Paradise
Chapter 36: Royal Pain pt.5
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This wasn’t the vibration of the phone like you were being called though, no, this was the vibration of the phone playing a song from his extensive music library… and it was getting louder.
“Fuck.” The human quietly exclaimed the two ponies looking at him especially strangely since their sensitive ears were starting to pick up on the quiet sound of music.
As he dug the phone out of his pocket the strange music made itself louder despite his attempts to turn off the phone and turn the volume down.
“What are you doing!?” Luna snapped at Hank, knowing that if their cover was blown it meant death.
“I - I - I.. I ain’t doin’ this!” Hank quickly replied, pushing the speaker in the palm of his hand to muffle the sound while the phone seemingly turned itself up and back on when he tried to shut it down on its own accord. It was like someone else was touching the screen, whatever it was, it had complete control as it slowly skipped through different songs trying to find something it wanted.
“Fine, asshole.” Hank muttered before throwing the phone under himself and laying on it, finally completely muffling the song, though it was still trying to play if the vibrations in his lower stomach were anything to go by.
“What is that thing?” Luna asked quizzically.
Once he had confirmed the swarm of wolves were still none the wiser Hank turned his head to Luna, “It’s technology you wouldn’t understand. Just know that it holds a lot of my music and all the pictures from my world. I’ll tell you about it when we aren’t staring down a horde of wolves.”
Nodding even though she didn’t really understand, Luna looked from Hank, to the pack, then back to the human, “Would you show me a few pictures of your home world?”
“Yes, I am quite interested as well.” Celestia chimed in while Hank just stared off.
“I… dunno, there’s not much good in there, and the things that are good are hard for me to look back on.”
“I understand.” Luna said simply, “I apologize.”
“You’re all good.” Hank replied, giving Luna a small smile.
As they continued to wait there for Hank to finally get the phone shut down the human waited until the song ended to try anything since the volume was all the way up now, hoping he might be able to do something in the time between songs.
As he laid there waiting he suddenly felt the song pause. Seizing the opportunity Hank got up slightly and pulled the phone out to see that Free Bird is what whatever was fucking with his phone had decided on and that it was rewinding, very deliberately rewinding.
“What the hell?” Hank whispered before the rewind stopped right at the 2:50 mark and suddenly started playing again.
Quick as a flash, throwing it back under himself and laying on it Hank started to wait again before he noticed Celestia’s and Luna’s ears twitching almost like they were straining to hear something. It wasn’t long though before he started to hear the slow guitar of the song from everywhere around him and steadily growing louder.
Looking all around for the source of the music it sounded like there was a huge surround sound system in the trees, the music coming from seemingly above their heads out of thin air.
“What in the absolute fuck is goin’ on?” Hank asked, slightly exasperated at the situation that made absolutely no sense.
As the song steadily grew louder Luna and Celestia listened intently. Everything about the song was new to them even with their extensive life spans. It was entrancing to hear something truly new after hearing versions of the same thing for thousands of years, so much so that the princesses hadn’t noticed that the music was growing to such a level that the colony of Shucks were starting to notice.
Hank, however, was very keen on the fact that they were out of time and sat up in a kneel, putting the phone that wasn’t even emitting noise anymore back in his pocket with angry smile directed at whatever was fucking with him, “God damn magical bullshit.”
Pulling the grenade from his pouch, his movement seemed to be enough to catch the princesses’ attention causing them to look up at him in shock that he was breaking cover before tracing his eyes to the large valley below that was now full of shucks…. All staring directly up at them, their cover fully blown from.
“Oh no.” Celestia uttered, her pupils shrinking in panic.
Looking up to Hank in his kneel as his thumb toyed with the ring on the metal object in his right hand, his breathing was calm, and his face was flat minus his lips silently mouthing the lyrics to the song that was steadily growing to a crescendo.
Up to their current point the music had been very subdued and calm, the lyrics seemingly singing of flying free like a bird and being unable to change.
Looking back over to Hank who was now openly singing along with the song, his arms tensing as the music grew to a peak, the human started to almost yell alongside the song.
“Lord knows I can’t change!”
“Lord help me, I can’t change!” And with that all the stillness was gone, as the music broke the Shucks screamed in a horrific bellow of rage directed at the invaders and started to rush like a black carpet of teeth and claws to find a way up to the trio. At the same time the music broke into an energetic guitar melody Hank shot to his feet while pulling the pin on the grenade and throwing it deep into the Shuck’s ranks.
Not wasting a moment Hank then grabbed the shotgun and started running to where he saw the Shucks would be coming from.
“WE’RE IN COMBAT!” The human yelled loudly over the loud music and the sounds of the approaching horde.
Heart nearly pounding out of her chest Celestia was overwhelmed with panic as she watched the large force of wolves converge on their location. Firmly locked in place Celestia was suddenly jolted out of her fear induced paralysis by a deafening explosion followed by the screams of pain from wolves being vaporized where they stood.
A large plume of smoke and red mist popping up from where the handheld bomb had landed, Celestia and Luna were left locked looking at the carnage the small device had left in its wake, the level of death was something neither had seen for centuries and yet they knew more was to come.
With the first blast of Hank’s shotgun as he repelled the first of the Shucks to scrabble up the rocky sides of the plateau he didn’t even wait to watch the eviscerated body fall before he switched targets and claimed another, the noise quickly taking Luna out of her trance she looked over to the man who was already in action.
Taking a deep breath and pulling her sword before running forward to Hank’s defensive position atop the least steep section of the rock face where the main force of Shucks were trying to get to them. Nearing his position a Shuck suddenly sprang at her over the edge, its mouth agape in a vicious roar making her yell in panic while lashing out with her blade.
Steel finding its mark, the blade sank deep through the neck causing the Shuck to falter just a second before trying to push harder at the small alicorn, back stepping in a panic, trying to get her sword free the wolf’s head suddenly exploded showering her and the surrounding area in bone shards and blood.
Shocked stiff, Luna was suddenly roughly jostled by a large hand that pulled her to look at its owner.
“GET YOUR FU-” Pausing to ventilate another Shuck with the shotgun from his hip Hank again turned to the mare, “GET YOUR HEAD IN THE FUCKING GAME OR LEAVE. I WILL NOT HAVE YOU GETTING ME KILLED!”
Locking eyes just for a moment before the man gave her a rough push and turned to face yet another target, eliminating them with swift brutality Luna nodded to herself and quickly walked over to the headless wolf, staring at the gore in front of her for a second before pulling her sword free Luna calmed the fear in her heart and pushed forward with a steeled gaze taking up her spot next to the human as the music and gunfire raged on.
As the pair sent buckshot and mana bolts down upon the ascending force, it was starting to become a losing battle for the pair as they were forced to retreat at the sheer numbers that were making it up to their position.
As the shotgun ran dry again, Hank started to wonder just why it was a duo fighting and not a trio as he stuffed shells into the firearm, instantly having to pump out two more as a pair of wolves thought they'd be sneaky and try to hit him from the side.
Down to four shells on his rig, Hank cursed and looked behind him to their surveillance position finding Celestia staring wide eyed in his and Luna’s direction. He knew there wasn’t much chance of coming out of this in the first place, but he knew that there was no chance of coming out of it if all three of them didn’t participate.
“Luna! Can you hold the line? I gotta get your sister in the fight!” Hank yelled to the pony as she grunted while throwing a Shuck over the edge of the plateau with her magic.
“We are not out of tricks yet! We shall hold here!” Luna gave just a moment to look at the human and gave a curt nod which he reciprocated.
“Alright, thirty seconds!”
Breaking from the front in a sprint, Hank made it to Celestia in no time. Slowly bringing her large eyes to his small ones she was met with no kindness as instead the left hand roughly grabbed the right side of her head.
“WHAT IN THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” Hank yelled at the pony as she looked wide eyed back at his blood covered face, memories of their first real meeting rushing forward.
“I-I-I-”
“You what?! If you don’t get your head out of your fucking ass we’re all gonna die on this rock! Pull your own goddamn weight Celestia!”
His words doing little to break her out of her locked up state minus make her fidget a little Hank abandoned her for a second to look over the edge and pump the last few rounds out of the shotgun hoping to relieve the pressure on Luna as much as he could another wolf flying off the cliff edge being all the confirmation he needed that she was still alive.
At the same time he noticed that despite all they had killed the tide was seemingly still the same size, wolves from the surrounding area filtering through the trees as reinforcements.
“FUCK!” Hank yelled before turning and stomping back over to Celestia who was again stuck looking at the tide of wolves trying their best to make it up to them, their only roadblock being Luna.
Blood hot, adrenaline pumping, and temper burning like a forest fire Hank again grabbed Celestia, this time under the chin and wrenched her head to face him.
Crying out in pain at the sudden and forceful move Celestia was again face to face with the very irate human.
“Who are you supposed to be huh?!” Hank asked knowing her wouldn’t get an answer from the stunned mare, “You’re supposed to be Celestia, the ruler of an entire fucking nation and the most powerful pony to ever exist! An immortal demigod of a being!” The human answered for her as the music and sounds of battle raged around them.
“Yet you know what I see looking at you!?” Stuck looking wide eyed at the human as he held her in place Celestia’s brain was so chock full of emotion, memories, and fear it was all she could do was listen because her limbs refused to answer, but even if they could she wouldn’t know what to tell them anyway.
“All I see is a little bitch!” Hank barked and pushed her down while standing to his full height, looking down to her like she was nothing.
The words stung, they… made her angry! She was not a bitch and no one got to tell her otherwise. As anger took control in her brain all the other emotions and memories faded away and for the first time since the wolves had first spotted them Celestia controlled her own body by sitting up, only to be forced back down via boot to the chest.
“You’re just gonna roll over and fucking die are you?! Pathetic!”
“I am not a bitch!” Celestia growled at the man as he held her down with his foot.
“Then start fuckin’ acting like it.” Hank growled back, taking his boot off her chest and taking a step back while Celestia shot to her hooves and instantly hopped up on her rear hooves and got in Hank’s face.
“No pony gets to call me that.” She snarled.
“I’ll call you whatever I fuckin’ want.” Hank replied and pushed her off him while turning before his heart dropped when he heard Luna let out a blood curdling scream.
“Luna!” Celestia yelled and shot like a bullet towards her sister, Hank doing the same not a quarter second later.
“H-HELP.” Luna cried as she tried to fend of a shuck that had flanked her while holding up a large wall of magic keeping the other Shucks from making it any further onto the flat of the plateau, the shuck having already put a series of deep cuts down the side of her ribs, the only thing holding it back being the sword she was holding onto that was plunged deep into its shoulder.
Upon rounding the slight corner and seeing the scene in front of her Celestia bellowed at the sight of her injured sister and pushed even harder with her legs. Not even caring to pull her sword as instinct took over Celestia charged forward, tensing the muscles in her neck and lowering her head.
With a scream Celestia collided with the wolf, promptly sinking the entirety of her horn into the lungs of the K9 Celestia kept pushing, carrying it out of range of her sister before dipping her head and running it into the ground.
Slipping her horn out of its chest cavity, Celestia narrowed her eyes and with a swift motion cut the head from the body as it tried to sit up with her sword.
As the blood ran down her face, matting her previously perfect white fur, the taste and smell of iron became overwhelming causing her mind to flash back to the bloody opening of the first griffon uprising where she had led from the front and been soaked in blood of friend and foe alike.
No time for remembrance however, Celestia gave a quick shake of her head and turned to Luna seeing her sister holding back the wall of fang and claw.
Narrowing her eyes at the sight of the bone deep cuts along her younger sister’s side, Celestia strode forward toward her sister, her body language nothing but confident and proud, previously meek and slumped shoulders replaced by broad and upright posture.
Enraged at the wound Luna had received, the flame of violence inside of Celestia that had laid unlit for so long, extinguished by the very pony that carried it, flashed to life.
Flame alight, Celestia’s eyes locked upon a Shuck that had come up a more difficult section not covered by Luna’s shield as it locked eyes with her in return and quickly started into a sprint, heading for her like a missile.
Not changing her stride for a second Celestia waited for the beast to be in range before striking forward with her sword. Practically setting itself upon the blade Celestia lent the wolf a helping hoof and thrust the sword to the guard in its chest, the tremendous force she thrust forward with stopping the beast’s rush near instantly.
Picking the sword, and by extension the punctured wolf, up Celestia then pulled it toward her and widened her stance just for a moment as she shoulder checked the wolf off of her sword and onto the leaf littered soil.
As she gazed upon it as the Shuck laid writhing in front of her Celestia grit her teeth and growled as she pulled her sword back in her magic and rammed it under its chin, pushing the blade through the underside of the skull and out the top with a wet cracking thump.
Celestia pulled the very dead Shuck alongside her for a few feet as she looked forward hatefully at the wall of enemies before her before wrenching the sword free in what must have been a shower of blood and flicking it off a few times finally returning it close to her side in a ready position.
As Celestia formed up on her sister, casting a quick glance to the wound now that she was up close she frowned at the sight of white within the wound. Next looking up to Luna who was stood shaking in exertion as she fought to keep the barricade up Celestia lessened the focus on her blade and formed her own wall just behind Luna’s.
“Heal yourself sister, we’ll take it from here for now.”
A Small sigh escaped Luna’s lips at the words as she collapsed her shield and fell back, “Thank you.”
Acknowledging the reply but not responding Celestia decided to take a more offensive stance in their defense and set out her plan in motion, dropping her sword unceremoniously to focus her magic on more grand methods of death.
While usually if a unicorn attempted to say… cast a thin barrier where another pony was standing in an attempt to cleave them in two the natural magic skin that surrounded all ponies would cause them to slide away from the attempted wall and murder like two magnets pushing away from each other.
A way around this is to force said pony, or wolves, to stay in place by holding each individual static with telekinesis. It was extremely hard to cast spells of such difference at once, especially on such a large scale but Celestia was no ordinary unicorn, and while she may have been very out of practice, pure magical might still reigned supreme.
As the white princess grabbed onto the writhing and thrashing individuals of the crowd in front of her, separated by a thin wall of mana just feet away from her nose, she watched as all the wolves fell motionless and silent, suck like a fly in a spider’s web in her telekinesis.
With a grunt and growl of exertion Celestia then conjured a series of paper thin walls spaced evenly apart out of thin air causing a waterfall of blood to escape from the diced wolves as they silently died within her magical grasp, unable to cry or even breath as their bodies instantly became half or thirds of their original form.
Dropping the walls and bodies Celestia hung her head and heaved at the exertion. The act had much more strain on her than she initially anticipated. She didn’t take long to rest however before she was forced to push the magical exhaustion and bring up another wall as a second wave of wolves just as large as the first crashed into it, unfazed even after witnessing thirty of their littermates turned into mince meat.
Lips pulled into a small smile as the princess laughed not only at the craziness of the situation they had found themselves in but at the sight of the Shucks reduced to cooling cuts of meat by her doing. The smell of blood mixed with the soil in a pungent odor that she had long since missed without even realizing. The solar diarch found herself remembering back when such a feat of carnage would have been mundane and easy; how she yearned to get back to her old self where she didn’t feel cumbersome and soft.
Knowing that she couldn’t keep using her magic so loosely, Celestia opted to instead of slicing the wolves to instead just throw them back down the rock face they climbed, and with a flare of her horn Celestia did just that by suddenly pushing the entire wall away from her sending the next group flying through the air on their rapid trip back to the ground.
One thing Celestia had not considered was that by clearing the way the others behind would then have unhindered access to not only the plateau but also the first thing they would see when they cleared the edge which was…. Her.
As her eyes went wide and all that bravado instantly dissipated, Celestia found herself unable to move as she stared down the ten black wolves as they rushed toward her.
Lucky for the solar princess however, she was quickly pushed rearward by a large hand on her chest as Hank rushed forward to meet the wolves and at least inconvenience their advance.
Celestia was just able to get back to looking in the right direction from her sudden fall to watch Hank and the lead wolf collide, the Shuck instantly receiving a butt stroke across the head as Hank yelled at the top of his lungs and engaged the next adversary, ramming his shoulder into it as it lunged forward for his neck.
Standing up on her own four hooves Celestia looked for her sword as Hank occupied the attacking force before it was thrown in front of her by Luna who only offered a quick nod to her elder sister as she turned and galloped toward the melee, a buckler conjured from magic held on her left side while her tungsten sword floated on the right, A large bandage wrap present around her barrel as well. It seemed Hank had not been idle while Celestia held the line after all, his medic training coming in handy as he helped stem the bleeding and mend Luna’s serious wound.
As he caught a glimpse of the black and blue figure closing on him out of the corner of his eye Hank suddenly flinched as he felt claws dig into his lower back causing him to drop the wolf he had been raining right hooks down upon.
His surprised cry turned into a menacing growl as he turned around and lunged for the Shuck that had tagged him just barely getting a hold on the long fur on the side of its head with his left hand.
Realizing it was caught he Shuck stopped trying to run away and instead pushed off with its rear legs and lashed out at the human’s face only to be stopped by an additional hand to the neck holding it back.
Catching Luna out of the corner of his eye again, he watched as she punched a Shuck across the face with her small shield before stabbing it in the neck just as another Shuck went flying down the cliff face wrapped in a dissipating golden glow. Realizing he was taking too long with the Shuck he turned his head and moved his left hand from the side of its head, pulling back and delivering a liver shot to the wolf making it crumple slightly before bringing his hand back and digging his left thumb into the shucks right eye socket of a more stable hand hold in the form of its skull.
A shrill shriek forcing Celestia and Luna to look over at the source they turned to see Hank holding a crying wolf at arm's length, his thumb completely buried into its skull as he drew the revolver off his chest as a Shuck broke from the brush on his side. Just as Luna was about to send a mana bolt to try and prevent the human from being flanked he quickly turned putting the K9 in his grasp between the once rushing him before raising his right leg and kicking the Shuck out of his grasp and into its compatriot causing the pair to stumble to the ground just as their heads were quickly popped with a single round of .357.
“How in the fuck is the music still playing!” Hank yelled picking up the shotgun that had been torn away from him in the scuffle, “Free Bird is long but not this long!” He exclaimed further looking around and seeing that there were no more wolves on top of them. He could hear them still but there was nothing but dead bodies surrounding them.
Just as confused as the human Luna and Celestia shared a glance as they both caught their breaths before they both looked to the human who shrugged his shoulders as he walked toward the approach the wolves had been using to see just what was going on.
Revolver drawn, Hank looked over the side only to see the large force of Shucks quickly filtering back into the trees of the forest as they seemingly rotated to the left side of the plateau, giving up on their main approach.
This was most certainly not good, he knew a plan was forming, and whatever the plan may have been he knew the objective was turning him and his two pony entourage into worm food.
“Hey! Watch or flanks! They’re planning somethin’!” he called behind him as he backed away from the edge, putting some range between him and the waiting force.
Still regaining their breath Celestia was just about to ask for clarification before a tremendous crash made its way through the air to them from their direct left side.
Barely a second to look left to the wall of tall brush beside them Celestia was suddenly sent flying through the air as a breaker bulldozed its way through the saplings and brush, missing Luna by less than a foot. As Celestia flew through the air, Hank saw her fly into the trees opposite the Breaker before hearing a high pitched scream come from the same direction she had disappeared into.
Body reacting on its own, Hank knew there was a large probability the Celestia was dead, the best case being she had been flung into a tree and gravely wounded, and as such he disregarded her and focused on Luna and her ongoing fight with the breaker.
Quickly as he could Hank emptied the last four rounds out of his revolver into the side of its neck before holstering the empty weapon and charging toward the hulking creature, knowing their continued survival hinged on if they could get it killed before its reinforcement arrived.
Pulling the hatchet from his side as he ran, the human raised it at shoulder level and primed his arm, aiming for the spot just behind the broad and thick skull where the spine was most unprotected by muscle.
As he crossed the blood soaked ground, boots barely scraping soil at the click he was moving, the human cocked back his arm and threw the hatchet down with a mighty bellow as the Shuck started to turn and address him, Luna’s sword caught in its right shoulder as he blitzed from the left.
Too slow for the human, Hank’s hatchet bit into its target and easily cruised through the thick coat and into the meat of the neck before it found the spine and pushed through it, pulverizing any bone in the path of the hunk of steel.
Instantly going limp in his grasp Hank followed the Shuck to the ground before placing his boot on the top of the skull and prying the hatchet free with both hands, a large splattering of blood coming with the head of the hatchet as it was pried free completely covering the front of the human.
“That’ll do it.” The human growled as Luna pulled her sword free from where it had been captured by the bone of the joint.
Her ribs screaming at her as she wrenched it free with her magic Luna coughed in pain as dozens of other cuts wept blood. Breathing deep through the pain the Lunar princess looked up to where the Shuck had come from to find a narrow passage that had been previously blocked now wide open giving the wolves two easy angles to their hilltop. “We are further compromised.”
As the human made his way to Luna he filled her eye line seeing the passage she was alluding too and cursed holstering the now full revolver back in its spot in his chest
“Fuck. Alright, I’ll take that passage, you hold 'em at the hill.” Hank ordered pulling his hatchet back out of its spot and adjusting his grip, “Just cause the music is… finally over, don’t mean this is.” He said with a small smile and laugh at the end.
Returning the smile Luna listened to her surroundings and realized that, yes, the strange music was over. While she was happy to hear again, unburdened by guitar and drums she was also a little upset at the revelation since she had quite liked the song as well, “For shame, we were starting to enjoy ourself.”
“If we make it out of this I’ll show you as much music as you like.” Hank waved her off and breathed deep and slow, calming his rapid heart rate.
Smiling at the human, Luna nodded her head, showing her approval in his offer before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in as well
As things calmed back down Luna’s mind started to slow as well and she suddenly realized that her sister was nowhere to be found. Her eyes snapping open as panic set in, instantly thinking the worst, Luna cried out for her sister getting no reply.
“Sister! Sister art thou alright?!”
Trotting around through the trees looking for the large white pony that should have stood out like a beacon against the natural colors of the forest Luna saw nothing of the sort sending her into even more of a worry.
Watching as Luna walked in circles, her panic spiraling out of control, Hank sighed, his features showing the smallest amount of empathy before he set his jaw and went back to his stoic self. He felt awful for Luna, he knew the pain well, but he also knew that times like these were no time to mourn. Even if Celestia may possibly be dead, they would all definitely be dead if they failed in their defense, and judging by the sound in the trees they didn’t have much time before they were face to face with their adversary again.
“Luna!” The human yelled trying to get the remaining princess to stop her panicked calling and trotting around to no avail.
“LUNA!” Hank yelled much louder, getting the pony to acknowledge him, “This is no time for that, we can look for her if we make it through! But if you don’t pull it in and get back to that hill side before they run at us again none of us are makin’ it out of these woods anyway!”
As she looked back at the man with wide, tear filled eyes Luna sniffled before eventually nodding and making her way back towards her defensive position.
Watching as she went Hank sighed but didn’t give much thought into his empathy as a combined howl came booming out of the trees. “Here we go.” the human said to himself taking a deep breath and pulling an extra speed loader from his belt, holding in his left hand, revolver in his right.
As a rumble started to rattle the leaves on the trees and seemingly make the rock shake under foot, Hank stared down the narrow path waiting for his first victim. Only looking away toward Luna for a second at the sound of snapping wood to see Luna as she hoisted a tree above her head in her magic before throwing it down the hill with the most anger-filled scream he had ever heard come out of the petite alicorn.
As the thought of abandoning his position to help Luna flashed across his mind it was quickly dashed as the next wave made itself visible to the human, two Shucks scrambling over each other making their way around the corner in the narrow passage. They didn’t make it far though before .357 ripped through their vitals and stopped the uncoordinated assault in an instant.
Not waiting a second Hank pushed forward into the passage, tripping slightly over the jagged rock as he held his revolver in front of him. As the human pushed forward all the way to where the pair had dropped dead he shot each one more time for good measure before stepping over the bleeding bodies while dumping the empty brass and replacing it. Stopping right at the bend the human looked over his shoulder for a second just to make sure he was clear and pushed around the corner running face to face into a stalker that was waiting for him that immediately pounced slamming him against the rock wall behind him.
Spinning to his right Hank used his hand on the side of the lithe wolf’s head and its momentum against it, slamming its skull into the rock before pressing the barrel of his pistol to its forehead and vacating its skull cavity of any brain matter.
Turning away from the dead wolf as it fell into a pile the angry man looked down the passage as the other wolves seemingly got the message that he was open for business and started pouring into the flanking route.
Back alight in pain from the cuts and now the bruising from the impact the human roared as the wolves rushed towards him and raised his revolver, emptying the remaining five rounds in under a second and a half. Completely out of ammunition Hank holstered the hot revolver and pulled his hatchet from his right side, giving it a quick spin as the unending tide picked up speed again after faltering over their dead brethren.
“COME ON THEN!” Hank yelled at the wolves, the K9’s clambering over themselves to get to the man first.
On the hillside Luna was looking down on certain death. Hundreds and hundreds of the black furred beasts, of all shapes and sizes had poured from trees, and completely filled the valley below. The ones they had slain had been replaced three fold by even more rabid versions. All seemed lost, her sister was most likely gone, so soon after being reunited, and the numbers were just too much for an out of practice and weakened alicorn and lone human, no matter how skilled and ruthless he may be.
Despite the hopelessness she was facing down Luna couldn’t feel anything else but rage, there was no sadness, no fear, just pure unadulterated hatred. Such a strong emotion of hatred she hadn’t felt since right before her banishment made her nostrils flare and the thought of what she had done leading up to her banishment only added fuel to the fire making the Lunar princesses’ entire body pulse with magical overflow. She was happy no normal ponies were near because they would have surely been killed by the ethereal overpressure she was exuding.
As the wolves closed in once more Luna planted her hooves into the ground and started pulling a large boulder out of the ground, eventually holding it above her head while she looked back at the invaders who looked up at her hungrily. She had decided, there was no running from this, she would stay and fight until the last bit of blood was drained from her body, this was her atonement for what she had done so many years ago, she would go out providing one last service to her empire and her subjects. And with one last mighty flare of her horn and cry from deep in her chest Luna flung the boulder down the slope, sending many tons of sharp debris careening into the ascending force once again.
Panting from the exertion Luna steeled herself with a deep breath and raised her buckler and sword once again ready to repel any that weren’t killed in the rock slide as thick dust rolled down the rock face, obscuring everything below.
As Luna waited for something to come out of the dust her ear flicked rearwards at a shrill shriek that came from the passage that Hank was fighting to close. Wondering if the man had fallen as well as her sister she quickly realized the scream wasn’t human, but instead had come from the very thing they were fighting. A grim smile flashing on her face, it quickly disappeared as she whipped around as the first few survivors of the rock slide limped out of the dust.
“RRRRRAAGGGHHHH!” Hank roared, pulling the hatchet from the clavicle of the Shuck in his grip before shoving it back into its still approaching mates, stuffing them for an instant, giving him just a second of breathing room. As he seized the opportunity he now had the human turned to the shuck he had hit upside the head and rolled over his shoulder just before ending its compatriot and raised his size thirteen and a half boot as far as he could before ramming it down on its mid back.
Boot meeting spine as the black wolf tried to get up from the large sharp rocks it had been so unceremoniously thrown down on its soft underbelly was easily punctured by the large rock beneath it with the aid of the human’s weight and force.
Screaming at the intrusion of the rock into its stomach the shuck shrieked so loud Hank flinched at the sound before raising his foot and bringing it down on top of its head, promptly ending the hellacious noise.
Just as Hank pulled his foot away from the destroyed skull another Shuck tore the dead body of its litter mate to the side and lunged forward at the human while he was still partially turned away.
Lashing out the wolf almost made it to its target before the quick reflexes of the human stopped its jaws from sinking into the flesh of the upright mammal’s neck and ending this resistance once and for all.
While teeth were no longer an option the Shuck’s front legs were just barely longer than the human’s arm that was holding it back allowing the wolf to lash out and sink its claw’s into the man’s face, chest, and shoulders.
Doing just that, snarling all the while the plate carrier on the human’s chest quickly became tattered while numerous gashes were struck across his already scarred frame. Hank was no stranger to pain however and pushed through the punishment with grit teeth while he loosened his grip on the blood soaked handle of the hatchet letting it slide to the palm swell at the bottom of the handle while he swung the tool rearwards before tightening his vice like grip as he swung it forward at the top of the arc. Swinging the hatchet low, in an ascending strike, under the flailing legs of the Shuck muscle memory took over and aimed the tool he had taken camping as a kid for the ribs of the beast as he instead stared deep into the beady eyes looking back at him.
Watching as those hate filled black beady eyes went wide, he felt the hatchet sink handle deep into the K9’s lung. Favor switching sides Hank pulled the hatchet toward him instead of pulling the hatchet out, ripping a huge hole in the side of the beast.
“My turn.” Hank growled inches away from the Shuck’s face before pushing it to the ground where he quickly fell on top of it, making bright pink blood bubble from around the hatchet in its side as its lungs were forced empty of air.
As Hank repositioned himself on the wolf, putting one knee on its sternum to hold it down, he ripped the hatchet free from its spot, bringing chunks of rib with it and grabbed it with both hands, raising it high above his head.
Pinned beneath the unhinged human, time slowed down for the Shuck as it watched the two legged beast raise its weapon above its head as its flat face drew into an enraged yet excited scream. Face split between glee and insanity the human’s teeth glistened red in the light with blood that was his own and not as the muscles in his arms and shoulders tightened so hard it nearly looked like they would tear through the skin that covered them..
As the Shuck on the ground looked up to the human on top of it, holding out its front legs in a vain attempt to stop the blow it knew would end its life the feral look on the man’s face only morphed into something more angry as he grit his teeth and brought the hatchet down with everything he had directly in the middle of the Shuck’s face right between the eyes.
Going limp in an instant, the wet thump and mushy crack of skull made its way to the man’s ears and traveled through the handle of the hand ax letting him feel the resistance of the skull give way under the blow.
Growling in satisfaction at the sound and feel he had felt numerous times before Hank moved his left hand to the back of the hatchet head still embedded deep in the brain matter of the Shuck and pushed it in just a little deeper just to feel a little more crunching of bone as the body pinned under him convulsed and twitched rapidly.
“Light’s out.” Hank grumbled and quickly twisted the hatchet forty five degrees splitting the Shuck’s already decimated skull in two.
Already having taken too much time on one combatant Hank had no more time to admire his handy work because right as he looked up to survey the situation he was instantly forced to duck to the side to dodge another set of teeth as the next wolf rocketed toward him.
Missing the rows of sharp teeth by an inch at most the human instead bore the brunt of the charging beast directly to his face, barely having time to tuck his head and close his eyes as the black shoulder rammed into him.
His turn to get flung onto the hard rocks Hank tried his hardest to clear the fog in his mind such a blow produced, striking out with his left leg as a black smudge in his vision leapt forward at him. The hard rubber heel of the man’s boot rammed into the trachea of the wolf as it pounced forward causing the black furred menace to take a step back, allowing another one of its kin take its place as it hacked and wheezed against its fractured windpipe.
Coughing, Hank blew the blood clots out of his nose as warm blood freely flowed down past his chin. His appearance more red than white Hank blew a hard breath through his nose sending splatter in all directions as he sat up and tightened the grip on the slick hatchet right as the next two came at him, shoulder to shoulder.
No time to get up, Hank rolled out of the way of the first swinging the hatchet into its chest as it flew past him, ripping the tool from his grasp being carried behind him still inserted into the chest of the Shuck as it face planted and rolled into its final resting place.
While one Shuck was done for Hank still had one upon him and nothing to quickly dispatch the creature. No way to get up or roll out of the attack, Hank grasped his hands behind his head and tucked his elbows as the jaws of the Shuck enveloped both arms and his head piercing the flesh of his arms easily.
Thrashing its head, the taste of blood spurring on its predatory instincts, the beast growled as Hank yelled in pain and tried his best to get the wolf off of him any way he could. He knew he couldn't survive much longer at the rate he was at now, be it blood loss if the Shuck got lucky and punctured his brachial or evisceration if the others were able to get to him while he was pinned under the large beast he needed to get to his feet.
No way to sit up or get an arm free while they were still protecting his head and neck Hank only had one option, and it was going to hurt a lot.
Gritting his teeth at the pain to come Hank wasted no time and pushed his arms further above his head pulling the shuck up his body and putting him completely underneath the wolf. The pain of his arms being torn as he dragged the shuck up his body via its teeth mixed with the adrenaline his body was flowing through him nearly made his stomach empty itself as he screamed in pain.
Steeling himself Hank then looked down between himself and the Shuck to see that it was most certainly male and drove his right knee right up the middle and into the delicate organs completely destroying them as the Shuck released its grip on his arms to shriek in pain.
Pulling his tattered arms back down by his side the human wrapped his left arm around the wolf to hold it in place while his shaking right hand grabbed onto the handle of the well used bayonet on his right hip pulling it free before driving upwards right below the sternum on the wolf making it flinch and try to run away.
Despite the wounds that were well into the muscle on his arms Hank’s strength held true holding the Shuck in place by the fur on its side while he pushed the knife in deeper before sliding the razor sharp blade from sternum to hip, gutting the wolf like a white tail back home.
As the stomach and entrails fell out of the wolf and directly onto the front of the man, covering him in all manners of viscera from meat digested and undigested to blood and urine. Not an unfamiliar scent no matter how unpleasant Hank couldn’t help but cough out of reflex.
With a huff the human pulled the wolf off him before using his left arm to push himself off the ground as his right hand held firmly onto the knife, not wanting to lose it like the hatchet. Looking behind him to where the wolf that took the so-called hatchet went, he saw the offending individual dead in a puddle of its own blood, hatchet still lodged in its lower neck.
Sighing to himself he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, there was only fifty feet left of the tight walls that made his defense possible, after that it would be even more impossible to survive the fight than it already was.
A measly Fifty feet. That’s all that was left. But if he was going to have to fight on his back foot, he’d make sure they paid for every inch they took from him.
