A leisurely stroll through the forest
Max Payne and all related materials belonging to it are property of Rockstar Games
My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic belongs to Hasbro. I in no way make any profit from this story. This is a story of my own strange mind that I wish to share with the rest of you.
A special thanks to ATung231 for his awesome proof-reading for this chapter, which is now 20% cooler and more readable!
Payne-full Realization
By Ezbok58a
Chapter 7: A leisurely stroll through the forest
---1
“For the record, I didn’t think this would happen…”
Gunter’s words echoed in my head as the wind whipped past in the fast-growing evening sky. After the meeting, I was given the green light to go in and investigate the actual scene and see what else I could find on this new leader from my world. I was now on a chariot being flown to the clearing in the woods surrounding Tall Tale, only I wasn’t alone.
The princess insisted the element bearers come with me. I still didn’t know what Celestia was thinking and her sister didn’t say anything on the matter, yet all six were coming with me.
“Seriously Max, why couldn’t you make me do my thing on these…vests? They’re just so tacky in this color…” Rarity whined.
“Yeah, I can’t even use my wings. You know what it’s like for a Pegasus to not be able to fly? It’s UNBEARABLE!” Rainbow Dash said.
“They’re meant to save your life, not be pretty. Be glad you’re coming along at all, ‘cause if I had any say you’d all be back at the castle.”
To put my mind at ease, if only slightly, all six of them were wearing the bulletproof vests that were stockpiled in one of the crates. Rarity was tasked with tailoring it to fit a pony’s body, although she only had time to put in notches for Pegasus wings on four of the vests before we had to set off. And those four were currently worn by the guards that were pulling this chariot.
The vests weren’t the only thing that along for this trip. I found another Beretta in my spare chest holster and several 25-round magazines for my Berettas. I also had 5 bottles of Interfectum and a FN FAL.
With the unknown out in the woods waiting for us, I wasn’t going in with just two handguns. Hell, I didn’t want to head into the woods with six mares that had no idea of the hell they’re getting into with me either. I couldn’t pick and choose my battles. I never really had a chance to pick my battles. They just always sort of happened…and I had to be ready for when it went south.
And if past experience was any indicator, things definitely would go south.
We’d probably be setting down just at the start of evening, and I personally didn’t want to be in the woods after dark, mainly because of what happened last night with the timberwolves.
Twilight was furiously writing something on that scroll of hers she brought along. I couldn’t make out much of her explanation of the spell, but the gist of it was that she was modifying the protective spell to prevent bullets from penetrating it. Whether or not she made it work, she was going to stay at the chariot with the guards and her friends. They may have arrived with me, but I’ll be damned if I let them go investigating with me.
I didn’t think it was even possible for me to go investigate something without it devolving into a shootout. Apart from complaining about the vests, the trip was made in relative silence. I’d imagine the girls were still a little upset at the display I put on in the meeting room. Hell, I’d be upset too if I didn’t do it on a daily basis. I tried not to think about it, instead focusing on trying to understand Gunter’s meaning behind that line.
For the record, I didn’t think this would happen…
Didn’t think what would happen? That his band of misfits would betray him and go rogue? The brief look through the file he provided spoke to the contrary. Caine’s Mutineers… Jesus, could that be any more of an obvious clue that bad things were going to happen? That’s like naming a ship the Titanic or a blimp the Hindenburg…they already have a wonderful history by themselves. Why add to that mess?
The chariot banked left. We were at the scene and were now going in for a landing. I grabbed the FAL and did a quick check to make sure it was loaded and ready to go.
“Are you sure you’ll need that thing?” Applejack asked, worry in her voice.
“You can never be too sure.”
The guards pulled up and like a helicopter, brought us down gently into the clearing. I quickly made my way off the chariot and over to the guards on the ground. These guys knew this area as they were here investigating before I showed up.
“All right, where did you guys enter the forest?” I asked.
“We went in to our right. We didn’t make it far ‘til we found some crates…and shortly after, the shooting started…” He trailed off as the memories of that night started coming back to him.
“Got it. You stay here and make sure the girls stay here with you. Be ready to move if you hear gunfire.”
“What? We aren’t going with you?” Rainbow asked.
“But I fixed all these hideous vests just like you asked!” Rarity added.
“And I told you I didn’t want you coming along in the first place. This isn’t a job for the likes of you and I’ll be damned if I’m to blame for one of you getting shot. So do yourselves a favor and stay with the guards here.”
Many dejected faces stared back at me. Rainbow looked rather angry, but Twilight was rather indifferent.
“Do you think that spell of yours will work, Twilight?” I asked.
“I think so. It’s not a hard modification to do, but it will take a bit out of you when you do it.”
“You’re not even upset with going on this trip only to do nothing but sit here?” Rainbow asked.
“Max is right. This is way above our heads. You saw what happened to the analog dummy, not to mention the wolves last night. Do you really want to experience that again?”
Rainbow rubbed a hoof under her chin before letting out a sigh.
“No…”
“Then we’ll wait here ‘til Max gets back or gives us the all clear to join him.”
I let out a chuckle. The chances of that happening were slim to none and Twilight knew it. Being in this field was dangerous enough.
I started towards the wood line where the guard said he entered. I gave a look back at the group. Worry and uncertainty clouded their faces as they looked around…I took a deep breath and headed into the woods, my Beretta in my right hand and me holding the FAL by the hand guard with the left.
It didn’t take me long to find evidence of the struggle that occurred there. The ground was full of hoof prints and paw marks. The griffins had been coming back to get the crates if the drag marks were any indication. If they were dragging them instead of flying away with them, then that told me their camp was close…another reason to be quick.
The buzzing of insects was persistent as I swatted a few from my face and pressed further into the woods. Then it hit me…that smell.
I knew that smell.
Rotten decay…the smell of death was in the air. I was really glad the girls decided to listen to me and stay back. If they couldn’t handle a few wooden creatures getting blown to pieces and an analog dummy being shot apart, then there’s no way they could handle this.
I took a few cautious steps forward and I was at the tip of a ground that formed a shallow ditch in this part of the forest. The flies buzzed around with more intensity and the smell got stronger.
“Jesus Christ…”
I had found Gunter’s messengers…and more griffins lying dead at the bottom of the ditch. It further proved my theory that not all of the squadron turned, but now it didn’t matter as they were occupying this small space rotting away. I couldn’t help but think Gunter’s own daughter was somewhere in this mess, killed in an undignified way and disgracefully lying in a shallow ditch for the forest creatures to pick apart.
“God damn it.”
I took a knee and buried my nose into the crook of my left arm to stifle the smell. I counted 12 griffins in the ditch. Most of them had the courier bags the messengers would have, but the other two were just in their own feathers and fur. One of the bodies was fresh, less than a day old. It was possible that whoever was in charge only started executing those who didn’t join his band of psychotic mutineers at least two days ago. There might be hope for them yet. I just had to find them.
It turned out I didn’t have much time. Someone was approaching, judging by the sounds I was hearing. I glanced at the shallow grave again before I looked towards the source of the noises.
I quickly scanned the immediate area to figure out where to go to watch whoever’s approaching. I put my back to the largest tree I could find as I waited for the sounds to get closer. I quickly do a check on the FAL and make sure the safety’s off and it’s loaded. I didn’t know if I’d need to use it, but judging by the decaying bodies not far from me the chances of this group just going for a leisurely stroll through the forest were slim to none.
It didn’t take long for me to hear their voices…
“…look, all I’m saying is why in the name of Tartarus do we have to escort these problems to this remote area back where we first arrived just to get rid of them? Wouldn’t it be more practical to just do it at our camp and then dispose of them nearby?” one of the voices asked.
It was a gruff voice similar to the Mafia goons I’ve dealt with in my colorful history with the Punchinello crime family.
“Will you stop complaining already? You complained so much the last time you actually had the last one begging for me to slit their throat. That takes all the fun out of it!”
I didn’t even need the second voice to counter the first’s complaint to figure out that I just stumbled upon the next group going to be executed. The banter did give me a hint that I had to be quiet since their camp wasn’t far away. Saving this group could give me insight into the mentality or even the name of the nut job running this show. If my stealth abilities were good enough, I could pull this off without anyone getting shot. Judging by the volume, it’d take another minute ‘til I could see them reach the top of the ditch where I suspect they’d do the deed and shove the bodies onto the pile already there. Just like a few hitmen I’ve met…another unfortunate parallel to my world.
The two would-be executioners continued their small talk as they got closer…
“Well, sorry I took the fun out of killing him. He wasn’t any fun anyway. Then again I don’t think he ever was…”
“You knew him longer. Shame he didn’t come to our side. He would’ve been good at this.”
“You think so?”
“How should I know? He’s dead now…much like these three will soon be.”
With three griffins ready to be executed, I had to act fast. I thought about my approach, how I would approach and disable the two griffins from behind, and save the hostages in one fell swoop. Hopefully, the hostages wouldn’t inadvertently tip them off.
“Speaking of dead, you wonder why it’s three this time instead of one? You think we’ll be killing them in groups from now on?”
“Look, the thing wants to get rid of problems now, and these two changelings are a liability as it stands.”
Changelings? What the hell are changelings…and why are they part of this?
“Shame about little Miss Precious here...You had a good chance at staying alive but no, you had to go and cause a ruckus. Bad move, Gilda…”
Gilda…so the Commander’s daughter is still alive. Apparently, she’s a fighter. That’ll come in handy very soon.
“Shut it, chump! I’m not going to follow some crazy being and his suicide mission!” Gilda retorted.
“You see? It’s that attitude that leads to your current predicament.”
“Oh, look at you using big words…can you even spell “predicament”, dweeb?”
She definitely had a fire in her. I allowed myself to smirk as the group finally got close enough for me to take a peek without being seen.
The two griffins who were escorting the group had their backs to me, but I could see the rifles hanging from the straps around their neck. While the front claws of a griffin were more than capable of holding a firearm, they’re still four legged animals. This explains the lousy aim they had when shooting as they don’t normally move about on their hind legs. No matter what firearm they were using, they would spray bullets like a garden hose watering flowers.
On the ground they weren’t good shots, but I had a feeling that once they were airborne, they’d be better shots. That added another reason to not alert the entire camp. I then drew my attention to the three captives: Gilda, the daughter of Commander Gunter and the two “changelings”. They looked like an insect crossed with a pony with a somewhat hard black exterior shell, insect-like wings and for reasons I couldn’t understand, holes in their legs and horn. Now wasn’t the time to question what the hell they were, as whatever information they had on the rogue griffins required them to be alive and back at Canterlot to be safely questioned.
“Well it looks like our little journey is at an end, Gildie…I’d say it was fun but I’d be lying…” One of the guards said as I saw his one claw reach for something strapped to his chest…probably a knife.
It was now or never…
I cautiously stepped out from behind the tree with me looking down my FAL’s sights, aiming at the back of one of the guards. The expression on the three hostages consisted of their eyes going wide. When you’re about to be killed, you’re just glad to see someone else come into the picture, even if they have no intention of rescuing you.
“Don’t move.” I said.
Both the guards tensed ever so slightly and slowly turned their heads to look back at me and my rifle pointed at their backs.
“Is that really another one?” the griffin asked.
“No, it’s a figment of your imagination. Of course it’s another one, you featherbrain!”
“Cut the chatter. Turn around and face me, slowly…” I ordered.
The two guards slowly turned to face me. Sure enough, the one who I saw going for something on his chest was indeed going for a knife…a big one at that.
“What’s another thing like you doing here? The boss told us they were the only one...” the griffin asked.
“If you can call the boss only one…” the other griffin said.
“Shut up! Now drop your weapons before I drop you!” I barked.
My FAL pointed at them should have been enough coercion into surrender, but when you’ve had as many close calls as I have, shouting compliance is second nature.
“Are you here to save us?” one of the insect like creatures asked.
“Yes. You three, stand by me.”
The two insect creatures and Gilda quickly hurried over by me as the two guards finished taking the rifles off the slings around their necks. Both were still rather agitated at me ruining their job, but at least they weren’t shooting.
Then the worst possible thing that could happen happened.
“Rainbow, get back here! We’re supposed to stay in the clearing!”
“I can’t stay still, Twilight! Besides, I thought I heard something…”
“That’s not a valid excuse and you know it! You were with Max last night when the wolves attacked, and now you’re rushing off into danger again! Eww…what’s that smell?”
Remember what I said about my luck? Still holding true…
Twilight and Rainbow came through the same opening in the trees I did not moments ago and froze when they saw us. I was the only one who didn’t turn their head towards them. If I did, those Griffin guards would have turned the tables. I could already see their front arms twitch as they assessed the change.
“…Gilda?”
“Rainbow Dash?”
“Changelings?” Rainbow asked.
“NOW!” the guards said.
The two guards decided to stop listening to my threats and decided to take advantage of the situation. The one nearest me started to move his rifle over towards Rainbow and Twilight, while the one on the right tried to get his knife out of his sheath.
I went for the gun wielder first. I lunged and drove the stock of my own rifle into the side of the guard, which sent the AK flying from his grasp somewhere out of my view. The guard went down on his side, and I made sure he stayed down by rifle-butting his head. Before I could react, the one who was going for the knife tackled me from the right, sending me off his friend and rolling. We tumbled a bit and I used the momentum from that to fling him about ten feet off of me. As I started to get up, I saw him going for the AK I knocked out of his buddy’s claws. It was then I realized that my FAL was back by his unconscious buddy. It wouldn’t take him long to turn the tables on me, as it’d take me too long to draw either of my two Berettas.
If only those two had listened to me instead of wandering into the goddamn woods.
“Drop it, dweeb or I’ll drop you.”
The guard froze as his eyes looked back behind me. I didn’t need to look back to know the Commander’s daughter was holding my FAL and pointing it right at the guard. An uneasy silence settled onto the area, broken only by the buzzing of the flies on the mass grave.
“Oh, the commander’s daughter making empty threats again? You don’t have the stomach to use that weapon.”
“She doesn’t…but I do.”
The guard’s moment of surprise was what I needed to draw one of my Berettas out of my holster and point it at him. The Mexican standoff was now full circle.
“You pull that trigger cowboy, and the entire encampment will be raining death down on you and your little friends here.” The guard stated as I saw a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face.
“And you think if you shoot first that you’ll make it out alive? You’re going up shit creek without a paddle either way, beaky. Drop the gun now and maybe you’ll live.”
He wasn’t backing down.
The standoff continued, neither of us backing down. Then to the surprise of nobody but me, another wrench was thrown into the works.
“Twilight, Rainbow Dash…why did you run off like that? Didn’t you hear Max?”
“Good heavens, you two…and what is that smell?”
“HEY EVERYPONY, WHERE DID YOU GO? THAT WASN’T VERY NICE! PINKIE PIE WANTS EVERYONE TO BE NICE!”
Pinkie’s nails-on-a-chalkboard voice sparked action into the guard. He raised his AK towards the new arrivals. It was now or never. I fired only once, but once was enough. That weird slowed-down distortion soon enveloped my view as I pulled the trigger and saw the slow spinning bullet move through the air and impact the chest of the griffin guard. He tumbled to the ground with a hollow sounding thud, the rifle clattering away from his grasp.
The immediate threat was down, but the damage was done. The rest of Twilights friend’s just watched me end another being in front of them, and the proverbial dinner bell sounded the hungry wolves in the camp not far away. Now we had to get the hell out of here before the rest of the camp showed up to finish what the guards started.
“Max…what…I…” Twilight stammered.
“Shut up! I told you to stay in the goddamned clearing!”
“Hey, it’s not her fault! I wanted to make sure you were OK!” Rainbow spoke up.
“I didn’t ask for your help, birdbrain. This is why I wanted you to stay back.” I said, pointing at the dead griffin guard.
“Now get them to the fucking chariot and get ready to leave…NOW.”
The hurt look was apparent on their faces. Rainbow even stopped flying and joined her friends on the ground. My words hurt them more than I expected, but now wasn’t the time to play nice. I turned back towards Gilda and the two changelings and walked over to them.
I motioned to her that I wanted my rifle back. It took her a second to realize that and hand it back to me.
“Head back that way to the clearing, take this griffin guard with you, and let the chariot guards know to get ready to leave. Got it, Gilda?”
She looked at me, contemplating her situation and chances. It didn’t take her long to get the group of them moving towards the field, the unconscious guard on her back.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I’m going to hold them off, give you guys time to leave.”
She looked like she was going to say something else, but was cut off by the sounds coming from deeper in the woods. The hunt was on.
“Go, now!”
The direness of the situation finally sunk into the group and they started hurrying back to the field. I put my Beretta back in its holster and moved to that same large tree I was hiding behind when the guards showed up. They were getting closer. I could start hearing the shouts of the griffin goons as they closed in…time to see if my previous assessment of their rifle-handling ability was correct. I took a deep breath and just listened, waiting for the sounds to approach me. I looked out from my cover and turned toward the approaching sounds, FAL at the ready.
I squeezed the trigger. As of now I wasn’t in an aiming mood but rather, a keep them back mood. Killing any of them would be a bonus.
The roar from my FAL caused the griffins to scatter for cover as rounds tore into the vegetation and a few who were too slow to get out of the way. I was surprised when I saw them returning fire just as quickly. I ducked back behind the tree as the edges got peppered with incoming rounds, chipping the bark and wood into painful flying splinters. I shielded my eyes as they worked at my cover. I looked back towards the clearing we came from and saw another large tree I could hide behind.
There was a momentary pause at the incoming fire. It was then that I made my move.
I took two steps out from my hiding spot and pushed off of my feet into a dive towards the new hiding spot. As I did, I was watching the woods where the incoming fire was coming from. The world slowed to a crawl, the noises became muted, and the colors washed out and faded. The white dot I’m so used to seeing when the world slows down reappeared, right where it always does. Now to give these griffins something to think about before they chase after me.
I saw one griffin step out of his cover and start rushing towards me. Big mistake. I squeezed the trigger and sent four rounds his way. One of his buddies also leaned out of cover to take a shot, so I sent another three rounds in his direction. One more decided to take a shot at me while out of cover, and I fired until I heard the telltale *click* telling me I’ve run out of rounds in the magazine. Lucky for me, I was just about to hit the ground by that tree I was heading for.
As soon as I touched the ground, the strange slow motion, muted volume, and washed out colors disappeared in an instant and I was back in real time at normal speed. I quickly got to my feet and put my back against the trunk of the tree as I yanked the empty magazine out and threw it on the ground. As I fished around for another FAL magazine, I heard the cries of those who were attacking.
My attacks did more damage than I had originally thought. As of that moment I believed all of those attacking me were now out of commission. I estimate I’ve eliminated five of them, but they had backup coming. I had two FAL magazines remaining, and little more for my Berettas. Factor in the chariot with the six ponies, two changelings, and Gilda, and I didn’t have the time or the resources to fight it out with these clowns. A tactical retreat was in order. I reloaded my FAL and racked the slide back. I checked on my attackers and, seeing no one trying to shoot me, I made a break for the clearing and the chariot.
Hopefully the girls had everything all set to leave in a hurry.
I could hear the commotion behind me. They were going to follow me out to the clearing eventually, but that couldn’t come soon enough. I could see the trees thinning out: the clearing was just yards away and the griffins’ shouts weren’t getting any closer. In a matter of moments I was in the clearing, and from the looks of it, the girls pulled through. They were all on the chariot with the three ex-prisoners and the one still-unconscious griffin guard. The royal guards were ready to depart, but they were just waiting on me to join them. I started motioning for them to start going. On the third wave of my arm, they finally understood and started moving to take off just as I jumped into the chariot with everyone else.
“Let’s pick up the pace!” I shouted
“Max, my goodness are you all right?” Twilight asked
“What the HELL were you doing in the woods?” I yelled at her.
“I was chasing after Rainbow Dash! She just flew in! I told her not to!”
“Hey, I don’t leave my friends hanging when they might be in trouble!”
“Rainbow, I’ve known you two days, and while your concern is much appreciated, if you do something that stupid again, I’ll knock you out.”
Rainbow remained silent as the guards lifted us into the air and we started heading back to the castle. I could understand her reasoning, even if it was foolish. I didn’t really have the heart to tear into her as I’ve done my fair share of dumb things with good intentions. I’ve only known these ponies for all of two days now, and I have to say these pastel creatures were indeed warming my heart. God knows I’ve been lacking a soul for the better part of five years, not nearly as long as I’ve been a drunk. They weren’t interested in power, money, and control, but rather, tolerance, love, and friendship. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked back at the group.
“Um Max, darling…why are you smiling?” Rarity asked.
“No reason, Rarity…no reason at all.”
“Oh that’s good, because THERE ARE GRIFFINS COMING UP OUT OF THE FOREST!!” she screamed.
In that moment, my happy look at the six ponies vanished and the usual misery returned as I looked out the back of the chariot. Four griffins came up out of the tree-line making a beeline for our still climbing chariot with their rifles held in their front claws. I looked back at the group, and realized they weren’t wearing their vests.
“Where the hell are your vests?”
“Oh, they’re being used as pillows for that unconscious griffin here.” Fluttershy said, motioning to the captured guard.
“You’re going to need them now a lot more than he is! Put them on and keep everyone down. Got it?”
“Got it!” they all said.
“Good…because it’s about to get real ugly real fast.”
I stayed low as I moved to the back of the chariot. I had to make sure I don’t inadvertently go skydiving while trying to protect not only the chariot, but the guards and the occupants. I saw attached on the rear of the chariot on my left was a rope, one end attached to the chariot and the other end looped and hung up. I figured this was for roping off the back of the chariot so the passengers don’t fall off. I used the other end of that rope to hook into my belt to stay tethered to the chariot.
While I was glad to be tethered to the chariot, I wasn’t glad to see the four rising griffins were now joined by four more. I’m sure the passengers weren’t going to like it, but I want to keep these guys from firing on us first, and that meant I’d have to shoot them before they got the chance. I started to aim my FAL on the nearest griffin when I got the shock of my life.
Seemingly out of nowhere, another griffin swooped up from somewhere under us. He wasn’t more than twenty yards away when he threw something at the chariot. I didn’t see what it was ‘til it left his grasp: a Molotov cocktail. How the hell do they know how to make a Molotov cocktail, and what the fuck did they use to light it?
The questions were coming at me just as fast as the cocktail, only the cocktail was much more dangerous. Time slowed to a crawl and everything became muted and washed out again…the white dot appeared in my line of sight, I aimed at the incoming bottle, and fired one shot. The bottle exploded into a giant ball of fire. I brought my arm up to block my eyes as the flash and heat wave washed over me. The chariot lurched as the guards pulling it moved at the sudden blast of heat they felt. As the ball of fire vanished into the atmosphere, I turned back to look at the passengers and saw Rarity finish putting her vest on. She was the last one, and all of them looked a little scared after that close call. I wasn’t positive the guards flying this thing would know what to do when to do it.
“Hey Rainbow!”
Rainbow’s ears perked up at the mention of her name. She looked eager to redeem her previous mistake.
“I need you to tell the guards what to do and when to do it. They can’t see what’s going on behind them!”
She lifted her right front hoof into a salute gesture before she spoke.
“I’m on it!”
“Good! The rest of you stay alert!”
As I turned back towards the fight, I saw the griffin had another molotov ready to hurl our way. Time to show him that playing with fire could be hazardous to your health. I took aim at the bottle, and fired.
The bottle in his claw exploded and within seconds, the liquid inside misted and caught the flaming rag that was once stuck in the top. The entire right half of his body was engulfed in fire, he stopped flapping his wings, and just plummeted straight down in a ball of fire, the only evidence of his being up here was the smoke trail that followed him down to the ground. I looked towards the other airborne pursuers, noticing that the two nearest ones had their rifles leveled in my direction.
I took a bead on the closest one and squeezed the trigger. As I fired, the griffin rolled and banked trying to avoid my incoming fire, and he nearly did. Two bullets grazed him, and another cleanly punched through his left wing causing him to lose some altitude and drop back, but he wasn’t completely out of the fight.
That attack prompted the remaining griffins to start taking pot shots at me.
“EVASIVE MANEUVERS, HARD RIGHT!” I heard Rainbow shout behind me…
The chariot banked into a hard right turn, which made the fast-closing griffins fly past us as they tried to follow the chariot. That pause gave me enough time to get a bead on the lead flyer as I fired another volley of lead right at him. Three rounds struck him in his torso and two more ripped into his wings. He dropped out of the sky right where I shot him. That left seven airborne pursuers after us, all of whom were opening fire at us.
I heard the crack and whizzing of the bullets as they flew past me as well as the telltale “plink” of a round striking the metal chariot. I felt the chariot lurch to one side as the Pegasus fliers executed another hard-banking turn, this time to the left. I had the feeling we were about to go into a serpentine pattern as I again aimed down the sight of my FAL. Another griffin flew across my crosshairs as I fired a few rounds. He juked in the sky trying to avoid them with no such luck as they tore into his left wing. I heard a strangled squawk from him before he too lost altitude and plummeted to the ground.
Another incoming burst of fire from the pursuers later, and I felt a stinging sensation in my left side. It just grazed me, but because I didn’t hear anything behind me, I assumed no one in the chariot was hit. Now it was time to get serious as I fired the remaining ammo across the sky in the general vicinity of the closing griffins. My blindfire forced them to drop back and dodge while I called back to Rainbow.
“Get us to the treetops!”
“What? Are you crazy?!?”
“JUST DO IT FOR CHRIST’S SAKE!”
There was a pause before she relayed the message to the guards.
“GET US TO TREETOP LEVEL! DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!!”
I had a minor moment of feeling weightless as the chariot practically dove straight down to treetop level. I was hoping we could use this added speed to gain distance on the griffins, but this also made it much more dangerous for both of us as there’s now no recovery room should we be unable to fly. I yanked the empty magazine and grabbed one of the two remaining FAL magazines and smacked it into the rifle. I racked the bolt just as we pulled up right above the trees. I immediately took a bead on the diving griffins and fired a burst. The three rounds went wide of their target as I soon heard the whizzing and cracking of incoming rounds yet again.
I felt a sharp pain in my right leg that caused me to lose my upright position. I was hit. I started to fall to the floor of the chariot as the colors faded and the sound became muted. That familiar feeling was back, and I was going to make the most of it before it wore off. The white dot appeared at the nearest griffin. I could see the incoming shockwaves rippling off of the rounds he was firing as I squeezed the trigger.
The slow and repetitive jump of the weapon in my grip reverberated through me as I sent three rounds towards him. I didn’t pay attention after that as I aimed at the next griffin and fired another burst. Another shock went through me as I impacted the floor of the chariot, the slight jolt made me pause in my firing to see the rounds I fired tear into the griffins. They both tumbled like ragdolls, out of the fight. The colors started to brighten, a sign that whatever mode I was in was coming to an end. I saw three more griffins bearing down on us and I had to keep them from doing more damage.
I started firing at the remaining three haphazardly. As a result, I saw my rounds only take out one griffin. The colors all returned, the sounds came back full volume and I was back in the present time, getting shot at by some deranged griffins.
They remaining two broke level at the tree tops some 30 yards behind us. One of them was previously wounded by my shots earlier so he was further back and less of a threat. But his friend wasn’t as considerate. As he fired again, I could hear the clatter of his rifle as I heard the incoming rounds blitz past me. Thankfully, they weren’t that good a shot flying anymore then they were on the ground. We both kept serpentine maneuvers, each taking potshots at the other but neither actually scoring a hit. I never actually looked behind me after we hit treetop level so I had no idea if I’d actually kept anyone alive. Hopefully my odds were better than usual.
The griffin decided on the sixth or so maneuver to stop with the zigzagging and just come straight at us, firing directly at us. I depressed the trigger and held it there…and suddenly the world suddenly slowed to a crawl. The only thing I could hear was the muffled firing of my rifle and the spent shell casings ejecting from my FAL. My vision went from my own to a third person view, focused on the barrel of the rifle as it followed a round as it exited in a flash of fire…it was slow enough I can literally see the spin of the bullet as it passed my view. But my strange third person view started following that bullet as the slow-motion world started to return back to normal speed just as that bullet I was following crashed into the chest of the griffin I was shooting at. I saw three more rounds impact the griffin as this view stayed on him, following his dropping of the rifle in his front claws as the life left him and he started plunging towards the ground.
I didn’t get to see anything after that as the world seemingly flashed and I was once again back to where I was, seeing out of my eyes, and laying on the floor of the chariot with a stinging burn on my left arm and an extreme pain in my right thigh. The last flying griffin held off on further pursuit. I imagined he’d rather report this to their leader than die like his buddies. Once the adrenaline wore off, I checked myself for more wounds. I dug my hand into my front pocket and grabbed one of the pill bottles I had brought.
With practiced skill, I removed the lid and downed the entire bottle in mere seconds. A practice I’ve done countless times throughout the years, something that was as much a part of me as this bizarre situation of time slowing to a crawl at certain points in a gun battle. I couldn’t explain it; it just was the way it was. I was still focusing on the pain killers doing their work that I almost didn’t notice Twilight was standing over me, concerned for my well being.
“Max, oh my gosh are you alright?”
“I’ve felt worse.”
The pain in my thigh and arm subsided quickly as it always did. I untethered myself from the chariot before I looked at the rest of the interior compartment. The floor was pockmarked with hits and grazes from incoming fire but more worryingly, there was a growing pool of blood from where the group was huddled at the front of the chariot. My eyes quickly scanned the still frightened figures, and then my eyes fell on Fluttershy and how still she was. No one else seemed hurt, but even one pony being hurt tore at something deep down that I once thought was gone. The possibility of Fluttershy being seriously hurt was heart-wrenching.
I quickly made my way towards her. I saw her unconscious body and the impact on her vest, both of which started to make me worry. I carefully removed the vest from her and checked. There was a hushed silence as I checked on her. The round didn’t penetrate, thankfully.
“Max…is she?” Twilight asked cautiously.
“She’ll be OK. Bruised, but OK.”
I held Fluttershy’s now removed vest to show the group the damage it had incurred.
“This is why I wanted you to wear them. I don’t care how many fashion rules it breaks. It’s meant to keep you alive, you understand?”
I was more directing this little speech to Rarity over her little fuss she made before we landed. Her fashion sense was overriding her common sense in that case. I was positive that given enough time, she’d make a bulletproof vest fashionable, but right now, I was glad to see all six ponies were all right.
“Um, Max…where is that coming from?” Rarity asked, her hoof pointing at a pool of blood.
Fluttershy didn’t have any other wounds besides the bruising where she was hit, and the three rescued hostages were all alert…that left the griffin guard. He was positioned in an upright seated position. When I nudged him, he slumped over, smearing a lot of blood against the upright section of the chariot.
“Well, I think that solves that one…” Rarity said.
“You mean he’s…” Applejack started to speak.
“Dead? Yeah, he’s pretty much dead.” I said.
“We have to do something!” Twilight pleaded.
“Do what? You can’t revive him…can you?” I asked.
Twilight let out a sigh as she dipped her head low.
“Not that I know of, and honestly I’d rather not delve into that possibility.”
“Well, I can move him to the other side of the chariot so it’s out of the way…”
I was interrupted by Pinkie Pie poking me in my right leg with her hoof.
“What?”
“Is there any magic in your world?” Pinkie asked.
“Why?”
“I ask because I’m pretty sure I saw you get hit like that demonstration you showed us, only there’s nothing wrong with you now. So, is there magic in your world?”
I looked from Pinkie to my thigh. Surprisingly, there was absolutely no evidence of me being shot, and I grabbed my left arm feeling for the graze I also received, only to also find nothing.
“There isn’t any “magic” in my world, just these pills which help deal with the pain. But they usually don’t heal bullet wounds instantly.” I calmly stated.
“Ooh…we have a mystery now!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“Yeah…great….” This is just what I needed in this world: more unexplainable shit.
“Look, Max, we’ll figure it out once we get back to the Castle.” Twilight said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of. I’ve had enough shocks in two days to last a lifetime…however short it will end up being.”
“Don’t talk like that. It’s not healthy.” Applejack added
“Can we not discuss this now over an unconscious pony, a dead griffin and three rescued prisoners, please? I need a drink like you wouldn’t believe…”
“Yeah…I’ll bet…” Rainbow added quietly.
“Well, we should probably attend to Fluttershy anyway…” Rarity said.
“Yeah, make sure she gets to see a doctor once we get back.”
And just like that, the quiet yet somber ambience enveloped the chariot. The girls hung around Fluttershy while I stayed with the dead griffin and the three prisoners. The quiet didn’t last long.
“Hey…can we ask you something?” one of the changeling things asked with a slight buzzing reverberation in their speech.
“Why not? None of you have said anything since I rescued you.”
“Yes, thanks for that by the way…”
“You’re welcome.”
“Right… anyway, what’s going to happen to us?”
I picked up on what the strange pony-like creature was asking.
“Well, you’ll be treated for any injuries, and after that you’ll be put into a room where we’ll have a conversation on this whole mess.”
“Couldn’t you just ask us now? Why wait ‘til we get back to the Castle?” Gilda asked that time.
“One, because this is the way I’m used to doing it. And two, so this way there’s an actual record of what you say…Something that will come in handy down the line.”
“But…we aren’t really welcomed back at the castle…” one of the Changelings said.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Besides, I’d rather you all be looked over before I get to talk to you. I’m willing to bet you weren’t coming from ideal conditions yourselves either, before they took you out to kill you.”
“We really don’t have a choice, do we?”
“No, you don’t.”
The changeling creatures let out a sigh as they went quiet. It was the most peace I had since the firefight. Now there was nothing but quiet as we headed home. I was concerned about a few issues though: the Interfectum’s healing qualities that Pinkie pointed out, the dead guard, and Fluttershy remaining unconscious. That bothered me the most. The hit she took would hurt like hell, but she shouldn’t be unconscious…unless she fainted, which up until now I didn’t even consider.
It seems I was stuck thinking of that for long enough that I hardly realized we were landing on Castle grounds. There were a number of castle guards on the ground, as well as both Princesses waiting for us. I hoped they wouldn’t be too mad at the state of their chariot. The guards pulling us did a fantastic job of setting us down as gently as possible and by the time we came to a stop, the Princesses were right there to greet us.
“Max, how was the…” Celestia trailed off as she noticed the state of the chariot, and the dead griffin at my feet.
“Honestly, it could’ve gone better.”
I disembarked and grabbed my FAL off the floor of the chariot before I motioned for the three prisoners to get out.
“These three were going to get executed, but I managed to prevent that and bring them back. See to it they’re taken care of and get them ready for my interrogation later on. Also, get a doctor to look over Fluttershy. She took a hit in the vest on the way back and she’s been out ever since. Oh, and this…”
I motioned at the dead griffin.
“…get the commander to figure out what to do with it.”
“Oh my…what happened?” Celestia asked.
“I’ll fill you in later on. Right now I need a drink.”
With that, I walked off back to the room where I last saw the alcohol. After all I went through, I damn sure needed it.
Celestia and Luna just stared as I walked off towards Canterlot, leaving them there with a damaged chariot, an unconscious Fluttershy, a dead griffin, two changelings and the commander’s daughter. And not one of those was an answer to any of their questions.
“Are you sure about this, Luna?” Celestia asked.
“Yes sister, I am. He’s the perfect one for this situation…although his methods and actions are rather…crude.”
“Crude is an understatement.” Applejack added as she and the rest of the elements gathered around the two Princesses.
Fluttershy was actually on her feet, which given what I just told them was rather surprising.
“Fluttershy, dear are you alright?” Celestia asked.
“Oh, I’m OK…sore, but that’s about it.”
“But Max said you fainted.”
“Oh he did? I’m sorry. I guess I might have when I felt that thing hit the vest he insisted we wear…I’m kind of grateful that he made us wear those vests, given what he showed us earlier.”
“So, that’s it?” Celestia asked.
“Well, he does want the three we rescued to be taken care of and treated before he talks to them…I’d imagine he’d want you two to be there when he does that.” Twilight said.
“Very well. I’ll have them all taken care of so he can talk to them later.”
“Another thing, princess…Max was hit when we were trying to escape the woods. That’s how the chariot got so damaged and that griffin got…well…killed.”
Luna raised an eyebrow.
“But he looked perfectly fine just now…”
“Yes, but we all saw him get hit. And it was just as graphic as the demonstration he showed us all earlier. But then he took those pills he carries and everything was fine again.”
“I…see.” Celestia gave a curious glance to her sister, which mirrored her own.
“Also…I’m not sure how, but there was a moment when we were under attack, where everything seemed to slow down to a crawl.”
“I noticed that too. The sounds became muted as well…” Rarity added.
“And the colors faded to gray now that I think of it.” Pinkie Pie added.
“Hmm, that is interesting.” Luna said, earning another curious look from her sister.
“Does this mean anything? Should it be something we should worry about?” Twilight asked.
“That I cannot answer at this time, Twilight, but I will look into it. For now, why don’t you and your friends go get some rest? I’ll have one of our guards come get you when it’s time for the interrogation.”
“Thank you, princess.”
The six friends walked off towards the Castle. Not far behind them were the refugees. The two sisters watched them head inside before Celestia turned toward her sister.
“You knew about this the whole time didn’t you?”
“I had a hunch. Surely you felt the same thing I did during his demonstration earlier. That’s part of why he’s here.”
“And what’s the other reason he’s here? Are you going to tell him that?”
“No.”
“Luna, this is very dangerous situation. Why are you not going to tell him?”
“Because sister, in a few moments he’s going to know everything about what’s in my mind as pure conjecture. And by then, both his and my understandings of this thing, or “human”, are going to be much, much clearer.”
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Holy shit! I thought you were dead!
So everypony is aware of the Time Bullet yet have no explaination for it? Interesting, very interesting indeed! I love that fact because they'll think of it as magic but is it really? Only the future will reveal! Continue good sir!
Holy shit! Max Payne!? OMG Must read now!!!
MAGIC!?!? NO.... VIDEOGAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Better to have and not need, then need and not have.
The events of the day were taking their toll on me. It felt as if the puzzle was finally unfolding, and that everything would be revealed soon enough. I guessed only time would tell.
2071616
2071753 Look at that. I had a fan. I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or scared. If young, impressionable kids were looking up to me, a drunk, drug-addicted, murdering idiot, then may God have mercy on them.
Sweet!
I hope there's more soon!
Great chapter. I am going to adapt some of your action writing techniques in the future.
A chariot shoot out, all of my yes! This chapter was great and keep up the good work.
who's this villain?
Why was Max brought here?
Is there actual magic at play?
How much more violence will follow?
find out next time on dragon ball z!
When will the next chapter be out
It'll be a while, new job, new hours...I have a new schedule I have to first get used to then worry about the story...I haven't had a chance to work on it in over a week.
Update?
I am your new stalker on this book. I swear, if you procrastinate! Let's just say there will be cupcakes for everyone!
Nice story!
Sooo... Just wondering. When is your hiatus gonna be
Y u no update?
Awww man, it socks when you get super into a fic, and you get to the most recent update, only to find that the damn thing hasn't been updated in FOUR YEARS. I LIKED THIS STORY. IT'S GOOD, AND NOW I'LL LIKELY NEVER SEE HOW IT ENDS.