Fracture 3: Hairline.


                                            =Fracture 3=


                                            >You swing your sword laterally and carve a deep gash into the dragons' chest.

                                            >He staggers back a bit, clawed hand coming up to the wound in shock.

                                            >You keep the offensive strong, blocking a desperate swipe of a claw with your shield and thrusting your sword into his abdomen.

                                            >The dragon slumps and crashes to the ground as you yank your sword out of him and go back into the fray.

                                            >That was your eight kill, a young one this time.

                                            >Twilight was correct, the only dragons that were here on the ground were either the ones too young to fly or too old to.

                                            >A part of you felt bad for slaying the weak and infirm, but these monsters were planning to barrel through your town and raze it to the ground.

                                            >That wasn't happening.

                                            >A roar from up above drew your attention.

                                            >Dragons in the hundreds shot across the sky in numbers that blotted out the sun.

                                            >Good. Everything was going as planned.

                                            >Just one of those dragons could cause incredible damage to the town, you needed to keep them in the air where it was safe.

                                            >Another young drake rushes you with claws drawn.

                                            >They bounce off your raised shield as you thrust it forward and bash him in the face.

                                            >You twist around behind him and slash him up his hack, getting a roar out of him.

                                            >When he turns to try and roar again, he finds himself choking on your blade.

                                            "Number nine."

                                            >You rejoined the soldiers guarding the path into town.

                                            >You had requested this post, it was the only path the dragons could reach that lead to Sweet Apple Acres.

                                            >You figure you are allowed to be a bit selfish.


                                            >"Anon!" a voice calls.

                                            >You turn to the sound and see Shining Armor and his command staff galloping up to you.

                                            "What it is, Armor? A bit busy here."

                                            >Armor casts a magical bolt over your shoulder at a particularly old looking dragon and scares it off.

                                            >"Yes, I can see that. I need you to take a squad and secure the Everfree." he says.

                                            >Whoa, wait, what?

                                            "I need to stay here." you say without thinking.

                                            >You had to keep the farm safe, keep the family safe.

                                            >More dragons charge and you and Shining Armor instinctually work and talk.

                                            >"I know you want to stay, but the dragons are heading through the forest! If we don't cut them off, they could get into the town or worse, sneak up on our forces."

                                            >You break a drakes snout with your shield and stab him through the eye.

                                            "There is nothing worse than them getting into the town!"

                                            >Armor uses his magic to pull a dragons leg out from under him, allowing several soldiers to finish it off.

                                            >"And they'll demolish that town from the rear if we don't stop them in the forest!"

                                            >You think that through as you spar with your current combatant.

                                            >...The plan made tactical sense, if you could appear on all fronts, then you could keep the larger force at bay while playing your home field advantage.

                                            >But there was no one better at defending the farm than you...

                                            >...

                                            >Dammit.

                                            >You spin the dragon around and get him through the back as you make your choice.

                                            "Fine! I'll go it alone! Keep the farm safe!"

                                            >Armor uses a spell to guard some of the troops.

                                            >"Go!"

                                            >You break off from the defensive line and hightail it to the Everfree Forest.

                                            >They had BETTER keep that farm safe...


                                            >You keep low as you skulk through the forest, your armor bound tight against you so as to not make any more noise than you have to.

                                            >The beats of the forest all seemed to be scared off by the encroaching horde, making the Everfree deathly quiet.

                                            >You hope Zecora is okay...

                                            >Voices from up ahead draw your attention.

                                            >A group of four dragons, young ones by the looks of it, were slowly walking through the unfamiliar forest and speaking in their guttural native tongue.

                                            >You keep low and out of sight, staying behind them as they walk.

                                            >There was a clearing up ahead that would serve as a good place to jump them.

                                            >You tiptoe a few feet behind them as they walk, darting between bushes and closing the distance before the final strike.

                                            >The clearing was coming up...


                                            >The drakes walk through the clearing, looking this way and that at all the wonders of the Everfree.

                                            >They neglect to notice the creeping figure hiding in the shadows.

                                            >As the last of them passes into the clearing, you strike.

                                            >Your knife comes out of its sheath and pierces the neck of the rear-most drake.

                                            >His friends wheel around at the sound and contort their faces with rage at their fallen comrade.

                                            >You duck under the claws of one and bash him with your shield, sending him reeling back.

                                            >Claw meats blade and lashes back in pain as you riposte another away from you.

                                            >His friends taken care of in a heartbeat, you are free to concentrate on the last one.

                                            >You hammer him with slashes and thrusts and force him back.

                                            >As far back as you can.

                                            >The drakes eyes echo the fear he feels when his back hits the hard bark of a tree.

                                            >He raises his arms to try in vain to defend himself only to find cold steel weaving through them and into his neck.

                                            >The dragon gurgles his last words and slumps against the tree, a shadow forming over both him and you.

                                            >Oh yeah, the other one.

                                            >You pry the sword out clean and flip it under your arm, the blade protruding behind you and stab the tip up.

                                            >The hitching breath and sudden weight on your back tell you that you hit your mark.

                                            >You slide your blade out and let the drake fall to the ground in a bloody heap.


                                            >Re-sheathing your sword, you slowly walk over to the wounded dragon as he begins to right himself.

                                            >Your fist contacts the side of his head with a wet THWACK!

                                            "Stay down, if you know what's good for you."

                                            >The dragon collapses back on the ground once from the hit and again when you place your knee on the back of his neck.

                                            >As he struggles underneath you, you pin his arms to the ground.

                                            "Listen and listen good, insect."

                                            >His eyes snap open and glare at you.

                                            "You're going to go back to your flight and tell them of what happened here. The Everfree Forest is not safe, understand?"

                                            >Maybe you'd be able to get back to the farm.

                                            >The drake snorts out his nostrils and cracks open his mouth "Yesssssss..." he hisses.

                                            >...Good.

                                            >You remove your knee from the base of his spine and stand.

                                            "Now get out of here."

                                            >You don't want for him to say anything, just turning and leaving.

                                            > You hear the drake scramble to his feat and disappears into the foliage behind you and let yourself grow a triumphant grin.

                                            >You'd loop around a bit and head back to the barn, that kid would ensure that no one else came through the forest.

                                            >After about twenty minutes of patrol, something swoops over the forest and fills the air with a low roar.

                                            >Shit! A dragon came down!

                                            >You ran to the forest's edge overlooking Ponyville and froze at the sight.

                                            >...no...

                                            "Nonono..."

                                            >This...no!

                                            >NONONONO!

                                            >The dragon strafed Ponyville again, sending a gout of flame across it.

                                            >But your eyes were drawn to the closest fire.

                                            >Sweet Apple Acres.

                                            >Where the family was.


                                            >RUN. RUN FASTER.

                                            >You bound down the road towards the farm as fast as your legs will go.

                                            >The lines of guards had broken under the dragon from above, they were running around this way and that just trying to contain the situation.

                                            >You didn't care. You had to get to the farm.

                                            >Get to them.

                                            >You had your sword and shield drawn as you ran, cutting down any drakes in your way.

                                            >One across the neck, another through the heart.

                                            >You barely registered them, you just had to get to them.

                                            >Get to him.

                                            >You ran through the gates to the farm and out into the still burning orchard.

                                            "MAC! AJ!"

                                            >...Nothing.

                                            >You keep running, looking for sight of anything.

                                            "BLOOM! GRANNY! ANSWER ME!"

                                            >You run though the familiar familial fields in search of a sign, any sign, that someone was alive.

                                            >You stop dead in your tracks at what you find.

                                            >A mass of red curled around a spot of yellow.

                                            "OH GOD, NO!"

                                            >You run up to them and slide onto your knees.

                                            >Mac was bad, cut up and bleeding all over.

                                            >Shit, he had already lost a lot of blood.

                                            >Bloom was wrapped in his hooves, her skin bubbling and blistering from fire.

                                            >Have to...have to stop this.

                                            >You reach into your pouch and grab the first roll of enchanted bandages you could.

                                            >...The only roll.

                                            >N-not enough roll to get them both...

                                            >The stallion underneath you sputters and gasps.

                                            >"H-her! Use 'em on her!"

                                            >Wha-

                                            "Mac! I can't just-"

                                            >"DO IT!"

                                            >You scream and start wrapping Applebloom in bandages.

                                            >When you finish, they are emitting a soft green glow as they work their healing magics.

                                            >...Juxtaposed by the ever increasing red pool around you.


                                            >You cradle Mac's head in your hands.

                                            "MEDIC! NOW!"

                                            >He coughs underneath you. "No pard...no..."

                                            "M-mac...Just...hang on, we'll get you fixed up..."

                                            >You propped him up on your lap.

                                            "We'll...keep you here..."

                                            >Mac shakes his head. "No...you won't..."

                                            >That brings tears to your eyes like nothing else can.

                                            "Mac...p-please...Please don't..."

                                            >You turn back behind you .

                                            "SOMEONE GET ME A HEALER HERE NOW!"

                                            >Mac nuzzles his snout against your palm.

                                            >"We had a good ride, Anon..."

                                            "So let's not make it end, yeah?"

                                            >Mac looks up at you with glistening green eyes. "All good things, Anon..."

                                            >You smack the dirt with your fist as the tears drip onto Macintosh.

                                            "Dammit...I...shouldn't have gone...should have stayed here..."

                                            >Mac turns his bloody face up to you. "Now don't be like that...you had a job to do..."

                                            >You stay silent for a bit.

                                            "...I should have done it better..."

                                            >Mac's eyes start drooping as the puddle under him grows ever bigger.

                                            >"Love...you...Anonym..."

                                            >Mac's head lists to the side as his eyes lose their light.

                                            >You sit there for a moment, unable to so much as think.

                                            >Your body goes numb as you feel the best part of you fade away.

                                            >You feel hollow...

                                            >Faint sights and sounds break through your grey haze.

                                            >You think you notice the guards colors...Shining Armor yelling in your face...a unicorn taking Mac and Bloom away...

                                            >The dragon setting an area in the distance ablaze...

                                            >But one sight...one sight breaks through...

                                            >A young drake and several others walking along in the distance.

                                            >The color of his scales...the shape of his face...the blood on his claws...the broken nature of his snout...

                                            >He...came back...

                                            >And he killed Mac...

                                            >...

                                            >...

                                            >..!


                                            -Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45GeorUgzBQ-

                                            >THAT DRAKE.

                                            >HE DID IT.

                                            >HE WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED MAC.

                                            >HE WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED THE ONE YOU LOVED.

                                            >HE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF YOUR MERCY AND SPAT IT BACK IN YOUR FACE.

                                            >HE DOESN'T DESERVE YOUR MERCY.

                                            >HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO LIVE!

                                            >You explode off the ground, forsaking your shield behind you and make a beeline for the drake.

                                            >Your sword is out in a flash as you run screaming towards the dragons.

                                            >Wood splinters as you barrel through a fence and strong-arm the drake against a tree.

                                            >Red plays at the edges of your vision as you look into his eye.

                                            >Your pounding heartbeat almost drowns out your thoughts.

                                            >Almost.

                                            >TEAR OUT HIS THROAT, RIP HIS FLESH.

                                            >MAKE HIM SUFFER.

                                            >You drive your sword through his chest and into the tree behind it.

                                            >SUFFER.

                                            >You rip the sword down to his calf and swing it out wide of the wound, killing him instantly.

                                            >His allies glare in outrage and charge you, but the red in your vision and the fire in your veins propels you forward.


                                            >You draw your knife in conjunction with your sword and whirl between the dragons claws.

                                            >Through the din of it all, you can still feel your reflexive guard training take over.

                                            >Block right, riposte.

                                            >Double sweep.

                                            >Block rear, spin and take the knife to the throat.

                                            >Break the left knee, stab the eye.

                                            >Blind them with blood from the sword.

                                            >Those thoughts drive you until all the drakes are dead and bleeding into the hard ground.

                                            "HAHAHAHAHAHA! WHO ELSE WILL FIGHT ANONYMOUS!?"

                                            >As if on cue, the dragon who ignited the farm landed not twenty feet from you.

                                            "YOU'LL DO!"

                                            >You charge the dragon with a warrior's cry and a purpose in your heart.

                                            >Kill it dead.

                                            >Kill all of them dead.

                                            >You jump onto its leg as it takes to the sky again, read to show this dragon flight what happened when they took Mac from you.


                                            >You cling to the dragons leg as it soars through the air.

                                            >The acrid stench of smoke that could only be coming from burning houses below filled your nose but you just couldn't find a fuck to give.

                                            >All you wanted to do was rip this dragons throat out.

                                            >You use your knife and sword to climb your way up the dragons leg and onto its back.

                                            >It roars and rages at the pain your causing, trying to flail you off.

                                            >You tighten your grip on the blades and keep climbing until you reach the dragons back.

                                            >Get it down.

                                            >You stay low and use the blades as anchors as you climb towards the dragons head.

                                            "TAKE IT DOWN! CRASH IT!"

                                            >The wind carries your words away as you crawl up the dragon.

                                            >You flip your knife out and angle it towards the wing behind you, compensating for the wind as best you can.

                                            >Once you feel the dragon slow down a bit, you throw.

                                            >The knife flies out of your hand and imbeds into the thin membrane of the dragons wing, tear along down it thanks to the wind pulling it along.


                                            >The dragon screams and roars at the pain of having its wing ripped and begins to lose altitude

                                            >You grab the back of the dragons head and use its crest as cover for the incoming ground.

                                            "HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

                                            >WHAT A RUSH!

                                            >You and the dragon smash into the ground, tearing through trees and tossing you from its back.

                                            >You landed in a heap several dozen feet away, laughing the entire way and even as you right yourself.

                                            "HA!"

                                            >The dragon you rode in on was eviscerated. The trees and rocks of Whitetail Woods combined with the speed you came in on tearing him to pieces.

                                            >You spit on the corpse and walk away, back towards the battle.

                                            >You push your way through the trees back towards the fight.

                                            >The woods let you out on a hill overlooking the town, stalks of black smoke billowing up from it.

                                            >And below the hill was dozens and dozens of dragons.

                                            >Hehehe...

                                            "More..."


                                            >It was later now, by a couple of hours.

                                            >The town was made safe, the dragons had all been killed.

                                            >And you were filled with rage again.

                                            >The din of battle...being able to fight and kill and crush those dragons...it had dampened it for a while...

                                            >But that was no longer.

                                            >You stomp back towards the farm, needing to...see him again...

                                            >Standing around the house were Shining Armor, AJ and Granny.

                                            >Words aren't said as you walk up to them both and wrap your arms around them.

                                            "I'm sorry...I tried to help him but I just...I'm sorry..."

                                            >The two mares sniff and sob on your shoulders. "They...almost got Applebloom...Big Macintosh ran out to try and save her a-and..." AJ says.

                                            >You feel those damn tears go down your face again as you think back to finding him there.

                                            "Wh-what happened to Bloom?"

                                            >Granny smith speaks. "They took 'er to the hospital once it was safe..."

                                            >Shining Armor steps up. "They said those bandages saved her life, Anon...and most of her skin..."

                                            "She shouldn't have needed them..."


                                            >Faint sounds of flapping wings draws your attention skyward as the last of the dragons flew along their ancestral path.

                                            >The fire in your veins reignites on sight with them, the monsters that took Mac from you.

                                            >THEY DESERVE TO SUFFER.

                                            >You rise to your feet and follow their path.

                                            >Probably...headed for the Northern mountains...

                                            >You feel yourself rising to your feet and following them.

                                            >They needed to suffer...

                                            >"A-anon? Where ya goin'?" AJ asks.

                                            "After them...they need to pay..."

                                            >Shining Armor steps up next to you. "Anon, that's not healthy. You need to stay here a-"

                                            "NO! THEY DID IT! THEY DESERVE IT!" you hiss.

                                            >Shining , AJ and Granny recoil as your harshness.

                                            "They DESERVE it..."

                                            >You keep walking towards the dragons.

                                            >They had to pay...

                                            >The fire in your veins and the rage in your heart demanded more of today...Demanded you fight...

                                            >And giving that what it wanted was the only thing that made sense to you anymore...