//------------------------------// // Surviving the Wastes // Story: The Descent into Madness // by FenrisianBrony //------------------------------// Applejack Applejack’s chest burnt as she continued to gallop forward, her hooves feeling like they were going to disintegrate under the intense pressure she was putting on them. They were already bleeding as her hooves cracked, but still she kept running, until finally she could move no more, collapsing in a heap, her chest rising and falling as she panted heavily. Eventually, she managed to get back her breath enough to raise her head off the floor, looking around the desolate landscape. She didn’t know how long she’d been running for, but she did know that she was a long way from the attackers. She just had to hope that they wouldn’t bother coming after a few stray farmers. With that thought in her head, Applejack began to look around herself for any signs of Koghad, Mata or Lofeg. Instead, she saw a very small blip on the horizon floating towards her, a tiny haze underneath it signifying the presence of an anti-grav generator. She managed to force herself back to her hooves, wincing slightly as the cracked surfaces hit the ground, but she walked forward regardless, finally managing to make out the figure of the drone. “Fio’Saal Applejack, sensors indicate that we are thirteen point two four miles due east of the farming plantation. Suggest returning to quarters and awaiting further instructions.” “W1? Is that you?” Applejack asked, peering up and trying to make out the drones serial number through the dust and mud caked across its hull. “Affirmative,” the drone bobbed up and down to signify its compliance. “Do you know where the others are? Koghad and the team?” “Affirmative, Fio’Saal Koghad and Fio’Saal Lofeg are approaching this position. They are currently one point six miles away from your current position.” “Lead me to them,” Applejack ordered. “I’m afraid…” W1 began. “That’s an order W1,” Applejack cut it off. “Affirmative Fio’Saal. Reverting to secondary program. Assigning myself to Fio’Saal Applejack in lieu of any higher ranking members of the Earth Caste.” “Good, lead on,” Applejack nodded, walking after the drone, wincing slightly as she went. “Are you medically fit Fio’Saal?” W1 asked. “Just worry about getting me to the others,” Applejack grunted. “I’ll be fine.” “Affirmative.” The pair lapsed into silence as they walked, her hooves causing her discomfort, but she pushed through it, focusing on putting one hoof in front of the other, the pain anchoring her in the present, and not allowing her to think about the past, and the death. Eventually, Applejack saw a small outline of a building, and silently wondered how she missed it, before walking towards it and making her way inside, W1 following after her. She was immediately tackled to the floor, a heavy weight pinning her town as she got a whiff of stale breath. “Get off me Koghad,” she coughed, grunting as she pushed her cracked hooves against the Demiurg’s chest and rolling him off her. “Oh, sorry lass,” Koghad apologised, getting back to his feet, before placing his hands on his knees and wheezing heavily. “You sure can run. We thought we’d never catch up with ya. Then old W1 appeared, said it was looking for ya.” “Loyal things drones,” Lofeg nodded with a smile. Unlike the others, Lofeg didn’t seem nearly as tired, staring out of what looked like a window, but had long since crumbled away enough for the glass pane to fall out. “Loyal and pre-programed. They don’t eat, they don’t sleep, and they don’t care if they get destroyed. The perfect little helpers.” “Yeah, seems like it,” Applejack nodded at W1, before looking around the small one-roomed building they were in. “Where’s Mata?” Neither of the others answered, exchanging a sad glance with each other, before Koghad simply shook his head. “He’s with the ancestors now Lass.” Applejack froze as Koghad spoke, her throat seizing up yet again, before she managed to find her voice again. “S-so, where…where are we?” “Beats me lass? I just thought it would be a good place to lay low fer a while,” Koghad shrugged. “It’s an old way station for human miners,” Lofeg finally explained, his soft voice breaking the silence. “We’re out in the far mining belts now, completely empty, nothing of worth is out here, which is why this place is abandoned.” “How do you know that?” Applejack asked, walking towards Lofeg. “Because I read about the planet in my down time,” Lofeg replied simply. “What its climates like, what it used to be, anything I could get my hands on.” “So what did this planet used to be?” Koghad asked. “A human world?” “Yes, under the protection of the Ultramarines,” Lofeg nodded. “I would guess that’s why they came back to attack the planet. We were just unlucky that our farm was by the Fire Castes barracks. I doubt they would have sent that force for just some farmers.” “Or lucky, considering the fact we were still in the fields,” Koghad muttered, looking across at Applejack. “Maybe it was good that you wanted to take a little extra time. If you didn’t then we might have…” “Don’t say it,” Applejack cut him off. “Don’t say what?” “Just…don’t talk about…that,” Applejack shuddered. “But…” “Don’t!” Applejack roared. “I won’t talk about it! I won’t accept it! It hasn’t happened! Mata’s still…” She trailed off weakly as the others seemed to be taken aback by Applejack's sudden outburst, backing away from her as she turned to stare out of the open doorway. Eventually, Koghad walked forward, standing beside her and reaching towards her hat. “Touch that and I’ll kick you again,” Applejack warned, her voice barely above a whisper. “I was just getting something off it for ya lass,” Koghad assured her, reaching across and tentatively plucking a large chunk of blueish grey flesh from the brim, flicking it out the window. “Applejack…I know what you’re going through. Witnessing your first death, it’s never easy.” “I said don’t talk about it,” Applejack growled again, before turning to look at the corner of the room, her eyes settling on the bed there. “Lie down for a while,” Koghad urged softly, taking her by the hoof and leading her towards the bed. Applejack allowed herself to be led across the room, numbly following Koghad’s lead as she was lain down on the bed. Koghad slowly went back to the others as an eerie quiet fell across the room, the two Demiurg sitting in a small circle in the centre of the room, W1 floating silently by the door, and Applejack lying in bed. She wanted to sleep more than anything right now, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw the Fio’La right in front of her, screaming at her to move, before the bolter round slammed into his head, forever silencing him. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the images from her head, but keeping her eyes open didn’t seem to help either. Even in the silence, she could hear Mata’s voice, his cocky attitude towards finding contraband and bending the rules. She couldn’t process everything yet, her mind rebelling against her every time she even tried to rationalise what she had seen, and what she had not seen. Instead she resolved herself to simply lie on the bed, not moving, not thinking, barely breathing. Time ticked by, second by agonising second, the silence itself threatening to crush Applejack as she lost herself in her own thoughts, before finally she was torn from her trance like state by an odd, melancholy singing voice. It was scratchy, and Applejack couldn’t tell who was singing it, but the slow words seemed to wash over her, filling the silence. Come drink up my lads, raise a cup in his name, And drink yourself stupid to remember his fame. He lived his life as he owned his death, Swimming in drink, and drowning in debt. He’s past on now, but he’s with his old kin, Raising a cup, and causing a din. There’s no way you’d hear, if we said goodbye, But who gives a toss, we can damn well try. So drink up my lads, and drink to his fame, You’d damn well remember, Mata was his name. I wish I had told him, what I want to say now, But I don’t think I’ll do it, cause I don’t rightly know how. So drink up my lads, drink till you’re free, Drink till you’re swimming in the hooch with thee. Who’ll call his round, whose wallet is heavy? How many pints can this tummy here levy? The song began to die out as Applejack rolled over, looking across at Lofeg and Koghad, the pair holding two mugs as they swayed from side to side, looking back at her. Applejack couldn’t help but notice that there was a third mug was laid on the ground. Both of the Demiurg had stopped singing, and were now staring at her, silently imploring her to come and sit with them to properly honour their comrade. With a nod, she slid out of the bed, trotting over and slipping her hoof around the mug, raising it to her muzzle and giving it an experimental sniff, ascertaining that it was cider rather than Amasec. She had been getting slightly more used to the bitter human drink, but given the chance, she’d always prefer cider for the connections it drew to home. Allowing herself a weak smile, Applejack took a sip of the cider, before tilting it further up as the other two began to drink. With the unspoken words signalled, the three downed their drinks, the sounds of their gulping echoing round the silent room, before Koghad slammed his mug down, followed swiftly by Lofeg and Applejack. And like that, the sombre mood was broken as both Koghad and Lofeg launched into yet another verse of the song, this one changing it from a melancholy tune to an upbeat dancing jig. Pour another cup, mine appears to be dry, Don’t say there’s no more or you’ll see a grown man cry! All sing along now and sway side to side, No single voice is too ugly to hide! Applejack allowed her hoof to snake round Lofeg’s shoulder, while her other one clutched her mug as Koghad refilled all three from a small cask he had kept in his work pack. She was hardly surprised that the Demiurg had decided to pack his work bag with alcohol rather than tools, but right now she didn’t really care about that, as once again they all raised their mugs and downed them in silence, before slamming them to the floor. Again and again they repoured the cider, only to down it in one and repeat the cycle, before finally, Koghad’s cask ran dry. Applejack thought that the song had ended, before Lofeg began to beat his fists against the floor, starting a quick rhythm that Applejack quickly caught on to, clopping her hooves against the concrete floor as Koghad grabbed hold of Lofeg’s pack, ripping it open to reveal yet another cask. Not hesitating for a moment, Koghad raised the barrel high, pulling the cork from the end and upending the barrel over his mouth, the amber liquid inside falling in a beautifully appley cascade. Drink! Drink! Finish in one! Down! Down! Until it’s all gone! Drink! Drink! Finish in one! Down! Down! Until it’s all gone! The chant continued as Koghad chugged the contents of the barrel, his Adams Apple bobbing up and down as he sought to swallow as much as he could. Applejack had no idea how much was left in the barrel, or how strong the cider inside was, but it must have been strong as she was already feeling slightly dizzy. How Koghad could continue was beyond her, but that didn’t stop her joining in with Lofeg to egg him on. Drink! Drink! Finish in one! Down! Down! Until it’s all gone! Drink! Drink! Finish in one! Down! Down! Until it’s all gone! Drink! Drink! Finish in one! Down! Down! Until it’s all gone! The chant finally finished as Koghad let out a roar, throwing the barrel against the wall where it broke open, revealing the few remaining drops inside. With a raucous laugh, Koghad lunged forward, tackling Lofeg and pinning him to the floor, aiming blows at the Demiurg’s head and body. Applejack immediately thought that the drink had gone to Koghad’s head, and made to push him off Lofeg, before she saw that Lofeg was laughing too, even as Koghad’s fists rained down on him. With a roar of his own Lofeg kicked Koghad off him, before rising to his feet and grappling with the other Demiurg. Realising what was happening, Applejack let out a roaring laugh of her own, her inhibitions lowered by the alcohol. Without thinking properly, she dived forward, crashing into the pair and driving them to the floor. All three continued to laugh as they pummelled each other, drawing blood as they sought to work out their frustration over the situation. Applejack was amazed at how therapeutic this actually was as she brought her hoof into Koghad’s stomach, winding him, before being driven to the floor by Lofeg. Eventually, the trio stopped fighting, collapsing onto the floor and wheezing heavily, trying their best to get their breath back, as well as nursing their wounds. Applejack could feel some blood trickling from her muzzle, but forced herself to look at Koghad anyway, her vision swimming before her and her voice slightly muffled from the blood and booze. “Is…is that how all…Demiurg funerals usually…go?” “No, if this were a proper one, there would have been hic a lot stronger hooch, more of it, more singing, more dancing, more fighting, and ya probably would have ended the evenin’ with a baby in yer belly. If we’re compatible that is, who knows?” “No, bad Koghad,” Lofeg reprimanded his fellow, lightly swatting him over the head without looking up. “We don’t make…pretty with the pony girl…unless she wants to.” “No…thanks,” Applejack shook her head weekly, before leaning back on the hard cold floor and sighing, her eye lids slipping closed, and thanks to the alcohol, revealing nothing save for sweet sweet darkness. *** Applejack groaned as she woke up, her hooves flying upwards as she clutched onto her head, trying to dull the throbbing behind her eyes. She was no stranger to this feeling, and she had often had nights like this on the farm after a particularly stressful day, or at one of Berry Punches fabled ‘After Pinkie Parties’. Nothing however compared to this, and she rolled over to see Koghad and Lofeg in much the same position. Eventually, Applejack staggered to her hooves, moving over towards W1. “W1, how…how long were we out?” “Sixteen hours forty three minutes and sixteen seconds,” the drone replied instantly. “In that time I have picked up thirteen coded Tau messages that I do not have authorisation to listen to, as well as one unencrypted message with human origins.” “Play the human message,” Applejack groaned, before sliding down the wall as she clutched her head again. The drone bobbed up and down, before a deep voice boomed out of its speaker grill. Lord Commander Imperialis Aleuton Maxamius, Sixth Company Captain Jorel, the Legio Invicta greets you both. Know then, that Legio Invicta is here to cleanse this world of the Tau filth. Know then that the Legio Invicta will walk upon Styro. “No more messages have been recorded Fio’Saal Applejack,” The drone said after the message had finished. “Drop the Fio’Saal stuff for now ok? Just call me Applejack, and that’s an order,” Applejack turned back to Koghad and Lofeg, the pair propping themselves up against one of the tables, looking through the various falling down cupboards, presumably looking for something to eat. “Did you guys get that?” “Some Legio thing,” Lofeg muttered. “Who knows what it is,” Koghad agreed. “Trouble most likely,” Applejack muttered, walking towards them. “Find anything to eat?” “Stale bread and a box of caffeine cubes,” Lofeg smiled weakly, pulling a loaf of bread down from the cupboard, followed by three dark brown cubes. “That bread looks horrible,” Applejack noted sourly. “Beggars can’t be chooser’s lass,” Koghad sighed, grabbing the loaf and tearing it into three roughly equal parts. “We’re lucky to have anything at all. Plus caffeine is good for hangovers.” Applejack nodded, knowing her was right, as she grabbed hold of the bread, blanching as she felt just how solid it actually was. Koghad was already gnawing at his piece, while Lofeg was busying himself trying to make the caffeine. From the smell, Applejack could tell it was something near to Equestrian coffee, and she grimaced slightly at the acrid taste, before trying to take a bite out of the bread. “Well, at least if any humans come along we’ll have a way of defending ourselves,” she joked weakly, before managing to take a mouthful and swallowing. “Now you’re getting it,” Lofeg chuckled, before passing out the mugs again, this time filled with steaming black liquid rather than golden cider. “Drink it while it’s hot, it will do wonders for the headache.” Applejack nodded, taking a sip of the hot liquid, before following Koghad’s lead and dropping a piece of stale bread into it to soften it up slightly. “So lass, got a bit of the guilt out of yer system this morning?” Koghad asked, plucking the soggy bread from the caffeine and chewing on it thoughtfully. “A bit,” she nodded, surprised that she actually had managed to get around a death quickly. “Good, and when we get back to civilisation, we’ll find some other guys and have a proper funeral for all our kin who died,” Koghad declared. “Then ya can feel even better. Sooner ya learn that it’s not yer fault, sooner ya get over it. Plus if you have any grudges to settle, it’s a great time to get them over and done with.” “It’s an odd way of grieving, but it’s how our ancestors did it, and their ancestors before us,” Lofeg assured her, downing his cup and finishing off his bread, before pulling down another couple of loafs. “Any more?” “No, we should save it,” Applejack shook her head. “We’ll need it for the road.” “Hark on to the lass,” Koghad chuckled. “Who put you in charge?” “No one,” Applejack shook her head. “But I do know if we don’t move, we could be found by humans.” “I think we should sit tight and wait for rescue,” Koghad shook his head. “And if rescue doesn’t come?” Applejack pressed. “We have two loafs of extremely stale bread and about four cubes of caffeine. Besides, we have no more alcohol, so unless you want to…” “So where do you think we should go?” Koghad cut in quickly, his face visibly draining as he contemplated sitting in the room with no alcohol. Applejack took time to contemplate the question, before turning to face Lofeg. “Lofeg. Any ideas Sugarcube?” “May I suggest we look at a map first?” Lofeg asked. “There was a hastily drawn one at the back, pre-colonisation by the Tau.” Lofeg moved towards the back of the room, rifling through a bunch of detritus left at the building by its previous occupants, before finally grabbing hold of a scroll and unfolding it, laying it out on the floor to reveal a large map. Lofeg quickly got his bearings, before pointing to a small valley, marking it with a small piece of charcoal he had brought with him. “We should be around here. Now the Tau captured the capital city here and repurposed it, hopefully they’ll hold that for the longest.” “Ah wish Twi were here,” Applejack murmured softly, before looking over the map. “Here, we can cut across the plains here. Should take us closer.” “Or into enemy hands,” Koghad pointed out. “Stay here then,” Applejack shot back, rolling up the map and placing it in one of her work bags along with one of the loafs of bread and a dented half full bottle of tepid water, before heading towards the door. “I’m heading out. You coming?” Koghad and Lofeg exchanged glances with each other, before shouldering their packs and grabbing the remaining food and drink, packing it away safely before exiting the house after Applejack. Koghad leant down as he walked back outside, picking up three large metal poles and offering them round. Lofeg took the improvised weapon with a nod, sizing it up. “Applejack. You want this?” Koghad asked, proffering her the last pole. “No,” she replied flatly, before turning to look back at the house. “W1? You coming?” “Affirmative,” the drone bobbed out of the building. “So, where to now Applejack?” Koghad asked, dropping the spare pole. Applejack stood still for a second, unrolling the map and looking it over, laying it on the floor as she traced her hoof between the building and their destination, before rolling it up once more and staring off into the distance. “West. We go west.”