Upheaval: Journeys
Applejack 6: The Exposed Rot
The Crocodilian Rebellion sounded like a grand name, like that of a large, secret army. Applejack had been imagining something like the Thorns; a group of warriors skilled at hiding and striking. At least, they might resemble the Southern Legion rangers she had seen in the Heartland. That wasn't the case when she and the others finally stumbled and sloshed towards a large camp of them.
Five crocodilians, all armed and armored, stood outside a trio of tents, in what was likely a forward camp. The crocodilians were large and powerful without a doubt, with massive bladed weapons, barbed spears, and gaunt, wiry limbs, but there was something haggard and destitute about them. Their shoulders slumped as they squatted in a small groups. Their armor, as patchwork as Anektor's, looked as if they had been in tatters several times in the past, only to be repaired as best as their situation allowed. The scales past the armor looked torn and badly healed.
Anektor went first, his claw up to greet the two sentries that moved to intercept them. "Nasaan sina Idaktor at Molektor?" one of them growled.
"Tigok," Anektor growled. "Mamaya na'ko magkukuwento. Asikasuhin nyo yung mga bisita." He moved past the two and towards the largest tent in the camp. He flung the front flaps open with a casual disregard that made the nearby crocodilians growl their displeasure.
"Land's sakes," Applejack said as she planted her hooves on the camp's solid ground and lifted herself out of the swamp. "Finally some dryness!" Her mild, initial optimism sank quickly at further inspecting the camp.
There was single small campfire lit. It was probably to avoid making the camp too obvious to others searching where they were, but signaled a cold, damp night ahead. She sniffed after catching a particularly vile smell, then wrinkled her nose. Blood. Not even particularly fresh blood. A disgusting squelching and crunching sound to one side revealed the source. A crocodilian, with one of his eyes covered with bloody rags, was stuffing something furry, soaking wet, and dead, into his enormous, toothy maw. A second one was picking at something between his teeth, only to flick away a small, sinewy bone. Two more approached her holding large, rough blankets. One of them was missing a hand. The other had a mere stump for a tail.
Vanguard hoisted himself out of the water, and stood next to her. "Old fighters," he said softly. "The Rebellion has not been easy for them."
"Credit to them, though," Seshimyssen said as he brought up the rear. "The might of the Empire at the front with a hostile Equestria behind. Still, they survive."
Every crocodilian's gaze followed them as they moved through the camp. After a quick wipe down to get rid of the worst of the gunk clinging to her, Applejack continued to glance around her sides. Flies buzzed around a group of sharpened stakes by the far end of the camp, where several ophidite heads rotted atop them. Nearby, a crocodilian was stirring a thick, bubbling brown substance inside a pot over the weak campfire. Several chunks of...something swirled with the liquid. The trophies displayed proud defiance, but the wounds on the crocodilians sent a different one. With Ophidus moving in, they needed the help.
When they were close enough to the large tent, Anektor came out. "They're not too happy that you're so few," he said with a toothy smile. "Don't worry, I apologized for Equestria not helping such noble and reliable allies."
"Thank you, Anektor," Vanguard said. "I'm sure your sarcasm softened them up enough to hear us out."
The largest tent's flaps opened again, and an enormous crocodilian, even taller than Anektor stepped out. Instead of a patchwork of leathers and scales, this one was covered in beads from which bleached skulls hung from. Applejack's eyes narrowed when she spotted a couple of pony skulls, one horned, the other not, hang with some snake-shaped skulls.
"Vanguard Clash, Applejack," Anektor said. "This is Maldaktor, Third Fang of the Crocodilian Rebellion." He faced the tall crocodilian. "Ikatlong Pangil, ito sina Vanguard Clash at Applejack. Pinadala sila ng Equestria para makipagtulungan."
Maldaktor stepped closer, a move enough to put Applejack on guard. He had claws big enough to envelop her neck and lift her off her hooves. His yellow, slit eyes studied both of them, lingering uncomfortably long on her chain before facing Anektor. "Tulungan tayo o tulungan ang sarili nila?" he asked. "Sa itsura nila, mukhang wala silang balak harapin ang imperyo. Susuot lang siguro sila sa kung saan nila gusto para kunin ang kailangan nila."
Anektor replied with a short growl before facing Vanguard. "The Third Fang is worried that you're only here to take advantage of the situation."
Vanguard let out a short sigh. "Let me guess. He wants some kind of act of good faith from us. A favor in some kind of mission."
"Of course," Seshimyssen said. "It should be our pleasure to help this ragged band of crocodilians who clearly need us more than the other way around."
Vanguard looked up at Maldaktor. "We won't lie, Maldaktor, we are here for our own purposes, not to foster some friendship with your people. But, given how heavily infested with ophidites our goal is, we will be hurting the Empire with our task. That's something we both benefit from."
Anektor spoke to Maldaktor again. Applejack could have sworn the taller crocodilian's toothy maw opened slightly in some kind of amused smile. That she couldn't understand a word they were saying only left Applejack guarded even more. After a minute of conferring, Anektor turned to them again.
"Imperial troops have been harassing even the Rebellion's smaller expeditions, as you can see from the camp's state. This group will take us to the main Rebellion base in Neksyth's Glory, but he expects the ponies to be worth their weight in Ophidite blood."
"A few pints then," Seshimyssen hissed.
Applejack would have replied, but she was already past caring when it came to Seshimyssen's jabs. She squinted past the thick canopy, and towards the darkening sky. "We're not walking in the dark, are we?" she asked.
Vanguard's gaze was towards the stakes by the far end of the camp. "Those ophidites won't be reporting in," he said. "Their officers will know by now that their pursuit has failed. I'd expect a larger force to come this way to finish the job."
"More than that," Seshimyssen said. "Sakylthos is out there. He's not heading back to the Empire without a few trophies, especially after your camp display."
"We're counting on it," Anektor said with a toothy grin. "We've got a few surprises ready for our friends from the Empire. Maldaktor knows his charms, and he'll want to know what you're made of." He turned towards a couple of passing crocodilians, and barked some orders. The two muttered some less than pleased replies before getting some sheets of canvas from a nearby tent as well as a few stakes. "It's not exactly as good as my stay in your outpost, ponies, but I hope you enjoy a taste of crocodilian hospitality."
"Doon sa malayo," one of the two said as they carried the tent equipment. "Kita mo ba yung porma ng dalawang kabayo? Magtatalik yan mamaya; maingay, mabaho pa."
They walked past Applejack from behind her.
"Amoy isda!" They chuckled among themselves.
"Oh, I'm feeling the hospitality alright," Applejack said.
Dinner was a meager bowl of stew from the crocodilian pot, which Applejack promptly refused. She could only watch in horror as Vanguard started taking sips from his meal. "Best we save trail rations," Vanguard said. "It's not so bad."
"I'm good with swampy grass," Applejack said. The bitter, dry stalks she stoically munched did everything they could to prove her wrong, but she persevered. And that was hardly the biggest shock of the night. She and Vanguard later stood in front of their tent for the night.
"He's definitely not getting serving mares with silk towels after this," Vanguard said as he raised the flap for inspection. The inside of the tent barely looked like it could fit one pony.
"I know that we're small compared to them," Applejack said. "But this looks like they're already turning us into stuffing."
"Try to get some rest anyway," Vanguard said softly. His eyes were narrow as he scanned the surroundings. "I don't think we'll be sleeping through this night."
Applejack didn't even bother with her barding as she crawled into the space. This may be a camp of allies, but she didn't feel remotely safe here. The night air was getting chillier, and the dampness in her fur only made things worse. Up north, the cold was sharp and straightforward, if she could call it that, like an obvious enemy she could face. The cold of the south's night air was slow and insidious. Like it was gently seeping into her until she'd find herself shivering. She lay there for a good few minutes before poking her head out of the tent. Sure enough, Vanguard was settling on a fallen log, and readying for a long watch. "Oh no, you don't," she said. "You're just as tired, Vanguard. They got sentries out for that so take a break."
"I was thinking of resting out here so you wouldn't be squeezed inside there," Vanguard said.
Applejack replied with a nod towards the inside of the tent. "Horseapples, we'll be fine, and you'll get less bugs on you. Besides..." she let herself smile a bit. "...a little squeezin' ain't so bad."
Vanguard moved in, inevitably brushing against her. The dragonscale was hard and cold against her hide, but the feel of his fur against hers made up for it. He was warm, so warm that she struggled to not just hug him to stave off the damp cold. His deep, musky smell fought against the muddy, swampy stink that had to be on both of them, then won with ease. "Comfy?" he asked.
"Yeah," Applejack replied, in a tone far too breathy to her liking. He didn't think she was some sort of pervert, did he? Here she was asking him to share a cramped tent knowing exactly the sort of situation they'd be in. Here she was again, moving way too fast. If Granny Smith were here, she'd be getting a lecture. On a mission too!
"Applejack..." Vanguard's breath smelled of that weird stew; salty, savory, and faintly of blood, but the warm rush of air felt good, and the rumbling deepness of his voice so close tickled her ears until they flicked on reflex.
"What is it?" Applejack asked.
"About--"
The tent's flaps opened.
"Room for one more?" Seshimyssen asked.
"Get out of here, you goldarn snake!" Applejack growled. Seshimyssen merely grinned, and backed off. "You were saying, Vanguard?"
"Nothing, really," Vanguard said. "Perhaps later."
Applejack muttered a few choice curses towards the busybody snake before settling down. It wasn't as cramped as she had expected. Maybe she could get some rest for a while. She thought of slightly leaning her head against Vanguard, but decided against it. She got far enough as it is. So she lay there, content with their position, passing time just immersing herself in the warmth and scents. Outside, the crocodilians paced, muttered among themselves, and repaired their gear.
Then, the sounds in the camp ceased.
"Time to move," Vanguard whispered. He moved swiftly out of the tent, jaws already clamped on his sword. Applejack wasn't far behind. 'No magic shield,' she reminded herself. Her magic chain should be enough for ophidite skirmishers.
It was nearly impossible to determine if anything was out there with the darkness and the thick foliage. The sounds were a different matter. The constant buzz and chirps of the wildlife had gone silent, something that critters normally did when bigger, more dangerous things were about. There was also the series of splashes, and the swirl of water.
"Too loud for hunters," Seshimyssen said as he slithered next to Applejack. He had his bow out, and had nocked an arrow. "We've got some constrictor grunts coming our way. If we're unlucky, they have a cobrahn or two with them."
The crocodilians, six of them not counting Anektor, formed a defensive circle around the camp with Maldaktor in the middle. Applejack, Vanguard, and Seshimyssen stood to the side of Maldaktor, still inside the circle.
Suddenly, a loud snap, like a massive mousetrap shutting, sounded from a distance, followed by a deep, agonized hiss. A flash of red light burst from a distance while Maldaktor looked on with a pleased smile.
"They've trapped the perimeter," Vanguard said. Several more followed the first one. The crocodilians chuckled with each one.
All the chuckling ceased when an enormous silver chain, looped in one end to form a lasso, flew out of the dark, and landed neatly around a crocodilian, trapping his arms to his sides. Before he could even let out a growl, he was gone. The others let out deep growls and began to charge.
Vanguard could only stare blankly for a second before turning towards Applejack. She had to push her jaw shut with a hoof before she could reply to that. "T-that was--!" she looped her own chain into a lasso, her heart pounding from confusion and fear. What was that? Why was that? Her mind raced for answers. Nightcanter said that the chain was created by unicorns. Maybe the ophidites recreated the process. They wouldn't mind sacrificing unicorns.
The fierce cries and the loud din of metal striking metal cast her thoughts aside. Only one way to find out. She charged into the darkened fray, determined to look for whoever had a magic chain. Vanguard galloped beside her while Seshimyssen hung behind and loosed an arrow.
"Venomless thugs, you call this an ambush?" Seshimyssen yelled. "An avalanche would be sneakier!"
As they got closer, the figures of the attacking ophidites grew more distinct.
As Seshimyssen said, these were not other vipren. They were much bigger, and more muscular, thrashing in the water while fighting the crocodilians whose size they nearly matched. Their scales all looked black, but the occasional ray of moonlight showed dark green as well. The constrictors, the six that had engaged the crocodilians, wielded long, wooden hafts topped by squiggly blades meant to resemble slithering snakes. Even the tips were split to look like an open snake mouth.
The crocodilians met this charge with their own chorus of guttural bellows, their crescent blades raised high. Maldaktor strode by the back, intoning some sort of spell while holding a red-glowing skull with one hand. Applejack didn't wait to see what it did, however. She had more pressing concerns.
Something lurked by the edges of the fight, though. Something large enough to rustle the smaller trees. A silver chain flew out of the dark again, this time set to trap Vanguard's neck. That's torn it. Applejack lashed her own chain forward. The links were smaller, but they swatted aside the larger chain all the same.
At the sight of this, several of the constrictors paused, only to remember that they were in a fight. A loud, deep hiss emerged from the foliage as the chain retracted.
"Pony...give that to me!"
The shout was echoed by the cacophony of branches snapping off, leaves being pushed violently away, and water splashing loudly. Out of the darkness, a massive, black-scaled, ophidite loomed before Applejack. Its barrel-like torso rippled with thick muscles, and its arms looked like they could mash a pony's head by flexing, and the tail...this thing had to be ten feet long from the top of its broad head to the tip of its tail. Thick, black, gold-trimmed plates of what looked like the same covering on beetles covered portions of its front and most of its back. Menacing, yellow eyes stared at Applejack pitilessly, transfixing her for a second before she realized that it wasn't slowing its charge down, and one of its hands was extended towards her.
Vanguard sprang into action. He had dived to one side of the charging ophidite, and, with a flick of his neck, was about to jab its point into the ophidite's side. Applejack followed suit by a quick dive to the other side, tossing the looped end of her chain over the ophidite's head.
The response was a veritable whirlwind of scales and muscles. The ophidite's tail slammed into Vanguard before he could complete his jab, coiling around him with horrifyingly graceful ease. At the same time, the ophidite ducked under the lasso, before swatting it away with its chain. Applejack strained to control her weapon and pull it back in.
"At last, I've found it," the enormous ophidite said, his voice rumbling with amusement. "Give me your half of the Wrangler's chain, pony, and I shall be merciful."
"You let him go, you overgrown varmint, and I'll be merciful!", Applejack growled. She struggled to sound menacing when confusion and fear for Vanguard's life flooded her throat and chest. The coils around Vanguard looked tight. There was the name used as well. Seshimyssen called Apple Slice "the old bear wrangler". How much did this constrictor know? And what did he mean by the other half?
"Brave and ruthless," the ophidite said. "Maybe that is why you can use the Wrangler's chain." He flexed his tail, tightening his coils.
Vanguard grunted and dropped his weapon before flashing a stern look at Applejack. He didn't have to say it. If she flinched now, this ophidite would know how much his "hostage" meant to her. Thinking it was the easy part. It felt as if her heart was getting crushed just by her watching those powerful coils grow tighter. "I'll show you how to use this," she said. She lashed her chain in a downward whipping strike, a direct attack towards the ophidite's face. She was already galloping a wide circle around it when it raised its weapon to counter. When the ophidite's chain whipped up to swat hers away, Applejack flicked her neck, switching to a horizontal slap across the face with the end of the chain. As she had hoped, the ophidite had to turn in place to keep up with her, which prevented it from concentrating on its constriction. Vanguard found enough purchase to pull out a small knife with his mouth, which he wasted no time in jabbing it as deep as he could into the ophidite's scales.
As soon as the ophidite grunted in pain, Applejack renewed her attack. She pulled her chain back and spun it once. The silver links caught the ophidite's spear-like chain throw, sending it flying into a nearby tree stump. Splinters and clumps of mud flew up when the chain's end struck. She followed that spin with a vicious lash directed towards the middle of the ophidite's tail.
The ophidite replied by releasing Vanguard directly into the lash's path. With as much of a grin as her mouth allowed while she bit into her weapon, Applejack flicked her neck again. A silver lasso alighted around Vanguard's torso and a gentle tug brought him to her side. "This ain't my first rodeo, varmint," she said.
"Nice save," Vanguard said. He glanced to where his sword had fallen.
"Clever," the ophidite said. "My name is Sakylthos, pony, you deserve that much." He spun his chain quickly enough to create a slight thrumming sound.
"Applejack," Applejack replied. Sakylthos's eyes widened slightly at this.
"The Wrangler's name," he said. "Yes, it comes together now. Both halves have found their way home, and the way has opened. You have the looks of a fine slave, Applejack, a pity you must die. I will be the one to carry out the Wrangler's will." He flung his chain in a looping lash, forcing Applejack to counter with one of her own.
The fight was in earnest now. The clearing echoed with the loud clangs of two chains colliding. Silver glinted across the shadows, catching stray rays of moonlight as they arced, retracted, and lashed. Applejack found herself breathing hard now. This Sakylthos's strikes may be crude, but they were heavy. She had to assume that both their strengths were enhanced by the chain's magic, just that he had a lot more strength to begin with.
Vanguard dashed in, jumping over Sakylthos's tail sweeps, trying to find some purchase against the chitinous plates protecting their foe. Applejack couldn't see any trail of blood from the stab wound from earlier, but she assumed that it should be bothering Sakylthos some way. Sakylthos continued to be a veritable whirlwind of metal and muscle. He spun his massive tail in place, making it impossible to find a chink in his rapidly moving armor plates, and he spun his chain around him to deflect incoming attacks.
"Applejack!" Vanguard called out. He glanced swiftly above him, a move enough to hint what he planned. Applejack feinted a hard vertical lash, getting Sakylthos to commit to a horizontal spin of his chain to deflect. She changed it at the last second, turning it into a looping arc headed Vanguard's way. Vanguard snatched the end with a hoof, letting himself get carried up. Applejack flexed her neck, lifting him straight up, above Sakylthos, where he let go.
The sudden attack from above did its work. Sakylthos stopped , only to realize that he couldn't pull his chain back in time. He raised an armored forearm at the level of Vanguard's neck, in hopes of stopping the blade. Vanguard's blade slipped past the block, biting just past the protective plates by Sakylthos's collar and drawing blood. With a deep, angry hiss, Sakylthos raised his chain for a lethal strike as Vanguard fell back.
A vicious lash from Applejack dented the plates by Sakylthos's ribs, forcing him back. He clutched his injured side and continued to slowly slither backwards.
"You ain't winning this fight," Applejack said. "Drop the chain, tell us where and how you got it, and we'll spare you."
"Proud aren't we?" Sakylthos said. He glanced towards the rest of the battle. The other ophidites weren't doing so well. Anektor had one in a strangle-lock under his arm while waving his blade to keep another back. "You fight well, 'Apple' jack, as befitting one who carries the cast off links of the Wrangler's will. But you rely on allies, and I will remember the moves you've shown."
"What do you know of the chain?" Applejack asked. "What do you know of Apple Slice? Tell me!"
"The tomb is open, pony, we'll both find out when we find it!" Sakylthos said with a chuckle. "Know this; the Wrangler lived loving you, and died cursing you. If you are wise, you'll give me your half so I can carry out his will."
"I'm keeping it, thanks," Applejack muttered. "And I'm taking yours too."
All Sakylthos replied with is a heavy lash towards Applejack. She swatted it away easily enough, only to notice that the attack was merely cover. Sakylthos had flung something in the air which exploded into a shower of multi-colored sparks.
A horn answered those sparks, followed by a loud hissing noise from the nearby foliage. Applejack only had a second to notice the flash of magic among the trees before she had to move.
"Cobrahns!" Seshimyssen yelled.
A series of frantic splashes followed as the surviving crocodilians scrambled back. The constrictors, the four that were still alive, took this chance to fall back. A thick, yellow cloud seeped past the trees, roiling along like an ominous fog as soon as the constrictors gained some distance.
"Cloudkill," Vanguard said. "Stay clear!"
Seshimyssen slithered towards them, his bow still in hand. Anektor was not far behind. Bright red splotches covered the crocodilian's patchwork armor, and his blade was still dripping. With his left hand, he was clutching a freshly severed head.
"So they had a cobrahn watching out for them after all," Seshimyssen said once they had backed safely away. Around them, the other crocodilians staggered back to their tents. One remained to attend to the two dead bodies of his comrades. Makdaktor stayed around, growling orders of some sort in his language. "He just didn't want to help. Maybe proud Sakylthos didn't want a shaman mucking up his hunt."
"Or he wanted an assured escape," Vanguard said. "This is hardly a strong attempt to wipe us out."
"The Rebellion has been harassed by imperial troops ever since venturing here," Anektor said. "They don't seem to mind wasting troops just to show how so much stronger they are." He stooped down until his knees nearly reached past his head, and stared at Applejack. "The big one with the chain...he is their fancy hero, yes? So many foes his size, but he picks on the cute little pony with a matching weapon. I wonder why."
"Dunno," Applejack muttered. She barely heard the question over the ones in her head. Sakylthos had to be lying. He was the hero of an empireful of liars, kidnappers, and slave-traders. He must have said those things to confuse her enough to lower her guard. Well, it didn't work. His chain must be a bad copy, that's all. When he saw the original he wanted to take it. That makes sense. As for associating her with "the Wrangler", he must have simply noticed the name. He probably thought anypony with "apple" in their name was related to Apple Slice.
"You didn't kill anyone, Applejack," Anketor said. "But Maldaktor likes that the ophidite hero hates you. This is a good start. We'll get to the Rebellion tomorrow, and we'll see about helping you stick more bones down thr Empire's craw." With that, he walked off.
"He said something about a tomb," Vanguard said once Anektor and Seshimyssen had moved ahead. "That settles it. At least some of the ophidites in the area are after the tomb of Apple Slice."
"Y-yeah..." Applejack mumbled. Yes, the tomb. That was what she had come here for. Now, she wasn't so sure that she'd want to find out what had truly happened. What if Sakylthos was right? The last vision she had...those angry ghosts begging for mercy...none of it painted him in a good light.
Above them, the sky remained dark, but the rush of battle made it unlikely that they would get any more sleep. Perhaps, that was a good thing. She wasn't in the mood for another vision tonight.