//------------------------------// // Disarmed // Story: OC, Oh Crap! // by SmokeShadow95 //------------------------------// Silence. It was so strangely silent. She couldn't hear anything. She stared at him as he lay there, motionless and barely even alive. Ponies rushed all around him. They were saying things, medical terms and words she didn't understand. There were voices everywhere, each one of the trying to be heard above the rest. Machines were being dragged into the room with tubes and buttons and flashing lights. Beeps and noised could be heard just under everything else. The voices blended together, the machines rhythmically made whatever noise they were meant to make. It all came together in a cacophony on the senses. “I can't believe this,” She breathed out in a low breath. “I can't believe that this has happened. Not to him.” “My Queen,” Silk started to say but she had no words to follow with. What was there to say? Ben lay on a large hospital bed in the room below them. Ponies had been running in and out of the room ever since he was brought into the hospital. When he was found under the collapse, Ben was in better shape than anyone thought he would be. But that didn't mean he wasn't severely injured. The larger rocks that landed around him shielded him from some of the collapse as it came down. But that was only a small part of it. His body was crushed. Numerous small but deep cuts and punctures were scattered over his back and left side. One of his legs was broken in at least three places. Blood covered seventy percent of his large body. Most of the crimson substance was pouring from one place in particular. It was the most serious injure he had, the most serious injury any of them had ever seen in their entire lives. Somehow, during the collapse, as the rocks came crashing down around him and on him Ben had suffered a great loss. His right arm, it was gone. He had lost it forever, separated from the rest of his body. Austin's mind payed back the images he had seen from his visions. “I saw this,” Austin mumbled. “I saw this in a vision, and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.” “What?!” Silk said at a near shout. “You foresaw this?” “Explain yourself,” Chyrsalis said. Her voice did not carry with it the same commanding tone that she normally had. Her eyes never moved from the still form of the human in the other room either. “I had some visions before” Austin said. “Not too long ago. All I got was a bunch of vague images and some odd feelings. I didn't understand any of it.” “But if you saw it then why did you let this happen?” Silk asked accusingly. “What kind of person are you?” “Watch it, Changeling!” Austin hissed as his hand shot out faster than she could react. His open palm collided with the tiled wall just centimeters away from her face. Broken pieces of tile were ejected from the wall and she could see the anger in Austin's eyes. “That is my friend in there, remember that.” “Stand down, Austin.” Twilight said. “We all know you would have down anything to save Ben if you could have.” “Indeed,” Chrysalis murmured. “Don't worry, Chrysalis,” Tessla consoled her as best he could. “Ben is the toughest guy we've ever met. He'll pull through this. Just wait and you'll see.” The door to the room opened up and a doctor pony stepped through at a brisk pace. He stopped as soon as he saw the group of them standing there. He eyed Chrysalis suspiciously for a moment before stepping around to talk to Twilight directly. “Princess, I have some news about the human Ben.” He said. “What is it doctor?” “He came in with several surface lacerations and punctures as well as s numerous internal injuries. We have managed to find and mend most of the internal injuries already. The surface wounds, while deep, are not critical.” “What about his arm?” Austin asked. He was doing his best to keep a straight face for the rest of them. “Yes, that.” The doctor said. “That is much more serious injury than we initially believed. His right arm was simultaneously severed from his body from the collapsing rocks falling and slicing into it. We believe that he lost consciousness due to the pain at that time. We have stopped the bleeding for now but that is a temporary solution at best.” “What are you going to do about it doctor?” Twilight asked. Before the doctor could answer Twilight's question a great crashing sound erupted from the still open doorway that lead into the room Ben was in. A few ponies inside the room screamed and shouted as a shadow appeared in the window. Everyone was barely able to move in time as the shadow grew larger before shattering the window into countless shards of glass. After evading the machine that had somehow been thrown threw the glass Austin was the first to recover. He scrambled to his feet trying not to skid on the broken glass. He jumped through the newly created opening and rushed into the room further. There were several ponies all trying to restrain Ben. Ben had regained consciousness, but his mind was still reeling from the shock of everything that had happened to him. His one good arm was flailing about in a feeble attempt to get a hold on anything he could, but everything he could grasp was being thrown about the room instead. Two nurse ponies huddled in a far corner only racing to the exit when Austin entered the room. Grunts of effort mixed with pain filled the air as Ben tried to move. A large earth pony was doing his very best to keep Ben laying on the bed but he was at a disadvantage of being only half the size of the human. “Ben!” Austin called out as he got closer. He took a few cautiously placed steps forward. He heard the crunch of the glass behind him. Someone had followed him in here. A quick glance back told him it was Tessla. “I'll get his arm,” Tessla said “You calm him down.” Tessla didn't wait for a response before he moved up. Quickly he stepped up, narrowly avoiding the swinging arm of his friend. He had to evade another swing before he finally chanced getting a hold of his arm. Tessla timed it right so he got both arms around Ben's one arm. The force of the swing sent Tessla into the wall behind him, yet he did not lose his grip at all. He used a small bit of his Discordian magic to secure himself to the wall for a short while. Austin wasted no time in moving up after this. “Ben” He said as he came up to him. “Ben, can you hear me?” Ben's eyes shifted about, unfocused and darting around from place to place. He groaned in pain again just before his head snapped towards Austin suddenly. He let out a labored breath of relief as his bloodied face twisted into words. Ben was trying to speak to Austin. “What?” Austin said. He leaned in closer to hear what it was. Ben's voice was low, but clear. He cleared his throat and fought through the pain. Ben spoke the words just barely loud enough so that Tessla could hear what he had to say as well. “What is it Ben,” Austin asked, worried about his friend. Ben looked up at his two friends. With the last strength he had he uttered out only a single word. “Zebras.” === “Are you sure that is what he said?” Applejack asked for the third time that night. They had all left he hospital earlier. At first, everyone's intentions were to go home but none of them could sleep. They all knew it and they all had bigger things on their mind. And so they never did go home that night. Instead they all headed over to the castle. They congregated in the throne room to talk. “I was there, AJ,” Tessla said. “I heard him, too.” “Ah just don't get it,” Applejack said. “What's there to get, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash blurted out. “It was the zebras. Ben said so himself, with his last breath.” “He's not dead, Dash,” Tessla sighed, “He's just incapacitated at the moment.” “Whatever the means, we have to at least look into what Ben said,” Austin said plainly. “But I have no idea how to do that.” “We'll figure something out,” Twilight said as encouragingly as she could, “For starters, we should find out how and when the zebras left Equestria.” “They did not leave Equestria. The still linger in this place,” Zecora said. She sat at the edge of a nearby window, resting her head on the windowsill and staring out over the rest of Ponyville. Her tone betrayed her mood. “At least a few remain here, hiding behind a false face.” “Zecora, are you sure?” Tessla asked her. She gave him a slight, depressed nod. “It is the way of my people, we have made it an art,” She said with a slight quiver to her voice she spoke of her own people. “We strike, unseen and unheard. We end battles before they even start.” Zecora's eyes stared lazily out the clear glass window. She was not really focusing on any one thing at all. Nothing stood out to her, nothing worth focusing on. Everything was dull to her. The grass was a flat, lifeless green, the sky a pale blue. Even the ponies in the town seemed so unimportant. They were just going about their day, running their stalls and doing their jobs, buying things in the market and living their lives, or just simply having some fun. It didn't matter. Zecora couldn't bring herself to care anymore. Or so she thought. As she stared outside from the window she saw something. If asked she couldn't tell you what it was, the one small thing that got her attention. That one tiny detail that she saw that drew her eyes in and kept her focus. But she saw. A single pony near the edge of town. He stopped whatever it was he was doing and just stared out at the road that lead out of town. He stood still for a moment like this, and then he moved off. Quickly as he could without breaking into a full sprint he walked off. Zecora watched him closely after this. She followed him as he shuffled his way through the ponies in the street. “Zecora,” Tessla said, “What is it?” She ignored him. She kept her eyes on this pony. He was walking with even more determination in his stride now than before. He took a turn after a few moments and Zecora lost sight of him. She would have cursed aloud but she knew where that turn lead. There was only place he could be going. Quickly Zecora pried herself away from the window. “Zecora,” Tessla said again, “Where are you going?” She didn't respond as she left the room and left them all standing in silence. Tessla barely had time to shrug before they all headed off after her. She was almost outside by the time they all caught up. There was only the main doors between them and the rest of Ponyville now, and Zecora was only a few feet away from them. And she wasn't alone. “Zecora,” Tessla said. “Who's your friend?” “That's not important,” Said the friend. “What is important is the message I was told to deliver to Princess Twilight Sparkle with great haste!” “Well then, please, speak the message,” Twilight said kindly. “There was a disturbance noticed in the fields just outside out Ponyville,” She relayed. “A few of the Pegasi flew overhead and that's when they saw it.” “Saw what?” Twilight asked, afraid of what the answer would be. “Zebras,” The messenger said rather dramatically. “Dozens of them at least. And in front a massive zebra male, taller than most stallions and really mean looking. That's all.” “Zakir,” Austin growled. “They are here,” Zecora muttered. She was starting to show signs of fear. It was coming back, creeping back up her spine like some dark shadow. “Zecora,” Tessla said as he came around to her. She had backed up to a wall and was hugging it closely. Tessla stood next to her. “You don't have to be afraid, Zecora. We are all here for you. We won't let anything happen to you. We are your friends and we will protect you.” Zecora didn't really react to anything he said for a few moments. Her mind was still swimming with fear and nothing could stop it. But his words did get through to her just as they did once before. Zecora pushed through her fear and turned to face Tessla. She could feel it still gnawing at the back of her mind, but she gave Tessla another silent nod. His warm smile helped her a little bit more. “Oh, one last thing, though. Almost forgot.” The messenger piped up, “That big zebra was seen heading for town with a couple others. Just so ya know.” “Well then,” Austin said. What say you, Tessla?” “Let's go say hi.” === “Twilight, I am so glad you're here,” The Mayor ran up to her as soon as the doors of the castle had closed. “It's him. He's back. I never thought he would return, but he is back.” “I know, Mayor. It's Warlord Zakir,” Twilight said back to her. “What are we going to do, Twilight?” She asked in a near panic. “He has an entire legion with him.” “There is nothing you can do.” Zecora said. “He is coming for me, and he will destroy all of you too.” Everyone stopped to contemplate the words of their zebra friend. Her words betrayed her. Her voice gave way to her secrets. She knew more than she was telling. But her voice also gave way to the truth. She was scared and frightened of this other Zebra. She had run and remained hidden for so long. As much as she was praised for her wisdom, not even she could tell how this day was going to end. “She is correct,” Came a voice from behind them. Twilight, Applejack, Tessla, Austin. They all knew he was coming. Ponies all around them started to back away. At this point there was only them in the Ponyville marketplace. “There is nothing you ponies can do. I will take my sister, even if I have to go through you all.” Slowly, all of them turned to face him. The Zebrican ambassador. He had come before, yet was here again. He had come for one thing and he was going to fight for it. He stood with a small army at his command. Dozens of other zebras stood in formation behind him. He stood before them with only ten as his personal guard, not that he needed protection. “Warlord Zakir,” Tessla hissed out his name like a vile poison rolling off his tongue. “You are Zecora's brother.” “By blood alone are we related,” He roared in return, a clear anger in his tone. “And by her blood will I be cleansed of my own.” “What are you talking about,” Tessla demanded. “You know what, I don't care.” “You should,” Zakir said. “Or did she not tell you yet? How is it she came to speak the way she does, or why she fled our homeland in the first place?” “She practiced the old magics, traditions,” Tessla said firmly. “But her home was changing and she was forced to flee.” “But not before she was marked,” Zakir said with a wicked, proud smile. “A curse to take place and last for all of time. A curse, so that she could only speak in rhyme. As long as she is well and alive, for her safe return is everything I strive.” A small chuckle escaped from the lips of the mighty zebra at his apparent cleverness. “You won't get her,” Austin said. “She ran before alone and afraid. Now she stands among friends. She isn't alone.” “Ah, the magical human,” Zakir said. “You wish to fight me don't you? Test your strange magics on me and my kind?” “If it should come to that,” Austin said. He summoned forth a small portion of his magic, letting it flow around his arms and torso. He stared into the eyes of the enemy as his glowed with power. “I will do what I can to protect my friends, all of them.” Zakir seemed almost pleased at Austin's reply. His already smug smile only grew. That wicked grin decorated his face as he turned his back. He approached one of the ten zebras he had with him. When approached the zebra brought out something from the cloak he wore and relinquished it to the Warlord Zakir. Austin barely got even a glimpse of it from the other side of Zakir's large frame. With an astonishing speed for a zebra of his size Zakir whipped around and thrust out a hoof at Austin. With it a cloud of mysterious powder showered over the human. “You can do nothing, human,” Zakir said with a clearly edged tone. Austin tried to shake off the powder. It took him by surprise, and it felt weird. It made him feel weird. He could feel the power within him. His own power. He shook his head side to side, as if to shake this feeling that was coming over him. He could feel it all pulsing from deep within his very being. A sudden surge of power came rushing up. He couldn't keep it from exploding outward, and a wave of magical energy washed over them all. If it was any more powerful then the ponies and zebras would all have been injured, or worse. The sudden outburst was followed by an even more intense fatigue. Austin dropped to one knee. “What the hell,” Austin snarled at Zakir. “Did you to me?!” From his place Austin dared a single step. He lunged forward with the intent to get close to Zakir. It was an impossible task. Austin only made it that single step. His foot left the ground, the dirt clinging to the leg of his pants and turning them brown. When that foot came back down, meeting the ground once again, Austin's step exploded with power. A small crater just inches deep is where he stood after that. “AAAAHHHHHHH!!” Austin roared as his body pulsed and shimmered with energy. He dropped down to his knees in the smoking crater. “Twilight, I can't control it. My power.” “Austin, wha-” Twilight couldn't finish. Her eyes were locked onto Austin as his power came and faded around him. “What did you do,” She demanded of Zakir. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?” “No,” Zecora said. “What is it, Zecora,” Tessla asked. “Do you know what he did to Austin?” “No, I will not let it happen a second time,” She said, seemingly oblivious to the question asked of her. “I will learn to live without you, just as I learned to live with this rhyme.” Austin let out a pained grunt. Zecora was shaken free of whatever daze she was in. She saw her opportunity, her one and only chance, and she took it. Zecora stepped back from the ponies she had called friends for so long. With all their attentions focused on Austin and Twilight she could finally do as she pleased. And so she left. Zecora turned with tears in her eyes, and she ran. Zakir watched as his powder took effect. He loved seeing this. It was always different with each and every victim he had used it on. It took only seconds for Austin to fall to his knees. Zakir was actually impressed he had held out this long. But worried at the same time. The longer this continued the more dangerous the results would be. And then he saw it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his sister leave. He watched her run the other way. “No one leaves this town,” He issued the order to his ten followers. They all nodded in turn as Zakir himself left to retrieve his sister. Tessla was the only one to realize what was going on. He also watched Zecora leave. And now he was torn. What was he supposed to do now? Something was going on with his friend, and then there was Zecora. “Go on,” Tessla heard it from off to the side. Austin was looking up at him. “Go and save Zecora. You aren't needed here.” === Ben slept under the blanket of the hospital bed. Occasionally he shook from the pain, even with everything the doctors were doing to help keep it as low as possible. A nurse came in to check up on him. She did her job, checked the machines, took note of some things and then left. She didn't say a word as she went about her duties. Meanwhile, there was someone in there with Ben the entire time. “Ben,” Chrysalis said to the unconscious human. “What is it? What is it about you? Why do I feel this way?” She got no response other than the same beeping from the machines that she'd been listening to for hours now. “Oh, Ben,” She sighed. “I wish there was something I could do to help you.” “You are doing everything you can, Chrysalis.” Celestia walked through the door into Ben's room. “You are here for him. That is what he truly needs.” “What he needs is his arm back, Princess,” Chrysalis snapped at her. “I'm sorry.” “It's alright,” Celestia said. “Is there nothing that can be done for him?” “Everything that can be done is being done, Chrysalis.” “That's not true,” Chrysalis said just under her breath. A sudden realization dawned on her. A forgotten report buried away under the new feelings she had been overwhelmed with as of late. “Celestia, what is the fastest way to get a message to Cadence?” “Why do you ask,” Celestia inquired. She was genuinely curious, as well as concerned. The being before her was at one time Cadence's mortal enemy. Why now does she ask for the one pony she should hate above all else? “Because, dearest Celestia,” Chrysalis said. “I need her help.”