Splinter Cell

by The philosopher

Chapter 4: Hunter Killer

Date: 5/02/28

Location: The Diamond Spire, within the Capital City of the Crystal Empire

Briefing: Three months ago, it was discovered that the insurgents have been smuggling raw magic. The provider is unknown, but the pony providing the funds to purchase the volatile material is Gold Silk-codename: Charity-, a unicorn aristocrat who has been suspected by the 3rd-echelon to be financially supporting the PCE. Charity's position in the Crystal Empire, coupled with the uneasy relationship between Equestria's and the nobles of the Empire makes her impossible to kill without sparking conflict. A fight among family is the worst kind of fight; she is not to be executed. The castle will be patrolled by Imperial Guards; they too must not be killed.

Objective: Infiltrate Charity's office within the Crystal Castle and search through her records for anything pertaining to the raw magic.

Capital City was a Beautiful city, one of the Very few locations in the Crystal Empire unblemished by war. Blood did not stain the streets, and the entire town glistened as the sun glimmered its golden rays onto the crystal buildings. But the buildings displayed no gleam in the dark moonless night. The midnight shadows were spread like grass on a field-it was the perfect kind of night for Scootaloo.

For missions that took place in nights, Luna would ensure the night would house a new moon. The darkness allowed Scootaloo to quickly travel through the city. Dressed in a midnight Kevlar vest and goggles, Scootaloo neared the spire in the
middle of the metropolis when her earpiece lodged to the side of her head rang to life.

"You are approaching the target." informed Princess Luna, "Remember, the castle is being patrolled by Imperial Guards, not PCE members. You are not authorized to terminate them. If it is necessary to neutralize an enemy, do so in secrecy. Don't draw attention to yourself. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." Responded Scootaloo, keeping her pistol tucked in it's holster at the side of her vest. If everything went smoothly this night, she wouldn't need it.

"I would suggest you also do not fly too close to the castle. Use the shadows I have provided this night to infiltrate."

"Yes ma'am," she repeated, and with that, Scootaloo's wings flared, spreading like beams if light on a summer day. She only flew for a few minutes, and dived to the ground when the spire was only a mere twenty meters away. The darkness of the night would carry her to the castle.

The shadows were numerous, and Scootaloo was easily able to pass through the town like a spectre. The night had blinded the guards, their eyes failing to the the shifting and twisting shadows of an orange pegasus pony. Their gazes were fixed on the road ahead, for fear that an enemy of the empire was to approach at any second- and for that reason they failed to see the pegasus' silhouette as she passed behind them and cautiously entered through the large doorway to the castle.

The inside was no safer. The tight hallways and numerous guards proved to be a difficult challenge to Scootaloo's progression to Charity's quarters. Nonetheless, the pegasus was able to evade the guards and the compromising illumination of their flashlights through the use of the crystals that clung to the wall and the occasional sanctuary of the ceiling above-which proved to be even more useful when Scootaloo would here a guard while she climbed the staircases.

An hour had passed when Scootaloo had reached a noticeably wider hallway, about the size of a ballroom. In the center to the wall on her right was a large pair of doors. It was the entrance to the throne room, she had realized this when she saw the princess of the Crystal Empire passed through the doors.

She had heard the tapping noise of hooves from the opposite side of the hallway.In a frantic search for a hiding spot, her eyes caught the sight of a window, placed on the wall parallel to the wall sporting the large doorway. Thinking quickly, Scootaloo jumped out the window, spun, and clung to its base.

From the window Scootaloo could hear the soft voice of the Crystal Empire's princess.

"But they are not our soldiers." spoke Princess Cadence, "And I do not wish for my aunt to sacrifice her soldiers for our country. To be a strong country, we must have a strong army. But what good is a strong army if it is not ours? I am grateful for the support provided by Equestria's military, but I do not wish to see these soldiers needdlessly die for a country that isn't theirs."

"But princess-" spoke a pompous voice, most likely belonging to one of the aristocrats of the Empire.

"My husband is already training soldiers for our army and Princess Celestia has agreed with my proposition." Shot Cadence, "We shall begin phasing the equestrian soldiers out of our country and replace them with our own by the end of next month."

"What great news your majesty!" exclaimed another regal voice.

Scootaloo peered over the window's base and saw Princess Cadence walk side by side with two nobles. A unicorn with a cream colored coat and a green and purple-streaked wavy mane in a bun entered through the doorway in the center of the hall with the princess and the other noble. It was Gold Silk.

As soon as the two ends of the colossal doors grasped each other together, Scootaloo had began to sprint madly up the spire. Every second Silk spent in the throne room were precious seconds the orange pegasus made needed to find her objective. The orange pegasus continued to ascend to the top of the tower. Near the top, she silently moved down a long hall. There were long rows of wooden doors, the four corners of each one connected to their center where a glistening gem would lay, which differed from door to door. Each door led to one of many living quarters of the Imperial Elite.

"Your Majesty," spoke Scootaloo through her earpiece.

"Go ahead, Scootaloo."permitted Luna.

Scootaloo casted passing glances at the entrances with frustration, "There are multiple rooms here, which one is Charity's?"

"Fourth door. Left side." answered the midnight princess.

Scootaloo quickly advanced to a door with a polished ruby in the center. Slowly opening it, she quietly entered a small room. It was neatly kept, with fine china scattered at the sides in an orderly manner, a fireplace at the right side. A large desk guarded by two shelves above that were separated by a large window that was kept at the opposite wall, and a bed laid against the wall parallel to the door, as if it was there to keep the wall from falling. With much grace and finesse, Scootaloo noiselessly walked to the desk. She opened the drawer and found a letter sealed with red wax.

...Nothing.

The second drawer was just as disappointing, the third even more so. The shelves above were rich in documents, but most were just political papers-all but one.

It was a letter tied by a golden ribbon. After carefully opening it, the agent quietly began to read it out loud.

My Dearest Gold Silk,

How thy skin glows like the fair moon above,
And thy eyes shine bright like stars in the night,
My soul would travel seas to seek your love
Scale mountains to feel your radiant light...

"Nope. That's not it." murmured Scootaloo, crumpling the paper and tossing it over her shoulder.

It was at that moment Scootaloo's search became more desperate. She began looking in less conventional places. Under the rug, in the pillows of the bed, Under the bed, beneath the firestones in the fireplace. She finally found what she was looking for beneath the mattress of the bed. It was a crunmpled, dirty paper with torn red wax.

Gold Silk,

While the crystals in the empire are numerous, seldom meet the requirements neccissary to produce raw magic. Therefore, we wish to inform you that our efforts in the Crystal Empire have ceased, and have been relocated to the fair land of Equestria. Our brothers own a mine near a small rural town named Ponyville. We shall continue our escavations there, on Equestrian soil.

Because of this, it is neccisarry to inform your smuggling units. Too much suspicion would collect if...our kind was seen crossing the borders with such frequency.

-Petr

"Petr?" questioned Scootaloo, "Not exactly a pony name."

Suddenly Scootaloo heard footsteps, the increasing volume suggested a pony was approaching the room. Instincively Scootaloo pulled her sonar goggles over her eyes. Through the wall she saw a shape resembling Gold Silk walking down the hall. Thinking quickly, Scootaloo ran towards the window-only to trip on one of the legs of the bed. The goggles had blurred her vision as soon as she took her first step, and in her blindness her foot struck the bed, causin her to roll to the floor. The footsteps on the other side of the door quickened, alerted from the loud crashing noise from inside the room. Scootaloo sprung to her feet and lept out of the window. She had heard Gold Silk gasp before jumping. Even if it was dark, even if it was only a split second, Scootaloo knew she had been seen.

"Shit..." she cursed, "Shit shit shit!" she wasn't supposed to be seen!

"Your majesty, I think I may be compromised!" said Scootaloo, mentally punching herself.

"Did you aquire any valuable intel?" asked Princess Luna.

"Yeah, the raw magic is being mined through crystals. Someone named Petr is providing Charity with them." answered Scootaloo as she continued to soar through the night sky.

"I see..." responded Luna, "I don't think this 'Petr' is a pony."

"Dammit!" screamed Scootaloo.

The pegasus' response had unsurprisingly left Luna rather confused, "Come again, Scootaloo?"

Luna could here heavy, panicked breathing on her end of the line. Finally, Scootaloo's familiar voice rang loudly,"I'm taking fire!"

.

. .

It started with light, a bright and powerful light, one that could imitate the bright moon on summer nights. It forced the night sky to surrender all its secrets, including a certain orange pegasus flying from the tower of the Crystal Empire. Had the guards been alerted of her presence? It seemed unlikely. After all, she hadn't been seen by anypony, save perhaps Charity. But she wouldn't have tipped off the guards, otherwise they'd find out about the letter, and Charity would have been seen as the traitor she was.

Another bolt cut through the wind mere centimeters away from her wing- whoever was shooting her, their aim was getting better. Sooner or later, they would hit her.

Retracting her wings, Scootaloo dive bombed to the ground, spreading her wings only to stop herself from colliding with the cold earth. She dipped millimeters lower so her front whooves could touch the ground, then rolled into the alleyway between two houses.

"The mule landed here somewhere!" Shouted a male voice.

Peeking around the corner, Scootaloo saw two unicorns walking down the street. There horns were brightly illuminated, mimicking the beam of a flashlight.

"Look around here," answered the second pony. She was a pink mare with a blue mane. "Whoever took that letter can't be far.

"Ah," Chuckled Scootaloo, "So they were after the letter."

"If you see anything!" shouted the stallion, "Radio in with your phonetic crystal!"

Scootaloo's radio began to speak again, "Scootaloo," it whispered, "You're being hunted by PCE members, not guards, You're clear to execute, but be selective. We don't want unneeded attention."

The Five-seveN, surrounded by an aura as purple as Scootaloo's mane, slowly rose from its holster and stood at bay next to Scootaloo like a rabid dog ready to be freed from its leash.

.

. .

Even with their horns illuminated, the moonless night still blinded the insurgents. Their eyes were only limited to the small illuminated light in front of them. They couldn't see Scootaloo, even when the their lights cutted deep into the spaces between the buildings. the night kept her hidden from their shortsighted eyes, and Scootaloo knew it. She stalked them silently at a respectful distant, eyeing them behind the corner of a nearby building or in the shadows of an alleyway. There were only two of them, but they were close by. There wasn't a way to kill one without alerting the other-yet.

One of the insurgents was obviously irritated that he needed to be awake at such a nightly hour. His paste had been slowly increasing and he was checking alleyways less frequently, and when he did it was a only casual glance thrown into the dark lane before continuing his march down the street.

The other insurgent was much more thorough, and didn't allow her patrol become mediocre like her partner's despite how late it was.

"You didn't even look here!" she hissed.

"Right, because whoever took the boss's letter was probably hiding in there the whole time," his voice dripped with sarcasm, "whoever the bucker was is probably out of the Sombra- damned country and at the freakin' train station by now! Why the hell should we still even be looking?"

"Because we need that letter! And if the thief is still here then we can't let them slip through our hooves. Now shut up and start searching!" retorted the tired mare.

Even if she hadn't been hiding in the dark alley to the stallion's left, Scootaloo could easily hear them. How they hadn't awoken the entire block was beyond her. Still, the bickering between the two unicorns made it easier for Scootaloo to keep track of them. From the corner of the building she saw the stallion turn around to continue the feud with his partner, giving Scootaloo the window of opportunity to slip away from them.

Quietly settling at the corner at an adjacent road, Scootaloo paused to look through her sonar goggles. Before her eyes the buildings disappeared, and ghostly silhouettes surrounded Scootaloo, with only the invisible structures of houses and shops separating them from her. She had taken special notice of one specific unicorn just up the road, blocking her only exit. Like the previous pair of insurgents Scootaloo had encountered, the warrior's partner was searching an alleyway. However, the first unicorn was clearly watching the street for movement, patiently waiting for her partner to finish flushing the alleyways with light. Whoever these pair were, they were far more coordinated then the previous duo Scootaloo had evaded.

Scootaloo quietly approached them, ducking behind a vender's cart just a few meters from the unicorn on the street. She was a light brown mare with a gold mane. Her eyes carefully scanned the street, but did not peer far into the darkness.

Scootaloo aligned the sights of her weapon to the mare's head, and with a deep breath, squeezed the trigger.

Only a small hissing noise was released as the bullet gluttonously ate the few meters dividing the cart from the unicorn and dug and burrowed itself into the mare's temple. The mare fell to the ground, lifeless. She was the perfect bait for her partner.

.

. .

Whoever stole the letter Silk needed wasn't residing in the alley. That was all the pink mare with a curly blue mane knew. Still, the sky diamond- and it must've been a sky diamond who stole the letter, for the thief had been seen flying in the night sky- hadn't landed that far from where she was, and hadn't been a report that the pony had taken flight again. It was just as possible that the thief was in the next alley over as the possibility that she was over at the next block.

Or...perhaps the thief was closer than she thought.

Her partner, her friend, was bleeding on the ground. How could have this happened? Was it the thief, their target? She couldn't have been struck by magic, their target had already been established as a pegasus! Unless....were they hunting one among the holy alicorns? The thought disturbed her. No, It couldn't be, she began to realize the flaws in her theory. Even if the thief was an alicorn, or perhaps if the killer was a different pony from the thief and was a unicorn, there would have still been an illumination from the beam, and there had been no light. But there wasn't any noise from a brawl, either, so her friend couldn't have been stabbed.

The mare broke away from her thoughts to pull out a blue crystal with a visible wave of energy in the middle dancing between the poles of the crystal. She fumbled it close to her mouth and began to speak while she slowly approached the corpse of her friend.

"Uhh, M-Maday! Maday! She's killed! Somepony killed her! I need help!"

"Come again? Who is this?" Answered a voice from the crystal.

"It's Sweet Amethyst. Listen! Somepony attacked Alluring Silver! She's bleeding I need help!" She was out of the alley now, and was running to her friend on the street. "Oh Sombra! How could have this happened? Please, send some pony to-" she never finished, for a sharp piece of lead dug a cavity into her head. She died instantly, not even living long enough to see the silhouette of a pegasus emerge from behind a nearby cart just a few feet away.

Scootaloo silently scampered down the street, leaving the two corpses behind her, the PCE knew she was still somewhere in Capital City, she could thank Sweet Amethyst for that. Still, slipping passed the insurgents would hardly become more challenging.

She wasn't very far from the edge of the town, perhaps only two or three streets away. before reaching a street with four guards, all of which were slowly scanning the streets. It was hardly an improvement to the original structure of their patrols, especially since they didn't even check corners, or alleyways, or even behind carts! Why the decline in thoroughness?

Suddenly it occurred to Scootaloo; the game had changed. These ponies were playing it safe. They knew that a pegasus would have to get close to them to harm them, and by staying together they could kill her before she could even get close. Still, they must've been pretty stupid soldiers if they were looking at the ground for a pegasus, did it occur to them she could easily fly right over them as their eyes remained plastered to the stone road?

That was when she saw something glint from a nearby balcony. It was from a pair of binoculars, temporarily being brought down from the eyes of a unicorn who gazed through them at the midnight heavens. A sniper, so that's who was watching for her in the sky.

How could she advance? From the corner of the street Scootaloo considered the layout. There were a few carts scattered down the street, but they were too far apart to jump from cover to cover. And Even then, all it would take to kill her was have the sniper look down.

She slid to the first cart. She was only a few meters, just about three at the least, from under the balcony. Scootaloo peeked over the top of the cart, just to see if the coast was clear, then jumped on the wall. there was a ledge running across the building by her that was two inches above the door of the building, most likely to mark where the floor of the second story was. Regardless of its purpose, it was now Scootaloo's ticket to the sniper. Ever so gingerly she moved across it, being particularly careful not to slip, until she hung on the base of the balcony. The sniper was facing her, but with his eyes fixed on the stars he could not see her. After a short while he turned and treaded to the opposite side of the balcony, oblivious to the pegasus climbing over the rails at where he once stood.

Like a prowling Timberwolf Scootaloo quietly approached her prey. She was mere centimeters from him. Striking quickly she covered his mouth with her forehooves she covered the stallion's muzzle and pulled him to his hindlegs, then used her wings to free her own hindlegs, which she used to deliver a catastrophic blow to the back. She had shattered his spine.

Scootaloo jumped over the edge and latched her hooves around the rails. The remaining PCE members were about to trot past the balcony, and, unfortunately for the mare closest to the sidewalk, right under Scootaloo.

Scootaloo silently counted in her head....

one....

two....

Suddenly she leapt from the rail, crushing the mare beneath her with her powerful hooves.

three!

She fired at the soldier directly ahead of her, then quickly shifted left and opened the head of the stallion to her right with a red-hot 5.7 round, and spun to her left to greet the last insurgent with the very same fate.

Scootaloo reloaded her pistol as she casually walked from the bloodbath. As soon as she pulled the slide back she broke of into a sprint and spun around the corner- only to quickly retreat back to the corner. At the street there were five ponies residing by two booths placed side by side.

"Woah!" shouted the voice of a mare from around the corner.

"What is it?" responded another from around the corner.

"I thought I saw something at the corner of the street!"

"Bet it's that pegasus," gowled a third voice, a stallion. "Tell Copperhead that the pegasus is on his street."

"Copperhead..." spoke the first voice, "Copperhead?"

"No response..." murmered a fourth voice. That would be four of the five ponies that were guarding the very street that lead to the border of Capital City's shield, providing Scootaloo had seen every pony that was guarding the exit when she had turned the corner.

"Damn that pony.... let's kill the bucker!"

"Are you stupid?" Spoke the fifth voice at last, "Stay on guard! If we go to the pegasus, we'll probably get killed like Copper and his team." his voice became louder then, directing it right to the corner Scootaloo hid behind. "Do you hear that? We aren't as dumb as you think! You want us?! We're waiting!"

The stallion's final words echoed in Scootaloo's ears for a moment. Then, with her pistol hugging her chest, Scootaloo turned around the corner, drew her side-arm, and fired a single round into the insurgent's skull.

All hell broke lose after that. The remaining insurgents sent a barrage of beams at the corner of the street in an attempt to burn Scootaloo with a scorching beam of magic. The Pegasus, alternatively, continued to deliver her own red-hot bullets.

One impatient soldier ran up to the corner, but at the opposite side of the street, in an attempt to flank the orange mare. He assumed that the distance between he and her would keep him safe.

The the single bullet jammed into his throat proved he was wrong.

Scootaloo turned away from her now dead target to finish the remaining three, only to find they had disappeared. They were all behind cover, momentarily pausing the firefight. It was a moment Scootaloo know she had to take advantage of, to get into a position where she could easily eliminate her targets. Swiftly she moved from her cover to a stand, a bit off to the right from between her and her enemies. Scootaloo turned to see her targets again. Their heads were peeking over the stand they crouched behind, patiently waiting for her head to appear from behind the building.

Scootaloo continued two move around the insurgents, she wasn't worried or nervous; not the slightest. She could see the insurgents from the corner of her eye, they had tunnel vision. Their eyes were glued to that street corner.

Scootaloo was behind them now, with her pistol warily taking aim at the first mare's head. All she needed to do was pull the trigger, turn to the second mare, and fire. They would both be dead before anypony could react. It would be so easy, she could take them both out if she wanted to...

Except, honestly, she didn't want to. How could she? She didn't need to kill them. The edge of the forcefield surrounding the city was literally right at her back, only a few meters away, unguarded. To shoot them now when she could leave without trouble? Murder, not war.

The gun lowered itself, as if ashamed that it had pointed itself at the unicorn mare only four meters away. Soon after Scootaloo turned to the forcefield, the unicorns had grown impatient and advanced to the corner where the pegasus was allegedly hiding, only to find it empty. Scootaloo only knew of this because she heard their confused-and frustrated-shouts from behind her. They looked for her, but never found her, for she had escaped within the nocturnal blizzards waging outside the Capital City.

.

. .

The arctic winds of the north bit at Scootaloo's skin as she trudged to the train station- or at least, where she thought the station was. It was impossible to see anything beyond a yard.

Scootaloo pulled down her sonar goggles- this had been the fourth time she had since she had left the borders of the Capital City- in hopes that the station, distant as it may be, was still ahead of her.

Snow was replaced by darkness, which, in a flash of light, gave way to static. Static everywhere- everywhere but a long block out in the distance. Surely that was the station, Scootaloo had been telling herself it had been for the past twenty minutes. Or had it been half an hour she had been plodding in this snow? Hell, she may have even been marching for fourty-five minutes for all she knew.

There was another shape revealed by the sonar. It was small sack and six meters away from Scootaloo- plus a foot underground. Picking up her paste slighty, for she was tired, Scootaloo advanced to the spot above the bag and began to dig. A green and silver saddlebag rested in the snow. It was a sign that meant that the glowing prism ahead was the train station, for Scootaloo had buried this saddlebag as she departed from it.

There was only a purple scarf and a thermos filled with hot chocolate inside. Scootaloo drank the hot chocolate greedily, welcoming the warm liquid into her body, feeling its warm course around her body. She kept the scarf in the saddlebag. While it could provide warmth, it would be no more than what her body armor provided her. She slung the bag on her back, and patted it as if to reassure it wouldn't fall. There was a bump on the side beneath the fabric, she hadn't noticed it until now. For a second Scootaloo wondered what it was, but the cold wind directed her attention to the train station once more.

With the unconventionally shaped saddlebag on her Scootaloo continued to plow through the snow. It was odd, really. Instead of hanging on her sides the bag wrapped around her body, so that the compartment was on her back, but the opening rested at her side. After a few more minutes of marching a gold light illuminated ahead of Scootaloo. It was a lamp post, one that stood at the entrance of the train station. While she was still out of the range of the light Scootaloo brought the saddlebag to the ground again and began to strip herself of her armor. It was the very reason she had brought the saddlebag, to conceal her equipment. She wrapped the scarf around her neck. It was warm, partially because it had been next to the thermos, but also because the unicorns in the 2nd Echelon had enchanted the bags of field agents. They were resistant to fire, water, temperature, and-well, Scootaloo didn't really care for the last one at the moment, she could ask later, at headquarters- where frostbite wouldn't be trying to chew at her hooves.

There were a few ponies at the station, a couple were Equestrians, and some were Crystal ponies. A few saw a pegasus approach from the shadows. She wasn't dressed in black, and she had no goggles on her head. In fact, all she sported was a purple scarf and an oddly shaped backpack. She was certainly not a special agent of some sort, if somepony was to suggest that then they were crazy.

Anypony could tell, she was merely another tourist riding the midnight train home.

.

. .

She was a tired, crimson gem pony, with an aqua blue mane in a bun. She was also a mother, who went by the name of Star Sapphire, sitting on a couch at the right side of the carriage, behind a simple table in the first of the three passenger cars.

The train was noiseless and stationary, for the time being. In a few minutes the train was expected to leave, but not until after the last batch of passengers were to board. Until then, she would simply enjoy the tranquility of the passenger car with her lovely foal cradled in her arms, his soft purple coat and short, dark purple mane wrapped safely within the blanket hugging his sleeping body.

The peacefulness of the coach continued, through the door's sudden opening and the few passengers entering, the calmness of the carriage remained and lingered. Even the loud whistle signaling the train's departure sounded like the hum of a lullaby as the locomotive began to crawl away from the station.

There weren't many more beings on board, at least not many sharing her coach, just a unicorn stallion at the back right row, another earth pony mare three rows away on the left side of the carriage, and a pegasus sitting right next to her. Of all places, why next to her? Star Sapphire shrugged off the question. She didn't mind the company.

The pegasus had an orange coat and a purple mane that was the exact same hue as her son's. She looked tired, but was purposely evading sleep. Her hooves were crossed and her back was turned, as if she was in a deep slumber, but her eyes were clearly open, even though Sapphire couldn't see them, she knew. On the other side of the table was an oddly shaped bag, brought by the pegasus, hogging the entire seat. Neither the bag or it's owner moved nor did they look like they ever would.

Half of the trip was spent in silence, broken only when the conductor entered and announced that they would be crossing the borders to Equestria soon, and that they would be arriving in Canterlot in only a a couple of hours. Excitement began to stir in Sapphire, it was evident by the childlike smile she wore on her face. In her silent joy she turned to her neighbor, eager to speak, just to share some happiness on this train. Surprisingly, the pegasus spoke first.

"You have a lovely foal, Miss." started the pegasus.

"Oh! Why thank you!" responded Sapphire. The declaration surprised her, but it was a nice surprise.

"What's the little guy's name?" asked the pegasus, peeking at the child's face.

"His name is Shining Tanzanite," Declared the mare proudly.

"He's so cute," The mare complimented.

"Isn't he? He's so special..." responded Star Sapphire, holding her child close to her like treasure. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Star Sapphire, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"Scootaloo." answered the pegasus. "So what brings you to Equestria?"

"Well I've heard that it is a beautiful country! I went there once, when I was three, but that was so long ago I don't remember anything of it. I figured, since I haven't seen it for a thousand years, why not visit? Anyways, why are you on this train?"

"I was visiting the Crystal Empire, or the Capital City at least. It's such a beautiful town."

"So you are returning home now, I take it?"

"Yeah, I live in Ponyville."

"Ponyville? I've never heard of Ponyville before, whats it like?"

"I'm not surprised you haven't," chuckled Scootaloo. Actually, given the ponies who live there- the elements of harmony to name a few, she was a bit surprised. "Ponyville was founded after the Crystal Empire disappeared, it's small and out in the country."

"It sounds like a lovely place," concluded Star Sapphire, "I think I'll have to visit there while I'm in Equestria."

"I'd be more than happy to give you the grand tour," offered Scootaloo.

"Why thank you!" laughed Star Sappire.

Then, in an instant, the peacefulness died. It started with a hum. A quiet, unsuspecting noise that would've been ignored if a pony wasn't trying to hear it.

Luckily, Scootaloo was.

The orange pegasus turned around just in time to see the unicorn sitting in the back of the coach- now standing with his horn glowing brighter and brighter. In an instant the Pegasus reached her hoof over Star Sapphire's neck and quickly ducked below the table, bringing herself and her new companion to the ground. The sound of a heated beam, shattering glass, and the cry of the scared Tanzinite erupted in the carriage like a volcano.

The unicorn marched down the aisle, noiseless. Emotionless. Not a single head portruded from the seats; everypony had the sense to hide from the killer on board. Two were trembling in terror, their minds trying to comprehend the situation. Why was this happening? What's going to happen to us? One pony was crying, for he was but an infant, and the cruelty and twisted madness of this world was alien to him, and it terrified him.

The final pony, the Pegasus, was still, and concentrated. She was no stranger to this. In fact, she was in a distant memory. The first day in the 3rd Echelon, there was helplessness, there was confusion.

There was darkness. Ironically, what one factor that had became her greatest ally had abandoned her.

She looked at her bag, her Five-seveN rested in there. But she wasn't supposed to use it, technically, the Five-seveN didn't exist.

She peeked from the side of the seat, only to be greeted by a red beam passing right by her face. Surely, the 3rd Echelon would consider the circumstance she was under as an exception, and even if they didn't, she sure as hell would.

A second impediment was the width of the table, which wasn't wide enough for Scootaloo to move around without making herself vulnerable. Perhaps she could use kinesis? Push the bag to make it look like out of a stroke of luck it had fallen? It was worth a try.

Scootaloo concentrated on the bag, every fiber, every strand of silk, and applied with all her being a force to push it.

The damn thing didn't even budge.

Thinking quickly, Scootaloo's mind raced to other solutions. Her hind legs! Why didn't she think of it before? Carefully unwrapping them from under her, Scootaloo reached her hind right leg to the bag and began to push it off the seat.

"What are you doing?" Whispered Star Sapphire.

Scootaloo ignored her, directing the bag to the edge of the seat. Finally, gravity took over and claimed the bag as its own. Right when it had made contact to the ground, the entire coach went dark.

"What the hell?!" Sceamed the unicorn, as the glow of his horn suddenly vanished. Scootaloo was asking the same question in her head.

Darkness, her ally, had returned to her. Grabbing the opportunity to strike, Scootaloo rushed out from under the table, bucked the unicorn, and turned around to bash his head into a nearby window. Once more, the sounds of an infant screaming and shattered glass filled the room.

The lights returned, revealing the aftermath of the quick, turbulent battle. The stallion laid by a window, his head bruised and bleeding by various cuts.

"Oh my Celestia!" Shrieked Star Sapphire, distraught by the sight of the body, "Oh my Celestia! What happened?! What happened?! My Celestia! Is he-"

"Ma'am, calm down," comforted Scootaloo, "Calm down Sapphire, everything is all right, he's not dead, okay? Everything is fine. Ma'am, listen, I'm going to check the other coaches, I'll come back here when it's safe, alright? Listen, it's important that you try to remain calm, okay? I'm going to be right back, and then we can all go to the next car over."

Scootaloo spoke like a mother- to both Star Sapphire, and to the earth pony as she went to retrieve her saddlebag. A close inspection revealed it had crushed the odd button in the between the fabrics when it had landed. Had that caused the lights to go out? Scootaloo slipped the saddlebag on her back, knowing it would come in handy.

As for Star Sapphire, she began to cradle her baby. She ignored the quiet sobbing of the earth pony a few rows away, and just continued to rock her beloved child, trying to calm it with a lullaby.

In a shaky voice, she began to sing, "Hush now.....quiet now i..it's time...to lay y..your sleepy head, h-hush....now...quiet now, it's time...to go....to bed....

She kept on singing until her son's screams reduced to a silent whimper, and continued to hum the to the tune until Shining Tanzinite once more slept angelically.

Scootaloo entered, quietly and calmly, into the coach just three minutes after the foal had closed his eyes.

"Okay, everypony," she whispered and directed as a mother would, "We're gonna go move to the next car over, okay?"

She shook the earth pony mare, offered a reassuring smile, and guided her to the door.

Then she turned to Star Sapphire, "Are you ready to move?" She whispered.

Sapphire nodded, and tried to hold back more sobs as she spoke, "yes....yes I'm ready."

"It's all gonna be okay," promised Scootaloo as she walked alongside her friend. Together, they opened the door, crossed I've the small space between the carriages, and entered into the coach.

And as the door quietly shut, peace greeted the train once more.

.

. .

Uploading_Data:

3rd_Echelon_Field_Intelligence

Uploading_File: Portable EMP

Description: All 3rd Echelon members are given a special saddlebag to carry any necessities required for a mission. This bag is waterproof, fire-resistsant, and cannot be teleported or cursed (it can, however , be levitated depending on its weight and the species of the operative). The bag also doubles as a portable EMP (electro-magic pulse). An electro magic pulse releases a wave of both electro-magnetic energy and magic to disable almost all forms of nearby electricity and light, including light from magic (the soul exception being an enchanted gem that naturally produces light).

Comments

[spudicous]

Fantastic, I'm really enjoying it.

[The philosopher]

1999221 just took a little bit longer to write than I wanted.

[The philosopher]

1999196 thank you

[SinisterBronyz]

How in the world do you write such long chapters? I can write about 1k words and call it a chapter... you could have cut there two up alot :P

[The philosopher]

2034532 it's quiet simple really. Time consuming, but easy. You just write until the character has reached a moment of noticeable pause ( for example, at the end of Hunter Killer, Scootaloo's mission is over.) or when the characters dilemma changes(like in The Marines, where Scootaloo is knocked out). You already seem to follow this, but your chapters seem shorter because your writing style is a lot more terse than mine.

[Bad_Seed_72]

Alright, finally got around to reading this.

This is a pretty exciting story. I feel like we are missing a lot of details--I'm still kinda confused on the politics of this whole situation--but overall, I'm definitely enjoying it. It definitely could use a run-through by an editor though. Once you get grammar/punctuation/etc. cleaned up (and maybe add some more exposition), you'll be good to go!

And Scoots is just badass here, and I love it!

[The philosopher]

2655096 Yeah, there's a lot of details I should've added. Can I just go back and add to the story like that though? I'm not to keen on changing what's been published, save grammatical errors, and yet I completely agree, I should have had more of an exposition.

[Bad_Seed_72]

2685689

Well, it's your story. You can't republish the story, but you can republish the chapters. It's all up to whatever you feel is best.