Redeem, Revive, Revolt
By: Lucius Seneca and Stillmatic
Chapter Three: Paved Over Graves
It had been at least an hour's worth of walking before the trio finally ended up back at the entrance to the facility. The lower end of the door was pulled down, letting in the last rays of sunshine through. Their approach was cut short when an odd creature, a cockatrice, clucked its way into the entrance and sat there, waiting.
Westin's eyes glistened, "Damn. They haven't served us chicken in a while... We could pluck it now, cook it, eat it, an' just enjoy that shit."
Pyrite stood stock-still, unmoving except for the jittering, "Don't move! It's a cockatrice! It can turn us into stone if we look it in the eyes!"
Ulysses sighed absently, being his usual detached self, and pulled his pistol from its place which, at the moment, was wedged between his jeans and back. The weapon kicked as Ulysses double tapped the odd looking chicken. The strangely soothing sound of the bullet discharging, gunshot muffled by the silencer, accompanied the surprised squeal of the so-called cockatrice. The bullets lodged themselves in the breast of the fowl and it collapsed to the ground with a quiet thump. Ulysses looked at his companions who seemed surprised at his accuracy "What?"
Westin shrugged, "You fucked it up. You know what you did wrong, right?"
"Ruined the meat, have I?" Ulysses bent down and looked over the dead animal, surprised to see two crumpled bullets tumbled from its feathers. After a little sifting through the thick feathers, Ulysses discovered a layer of scales beneath, dented from the impact of the projectiles. He seemed surprised at the fact, but Ulysses' surprise skyrocketed as the creature jumped back to life, seemingly knocked unconscious from the bullets and their impact. Hands wrapped around the cockatrice's throat and Ulysses swiftly wrung its neck, a sickening crack emanating from within its flesh.
Guffawing, Westin threw his hands into the air overdramatically, "Nigga, I wasn't talking about the meat, I was talking about your nerdy ass style." He pulled out his Beretta and flipped it 90 degrees to the left, effectively gangsterfying it, "This is how it's done!" He fired a few shots between branches in a tree, "BLAT, BLAT MOTHAFUCKA! TREE BARK BITCH!"
A magpie fell dead to the floor, its entire wing and head blow clean off.
Westin looked at his gun before holstering it, "Well damn, I guess I'm just really fuckin' good with this shit."
Ulysses shut his eyes in frustration, hand going to his temple. That was not how you shot a handgun in Ulysses' world and the ignorance offended him, but he kept his cool nonetheless "Yes, well, you have your...style and I have mine. As for skill, that is left to be seen, but I have a feeling that Lady Luck was kind to you just now."
Westin chuckled to himself, "Lady Luck be on my dick all the time, not that I need her though."
Before either was able to say anything after that, Pyrite spoke, "Okay, um, do you two want to come with me? To Canterlot? This may seem a bit sudden but-"
Westin cut in, "They got beds that aren't plastic?"
Her faced scrunched in confusion, "... I suppose? It's really nice there! Really!"
He turned to Ulysses, who had been listening silently the whole time, "Whatchou think?"
The pale and gaunt man ran a finger down the bridge of his nose and over his lips, pausing at his chin for a moment. Ulysses looked over at Westin "Well, we find ourselves in a strange situation, do we not? I would greatly appreciate a true bed as neither I nor Westin have been with proper comfort for some time now. But that is not the problem. The problem is the city itself. Would we not attract interest from law enforcement? I wish to avoid such a meeting if possible."
The young black man nodded, "Word, I hate cops... Whoa-What the fuck!" Realization hit him, " Something ain't right! There were buildings around here when we got admitted! What the hell happened to this shit? I don't remember it lookin' all sunshiny trees and shit."
The area was indeed much different than when Ulysses had been admitted. Sure, he had been tranquilized on his arrival but his mind had still retained the memories of buildings and people talking. Surely the group had come out the wrong exit, but something stirred in Ulysses and he realized that this was not the case. Rolling his sleeve up, he looked at the silver watch on his wrist. It had stopped ticking.
Westin was looking around when Ulysses caught his attention. The ebony man seemed about to say something when he saw the look in Ulysses' eye. Ulysses himself shook his head slowly and the two men turned to look at Pyrite who pulled her head back in surprise "Did I say something wrong? Why're you looking at me like that?"
Westin seemed to understand the situation, "I'm thinking... we ain't in New York anymore... Just how long've we been in there?"
The unicorn shuffled her hooves, "Well, it's about 3516, Celestial Era."
Both humans stopped and stared at her, their expressions vague and emotionless. She tried to give a half-smile, but it came out crooked and corrupted by her uneasiness. A weak laugh later, she was still being stared at.
Westin exhaled, "That doesn't sound good, man, at all."
Ulysses sat down tiredly. The grass grabbed at his feet and he twirled it like a braid "Celestial Era...I'm guessing here, but Westin, I think we've been locked up for over three thousand years..."
Westin followed Ulysses example and sat against a tree, taking in the cool shade, "Damn... That means everyone is probably gone..." A weak, unconvincing smile crossed his face, "That means there are no cops though, at least." He gave a few weak laughs before hanging his head and fiddling with a daisy near him.
The sun was falling, but Ulysses took no notice of such a mundane thing and pulled absently at the grass. He fought the depression that crawled across his body like a wave of goosebumps. He had never had a true family, per say, but Ulysses was not without friends, or at least, he had been without friends. The situation was a somber one indeed and Ulysses laughed sadly, mimicking Westin to an extent "I don't have to worry about lethal injection anymore though..." He looked up at Pyrite than over to Westin "Who am I kidding?"
Westin's head raised, his eyes connecting with Pyrite's. He crawled over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders with more force than necessary, "There are other people, right?" When she didn't immediately respond, he gave her a violent shake, dazing her, "RIGHT? NOT EVERYONE DIED, RIGHT?"
Pyrite tried to give as comforting as a look as possible, "I'm sorry, but I think you're the first creatures of your kind that we've ever found."
The men glanced about aimlessly until Pyrite snapped them out of it "Just what are you two? You never really told me."
Ulysses stood up and approached some nearby bushes, he looked outwards at the trees in the distance before returning his attention to Pyrite "Humans. The dominant species. Or at least we were."
"I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that." Pyrite tilted her head in order to hear better.
The tone of Ulysses' voice turned deadly. She had never heard this side of him before and he stared at her with anger "Humans. Are you deaf or stupid?"
Pyrite's ears fell at that. Not because she had just been insulted, but by what he claimed he was.
"B-B-But humans- I-I-No! Humans are just fairy tales! They don't really exist! They're just myths that somepony came up with!"
"Don't you dare say that ever again. We were never fairy tales. We owned this world. It was ours and we had it in our control. YOU are the real fairytale. A goddam unicorn! What a joke." Ulysses sat back down as he finished his little rant, temper cooling off rapidly.
Westin began to add to that, "The fuck? I may be an urban legend, but I'm not some fuckin' fairy godmother type shit. Fairy tales! Bullshit!"
Pyrite crossed her forelegs, "It's true! Barely anypony even remembers those myths, and even Celestia herself said that humans never existed! Even if they did exist, they were all wiped out in the tale, so hah! How do you explain that?"
Ulysses stood up and before Pyrite could react, his hand tightened around her windpipe, forcing her back. His eyes had gone cold and although his face lacked emotion, Ulysses was undoubtedly angry "Go ahead, laugh again."
Westin pushed him away and slapped Pyrite out of his hands, "How the fuck do you expect her to tell us if the bitch can't breathe? Dumbass white boy." He stomped his foot next to the coughing Pyrite, scaring her, "Start fucking talking. Now."
Her coughing slowly subsided, but her voice was just slightly hoarse, "If humans existed once, they'd be all dead by now... There's nothing left of them and only a few ponies actually think were ever real. Hay, only a few countries even recognize them as national mythos, and those countries aren't exactly reputable." She stopped and stared at the two humans in front of her, "Do you two want to hear it? The tale?"
Fighting the urge to tackle Westin, Ulysses glared at him "I never asked her to tell me anything. We're not damn myths. We never have been." Ulysses looked down at the startled archaeologist "Go ahead and tell us."
Pyrite cleared her throat, "The myth, from what I can remember, is that humans existed thousands of years ago, but began to mysteriously vanish, along with the evidence of them existing. After some time, the races you'd see today began to emerge. Nopony knows how or why it happened, but something definitely did and changed everything. The last humans tried to control what they could and keep everypony down, but every race except for a few teamed up and took down the remaining humans. Since then, there haven't been any sightings or structures that could tell us if they ever really existed. What we know is-" she looked at them, "they walked on two legs..." Pyrite glanced at the entrance to the facility, "they had really big buildings..." the gun on Westin's belt caught her eye, "and they had really destructive technology."
Ulysses pulled Pyrite to her feet before turning his back on the situation. His mind was straining to perceive the fact that he and Westin were the last of the human race and when they finally died, so would mankind. Resting his head against the trunk of a nearby oak tree, Ulysses forced himself into a series of deep breathing exercises, effectively calming his rage and placing the man into a state of calm before he looked back at his partners. Westin had a look of amazement and distraught upon his complexion. Pyrite glanced between the two humans, eyes wide with unknowing, unable to comprehend the feelings of defeat flowing through them. Ulysses sat down once again and looked over at the dead cockatrice. Its glassy eyes stared at him even in death.
Westin stood up abruptly, realization evident on his face, "Fuck! Courtney!" He grabbed Ulysses by the shoulders, "She's still down there! We gotta get her!"
The man began to pace around, considering every possible plan of approach. He looked back at the large door behind him and walked to it. As if it had a mind of its own, it quickly shot upwards, closing itself. Westin's jaw fell, stunned at the unexpected reaction to his presence.
The intercom screeched before becoming clear, "My good man, I do believe that you are trespassing. Either leave the premises on mutual terms, or -bzzt- LEAVE IN A BODY BAG, SCUM -bzzt- on my terms. Is that understood?"
Quiet descended over the forest until Ulysses broke it with direct words "We'll be back, Mr. President. I can assure you of that." He looked over at the jittery Westin "Don't worry. We'll get her back."
Ulysses returned his attention to Pyrite with coldness "Do you have a camp nearby? Anything?" As if on cue, the sun dipped behind the mountains and the inky blackness invaded the area. Although Ulysses was no more than a faint ghost in the dark, his voice cut swathes in the thick darkness "I believe it is due time to find shelter. I don't wish to run into anything predatory at this hour."
Westin ran his hands down his face, "My fucking sister man..." He turned to Pyrite as well, "Let's get this shit sorted out. My gut tells me that we got a lotta shit that needs doin' later on, like busting back into this fuckin' place."
Pyrite nodded, "I have a camp nearby, but I only have one tent and one sleeping bag. I don't think either of you would fit in them."
Westin shrugged, "As long as I get something to eat, I'll knock out quick. Don't matter on what though, we been sleeping on hard ass plastic for I don't know how many weeks. What're we doin' when we wake up?"
She began to lead them to her small campsite, "Head to the nearest town, Ponyville."
Westin held in a laugh at the name and sat down on the pavement, dropping the body of the cockatrice onto it for cooking later.
The sun broke its golden rays over the Everfree Forest, causing small particles to be illuminated as they danced about and swirled in the rapidly warming air. There was a slight breeze blowing across the marshes, bringing with it the smell of thick salt and rotting plant matter; a most tangible scent. Ulysses sat with his back against a tree, makeshift fire poker in his hand as he pushed and prodded the embers of the dying fire. Westin snored loudly nearby, a smear of grease on his cheek. The cockatrice had turned out to be a rather intoxicating creature, mimicking the effects of alcohol. Ulysses had forgone the food and had instead eaten from a small cup of instant noodles. It had been a less than pleasant evening, what with Westin laughing frequently and stumbling around. Pyrite had spent most of the night taking notes and muttering quietly under her breath about this or that, occasionally glancing up at Ulysses who hadn't moved all night, awaking in the same position he now sat in.
Westin's body shot upwards, his head moving in all directions and his arms flailing as he stumbled around, "STOP! I AIN'T GOIN' BACK!" He fell onto his backside and cradled his head, "Oooohhh, damn... That cockalockadoo... My head..."
Pyrite exited her tent with slight bags under her eyes. She let out a long yawn before sitting by where the fire once existed.
The archeologist rubbed her right eye with a hoof, "We can start going now, after breakfast. It'll be dusk by the time we get there though."
Ulysses watched Pyrite stretch once again, mimicking a cat. He pulled Westin to his feet and by the time that Pyrite realized she was being watched, Ulysses had looked away. The pale man pulled on his backpack and adjusted the pistol at his belt.
Pyrite smirked inwardly at what occurred, "What's on the menu for breakfast? I have some cans of Tourist's Delight, if you two want any."
Westin rubbed at his temples, "The fuck is that?"
She levitated a can out, "Preserved and processed hay."
Westin opened his mouth to insult the very idea of such a concept, but closed it in favor of starting another fire to boil some water instead. Roughly five minutes later, the three were each eating respective cups of instant noodles, with Westin avoiding the chicken flavored version, mostly in part of his horrible experience eating the cockatrice.
Westin emptied the rest of the cup into his mouth, letting the lukewarm soup and noodles heat his mouth, "Shoulda had the cockamachock... That was some serious shit in there..."
Pyrite giggled, "There's a reason Cockatrices aren't eaten by other creatures, you know."
The man snorted in response, "I figured. 'Ey, let's leave already, right?"
She nodded and began to pack her items back into her bag. Westin and Ulysses waited until she was finished. The unicorn turned back to her two human companions to find them playing a game she didn't recognize, which happened to be rock, paper, scissors. What she also didn't know was that a Manticore was standing over her, claw ready to be brought down on her head.
Ulysses beat Westin for the second time, effectively destroying his opponent with scissors, cutting ribbons into the pretended paper. The Manticore continued to watch the scene, perhaps interested in the strange gathering before him. The trio had yet to notice the creature and as Pyrite took a step forward to grab the last item she needed, a huge claw slammed into the dirt behind her, sending her flying forward. Embers from the fire jumped into the air and the humans wheeled at the incredibly loud thump, pistols already in their hands.
Westin ripped his weapon from his belt and fired, bullet only grazing the hairs on the side of the Manticore's face. It roared in retaliation, forcing each in the group to cover their ears. Pyrite had ducked under a swipe, newly formed tears running down her face from the ear damage. She ran past her human compatriots and stood behind them, readying her horn in case of attack. Ulysses began to fire his MP7A1 at the creature, scoring direct hits towards the body with precision and ease. The Manticore leaped forward, separating the two humans with Westin rolling to his right to avoid a swipe. His eyes spied the scorpion tail leaning to its right, as if preparing for something. He glanced at Ulysses, who for reasons he didn't understand himself, leaped back, narrowly avoiding an impaling stab from the poisonous stinger.
Falling to the ground after tripping on an exposed root, Ulysses sat calmly in the dirt and fired at the Manticore's ankles, causing it to scream with pain and anger. Ulysses glanced over at Westin, rolling as a claw raked the ground next to him. The ebony nodded even though there had been no communication and vanished into the forest as Ulysses waved Pyrite back, indicating that magic would do little good here. She retreated and watched the scene. Ulysses stood up and circled the creature, eyes calm with focus and carefully refined anger at the harsh treatment. The Manticore screamed its unintelligible war cries once again and Ulysses fired into the creature's chest, weakening it as blood began to soak its fur, staining it darkly. The submachine gun clicked annoyingly, indicating the emptiness of the magazine currently inserted in the handle of the weapon. Reaching back, Ulysses pulled another magazine from his backpack, but was forced to drop the weapon and its respective ammo as another swing of the claw, intending to decapitate him, sliced the air above his head.
A scream cut through the air as Westin leaped onto the back of the Manticore. Gripping it by the hair, he flipped around and emptied a few rounds into the tail, crippling it beyond use. The large predator began to shake and buck the man off of itself, without much success. Using his Beretta, he began to slam and pistol the whip the skull of the Manticore, also without any serious success in terms of stopping the behemoth. Westin ducked his head down, narrowly avoiding a shot from Ulysses, who had reloaded his weapon. Using his hands, he began to search for the area on the back that would indicate the spine, and after locating said body part, fired at it repeatedly.
The Manticore was crippled almost instantly, a weak scream coming from its lips as it fell forward, paralyzed from the several bullets now lodged in its spine. It clawed weakly at the ground, one arm limp and motionless while the other seemed barely active. Its legs twitched, indicating that the Manticore had become paralyzed from the waist down for the most part. Westin climbed off the creature and Ulysses calmly laid his fully automatic weapon on the ground, opting for his pistol as he unscrewed the silencer off the barrel. The men approached the head of the Manticore, Ulysses pushed his weapon into the beast's mouth, aiming slightly upwards, intending to fire a bullet upwards and into its brain, avoiding the thick skull which would most likely block a bullet from the outside.
Westin pushed the end of the barrel into the eye of the beast, ignoring its cries of pain. He looked at Ulysses and they both nodded at each other, ready to finish the creature. At the same moment, they fired, each bullet penetrating the through the body and heading straight towards the brain, destroying the grey matter instantly and splattering the insides messily. The head fell to the floor, kicking up some loose dirt and staining the ground a red hue. Pyrite peeked out from behind a tree and her jaw fell in horror at the sight of the two humans standing over the dead Manticore, wiping dirt off of themselves.
Ulysses wiped a small droplet of blood off his face, flicking his fingers in order to free himself of the rapidly cooling liquid. For whatever reason, Ulysses sensed Pyrite was watching them and so he spoke without turning "The issue has been resolved. You're free to come out now."
Westin gritted his teeth in anger, "That cat made me ruin my jersey." He twisted his body around to get a better look at his back, "Grass stains, dirt stains. This shit better come out, or I'm gonna fuck someone up."
Pyrite, who was still in shock from their actions and how they simply shrugged the killing of Manticore off, slowly made her way to Westin, horn glowing. The stains disappeared before his eyes, picking up his mood and giving him a smile.
"Ight, thanks for that."
She nodded shakily and lifted her bag onto her back, "Ready to leave now? And thanks, for saving me that is. I appreciate it."
Ulysses shoved his submachine gun into his pack along with the stray, emptied magazine. Stowing his pistol away as well, Ulysses looked over his companions "These woods put me in a somber mood, let us go."
The trio emerged from the Everfree Forest as sunset approached. It was almost ironic how the thing they were finally expecting to see was already bidding farewell for the day. They stopped for a small break before continuing on. Pyrite took a sip from her canteen while both humans drank from their respective water bottles. After gaining back some strength, they continued towards the village nearby. Both Westin and Ulysses felt uncomfortable at the site of such antique houses, with a few exceptions to those that look incredibly odd. One such building had been the one they were heading to, Sugarcube Corner. The two humans shared looks before following Pyrite, who seemed perfectly at ease. She turned back to see Westin's arm over Ulysses' shoulder, whispering something with a devious smile. The unicorn stopped and raised a brow at them. Ulysses nodded and Westin removed his arm from him, holding in some secret from Pyrite. She frowned, a bit unhappy that they wouldn't share information with her.
Sighing, she pointed towards Sugarcube Corner, "Come on, let's get some snacks. I can't stand to eat anymore cans of hay or soup."
Luckily for the exhausted humans, the strangely decorated confectionary was open, although it was soon to be closed for the night. Ulysses pushed through the swinging doors and stepped inside, quickly followed by Westin who seemed slightly antsy. The small shop was quaint, but cozy and the smells that wafted around in the sluggish air were addicting to say the least. A bright pink pony hopped around aimlessly behind the counter, head occasionally disappearing behind the register as she jumped and bounced, face showing obvious signs of innate glee. Westin slipped past Ulysses as Pyrite approached the door. The presence of the humans went unnoticed for several more minutes until a pair of ponies, one colored an orangey yellow and the other cyan blue with a rainbow mane and tail, turned their attention to the doorway, eyes widening in shock. Ulysses looked at them calmly, observing their frightened expressions with dead eyes.
Westin nudged Ulysses, "This place is made out of diabetes, nigga. Hope the floor is steady though..." The nod he received made him grin, "Ight then, get ready for this shit."
Westin slowly strolled with superior swag and style towards a seat, before he tripped over one of its legs and did a slightly dramatic roll to the floor. Cradling his left ankle, he howled out in faux pain, attracting the attention of all customers inside the store. The orange and rainbow mares trotted quickly to him, observing his pained expressions. One reached out to his ankle, only for him to yell out louder, hurting the ears of the nearby patrons. He cracked one eye open towards Ulysses, making sure that he was doing as was planned.
Ulysses was already moving, dodging past the pink cashier as she rushed over to help the apparently injured Westin. Bag sliding across the countertop, Ulysses stepped behind the counter and grabbed the bag as it finished its slide. The register popped open and Ulysses, somewhat surprised to see golden coins, pulled handfuls from the metallic confines and shoved them into the now unzipped bag. The pistol made its way out of the bag's blackened depths and Ulysses wedged it between his jeans and back, ensuring more room for the coinage which was beginning to pile up within the bag. The pink pony's head shot up in surprise and Ulysses watched as she whirled, eyes locking onto his. Ignoring the stare, Ulysses pulled the bag over his shoulder and leapt over the counter, indicating to Westin that now was the time to leave.
Westin got up, only to realize that the operation had been successful. He didn't know exactly what told him to get up at that moment, but he ignored the pestering thoughts, while being more interested in leaving the store. He pushed past the ponies, knocking several over. They could only look with their dumbfounded and shocked expressions at him before he whistled towards Ulysses, who was holding open the door. He cranked his head towards the display case that the register resided on. Without words, Ulysses told him of his current hunger. Westin smirked and kicked the display, sending glass inwards and luckily avoiding most of the sweets. He grabbed as much as he could and two large baguettes before heading out the door, with Ulysses following. The ponies inside, Pyrite included, stood there slack-jawed at what had just happened. The archeologist immediately came to her senses and with a look of worry, sped after the two rambunctious humans. She didn't know however, that three other ponies were in pursuit as well.
Ulysses and Westin dashed down the streets, cutting a comical scene as Westin juggled several desserts in his hands, smearing icing over his forearms and jersey. Ulysses glanced back at the four ponies in pursuit and he looked over at Westin, nodding his head behind them at their pursuers. Westin shrugged and threw one of the baguettes, using it as javelin of sorts, laughing as it collided with the pink pony's face, knocking her down in a stunned heap. Ulysses laughed quietly, one of the sounds that rarely came from him. They turned a corner and skidded to a halt. Finding their path blocked by several large wagons which appeared to be offloading goods to the nearby stores. Ulysses looked over at Westin and promptly pulled out his pistol.
Their pursuers arrived behind them seconds later and they faced off. Ulysses nodded his head at Pyrite who sighed loudly before joining them. She simply wasn't willing to lose her specimens before she reached Canterlot.
Ulysses tapped Westin, directing him towards the pony with a cowboy hat. The baguette-wielding man nodded and Ulysses set his sights on the blue pony. He was surprised to see wings sprouting from her back, but he paid it little mind, walking casually up to the rainbow and blue colored pony. She stood up on her hind legs; A more humorous than serious stance. Ulysses retracted this thought, however, and ducked under a weird jab made by the pegasus. It didn't take much time for Ulysses to subdue the pony and he slammed his pistol into the bottom of her chin, knocking her backwards and onto the dusty street. Onlookers were beginning to gather and Ulysses, feeling eyes crawling over him, kicked the downed pegasus in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to completely collapse. His foot connected with the blue pony's ribs and a distinct snapping could be heard. She cried out and Ulysses grabbed her by the mane and tail, throwing her into a nearby wall where she collapsed into an unconscious heap. Turning in time to see Westin break the baguette over the cowboy pony, Ulysses smiled at the darkly comical situation.
Westin cackled to himself as the hard bread broke over the cowpony's head, dazing her, "Hah! That shit actually worked!"
The pony shook its head and regained its composure, only to threaten Westin, "Y'all are about to be in fer a hurtin', Mister!"
Something in the recesses of his mind suddenly snapped. The accent of that pony and what it said just struck a chord somewhere inside his head, somewhere that boiled a steaming stew of anger. He glared at her, neither backing down nor stepping back. Suddenly, much to her surprise, he did in fact turn around and walk away. She almost smiled smugly to herself, but her pride was cut short when an ear-shattering crack snapped through the air, freezing in her place as something zipped by. Her Stetson hat flew down to the ground in front of her, a hole on either side.
A ferocity broke out inside of her, and she rushed forward at Westin, who was clutching the gun. He stuck it back between his belt and pants, and as the cowpony got close, he prepared himself for his next move. As she came around to tackle him, he leaned forward, ready to grab her and suppress the blow. Of course, she ended up spinning around at the last second and bucking him right in the chest. Luckily, the Kevlar was able to absorb most of the blow. He quickly recovered, silently cursing her for probably leaving a bad bruise or welt. The Earth pony rounded again, still focused on giving payback where it was due.
She ran forward again, her mane zipping around along with her. The cowpony repeated the same thing again, expecting her opponent to fall for it. This time, he was prepared. With a swift jump and grab, he was on top of her mid-buck. Her eyes widened in shock as he forced her down to the ground and wrapped his arms around her underbelly. Ideas of what he was going to do raced through her mind as she was quickly lifted up into the air. Without warning, Westin suplexed the cowpony into the dirt, nearly knocking her unconscious in the process. She was barely able to see the Nike shoe connect to her face before she went lights out.
Westin wiped his hands, as if to get grime off of it, "Don't fuckin' try that Bruce Lee judo kick shit on me, bitch!"
Ulysses slung the bag off his back and unzipped it, shoving his pistol back in before removing the MP7A1 from its hiding place. Coins jingled around within, but he managed to keep them from spilling. The crowd had thickened and angry pedestrians were beginning to close in around them. Pyrite looked nervous, but Westin seemed too angry to notice and was still spewing profanities at the unconscious pony in front of him. Ulysses pulled the bag over his shoulder and absently sprayed bullets at the gathering ponies, not really aiming at them, but more so to scare them from the dirt that kicked up in front of them. Cries and frightened screams mixed with the gunshots, making a strange chorus of fear. Westin looked up at the sudden bursts of gunfire, but the humans still found the crowd far too thick to push through and Ulysses waved Westin over, quickly followed Pyrite. A nearby shop provided an escape route and Ulysses fired at the door, turning it into a collection of thick splinters before kicking it open and making their way into the interior of what appeared to be a barbers shop. Basins, scissors, strange collections of combs, and a startled pony were contained within.
The barber pony immediately became infuriated at the three intruders, completely disregarding their weapons. He stomped over to Ulysses and glared at him.
"Just what the HAY do you think you're doing in MY shop? Huh?"
Right as Ulysses was about smack the pony, the barber head-butted him in the crotch, dropping him to the floor. A wheeze came out as the man fought to regain his composure, which proved somewhat difficult with his most sensitive body part now aching. The barber shop seemed to get quiet as the tough stallion dragged his hoof along the floor, ready to charge at Westin.
Westin shook his head at the icy blue barber, "You better check yo'self before you wreck yo'self, brother."
A smirk crossed the barber's face, "I think I can take you. Today feels kinda odd. Today feels like a good day."
"Bring it."
The assailant barber charged forward, only for Westin to sidestep and kick him in the belly. The air escaped the barber pony as he barely managed to stand up. He gritted his teeth and attempted to buck the human. What ended up happening was Westin kicked him directly in the rear end, eliciting a defeated yelp from the short-maned pony. Westin shrugged and went next to Ulysses.
He nudged the ivory-skinned man, "Come on, let's leave already."
Ulysses gave a cold look to his comrade, right before throwing a punch at the same place he had been hit. Westin didn't realize it was coming, but oddly enough, he backed up right in time, only nicking him slightly. He protectively covered the area for a moment before just dropping his hands all together. Ulysses finally recovered from the blow and kicked open the back door to allow the group through. Five ponies clad in golden armor met them there, ready to shout and arrest them.
Both men clenched their fists and teeth, but it was Westin to speak first, "I fuckin' hate cops!"
Ulysses sighed. Today was not a good day and his temper had grown short. When the humans refused to give themselves up, the armor-clad guards rushed the trio. Ulysses threw himself up against a nearby wall and brought his MP7 down on the top of a guards head. The blow merely stunned the white stallion as his cranium was protected by a thick, golden helmet. The gun struck him in the face next and he crumpled like a tower of cards. Unfortunately, Ulysses was tackled by another guard and they struggled on the ground, grunting and breathing heavily, the automatic firearm skidding away in the scuffle. Unable to see what Westin was undergoing, Ulysses fought his assailant with focused rage, slamming the heel of his palm into the stallion's nose, breaking it and causing a spray of blood to cover Ulysses' face. He spat out the salty red mixture and as he regained his footing, a hoof caught him in the face, bruising his skin. Ulysses recovered quickly and punched back, using his calloused palms instead of bare fists. The opposing guard's head jerked back several times from the impacts and before he could react, Ulysses had grabbed him by the head, swung onto his back and had hit him in a delicate spot behind the ear, effectively knocking the guard unconscious.
Westin huffed, completely unnerved at his luck. Surrounding him were three guards, each circling and stalking like predators. His fight-or-flight response kicked in, completely obliterating his sense and replacing it with a spite-fueled adrenaline rush. A guard that had successfully gotten behind the man ran forward, ready to tackle him to the floor. Westin heard the distinct clicking of hooves and rolled out of the way, but kept a leg out. The guard tripped over the extended body part and hit his face against the ground before getting up again and wiping the blood off of his face.
While Westin was distracted, another guard ran at him from the side, bucking him and sending him stumbling to his left. The third guard did the same to his front, effectively knocking him to the floor. Westin's eyes shot open and he rolled to his left, just barely avoiding a series of hooves that wanted to smash his face into the ground. He scrambled to his feet and glared at the three guards. His mind wandered for a moment as he thought about how well Ulysses was holding up. The man ducked, having a guard's leap miss entirely. He opted to focus on the fight instead, at least, for now.
With that settled, Westin began to consider his options. Recalling the guard behind him, he leaped backwards and landed on top of said guard, using his elbow as the connecting area. The elbow drop landed successfully, hitting the guard in the unprotected area of his side. Blood splattered out of the guard's mouth, most likely from internal bleeding from the hit. Before the others could intervene, Westin kicked off the helmet and stomped on the head, knocking the guard out cold.
He turned to the other two, who traded uneasy looks. They seemed to gather their courage back and team up on him, as evidenced by their circling of him again. Westin quickly scoured his mind for some move he could use, and inspiration slapped him across his face. He reached back and grabbed a fist full of dirt from the nearby grass. Waiting for one of the guards to attack, he threw it at the one behind him, stopping him in his tracks for a few precious moments. The other guard gritted his teeth and charged forward, trying to buy his teammate some time to recover.
Westin sidestepped the charge, but a hoof slammed into his foot, forcing out a pain-riddled yell. He smacked the guard's head and gave it a good shake before ripping off the helmet and backhanding him. The guard spat blood onto the floor and locked eyes with the man across from him. He charged forward once more, ready to buck the lights out of the meddlesome ape creature in front of him. But, as Lady Luck would have it for once, Westin was able to let himself time a roll on top of the guard, where his weight brought the both of them down. The guard hit his face against the hard surface, and swayed as he sat up on his haunches. A kick across the face was delivered, sending him into a forced state of slumber.
The last guard was finally able to clear his eyes, but all too late. Using his favorite professional wrestling move that he remembered from when he was child, Westin kicked the guard over onto his side and did Hulk Hogan's signature move, the Atomic Leg Drop. The move stopped the last guard immediately, who could only gargle out a few sounds before slipping into unconsciousness.
Breathing loudly, Westin wiped the dirt and sweat from his forehead, "I fuckin' hate cops... even more now."
Ulysses was still wiping blood from his face "This is less than pleasant." He looked over at the shocked Pyrite "Thanks for your help."
The sarcastic remark hit home in Pyrite and she fought the urge to throttle the man, instead settling with a rough berating "What the hay were you two thinking? Do you have any idea how much trouble you two are in? How much trouble I'm in? Why the hay would you rob the store as soon as we got here?"
Ulysses looked over at Westin and then back to Pyrite "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Westin took off his cap and used it to fan himself, "Damn, I thought that would go better. But hey, we got the ducats, an' that's what matters, nigga!"
Pyrite glared at them before shaking her head and sitting on her haunches. She sighed and looked at the guards, shuddering lightly. Perking her head up, the archeologist noticed the two humans leaving and heading around a corner.
She reached out, worried, "Wait! Don't leave without me!"
Pyrite hurried after and followed them down several back alleys and small streets, putting distance between them and the bullet-riddled area. She found them sitting at a table with two ponies she didn't recognize.
The minty green mare with the multicolored mane inhaled and squealed, her hooves to her mouth in excitement, "Wait! So you mean to tell me that you're the real deal? You're really humans? That. Is. So. Cool!"
The other pony, a cream colored mare with a mixed mane, sighed and gave a pleading look to the two men sitting across from them, "Please, calm her down. Lyra gets so obsessed with the myth that-"
The other pony, Lyra, put her hooves to her hips, "Hey! I am not obsessed; I just have a fascination with the stories! And besides, this means I was right! And you know what that means Bon-Bon," she finished with a sly grin.
Bon-Bon held her hoof to her head and mumbled a few words. Lyra extended her head out comically, as if she was trying to get a better chance at hearing.
"What was that? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you!"
Bon-Bon sighed in defeat and spoke out loud, "You were right and I was wrong."
Lyra got close to Bon-Bon's face, "Aaaaand?"
The mare smiled and gave Lyra a peck on the lips, "And humans are real."
The grin on the mint pony's face grew even wider, "Thank you!"
Ulysses groaned inwardly. He absolutely despised social gatherings, especially ones with an overly excited and talkative person or in this case, a pony. Westin seemed quite at home with the attention, but Ulysses was having none of it, simply nodding or smiling distantly in an attempt to fend off the barrage of annoying questions that attempted to dwell into his personal life: An area off limits to anyone but Ulysses himself. Pyrite had commenced sitting with the group and luckily for the quiet man, she hardly spoke, tuning down the amount of words currently being spilled around the table. It was a situation Ulysses found teeth-grinding, but he allowed himself to take on the appearance of a relaxed, if strangely quiet man.
He didn't like sitting around in a town he had just committed a series of crimes in and the idea of waiting for himself to be arrested was maddening to say the least. The minty pony, Lyra, turned her annoying attention to Ulysses once again and he sighed as he opened his ears to the next question.
"So, what about you? What do you like to do?"
The question caught Ulysses off guard and he realized that a mere nodding of the head would not save him here. Forcing a smile onto his face he replied with a strained voice "Oh, you know. Reading, going for a walk. Those sorts of things."
Luckily, the answer was adequate and the talkative unicorn returned her attention to Westin who commenced telling her what his home was like, glorifying it beyond what Ulysses knew as the truth. The other pony, one by the name of Bon-Bon, was beginning to stare at Ulysses and he met her with steady eyes. The earth pony saw something in the eyes, a coldness, a lack of emotion. She hid her shivers and turned away, pretending to look up at the sun. The murmuring of voices joined the already noisy table and Ulysses turned in his seat slightly to find three ponies coming around the corner, eyes locking onto him.
Westin glanced back at the three ponies approaching and turned his head back to Lyra and Bon-Bon.
Westin smiled at the two ponies across from him, "Do me a favor, ight?"
Lyra began to rapidly nod her head, "Anything!"
Bon-Bon placed hoof on her marefriend's shoulder to calm her down, "Excuse me, Mr..."
"Westin."
"Mr. Westin, what exactly do you want us to do? Nothing rash, hopefully?"
Ulysses cut in, "If anyone enquires as to our whereabouts a few minutes ago, my friend and I would greatly appreciate it if you could vouch for us and our presence here the whole time."
Lyra was a bit surprised at Ulysses speaking more than few words, but nodded understandingly, "Okay, that seems pretty easy." Bon-Bon gave her an uneasy look, "What? They seem like decent stallions! We should help our friends!"
Ulysses nodded his thanks and his hand snaked into the bag which was leaning against his leg. By the time the three new ponies had approached, the bag was zipped up and Ulysses had his hands resting comfortably in his lap. Westin had a casual look upon his complexion as well and Ulysses took in the new guests. Two were unicorns, white and purple in color, while the other was a light yellow pegasus who was seemingly quite timid as she hung back, long hair covering her face like a mask.
Westin looked over at Ulysses who indicated that they should remain calm. The purple unicorn approached, obviously the leader of the trio, and Ulysses smiled at her "Can we help you?"
The purple unicorn stepped to the two humans with a look of interest, "Hello, I'm-"
Someone nearby cleared her throat, catching her attention. She turned her head to the pony sitting between the humans and the pair of marefriends, which happened to be a somewhat familiar, tannish pony with black hair adorned with a gold streak.
Pyrite faked a smile, "I'm sorry, we were in the middle of a conversation at the moment."
"Oh, well, if I could just speak to-"
She cut her off, "Please, another time, we're discussing some important matters."
"But-" The purple mare began.
Pyrite turned her head back to the unicorn, "Oh, are you still here?"
Lyra, who was watching the interaction with attention, waved to the mare, "Hi Twilight!"
The mare, Twilight Sparkle, greeted the mint pony back, "Hello there Lyra, and hello Bon-Bon."
Bon-Bon nodded, "How are you, Twilight?"
A frown came across her face, "A bit worried actually. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had to be taken to Ponyville General."
Lyra gasped, "What for?"
Pyrite grinded her teeth in frustration, but kept silent.
"Some creatures robbed Sugarcube Corner and attacked them," Twilight said as she eyed the two humans, who were lounging casually.
Lyra suddenly remember the favor she was asked of earlier, "Twilight, you aren't really thinking that these two did it, do you? Mr. Westin and Mr. Ulysses have been with us the whole time. We've actually been avoiding all those screams together."
A posh, white pony stepped in, "I'm sorry dear, but you tried to ignore screams for help?"
Bon-Bon shrugged, "Lyra's afraid of that kind of stuff. Just last week she-"
The cream mare was cut off by a hoof to her mouth, specifically Lyra's hoof, "You said you'd never repeat what happened! And I'm not afraid of anything!"
"Oh? What about last night with the spider?" Bon-Bon retaliated with a smirk.
"Did you even see the eyes on that thing? It was crazy!"
Twilight waved her hoof to get their attention, "I'm sorry girls, but I won't take up too much of you and your," she glanced back the humans, "friends' time. Did you happen to see anything? At all?" She gave an awkward smile, the best a bookish type as herself could muster under such circumstances.
Both Westin and Ulysses gave looks to Lyra and Bon-Bon, who understood and shook their heads to indicate that they hadn't seen anything that wasn't considered normal, at least in Ponyville.
Pyrite crossed her forelegs and muttered under her breath, "Nerd."
Twilight caught the word and glared at the archeologist, "I'm sorry, and you are?"
She snorted in an unladylike manner, much like Westin would, "It's none of your business."
The purple unicorn frowned, "Is there something that I'm missing here? What seems to be the problem?"
Pyrite used a hoof to gently push Twilight back, just enough to try and intimidate her, "YOU'RE my problem, and I'd appreciate it if you left, NOW."
"And if I don't?"
A scowl formed on Pyrite's mouth, ready to open and yell words before she was cut off by the pearly white pony's overly dramatic gasp.
She nearly swooned, "Oh, Celestia! What is that horrid thing on your back?"
Pyrite blinked, unsure of what she was talking about for a moment. Realization hit her, informing her that the stuck-up mare complaining was directing her indirect insult at her pack. Her jaw began to ache once again from over-clenching, extremely annoyed by what this mare said. The very same pack she was carrying was a present from her late uncle, who had disappeared while on an expedition towards territory north of the Everfree Forest. The pain from the loss was still fresh, despite having happened a decade ago. The fact this ignorant mare had just insulted one of the few physical memories of her beloved uncle was crossing the line.
"Why, you little tramp..."
The mare gasped, "Why, I never! There's no reason to resort to such uncouth words, dear."
Pyrite nearly snarled at her, "How about you go, take your accent, and shove it up your-"
Twilight gasped, "Wait! I know who you are now!" Pyrite could only grumble in response and shift in her seat, "Pyrite! Pyrite Dreams! From Magic Kindergarten, remember? It's me, Twilight Sparkle!"
Pyrite facehoofed, "Yes... I remember..."
Twilight gave a genuine smile, completely forgetting the conversation that just occurred, "How long has it been? How have you been? What do you do now?"
Pyrite glared at the purple unicorn, her words dripping with poison, "Thirteen years, fine, and I'm an archeologist in Canterlot."
"Really? What kind of discoveries have you made?" Twilight asked with intrigue.
Pyrite picked up on that same intrigue and gave a deep scowl, "Listen, I'd really like to play 'catch-up' and 'buddy-buddy', but I have work to do that needs to be addressed immediately."
Twilight's ears fell, sensing the harsh and cruel words, "Pyrite... What happened to you? You weren't like this in Magic Kindergarten..."
"I grew up, okay! I got a job and actually had to work from the bottom-up to where I am today, and even that's not enough, alright? So I'd appreciate it if you butted out of my business and stopped getting in my way!"
Twilight began to squirm slightly from the words directed at her, as if it was her fault, "B-But Pyrite, I just wanted to know how you were-"
Pyrite slammed her hoof on the table, "No! I don't care what you wanted to know! That's all that you ever wanted to do since Magic Kindergarten! Get in other ponies' business and get information like the greedy little foal you are! I swear by Celestia's beard, you were always willing to tattle or snitch on somepony just to get the teacher's affection! That's why you never had any friends, you idiot! Did your parents not love you enough that you had to get it from the teacher? Is that it? You are such a complete-"
"STOP!"
Pyrite blinked, surprised from Twilight's outburst. Still, the surprise wasn't enough to quench her thirst for revenge. She looked at Twilight's now tear-stained face and smile devilishly, relishing in the emotional pain she caused. The deep hatred and lust for revenge was coming full-circle, and all she had to do now was come up with the final string of words that would utterly demolish the bookworm's self-confidence. As she opened her mouth to speak, a yellow pegasus zipped up to her face, staring intensely into Pyrite's eyes. Her mouth fell, letting only a few words sputter out without true form. It was as if a dark cloud was covering her mind, forcing some kind of control over her.
The pegasus put her hooves on her hips and gave a stern look, "How dare you! How dare you insult my friend like that! Who do you think you are, talking to Twilight like that? I don't know what she did to you, but you do not yell at my friends li-"
She blinked and looked to her left. Something tapped her on the shoulder, breaking her concentration, but nothing was there. There was a faint chuckling somewhere nearby that was far deeper than any of the mares'. Pyrite shook her head, clearing the cloud away from her mind. She scowled again and looked straight at the yellow pegasus, fire in her eyes from being subjected to that mind control. The pegasus lowered to the ground, cowering under the gaze of the archeologist and becoming smaller and smaller now that she had lost all the momentum she had built up from watching Pyrite insult her friends. She was now left a whimpering little ball on the ground that quickly scooted behind the white pony, whose jaw was slackened in a most unladylike manner. A look of victory crossed Pyrite's face as she grinned deviously.
The confrontation was intriguing and Ulysses found himself relating the unicorn's behavior towards that of how a human might react. Apparently this equestrian race harbored the same flaws as that of humans. Ulysses' fingers curled gently around the pistol hidden in his lap and he stood up, flourishing slightly as he hid it behind his back as he picked up his bag.
Ulysses nodded at Westin and Pyrite "We should be on our way. This town appears to be rather dangerous." He smiled falsely at Lyra and Bon Bon "Thank you for the hospitality."
Westin stood up, but Twilight's voice broke the awkward silence. Her feelings were still hurt from the series of insults that had been hurled at her but the inquisitive soul within her forced her to ask "If you don't mind, what exactly...are you two?"
Ulysses' heart stopped: He did not want to tell her. Lyra, however, did and she spoke with inane excitement "Human! They're humans!"
Shocked gasps filled the air and the two men winced. The situation was quickly deteriorating. Pyrite spoke up next, eyes fixed with hatred on Twilight "Yeah! Humans! I found them! They're mine!"
Westin and Ulysses exchanged looks, guffawing at the absolute ridiculousness of the declaration. Speaking with quite words, Ulysses' eyes moved between Pyrite and Twilight "You do not own us. Do not make that mistake again."
Twilight was still trying to swallow the information "H-Humans? But they're just myths! Stories told to fillies!"
"And yet here we are. I find your lack of faith disturbing." Ulysses seemed to be dictating the conversation now and his eyes had taken on a coolness, indicating the lack of emotion within.
Westin pulled his cap off and rubbed at his bald head. He recalled the hair spell Pyrite used earlier, which had long since worn off. The ebony man looked back at Twilight, then Pyrite.
He sighed and completely changed the subject without realizing it, "I'm fuckin' tired, let's get outta here already." His stomach grumbled, "That cockamamiedoo was pretty good."
"Cockatrice," Pyrite corrected.
Twilight winced at the language, but gasped, "You ATE a Cockatrice?"
Westin glanced back at Ulysses before raising a brow at Twilight, "Yeah, what of it?"
"Cockatrices are practically surging with a natural alcoholic substance! It's a surprise you didn't die."
Pyrite smirked, "You wouldn't have thought that if you heard things he was saying last night."
Westin glared at her, "Shut it."
She giggled and dismissed it with her hoof, "Fine, fine."
Westin sat back down in a heap, far too tired to bother with any more trivialities such as discussing lost civilizations and ancient myths that had somehow emerged from the ground. Lyra tapped his shoulder with her hoof, getting his attention. He stared at her, waiting for some kind of indication to what she wanted. As if on cue, she pointed to his hat, which he took off and handed to her with some hesitation. She flipped it backwards and wore it, with her horn going through the adjustment hole in the back. Westin laugh uproariously, clearly entertained by the idea of a unicorn wearing a Chicago Bulls cap. The minty unicorn smiled at the approval, which made her marefriend smile as well.
He turned back to Ulysses after wiping away a tear, "What's the plan now?"
Ulysses sighed and looked up at the falling sun before glancing back at Lyra, making use of her over friendly tendencies "I hate to bother you, but you wouldn't happen to have room for two more at your home?"
Bon-Bon seemed about to protest, but Lyra cut her off quickly "Yes! Of course!"
Ulysses smiled but directed his thanks to Bon-Bon in order to reinforce the idea that both he and Westin were decent men, which was untrue, for the most part anyway. The gracious smile made Bon-Bon nod in acceptance and Lyra jumped up in joy, hat flying off her head. Ulysses promptly caught it and passed it to Westin who took it with a nod before placing it upon his head.
Twilight's voice came back into the equation once again and Pyrite bit her tongue in order to keep hot words from spilling from her lips. The purple unicorn ignored her previously unknown rival "How long will you be staying in Ponyville? I would love to speak with you more, both of you that is."
Rarity spoke up suddenly, perhaps catching Ulysses' refined speech "And I as well. You seem rather...intriguing, dear."
A slight blush crossed Rarity's cheeks as Ulysses smiled, hiding the coldness that stemmed from his core. He could care less about spending time with the "Profligates" as he had come to call them. But Ulysses nodded nonetheless. Westin gathered up his bag and the two made to set off towards Lyra and Bon Bon's house, led by an eager Lyra and somewhat reluctant Bon-Bon.
Pyrite stopped them, however, and spoke with anger mixed with reluctance "What about me? You can't be serious about leaving me with HER!"
The final word was directed towards Twilight and was filled with spite. Fluttershy seemed about to stand up for Twilight once again when she noticed the stare that Ulysses watched her with. She backed down almost immediately.
Westin gave a cross between a shudder and exhalation, with his body visibly slumping from the anguish that was a bunch of mares talking. He rubbed at his temples and looked at his two hosts before asking an important question.
He already had the minty unicorn's attention, "Lyra, right?" She nodded quickly, "You got a spare bed for her?" He directed a thumb towards Pyrite.
An uncharacteristic frown crossed her face, "Well, we sorta only have two beds, and you two would probably take up all the room in one, and uh..." She motioned for Westin to kneel down to her level so she could whisper, which he complied to, "I don't think Bon-Bon likes the idea of sharing a bed with somepony we don't know... We tried that once after I -heh- got a bit tipsy at a club..."
She smiled at him, silently hoping that he wouldn't judge her for her own sexual preference. Admittedly, it wasn't looked very well upon in such a region of Equestria for two mares to be in a relationship, but something about the towering human in front of her made her feel accepted.
Westin nodded, "Ight, but I was talking about a couch or somewhere on the floor or something."
Pyrite was about to protest sleeping on the floor when Ulysses shot her a look, effectively quieting her for a bit.
This time, it was Bon-Bon to answer, "Oh yes, we do have a large loveseat, and as it turns out, a floor as well."
Westin laughed, making both Lyra and Bon-Bon smile, "Ight, how big is the loveseat?"
Lyra rolled her eyes playfully as if it were an unnecessary question, but still grinned, "Well pretty big, duh! How else do you think me and Bon-Bon ha-" She was unfortunately cut off by Bon-Bon's hoof, with that hoof connected to a mare blushing a deep shade of red.
She stuttered, "L-Lyra! Y-You can't be saying things like that to ponies!"
Westin ignored the thought on what she was going to say, and focused back on the question at hand, "Big enough for me?" He flexed his right arm, letting the muscles bulge, "I am a pretty big guy."
Lyra checked the dark-skinned man from every angle, taking a few more moments than necessary to look at his backside. She hopped in confirmation, "Yeah! It should be big enough for you!"
Bon-Bon waved a hoof to pause the conversation, "Wait, I thought it was for your friend, Pyrite?"
Pyrite looked at Westin in confusion, "Yeah, I thought I would be sleeping on the couch?"
Westin shrugged, "My moms always did say treat a girl with respect."
Pyrite stomped her hoof in anger, "Then why did you guys do all that stuff when we were at the Catskill Lab?"
Bon-Bon cocked her head to the side, "Uh, what stuff?"
Ulysses cut in, "We obviously didn't realize that you ponies, or mares, were the equivalent to girls. It hardly makes a difference to me either way. What's done is done."
"Seriously, what stuff are you talking about?" Bon-Bon asked once more.
Westin shrugged, "Yeah, how were we supposed to know you weren't some freaky ass alien or somethin'?"
Bon-Bon lost most of her will to even bother asking, "Fine, maybe we're better off not knowing."
Pyrite sighed in defeat, "Fine... But it's fine, really. I'll take the loveseat."
Westin stopped her there, "Nah, I'll use it. Besides Boo, I'd rather have you and this nigga over here in the same bed together, ya know, gettin' romantic an' shit."
Ulysses' normally calm expression turned sour towards Westin. He was staring daggers at the man who was grinning wildly.
Ulysses muttered something his breath, but Westin simply moved in place with his pearly-white grin, dancing and mouthing, "You mad! You mad!"
Ulysses fought the urge to strangle Westin, but nodded as Lyra tugged on his pants with her hoof. The three followed the two marefriends, leaving behind the two unicorns and pegasus at the table. Ulysses grabbed his MP7A1 before their departure making his way back to the alley quickly and stowing it away in his bag. The guards were still unconscious and judging by their injuries, they'd be out of it for a while. Ulysses rejoined the group and they made their way through only a few backstreets before reaching the cozy little house.
Ulysses sat calmly in his chair, glass of lemonade against his lips. He set it down and leaned forward, a hissing whisper directed towards Westin "We can't stay for long. One of these...ponies is bound to recognize us by tomorrow."
Westin looked back at the snoring Pyrite, who had fallen asleep on the couch, "... I can't believe this shit man... What the fuck happened to everyone? Everything?"
"Three thousand years...all that time wasted and gone." Ulysses pointed at Pyrite "They took everything we ever built, ripped it down."
Westin's voice cracked slightly as he said his next few words, "Chicago, gone... Everyone I knew, gone... They just-just built right over our own graves, man."
Ulysses' hand tightened on the glass of lemonade, fighting the rage "Every single country paved over like an open field. What we did today, Westin, they deserved it." He paused in his speech, eyes locking onto Westin "Next time I won't miss."
Westin glared at the cupcake in his hands, wanting to crush it into dust, "I know, I know." He leaned in close, unknowingly bearing his teeth as he spoke with hatred and tenseness, "That's why we need to get back into that fucking place!"
"Everything we ever knew, everything left is down there! If we get back in, we can rise back. We can take back every single thing these...criminals stole." Pyrite jumped slightly, shifting in her sleep. Ulysses motioned that they should lower their voices.
"I want my sister back first!" Westin hissed, "Whoever the fuck that JFK nigga is, we're going to kill him, then see if there's anyone else there. We need niggas on our side, because we got lucky today. Those cops coulda got us locked up, and if we killed them, we woulda been fucked." He put the cupcake down and stared into Ulysses' eyes, "These niggas think they can replace us? Us? I'm takin' whatever I want, and none of them are going to stop me. They fuckin' stole enough from us as is, and they ain't gettin' any back! They want it, they're gonna have to come get it from us like the mothafuckin' Red Cross!"
Ulysses nodded "We get her back, will kill that JFK impersonator, and we build everything back up. They paved over our graves, our cities, and our families. They built and forgot about us. They squandered our glory and erased our names. Now, well now, we're going to burn them to the ground. Are you with me, Westin?" Ulysses hand travelled across the table, offering a handshake of sorts.
Westin, a man of passion for his own kind, grinned his devilish grin and shook Ulysses' hand firmly, "They won't see us coming..." His mood grew slightly somber, "I got a question though..."
"Ask it."
"Whaddya lose?"
Ulysses smiled "Nothing and everything."
Westin wasn't able to share that with him, "It's easier that way, ain't it? Had nothing to ya, now all you have to fight for is yo'self and revenge."
"Who were you before all this, Westin?" Ulysses clasped his hands together in waiting.
Westin stayed silent for a moment, "... Just some nigga from Chi-City. Lived in the projects for a bit before I moved to an actual house. Would ya believe me if I told you I was smart as hell? It's true... but that shit wasn't what I wanted. You had to work under the government's rules to be successful, right? Nah, I wanted something else... I dealt some drugs, mostly small time shit like piff or crack. Maybe some percs if I was feelin' it. Still, nigga, money was my dream."
Ulysses shook his head "I can see you're intelligent. You marked that cafe without a second glance and we have the money. Doesn't do me much good, it's all yours if you want it. And government? No, that was never something I followed. I'm surprised that my reputation doesn't proceed me. Well, when I think about it, Chicago was fairly far away from my area of operations."
Westin shook his head, "A rep. What was yours for?"
"Murder. Seven families of four."
Westin nodded, as if it were normal, and smiled, "Bet you're wishin' they were here now, right?"
Ulysses shrugged broadly "I would bring them back if I could. I'd probably kill them again too. It hardly matters in any event. They won't be coming back.
He ran his hands down his face, "That's cool... I miss 'em though. My family, my boys, every single one of 'em."
"I can't blame you. My family died long before the IIDV hit though. Friends...I miss them too."
"Those guys... They'd never turn they back on you, not a chance. All of us... chillin', day in, day out... That's the kind of shit that brings niggas togetha."
Ulysses nodded in agreement "They would never leave you. Let's get back on track. We leave tomorrow. I don't know where, but we leave at first light."
Westin rubbed his left eye lazily, "Then we better get to sleep." He looked to Pyrite and grinned, "Go ahead, Romeo, take her to bed with you."
"The idea of sleeping with her is less than appealing." Ulysses sighed, "Goodnight, Westin. Remember, tomorrow at first light. Any longer and we risk capture."
Westin waved him off as he handed Pyrite to him, "Yeah, sure, less than appealing. Night, nigga, don't let the ponies bite."
Ulysses muttered under his breath and cradled the sleeping archeologist rather crudely as he located the bed in the dark, stumbling over miscellaneous items in the blackness on his way to the guest room. Pyrite regained some form of consciousness and spoke with a lethargic voice "Where...w-whats going on?"
Ulysses lay her down on the large bed, and tossed some blankets over her without much thought. Sliding out of his turtle neck, Ulysses kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed opting to lie above the covers. His mind was beginning to shut down when Pyrite's tired voice made his mind kick back into action.
"Ulysses?"
"Yes, Pyrite?"
"Aren't you going to get under the blankets?" There might have been a hint of seductiveness in the question, but Ulysses ignored the thought.
He spoke quietly "Go to sleep."
The unicorn grumbled and pulled the covers over herself, dragging sleep with her. Ulysses sighed and laid his head back comfortably. Tomorrow was going to be a long day and he needed his rest.
Ulysses, along with Pyrite, was disturbed by the sound of an impact and the muttering of curses. As it turned out, Westin stubbed his toe on the table from earlier on his way to the loveseat. He slowly limped onto it, keeping noise as minimal as possible for his hosts. Grumbling, the ebony man blended into the night, yet couldn't fall asleep despite the amazing comfort of the loveseat. Somehow, he knew Ulysses was undergoing the same thing. Both of their minds were riddled with thoughts on what had occurred in what they thought was only a day. It was a scary, scary thing to know that the world you grew up in was nothing but faded memories now.
Both knew they weren't going to get much sleep that night.
Stillmatic
President's Day chapter? President's Day chapter. Not much to say, but I should probably elaborate on a few things.
Westin and Ulysses aren't prisoners, at least, not in the sense that they've went to trial etc., but they were detained for research purposes due to their green eyes. Prologue should explain why that's important and shit. It's been roughly 3,500 years since then, and all surface evidence of humanity is gone. Also, to Zeromaru1011, I believe a character's dialogue is what brings life to the character. If they're dialogue is uninteresting, they're fairly uninteresting as well. The reason why there's so much cursing (Rick from Stasis, Westin from here, specifically) is because I've based their speech off of real life people that I know. The way they speak is directly taken and inspired by said people, who've I've also taken other things from. Anyway, that's enough of that.
Well, that should be it. Lucius doesn't have anything to say for this chapter, sorry.
As always,
Stay Trilla.