You know, there comes a time in your life when you have to sit down and ask yourself ‘what the hell happened?’. It’s entirely random when this occurs, differing from person to person, but the cause of such moments tend to be similar across the board: getting fired from work, getting in an accident driving home, failing a big test you spent all week studying for. Moments where you just have to sit back, stare off into space, and wonder how the fuck it all came to this.
I’ve had several of these moments before in the past. However, this one really takes the cake.
“Okay, ‘ax. ‘ink, ‘ink!” I muttered around my gag. “‘ou’ve ‘een in worse situations ‘efore, right? Right. So, ‘ow are you gonna ge’ outta dis one?” After thinking for a few seconds, my brow furrowed. “‘ow am I gonna ge’ outta dis?” Chewing on my cheek, I tried moving again, but like the numerous other attempts I had made over the last half hour, I was met with the same result. With my body encased in rock, I was completely immobile from the neck down. And it wasn’t like being buried up to your neck in sand either. Sand was forgiving. Sand shifted a little. Rock gave no fucks. I could barely breathe as there was hardly any space for my chest to expand before being stopped by the rock around me.
I wasn’t going anywhere without some outside help.
...and my nose still itched, goddamn it!
Setting aside my own discomfort, I tried to focus on the bigger picture. The Terran humans were currently on the move, and I had to warn Twilight and the others. Not only that, but a unicorn claiming to be a transformed human was wandering around and causing mischief. Yet, here I was, stuck in a hole in the ground.
Like a fucking daisy.
How the fuck did it come to this?
I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t hear the sound of approaching feet until they were suddenly right in front of my face. Jerking my head back in surprise, I winced as the back of my head smacked against the ground. Tears of pain welled up in my eyes as I craned my head back and stared awkwardly up at the Equestrian human who was gazing down at me. I waited for him to do something, but he just stood there, watching me with his head tilted slightly to the side.
“‘an I ‘elp you?” I asked after a minute with him not doing anything.
“King?” he chirped, tilting his head in the other direction.
I blinked. “Wat?”
“King,” he said more firmly. Reaching down, he pulled the cloth out of my mouth.
I gagged, spitting to try and get the taste of my tongue.
“Thanks… and my name’s not ‘King’,” I said, squinting up at him. “It’s Max.”
“Oh,” the human oh’d, his mouth forming an ‘o’ shape. His brow furrowed for a brief second before he nodded his head slowly. “King Max.”
“No,” I growled. “Just Max. I’m not a king!”
This caused the human to give me a confused look. “Mad God called King, yes? King beneath mountain. King now, yes?”
“No, I’m not a—”
“King?” Craning my neck around, I blanched as I saw that more and more humans were approaching. Nervousness started to well up in my chest for a brief moment until I noticed that none of them appeared aggressive. In fact, the majority of them had curious looks on their faces. A low murmur swept through their ranks as they surrounded me.
Now I know how a toddler feels, I brooded. After being considered one of the tallest kids in my school, as well as being one of the tallest humans in Equestria for nearly a year, it was kind of annoying to suddenly realize that my eyes were now level with all their shins.
This is a load of bullshit, I pouted.
A soft grunt came from directly behind me, and suddenly a pair of legs came into view on either side of my head as someone knelt down behind me. Hands clasped my chin and my head was gently pulled back into a lap. I tilted my head back to try and see who was holding me, only to scrunch my face up when locks of brown hair tickled my cheeks and nose.
“Alpha,” a soft voice said, and I blinked in surprise. I recognized that face. Blue eyes, poofy light-brown hair that reminded me of Pinkie’s mane, and—a quick glance down—feet that were scabbed over and covered in scars.
“I know you,” I said dumbly.
She nodded, humming softly as she continued to hold my head. “Ponies put in metal cave. Got out. Found Alpha again.” Another hum and she pulled my head further into her lap. There was a warm heat against the back of my head, and I suddenly remembered that during our last encounter, she had only been wearing a shirt.
Staring straight ahead, I felt as if my cheeks would burst into flames. Ignorant of my current discomfort, the female human seemed content to just hold me, occasionally stroking the top of my head with a soft hum. She, um… she…
I blinked before glancing up at her. “Um, you don’t happen to have a name or something, do you?”
“Name?” she asked before her eyes suddenly widened. “Pyresteed!” she chirped excitedly. “Pyresteed, yes!”
“Pyresteed?” I asked, my brow furrowing. “Who the hell gave you that name?”
“Striped pony,” she said, stroking my head. “Striped pony gave name when out wandering in Alpha’s territory. Gave name before went into forest. Pyresteed went to Alpha’s den after that. Waited for Alpha.”
I frowned. “Why are you calling me ‘Alpha’?”
“You are Alpha, yes?” she asked. “Alpha of pack, no? Ponies listen, yes? Alpha then.”
“I swear, you guys make my head hurt,” I grumbled, leaning my head against her thigh. Damn these humans, they drive me to drink.
Silence fell over the cavern for a moment, before suddenly one of the humans knelt down in front of me. She gave me a curious look before reaching forward and poking my forehead gently.
“Why in hole?” she asked innocently.
I stared at her, bewildered. “Pardon?”
“Why in hole?” she asked again, tilting her head to the side. “Why not out, helping human-not-humans?”
“We don't really see eye-to-eye at the moment,” I huffed, “so they stuck me down here and went to go attack the ponies.” I paused, giving the human a contemplative look. “Why are you still down here? Shouldn’t you be up there, helping the other humans? Trying to free yourself from the ponies?” They didn’t answer as I expected.
The human shifted on her heels, a troubled look crossing her face. “Not… Not wanna,” she muttered.
I jerked my head up, staring at her wide-eyed. “Wait, what? B-but I thought…”
“Human-not-humans want attack ponies,” another human spoke up from the gathered crowd. “Not want to.”
“But aren’t they doing this for you guys?” I asked. “In the end, isn’t this what you wanted?”
“Human-not-humans not speak for pack,” a third human said, shaking her head. “They stay in den, but not packmates. Make own decision. Not decision for pack.” The humans around her murmured in agreement.
“They never asked you…” I muttered, my brow furrowing. “But then… you guys can’t possibly like to be under the control of ponies, right?” Heads shaking and soft growls made me frown. “Then what do you guys want?”
“A place to dig!” a human chirped suddenly, bouncing on the heels of his feet. “A place to make den! Dig earth, find stone!” Several more brightened up at this, nodding their heads enthusiastically.
“Yeah! Earth dig!”
“Den making for young!”
“More pack territory!” another called out. “Much digging! Larger pack!”
“Um, want to stay with pony,” a young looking female with a collar spoke up nervously.
I gave her a confused look. “You want to stay with your ponies?”
“Y-yes, stay with pony,” she said, nodding hesitantly.
Her behavior, while timid, also caused several alarms to go off in my head. Swallowing, I gave her a warm smile before speaking, keeping my voice low. “You know you don’t have to stay with the ponies. You can leave if you want. They wouldn’t hurt you for it.”
She gave me a horrified look. “Pony never do that!” she shouted. “Pony found when was young, abandoned by pack. Took in and cared for. Give food and warmth. Keep safe from loud noises in sky when water falls.” As she talked, she became calmer, yet her voice became more firm. “Pony help me. I help pony. Keep safe from other ponies who threaten pack. Keep pony safe.”
“So you’re fine with being a pony’s pet?” I asked, an eyebrow raised.
The human snorted.
“Not a pet,” she growled. “Not wanna be a pet.”
“But you just said—”
“Want… want what you have!” she said, eyes lighting up. “Want what King has. Human pony equal!” This caused a great stirring in the surrounding humans, several of them crying out while others repeated what she had said. “Human pony equal! Human pony equal!”
“‘Human pony equal’?” I breathed, scrunching up my face in confusion. “What the hell does…” I trailed off, my eyes widening as a sudden thought came to me. “It’s not about being free. It’s about being equal.” Looking up at the pack of humans around me, I repeated myself. “You don’t want power. You want equality. You want to live with ponies. Not above them or beneath them, but with them.” When they all gave me staggered grunts of confirmation, my mind whirled into motion.
I can work with this, I thought, my eyes darting back and forth. I can work with this. I’m not out yet. Let’s see...
“Alpha?” Pyresteed asked, bending down and giving me an upside-down concerned look. I felt… something press against the back of my head, and, cheeks reddening, I tried to ignore it. Instead, I put on a determined face and glanced around at all the humans gathered around me.
“You want to be able to dig dens and make packs, right?” I asked. “You want to be free to live your lives, make your packs strong, and live life, right?” A few nodded, but the majority remained still, all their eyes locked unblinkingly on me. “You want to protect those you care about, ponies and humans alike, right?” More nodded, a tremor of excitement rippling through the crowd. “Fine,” I growled. “Tell you what. Get me out of this hole, and I’ll try and get that for you. Help me stop the other hu… the human-not-humans, and I’ll personally talk to Celestia about it. I’ll make her reward you for your efforts. You just need to help me protect the ponies one more time.”
My words seemed to hang in the air as they echoed eerily around the cavern. They slowly died down though, silence falling as all the humans remained motionless, staring at me. A lump slowly began to form in my throat.
Then a human stepped forward. Kneeling down, she placed her hands flat on the ground in front of me. At first nothing happened, but then, slowly, the palms of her hands began to glow a soft blue. Taking a deep breath, she paused for just barely a second, before her hands slipped into the ground, scooping out a handful of rock like it was clay. She tossed the chunk aside and it clattered loudly as it skittered across the floor.
And just like that, other humans joined in.
Stepping forward, they knelt down and began to dig into the solid rock with their bare hands. They moved quickly, and soon my upper half was almost free. I watched them work, my mouth hanging open in shock. That’s… that’s magic! B-but how? Pyresteed dug her hand into the rock around my arm, only to touch my skin instead. I flinched, expecting to feel pain, but instead just felt a gentle warmth emanating from her skin.
This… this is amazing!
The humans continued their digging, and within a few brief minutes I was free. Pulling myself out of the crater that had formed around me, I began to dust myself off. However, before I could finish, I was grabbed by the front of my shirt and lifted bodily into the air. “What the—?!”
Cold, gray eyes stared into mine as the male human held me in the air, my feet dangling inches above the ground. I grabbed onto his arm, his muscles feeling like cords of iron beneath my hands. As I dangled there, struggling weakly, I got a good look at him. His chest was bare, revealing a heavily scarred and muscular body. A trio of fireballs, each spinning around the other, was branded on the right side of his chest.
He sneered at me as I struggled, revealing several sharp, metal teeth.
“You promise den, yes?” he growled, eyes flashing. “Mates? Hunting?”
“I promise to talk to Celestia,” I grunted. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Celestia?” the human asked coldly.
“Yes, Celestia!” I gasped. “Celestia, Princess, Pack Leader, Sunbutt! I just need to get to her.”
“Fine,” the human snorted. He released my shirt, and I sagged to my knees. “Get King to Sunbutt. If no den, will chew on bones!”
Pyresteed was beside me in an instant, her teeth bared as she snarled up at the human. “No touch Alpha! You hurt him, I kill you!” The male human leered down at her, but she didn’t flinch. Eventually, he relented and stepped back.
“For fuck’s sake,” I gasped, rubbing my neck as I clambered to my feet. “What, you’re going to eat me if Celestia doesn’t agree to give you a place to make a den?”
The human nodded. “Tear flesh from bones!”
“You’re a goddamn psycho,” I muttered. Brushing myself off, I paused and glanced back up at him. “That’s it,” I breathed, glaring at him. “Your name is now Psy.” He just gave me a blank look, and I went back to cleaning myself up. Reaching up, I tried to remove the collar, only to find it was the magical kind like Twilight had on me my first week in Ponyville. That shit wasn’t coming off without unicorn help, so I left it alone.
As I finished brushing the dust off my clothing, I glanced around. “Alright, now… how do we get up to the palace?”
A ripple ran through the crowd, and a human stepped forward. I couldn’t help the small smile that touched my lips.
“Come, yes?” Tarzan asked, cocking his head to the side. “Go to palace, yes? Come?”
“Oh, now you want to take me to the palace,” I said, rolling my eyes. Still, I smiled at the familiar face. “Alright, big boy. Lead the way.”
“Follow, yes.” Tarzan nodded. “Come now.” Gesturing for me to follow, he turned and began to make his way through the crowd of humans, which parted for him.
“Alright,” I said, laughing softly as I followed him. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
“Shit?”
I paused mid-step and glanced to the side to find Jane walking beside me.
“Shit?” she asked innocently.
I closed my eyes and groaned. “Ah, fuck me…”
Her eyes lit up. “Fuck!”
~ ~ ~ ~ > > The Coming Dawn < < ~ ~ ~ ~
The door to the medical wing burst open, and the Coming Dawn tumbled inside. Pulling himself from the pile of bodies, Stacker lunged for the door, shutting it just as something large slammed against the other side. The door creaked and warped, but held. At least until the things on the other side began to pound on it. The wood cracked, and splinters flew everywhere.
Stacker winced as one of the splinters hit his cheek, drawing blood. “Shit, that’s not going to hold them for long.”
“W-what the buck are those things, Sarge?” Corporal Shine asked as she extracted herself from the pile.
“I don’t know,” Stacker grunted, his eyes never leaving the besieged door, “but we don’t have time to stand about wondering. We need to figure out how to stop them first, and fast.”
“Stop them?” Shine squeaked. “Did you see what happened to Thunderspark? We can’t touch those things! How are we supposed to beat what we can’t touch?!”
“They were pounding on your magic barrier earlier, weren’t they?” Cloudspire asked, staggering to his hooves. “You haven’t turned, so it appears that we can use magic on them. Take a deep breath and stop acting like a recruit!”
Glaring at him, Shine opened her mouth to argue, only to have Windbreaker cut her off. “Stacker… you might want to see this.”
“What?” Stacker growled. Glancing over his shoulder, he froze, his eyes widening.
Seated at the head of Sunny’s bed was a male human. Faint scars covered his arms and chest, and it was easy to see that he was missing several fingers. His brown hair was short and patchy from where he was balding prematurely. He had his scar-covered arms wrapped around Sunny, who was lying with her back against his stomach. At the guard’s sudden appearance, the human had tightened his protective hold on the unconscious pegasus and was glaring at them with uncertainty. After a few seconds, his eyes widened and he relaxed, chirping softly.
“Is… isn’t that the human that helped us out with the changeling?” Windbreaker asked. “The one we saved in Baltimare?”
“What the buck is he doing here?” Shine muttered, her eyes narrowing. “How did he get up here? I thought we handed him off to the trainers. How’d he get free?”
“Doesn’t matter. Worry about it later,” Stacker growled as the door shuddered again.
Just then, the door in the back that led to the office flung open, causing most of the guards to whip around and crouch low. The nurse emerged, a disgruntled look on her face. “What in the name of Celestia is going on out here? I have patients that need peace and quiet!”
“Sorry, ma’am. Nothing to be concerned about,” Stacker said, giving her a lopsided grin. Behind him, the door shook. “We have everything under control.” The door shook again, several nails popping out of the hinges. “Although, you might, um… want to barricade yourself in your office until we sort things out.”
The nurse just stood there, eyes wide.
“Ma’am, I must insist that you—”
The door exploded, sending large chunks of wood flying everywhere. A piece launched through the air and embedded itself in Cloudspire’s withers, sending him to the ground in a shower of blood. The human yelped, quickly covering Sunny to protect her from any stray pieces.
As the abominations stepped through the gaping hole, Stacker began barking orders. “Basher, grab Cloudspire and get him into the office. Take the nurse with you. Shine, shields up and try to keep them back.”
“Sarge, I’m running on low!” Shine gulped, her horn sparking sporadically.
Stacker huffed. “Just give me what you’ve got.”
Shine nodded once before a look of concentration crossed her face. Her horn sparked, magic flickering up the length of it before a light blue barrier blinked to life, to block the abominations’ advance.
The one in front snorted, giving the barrier a quick sniff before its elongated muzzle scrunched up. Pulling its arm back, it drove its fist into the barrier. The barrier flickered, a spiderweb of cracks springing to life across its surface.
Shine gasped, her eyes widening as blood suddenly began to trickle from her nose. Another blow to the barrier brought her to her knees. “S-Sarge, whatever you’re gonna do, do it soo—” A third blow caused the barrier to shatter and die. Shine’s eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed unconscious to the floor.
“Shine!” Stacker shouted, taking a step forward, only to stop as the abomination that used to be Thunderspark suddenly loomed over him. Unable to move fast enough, he could only watch in horror as it reached a clawed hand out for him…
...only to suddenly be knocked down by a tan blur.
The human growled at the fallen creature, his lips peeled back to reveal several missing teeth. The creature tried to rise only for the human to lash out, catching it on its chin. It fell backwards in a daze just as the second abomination descended. Claws flashed, and the human howled in pain. Ignoring his injuries, he lunged for the creature, and the pair tumbled to the ground. Stacker had to dive to the side as they rolled past, each one tearing into the other.
This continued until the two of them rolled into a wall. Stunned, the creature slumped to the floor as the human extracted himself. Grabbing the thing’s head, he smashed it against the wall several times until the abomination stopped struggling.
By now the second hybrid had regained its senses. As it struggled to stand, Stacker moved quickly. Grabbing a nearby IV stand, he brought it down on the back of the creature’s head. It fell to the ground again, completely unconscious.
Silence fell over the room, broken only by the sound of Sunny’s heart monitor.
Slowly, the office door opened, Basher and the nurse sticking their heads out.
“Is… is it over?” the nurse asked nervously
“I can’t believe it was that simple,” Basher huffed. “Should’ve hit ‘em in the head first thing.” He glanced over at Windbreaker. “How come a human can take them down so easily when we were having trouble?”
Windbreaker just shrugged.
Ignoring them, Stacker turned his attention to the human, who was now inspecting the bleeding claw marks on his chest. Rubbing the cuts with a finger, he inspected the crimson digit curiously. He watched the human for a few seconds before sighing and shaking his head. “That’s the second time you’ve saved my life.”
The human chirped, licking its bloody fingers.
Sunny continued to rest, oblivious to the world around her.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > Max < < ~ ~ ~ ~
“Well, this is mildly convenient,” I said, glancing around.
Traveling up a tunnel carved into the stone, Tarzan had led me down the same path Dustin and the other humans had taken earlier. It was a narrow tunnel, with barely enough room for two people to walk side-by-side. There wasn’t any room for lanterns, so a few steps in, everything became pitch black, and I had to follow Tarzan by touch and sound. After a good couple of minutes heading steadily upwards, a glint of light began to shine through the dark.
We emerged from the tunnel into what appeared to be an old, neglected holding cell. The stones were cracked and crumbling, and the iron bars were rusted almost completely through. Several of the cells’ doors were hanging from their derelict hinges.
“I don’t know which I find more surprising,” I said absentmindedly, as more humans crawled out through a hole in the masonry. “That this has managed to deteriorate as much as it has, or that Celestia hasn’t used this enough to allow it to get in the state it’s in.” Giving the place one last look-over, I grabbed the cell’s door and heaved. The door groaned and creaked, but remained firm.
There came a grunt from behind me, and a fist suddenly slammed into the door right by my head. The hinges snapped, and the door flew forward and clattered noisily against the far wall of the holding area, nearly taking me with it. I let go at the last second and glared at Psy. He sneered at me before stepping out of the cell.
“Remember, don’t kill anyone!” I called after him. “We’re here to stop the human-not-humans, not kill them.”
He snorted and kept walking.
I shook my head, swearing under my breath before following him, the other humans following after me. Emerging from the dungeons, I glanced around, trying to orient myself.
“I have no clue where I am,” I muttered, glancing down the hall one way, then the other. I rubbed the back of my neck as I tried to rack my brain. There were stairs at the end of the left-hand path, leading down to wherever. Probably more dungeons or maybe a vault of some kind. On the right-hand side, there were a couple of tapestries depicting various ponies doing stuff before the hallway curved and was lost to view.
“Right it is then,” I huffed.
Our group made our way through the corridors, the humans glancing around curiously. Several of them got distracted and began opening doors, peering inside and occasionally disappearing into the rooms. They wouldn’t be gone long though, catching back up to the pack after a few minutes.
As we walked, I kept my eye out for any signs of ponies: a barricaded room, muffled hoofsteps, eyes peeking out from hiding places. I saw nothing though, and the longer we walked, the more nervous I became.
Where is everyone? I thought. We should have run into someone by now. My nervousness grew as we climbed a staircase, only to find a pool of blood at the top. There was no body nearby, and no trail to follow, meaning that either the body had disappeared or it was carried off.
Maybe it was a unicorn? I mused, chewing on the inside of my cheek. Yeah… probably a unicorn. A few humans studied the blood, one of them even dragging her finger through it before giving said finger a tentative lick. She made a face before gagging. “Bad blood.”
“We need to keep moving,” I said, giving her a gentle push. She nodded before cleaning off her finger and hurrying along.
A few staircases, a couple hallways, and a backtrack later, I was beginning to recognize the area from when Rainbow and Shining were chasing me around. We passed by several more patches of blood. Some had hoofprints around them, others had hand and footprints. The sight of each new pool of crimson made my stomach twinge.
This continued, until suddenly the bloodstains stopped. I stopped—causing the humans behind me to stop as well—and glanced around, confused. Backtracking, I spied a pool of blood down a side corridor, along with a streak leading to a closed door. There was a faint noise coming from the other side.
Keeping my eye on the door, I crept forward and tried the door handle, only to find it locked. I glanced back at Psy and pointed at the door.
It was ripped off its hinges in a matter of seconds.
Putting on a determined face, I stepped through the doorway. I glanced around, only for my eyes to widen in shock. The room appeared to be some kind of office, with several desks and tables scattered throughout. The curtains had been torn down and covered the furniture, acting as makeshift tablecloths. Ponies were laid out upon every flat surface, all of them horribly injured in some way. Arrow wounds, stab wounds, broken bones, and worse. Their breaths were shallow, several of them barely breathing. The fabric beneath their bodies were all stained a deep red.
At my sudden entrance, three humans that were also in the room froze, glancing up from what they were doing with shocked looks on their faces. One of them was even holding an injured pony’s head down as she struggled weakly to stand, a blood-stained cloth covering a gash on the pony’s neck.
Psy moved to step past me, his eyes locked on the humans as he snarled. I blocked his path and shook my head. “Wait.” He snorted loudly, but stepped back, even if it was reluctantly.
“What are you doing?” I asked the humans, eyeing them closely. Two of them were female, their skin pale in the torchlight. The third was a big, heavyset man with ebony skin. He was seated in a chair, which buckled slightly beneath his weight. All three were staring at me, fear in their eyes.
Ignoring them, I glanced around at the ponies. Upon taking a second look, I realized that several of them had their wounds bound, torn pieces of curtain acting as makeshift bandages.
Pulling my gaze away from a particularly banged up pegasus, I turned back to the humans. I stared at the big man. “I… your name is Drake, right?” I asked. “That’s what Dustin said.”
Licking his lips, he nodded hesitantly, his hands shaking.
My eyes slowly drifted down to the pony he was tending to. She had a large gash on the side of her chest, which Drake was currently trying to bandage.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Drake swallowed before glancing down at the pegasus as well.
“Trying to help,” he said softly as he continued to wrap the pony’s chest. “I… went to medical school a couple of years before dropping out. I have some knowledge of caring for injuries… although I’ve never had to fix up a pony before.”
My brow furrowed. “Why are you helping them, though? Last I checked, you all thought ponies were evil and needed to die. Why help them?”
“Not all of us think like that,” Drake said sadly. “Just the majority. Which is to be expected, with what most of them have been through.”
“And you’re different?”
“I didn’t have a bad experience with ponies,” he sighed. “I didn’t have a good one either. Apparently there aren’t many humans with my skin color around here, and that earned me the attention of several different ponies who were… less than pleasant with their fascination. I survived, though, as you can see.” He finished tying the bandage, double-checking to make sure that it was secure before glancing up at me. “Does that mean that I want all ponies to suffer? No. That wasn’t how I was raised.”
“But, what—”
“I grew up in America, boy, and I’m black,” he said, laughing dryly. “If you followed the news, you should know what that’s like, right? Does the name Trayvon Martin ring a bell?”
“It might,” I muttered. “I usually try to avoid stuff like that. It makes me want to bash my head against the wall.”
“Right,” Drake grunted. “Anyways, I’m used to people judging me based on what I am… and quite frankly, it sucks. That’s why I’m not out with Dustin and the others, bringing ‘righteous justice’ upon the ‘evil’ ponies. Not all ponies are evil, just like not all humans are good, and not all blacks are gangsta.” He cracked a weary smile. “I hold the ponies who’ve wronged me accountable for their actions, and only them. Not these ponies. Not the ones that haven’t done anything to warrant my wrath.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything before?” I asked, glaring at him. “Back when I was trying to convince everyone that ponies weren’t to blame, you remained quiet.”
He gave me an incredulous look. “Seriously? After what happened to you, you need to ask that? You’ve seen first hand what happens when you bring that stuff up, man. I’m not stupid. One person against fifty? Good luck trying to convince them of anything.”
“All it takes is one,” I said coldly.
“Maybe,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe not. I wasn’t gonna risk it.”
“‘I have a dream’.”
“...That’s cold, man, and you know it.”
“Then what’s changed?” I growled. “What made you decide that you needed to do something other than follow? What finally made you decide to stick your neck out?”
“I came up here, and saw what was happening.”
I blinked, taken aback by the pain in his voice. My anger faded slightly, replaced with confusion. “What?”
“Look at them,” Drake said, motioning around at the ponies. “These aren’t guards. They’re not even fighters. Some of them are dressed as maids for God’s sake! They didn’t fight back. They just screamed and tried to run away. What good does attacking them do? They don’t control anything up here. I mean, I can understand attacking the rulers, but the servants? That’s just so… so… cruel! It’s unnecessary bloodshed. That’s why I changed my mind. So I snuck back when no one was looking and started to try and help whoever and however I could.”
“And you moved them in here?”
“Better in here, behind a locked door, than out there in the open,” Drake huffed. “Sure, the door doesn’t offer much in the way of protection, as you’ve just shown, but it’s better than nothing.”
“I guess,” I hummed. Glancing over at the girls, who had both calmed down and were now watching curiously, I nodded my head in their direction. “What about them?”
“I’m not sure,” Drake said, clicking his tongue. “They don’t speak a lick of English, so I can’t understand a word they say. I didn’t even know they followed me until they started to help me move the ponies. I’m assuming they didn’t like what was happening either. There was one more of us, but she wandered off to find more stuff to turn into bandages. You didn’t happen to see her, did you?”
I shook my head. “You’re the first people we’ve come across since arriving the castle.”
“I see,” Drake muttered. “I hope she’s alright.”
I opened my mouth to ask him another question, only to pause as one of the girls approached my timidly. Her eyes darted up to my face as she fidgeted before returning back to the ground. She seemed to almost chicken out before, dashing forward, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug.
She was small, her head barely reaching my chest, but she was strong. I could feel my ribs creaking as she buried her face in my shirt.
“Dank u voor de sterkte,” she muttered before pulling herself away and returned to her tending of the ponies. The other girl gave her an incredulous look before shaking her head and moving to help her.
I stood there, unsure of what had just happened.
“So,” Drake hummed after a brief moment, a smile on his lips, “not to break up a lovely moment like that, but what’s your next move?”
I shot him a dirty look.
“I’m already in a relationship, thank you,” I huffed. “As for my next move, I’m going after Dustin. I need to stop him before he does any more damage… or hurts any more ponies.”
“You aren’t going to kill him, are you?” Drake asked nervously.
“I don’t plan to, but that’s up to him.”
“I guess I can understand that,” he sighed. “When you leave this room, take a right. Keep walking until you hit a set of stairs, go up them and then take a left. That’s as far as I went before leaving.”
I gave him a quick smile. “Thanks.”
“Good luck.”
“Same to you,” I said, looking around at the ponies. “If I happen to bump into a pony that can help, I’ll send them your way.” This caused Drake to give me a strange look.
“Can you really communicate with them?” he asked.
“Depends,” I said.
“Depends on what?”
“On if they can understand me,” I said with a smirk. “I can communicate with some form of pony sign language. It only works if the pony knows it.”
He shook his head, laughing weakly. “I swear, you are the weirdest-ass cracker I’ve ever met.”
I gave him the bird before turning to leave, but stopped just short of the door. Glancing around, I pointed at three humans who had followed me in. “You three, stay here. Don’t let anyone in this room, unless he says it’s okay,” I said, pointing at Drake. “Got it?” They nodded before creeping further into the room.
With that, I turned and exited into the hall.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~
It soon became apparent that I hadn’t really needed Drake’s directions after all. All I had to do was follow the bloodstains, and the destruction after that when the number of crimson pools diminished. Apparently when the humans had run out of ponies to attack, some of them had taken to damaging the walls and decorations as they went along. Paintings were destroyed, windows smashed, and vases tipped over. Really, it was almost like they were trying to leave a trail behind them.
This trail of destruction went on for a while, going this way and that, almost as if the person leading them didn’t really have an destination in mind. Or, I realized with a smirk, they got lost and didn’t know where they were going.
After a few minutes we came to a fork in the corridor, with the vandalism going off in both directions. Glancing between the two paths, I sent a dozen or so humans down the left side before taking my remaining followers down the more heavily abused right side.
“And remember,” I called after the second party, “no killing unless you have to!”
“Move faster,” Psy growled, bumping into me. “Blood. Smell blood. Need fight, now!”
I shot him a glare. “We’re here to stop the fighting, not join it.”
“Humans fight,” he muttered, eyes darting back and forth. “Humans always fight. Need to fight. Prey, yes. Hunting prey.”
I was about to scold him when a faint shout echoed down the hallway, followed by another one. The humans perked up, staring towards the source of the noise unblinkingly. More shouting, followed by the sound of a spell being fired off snapped me out of my stupor. “Alright, let’s go.” We raced off down the hall, the sounds of shouting and fighting growing louder as we drew nearer. Sprinting around a corner, I skidded to a stop at the sight before me.
Ponies in cobalt armor littered the floor, some missing parts of their armor which had been thrown to the side. In the middle of the hall, a group of humans were huddled, trying to push forward under a barrage of spells coming from a group of ponies further down the corridor, hunkered behind doors and alcoves. While the spells barely seemed to affect the humans’ makeshift shields, they were still enough to slow the humans’ advance to a crawl.
At our arrival, a pony poked her head out from behind a door and glanced down the hall. Her face scrunched up and she quickly withdrew again, just as an arrow flew towards her. “<Shit! More of them just showed up!>”
“<Doesn’t matter. Just keep holding them back!>”
Ignoring the unintelligible whickering coming from down the hall, I pointed at the group of humans. “Alright, help the ponies, but remember: try and do it without killing if possible!”
“Prey is prey,” Psy growled before charging down the hall. A split second later, the rest of the humans followed after him. At the sound of running feet, one of the Terran humans turned and glanced behind him. Seeing the approaching horde of new humans, a brief smile crossed his lips, before quickly turning to confusion, and then fear, as Psy suddenly lept the last few feet, pouncing right onto the unaware group. Startled cries and confusion turned the fight into chaos as the rest of the Equestrian humans joined in.
I moved to join them, but a loud crash from a room off to the side drew my attention instead. The door, hanging from one hinge, crashed to the floor as something large emerged from within. It had to stoop to go through the doorway, but when it straightened up, I stepped back in shock. “The fuck?!”
At my shout, the large armored human turned to face me. In his hands, he gripped what appeared to be a cast-iron fence post, the tip of which was stained red.
“You!” he shouted, his voice echoing inside the rounded helmet. “What the hell are you doing here?!”
I couldn’t answer. I could only stare up at this behemoth, mouth agape. They were building something like this down there? Where the hell did they get the materials?!
“Tanker!” came a shout, causing both of us to jump. Glancing down the hall, I saw Dustin waving his hands frantically from amidst a mosh pit of fighting humans. “Dude, get your armored ass over here. We need help!”
Tanker grunted before awkwardly turning and beginning to stomp down the hall. Shaking my head, I lunged forward and jumped on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. Or at least attempted to. His armor was thick!
Tanker staggered slightly under my unexpected weight, but managed to stay standing. Bending his knees, he threw himself backwards, slamming his back—and me—into the wall. Stars exploded in front of my eyes, and my grip loosened slightly. Taking advantage of this, he reached up, grabbed my arms, and proceeded to throw me bodily across the hall and into the other wall.
I slid slowly to the floor, winded and gasping for breath.
“Fucker,” Tanker growled, shaking his body to try and adjust his armor. Lifting the fence post, he thrust it towards my stomach.
Eyes widening, I rolled to the side quickly, barely avoiding the piece of pointed metal. I scrambled to my feet, still trying to catch my breath. As Tanker pulled the makeshift spear from the masonry, I realized something that I had forgotten. Something important.
I didn’t bring a weapon with me.
Before I had time to lament my stupidity, Tanker swung at my head. Yelping, I ducked and quickly dove between his legs, rolling away. He tried to stomp on my legs as I passed, but the armor appeared to be too bulky, and impeded his movements.
Staggering to my feet again, I looked around for something—anything—that might help me fight this juggernaut of a—
“<Max!>”
A loud nicker from my right caused me to jump, and I yelped upon seeing Ebony standing in the doorway to the room Tanker had emerged from. She was disheveled, her armor and mane in disarray. Her eyes were bloodshot and a steady stream of blood flowed from her nose. She appeared dazed.
“Ebony?” I gasped. “What the he—shit!” Tanker swung at me again, nearly taking my head off in the process. I stumbled backwards, trying to put some distance between me and him.
“Hold still, you little prick!” Tanker growled.
“How about no,” I shouted back. He lunged again, and I ducked under his arm, trying to keep myself behind him and out of his reach. While he might have armor, it slowed him down. It was also probably very heavy, and I could hopefully use that to my advantage.
Cocking back a foot, I aimed a kick at his backside. It connected, bringing him to his knees, as well as causing pain to explode up my leg. I had forgotten that there was no real cushion in my homemade sandals, so I just essentially kicked his armored ass barefoot.
“Sonofabitch!” I grunted, clutching my foot.
“<Max, hold still!>” Ebony nickered,
~Can’t understand you~ I signed quickly as Tanker struggled to stand again. ~Use hoof-language!~
“<What? Why?>” she whinnied before snorting and shaking her head. Leaning against the doorframe, she signed, ~Max, stay still!~
I froze as her horn sputtered to life, the amount of blood leaking from her nostrils increasing, before realization struck me and I held my arms out wide. The magic around her horn flared with blinding light.
CLANK
“Oh yeah, baby!” I shouted, my voice echoing around the helmet that had suddenly materialized about my head and shoulders. “This is more like it!” Turning to give Ebony a thumbs-up, I paused when I saw she was passed out, slumped against the side of the doorframe. Her chin and mouth were now stained red, the blood dripping steadily to the floor. “Shit, Ebony!” I took a step towards her, only to have a fence post glance off my shoulder plate.
“The hell is this?” Tanker screamed. “Where the fuck did you get that armor?!”
“From a friend,” I snarked. “Where’d you get yours? Build it in a cave from spare bomb parts? Seriously, you trying to be Iron Man with that shit?”
“You’re one to talk, Mr. BioShock,” Tanker growled before lunging forward.
Standing my ground, I grabbed the approaching spear with my now gauntleted hands and heaved. This caused Tanker to stagger into me, and we both fell into the wall.
“<What the buck?!>” someone squawked as we crashed through the wall and into a room in shower of dust and stone. Still holding onto the fence post, I pulled my fist back and smashed it into Tanker’s head, causing a loud ring to echo around the room. He immediately released the spear and staggered away, holding his helmeted head.
Not waiting for him to recover, I held the iron fence post like a bat and swung it at his head.
CLAAAAaaaAAAAaaaAAANG!
“GAH!” He roared, falling back against the wall and causing the plaster to crack.
“For whom the bell tolls, bitch!” I shouted, taking another swing. He held up his arm to protect himself, and the post glanced off the metal and thudded into the floor where it stuck. Tugging on it, I tried to pull it free, but before I could succeed, Tanker backhanded me. I tumbled backwards, my head smashing against the inside of the helmet as I landed on my back. Fuck! Note to self, put cushions in here.
As I got back on my feet, Tanker grabbed the fence post and yanked it from the floor.
“Tanker!” Dustin’s voice echoed down the hall. “Where the fuck are you? We need you now!”
“Working on it!” he shouted, hefting the spear.
I charged forward as he was shouting, only to have to backtrack as he thrust the spear towards my stomach. Unable to move fast enough, I caught the tip of the post in my gut. It tore through the material, but luckily didn’t do more than scratch my stomach.
As he pulled the spear free of the cloth beneath my armor, I held a hand over the hole.
“Yeah, you’re not so tough now,” he sneered.
“Just because I’m not decked out completely in armor like you doesn’t mean something like this will slow me down,” I huffed. He lunged again, and I sidestepped, kneeing him in the stomach as he stumbled. His suit may have been bigger, and may have more armor, but it was also more restrictive.
He released the spear and grabbed my leg, taking me down with him as we collapsed to the floor. I kicked him frantically, trying to free myself. Lifting a hand, I brought my fist down on the back of his head. My gauntleted fist.
My glowing, gauntleted fist.
Of fucking course! Why didn’t I think of that before?! Jerking my foot free, I gave Tanker’s side one last kick before scrambling away. I needed distance for what I was about to do.
Lurching to his feet, Tanker used the makeshift spear to steady himself. “Oi! Where the fuck do you think you’re going, you little piece of sh—”
Turning quickly, I raised my right hand, the gauntlet’s red glow intensifying as the magic runes etched into it began to grow brighter. I could already feel the heat emanating from the glove, and I hadn’t even activated it yet.
Bring my fingers together, I gave one, last silent prayer. Please don’t roast everything.
snap
In a roar of flames, a fireball exploded from around my hand and flew towards Tanker. He didn’t even have time to scream before it crashed into him, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the wall in an eruption of fire and heat.
As the fire faded, Tanker slid slowly to the floor where he laid, unmoving. His armor was charred and there was—comically—an outline of him on the wall, surrounded by soot and burnt plaster. His eye and mouth holes were smoking slightly.
Breathing heavily, I kept my distance, waiting to see if he’d stand back up. When nothing happened, I crept forward carefully and nudged him with my boot. He remained motionless, shallow breath coming from within the helmet.
“That’s it then,” I muttered. With that, I turned and staggered off, stopping just long enough to pick up Ebony before exiting the room through the hole we had made in the wall.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~
Avera stared wide-eyed at the burnt wall from her hiding spot in the far corner of the room. After Primrose had gotten impaled by the spear, she had dragged her body over while Ebony had attempted to distract the armored human. Things had been going downhill until suddenly, the armored human had come crashing back into the room, followed—somehow—by Max in his own suit of armor.
The two had fought for a few minutes until Max had suddenly blasted the other human with a giant fireball, ending the fight and putting the armored human out of commission. Then, before she had time to recover enough from her shock and surprise to call out to him, he had picked up the unconscious form of Ebony and left.
“Damn,” she breathed, still staring at the charred half of the room.
A wet, weak chuckle came from beside her.
“I… I told you Max’s was better,” Primrose rasped.
“Shut up,” Avera ordered, pressing a bloody hoof down on the gaping wound in Primrose’s stomach, trying to staunch the blood with a piece of cloth. It was useless though, the cloth already thoroughly soaked with blood.
“Come on, now that the big guy’s taken care of the human, we can get you medical attention,” Avera hissed. “Just hold on. Y-you… you’re gonna be fine.”
Primrose just wheezed, her eyes slowly dimming.
Biting her lip, Avera tossed aside the bloodied cloth. She hooked her hooves under Primrose’s forelegs, and, lifting her carefully, began to drag her towards the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > Max < < ~ ~ ~ ~
I limped down the hall, wincing as I put pressure on my bruised foot. It wasn’t broken, but now that I didn’t have adrenaline pumping through me, it was starting to hurt. Still, I kept walking, making sure to keep Ebony’s body tucked safely by my side.
The rest of the humans were wrapping up their fight when I finally reached them. Some of the Terrans were unconscious, lying prone on the ground. The rest were being corralled and tied together by the ponies, who were eyeing the Equestrian humans nervously as they stood off to the side.
As I approached, the ponies tensed and several of the unicorns began channeling magic down their horns. Keeping ahold of Ebony, I reached up with the other hand and pulled my helmet off.
“<Max?>” a voice called out from the crowd. A few seconds later a familiar face emerged.
Night Light staggered forward, eyeing me warily. He looked a little worse for wear, a bloodied bandage wrapped around his neck. Coming to a stop in front of me, he winced and held a hoof to his neck.
“<What are you doing here?>” he nickered, eyes narrowing. “<What’s going on?>”
Gently lowering Ebony to the ground, I stood back up.
~Sorry, can’t understand you~ I signed. ~The girls blasted me with the Elements, and now I can’t understand what you’re saying~
This caused his muzzle to scrunch up. “<You’ve got to be kidding me.>”
“Yeah, see. No clue what you’re saying,” I said with a shrug.
Night Light snorted and shook his head.
~Okay~ he signed, wincing in pain as he did so. ~What’s going on?~
~Short version? Equestrian humans are intelligent~ I replied, causing his eyes to widen. ~They’ve been getting smarter over the past few years, but nobody seemed to notice. As for these fucks—~ I motioned towards the bound Terran humans ~—they’re humans from my old world, who believe ponies are enslaving the Equestrian humans by means of some spell, so they’re trying to revolt and free themselves~
As I finished signing, Night Light grunted and rubbed his temple with a hoof. A white unicorn approached, saying something to Night Light who in turn replied. As the pair talked, a pony that looked like a medic moved to examine Ebony. I crouched down, watching her as she examined my unconscious friend. After a brief moment, she glanced up and gave me a small smile and nod.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god. Now then… where’s the other two—
“<Hey! I need some help over here!>”
Glancing over my shoulder, I blinked when I saw Avera struggling towards us, dragging something behind her. It took me a few seconds, but upon realizing what she was dragging, I blanched.
“Primrose!” I shouted, staggering down the hall. There was a shout and a clatter of hooves as several ponies, including Night Light, followed after me. As the medic started working, I could only stare in horror at the sight before me. Her armor had been sheared clean through, and there was a gaping hole in her abdomen through which blood was steadily flowing. The wound bubbled as she breathed, her breaths coming in short, wheezing gasps. Her eyes were dim and barely open, and she seemed to be hanging on by a thread.
The medic winced as she inspected the wound. “<The weapon went all the way through. I think it missed her kidney, but it definitely tore through her intestines.>”
“<Is there anything you can do for her?>” Night Light nickered. I didn’t like the grim look on his face.
“<I can try,>” the medic answered with a grimace. “<I’m not going to lie. There isn’t much I can do. The wound’s too severe, and she’s lost too much blood.>”
“<Like Tartarus there’s nothing you can do!>” Avera snarled. “<You are not giving up on her!>”
“<I never said I was,>” the medic shot back. “<I’m just telling you to not get your hopes up. The odds aren’t with her at the moment.>”
Man, I don’t like being left out of the conversation, I brooded as the medic leaned forward and peered at Primrose’s pauldron, or rather a couple of small symbols etched into the side. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the etchings before she suddenly perked up.
“<She’s a sanguinarian?>” she yelped, glancing quickly over at Avera. When Avera nodded at whatever it was she asked, the medic dove into her saddlebags. “<Where is it? Where is it?>” she muttered under her breath as she rummaged around in the bags. “<I know I saw it earlier. Where the buck is—ah ha!>” Crying out happily, she pulled her hoof out of the bags, revealing…
“Is that a blood bag?” I asked in bewilderment. My talking earned me a couple of confused looks from the gathered ponies, but the medic ignored me. Holding Primrose’s head gently in her hooves, she grabbed the blood bag in her teeth and tore it open before dumping the entire contents into Primrose’s mouth.
“<Come on, hun. Swallow it,>” the medic cooed as she rubbed Primrose’s throat.
Primrose gagged, struggling weakly before she began to swallow. At first nothing appeared to happen, but then my eyes widened as the edges of the wound began to close. Hope began to well up in my chest, only to die as the healing stopped. The wound had barely closed a centimeter.
My eyes narrowed. Blood heals her, but it’s not enough...
“<Buck,>” the medic hissed as she tossed the empty blood bag away. “<That didn’t help as much as I thought it would.>”
“<Well then use more!>” Avera shouted, waving her hooves at the medic.
“<I don’t have any more,>” the medic shouted back.
Avera snorted, glaring at the mare. “<What kind of medic only carries one bag of blood around?>”
“<The kind that’s already used them,>” the medic growled. “<You think she was the only one that got hurt? Some of our own forces needed them as well, and I had to use most of my supply already! I don’t have any more.>”
“<But—>”
“<What do you want me to do? Magic more blood bags out of thin air? Because I can’t, okay? So, if you’d kindly stop yelling at me, I can focus on trying to save her li—GAH!>”
Growing tired of their unintelligible bickering, I shoved the medic aside. She gave an indignant squawk, but I ignored her. Gingerly, I picked Primrose up, being mindful of her wound. Her blood dripped down onto my gloved hands, staining the material, but I didn’t care. Clothing could be cleaned.
As I turned her to face me, her eyes fluttered open. She gave me a blank look, a spark of recognition flashing across the dim orbs. I gave her a weak smile, which she dazedly tried to return. Reaching up, I used my thumb to push her lips aside, exposing her fangs.
“<Hey, what do you think you’re doing? I need to tend to her—>” the medic began.
Pushing Primrose’s mouth open, I took a deep breath before, with forced determination, I forced her head down and drove her fangs into the side of my neck. I gasped as her fangs pierced my skin, twin points of burning pain. Instantly I felt my blood begin to flow, coating her fangs and painting her tongue and the inside of her mouth red. For a brief moment she was still, then she twitched. Her tongue touched my neck tentatively, almost as if she was unsure of what was going on.
“Come on, Primrose,” I grunted. “You're not dying today…”
~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~
Cold.
That was what Primrose felt. A coldness that crept through her entire body and seemed to chill her very bones. It hadn’t started that way though. There had once been pain, and a fiery burning sensation in her gut which had caused her agony with every move she made, no matter how small. However, the burning had quickly numbed, replaced by the cold.
Cold… it reminded her of home. A home that was now so far away. Of snow and stone, flowers and sun.
A green pegasus with a yellow mane frolicked through a sea of yellow flowers before her. Primrose blinked dazedly as she realized that she recognized them. Their name was on the tip of her tongue.
“O-oenothera,” she murmured weakly. “Oenothera biennis.” Yes, that was it. Her family used to grow them around their home. She had gotten her name from them.
Both her names.
She smiled as the young pegasus before her rolled about in the flowers happily, a large grin on her face as yellow petals flew through the air. Mother would no doubt scold them later, but for now, it was worth it.
Primrose tiredly watched the pegasus play for a few minutes, her strength slowly fading. She felt tired, and the urge to close her eyes and fall asleep was growing. Surely a brief nap in the sun would be alright. It might even help with the coldness in her body. Her eyes slowly began to drift shut, but she was jerked back awake by the feeling of somepony tugging on her forelegs.
“Leave me alone,” she muttered, too tired to pull herself away. “Let me sleep.”
Somepony shouted something, and even though the speaker was practically by her ear, the words were muddy and unclear, as if shouted from a great distance. If felt like she was being dragged now, and her stomach twinged as she shifted. She didn’t feel any pain though, just a sudden burst of numbness. Wearily, she ignored the pulling sensation and returned her attention to the pegasus in the flowers.
The pegasus was now lying spread eagled on her back, wings flared wide as she stared up at the clouds far above. Flowers surrounded her head like a crown, mixing well with her yellow mane. She just laid there, basking in the sun as she watched the clouds drift about on the wind, not a care in the world. Just a lazy filly, enjoying life.
“Sundrop?” a distorted voice called out. “Sundrop, come inside.”
Turning her head, Primrose glanced about. A house had appeared in the distance, on the edge of the field of flowers. A mare was standing in the doorway, presumably the one who had called out.
Primrose blinked, and gave her head a small shake. At first she thought it had just been her vision, but upon looking again, it was the same as before. She could tell the pony was a mare, but all other details were impossible to make out. She could see the mare, but at the same time could not. What was her fur color? White? Yellow? No, it almost looked purple? Red? It made Primrose’s head hurt, so she looked away.
“Sundrop, come inside,” the mare called out again. “You need to get washed up. Dinner’s almost ready!”
The young filly pouted, snuggling deeper into her bed of flowers.
Primrose smirked. Ah, youthful rebellion. It was so—
She blinked, staring dazedly up at the clouds far above. Around her, flowers bobbed and danced in the breeze, tickling her fur and bringing with them a pleasant aroma. What had she been doing earlier? Something about humans… and… and…
She frowned as the memories slowly began to drift away. There had been a large human in armor, right? No… that must have been a dream. She must have dozed off while lying in the sun. Yes, she decided, that was it. She had just drifted off due to the warmth of the sun and had a strange dream.
But if that was the case, then why was she so cold?
...what had she been doing before?
“Sundrop! I’m not going to tell you again,” the voice called out once more.
Oh yeah, Primrose realized. Dinner was ready, and mother was calling her to come in. She smiled, only for the smile to slowly turn into a pout. But she was too comfortable, she didn’t want to get up.
Suddenly a white face appeared above her, framed by deep emerald green hair. Green eyes twinkled as the upside down mare stared down at her, a knowing smirk on her face.
“Come on, Drops,” the mare said. “We best get going before mother gets mad. Or at least more mad, seeing as you’ve destroyed her flowers again.
“I didn’t destroy them,” Primdrop snorted. “They’ll be fine.”
The mare raised an eyebrow. “Really? ‘Cause it looks like you flattened them.”
Sundrop stuck out her tongue. “Nuh-uh!”
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“I didn’t flatten them. I just made them more comfy!” Sundrop pouted.
“Right, okay,” the mare said, rolling her eyes. Her smirk faded, becoming a warm smile as she gazed down at Primrose. “Come on, little sis,” she said softly. “Let’s go get cleaned up.” Getting up, she began making her way towards the house. “Come on. I’ll race ya!”
“W-wait!” Sundrop cried, scrambling to her hooves. “Wait for me, Sis!” Flaring her wings, she—
Primrose jerked awake, her eyes fluttering open. A mare in armor was above her, saying something that she couldn’t understand. She stared down at Primrose, concern in her eyes. There were other ponies around her, as well as a large mass that seemed familiar but she couldn’t place it right now.
What’s going on? she wondered as the mare above her reached up and opened a plastic bag with her teeth. Primrose felt her mouth pushed open, and the contents of the bag were suddenly dumped into her mouth. Gah! What the—?! A warm liquid filled her mouth, a metallic taste clinging to her tongue. She struggled weakly for a moment before swallowing. A faint warmth flared to life in her chest before fading again, consumed by the cold.
Ponies were arguing around her now, shouting at one another, but Primrose ignored them. Her vision was failing, the edges creeping in as everything faded to black. She didn't care though. She was too tired. She just needed to sleep. Maybe… maybe if she was lucky, she’d return to the field of flowers again.
She was pulled back from the brink by something big picking her up, holding her as one would a foal. Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared blearily into the concerned face of a human. He had a scar running across his nose, leading to his right eye, which was milky white.
Primrose’s eyes widened a miniscule amount. Wait… I know you.
The human gave her a weak smile, which she returned. Her vision wavered as he lifted a hand towards her, and the human’s face was replaced with a white one, framed by emerald hair.
I’m coming, Sis, Primrose sighed as darkness claimed her. It might be three hundred years later than expected, but I’ll finally see you soon—
Blood exploded into her mouth, startling her. She noted dimly that her fangs were now buried into the human’s neck. Hesitantly, she touched her tongue to the human’s flesh, the familiar taste of blood slowly consuming her senses. Memories began to flash before her eyes.
A fire, consuming the small, homely house in the dead of the night.
Screams of those trapped inside.
Shadows dancing across the destroyed flowerbeds, cackling madly as they set the place ablaze.
Red eyes flashing in the dark.
Her sister, white fur marred with blood, crushed beneath a burning beam. She was shouting at her, waving her hoof, begging. “Run! Run, Little Drop! Run and don’t look back!”
“B-but—”
“Please!” Enchanter yelled, her face scrunching up in fear and pain. Tears trailed down her cheeks, glinting in the light of the fire roaring around her. “You must live! Run, Sundrop! Don’t stop, just run! Don’t give up!
Don’t give up.
Don’t give up.
Don’t…
Eyes snapping open wide, Primrose clamped down on Max’s neck, digging her fangs deeper into his flesh. Wrapping her hooves around him, she gulped greedily as his blood began to fill her mouth, flooding down her throat and into her stomach. As she drank, a fire erupted in her gut, chasing off the cold and clearing her head.
Her instincts took over, drawing strength from the willing source beneath her.
She drank the blood of her friend.
She drank to survive.
~ ~ ~ ~ > > Max < < ~ ~ ~ ~
I yelped as Primrose suddenly latched onto me and began to drink in earnest. Surprisingly, after the initial clamp down, the process was fairly painless. Just a slight burning sensation where her fangs were embedded in my neck. I could feel her sucking, her lips pressed against my skin. A soft chuckle escaped me as I thought of something. Hopefully I can explain the hickey to Twilight before she gets the wrong idea.
Primrose clung to me as she continued to drink my blood like a person dying of thirst. This continued for a couple of minutes until she finally began to slow. Giving one last gulp, she pulled her fangs free and collapsed back into my arms.
As I lowered her to the ground, I studied the wound in her stomach. It had shrunk significantly, now resembling a knife wound instead of the gaping hole it had been. Her breathing, while still shallow, no longer contained an unsettling wheeze. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, her scleras black and pupils mere slits against her red irises. Blood stained her lips dark crimson.
I had barely set her down on the ground before the medic was upon me, slapping a gauze over the bite mark.
“<You idiot,>” she tsked. “<You’re lucky she didn’t drain you, what with the state she’s in. What were you thinking?>” She began wrapping a bandage around my neck, having some difficulty when the collar got in her way.
“<But that’s his MO,>” Avera chuckled weakly. “<Act first, think later.>” She gazed down at Primrose, her smile fading. “<Is… is she going to be alright?>”
The medic finished bandaging my neck before glancing down at Primrose as well. “<I don’t know. The wound is better, yes, but she still needs medical attention soon. All he’s done is bought her time.>” Pulling more bandages out of her bag, she began to clean the wound. Primrose was unresponsive, staring off into the distance.
Holding a hand to my neck, I got to my feet only to sway due to a sudden bout of lightheadedness.
~Are you alright?~ Night Light asked.
~Fine~ I signed. ~Just a little lightheaded~
~Understandable~ He signed with a nod.
As I placed a hand on the wall to steady myself, I felt something poke my knee. Glancing down, I found Avera staring up at me. She said nothing, just reached up and wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me into a hug. A small smile touched my lips, and I patted her head gently.
“It’s good to see you too,” I muttered.
She nickered softly before pulling away.
~So, what’s your plan now?~ Night Light asked.
~Well, the original one was to stop them~ I signed, glancing over at the captured Terran humans. ~It seems you and the Equestrian humans have that under control though~
~Yeah, it was good that you came when you did~ he signed. ~A few more minutes and it might have been a different story~
I laughed. ~I didn’t do much. It was the Equestrian humans that helped you out~
He hummed softly, giving the Equestrian humans a once over. They stood off to the side, keeping an eye on the Terran humans. ~I suppose so~
“<Sir?>” the medic nickered, glancing over her shoulder. “<I got her as stable as possible, but we need to get her to the medical ward soon. You, Sergeant Flare, Lieutenant Nightwing, and several others could stand to see a Healer as well.>”
Night Light grunted. “<How soon can we move her?>”
“<Right now.>”
“<Understood,>” Night Light sighed.
Reaching down, I placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. ~What’s going on?~
~We’re going to attempt to move the injured to the medical wing~ he replied.
My eyes lit up.
~Great!~ I signed. ~We passed by a group of ponies in need of medical attention on the way here. They were in bad shape, but were being looked after~
~Where?~
~They were in a room down the hall and—~
The floor shifted beneath our feet as the castle suddenly shook. The force caused many of us to lose our balance, ponies and humans alike tumbling to the ground. I luckily staggered into a wall, only to have Night Light slam into my legs a second later. The few windows that were nearby shattered, sending shards of glass tinkling to the ground. The whole place shook again, stronger than the first quake. A deep, earthy groan echoed through the halls before the tremors slowly stopped.
“<What the flying buck was that?>” Avera whickered as she got to her hooves.
“Ugh… what the fuck was that?” I groaned, pushing myself off the wall. My armor had left an indent in the plaster, the white dust covering the black metal.
“<Is everypony all right?>” a large unicorn asked.
I ignored him and stumbled to one of the broken windows, glass crunching beneath my boots. Clinging to the window sill, I leaned forward and peered out. It took my brain a few seconds to process what it was seeing, but when it did, my eyes widened. “The hell…?”
Both the sun and moon were in the sky, slightly overlapping each other and turning the sky blood red. The clouds were a darker shade of scarlet, and the stars had become glowing embers against the hellish heavens. Large chunks of land hovered high above, almost like islands in an invisible sea. A dark liquid cascaded off of several of them, falling like a waterfall to the ground far, far below. Clouds drifted low, hovering near the islands. Unlike their bloody brethren higher up, these clouds were pink in color and seemed to be raining the same dark liquid.
That in-and-of-itself was enough to freak me out, but it got worse.
Much worse.
There, looming over the far end of the palace like a massive obelisk, was a creature I had seen only twice before: in a dream, and as a statue. A massive lion’s paw gripped one of the castle’s towers, causing the structure to groan loudly. Red eyes glowed in the gloom as they glowered down on the palace.
As I stared up at the monstrous form before me, two massive mismatched wings unfurled, blocking out the horizon. A deep echoing chuckle seemed to make the very air vibrate as its lips pulled back to reveal sharpened teeth.
There was no doubt about it.
Discord had arrived.