XIV: The Prey
Sweet flaming fucks!
Gava had seen the intent in the rainbow pegasus’s eyes, and still she was taken by surprise. She was already drawing a talon across her prisoner’s throat when a polychromatic flash crossed the distance between them. The warmth of blood on her talons was lost amidst the thud of impact. She tumbled backwards with the snarling blue missile, her body reacting without thought, and found herself locked in a grapple with Rainbow Dash.
“I’m gonna beat you to a bloody pulp!” Rainbow screamed, wings beating at the air in an effort to come out on top. “You’ll be lucky to have a single black feather left!”
“Take them out!” Gava shouted, not looking away. She would trust Topgallant to carry out her orders as she focused on the pegasus. She pushed off with a leg, using her weightier stature to flip the enraged pegasus onto her back. Lavender light flashed in the corner of her eye.
Rainbow was too fast. She slipped out of Gava’s grip with a twitch of her wings, twisting in the air to deliver a spinning kick to her side. Gava grunted, staggering sideways. Little bird’s got some strength in her. She heard the steam of the door opening at the far end of the hall. The door she had put her gatling gun team behind. I can’t get caught in my own crossfire.
She twisted around Rainbow’s wild lunge, slapping the pegasus in the muzzle with her tail. “Too slow, dyejob!” She pushed herself down the hall with a flap of her wings, soaring over Topgallant and a trio of hirelings as they ducked in alarm. “Keep them busy! I’ll handle the crazy one!”
Top barely had time to nod his understanding before she was past him. “Got it!”
Rainbow’s enraged voice chased her around a corner as she landed running. “Get back here, you jerk!”
Gava didn’t have to look back to know the pegasus would give chase. Her beak twisted into a predatory grin. This was a game she was more than willing to play.
“Rainbow! No!”
She didn’t listen, of course. The polychromatic blur of Rainbow’s wake was all the pegasus left behind as she launched herself after Gava.
It had all happened so fast. Had it even been thirty seconds ago that Twilight was making research plans for Princess Luna’s condition? The adrenaline in her veins muddied her memories and brought her senses into surreal clarity. The red splash of blood, and the purple flash of her panicked teleport spell. Applejack’s weight in her hooves. Sea Sabre’s shouts for a shield. The deep thud-thud-thud in her bones from the gatling gun that had been waiting on the other side of the door behind them. It was an apocalypse in miniature, no less world-shattering for its lack of scale.
“Twilight? Listen to me, sugar cube!” Applejack’s voice was distant in her ears. All Twilight could see was the spreading red stain soaked into the orange fur of her neck. “Twilight, snap outta it!”
Her horn was tingling. Twilight blinked, seeing for the first time the purple wall of magic she had erected around herself and her friends. Her sight focused on the pair of ponies operating the gatling gun at the back end of the hall, pouring a hail of bullets into her shield.
Anger flared in her breast. How dare they threaten my friends! In the next instant her horn was glowing with power, her vision tinged purple with the arcane energy crashing through her. They’ll pay for their insolence! A thousand macabre ideas competed for dominance, drowning out the voices of the ponies around her. She saw skin rent from crying flesh, blood vessels burst behind the useless protection of broken bones, throats crying out in vain for the scraps of mercy she would refuse to give—
No! Twilight shaped the magic into a hasty teleportation spell, rushing to push it all out of her before the madness took hold once more. The gatling gun vanished in a flash of purple, reappearing in the open air outside the ship. It tumbled down into the ocean, its former operators blinking in confusion at the empty space where their weapon had once been.
Awareness rushed back to her all at once. Twilight sucked in a deep breath, mind reeling. What was that? I could’ve—
“Twilight, the shield!”
Sabre’s voice pulled Twilight back to the present. She looked around, realizing that her frantic effort to push all the magic out of her had also dispelled her shield. The gatling gun was gone, but she and her friends were now surrounded by two advancing gangs of roughshod thugs wielding heavy shoes and armored wings.
“I—I can’t!” Twilight lied. Of course she could muster another shield. But she didn’t dare to touch her magic again so soon. Not after the terrible images that had just filled her mind.
“S’alright, Twi,” Applejack said, picking herself up off the ground. She pulled a bloodstained hoof away from the red gash on the side of her neck, grimacing at the hoof before scraping it against the metal floor. “I reckon y’all’ve done y’all’s part.”
“Girls…” Fluttershy whispered from the bulkhead corner she had pushed herself back into. “I-I’m s-scared…”
Sabre squared herself in the center of the hall, flaring her wings before the first group of thugs. The sunlight filtering through the windows cast a cold gleam over her blades. “This is your last chance to turn back,” she said. “You can take back a lot of things, but missing limbs isn’t one of them.”
The broad-chested mare at the front of the gang snickered. “Y’know Sabre, I’ve heard a lot about you, but none of the stories ever mention just how small you are.”
On the opposite side, Applejack faced off against a group of five burly earth ponies. Her mouth twisted into a scowl as she picked one out from the back. “Hey, I recognize you!” Her nostrils flared, her body steady even with the wound on her neck. “Y’all were one of the ponies from my cell!”
The stallion flinched. He ducked down as if to hide. “W-what about it?”
Applejack took a step forwards. The opposing gang took a collective step back.
“Y’all wouldn’t happen to know where my hat is, would ya?”
Gava soared through the halls of the Argo with casual grace, listening to the sounds of battle that echoed through the ship. The thunks of brawling hooves and singing of slicing steel told her that Topgallant’s force had finally engaged Sea Sabre and the unknown Gifted. From the other side of the ship she could hear the combination of erratic repeater fire, shouted threats, and the precise crack of a rifle—Drift Eye and his hirelings were still fighting with Flintlock and Star Trails. She couldn’t hear the deep thunder of the gatling gun she had bought. Had it been taken out so quickly?
It wasn’t the first time she had fought with Sabre. They had clashed before, and fought together on occasion. The pegasus had her beat when it came to tactics, but her aversion to sacrifice had cost her battles before. Gava had been hoping to finish the fight before it started by taking her precious crew hostage, but Rainbow Dash’s incredible combination of stupidity and speed had taken her off guard. Things were messier than she liked, and she needed to get them back under control.
She glanced behind her. The hall was empty. “You still there, dyejob?”
“Right here!”
For the second time that day, Gava experienced the sensation of being tackled by Rainbow Dash. The breath was driven from her lungs as the pegasus barreled into her chest, slamming her into the floor hard enough to dent it. Gava rolled, tossing the pegasus off of her, and picked herself up from the ground.
“What the hell!” Gava said, holding a talon to her chest as she caught her breath. “You were just behind me!”
“And now I’m just in front of you!” Rainbow snarled. She hovered in the center of the hall, forelegs up. “You done running yet, chump?”
Gava eyed her surroundings. “Not just yet.” She pushed off, slamming through a nearby door. To her relief, it led to a small workshop. Tools and half-completed projects littered a long workbench flanked by cabinets full of supplies. This will do just fine.
“Ugh, stop running!” Rainbow howled.
“Stop chasing,” Gava shot back. She stepped away from the door just as Rainbow raced through it, deftly avoiding a third tackle.
“I have you now, Gava,” Rainbow said, hovering in the doorway. “There’s nowhere to run.”
“Yep.” Gava’s beak twisted into a predatory grin. “Nowhere to fly, either.”
Rainbow cocked her head. “Huh?”
Gava was on her in an instant, darting forwards for a tackle. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she twisted around the griffon, sliding around her with a quick flutter of her wings.
Gotcha. Gava lashed out with a paw, catching the pegasus square in the chest. Rainbow gasped as she was thrown back against the far wall and slammed into the workbench, tools clattering to the floor around her.
“Y’know,” Gava said, turning to face the groaning mare. “You should really think before chasing your prey into a closed space.” She took a couple steps forwards, blocking Rainbow in with her impressive wingspan. “It makes it difficult to run when things turn sour.”
“Why—hrk!” Rainbow grunted as she pulled herself up to her hooves. “Why would I run from you?”
Gava chuckled. “How about you come and let me show you, dyejob?”
“Stop calling me that!”
Rainbow launched herself forwards, but Gava was ready this time. She sidestepped the wild charge, hooking a claw under Rainbow’s leading hooves and flipping her back onto the ground. In the same motion Gava pounced on the pegasus, pinning her beneath her bulk.
“My, my, are you getting déjà vu?” Gava’s grin stretched wider as she felt the warm blood on her talons. “I do believe we’ve been here before.”
“Get off!” Rainbow twisted her body, loosening Gava’s grip with heavy flaps of her wings. She slipped out from under her, spinning in mid-air to deliver a powerful buck to the griffon’s side.
Gava rolled with the blow, bouncing back to her talons. She clacked her beak at the pegasus, her grin replaced with a fearsome snarl. “You learn new tricks, dyejob?”
“Pfft!” Rainbow tossed her mane, grinning as if she was posing for a crowd of adoring fans. “I’ve got a black belt, y’know! You took me by surprise, last time, but I’m ready for you this time! Whoa!”
Gava lashed out with her talons, slicing through empty air as the pegasus ducked beneath the swipe. She followed it with an onslaught of talon strikes and kicks, each coming from a different direction. Rainbow danced around each one with quick flutters of her wings, slipping out of reach before darting in for razor-fast punches and kicks.
Gava had been here before. She’d fought pegasi trained in Krav Pega in the past—Sea Sabre herself was a skilled pupil of the style—but Rainbow’s moves were sloppy, effective more due to her unnatural speed and reflexes than real skill. She lashed out with wild blows contrary to the precise nature of the pegasus martial art. Perhaps she was using an archaic form, or simply out of practice? Whatever the reason, Gava’s usual strategy wasn’t working. As much as it bothered her to admit, the pegasus was just too fast for her to fight like any other. She’d have to do something unexpected. Something that an obvious rookie like Rainbow Dash would never see coming.
Gava feinted high, luring the pegasus into a swooping kick. She bore the force of the kick with a grunt, catching the outstretched hoof and taking the fight to the ground. After a brief scuffle, Gava’s weight came out on top once more.
“Say, did they have pirate stories in the past?” Gava asked, struggling to hold the pegasus down.
“What’re you getting at, birdbrain?” Rainbow snarled. She reared her head back and thrust it forwards.
Gava’s beak stretched open. Rather than dodge the headbutt, she angled her head to the side, darting in.
Rainbow’s scream echoed through the halls like the music of success.
“What did you do?” Rainbow cried. Gava stepped off of her, and the pegasus’s hooves raced to the blood spurting from her face. “Where’d you go?”
“I’m right in front of you,” Gava said. She tilted her head back, tossing Rainbow’s eye up into the air and catching it in her beak. She swallowed, relishing the taste of a good hunt. “Come and get me.”
Rainbow stumbled off the floor, one hoof still clutching at her face. She tripped towards Gava, throwing a weak punch that was easily sidestepped. The pegasus collapsed, curling up into a shaky ball.
“I… I can’t see…”
“Don’t worry, the blood will clear up soon enough,” Gava said, pulling rope out of her satchel. “You’ll have some depth perception issues, but that shouldn’t be a big deal for a confident flyer like yourself.”
“What… what did you do…?”
“I ate your eye, dyejob!” Gava’s tongue darted out, licking at the blood smeared on her beak. “How have you not figured that out?”
“W-what?”
“Your eye!” Gava repeated. She shook her head as she fastened the limp pegasus’s limbs with the rope. “There’s no sense in playing deaf. I know what I ate, and it wasn’t an ear. They taste terrible.”
Rainbow shivered, but offered no resistance. “Y-you’re a monster.”
“We’re all monsters, kid,” Gava said. “Unlike ponies, I don’t have to pretend. C’mon, on your hooves.”
Rainbow didn’t respond. Gava sighed. Guess I can’t really blame her. She bent down and rolled the pegasus onto her back.
“No! No no no! Get away from me!”
“Get back here, ya yellow-bellied rascal!” Applejack growled, bounding after the fleeing stallion. “I want my hat!”
“Applejack, wait!” Twilight put a hoof over the earth mare’s chest, holding her back from the chase. “We need to find Rainbow first!”
Applejack grimaced as she watched the stallion disappear around a corner. She looked around her at the groaning ponies sprawled against the walls, each sporting their own selection of bruises and limp limbs. “Shoot. Y’all’re right, Twi. It ain’t like that filly to take so long doin’ anythin’.”
Twilight nodded, her nose cringing as she looked back. “Sabre?”
Sabre’s side of the hall was a grotesque mess of blood and severed limbs. The bloodstained pegasus stood in the center of it all like some winged demon, puddles of red pooling beneath her dripping wings. She shook each wing twice, casting off most of the blood with a practiced motion, and looked back.
“Flint and Trails are doing fine on their side,” she said. Her ear twitched as she listened to the radio earpiece inside. “Gava’s survivors are pulling back. No signs of Dusty, Sunfeather, or Rainbow so far.”
“How can you stand all… that?” Twilight asked, shivering. The atrocious smell brought back memories of the magically preserved scene of gore that had been waiting for her in her old home. Those ponies had screamed so loud as Sabre cut through them, and yet the ones that hadn’t been wise enough to flee were now so silent.
“I gave them their chance,” Sabre said, trailing blood as she started down the hall.
“Th-they were—you…” Fluttershy stared with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open. “You k-killed them.”
Sabre ignored the mare. “We can’t waste time. We need to find our missing crew before Gava makes off with them.”
“Any idea where they might be?” Applejack screwed her nose up as she gingerly stepped around the corpses to follow.
“Her ship must be close,” Sabre said. “They should be heading towards the aft to board through the cargo door.”
Motion in the corner of Twilight’s eye caught her attention. Her blood ran cold as she turned to see an unfamiliar ship with an exotic flowing design through a window, angling its sails to pull away. And visible on the deck—painted red with the light of the setting sun—was a griffon with a shockingly rainbow-maned pegasus tied up on her back.
“Rainbow!” Twilight ran up to the window, rearing up to place her hooves on its cold surface. She turned back to Sabre. “They’re getting away!”
An uncharacteristic scowl graced Sabre’s face as she raised a hoof to her earpiece. “Trails! You’ve flown airships before, right?”
“We ain’t got time for none of that!” Applejack said. “Y’all got any guns on this thing?”
No time. Twilight grit her teeth, her legs shaking. She didn’t have a choice. If she didn’t act now, there was no telling when or if she’d see Rainbow again. Her friends were counting on her. It was worth the risk. And every second she waited, that ship was getting further and further away.
“Applejack, Sabre, stay close to me,” she said. A lavender glow sparked up her horn. “Fluttershy, stay back.” You’ve seen enough already.
“W-what are y-you doing?” Fluttershy asked, shuffling backwards.
Twilight gave her a hopeful smile. “We’re going on a rescue mission.”
Gava frowned as she saw a flash of lavender behind her, barely visible in the red light of sundown. She turned away from the receding silhouette of the Argo to find a trio of familiar ponies standing in the middle of the deck.
“What’s this?” Gava asked, the rest of her body turning to face the intruders. “You want to cut a deal, Sabre? Two bounties for your two crewmembers? Cause I’ll take it.”
The purple unicorn stepped forwards, ignoring the sparse crowd of hirelings that had begun backing away from the little group. “No deal. Give us back our friends! Or—or else!”
“Hold that thought.” Gava looked around, spotting Drift Eye further up the deck. He was crouched down behind a crate, the barrel of his long rifle resting on its edge. She waved a surreptitious wing at him, signaling for him to hold fire for now, before turning back to the unicorn. “Well, if you want—”
She squawked in alarm as a coarse rope slipped over her neck. The earth mare at the other end tugged on it with her teeth, tightening the lasso around her feathered chest hard enough to drive the breath from her. Gava stumbled as the rope jerked her forwards, but saved herself from the fall by extending her wings.
“Y’all talk too much,” the cowpony said.
“What the—” Gava grunted as she struggled against the lasso. It didn’t budge. “How are you so fucking strong? What the hell did your parents feed you?”
Even behind the rope in her mouth and the bravado in her eyes, the sadness was clear in the mare’s smile. “Just the heartiest darn apples y’all might ever taste.”
Alright, fuck this. Unable to move her wings without risking a fall, Gava settled for turning her head to Drift Eye and giving him a quick nod.
Twilight followed Gava’s gaze, her eyes shooting wide open as she saw the lithe red stallion on the upper level of the deck and the long-barreled rifle cradled against his shoulder. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sabre was faster.
“Down!”
The roar of the rifle was louder than any Twilight had heard before, dwarfing even Flint’s thunderous repeater. Applejack’s cry of pain was even louder in her ears. Her rustic friend seemed to fall in slow motion to her eyes, the splash of vivid blood bursting from her shoulder warm on her cheeks.
I’ll flay him alive! Tear the skin from his flesh, turn his bones to searing fire, plunge him into an unending nightmare of—
“Stop!”
The word rocked through the ship with an ethereal echo. Twilight’s horn burst to life with a blinding purple aura, forcing everyone nearby to avert their gaze.
She turned her head, locking eyes with the sniper that dared to harm her friend. The stallion’s mouth opened and closed uselessly. He shook himself, bringing the scope up to his eye, and fired a round straight at her skull.
Twilight barely noticed the heavy metal slug as she batted it aside. All she saw was the image of blood spurting from Applejack’s shoulder, again and again. There was that hatred burning inside of her, screaming at her to punish the fool that dared to cross her. Voices shouted around her, but she couldn’t hear them over the the pulsing pain in her horn.
More guns were shot at her, and each useless bullet went unnoticed. She closed her eyes. Images flashed through her mind of a sunny picnic with her friends. She thought of Sabre standing in a puddle of gore. Of buying cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner. The red stains on Owloysius’s cheeks. She was teetering on the edge. She had to get the magic out of her, get her friends to safety. Fast.
She opened her eyes, and with a thought the chaos of the deck fell silent. Everyone aboard felt the crushing downwards pressure she exerted, pinning them to the floor. Twilight looked from eye to eye, seeing the cold fury in Gava’s eyes, the steel will in Sabre’s, and the fear in Applejack’s.
She looked away, unable to bear seeing her friend feeling such fear for her. She teleported through the ship in short steps, the wood warping around her with her passage. She found Dusty Tome and Sunfeather straining beneath the pressure of her magic in the brig, and teleported them with her back to the deck. She teleported Rainbow away from Gava, bringing her to Applejack’s side.
You’ve got your friends. Now crush your foes. You have the power. End them, and they’ll never bother you again.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fiery fuck!
Gava grimaced under the arcane weight pushing her down. Was that the feeling of her bones breaking? Would they snap, she wondered, or just be ground down into a coarse dust?
She strained to glare up at the purple-coated witch that had the ship in her hold, refusing to fall to her knees. She’d be damned if she knelt before her legs snapped, and she’d be damned if she broke before her ship did.
“The wise griffon treats each hunt as her first,” her father used to say. “The fool grows complacent, and finds herself the prey.”
Guess I’m the fool, Dad. The ship groaned under the arcane forces surrounding it, the deck beginning to buckle. A tearing crack echoed through the air as the four masts snapped, raining wooden splinters into the waves below.
What had she been thinking? These Gifted were unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. That pegasus was a dozen times faster than she’d thought possible. The cowpony had had her throat slit, fought off a half-dozen ponies, and still had the strength to join a boarding party and throw a lasso. And now this unicorn was holding her whole ship hostage with a purple-tinted hissy fit.
The witch’s horn grew brighter, forcing Gava to grit her teeth and look away. She could hear the magic, a howling shriek that seemed to scratch at the back of her skull. As far as deaths go, at least I’ll die hunting the craziest prey there is.
Silence settled over the ship.
It was so sudden that Gava nearly fell over. She stumbled to the side, catching herself on the railing. It cracked under her weight and spun off into the open air. She flared her wings, catching herself, and looked around.
The witch was gone, along with her Gifted friend and Sea Sabre. Ponies were strewn all about, raising their heads to take tentative, terrified glances at their surroundings. One of them screamed as he cradled a broken leg.
The Roc’s Screech was a mess. Gava grimaced as she took in the splintered planks and the holes where the deck had collapsed altogether. The masts had all been shattered. She could smell the gas leaking out of the ballast tanks, mixed in with the overwhelming scent of fear.
A pegasus mare stood up, her whole body shaking. “Fuck this crazy shit!” she screamed, galloping for the edge of the deck. She leapt, spreading her wings in that sloppy way that pegasus foals often did when they still thought they had a chance at flying. She plummeted out of sight, screaming all the way.
Gava heaved a heavy sigh. She straightened up, stretching her limbs and testing for pain. Satisfied, she stepped to the relatively whole center of the deck and cleared her throat.
“Unless anyone else would like to jump to their idiotic deaths,” she said, raising her voice. “We’ll be making for the nearest port. Everyone still alive when we get there gets double pay, and then you’re free to go.”
The crew stared at her blankly. She clacked her beak, stalking towards the nearest door below decks. Along the way she saw Drift Eye sitting stunned on the upper deck. “Drift Eye! Get repairs started! You have my permission to use whatever means you deem necessary to instill discipline.”
Drift Eye shook himself at the sound of his name. He looked down and met her eye. “Y-yeah! Right, boss.”
Gava nodded. She’d give him a few minutes to collect himself. For now, she would keep herself busy. Both for her own sanity and the morale of her crew, she had to keep up appearances.
The ship had fared no better below decks than it had above. The halls looked as if a pair of giant, clumsy fledglings had been playing catch with an equally huge iron ball. It hurt her to know that the Screech had come to this because of her own insolence. She should’ve never split up with Ana—not on a hunt like this. The witty thestral was always telling her to be more patient, to sit and wait and watch and see before she pounced.
She stepped around a wooden beam that had fallen from above, shuffling her wings to loose the splinters lodged inside. There was a part of her that wanted to cut her losses. Back off and go live your life hunting the enemies of wealth while you still can. It’s not like she actually wanted to retire. She’d probably go mad if she had to spend the rest of her life hunting nothing but squawking chickens with some pony’s permission.
No, the retirement had been little more than an excuse. What she wanted was to hunt. There was nothing greater to her than that thrill, and these Gifted were the greatest prey she’d ever been proud enough to stalk. She hated to remember the terror that had gripped her beneath that witch’s hold, but the pounding of her heart in that same moment had been magnificent. She hadn’t felt that way since she killed her first dog under her father’s guidance. And she loved it.
“Top!” she called, passing the groaning shapes of hirelings huddled up in the corners. “Top, you still alive down here?”
His response was faint, muffled by wood. “In the brig, Gava!”
She turned, heading for the stairs. The brig was in pieces. Three of the six cells were little more than holes leaking scrap out into the open air. Topgallant was inside the far cell, holding onto the bars as he peered down at the ocean below.
He looked up as she approached. “Tell me I’m hallucinating.”
Gava flew across the wide gap trapping him in the cell. “Did you see a glowing purple unicorn pop in here, fuck up the ship, and then disappear along with both of our prisoners?”
He shivered. “I’m afraid so.”
Gava shrugged. “Well if you’re hallucinating, you’re not alone.” She held out her arms. “I’m not letting you ride me, but I’ll carry you across.”
The stallion sighed as he pried himself free of the bars. “I’m guessing you won’t be giving up on this one.”
Gava’s beak twisted into a predatory grin.
“Twilight? Twilight! Consarnit, sugar cube, come out an’ talk to me!”
Although she wasn’t cold, Twilight couldn’t stop shivering. She was hiding on top of the Argo’s hull, having teleported herself outside as soon as she knew her friends were safe. She’d heard Applejack calling her name up and down the ship for nearly an hour now, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to answer. She wished that her stubborn friend would just go to bed. She more than needed the rest.
Twilight was so tired. Not physically—despite the heat and magnetic spells she was using to keep herself comfortable on the outer hull of a ship that had never been designed with a deck—but mentally. Emotionally. How had she let things get this bad? She’d known that there was something wrong with her ever since she began having those terrible nightmares of drowning, but she’d ignored it. She’d begun casting mute spells on her bed to keep from disturbing her friends, and sleep spells on herself so she could stay awake throughout the day. She’d kept putting it off for later, and how couldn’t she? There was so much she had to do. The Princesses—no, all of Equestria—were counting on her to fix everything that she had let go wrong in her absence. There had never been time to explore the dark thoughts that cropped up in the back of her mind when she wasn’t paying attention, or to investigate just what exactly had gone wrong the night she broke the enchantment hanging over Fluttershy.
Even now, she didn’t have the time. She was wasting precious seconds moping while Princess Luna slept in the ship. Everypony aboard was either making vital repairs, guiding the ship back to port, or getting much-needed rest. She should be researching Luna’s condition, or searching for a new lead, or even just talking to her friends. What right did she have to extend Luna’s terrible condition even further through her own inadequacy?
It had been too much, too fast. The sea serpent, the dream, the battle. So much stress and carnage all piled up with only the smallest break in between. She had lost herself in that dream—just for a few seconds, but it was still long enough to destroy the idyllic Equestria she’d imagined. She’d nearly lost herself again when she saw that griffon pulling her talon across Applejack’s body, and she would’ve been fine if that had been the end of it. She’d had it under control. She would’ve been fine if she could have just gotten some time alone with some books, gotten some sleep, calmed herself down.
“But of course it couldn’t be that easy, could it?” she growled. She winced at the venom in her voice.
She’d seen Rainbow on that ship, floating away to who-knew-where, and she’d had no choice. I didn’t have a choice. She’d told herself that so many times already. And then seeing Applejack get shot right in front of her. For a moment, Twilight thought she’d just lost one of her best friends.
She could barely remember what had happened after. It was all just a red haze. All she remembered clearly was arguing with herself over whether or not to kill every soul aboard that ship. She could only hope that she had gotten herself and her friends away without killing anypony.
Twilight sighed. When had she started crying?
She wiped a hoof against her cheek. The warm blood seeped into her coat.
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8500491
Oh, perfect. You're just in time for the next chapter.
It's half the length, but I bet you'll read it more than twice as fast.
well that was a battle.
though dunno what to think bout rainbow losing an eye here. even a raven, which as a straight beak, can't just take out an eye willy nilly.
Don't worry Rainbow, you'll look good with an eye patch
...
...
...
...You...monster.
Ohhhhhh I can't wait till that damned bird gets hers.
Gava needs to die
Like, right the hell now
To be honest, I feel like one of the hardest parts of this story to swallow is the notion that the mane 6 is so depowered. We get hints of it here, at times, but at the same time it feels like it's framed in such away that it's not 'enough' compared to 'normal', non empowered individuals like Gava.
It doesn't help that Gava really feels something of an aside villain compared to the mystery presented and the general cultural shock of being awoken so many years in the future.
8500931
That's actually one of the big reasons that I picked a griffon for a villain. In my headcanon griffons were never reliant on magic like ponies were, and so they didn't really lose anything. Gava is actually more 'empowered' than most Gifted within this setting, which is what makes the M6 such a thrilling target for her.
Another thing is that M6 come from such a peaceful culture. If Twi wasn't such a pacifist she could crush anyone that ever opposed her. Even Rainbow and AJ hold back for fear of maiming.
Well, Rainbow wasn't holding back there. She just made the mistake of going up against a far more experienced fighter without thinking.
Just wait till the story's gone on and the M6 have had some time to adjust. I have plans.
having teleporting herself outside as soon as she knew
1. Teleported.
That was just... brutal. As the saying goes Gava; An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. We know this isn't the worst of it though and that's the hard part.
Damn.
I mean, WOW! I was not expecting Rainbow's injury.
AJ is so strong her muscle is body armor.
I feel terrible for Rainbow. Losing an eye will crush her. And in this setting all I can think that will fix it is some magical mcguffin like the Elements of Harmony. Twilight needs to realize that to save Equestria, she is going to have to save herself. It is another necessary step.
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I guess you could say you didn't see it coming. Ha!
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You could write a literary essay in here for all I care. I love reading comments; the longer the better!
I'm really looking forwards to kicking up Rainbow's involvement in the story, and this lost eye is pretty much the starting point in her personal arc. I was actually originally intending to have Gava's side win the fight altogether (Drift Eye would shoot Twilight's horn early on, negating her magic) and take the entire crew hostage, but then I realized I wouldn't be able to properly write certain scenes pertaining to Rainbow's lost eye. So Gava loses! Probably for the better.
This is, what, you said, midway through the first third?
This is going to cover a lot of ground before it's over.
At least it was good to see some of the M6 really fight back against this situation. And now Twilight at least knows she has a problem- if only she can open up about it.
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They do have some magic, though. They can stand on clouds like Pegasi can. There is something to lose there.
As for Rainbow Dash, well, now that she knows what she's up against, she has no real reason to fight on Gava's terms again. A Rainboom to the face will shatter her skull like cheap pottery.
Gava thinks she has them figured out. She knows nothing yet.
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We're past the halfway point now. I need to do some stuff on Rarity's side before the next dive, which will lead into the second arc. The second arc will also shift the focus off of Twilight some and spread it around to the other 3 perspectives.
Humorously enough, I originally planned this story to be around 150k words. Since then I've learned that I can't be trusted with word estimates.
Remove the apostrophe.
I think a cybernetic eye that sees only black and white is in store.
Take the amount of red apples on the Applejack’s farm, and subtract the amount of green apples on said Applejack’s farm. You should be left with somewhere between one and zero.
Haven't read the story yet but the premise kind of reminds me of Harmony Theory. Hopefully it'll be just as good if not better.
Loving this, can't wait for more <3
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Long-term changeling food storage! Stasis pods for fun and profit! They're the Elements of Harmony and have super-powerful innate magic! Mysterious unknown influences that can change how things work! Spectacular hydration therapy!
Something like that, at least.
dislike Rainbow losing her eye
That moment when your insides aren’t on your outside only because Twilight didn’t notice Dash’s missing eye before teleporting.
The mercenaries stood a chance because the Season 2 Mane 6 doesn’t have the same raw experience of their, say, Season 5 selves. But by engaging them in bloody combat, the mercenaries are forcing them to gain experience at an exponential rate.
Kinda want to see Twilight just snap and lose it despite the fact that it would likely be extremely catastrophic.
I rarely curse in comments, but...
Fucking bitch! It's a fucking eye!
Sad best pony hurt
Rainbow's... EYE.
...Well, now I know how people who read my story feel when I did that. Geez, that's a deep pit of a feeling. Ech...
(I applaud the effectiveness of the sudden simplicity of the scene.)
-GM, master of boggles.
I think I’m on Celestia’s side. Time to hit the ol’ reset button on the world. It’s gone too far south.
Not even Twilight can resist. Call it quits. That’s it! Im done! Burn it all!
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I get that the way Rainbow was acting this entire time is entirely in character for her especially under the circumstances but I had hoped she'd act a little more mature seeing as she wanted to join the Wonderbolts who are clearly a military group.
Maybe losing an eye is what it takes to knock her ego down enough pegs that s he acts like a grown mare and not an entitled brat.
I hope Luna can be awoken and not be corrupted .
I see what you did there!
Oh no ... did Gava just eat Rainbow's eye? It sure startled me when I read this line. And judging by her commentary, this damn gryphon must have done similar things dozens of times by now. Also, considering pony eyes are comically large compared with their real-life counterpart, Gava would have to take a really huge bite in order to rip her eye out. Eww.