Sometimes They Call Me Super

by KorenCZ11

Harmony Mission III: The Kraken! (part 2)

Applejack

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In a strange moment of still, the Crow and Ah simply stared at each other. There was an odd silence around, and not even the wind had managed to sound. It was a single moment that caused hell to break loose, and it was the sound of a nail hitting the concrete from somewhere, possibly somewhere further away than anypony could have known. My legs put as much power as Ah could inta ‘em just as the Crow’s bloody wings made a powerful flap, rocketin’ her toward me.

Ah kept one hoof up ta block in the event she managed ta avoid the slam Ah was gonna give her, but just as she approached, she tilted off in the other direction as my right forehoof made it’s way ta where her body was gonna be. Ah felt the tips of the feathers on her cloak graze my hoof as it traveled inta the concrete harbor, formin’ a crater that was Rainbow sized in its wake.

The new depression in the surface was enough fer me ta stop my momentum and change direction in time ta block a swing of her sword with my rear shoe. Ah went inta this fight knowin’ that Ah was gonna have ta defend against her sword without lettin’ that toxic blood get inta my skin, otherwise, it’d be game over. Sparks flew as metal slashed across metal. The crow reeled back in time enough ta get the sword away from my hoof before Ah dislodged it out of her wing’s grip.

Ah repositioned myself back ta a neutral stance and waited fer the next attack. The Crow had taken up ta the sky and started ta circle me like a vulture, the blood of her fake wings beginnin’ ta form a haze around her front. She’s chargin’ somethin’… if Ah let her do it, she’ll dive bomb me, but if Ah go after her up there, she has advantage on me and Ah might get cut tryin’ ta hit her… Oh well, here goes nothin’.

Without so much as a second thought or a plan, Ah launched inta the air after the Crow, placin’ myself right beside her with more speed and momentum than she probably predicted Ah would. Her blood shifted just as my hoof was enterin’ the space where her real left wing should’ve been and Ah met resistance much like a magic barrier. We’d been practicin’ with those earlier in the week when Ah returned ta get my tail repaired, and this was nothin’ compared ta the barrier Celestia could put up. Really there wasn't anythin' that could compare ta that since Ah couldn't even dent it, but all the same. The hardened blood cracked under the force until it eventually shattered inta a million pieces and my hoof connected with the Crow’s right shoulder.

Ah didn’t have near the same force ta hit her with as Ah did ta break her barrier, so when Ah saw that Ah made it through, Ah pulled back. The last thin’ Ah wanted ta do was hurt her too bad. The Crow yelled out in pain as my hoof dug inta her flesh beneath her coat, and the blood surroundin’ her turned ta a red haze that followed her down as she crashed inta the harbor. Gravity had called me back downward and Ah landed a few feet away from her. Ah knew what she was capable of since our last fight at the foundry, but Ah had new weapons and she didn’t.

The Crow picked herself back up with shaky steps on her left side and called her blood back inta place. The flowing liquid around her sword seemed ta stop movin' and almost turn ta crystal as she extended her wing out ta the side. Now twice as thick and long as it used ta be, the crow took the red crystal weapon in her fore hooves and stood on her hind legs.

“You’ve gotten better,” she called out ta me. Ah nodded.

“Ah have. Ah’ve been trainin’ almost nonstop since Ah last saw ya. Ah couldn’t just show up and lose, now could Ah?” The Crow cracked her neck ta either side, and the blood wings swirled inta a new shape that formed around her hooves. They were like oversized claws that formed just out of her forelegs and wrapped around the sword’s hilt.

“I haven’t had to fight for my life in a long time... But you! You’re holding back! You could have killed me right then and there, and you didn’t! Why!?” The Crow charged forward, the weapon in both bloody claws as she took ta swingin’ it like a minotaur. The shiny red blade sliced through the air makin’ whippin’ sounds with every swing Ah dodged. She was fast and Ah could feel it as she grazed at my suit with every other swipe. Ah managed ta see ahead by one swing just in time ta block her sword with my bracer and push it away.

With the continued motion, Ah pulled up my right hind leg and kicked deep inta her shoulder as close ta her broken wing as Ah could get it without shatterin’ the bones in her ribcage. She screeched out again as some of her blood turned back inta liquid and she nearly dropped her sword. Her wing flared out and she managed ta catch herself in the air ta stop spinnin’ and land on her hind legs, usin’ the crystal edge of her sword ta support herself while she clutched at her side.

“You cheating bitch! You never planned to fight me for real in the first place!” She yelled at me between breaths.

“That’s right! And there ain’t nothin’ ya can do ta beat me now! Ah know where yer weakness is and Ah don’t have one fer ya ta abuse back! Just give up now and we can work somethin’ out!” Her blood flared ta life again. This time, rather than move, it looked like more started ta pour out of her back. The wings she had before reformed above her, but the claws and the sword remained.

“Never!” She came at me in a fury, much faster now and barely usin’ her own body ta do anythin’ but strike at me. Ah wasn’t fast enough ta keep up with her and dodge her attacks, so all Ah could do was block. She nicked my suit once. Twice. Three times. Ah was gonna get cut if Ah let this continue, so Ah finally used my cable bracers. A second after Ah blocked a swing, a pulled my hoof in downward and activated the weapon. Ah wasn’t tryin’ ta hit her at first, but Ah didn’t know what had changed about these thin’s from the last ones other than size. Apparently, the rate of fire and how much force accompanied it was upped because, not only did Ah feel the recoil from the cable exitin’ it’s barrel on the brace, but the blade pierced through the Crow’s upper right foreleg and pulled her in close. Ah used my elbow ta knock the sword out of her remainin’ blood clawed hoof, then grabbed at her neck and slammed her ta the ground.

Ah couldn’t tell if she was tryin’ ta scream or tryin’ ta breathe, but she squirmed and struggled quietly under my iron grip. The bloody wings faded and seemed like they lost connection ta her, fallin’ ta the ground in a puddle around her. As the seconds passed, more and more of her blood liquified and fell ta the ground. In a vain attempt ta remove me, her free hoof pawed at my foreleg until her movement started ta slow. Just as Ah was sure she would die if Ah didn’t let go, Ah released my grip and she took in a huge breath.

As quick as Ah could manage, Ah ripped the cable out of her foreleg, shot more and stopped it once Ah had enough, then wrapped her limp body up in it. Ah gave her just enough room ta breathe, and once she was tied up, Ah took a deep breath myself.

“The Crow is neutralized everypony.” From all corners of my brain Ah heard sighs of relief.

“I don’t know how you did it, but good job all the same. That last minute training with mother must have done wonders for you. What did you two even do anyways?” Twilight asked.

“Ah’ll tell y’all about that later. We need ta get her treated or somethin’. Ah uh… well, Ah damn near strangled her and Ah shot her in the upper foreleg, more on accident than anythin’ else. Her blood hasn’t returned and she’s not lookin’ too good.” My tied-up cripple pegasus was breathin’, but it was gettin’ slower quick.

“I-if you wait a moment, I’ll tend to her. F-for now, stop the bleeding. T-the ship just came into view. I-it’s still about a hundred meters out, b-but we don’t have more than five minutes b-before it reaches port,” Target added.

“Man, this telepathy thing is weird. Anyways, what do we do in the meantime chief? The ball’s in your court, so to speak… think? Whatever, we need a plan. Blur and I were talking about it and we thought it was weird that they only sent one guy with the Crow. It normally takes four to dock a ship like this,” Goose responded.

“Don’t lump me in with you! Ugh, this is just the worst,” Blur complained.

“Quit yer whinin’, he’s yer teammate fer goddess’ sake. Fer now, regroup here. As long as yer side of the dock is clear, we need ta probably evacuate the surroundin’ area. Worst case scenario, and also the most likely while we’re at it, we end up havin’ ta fight some kinda monster in the event this is a trap. Get everypony up ta 560th out. Luckily, the nearest apartment complex isn’t close enough ta the harbor ta be in… immediate danger, but the houses and business are. Get to it!”

“Yes ma’am!” said four voices, then the link ta all but one faded back ta somethin’ akin ta background noise. Ah saw Target’s silhouette approach, and suddenly the Crow started a coughin’ fit.

“Hey! Are y’all okay?” Through her coughin’ fit, she answered,

“Does it look… like I’m… okay?” through a pained voice. Target arrived and immediately went ta work patchin’ up the Crow’s upper foreleg. She pulled a kinda glowy green liquid outta one of her coat pockets and started applyin’ it ta the wound. That blade musta cut deep, because underneath all the torn flesh, there was even a cut on the visible bone. Ah musta hit her just in the right spot, otherwise, the blade mighta just cut through her whole foreleg… Ah need ta talk ta Luna about gettin’ the output speed reduced, this thin’ is too powerful…

“Ah, shit! Goddess, you couldn’t wait to take me in to torture me!? Holy hell, what is that!?” When the liquid touched torn skin, it started ta smoke and travel all the way down inta the wound until it was completely covered in the stuff. She filled the wound until the all the blood was hidden and then put the bottle away. The glow started ta fade, and now there was just a gooey lookin’ spot on her foreleg.

“T-this is a healing agent. It s-seals your wound until your body repairs itself, then dissolves after it’s n-no longer needed.” Target replied. The Crow squirmed around in my bind until she was facin’ Target.

“Well, maybe I don’t need a healing agent, did you think about that!?” The blood puddles all around us started ta flare again, the whole mass of red liquid spiraled around the Crow’s body until it flew ta the spot on her back where a wing should be and disappeared. “I guess you didn’t notice last time we met, but I happen to heal quickly as long as I have all my blood.” There was a long silence from her until she finally turned ta me. “So, what now? You beat me, you cheating bitch.”

“At the moment, Ah just wanna talk. Thanks Target. Take a high point and keep watchin’ the ship fer me. If ya notice anythin’ weird, let me know.” Target nodded and just about sang a,

“Yes ma’am!” and then flew back inta the dusk sky. Ah guess she found a cloud, because there was a lone one just sittin’ in the middle of the violet-orange expanse toward the center of the harbor.

“Oh… I take it, that was the Beast right?”

“Maybe. Depends on what you’re gonna do next. Ah’ve got ya tied up, but Ah don’t think you’re powerless. Ya gonna let me talk?” She raised and lowered her shoulders.

“Think what you want, but I can’t manipulate my blood if it’s too far from my body. Unless you wanted to nuzzle my face, I wouldn’t be able to do much right now. You can already beat me just by knowing about my wing, why not share every weakness to my powers? I’m fucked now anyways.” She stopped ta take a hissin' deep breath. “Goddess, my foreleg hurts. What the hell did you even do? Did your friend with the gun shoot me? You just, up and lie to me knowing you weren’t gonna give me a fair fight?” Ah frowned.

“Look, there are more important thin’s goin’ on right now than us havin’ a fair fight. Ah didn’t even want ta fight ya like this, but Ah need yer help.” She stared at me fer a moment before respondin’.

“Well, I can’t say I’ve had somepony kick my ass and then ask for my help before. Why in the hell would I help you do anything? You shot me! Or she shot me! Or whatever, fuck this hurts!”

“Ah shot ya, and that was an accident, and Ah’m sorry. If she shot ya, you'd be dead. Look, if we don’t try and stop this Argent guy from doin’ what he’s doin’, the whole city will end up destroyed.” She turned her attention away from her foreleg and back ta me.

“What? Why would he destroy his largest source of income? That doesn’t make any sense.” Ah frowned again.

“It’s the mirrors. Do ya know anythin’ about the mirror incident twelve years ago?” Had she not been wearin’ a helmet, Ah think her face woulda contorted inta somethin’ like a frown because she just about flinched.

“I-I might. W-what about it?”

“Wait… just what all do ya know? Normal ponies don’t freak out when ya ask ‘em a question unless they’re tied ta it.” Ah a darkness entered my voice that Ah don’t remember addin’ ta it.

“M-Marevelous, the ship is just about to reach port. W-what do you want to do now?” Ah heard inside my head. Ah looked away from the Crow long enough ta see the rather imposin’ cargo ship mere meters away from the dock. Shit. She’ll have ta wait.

“Everypony, get ready ta board the ship. We’ll continue the check as planned, but Ah’ll be joinin’ the search. Target keep an eye on our friend. Shoot her in the other wing if she moves the wrong way.” Ah made sure ta say the last part out loud. The Crow flinched, meanin’ Ah achieved the desired effect. “Finish clearin’ what area ya can and come back. Ah’d say we’ve got thirty seconds before this thin’ reaches port.” Ah grabbed the Crow and jumped ta the nearest rooftop. Ah unraveled the cable and retracted it back inta my bracer and let her go.

“So what, you’re just gonna leave me here?” Ah shrugged.

“If necessary, Ah can have ya killed at a moments notice without so much as openin’ my mouth. Target got a new gun that can make shootin’ pebbles lethal within’ a hundred twenty meters. But Ah’d prefer it if my sister’s friend didn’t lose her guardian.” The Crow looked away.

“Oh yeah? Well… so would I…” she said quietly. Ah nodded satisfied with that.

“Good. As Ah said, Ah want yer help. Y’all sit tight and Ah bet Ah’ll have somethin’ fer ya ta see. In the event somethin’ like, Ah don’t know, a monster, happens ta show up, it’d be real nice if ya decided ta help us kill it. Or save it if we can manage that, but that doesn’t look like a possibility at the moment.” Ah said. Ah turned ta pier and watched as the ship began ta slow down.

“Heh. Never thought I’d hear Marevelous Red ask anypony to help her kill something. Some ‘champion of justice’ you are.” Ah could feel a vein on my forehead bulge. Ah turned around and came face ta face with her.

“Rainbow Dash, Ah am tryin’ ta be nice here. Until Tuesday night, Ah didn’t even know if Ah coulda beat ya here, but now Ah could do so without really tryin’ all that hard. Keep yer mouth shut and cooperate if somethin’ happens. Ah’ll even give ya a hint. Whatever ya see tonight is just the first one. If ya thought dealin’ with the beast was bad the other day, well… you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” She was particularly silent after that. The ship reached the dock, and the others met me on the rooftop.

“Alright Harmony, it’s time ta check out this ship.” Ah left the rooftop with an indifferent Crow on it and joined Diamond, Blur, and Goose just in front of the now stopped ship. “Diamond, what did you do with the guy the Crow brought with her?” Ah asked.

“I had him evacuate with everypony else from the dock. He was nothing more than an innocent worker right?” Ah let that sink in for a minute before Ah responded.

“Ah suppose. Ah’m not too keen on lettin’ their ponies walk free, but Ah guess it don’t matter too much.” A loud bang came from the ship’s side where a metal ramp crashed ta the dock. We rushed over ta investigate, but it didn’t seem like anypony was around.

“What the-? Hey, there’s nopony here!” Blur said before the rest of us made it ta the ramp.

“Oh, now this registers on the close side of creepy. Did anypony see magic on this thing? Target?” Goose asked.

“I-I didn’t, and I had a clear view the whole time...” she said ta the group from up above.

“Either somepony had this on a button, or we’re dealin’ with an invisible pony. You two search the containers on the ship and Diamond and Ah will search the bridge and everythin’ else. If ya run inta anythin’ sketchy, regroup back in front of the ship. The last thin’ we need ta do is walk onta a bomb. Y’all got that equipment right?” Blur gave me a look, then gave Goose the same look, and finally she pulled a thin black box out of her… mane?

“It’s right here, major,” she said, begrudgin’ly.

“Look, y’all are just gonna have ta get over this thin’ with Goose. It’s been five days already, geez. Get ta work. Come on Diamond.” Blur sighed and everypony else said ‘yes ma’am’ in response. The knight and the blue suited mare began scannin’ cargo containers, and Diamond and Ah headed toward the bridge. The ship wasn’t a normal cargo ship. As a matter of fact, it looked more like somethin’ outta Zvyr, the largest country in the world on the northern side of the two eastern continents. Equestria and Zvyr have a very strange relationship due ta the predator-prey thin’. The country consists of many different species, but most, if not all of them, are carnivorous. It’s a rare thin’ ta find carnivores in Equestria, but not completely off the table. Our country worked with them when a neighboring country and an island nation decided ta team up and try ta take over the world. Needless ta say, the moment Celestia got involved, it didn’t go well fer them. She would never admit it, but Celestia is more or less the goddess of the sun in a physical form. It wasn’t until after that war that the rest of the world understood that.

We reached the back of the ship and with me in front, Diamond and Ah began ta search the levels. Control room? Nothin’. Bridge? Nothin’. We even went so far as ta check the cargo bay, yet there still wasn’t anypony there. A thought crossed my mind and suddenly Ah became very nervous. Ignorin’ Diamond’s warnin’, Ah raced over and ripped open one of the storage containers in the cargo bay. Completely empty.

“Everypony, get off the ship now!” Ah shouted through our mental link. Ah grabbed Diamond and started usin’ my bracers ta get back up through the ship.

“Good evening, passengers of the Stannum,” A voice said from somewhere above us. Diamond and Ah reached the deck and looked ta see if anypony was in the bridge window. Nopony there. “You have been invited today to test out a new product for mister Argent. You see, after the list was known leaked, we rerouted all of our ships to pass through north hoof bay. You filthy thieves are nothing more than insects to mister Argent and I have been offered the chance of a lifetime to deal with you.” It sounded male, but native ta Manehattan.

Where’s that comin’ from? Thieves? Do they think we’re with Goose’s old gang? Diamond and Ah rushed ta get off the ship, and that’s when we saw him. Standin’ just in front of the buildin’ at the edge of the harbor was the stallion that the Crow came with and Diamond ‘evacuated.’ He was a pale, almost gray green unicorn with a dark sea green and blue mane. He had dark orange, almost red irises and was still wearin’ his dock uniform, holdin’ some kinda microphone.

“Well then. You don’t look like the thieves I was told would be coming. As a matter of fact, you look like super heroes. Isn’t this just a delight. Mister Agent will be very pleased when he hears about this. My name Knots White, and I will be your entertainer today. Please, enjoy the show!” He took an object from his pocket that shined and reflected the same way Ah dreaded it would.

“Blur, Diamond!” Ah yelled. Diamond jumped off the ship and Blur caught up ta her as the unicorn began ta unbutton his jump suit.

“Toki wo tomare!”

“Za Warudo!”

Ah blinked and suddenly Rarity was caught in his field and he was fightin’ Blur knife ta knife.

“I’ve had quite enough of this game!” With a flick of his head, Diamond went flyin’ inta Blur and the two tumbled down the harbor.

“Goose, get in there!” Ah said as Ah jumped off the ship myself. The stallion dropped his knife and took the mirror in his magic. The blade of my cable bracer hit right under his hooves as Goose showed up behind him and the mirror made contact with his chest. A bright white light accompanied by maniacal laughter lit the pier as the stallion went flyin’ toward the water from Goose’s kick. The water bubbled as the stallion sank and the light grew brighter, then suddenly, there was nothin’.

“Damn it Goose, ya were supposed ta break the mirror, not punt the bastard!”

“Yeah, whatever, how in the hell did he move in frozen time!? He fought them both off after time was stopped!” We looked at each other fer a second and raced off ta Blur and Diamond. They were dizzy, but not hurt.

“You two okay?” Diamond managed ta collect herself first.

“I think so… I’m more confused right now than anything. One moment I stop the clock with Blur and everything is normal. He was frozen, and so were you two. The next moment, I land on the concrete, and suddenly I’m in his field and he and Blur are at knife point. I couldn’t tell you how he did it, but he entered my frozen time after it started. Where did he go?” Before either of us could answer, a low groan started ta come from the water. It was like the call of some giant sea animal that turned from a growl ta a screech mid way through. The bubblin’ started back up and became fierce where Goose kicked Knots. The water swelled and shook as somethin’ big came from underneath.

The creature was almost as tall and wide as the ship facin’ us was. It was a scaly, sea green color with a head that was some kinda mix between a giant bald pony and an eldritch horror from another world with tentacles all over its face. Its back had some kinda wings like a dragon and the rest of it’s body had large thick tentacles like that of an octopus. It let out another loud half-growl half-screech and then turned its attention our direction. Its dark orange eyes scanned the area until they locked on us. Then the creature looked ta smile underneath its beard of tentacles.

“Everypony run!” Ah yelled. Ah grabbed Diamond, Goose grabbed Blur, and we each used our fastest methods of travel ta narrowly avoid the six giant tentacles that smashed our position.

“A-are you all okay!? W-what the hell is that!?” Ah heard from inside my brain.

“That’s the thin’ our guy turned inta. Where’ve ya been? Could ya see him from up there?” Ah asked.

“N-no, I didn’t even know anything was happening until I saw D-diamond and Blur jump off the ship. W-what made you get off in such a hurry?” Target asked. Damn it, that’s right, she can’t hardly hear anythin’ and she's fifteen meters in the air.

“Don’t worry about it. Circle around and see if ya can’t spot the mirror on him anywhere. Provide cover fire if ya see we need it, but don’t get too close. He just put a rut in the harbor with his tentacles just like the damn dragon did with a high powered laser. Hit him as hard as ya can.”

“Y-yes ma’am!” Ah watched her move from her cloud, and then a large green tentacle comin’ my way took my attention back ta the monster. With Diamond still in toe, Ah shot at the buildin’ Ah left the Crow on and lunged my way away from the appendage. Out of his reach now, Ah set Diamond on her hooves and turned ta see that Goose and Blur were playin’ the world’s most dangerous game of Whack-a-mole.

“Holy shit… You weren’t kidding…” Ah heard the Crow say from behind me. Ah took this opportunity ta give her my recrutin’ speech.

“Yeah, no shit. Ya see that? As it stands now, we don’t know how many more are gonna show up, or even worse, when and where. This time it was a trap set fer a gang that robbed a ship. Next time, it could be an attack on the city. From anywhere. At any time. Without warnin’. As it is now, it looks like Argent has the power ta make hundreds of these thin’s and we don’t know how many he has. So Ah’ll leave ya with this; if ya help us, we can figure out a way ta prevent this from gettin' outta hoof. And if ya don’t, well… Ah hope ya can stop one of these thin’s on yer own, because it’d really suck ta just have one pop outta nowhere next ta yer apartment with yer little sister in it. Give it some thought.”

“Honey, I know you’re having fun threatening our feathered friend over there, but if you could just be a dear and help out over here, that’d be greaaAAAA-” Ah turned my head just in time ta see Goose rocket down 541st after a giant tentacle slapped him in mid air. He crashed right in front of a storefront, thankfully not on top of anypony.

“Blur, get outta there! Target give her cover fire, Ah’m goin’ in!” The sound of powerful percussion followed by red blossoms on the creature’s hide let me know that it was time ta go take its attention myself. Ah got in close as the blue Blur shot toward the buildin’ Diamond was on and loaded a punch. With as much force as Ah could manage, Ah dug my hoof in the beast’s slick scaly sea-green hide. My hoof sank into it’s flesh as it ripped and twisted, turnin’ the once white part of the suit ta a sickly crimson as the blood sprayed over it.

The monster groaned out in pain but was quicker than me in reactin’ ta it. A thick whip like tentacle shot from it’s face ta my chest, knockin’ me back inta the buildin’ over ten meters away that Ah’d just came from.

“Holy crap, are you okay!?” Ah heard Blur say from next ta me. Ah shook the brick remains off and got back up ta my hooves.

“Yeah Ah’m fine. Ah want y’all and Diamond ta stay outta this. If ya get hit by that, Ah doubt you’ll survive. Next Ah-” Ah stopped mid sentence as Ah watched in horror as the wound Ah just made on the creature untwisted itself and returned ta the way it was before.

“M-marevelous, it’s healing my bullet wounds! W-what do we do!? I-I can’t find the m-mirror anywhere!” Holy shit… what can we do about this?

“Goose, where the fuck did ya go!?”

“I literally just got up, give me a second please.”

“A second too late! Get back here as fast as ya can, we’ve got a problem!” The creature groaned again and it’s six large tentacles began ta expand they grew in size and length, specifically length enough ta reach our position from the water.

“Shit! Toki wo tomare!”

“Za Warudo!”

The world flashed and froze in place, turnin’ ta its black and white state. The monster stopped thankfully, and Ah jumped ta the rooftop with Diamond.

“I’m down to less than half my limit Marevelous, we can’t keep this up forever!” Diamond said.

“Do what ya can fer now, and stay close enough that ya can do it if Ah call.” Ah grabbed the frozen Crow and picked her up as if she were some kinda statue. "As soon as yer off the buildin’, restart time. We need a plan. Where did yer baton go?”

“He did something with it during our first encounter. I don’t know where it is.”

“Find it and get it ta me. We’re gonna have ta start severin’ limbs or somethin’. Ah don’t know how we can beat this thin’ as it is now.” Ah turned the other way and jumped off the buildin’ with the Crow in toe. Time restarted and the tentacles crashed inta the rooftop Ah was just on.

“Oh. Uh, when did you get here?” the Crow asked from my shoulder.

“Less than a second ago. Have ya seen enough yet? Ah need yer help, and Ah need it bad. He’s healin’ every wound we give him.” Ah set her down a few buildin’s back and the monster screeched off in the distance. It looked like Goose and Blur were back at it. “Damn it, Ah told her ta lay off!” Ah was about ta jump back toward the kaiju when the Crow stopped me.

“Wait! Look, I don’t know about joining your club or whatever this is, but I’ll at least help for now. If this was their plan from the beginning, well… I was probably expendable already anyways.” Ah could feel a slight weight fall off my back as soon as she finished.

“Ya have no idea how happy Ah am ta hear that. Go after its tentacles and get yer blood in it’s system. It might be a monster now, but it’s still at least part way a pony. If we can break down its nerves, then we might be able ta stop it.” She puffed air out of her snout.

“I don’t like taking orders, but whatever. You have my allegiance for now.” She popped her neck ta both sides and then the red wings flared ta life. She sped past the buildin’s and grabbed her sword on the harbor floor. Ah followed suit and started ta put my bracers ta work.

“Marevelous, we have a problem,” Blur said.

“Aw hell, what now?”

“My knives aren’t scratching it anymore.”

“M-marevelous!” Target called. Ah sighed as Ah dodged a tentacle slam.

“Not y’all too!”

“T-the bullet wounds are healing j-just as fast as I make them! I-it’s becoming more resilient!”

“What the hell is with this thing? I can’t so much as cut it!” the Crow yelled.

“Fer fuck’s sake! Every pony back off, we need ta regroup and make a plan!” The game of ‘don’t get hit’ continued as we retreated further inta the harbor, but just as we did, Blur got caught on one of the tentacles and knocked inta one of the buildin’s. Ah shot after her and held a tentacle at bay as Ah took her ta a safe spot.

“You okay!?” Ah yelled tryin’ ta fight the thin’ with one foreleg. The blows were almost as heavy as Goose’s attacks from the other day and Ah couldn’t take too many of ‘em.

“Oh fuck… I’m… alive…” As soon as she said that, she started ta cough, spittin’ blood out on the ground.

“Shit. Twilight? Ah need an emergency pick up. Blur is hurt bad.”

“Oh no! What happened? Did another monster show up?”

“Yeah, and it’s provin’ ta be even more difficult ta handle than the last one, even with all of us. Do ya have a lock on her yet?”

“I do. Stand back. I won’t be able to do this again for at least half an hour. Don’t need me.” A violet ball of lightnin’ encased Blur on the ground. The light flared once, and after a flash, she was gone.

“Thanks. We’ll try, but this ain’t goin’ well. The damn thin’ heals everythin’ we do.” Ah turned ta make my way back as the fight raged on. The Crow was circlin' the air and slashin' at it with her bloody sword, Goose was fightin' tentacles, and Target was shootin' at its face.

“Keep me informed. If you get desperate, I think I can come help, but it’ll be a while before I can teleport anything again.” She sounded… nervous.

“Will do.” Now ta figure out what the hell Ah’m really gonna do about this. We aren’t gonna last another half hour against this thin’.

“I got one!” Ah heard the Crow yell from the other side of the harbor. As Ah went ta look, Ah saw one of the thin’s tentacles fall limp, just covered in scars. The thin’ that really caught my attention though, was the red spot that looked like a bullet wound mixed with a sword slash. Ah shot my bracer and went toward the scene just in time ta kick Goose outta the way of gettin’ slammed.

“Y’all should be more careful,” Ah said as Ah punched a tentacle away. Only a second after sayin' that, he returned the favor by beatin’ away a tentacle Ah didn’t see comin’.

“Same to you.” Ah couldn’t see much of his face, but Ah doubt he wasn’t givin’ me that damnable smirk of his.

“Crow! What did ya do ta get a tentacle down!?” She was zippin’ around tryin’ ta make cuts on the base of the monster’s tentacles. She slowed down just as she reached near me.

“Your friend, uh… Target or whatever, almost shot me in the head, but hit the monster and I managed to cut the same spot while there was an open wound! My blood managed to work it’s way through that tentacle, but then something inside the monster stopped it! If you guys can make holes, I can poison this Cthulhu mother fucker!” She couldn’t stay in one spot fer too long and went back ta circlin’ the monster as Ah fought off more whip like attacks.

“Target, Goose! We need ta open wounds fer the Crow ta get her blood inta this thin’! When ya see an openin’, try ta aim fer the base of it’s tentacles! Wait a minute… what the hell is it doin’?” Ah hadn’t meant ta send the last part ta them, it was only an afterthought when the monster dove underwater. There was silence. Still, complete, eery silence. Broken by what could have only been the sound of bendin’ metal. We all seemed ta see it at the same time judgin’ by our reactions. The cargo ship was in the air, and it was headed right fer us.

“Everypony move!” Ah shouted as shippin' containers and mangled ship flew toward our general direction. The boat was comin’ closer and Goose hadn’t moved yet. Ah didn’t know what it was, but an overwhelmin’ surge shot through my body all at once. Ah shot my bracer just next ta him, kicked his ass outta the way, and then rushed the ship. There was a yell that made it’s way out of my mouth, some repeated sound that Ah couldn’t quite place, maybe some kinda instinctual roar that was hidden deep inside like a primal cry. With everythin’ Ah had, Ah punched and kicked the ship as fast as Ah could, beatin' down the metal, sendin’ shock waves through the air with each blow. Ah think my ears had flattened against my head before my brain knew what my body was doin’, because Ah couldn’t hardly hear anythin’ but ringin’. By the time Ah’d made it through the ship, Ah’d damn near cut the thin’ in half by force of blows alone. Ah felt the momentum stop and my body start ta complain. With a final punch and my brain taken back over, the last yell came out and Ah slammed the remains of the ship back ta the ground.

“ORA!” The bang of metal ta the ground echoed across the harbor, and finally my body had had enough of fightin’ gravity off and sank on top of the mangled mess of metal. When Ah landed, Ah felt a sharp pain in my right foreleg shoot up my body. Damn it! This ain’t good…

“Holy shit.” Ah heard from Goose.

“A-applejack? A-are you okay?” Fluttershy stuttered.

“Applejack! What the hell just happened!? There was a huge spike of energy from one of my gems directed at you!” Twilight just about screamed in my head.

“Ah don’t fuckin’ know! Damn it, Ah did somethin’ ta my foreleg!” Ah yelled as the pain grew more intense. Ah couldn’t pay attention ta that fer too long because just then, the monster resurfaced and let out its cry. “We can’t keep this up, and my dominant foreleg is damaged! Get together and focus on the front right tentacle! Tell the Crow and work together! Target, Diamond! If either of y’all have pain killers on ya, now would be the time ta come forward!”

“I have some, I’ll be there in a moment!” Diamond replied. Ah sat in place on top of the mangled ship clutchin’ my foreleg as Ah waited fer her ta get here. Goose and the Crow had moved near each other, and with a quick nod, the two started drawin’ the monster’s attention ta either side of the thin’. Ah heard the sound of a cable’s blade make contact with the mangled ship’s hull, and shortly thereafter, Diamond pulled up next ta it.

“Which one is it? I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find the baton. I think he may have tossed it into the water. As long as its still there, we can collaborate with the guard and have it found later.” Ah held out my foreleg for treatment and she took a similar teal colored gel ta the one Target used on the Crow out of a small tube, spreadin' it over my foreleg with her magic. It damn near felt like my whole leg was bein’ seared, but the pain was minimal in trade fer what it was relievin’ me of. Ah could still move my wrist but it sure as hell felt like somethin’ was broken before the anesthetic took full effect.

“I suggest you avoid using it if you can, otherwise the injury is only going to get worse. What do you want me to do? I hate standing around in the back like this, but I know I can only provide support in a contest of strength...” She sighed and shook her head. Ah put my good hoof on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

“There’s nothin’ wrong with ponies havin’ roles that they play, yours just happens ta be givin’ us extra seconds, without which, we woulda been screwed twice over now. Stick near enough ta us that ya can do what we need ya ta, but keep searchin’ the area for stray ponies that mighta wandered in. Ah don’t know what came over me a minute ago, but if Ah can do that ta this monster, then there won’t be nothin’ left and this whole mess will be over.” Ah stood back up, but felt the weakness in my front right and decided ta keep off it.

“Please, don’t hurt yourself if you can avoid it. What you did just now was amazing, and it would be a terrible loss for everypony if we lost you.” With a shot of her harness, she returned ta the shadows behind the line of buildin’s at the edge of the harbor. Ah decided it was time ta switch thin’s up ta my left side, and with that, Ah shot my bracer and zip-lined over ta the rest of my team. Just as Ah arrived, Target had made a shot and Goose followed through by diggin’ a chunk out of the monster’s tentacle. Ah joined in by shootin’ my cable inta the monster’s body and makin’ my way up and diggin’ a bigger chunk out of the tentacle.

“Crow!” Ah shouted, and just behind me, she came in and dug her crimson coated sword inta the monster’s body. She pulled away, and the tentacle went limp. The monster let out its cry and we had successfully made damage ta its body. However, there was a change. Almost like a shift in the air. The creature backed away from the harbor and let out a deafenin’ half-growl half-screech that echoed metallically across the harbor. The tentacle we’d damaged started ta move ta the back of it’s body as if it were just a replaceable part in a greater machine. The creature came back at us with a much greater speed than before, making it difficult ta do anythin’ but defend.

“Everypony pull back! We need a new strategy ta kill this thin’ in one go, otherwise, we’re gonna get killed! Target, get down here but stay far enough out of his range, Ah’ve got an idea!” Ah said and thought the message so Target would get it too. We managed ta cluster together a little and back away from the monster whilst fightin’ the thin' off. When we’d finally made it ta a point where the creature’s tentacles were stretched ta reach us and manageable ta deal with.

“Okay, here’s the plan! When Ah give the signal, which will be Diamond’s queue, Target will pierce its chest, then Goose and Ah will try and dig holes as big as we can in this thin’s body. Ah figure the mirror is hidden deep in there since it can just move parts around. If Ah’m right, the mirror will be in it’s most protected spot, which would be the center of it’s torso. If we can get deep enough in ta see it, then the Crow will come in from behind and use her crystal sword ta stab it. If nothin’ else, that should paralyze the monster and win the battle regardless. Y’all got that?” Ah confirmed everypony got the message when they all nodded and a reply from Diamond came back, then we went in.

We fought the tentacles off ta the best of our ability, but it still felt like somethin’ was different. It was fightin’ back, but it felt weaker than before. Just as we had reached our position, the creature backed away again and let out a low pitched noise that started ta grow with every passin’ second. Accompanied by a horrid rippin’ sound, the creature’s tentacles split open and folded back, revealin’ giant needle-like shinin’ pieces inside. It screeched some kinda noise that just about made my eardrums bleed and then it started ta swing the thin’s around like swords. The Crow was now usin’ her sword ta block attacks and it didn’t look like it was goin’ well. Then Ah noticed what the creature had done. It split us up usin’ it’s new weapons ta get her alone. With the fourth tentacle, it had it positioned ta spear the Crow through. Once more, Ah felt that burst of energy shoot through and Ah launched ta grab the Crow away from harm. The needle speared clean through the concrete, and just as Ah thought we were clear, Ah heard somethin’.

“Applejack, look out!” In what felt like a second in Diamond’s time, Ah turned my head toward the sound of the voice and saw Applebloom on the other end of the harbor, completely within range of the monster. Then Ah saw the needle positioned above my head ready ta spear me. Once again, Ah didn’t have time ta think about what Ah was doin’, and that primal urge overcame me. Ah tossed the Crow ta the side and pulled my right back with everythin’ Ah had. The needle moved a fraction of a centimeter and Ah let loose my punch. The hoof met the needle before the needle met my neck and it shattered inta pieces, sendin’ ‘em rocketin’ toward the center of the creature’s torso.

It screeched out its cry, and as it did, Ah noticed it reposition one of its tentacles, the one that had hit the ground. It moved so casually, almost lazily toward its target. Ah saw its glistenin’ point and where it was aimin', and my heart skipped a beat or two. My body went inta full gallop toward Applebloom, my mouth moved, but all the noise in the world was gone. Ah felt myself mouth her name, but as Ah did, the needle started its way toward her. There was only one way ta save her at this point, and Ah wasn’t about ta ignore it.

“TOKI WO TOMARE!”

“ZA WARUDO!”

“DO IT NOW!” Ah yelled out in the frozen time. The five of us were all in it, we only had seconds ta accomplish what we needed ta do before Diamond’s power caved in, and Ah had ta save my sister, so they had ta do it alone. My hooves touched the ground as Ah passed the tentacle’s needle and Target Lock shot past me toward the monster. My hooves touched the ground again, and Ah was just about near Applebloom. The shot went off, but Ah didn’t have time ta look back. Ah heard the sound of armor clink, liquid flap, and crystals crack. Ah grabbed her body and leapt off from the spot. Unless it could suddenly turn at a ninety degree angle, she was safe. Just as Ah was outta the way, time returned. The percussion of the high grade rifle bullet made impact with the creature’s flesh. The clang from metal coated Hooves collidin’ and tearin’ off more flesh followed it immediately. Finally, a scream from the Crow and the sound of somethin’ sharp stabbin’ inta flesh was followed by the sound of somethin’ shatterin’.

Ah landed on the nearby roof as the wail of the defeated monster rang through the harbor. It screeched and moaned at unfathomable levels of volume as it bubbled and just about melted inta the water. A let out the breath that Ah’d been holdin’ since time froze and sighed in relief.

“Harmony, the monster is down.”