Everfree Tales

Alright alright since we had no entries for December. I'll decide once again what the topic is. This time how about..

EQUINE KOMBAT!

Basically what my idea is this: take characters from DiE, be it your own against your own, OR for MORE difficulty take characters you don't write for. But basically pit two characters together, and find out who comes up the winner. Fight to the death or till one is unconscious I don't care.

Now THIS I can do!

Yes! Finally, I think I can do really good at this one!

Firesong VS. Spear

Firesong surveyed the battlefield, doing her normal rounds, getting water to whomever needed it, and alerting someone with stronger limbs than her of anypony that needed immediate help. She was nearing an area where there was more dragons then ponies, but all that meant was that there would be more ponies in need of help she figured. She started to look for the bodies, hoping that most of them would be of living ponies, and even more that most of them without serious injury, a hope that she knew was unlikely to be true, but still worth holding onto.

She made it to one pony that seemed to be suffering only from minor injuries. She gave the stallion a drink, assured him that help was coming, and then went back to the air to find the next pony to help. From the air she saw the glimmer of a green horn, she looked closer and noticed somepony was tending to a zebra. She flew over to who she thought was a unicorn, but under closer observation proved to be an alicorn- a creature that the pegisus had never seen this close before. She landed next to the beautiful creature and spoke in a hushed tone, “Is he bad off?”

The ailicorn didn’t bat an eye, “Yes, but I have seen worse.” She said covering the zebra in a green glow and moving him to a clear patch of grass. “I haven’t seen you before, have you talked to the commander about where you should be?”

Firesong looked at her with confusion. “Of course, I’ve been in my position for months; it’s you I’ve never seen before.”

It was the green mare’s turn to look confused, but after an almost undetectable moment of change in her eyes she replied coolly, “You’re one of the peacekeeper’s pony’s then.”

“Of course, aren’t you?” The pink one answered.

The reply she got surprised her, “No. I work for the ones that truly deserve the title. And I would suggest that you allow me to keep on with my work.”

“I don’t want anyp-one to die, I would never keep a medic from her work, no matter her side. “ Firesong said, still surprised. She then turned around to continue her work, she wasn’t mad at the alicorn, only confused as to why she had chosen her loyalties.

The alicorn looked conflicted for a moment, as if having an internal battle. She then flew and placed herself in front of the pegasus. “Unfortunately, this is a war and I cannot allow you to return troops to those that will hinder peace”

Firesong stretched out her wings. “And I will not abandon my post, small as it may be.”

“Then I am sorry for what I must do” the horned one answered, a mist flowing around the pink mare.

The smallest of the pair lifted her wings and sent the mist back with a gust of air. “As am I” she replied lifting off of the ground, glad to at least be in her element. It wasn’t a second before she was joined in the air by the other winged pony, and a gust of wind was thrown at her. Again, she merely adjusted her wings and the breeze floated harmlessly by. “We don’t have to do this.”

“You don’t have to fight back what is right” was the reply she got, along with a gust with some mist in it.

Firesong sent it back before it reached her. “You’re fighting a weather pony, I’ve played games as a filly harder than this one”, flicking her tail, this time sending a blast of air directed at her opponent’s wings, which as she soon found out, was not a good place to send it as it was quickly quenched in the green one’s wings. “At least as a filly I knew my opponent’s name to taunt at them.”

“This is not a game” was sent with a blast that sent Firesong a foot back before she could return it.

“Name’s Firesong” she blew out in a direct hit to the alicorn’s face, causing the green attacker a second’s pause in which the pink pony sent another blast returning the foot she had been sent back.

“Spirit Wind” was the short reply Firesong got in a blanket of mist that blocked her sight. She heard the wings above her, but not in time to doge the blast that sent her to the ground. Under normal circumstances she would have been able to land smoothly but the suddenness of it combined with her lack of sight sent her crashing, unable to be supported by her numb hoof. She saw Spirit above her, she used her tail and mouth to send a large enough blast to avoid being landed on, but only by fractions of an inch.I don’t know what I’d give to have Spear Spirit here now,she thought as she regained her balance, elevating and sending the largest blast that she could at this new Spirit, one that didn’t budge the alicorn at all. In the space of only a few seconds she saw the green Spirit lift and as she tried to position herself for another attack she saw a glow, then a larger blanket of mist then before and lastly felt herself being pushed down by the wind that she called her friend, then blackness was all she saw as she met her enemy, the ground.

Lightning raced across the sky as the rain crashed onto the battlefield littered with the dead of the DA and Peacekeepers alike. The survivors of the slaughter had either retreated or crawled away due to injuries or orders. Fog began to roll in during the rain, only to dissipate as quickly as it had come. In it's wake stood three figures standing over the bodies of the deceased. While two stallions stood together, the other seemed to stand before them as if blocking their path.

The figure standing alone was easily noticeable as the alicorn, Miasmic Fear. He stood majestically on a pile of corpses, as if like a triumphant king. He had been the organizer and grand deceiver of this slaughter, and he basked in this great triumph of fear and chaos. His grey wings furled at his sides. His horn, peaking through his mane, was dripping with the blood of those he had massacred this day. His grey and purple mane fell across his face and body, soaking wet in the rain. The end of his tail seemed to trail into mist and his deep purple eyes pierced through his mane. His purple barding rested neatly against his grey coat, the barding itself had taken some hits during the battle, the blades on the hooves dripped with the blood of the dead. Yet through the rain, the flashes of lightning, the blood dripping from his mane and horn. An ear-to-ear grin could still be seen.

Opposite to him stood two stallions. A unicorn and what seemed to be some sort of pony-zebra hybrid. The unicorn stood blood red with a tattered and cut up coat covering fractions of his body and could easily be recognized as Mustang Magus, a unicorn with a fame and reputation of his own. However the areas that the coat did not cover gave sight to barding that had seen a grand melee, adorned with dents, cuts, and bits missing. A multitude of scars, wounds from battle, were quite visible through the cloak and the shattered bits of barding. Some scars obviously newer than others as well as a few myriad cuts here and there from the day. Much like the alicorn standing before him, his eyes radiated with a green hue through his silver and lavender mane that fell soaked before his face. His horn stood out of his wet mane, the cuts and chips it bore did not make it any less noticeable.

Alongside Magus stood the zebry-pony hybrid. Grey was the color of his coat, yet unlike other ponies he lacked a mane. His tail, a bright yellow, ran off the end of his hide. These feature alone marked him as Twenty Sided, the X-Colt, and the Knight of Dawn to boot. He stood with his personal famed sword, Hirudo, in hoof. The blue blade dripped with blood from those in the DA unfortunate enough to have crossed his path and water, light from the lightning reflecting off the blade. His silver barding rested against his coat, the barding itself adorned with scratches, cuts, and burn marks from the day. His eyes glaring intently at Fear.

Fear couldn't help but cackle in the presence of these two stallions who were considered to be great in their own ways. "How good to see you both again, however under such unfortunate events. It saddens me that neither of you could accept my previous offer. Think of all the good we could have done here... hehe" Fear threw his head back in a mad laugh, his soaked mane flying backwards. "I suppose I could give you one more chance. I am a generous pony after all. So what say you? Will you help me cure the world of it's weakness and infidelity?"

Mustang took a step forward. "We explained to you once before that we have no interest in joining with you." Mustang had already done enough against his own kind against his will. He wouldn't let himself be controlled in such a way again.

Twenty said not a word as his sword trembled in hoof. Standing in front of him was the embodiment of what he considered evil. Fear was everything he stood against. And Twenty had nothing to say to such a monster. Especially a monster who likes to twist words...

Fear simply snickered at Mustang's comment. "I see... how sad." Fear glanced over at Twenty Sided. "And what of you Twenty? You owe me a little something? I'll forget that you killed my lovely assistant Dream..." Once again his grin spread from ear-to-ear. "... and you can forget when I gut that mare of yours like a trout... oh... what was her name again? Steel? No... Silver?... no that's not quite right..."

Twenty took sure grip of his blade. "Her name is Iron!" With that he charged the alicorn. Like lightning he raced up the pile of corpses, his blood on fire with anger, and the rain crashing into his face. Once in range he brought the blade down on Fear. Only to hear the sound of metal striking metal.

Fear grinned in Twenty's face. He had managed to raise his hooves enough to catch Twenty's blade with the blades on his hooves. "I guess that's a no... too bad. I seem to have hit a nerve talking about whatsherface." With that Fear pushed the blade away and brought a knee up into Twenty's gut. Sending the hybrid crashing down the pile. "If you keep fighting this way, someone is bound to get hurt." At that moment, mist began to form behind Fear, and a figure stepped out, the figure of a mare.

Twenty landed at the bottom of the pile with a resounding Thud. He had let his anger get the better of him, a mistake he should not let happen again. As he raised himself he picked up his blade and glanced up towards the alicorn. But as he did his mouth quivered in shock. Standing next to Fear was Iron, her hooves draped over Fears shoulders.

"Beautiful isn't she? Too bad she never really wanted you. Now she's mine." Once more Fear laughed at the stallion as his head dropped.

"Calm down Twenty, it's just an illusion." Magus needed to intervene for his friend. This was as much a battle of wits and emotion as well as magic and steel. While Twenty wasn't weak, having a love one turned against you has repercussions.

Fear sneered at Magus. "Magus, you're taking the fun out of this. But I suppose if you won't join. At least one of your little ones will. I have a 50-50 chance after all."

Mustang's face stood calm in the face of such a threat. "I highly doubt it, and your threat rings empty to me." His horn began to emanate with black energy, as voidstars began to swirl around him.

"Getting serious now, are we? Such a pity. I was rather hoping to have the power of the void on my side but I guess it can't be helped." Fear began to lean forward slightly, getting prepared for what was to come. But as he prepared to make his move on the unicorn, a loud crack was heard along with the pain in his stomach. As he looked over he saw Twenty with his hoof buried in his stomach.

Twenty smiled and quoted Fear "If you keep fighting this way, someone is bound to get hurt." With that Twenty pushed the alicorn down the pile. 'don't forget there are two of us..." Twenty glanced over at Mustang. "Thanks for reminding me who we're fighting."

Mustang smiled and looked back at the hybrid. "My pleasure. Shall we finish this now?"

"Lets." Twenty looked back toward the alicorn as he picked himself up. "Even after everything you've done, i'll give you one last chance to turn yourself in and face the appropriate punishment."

Fear's legs trembled as he stood up. The impact from the knee as well as the fall had caused him considerable pain. "You both never cease to amuse me..." His horn began to swirl with purple mist as he vanished into mist. His voice echoed around the two stallions. "I'll flay you both alive and present your bodies to my sisters."

Twenty and Mustang backed closer to one another to protect each others flank. Mustang's voidstars vanished, he didn't need to use them defensively with a friend so close to him. While Twenty readied his blade, Mustang's horn began to emanate negative energy. Both of them had to be ready.

Before long Fear reappeared above the two of them in a dive. Mustang was the first to react as he created a voidstar in the path of Fear. Fear quickly evaded it and managed to bring the back of his hoof across the face of Mustang, sending the unicorn back. Twenty managed to bring his blade across Fear's chest. The blade sliced through the rain and Fear's barding, causing a large chunk to fall to the ground, but failed to meet flesh. Fear quickly reacted by bringing a bladed hoof down on the hybrids shoulder, biting deep into the armor and drawing blood from the hybrids shoulder.

As Magus picked himself up and managed to spit out a decent amount of blood that now filled his mouth, he glanced to find his friend in need. Quick to react, he bull rushed the alicorn, sending him flying back.

As Fear was knocked back he managed to stay airborne, slightly above the ground. He had gotten a good hit on both stallions. But he had to be careful as his body was now exposed. Once again he faded into mist, preparing to strike. Twenty stood up, albeit with a limp. Luckily his sword hoof wasn't the one that had been struck. Still, the battle was proving to be difficult. The scenario was not in their favor, he had been injured and Magus had taken a light hit. Fear's movements were hard to predict, especially with his tactic of hiding in the mist. The storm hadn't been helping either between the lightning flashes and the downpour. Yet as he looked around he noticed a faint form of mist in the rain heading towards Magus. Even with a damaged shoulder he responded quickly with a dash. He brought Hirudo across the misty form and could feel the blade intercept something and run it through.

As the blade ran through, the mistform dissipated leaving Fear standing beside Twenty. Twenty's blade had hit true and sliced the wing of the prince open. Fear quickly turned and sliced at the hybrids leg causing him to fall to the ground and drop his sword. Fear loomed over the hybrid, his wing cut open, disfigured, and dripping blood and rain. Fear was making every attempt not to scream in agony, even with all the adrenaline coursing through him. He glared down at the hybrid with a look of anger and disgust. Out of the corner of his eye however, he could see Magus charging in, his horn ablaze with negative energy. As multiple voidstars began to take form around Fear, he did his best to avoid them, but he still felt the burn as some of the stars managed to tear at his barding and spots of flesh. As Magus charged, Fear found himself unable to fly and barely able to stand due to the injuries he sustained from the physical damage as well as from the voidstars. As he tried to pull away he felt hooves grab at his legs. Twenty had managed to crawl forward and grasp onto his hind legs. preventing him from moving at all. Fear kicked at the hybrid, but Twenty held on resolute in this endeavor.

Mustang, realizing what was happening, picked up Hirudo in mid charge before bringing the blade up. He could feel as the blade ran through the alicorns neck. Tearing flesh and muscle, penetrating bone and the end emerging from the other side. Fear stood there, blood dripping from his wounds as well as his mouth. Mustang pulled the sword out and looked at the tall alicorn. Fear's ear-to-ear grin never left his face as he fell to the ground.

Fear panted heavily and choking on blood. "I suppose... that's the... end of the nightmare... for now." A small chuckle came through. Mustang picked up his comrade and friend, the two now loomed over the alicorn.

"For good I hope..." Twenty couldn't stand without help from Magus, his body was heavily bruised and cut... but he wasn't dead... that's a plus. And what's more, iron would be waiting for him.

Fear looked up at the sky as the storm was cleared. Leaving the night and the moon to shine down onto the battlefield. "Luna... I... " With that, Fear stopped talking and his smile fell into a small one, not his usual grin. But an actual smile. As he drew his final breath and his body fell completely lifeless, his empty eyes stared up at the moon. No more nightmares, nothing left to be afraid of.

Father and Son

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This Battle happens in an Alternate DiE, where the war happened earlier before Tyrfang's time, and ended before his time as well. The Mafia was crushed earlier on as well, so Tyr's mother never died either. But that also means that Tyrfang's an only child as well, so...


I wish... I never came...



A dark and lonely plains, a lone white pony walked alone, surrounded by the corpses of long dead. Garbed in the armor of an Equestrian Guard, he was in stark contrast with the surrounding, dreary environment, the armor gleaming in the dim light.

Throught the plains, there were signs of battle long fought ago were scattered here and there, broken and rusted weapons, long degraded cannons, and the many dead bodies that seemed to mummify, instead of rotting away.

"...So this is where it happened." The stallion muttered to himself, unfazed at the deceased. Ever since the war ended, the former battle ground always was considered cursed, clouds never departing, and anyone entering being lost to whatever spell haunting the lands. Tyrfang didn't believe it though. His father had participated in the battle, and he'd heard some nasty rumors around the battle that happened. Combining that with how odd his father had been acting before leaving to fight, he didn't believe in the curse.

Nor did he believe he died here either.

Tyrfang continued walking, stifled slightly by the dead air. He didn't stop walking, nor bothering to take flight either. His goal was just a few hundred yards ahead, and he was in no rush to get there.

It didn't take too long for the stallion to reach his destination, a large towering oak tree that was devoid of leaves. It looked dead, like the ponies around it. Except for a single figure that sat beneath it.

The figure seemed to blend in with the tree itself. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't have noticed the pony at all. His armor had rusted to a shade of brown so dark, that one would wonder if it protected him at all. His coat was also matted with dried blood, that wasn't his own. At the sight of the new arrival, The pony slowly stood up.

Despite how horribly filthy he the sentinel looked, Tyrfang could easily recognize him. Without another word, he drew his weapon. A large battle axe. The sight of blood made him uneasy, whether dried or not. He'd rather be prepared for if anything happened.

"...Dad?" He said, astonished.

"...Hello Son." The other stallion replied, sounding very tired.

Tyrfang's father, Sky Cutter, a high ranking Guard for the Equestrian Military. He could've been Captain of the Guard if he wanted to, but declined. He did it for the sole reason, that he liked working with the rookies, and shaping them up. It was the same year that Tyrfang was joining, and it was no secret that he was the real reason why Sir Cutter declined.

Now, Sky Cutter just looked like a broken pony, who had seen too much. One who was at the top, who had fallen so low.

"Dad, where in Tartarus have you been?!" Tyrfang shouted angrily, a lot of worry he held gone now, and now anger had replaced it. "Do you know how worried Mom and I have been?! Mom's stopped drinking for Celestia's Sake! She's been sober for years now! Why in Tartarus were you here all this time?! We thought you were dead!"

"...Tyrfang, I know what I've done..." Sky said flatly, still sounding tired and much older than he should've sounded. "If I could've gone home, I would have. But... I'm supposed to be dead."

The bloody pony slowly took the ruined helmet off his head, the plume very frayed over time. Underneath it, was an obvious puncture wound that went straight through. A bullet hole, that did more damage than it should have. Tyrfang winced at the sight, but wasn't surprised at the sight of it. He'd new he was dead the moment he said he was. The white pony didn't let any lies pass by after all.

"...How are you still alive then?" Tyrfang asked cautiously, not sure what was supposed to be his father, was going to do. "...Necromancy? Are you being controlled?"

Sky sighed, and with a horrible sound of rough metal scratching against metal, he slowly pulled out his rusty sword, and rested it on the ground. He nodded silently, and added "...I haven't been myself, ever since that incident with the mafia, while you were still in training. And I've committed many terrible deeds in this place as well. ...With all my heart, I don't want to kill you, but I have no say in the matter..."

Tyrfang fell silent, and tears began to stream down his eyes. The ability to tell what's truth and what's lie can be seen quite useful, but it was a curse when you had to hear what hurt the most. You couldn't deny it with any cause.

Despite being impossible, the dead pegasus picked up the sword with what looked like magic, and held it in the air. Extending his bladed wings, he was quite the menacing sight. He gave his son one more sad look. "...Tyrfang, I want you to kill me. I'm not only asking you as your father, but I'm ordering you as your superior as well. It is my last request, and my final order. ...Can you do that?"

The younger stallion wiped his eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop. He said, in an almost inaudiable voice "Yes Father..."

Patiently, the dead stallion waited. Despite being under control of some other force, he still had some resilience left to prevent himself from attacking his son while he was calming down. It took quite some time too, until the tears stopped dripping from Tyrfang's eyes.

But when they did, and Tyrfang cleaned his face, he drew his weapon again, and barked loudly. "Sir! Yes Sir!"

Sky smiled gently, and said "Good. ...Now show me everything I've taught you.

Without wasting any time, they both charged at each other at incredible speeds, roaring. Tyrfang was pumped from the heat of battle, Sky with insatiable bloodlust. Their weapons clashed with a loud 'CLANG', and they were stuck in a war to see who would over come the other.

But it wasn't any contest. With more experience, Sky quickly overcame Tyrfang, and knocked him into the air with the side of his blade. He followed it up with several slashes from his wings, and followed it up with a hard kick to the stomach, knocking the breath out of the Tyrfang. The younger pony hit the ground hard, let out a gasp of pain. He had heard something crack, and it hurt severely. He felt weak from the blood dripping out of the deep wounds.

"...*sigh* I was hoping you'd have made some improvements. But you clearly are still green." Sky said disappointedly, He slowly walked towards the downed soldier, and raised his sword, preparing to swing down to end his son's life. However he took his time. Sky took no pleasure in having to do this task, and was in no hurry to do so. "...I'm sorry."

Tyrfang breathed heavily, but didn't look fearful. "*gasp*...Dad...*wheeze*... You have to remember who I am... *hack*"

Slowly, the white stallion struggled to pick himself up. He hurt all over from the quick wounds his father ha inflicted. "I...Am... Tyrfang... *gasp* The Loyal... I never...*Wheeze* disobey...an order..."

He looked for his weapon, and found it a few feet away. He slowly dragged himself over, and was about to grab it. "And... I'll NEVER... Fail a request."

Grasping with his teeth, Tyrfang had the weapon firmly held in his mouth, and charged with a roar so loud, it pierced the heavens. Not giving the zombie pony time to react, he quickly swung his weapon across Sky's neck.

Breathing heavily, Tyrfang dropped his axe, and fell to his knees. Behind him, he heard his father fall to the ground, but he didn't bother to turn around to verify if Sky was dead. ...He didn't have to.

"...Thank you... My son..." He heard a quiet rasp. "...And please tell your mother... That I'm sorry, and always loved her..."

"...I will Dad." Tyrfang said quietly.

Sky sighed with relief. "Now... I can finally rest..." And fell silent forever.

Tyrfang picked himself up slowly, feeling badly hurt, but his heavy heart burdening him more. He looked up to the Sky, where the sun was finally starting to peek out from behind the clouds, and said to himself. "...I guess it's time to go home then."

Suddenly, the white pony froze. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He slowly brought a hoof to it, and found there was a knife stuck in it, and fell to the ground.

As he lay dying there, Tyrfang looked up to find himself looking at a pure black mare, who seemed to be relishing in his dying moments.

"Bravo, Bravo!" She said, with a sickeningly sweet voice. "Oh how I nearly cried at the reunion of father and son! How touching, how touching! ...But now it's your turn to join your father. ...And once you are gone, I'm going to go retrieve something that should be mine from your mother. ...Using your corpse."

He could feel his life energy being sapped, and when it was all gone, he could feel his body moving on it's own. Like some horrible puppet, he was marched on out of the plains, the last thought he had while continuing along was:

I wish... I never came...

“Captain.”

Captain Phoenix turned, his eyes searching the darkness. "Who goes there?" he snapped. "I received a message telling me that there was critical information here. Are you the informant?"

"As a matter of fact..." Real Deal stepped into the dark, cold warehouse. "I am."

"Deal?!" The gryphon advanced, his expression somewhere between relief and anger. "What happened? We found your shop burned down, but only your guards were still in there! What happened to you and Bubbles?"

The unicorn puffed his cigarette. "Bubbles is far away from here, where she'll be safe. I'll follow soon enough. But that's not' important."

"Then what is?"

"I'm only here to repay the favor you asked of me. Settle our debt, as it were. Even if I am a crook, I'm a crook of my word." Deal opened a door with his magic, the darkness yawning and swallowing up the stairs that led further down. "Down here."

Phoenix followed Deal cautiously downstairs, something resembling worry tracing a cold talon down his spine. Deal didn't seem nearly as stressed or harrowed as he had been since they'd last met; he was calm now, far too calm for a civilian in a war zone.

They entered a dark room, the entirety of its construction made from hewn stone. Enormous tanks lined the walls, painted a dull, faded white. "This was a storage room for fuel or something before I found it a while back. A proper barricade on the door, and you could turn something like this into a fortress," Deal remarked. "Beyond this stone is gold old earth; there's even a degree of separation between here and the rest of the house."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Because any fortress can turn into a prison at the flip of a coin."

"What?" Phoenix turned away from the stone to scrutinize Deal, who kept the same small, neutral smile.

"This is the only place to keep you so that Bubbles is safe," the broker explained.

"Why would you even think of keeping me away from her?" Phoenix growled. Bubbles wouldn't want me gone... Right?

"Because where you go, the Alliance is close behind." Deal started walking to Phoenix's left. "You first showed up in Appleoosa, throwing around fireballs and declaring yourself a savior. Next thing we know, the entire town is razed. Fillydelphia, you call on me to do you a little favor. It's been months since then, and the city is still ablaze with war and death."

"The elder demanded results!" Phoenix snapped, feeling an icy talon grip his stomach. "And Appleoosa was not of my design! We're liberators, not destroyers!"

"I'm not a criminal, either." Deal's face remained composed. "I'm an honest citizen just trying to find his place in the food chain."

A moment of silence, and then Deal's head lowered, his body shaking.

"Deal?" Phoenix moved to help, but then the sound of chuckling caught his ears. Deal continued chuckling darkly, his head hung low. The volume increased as his neck rose, slowly, Deal's green eyes never leaving Phoenix's own. Then the unicorn threw his head back, laughter of a lunatic echoing in the basement as he fought for control and oxygen.

"What's so funny?!"

Deal kept chuckling, even as he turned to face Phoenix. "Because I just heard the two greatest jokes in the history of the world back to back. The heroic Alliance and the noble Deal. Isn't that how we'll go down in the history books? Isn't it?"

"Deal, I don't want to do anything to you, but if you try to do anything, I'll-"

"Please, Silver."

The gryphon froze at the mention of his name.

"Like I said; this is all about repaying debts!"

Deal's horn flashed, and all at once the containers burst open, allowing gallons upon gallons of cold water to roar into the room. Phoenix attempted to throw a fireball at Deal, but all at once a wave of water battered him, destroying his concentration and sapping his heat with biting chill. Over the roar, he could hear the unicorn continue to talk, even as he stood calmly on the stairs.

"You dragged me and Bubbles into your little war games, Captain!" he sneered, pulling a pistol out of his coat. "I went along with it out of some notion of pity, only to learn that my life, and the life of a little filly, were apparently at risk in the process! And it's all because of you!"

Phoenix growled, even as the water now rose to his chest at its lowest point. "How could you-"

"Betray you?" Deal shook his head. "I don't hold an allegiance to anybody. Not Equestria, not the Alliance; NOBODY! I'll be selling the PK's whatever dirt I found during my 'visit' with the Elder, and then I'm going to get a bit of amnesty and live as quietly as a king can manage! Really, between putting a bullet through Martingale's skull and drowning you like the little kitten you are, I've wrapped up the loose ends rather nic-"

"DON'T PUT ME AT HER LEVEL!" Phoenix roared, rocketing towards the unicorn; his fire was sputtering, but his strength, his fury was bountiful. He slammed Deal's back into the stairs, the broker hissing in pain. He dug his claws into Deal's shoulders. "I will not let some lying, scheming thief compare me to a madmare like Martingale, and I certainly won't let somepony attempt to murder me over some insane notion of a debt!"

"So... you say..." Their eyes locked, Deal's cold jade against Phoenix's blazing emerald, and a gunshot rang out. Phoenix howled, his claws drawing down Deal's chest as he fell backwards, clutching at the wing with a bloody golf-ball-sized hole in it.

"Fire can't do much... if it's good and dampened. Bullet gets through easier..."

Phoenix fell back down the stairs, and Deal stood up shakily, casting the pistol out of his telekinetic grip and pulling out a new one. He waited until he could see Phoenix's eyes again, the rage now joined by pain and fear. "Nothing too personal." He pulled the trigger.



Exiting the warehouse on shaking hooves, Real Deal paused for a moment to inspect his wounds. The captain had indeed left him a parting gift: two long sets of scars, from his shoulders to his chest. Doubtless those would prove problematic, and even now Deal was glad the meeting spot was nearer the PK side than the Alliance. He'd likely make it to a first aid facility, slipping out when he got patched up and sleeping it all off. And then...

His debt was settled, and he was a free stallion. Celestia help him.

Voting is up, and only two days later than it should have been.

And once again I forgot to submit something. >_<

Oh well, time to read.