The Titans' Orb: Breaking Dawn

by Mister Horncastle

Chapter Three: Lady, Killer

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Come the dawn, and Rainbow Dash was surprisingly enthusiastic about her scouting mission. I supposed she was looking forward to some time soaring up in the open air, as opposed to fluttering around the confines of the underground oasis. After a light breakfast, we all accompanied her up to the surface, where she took wing and promptly claimed the sky as her territory. It wasn’t long before she became little more than a colourful speck, and with a smile, I could only hope this little mission would help lift the heaviness in her heart and mind.

As for how she planned on finding us again, Rarity and Applejack had constructed a flag of sorts, large enough to be spotted from the air. We planted it at the top of the dune, and although I had my doubts that this would be enough, Rainbow assured me that in spite of her usual meatheadedness, she was good at recalling her place in the sky, and knowing which direction she had flown in.

She was gone for a little over an hour, and upon her return, we let our collective joy be known, for the pegasus had returned with most splendid tidings. A few miles to the north, Rainbow had spotted a group of people, unpacking crates from not one, but two beefy-looking cars. Smirking, I declared that whoever they were, they could make do with losing one of their rides, for we would put it to far greater use.

With that, Rarity and I readied ourselves to leave, with the pearly unicorn donning Applejack’s saddlebag in place of her own. This was so that we had all the water we could want or need, given that the others had unlimited access to the basin underground.

“With water in mind, y’all be sure to have a big drink before leaving.” Applejack encouraged us.

“But not too much, otherwise you’ll need to pee, which’ll dehydrate you, obviously.” Twilight butted in.

Reminding her that I wasn’t an infant, I had a drink alongside Rarity, and then we relocated to the exit for a round of hugs and farewells. Rarity put on her saddle-mounted umbrella to remain shaded, and I in turn, put Hawnu Rey’eng’s collar around my neck, so that I might converse with Twilight while we were gone.

“How’re you going to find your way back?” asked Rainbow, “It won’t be as easy as when I did it.”

“I’ve got’cha covered!” Pinkie squeaked.

Hopping forward, the pony jammed a hoof into her mane and rummaged around, before unveiling what appeared to be a rocket of sorts. Raising my eyebrows with surprise, I could only imagine how long it had been there.

“Um, Pinks… what is that?” I asked her.

“A flarework!” she replied.

“Which is… what, exactly?”

Grinning, Pinkamena explained that a flarework was very much what it said on the tin. Being a cross between a flare and a firework, the rocket would shoot into the sky, bright enough to be seen for miles on end, even in the daytime. It would then explode into a vibrant array of colours, and was the perfect finisher to any firework show. She claimed to have ‘found’ it during Trixie Lulamoon’s last visit to Ponyville, but with one look around at her friends, it was all but obvious that she had stolen it.

“You’re a little kleptomaniac, do you know that?” I huffed, smirking at her.

Ruffling her mane, I thanked her for presenting it to me, and said that if Rarity and I got lost, she could set it off for us. After that, we idled no longer, with Champion and markspony embarking in the direction Rainbow Dash had seen the cars. The two of us were glad to be getting some fresh air, with the desert’s heat not being all that horrendous. Aside from some idle small talk, we didn’t exchange many words, simply enjoying one another’s company as we sauntered out across the desert. After a time, Twilight checked in with us, using the collars to ask how the two of us were getting on, and with a smile, I said that we were actually quite enjoying being out in the heat again.

{Just give it an hour, you’ll be back to hating it.} she teased.

{Most likely.} I chuckled in thought, before changing the subject, {How’s everything on your end?}

{Some and some.} she replied, {Rainbow’s been… kind of prickly since you left.}

{That’s understandable, she’s still coming to terms with things.} I murmured, {Just give her some space, and if she wants to talk, just be a listening ear. Don’t try to fix how she’s feeling, I know what you’re like.}

{What’s that supposed to mean?} she said defensively.

{It means you have a habit of bending over backwards to solve problems, even when they aren’t yours to fix. What Rainbow needs is time and support, so don’t try to stop her from feeling shitty, because you’ll only make it worse.}

There was a moment of silence, before Twilight admitted that I may have had a point. Smirking, I joked that she couldn’t be the smart one all the time. The mare scoffed at that, and teased that she was still smarter than me even on her dumbest day.

{Oh, that’s a crock of shit and you know it.} I scoffed back, {Yes, you’re very intelligent, but I’m no simpleton either.}

{That’s a matter of debate.}

{Careful now.} I warned her, {This is the new Titans’ Champion you’re insulting.}

There was another pause, followed by Twilight profusely apologising to me, causing me to emit a light chuckle. I assured her it was fine, and then said that I was going to focus a bit more on Rarity, bringing our conversation to a close. With that, I continued marching along the open sands, chatting to the pearly unicorn at my side as we went.

Soon enough, our trek brought us upon a slope that led into a rocky canyon, just as Rainbow Dash had described to us. She had seen the vehicles somewhere on the far side of it, meaning we would likely find them soon. Getting into the mindset for conflict, I withdrew Vitra ‘Aku. As it emerged from its sheath, a faint ethereal whisper could be heard, and the two of us huffed with awe.

“It truly is a majestic old thing.” said Rarity.

“You can say that again.” I murmured.

Getting further used to the weight of it, I tightened my grip and started swaying it around in front of me. With each swing, however gentle, the blade sang quietly with more ghostly whooshes. Rarity watched keenly, mesmerised by the relic. I then tried to add a little flair, tossing the blade with a spin, and catching it again. This was when I fumbled it, and with one missed catch, the blade fell tip-first into the ground. Landing perfectly vertical, it pierced the sandy stone like it was water, driving so far down that it very nearly disappeared altogether. If not for the small pommel at the end of the handle, there was no telling how deep it would have gone.

“Goodness gracious!” Rarity exclaimed.

Squatting down, I pinched the gleaming bulb and pulled the sword back out. Blinking rapidly at it, I realised just how sharp it was. No normal blade could have done what we had just witnessed, and with a glance at Rarity, I broke into a bemused smile.

“Remind me never to drop this thing straight down.” I huffed.

“Duly noted.” she replied in equal bemusement.

Looking around, I spotted a large boulder not too far away, and wishing to test the weapon further, I went over to it. Rarity accompanied me, and watched in astonishment as I took a swing. With nary a hint of resistance, the blade sliced all the way through it, leaving behind a deep gash. Needless to say, I was impressed, as was Rarity, and after taking a moment to enthuse over it with her, I decided to share the moment with Twilight.

{Twi, you’ll never guess what.}

{What?} she replied.

Grinning, I relayed what had happened, and that I had just cut through rock as though it were butter. She was quick to express her amazement, stating that she thought its incomparable sharpness was merely a legend.

{What does the legend say?} I asked her.

{Well, there are only three books I’ve read that mention the sword, and they all carry the same quotation.} she explained, {They all say Vitra ‘Aku was so sharp that flesh and stone were equals to its edge. A shield of metal was to be met like a disc of parchment, and a mountain was all but a carving block.}

{Huh, well that’s pretty damn sharp then.} I chortled with amazement, {I guess I don’t have to worry about it getting dull.}

{It’s made from titanstone, so no.} Twilight hummed in agreement, {You could drop an anvil on that thing and it wouldn’t break. Not that I’m suggesting you try that.}

{Why in the world would I try that, Twilight?} I asked blankly.

{I’m just saying!}

Rolling my eyes, I thanked her for telling me about the sword’s fabled durability and cutting prowess, and then promptly told her to bugger off. She did just so, and with a nod to Rarity, we trundled deeper into the sandy valley.

Another twenty minutes passed, and as we neared the end of the canyon, I instructed Rarity to get ready with the rifle. Activating the piercing shot mode, she was able to see through the bends of the winding passageway, and alerted me to the presence of eight men. Putting my mouth to one side, I suggested we clamber somewhere further up, ensuring we had the high ground. We found a way up, and as we skirted along the top of the ridge, we soon spotted the humans in question. They were standing around a stash of wooden crates, which sat near not one, but two Land Rover Defenders, similar to my brother’s one back in England. They were the ideal vehicle for such an environment, a true all-terrain champion. Every man was armed with Kalashnikov rifles, AK-Seventy-Fours if I wasn’t mistaken, of which were smaller, lower-calibre renditions of the infamous AK-Forty-Seven.

“Why do you think they’re here?” asked Rarity.

“Let’s find out.” I murmured, “Give me the rifle for a minute.”

Taking the weapon, I flicked the dial to the long-distance setting and lined the crosshair up with the crates. One of them had had its lid removed, revealing an array of munitions. There were guns, bullets, rocket-propelled grenades, and launchers for them. It was a weapons deal, and if Rainbow had spotted them here over an hour ago, it meant someone was coming to collect them. Clenching my jaw, I tried to decide what to do. Rarity and I could either steal one of the Land Rovers and get out of here, or we could wait for the buyers to show up, and take them out as well. The first option was safer, but an inner part of me yearned for the latter, to rid the world of a few extra bad guys, and make the world a better place, even if by such a microscopic, insignificant amount.

Soon enough, I sided with practicality over personal aspiration, and gave the gun back to Rarity. I was about to give the order, when by chance, the second option thrust itself upon us. With the loud rumble of an engine, we spotted a third Land Rover, crawling down the slope that led back into the open desert. It came to a halt, and out came a band of men. I counted five of them, and as with the men already here, they appeared to be Arabic, both in attire and ethnicity, though they hardly appeared as friends. Guns were raised at the newcomers, until they were called off by the supposed leader of this little deal. He shook hands with one of the newcomers, and escorted them to the wooden crates, allowing them to inspect their contents.

“What’s the plan?” asked Rarity.

“I’m thinking…” I muttered back to her.

One of the buyers then collected a rocket launcher from the crate, along with one of the grenades. Watching with interest, I could only presume he was testing out the merchandise, which proved to be correct as he raised the apparatus onto his shoulder and prepared to fire. Taking aim further down the canyon, the man pulled the trigger, which was when something most horrific occurred.

In an instance no one could have anticipated, the man quite simply detonated on the spot. Sparks, smoke, and scorching shrapnel were sent in all directions, hitting the crates and setting off a chain reaction as the whole lot exploded. Rarity and I jumped, both scooting backwards in fear of being hit by flying debris. Three additional men were killed in the blast, and the rear end of the nearest Land Rover was all but obliterated. Our view was obstructed by a cloud of dust and smoke, and in the chaos, we heard gunshots as the men started shooting each other. We then heard the grinding of spinning tyres, and as the dust settled, we glimpsed the surviving buyers swiftly driving away. As for the sellers, they were all dead or dying, having been hit by shrapnel, or by their buyers’ bullets.

“What… What just happened?” Rarity exclaimed, completely aghast.

There was only one feasible answer that came to mind. It was something I had read about once, during one of my hyperfixations on warfare. Putting my mouth to one side, I concluded that the crate of weaponry had been spiced.

The act of spicing munitions was an unorthodox, frowned-upon tactic in warfare, wherein certain batches of supplies were sabotaged by their own creators, and intentionally left in compromising locations for the enemy to steal. The guns were prone to jam, the explosives would go off early, and artillery shells would fall short of their destination. In this case, it would seem the rocket-propelled grenades had been set to go off immediately, essentially turning them into suicide bombs. It had been remarkably effective, and upon explaining to Rarity, she seemed to agree, though she also deemed it cowardly and barbaric.

“Oh, without question.” I concurred, “But you can’t deny the results.”

Tutting and shaking her head, Rarity got up and prepared to clamber down. I did the same, and together we paced through the smouldering remains of this arms deal. I went over to one of the bodies, and despite being riddled with shrapnel, he was still alive. He was barely conscious, wheezing slowly, and I decided that it would be a mercy to end his suffering. There was no denying the additional motive to acquire my first soul since killing Stardust, but it didn’t negate the fact that I was doing the right thing.

“Look away, Rare.” I ordered, unsheathing Vitra ‘Aku.

She did as I ordered, and without much time dwelling on it, I took my first life with the Titans’ Sword. Piercing his chest at the collar, it almost sickened me how easily the blade drifted into him. I barely had to push it in, for the weight alone was enough for the holy instrument to sink down and emerge from his upper back. He stopped wheezing, and as I pulled the sword back out, I watched in awe as wisps of milky white light flowed from the man, chasing after the weapon that had finished the job. The sword glowed brighter on contact, followed by the light coursing into the Divine Crucible, where every thought, memory, and sense of identity was broken down. Wherever humans went after we died, be it good or bad, I had just denied it for this person. He was now pure mana, and for me as Champion… fuel.

“Ghastly business…” Rarity muttered.

“I know.” I agreed, “But if I need souls to beat Nah’Lek, then even the dying are fair game.”

“I didn’t tell you it was wrong.” she sourly replied, “Only that it was ghastly.”

Lowering my head, I was thankful that she understood my position, and that she held no judgement. Looking around, I decided to repeat the process, and with Rarity continuing to avert her eyes, I made the ignoble choice of inspecting each body, and where there was breath in them, I put an end to it. I collected five souls, and as I approached the final body, I realised that he was far more lucid than the rest. Missing a leg, the man groaned behind a sandy boulder, having dragged himself there after the explosion. He spotted me as I made my approach, and before I had time to react, he had raised the gun in his hands.

“Fuck.”

Holding down the trigger, he fired a sizable burst of shots, until the recoil took the weapon from his feeble, waning grip. I felt the impact before the pain, and as I staggered back and crumpled to the ground, I found myself trembling uncontrollably. I then moved my hand to my body, clutching at myself as I started to feel the searing agony of three, no… four bullet wounds. I tried to cry out, only to emit a gurgling whimper, and I realised I’d been hit in the lung. Looking down, I gawked at the golf-ball-sized hole in my upper torso, and groaned as I spotted my own blood, trickling out of me. My lower belly had been pierced as well, along with my right thigh, and it didn’t take long until the loss of blood came to complement the shock. The world started to spin, and without a moment to lose, I clutched Vitra ‘Aku and squeezed the handle tightly, hissing my plea through gritted teeth.

“Heal me…”

The command was heard, and I felt the cooling sensation of mana as it was pumped through my hand and into my body. The outskirts of my vision shone brightly, and I could feel myself being sewn back together, the damage undone in seconds. My vision returned to normal and the sensation faded, and gasping loudly, I rolled over onto my front and rose to my knees, still shaking emphatically. That was when Rarity rushed over to me, her eyes wide, desperately crying out the question, was I okay? Clenching my jaw, I found myself unable to speak, too rattled to form a sentence. I then looked at the dying man, staring at me in shock like I was some kind of demon.

“Laqad qataltka…” he rasped.

I didn’t know what he had said to me, and I didn’t care. Getting up, I strode towards him, driven by rage, and the underlying terror that I had just nearly died again. He saw the anger in my eyes, and in his fleeting will to live, he made a lunge for the gun he had dropped. He wasn’t quick enough this time, and before he could reach the firearm, I had sliced into him without a moment’s hesitation. He let out a low squeal as the titanstone blade parted him, going through his torso completely. Now unburdened from his lower half, he bled out in seconds, going limp and ceasing to make a sound, save for some faint, whispery babbling. His soul flowed into the Crucible, and I looked upon his two halves with disdain. I wanted to feel remorse, truly I did, but after making me waste my first collection of souls on healing, as opposed to strengthening myself, all I felt was heartless contempt.

“Darling, you’re… you’re bleeding!” said Rarity.

“Was.” I corrected her, “I’m fine.”

Using the man’s garb to wipe the blade clean, I slotted it back into its void sheath. I then stepped away from him and gave Rarity a hug, and was quick to start crying. I had been completely caught off-guard by the sudden brush with death, and it had rattled me more than I could put to words. The mare comforted me for a while, before I was able to get a hold of myself again, and we finally turned our attention to our prize.

Approaching the Land Rover, we gave it an inspection, and just as we were about to hop in and commandeer the vehicle, I noticed something that had my heart sinking to the pit of my recently ruptured stomach.

“Oh, for fucks’ sake…” I growled.

“What is it?” asked Rarity.

Squatting down, I pointed out that two of the wheels had been shredded by the shrapnel, with both rear tyres sagging beneath the weight of the vehicles above them. Raising my lips into a grimace, I gave Rarity a bitter expression.

“You know what this means, right?” I asked her.

There was a second or two of silence, before she replied with a defeated breath.

“We’re going after the other one, aren’t we?”

Humming to confirm, I shook my head with annoyance. Just when we thought we were in the clear, the two of us would be back out in the desert, walking for however far that third Land Rover had driven. There were likely more men to fight as well, and with that, I held on to the silver lining that I may at least claim a few more souls.

We both had a large drink of water, and then, with a set of deep breaths, we took off once again. It didn’t take us long to emerge from the valley, and as the ground sloped upwards, with stone and clay returning to rolling sands, we quickly found the tyre tracks that would lead us to our destination. Neither of us knew how long we would be walking for, but that wasn’t going to stop us. With one foot in front of the other, we pursued our four-wheeled quarry further into the desolate Sahara, fully aware that when we found it, we would be fighting for it.

Keeping Twilight in the loop, I decided to update her on the situation.

{Hey, you still there, Sparklebutt?}

{Please never call me that again.} she said sternly.

{No problem, Book Horse.} I teased.

{Or that.}

{What about Twanklight?}

{That’s it, I’m taking my collar off.}

{Alright, okay, no more names!} I promised, {I just wanted to keep you in the loop.}

{How considerate. I’m listening.}

With that, I explained how we had found the cars Rainbow spotted, only for an arms deal to end in disaster, with both Land Rovers now unusable to us. We were now hunting a third one that had driven off, all while I remained a bit shaken up from my nasty encounter with a few bullets. Needless to say, she was quick to get upset, and I regretted telling her. After assuring her several times that I was okay, I distracted her with the groundbreaking fact that I had successfully controlled the Titans’ Sword, with the great relic healing me within seconds of willing it to do so. As expected, this shifted her mood, and while she was in a better place, I asked her how Rainbow Dash was getting on.

{A little better.} she told me, {I did as you said and just listened to her, and she seemed to appreciate it.}

{Atta girl.} I praised, {What’s she up to right now?}

{She’s been telling us more about her life on Earth. Well, what she can remember clearly at least. She mentioned her father living in a place called Michigan, does that ring any bells for you?}

{Yeah, it’s one of America’s states.} I confirmed, {That’s good to know. Now we have a vague idea of where we’re heading once we make landfall. Does she remember anything else?}

{Um, not exactly.}

{Elaborate?}

Twilight then told me how Rainbow’s memories were so frayed that the details of each childhood were overlapping with one another. Try as she might, she kept remembering her human father going off to work at the rainbow factory in Cloudsdale, and her birth mother, Windy Whistles, possessing a pair of hands, of which would always scratch her behind the ears as a reward when she ate her broccoli.

{Yeah, she did say her childhoods were blurred together.} I hummed, {God, that must be awful for her. She’ll need to work through each life separately, and choose which one came first. The poor thing’s brain literally needs a defrag.}

{A what?}

Still plodding along beside Rarity, I told Twilight what defragmentation meant, in that it was a computing term for condensing scattered files on a hard drive. She enjoyed the analogy, and after picking my brains for more technology-related terms, she let me get back to Rarity.

Fifty minutes passed, and as Twilight had predicted, we were already fed up with the heat. The abundance of water had helped, along with the enchantments on our clothing, but we were tired and sweating all the same. Ahead of us lay a large rock formation, and with the trail leading straight towards it, we suspected the arms buyers were hiding there, potentially with reinforcements. We pressed on with haste, and with a glance at Rarity, I noticed the rifle happily dangling from its harness, along with its owner, whose face was no less determined in spite of the heat. Smirking, I couldn’t help but admire the mare’s readiness, and her commitment to our cause. I may have been the Champion, but the lady at my side, in all her tidiness, elegance, and upper class mannerisms, was no less of a warrior than I.

“We’re getting close, so it might be best for you to lose the umbrella.” I suggested.

Nodding, the unicorn reluctantly removed the brolly from its mount and put it into the saddlebag. It didn’t take long after that before she was reaching for the water.

“You really don’t get on with the sun, do you?” I chortled.

“Oh, pfft, like you enjoy it any better.” she scoffed, “And for what it’s worth, I do enjoy the sun, it’s the hiking part I’m not necessarily fond of. Put me in a hat and a sundress and I’ll be out for hours without complaint.”

“I’ll put you in a sundress any day you like, Miss Rarity.” I teased, winking at her.

“Don’t get any funny ideas, mister.” she said coyly, “I appreciate you’ve come to enjoy the company of our dear Rainbow Dash, but don’t be mistaken into thinking I can be so easily wooed.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” I replied with a smirk, “Though I do recall you referring to her as… what was it again? A lucky bitch, the other week?”

Getting the upper hand on our little spar, I caught Rarity unaware, and after raising her eyebrows and clearing her throat, she professed that firstly, I was not supposed to have heard such a remark, and secondly, her envy came not from a desire of me. Rather, she was jealous of Rainbow having such a readily available outlet of relief, considering how stressful this adventure had been for everyone.

“Don’t take it the wrong way, dear, but for as much as I adore you, I haven’t a hint of interest.”

Pulling an inquisitive face, I inquired as to why, simply for curiosity’s sake. To this, she explained how despite thoroughly enjoying male company, my human visage very simply wasn’t attractive to her, at least, not in a sexual manner. Shrugging, I said that was perfectly fair, and insisted that I was only being playful with my remark.

“My, backing down so quickly?” she said with a grin, “Here I was thinking you might attempt to change my mind.”

“Au contraire, my dear Rarity, I know how deeply you value chivalry. Is the respecting of one’s boundaries not desirable to you?”

Raising her chin and emitting a faint, one-syllable laugh, the unicorn looked at me with a simper.

“Well played, darling.” she hissed, before shutting her eyes and turning her head away, “But I think you can do better than that.”

Picking up the pace, she trotted ahead of me, and breaking into a chuckle, I shook my head and trailed on after her. I knew Rarity, and to her, this was all just a fun exchange, with no real meaning behind it. By no means was I hoping to get into bed with her, nor did she expect me to court her in earnest. In short, it was a lady’s form of bantering, to sharpen one’s tongue in a battle of flirtatious wit, and I for one relished in it.

We continued to walk in silence for a time, equally smug and tickled by our exchange, until…

SMACK!

“Ahh!” Rarity yelped as the sand kicked up in front of her.

“Get down!” I bellowed, diving onto my front.

Following suit, the mare lay down, just as another bullet came whizzing past her. Like a repeat of our conflict with the idol smugglers, we found ourselves being peppered with ill-aimed gunfire. Our open-field position was abominable, and had these foes been better shots, we likely would have been killed. But this was not to be our fate, and as Rarity brought up the rifle and began scanning the ridge, she was quick to identify our oppressors. There were eleven of them dotted along a rocky shelf near the top, taking pot shots at us, and with a clench of her jaw, Rarity returned fire.

Bang!

One shot, one kill. No less determined, the men kept firing, and a bullet hit the sand right in front of me, kicking it up and spraying me in the face. Now blinking rapidly to clear my vision, I implored Rarity to shoot them just a little bit faster, lest one of these inaccurate curs finally hit their mark.

“I’m trying my best, darling!” she snapped, just as another round nearly struck her.

Bang!

“Got you!” she hissed.

With another three shots, the enemy fire started to diminish. Smiling wickedly, Rarity relayed how the remaining gunmen had fled to cover, having lost five of their own. She then took another shot, and with a wince, she notified me that a sixth man was now missing an arm.

“At long last, she finally misses a clean kill.” I teased.

“Oh no, darling, I injured that one on purpose.”

“What? Why?”

Shrugging, she gestured to Vitra ‘Aku, and said that for as terrible as she felt for not making the death painless, I needed as many opportunities as possible to harvest additional souls. Nodding, I commended her for making such a difficult choice, and then frowned at her.

“So, you’ve not missed a single shot yet?”

“Why, was I supposed to?” she asked with an air of arrogance about her.

She then returned to shooting the remaining gunmen, while I huffed with dumbfoundment.

{This bitch straight-up has aim-bot activated.} I thought to myself.

{Umm, what?}

{Not now, Twilight, Rarity’s cheating.}

Confused, she asked what I meant, and paired with the instruction not to panic, I told her we were currently being shot at by a group of Arabs. Needless to say, she forewent the instruction, and with fear in her voice, she demanded further details.

{They’re terrible shots, so honestly, don’t worry.} I assured her, {Rarity on the other hand…}

Glancing at her, I watched as Rarity effortlessly threaded yet another man with a piercing round, grimacing as she watched his lower leg fall away from the rest of him.

{So, when you say ‘cheating’, do you mean she’s better with a gun than you?}

{Ugh… yes.}

{Ah-ha! Called it.}

{Don’t you have a book to be reading or something?} I grumbled.

{Haven’t you got a car to be finding?} she clapped back.

{I’m working on it! Now bugger off, Egghead Sparklebutt.}

{Look, Cal, if you want to do insults, I can and will outdo you.}

{Prove it, Book Horse.}

{You are literally a hairless ape with depression.}

Impressed, I raised my eyebrows and huffed with amusement. Changing tactics, I decided to toy with her while Rarity mopped up the last of the shooters.

{That’s the second time now you’ve been rude to the Titans’ Champion.}

Her tone changed immediately, once again thinking that she had genuinely committed a misdeed.

{Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I forgot-}

{You forgot I’m the Champion?} I cut in, {Now that’s insulting.}

{No, I just… I mean… I forgot there are some lines I shouldn’t cross! I’m sorry!}

{Twilight.} I said blankly.

{Y-Yeah?}

{I’m just messing with you.}

Despite her now being a few miles away, I could picture her sighing with relief so vividly that I could almost hear it. For someone who enjoyed bantering, she was also prone to taking things too literally, though I supposed that was to be expected, being Twilight.

{Oh, sorry.} she tittered anxiously.

{You’re alright.} I told her, {Now bugger off and let me focus, if I don’t keep an eye on Rarity, she may end up shooting half of Northern Africa!}

Giggling, she wished me luck, and I turned my attention to the mare beside me again. No more bullets were coming from the ridge, and with a nod, Rarity confirmed that all threats had been neutralised, with four injured men scrambling around in a bid to stop their wounds bleeding.

“Nicely done.” I told her, “Let’s get moving before any of them try to drive off again.”

With that, we closed in on the rock formation, working our way around until we found a traversable upward slope that led up to the gunner’s outpost. Using the Piercing Shot Rifle, Rarity scanned through the geometry to help me locate the injured survivors, and upon finding the first one, I shook my head in utter disbelief.

“I can’t believe you shot his arm off…” I sighed.

“Look, as I already said, I feel terrible for it. I’m not proud in the slightest, but as you said, if you’re the Champion, and souls are your ticket to stopping Nah’Lek, then such grisly business is necessary, is it not?”

“Yeah, but still… you shot his arm off!”

“And he was trying to shoot us first! What is it you want from me? Are you expecting me to stitch it back on?”

“Well, you are very good at stitching.” I retorted.

“Very funny.” she muttered, “Now put him out of his misery, this is beyond cruel.”

In full agreement, I turned to look at the man, who was staring up at us in absolute terror. I could only imagine what he was thinking. From his weapons deal quite literally blowing up, to losing both an arm and his comrades. Now, he was being subjected to a white Englishman and an even whiter alien unicorn, both speaking in a foreign language. Enemy or not, I pitied him, and without further idling, I stepped forward and finished him with the blade.

I then made my way around the outpost in search of the others, sword still in hand, dripping with blood…

“You know, it’s much easier to hide when you’re not leaving a trail of blood behind you.” I said loudly, spotting the last man cowering behind a rock.

Hobbling out from his cover, the man was only just able to stand, with his blown-open shin barely able to support the weight of him Looking at me with a desperate hope for mercy, he whimpered something in Arabic.

“La taqtalni…”

As with before, I knew not what he said, nor did I care. I planted Vitra ‘Aku into his thorax and twisted it, and although he emitted a pained shout, it softened quickly, and of his own volition he fell away from me. He tumbled from the rocky shelf and down to the ground below, and as he fell, his soul came hurtling back up, whisking into the Divine Crucible and breaking down into mana.

“Well, that’s that sorted.” I muttered.

“Good.” croaked Rarity, “I feel quite ill.”

Sighing, I sheathed the sword and turned to look at her. In spite of her dedication, the sight of the bodies and blood up close, knowing that it was her doing, had unsettled the unicorn. Clenching my jaw, I realised that I had overestimated how desensitised the mare was, and as she shut her eyes and tensed up, I feared that she was going to be sick.

“Let’s go and find that car.” I sighed, gently steering her away from the scene.

Thankfully, she was able to compose herself, and as we returned to the sandy ground, we began to survey the rock formation, perusing every nook and cranny in search of the Land Rover. Eventually, we found our prize, tucked away in a crevice, and as I made my approach, I spotted fresh footsteps leading up to it, paired with droplets of blood. Not even needing to instruct her, I saw Rarity bringing up the rifle, using the piercing shot mode to peer through the vehicle’s metal hull. Beckoning me over, she let me look through as well, and sure enough, a lone man was sitting in the rear, shaking like a leaf, with a pistol aiming toward the door.

“What do we do?” asked Rarity.

“Hmm, I’m sure the car can live with a slight maiming.” I said in response, withdrawing Vitra ‘Aku.

Noting exactly where the man was sitting, I approached the side of the car and thrust the blade into it as far as possible, piercing the metal and presumably the man beyond it. My presumption revealed itself correct, as I withdrew the blade to find it coated in fresh blood, along with the sound of the man’s pistol clattering down as it slipped from his hand.

“Got him.” I hissed.

I approached the rear door and opened it, and found the man’s body slumped in a heap in the middle of the compartment, with blood still oozing out of him. Reaching forward, I grabbed him by his clothing and dragged him out. Rarity averted her eyes as I dumped the body further away, and claimed the vehicle’s keys from his pocket. It was always a joyous moment when a plan came together, and with a proud nod of my head, I updated Twilight.

{I can now confirm that a vehicle has been successfully obtained!}

{Oh, that’s fantastic! Great work, Callum!}

{Honestly, this was more on Rarity, she’s pulled her weight and then some today. Anyway, we’re heading back now. Not sure how long we’ll be, but you might as well start packing up the base.}

{Alright, I’ll give everyone the good news. Oh, and speaking of good news, Rainbow’s remembered something. Apparently, her adopted dad was a trash picker.}

{A trash picker?} I quizzed, {You mean… like a binman?}

{I’m not sure.} she confessed, {She can’t remember the finer details yet. From what she’s described though, it sounds to me like he collects junk and stuff, and then either keeps it or sells it to others.}

{Hm, fair enough, whatever floats your boat.}

I then suggested trying to very gently trigger some additional memories, by way of occasionally alluding to parts of her childhood on Earth. From setting off car alarms when she performed her first sonic rainboom, to hugging in the woods after running away from home, if Rainbow was occasionally reminded of such instances, it might help to clear the haze in her mind. Only then might we acquire a name, or a more accurate home address.

{That’s a great idea.} said Twilight, {I’ll try that after we pack up the camp.}

{Sounds good. See you in a bit.}

{Okay!}

Returning to the car, I found that Rarity had very boldly used some of our water to rinse the blood from the back of the Rover. She was once again fighting shock-induced nausea, and I was quick to usher her to the passenger side and clamber in. I then got into the driver’s seat and put in the key. I started the car with no issues, but with an awkward laugh, I told Rarity that this might take a moment, given that I had never learned how to properly drive.

“That’s hardly comforting news.” she said with a raised brow.

Saying nothing, I shifted into reverse and backed out of the shadowy inlet, and immediately stalled upon going into drive. Refusing to look Rarity in the eye, I started the car for a second time and took off, following the faint tyre tracks to retrace our path.

Soon enough, we found the canyon, and upon returning to the site of the obliterated arms deal, I had an idea. The two Land Rovers, despite being damaged, were still of use to us. How? Because neither of their fuel tanks had been destroyed, and with the plan being to drive all the way to Morocco, we needed as much fuel as we could get. Explaining this to Rarity, she hopped out with me and helped to salvage what additional fuel we could find. Thankfully, each car came with a jerrycan, both of which already contained a fair amount of diesel. With Rare’s magic, we siphoned everything out of the ruined Land Rovers, along with refuelling the functional one. We now had a full tank, with two and a half jerrycans on backup. Not that I knew a thing about fuel consumption rates, but I had a feeling we would be able to go pretty far on that.

Getting back in the Rover, we prepared to set off again. I stuck the keys into the ignition and took the handbrake off, shifting into first gear. I then stalled immediately, and furrowed my brow.

“Shit.” I grumbled.

“Callum, language.”

Ignoring her, I went to neutral and tried again, only to stall for a second time.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake…”

“Language, Callum!” Rarity shouted.

“Yes, milady! Sorry, milady!” I squawked back at her.

Chuckling, I eventually got into first gear and took off, easing my way past the cars and the various dead and debris. Once I was clear, I shifted into second gear and rumbled along the gorge. As we trundled along, Rarity turned to look at me and narrowed her eyes.

“What were you smiling about earlier? Back when we were being shot at?” she asked.

“Oh, that? Ha… I was just teasing Twilight over the collars.”

“What do you mean?”

“Err, well, she just got her knickers in a twist about the whole Champion thing. She thought she wasn’t allowed to banter with me any more because of my status.”

“Ah, I see.” she hummed, “Well, as far as I’m concerned, you’re the very same Callum I know and love, just with a far greater responsibility. Yes, your place now commands greater respect, but that doesn’t devalue the relationship you have with your friends.”

“I’m glad you think that way.” I said, “No need to treat me differently, I’m still me.”

Nodding in agreement, Rarity looked ahead to see where we were going again, and I focused as well. Eventually the rocky ground sloped up and into the sun again, and as I pulled out of the canyon for good, I was met by open desert for miles on end. In short, it was time for Pinkie Pie’s stolen flarework to shine, as it were.

{Me again.} I thought to Twilight, {We’re not far, but we need Pinkie to launch that flarework of hers. Are you at the surface yet?}

{Not yet.} she answered, {We’re just on our way up. I’ll let you know when Pinkie’s about to light it.}

With that, I killed the engine and let Rarity know we would be sat here for a few minutes. I then yawned, to which the unicorn raised an eyebrow.

“Tired, darling?”

“Just a tad.” I replied, “Between the heat, nearly dying, nearly dying again, and killing a handful of folk, I’m a little spent for the day.”

“Fair point.” she said.

She then gestured to Vitra ‘Aku, and asked if we could take a closer look at it together. Happy to oblige, I withdrew it from its sheath and held it out in front of us. All along the flat of the blade were intertwining patterns, mostly of a floral nature, visible only by their darker blue colouration, faintly contrasting with the opaque cyan crystal. Surrounding the Divine Crucible was a subtle motif resembling a set of feathered wings, and it briefly brought Hawnu Rey’eng to mind. I then discarded the idea, remembering that this sword had been around since the formation of Equus, with many Champions existing before Stardust and the Regal Mother. The motif could have resembled anything from pegasus and alicorn wings, to griffons and hippogriffs; not everything had to concern that mysterious old rust-bucket.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I murmured.

“An understatement if there ever was one…” Rarity breathed, gazing at the relic with sparkles in her eyes.

And then, without any threats nearby, I decided to finally try strengthening my soul. Sitting back with wide eyes, Rarity watched with anticipation as I prepared myself. I had no idea what to expect, but that didn’t sway me. Inhaling deeply, I closed my eyes and tightened my grip, before mentally willing the sword to transfer the souls within to my own, to forever embolden me, and grant me another step towards divinity.

Akin to the healing process, the sword reacted to my command instantaneously, with mana flushing out of the Crucible and into my hand. My veins could be seen glowing within my arm as the mana surged through me and bound itself to my being, becoming a part of me. My vision blurred and brightened, with swirling white and blue patterns replacing most of the image.

“Gah…” I gasped, feeling further alterations take place.

The sensation was bizarre, and far from pleasant. At best, I would have described it as strong growing pains, mixed in with severe nettle rash, for every muscle and bone throbbed with a dull ache, while my skin prickled and burned from head to toe, and I understood why… It was because my entire body, every cell of it, was permanently adjusting, straining to contain the additional energy from the souls I had consumed. Strangely, I enjoyed this pain, for despite its ever-exacerbating burn, I knew I was growing stronger. Not just in physical strength, but on all fronts. I was becoming a greater being, even if by a mere fraction, unnoticeable at this stage.

Soon enough, the feeling faded, and everything returned to normal. The bright glow from Vitra ‘Aku diminished, for it no longer carried additional energy. Blinking rapidly, Rarity cleared her throat and swallowed nervously.

“Well… that was certainly something to behold. Are you alright, dear?”

“I think so.” I uttered, “That felt bloody weird though.”

“Did it hurt?” she asked, “It looked like you were in pain.”

Attempting to brush it off, I assured her the gunshot wounds had hurt more. Aware that I was playing it down, she placed a hoof against my arm to comfort me. Returning to the topic at hand, she alluded to the fact that my eyes had been glowing, to which my brow shot up with excitement.

“My eyes were glowing!?”

Nodding, she explained how from sclera to pupil, my eyeballs had shone with rippling blue and white light. Huffing with amazement, I was thrilled at the notion, with Rarity admitting that it had truly been quite the spectacle. I was about to speak further on the matter, when our conversation was cut short by Twilight, as she announced over the collars that everyone was at the surface, and that Pinkie was about to set off her flarework. With that, we kept an eye out and scanned the horizon, waiting to spot the lightshow.

And spot it we did, and my, what a sight it was. Almost as bright as the sun itself, a flickering ball of light shot upward from beyond a dune in the distance. It was surrounded by smaller glistening flares of various colours; reds, blues, yellows, pinks, greens… dozens of fireballs flung out from the flashing sphere. It was like a firework factory had caught aflame, and was now being hauled up to the heavens by the very gods themselves. Needless to say, it was impossible to miss, even in the light of day, just as Pinkie had assured me.

{Excuse me, Mister Human? Can you see the blinding light display yet?} Twilight teased.

{Alright, alright, I stand corrected.} I droned back at her.

Turning on the Land Rover once again, I drove towards the flarework, and it didn’t take long to reach the temple. Standing outside were the girls, and it was as relieving as it was refreshing to see their bright colourful faces again. Turning off the engine, I hopped out and was quickly bombarded by Rainbow Dash. The others joined in, enveloping me in a girly group hug, which by now, I had come to fully embrace.

“So, did you like my flarework? Did you? Did you? Huh? Huh?” Pinkie squealed as she hopped around, eager for my approval.

“It was fantastic, Pinkie, I loved it!” I replied, grinning widely at her.

Delighted, the pony skittered around in the sand, gleefully kicking up clusters as she went. Smiling endearingly, I looked back at the others, who were quick to notice my clothing was doused in dry blood. They asked what had happened, and Rarity was the one to answer.

“We ran into some trouble.” she said calmly, “Thankfully, we’re both unharmed.”

“Unharmed? Rarity, I got shot!”

“What!?” the others yelled in unison.

Rolling my eyes, I explained how we had bumped into some gun-wielding ruffians during our search, and that I was unlucky enough to catch a few rounds, nearly killing me. However, before they could all freak out, I elaborated on how I had used Vitra ‘Aku to heal myself, with my cloth garb being the only thing that was damaged.

“So, exactly like what happened with that kirikan?” asked Applejack.

“Yup.” I confirmed.

“That’s not all.” said Rarity, passing me a sly look, “I witnessed him strengthen his soul.”

With her eyes nearly bulging right out of their sockets, Twilight zipped towards me in awe, practically knocking the others away in the process.

“You performed soul steeling? That’s… That’s incredible! Do you feel different? Stronger? Faster? More alert? Closer to the divine?”

I couldn’t help but nervously laugh at her fangirling, slightly embarrassed.

“Honestly, I don’t feel different in the slightest.” I answered earnestly, “I know it worked though, so it’s probably just too subtle to notice.”

“Hm, fair enough.” she muttered, “Next time, you should store a whole cluster of souls, then you might be able to notice a difference.”

“I’ll do my best.” I replied, mostly just to humour her.

“Hey, dorks, can we go please? Burning up over here!” Rainbow moaned.

Given that we were indeed out in the scorching desert, we took Dashie’s prompting to get a move on. After taking off my collar for Twilight to put away, I opened up the back door and let everypony clamber inside. It was a bit cramped, but with Rarity remaining in the front, and me in the driver’s seat, there was just enough room for the five of them.

“Um… is that… is that blood?” asked Fluttershy.

“Ah, I believe I missed a spot.” Rarity muttered.

Raising an eyebrow, Rainbow Dash asked why there was blood in here, to which I grinned at her and said it was for decoration, resulting in a less-than-amused look from Twilight. With an awkward chuckle, I professed that one of the gunmen had retreated to the back of the car and was waiting to kill me, but with a well-aimed stab through the side of the vehicle, I had dealt with him.

“Charming.” Applejack grumbled, clearly not all that comfortable about it.

“Hey, better him than me, right?” I retorted.

Everyone shrugged at that, and while they got comfortable, I started the car and prepared to move out. Feeling a rush of excitement after today, I looked to my inner child for a moment, allowing our long westward journey to begin with a laugh. Turning in my seat, I found my rear passengers all contentedly perched on the metal benches either side of the back, with Pinkie Pie happily sitting on the floor in the middle. Licking my bottom lip and breaking into a smirk, I addressed them with merriment and gusto.

“Ladies and jelly-spoons, this is your captain speaking. We are about to embark upon our journey, but before we depart, I would like to go over a few safety regulations. First and foremost, you are all to keep your limbs inside the vehicle at all times. Injury from lack of following this instruction will not be met with compensation, nor compassion. Smoking and the consumption of alcohol is also not permitted on this vessel, and if you are caught performing either of such activities, you will be removed immediately. There are no toilets located on this particular model, so if you need to use the loo, please notify a member of staff so that we may pull over. I must ask that you refrain from relieving yourselves within the vehicle, as nobody here wishes to be doused in fecal matter, other than Applejack of course, of whom is a filthy southerner.”

“Hey now!” the farm pony barked angrily.

Once Rainbow Dash stopped deafening us with her laughter, I resumed my captain’s announcement.

“In the case of an emergency, please do not panic, as nobody wants to hear your screams of terror as you rapidly approach your final moments. Instead, I request you simply place your head between your legs and kiss your bum goodbye. I understand this may be difficult for Twilight, considering she’s about as flexible as the pencils she writes with.”

“Hey, I can get between my legs just fine!” Twilight protested.

“Yeah, only because no one else does!” Rainbow Dash yelled at the top of her lungs.

The laughter reached a new height, as everypony cackled and hooted loudly, except for Twilight, who was clearly feeling quite uncomfortable with Rainbow’s remark. Continuing my comical briefing, I came to the unicorn’s aid with a remark of my own.

“Upon the unlikely event of a rockslide or avalanche, please use Rainbow Dash’s rear end as a shield. Take it from the scores of males she’s slept with, myself included, that posterior can take a beating!”

Rainbow piped down immediately, while Applejack bellowed louder than the rest of the group combined, smacking the bench with her hoof. It was a true and earnest belly-laugh, and it caused the rest of us to laugh harder as well. Eventually, she settled down and wiped her teary eyes, and I was able to conclude my announcement.

“Thank you all for choosing to travel with Champion Voyages today, I do hope you all have a pleasant journey. Now then, is everypony comfortable?”

“No!” they all joked in unison.

“Good!” I shouted back.

Revving the engine loudly, I took my foot off the brake and the car lurched forward.

“Oh, cock.” I spat upon stalling the vehicle.

“Are we there yet?” asked Pinkie.

Everyone giggled, and I restarted the car.

“Okay, for real this time!” I cheered, once again releasing my foot from the brake pedal.

Now properly on the move, our merry band sped off into the sun-baked horizon.
Next stop… Morocco.

---

Comments

[PonyJoe1]

Just when I thought the rewrites surely couldn't alter this story to be any better, you continue to prove me wrong. Keeping Rarity at Callum's side was such a welcome change, instead of her suddenly zipping back to the temple for a needless MacGuffin.

Cal getting shot was more realistic too, as was Rarity's up-close reaction to the dudes she killed and injured. I'd imagine there's an emotional detachment when shooting someone from a distance, but seeing the repercussions up close would be hella disturbing.
Nice that Rare's place as a killer isn't skimmed over, in spite of her durable spirit.

Also...

Landing perfectly vertical, it pierced the sandy stone like it was water, driving so far down that it very nearly disappeared altogether. If not for the small pommel at the end of the handle, there was no telling how deep it would have gone.

Was that a fucking Rick and Morty reference?

All in all, great chapter.
Can't wait for the next one!

[ZFTim]

Rarity better not be in competitive CoD Lobbies with those sniping skills, 'cause she'll just destroy everybody in her way

[Mister Horncastle]

12154348
Glad you approve, Joe.
Yeah, as you say, Rarity setting off with Callum, then going away, then coming back again later, felt quite janky on the narrative front, so I'm really happy to have come back and smoothed it out.

And while not an outright reference, I was indeed inspired by the 'perfectly vertical' gag from R&M.
Well spotted!

[corza]

Another great chapter, I'm looking forwards to seeing whether the sword changes Callum into a bloodthirsty monster just collecting as many souls as possible or if he's just a chill guy with a magic shank.

Also please don't call a land rover a Jeep. As a car enthusiast it pains me, you couldn't call a Ford a Chevrolet

[Mister Horncastle]

12155063
I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Also thanks for the tip about the jeep thing, I'm always eager for reader feedback. While I'm aware of the brand Jeep, I was also under the impression that all sturdy four-wheel drive cars capable of all-terrain (such as Land Rovers) were referred to as jeeps.
Still, I'll happily take a car enthusiast's perspective over my own.
Henceforth, all instances of 'jeep' have since been replaced.
Thanks for helping me rewrite my rewrite!