//------------------------------// // High Noon // Story: High Fashion, High Noon // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// "Are the Lieutenants deployed?" "Yes, sir." "Good. We are executing the raid operation." "Understood, sir." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was high noon in Equestria, and Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas was ready to raid the EIA headquarters. His target was "Mr. Hoofer", the codename for the unicorn leader that was now believed to be "Agent Snake", leader of the Agents of Chaos, and having directly or indirectly been responsible for the crimes they caused. Besides the main raid force, commanded by him personally and dressed in full battle armor, there were two "catch squads", one commanded by Lieutenant Steelwing and another by Lieutenant Vigil, designed to prevent their target from escaping by deploying pegasi guards in a pattern designed to intercept escapees from the EIA building. All the raiders were wearing insignia matching Celestia's cutie mark on their armor - an indication that the wearers were acting under Celestia's direct orders and thus attacking them was akin to attacking Celestia herself - but Fidelitas did not believe that would make the raid a cakewalk to perform. The squad was ready and prepared to meet armed, or at least physical, resistance from EIA members. The first obstacle Fidelitas and his squad encountered was a security gate topped with pellet guns to shoot at pegasi that tried to fly over the barrier. There were two guards at the gate, but on seeing the decorated squad in full armor approaching fled into the headquarters complex itself. As the squad watched them flee, the second to Fidelitas, Lieutenant Vanguard, suggested flying two pegasi up to the pellet guns and turning them around to shoot at the fleeing gate guards. "No, Lieutenant. We will not shoot unless shot at first. We do not want the whole complex in an uproar." Fidelitas replies to object to the Lieutenant's plan. Upon reaching the gate, Fidelitas orders the gate opened, but a quick investigation reveals the gate has been locked shut and the mechanisms sabotaged - a worrisome development, as it seems to indicate that the EIA knew the raid squad was coming. Fidelitas orders most of the squad to push the gate open while consulting with Lieutenant Vanguard what to do next. "Sir, should we expect an ambush once we're through?" Lieutenant Vanguard asks his superior officer. "Maybe. It seems we don't have the element of surprise as we thought we did. We should act under the assumption we will be ambushed at some point, royal protection or not." Lieutenant Captain Fidelitas replies. "Understood, sir." the Lieutenant acknowledges. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After some amount of pushing by the raid squad, the gate is forced open and the squad proceeds into the EIA complex proper. Although the buildings are defended by pellet guns and gas canister launchers, none of the weapons open fire, causing an eerie feeling to descend upon the raid squad. "Lieutenant, have the squad form up in pairs and parade down the main access to the headquarters. Hopefully that will deter further resistance." Fidelitas orders Lieutenant Vanguard. "Yes, sir." the Lieutenant replies, and quickly the squad is in pairs, with Fidelitas and Vanguard at the head of the parade line. The parade passes cautiously between rows of secured buildings, the pellet guns and canister launchers tracking their progress but still not opening fire. Worryingly, the squad notices EIA staff beginning to stalk behind them, increasing worries they were being drawn into an ambush. The main access road ends in another security gate directly around the headquarters building itself. This time, the squad sees ponies manning the pellet guns atop the gate as well as others with short swords directly in front of the gate itself. Fidelitas orders a halt just outside the approach to the headquarters gate and then a change of formation to a "wedge" shape, which would be the most effective way of dealing with head-on resistance. "Make way and open the gate. We are acting on the orders of Princess Celestia herself!" Fidelitas shouts to the ponies in front of the gate, which seem determined to stand their ground. "We know why you are here, horned one. And we will not let you take our leader alive!" one of the stallions with a sword shouts back. "We stand here unmoving! Harmony will end and the chaotic one will return! Attack and take no prisoners!" And at that moment the situation turns chaotic as the pellet guns and gas canister launchers open fire, followed by two charges against the Guard squad - the sword wielders in front of them and a smaller group hitting from behind. All the Guard squad can do is react defensively, hoping to repulse the attack and then break through the gate into the EIA headquarters building. A confused melee between the Guard squad and the EIA attackers follows, swords and pellets from the guns plinking off armor and the gas canisters releasing their irritating contents. Despite an advantage in numbers (about a dozen attackers versus 8 members in the Guard squad) and energy, the opponents of the Royal Guard squad have no effective weapons to penetrate the heavier battle armor the Guard squad is wearing, and the tear gas released by the canisters affects both sides equally. The sword fighters slash and hack in vain against the heavy armor until knocked away or knocked down by the Guard squad, Fidelitas personally using his "laser sword" special talent to take down several attackers. The pegasi operators of the pellet guns and gas canister launchers abandon their posts after it becomes obvious that their weapons are not effective, flying away only to be snagged by the "catch squads" the Royal Guard had previously deployed for that purpose. When the last tear gas canister finally dissipates, the Guard squad has enough time to take stock of the situation. Several ponies have been lightly wounded, including Fidelitas himself, and their armor is heavily damaged, but their opponents have either fled or are down for the count. Fidelitas orders Lieutenant Vanguard to take several Upper Classes to gather up the wounded and prisoners and lead them back to the castle, while he himself takes the rest of the squad in to continue the raid. A quick application of the "laser sword" cuts through the lock on the now-undefended gate, and Fidelitas leads five Guards pushing it open and up to the EIA headquarters main door. There is no further defense - the normal detail and civilian staff made themselves scarce when the first shots opened up - and after several bucking attempts the locked-down main door is forced open. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Guard raid squad bursts into the building, where the mostly civilian staff working in the lobby attempt to hide as quickly as possible. One of the Guards shouts in the echoing lobby that nopony who cooperates will be harmed while Fidelitas looks up the necessary information to find the office of "Mr. Hoofer". Once he finds that information, Fidelitas orders two Guards to stay to secure the lobby while the remaining squad worked up the stairs to the necessary target. As the Guards rush up the stairs, they catch glimpses of several pegasi flying out the windows of the building - the "catch squad" Lieutenants later reported they were Agents of Chaos embedded in the EIA and attempting to escape capture. When the squad finally reached the office of "Mr. Hoofer", they found the door had been barricaded on the outside, and to the frustration of the Lieutenant Captain they had to take some minutes to break through the barricade and get the locked-down door open. While working on the barricade, Fidelitas received a report that several attackers had been caught by the catch squads but others had managed to escape. "Understood. We'll find out if 'Mr. Hoofer' is one of them when we get this barricade open." Fidelitas answered as several Guard members bashed away at the door, assisted by the cutting power of the Lieutenant Captain's "laser sword". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all the trouble the Guards went through to get to "Mr. Hoofer", busting into the office proved to be an anti-climatic affair. Amidst the broken debris of the door broken open to get inside the office, papers were scattered everywhere - most soaked in ink or coffee in an hasty attempt to render them unreadable - and two ponies were found limp on the office floor. Near one of the ponies was an open bottle of pills that were readily identifiable as cyanide pills. One of the ponies was a unicorn covered from top to bottom in a cloak, while the other was a unicorn mare that reminded Fidelitas somewhat of Celestia's servant Raven - probably the secretary of "Mr. Hoofer". Fidelitas orders two of the Guards to check the down ponies while the rest of the squad secures the area to prevent any potential ambushes. It's not long before his fears are confirmed: both ponies are dead, having swallowed cyanide pills before the arrival of the Guard squad. The fact their bodies were still warm indicated that the deaths were not long before, perhaps even as they entered the EIA complex. "Coward, he decided to off himself rather than face Celestia's wrath." Fidelitas comments with a sad shake of his head. "Do you think the Agents of Chaos will be neutralized now that their leader is dead?" one of the Guards asks hopefully. "Well, I think we've thwarted their immediate plans. But the forces of chaos and disharmony will always find ways to regroup and rebuild their strength. We should not let our vigilance down just because we've killed their leader." Fidelitas answers. Wise words Fidelitas uttered, but their wisdom was compromised by the incorrect conclusions Fidelitas had reached. Little did he know he was setting up exactly what the Agents of Chaos would want in Operation Whirlwind...