Part 39 Skies of Fire
 
>You wake up, feeling a bit stronger
>The pain in your chest has lessened quite a bit
>A quick look reveals that the wound is still there, but your body is recovering
>Not too quickly, but at least a scab has formed, and it's no longer oozing
>Did any of those ponies help you while you were sleeping?
>Or is it just your body?
>Who knows, and who cares?
>This is your last day alive
>How are you going to spend it?
>A quiet reflection of meaning seems nice
>You carefully stand up, stretch for a few minutes, and pace around your cell
>Life certainly has dealt you some unusual cards
>A harsh childhood, one bitch of an adult life... and then somehow you're here
>Where is Equestria, in relation to Earth? A different planet? A different dimension?
>Or...could it be your own personal hell?
>Indeed, you've experienced some terrible things here, but you've also felt some of the better times of your life
>And the notion of Equestria being your hell would imply that you're already dead
>Being executed in your own hell? Not logically possible
>Hoof steps interrupt your train of thought
>Without words, a tray of a simple bread of toast, milk, and an egg is tossed into your cell
Thank you. I do appreciate this kindness.
>You truly do
>No response
>It's all good
>You start to eat, continuing to reflect
>Not having to deal with all this seems to be a good deal
>What may happen after death... doesn't concern you.
>You'll take it as it comes. If it's nothing, good. If there's something...again, you'll deal with it appropriately
>What concerns you is the process
>Being hanged doesn't seem to be a pleasant way to go, and definitely isn't what you would have, if you could choose your death
>No, dying in battle...next to your comrades...
>That would have been perfect
>But whatever, you can't always get what you want
>It will all be over soon enough...
>Glancing over at the window, you notice the sun still rising
>Timecheck: 0625
>Well, your last sunrise
>Much better than the sunrise you witnessed prior
>You feel at peace with what's happening
>It all really is for the best
>A sharp voice nearly startles you
>"Prisoner! I have been instructed to inform you that the execution will take place in one hour."
Understood, guard. Thank you
>You almost wish it could start sooner
>Being at peace isn't something you might be able to hold on for much longer
>Outside, you hear a small commotion going on
>It's probably about the imminent execution
>Kinda sounds like a bunch of pegasi flying in the air around the castle
>Well, security would probably be needed
>You are, after all, a killer
>Wounded, but possibly able enough to escape if you wanted
>It's quite understandable
>The noise slowly gets louder
>Lights fill the sky
>Eh. Probably unicorns casting spells to keep you from escaping
>That's fine with you. You don't really want to escape
>You hear plenty of shouting
>That's not normal for an execution, is it?
>The sound of a terrifying roar...
>Wait...that's not normal
>You look out the window and see a figure in the sky
>It's black, the body of a...
>Dragon
>Holy shit, a dragon !
>Well, here's that chance for your heroic death you wanted...
>A certain song starts blasting throughout the castle...
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw_rbZ5kJU8
>Thinking of the pleasure of slaying the dragon, you feel a surge of power
>That familiar black aura surrounds you, and before the guard at the entrance can react, you rip open the cell gate
>Immediately, he charges at you, but just one punch of yours sends him flying
>He should live, but he'll be out cold for a while
>Without a second thought, you start sprinting through the door, through the halls, towards your F-22
>You're still a little unfamiliar with the castle, but you can feel yourself being drawn towards a particular path you're certain will lead to your fighter
>None of the Royal Guards you encounter pay any attention to you
>They're busy running about trying to protect the citizens
>The ground shakes, and you see several large stones fall from the ceiling
>You see one headed for this bluish little colt
>You sprint towards him, picking him up, and throwing him aside
>The stone lands behind you
>He lands, giving you a wide-eyed stare
RUN FOR FUCK'S SAKE!
>That colt turns, and runs away
>Meanwhile, your wound acts up, forcing you to take a knee
>You grasp your chest, pressing against it, and feel a little magical patching happening
>Just took some life from tomorrow, you're burning out your today
>You jump through the corridor to the outside, and land outside your F-22
>Facing away from the castle and towards a straight path, it's almost like you were meant to pilot it today
>You look up, and see only the dragon, it's blood-red eyes fixed upon something on the ground
>A dark-blue magical bolt hits in the face
>It's not too pleased
>You carry on, climbing into your jet
>Weapon check: Guns full, 8 GBUs... Lock and loaded
>Run diagnostics?
>Fuck that. It should run fine enough. You need to get your baby airborne NOW
>You put on your helmet, start up the engine...
>A voice rings in your head
>"HALT! ANON!"
>You turn your head, and see Princess Celestia about 50 meters away from you
>Ignoring her, you start to taxi to the perfect spot
>"ANON, THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"
>Nope.jpg
>You blast your engines, and start taking off
>As you roll down that "runway," you instinctively surround yourself in a shield
>Not a moment too soon
>Magic bolts hit the shield almost as soon as it's up
>You pull up, and start flying at a 90 degree angle, straight up into the air...
 
>What in Equestria is he doing?
>Princess Celestia is pissed that public enemy no. 1 escaped
>And during a dragon crisis no less
>All attempts to communicate with it have well... failed. It's not talking
>What's worse, magic doesn't appear to be affecting it
>This is no ordinary dragon
>"Coward!" She says in his direction
>She'll have to deal with him some other time
>Right now, her city is under attack
>She uses her magic to communicate with her student, still in the castle
>"Twilight Sparkle, I need you to help Shining Armor protect Canterlot!"
>From within, a response is heard
>"Yes, Princess! I'll..."
>Twilight seems a bit distraught
>"...I'll help my brother. Leave it to me."
>Celestia is certainly glad to have such a remarkable student
>She sighs
>She had hoped she wouldn't have to fight again
>With no hesitation, she takes to the sky, and flies towards the dragon
 
>Quickly gaining altitude, you feel your chest aching
>Ignoring the pain, you gather your courage, and pull the jet out of the 90 degree flight
>This maneuver puts you upside-down for a few moments, and then into a slight, upside-down dive
>You correct yourself, rotating 180 degrees about your x-axis
>Altitude: 30k ft and dropping fast    
>Below you is the dragon
>You see it's fighting two Pegasi in the air
>Magic bolts fly from both of them
>Actually, they're alicorns
>As you get closer, you see that they're Celestia and Luna!
>So, they actually can do shit...
>The dragon still has the upper hand
>Let's see want ol' Anon can do...
>As soon as you're in range, you target the dragon, and fire your Vulcan cannon at it, careful not to hit the princesses
>The trace rounds seem to hit its neck
>It seems to cry in pain, though you cannot see any blood
>You can sense all the eyes that fall on you: bystanders, the dragon, and the princesses
>Good. They can see your glory
>Still flying towards the dragon, you're about to hit it
>Two seconds before contact, you pull up just enough to avoid the dragon
>Flying far away, you turn your head, and confirm that it is now actively pursuing you
>Perfect: you can take the fight away from Canterlot
>Speeding up, you can feel that the dragon is starting to catch up
>After a few moments, Canterlot is out of sight
>Deftly, you rotate your jet 90 degrees on the x-axis, and take a hard left
>The dragon clearly does not understand your mode of flight
>All it can see, you're guessing, is a little bugger that started some shit with it
>Preparing another attack run, time seems to slow down
>This dragon is the largest living thing you've ever see
>It's stomach could quite possibly hold your F-22 with some room to spare
>Too bad it's mouth is much smaller
>Still, it could probably catch you in its mouth with its sharp, yellow teeth
>Black scales provide this creature with a hide impervious to any Equestrian conventional weapon
>If there's any blood from your previous attack, you can't see it
>Quick approaching it, you strafe it
>A little concerning is that it's opening its mouth...
>At the last second, you dive, avoiding a fireball
>Well, shit
 
>She couldn't believe her eyes
>Anon is actually helping fight off the dragon
>But why?
>It has to be some sort of trick...he's trying to postpone his death sentence
>"Sister, what should we do?"
>Celestia makes her decision instantly
>"We help him, for now. Whatever his reasons are, we desperately need his help"
>"But that song! It sounds so...suicidal..."
>They both fly towards where Anon led the dragon
>"That's irrelevant right now. Getting rid of that dragon is our first priority!"
>"Agreed!"
 
>You pull up, barely missing the dragon's tail
>Reacting far quicker than any machine, the dragon turns and follows you on your ascent
>Quickly, you pull a right, turning to a clockwise ascending spiral
>A fireball flies past you, and the dragon is soon in your crosshairs
>Before you unleash your Vulcan cannon, two magic bolts hit the dragon's belly
>It's not stunned, but rather surprised
>"Anon!"
>Shit, what does she want now?
>You see the dragon dive towards the two alicorns
>Before it can get either, they split off and fly in opposite directions, Celestia flying towards you
>"We need a plan! How are we neutralizing this dragon?"
>....
>This is your dragon
>It starts to fly back to Canterlot, the direction Luna flew
>shitshitshit
>"Anon?"
>You've got nothing left to say
>The pain in your chest starts to act up
>Any words at this point would be likely your last
>Instead, you tell her the plan with your actions
>You dive, quickly outrunning her
>The dragon enters your crosshairs again...
>Fuck the 50-round burst controller
>You override the controller, and unleash a barrage of metal at the dragon
>The Vulcan screams at you, and the dragon roars unimaginably loudly
>Through the smoke, you can see its attention is now all on you
>Without that burst controller, you fire all the remaining 400 rounds you had
>And that dragon still appears unharmed!
>Well, time to take this fight far, far away
>Speeding up, you get close to the dragon...
>Avoiding the dragon's claws takes almost no effort
>Flying past it, you graze it with the edge of your wing
>Gotta go faster...
>You speed up...
>Faster...
>A loud BOOM is felt, but not heard
>All is now quiet except the music in your cockpit
>Mach 1 achieved, and you slightly climb
>You look, and see that the dragon is still keeping up
>Well...faster
>Canterlot flies swiftly under you
>Mach 1.2....1.4...1.8...
>Throw on the afterburners
>HOLY SHIT
>Mach 2
>That Mach 2 feel exceeds any expectations you had previously made for it
>It's almost...divine just how fast you're going       
>Below, the terrain doesn't even look recognizable anymore
>A kind of treeless, dry earth that you didn't know existed this close to Canterlot
>And the dragon is still behind you!
>Well, a little ways away at any rate
>You slow down...
>It starts to catch up
>40k feet in the air, and you're still slowing down...
>It's on your tail
>Right before it blows a fireball at you, you put on the air-brakes and pull up just a little
>The dragon speeds past you, and is clearly confused
>That's some Top Gun bullshit you just performed
>Without missing a beat, you lock on and...
>Wait...
>You have those small diameter bombs, not missiles
>Hmm...
>Locked on anyways...
>You focus entirely on sending a bomb to it
>Firing the bomb, it takes off like a missile, surrounded by a magical aura
>Yup. It sure is kickass to have magic pertaining to warfare
>It hits the dragon's back, exploding. However, it doesn't kill the dragon
>There's a little blood, but not much
>That still probably hurt like hell
>It turns, and sends a fireball your way
>Relatively easy to dodge, you lock on and fire two more bomb-missiles at it
>They hit their mark on the dragon's neck, but still don't seem to cause much damage
>Perhaps a concentrated attack, with all the bombs in one spot...
>You roll the jet onto its left side, barely missing the dragon
>You see that it anticipates you turning to the left
>You however, rotate 180 degrees and turn to the right
>This dragon now understands how your jet flies, but not how you fly
>Catching it by surprise, you're locked on from above
>Frantically, you release the remaining five bombs, sending them like magical projectiles
>They all hit the dragon's back, and release a smoke cloud that obscures your vision
>Did you get it?
>You can't see anything moving here
>A roar behind you startles the hell out of you
>How did it survive?
>How did it get there?
>The problem must be those scales. You can't get through that natural armor
>Well...perhaps you can, in a way...the insides must be rather soft and vulnerable...
>You put the F-22 in autopilot, flying it straight...
 
>"Princess, what's happening?"
>"I've almost caught up, Twilight. I'll show you, Luna, and Shining Armor what's going on."
>Celestia had some reservations about flying about 70 miles away from the castle
>This took her on the outskirts of Equestria
>Though she should be fine, Anon might have some trouble if the dragon takes out his war machine
>As she casts the spell to show the three what she sees, Anon passes her swiftly
>The dragon, in pursuit, passes her too
>Celestia isn't a priority for the dragon
>She turns, and attempts to follow at a distance, catching everything that happens
>"Why are they headed back towards Canterlot? Is this part of Anon's plan?"
 
>You focus on your task
>A knife, and an M9 materialize out of nowhere
>Well, if Boss Paw could do it, why can't you?
>Come on...just a little closer...
>You unbuckle your seat belt, and prepare
>Closer...closer...
>PERFECT
>You slam on the ejection button, launching you and the chair out of your beloved F-22 and towards the dragon
>There's a small scream you pay almost no attention to
>It sounds like...Twilight?
>Well, it's too late to do anything about it
>The dragon opens its mouth...
>And a fireball is sent straight at you!
>Using all your focus, you summon a shield, and protect yourself with it
>Upon inspection, you recognize it as the one that the Royal Guards gave you upon your swear-in ceremony
>The shield serves its purpose, protecting you from the intense heat of the fireball
>Diving through it, you see the dragon still has its mouth open, and you head towards it
>Landing on the tongue, you're immediately put in the fight of your life
>Avoiding being chewed, you take aim above and shoot at where the brain should be
>You empty a magazine, to no apparent effect
>Perhaps you misjudged this one...
>As you reload, the tongue pushes you to the side teeth
>Reacting quickly, you draw the shield up to the front of your body, leaving your backside vulnerable
>The bite hurts your back, but leave you mostly intact
>Your chest wound flares up though...
>You look down, and see that a tooth went through the shield!
>And right into your chest wound!
>You feel immediately weakened, and you cease movements
>You're tossed around, eventually ending up at the back of the mouth
>You're there only for a moment, before you're swallowed
>Is this your death?
>It's not the best, but...
>Sliding down the throat headfirst, you feel warmer and warmer
>Soon you're hotter than you've ever felt
>No, it can't end like this...You're not going easy...
>Defiantly, you build the strength, and fire where your gut tells you
>On your third shot, you hear a scream of pain from the dragon
>There's some blood coming down on you as well
>Hmmm...
>You empty the rest of the magazine on that one area
>Unimaginable screams come from slightly above you, and it feels...surreal to be eaten whole
>A sense of falling comes to you
>Did you manage to hit a vital area?
>Well, you're still in the dragon
>If you can help it, you're not dying in this dragon
>A moment goes by before you end up in the stomach, and you're definitely sure that the dragon is falling, backside first if physics is to be believed
>Into the stomach acid, you feel some burning, but mostly on the already open would you have
>That doesn't stop you from dropping your M9, and picking up your knife
>You're completely engulfed in acid, holding your breath
>Without light, you stab into the stomach lining, being sure to tear it open
>The acid flies into that hole, and you soon are breathing again
>A putrid odor exists in this environment, but no time to worry about that
>Crawling through the hole, you see a small ray of light
>The acid burned through the rest of the body, even the scales!
>With the last of your strength, you pull yourself through the remaining entrails, through the skin and scales, and are nearly sucked out of the dragon
>Though the falling feeling sucks, it's also liberating, at least for you
>You're about to die of the mode of your choosing
>You killed the dragon, falling ahead of you into a barren-looking ground
>Just one second of pain...and it'll be gone
>You close your eyes, letting yourself fall headfirst
>For whatever reason, that feels the most comfortable
>There's nothing you can do, and even if there was, you wouldn't do anything
>The chest wound bleeding profusely...
>If you weren't about to fall to your death, you'd probably bleed out
>A deep breath...
>You're...slowing?
>And you feel something on your back?
>You open your eyes, and notice that you're on Princess Celestia's back!
>"Anon..."
>Anger fills you
>You were ready!
>You're pretty sure the afterlife is ready to see you now!
Let me die!
>You swing off of her back, and resume your lethal descent
>Now though, you're headed towards an unfamiliar forest
>Closer, and closer...
>Closing your eyes...
>Before you hit the ground, you lose consciousness...
 
>Your eyes open, revealing the sun close to the high point in the day
>Are you...dead?
>A quick check reveals that you're still wounded, in agonizing pain, and breathing
>Nope, you're alive
>God. Fucking. Damnit.
>But how?
>You're too weak to get up, so you'll die of exposure... or maybe not, knowing your luck lately
God, what did I ever do to piss you off so much that you would deny me death, so many fucking times?
>"I know not which god you're talking to, but you can thank me for saving you with your service!"
>Who? What?
>That feminine voice is so familiar
>Soothing, yet unpleasant at the same time
>Unable to move your head, you try to move your eyes towards the voice
>You catch a glimpse of a dark, alicorn-like creature, with bug wings and holes in its body
>No...Not her. Please not her
Chrysalis?
>"Yes, the very same."
Why the hell would you save me?
>"I've seen the way you fight, and it impresses me to no end. I want you to be a general in my army. I think you owe at much that for saving your life."
>You cough up some blood
Not happening, Chrysalis
>She comes closer to you
>"Don't be absurd! I can heal your wounds, treat you well, keep you...company, if you desire it. It would be foolish to not accept my kindness."
As good as all that sounds, I still decline. I don't need any of that
>"Listen here! I am going to heal you, and you will be mine!"
>You cough up even more blood, spitting it to the side
I swear to whatever deity you worship that if you heal me, I will kill you. I will not live my life if it means I break my oath
>She stomps her hoof...er...yeah, hoof
>"Celestia nullified that oath! She doesn't deserve your loyalty. I would, at least, reward you every day for your service..."
>You give a small chuckle
Chrysalis, you don't understand me at all. Perhaps it's my Greek pride, but I will never betray Equestria
>"That's a lie! I know you murdered all those ponies!"
>How does she know this? Is there a spy ring in Canterlot?
>Regardless, that dampens your mood considerably
What happened back there...I can't explain it. I don't have any recollection of murdering anyone. I... I only saw a terrible memory...and before I knew anything else, I was thrown in a cell.
>She walks over, head right above you now, staring into your eyes
>"What memory is this?"
I...I can't...
>"I don't have time for this!"
>Her horn...er...thing starts to glow a golden-yellowish color
>Wait...wasn't it green?
>Before you can question your post-fall reality any further, you feel your head under extreme pressure
>Not only does it feel like it will explode any second, you can also remember every moment of that night
>The band MetalHooves, drinking Jack, heartbreak... Doctor Hooves trying to console you
>...the imminent blackout, and your terrible memory of your sister plays out
>Horror fills you, as you cannot stop this memory
>It's like a film that won't stop playing, in your mind
>It's like being restrained like Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange, forced to watch horrible acts
>When you reach to the part where...she... You scream
>The pain of loss fills you again
>But it continues
>Mercifully, your memory continues into waking up in the cell...
>You're suddenly back to the real world, the memory dying down
>You notice you're breathing pretty hard
>There's just a little blood running down your head
>Chrysalis stands there, stunned.
>She's absolutely speechless
Yeah. You didn't think I had a perfect life, did you?
>"No...but..."
>You feel compelled to tell her your life story
>Are you really going to tell an enemy your final thoughts?
>Well, she's as good as anyone, at this rate. Plus, it'll feel good to finally open up
>As long as she's not pulling any of that headache bullshit on you
I'm fucked up. With my amnesia clearing up, I keep finding dirt in my past. The one thing I lived for...protecting those innocent ponies...and now I can't even do that without fear that I might black-out, and do more harm. I'm seeing things, like Twilight Sparkle cheating on me. It's like I'm seeing things that aren't there, and I can't distinguish between my hallucinations and reality. That thing...For some reason, I think it had some cause for that... event. I don't know if it's psychosis, magic, or something else entirely, but death is the only option for me now... Princess Celestia has forsaken me, I fucked up my love life, and really, it's the only humane thing to do. Death will give me peace, and it'll keep those ponies safe from me.
>"Is there...anything...I can do?"
>Why is she being so damn nice right now?
>Whatever. An offer is an offer, and you really don't want to bleed out slowly
Kill me, please.
>"I...I can't..."
>Fucking A. You want something done right, you gotta do it yourself
>You look around, but find no evidence of your gun or knife
>You frantically try to materialize them, but it appears you're without magic right now
>Well, there still is one option...
Chrysalis, heal me.
>"What?"
Please heal me. I mean, enough that I can walk. I'm going to go back to my cell, and await my execution
>"But why? Why would you do that?"
Quite honestly, I lack the materials and the means to kill myself. I also think any improvised method I could come up with would fail. So please, as a favor to an old enemy, give me enough strength to go back...
>Tears fall from her eyes, as her horn glows a bright yellow
And I swear, if I have enough strength to kill you, I will
>Why is she helping you?
>And why is she so tear-eyed?
>Is your story really that moving to a hostile?
>You have a short laugh, thinking it silly that an enemy that you've threatened to be more sympathetic to your situation than the princess you swore loyalty to
>Surrounded by her aura, you feel almost no difference
>Almost
>Your wound heals ever so slightly, and the pain lessens a little
Thanks...
>You slowly roll to your stomach, rise onto your knees, and find a nice stick
>Grabbing it, you use it to help yourself up
Chrysalis, one more thing
>"Yes?"
Get out of Equestria
>With those last words, you look away, and see that you're maybe two miles away from the palace
>How you got so close, you have no way of knowing
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_swaxOidGU
>Crippled from pain, you slowly walk towards the castle
>Your eyesight is going slowly
>Soon, you're without peripheral vision, seeing only straight ahead
>You're at the front gate now, hearing going away
>You know there are some ponies around you, and probably some guards as well, but you can't see them
>Their muffled voices leave you curious as to what they're saying
>Slowly, you work your way up the stair, being led by who-knows-what
>You can't remember where your cell is, but you apparently know the way
>Those damn ponies, following you
>Why can't they just leave you alone?
>You can't see them, you can barely hear them
>Your eyesight at this point is the worst you've ever had. The tunnel vision is the worst you've ever had, even worse than the first time you piloted an aircraft
>You finally make it back to your cell
>Curiously, it appears unguarded, but it must be because you're losing your vision
>The cell gate is open, and you walk through
>Your strength fails, causing you to collapse face first into the floor
>It doesn't hurt hitting the floor, but that's probably because your chest wound just started to bleed out again
>Staring at the wall, you feel...at peace again
>Just kicked a dragon's ass...one more thing you saved Equestria from
>You don't know what happened to your F-22, but that's beyond your concern now
>Closing your eyes, you're certain that you won't wake up
>What a shame... you won't make it to your execution
>You wonder what they'll do with your body?
>Shining Armor knows you want your ashes scattered in the garden, but you don't think they'll desecrate such a beautiful place with your undeserving cremains
>Hell, they can toss your body in a ditch, and you wouldn't know the difference
>Your mind starts to fade, and you start feeling cold
>Slowly, your vision blackens
>This is it...