The Hunt Is On

by Gleaming

Be All, End All

Barnyard Bargains Warehouse, Ponyville.

Escorted by her soldiers, Marina pushed open the metal doors as sounds of a conveyor belt moved boxes of packages in a orderly fashion. Two security guards occupied outside of Filthy Rich’s office, remembering that they were given strict orders by their boss only to allow her inside.

One of the guards spoke in his earpiece. “Mr. Rich, she has arrived.”

“Send her in,” Filthy answered, spinning around in his chair.

“Marina, come on in.” Filthy waved an alluring hoof, inviting her inside.

The guards opened the door for her, stepping into the office with her soldiers following right behind. She looked directly at Filthy Rich drinking imported champagne from Prance and sitting behind his desk, placing two filled glasses of the expensive drink. “Glad you could make it, were you followed?”

“Nope, I’ve got soldiers and snipers watching the entrance for little ‘pests.’” Marina wrapped the glass in her claw, sipping some champagne.

“Excellent. Did the supplies I gave you, were they to your liking?” Filthy said, looking at her and his lip quivering.

“No need to fear me, Mr. Rich. You just make sure your guards aren’t incompetent,” Marina crushed the glass, small shards of glass and champagne flew at Filthy’s face.

“They are the best security bits can buy. Talking down to them, your words are meaningless—” Filthy choked on his words, his weight lifted into the air.

“I’ll have you know, I betrayed my country just to get back at how Equestria treats griffons as a whole,” Marina throttled him by his throat, pinning him down on his back to the desk, knocking papers to the floor. “Think little of my threats if you betray me.” Letting go of his collar, she pushed him into his chair.

“Well then, we shouldn’t keep our little friends waiting.” Filthy adjusted his collar, activating the security cameras that captured each angle outside and inside the warehouse. “We’ll know if they arrive or not, it would be foolish of them to show.”

Snipers in front of the entrance, back of the building, and watched every inch of the building. “All clear.”

Mountain deployed her parachute, winds carrying her to a nearby vantage point occupied by a sniper aiming his sights below him. Her hoof reached deep inside her armor grabbing ahold of her small blade pointed with a sharp edge, pouncing down on Fera’s back.

Holding a lit cigarette up to her lips and taking a big breath, Fera smoked a small amount and sprinkled some ashes beside her. “Sti—” Her paws flailed around and scratched tough exterior of her attacker’s armor, strength slowly fading away, laying face down on her stomach.

“One sniper down, four to go. Scootaloo, next one is for you, first tower on your right.” Mountain craned her neck to the right, Scootaloo nodding at her.

Scootaloo ran across the top section of the warehouse, trying to keep her distance between the sniper tower and warehouse. Glass fell through a small opening on the roof, and shattered inside the warehouse. A quick leap from her current position didn’t give enough time to react as she grabbed the metal rail, climbing over and crouched down. Underneath her, a small wooden floorboard squeaked under her hoof, alerting the sniper.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Aoka turned around and rushed forward to her, swinging his knife in a swift motion, cutting some of her coat blood squirting out little drops.

She covered the wound with one hoof, striking Aoka across the face with the other, knocking him off the sniper nest, falling into the grass. “Two down, two to go.”

“Excellent. Starsung, you know the drill.” Mountain popped open a hatch, traveling down under the warehouse.

“Well we didn’t discuss it earlier. But alright,” Starsung pounced down on the two snipers that were facing back to back, grabbing their manes and banging their skulls against the rail. “You ever wonder if Marina spends her afternoons splashing cheap bourbon all over her face at villain meetings?”

“Star.” Mountain chose to ignore the question, pulling the stealth suit mask over her head.

 “Yeah?” Starsung flashed a cheeky grin, walking in with her.

“Not now,” Mountain rolled her eyes, a stern look on her face. “Star, find a way to take out those guards, Scootaloo you’re coming with me.”

“Way ahead of you,” Starsung leapt off his hooves, using the environment as an advantage like his personal playground as he positioned himself above the guards’ heads, hanging upside down.

He glides down, leathery wings spread apart and forelegs extended far enough for both forehooves to kick one guard down a small set of stairs. Once the guard tumbled down the stairs, his partner attempted to strike him and was grabbed by his shoulder launched straight into the wall, forelimbs sprawled out on the floor.

Scootaloo and herself crawled along the vent, elbows bumping the metal. They traveled even further, listening in on a conversation below them as Mountain pressed her ear on the vent directly above Filthy Rich’s office. “Sounds like those two are hatching a plan, time to put an end to this.”

Kicking the vent hatch open, Mountain landed on the desk as she grabbed Filthy by his collar. “If you value your life, I would part ways with you and Marina’s deal!”

Filthy started to chuckle. “Too little, too late I’m afraid. She offered a deal I could not refuse.”

Mountain pushed him further up the wall, the fire in her eyes staring at him. “You’re lucky that she isn’t around, I only pursue ponies of self worth.” Letting go of his collar, throwing him to the floor.

Marina descended from the ceiling of the office, kicking Mountain square in the chest, landing on the conveyor belt. “We finally meet, face to face.”

“You killed a guard, sent your forces out to kill me and my team, brag all you want but you won’t be walking away from this.”

“Hit me with your best shot,” Marina cracked her neck, readied herself in a traditional Griffonia fighting stance.

“Jokes on you, I got backup.” Mountain let out a faint whistle, as Scootaloo and Starsung popped out from the doors Filthy Rich’s security were guarding.

Marina sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding right?

Scootaloo and Starsung charged from behind Marina, moving on the walls and coming right back to her. She kicked her forehoof out to her, the force of the kick spun her head all the way around. Starsung flipped the merciless griffon over his back, rolling on his back, and kicking her down on her stomach as feathers flew in the air sending shockwaves down her spine.

“You know what kid, that did hurt a little,” Marina crawled on the floor, claw grabbing onto the table to lift herself up. “But this is where you make a choice,” she reached for a metal object, throwing across to the conveyor belt lever as the object tangled around the lever, pulling it downward and activating the belt.

Scootaloo jumped down to the moving conveyor belt that Mountain was on, breathing heavily towards the lever. Her hooves around the lever, tilting to the opposite direction in an attempt to stop it. She gritted her teeth, pulling back on the lever with as much strength that she could muster stopping the belt at a complete halt. “Phew,” she wiped a bead of sweat off her head, exhausted and falling on her back.

“Nice moves kid,” Mountain said, her head dangling upside down.

Marina turned her head and looked back at her pursuer, shoulder ramming through two front doors of the Barnyard Bargains warehouse. The engine of the fighter plane roared during its descent on the field of grass, unraveling a ladder down to the griffon.

The pilot called out to Marina, “Filthy Rich sent us here to get you outta here, Marina. Hurry!”

Marina climbed each step of the ladder before a hoof wrapped around her ankle. “Let go of me!” She kicked him repeatedly in the head, hanging onto the ladder with Starsung still holding her.

“You idiots, shoot him now!” She shouted, one of her officers fired a projectile weapon, shooting him square in the eye.

“So long and goodbye till we meet again,” Marina blew a raspberry, the plane flying off into the sunset.

Starsung clenched the bleeding right eye, the rest of the team joining his side. “Luna isn’t going to be happy about this.”  

Luna flipped through Starswirl’s Universal Study of Magic, watching the sunset fade away on the horizon, leaving room for her moon to color the sky. A knock at the door broke her relaxation, opening the door. “I trust that this is important?”

“Indeed it is, your highness. We have successfully apprehended Filthy Rich, but Marina was able to escape.” Star removed his helmet, looking down at the floor.

        Monsoon shook his head, effects of the syringe wearing off. “Finally the syringe wore off. Anything happen while I was gone mentally?”

        “Besides capturing Filthy Rich but almost caught Marina? Nothing.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes.