Author's Notes:

The following story is book three of 'Fairlight'. If you've read the first two books, you'll know that some of the chapters contain violence and sexy scenes. Although i've steered away from 'clop' style encounters, i've noted these areas so readers who do not wish to read them can skip that chapter if they want to. I hope you enjoy book three as much I have writing it.

Kindest Regards,

Blue Spectre

Something peculiar about the stomach, it has a nasty habit of continually trying to empty itself even when there’s nothing more to bring up. No wonder the agency scouts hadn’t mentioned the risk of nausea from travelling through the portals, if I’d known beforehoof, I would have brought a pannier full of paper bags.

My poor muzzle was covered in it, my mouth and nose burning with the acidic taste of bile. Celestia damn it all, i’d puked up everything and I was still retching. Thank the goddesses I’d arrived in an area devoid of humans, as all the simulator training I’d endured hadn’t done jack to help me cope with this. The first time I’d stood up, the room had spun and I’d fallen into a helpless heap of limbs and vomit.

I was still grey at least, albeit devoid of fur. My mane was now invisible on the top of my head and, as expected, no tail. My ears freaked me out a little, the tiny things were bloody useless. I couldn’t seem to move them either, so I’d just have to angle my head if I wanted to hear anything did I ? Goddesses, this was going to take some getting used to.

As for the hand things, they were pretty useful, great at manipulating objects as I’d quickly learned in the simulator.

Other than the general weirdness of my body, the world around me was to a suprising extent incredibly ‘normal’. A flight of stairs in the distance allowed access to an upper area and could accommodate a pony no problem at all. Doors and packing materials around me were all recognisable too, in fact, for a moment I had to remind myself I wasn’t in a pony body any more and picked myself up off all fours to get used to the ‘real feeling’ of this human form.

The smells were different here though, oil, acid and other foul odours wafted lazily through the stale air. I recognised some of it from the briefings description and the terrible stink in the cellar of the coffee shop. I wasn’t sure how much time I had before things hit the fan on the other side of the site, and the agency team would most likely be engaged with the humans already. I’d arrived some ten minutes after they’d started going through the other portal to attack the weapons plant and storage area so with any luck, they would act as a distraction for the humans here, drawing them away from me.

My target was the drug making facilities and to find any ponies being held prisoner. Furthermore, I was to make use of the magical annihilation device’s in my pack. I only hoped the others were able to…no…no, I had to stop thinking of the others and concentrate on my own tasks. This wasn’t the Shire Wharf warehouse in Manehattan, it may look like it but it wasn’t the same, it wasn’t even the same world. Damn my bloody memories, come on Fairlight keep it together…

Spitting the last of the vile tasting bile from my mouth, I took a quick mouthful of water from my canteen and drew my pulse gun. The indicator lights showed it was fully charged and ready, which had been a real concern of mine after arriving here, I mean, if this world had no magic, would magical weapons work? Brandy had said that the effect of magic was reduced, but how much was reduced? I was beginning to wish I’d brought a human weapon instead.

Interestingly, the weapon I had fitted my new appendages pretty well, or maybe, that was the other way around? ‘Ah, never mind’, I thought to myself, what difference did it make anyway?

The mapping system I had was working a treat though. It was clamped around my foreleg, sorry, ‘arm’ and had a ‘real-time’ update of my surroundings and data from the scouts map. Clever, very clever indeed. The last thing I wanted was to be bumbling around here blind, but it was still bloody awkward as I was very much in alien territory, both figuratively and literally.

My TED crackled, “Nox, you there?” the voice was barely a whisper.

“Receiving”

“It’s Dune, we’re here. Theres been some resistance but we’ve neutralised it. Teams are fanning out to secure the perimeter before we set charges. The place is packed with weapons and drugs, and its going to make one hell of a mess when it goes. Whats your status”

“Just starting out now. Scouts have marked locations for drug manufacture and possible prisoner cells. I’m going to radio silence, buzz me if you need me”

“Understood, good luck Nox”

Dune was a good pony and a trusted Equus member, according to Brandy. If he trusted her, then I would too. She had gone in with the main force but had a private channel to me in case of emergencies, protocol now was silent comms unless the shit hit the proverbial and we had to bug out fast.

The room I was in looked like it didn’t get used very often, the thick layer of dust which covered everything didn’t show up any hoof prints, or ‘foot’ prints for that matter. This was really going to take some getting used to…

Up ahead, the flight of metal steps led to a small room from which corridors branched off as a sort of ‘feed’ to other parts of the complex. That was probably going to be my best bet for reaching my targets and also had the advantage of being able to provide me with a good field of vision. Dad had always told me to keep a height advantage wherever possible, and in this case, I was glad to follow the cantankerous old buggers advice.

My rubber stealth shoes had magically changed to a shape which fit my new body, as had the rest of my gear. I don’t know who came up with that when they designed the portals, but it was a stroke of genius. My feet never made a sound, except for the odd creak from the gantry supports.

The small room was full of empty mugs, chairs, a couple of tables and porn magazines. I resisted a look, I mean, who the hell would find hairless monkey porn a turn on? I shivered, Luna save us all…

The little arrow on my arm map pointed off down another overhead corridor which I walked down as quietly as possible; up ahead I’d already heard something. Hell fire, these sodding monkey ears where next to useless, but there it was again…voices. Shit, I didn’t know another way around…this could be interesting.

In the shadow of the dimly lit corridor, I peeked around the corner and saw one of the ‘humans’, a male by the look of him. Great goddesses he was big, really big! He was talking on a headset, the same type as my TED,

“…what I damned well said Jake, get your fuckwits over to the weapons distribution centre, theres something going on down there…No, I don’t know what it is and if I did I wouldn’t be fucking asking you to go find out now would I? For fucks sake!”

This guy was pacing back and forth shouting into the headset, fidgeting with a pistol resting on his hip. If I could just…Damn!

My unfamiliar body sent me clanging into the side of the metal corridor, it was only a slight sway, but enough to alert the being before me. With a shout of surprise, he lunged for a firearm that was leaning against a table. If he’d had any sense though, he’d have drawn his pistol, that way I wouldn’t have had as much reaction time as I did. My first shot hit him in the arm, sending a plume of blood and bone into the air, the second turned the gun he was trying for into slag.

The human yelled in pain and tried to pull his pistol out off handed before I jammed my weapon into his face,

“Tell me what I want to know and you live.Lie, and I’ll cremate you here and now”

“Shit! You’re one of them aren’t you? One of those fucking horses!”

“Yeah, only I don’t like being called a horse, you hairless freaking monkey. You’re going to find you’ve been fucking with the wrong ponies.”

I pulled his pistol away from him before smashing it over his head. Dazed, he didn’t put up any resistance while I zip tied his hands and feet together. After shoving the side arm into my pack, I took out a small cylinder and shoved it down his jacket, tieing a piece of string to the ring on the end of it.

His eyes went wide, “Wha…what the fuck are you doing? Whats…whats this?!”

“Parasprites, nasty little critters. You get them riled up and they eat their way to freedom, one little tasty bite at a time. Listen…can you hear that little chirp? Its getting pissed even now! Must be hungry eh?”

“Bullshit, a frigging horse doesn’t scare me! You’re a damned herbivore, you’ve got no teeth!”

“Oh, really?”, I smirked and released a little of the spirits energy into me. I had no idea what was going to happen really, but the human’s eyes bulged at what he saw. I could feel my teeth lengthen, unnatural strength flowing through me. My goddesses, this was what life really felt like, this was what I lived for…I laughed. The corridor echoed with my long low laugh of joy and anger, a vengeance waiting to be unleashed. I took off my sunglasses and turned my blue eyed stare on the human.

“Oh Jesus Christ! What the fuck are you?”, he gasped.

“Somepony you don’t want to lie to human. Now, lets try this again shall we? Where are the prisoners and where are the drug making facilities.”

“Fuck man! Okay, Christ almighty I’m not paid enough for this shit! The slaves are in the cells at the far end of the site”, He pointed off down the corridor behind him, “The drugs are made in the basement block, near the water towers base.”

“How many guards?”

“Twenty, maybe more…I don’t know! I only look after the warehouse, man.”

“How many in the distribution centre?”

“A few, maybe…I don’t know!”

I leaned forward and sniffed the air around his neck. I could smell his fear, it emanated from him like a miasma, tempting and full of allure. I felt myself start to drool and saw the nervous look on his face as white fog began pooling around his bound feet.

“H…hey man, you got what you wanted right? Just…leave me the fuck alone…please!”

I shook myself quickly and took out the spray bottle, “Just because you asked so nicely…” A quick whiff of the gas and it was lights out. So far so good…

I moved down the corridor swiftly, checking every angle, every cover point. No sense getting ahead of myself and getting shot for it. The human may have lied, but even so, twenty was a lot of hostiles in anyponies book. As I walked, I replaced the flashbug back into my pack, ‘parasprites!’, I chuckled to myself.

The corridor ended in a set of stairs leading down to another level and a set of double doors with two human guards, one stood either side. They were talking to each other, the one on the left had his finger on his weapons trigger; he seemed nervous.

“Somethings going on, I tell you.”

“Shut up for fucks sake! I can’t hear anything if you keep jabbering all the time.”

“But I’m telling you, Carter was on the radio and then it suddenly went dead! Something happened to him!”

“Somethings going to happen to you if you don’t shut the fuck up, you’re setting my nerves on edge now. Anyway I…wait…what the fucks that?”

“GRENADE!”

The flashbug went off with a deafening bang and blinding white flare, the two guards screaming and holding their ears. The first one lifted his weapon, “Christ ! They’re here! They’re fucking here!”

“Get a hold of yourself Vince, remember your training.”

I called down the stairs, my voice icy and dripping with malice, “I’m coming for you Vince…it won’t be long now…won’t be long…”

“NO! Fuck NO!” The terrified Vince opened fire spraying bullets in all directions, opening his colleague up like a tin of beans. His screams drowned out the dying agonies of the other guard before a single shot removed the top of his head. I was quite impressed, despite the concerns over magic having less potency here, the weapon worked just fine.

Vince’s friend twitched and gasped out the last of his life onto the cold concrete floor. I took a breath of his escaping life energy; it was odd, a little earthy tasting and sort of…meaty? I didn’t like it, but still, it hit the spot.

Keeping to one side, I reached out to push open the door to the room beyond, only to be met with a hail of bullets from inside. From what I could tell, there were at least three of them, two by a row of cages and one behind an upturned table at the far end.

Time for a change of tack, I thought, and this time, a new toy courtesy of the agency armoury. One of the cylinders on my bandolier had a bright blue top and a ring pull, that should do the job nicely. I slipped my respirator over my head and snugged it down as I threw the grenade into the room. Harlequin gas was an amazing invention, it filled the room with a disorientating mist which contained magical mirror like particles which were intended to cause confusion and allow for a quick takedown of a target.

I wasn’t fucking about with these guys. Shouts from inside and random gunfire drew the spirit to the fore from deep within me, salivating and baying for battle. I let its rage fill my entire being, allowing it to course through me, although still, keeping enough of me there to stay…me.

The spirits enhanced reflexes helped me avoid a spray of lead that tore past my head. I dropped, rolled and brought my weapon to bear, burning one, two, three holes through the first humans chest before he dropped like a rag doll to the floor. The second human I locked onto was grasping desperately at something on his chest, fuck it, a grenade! My shot took off his hand as the pin came free and the metal ball landed between his legs. His shout of alarm distracted his friend who was still rubbing at his eyes furiously…it didn’t do him much good.

The grenade exploded. Shrapnel and fire engulfed the human, flying pieces of clothing, equipment, bone and meat, showering the room like some macabre rain from the depths of hell. The third ones leg had been caught in the blast and was now reduced to a ragged mess of blood, cloth and gore.

His vision was finally starting to come back to him when he caught sight of me, tried to lift his carbine…tried to fire. My sword plunged through his chest and burst out the other side, given strength by the wendigo spirit. I snarled in triumph before kicking him off my blade, making sure he was dead before turning my back on him. If nothing else, the wendigo’s sense of smell was acute, and death had a particular scent, sickly sweet and alluring, if only to a spirit.

A flick of the wrist and the blood was free from my short sword. Replacing it in its scabbard, I rushed over to the row of cells and cages. The smaller cages were empty, probably used only for transportation by the looks of them, but the cells behind them held…humans…numerous humans, all female, all different colours, sizes, ages. All of them terrified.

The smell of excrement and urine was suddenly overpowering. Despite looking like the humans, they still treated their captives like shit, like…animals. I took stock and spoke to one of the Equestrians who looked marginally less terrified than the rest, a small orange skinned child with a red mane…’hair’?

“Whats your name?” I asked quietly, kneeling down to her level.

“Scootaloo. Are you with the humans?”

I shook my head, “No, I’m with the CBI, agent Nox. I’m Equestrian, like you”

The rest of the ponies started talking quickly between themselves, watching me with a mixture of hope and nervousness.

“You look funny, you sure you’re a pony?”

“Yes! Look, I’m here to get you out of this place. Here’s my ID.”

I showed the little foal my card which she read painfully slowly, “Celestian…Bu…Bureau…of Investigation. I never heard of you, you like the watch or something?”

I face hoofed, “Yes, something like that, we work for Celestia”

“Cool!”

“Yeah, look Scootaloo, I need you to come with me and get these ponies to safety. The portals not far from here, can you convince them to come too?”

“I guess so, hang on mister”

She trotted to the back of the cells and spoke to the ponies gathered there. One of them stepped forward and coughed into her hand, “You’re with the agency? Please sir, they have more of us in that room beyond that door. It’s where they take us to meet their…’clients’, theres foals in there…for Celestia’s sake, please, please help them.”

I nodded, “I will, but first, we need to get you out of here, stand back ladies”.

A couple of shots later, the cell’s locks were nothing more than molten gobbets of steel and the humanised ponies were free. I grabbed the weapons from the fallen humans and held them out.

“Anypony know how these work?”

Four of the mares stepped up and took them, “We’ve seen them using them, I think we can handle them.”

“Good, one of you up front with me, the other three take the rear. No shooting unless you have to. Priority is to move as quick as we can, the strong help the weak, the pony way…ready?”

They nodded and we headed off back the way I had come, surprisingly quietly for weakened ponies. Another interesting fact; human feet don’t make much noise when running. I suppose that was a useful trick, although they were very soft underneath and I certainly wouldn’t fancy standing on anything hard with those things.

Our little convoy reached the small office, pausing to recover one of the mares who had decided to kick the unconscious human half to death before we’d dragged her off him. The portal was just below us, together with several of those damned humans peering at it as if expecting an attack at any moment. They were right to, just from the opposite direction.

I couldn’t risk shooting and damaging the portal. Harlequin gas was too risky in such an open room, so flashbugs were the order of the day. The first one I pitched a little far, but the other landed right between them. The combined detonations sent them in all directions, shouting and trying to get in cover. That was another thing I’d found during the fight at the warehouse, wooden crates offered fuck all protection.

The first few shot from my beam weapon took out the human in front of the portal, his face disappearing in a crimson mist. The second, facing my attack from the wrong direction, took two more shots in the back. He never even made a sound as he fell backwards onto the dusty floor.

The third human, a big fellow with a, what was it…’shotgun’? opened fire on me. Pellets chewed into the door frame making the mares cry out in fright,

“Scootaloo! Keep them back!”, I shouted.

Fuck me, their curiosity could get them killed. Firing now erupted from behind the mares, dangerously close. I couldn’t tell if it was them or us, but I didn’t have time to find out in any case. I pulled out my sword and dove into the room below, vaulting the stair railing and landing on a pile of boxes before cleaving a big lunks head from shoulders.

I grinned, this was more like it…

Another came at me, still half blinded, waving a large knife. It was laughable. I dodged his thrust and danced away,

“That all you have human?”, I hissed.

“Fuck you! You mother fucker!”

He coughed and let out a heavy final breath, my sword withdrawing from his ribcage with a twist.

“Scootaloo!” I shouted, “Get those ponies out of there!”

“Okay mister!”

They came in a rush down the stairs and ran headlong through the portal and safety. I didn’t waste time checking, a few bounds and I was back in the office heading towards the gunfire. Two of the mares had been hit, one of them badly, she needed a medic and fast. Humans were now firing on us from the other end of the corridor, the bullets punching holes through the light grade steel.

“Keep them off us”, I said to the pony still firing. I leaned over and lifted the stricken mare, dripping silvery life energy into her open mouth. Moments later, the wounds started to knit, hissing and smoking until I saw the bullets appear and roll out of the repaired flesh.

She opened her eyes and looked at me in disbelief, “How…?”

“No time, we need to move. Down the corridor, through the office, through the portal. Move!”

I dragged the other mare from her position and sent them on their way, fortunately there was no way they could get lost but Scootaloo had reappeared to help guide them anyway. She was a good kid, brave too, she’d make a good watch pony some day. Meanwhile, I had to reload.

The beam gun recharged nicely, the indicator lights burning bright and I returned fire. Bullets whizzed past my ear and the noise echoing in the corridor was deafening. Looking back, I noticed the unconscious human I’d tied up was now no longer unconscious…not with that many holes in him.

He could still be useful to me though. I crawled over to him and fished out a couple of my more interesting toys and a length of string. The Pony Scouts would be proud of me.

I shouted out into the corridor, “Please…don’t hurt us! We give up…Please!”

One of the humans let out a laugh and shouted to his colleagues, one of them however, more cautious than the rest, hung back.

“It’s a trap, gotta be”

“Yeah? You fucking pussy, you’ve been fucking horses too long, you know they’re scared shitless of their own shadow”

“Scared shitless? I can’t raise half the guys on the radio! How do you explain that?”

“Radio’s fucked”

“Oh! That makes sense doesn’t it brainiac. Tell you what, you go first and see whats happening”

“Fucking pussy…”

Several of the humans cautiously reached the corner and spotted their downed colleague, “Hey! Its Carter! He’s been hit! For Christs sake, give us a hand here, you two go round up those horses.”

I wondered whether the humans had an afterlife. Maybe they had a sort of magical monkey land full of sparkly moody monkey clerks, being dicks like Aethel from the eternal herd.

Well, they were on their way there now. Goddesses forgive me, I couldn’t help but chuckle at their plight. I’d pulled the string, popping the inferno grenades and three seconds later, concentrated dragon fire incinerated the hapless creatures. All was silent except for the clanking of the metal walkway cooling down.

“Oh….!”

I whirled round to see a wide eyed Scootaloo watching the scene, “Come away now little one, you shouldn’t see this”. I scooped her up and ran from the smell of burning flesh and flickering of the flames. The foal remained silent. The last of the mares had just gone through when I pushed scootaloo towards the ramp.

“Go!”, I shouted. She hesitated, her mouth opening. “I’ll save your friends, just go girl, now!”

She nodded and dove through the portal as the far door opened and more humans poured in. Bullets tore into the portal and, gathering my magical energy not knowing what the hell would happen, I aimed a blast of magic at my attackers. Nothing…damn it…no horn! Shit, well that was fucking stupid, plan B it was then.

My beam gun fired again and again, the humans returning fire in kind. The bullets pinned me down and I couldn’t reach the stairs. Suddenly, a grenade whirled towards me through the air and with a speed which surprised myself, I leapt and kicked the thing back at the humans. The blast sent body parts, hands, fingers and blood across the floor together with no small amount of wooden splinters from the shredded crates.

One of the humans staggered out, his face blackened and torn, his arm hanging uselessly by his side. Using him as interim cover, I charged forward, plunging my sword into his chest as I used him as a springboard to land amongst the others. They tried to dodge, to strike, shoot. But it was no good, I was a blur of steel and wrath, I barely even felt the resistance to the blade as it carved through flesh and bone. Blood slicked my hand and face. One of them, quicker than the rest, managed to land a blow to the side of my head with the butt of his gun before I removed his throat in one deft stroke.

The final human made a run for freedom before my flung blade, cart-wheeling through the air, took him squarely in the back.

Moments later, I was racing back through the cell area to the rear door. The damned thing was securely bolted from the inside and there was no visible way to open it from here. There was however, something I could try…

I sat cross legged in front of the door and focussed my mind, letting the spirit flow through me. I pictured the cold of the north wind, chilling, freezing the door before me. I may have no horn, but I still had the magic within. I opened my eyes and watched as thick white mist flowed around my legs and from my mouth, turning the thing intoto a solid block of ice.

Taking one of the inferno grenades, I wedged it up against the door and stood back, aiming my beam gun at it. One shot, was all it took.

The door exploded in a fantastic fireball of light, flames and ice, molten steel fragments dropping around me like hail. I couldn’t help but be impressed, the spirit certainly was. It howled through me, screaming in annoyance at the lack of killing. It wanted, needed to kill, to feed, it was so hungry now and it could sense what was to come.

Keeping control over the spirit was difficult, but not impossible. I’d found it was more a case of channelling its desires into actions, rather than fighting them. All that had lead to was a battle for control between it and myself. I had to become master of both it and myself, together. And together now, we entered a room which had my jaw hanging open in shock.

This was completely alien to the rest of the site I’d seen so far. Velvet, a deep scarlet, lined the walls, floor and the large chairs and sofas. Huge crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and sconces added their own soft light to the scene. Music, a gentle classical style filled the air, together with occasional muffled whimpers. This was what I was here for, to clean house, to sweep and clear. Oh Brandy…Brandy, Brandy, Brandy…you were missing out on this weren’t you? Poor little pony. I laughed aloud, drawing my sword and moving between the tables, one by one.

The mares hid beneath them crying and shaking. The first I pulled out, I fixed with my blue eyes, “Wait by the door, any ponies I send your way, keep them together until I can get you out. Do you understand?”

She nodded silently, staring at my eyes. I just shrugged and smiled, “Won’t be long…”

The first human I came to was a weedy little character, gangly like the sickening weasel he was. He tried begging for his life, “Please! I have money, for fucks sake man, what do you want? What do you want?!”

I smashed a fist across his face and took him to the floor, placing the point of my sword to his chest. I could feel and hear his heart beating rapidly beneath me, “What do I want?”, I hissed at him coldly, “Lets see now…”

I leaned on the hilt and pushed the sword slowly and steadily into his chest until his heart ruptured and stopped. His thrashing and gasping only heightened my desire, the song ringing through my mind, I had to take up its refrain, it was so…demanding.

Shouts of fear and panic rang out and I danced through them all, singing and laughing. My blade slashed and hacked its way amongst the panicked humans, their desire to rape and torture, quenched in their feverish desperation to escape. One after the other, like wheat before the scythe, they fell, their screams a fine accompaniment to my song. Some tried to fight back, one with a short pistol which punched a hole through my side. I grabbed his neck and thrust my sword through his mouth, watching the back of his skull erupt in fragments that spattered the wall with gore.

I drew in a long pull of his energy, filling my spirits desire and repairing the wound. And then, almost painfully, I realised there were simply no more humans. None alive anyway.

The mares huddled timidly together around the first pony I had sent to the door. They backed away when I approached, sheathing my sword and releasing the spirits power.

“You don’t have to say it ladies…yes, ‘demon’, gets very old, very fast.”

The first mare spoke up, “They have one more of us, a foal…she’s…popular with the human male who runs this place.”

I grabbed her more roughly than I meant to, “Where?”, I growled. Eyes widening, she pointed to the far door.

“Through there, the long corridor and a big office at the far end”

I nodded.

“Theres not much time, follow me if you want to get out of here alive and back to Equestria.”

As one, we ran out the room and back to the portal.

The last mare was through and I turned to head back to the stairs when a shot rang out from the upper corridor window. Whether it was a fluke or a damned good shot, I couldn’t tell, but the result was all too apparent. The bullet had struck the control for the portal and with a flickering ‘pop’, my way home vanished.

I was dumbstruck, what the fuck was I going to do now? The second portal! But first, that foal needed rescue before I needed a way home.

Checking my pulse gun, I set up a MAD on the portal and set it to ‘remote’, a little surprise in case some of the monkey fuckers tried to get it going again. Better warn Dune too,

“Dune, Nox…you there?”

A barrage of gunfire came over the TED, “Nox! There’s millions of the bastards, we’ve taken casualties but we’re holding. Engineers have rigged the place to blow. Whats your situation?”

“Not good, the portals down and theres one foal left, can you hold on for me before you bail?”

“Celestia Nox! Damn it…okay, we’ll do what we can here, but you’re not supposed to be part of this mission remember? Right, i’ve got an idea, so just get your mangy arse here as quick as you can. Move flank agent!”

She didn’t have to tell me twice. I charged through the facility, pausing by a door upon which, in crude painted letters, was the word ‘Lab’. According to the map, this was the drug making area but the stink said far more than words ever could. I kicked the door in and readied an MAD, the scene inside was…dear Celestia…Breeze…I had no idea…

A long table ran the length of the room with an assortment of bottles, pipes and tubes all bubbling away with the final product being dried and packaged at the far end. Boxes of the stuff were piled everywhere from floor to ceiling. There was enough Breeze here to kill half of Equestria, after one hell of a trip though.

It was what sat in the metal baskets at the other end of the table that caught my attention, little multi coloured fairy like creatures…Breezies. Oh goddesses, now the name made sense, it was bloody obvious when you looked at the setup here but…The crusher, the cutting blocks, the tiny pieces of discarded life. Celestia, where are you…

One of the creatures clung to the bars, squeaking at me. I couldn’t understand a word it said, either I was in shock or it was some Breezie language of their own.

“I can’t understand you,” I said in exasperation, “do any of you speak Equestrian?”

A green one with a missing antenna stepped forward, “I do…are you going to help us pony?”

“I am, but it’s not going to be a comfy ride guys”

There was a heated discussion, “We need to ride the currents to fly from here, you must flap your wings and…”

I stomped a foot, “I’m not a fucking Pegasus and I’m in a humans body in case you hadnt noticed! Stop messing about and get your people together”.

More arguments erupted from the creatures and I face palmed, this wasn’t going to end well and I didn’t have the time to fuck about with these creatures. I shoved a hand in my pack and started attaching the MAD to the underside of the labs table.

“What is that?”, the green Breezie asked me.

“It’s an MAD, I’m going to blow this place off the map. In a few minutes, this place will be going up. I’m not waiting here any longer, so either you get in the sack or stay here and die. Your choice.”

All but two of the breezies climbed into the hessian sack I held out. The little creatures were frail and already weakened, but what other choice did I have? The last two sat with their arms folded and glared up at me defiantly. Without waiting another second, I reached in and grabbed them, stuffing the protesting fairy things into the bag, they could complain all they wanted later.

Slinging it over my shoulder, I nearly ran straight into the human coming out from a back room. He was fast. Firing his pistol at me, he missed and sent shards of glass up from the table, a glass phial ejecting a huge plume of white powder that engulfed both of us. I managed to get a shot off at the human before the powder entered my lungs…it was like nothing I’d ever experienced before in my life.

The room swayed, it was like being on a ship in a storm without a rudder. My legs were weak, colours, sounds, everything was so…vivid. I felt sick, happy, sad and yet oddly at peace all at once. I staggered down the corridor towards the main office, or at least, I think I did. I kept taking big breaths to try and relieve the symptoms, but nothing worked. I felt as high as a fucking kite.

Two, or was it four? Humans, emerged from the room in front of me and with an arm under each of mine, carried me laughing hysterically into a massive office come bedroom. At the far end, a naked girl wept as the big burly gorilla like human climbed off her, dealing the helpless female a slap which sent her across the bed. Blood flying from her mouth spattered the sheets.

“Fucking little bitch! You show me some goddamned respect.”

The two goons who had hold of yours truly, kept me propped up between them, “Boss, got one of the fuckers who’ve been causing all the commotion”.

“Commotion? They’ve cost me fucking MONEY!”, he screamed at the human making him back up. I just giggled, the colours on this guy…orange, purple…it was all so…far out...

He reached up and grabbed my jaw, “Look at the state of him, he’s been shooting the fucking breeze. Some goddamned hero we got here”

One of the humans punched me in the stomach, but I barely felt it, “Want us to teach him some respect boss?”

The ‘boss’ shook his head, “Nah, pointless, he’s so fucked up he’d never feel it”

The human slapped me across the face and grinned, “Hey horsey hero, wanna see a show? You see, in this world, humans ride horses. Only here, they look like what they are…horses. When your people come here, well, they look like us…and they fuck like us too” he licked his chubby lips, “…theres some good money in horse flesh, and our clients pay well…very well.”

He stretched and walked over to the mantelpiece to take down a glass of wine. The burly thug knocked the drink back in one slug and threw the glass into the fireplace before walking back over to me, a smug expression on his face,

“I’ve made a lot of money off of horses, my equine friend. You can imagine how surprised I was to find just how keen your own people were to sell you off for drugs and guns. Items we were only too happy to provide, money is money wherever you are. Anyway, its all academic for you now isn’t it?”

He took a step back to allow me to have a good view of the foal on the bed. She was pale, pale as milk with purple two tone hair.

The human watched my expression and chuckled menacingly, “Cute isn’t she? You’re going to see now…’Equestrian’…”

No.

“…Just how powerless…”

NO!

“…you really are…”

The human took off his robe and grabbed the shrieking foal. Colours and sounds raged through my head as I tried desperately to grab my spirits energy. Goddesses it was happening again! Gates, Melon Patch, Meadow, I had to do something, anything!

My guards laughed, watching the show and gripped me fiercely in my struggles. The foal cried and scratched at the hairy thug pulling at her legs.

“Enough of this”

The voice inside me, the voice from the sea, it rolled through me, pushing my senses aside and reconnecting nerves, control and impulse.

“Give me your will, Fairlight, give it over to me…yes…YES!”

I don’t remember much of what happened next, it was all a boiling fog of white, screams and voices begging. When I picked myself up off the floor, I retched, my head gradually clearing but still feeling like I’d been hit with a sledgehammer. Shaking, I reached back and took out a flask of life energy and downed the sparkling fluid. It was like being plunged into freezing water, my senses bursting back into life, my headache already forgotten.

I looked around the ice laden room and saw the foal with a blanket wrapped around her, staring out at…not me, but…dear goddesses. The hairy human, the ‘boss’, was hanging from the wall above the fireplace, nails of ice driven through his limbs, transfixing him to the wall. The other two were frozen mid scream in pillars of ice.

The foal whimpered when I approached but came out from her hiding place when I handed over her clothes. They were old, dirty and ripped, but they’d do for getting out of here, she was freezing cold.

I barely heard the whisper behind me from the wall. I looked over my shoulder, his eyes were closed but his lips were moving,

“Kill…kill…me…”

Instinctively, I put my hand to my sword but stopped, gazing up into his face. The little foal had taken my arm, tears in her eyes, she shook her head. Silently, the two of us left the room, the MAD, my parting gift, jammed into the hairy bastard’s mouth.

We raced along corridors after corridor, the map whirling around, its glowing arrow showing us the route we had to follow to reach Dune and safety. The weapons manufacturing plant was on the way to her position but I had a foal with me now, she had to take priority, only…if I didn’t stop this…damn it all.

“Dune, how you holding up?”

“We’re doing okay Nox, wounded have been evacced but the team leaders are asking questions, we’ll need to bail soon.”

“Understood, I’ve got the last foal with me now Dune, we’re not far from you now”

The foal was stumbling, but with a quick flick, I had her up on my back clinging on as we raced through the human facility. A roughly painted sign pointed down a side corridor to…”Manufacturing”, the map confirmed it. Shit! I’d have to take a look.

The factory was vast, conveyor belts, forges, all manner of machines. Here and there humans worked, completely oblivious to our approach and the chaos in the rest of the facility.

Brazenly, I walked in, looking at all the different weapon types. I picked one up and looked closely at it, it was very well made indeed.

“Hey! Put that that down, what are you doing in here?”

I almost went for my pulse gun, but this time…yeah, I’d play the game.

“Nice bit of kit that,” I said eyeing the firearm, “got any spares?”

The big fellow in the apron stared at me, “No, now, I’ll ask again, what are you doing in here?”

“Boss wants to know whats happened to Carter, he’s been trying to get him on the radio.”

“Carter? Nah, haven’t seen him for hours, don’t get many visitors in here. Too noisy see?”

It was, the noise was deafening and I had to shout to get myself heard.

“What’re you doing with that kid? She one of the horses?”

“Yeah, I’m taking this one to meet with one of our clients, boss has had his fun for the day”

He laughed, “Yeah, I bet!”

I turned to leave, “Hey, nearly forgot, boss says to give you this”

The sweaty human took the small object from my outstretched hand, “What is it?”

“How the fuck should I know? Looks expensive, I’d keep it safe if I were you.”

He held it up to the light and grinned, “Oh hell! It looks like one of them Faberge eggs! They go for a bomb!”

As I walked out of the workshop, muttered under my breath, “You can say that again”.

I gunned all my energy into running and began to hear gunfire reverberating between the buildings. The little foal squeezed my neck even tighter and I reached up to pat her hand, “Nearly there little one, we’ll get you home soon”.

I rounded a corner and spotted two humans peering up at a window readying a grenade. Two shots from my beam gun settled that matter and took them down in smoking heaps of mangled flesh.

A face appeared at the window, “Hey! Its one of ours! He’s got a foal with him, check your fire”

Under covering fire from the agents we rushed to the side door and barrelled through it, one of the agents barricading it quickly behind me.

A tall ‘human’ with sand coloured hair walked over, “Bloody hell Nox, you cut that fine, we have to go. We’re on over time already.”

One of the mares tried to take the foal from my back but she refused to budge, the tenacious creature sticking to my back like a barnacle.

Soon, none but Dune and I remained to pass through the portal. The humans still fired sporadically at the building and I was in no doubt they would rush it momentarily. The agency mare handed me a detonator,

“Its set for ten seconds, you want to do the honours?”

I nodded, taking out my own detonator for the other MAD’s. It too I set for ten seconds and placed them both on a packing crate, hands poised over them.

“Ready?”

“Ready!”

I clicked them both simultaneously and ran for the portal as the warehouse doors were kicked in by the assaulting humans. Dune, myself and the little foal lunged through the active portal, landing in a heap on the other side as a wave of searing heat flashed out over us a moment before the swirling silvery portal collapsed in on itself.

It was over.

Most of the teams had cleared out by the time we had got there, a steady stream of ponies, weary but jubilant, heading off to a well deserved shower. Behind the last group to leave, I saw a large orange unicorn, staring at me with undisguised contempt; Warlock. I locked eyes with him, the two of us watching each other until another agent walked between us and he vanished, melting back into the throng.

Dune helped pick me up and tried to take the little foal from my back.

“Is she…?”, I asked, still catching my breath.

“Yeah, she’s okay Nox, you did good fella…real good”.

I trotted wearily towards the door, Dune shaking her mane, “Feels funny doesn’t it?”

“You’re not kidding, thank Luna I didn’t puke up again coming back. Miss the hands though, those ‘thumb’ bits were really useful.”

She laughed, ears twitching, “I know what you mean, a load of us emptied our guts when we arrived too. Fortunately enough of us weren’t affected and able to clear a path for the rest.”

“Clear a path?”

“We were ambushed, at least, I believe we were…”

“Dear Luna…”

“Its just a feeling, Nox. It may be just coincidence, but I won’t be the only one who felt that way. If I were you, I’d keep alert and keep your head down. Report anything to Brandy or myself.”

“Sure. Will you excuse me? I want to go and check on the mares and foals we got out. Do you know where they’d be taken?”

“They’ll be in the second accommodation blocks annex, Brandy arranged for medical facilities and food, just in case. Normally the Mistress keeps it for visitors, so it’s rarely used and quiet.”

An irate squeeking and chirruping made us both stop and look towards its source, the brown sack on my back behind the foal.

“What the hells in there?” Dune sputtered stepping back.

“Oh bollocks! The breezies, hell I nearly forgot…here”, I hoofed over the bag and the tiny creatures dragged themselves out, battered and bruised but alive. Not a few waved their fists at me,

“May have pissed them off a bit my friend, but at least they’re not getting snorted any time soon”

“What!” Dune looked shocked, “Oh goddesses, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Oh yes, Breeze is Breezies, ground up into powder. Surprised nopony realised it sooner.”

Dune shook her head, “Leave them with me, I’ll find somepony to help care for them before they get stepped on”

“Thanks Dune, I’d better get this one back to her friends”, motioning towards the tired foal.

The sandy coated agent smiled warmly and stroked the little foal’s mane before we trotted off through the facility towards the accommodation annex.

Reaching the building, the door was blocked by two ponies who looked pretty annoyed to see me, “Hey! Look who it is…the crazy ladies pal. Wheres the nutcase today Nox, bucked any more agents in the face?”

Ah, that explained the black eye. I shrugged, “Should work on those reflexes agent, she’s caught me one before”, she had too.

The grumbling pony opened the door, his friend sniggering behind her hoof and gave me a wink as I went through. Brandy was already inside with a number of medics, nurses and assorted agents bringing drinks, food and blankets.

Pushing her way through the mass of ponies, a squealing orange Pegasus barrelled into us, leaping at the foal on my back, “Sweetie Belle! You’re safe! Oh thank Celestia!”

The little foal clambered down off my back and hugged her friend, the two of them rushing around in a circle before the ivory coated one stopped in her tracks. Scootaloo, still rushing about, noticed her friends change and walked over, her face full of concern, “Sweetie?”

Sweetie Belle looked up at me, “Mummy used to say there weren’t really monsters, mister Nox…but there are, aren’t there? That…human, he hurt me…he tried to…to…”

Tears welled In her eyes and I knelt down, a hoof outstretched. She backed away for a second before allowing me to pull her into a hug.

“There are monsters Sweetie, but there many good ponies out there as well, probably good humans too. But it’s over now, you’re safe and we’ll get you home to your family soon.”

She clung to me, sobbing until a nurse arrived with a plate of cupcakes and juice, “Would you girls like some cake and drinks?”

Scootaloo jumped about and managed to down one of the treats in one go, breaking out in hiccups. The scene made me chuckle, Sweetie Belle watching her friend couldn’t contain it either and before long, we were all laughing at the stricken foal while the nurse rubbed her back.

Brandy appeared a few moments later, “Nox! Thank fu…Celestia you’re alright. What happened over there? The mares and foals came through saying you were right behind them and then the portal went dead.”

I shook my head, “Plan B”.

“There was a plan B?”

I grinned, “There always a plan B, Brandy, improvise…remember?”

He shook his head, looking around at the mass of females, “Is this all of them?”

I nodded, “So far as I know, the girls didn’t mention anypony else. Sweetie Belle was the last one.”

“Hang on!”, Brandy near shouted, grabbing me suddenly, “Sweetie Belle? Shit! Do you know who she is?”

“No, never saw her before, so far as I know anyway”.

“Damn it…Nox, she’s the daughter of one of the top noble families in Equestria, haven’t you heard of Rarity? The Carousel Company?”

Racking my brains, I remembered the fashion shop in Ponyville, the white unicorn with the purple mane who usually hung around with…Yes, yes! She was the one who bumped into me, quite literally, in Manehattan when I was waiting for the informant! She was friends with those young mares and the crazy pink one.

Brandy searched my face and nodded, “Remember now? She’s the element of honesty, personal friend of Celestia herself.”

He took me to one side, “We’re going to have to mind wipe all the ponies anyway, but this is going to be delicate Nox. I want you to take her back to Ponyville, get her to her sisters place and we’ll come up with some cock and bull story to cover it. Take Tingles with you too, the docs due to see her today and should be able to clear her for flight duties.”

I watched the little foal playing with Scootaloo and some of the others, my heart ached for them. Despite the exuberance of their play, there was a hesitance in Sweetie’s movements which spoke volumes of the horrors she had seen. The memory alteration would be a goddess send for them, taking away all the sights and experiences no foal, no pony, should every have to face. Damn those fucking humans, I hoped the MAD’s left nothing but ash, it was the least I could do for them.