It was getting harder to cling on as I fade in and out of consciousness. My body hung limp, still being levitated. My breathing was slow and shallow, my body numb, and my blood slowly making a pool underneath me The metal pole has been cruelly left in my body, probably to make me suffer a bit more.

“Are you finally dead?” The stallion mockingly asked, shaking me a little. “Maybe you would like to give us a sign you’re still kicking, maybe a moan or something.”

I was too tired to barely do anything. All I could do was think.

What was I thinking? Why have I not seen this coming?

“You know, since you aren’t responding, I might as well move on to others who needs my attention,”

A gasp, a growl, a whimper, a pleading cry.

From what I could see from my blurred vision, Sebastian has been incapacitated and the group of 4 has been surrounded. Despite Sebastian’s strength, he was outnumbered. The group lacked gun power to take them down and the two unicorns seems to suffer a sudden amnesia on magic.

The raiders that surrounded the group made way for the stallion, who approaches them with a mean-looking bat. A sinister smile was plastered on his face.

“Well, look what we got here,” the stallion chuckled as he waved the bat in front of their faces. “It’s been a long time since I released my anger...so why not release with a satisfying splat?”

A sudden feeling of dread overwhelmed me.

“Let’s make this quick, shall we?” He pointed the bat at Autumn.

I struggled to move, even if it’s just a pathetic attempt to reach out to them.

He moved that bat towards Jewel. She glared at him.

With all what’s left of my strength, I tried to object. But all that came out was more blood.

Then he slowly moved it towards Amethyst. A barely audible whimper came out of her mouth.

“Looks like the lucky winner of this game is,” the stallion gleefully yelled out, raising the bat into the air. “You!”

As he swung the bat towards Chara, a sudden flash of blue blinded me. A loud crack ripped through the air and once more, I felt dread.

Soon, the blue light slowly faded away, which was followed by the manic laughter of the stallion. Not wanting to see the bloody sight once the light completely disappears, I concentrated on my outstretched foreleg. As I looked, I realized I can’t move my body, try as I might. That would explain why it was still outstretched.

I observed a faint blue aura around it.

“I knew it!” The sudden shout snapped me out of my thoughts. My eyes have violated my will and turned to look at the scene.

The bat has been broken and Chara looked okay, though she was pale and looked ready to faint. Blue arcs of energy surrounded her.

“You’re one of them aren’t you?” The stallion turned to face me, an insane smile in his face. “One of those things they have created, no?”

I opened my mouth to respond but only air came out.

“Don’t be so modest now,” he slowly lowered me. “I know a lot about your kind, from strength to durability. Come on now, speak.”

I stared blankly at him, my mouth open. Combined with the blood loss and my confusion, my mind couldn’t process what’s happening properly.

“Is that bar troubling you? Here, let me help you.”

. . .

With an effortless tug, he pulled it out and threw it at the floor beside him. He slowly circled around me, waiting for me to speak.

I was surprised to feel myself more alive than dead when the bar was removed. I was even more surprised that I was still alive despite all the blood loss.

“Wha...Wha are ya…” I tried to say. He stopped and looked at me.

“What am I talking about?” He gently patted my head. “Hmm, you must be a late learner then.

“I don’t know how long you’ve been staying here in Land 35 but basing on your confusion on this topic, you’ve stayed here for at most...5 days. Shame really, this topic really is interesting.

“The things I have referred to are known as the “Projects”, a group of ponies that were experimented on. These kinds of experiment usually involve science monstrosities and dark magic. That’s why they’re also called “Abominations”.

“They’re powerful...very powerful. Much more powerful than you, I must add. Their strength and endurance are far more superior than the measly normals. They also have special abilities, from being unnaturally quick to mighty tanks to even lethal spellcasting.

“Luckily for everyone here in Land 35, they are rare...super rare. Even so, encountering one of them means certain death. Unless...it’s me. I’ll have you know that I have killed 4 of those monstrosities...without breaking a sweat, I must add. That’s why I’m known as “Mad Scientist”...Mad because I fight them and scientist because I was one back then.”

He sighed as he finished his “interesting” talk, gently stroking my mane. He seemed calm, unusually so.

“I don’t know about you though, you’re so weak and much easier to deal with than the others,” he told me. “You could just be simply another me, a unicorn with no horn. I did say that there are some who knows how to channel their magic without the use of their horn. That must be why you’re still alive.”

“In fact, you may really be my old friend, Longshot.”

He chuckled for a while and let out a satisfied sigh. I looked at the group and they also have the same confused look as I do;. Two-Face seems to also have two personalities to compliment his looks. He then slowly moved my until all I could see was his face.

“You know, I have conflicted feeling about you,” he said in a low, serious voice. “I really want to kill you, to beat you into a pulp, and then feed you to my dogs.”

I gulped and slowly shook my head. My reaction only gained another laugh from him.

“But it’s been a long time since someone else came along and gave me meaning to my life. After the death of Longshot, assuming that he’s dead of course, I had nothing to do but just sit and stare and wait for something interesting to come into my life…”

He sighed before continuing, “I made up my mind, Longshot, I’m letting you and...some of your friends go. It will be like the good ol’ days, you and me just chasing each other around the beautiful wasteland.”

Suddenly, I found myself hitting the floor with a thud. Pain shot throughout my body, making me grit my teeth. Soon, I found myself surrounded by my friends and Chara, who looked down at me with worry.

“Oh wait, before you go, would you like to say something to your furry friend?”

And I was dragged towards Sebastian, Two-Face fixing me until I can see his face properly.

I gasped in surprise as I look at him. It was impossible for him to change in such a short time. His once steely look became one of defeat, the dirty white fur now bloodied, and when he looks at me…

“Sebastian...what happened?”

What have I done?

He gave me a weak smile, “Longshot...I am...sorry that I didn’t succeed.”

“No, no...I shouldn’t have made you done this,” I quickly told him. The amount of guilt I felt was enough to crush me. “I should’ve not gotten you involved, but I did. I risked your life over ponies you never knew...I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head before looking at me straight into my eyes, “Take care...Chara, take care of her. Seen her only once, when she’s small. 10 years ago...2 days before you died.”

He wasn’t thinking straight. There was a huge gash on the side of his head. He wasn’t thinking straight.

“Okay! Time’s up. Time to put this puppy to sleep.”

The grip around me suddenly tightened, making it impossible to move. The only thing I can do is watch in horror to the execution of Sebastian, a loyal friend till the end. Two-Face slowly walked behind him and placed a pistol on his head.

Sebastian smiled one last time and closed his eyes, “See you later...Old Friend”

BANG

I was paralyzed with disbelief as I felt the blood splatter all over me. My mind couldn’t believe it, my consciousness couldn’t believe it.

My friend is dead. All because of me.

“You might be wondering why I killed him,” Two-Face kicked the body away from him with disgust. “I faced his kind before, the… hellhounds, I think they’re called. Nasty fellas really, have the habit of spitting all over your face when talking.”

He slowly walked closer to me, which I assume is a habit of his towards his captives, “Look, buddy. I don’t just let you out of here free of any kind of trauma. I don’t want you to think that you’re free from me. Know that from this day onwards, you’re my prey. Killing him was the first step to making sure you wouldn’t get away from me and that you will know what you’re dealing with.

“Know that no amount of running will save you. No amount of guns will protect you. Nothing will help. I am the hunter, you are the prey, you cannot reverse the roles that have been set by me. Anyone with you will be in danger and you will be forced to walk alone. You are the weak, little prey and I’m the savage hunter, do understand?”

I stayed silent, forcing myself to look down. He noticed this and was obviously disappointed by my actions. With a sigh, he angrily pistol whipped me and forced me to look towards the group. Guns were aimed at them from everywhere. Lil’ pistol of Jewel is not likely to save anyone.

“Do you understand me?!” He yelled at me, threateningly pointing his pistol at them. “You better answer or you’ll be really alone!”

Any traces of defiance has disappeared and I knew he had broken into me, mentally and emotionally.

“Well? Removed freedom or isolation?” He asked one more time. Defeated, I looked up to him and said the only thing I can say.

“I understand...Please, let them go.”

With a satisfied smile, he looked at his men and nodded. Finally, all guns were holstered and all bladed weapons sheathed. This would be the last of the threats against us, for now.

“Good to see we finally reached an agreement, yes?” The stallion went back to his gentle attitude. “Now, how are you doing? I’m surprised you haven’t died yet after I impaled you. You lost a lot of blood too, I can see.”

Once more I lowered my head and felt the hole where the pole exited. It was still wet and it seems it’s still dripping with blood. I was beginning to feel tired and breathless. I just wanted this to be all over.

A loud click came from the PipBuck, which was followed by a long beep. Pain coursed throughout my body as my legs gave way, making me fall on the floor with a splat. Too tired, full of pain, and still bleeding out, I just had no will to get back up.

“Looks like whatever magic you were using to save yourself has its own limits,” the stallion clicked his tongue. “It would be a shame to see you go after we made such a deal.”

He tapped his hoof on the floor, “You, mare with a green cross, come here if you still want to save this friend of yours.”

“W-Why don’t you just do it yourself?” Came the defiant reply of Jewel, “You obviously still want him around...d-don’t you?”

The stallion chuckled, “Of course I want him around...as a prey. I can end him right here and right now if you wish it, he is in such a vulnerable state after all.”

“W-Wait! Fine, I’ll...follow you,” Jewel feeling defeated, gave in. I could hear her walk closer to both of us, though I wasn’t so sure if it were her hoofsteps or my own beating heart.

“Ah, attagirl, keep that attitude up and we may be best of friends in the near future,” the stallion once more chuckled. “Now, here’s a scroll that contains a magical spell that will temporarily fix him up, maybe just long enough for you to get him to a doctor or something. He may be knocked out unconscious though, just think of this spell as something like anesthesia...a strong one.”

He chuckled again (which was slowly getting into my nerves), “And Green Cross, stop trying to hide that accent of yours. It just doesn’t suit you.”

“Now, me and my men will be taking our leave. We all bid you a good and safe day and hopefully...we’ll meet again.”

A bright white light filled the entire room for a second or two before fading into nothingness. The room was now empty, save for a corpse and the rest of us.

“Okay, okay, don’t worry lil’ bro, I’ll get ya fixed,” Jewel said after a few moments of silence.

“Father? Father, are you still with us?” A pleading voice asked me. “Please talk to me, father, please tell me you’re still with me…”

That voice triggered something within my mind...not my mind, but another consciousness. It isn’t mine but I feel like it belongs to me.

Despite the pain and the fact I’m really, really out of blood, my body still tried to look at her, the mare that grew up an orphan.

Another conscience, another mind.

“Chara, I’m so sorry.”

And then I blacked out.

I was staring at a wall, blinking only seldomly. The room I was in was dark, the windows being shut and covered by curtains and the door locked. The atmosphere was bleak, life had so little meaning to me at this point.

“With so many casualties on both sides due to the ongoing war, every pony and zebra is worried if they will ever get to see their loved ones again. This war has caused so many unnecessary deaths and-”

The radio continues to talk about the war. It was the only thing with me at the moment. I let out a heavy sigh, doing nothing else other than sitting on the bed and staring at the wall.

“Why do you look so down, my son?” A voice so soothing and familiar spoke out, which was followed by the comforting embrace, “Why do you look like the world has brought down a huge burden on you.”

“I...I don’t know, mother,” I replied, feeling a tear gently streaking down my face. “I don’t even understand what’s happening anymore.”

“Why are you here alone?” She asked, “Where are your friends? Your father?”

“I...don’t know either…” I struggled not to cry, “Dad...he just told me he had to go. Why did he have to go? To the war? He knows what’s happening out there but why did he still agree to go?”

“Oh, my poor colt, thinking so much already,” she tightened her embrace. “Sacrifice, your father loves you so much to sacrifice his life for you. It may not make sense for you but in time, you’ll see why. Why he did all of those things to you...for your sake. He loves you no matter what, never forget that. He always wanted to you to have a good, if not the best, and comfortable life.”

She was right. His actions still confuses me and it caused a lot of conflict within me. But I know he doesn’t act without a good reason. With this in mind, I trusted every word she said.

“Mom...what about you?”

There was silence for a few seconds before she answered.

“I never left you, my young one, and I will never so even if time ends. A mother’s love will stay with her children forever, no matter what happens. My son, if you ever feel down and the world is against you, know that I will be forever by your side, guiding you and protecting you.

I love you so much, and I hope you will not hate me for my actions…”

“I love you too, mom,” I placed my foreleg on my chest, on where I felt her comforting embrace. The tears have now been freely falling down.

A whisper, her final words to me, before she sings me to sleep.

Darkness.

A long beep and a click.

“Vital signs stabilized. Subject --- ‘s condition acceptable.”

Once more, I opened my eyes to see the grayish ceiling of what I presume is medical facility. Trying to move my body further showed that I was restrained again.

“Eclipse, can you hear me?”

I sighed and nodded my head.

“Can...you speak?”

“I guess…”

He sighed in relief, “Then I guess that operation went just fine without any negative consequences. Thank Celestia your friends brought you here in time.”

“We were...lucky,” I muttered. “How are they?”

“They’re fine, physically speaking, just a few cuts and bruises here and there,” the doctor replied. “They’re undergoing psychological examination right now, to see if their mind still has their marbles.”

He let out a soft chuckle, “Though to begin with, we’re not even sure about their mind yet. Guess we have to hear their backstory before we can judge.”

I just nodded and moved my limbs a bit, “Doc, why am I restrained again?”

He took a deep breathe, “Well...When your friends brought you here, you were screaming, moving as if you’re trying to get away from something, though you were restrained by magic.

“It took Amethyst and your unicorn friend to hold you...barely. It seems your magic has gone haywire once more, though in a much more chaotic way. That’s why when you were brought here, we had to restrain you as fast as possible. Amazingly, you nearly took me out in your sleep.”

I sighed and closed my eyes, “Sorry ‘bout that, Doc. So, how am I now? And have they found out what’s new about me?”

He chuckled and proceeded to remove the restraints, “You’re fine. It seems your body is stronger than it looks. And about your secret,not really. It’s still me and the team here that knows about it.”

I sat up and stretched, my muscles a bit stiff for not moving for…

“Hey Doc, how long was I out?”

“Two days. Don’t worry, you haven’t missed anything important,” he replied. “Your friends should be in...the main tower. I believe they’re done with their check-ups by now.”

I looked at Doc and at my hooves. I debated whether I should get out and go see my friends or if I should stay and talk with Doc. In the end, I chose to lie back down and closed my eyes.

“Hey, Eclipse, you feeling weird?” Doc asked me, sounding worried.

“I’m just...going back to sleep,” I replied.

“Oh no...Oh no, Eclipse, don’t go to sleep now!” I could hear clicks and beeps as he started shaking me. “I knew this would happen, wake up!”

I opened one eye and looked at him, “What are you talking about?”

His look of worry slowly turned into relief, “Oh, uhm...Well, you see, your body is also unstable. Those metal things on your body isn’t just for show, it’s some sort of life support and they’re very rusty.”

I gave him a confused look but I still nodded. It did make sense though, as it’s been on me this whole time.

“Uh, okay, basing on how you’re looking at me, you have no idea what i just said, huh?” He sighed and rubbed his muzzle. “Okay, now listen closely. When you first arrived here, I was wondering what those things on your body were. I didn’t have enough time to study you so I assumed it was just your armor or something familiar.”

A few more clicks and then he showed me a screen. It displayed a stallions body with the same metal parts on the same area as mine. Could be me.

“Now since I had more time to study you, I’ve discovered something extra-ordinary,” He pointed at the metal parts, “This are pre-war life-support systems made for the soldiers back then, so that when they’re heavily injured, they can go to the nearest medic with a high chance of surviving. Hell, if they want to, they can fight until they’re really dead.”

He tapped the screen, “Well, unfortunately, they proved to be short-lived. Once they’re damaged, it’ll have to be replaced. And with the resources being scarce, this was not favored and so, the project was dropped. Also…”

After a few taps, the life-support exploded, leaving only a few pieces of roasted stallion left.

“Should the technology be used despite the damage on it, then you could say the user has turned into a ticking time-bomb. And, and amazingly, yours have suffered so much damage yet it still hasn’t failed or exploded yet!” Doc laughed for a while before continuing, “But there’s no need to worry now, my boy! I replaced most of the out-dated technology with newer and more efficient ones. I’ve also fixed up all of the broken parts.”

He continued to talk about the improvements he made to it and how he made it much more protective of the areas it covered, especially my back. He also asked question on how I have it or why I have it, to which I answered that I had no idea to both. Finally, he finished what he needed to say and allowed me to sleep, though he said he’ll keep an eye on my vital signs to which I still had no idea why.

Another day passed with me still at the clinic and I finally decided to get out to see the others. After some final check-ups, I was finally let go. Finding them wasn’t hard as they were in the main tower, even after three days.

During my ride in the elevator, I checked myself in the mirror, which was placed there for some reason. Maybe it was placed there for or by Larynx, he seemed to like to look at himself in most reflective surfaces.

I haven’t realized what a mess my mane was.

Finally, the elevator has reached its destination and I knocked on the door. It took some time before someone opened it for me, some stallion I had never seen before. He looked at me with a questioning look.

“What do you want?” He asked me, his voice really deep that it actually intimidates. Must be some guard.

“I’m here to see...Larynx,” I told him.

“You got an appointment?” He asked again, with more gruff in his voice.

“Uh, no...but-”

He slammed the door on my face. I stumbled back a bit and rubbed my muzzle, before looking at where I stopped and realized how lucky I was not to fall.

The door opened again to reveal his face once more, though he was smiling.

“You gonna go in or what?” He asked me, his tone as serious as ever.

I glared at him, “Well, may I?”

He stepped out of the way, indicating I was free to enter. I quickly went in, expecting him to close the door in my face again. Luckily, he did not do such monstrosities. He lead me into the lobby and told me to take a seat.

“So, you want to meet Larynx, huh?” A pen and a paper floated next to him.

“Yes, so can I go see him?”

He wrote something before giving it to me. I sighed and grabbed it, hoping it was not a “No”. Instead, it read,

“Welcome back, Eclipse. You’re looking at him.”

I looked back at the stallion, who is now Larynx with a mask on his head, the mask lifted up.

“So, from a scale of one to ten, rate my acting skills,” he told me. He had this big dumb grin on his face.

“One,” I said before getting up and walked to his face. With a smirk, I knocked him down with a gentle punch to the snout.

“Owww!” He groaned in pain as he rubbed his muzzle, “Why would you do that to me?”

“That’s for nearly killing back there,” I told him before gently kicking his side, “And quit whinin’, will ya? It was just a soft punch.”

“But with all that metal, it might as well been a really hard punch!” He whined, rolling around in pain. I shook and my head and smiled, debating if I should continue my torment or help him up.

But before I could do anything, I was tackled to the ground by somebody. But I didn’t have to look at my attacker to know who it is, the smell was enough for me to identify.

“Damnit, Amethyst, can’t you just greet me like any other pony?” I scolded her. Her grip on me only tightened.

“I’m no other pony, silly!” She replied happily, “I missed you so much.”

“Hey now, remember where our relationship stands,” I told her, squirming, trying to get out of her grip.

“Yeah, yeah, just friends. I know,” she answered, finally loosening her grip on me. Her stare remained at me though.

“Hey, hurt stallion over here, can you please shift your attention to your brother?” Larynx yelled out.

Amethyst got up and lifted me and Larynx into the air, “You barely even have a bruise.”

Larynx just crossed his forelegs. That proved to be an inappropriate gesture, as Amethyst let him go as soon as he did that. He immediately went back to rolling in the ground in pain.

“So, can you let me down now?” I asked before quickly adding, “Properly, please?”

And she did just that, properly putting me back on my hooves. I sighed and looked at Amethyst before giving her a quick hug. She was surprised, of course, but then she closed her eyes and returned it.

“Say, you haven’t seen the other three ponies now, have you?” I asked her once I broke up the hug.

“Oh, uh, yes!” She replied after some thinking, “I believe they’re sleeping in the temporary room we set up. It’s kinda late anyways, I think.”

I nodded, “I presume they’re fine?”

“Yep, I think.”

“And how about you?”

She blinked once or twice before replying, “I’m fine, I guess? Well, I feel fine…”

“Something wrong?” I looked at her worriedly. If I remember what she said, it was her first time facing the Wasteland.

“Can...can we talk back in my room?” She asked, looking down at the ground. “I don’t feel comfortable talking in here.”

“Uh, sure. Let’s go.”

Before we walked to her room, Amethyst finally and properly helped Larynx get up. He seemed tired, probably because of how much he rolled. He shook his head and looked at me then at Amethyst.

“Amethyst,” he said in a serious tone. Her body seemed to freeze, her eyes wide in fear.

“Y-Yes?”

“Make sure you close the door, ok?” He said before breaking into laughter, “You don’t want to repeat the duo’s mistake now, do ya?”

Larynx never seen that attack coming.