Barren Kindness -END-

“I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.” - Roy Croft

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xaw08vwnrY&feature=relmfu

 

>War.

>War never changes.

>Neither does the greed and hatred of men.

>That small creature inside our minds that beckons us to be naught but savages, to turn on each other at a moments notice.

>That villain that lies dormant in our hearts that makes us see our fellow man as nothing but cattle to be herded.

>To see another human being, and instead of seeing them as a brother or friend, making you see them as expendable.

>Disposable.

>You are Anonymous.

>And you were being led down a broken, dying strip of road to Paradise Falls.

>You knew this road well.

>It was one you were led down before.

>Your eyes stayed to the ground, your arms tied behind your back with coarse wire.

>The bullets in your chest and shoulder were gone, your skin scarred from the almost deadly dosage of stimpacks these fucks injected into you.

>They wanted a healthy slave, it seems.

>The metal collar locked around your throat hummed a low, drawn out tone.

>You knew what the tone meant. It was in an active state.

>One of your captors had the detonator, you knew that.

>But at this point, you were content.

>She had gotten away.

>She was safe.

>If that's all you could do, then so be it.

>You weren't particularly religious, but you had an inkling suspicion that karma was finally coming to take its toll on you.

>The smile on your face could be called bittersweet, at most.

>Raising your head to look at the horizon, you see the outline of large barb-wired fences, a few watchtowers and a large, red sign.

>Paradise Falls.

>It'd been a long, long time.

 

Meanwhile...

 

>Med-X coursed through your small body, the painkiller doing wonders on your injured wing.

>The pain was dulled, and that's all you could really ask for.

>The fog and mist from the prior day had vanished, and you were scanning the ground below you for any signs of the area you and Anon were in last.

>There had been so much fog, you weren't sure you'd be able to find it.

>But you had an idea.

>A crazy one, yes.

>But an idea, nonetheless.

>You had taken a chance earlier today by walking right up to a wandering merchant and talking to him.

>The old man was perplexed, to say the least, but he answered all the questions you had and took the bottle caps you had on you.

>You thought it was a good trade.

>He even helped you into this small armor he had. And considering you were much too small for the original suit, he took down the price for you to make it fit your body.

>You felt conflicted wearing leather, what with it being made out of animals, but you had no choice. You needed to be protected if you were going to do what you had planned.

>Finally, you spot it.

>A small, run down neighborhood.

>Decaying houses.

>Broken down cars.

>And small, faint red lights on the ground.

>Mines.

>Perfect.

>Finding this place was easy enough.

>Getting those mines in your pack?

>That was going to be a lot harder.

 

>You never thought it was going to get worse around here.

>God dammit, you were wrong.

>They stepped up security, they had more guards than ever.

>Worst of all?

>The amount of slaves they had picked up.

>When you were here years ago, they had only two pens in place.

>Now there were at least five.

>One of the guards behind you gives you a shove, knocking your to your knees.

>Before you can get up, the butt of a rifle cracks into your face, and you fall to the ground.

"So you still go through this routine, huh? Break the newcomers? Nice. I like the consistency."

>You look up at the rifleman and spit at him, hitting him in the face.

>He promptly sends his foot into your stomach.

>You groan for air, but he's knocked it out of you.

>So instead, you laugh.

>You wouldn't give these fucks a moment of weakness.

>He grabs you by the hair, lifting you back to your feet, and shoves you forward towards one of the pens.

>Being corralled?

>Of course.

>You're taken by surprise when he nudges you to the left, sending you to another part of the camp.

>...

>No.

>Your eyes widen when you see the large hole in the ground in front of you.

>A slaver stands on the other side, a small child slave next to him.

>You feel the wire binding your hands be cut, and you're shoved into the hole, landing hard on your back within.

>Another thud resonates through the pit, and you see that the child has been shoved in with you as well.

>No.

>Not this.

>The child looks to you with terrified eyes, his face shallow and worn from abuse and starvation.

>Two more things enter the pit with you.

>A baseball bat, and a switchblade.

>Goddammit no.

>The child scrambles and snatches up the knife, backing into the wall  of the pit.

>You stand to you feet and look up at the slavers above you.

"You sick sons a bitches..."

>"Whoever wins gets a double dose of food rations. Get to work, boys."

>The grins and claps from the onlooking slave traders make you sick to your stomach.

>You wouldn't do this.

>There was no way you would.

>Looking back at the child though, sends your heart sinking.

>His eyes are wild at the promise of food, and he takes a step towards you.

"Don't."

>Another step.

"Don't listen to them."

>Another step.

"Dammit STOP. I don't want to hurt you!"

>He doesn't hear you.

>Then again, you don't hear any of the cheers from above you, as well.

>They've been replaced with the sounds of panic, and the piercing shocks of detonations.

>Explosions rocked the area around you, dirt and bodies flying, some landing in the pit with you.

>You look up to the sky, and smile hard.

 

Seconds Earlier

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeKwLTqesXk&feature=relmfu&noredirect=1

 

>You've never flown this fast before.

>Any other time, and you would have been scared to do so.

>But now you needed to be assertive.

>So assertive that you were prepared to do what you promised you never would.

>The wind under your wings shots past you as you quickly glided down past the clouds, your pack weighed down with numerous mines.

>You see the sign sticking out of the ground, the barbed wire fences surrounding the camp.

>You would not let them have him.

>You take one of the small disks and press down on the red light at its center, a small beep chiming from it.

>You would NOT let them have him.

>As you fly over Paradise Falls, you spot a number of men wearing metallic armour.

>Them first.

>Dropping the mine, you ready a second one.

>The detonation from below as the mine collides with the ground sends a shock through the camp, and you hear panicked cries from within.

>Ignore them, Fluttershy.

>Be sad later.

>You drop the next mine, this time at the base of one of the watchtowers.

>The wood support beams whine and squeal as they snap, sending the structure down into one of the adjoining buildings.

>The slavers had no idea what was happening.

>You pull out two more mines, flinging one of them down at the gates of the camp, blasting them wide open.

>The other was sent towards the front gates of the slave pens, releasing them.

>You dig through your pack as you double back and fly higher into the air, hiding in the clouds.

>You were out of mines, but you still had one other thing.

>You clench the knife's handle in your teeth and take a deep breath.

>They would not have him.

 

>You were out of the hole and sprinting towards one of the guards, his back turned as he tried to find what was causing the chaos around him.

>He crumples into the ground as you tackle him, wrestling his rifle away from him as you begin pounding the butt of the gun into his face repeatedly.

>This was utter chaos.

>But it was chaos you could work with.

>You jump off the now dead guard and run over to the pens, plugging a few more slavers with rounds along the way.

"Go! Get out, NOW!"

>Men and women, children and the elderly all race out of the pens as you sprint ahead of them, making sure their paths were cleared.

>One slaver slams a man with a large sledgehammer, turning the poor soul's chest into a bloody cavity.

>You aim and take out the slaver's knees, popping his skull with the last shot.

>As you reload, you hear a mad scream from behind you.

>One slaver, burning and yelling at the top of his lungs, runs at you with a knife held high.

>Before he can reach you though, a flash of yellow and pink flies by him, as blood spurts from his slashed throat.

>As the slaver collapses, you see your savior.

"Fluttershy."

 

>"Anon!"

>She drops the knife and races towards you, and you wrap her up in a quick hug.

>"I thought I wouldn't get here in-... I was so worried I... I.."

"Later. We need to leave. Now."

>She nods, and bounds away from you, picking up her knife.

>As the two of you run for the exit, you see one of the guards that brought you in.

>He's lying on the ground, his bottom torso torn apart.

>In his hand, lies a detonator.

>...

>Oh fuck.

>You throw your rifle down and begin unlatching the small hatch at the back of your collar.

>You had completely forgotten that is was on you due to the uprising.

>Hatch it down.

>"Anon? Anon what's wrong?"

>First the back wire.

>The guard smirks as he tries to press down on the button.

>No time to deactivate the trigger, but just enough time to-

>YES!

>The collar pops open and you fling it away from you.

>It only goes maybe five feet from you before you hear the telltale beep come from it.

>You're off your feet.

>Your skin is hot.

>And your vision goes dark.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bN-uD43ig0&feature=relmfu

 

>...

>...

>...

Pain

>Your eyes creak open.

>Pain

>Rubble?

>You lift yourself up, your body torn and scratched from debris.

>You look around you, at the fires that still burn in the camp.

>Were they really all dead?

>No one moved.

>The slaver's bunkhouse was roasting in the corner of the camp.

>No slaves to be seen.

>You turn your head, your neck stiff and aching.

"...Fluttershy?"

>She was there, lying next to you.

>Her body was like yours: Beaten and broken.

>Cuts littered her body as she laid in the rubble next to you.

>You reach a hand out to her, caressing her face.

>Please be alright.

>Just... please...

>You see the smallest sign of life as she squints her shut eyes.

>"...did we win?..."

>You breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yeah... yeah we won..."

>"No more slavers?..."

"Nope."

>"...good.."

>She gives a weary smile as she turns her head to you.

"Remember how I never believed you?... about your home?..."

>"Mmhmm.."

>A small trickle of blood trailed down the corner of her mouth.

"I believe you."

>She smiles, and you tenderly bring her over to you, holding her close.

>"Good... good..."

>You close your eyes, holding this small pegasus in your arms.

>She'd saved your life, yet again.

>Everything she did, she did out of kindness for you.

>You're so lost in your relief and content, that you don't notice the bright light ahead of you, nor the hoofed figures approaching you from within it.

>"Fluttershy?"

>The sound of a foreign voice snaps you back to attention, and you raise yourself up and in front of Fluttershy, the battered rifle raised to meet them.

"Don't you touch her! Don't you-"

>What... what the...

>Ponies?

>More ponies?

>Fluttershy limps towards the purple one, hugging her.

>What is... what?

>They exchange a few words, the rest of them looking to you with wary stares.

>The purple one shakes her head, and Fluttershy stamps a hoof to the ground in defience.

>The purple one relents, and Fluttershy returns to you.

>She has a smile on her face and small tears in her eyes.

>She wasn't sad though.

>No.

>She was happy.

>"Time to go home."

>As you realize what she means, you can't help but smile yourself.

>She was right all along.

>You get up, petting her mane softly as the two of you limped towards the small ring of light before you.

>Would things get better?

>Perhaps.

>Would you adjust to life in another world?

>Maybe.

>But that wasn't on your mind right now.

>What you wanted, more than anything, was to just be by this small, yellow pegasus' side.

>You wouldn't leave her, ever.

>You owed her that much.

>And for the first time in a long, long while...

>...you were happy.

>And the smile Fluttershy gave you as you were met by fields of bright green and blues you'd never dreamed you'd see told you that she was happy too.

 

~END~