//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: The Attack on Fort Cloudsdale // Story: Red Dead ReDerption // by CompleteChaos21 //------------------------------// Chapter 6: Sunshine walked past the rolling hills, the darkness slowly being chased out. No birds chirped, no animals stirred, only the towering fortress of Fort Cloudsdale made any motion. Clouds puffed up and out of the fort, rainbows began to pour out of the lower cloud pools. Below the billowing fort stood a lone wagon, a lone metal wagon. Along with it a small group of ponies walked about it, Joan, the Doctor, Celt, Marshal and her deputies, Gala, and Zeth Brecora. “I look ridicules…” Marshal Dash sighed as she remarked her full body uniform. Dash and Celt were clad in wagon carriers uniforms, a uniform worn by wagon pullers that had more body protection on them, but our use was for hiding Dash’s and Celt’s identities. “That mane of yours would blow our cover a mile away Dash, be glad they cover it.” The Doctor stated, his voice whimpered a slight bit showing a slight fear for this dangerous mission. There plan was simple, sneak the wagon into the fort. The Doctor would play a salespony doctor and when he had Dyslex’s forces calm and easy, the rest of them would burst out and Joan would pony-up the secret weapon. Now we just hoped Dyslex’s gang was stupid enough to fall for it. “Alright everypony, did ya’ll drink the potions Zeth gave you.” Marshal Dash whispered out to the group, all nodded. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, its time. We must go.” The Doctor spoke as a small shadow crept up to the wagon. Fort Cloudsdale was now at its lowest point, they had to move now or fear Zeth being killed when Dyslex’s patience was tried. “Zeth has gotten them to lower the Fort enough. But I assume they’ll raise it once were in. We must go now for her sake.” Snipes and Trails horns glowed lightly as the wagon became surrounded in the same glow. In the minds of everypony inside the wagon, they hoped the spell would work and the wagon would float on the clouds like they would. Then the metal wagon walls closed in concealing the 4 ponies inside of it. Dash and Celt spread there wings and picked the wagon up. It floated along with them, the spell had worked although the Doctor was griping on to the wagon for dear life as it swayed ever so slightly. The Doctor tapped on the top of the wagon, “Just like old times right dear!” “One last time, into the breach! You and me.” Joan smiled as she spoke to the Doctor noticing that his nervous tone had evaporated into a devious excitement. “Joan.” A whisper came from her right. “Are you sure she is still here.” Gala asked unsure of what they were about to get themselves into. She leaned up against Joan’s body, she shivered, her body slowly sapping the warmth from Joan’s body. She was crying lightly into Joan’s wings. “It’s so cold Joan. That ain’t natural, not for here and not for this time of the year.” “And that’s why I believe she’s still here. That mare has a heart as cold as a Windigo’s.” The metal wagon swung around tossing the 4 ponies inside of it into the right wall. The Doctor whispered into the wagon, “Everypony get ready…were flying into our destiny here.” Zeth stood from the top of the fort walls, she sang out in her sing song voice, “Howdy there my friends. Fancy yourselves coming in?” The wagon backed its way in, the Doctor leaped from the wagon and landed softly on the cloud floor of Cloudsdale. “Good evening,” a large group of Stallions surrounded the wagon curiously, “good evening Gentlecolts. What would you say if I said any wound inflicted upon you could be healed simply by the wonders held in this here wagon?” The stallions glanced at each other in simple curiosity, the Doctor danced about the wagon with such enthusiasm. As he spoke more and more with his salespony tone the more the stallions wished to see the insides of the wagon. The ones who cheered the most were the ones whose bandages showed brightly with blood. “Impossible you say? Well I dear sirs say NEIGH! Because in this very wagon, is the wisdom, the beauty, and the simple and joyous wonders of the future!” The Doctor jumped up exclaiming his excitement for the future. “Show us sir. Show us what ya got ins there boy.” A white stallion yelled from the back of the crowd. The Doctor grinned deviously, “Then my boys gather yourselves around, come and take in the healing touch I have brought to you!” The Doctor danced over to the side of the wagon and tapped its metal armor. Tap! Tap! Tap! Joan jumped on the machine in front of her, and twisted her hoof on it; Gala and the Deputies then pushed the sides of the metal covering out revealing the contents in the wagon. Every pulse quickened, Joan stared into the eyes of every stallion there, a feeling worse than fear itself overcame the group of horses. Joan stood behind a spinning machine of death, it was clad with many gun barrels and its shear size was intimidating. “That’s right boys! Gather round and GET YOUR MEDICINE!” Joan screamed like a phoenix and pushed her hoof into the back of the spinning machine. Fire began to burst from its ends, bullets rained out of it vividly painting the pretty clouds a lascivious maroon and scarlet. The Stallions screamed and ran but were soon cut in two by the onslaught of death flying towards them. Some tried to fly but the noises, the flashes, and the physical presence of despair bore heavily on them as there wings collapsed back to there bodies. Soon to, there blood stained the clouds, and the red streams quickly drained into the once opulent rainbow pools. Snipes yelled the loudest he could barely manage to connect to Joan over the pounding rhythm of the machine gun and Joan’s own ghastly yelling. “Joan! JOAN! You’re almost out.” Joan continued to roar with the sound of the gun, then…click, click, click…. The remaining stallions numbered a mere 1 percent to what had initially been standing there, a lone pegasus crawled towards the wagon. Joan smiled pleasantly and walked towards him; she dipped her face into his and gave him an eerie grin, “Where is Dyslex?” The stallion lifted up a bloody and shaky hoof, he pointed towards a small hut in the back of the fort. “Thank you.” She sincerely stated then she walked towards the door, “Marshal, he’s all yours. My battle lies beyond this door.” Joan took a small breath in and placed her right hoof on the door, a slight nudge allowed the door to creek open. Grotesque laughter squeaked out form the back of the building. It was excruciatingly dark inside the building, but a small light shined from the back, but soon the whole room was encased in the light, the sudden surge of energy blinded Joan for a few seconds. “Joan, Joan…come on in. It’s been a looooooong time!” A voice echoed out. Joan walked into the hut. “Have you come to take me away? The future is bleak Joan, and I ain’t the only beast they seek.” Joan reached a small clearing in the hut, the lights went out, all except sunshine peeking in from a hole in the roof. The light shone upon a mares bloody body, the fuchsia coated mare’s body was caked in her blood. The room was polluted with a terrible stench, decay, blood, and…sensual smells…Joan shook her head to try and block out the ripe smells. “Do you like her Joan, she was real pretty, too bad…She’s. All. Used. Up!” The same voice echoed about again. Joan drew her revolver out. “Come-on Dyslex, show yourself.” Joan shouted towards the darkness. Scarlet covered hooves appeared from the darkness, the warmth that once surrounded Joan dissipated into a numbing cold. From blood draped hooves to a lustfully maroon coated body, the pale cyan mare hobbled forward into the dim light. She placed a caring hoof onto the dead mare’s body. “I’ve been counting down the time like I’ve been counting down the mares. HAHA! And mines almost up!” she giggled menacingly at the mare’s body. “She reminded me of my no good fiancé! So I gave her the same treatment as she would get.” The mare’s body was severely cut and bruised where her skin was exposed, a lone knife lay lodged deep into her left side. “Where is she?” Joan raised her revolver towards Dyslex. Dyslex grinned evilly, “I’d love to tell you Joan, but as you will soon see. My time is up!...” upon speaking these words Dyslex plummeted through the cloud floor and was now falling towards the ground. Joan bolted right after her, her wings pushed her downward at breakneck speeds, she neared in closer and closer towards Dyslex. Joan pushed herself forward, she had to catch Dyslex, she’d have no clue where Schizo was without her! She kept pushing herself, faster, faster, faster. Her hooves made contact with Dyslex’s; she pushed herself forward and tackled Dyslex in the air wrapping her hooves around her. Joan landed roughly on the ground; she threw Dyslex onto the dusty ground, then a punch into her face. “Where is Schizo, Dyslex?” Joan shoved her revolver into Dyslex’s face. She stared blankly away from Dyslex. She slowly smiled, then giggled ever so slightly, that soon transformed into a maniacal laughter. Dyslex’s mouth peaked at a sly grin, her eyes half-closed, “Why, Joan? I ain’t ever had you…Why don’t you offer me your body before you take mine.” Joan continued to stare forward, “But what love is left for me in this cruel world!” Dyslex began to gasp in breaths as Joan slowly pressed her hoof into her throat. Dyslex coughed and hacked at this. “Aha…haha…ha…N-now why should I-I tell YOU!” A cold breeze blew into Joan’s mane; she nuzzled her shoulder lightly then held her head back up, “Cause I didn’t leave you at the altar.” Joan spat out in a sour tone. Another sick laugh came from the pale cyan mare, “AHAHA!” Her voice cracked and strained out into a very panicked fashion and her lip trembled, “Traitors and spies, a charlatans lies. The new land we have claimed is where she shall be slain.” The maniacal laughter returned, her mane was mangled and stained in blood, her own leaking out of her nose. Her shaky hoof grabbed Joan’s revolver and pulled it towards her mouth. With one final breath she placed her blood soaked hoof on top of Joan’s. Then she pushed her hoof in. The painful ringing was soon replaced…replaced by a terrifying sound. Silence. Nothing, Just…nothing. ----- “Should we bury her?” Marshal Dash asked staring at the corpse of there enemy. “It’s up to you, Joan.” Joan slapped her eyes shut for a mere second then whipped them open with a pure derpy expression, her face became covered in a strange mix of emotions. “She doesn’t deserve to be buried, but she doesn’t deserve to sit in the middle of the road and rot.” The Marshal looked at Joan, “Ok…I’ll have the deputies throw her body into the Everfree Forest, that’s the most humane thing we could do.” Marshal Dash walked up to Joan, she glared into Joan’s eyes. “So…what after this Joan, where will you go, what will you do?” “I still have one other target left to get. And I know exactly where she is.” Joan looked up to the sky and grinned. “She’s in Nuevo Equestria, I’m leaving tomorrow. It’ll be a day flying to get to Hoofington from Ponyville I cou-“ “Joan…I hate to break your hopes of a quick flight. But if you fly down there, you will be killed.” “What!?!” Joan gave a disappointed scowl towards the Marshal. Dash placed a hoof on her muzzle, “I received a telegram not to long after you got shot telling me of a rebellion in the area. Something about the Solar Government, a…uhhh…some sort of Lunar Republic, and another rebel group. They’ll shoot anyone flying in the area, even there own soldiers. I don’t want to read ‘Cowmare shot in area of rebellion’ in the Ponyville gazette next week.” Joan looked back at the ground with a disapproving look. “Hey! Let’s get back to town. Ciders on me.” ----- Joan lay silently on the Doctors bed, she had stripped out of her sweaty and…blood splattered clothes. Only her hat topped off her head. Her head was swirling, a massive headache creped into her brain. She placed her hooves over her ears. “You will find me soon.” It echoed in Joan’s brain, that booming voice rocketed around her brain. It tore at her head and her heart. Her breath quickened and her throat erupted into fire. Then the doctor jumped into the bed, with the shaking of the bed from his weight to the squeaking and creaking of the springs, the noise was quickly driven out of her being. He tucked his hooves under him nuzzled his cheek against Joan’s. She soon became flooded over with a warm affectionate feeling, as well as a warm…fuzzy…feeling. Upon ceasing to nuzzle the cheek of our dear Joan, the doctor collapsed to his side and immediately fell asleep. Joan simply shook her head, then soon…did the exact same. “Joan…Joan…Joan…JOAN!” yelled the doctor’s voice. “Huh! Huh…what...I-I’m awake…” Joan looked beneath her. The doctor was casually lying on his back…with Joan casually lying on top of him. “…I’ll be going now.” Joan smiled and lowered her head down towards the doctors…. “And I think it is time we did as well…” the doctor moved his head away from Joan’s. Joan struggled with the Doctor to hold him on the bed. He attempted to push her off but she remained where she was easily overpowering him. Tears began forming on her scowling face, her left eye drifted towards her nose and her right eye looked straight up. "Joan...I'm sorry-" “Doctor! I’ll be going now!” Joan jumped off the bed and left immediately, only stopping to grab her things. “Joan stop! Where are you going?” The Doctor chased after her desperately. Joan exploded off the ground flying the fastest she could away from Ponyville and away from the Doctor. “Nuevo Equestria my dear friend, and for your health, I’d say you stayed away from there…” Marshal Dash stated from behind the Doctor. ----- She felt completely exhausted, having getting very little sleep. Joan flew past the now extremely different looking Fort Cloudsdale, various pegasi flew in and around it, including a large amount of armed Royal Guard, and Celt, who had been hired by the construction crew (over a drunken argument, which Celt won getting him an easy job). Not wishing to look at that place anymore she barreled forward towards the southern lands. Green, much of the land had become suddenly green and full of life, but as Joan approached the river separating Equestria from the Nuevo region. A drastic turn took place, from the shockingly green hills to the rocky and dead hills of Nuevo Equestria. “Land now! Or we will shoot you!” A guard yelled from the bridge in front of her, the bridge and surrounding rocks was thickly lined with gold armor clad troops, guns poised and ready to fire. Joan landed a couple feet from the bridge kicking up a large pile of dust as she did. “You must stay grounded from here on out. Or else!” Joan’s eyes drooped and a scowl squeezed into her face, she walked across the bridge without a word, without paying attention to any of the guards. This journey would be taken on hoof from here on out. ------ Hours had passed since she had been at the bridge, not a single civilization, not a single living pony had passed her by. She saw no guards and no rebels, just the mosquitoes were here to talk. The moon peeked it’s glowing head out, Joan smiled a slight bit. “So you’ve come to talk eh?” …There was no response, “Not talking toda-“ “SOON!” That same booming voice came once again, the shouting and headaches pursued after it. “OW! No need to yell!” Joan yelled at the moon…the night was silent once again. The night wisped by quickly and the sun sank despairingly below the ugly hillsides. The sun bore down on Joan. The grey mare limped along a long and lonesome road, her sweat drenched clothes stunk of death and desperation. Joan panted heavily having not eaten or drank for the last 2 days. “This coat ain’t making the heat any better.” Joan’s voice strained out from exhaustion, but she traveled on. The sun reached it’s peek in the sky, Joan’s hooves collided with each other and her face became acquainted with the ground. She felt sick, her vision faded in and out and she could no longer stand. Her leg wobbled as she tried to place a hoof on the ground, suddenly her whole body was engulfed in a fiery feeling. Her hooves sprawled out across the dirty road, her sight going dark, her mind going blank, and her breath running short. “I’m…sorry…” She coughed out these words. Suddenly a cold breeze came by; the entirety of Joan’s body was engulfed in icy cold wind. As if the night had risen suddenly, all heat was gone from the area. Joan faded out, with one last breath. “I’m…I’m sorry my little…muffin.”