The Mad Mane Six.

Chapter 3

   Gearhead held out his hand upon his ax and started to chop at the fire wood. The wood gave no resistance as he swung and cut it cleanly, almost as if it were just air. A pale skinned and blue eyed girl with natural rainbow hair suddenly appeared on a log that she then sat on. Gearhead then looked at her and smiled.
   "Well, I was wondering when you'd come along. Take it the reaper that granted my request wasn't happy?" He asked her, almost as if it was a normal thing. He looked at her with adoration, and sorrow.
    "Yes, he was quite tender about that, but it is as it is. I will say, if this is what you dream about, then I think your homesick." She said, her tone comforting his posture but caused a tear to form. She spoke with a air of strength and steel, as the warrior she once was. The accent was a strange cross between Scottish and Northern American. Gearhead turned to see the spirit of the one he loved.
   "Rainbow Skycracker, majic warrior for the day-walker majic's. My love, it is nice to see you once more. This only happens once a year." He said with tenderness. She smiled for a moment and then it disappeared. She looked away as her matte grey armor had a iridescent gleam as she turned.
   "It may be our last time to meet like this. I can't see your soul grow so cold like this. I refuse to lose what you are, what you were. Immortality isn't something I can get, neither would I want it." She said, sorrow rang through. Gearhead lowered his head, he knew what she actually meant.
   "I try so hard to join you, but I can't seem to fix the balance. Until then, I remain bound to life with chains. Every-time I die and cone back, I grow more angry, and more mad. I thought I could change the fate Fear had so cruelly bestowed upon me, but the way things look, I may never break the curse. I am sorry my love." He said, holding his hands to her but stopping as chains became visible to stop his hand from fully touching her. She tried to move closer to feel it, but the chains pulled him fuller back away. She sighed.
   "You need to move on.  If you do not, then we both shall be miserable for all eternity. Our hearts will freeze, and I can  no long do this. I am so sorry, but it is time for you to wake up. So, wake up...."
   Gearhead opened his eyes. "Wake up you." said a minor annoyed purple Alicorn without lips. It was Riplight, and she stood at the doorway. "I have a job for you that you may enjoy, if your up from a long distance journey that may save lives."
   She then went from annoyed to joyful in her tone."Also, you may want to bring your Tripad, I have the body repaired. You would be proud of me, I even found a way to keep a few of her organs functioning so that I can incorporate them into the design. Now come on."
    She left and then MadJack walked past and looked into the room. "She seems excited for today, lucky her." She then left and started muttering angrily.  Gerhead had noticed that MadJack was a bit irritable as of late, but he figured that losing ones home can do that. Then he remembered something.
   "Hey, MadJack, hold on." He said as he ran to her. MadJack looked at him and then asked,"What is it now?"
    He then pulled out a jar filled with the thick, sticky, rainbow substance that he pulled out of the MadJack's collapsing house. Her eyes widened when she saw the substance.
   "Zapapple jam! Where did you get it? I thought it was all gone?" She said in astonishment. Gearhead looked quizzical at the name. He decided to answer her question first.
    "It was on your house. I saw it on the way out and grabbed it. What exactly is this stuff, and is it eatable." She smiled when he asked her that.
    "You don't get out much do you? Zapapple is a fruit that grows for the Zapapple tree. The jam it makes is amazing and rare. However, getting it isn't easy. There's this whole ritual that went into harvesting the fruit and making the jam itself, much less getting the ingredients for it. The last one who knew the rituals for it all... was Granny Smith." She then lowered her head. Gearhead kept quiet, for he new why she had sorrow.
   "You can keep it, I haven't had to eat since I became one of them. One of the monsters. Why a castle, anyway?" She said, Gearhead tilled his head in response to the last part. MadJack then stormed off in response. Gearhead then decided not to go after her.
   He walked to Riplight's favorite place to hide, the basement. The male prisoners shot more insults at him as he passed through, but he ignored all of them, noting the large bloodstain on the floor of the one who spat at Riplight the first time he walked though. He then smiled at the empty cell and said,"spitting is a bad habit, and it could get you killed. Too bad you didn't get taught that though."
    He then turned to see Riplight staring at him. "Took your time, didn't you?" They were then joined by MadJack and Applethorn.
   "What in tarnations is that thing?" MadJack asked, pointing at a metallic grey pony that had yellow segmented strands for mane. Riplight had creases  form on her checks as if she was attempting to smile.
   "That thing is a body for someone who will be helping us take care of a particular issue concerning the retrieval of one of our friends. With you back, albeit under a particularly sad situation, I wish to try to get us together again." Suddenly, Big Mash entered, wearing a bag that seems to be filled.
   "I'm back, and I got us some supplies. Had good luck too, traveling band of merchants and vagabonds just left town. I gave them a few of our homemade medicines for some food and materials, looks like I'm making apple fritters and steak. I also managed to pass by Sugar Cube Corner and saw Pink, with poofy hair this time. It think that in a few days she may even wish to leave her abode, considering its almost in ruins now. So, what's going on, you waking up the derpy one?" He said without skipping a beat. One of the mares coughed once he finished.
   "It good to see you in a good mood, considering that your due for a transfer today. Gearhead, could you please since my plan to make a big speech got ruined?" Riplight said in annoyance.
    Gearhead then turned to the machine and flipped out his Tripad, levitating it so that the back of the device faced it. One bright flash and then a moment of quiet. Suddenly, the machine's yellow eyes opened and the head lifted. It then smiled.
   "Hey, I'm out of the floaty space. I rather like that feeling, but I like the feel of a body more. So, were are the muffins, I feel hungry, and yet I'm a machine. Hows that work?" It asked. Riplight then creased her cheeks again.
   "Well, your not just a machine,  but a revaluation I had. I savaged your brain, heart, lungs, and digestive tract as well as a few other essential organs that weren't too damaged. As far as living goes, you have all the natural functions wrapped into a metal shell made from tank armor." She said proudly, even looking the part, she then turned to Big Mash.
   "So, you saw Pink Butcher, with poofy hair. Her eyelids gone I presume?" She asked him.
    "Of course they're gone, I don't think she's the type of nightmare that regenerates things. She does seem to have a tendency towards pleasure in eating though. Cakes and the sort."
    Gearhead then looked at him and asked. "Does she have blue or red eyes?" Big Mash looked at him in intrigue.
   "Blue, why do you ask?" Big Mash answered. Gearhead gave a snort and then answered.
   "Regulus strand, succubus type. That's what she is, I would be careful that you don't make her mad. She would be very capable at stealth and luring prey. If she had red eyes, she would be more attune to a using fear as a weapon. Remember Dreaxie?"
A moment of silence hung like still.
   "I figured that there was a set of various viruses, but how can one lead to another?" Riplight asked, ignoring the info that Big Mash blinked at to understand. Gearhead looked at her and then smiled, since he was the smartest one in the room about a subject, for once.
    "Viral potential and shared DNA. The nightmare virus has the ability to revert to a previous strand if it's host has the correct DNA. The types that we know about are Regulus, Steampunk. Mutant, Shade, Corrupted, and Forbidden. The classes are of five; Biter, also know as infector,  Screamer, Succubus, Scratcher, also called Brutus, and finally Bleeder. We classify all the nightmares under these types.
    Infectors do as their job suggests, infect others. They aren't smart, or strong, but the numbers alone can overwhelm. Screamers tend to be cowardly and alert to a group if one decides to enter their masters territory. They can appear in a war band as to stun prey, but most run at the first sign of danger. Succubi use stealth, fear, and, as does the namesake chaos entity, lust. More blood-lust than standard, but beware both.
    Then there's the Bruti, strong and durable, they can rival even tanks. They are average intelligence with very little speach ability. They also have a few wrath issues. Then the Bleeders, smart, and very resilient to ranged weapons, they are the elite. But, their brittle bones and such make melee a very good thing, if they don't shoot you first.
    Now those are just the basic types, and trust me when I say, those are just the basic. There are way too many variations to keep track of, so we then to dual class them. Any questions?"
   Not a word. Gearhead smiled and looked at Derpybot, which was the name he silently gave her. "Time that we get going, otherwise we may hit rush hour." They began to leave, but before they left Riplight gave them one more thing to think about.
   "Be careful, only Derpy can pinpoint where Cloudsdale is and I have no idea if it got moved again. Also, I will need to find a way to truly unite the Equinus Mortus with Equinus Celestus so that we may fight Corruption back. At this point, we're going to need a army. Neither of you die now." Gearhead just looked at her, then she added. "OK so only one of you can die, so don't." They left before she added more.
   The journey through town only encountered a single hitch when a light yellow humanoid beast with claws and pink hair came close to finding them. It looked hungry and familiar, muttering something. Gearhead made out the statement something this time. Pain is pleasure, cruelty is kindness. Gearhead asked Derpy if she knew the thing when she muttered a name after the encounter. Derpy said that it was the beast form of a mare they now called Flutterfright. Gearhead then realized how daunting his task was going to be now.
 
   It took 6 hours to arrive to the edge of a plain that Cloudsdale sat above. It didn't help that anything that flew got snapped up by a mysterious monster that used the trees to catch prey, so the two where forced to walk the entire way there. That was fine with Gearhead, for until he became what he was, he was too heavy for his energy wings to do more than hover or glide. Derpy, however, seemed particularly out of her element.
   That didn't matter anymore, however, and they were at their destination. Gearhead began to confidently walk forward until he heard a sound that stopped him. Heavy metal footsteps and the smell of fire and rust. Signature for a steampunk, a certain one in particular. Gearhead pulled his eyes off the floating city to see it come out of the forest.
   It stood tall and erect, rusted metal gleamed bronze where the rust wasn't. It had a hilt on its back that attached to a blade that was hidden. It had a horn on its head and seem to carry itself more with a more noble stance. Gearhead  sighed, it wasn't the Juggernaut, but it didn't look friendly.
   Gearhead walked to it calmly, just so he didn't provoke it. It seemed to be staring at the conflagration of clouds above. He then felt anger, it's anger. It then looked at him.
    "Who are you?" It said in a noble yet angered tone. Gearhead tilled his head. The anger it felt wasn't toward him, but towards whoever it was staring at. It felt familiar, as if he felt what it felt before. He felt betrayed.
    "I am Gearhead, now who are you and what are you doing here." He said with conviction. One thing he was good at was not showing fear. Of course, that was his training. The beast looked at him with astonishment.
    "I am Rusted Armor, one of the survivors of the Crystal siege. The only survivor. I'm here to end the traitor of Equestria for good and then seek vengeance against Corruption for what he did. First things first, Rainbow Dash must be destroyed,  or whatever monster she is now." Gearhead frowned at the answer. The pursuit of vengeance wasn't his cup of tea, for it nearly destroyed him before. Another issue was the want to kill the one he came for.
   "I can see the anger towards Corruption, but what did Rainbow Dash do to deserve this hate?" He asked trying to bite back any distaste he felt. The beast then just laughed.
   "She fled her duty to the world, instead of helping me and my kingdom, she left. Because of her, my wife is dead, my child is dead. This world, is dead. Loyalty is dead, so the one that should have represented it will die as well."
   Gearhead really didn't appreciate the answer, and he felt his anger over the beast, but he bit it back. One last question to ask. This beast had one last chance. That was until Derpy cut in.
   "Well, that doesn't sound like the Rainbow Dash I know. She would be fought just to fight. When there was a lighting strike that ruined my eyes, she helped me to fly and encouraged me to get better. She's not a traitor, she'd never be one. She's way too honor bound and feisty to do that." She said to him, a moment it seemed like he believed it. Then came the retort.
   "So, she led you to believe her element of loyalty nonsense too? Well, guess what, the tree of harmony is burned. There are no more elements anymore. Only the broken, the lost, and the betrayed. I'll have no more of this..." He said before pulling our a large blade," the naive and ignorant shall be consumed by Corruption's fires once he solidifies his reign, so this will be a kindness."
   Gearhead began to fume as Derpy started to cower to the beast that now began to head towards them. It now had more than his attention and disdain, but the anger that Gearhead felt more more than a Nightstallion's, and he was about to rear his head. Gearhead pulled out the Ax and slung it in a wide arc as a flaming arc then projected away from it.
    The arc blade spell connected but didn't do a thing. It wasn't meant too. Rusted Armor then looked at Gearhead, who's organic eye became a slit similar to a cat's pupil. Chains began to warp around his chest and abdomen. That was the immortal chain, wrapped around the soul of not only a mortal, but a god.
    Gearhead spoke, but he sounded feral, angry, and ready to rip apart something. "The only one I see is blind would be you. I'll be blunt, you walk away, or you'll be bouncing off the trees behind you." The warning wasn't heeded.
     Rusted charged at him with such intensity, that the ground gave way where his feet pounded. Gearhead's ax turned pale blue, as if moon light had bloomed in its presence. When Rusted had come to just ten feet between them, Gearhead swung and stuck Rusted's knee. It froze as if a winter's blizzard had struck at one point at a instant.
   Rusted kneeled, giving Gearhead a open target to hit. One square kick and Rusted went flying, bouncing off the tops of the trees, crushing and felling them as he bounced. Then Gearhead did something that was far more uncharacteristic.
    He laughed, as if there was something quite funny. It was not the same good natured laughter that he normally did, but laughter that a mad man does. It frightened Derpy beyond belief. She only had the courage to ask a question.
   "What are you?" Gearhead turned to the metal bound pegisus and said, "Who I am now is something that your response should be correct. I am the lost god of Anger, I am Rage. Do not fear me though, for my blade is welded by the just, so I protect you. I feel the souls of my brothers and sisters. I even feel the one of my wife. Fury is here." He then looked at her with a smile, revealing the bladed and pointed teeth. He was a full Nightstallion.
   He then, unceremoniously, passed out. It seemed as if the had over exerted himself. Derpy watched as the chains sunk into his flesh and disappeared. The sight was, unsettling,  at the least. Teeth got replaced and, when she opened his eyelid, found that it too had returned to normal. If only she had looked up.
   "And then you get zapped..." She heard from above right before a jar of lighting was opened in her direction. Her circuits shorted as the electrical disturbance then ran through her. She collapsed as warning symbols ran through her sight. Finally she passed out. Her last though sounded similar to, 'not again'.

   Riplight looked out the window. She looked at a world that was broken, a world that once, she loved. Now a smoldering mountain with a large hole rests where a great city once was, where her mentor once was. Now there was just ruins and ash.
   It hurt to think about that. Memories were like the knifes that were her feathers. The cut deeply, but unlike them, there would be no physical representation of the cut.
   She then stared at the burn marked and useless mirror she had upon the wall. It was that way for a reason, but it was more than to hold the pictures of the past. She couldn't help but to do more reminiscing. That was, however, interrupted.
   Suddenly, Applethorn then opened the door and caused Riplight to send a dagger near her throat. "What do you want?" Applethorn jerked away at the hovering sharp point that inched at her throat.
    "It's MadJack, Riplight. She's gonna get hungry, and it's not pretty when she does. You got to get yourself and my brother to safety before she turns..." Applethorn tried to say, but Riplight waved her off.
   "I am sure that we can handle your sister if she does anything brash. I thank you for your warning, however." Said Riplight confidently. That quickly went away when she heard a unnatural and primal screech echo down the halls.
    "What was that, your sister?" Riplight asked. Applethorn answered while she cowered. "Yes, that was MadJack. It's begun. We need to go find safety!"
   Riplight scowled." Not before I get Big Mash's hide here with us. Knowing him and his successful day, he's making apple fritters and steak. We need to move, before whatever your sister has become devour us and your big brother."