Being a wanted woman in Equestria wasn't easy; keeping your infamy high, evading annoying ponies thinking themselves the heroes, and being consistently reminded how badass you are. W has many stories left to share.
Being a wanted woman in Equestria wasn't easy; keeping your infamy high, evading annoying ponies thinking themselves the heroes, and being consistently reminded how badass you are. W has many stories left to share.
Arknights x MLP Crossover!
A/N: It's recommended you read Renegade to avoid spoilers and understand the context of the stories that follow
The oak plaque on the front of the small local cafe was stained with the words, 'Boxy Cafe'. The establishment was closed for the afternoon, giving those inside the privacy they needed to be as vocal as they desired. Within the cafe, a boy with warm black hair and light blue eyes stared curiously across the table at the docile, thousand-yard stare the whitette continued to project toward the window, sipping from her teacup.
"So... the toaster phobia?" Sora broke the ice, seeing Aoi recoil, coughing up her drink when her focus returned. "Ah, s-sorry."
"It's... *cough* fine, side-tracked again - Christ that was a day..." Aoi shook her head, clearing the rest of her tea from her throat. "Ahem, y-yeah. that, so I kinda realized why half 'that' fandom is creeped out by that chick, she's freakin' psychotic."
"Thank you!" From the bar a few feet across the cafe, a young woman with wild raven hair and green eyes threw her arm up briefly in exclamation, causing the infant in her left arm to giggle in reaction. Then she met the whitette behind the bar giving her a deadpan stare. "What? Between Sparkle jabbing us with needles, that pink chick gave me creepypasta vibes."
"You sound like Zen..." The employee, Summer, shook her head, glancing over at Aoi while polishing glasses. "Sorry, continue, Miles."
Aoi waved her hand, pointing toward her boyfriend, "Sure-sure, so, about the toaster incident..."
Trekking through the Everfree, a blue blur shot through the bushes into a clearing, panting due to the exertion of her body, and the many bruises dotting her brightly colored fur. "Drat, where'd it go now!?" Her magenta eyes scanned the forest frantically, only for an apple core to bop her on the snout.
"You really suck at this whole... 'capturing' thing," Above, a black tail wrapped itself to pick at the bits of apple between W's teeth, the Sarkaz displaying next to no sense of aggression in her tone, practically coming off bored at Dash's attempts to tackle her only to meet the barrel of a grenade launcher, holding the pegasus's frightened gaze mid-air. "Ah-p-p-p, let's be reasonable here."
"Really?" Rainbow half asked slash speculated until the sharp smack of the weapon cut across her cheek, flinging her into the dirt and leaves below while W swung herself onto a higher branch, t-posing to keep her balance as she ran across the trees.
"Pfft, yeah right, like you can be civil!" W snickered mockingly. "You're like a pie that has no filling,"
"Hey, take that back, you freak!" Dash took the bait hook, line, and sinker. Once her hooves came within range, W yawned, then slipped, catching the tops of her boots around the thick branch while her tail snaked upward to snag the stumped pegasus by the tail. Jerking the cyan mare down, the tree shook with an audible 'thunk', leaves falling as W landed on her feet.
"And she sticks the landing folks, eight points!" W gave herself a clap. From above, Rainbow's spectrum afterimage spun around the trunk, striking W's against the forearm as she wrapped her tail around the cyan mare's hooves to yank them above her rainbow mane, leaving her wide open to W's elbow as it creased into her fur, enjoying how the pegasus' face contorted in pain. "Boop." With a slap to the face, Rainbow found herself tumbling across the dirt, meeting the boot now pressing her muzzle into the mud. "There you are, in the mud where a horse belongs."
"Get off me!" Rainbow threshed her wings, throwing W's foot off to strike the Sarkaz across the cheek, only for her shaken magenta eyes to see her hoof did little to phase the woman, in fact, W's fanged smile grew wider, clamping her fingers around Dash's muzzle. Then, like a bowling ball, she was spun across the Everfree, landing upside down against a tree, eyes spinning.
"Strike!" W whistled, turning toward the thicket only to freeze with a curse. "Holy crap!"
"Nope, I'm Pinkie Pie!" The bubbly pink mare materialized before the Sarkaz, not once phased when the muzzle of the launcher was pressed to her snout, giggling. "Hehehe, that tickles!"
"Y'know you're a trigger away from turning this show M-Rated, right?" W cocked her head, drawing a knife slowly from her jacket.
"Oh, I know that, meanie! But I'm nothing if not prepared for every situation, be it E for Everyone, T for Teen, or M for Mature, or even the spicier stuff, I aim to please!" She saluted, tugging a cord hanging in the air once. W fired her grenade, burning the bush and tear up dirt but no pink monster lay in a pile of gore. "Surprise!" The mare was bouncing behind W's shoulder, the knife striking air as the pink pony simply wasn't there anymore.
By now, W was backed up against the tree, unable to pinpoint the mare that could break reality. She thought it was just some gimmick of the show, but the mare referenced it, that was a red flag. "Damn crimson too..." She breathed.
"I know right, reality's often disappointing," Pinkie hummed in thought above W.
"Wha--"
*Bam!*
"Son of a whore!" W recoiled as her antenna were slammed into her head by what appeared to be a silver box of plastic and metal. Her ember eyes squinted. "Is that a freakin' toaster?" To W's shock, another embedded itself into the dirt beside her, courtesy of Rainbow Dash who held two more in her hooves. "Uh, what?" To say the human turned merc was beyond baffled would be the biggest understatement since the US dropped the sun on her country Twice.
"Whadda say, Pinkie? Extra burnt?" The demon mare with wings grinned, that's when W paled more than usual. Everywhere, they were literally all around her. On the ground, clouds, leaves, and even the trees were lined with the kitchen equipment. That's when that girly giggle sent an icy chill straight to the Sarkaz's tail.
"Oh, Dashie, that's the final boss phase, we're still on phase two," Pinkie grinned ear to ear, eyes closed but that smile held a malevolent aura that would strike fear into the coldest of hearts. "You can start playing Slave Knight Gael now, we'll wait, mean demon creature thing, hehe!"
Rainbow shivered, then stared at W with the rarest spike of sympathy, "I'd start runnin' if I were you,"
"Nope, nope, I'm done, screw that day it never happened, ever!" Aoi shook with terror, a cold sweat running down her cheek. "Every day, every single Goddamn day that maniac hurdled toaster day after day after day at me!"
"Hey-hey, you're okay, she's a literal reality away now," Quickly, Sora rubbed his girlfriend's back to soothe her worries. It was a joke at first, but now he saw it, how deathly afraid she was. "Huh, guess there is a phobia for everything."
"Wow, and I thought I had problems," Taka grimaced, holding her kid closer. "Damn Egghead turned me into her little science project after I had her," Her head dipped to the infant she carried.
Just as the conversation was beginning to change, behind the counter, a toaster popped behind Summer, and Aoi's face lost all color, throwing her arms up. "I SURRENDER!!" Then she ducked under Sora's arms, glaring over at Summer smiling anxiously.
"Uh, sorry about that, Miles."
"I swear, if I ever end up in Equestria again, I'm ending that bitch," Aoi glowered akin to W.
"Do you really have to fight?" The one voice of reason on this fine afternoon, the charcoal filly Astra, stared between the two present on a dirt courtyard surrounded by white archways that led within th buildings of the Castle. She sat on a boulder in the corner of the square lot, a few other Guard ponies present, even some of the Night Guard which was a rare occurrence. All were biting their hooves in anticipation.
"Don't interfere, kid," W spoke up, eyes never leaving her target, licking her lips as her fingers curled in and out with a tremble in her chest.
"This is between us," Cliffheart added, no less prepared, tapping his armored hoof off the ground, red magic sparking at the tip of his horn.
The tense silence flowed for a few more seconds. Then a snap and pop resounded, and a long knife was drawn in W's right with several throwing knives between W's left knuckle. Cliffheart snapped his bo-staff together, giving it a quick twirl to point it toward his enemy.
"And it ends here," W growled, her grenade launcher by Astra as the result would be a lot of unneeded harassment about property damage, unfortunately.
Three knives were flung forward, swatted toward the dirt as a silver canister rolled into view, releasing a blast of smoke in Cliffheart's face. He remained calm, twirling his polearm to both defend his front and banish the dark cloud. He grunted, feeling his right side fold under W's boot as she tossed him across the courtyard, bounding on him in seconds with her knife leveled.
Cliffheart rolled, erecting a barrier that shattered on contact with her knife's edge, to his surprise, she withdrew a short sword from behind her back, slashing horizontally to connect with another small hardlight surface. The ponies looked on in awe, seeing their Captain and the 'Beast of the Everfree' exchanging blows, blade met barrier, a polearm smacking off the flat surface of the swords with an errant spark. The pair danced in a thrilling back and forth, furiously pushing for a single connecting blow.
W was being kited toward one of the archway pillars, so she dove back with her feet pressed to the wall, evading Cliffheart's horizontal as she doubled back with a vertical, her body curving left with her blades against his staff as it flung her down. He split the staff, smacking W's across the side, and jabbing her thigh. She rolled away, blocking the flying sticks that circled her, striking like an animal in a cage while Cliffheart rushed her.
Her eyes slit with a sharp grin he knew all too well, his hooves tripped over themselves, diving left as the flash grenade covered his vision in black spots, followed by a solid snap kick to his stomach. W spun in the air, using his body as a springboard to kick the Captain again, slamming him into a pillar himself. "That all ya got, Captain!?"
The answer was simple, judging by the burning sensation around her ankle, a long red tendril of magic swiping W into the air upside down, the polearm rebuilt and aimed for her gut. She panicked slightly but managed to compose her thoughts long enough to toss her knife at Cliffheart, forcing him to divert his staff's trajectory, good. Reaching around her back, she swung the strap of her grenade launcher forward, pulling the trigger hard and fast as a concussion grenade tore up dirt in the red pony's direction, interrupting his magic.
Loading a new grenade, W picked up her sword in time to block an overhead slam, followed by a jab that she side-stepped and shoved away with her palm. The two squared off, grinning away like a couple of children. Cliffheart's horn radiated red ether, while W's locks began to billow from her own cold wind, silvery blades forming a cyclone around her body. Her ribs felt like snapping, and her left arm was twitching from the strain, but the crocodile smile splitting her lips couldn't be further from the pain.
The ground fissured underfoot, W's serrated storm curled around her sword from the right boot, Cliffheart's magic and polearm from the left. Two strong steel objects split the sky, then another from either leg to form two connecting crosses. Their weapons came down hard, connecting the entire way down, creating a ring of scarlet and silver by their feet, arcs of light billowing around them.
Then a simultaneous thrust, pitting the blunt force of a staff against a blade-tip, the brittle tension crackling at the epicenter. They tore past one another, cutting their opponent's cheek before doubling back with a cry on either end, diving to strike with two constant crescents that met at a fulcrum, bleeding red and silver lightning that crackled and burst, blasting the pair away from one another.
It didn't stop, through the lingering luminescence of their magic and arts they slashed relentlessly, cuts formed on either side, squeezing in an attack wherever possible as the heated exchange ramped up higher and higher, the two former enemies yelling at one another before hammering their weapons together twice.
*Tiiiiing!*
It was sudden, and neither realized it until they fell backward from the wind pressure that followed, but both the polearm and sword now lay several meters from them, a few were surprised by this, some made themselves scarce and a few even made sounds of disappointment at the interruption. "Grah, what the hell, we were just getting ramped up you aaaa..." W's voice died in her throat, blinking up innocently to the furious stare glowering down at her, a brow twitching. W waved curtly. "Yo, Sora, h-how's life?"
He lowered his silver swords, sheathing them before addressing the lingering ponies. "Please return to whatever you were doing before this spar - I will overlook this-" That brought a sigh of relief, grateful to the benevolent prince before his glare returned to the pair below. "-but you two... I swear to God... What Were You Thinking!?"
"...that we wanted to spar, duh?" W dug her grave further before standing up to dust herself off with a witty smile. "I think it's safe to say we're all tied up, Capy."
"Y-yeah, definitely ain't getting anywhere," He shrank under Sora's glare. "I-I'll just um, head on back to work... uh, yep, seeya around, Prince, Beast!" He vanished without a trace.
"He ditched me, figures," W rolled her eyes. Then W doubled over with a curse under her breath, a hellish pain erupting in her side for a moment as her left arm went numb. "Hah... shit...!"
"W/Mama!" Sora caught her shoulders while Astra ran to the Sarkaz's aid.
"I told you not to overexert yourself," Sora berated, sitting her down to relax her muscles. His frown was stitched but his eyes were replaced with worrying orbs. "Magic barely works on you, even Mir's potions-"
"Thanks for the tip, kinda figured as much in my first week," W murmured.
"W, this is serious, you could worsen your condition!" Sora raised his voice slightly, holding her biceps tightly. "You think I want that? Or Astra?"
"Of course I don't!" She yelled, pulling away sharply as her hands trembled to push herself onto her feet. "But ya don't get it, Sora! Weeks we've been at each other's throats, and when it finally came down to the wire, all he got was a battered bitch you couldn't even fight back, that's not a victory, all that was to him was a slap to the face, same goes for me!"
W hated it, she wanted to rub that smug Cliffheart's muzzle into the dirt, she wanted to feel beaten and bruised and still come out on top, proving she was the better fighter at the end of their rivalry. Instead, circumstances changed, and before long, Kranon was dead and gone, but neither felt satisfied with that outcome. No, Kranon robbed them of their final confrontation. In the last five minutes, that nagging feeling was gone, a weight disappearing from her shoulders.
The silverette turned away, grabbing her weapons from the training yard. "I'll go back and heal, happy?" She hissed. W wasn't dumb, she gets it, her body needs to heal, and Sora was right to worry, hell, Astra tried convincing the two to call off the match. W was just stubborn, more than anyone could handle.
Limping was the best she could afford, clutching her side as it flared with pain. Then came the soft warm bundle around her right leg, helping to support her leg. Astra used her small body to brace W's leg. Blinking, the same thing happened to her left arm, wrapping it around Sora's shoulders to lean the girl against his side. "You know, watching you limp is really just sad," He didn't look at her, a tiny twitch of a smile etched to the corner of his lips. "I'm gonna kick Cliff's ass later for this..." The Prince grunted.
"I won't stop you," Astra perked up, no less impressed since Cliffheart was the one who instigated the whole sparring match.
W stared between the pair, her tail curling to hold herself closer to Sora as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She was stubborn, but these two could live with it.
In and out, that's what W did best when the skies were dark and layered thick for a storm. For five days it had panned out perfectly. W scanned the streets, some ponies, not busy though. She then peered to the skies, no sign of pegasai, good. Nodding to herself, she curled her fingers around the lip of the slanted roof and swung herself down and into the stall. It was a medium-sized box, with a door to the back left where it entered a building, and along the walls with a shelf facing her was her prize.
Potions of various colors and sizes, some were round, others were angular, a few glowed with a mysterious effect. It didn't matter what they were, to W, these were valuable. Win or lose, she'd use them and figure out their effects later. With her duffle bag unzipped, her fingers delicately plucked the vials from their perches, inspecting them before stuffing them into her bag.
"Roses are red-" Her fingers took a thin red potion. "-Violets are blue-" She snatched a pale blue bottle. "-in the end, you will do." She reached for a black one next, faint purple bubbles popping near the cork.
*Bam!*
W let out a grunt as something hot crackled and sparked down her spine, sending her flying into a shelf, breaking the brackets as potions smashed on the floorboards and atop her head, one of which made her muscles feel like lead in seconds. Despite the handicap, her knife was wrenched from her jacket, drawing it defensively against the unicorn in the lantern light.
A pony with a bandana over his charcoal muzzle and a matching hat stood before her, his lime-green magic holding several potions in the air. "You are a terrible excuse for a thief," He grunted, "And a headache," W's eyes narrowed, still suffering from the effects of whatever potion had her body struggle to budge. "A concoction that leaves the user's body feeling like lead, the mindless masses call it a 'Lead Bone Potion', hmph, the foalish title grates more than your insufferable racket every day you skulk around Ponyville."
"You... never... gave me... a choice..." Even her tongue felt a thousand times heavier, sweating up a storm when the unicorn struck her chest with a pale blue potion. Suddenly, W's nose struck the floorboards, hissing in pain before a field of magic grabbed her legs and tossed her like a ragdoll toward the underside of the counter. "He's got me!" Quick to retaliate, she slipped her knife back into her hands, preparing to lunge for the unicorn's blindspot.
Mir stared at the creature for the longest time, he was informed of all the little bits of gossip that spread around the town about her. A vicious monster that can cast magic that leaves destruction in its wake, blades so sharp they can cut the skin with a graze, a body so tough it puts dragon scales to shame. What knelt before him was a desperate, dirty, terrified female with nothing left to lose, grasping at whatever her fingers could snatch away. Those eyes were bleeding with hatred.
"I suggest you keep your head down, now," He insisted, smacking her antenna with a book in time to avoid them being detected by two approaching mares. One a cream color, and the other a mint green. "If you aren't here to buy something, leave."
W tried to protest but froze when she heard the hooves behind the counter. Her brow furrowed strangely at the stallion. "Is he protecting me?" It must've been a trick, right? A ruse to corner her, but she lowered her knife regardless.
"Sorry for bothering you, Mir, but..." Bon-Bon stared at the broken shelf, and the dirt trailed across the floor. "Did something happen? Sounded bad."
"Wow, place is a mess..." Lyra was smacked on the back of the head by Bon-Bon as the vexed glare Mir burrowed into the pair refused to even twitch.
"Bah, another meaningless experiment," Mir grunted, dismissing the ponies above the counter with a hoof. "Your concern is noted, however misplaced it may be."
"Ah, right, just making sure," "Take care, Mir!" The two mares disappeared soon after, leaving a deathly silence by the alchemist's stand.
"Why...?" His deadpanned stare gazed at the woman hiding beneath his stand, her eyes glowering back but hesitance covered the fire. "...why the hell would you help me?"
"Do I look like I have a need for any more trouble?" He stated as if it were obvious, shaking his head with a snort. He returned to levitating the broken glass into a nearby bin, not bothering to spare W a look. "The idea of those Elements or Celestia forbid the Royal Guard breathing down my neck about meaningless questions I have no answers for would be an incalculable waste of time!"
A light chuff escaped W as she sat up. "You sure have a way with words, for a pony."
"Irrelevant!" He threshed a hoof back at her, shoving a note into her face. "If you insist on constantly running amuck, go and be useful, shoo!"
In her fingers was a list of items, names she may have seen in a book she stole. They were herbs. W looked at the note, then to the disgruntled unicorn muttering ingredients and potions that could've been jibberish for all W knew. For the first time since this crap world spat her out into the mud, the Sarkaz cracked a genuine smirk. "Gotcha, just don't say I didn't warn ya."
"Yes-yes, your empty threats are noted, now go," He huffed, hearing her disappear from his shop. The 'Beast of the Everfree' had access to resources that would take him days to procure, if she wasn't as mindless as the ponies made her out to be, perhaps he may find himself with more results than normal. For once himself, this prospect was a little invigorating.
W stared down at the small shop that if you weren't paying attention, you'd miss. It was a dark, cold day, but the mercenary found a reason to release a breathy laugh, shaking her head. "I've gotta be an idiot," She pocketed the list before she took off across the rooftops. "Now, where the hell did I put that book again?"
If you could list W's problems in Equestria, you'd be needing a new quill and a fresh pot of ink. The top five would go as followed; The Elements of Harmony, need she say more? The Royal Guard, as stupid as they are, have numbers, so throwing bodies at W was effective. Cliffheart, a sharp hunter who basically hunted her across the country for weeks, and wasn't as dumb as his lackeys. The Infected, Slugs, and Metal Crabs were one thing, but throw in the likes of The Forsaken or Sarkaz mercenaries and it'll be another story. Kranon, a Vex with shapeshifting powers, may be dead, but at the time, he was the core of all of W's strife.
This situation was to be added to the list. "So, uh... hi?" Sitting on a bench in a lovely garden at Canterlot Castle, W looked at anything but the mare on the opposite bench under a white marble gazebo.
Celestia was quietly admiring the fauna, soon addressing W with a soft stare, but the merc saw it, behind those magenta eyes was the full wrath of the sun that could break loose at any moment. She liked her odds, I mean, she did put a failed creation of the Gods six feet under. But the monarch was still a dangerous card in play, and W's hand was empty.
"W-" The Sarkaz sat a little straighter at that smile, she didn't trust that smile. "-I apologize for calling you to meet me while you recover still, I'm aware your injuries were extensive."
Looking down, W wore baggy trousers and her boots but only a grey sports bra as her stomach, and around her arms to her shoulders were mummified, she didn't feel sore but too much strain was a lot for her to handle. "Eh, I've been through worse, I think you'd know," W replied with a shrug, not wanting to press her luck. "Whazzup?"
"Mm, it's about Sora, if you're willing to answer a few questions I had?" Since the silverette didn't answer, Celestia took that as her turn to continue. "How was he? As a companion, I mean?"
W tilted her head thoughtfully, cross-referencing her memories with the Sora of today. "...a pain in my ass, nagged about my actions, kept the fact he's a Prince secret, worried a lot, and stuck his nose into my business," She was flat, unamused, and yet, her eyes softened at her lap. "...but he's kind, gentle, patient to listen to my constant complaints, he could shut me up when I was wrong too... not to mention strong, smart, helluva fighter to--" She froze, seeing Celestia eyed her silently as a pink blush rose to the merc's face, and her tail quickly dismissed the rest. "He's alright."
"Indeed," Celestia mused.
"Sure thing, Zavala," W waved off with a huff.
"My next question," This was when Celestia sat forward with a tiny smile crawling up her muzzle. "What is your relationship with my son?"
"Crap!" W froze in place, antenna twitching as she grinned nervously, scratching her cheek. "A-ah, well, y'know, we're uh, close I guess... uh, guy listens to me and... stuff, yeah! Just um, close..."
"Close how?" She pressed. "I'm curious, I approached him earlier and he tripped over his words, so I imagined a sharp woman, such as yourself, would provide a far more transparent reply."
"Oh, she's freakin' enjoying this!" W was having a mild panic attack. I mean, how do you say to your partner's adoptive mother that you two banged after getting completely plastered in some town at night? "Should I just say it? I mean, worst that happens, I die and awaken in the afterlife, not a virgin, so hey, silver lining," That was about as good as saying she was rich with only two nickles in her pocket. Stomaching a lump of lead, W's cheeks began to burn a little hotter. "We're... t-t-together... r-romantically...?"
The monarch nodded, eyes warm and understanding. "That's great to hear," That one sentence tore down W's facade with a slack jaw stare.
"You're seriously not upset?" She had to get her ears checked later for damage too.
Celestia sat back, shaking her head. "I may be a ruling body of Equestria, and believe me, the safety of my child, blood or not, is my top priority," Then she smiled more openly. "But I won't jeopardize his happiness, you haven't the slightest idea the kind of discrimination he's undergone before you were brought to this world, it scarred him." There. That right there lit the hellish fire W was afraid to unleash herself. A mother with a hatred for those that hurt her child. W felt it herself with Astra so she could relate to a degree.
"What... exactly happened?" W, no longer sweating up a storm, sat forward with a firm stare. "Sora's open but I feel he skipped a few volumes in the 'my life is shit' chronicles."
Not minding the girl's vulgar words, the Princess exhaled tiredly, looking around the pristine garden. "My ponies are wonderful but the societal norm of what's accepted runs deep in all sentient creatures, when Sora first arrived, he was ostracized immediately, nobles were the most vicious, appealing to lock him up or dare experiment on him," That tone dripped with venom that W nearly choked on. "Verbal, sometimes physical abuse, left him pensive about relationships. A few in my personal staff were all he had, Cliffheart and a maid, Swift, were among his closest companions, but romance? I'm afraid I had no solution to that, I was scared he would never find anypony."
"Then," Her harsh gaze vanished, and a kind warmth stretched between the Princess and the mercenary like a summer haze. "I see him demand from the very ponies he was afraid to confront that they hand over a girl who at the time was a threat to the country. Drawing his weapons no less, if not for the complicated circumstances, I'd have smiled, but back then, I was left speechless for I had never felt so happy for Sora," Celestia closed her eyes with a sweet smile. "I do hope you'll keep bringing out that stronger side of him, Miss W."
Hearing all this made the girl blush, unable to word a real retort or simply brush off the compliments. Just days ago, W demanded the Princess give her whatever she wanted, and the alicorn did so without complaint, hell, if W wished it, she could've milked the pampering for all she could gain. And now, she was sitting here, talking about romance with the millennium-old pony like it was a council session.
Rubbing her nape with her tail, W looked the other way with a wavy frown. "...I'll do my best, Sun-Butt," "I can't even be mad, dammit."
"Then once more, I thank you for your understanding,"
There was silence again, W was staring off into space, and Celestia, well, she had a devious look on her face.
"I would like to know one more thing... how far along are you two into your relationship?" As the Sarkaz sputtered and coughed on her own split, Celestia pressed further, raising a hoof to her smile to fake her shock. "I do hope I'm not expecting grandfoals someday."
"Nope-nope-nope-nope-nope-!" W threw her arms into an 'X', then zipped her lips, then knocked wood twice, crossed her fingers, did a prayer, everything before her arm shot out toward the edge of the garden, a white marble wall that lay against a cliff. "Okay, I'm jumping off that lovely cliff over there, hahaha!" W quickly sped walked away, face blood-red as steam rose from her silvery hair.
Two Bat Ponies stood on either side of a garden path one late night, both with their flanks to hedges as they stared toward the twinkling stars and the big white moon that refracted the sunlight of the passing day. It was a cool night, but unfortunately, both had to try and remain as stoic as possible for the audience they were guarding.
The bat pony, a mare, to the left felt her lips curl slightly with a humorous deadpan. "...this certainly is an unexpected outcome."
To the right of her was a stallion bat pony, himself using a bandana to cover his own creeping smirk. "Understatement Lotus, understatement."
She cocked her head. "Should we... interfere?" She wasn't sure what to do.
"You want to be the wrench between an alicorn that can move a moon and a creature capable of blasting you there?" His brow rose in her direction, seeing her wave a black wing.
"You, Sir Blake, make a very valid point," Not like the conversation was dull.
Ahead of the pair, Princess Luna sat on a bench facing the cliff face, slamming her mug of apple cider down with a grunt. "Tiss not my fault they chose to vacate to the land of dreams while our - ahem, my night can captivate one just as magically as the sun!"
"Hey, I hear ya, I do, I'm a night owl back home," W waved her tail, finishing her third cider with a faint blush from the heat erupting from her body. "Buuut the world kinda can't survive without sunlight, chief, really puts a damper on the whole 'living world' part."
Luna sighed, dipping her head. "If only for one night, is that too much to ask?"
"Hey, you're the freakin' monarch here, you can just say 'hey, let's make one day of the year dedicated to the night!' seems like a good fix, and no one gets hurt, win-win," W threw her arms wide as Luna's gaze widened too.
"That... may be possible,"
"Girl, you got power, status, and people fear ya, who's gonna say 'no'? The nobles? Those stuck-up glue factories were scared by a sweet little angel and she wasn't even wearing her armor yesterday!" W was referring to Astra, the adorable filly fast asleep by now while W drank away her woes. "Point is, you say the word, they'll have to suck up and deal with it, lord that strength over those pricks, feels great!" She swung her cider high with a cackle.
"Yes, you are correct, my friend!" Luna stomped her foot sharply with a fire in her eyes toward her moon. "If my sister is allowed a day dedicated to her role, then I shall request - no, I will make it so!"
"That's it! Get a fire in your belly!" W cheered on. "Ah, I love it when I win." She smacked her lips and guzzled down her next drink.
"Is she trying to help the Princess or turn her into a tyrant?" Blake murmured with a sweatdrop as Lotus sighed.
"The scope of my engineering genius, literally, knows no bounds!" W threw her hand down in complete awe, slapping her forehead. She wore only a pair of dirty black tracksuit bottoms and her vest top as it hugged her chest tightly. She was dirty, sweaty, and wore a smile filled with pride.
Tossing the shovel away into a far corner of the entry hall to the Castle of the Two Pony Sister - or The Bombing Queen's 'Scarlet Keep' as she relabeled with a big red sign out the front, thanks to Zecora for letting her borrow the paint.
Dusting off her hands, W picked up her duffle bag, intending to run herself a nice hot bath after a good day's work. Whistling her own theme song, she took for the right-hand stairwell nearby, or until something made the cans she suspended above the door rattle. Either another stray animal tripped her wire trap, or someone actually fell for it. Probably the latter by the yelp that followed.
W sighed loudly into the empty hall, picked up her grenade launcher, and stomped her way up a ladder she used to peek out of an overhead window that scanned the outside grounds of the castle. To her shock, someone had found the plank of wood she used to cross over the missing bridge. Her flat stare smooshed against the cold stone edge of the window as she stared down at the steps leading to the grand entrance. "What do you want now, Sparkle Butt?"
Twilight gasped before glaring up at the window W waved her tail from, bored out of her mind. "You! Do you have any idea what -- no, of course you wouldn't,"
"Gonna stop mumbling or should I go? I have a hot bath to start running y'know?" W yelled down with little to no enthusiasm.
"You blew up a storefront!" Twilight screamed, her horn crackling with lilac magic. "Four ponies were nearly hospitalized because of your chaos!"
"Butt-Stallion-Butt-Stallion, look, I get it, you've had a long day, two people got injured--"
"Four!!" She shrieked.
"--not the point; so why not turn around, leave my humble abode, and I'll think about not breaking your knees the next time we, unfortunately, cross paths, eh? Sound good?" Twilight opened her mouth to speak but W was already gone. "Good! Goodbye forever!"
"Get back here!" Her muffled voice could be heard as she banged on the doors with her magic. "I've had it with you! Every day you terrorize innocent ponies, steal from them, and make them have to live in fear of what you'll do next! And you just don't care, nothing about you is even remotely redeemable!" Every word bounced off W's ears as she pulled up a chair, grabbed an apple she stole from Applejack's farm, and leaned back with her fingers curled around a wooden lever she had set up prior to this moment.
Eventually, the doors were flung back, almost tearing off the hinges as Twilight's furious face burrowed into W's. "That's enough!" She grunted, stomping into place as W's bored smile lit up, biting into an apple.
"Pull the lever, Sparkle Butt!" Cranking the lever back, Twilight's fury was quickly trampled by fear as the floor under her hooves gave way for a wide, vertical drop through the floor, the carpet pulled back entirely by the lever's pully system.
Twilight screamed, plunging deep into an underground portion of the castle that had flooded from a cave entry not far away. She coughed up water, glaring up at the silver-headed woman peeking down, clutching her apple as she cackled like a jackal. "Y-You should have seen the l-look on your fa-a-ace!! Ah, priceless!" She wiped away genuine tears of joy, stomach trembling as she pointed down, snickering. "Oh, I'd suggest you start swimming, my roommates get real cranky when someone disturbs them, toodles!" W disappeared.
"R-Roommates...?" Twilight turned around to the gloomy dungeon submerged slightly by water. But once her eyes adjusted did her purple fur turn a ghostly white. Several pairs of eyes lit up scarlet in the gloom, and a hissing snarl echoed throughout the cavern. Rows of curved, white teeth concealed by the water, say for the long snouts and scaly bodies that floated through the water.
By Twilight's count, five adult crocodiles were now sizing her up as their next meal.
If the unicorn's screams didn't entertain W before, hearing them combine with the desperation to escape would help the Sakaz sleep soundly tonight.
"Fuck!" Slowly, Sora lowered his fist from the door, sighing with a smile at the muffled curse inside that followed the collapse. "How the hell does this work again?"
Sora, with a fool's bravery, opened the door to W's guest room to find quite the perplexing sight. W was standing with her right leg running horizontally across her left knee with her right arm bent toward the ceiling and her left across her chest. She made the oddest of faces, trying to decipher the book propped up on the writing desk with squinted eyes, antenna twitching while her tail swayed to keep her balanced.
"Is this some kinda... ritual to use your Arts...?" His dry tone startled the calm and cool mercenary into falling onto a heap on the carpet like she just failed a game of Twister.
"I-I uh, S-Sora-!" She suddenly spun around to sit with her legs crossed with a nervous smile, her cheeks stained red at her position before. Right now, he saw more of Aoi than the mercenary. "How-how... ahem, how's life?"
"Crashing," He smiled lightly, his black braids swaying sharply as he dodged a book. "Come on, what's up with the whole... I don't even think that legally can be called dancing?"
"It's... a work in progress," She smacked her lips, head drooping. "Okay, yeah, I suck..."
Sora closed the door and took to grabbing the book she was reading. Well, W couldn't read Equestrian, so it was more a picture book, but considering it was for a pony, he assumed she had been trying to translate the images into a human posture this whole time. He understood her concerns, he was the only human until now. Closing it, he crossed his arms at her. "Is this about the party to celebrate the defeat of Kranon? You know Mom said you can just skip out on it after the ceremony, seeing as you hate... well, everything pony-related."
"Hey, I think Astra's adorable, thank you very much," W jabbed her tail at him, making him chuckle.
"Aside from her -- but it's fine if you want to."
Now, W looked to her lap again, hands pressed to the carpet with a firm frown and scrunched up face. Then she made a distraught noise, turning her head the other way as her cheeks darkened. "... I wanted to dance with you..." Sora had gotten used to hearing her this quiet when she was extremely shy or nervous but he prodded, kneeling down.
"What was that?" She shot him a glare; she also knew he knew.
"...I wanted... to dance... with you..." She met his ocean eyes as they crashed into flaming orbs. "Happy now?"
"With you? Definitely," He picked up her left hand, pulling the silverette to her feet while grabbing her right to place it on his shoulder. "Now, I'm a little rusty since, surprise, no human dance partner for yours truly."
"No, really?" Her sarcasm earned her a flick to the forehead. She pouted but stared at their feet as she shuffled awkwardly. His hand still locked with her left.
"Don't look at our feet," She reluctantly stared back into his eyes and that stupid handsome face of his. "I think you know the whole 'dancing like fighting' so just slot that in and follow my lead, okay?"
"Alright... ah," They began to move, and W clumsily followed, moving to nothing but their footsteps. Then Sora wrapped his free arm around her lower back, holding W's steady as she was drawn closer to her partner, mesmerized before she tripped and fell against his chest. "Shit..." She rubbed her nose, embarrassed but Sora didn't even appear phased.
"Let's try that again, you'll get it," He encouraged and they kept practicing.
More and more W made a small mistake or stomped on his foot, but not once did Sora let it bother him, he accepted it, adjusted, and move forward. He was a literal river of tranquility that tugged W along, they bumped and jerked in strange ways but inevitably their pattern was corrected, and their actions formed a smoother journey against the current. And W wasn't glancing down constantly with a nervous twitch, she was dancing, real dancing not that crap at nightclubs that she would never partake in personally.
When W snapped from her trance, Sora was much closer as he took her remaining hand and placed it on his shoulder, wrapping his last arm around her waist until the two were nearly nose to nose. W was caught off guard and stared directly into his gaze, Sora, in one of the rare devious moves had made her flustered for words. Locked in his little trap, she accepted she was played and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his breath tease her lips while their dance devolved into a slow spin in each other's arms.
"You know, I think I'll be looking forward to this party for once," Sora whispered, his face a little pinker. "...if you're there."
"Pfft, cheesy much?" W snickered but lovingly pecked his lips with half-lidded eyes. "Good thing you're cute when you do it."
"Like you're any better," Sora argued, tightening his hold around her attractive body. "You go from flirty to girly like it's a split personality."
"And that's a problem?" She raised a brow, leaning closer.
"No... not really," He sighed, admitting defeat to capture her lips again, savoring that sweet flavor she chose for today. The brief kiss reluctantly ended soon after when a knock at the door tore them from their faces.
"Prince Sora, I was told you'd be here?" One of the Guards had found him.
Slowly, he unraveled his arms from W's back. "I only came to check up on you since it was between duties, but I've got a lot to deal with, the city's still on clean-up with all that Originium laying about."
"Get the feeling you wanted more but sure let's go with that little white lie," W dismissed with a wave.
Before Sora could open the door, he was abruptly pulled back to W's side as she hungrily smashed her lips into his, only allowing him to breathe after another knock at the door broke the heated exchange, Sora's face a crimson mess as W's let the scruff of his shirt go, licking her lips. "I-I'll seeya..." He muttered.
"Can't wait, Fly-Boy," With a wink, W was left to her own devices, shadowing how her arms were held by Sora before turning. "Okay, so like this, then back-step, then turn..." She'd never say it, maybe not until tonight, but he was a good teacher. Smiling to herself, the mercenary danced to her own racing heart, memorizing the forms without that useless book.
"Man this sucks..." W was sick and tired of being cooped up for so long. She wanted do something! Astra was somewhere in the castle, and Sora was doing prince things and W knew fine rightly he'd be distracted if she was around, not that she thought that was a bad thing, she was a great distraction. Instead, she wandered aimlessly in search for something to do while her body was on the mend. "Maybe I should take a peek at all the chaos in the city? Shit really hit the fan with that Catastrophe..."
Just then, a loud crash was heard, forcing W to turn left instantly at a crossroads to find quite the sight. One of the maids with a baby-blue coat and a darker shade of blue for her silky mane tied back, leaving her pink eyes exposed with embarrassment and shame. At her hooves was a the shattered remains of a vase. "Wait, people still like leaving vases out on pedestals?" She wondered. But there was on other issue here.
"You disrespectful wretch, these artefacts cost more than what you could make in half your lifetime," A guard was barking insults at her as she shrank under his threatening tone. Brown mane, coat, eyes, yep, definitely ran out of ideas when the world created him, W speculated.
"I-I'm sorry, it was an accident!" She tried to explain but was basically against the wall with Mr Jackass right up in her face.
"You'll be lucky if you won't be fined for this, but I suggest looking for a job elsewhere, you bi-"
"Seriously? You're that bent over a piece of ceramic?" W had heard enough, already strutting over with her arms cross, a flat stare present as the two noticed her. "Swift, come on," W's tail wagged for the mare to come over to her but the guard didn't let her pass, shoving Swift back against the wall. "Oi, just cause you're lonely doesn't mean you take it out on a lady, asshole,"
"That's enough out of you, creature," He snorted, glaring daggers up at the Sarkaz. "Canterlot would be better off without you; both you and the 'Prince', tch, as if he is anything but some creature bucking brat that kissed up to the Princesses,"
W whistled at that, "Wooow, that's definitely scathing, long diary entry about that one tonight," She drawled on, "And honestly, you think anyone's gonna give a rat's ass what your opinion on Sora is? Let alone me, I'm a Goddamn hero to this crap world, they'd kiss my feet if I asked," That made her smile wickedly. "Man, I should've gotten Sparkle Butt and her merry band of idiots to do that, tch, missed opportunity."
Then W asked, "Wait, what's your name again?"
"Rocklock-"
"Hear that?" W raised a hand to her ear, looking around with mocked surprise. "No body cares, funny that." With an easy-going smirk, W stepped close enough to use her tail to yank Rocklock's hoof back for Swift to quickly move in behind the mercenary. "You stick with me, Swifty,"
"T-thank you, W-W," She smiled anxiously up at the silverette who watched Rocklock draw his sword.
"Really? A sword?" W was really not in the mood for this.
"The Princess should've killed you while we had the chance, something like you doesn't deserve to be here, any of you! The Prince, that little silver-eyed brat, hmph, Cinder is better off dead-"
*BAM!*
Swift jumped in fright as the wall next to Rocklock's head was splintered by W's fist, blood dripping down from her knuckle as she burrowed her hellish eyes into the stallion's own, pinprick orbs. The demonic pupils dark against the radiant inferno in her irises. "You don't get it, I hate this world, I hate almost ever living creature on this disgusting planet, so if you think you're safe from me because I'm living under the same roof as some bitch who moves the sun then you're woefully underestimating what little patience I have left,"
She leaned closer, wrenching the sword from his hoof and tossing it down the hall. Then, with her right hand, W latch it around the brown pony's throat, dragging him up the wall as his hooves kicked against her sore spots but she didn't even buckle. "Cinder is more of a hero than you could ever hope to be, I could never be like him, so if you dare insult his memory, I swear to you that I'll make you pay-" One last clench forced a strained gasp from Rocklock as hell burned in her eyes. "-and it's gonna hurt,"
Like a sack of bricks, W left Rocklock gasping on the floor as her smile returned, ruffling Swift's mane. "Come-Come, Swifty, we'll get this straitened out - but seriously, who still likes vases presented so precariously? Get a shelf people,"
"Not that I'm not appreciative, but, are you okay?" She asked as W walked in silence for a moment longer. "W?"
"I figured not everyone was happy about me being right, and what I said is true, I won't ever feel comfortable in this place," She motioned to the walls. "But, there's some that I like, congrats, you're on that list, Swifty,"
Swift blinked then let out a small giggle behind her hoof. "Well... the feeling's mutual," Then she scooted closer. "Soooo..."
"What?" W cocked her head at Swift's mischievous smile.
"Duh, you and Sora, come on, he's been avoiding me about the details, spill," She huffed, adamant about finding an answer.
W, for her part, was staring blank for a moment, then, she scratched her pink cheek with a nervous laugh. "W-well... uh, let's just say our first meeting was... deadly,"
"Oooh, go on," Swift wasn't letting up now.
"Oh boy..." W realized staying in her room might've been better for her after all.
