Fall Out: Equestria By: Kkat

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Hour of the Wolf

<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Hour of the Wolf

<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">“This… is Steel Rangers level murder here.”

Rage.

Burning, explosive rage.  In the moment I realized that the Steel Rangers had invaded my home, were<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"> killing the ponies inside, I saw red like I never had before.  My nerves were hot, electric.  I wanted to strike out.  To slaughter the fuckers.  To rip them apart from the inside out, and keep stomping until they were nothing but paste under my hooves.  

But my enemies, the murderers who were defiling my home, were not here.  It would be hours, even at Calamity’s best speed, before we would make it to Stable Two.  I wanted to hurt somepony <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">now.  My whole body and mind and soul screamed for justice and retribution… and if I couldn’t have that, at least somepony to buck.  But the only ponies around were my friends.

So I stood there and raged in silence.

And they were wise enough not to interfere.

***     ***     ***

“Do you think I wanted this?” SteelHooves snapped, pacing through the interior of the <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Sky Bandit.  “Stable Two was home to Applejack’s family.  If anyone in the Apple family still lives, they live in there…”

“Ah ain’t sayin’ ya wanted this,” Calamity shot back.  “An’ Ah ain’t sayin’ ya didn’t do yer darned best t’ stop it.  Ah’m jus’ sayin’ yer best weren’t good enough.”  The rust-colored pegasus was pouring on the speed despite being at the point of exhaustion.  “An’ now it’s muh turn.”

Xenith watched the argument, for once not being the focus of the shouting.  She turned to Velvet Remedy, eyes large.  “This… is your home?  You and the little one?  Why do the Steel Rangers attack it?”

Velvet Remedy shook her head.  Each blink sent fresh tears down her charcoal cheeks.  The wind whipped at her color-streaked white mane.  “Resources.  Nothing more.  All they see is a functional Stable.  In the very least, the water talisman is priceless.  The apple orchard nearly so.”  She closed her eyes, shuddering with a soft sob.  “At most, they want it as a base.”

My rage was beginning to ebb, the fire and fury unable to maintain itself without a direction to strike.  I could feel numbness, sorrow and horror lurking behind it, ready to overwhelm me once the inferno of anger burnt itself out.

“You can’t just prance in and start killing Rangers,” SteelHooves stomped.

“Ah don’t see why not.  Far as Ah can see, they’re nothin’ more’n a gang o’ high-tech raiders preyin’ on the innocent.”  Calamity kicked at his battle saddle, changing the ammo.  “Ponies like that need t’ die, an’ Ah aim t’ kill ‘em.  It’s muh policy.”

SteelHooves turned to Velvet Remedy.  “You talk to him.”

“And say what?”  Velvet’s voice was hard as steel.