(And the events continue to unfold. Enjoy. You should know what to do with errors by now.)
You quickly made your way back atop the pile of crates, and then you leapt to the roof of the warehouse, making sure to absorb the impact with your legs. With your new vantage point you began exploring the roof, looking though the sloped windows that somehow always seemed to adorn the roofs of buildings like this. Most of the windows yielded nothing worth noting, but a few showed some ponies wandering the stacks of crates. You began testing windows in the area for open ones, and just as you were beginning to lose hope one yielded to your efforts, and it opened smoothly.
You dropped down a few feet to the top of the crate that was below the window. On silent hooves you began wandering the crates, looking for any ponies that looked important. The place was far larger than you thought, and it took you quite some time to get the whole place mapped out in your mind. After almost twenty minutes of leaping from crate stack to crate stack, you finally found the red unicorn. But more than that, you found Applejack.
She was still on the back of the massive stallion, but now she was moving, clearly awake, and displeased with the current situation. You knew that you stood no chance with all the guards present, so you watched as some stallion in a suit approached the red unicorn. They shook hooves, and then they turned to enter a small office located nearby. The massive stallion simply stayed where he was, and the other guards began milling about, heading back to continue their patrols.
Through one of the windows in the office you spied the two stallions opening a bottle of booze, so you knew that you had some time to get things tipped in your favor, if only a little. You began moving amongst the guards, repeating your tactics from outside, and meeting with success nearly every time. The one time it didn’t work, the stallion and you tussled for a moment, before you cracked him across the jaw with a hoof, knocking him out.
With a good number of the guards taken care of, you made your way back to where Applejack was being held. You took a deep breath, and then you grabbed the gun you had taken from one of the guards. You didn’t know if it was loaded or not, but you hoped that you wouldn’t have to use it. You walked into the light, and the massive stallion looked at you with a curious expression on his face, before it slowly turned into one of recognition.
“Little pony. You should not have come here.” His voice is thickly accented, and his words are a bit difficult to make out through it. “Now we fight, stallion versus tiny baby stallion.” His stance shifted slightly, and you also adjusted yours. You had speed, of that you were almost certain. You were also confident that you’d be able to keep up this fight longer than he could. But one solid hit…
With surprising speed the stallion lumbered forward, hoping to land a single solid hit on you. You raised the gun, before pulling the trigger. The resulting crack echoed through the whole building, and you saw the massive stallion flinch as the round struck him in the shoulder. Despite his wound, he continued his charge, and at the last second you dove to the side.
Much to your chagrin the stallion quickly stopped, and adjusted his position. Nothing that big should be able to move so damn fast! Within seconds it was charging again, and you knew the gun needed to be reloaded before it could be fired again. Or, you thought so, since pulling the trigger accomplished nothing. With surprising grace you dive aside, narrowly dodging the hulking behemoth so intent on turning you into a dead pony. You toss aside the gun, its usefulness having come to an end.
Without something more to tip the scales this battle would be a game of cat and mouse, and common knowledge dictated who would win that battle. “Stand still little stallion! I just want to crush you!” You steadied yourself for the next charge, and, predictably, it came. This time, though, you dove at an angle to the back, putting you to his side as he stopped his charge. He whirled around to the right, the side you were on, and he swung a hoof at you. You barely had time to move your head to avoid the blow.
A swift swing of your own hoof met the side of his head, and you accomplished little other than hurting your hoof. Lock Jaw quickly shifted his balance, and he threw another punch, and again you moved to the side at the last possible second. Another viper quick blow landed on the side of his head, and you were rewarded with a grunt from Lock Jaw, and a sore hoof. Rather than throw another punch, the mass of pony in front of you simply lunged forward, knocking you on the ground.
“Now I will kill you!” He raised a hoof over your head, and you watched as it came down, seemingly in slow motion. You raised a hoof of your own to meet his, and you somehow managed to stop his hoof mere inches from your face. The stallion’s eyes went wide as you then began to push his hoof up. A smirk appeared on your face for a moment, and then Lock Jaw looked down to where you were looking. With a swift kick you landed your hoof between his back legs, and then the beast jumped back, one massive hoof quickly moving to his stallionhood, and the other keeping his balance.
In his moment of weakness you jumped up, and began peppering him with punches to the face. You landed a few solid hits before he swept a hoof at you. You weren’t expecting it, and so it managed to hit you solidly across the head. The whole world seemed to go white as you sailed through the air. It seemed to last for a few minutes, but it wasn’t long enough, as you felt the ground welcome you back with open arms. You slid several feet before you came to a stop.
You climbed to your hooves once more, and you glared at the leviathan standing proudly in the middle of the splash of light. “Is there problem, little colt? Are mine punches too much for your tiny baby frame?” A low chuckle escaped the stallion as he lowered his head, and he charged once more. You repeated your earlier technique, albeit sloppier. You managed to land a solid punch on his right eye before you jumped back to avoid his body slam.
He surprises you with a charge, and instead of trampling you, as he expected, you clutch his face. He stops moving completely, as you cover his eyes, and then he begins thrashing about wildly. Several tense moments later, and he smashes your back into a crate, hoping to dislodge you. Your grip loosens, and an idea races through your mind. You brace a hoof on his neck, and as he swings his head towards the crates once again, you push off his neck, moving yourself out of the way, and letting Lock Jaw smash his face into the crates.
A massive roar of pain bursts from the stallion, and he quickly backpedals, desperate to put distance between himself and the object of his misery. As he moves back you can see jagged splinters sticking out of his face at all angles, and there is even a trail of blood leading from him to the crate. You look at the hole in the crate, and your eyes go wide. “Really? Fucking, really?” Sticking out of the crate are several rubber hands, similar to the ones from the porn shop.
You don’t dwell on the ludicrous nature of the crate, or its contents, and instead you rush the massive stallion, hoping to take advantage of his wounded state to finish him off. You grab one of the larger pieces of wood off the floor, and then you bring it up in a vicious uppercut to his chin, sending him reeling. You follow it up with a quick swing to his gut, which doubles him over. You wind up, and smash him over the head, causing him to finally drop to the ground. He’s still moving, to your surprise, so you keep whacking him in the head till he finally stops. The stick is covered in some blood, and there’s a large bloody spot on top of the stallion’s head.
You let the stick fall from to the floor, and before it reaches the ground you hear a slow clap. “Well done, lad. Truly impressive. Lock Jaw was probably one of the toughest ponies I have ever hired, and you beat him. Granted, he was never the smartest pony. There were a good number who could outsmart him, but there were even fewer who could outsmart his hooves.” You turned to look at the red unicorn who was standing over the squirming body of Applejack. The other stallion, who was wearing a suit, was looking at you with malice in his eyes. But beyond that malice was something else. Somehow, this stallion knew you.
“But, such is life. Now then, you’re clearly quite capable, having gotten in here without much fuss. I have a proposition for you. I’ll forget about all the ways you’ve transgressed against me, and all you have to do is give up this silly quest of yours, and agree to work for me.” You remain silent, unable to put your hatred for this pony into words. “I pay quite well. Far more than your parents could ever hoped to have made. Perhaps, if they had made the kind of money I’m offering they wouldn’t have… died?”
“How the hell do you know what happened to my parents?” The words burst out of you before you could stop them.
“Ah, well, Acres, it seems you were right. This is that colt. And that must mean that this,” he motions towards the shadows, and out comes two stallions, with your sister limply supported between them, “is your dear sister.” He moves closer to her, and he lifts her chin. Her eyes flutter open, and as they recognize what they see they widen. “Well, Sunburst, it seems that you’ve finally gotten out of the industry. But, I suspect, not how you wanted to go. I never should have trusted that incompetent thug two years ago. He was beaten bloody by this colt, and then he didn’t have the stones to finish you off.”
“It’s a shame that you’re as good looking as you are. I hate killing pretty mares.” Red moved himself closer to Sunburst, and then Sunburst reared back, and spit into his face. With a shout of disgust the unicorn recoiled, and then he smacked Sunburst across the face with a hoof, sending a trail of saliva and blood across the floor. “It seems that I’ll have to make this painful for you. A quick death wouldn’t be suitable, would it? Ah, but my offer still stands. What say you?”
“You can take your deal and shove it up your ass. I’m not going to work for somepony like you. I'd never work for anypony that would sell others for their bodies."
The suited stallion approached Red, and then he whispered in his ear quickly. “It seems that I can’t stay to enjoy your company any longer. We’ll have to settle this some other time, then. Don’t worry, though, I’ll be sure to keep this mare of yours in good condition. I wouldn’t want to damage such special merchandise.” He then turned to look at the two guards. “Do what you will with the mare and the colt. I don’t honestly care. Just make sure they both suffer.” You watched, seemingly paralyzed, as Red and the suited stallion moved over to Applejack. In a flash of light you watched as the trio disappeared.
With them gone you suddenly found yourself able to move once again. You sprinted at the two guards, and the terror written on their faces made it quite clear that they weren’t going to put up a fight of any sort. In a matter of moments both guards had been dispatched, and you had Sunburst’s head resting in your lap. Her breathing was rapid, but she was still breathing. Her eyes were open, but her gaze flicked from spot to spot, never lingering on anything.
“Sis… I’m going to get you out of here. Just hold on. Please.” You quickly hefted her onto your back, and then you made your way out of the warehouse and onto the streets once more.
THE SUSPENSE. GOD DAMN IT.
The half chapter long fight of, how was it put... oh, right "stallion and tiny baby stallion," reminded me of fighting a Tank in L4D without sufficient ammo, on your own, and in a very tight space. The rest was pure suspense and the vibe of "I will find you and I will kill you..."
My Lyra in a dress demands more soon!
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Ah, the dreaded cliff hanger strikes once again.
SO you are realesing chapters quickly to make us get even angrier at your cliff hangers? You evil bastard!
PONY SMASH!!
Why must you always leave cliffhangers like this and use the classic cliches of "new villain, disappears with damsel in distress"? Goddamnit!
*cough**cough*
On the other hand, very good story so far. The cliffhangers are driving me a bit batty though
Damn unicorns and their magic! You do this on purpose use cliffhangers so no matter how pissed out of your mind yo are you must continue reading just to be so pissed you explode
God damn it. WHY!
The big guy remindse of red from team fortress 2 buy the fight reminds me of saints row the third.
And as for the fear on the guards well really would you wanna take I the guy who beat the brute I know I wouldn't.
Also MORE OF YOUR CURSED CLIFFHANFGERS!!!!!!!
A cliffhanger you are quite smart but i hope this tradition soon stops.
962126
awww darn gone missing again. BUCK.
Good chapter! But do I see Tf2 references snuck into the dialogue?
Oh gawd oh wow. This fic. The suspense, the story, the TF2 references. It's all friggin amazing.
Keep up the good work, man. Can't wait for the next chapter. Until then, I'll just hide in the corner in the fetal position until I have my reading material.
.......I will have to join the que of people who wish to harm you.
You might just kill me with those cliff hangers my face has exploded slightly twice already!
Help me.....
THE SUSPENSE!!!!!! GAAHHH!
Loved this chapter though was fun to read.
957741
fim.413chan.net/oatmeal/src/130957316863-amused_is_what_I_am_.gif
...touche
FFUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKK WHY?!? I WAS SOOOO CLOSE why do you do this to me!?!
962126 Yes. Quite. I figured that you'd appreciate the ending to this chapter.
962146 Your Lyra in a dress will get what she wants soon enough. I'd write some now, but work will soon take me away.
962153 At least this one isn't quite as bad as the last one.
962224 ... That's not my intention... Anyway, I'm releasing them as I finish writing them. And cliffhangers keep you on the edge of your seat.
962225 At least this cliffhanger isn't quite as bad as the last one. And the cliche works, and, to be fair, that new pony is one I've had planned a bit.
962359 Maybe I'll try to get some closure in the next chapter. Or maybe I won't. I can't say, since I haven't written the next chapter yet.
962369 Yeah! All them faces. Allow me to retort.
962371 A better question: Why not?
962394 Heavy weapons guy is best character. And the fight was actually inspired just a bit by the "Meet the Scout" video.
962509 The cliffhangers will stop when I reach the final few chapters, and everything starts falling into place.
962521 So close, yet so far...
962537 You do! I realized that the massive stallion could be the Heavy, and you are Scout.
962720 The fetal position is best position. There may be a chapter up later, but for now I'm not writing anything new.
962943 Aww... Don't do that. I have no desire to be harmed.
963022 I'll do what I can, but there won't be any real closure till the story comes to an end.
963032 Suspense makes for good story telling. It was also fun to write.
963082 I'm not sure quite what it was that beat the hulking behemoth, but it wasn't determination. It was probably cleverness, and a crate full of sex toys.
963557 Because your reaction is priceless.
images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111127220232/monsterhunternews/de/images/1/1f/BlackTigrex.gif
MOAR! MOAR! MOOOAAAAARRRRRRRR!
962146 I had that feeling but after having to re-read (unexpected visitor enters house) I saw "accent" and then thought of a Scout fighting a Heavy.
964463 Well... I play Pyro and Sniper so I don't often see that more than occasionally through the scope of my rifle. But I also got the feeling of giant vs mage at a low level, but it's still winnable. It often is...
964463
I agree. I thought of heavy versus scout
963672How does that make sense? My question was "Why must that red bitch constantly take AJ away?"
ANOTHER cliffhanger?!
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Thanks to you, I'm going to make sure that I kill twice as many enemies while playing Mount and Blade: Warband as I usually do, along with a quick game of TF2 with the bots on easy mode.
Yes. The rage. It is glorious.
Funny, situations like these are why I thought up Final Verdict in the first place.
965159 Why not is still my answer.
Awesome fight scene
966186Eh, I guess...
'If I write it with cliffhangers, it's gonna be bad... If I write it without cliffhangers, it's gonna be bad! What's a guy to do?' - Generic Author Guy 2: Electric Boogaloo
They say they outsmart me. But they no outsmart bullet!
Okay, so the protagonist can outperform Applejack and Big Mac in farmwork, and then at least once during the fight directly overpowers a beefcake minion. That's...kinda OP.
Also I can't help but think this whole situation could've been solved very quickly...
"Dear Princess Celestia,
One of the Elements of Harmony just got abducted by a brothel."
----
MANEHATTAN HERALD
Breaking news:
Local brothel burned to the ground by angry heads of state
Princess of the Night confuses ejected pimps with archaic choice words, places 'pox' upon them
I feel like Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield combined.
Lock Jaw: I am Heavy Hooves Pony...some ponies think they can outsmart me. Mebbe...mebbe...but I have yet to meet one that can outsmart Hoof *flexes hoof*
*cue this chapter*
You: ...cry some more...
TF2!!!!! YAY!!!!!!