Red Eye

Just hearing his name carried an eerie sense of dread. Who was this pony? Was he truly the leader of post-war Equestria?

“What he said can’t be true right? There is no leader…right?” I asked. I couldn’t believe it, if there was this hope the entire time then maybe it wouldn’t all be for nothing. Maybe my suffering would mean something…Equestria could be rebuilt.

“I wouldn’t call him the leader of Equestria…but he may be the best chance at actually rebuilding it.” Sunny said, with a tone I’d describe as respectful…loathing?

So, there was hope after all. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. After seeing the world for myself, I never thought I’d live to see it get better but now I knew that there was a chance.

“Though we should steer clear of his operation.” She continued.

“What? Why? Isn’t he trying to rebuild Equestria?” As the question left me, I remembered the expression Sunny had worn when she realized who she was hearing. She knew something I didn’t, something I wasn’t going to like.

“Yes, but not in the way that you think. Master Red Eye is a slaver. Probably the biggest slave trader in all of Equestria. His nation, his city and his industry they’re all built on the backs of slaves. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of them.”

“Oh…” It was too good to be true. It always was. Then that meant he was here to set something up, a new slave trade over the mountains maybe. I looked off toward the dark cliffs that separated Baltimare from the heartlands when a thought occurred to me. “Sunny…you called him ‘Master’ Red Eye…”

Sunny shuffled on her hooves and pulled her hat down over her face as if to hide from view. “Later…” I barely heard her whisper.

So my guess was correct. That was why she knew about him, about his plans and methods. That left us all in an uncomfortable silence, I had just revealed the strongest member of our group’s past as a slave or worse…a slaver. Whoever Sunny was then was clearly not the pony she was now. I trusted her no matter what and I knew that when she was ready, she would tell me everything.

Without a word I picked myself up and continued on our path to the Academy. The others, noticing that our time here was done, followed me just as silently.

This was a new level of difficulty for me as a bullet hit my flank just as I stumbled over a concrete divider in the middle of the street. Grim had taken to the air as a distraction to give us time to get behind cover from the three raiders across the street, who were on the roof of what looked like a three-story school whose name I couldn’t read. Aurora and Sunny were pinned behind a different divider a bit further down the street. Now we were stuck and forced to listen to the sound of gunshots, bullets chipping concrete and the occasional psychotic laugh from above. From the air I heard Grim cry out as a lucky bullet hit him in the belly, sending him careening onto the same roof as the raiders. For a brief second the bullets stopped as the raiders noticed a new plaything had fallen into their hooves. Even from the ground I could see the sick delight in their eyes as they turned, forgetting us to focus on their new, easy target. However, in that moment they lowered their guard and two of them were dropped by gunfire from Sunny and Aurora. The third had been mid jump to take cover when I caught her in a field of telekinesis, pulled her towards me and released the spell, causing her to fall three floors to her death as her skull came into contact with the concrete.

“GRIM!” I called, poking my head out of cover. The area looked clear but I had no way of knowing if there were any raiders inside. I no longer had an EFS but the others did. “Are there any more of them?”

“I count seven.” Sunny said, kicking the reload lever on her battle saddle. “Grim’s still alive but we need to get to him quick.”

There was no argument from me as I searched my bags for a weapon. What I found would serve me well. My memory from the night I found the soul orb was still fuzzy but I vividly remembered putting six bullets into Dusk Diver. The gun with which I did it now floated beside me, Azura’s heavy revolver. There wasn’t much ammo for it in my bags but so long as I could hit my targets every shot would do some damage. I loaded its six round cylinder and nodded for Sunny to take the lead.

“Stay close and watch our surroundings.” Sunny trotted to the school’s front doors and bucked them off their rusty hinges, rushing inside once it was clear. Aurora and I followed behind her and walked into the den of depravity. It was clear that raiders had called this place home for some time; the expected décor was on full display. The entrance area was large and circular, trimmed in orange and black decorations. Against the edges of the walls were several glass trophy cases that had long been pilfered of their awards and replaced. Instead of trophies there were severed heads, instead of sports uniforms there were bones, and instead of plaques there was what looked to be the rotting genitals of a stallion. As more and more time went on the more desensitized I had become to these scenes. What I wasn’t getting used to, however, was the smell. I had no idea how ponies could live like this, debased down to living like animals. They were the ones who had lost, who had let the wasteland win. This was the result of living, this was what we could all become, the worst possible future of ponykind. Red Eye may have had his eyes on a bright future built by the forced labor of others but wasn’t that a preferable outcome? Compared to this? I still didn’t know what to think, suddenly my part to play in the world seemed smaller than ever.

We had to make haste to the roof, following after Sunny as she stormed up the stairs to the left of the entrance hall, taking us up to the second floor. At the next landing we found a sign barely hanging onto the wall, pointing us towards roof access. Though the collapsed section of roof that cut off the hallway would make getting there problematic. I was on edge. Sunny had said she saw seven hostiles inside and so far, we had seen nothing from them. Only the bloody remains of their conquests to remind us that they had ever been here at all. I really missed my EFS, even having the vaguest idea of their positions was better than fumbling in the dark without a clue. As is if my thoughts had been broadcast for the world to hear, the door to my left was kicked open and a mare with bloodshot eyes dashed out and tackled me. I heard my gun clatter to the floor as we tangled together, fighting for the dominant position. Though she had me beat four to three legs and I soon found myself beaten. I was harshly pulled to my hooves, my body between her and my friends.

“Nopony fuckin’ move!” The mare cried in a high, shaky voice. The cold metal of a blade touched my cheek as she made a second demand. “Guns on the floor! Now! Or this fuck is getting’ slit!” I saw the blade curve, its point resting just in front of my eye.

“Fine.” Sunny raised her head away from her mouth bit and unfastened her battle saddle, letting it fall to the floor with a crash. Aurora very hesitantly followed suit, throwing my old gun into the pile of machinery that was Sunny’s saddle. Her expression was one I recognized, she was livid and I hoped she wasn’t going to try anything stupid.

“Good girls…” The raider mare hissed. “Bad judges of character though.” Immediately two more raiders appeared from the hallway behind Sunny, each armed with a club of some kind. Sunny took a hit right to the knee and dropped with a shout of pain. Aurora though, was quicker on her hooves and dodged the swing meant for her. She scrambled along the floor looking for anything that could help her against the stallion advancing on her, settling on a piece of jagged wood which she picked up in her mouth. The next swing at her came from a wild angle but she managed to just barely drop in time for it to sail over her head. As the raider stumbled from the powerful swing, Aurora was quick to act, ramming the jagged splinter of wood through one of his hind legs. Before I could see more, I was flung to the side, the mare still holding on to me as she tried to make good on her promise. I let my body go limp, the weight forcing us to the floor where the knife fell from her grasp. I couldn’t get to my hooves fast enough as the mare was already up before I could do anything. Even like this, I wasn’t helpless as I charged some magic into my horn. The mare before me made to kick me but was blasted off her hooves by a beam of concussive magic. It wasn’t as powerful as when I had used the Author’s power but it would do. While I had the chance, I called my fallen revolver to me and fired a round at the mare grappled with Sunny. Without SATS my aim was average at best but that turned out to be good enough as I watched the bullet hit her elbow joint and blow her leg off her body. With that done Sunny turned to help Aurora as my assailant recovered and broke a plank of wood on the back of my head. Before I could bring my revolver to bear, she slapped it out of my aura, sending it clattering down the hall once again. She smiled cruelly for a brief moment before she seemed to remember that I was a unicorn, though I didn’t use it to my advantage in the way she expected. I lowered my head and charged her as fast as I could. The mare must have not expected me to try something so reckless as she stood still, unsure of what to do as I threw my head up and pierced her neck with my horn. She fell to the floor, hooves grasping at her throat as blood sputtered through them. From down the hall I heard a muffled crunch, turning to see the stallion that tried to hit Aurora had his head twisted at a grotesque angle, Sunny standing behind him. That left the now legless mare at our mercy.

“Fuck fuck fuck.” She muttered, struggling to stand, slipping on her own blood. Sunny grabbed her tail in her mouth, pulled her to the top of the stairs and shoved. The mare tumbled down the stairs and came to a rest at the bottom, unmoving.

“Everypony alright?” I asked, retrieving my revolver for the second time.

“I’ll be fine.” Sunny was favoring her uninjured foreleg, telling me that she wasn’t fine but would endure.

“All good dad.” Aurora recovered her gun as well, also stopping to help Sunny strap her battle saddle back on. That was three down and four to go but first we had to find a path to the roof. We knew there had to be one somewhere, how else would the raiders have gotten up there? We took a long path around through several hallways, sometimes having to slip through an abandoned classroom and that’s where the nightmares began to blossom. One of the classrooms, a science class perhaps, was filled with overgrown plants, plants that had clearly found nourishment in the bodies that had fallen here. It was a disturbing sight to say the least, to see a bush with colorful flowers growing from several skeletons huddled in the corner. Half of the wall where a chalkboard would have been had fallen and allowed us to pass to the next room over, getting us passed the first obstacle.

The room we were in now was worse for wear than the other. On bookshelves that lined the walls were piles of dust and mulch that must have once been books. The only paper in the room that held up was the laminated posters on the wall and even then, they were in rough shape. One poster next to the largest bookshelf showed a rainbow arcing over a six-pointed star which themselves were hovering over a green meadow full of happy foals reading books. The black letters over the rainbow read ‘Reading is Magic!’ There was one other in the room that was still mostly legible but it didn’t seem to relate to education at all. It was almost as large as the bookshelf it was near, though half of the laminate had peeled off, destroying about half of the poster. What I could still make out read ‘Sparkle World! Equestria’s Family Vacation Destination!’ below the text was what looked like a roller coaster track winding around a mountain of fizz. Everything else was too damaged to make out. I stood there for a moment, waiting for my PipBuck to ping and potentially mark this ‘Sparkle World’ on my map…I still wasn’t used to not having it. I don’t think I ever would. I’d had it since the day I got my cutie mark. I wouldn’t expect wasteland born ponies to understand but a PipBuck was an important part of every stable dweller’s life. Not having it disconnected me from that life as if I had never even had it and that’s why I would never get used to not having it. Because I didn’t want to.

“C’mon dad, we’re in a hurry remember?” Aurora shoved me towards the door and out into the hallway, putting us on the other side of the section of roof that had collapsed. Now all we had to do was follow the hall until we found the roof access. Where were the other four hostiles Sunny had seen? Sunny seemed to have found the way, picking up her speed and trotting ahead. I followed after her with Aurora behind me when a crunching sound came from under me. I didn’t have time to register what was happening as the floor beneath me gave way. I fell through to the floor below, landing shoulder first on an aging desk that crumpled to pieces under my weight, sending old wooden splinters and dust into my face and mane. My body screamed in agony as my already hurt body was punished even further. I groaned loudly, hacking up a mouthful of blood in the process. Getting up was out of the question but what else could I do? My friends needed me and I refused to be a burden on anypony so I had no choice but to force it.

“Dad! Dad are you okay!?” Aurora’s head peeked over the edge of the hole above me, followed shortly by Sunny’s.

I tried to open my mouth and say something but all that came out was a pained groan.

“Hold on! We’re coming to get you!” Aurora yelled into the hole, turning tail and heading towards the stairs.

“No…” I managed to get out. “No time, get Grim…be alright.” I wheezed, pushing through the ache in my shoulder and slowly getting up on my hooves.

“Right.” Sunny said, grabbing Aurora’s tail in her mouth and dragging her away.

“Wait! No stop it! Sunny wait!” I heard Aurora cry, her pleas getting quieter as she was taken away to get to the roof.

I needed more time to rest. I’d got to my hooves before more or less on willpower to show that they could go on without me. Now that they were gone, I collapsed back onto the floor and waited for the throbbing pain to subside. I cracked one eye open and figured I’d try to find out where I was. Besides the remains of the desk I had crashed through, there were several clipboards hung on the wall, mysteriously the only objects in the room that seemed intact and an empty frame that long ago contained a painting. Through now it framed a safe that had been hidden behind the painting once. The rest of the room was unremarkable, at least from my angle. Above me was an indent that I assumed was for a window, maybe which would give me an idea just where I was. I laid there for another minute or so before forcing myself to try and stand. My good shoulder protested once I put my weight on it but still I managed to get up. Through the window I saw a large open room with a number of long tables, some flipped up onto their sides, others covered with filth from the school’s current occupants. It wasn’t easy to spot such details since the only source of light was coming from the hole I just fell through. Though from what I could see, I could tell I was in the cafeteria. More specifically cafeteria administration I assumed, yet something seemed off about it. It was more than the uneasiness I normally felt around raiders, and that put my whole body on alert. Something was wrong and I was in no condition to deal with it, whatever it may be. In the darkness and shadow I swore I saw something moving around. I needed to get out of this room as fast as I could, something was in here and I didn’t think it was a raider.

I crept as quietly as I could out of the office and into the cafeteria proper, careful to stick close to the counters. I couldn’t hear anything besides the thundering of my heart in my ears and that did little to settle my nerves. I continued until I reached the end of the counter, about ready to stick my head out when I put my hoof in something wet. I slowly looked down at the floor and saw that I had stepped in a pool of blood. Not far from it, was a raider mare who had her throat torn out by something. It almost looked like whatever had done it did so with its teeth. Panic shot through my body like a rocket, it took all of my strength to keep my breathing in check as I quietly dashed from my cover and slunk against the wall, hoping to hug it until I found an exit. My eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness but not enough to see what was lurking in the room, if there was anything at all. The sense of dread that had been building since I’d gotten up lessened when I finally made it to a set of large double doors. However, that dread returned when I pushed on them and noticed they had been blocked from the other side. I pushed and pushed, enough to crack the doors to see that they had been chained shut. Something was trapped in here with me, something that killed that raider, something the rest of them had been afraid of.

I turned away from the doors and peered into the darkness, hoping to the goddesses above that I was alone. I had made too much noise trying to force the doors open, if something was in here with me it knew where I was now. I couldn’t stop hyperventilating, every step I took echoed throughout the room with deafening sound, broadcasting to all that I was there. In front of me I heard a ragged breath from somepony nearby, sounding more like a hiss than breathing. I knew of one creature that made that sound; I was locked in here with a feral ghoul! When it turned around and acknowledged me, I saw that I had been wrong. The left half of the things head had already been blown off by something, leaving it caked in dried blood. Its fur was full and it had no open lesions that I normally associated with ghouls. Yet it still stood despite the fatal looking wound to its head and snarled once it locked its eye on me. It wasn’t a ghoul, it was a bleeder! It leapt over a table between us and homed in on me like a creature possessed, closing on me at a speed I couldn’t match. As it approached, I threw myself to the floor just in time for it to crash into the double doors of the room, hitting it hard but not hard enough to force it open. It recovered faster than should have been possible for something that just ran head first into a pair of doors. It was almost as if bleeders couldn’t feel pain at all and given its lack of half a head that may well have been the case. I levitated out my gun and sent two rounds into its chest, each shot only slowing it down as it kept charging like it hadn’t even noticed. I ducked under one of the tables in my retreat, hoping that its eagerness to get to me would slow it down. Though the same applied to me as I found difficulty in getting under it in the first place. The bleeder lashed at me with its hooves, struggling to force itself under the table after me, it’s single-mindedness to do so was its own undoing. Once it was wedged between the table top and the bench, I made my move and crawled to the edge of the table, popping out from under it. I trotted as fast as I could away from the bleeder, looking for anything I could use to either kill it or force the doors open. I staggered back the way I came, ducking behind the counter where the food would have been served, forgetting any attempts at stealth. In my hurry I knocked over a metal canister of some kind. However, I found just what I was looking for on it. On its dirty metal surface was the decal of a flame and a warning. It was full of flammable gas. I could use it to either hopefully blow the door open or to stop the bleeder. It was a gamble and I was risking a lot if I failed but the bleeder left me little options as it yanked itself out from under the table. I had only one shot and I had to make it count.

Once I heard its hooves hitting the floor, I stood up and lobbed the canister towards it. Once it was in the air, I levitated my pistol up and hoped that my shot would find the target. A loud *bang* echoed through the cafeteria, followed by an explosion that rocked the room, raining bits of wood and dust down from the ceiling, throwing me into the air and into the wall behind me. Wherever my friends were they definitely heard that. I hit the wall head first and crashed down to the floor, once again landing on my already wounded shoulder. My ears were ringing and black spots danced in front of my eyes, just waiting to drag me back into the abyss. I really hoped that worked, otherwise if the bleeder found me it’d find easy prey. It was an uphill battle just to keep my eyes open, let alone even try to stand but after what felt like minutes no retribution came from the bleeder. I could only hope that it was dead or I had crippled it enough that it couldn’t move. I wouldn’t know for a while since movement was out of the question. Maybe a little nap wouldn’t hurt. Maybe some rest was just what I needed. Whether those were my own thoughts or not didn’t seem to matter as my eyes closed on their own and I was whisked away into the black.

No matter how much time goes by I will never get used to the darkness of my mind. I stood yet again on the precipice of oblivion, just waiting to see who or what would arrive to torment me.

“Glum sort of fellow, aren’t you?” A deep, reverberating voice asked from everywhere. A voice I had heard before. “You can’t just stand there and wait for them to find you. You have to look yourself or else you won’t find anything.”

“You didn’t seem to have any trouble finding me.” I said, speaking to the disembodied voice.

“It’s hardly the same. I can find you anywhere. All I have to do is want to.”

“You…you aren’t like the others.” There were times here I spoke to ghosts of the dead or pieces of souls bound to the world but there was something different about this one.

“You mean like them?” I heard a snapping sound and then the three statuettes I had collected appeared in the air before me. “Or maybe him?” Another snap and the statuettes vanished to be replaced by Hearts Promise. The ghostly face of Fancy Pants shimmered in the air a moment before it too was snapped away.

“Yes, something like that.” I hesitated a moment, unsure of what to say to it. “Why…why are you here?”

“Do I have to have a reason? I can’t just be along for the ride like the others? Maybe I’m just curious. Maybe I’m just bored. Doesn’t matter either way, I just came to tell you something.”

“O-oh?”

“When the grey light rises, turn your back on the dreamer and steal his world away.” A pair of yellow eyes with red pupils appeared in front of me and almost shoved me back with their intensity. As I stumbled back, I felt something poke me on the nose.

I awoke with a jump, throwing myself onto my hooves so fast that I almost fell over again. I could still feel the spot on my nose that had been poked, I also felt that my pain had lessened to the point that it was almost gone. How long had I been out? I ventured out past the counter to see that, judging by the blast, it hadn’t been long at all. Not nearly as long as it should have taken to feel this good. The voice…it told me something once. What did it tell me? Its name? Why was I having trouble remembering?

~It’d be best if we don’t associate with the likes of him~

So, it’s your doing then?

~He is trying to alter the path. I’m only looking out for us~

Sure, you’re a regular folk hero.

~Once…perhaps. Now I am only what you know…if only I could control my body~

Well this body is mine so don’t get any ideas.

~You misunderstand. We share this body Starborn. Deny it, run from it or ignore it if you must but you will come to understand that you are just as much me as I am you~

The Author’s presence vanished once more, having said what he wanted and departed within. I shook my head to finish clearing his voice when I spotted what was left of the bleeder. The explosion had done a number to its body but what was most interesting was what had fallen out of its now pulverized brain cavity. On the floor was an orb, a memory orb if I was not mistaken. Only it was tainted somehow. Similar to the Authors orb there was a magic energy swirling just under its surface. The orb itself was pale blue in color and the magic inside was black, swirling into itself endlessly. It didn’t look as strong as the Author’s orb and I was fairly certain it didn’t contain a being. Something in this orb was what gave the bleeder its abilities. It had to be. It was in its body and without it the bleeder ceased to be. I was careful to pick up the orb with my hoof instead of my magic and secure it in my saddlebags. Now I just had to devise a plan for getting out of this room. Shame there wasn’t a second canister around here somewhere, I could have definitely used it to blow the doors open. As it was, I wandered the room looking for anything, a crowbar or perhaps even another exit I might have overlooked. I was never the lucky sort unfortunately, turning up nothing after roughly five minutes of searching. What I did end up finding, however, held a small chance at freedom. The roof in the far corner was sagging down, a faint trickle of water leaking through. I didn’t have much to lose by trying so I charged up a spell and blasted the sagging portion of the roof. It collapsed with comically little effort, dumping all the water it had been holding back into the cafeteria, splashing my hooves in the process. The rest of it fell in just the perfect way, forming a ramp for me to ascend to the next floor. Maybe I could be the lucky sort after all.

I shuffled up my improvised ramp which took me up into a semi flooded bathroom. The sink closest to me had been smashed, the pipes bent and cracked, spewing tiny pressurized jets of irradiated water into the room. To my left were dark green bathroom stalls, remarkably holding up better than the rest of the room. On the wall next to the door was something I never knew I’d be so happy to see. The pink and yellow colors of a medical box. I tried my hoof at prying it open only to discover it was locked. I would not be deterred, instead opting to jam Hearts Promise in the small gap under the lid, forcing the rusty lock open with a metallic snap. Inside was just what I needed, a healing potion. I downed the bottles contents without a second thought, thankful for the warm feeling that radiated through my body. It wasn’t enough to get me back to one hundred percent but it would keep me going for a while. I grabbed what was left from the box, some bandages and a bottle of disinfectant, and ventured out into the hallway. I had no idea where I was relative to where I needed to be, the lack of a PipBuck reminding me how much I had relied on it in the past. Without any ideas I started to wander, hoping that I’d find the way to the roof or that my friends would find me.

The tiles of the floor had lost their shine, this place of learning broken into a hollow reminder of what had once been. More orange and black streamers hung from the walls, slowly disintegrating into piles of multicolored rot. I kept walking until I came to a wooden door with shards of glass at its base, the decorative panes having long ago fallen out and shattered. On the wall to the right of it was a plaque that was too worn to read. Though if I had to guess I’d say it was the principal’s office. I pressed the door open, careful to avoid the glass shards as I stepped into the room. It was pretty bare bones compared to what I was expecting. Three filing cabinets rested along the left wall and against the right wall was a red couch with fading gold painted wood trim. The back wall once held a large window, now just a square hole looking out at the twisted metal that remained of a playground in the next lot. In front of said ‘window’ was a simple wooden desk decorated with old picture frames, the pictures themselves too washed-out to be recognized, and a terminal. Even the chair behind the desk was simple, just a wooden chair without wheels. This spoke of the principal’s humility of their position…or a serious lack of funding. Curiosity got the better of me as it always did, making me sit in the chair and look at the terminal. If it was locked then there would be nothing I could do without my PipBuck. It was time to see if my luck was a fluke or not. I pressed one of the keys to find that it was unlocked and the screen currently showed an entry detailing the principal’s worries.

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That’s all that was there. The last days of a principal who was going to be fired for making sure the kids in his care were happy. Only there was no drill. That was his last day. The Last Day. Curiosity came with its own drawbacks same as anything else.

I abandoned the office soon after, making my way down the second hallway which eventually looped back to the hole I fell through. From there it was easy to find the roof access corridor but there was a worry in the back of my mind. After all this time they should have found Grim and patched him up. So what was taking so long? I slowly climbed the stairs to the roof and threw open the door. My fears were put to rest when I saw Aurora and Sunny crouched over Grim’s prone form.

“Glad you could make it. This one here fought me the whole way.” Sunny nodded her head towards Aurora, who in turn gave Sunny a nasty look.

“I should have fought harder. What happened dad? We heard an explosion.”

I walked over to them and gave them what I had left in terms of medical supplies before I sat down next to them. “That was me. There was a bleeder locked in the cafeteria with me.”

“A bleeder?” Sunny picked her head up, looking concernedly at me. “There shouldn’t be any bleeders in this part of the city.” She said it with such certainty and unease that I couldn’t help but be put on edge.

“Why’s that?” Aurora asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. “And what’s a bleeder?”

“They shouldn’t be here. In the last three years that they started appearing they’ve kept to the outskirts, harassing caravans but never making it this far into the city.”

“It was locked inside, maybe the raiders brought it here?” I interposed, trying to convince Sunny of other possibilities. Though I didn’t have much luck on that front. Sunny often knew the most between us, if she thought this was strange then it likely was.

“What’s a bleeder?” Aurora asked again, impatience tinging her voice.

“I doubt it, they don’t sleep, they don’t eat and they can’t be knocked out. It would be too much trouble to try and capture one.”

“So, you’re saying that-”

“That this one came from elsewhere. Somewhere inside the city.”

“What’s a bleeder!?” Aurora shouted, getting both our attentions. Sunny turned to acknowledge the irate filly but was stopped by the sound of hooves climbing the stairs to the roof.

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!” A dark green raider mare screamed as she came flying out onto the roof. Hot on her hooves were two bleeders, blood ran down their faces and their teeth were bared. The mare made it an additional three steps before catching her hoof on a bit of rubble and falling. Immediately the bleeders were on her and began tearing her apart.

“Those are.” Sunny said, her voice low and frantic. She scooped Grim up onto her back but she had nowhere to go. The only way out was back down the stairs and in-between they and we were two bleeders tearing a mare apart.

“Dad?” Aurora whimpered, her gun shaking in her hooves.

“Stay behind me Aurora.” I nudged her with my hoof, putting myself between her and them.

“We have to move, NOW!” Sunny wasn’t going to wait for them to finish as she bolted past us as fast as she could on her injured leg and took her chances at making it to the stairs. She almost made it when one of the bleeders happened to look up and spot her. It quickly abandoned its fallen prey and stood to stop her and Grim.

“NO!” I cried, lobbing a chunk of concrete with my magic into the bleeder’s face. It fell with a thud but it wouldn’t stay down for long. The second bleeder had just raised its head and noticed us as I pulled Aurora with me down the stairs after Sunny. The chase was on now. I trusted Sunny to get us where we needed to be, so I followed her closely with Aurora in tow. The thundering of hooves behind me spurred me on as fast as my legs could carry me, but it wasn’t fast enough. I felt something grab me by the tail and yank hard. My momentum stopped moving forward as I was thrown to the ground a foot away from the hole I had fallen through before.

“DAD!” Aurora shrieked, Sunny and her having just cleared the hole and seeing that I had fallen behind her. Aurora carefully lined up a shot and put a bullet through the head of one of the bleeders. All that did was get its attention. The bleeder turned, blood dribbling from the hole in its forehead, not inconvenienced in the slightest now that it had new prey in its sights. It was about to rush her and as soon as I saw movement I reached out with my magic and swept its legs out from under it. The bleeder that had my tail released it and sunk its teeth into my hind leg, thrashing its head back and forth, trying to rend the flesh from my bone.

“RUN!” I screamed, using what strength I had left to shove the bleeder in front of me into the hole. It wasn’t a solution as I had already made a path out of the formerly locked room but anything that would give us a temporary reprieve from the two monsters was worth doing. Aurora just stood there frozen, watching helplessly as I battled with the remaining bleeder. “GO NOW!” I screamed at her again, shoving her with a burst of magic. I could see the confliction on her face but she recognized the severity of the situation and turned the other direction with Sunny and ran. The bleeder clamped onto my leg wasn’t having any luck getting through my armor, but that did little to help as the force of the bite was still splitting the flesh beneath. I gritted my teeth and shouted through the pain, rooting around my bag to find what I was looking for. I withdrew Hearts Promise and forced it through the bleeder’s temple. It was enough to stop it from thrashing at least, though it would take more to get it off. With it holding still I was able to levitate my gun out and put two bullets into its head. The first shot went through its eye and blew out the back of its head, yet still it fought. The second shot went low and blew its lower jaw off, freeing me from its grasp. Though it wasn’t dead yet. It got to its hooves faster than I did, giving me a full view of its destroyed body. Its tongue hanging limply from its throat and Hearts Promise jutting from the side of its head. It didn’t seem to know that it couldn’t bite me anymore but that didn’t stop it from crashing into me and pinning me against a rusty row of lockers. I held it at bay for as long as I could but I knew that my strength would give out soon. I resisted as best as I could, its wild hoof swings getting lucky and finding purchase in my ribs. I coughed up a spray of blood into its mangled face and that’s when I knew I was done for. Before I could hit the ground, I heard an angry yell to my left.

“GET AWAY FROM MY DAD!” Aurora was charging down the hallway, her expression furious as she jumped into the air. She used her momentum to grab Hearts Promise and used it to swing herself around the bleeder’s head, cleanly separating the top half of its skull from the rest of its body. The bleeder was dead before it hit the floor, the anchor that kept it alive freed. Aurora was breathing heavily, her expression still holding barely contained fury. It took her another moment to calm down, her breathing slowing and her expression softening.

“Are you alright dad?” She asked, looking down at my hind leg and seeing the blood soaking through my armor. “You’re hurt.”

In our haste we had left the medical supplies I’d found on the roof, a mistake I wished I hadn’t made.

“I’ll survive.” I said breathlessly, trying to stand on my own. It took until Aurora helped me to get up, the pain in my hind leg sharp but manageable.

“We should keep moving.” Aurora pointed out, moving to help support my wounded leg. “Sunny has the bandages, we just have to make it to her.”

I limped slowly down the stairs to the entrance hall, Aurora making sure I didn’t fall, as we spotted Sunny waiting for us.

“You told her to come save me, didn’t you?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re welcome.” Sunny carried Grim through the entrance and led us back out onto the road we’d been on before, leaving one bleeder trapped inside…for now. Once we were a safe distance from the school, we stopped to patch ourselves up. Grim had been unconscious this whole time after crashing into the roof, thankfully Sunny had stopped the bleeding from the bullet in his belly by the time I found them. He and I were in rough shape with only Aurora escaping injury. Sunny’s injury was minor and she insisted we take care of ourselves first. Suddenly I had an idea of why she had so many scars. Grim needed the last potion we had and I needed the bandages I found earlier for my leg.

“Wait.” Sunny said, stopping me from giving Grim the last potion. “We have to get the bullet out.”

“Right.” I affirmed, stowing the potion away for when we got it out.

“You’re up.”

“What!? Me? I don’t have any medical training.”

“Neither do I but look at me, what do you expect me to do with these?” Sunny held up her hooves, showing me just how precise this sort of thing had to be. I wasn’t a doctor, but I was a unicorn and it was the best option we had. I was an average unicorn in terms of magical versatility, my arsenal of spells quite small compared to some, but thanks to my job back in the Stable I had become quite precise with the spells I did know. The hard part would be locating the bullet. It was incredibly difficult to use telekinesis on something the caster can’t see and I was no different. If I wasn’t careful, I could really hurt him. Why was it the doctor who had to be injured? I took a moment to psych myself up, wrapping my horn in its pale glow. Sunny held the wound open as best she could without aggravating it, leaving me with only the vaguest idea of where the bullet was. I began to probe into the wound, following the path of the bullet as gently as I could. Grim moaned as I went deeper, blood beginning to well up from my searching. It was getting bad; I was losing focus as the flow of blood interfered with my magic and to make matters worse Grim wouldn’t stop moving. With one last push I felt an obstruction, grabbed it, and pulled it out. Floating in front of me was the squashed remnant of a bullet.

“That went well.” I sighed, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

“Whatever you say ‘Doc’” Sunny rolled her eyes and went to work patching up the bleeding bird. “Next time, a little finesse wouldn’t hurt.”

“Fuck you.” I smiled, unable to hold back a small chuckle. Sunny smiled back, something that was nice to see on her.

“He’ll be out for a bit; the potion is working but he hit the deck pretty hard.” Sunny bent down and lifted Grim up onto her back. “I’ll just have to carry him for a while.”

“Are you sure you’re up for it? Your leg-”

“Is better than yours. I’ll be fine Sparks. I’ve endured worse than this.”

I nodded, letting her have her way for now. I didn’t want to think about what else she might have endured.

“How much further do we have to go?” Aurora asked. She was just a little impatient and understandably anxious to get to our destination.

“Not far now.” Sunny said through her teeth, muscling through the pain in her leg. “Last time we skirted the city, this shortcut we took saved us a lot of time, even with the setbacks.”

I had been hesitant to cut through the city to begin with, especially considering how little I knew about it but I couldn’t deny that the time we saved was worth it. Within the hour Grim began to stir, coming back to consciousness and getting off Sunny’s back.

“Why am I so sore?” He cradled his belly, the wound still wrapped in bloody bandages.

“That would be me.” I magically tossed him the bullet I had dug from his guts. “It wasn’t easy but I think I did alright for my first time.”

“You didn’t.”

“Your welcome.”

Now that Grim was back up, we only had to find some supplies to get us all back in working order. Though when that would be was in the goddesses’ hooves now.

In only a few short hours’ time we made it to the north peninsula of Horseshoe Bay, approaching the wrought iron fence and gate of the Equestrian Naval Academy, home of the Steel Rangers.

One of the two power armored guards at the gate noticed our approach and blocked us before we could get any closer.

“Halt! That’s close enough outsider. I don’t know what your business is but you’d better take it somewhere else, otherwise I’ve been authorized to use lethal force.” Barked a stallion’s voice, the large minigun mounted to his side beginning to spin.

“I’d like to speak to Crusader Freesia.” I said, holding my ground in the face of his threat.

“What business do you have with her?” The stallion’s voice seemed to lose some of it edge and his weapon winded down.

“I have a delivery to complete. She brought back a robot some time ago, a robot that I have the activation key to.”

“Surrender it. Now.” The other ranger added, this voice a husky mare’s voice.

“I will surrender it to Freesia or your elder. Nopony else.” I wasn’t going to back down, not now.

“I’m going to count to five. If you haven’t surrendered the item in question by then you will face execution. Do you understand?” The mare leveled a long-barreled rifle at me, her voice promised that she would follow through.

“One.” I started for her, scowling at the brazenness of her threats.

“Two.” She continued.

“What are you doing Sparks?” Grim asked, his voice losing its cool.

“Negotiating.” I replied with a calm smile.

“Three…Four…Fi-”

“Knight Ginger! Stand down immediately!” An elderly stallion yelled from the entrance of the academy. He looked furious.

“E-elder Lions I- I was just-” The knight known as Ginger sputtered as the Elder came marching towards her.

“Standing down?” He finished for her. “Get inside. You’re relieved from guard duty. Report to the drydock for the rest of the day. Tell Scribe Tripwire I sent you.”

“B-but sir, I-” Ginger continued to try and talk her way out of this but judging by the look on the Elder’s face he wasn’t having it. He simply raised any eyebrow and that was enough to silence her. “Yes Elder.” Ginger bowed her head slightly and started walking back into the academy.

“I’m terribly sorry you had to see that.” The Elder bowed in a gesture of greeting. Now that I got a closer look, I could see he was wearing deep blue robes with gold and white trim on the edges. His mane was gray as was his medium length beard, though if that was natural or from age I did not know, and his coat was similar in color to mine. “Welcome to the Equestrian Naval Academy or, as we have come to call it, the Bastion. I am Elder Atrox Lions and you must be the ponies Freesia told me about. Though your arrival is far later than anticipated.”

I bowed back, careful not to topple over. “You’ll have to forgive me. My own affairs went on longer than I’d have liked.”

“I can see that.” He pointed to the collar around my neck. “And no need to be so formal. I may be Elder of this contingent but you are an outsider and thus owe me nothing. Now please follow me.” He turned and began leading us into the Bastion. Elder Lions wasn’t anything like I expected him to be. After all my previous interactions with the rangers, Brass Tacks and Ginger, I thought he’d be more…imposing. Though I was still on my guard, the warning given by Blackhawk returning to the forefront of my mind. Once we reached the doors, I could see that the way in was blocked by a huge piece of metal…almost like a Stable door. Elder Lions hit a button on a nearby intercom box and spoke. “Raise the gate.”

“Yes Elder.” Came the quick response of an eager sounding mare. The gate rose and was moved back, held aloft by a crane that rested behind a second perimeter wall. In front of us was a pair of regular doors, each with a guard beside them, which led through the second wall into the Bastion proper. Once we passed through those doors we were led into an open courtyard and were immediately assaulted by activity. Ponies trotted to and fro, carrying out their duties with machine-like efficiency. There were ponies in power armor, normal armor and red robes similar to the Elder’s in design. The Bastion was a hive of activity, far more than I thought probable, though at the same time it somehow felt…empty. There was an improvised shooting range set up to the left and to the right seemed to be an obstacle course.

“This is the training yard.” Elder Lions explained. “Squires and Initiates come here to learn the art of combat from the senior Paladins and others may use it to keep their skills sharp.” From the courtyard I could see four buildings on the grounds, all of which were surrounded by a single wall. The first of the three building was directly behind the training yard, looking to be the largest and the center of all activity inside the Bastion. The other two, one off to the right and another off to the left were of similar size but for now they would remain a mystery. The last structure was a bit more interesting. It was on the shoreline and there was a building like the other two attached to the side of a large enclosed drydock. The doors to the inside of the drydock were currently closed. They must have been salvaging old world boats, the scrapped remains of some could be seen littering the shoreline.

“Wow…” Aurora said, looking around at the scale of the operation. “How many ponies live here?” She asked with a starry-eyed expression.

“Not enough…” I barely heard the Elder mutter.

“What?” Aurora asked, having not heard.

“I said outsiders have no need of such information.” Now he sounded more like I expected. Though I couldn’t blame him for keeping secrets. He started taking us to the building on the left, where a number of ponies in the red robes scrambled back and forth. “Head inside. I have some other matters to attend to. Find High Scribe Quillwright and he will take it from there. I will join you if I can.” Elder Lions left us at the door as he turned and headed towards the middle building.

“Guess we better go inside.” Sunny said bluntly, shoving the door open and ushering us inside. The first floor held several long tables piled high with scrap. Ponies in light armor and robes stood on either side of the tables using what components they could salvage to repair the equipment they had or, on some other tables, make something completely new. On our way in we passed three power armored figures heading out, the one in the middle had a more ornate looking armor and looked to be in the middle of telling a story.

“That reminds me.” The ornately armored stallion started. “Have you ever heard the story of how Applejack go her cutie mark?”

“For the last time, yes. There’s a copy of the founder’s biography in the codex. Please stop telling us stories.” The exasperated voice of a mare came out of the armor to the right.

“How’d we get stuck with escorting him?” An equally annoyed voice of a young stallion said from his position on the left. They passed us by without incident and we went deeper into the building. It didn’t take long to find who we were looking for. Near the back wall looking at a row of terminals was a middle-aged stallion in robes that were the same design as Elder Lions’ but the trim was silver and the robes were red like the others. We approached him and he eyed us warily from behind his glasses.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of outsiders traipsing around my laboratory?” His fur was red and his mane was a dark shade of gray.

“Elder Lions told us to find you. You’re Quillwright correct?” I had no doubt this was the pony but I just wanted to affirm.

“Scribe. Quillwright.” He said firmly, putting emphasis on his title. “Yes, Crusader Freesia mentioned something about outsiders bringing us something of value and she swore on her oath that we could trust you. Though I don’t know why she bothered negotiating at all. Ten years ago, we’d have simply liberated it from your possession.”

“And if we refused?” Sunny stepped a bit closer, challenging the notion.

“Your compliance wouldn’t have been a factor. Though that time has passed. Lions saw to that. Now, what is it you have to offer us?” Quillwright seemed annoyed about something but given his disposition it would be hard to guess exactly what that was.

“Do you recall the robot that Crusader Freesia salvaged for you?”

“The prototype Assaultron that looked like our Ministry Mare? Had a crashed spell matrix and some minor damage to its chassis if I recall. Useless thing, it needs a special component to activate…” A twinkle of recognition appeared in his eyes. “…a component that you have.” He said, lining up the pieces fairly quickly. “In that case follow me.”

“Not so fast Scribe.” I said, stopping him in his tracks. “I have some conditions.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and I can offer something else as well.” I said, digging for the device we went all the way back to the Crater for, holding it out with my magic for him to see.

“A terminal spike? Now where did you get something like that?” He rubbed his chin with a hoof, pondering aloud.

“From Elder Lions, for recovering Paladin Sureshot’s tags.”

“That was you then? Quite the mercenary type, aren’t you? Though I must say, poor bargaining position offering something that was ours to begin with.”

Before anything more could be said, a distant booming sound rocked the floor beneath us.

“W-what was that!?” Aurora squeaked, panicked by the suddenness of danger. Above us an intercom crackled to life.

“The south wall has been breached! Knights and Paladins prepare to defend the Bastion! Scribes lockdown the laboratory and drydock! Our technology must stay out of their hooves, stop them by any means necessary!”

“We’re under attack? From whom!?” It was clear that Quillwright had not expected something like this and after having seen the Bastion myself I had to agree. “Scribes initiate lockdown protocol, Code Bravo. All combat personnel gather your equipment and prepare for battle.”

I looked back towards my friends, each one seeming to pick up my meaning and nodded. Despite our injuries and low supplies, we were going to help in the defense of the Bastion. We all checked our gear and I’m pretty sure I saw Sunny swipe something off one of the tables.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Quillwright growled, watching us prepare ourselves.

“Combat personnel prepare for battle. That’s what you said.” I retorted, making sure my pistol and rifle were loaded.

“You are not Steel Ranger personnel. I forbid you from fighting.”

“I’m not Steel Ranger personnel, I don’t take orders from you Quillwright. C’mon let’s get out there.” I led my crew out the door, behind a squad of power armored ponies.

“It’s Scribe Quillwright!” I heard him yell over the thundering of armored hooves before being drowned out. We followed the others closely, letting them take us right into the fight.

“Are you sure this is a good idea!?” Grim had to scream to be heard over the charge.

“No!”

“Then what the fuck are we doing!?” Grim never got an answer as we cleared the south building and saw the scene before us. Something had brought down a twenty-foot portion of the south wall and ponies were pouring in. Where had they come from? We were on a peninsula so they had to have come by sea. Before I could think anything else a rocket struck the ground near me. The ranger next to me took the brunt of the hit but I was still thrown to the ground as the other ranger unleashed explosive hell into the breach. Sunny stopped and bent down to help me back up before giving me something.

“Here.” She tossed me what she had taken from the lab. A radio. Once that was done, she kicked a lever on her battle saddle and dashed off to join the fighting. Aurora stayed by me and Grim jumped into the skies. I saw a ranger on the battlefield notice Grim and take aim at him with his rifle. I quickly grabbed the radio and spoke, hoping that they all shared the same frequency.

“Friendly griffin in the air, I repeat, friendly griffin. Hold your fire.”

The ranger lowered his weapon and charged forward. “Copy that.” I heard a deep voice respond. I sighed a breath of relief and turned my attention back to the fight.

The ponies coming through the wall were supported by a number of combat model robots, giving them a chance against the rangers. Though it hardly seemed to make a difference as the rangers preferred tactic seemed to be overwhelming firepower. Unicorns held up shields for as long as they could before a cluster of grenades or rockets would take them and their caster down in a fiery explosion of shrapnel. I even saw one ranger tackle a Mr. Gutsy and rip the top half of its body off its thruster, sending its arms spiraling into the air and into the ocean. It was now or never so I followed after Sunny, gun at the ready.

Some of the fighting had gotten into close quarters but hoof-to-hoof combat is not where you wanted to be with a Steel Ranger. I saw a power armored hoof hit a pony in the ribs and cause them to vomit up thick almost black blood that hit the dirt at the ranger’s hooves with a heavy wet splat. We were in the middle of it now. I could hear bullets whizz past my head and several kicked up dirt in front of me. Aurora had taken cover behind an armored ranger who had noticed her and looked to be actively shielding her with their body. I silently thanked them as Aurora poked out from behind the ranger’s leg and shot a pony that had been approaching me. I had to focus or this would get ugly. Leaving Aurora in the care of the ranger, I trotted up closer to the breach and dove to the ground after a bullet deflected off my collar. I looked up just in time to see a grenade land in front of my nose. In a moment of pure instinct I grabbed it with telekinesis and flung it back towards the breach, catching two ponies in its explosion. I got back to my hooves and was about to let out a cheer when I was tackled from behind. My face was pushed hard into the dirt as I felt a hoof hit me in the ribs. I rolled over as best I could and magically yanked their mane back, exposing their neck for me to attack. No attack would come from me as a hoof hit me just below my horn, causing my spell to fizzle out. The pony on top of me recognized their advantage and began to pummel me. I blocked what I could, which wasn’t much, as I desperately looked for something that could help me. The loud crack of a rifle boomed behind me and the beating stopped. When I opened my eyes, I saw that my attacker had their head liberated from their shoulders as their body limply slumped off of me.

“Good to see you finally made it Sparks.” I couldn’t see her behind the armor but I knew that voice. Freesia had come to my rescue. She positioned herself between me and the breach, bullets ricocheting off her armor. “You might want to fall back; you look like you’re in pretty bad shape.”

“Yeah good idea.” I muttered. Freesia kept herself in front of me like a shield as I found Aurora and took her with me.

“Brave kid you got there.” The ranger who had been her guardian said before joining Freesia and heading back into the fray. We retreated back the way we came and I unslung my rifle. I could still be of some use, even from the backline. I peered through my scope and watched as a barrage of missiles hit the breach. The Steel Rangers were a force to be reckoned with. Yet something seemed wrong somehow. What was the goal in blowing the wall? They were committing far too much for this to be a test of defenses and too little for a proper attack. They were losing too much yet they kept coming.

This had distraction written all over it. What did the Steel Rangers have that others sought?

Technology.

I started scanning the Bastion grounds, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Whether through dumb luck or happenstance I spotted a blue flash of magic near the east wall and out of it appeared three ponies, one unicorn and two earth ponies all dressed the same as the invaders, one of them carrying an interesting looking piece of tech. I lined up a shot on the unicorn first.

“Call Sunny, tell her to get Grim and head towards the east wall.” I told Aurora, levitating her the radio. The unicorn looked around nervously and I think at the last moment she noticed the glint of my scope, her eyes widening as I sent a bullet through her forehead. The other two scattered but there was no cover between them and the wall, their way out lying dead at their hooves. This next shot would be harder without SATS but I lined it up and took my chances. I sent another bullet racing through the air, hitting the ground in front one of the earth ponies, a mare. She scrambled backwards so fast that she collided with the other earth pony stallion, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Through my scope I saw Grim land on the wall behind them, his guns leveled at them. They wouldn’t be going anywhere now. I also spotted the form of Sunny retreating from the battle and racing towards the two earth ponies. I put away my rifle and began to approach them myself. The battle in the breach was beginning to die down, a rather decisive victory for the Steel Rangers. By the time Aurora and I got there, two rangers had also arrived with Sunny. One of them had already recovered the tech while the other kept their guns on the earth ponies. Sunny however looked like she was somewhere else. She was sat on the ground, her eyes wide and never straying from the stallion. He looked younger than me, his coat was light brown and his mane was white with a red and dark blue stripe down the left side.

“This is just the beginning.” The brown stallion said as his mare companion pulled off her robes and revealed she was strapped in bombs. A flash of green light erupted from behind the stallion as a second unicorn appeared, grabbed him and disappeared in another flash of light. Faster than the rest of us could react, Sunny let out an anguished cry and jammed her knife up through the mare’s jaw piercing all the way through the top of her skull. I could tell by the crazed look in her eye that Downpour had come out to play and stop the mare before she could blow us all up. Though in a turn that surprised me, the look in her eyes faded as fast as it had appeared, leaving Sunny with an unusually sad expression. I could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes and then she did something that really started to scare me. She began to laugh.

“S-sunny? Are you alright?” I was the only one to step closer to her, even the rangers were taking a few steps back.

“It was him…” She said, staring at the place where the stallion had vanished.

“Who?”

“My son…Stormy is alive…”

Footnote: No level up.

Next Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Eight: Bonds of Steel Estimated time remaining: 12 Hours, 13 Minutes