//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: How to Bore a Commissioner // by Shieldheart204 //------------------------------// Chapter 13 Shield Heart was finally pulling the apple-saturated cart into the barn, sighing in relief as he got rid of the heavy load, when he heard a very high-pitched scream. The noise was coming from the nearby forest, and it was undoubtedly a sound of distress. Braeburn was next to the soldier when the scream came, and immediately ran to one side of the barn to grab his unique lever action rifle. Shield took some time to pull out his thin glasses and turned his face toward the direction of the scream. As the sound continued a particularly distressed Seraph with yellow wings and pink hair came out of the woods. She sped past the Commissioners and headed for the farmer, who for a while was resting from her tiring morning. "Applejack, I need your help! Mr. Snuggles refused to take his medicine and has gone wild!" "So waddaya need me for?" asked a confused Applejack. "Well, um. It's kind of complicated, Mr. Snuggles attacked a pack of timberwolves and they're following him." "So ye want me ta help ye fend 'em off?" "Yes, and also I need you to knock him out..." started the vet before Shield stepped in. "I could do it. I'll take care of them." he said as he tapped his pistols. Fluttershy's fear turned into pure panic when he intervened. Her body was still bruised from yesterday, with a couple of scars that were very fresh. "Oh why hello there mr. Shield almost didn't see you there..." "Don't worry about that, most people rarely do. So where is this inconvenience of yours?" "Oh, you don't have to do that. I really don't want to bother you." she said apologetically. "Don't worry about that, I'd be delighted to do it for you! What's a Commissioner if he can't defend his town? C'mon Brae, let's go hunting!" "But really, you don't have to..." replied the pink-haired woman as she hovered in front of him. Shield stopped and gave her a baffled look. "You're worried I'll kill your bunny, aren't you?" he asked smugly. "He's not a bunny..." she looked at him. "Then what is he?" he asked smugly. And as if his words were magical, a large kodiak bear erupted from the trees on the outskirts of the farm. The bear seemed to come out of a work of fiction: standing two, maybe even three meters tall, on it's hind legs and with its red-brown fur carefully groomed. It gave a loud roar and raised its claws into the air. What made Shield think this was a joke was the top hat and monocle the animal wore "Mr. Snuggles, really? What, was the name Mr. Bloodthirst taken?" he asked rhetorically as he activated his gloves. "Please don't kill him!" she cried. "He's very sweet." The bear then charged, tearing through the wooden fence without a problem and was aiming directly at its nurse. Braeburn took aim, and Shield took out a part of his black carbine. He flipped the stock and snapped a holographic scope hidden inside his coat. As he took aim he flipped off the safety and turned the danger dial to yellow. "On your go Brae." With a nod, the ranger fired his gun three times. All three seemed to singe the hairs of the charging beast. "Damn!" he cursed. Shield as he fired a bolt of crimson magic. The bolt penetrated the bear's skull and knocked it unconscious, its tongue sticking out comically. "And that's how we do it in the Legion." Fluttershy rushed to her fallen animal, making sure that it was still alive. When she checked for a pulse she let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you said that there was a pack of timberwolves chasing him?" and as if his words had power, five timberwolves roared. "That's it? Just five? I was hoping for more like a thousand, or at least a dozen. That way there could be an actual sport." he complained as the golems advanced, their wooden jaws riddled with splinters. "Come at me bro!" he roared slammed his fists together. One of them lunged at him, only to be destroyed by a punch to the head. The blow shattered the wooden frame, and a second punch dismantled the body. "C'mon you twigs, is that the best you can do?" Two more charged at him, while the remaining force jumped past him. Braeburn began firing his rifle, cocking the lever after every shot to dispense the heat. Big Macintosh emerged from the barn as soon as he heard the chaos. "What in tarnation..." he started before seeing a timberwolf charge at him. He responded by delivering a punch to its nose. The magnitude was so great that his fist turned the entire body of the wolf to splinters. Shield fended off another swipe from one of his opponent's paws, his barrier absorbing the energy. He rolled to his right, shooting his carbine at the joints. The bullets managed to pierce through, but did nothing to stop the beast from mauling at him. He turned to see his first victim rebuild itself and chase after him. "Great, these things are golems?" he asked as he punched another one, shattering its jaw. "Of course, didn't ya read the bestiary?" asked the Ranger as he blasted his opponent's stomach, releasing a ton of miasma as the projectiles pierced the wood. "Fuck no! I never thought I would have to face these things!" answered the blond brigadier as he ripped a jaw from its body. He turned to face the ogre-like man. "Hey, think you could get the girls out of here?" The man nodded in agreement and ushered his sister and her friend inside. He dropped his gun and pulled out his pistols, dodging a ferocious paw in the process. With a dozen bullets from either gun the enemy had lost its head, leaving the rest of the body completely limp. A second wolf attacked with its mouth, grabbing Shield and almost penetrating the barriers with the sharp log-fangs. He reacted by putting both barrels on its eyes and focusing his energy, pulling the triggers with the intent of destroying the monster. He got what he wished for. The head exploded in splinters splattering chips of wood, leaves and some light blue miasma all over the ground. Shield got back on his feet, his guns hissing from overheating. He holstered them and delivered a magic ball with the cannon mounted on his hand. He continued with nine more shots, each directed to target a different extremity. To his surprise the wolf dodged most, losing only it's back-left paw. Using three legs and a stub it launched itself at him, knocking out his barriers as it sent him crashing through the barn doors. "That's it bitch, you're gonna taste this bad motherfucker's medicine one way or the other!" he yelled as he extended his right hand and allowed his never-ending knot tattoo to glow. The wolf ignored his theatrics, as its foot reattached itself and it prepared for another strike. The other golem redirected its attention to Braeburn, lowly growling with every step as it drew closer. A roar of thunder was heard, and with a flash a winged claymore appeared in the sky. It fell like a meteor and pinned the wolf by its neck. "Ha! Bet you weren't expecting that were you birch?!" Shield laughed as he rushed to grab the sword and pull it out. He raised it above his head and impaled the monster. Braeburn was having a tougher time, the first monster he had killed had regenerated and managed to swipe his rifle from his hands. He jumped back, barely dodging another swipe. He managed to grab his revolver and secure his footing. In an impressive display of skill he used his left hand to pull the hammer back and his right hand to pull the trigger. In a matter of seconds he had managed to shoot fifty bullets, enough bolts to severe a front leg. The wooden golem howled in pain and backed down, preparing its hind legs for a pounce. Breaburn holstered his pistol and dove for his rifle. he managed to grab it and took aim. "Aim for their heart!" he shouted as he fired three bolts to the leaping beast's underbelly. The bullets managed to break the skin, revealing a light blue core at the center. Shield nodded as he pulled out his sword, powering it with his magic as he gripped it tightly. The long blade was covered with crimson mist, which then mutated into a serrated chain. "Come on!" Shield shouted as he tightened his grip, causing the mist to move. The timberwolf took the bait, charging forward and pounding at the blond soldier. Shield moved his sword over his right shoulder, calculating the trajectory of the incoming beast. As the beast approached him he cleaved its right flank, activating the serrated chain upon impact. The chained claymore began tearing through the wood, showering chips of wood over the place. The strength of the swing was great enough to launch the golem out of the way. the beast crashed against an appletree, almost uprooting it with the momentum. The wolf moved away from him, only to have its right front leg blown up by two pistols. "Oh no you don't you fucking stump!" Using his mana to double his strength he lept into the air, forming a small crater as he left the ground. "Banzai!" he screamed as he drove his sword at the timberwolf's heart, the red mist shifting from chain to a shiny glaze. He slashed in a vertical fashion, cleanly separating the monster in half. The only thing to avoid the magical cleave was a turquoise crystal heart. He retracted his gloves to pick up this object, but dropped it immediately when his hand reacted to the searing temperature. With a deep breath he picked it up again, sensing an abnormal amount of mana within the crystal. He drained enough energy to recover from his attacks, but there was still enough for the beast to rebuild itself. He tossed it in the air and slashed it cleanly. As the halves fell to the floor they release a large amount of the miasma that had been a substitute of blood. "There, it's done." Braeburn was struggling with his wolf, as it kept escaping every time he managed to get a clear shot at the heart. "Dammit stand still!" he would yell as it fled the projectiles. "Want some help?" Shield asked as he put down his sword and relaxed for a moment. "No thanks, Ah can get this one myself." answered Braeburn. After minutes of deliberated stalling the wolf charged, and the ranger answered with a flurry of magical bullets. The monster trampled, rolling violently toward Braeburn. But he ran toward it, somersaulting as he placed more shots on it. Once it stopped moving it limped its way to face him, but it was too late for it. The ranger had already gotten on top of it and using his revolver to blast the gem. "An' that's how Appleloosa Rangers git 'er done." Shield clapped slowly. "That's some fin work indeed, though if this were a contest I totally beat you." "Say what now? Ah won!" responded the orange-haired ranger as he patted out the chips of wood from his clothes. "Like hell you did! I beat faster than you!" he said as he tried to hide a smile. They burst out laughing as they realized the ridiculousness of their squabble. .oOo. "Will that be all?" asked the cashier as she bagged the novel Twilight had just bought. "Um yes, of course. Here." responded the librarian as she handed her a bill. "Thank you, here's your change and have a nice day miss Twilight!" said the cashier with a smile. "Thanks, you too." said the librarian as she stepped outside. She heard a rumble, and turned her head to see the Apple Farm. Everything was normal except for a cloud that was a little too low to be normal. "What the?" she began wondering to herself before she was pushed by a little girl. "Hey!" "So sorry ma'am!" exclaimed the little girl as she un-holstered her winged bow, pulled the handle and shot a pink bolt that split itself in two and stuck to the two closest beams of wood sticking out. She pressed hard on her bow and was shot into the air. She seemed real familiar, she looked like someone she knew. But she just couldn't nail it down. Twilight was left with a baffled look until the man with blue hair ran toward her, pausing to catch his breath while the Seraph with green wings landed next to him. "Are you alright?" she asked. "We're fine, it's just that..." he said between pants as he started studying her. "wait a second." he took out a picture from his wallet and placed it next to her. "You're Twilight Sparkle?" "Uh, yes, that's me. And you are?" "I'm Enforcer Fire Storm of Vanhoover. This is my fiancee, Crystal Rose." he said as he gestured to himself and the Seraph. "Do you know what's in that direction?" "The Apple Farm is over there, who was that little girl?" "That handful? That's Hawk Eye, Shield's adopted little sister." said Crystal. "That's his.. wait. WHAT!" asked Twilight as she tried to recover from the brain overload she experienced.