Sword Mare

by ReifuTD

Forgiven Past Part 2: Discord Deals

“Past…”

Claymari walks up to the bloodstained boards inside the cabin. The body of Eponi was long gone buried up front with her father. The mare could hear the filly’s cries echoing through the home as she looked at the bloodstain. Claymari heart sinks at what she’s about to do.

The mare we sites the spell or more accurate the ingredients to cast the spell as she cuts into her wrist with a small dagger. “Blood spilt from a discordic person set ablaze in an ironic place.”

“Mommy what are you doing? I thought you said we can’t come into the house?” Philia shouts as she sleepily walks in through the front door.

“Back outside!” Claymari snaps at the filly, “I think I hear a bad creature in here!”

“First time you ever wanted me to stay outside to hide from the monster,” The filly mutters as she turns and closes the door.

Claymari finishes dripping the blood into a bowl. After there was an efficient amount she bandages her rest and dumps a few drops of lamp oil into the bowl. She lights the oil and it pops up in flame and smoke.

As the flames died down the ashes in the bowl and the glowing orange embers floated upward. The floating embers takes the form of a small serpent dragon. If one gave the sparkly dragon form a closer look they might be able to tell that the various parts of its limbs were replaced with different animals.

“It’s not very often that a pony summons me?” A whimsical male voice came from the ash as the creature playfully flew around Claymari. “And this isn’t a very happy place nor is it fun?”

“What? Someone’s home that can never truly be their home again isn’t ironic enough for you Discord?” Claymari snapped the tears she was holding back was starting to leak from her eyes.

“I didn’t say I don’t appreciate it, I find the emotional sacrifice quite amusing?” Discord answer back, “I’m just not the crying clown type. Nor caring about others pains. But to the walls doing this with the blood of your family right there.”

“You think we can get down to business?” Claymari said gritting her teeth.

“What’s the fun in that? I’m starting to wonder if you are truly discordic?” Discord smiles.

“Fuck you Discord?” Claymari snaps.

“Now that’s more like it,” Discord cheered at the pony. “Now what did you call me for?”

Claymari pulls out Crimson Bond. “What do you know about this sword?”

The Discord image examines it for moment then crosses his arms and turns around. “What makes you think I know anything about a worthless piece of metal?”

Claymari smiles, “You and I both know this sword isn’t worthless?”

“So it’s magical?” Discord shrugged, “What makes you think I have anything to do with it?”

Claymari’s mouth went dry and she speaks as if to admit a sin and her voice came out quiter then she wanted to. “I prayed to you.”

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear you dear?” Discord makes a cut motion over his ear.

“I prayed to you!” Claymari shouted to the top of her lungs, “Before the sword came to me! I prayed to you!”

“And I heard your prayers, such nice profanities you had for the Zebra, were their deaths as satisfying as you wished?” Discord giggled.

“Practically orgasmic,” Claymari gives off an evil smile.

“Practically orgasmic? Now, now, more details my lady admit to me how much you enjoyed the chaos?” Discord petted Claymari under the chin.

Claymari got mad and shouted, “I know what you’re trying to get at! Mares get aroused when they aggressively exert themselves like in combat. What next? You are going to try to convince me I’m a naughty little filly for having wet dreams?”

“What are you going to do about the Oranges then?” Discord asked.

“So the stories are true?” Claymari mutters to herself.

I’m not confirming or denying but, power grab!” Discord cheered playfully.

Claymari stumped her hoof, “Bastards, I’ve been wondering what I should do with them.”

“And yes, I’ve influenced the locations of where the blades landed but I’m not the one who made them,” Discord answered, “It’s that stupid Starswirl’s fault for letting them shoot off willy nilly. Humf he didn’t care as long as they found a pony that represented the elements?”

“You mean the Elements of Harmony as in the legends?” Claymari asked.

Discord starts laughing, “The jokes on him everything has a positive and negative side, a light path and a dark path. I made them fall, fall to those who I know would most likely chosen the dark path.”

“Wait? Are you saying I’m evil that’s why I have this sword?” Claymari snaps.

“Oh how quaint, you believe in the concept of good and evil,” Discord chided, “My dear, is everything that is said to be light good? Is everything that is said to be dark bad? What it is is what it is and what others think of it is what others think of it.”

Claymari disappointed with the answer and angry turns and stomps away.

“Keep in mind Claymari!” Discord shouted as he disappeared, “Your loyalties will bring you down the dark path and this is your nature!”

“Now…”

Ponyville swings back and forth on a noose that hung from a tree. A large rock hung off her tied to her bottom feet.

“Will you please let me go now I think I’am getting sick?” Ponyville said as she swung from the rope.

“She should of been dead by now?”

“Forget that how is she even talking? There is no way air is getting into her lungs.”

“Maybe she’s a witch?”

“Ponyville? Are you sure you’re okay?” La Dawn shouts. There were ponies behind him holding him back.

“I’m feeling better than I was,” Ponyville replied calmly.

“How are you not dead right now?” La Dawn had asked.

“I can’t say, she will be mad at me” Ponyville answered.

A laser blast fires over the head of Ponyville cutting the rope that she was hanging from. The Pegasus fell to the ground. The crowd went running as another laser blast hits the rope that was holding the rock. This allowed Ponyville to take up to the air.

La Dawn managed to kick away from the ponies that was holding him and takes off after Ponyville. As he reached her he could see the brown mare struggling with the ropes around her hindlegs.

“Here let me help you,” La Dawn leads Ponyville to a cloud. He sits her down on it and starts to untie her legs.

“Just don’t look up my tail or I’ll slap you,” Ponyville blushed.

Suddenly they saw a large beam of light shoot up into the sky from a nearby mountain about four miles away.

“What was that?” Ponyville asked nervously.

“Think that was Winkz,” La Dawn notes.

The two Pegasus fly off to the point of light.

“Down in the town...”

Metalance started leading Pot Shell, Catfish and the foals out of the inn when the crowd attacked. The green pony slashes at them with a sword holding them back until they formed a circle around the ponies.

“Do you think your sword skills have improved any?” Metalance asked Pot Shell.

“Not as much as I would of liked,” Pot Shell answered.

Suddenly a couple of flash bombs goes off throwing a couple of ponies back.

“Over here!” Petty Kitty shouts.

The ponies rushed over to their savior. The crowd recovers and starts to chase after them as Petty Kitty leads the party into the woods.

“Claymari…”

She found herself once again in her old home. She holds the knife to her wrist and lets her blood flow into the bowl. Once again Claymari lights it but instead of the ash coming from the bowl like last time the flame just puttered out.

For a moment Claymari found herself disappointed. Then the scream made her jump and she turns to her daughter’s blood stain. Before her eyes the bloodstain takes the shape of a filly and stands up from the wooden boards.

The thing turns toward Claymari and speaks, “Did you miss me mommy?”

Claymari let loose a gasp, her eyes rolling in the back of her head she passes out body thunking against the wall.

Her dream took place in the same room that she passed out in. Claymari even found herself looking at the same bloodstain on the floor. The only difference was things seemed to be more foggy.

“You should’ve seen the look on your face,” The bloodstain joked as it slid across the floor. “So you call me once again.” The stain takes the form of Discord. He was still two dimensional as he slithered across the floor.

“That is not funny!” Claymari snaps.

“Not to you maybe but that’s the wonderful thing about humor it is very subjective,” Discord said dancing around Claymari’s feet. “Besides I had a very good reason for doing this, in a here your mind there are no prying eyes.” A pair of eyeballs popped out of the floor and rolled in front of Claymari.

Claymari paused for a moment and could hear a faint voice. It sounded like Philia. “Claymari! Get up! What the heck you were thinking you dumb bitch!”

“Philia called me a bitch,” Claymari smirked pridefully.

“And that’s the bit of you I’ve always liked,” Discord smiled.

“I want to ask you about the Holics and Familiars,” Claymari said sternly.

“You’ve heard one of them is after you? And you seen how that Velvet Rope treats the sword bearer and her partner?” Discord points out.

“You played part in me getting this sword,” Claymari nudges at Crimson Bond, “I figured you’d want me to keep it.”

“I don’t know, kind of want to see what happens when a side gets two swords,” Discord points out, “Right now things are kind of even which is very very boring.”

“Yes but I sense Starswirl wants to end your fun with these swords,” Claymari adds.

“True, but I don’t at this point want to change anything,” Discord shook his head, “I am the path at the end of this fate. All five shall stand before me and all five shall succumb to me.” Discord starts to fade away. “Deeply penetrate the cutie marks of the Holics as hard as you can. There’s a sacred object inside of each one of their flanks. When the Holic’s die their Familiar die and that’s the only way you can kill the Familiars.”

“So you’re saying when push comes to shove and I need to kill Velvet Rope for example, I’ll have to kill Generous Thread despite her being a good pony,” Claymari points out.

The last bit of Discord Claymari heard was his evil giggles.

“Ponyville and La Dawn…”

The Pegasus lands in the mountain clearing. Waiting there for them was the smug look of Winkz with a brown Pegasus next to her.

“Zero,” Ponyville said in her different tone.

La Dawn heard the name and extended his hoof. “I think you may have met me? My name is La Dawn.”

Zero raised an eyebrow as he hooked his foreleg around La Dawn’s forehoof and shook. He had seen La Dawn before and this pony did look like La Dawn but different as well. His mane had been cut and butchered. He had a scar over as eye and his character felt different.

He recognized the feeling that came from the aqua Pegasus. This is the same sort of feeling he had gotten from ponies who have been POWs. Zero himself had that feeling.

“What happened to you?” Zero asked.

“The short story I was replaced by a doppelganger,” La Dawn answered.

“We decided to pitch our camp over here,” Winkz points off in a direction of the woods.

Walking past the grove of trees they came across a small group of abandoned cabins. A half dilapidated wooden wall surrounded the structures.

Vanilla was with a group of strange creatures around the campfire. A green Manticore, a living scarecrow pony and some kind of a metallic pony.

La Dawn raised an eyebrow at the sight of the creatures. Zero notes his look.

“It appears that both of us have had adventures,” He tells the Pegasus.

“Yes, but I managed to lose half of the group I left with, picked up another Cat Pony two foals, a womanizing Pegasus and whatever the heck Ponyville is,” Claymari remarks as she walks out of one of the buildings wiping the blood from her lip.“In comparison they came out on top.”

Philia walks out of the same building behind Claymari. There was a very pissed off look on the Unicorn’s face. “And never let me catch you trying to do that again!”

“What was that about?” Zero asked.

“I was trying to get some questions answered,” Claymari answered as she wrapped her bleeding leg in a bandage.

“Do you not understand the risks of breaching his seal?” Philia snaps, “Do it too many times and Discord could escape.”

“Like it even matters,” Claymari snaps, “He already has enough pull to affect one’s fate. More of a god then the Alicorns.”

“What exactly have you guys been up to?” La Dawn asked.

“We did some adventuring stuff,” Zero explained. He opened the saddle bag to show the balefire egg. It started out as a request from Smart Cookie to retrieve this thing.”

“We should at least tell them about the Rat King,” Phillia points out.

“The Rat King is dead and that is that,” Clayamari answered, “Nutcracker and I killed him a long time ago. His contract with the ponies here should have died with him.”

“Well he didn’t and we’ve been dealing with his meddling,” Philia points out.

“I suppose it’s possible,” Claymari rolls her eyes.

“Not too far from here there is a field,” Scarecrow spoke up, “I grew corn there even though no pony ever comes for it. The Rat King’s forces came and stole the corn tearing apart my body in the process. Philia and Zero found me and put me back together.”

“The Rat King discovered that Zero and I were your traveling companions and started pursuing us relentlessly,” Philia added.

“In the woods as they approached the living tower they found me alone frozen in place by a spell,” Muto spoke next, “Once I was freed I told them about my peoples the Mechamorphs weakness to electricity.”

“This is the point we went to go find the Jabberwocky,” Philia told them.

“Jabberwocky?” La Dawn said in a shocked tone.

“It still around and comes to my summoning,” Philia said.

“I lived around there,” The Manticore spoke up, “I found its thunderclaps frightening.”

“Eventually we went to the tower and stole the egg,” Zero said.

“What are we going to do about the others?” La Dawn asked.

“I’ve sensed that they left the town,” Winkz told them.

“The forest outside of Pink Apple…”

Petty Kitty looked at the display screen on her pipbuck as she walked. “Now I’ve only caught this place on my map screen. I haven’t explored it,” She told them.

“Explored what?” Metalance asked.

“It’s some kind of underground bunker made in war era Equestria,” Petty Kitty explained, “Wasn’t even sure I was going to find anything at first. Thanks to the time distortion this map seems be about ninety percent wrong.”

Petty Kitty walks up to a hill and kicks away some leads revealing some kind of metal sheet. “Could you guys help me here?”

All the ponies started pushing leaves and dig the dirt away from the metal plate. They soon found it to be a set of doors.

Pot Shell tries pushing on the doors to get them to open but all he managed to do was have them creek. “They are stuck,” He said with a sigh giving up.

Metalance spins around and bucks the doors with her hindlegs sending them flying open. “It just needed a mare’s touch.”

Catfish looks down the dark tunnel. “Think it’s safe?” She asked

“It’s supposed to be abandoned,” Petty Kitty told her, “How can it possibly be dangerous?”

The little pony steps down the tunnel. Catfish sighs and follows after her, the other ponies weren’t far behind.

The ponies soon found themselves stopped by a hatchway. Petty Kitty quickly found a terminal beside the hatchway and hooked her pipbuck to it.

“You know how to use that thing?” Pot Shell asks.

“A little, it’s not like I’ve had much practice hacking into camputers,” Petty Kitty answered before her pipbuck made an unhappy beep. “Dammit.”

“Here let me try,” Pot Shell said as he touches Petty Kitty’s display. The pipbuck responds with a happy ding and the hatch door opens.

They all walked in through the newly opened entry way. Petty Kitty spots a panel on the other side of the doorway and quickly hooks up her pipbuck to that one too.

“I think I can shut this door from this side,” Petty Kitty remarked.

Pot Shell walks up to the panel and presses a button shutting the hatch. Petty Kitty sticks her tongue out at him out of spite.

The Cat Pony’s ears suddenly goes on alert as something red appears on her EFS.

“Danger!” Petty Kitty shouted in a whisper. She then blushed, “Maybe, this thing on my hoof can be a little funny.”

“Catfish! Get behind me with the foals,” Metalance orders drawing her sword. “Pot being a stallion and take the front with me.”

“You know, I miss being the weakest member of a party,” Pot Shell complains drawing his sword.

“Petty, cover us from the rear,” Metalace tells the cat mare.

“Incoming,” Petty Kitty warns them.

A large rat steps out from around the corner and glares at the ponies.

“It’s a big mouse,” Weedie cheered.

Pot Shell frowns, “Ahh? All of this fuss over a level one enemy?”

“Pot watch out! Metalance shouts.

Pot Shell’s first instinct was to jump back. He stumbles over his hindlegs and fell hard on his rump. The stallion closed his eyes when he hears a “swack!” Pot Shell opens his eyes to see a very pissed off Metalance with her sword halfway impelled through the back of the rat’s neck.

Metalance flicks off the dead rat and sheathes her sword. In an instant she was on Pop Shell. Metalance slams the stallion against the wall.

“Look you little chicken shit, I’m not charged with protecting you anymore!” Metalance shouted, “On top of that compared to everyone here you are lowest on save your ass list. But I need you, I need you to step up, if you don’t step up you will die and possibly allowing anyone I care to die with you.”

“Yes ma’am!” Pot Shell yelped.

Metalance lets the stallion go and takes a step back to compose herself.

After a few minutes they start exploring.

“The camp up in the mountains…”

Winkz’s horn glowed brightly as she tracked the ponies location.

“Phillia, their progression seems stalled,” The Crystal Pony reported to the pink Unicorn.

Phillia stops to think for a moment. “Your magic seems to have the ability to reach far distances.”

“As you can see by my flank my special talent is eyesight,” Winkz smiles.

“Can you boost the range of another ponies magic?” Philia asks.

Winkz was at first taken aback by the request, “I don’t know haven’t tried it before? Are you hoping to set up some mental link with the others?”

“With our two powers working in tandem I theorize that’s possible,” Philia nods her head, “At least I might pick up on their mental impressions and get a beat on their status.”

“Oh come sit down then,” Winkz pats the patch of ground next to her with her hoof.

Philia lays next to Winkz and the Crystal Pony extends her horn. Philia puts her horn out contacting Winkz’s horn and the two horns emit a warm glow.

Scarecrow was sitting across from the two mares with a smirk on his face. “You know there’s something oddly sensual about that.”

The mares give him a glare.

“Just saying as an observation,” Scarecrow told them.

“Down in the abandoned bunker…”

Petty Kitty and Catfish stared at the rotted bunks in the sleeping quarters. The smell made Petty Kitty hold her nose as Catfish coughed.

“Uck! This smells like it used to be a rat nest,” Petty Kitty remarks.

“Given that we found one rat already I wouldn’t be shocked if that’s true,” Catfish told her.

Catfish then turns to Petty Kitty, “Mind if I ask you something?”

“Sure go ahead?” Petty Kitty answered back.

“Did something happen between you Philia and Zero?” Catfish wondered.

Petty Kitty blushed, “Well it’s actually between me and Zero.”

“I was thinking he might’ve slept with Philia or something,” Catfish blushed back.

“No, I believe she’s a lesbian, then again sexuality is can a pointless,” Petty Kitty shrugged.

“Then what happened?” Catfish asked.

“I told Applejack about my pregnancy,” Petty Kitty answered, “Then she gave me a warning about Zero.”

Petty Kitty broke down crying. Catfish grabs the small pony and hugs her close.

“It’s going to be deformed!” She sobbed.

“Well I can confirm the area isn’t secure!” Metalance shouts from another room.

Petty Kitty wipes her eyes clean. She and Catfish pokes their heads around to see a wide open chamber with the roof caved in making a skylight.

“It looks like something broken in,” Metalance remarks looking at the rubble of concrete on the floor. She then turns to a set of massive pods lining the walls of the room. There were seven of them at least twelve feet tall. They were all full of dried goo. Oddly one of them was more gooey then the others. “Maybe something broke out?”

Pot Shell examined the pods. “It looks like what was in most of these pods left years ago,” He notes as he walks up to the gooiest pod. “Except this one it had been opened recently.

Weedie felt her hoof hit something metal. She looks down to find a piece of metal covered in dirt and dust. She wipes it off with her hoof to reveal words.

“Rat King Un-it 5” She reads.

“What was that?” Metalance turns around to look at the filly.

“That’s what the sign says,” Weedie points out factly.

Metalance swiftly spots a blank spot on the wall above one of the pods. Above the pod next to it was another sigh ‘Rat King Unit 6’. Next to that was a sign that said ‘Rat King Unit 7’. Going the other way around the signs counted down ‘Rat King Unit 4’, ‘Rat King Unit 3’, ‘Rat King Unit 2’. The last one said, ‘Rat King Unit 1’, but this time the ‘1’ was scribbled out and replaced with an ‘8’. Below the sign was the pod that had the freshest grew inside of it.

“Oh that’s just creepy,” Metalance shuddered.

“Rat King,” Pot Shell says to himself, “That sounds familiar.”

“You know that from somewhere?” Catfish asked.

“Oh yes I remember now,” Pot Shell nods his head. “Rat King was a monster that both Claymari and Nutcracker fought together. He was an Earth Pony stallion who possessed reality warping magic. It was revealed that the stallion was being controlled mentally by seven creatures made by war era Equestrians. These creatures are codenamed Rat King and thought as one.”

Metalance looks at the 1/8 pod. “There was no eighth?”

“Not that I could remember,” Pot Shell taps his head.

She turns to Petty Kitty. “Perhaps we should find a way out of here as soon as possible?”

“Wait?” Petty Kitty glares at something in the corner of her eye. “Some red dots just popped up.”

“Down in the abandoned bunker…”

“That was interesting,” Philia remarks breaking contact with Winkz’s horn.

“Have you made contact?” Zero asked.

“Yes,” Philia nods her head, “I couldn’t make communications by did see what they see and they appeared to be in the nest of the Rat King or his former nest.”

Claymari perks up.

Philia turns to Claymari, “It appears that you may have been right about killing the Rat King,” She told her, “Somehow the Rat King made an eighth.”

“Past…”

Claymari and Nutcracker the size of dolls scurried across the floor as the giant hoof tries to squash them. They managed to take cover underneath a table.

“What the heck is going on?” Claymari snaps, “He’s much stronger now then he was.”

Nutcracker pauses a moment to think. “Northeast,” He mutters to himself.

“What was that?” Claymari said not catching the words.

“Don’t you feel it?” Nutcracker asked, “The energy in the air, it’s not coming from him, it’s coming to him.”

Claymari pauses for a moment, “I guess I feel it,” She answers unsurely.

“The first time we engaged him it was at the edge of his territory,” Nutcracker points out, “He was much weaker than. Next we engaged him in the town. And he was somewhat stronger. Then outside of his castle and finally here. Each time he has become progressively stronger.”

“Okay I understand,” Claymari nods her head.

“He’s not the enemy we should be fighting but some unseen thing,” Nutcracker adds, “A thing that gets stronger the closer we get to it.”

“And?” Claymari answered not sure what to do with Nutcracker’s hypothesis.

Nutcracker closes his eyes, “I don’t think we are actually tiny, I think all of this is in our minds. Since this is the strongest allusion yet this must mean the beings are standing right in front of us.”

“Beings?” Claymari was starting to get confused.

“Duck!” Nutcracker shouts.

Claymari ducks as Nutcracker creates seven saw blades with Inspiration’s power. The giant room disappears changing to a crumbling chamber. Seven dead creatures lay on the ground. The creatures appeared to be seven giant rats without skin. Instead of having red muscle, the muscles of the creatures were a titanium blue as if there were some kind of robotic creature. They bled on the floor as if they’re alive with white liquid spilling out of them.

“What were they?” Claymari asked looking at the dead creatures. Then around at the room, there appeared to be strange open pods along the walls

“A mistake from the past,” Nutcracker answered, “We should check out the rest of the complex to make sure that there are no more of these things.”

Claymari nods her head, as she moved around her tail felt heavy. She turns around to see the white blood of the rat creatures had soaked into the tip of her tale. “Oh gross.”

Nutcracker giggles, “I told you you should of shortened your mane.”

“And I’m going to have to shave my flintlocks after this,” Claymari complained as she looked at her hooves covered in white.

“Now…”

“Think they are in danger?” La Dawn asked overhearing Claymari tell the story.

“Perhaps Winkz and one of us should teleport to them?” Philia suggests

“Well I have efficiently rested I suppose,” Winkz said unsurely.

“Zero should go with you,” Philia points out.

Zero turns away, “No,” He snaps.

Claymari perks up, “Did something happen between you and the little Cat Pony?” She remarks, “Because the two of you or something like rabbits when I left.”

Philia gives Claymari a glare.

“Don’t tell me you slept with him,” Then Claymari suddenly jumps up enthusiastically and grabs Philia’s forehooves, “Wait! Please tell me you slept with him!”

“Mother!” Philia shouted offensively.

“I want grandkids!” Claymari steps back.

“Okay I’ll go,” Zero rolls his eyes.

Winkz puts her foreleg on Zero’s shoulder. With a glow of her horn they were both gone.

“Rat King’s nest…”

Metalance kicks the dead body of a rat off the sword as Pot Shell kills another with a swing from his.

“It’s nice to see you actually kill something,” Metalance snorted.

Pot Shell gives her an angry glare than snorts and stomps his hoof before turning away from her.

“I think you need to let up on the poor boy,” Catfish remarks.

There was a flash of violet light that made all the ponies wince. Once their eyes cleared they saw Zero and Winkz standing before them.

Zero and Petty Kitty turned away from each other. This caused the tension in the room to instantly raise.

Pot Shell speaks, “Winkz! Are you hear to teleport us away?”

“I cannot possibly teleport this many at once,” Winkz replied.

“What about one at a time?” Pot Shell suggests.

“I would have to take many several hour long breaks between every few teleports, afterwards I would probably be incapacitated for the next day or so,” Winkz answered, “Given the situation that we are in, I don’t think we have the luxury of that kind of time.”

“This is why I’ve been teleported here,” Zero told them, “I’m Zero Endless I will help protect you and will lead you to our camp site.”

“I remember you,” Metalance points out, “You were with Claymari, but I got the impression you wore a moderate fighter.”

“I have military training,” Zero said with a twinge of irritation.

“A lot of ponies do,” Metalance snaps, “People like me, Honey Mead, Rat Tak-Tak are worth ten of them. Then we have ponies like Claymari. She’s worth ten of me.”

“I may not have any sword training but give me a gun and I can go toe to toe with anyone,” Zero shouted.

“Yes, a gunfighter with no gun in a world of the swords!” Metalance shouts.

“Meta lay off!” Petty Kitty steps in and pushes Metalance away from Zero.

Metalance huffs and storms away.

Zero’s and Petty Kitty’s eyes meet. Petty Kitty speaks up hesitantly. “Look I’m sorry,” She tells the stallion.

“I didn’t think things would go this far,” Zero answered her back.

Petty Kitty gives a nervous smile, “Heck, maybe we will get lucky?”

“About her?” Zero points in the direction Metalance took off in.

“I think the stress is getting to her,” Petty Kitty points out.

Metalance finds some room where she could cry letting off some steam.

“Mommy?” Caramel steps into the room.

“I’m fine,” Metalance replied trying to keep her sobs under control.

Caramel snuggled up underneath her foreleg. Metalance replied by nestling her cheek up against his muzzle.

Winkz found herself looking at one of the dead rats. “What is this thing?” She asks.

“It’s a rat, we’ve been killing them here,” Pot Shell points out.

“Pot Shell my boy,” Winkz remarks as she holds still the rat with one hoof and peels back the skin to reveal blue tinted titanium muscles. “These ain’t no rats.”

“Pink Alice…”

Tangerine walks into his home. Once through his front door, he secures the locks and sighs in relief.

“Took you long enough,” A voice catches his attention.

Tangerine turns to look down his hall. There standing in the middle of the hallway was a large red eyed rat.

“Is she here?” Tangerine asked.

“I’ve had my rats put her on your bed,” The rat replied.

“Think you,” Tangerine nodded his head.

The rat stepped back disappearing into the shadows. Meanwhile Tangerine turns down the hall and enters his bed chambers. Laying there on his bed a sleep was Claymari with some kind of blue snakelike device wrapped around her head.

“Sweet dreams Claymari,” Tangerine smiles.