//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: BEDLAM III: Quiet on the Set // by Gormless Wheaton //------------------------------// Flames rolled down the corridor after me and despite my shield absorbing the worst of the spell, I was still flung forward and smashed into the table at the center of my R&D room, scattering the few tools I'd managed to build here across the floor. As I lay there in pain, the sound of rapidly approaching hooves snapped me to attention. Rolling over, I swept my mechanical arm at the door and a protective, magic-resistant shield crashed down. "Damn it!" The rainbow-maned bitch spat as she slammed into the shield before whirling back and kicking it. I weakly chortled as she angrily snapped her wings, including the prosthetic one. "Yeah, go on and laugh, Bub." She snorted and looked back down the corridor, where the rest of her team came running. I groaned as the other uniformed ponies from Canterlot came galloping up, including Sunset Shimmer, Celestia's prized student and the greatest thorn in my side since I came to this God-forsaken planet. She beat her wings once she noticed the shield and began studying it. "What's wrong, Bedford?" She asked with an angry smirk. "Scared of a few dumb little ponies?" I grunted and rolled to my feet before approaching. "Even a mindless newborn can spill blood if it's got a knife," I huffed a laugh and tapped the glass. "S'why we baby-proof things, y'know?" "A very crude simile," came a motherly voice that made me shiver. "But not unexpected when it comes to your views on things." Sunset smirked and stepped to the side as a pair of white hooves in golden armor came into view. Slowly, I looked up and met Celestia's eyes. As always, they were full of a cold, judgemental light. At least, that's how they always looked when she looked at me. "Fuck you," I spat. "Charming," she replied. "Though considering you seem to have cornered yourself, I can't blame you." She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head forward. "Crude words and vitriol are the only recourse left to you after all." I gulped and glanced back over my shoulder. Sure enough, the door all the ponies were blocking was the only exit. Despite that, I smirked. "Cornered? Sure!" I laughed and marched over to what I'd run into here for. Grabbing and holding it up, all the guard ponies and Sunset recoiled. "But not defenseless." I chortled and rattled Grogar's Bell at them. I jabbed a finger at Celestia's unimpressed face. "Second any of you come in, BAM," I thrust the bell forward. "You get got." She blinked and tilted her head. "And then what?" I hesitated and she smiled. "Uncertain? Well, I believe I know what then." She nodded her head at one of the guards. "This mare, or the one next to her tackles you to the ground," she turned her head to another guard. "Or this fellow breaks your knees." She turned back to me. "Then we wrestle the bell out of your hands and take back what you stole. Quite simple," her smile turned dark and she touched her horn to the shield. "Or you can spare yourself the pain and surrender, Mr. Bedford." I shuddered and stepped away as her horn lit up and the glass began to smoke. "You have sixty or so seconds to decide," she added before her spell began in earnest. I continued backing up as the ponies cheered her on and threw insults and jeers my way. A few of the guards began beating their spears against the glass as it started to liquefy around the tip of her horn. As a result of all this, I wasn't paying attention to where I stepped and tripped on something. I fell with a shout and the bell flew from my hands. The laughter from the guards redoubled as Celestia paused, but once I sat up and looked at her, she wordlessly continued cutting her way in. I huffed and murmured in dread before looking down at whatever I'd tripped over. Then I paused. Slowly, no longer hearing the noise of the tiny horses outside over my thoughts and pounding heart, I reached forward and collected the long, rifle-shaped tool I'd been working on. The first thing I'd concocted using the chaos magic Celesita had locked in the bell after Discord returned years ago. "What's he doing?" Sunset demanded. I grabbed the bell, hooked it into my weapon, and began charging it. Celestia paused her spell again before her horn flashed even brighter and the entire glass screen began to creak and hiss. I rolled the tool and pressed it to my chest. I hadn't had a chance to test it out yet, but I was dead either way. And if it did work? Well.. I could finally wake up from this nightmare. "You sure the blots are this way?" Jury asked as the three galloped. Flurry flipped on her glasses again and nodded. "Yep! The smaller one just got even smaller though," she replied. "Does that mean it's losing?" "Probably," Tempest declared from the head of the group. "Which works for me. Fewer combatants to tangle with." Flurry suddenly gasped. "Whoa! Like a dozen other big blips just popped up!" Jury and Tempest slid to a halt and gawped at her. "Where?" Jury demanded. Flurry blanched as she focused on the new magic signals. "I think the two we've been following are about to bump into them," she replied. Tirek roared as he tumbled through the column Celestia'd blasted him into. His mechanical arm snapped and went flying off as soon as he hit the ground. Meanwhile, Chrysalis hissed and swept her hooves at the guards and yaks who'd cornered her. As she did, she winced and curled her forehoof to the deep dripping claw marks across her chest. "These two losers," Ember growled as she licked her slightly green claws. "I was really hoping one of them was Bedlam." I hummed and watched on as Celestia and Luna dragged Tirek forward and dropped him in front of us. He looked up weakly and met my eyes. "What the heck were you two trying to accomplish?" He winced and glared at Chrysalis as Celestia turned to aid the guards in apprehending her as well. "Her idea, not mine," he groused. "We got a message that the Crystal Mind was active, and she wanted to use it against all of you." He grumbled and sighed. "She said we could use it to get these miserable collars off," he looked up at me again, miserably. "And said she'd use mine against me if I didn't help." "Hold on!" Rainbow spat, rushing up next to him. "You two didn't turn this place back on?" Tirek scowled and rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I just said this place being active is why we came," he growled and shook his head. "And they certainly weren't the pair doing all that fighting," Rarity hummed. Off to the side, our attention was drawn as Chrysalis was suddenly and violently slammed into the ground by Celestia before she went still and curled up with a groan. Celestia glared down at her before smiling at me and nodding. I hummed and considered the two as well as the rest of the lofty hall we'd chased them into. It was full of columns reaching up to the ceiling that bore images of Bedlam, Tempest, and Jury-rig, though those same images had been graffitied by the guards against my wishes. At the points where they met the ceiling, the lights were still active. "Who the heck else is here?" I murmured. "Aunty Twily?" I jumped and whirled around. Standing in one of the doors between a pair of columns was Flurry Heart, in her silly Bedlam outfit, and at her sides were. "You idiot!" Jury-rig screamed and smacked Flurry in the shoulder. "Unbelievable," Tempest groused as she stepped forward, horn flaring up. "Sorry," Flurry muttered and hung her head. I blinked, furrowed my brow, and took a confident step forward before addressing the trio. "Bwuh?" Nailed it. "Flurry Heart?" Luna squawked. "And with those two criminals?" "They must've gotten this place workin' again!" Applejack declared with a stomp before wilting. "Well, them two, at least. Dunno what Flurry's doin' here." "Orders Princess?" Gallus asked as the guards were dividing their attention between Tirek and Chyrsalis, and the other three. I blinked and frowned before glaring at Flurry. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, young lady," I said. She wilted and hugged the ground. "I, uh," she whimpered and gave me an anxious smile. "Don't tell mom?" I raised a hoof to direct the guards when a boom echoed through the hall and the lights flickered again. "Wha-" Then a familiar scream met my ears. Everyone, villains included, directed their attention further down the hall, where the wall was suddenly blown to pieces and a unicorn was sent sprawling through the cloud of dust. "Starlight?!" I cried and rushed forward to catch her as she tumbled across the floor. I laid next to her and propped her head up with a wing. She was covered in burns and bruises, and her horn had a faintly glowing crack up its length. She opened her eyes and rolled them before she noticed me. "He-" she choked and shivered. "Run." Before I could ask, and as everypony gathered close in concern, something else met my ears from the dust cloud. It was singing. No music came with the singing, and despite how familiar the voice was, it was singing with a rough Southern impression. "Compromise is MADE outta peace, but history's made outta violence," a bipedal figure appeared through the smoke with its back turned to us. I scowled at him, and the guards formed a circle of spears aimed his way. He continued walking backward, arms swinging and fingers snapping as he approached. "After the war of the WORDS has ceased, all that's left is the deafenin' si-lence," he suddenly swept one arm around and turned on his heel to face us. His head was bowed and he pointed his arm my way while he tapped his foot and rocked his hips. "I can't go on! Livin' alone! Now that you're gone!" He swung his arms left and then right before holding his open hand out to me. "You done me wrong, so here's your song, now sing along, baby." He finally looked at up me with a toothy smirk. "Hey there," Eddy said. Before anypony could respond, Ember was on him and I gasped. "Wait!" I cried. "Kill him!" Starlight wheezed. "Whoa!" Rainbow called. "Eddy!" Jury screamed. Tirek started laughing and Tempest attempted to rush to his aid. But it was too late and Ember let out a massive roar of flame that swallowed him completely and washed down the path he emerged from.