Mercy is that which is given unto they who wrong. Unfortunately, I have no Mercy left to give. - Mortalitas Gladius

Despite what the mare I had healed and taken care of had told me about resting, I knew I could not. Even now, as I was standing near the others of her group, I could not stop myself from watching to the south. My one eye that remained was still as good as new, scanning the horizon for any possible threats or approaching strangers. My injuries were of course excruciating, but I was so used to it by now they were little more than annoyances as I sighted a group of small forms off in the distance. With a trained eye, I took notice clearly of six ponies; four adults by size, a young colt and a small foal kept close by one of the adults.

With a sharp look to the mare I had healed, I took off to her and once more called upon my shunned arcane magic of the manipulation of blood to communicate to her since I wouldn't dare speak a word as she turned to me. "Six coming south. Ready up."

Without waiting for acknowledgement, I turned back to the group that was much closer now and headed off at a gallop. Arriving quickly at the edge of town, I heard the armored mare stop short behind me just as the group came into sharp focus. Seeing a Shadowbolt certainly was a bit of a surprise for me, but then again I'd also met two Lunar Rangers of the old times so it didn't bother me as much.

"Applebits!" The Shadowbolt exclaimed.

"Lightning, is that really you?" I heard the mare behind me ask.

"Yeah, Tempest sent me out here to find you guys. Wanted to make sure you all were alright." Lightning replied, his eyes finally turning towards me and his brows raised slightly in surprise at my looks. "He with you guys?"

I did my best to answer sincerely in my blood above me as I thought about the ancient General I'd only seen a few times on the battlefield. "Yes. I help these ponies from crazy cybermare."

Lighting shared a look with Applebits, wondering what I meant until she answered his silent question. "Cotton Candy, she went nuts and attacked us for no reason. She demanded all our stuff and threatened the little ones we have. Without my friend Gladius here, we would all be dead or on our way as he took her on single-hoofedly."

I nodded slightly in agreement, gesturing to the pile of scrap that had been this Cotton Candy previously. "Your friend trusts, so shall I. Come in." I waved slightly, turning only for just a moment my attention away from this group as I began to walk slowly back to where we'd been camping out.

This, was when I heard the shots. There were three in all, and they rang out sharply in the silent air. Following quickly was a cry of pain, and as I turned back with my good eye I saw Lighting falling to the ground with a large hole in his side. Fleeing from him, I caught sight of the group. It had only taken seconds, but I was already rushing to this stallion's side alongside his friend. "Can help him." I wrote in my blood to her.

She shook her head to me, denying me this time as she already was charging what I suspect was a healing spell. "No, you already helped me and you're too injured to be doing whatever you did again so soon."

Watching as the group ran off, I could hear Lightning mumbling. "The foal...They took her. Those jack wagons....took the little filly."

In that instant, I felt something within me snap. It was a deep, dark and merciless side of me; something that hardly ever made an appearance except in situations like these. Something that my family hated to see me become, something that my friends back home despised seeing me become. But now it was here, and with my eyes locked straight on the group running away. "I'll get them...Get others when can to follow me."

Without waiting for anypony to respond, I set off into the wastes straight after them. My tiredness and pain at running with my injuries replaced by a deep-seated anger that fueled me to keep galloping at full speed to catch these heathens. These foul ponies deserved no mercy for what they'd done, and I had no intention of giving any of them that privilege. Back in the distance behind me, I heard Applebits shouting for her other friend that had been injured previously; Bulls Eye, to go to my aid if he could. Even now, I could hear the tired wheezes of those who I was chasing just ahead of me; see the shapes of their bodies slowing down as fatigue overtook them.

"We got her...just like you wanted dear." I heard one, likely the oldest say.

"Yes! A little filly all my own. It's what I've always wanted and now we have her!" A mare said excitedly.

That ended abruptly when my hoof stomped into the cracked pavement, going straight through it and alerting them to my presence. I'd say the sight of me frightened them enough, and seeing the mare holding the filly only served to enrage me as I stepped closer to them. Without hesitation, as before with Lightning, they shot me. The pain was immense, the blast of rounds from the shotgun only adding to my list of horrible war and battle injuries; however my rage overrode the sensation completely and I quickly disarmed him and tossed the shotgun aside with ease. What I followed up with was a sharp uppercut that likely shattered the stallion's jaw completely and sent him flying a few feet away on his back. The mare, I merely looked to with a frightening, distorted visage in my expression that promised extreme pain as my blood spelled out sharply. "Give me the foal, now!"

And yet she clutched it, shaking her head viciously as though it would deny me. "Do you want your family to all die?"

Her answer was fearful, as I'd expected as I watched her look at her two sons and likely husband. "I...No...Please don't hurt them..I'll do anything..." She whimpered, releasing the young filly just as Bulls Eye finally managed to catch up with a slight limp.

Gesturing the filly to go to him, I kept my murderous gaze on the family. "I should kill all of you anyways...Attacking my friend for such a foolish reason...Perhaps I still might.

"Easy there pal...All we came for was the filly. Not their lives." I heard Bulls Eye say behind me.

I could feel his cannon, prepared to fire but not at them; rather it was aimed at me. In this moment, I knew that I could never forgive myself to leave my family alone back at our home; and despite my immense anger I forced it to finally settle as the blood spelled out sharply. "I ever see any of you again you are all dead. You get your lives today, but only by the graces of this stallion behind me." The two younger colts rushed to their father's side and helped him up before the mare joined them. "Scram."

With that, they rushed off again; this time much faster than before and without stopping as I turned back to Bulls Eye. "Go home now, see how friend fares.' Looking to the filly, I actually smiled despite the aching pain in my injuries that wanted to force me into unconsciousness but never would. "I carry her. protect us."

Quickly scooping her up, I balanced her between my wings and provided as much of a soft cushion and pillow for her as I could. Despite all this, she herself was fast asleep quickly as we set off at a painfully slow pace back toward the ruins of the slaver camp.

Author's Notes:

I credit this chapter to Death Angel Wolf, who unlike Delta actually wanted to write his OC's POV whereas I've been writing for Delta. Death wrote it off of a basic plot line I gave him with a scenario to boot and did splendidly, as always for Death.