Chapter 10: Walk like a Stallion

Manehattan nights aren’t as cold as I’d been used to. Out west near Appleloosa you needed a blanket to sleep, and most nights you kept a fire going, even during the summer. Tonight was warm, and it felt good to lie down without the blazing fire and to just lay on the bedroll. I’d taken off my gunbelt for the Luna and the Cloudsdale I’d taken off my foreleg. We’d left the bridge a mile back and just went down a random street that looked the least hostile. None of us had ever been in Manehattan so we didn’t know what to expect. Bolt and Rimfire were both nestled close by me. Starburst was off doing his business. Soap had never called my PipBuck again. I was sure he was worried.

After we’d left the bridge the sun had started to set fast. We decided it’d be best to get somewhere safe for the night. The buildings near the waters were mostly just office buildings, and not tall ones at that. It seemed the buildings got taller near the center and north ends of Manehattan. That was fine by me, I didn’t like buildings towering over me. The building we’d found that worked best was for an old paper supplier from the looks of it. The lobby had led into rooms with long rows of printers and stacks of rotted paper. We stationed ourselves on the overseer’s room for the night.

The room was a ten by ten square. The back wall was lined with filing cabinets, we’d searched them and gotten only a few caps. We’d pushed a desk that was in the center of the room to the side so we could all see each other better. A cracked, wooden door lead out onto a catwalk that surveyed the printing floor. Starburst had left through that door not more than ten minutes ago. He’d left most of his armor in the room we were in. He’d said he’d needed to clear his head and we didn’t fault him. It’d been a rough day for all of us. When Starburst tried to walk out the door without his armor I nearly offered to go with him but I knew he could handle himself. My ear perked up at the sound of hooves on the metal grating of the catwalk. I was about to call out for Starburst, when I heard strange voices.

“You sure you saw them go in, Clipper?” a voice asked, sounded like a stallion. His voice was raspy and dry.

“Yep,” a mare answered. Her voice was a lot like Bolt’s, young at least. I reached out for the Luna with my magic and gripped it tightly in a magical field. I looked quickly over at Bolt and Rimfire. Both of them were sound asleep. I checked the chambers of the revolver. All of them were loaded with fresh rounds. The chambers slid back into place with a barely audible click. The voices began whispering again, this time they were closer.

I got off my bedroll and walked towards the door. I placed the barrel against the door. There was a knock and I fired.

The bullet bit through the old door with ease. I wasn’t sure if it even hit anything, but I wasn’t about to lose a second. I kicked the door from the from with a well-placed kick. I got a good look at the two ponies beyond the door. Both of them were wearing leather cloaks, each fastened by a silver badge on the front. A big ‘R’ emblazoned on the front. The stallion was holding a hoof on his side gingerly. The mare had a shotgun in a battle-saddle and she fired right at me.

The pellets spread too wide, and only a couple grazed me. I felt one tear through my right ear. I turned the revolver on her and shot twice, quick as lightning. The first shot took her in the chest, the next one hit higher up. I turned to the stallion. He had a laser pistol in his mouth, when he’d grabbed it I had no idea. He shot once. I felt the red beam burn through my leg at the chest. The energy frying muscle and nerves as it seared. I shot again and he didn’t get up again. I saw Starburst running from somewhere on the bottom floor. I didn’t wait for him to come up.

Turning, I reached into my bag for a healing potion. Bolt and Rimfire had woken up from the gunshots and they didn’t look happy at all. With aching slowness I retrieved the potion and uncorked it. It tasted bitter this time.

“Short, what happened?” Rimfire asked.

“I don’t know. I heard two ponies outside,” was all I said. As I spoke I felt the magic working through my body. None of the wounds were bad, just a few nicks and cuts. It didn’t take long for the patch in my ear to be filled with new, hairless, skin. Rimfire was looking at me shrewdly. Any question she had was interrupted by Starburst bursting through the open door frame.

“Is everyone alright?” he asked worriedly, clearly out of breath.

“Yeah,” I said. Rimfire looked like she was biting back a question, but she just lay back on her bedroll not looking for an argument. Starburst lay down next to his discarded armor to catch his breath. I put down my revolver and grabbed the door in my magic and lifted it back to the frame. It wasn’t sturdy, but it’d do for the night. Finally, Bolt and I each retreated to where we’d sleep. I closed my eyes, but I was still stricken with energy.

It felt like hours passed. I expected the sun to come up and second, but it never did. The only thing I heard was Bolt start to whisper very gently to Rimfire.

“I don’t think they wanted to kill us,” was what I heard her say. Rimfire didn’t respond, she just lay close to the filly. Ignoring them, I picked up my PipBuck and started to look at the map. I looked for the Church that the pony on the bridge had mentioned. I found it without much issue. It took up the better part of two blocks from the map’s standpoint. Going on from what else he’d said, only I could go in.

I made sure to attribute the route there to memory. Go north along Hoof Avenue, take a right onto 50th and just head straight to the water from there. That would put me right in front of the Church, where I’d find Churchane and teach him a lesson he’d never forget. I was still going over the path in my head when darkness finally overtook me.

I woke up solemnly. Everyone else was already dressed and eating some remnants of whatever food we had. I forwent eating, my stomach felt somewhat in knots, but I didn’t care. Today was going to be a good day. I shoved my limbs into the reinforced armor I’d gotten at the Steel Ranger’s base. It fit snug and somehow settled my stomach, but I still wasn’t hungry. After putting on my guns I got up, the first of anyone and knocked the door back down. It landed with a thud on the bodies of the two ponies from last night. A few flies buzzed around the area but paid us little mind.

Outside the office building was mostly quiet. The faint sound of gunfire drifted on the wind. The smell of the sea air mixed with the acrid stench of balefire and rotting garbage which lined the street. Above the skyline the grey clouds shimmered with the bright sun above them. One thing I missed about the West was the sun, its warmth was sometimes overbearing but you got used to its embrace. I made sure everyone was caught up on the plan, the route at least. I had a plan and I knew it wasn’t good. But as we were walking down the street Starburst asked me about it.

“I plan to go on in,” I said confidently.

“The fuck you are!” Rimfire said. “That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”

“Look,” I explained, “No one else can get in. Just me.”

“I’m sure there’s a better way, Short,” Starburst spoke up.

“I don’t think so.”

“We haven’t even seen the place yet,” Rimfire said. She was right, but my plan was the only thing I could hold on to. We took the right onto 50th and I knew I was in for a fight already. The street wasn’t more than twenty blocks and I could see the hulking metal structure that must be The Church already. I didn’t look around the street at all; my eyes were fixed to the building in front of me.

As we got closer, I could see more of the structure. From the front all we could see was a large crescent of dark stone. In the center was a large, ornate door that must had been two stories high. Above it was a balcony with a closed door that lead inside somewhere. Flanking that balcony were two roosts for machine gunners. Both of them were occupied with unicorns that looked like they had a bad streak a mile wide. Behind those I could see the building extend to the waterline, I didn’t know how long from here. Elsewhere around the inside of the crescent were ponies behind sandbag barriers. The three of us stopped between the ends of the crescent.

“Now what do we do?” Starburst asked me. I took a step forward. A bullet from somewhere cut the dirt in front of me. I stepped back.

“I need to see Churchane!” I declared loudly to anybody that would listen. A burly unicorn, flanked by two others, jumped over a sandbag barrier and started towards us. Reflexively I undid the clasp holding my Luna in. He stopped a couple yards away.

“Only the purest and most rare may enter the Church,” he said.

“Only I’m going in,” I said. Rimfire shot me another dirty glance, but I ignored the other three. This was my time to shine. I took a step confidently. Not shot hit the ground in front of me.

“What’s your business?” he asked.

“I’ve got some money I owe Churchane.” He thought for a moment.

“Follow me,” he said solemnly. He lead me straight to the door. Rimfire tried to follow, but the two other unicorns held their guns menacingly. She stood still.

Inside the Church was completely different that the outside. Foals ran around playing, mares and stallions walked around the huge stone complex. All of them were unicorns. I didn’t take long to look around, I kept right behind my guide. Time slowed down for me. I kept thinking about the freedom Church’s death would bring us. We wouldn’t have to worry much anymore. We’d be free. Finally, he stopped next to a set of tall metallic doors.

“Is this it?” I asked. He nodded.

The giant metal doors swung open with barely any noise at all. The room beyond was filled to the brim with long rows of tables covered in chemistry sets. Elements were burning, boiling, bubbling, and smoking. Air inside the room was thick and smoggy. I saw only one pony, he stood halfway across the room in front of me. I knew it was Churchane before he even said anything.

He was dressed in a thick woolen coat bristling with pockets and pouches. He stood two heads taller than me. On his face he wore a respirator with a fogged up viewer. Even from here I could hear his ragged breathing. I took a few steps forward and his horn began to glow.

All at once every burner was turned off. The chemicals stopped and lay still. The air was immediately cleansed of all irritants. He took off his mask. His eyes were a dark grey, no pupil. Just white and grey. His face was gaunt and pale, with no coat at all, just fleshy, pinkish skin.

“So,” he said as he took a stride towards me, “You’ve come to me.” I stopped ten paces away, and he stood still too.

“Yeah,” I said. “You tried to kill my friends and I.”

“I don’t know who you are or who your friends are,” he said. His voice was calm and collected. Unlike mine, which I could feel myself just holding back from screaming at him, this monster.

“Bullshit,” I said, venom leaking into my voice. “You sent your goons to kill us at Balefire Point.” His crooked mouth bent into a grin.

“I’ve never ordered any of my ‘goons’, not for a long time. I don’t have time for that anymore. Such things are below me now.”

“I’m putting a stop to you,” I said flatly. His facial expression never changed. Why wasn’t he afraid? He clearly didn’t know who I was, that was for sure.

“Is that so?” he asked. There was a hint of joy in his voice. I nodded, and started to draw my revolver. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d seen it coming, and I was the fastest draw I knew, second only to Holiday. But I’d barely cleared leather when what felt like a missile pounded me in the chest. My armor absorbed most of it, but I felt my lungs empty, my gun fell from the magic and clattered to the floor.

I cursed myself and leapt under the table to my right. He must’ve been surprised because his shot missed, biting into the concrete where I’d been. Looking back I gave a quick, magical kick to my gun sending it spiraling into the air. I got onto my legs and bucked into the table above me. The glassware and metal all went streaming down around me. Church took a few rapid steps back and kept his eyes on the racing acid burning its way across the floor. I smirked and grabbed my gun out of the air, cocked it, and aimed.

But Church was gone. I covered wide angles on both sides of where he’d been, but I didn’t see him at all. On the second sweep a heard a loud bang and something pierced my side, and I felt the inside of my armor getting wet.I rolled into the next row and tried to locate him.

I saw him just before he was able to shoot again. On a table to my left I saw him getting a bead on me. Without thinking I twisted my gun around and shot twice like lightning and just as fierce. My mind was racing as I waited for those bullets to leave the barrel, it felt like I was watching everything through a slow haze of anger.

I’d had enough of Church and I’d barely just met him. I blamed him for Thirteen’s death, for Tin and Ballast. If he hadn’t made me come to New Pegasus they’d be alive. But he hadn’t made me come to New Pegasus, I thought again, any chump could have been offered the caps I’d been offered. I squashed those thoughts, No way I could going to let myself think well of him, not while I planned on killing him.

Finally the shots seemed to hit, twice in the chest. He took two steps back, one of his hind legs floundered, missing the tabletop. Pulling the hammer back on Luna I jumped onto another table, but Church was ready for it already. He pumped another shot from somewhere and I felt it smash into my hooves as they hit the table top. With nothing to stop me, my momentum carried me off the table with it toppling after me. The fallen table gave me shelter from Church’s bullets, but not from what was on the table.The lead had smashed beakers and glasses that sent chemicals streaming over my body and face.

The burning was excruciating. I dropped my gun in agony. I knew I didn’t have time to waste and every second was the difference between life and death. I’d thought ahead and cleared my bags of the useless items and organized the rest beforehand. Without a moment’s hesitation I had the potion in my mouth with the stopper out, feeling the warmth flow through my body. It eased the pain but I saw the red and bubbling skin wasn’t healing at all. I’d deal with that later. My mind had to be in the moment, and I focused it now. I knew if I stuck my head around, Church would either shoot me, or not be there at all. Either option would be useless to me as it left him alive longer. It was second nature when I drew the Cloudsdale alongside the Luna and pulled back the action. That wasn’t necessary, it was double action, but it felt nice doing it. I’d have to get close for it to mean anything at all. That wasn’t a problem to me, I’d love to get close to Churchane.

I leapt forward from the table at instinct more than anything. Not more than a moment later the table was engulfed in a crimson fire. Instead of jumping to the next row I took a sharp turn to where I thought he’d be, and he was. I saw him pulling another glass bottle out of his coat, one of the many pockets he had. My guns were out and ready for business. With both sights on him he had nowhere to run. I pulled both triggers simultaneously and his chest exploded in a cloud of leather scraps and flying lead. He dropped the glass and it shattered across the floor spreading a flaming liquid down and around his body. Church let out an agonizing scream, like one that came from banshees in a foal’s nightmare. And as though he were a flaming spirit he rushed at me.

“You think this is the end?” he screamed with an almighty furor. His blow knocked me onto my back and we went sprawling across the floor. Eventually he was able to stabilize and I found myself sandwiched between the floor and a burning pony. The intense heat seared my flesh and I felt the old skin burn again. He brought his head close to mine. “You won’t ever be the same.”

“Neither will you,” I said. I still had Luna in my grip and I placed the blazing barrel against the side of his head. The hammer clicked on a full barrel, and he screamed in agony as the bullet tore through his skull. For the first time, I think he meant it.

It felt good hearing it. I’d won the battle against my only opponent left, and if I could beat Churchane, I could rule New Pegasus. A wave of relief hit me like a box of Mint-als and felt just as good. I might as well be king of Canterlot.

End of Chapter 10

Level Up!

Perk Gained: The Burned Pony Your skin is cracked and scarred, ponies don’t take to talking to you. You gain a chance to scare opponents.