Chapter 4: Twilight zone

The figure was back out of his chair once more he appeared to have a rhythm. Listen, rise, pace, talk, sit, listen, repeat.

He was a little too predictable for Dawn’s liking she liked her company a little on the wild side.

“You mentioned the Good Pony what do you know about him?” asked the Figure.

Dawn slouched in her chair tiredness crawling over her body. She had no idea how late it was in this dark pit, but she felt it was about time she was asleep.

 “I know he runs Dead Water well not officially, and I know he wasn’t always a good pony.”

The figure stopped pacing but he didn’t sit down neither

“You know about his past! We couldn’t even unravel that knotted history of his.” The figure conveyed surprise in his voice he was becoming less and less metallic with every passing minute.

“He used to be quite the bad pony, and who is we?” Black was hoping to get some information from the figure  but to no avail

“My associates and I, to remind you I’m the one asking the questions.” He was growing metallic once more. Dawn figured this pony for a minefield and it was best to thread lightly.

“Do they know what the Good Pony’s cutie mark is?” Dawn said not taking her eye’s off the wall behind the figure’s vacant seat, she was growing stoic and bored.

“Do enlighten me.” The figure came across as snide as was his nature.

“Bottlecaps, the son-of-a-bitch has caps as his cutie mark, that’s why he’s so rich and he didn’t make all that money helping ponies from the kindness of his heart neither.”

The figure took his seat once more “Do you know about anything the Good Pony done before he was the Good Pony?” this weariness made her grouchy.

“No, Trouble asked him a few things some advice I wasn’t there when he answered that though and some other things but at a price.” Dawn was getting drowsier she struggled to keep her focus.

“How much?”

“Half, Twenty Five thousand caps plus a few catches though.” She wearily said her energy reserves diminished.

“Tell me everything, what happened after you destroyed the raiders out at EverBright? What happened next?” The figure was keen for the story to resume Dawn on the other hand wasn’t. Darkness crept over her body her vision flickered the figure stoic in front of her began to fade he reached a hoof out the cold metal burning against Dawn’s skin as her head fell backward. She entered the void of her sub-conscious the last thing she remembered before she drifted off was the high pitched scrapping back of a chair and the figure saying to his invisible audience.

“We’ll resume in eight hours, no sir the ranger is the main threat.”

Dawn felt a sensation of falling, falling into her own body, everything unclear and hazy.

 A lone figure coming into focus but before that she realised she was paralyzed unable to move anything. she could see now was she was lying on her right side, her legs laying sprawled out in front of her, only her head seemed to move if only slightly.

 Everything around her was black, no lights. A slightly less dark area just in front of her. It was a staging area.  She seen shuffling in front of her when a pony came to light, only the pony and his aura so it seemed. Everything else was  eternal darkness, he spotted Dawn. His look went from steely alertness to grief when he laid eyes on her. Dawn could distinguish him. The look in his eyes made Dawn feel pity she didn’t know why she felt sorry for him. Maybe because he looked like he felt sorry for her.

An Earth pony not quite a colt but not quite a stallion either, an adolescent, small and red, he approached dawn and nuzzled her, jabbing her gently hoping for a response, Dawn’s body was limp yet she maintained consciousness.

Another pony entered the scene tall and fierce giving off an aura of darkness and shadow, literal shadow emanating from his very being glowing red eyes like the pits of hell, wielding a fierce jagged curved blade with menacing serrations along the outside designed for maiming and hacking and the point designed for impaling not piercing.

The small red pony turned to face this Shadow  for lack of a better phrase and began to kick at the solid  darkness beneath his hooves he stood upon. He was defending Dawn it seemed and all this time the only audible thing to Dawn was the sound of herself breathing. Inhaling and Exhaling, slowly, steadily and coldly.

The red pony looked Dawn in the face, sadness in his face and he shook his head slowly he was doomed. He charged at the Shadow a snarl on his face and a silent battle cry, he tackled the Shadow it was as if he hit a brick wall upon impact. He doubled over, the Shadow drew in closer to him. The red pony was on his back now, shuffling backwards on his elbows, frantic but yet he stopped a steely determination in his eyes.

Once the Shadow was in range he bucked it with all his might, it passed right through the Shadow’s neck hitting nothing. In retaliation the Shadow shot up to the small pony’s side and slashed his ribs blood and sinew were visible in this void. The blood that shot out must have flown 5 feet into the air he struck him with such force.

The blade itself was not stained it simply absorbed his blood the Shadow remaining stoic.

The small pony fell onto his side a silenced screaming pouring from his mouth a pained expression on his face. The pony looked at Dawn one last time his eyes desperate as they had been since he found her, his face now retaining the same sad expression he gazed up at the Shadow now towering over him, the Shadow stoic, sword in mouth looking upon his prey.

The small pony formed a fiercer snarl he bore his teeth and pounced the Shadow biting into its neck tearing away fibres of his being. Ripping the physical darkness that was this monstrosity. The Shadow hardly moved, instead he swung his neck and impaled the pony who was upon him.

The shadow Raised him high over its head the small pony’s mouth was agape. Eyes wide and blood pouring gently from his mouth life dissipating from the pony, his colour began to drain from his form he went from a bright scarlet red to a dull gray. His face from full of fear and animation to emotionless. This Shadow had sapped his very being into little more than a ragdoll it was somehow worse than death. The Shadow began to gaze aimlessly at her.

Black began to feel fear, until now she had only been a spectator of this horrendous battle, a third party. Now the Shadow turned its sights unto her. With a flick of its head it sent the gray ragdoll rolling across the Shadowy floor rolling like an inanimate rock to a halt, lifeless eyes gazing motionlessly into the void above.

The Shadow was drawing closer now, something about it seemed to crave for her  it had no face, no features, only the silhouette of a pony and those glowing red eyes and by fuck them ominous  Shadows leaking  from its body. Dawn could have sworn they were alive with their fluid motions.

The Shadow halted less than 6 paces from Dawn he took his eyes off his prey and looked over her paralyzed body Dawn seen a silver hoof come over her face and stamp firmly on the ground, a tower over her body another defender to stave off her demise. Inevitable demise.

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When Dawn awoke she felt as she had felt when she first awoke in this dark room. She was coming around now still in that chair when the heavy bulkhead door opened the figure walked in Dawn caught a glimpse of the outside it was brighter than bright mainly because she hadn’t seen daylight in Celestia knows how many days.

The figure shut the door shadow still shrouding his face, she felt a chill crawl up her spine as she remembered her dream. That haunting darkness.

“Ready to resume?” the figure said as he took his seat Dawn was still sluggish so she gingerly nodded her head and yawned

“Ya, know this is all unnecessary,” Dawn was getting tired of this room now.

 “We could easily do this some where more charming, like the beach or the executive lounge of the Royale casino in New Pegas.” She joked she was at the beach only once and it made her physically sick. But Trouble reassured her the sea was only like that near Germaney due to the waste they pump into it.

“I’m afraid Miss Black that is a risk we cannot afford to take, we cannot account for your ranger friend, we believe she is looking for you and as for Trouble, he has gone off the map.” The figure is starting to get friendly.

“What exactly do you mean he’s off the map?” Dawn was in a state of bewilderment if Watcher could find Trouble, any pony could.

The figure sighed “ You’re going to have a hard time finding a pony that doesn’t want to be found, no pony can find him and my associates and I aren’t stupid enough to chalk him down as K.I.A just yet.” He got that right if Dawn knew one thing Trouble was as hard as nails.

The figure jutted out his head and softly suggested something “Shall we resume?”  

Dawn nodded “We were just leaving the Canyon, the way Trouble came in, towards Dead Water...”

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Dawn walked in Trouble’s shadow her head was still ringing from the blast her legs felt as if they were going to give way under her, she hadn’t been injured had she? Everything ached and her vision was beginning to blur but it was hard to tell in this dark canyon, when she asked.

“Trouble I think I’m dying, help.” After this her fore hooves buckled Trouble snapped his head round and asked “Eh?” He came in close to her.

“Ya take a hit?” he was inspecting her for signs of injury.

Dawn shook her head, Trouble’s expression turned from serious and concerned to jovial he just laughed. Dawn seen his face it was sincere and filled with nostalgia.

“I remember my first time.” He chuckled to himself Dawn was confused the fuck did he mean?

“Whadda you mean?” Dawn was too weak to pronounce fully.

“When you’re in combat, adrenaline is induced. It is a naturally occurring pain killer and stimulant, it puts your body into overdrive and if your fighting for long enough it burns up your body don’t worry you sorta out grow it unless your fighting in a siege then it constantly runs out which is bad news,”

Trouble trailed off, Dawn was hardly listening to doctor Trouble’s speech on adrenaline. She only wanted to sleep.

“Well enough lecturing for one night we better set up camp you got a bedroll?” Trouble’s face going back to its usual grin for no apparent reason.

“Oh.” Dawn face hoofed she knew she was forgetting something.

Trouble sighed “Fuck it I’ll give ya mine for tonight we’ll see about getting ya one in Dead Water.”

Dawn in this state was very emotional. She felt overwhelmed by compassion. She had no idea why maybe it was all the shit that happened tonight. She was beginning to well up, this simple act  of generosity seemed to warm her heart.

“W-what about you.” She said her voice cracking

“Ah, sure I’ve slept on worse than rocks, besides kid ya dun good today.” He smiled at her and unrolled his sleeping bag it looked more comfortable than anything Dawn had seen where she grew up. He put out his hooves in a game show fashion all that was missing was a “Dun-dunna-dun!”

She dried her eyes and crawled up into it her cracked voice let out a weak “Thank you...” Trouble just nodded and laid his back against the wall of the canyon and let his head slouch.

Black drifted off. The day’s events fresh in her head and despite the fact she was nearly raped, enslaved and murdered it was a good day for her its hard to explain but now she had a guardian angel. Two actually Trouble with his combat prowess and the Watcher with his bank of knowledge. Her thoughts were focused on the watcher as she slept his advice Weapon, Armour, Guidance, Friends but she felt as if she was missing something a card short of a full deck.

She awoke half way through the night a noise stirring her, she looked over at Trouble he was talking in his sleep not quietly either this was full blown monologue “Traitor...nah can nay be, fuck them! they burned, sins, they had to be purged... she said so, the final card to be played ,was all mine...  but first, loose ends...”

Ssomething about this seemed terrifying to Dawn more terrifying than when Brick Jaw had her where he wanted her more terrifying than when they were in EverBright.

This was the pony’s very conscious at work without him even knowing his thought processes aloud she sincerely doubted his mental stability. How long had he been killing for a living? Trouble himself was unaware to this but he was drenched in cold sweat whatever was going on in his head was best known only to himself.

His sub-conscious had one final message before it departed and left him in the serenity of sleep

“As for the traitor they’ll see, everypony pays, we can’t fight that, not anymore...”

Everypony Pays...