, that hope died. Brick looked down at the chains that were still wrapped around his legs. Though they had been broken by Biter’s mighty jaws, the Guards had lacked the equipment to fully remove them, so at the moment the Manehatten City Guard were currently accessorised with chains. Although, considering the weight of the metal links, maybe they were actually weaponized. The cloud he was on had begun to ascend before Sergeant Brick made his choice. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped one last loose chain around his leg before looking back at the Guards, who stared at their sergeant in confusion. Giving them one last sad smile, Brick leapt off the cloud. As he fell, Brick had to admit he was impressed with the pegasi Guards. They may lack earth pony strength on the ground but in the air they definitely had no equal. In the few seconds it had taken Brick to make his decision, the flyers had managed to elevate him to a good distance above the ship. Thus, when Brick hurled himself into freefall, he had plenty of time to build up speed before he reached his target. And so, when the chain-covered forehooves of Sergeant Brick slammed into the scale-covered head of Rustjaw, the pony was traveling at around 80% of his maximum terminal velocity. The moment he struck, two horrific cracks shot through the air. Everypony in earshot range flinched back in horror from the sound. The force of the collision slammed Rustjaw downwards, once more forcing his head to meet with the deck of the ship and Brick rolling off to lie, unmoving, on the wooden deck. Gasps rose up as the damage of the pony cannonball was revealed. One of the great scales that covered the top of Rustjaw’s head, the thickest and most protected place on his body, had been split in two by an enormous crack. In the centre of the fissure was two indented hoofprints, Brick’s signature as it were, from which an impressive array of spiderweb cracks branched out. Even more horrifying to the audience was the damage that Brick had received as a result of his reckless attack. Both of his forelegs were clearly broken, and badly as well. White bone could be seen sticking out of either limb at around the knee area. Ironically, and perhaps most tragically, was the fact that Brick’s chains, which his prodigious earth pony strength had been unable to remove, had been broken by the assault. The meer shockwave from striking the great beast head on had overcome the metal links, each one lying broken around the sergeant’s ruined legs. Finally, Summer snapped out of her amazed trance and began to move forwards, shouting orders as she did, “Iron! Get him out of there right now!” The minotaur nodded, just as determined to rescue the sergeant, but stopped suddenly as another voice called out to him. “Stay back Iron. You stay right the hay back.” Sergeant Brick said, a cough breaking through his voice. Everypony stopped and stared in amazement as the sergeant slowly forced himself to his hooves, his eyes wincing in pain as he shakily stood on broken legs, being held up by his sheer force of will. He glared at the downed form of Rustjaw, refusing to turn his back on an enemy. “You need to...you need to get her out of here. Even if you have to drag her.” “Sergeant...” Iron Will whispered, dismayed. “That’s an order soldier! Save Summer...she’s all we have left...” Brick’s tear filled eyes finally left Rustjaw, turning his head to look Summer in the eyes, “Would have liked to see Manehatten one last time though, lovely city if you give her a chance. Take care of the old girl for me would you? I don’t think I can anymore. Oh, and give my best to your old dad.” Desperately, Summer shot forward, tears filling her eyes and a scream ripping its way out of her mouth. Two huge arms wrapped around her and held her back though, ignoring the struggling kicks she sent against them. Grim faced, Iron Will held his friend back, allowing one of the greatest ponies he had ever served with to make his sacrifice. Insensible with sorrow and rage, Summer began to blast lightning into the being who dared to keep her from rescuing her old friend. A pony who had practically helped raise her. A stallion who had often found himself acting as an uncle to the rambunctious young unicorn. A Guard who had taught her what it meant to be a Guard. Iron Will grunted as the electricity ran through his body, but he refused to loosen his grip, refused to allow Brick’s sacrifice to be wasted. Using all of his strength, both physical and mental, he began to drag the screaming unicorn backwards, his heart breaking as she desperately held her hooves out to the sergeant and pleaded for him to come with them. Brick merely smiled at Summer, a cocky, confident smile that told her not to worry. Told her he knew what he was doing. Told her that he had this one. It took all of Brick’s mental discipline to force Summer’s incoherent screams and begging out of his ears as he turned back to face Rustjaw, who was recovering from the blow he had been dealt. She was in good hands with that minotaur, Brick knew that. He had seen how they would look at each other sometimes, even if they hadn’t managed to realise it themselves. He remembered the first time he had realised Summer had a crush on a young colt, how he and Swift Storm had gone and put the fear of Celestia into the unfortunate youngster, how embarrassed Summer had been afterwards, and how angry she had been at her dad and ‘uncle’. A smile covered the stallion’s face as he looked up at the towering sea serpent, who had managed to clear the dazed look from his eyes and was now glaring down at Brick with unparalleled hatred. To Rustjaw, the sergeant was an impertinent insect, a piece of prey that had overstepped itself by attacking him. To Brick, the seabound behemoth before him was something he hadn’t encountered since the mad mare who had killed his Captain; a challenge. For one beautiful, perfect moment the two opponents stared at each other as complete silence fell over the battlefield. Rustjaw swayed back and forth as he prepared himself for one final dive, determined to end the bug who had dared assault him. Brick took in a deep breath as he stared down his doom, enjoying the taste of the sea air as it filled his lungs, so refreshing after years of stale air in the caves. His legs, despite being broken beyond repair and sending torrents of pain stabbing through him, had never felt more free, the chains that had bound him so long finally gone. Satisfied, Sergeant Brick spat some blood out of his mouth and spoke his mind to Rustjaw. “You don’t look so tough to me.” With a scream that split the air, Rustjaw shot forwards once more. Brick did not flinch back from the ravenous maw that moved to engulf him. He did not blink as the horrid breath of the creature washed over him. He didn't even scream as the colossal mouth closed over him, completely consuming both him and a good portion of the ship. Summer screamed though. The Guards up on their clouds screamed too as their sergeant disappeared. A soul wrenching cry of loss filled the air as the ponies all realised something. Sergeant Brick was gone, and he was never coming back. This realisation was the most painful part; the knowledge that Brick was gone, forever, weighed down on the Guard’s souls. A harsh gurgling sound filled the air as Rustjaw reared up, triumphant from his kill. To all the world it sounded like the serpent was laughing in victory, the cacophony coming from the sea beast causing many Guards to wipe tears from their eyes, sorrow replaced with anger at the sergeant’s killer. Summer did not wipe away any tears though. Instead, she simply went deathly still in Iron Will’s grip as she processed the sound of Rustjaw’s triumphant crowing. When she finished processing it, her eyes did not fill with anger, or hatred, or even disgust. Instead, they went completely white and began to glow. Iron felt himself go flying backwards, confusion covering his features as he was sent hurtling through the air. He had been holding onto Summer with all of his strength, and yet somehow she had managed to not only break free but also blast him away. Iron slammed into the rear mast of the ship at high speed, his thick minotaur skull saving him from what could have been permanent brain damage. Blearily, he sat up and beheld what was happening in to his friend. Summer was floating impossibly in the air, mane and tail whipping about in a storm of power as her horn shone as bright as the sun. Iron was forced to raise on hand in front of his eyes as the sheer force of the magical light was blinding. Summer was apparently insensible to the world though. Her eyes, still glowing with arcane power, were fixed on Rustjaw to the exclusion of all else. As Iron looked about, he began to notice the effects of her magical rage. True to her name, Summer was creating a storm above herself. Clouds were being drawn in from all directions, twisting together and pooling above Summer’s head to form an increasingly large storm cloud. The pegasi Guards were working desperately to push their rescue clouds out of the storm’s grasp, wings beating frantically as they pushed their comrades to safety. Iron was relieved to see that they all made it out okay, though the localized storm that Summer had created meant that they wouldn’t be able to return for a while. Grimly, Iron realised that he and Summer were on their own here and, if they were to survive this, they would need to find another escape route. Not that Summer was really caring about escaping at the moment. For her there was only one objective that existed in the entire world: Destroy Rustjaw. To that end, she began to exert her magical control over the storm that hovered above her. She could feel the lightning coursing through the clouds, the rawest expression of elemental power that there was. She needed that power; all of it, every last drop, to accomplish her goal. Iron’s eyes widened and a roar of dismay escaped him as he saw the first bolt strike down, a thick bolt of flashing electricity descending from the heavens to strike Summer directly on her horn. He tried to move forward, only to be forced back by the power of the magical winds surrounding Summer. Another bolt struck his friend, and another, and another. A great bellow of pain was ripped from Iron’s throat as he saw his friend seemingly being attacked by her own magic. Smoke began to rise from Summer’s mane as the lightning coursed through her body. It was painful, more painful than anything she had ever felt before, but it was also necessary. The power that flowed through her right now would be her tool for vengeance. She just needed a little more... Five more bolts struck down and were absorbed into Summer, the unicorn was now practically crackling with all the built up energy. Even Rustjaw was beginning to look a bit apprehensive as he stared down at the tiny pony. He had stopped his gurgling laughter halfway through the display of magical might and was now looking at Summer with a mixture of curiosity and worry. His animal instinct told him that he should be swimming to the deepest depths that he could find. His hunter’s pride on the other hand, told him that he had nothing to fear. He was Rustjaw, an apex predator of the sea. This puny equine could do nothing to him. There was something beneath that pride though. Something dark and squirming inside Rustjaw that urged him to stay, to do battle, to be filled with rage and fury. A strange feeling from deep within his gut that was quickly worming its way into his consciousness. Iron could hardly bear to look at Summer now, even whilst shielding his eyes from the light of her horn. Lightning danced across her frame, occasionally jumping from her hooves to strike the deck below her. It was when she opened her mouth and released a howl of pure rage that hurt the minotaur the most. He had fought a banshee once, back in his monster hunting days, and could honestly say that the demon’s ghostly cry was not half as bad as the noise that came from Summer. Summer howled, and the storm howled with her. A great rushing of wind that tore through the sky and ripped at the ragged sails. Lowering her horn at Rustjaw, Summer began to release her anger. What shot forth from her horn was not the usual brief bolts of energy that Iron had seen Summer shoot in the past, but instead a constant stream of magic and heat. A powerful surge of ferocity that barely restrained itself to the form of crackling arcs of lightning. The attack struck Rustjaw full in the chest and seemed to dance across his scaly hide, producing a roar of pain from the beast as the might of Summer’s fury flowed through him. The serpent reared back, hurt and confused by the attack that, for the first time in Rustjaw’s centuries of life, put him in fear of his continued survival. The sickening smell of burnt fish filled the air as smoke began to rise from beneath Rustjaw’s scales. The behemoth flailed around in the water, desperately trying to escape the attack, all in vain. Iron watched in a combination of fascination and horror as Summer cooked Rustjaw inside his natural armour. Summer! The thought flashed across Iron’s mind as he looked over to the unicorn. Lightning continued to crackle over her frame, which seemed tiny compared to the storm that whirled around her. The look on her face was what hurt him most though. It was not the gentle smile which offered serenity and kindness to her friends, nor was it the confident smirk that promised a beatdown for her enemies. Her muzzle was twisted into a snarl of pure rage as her terrifying, glowing eyes bored into her prey, showing no mercy for the squirming sea worm before her. Desperately, Iron hauled himself back to his hooves, digging himself into the deck as he forced himself forwards through the storm. One arm covered his face as he pushed himself through the raging tempest, focused on his target. A random spark of electricity shot at him, slamming into his thigh and threatening to knock the minotaur down, but he refused to give in. Grimacing through the pain as the magical current shot through him, he forced himself onwards. One hoof in front of the other. Each step bringing him closer to Summer Storm. Finally, he pierced through the bubble that seemed to surround her. A perfect sphere of calm was held in place around Summer, preventing the chaos outside from reaching her. Iron knew that he was in the heart of the storm now and his actions here would count the most. Carefully, he approached the floating unicorn, who had not even stopped her attack for a second to take notice of the intruder to her domain. The lightning was even worse here. Random arcs of magical energy leapt from Summer every second, randomly striking the deck around her. More than a few hit Iron directly in the chest but, other than a small grunt of pain, he refused to be stopped. Reaching forward, he made the most important move of his entire life, and gently rested his hand on her shoulder. At the physical contact, Summer’s head swung round, her eyes fixing in fury on the one who would dare interrupt her vengeance as her mouth let out a bestial snarl. In that moment, Iron was sure that he was going to be blasted into dust by her magic and closed his eyes, accepting the end. For a moment, nothing happened. The minotaur slowly opened his eyes to look up at the floating unicorn before him. Maybe she had got tired, maybe she had run out of magic or maybe she had just recognized her friend. Whatever the reason, she had stopped her attack on Rustjaw. Her eyes were no longer glowing with arcane power and she had released her magic, allowing the dazzling flare that had been her horn to go dim. Tears streamed down her face, matting her fur, as she looked at Iron with a glazed look of incomprehension. “He’s gone isn’t he?” She asked in a quiet, almost childlike, voice. Iron merely nodded in response, unable to respond with his emotion cracked voice. A weeping sob escaped from the unicorn as she slowly began to descend from her magical levitation. Gently, Iron wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his huge chest, allowing the unicorn’s tears to be absorbed by his thick fur. He softly rocked Summer back and forth, as one would a child, wracking sobs and heart-wrenching wails emanating from her. Iron closed his eyes as he held Summer tenderly, allowing his own tears to finally flow. Lost in their moment of shared sorrow, neither of them noticed the squirming that came from Rustjaw’s smoking form. They did not see the burnt flesh begin to ripple and move, repairing itself as the black water in the serpent’s stomach began to take control. All thoughts of escaping from the being that had hurt him so much fled from Rustjaw’s mind as the cursed liquid, which he had inadvertently consumed when he attacked Sergeant Brick, began to dominate his thoughts. Neither Summer or Iron noticed as the creature that was once Rustjaw began to raise itself again to tower over the ship. The Black Water had a host once more, and it was ready to bring terror to any who would stand against it.