//------------------------------// // 26 - Liberation // Story: Chasing Treasures // by Yukito //------------------------------// Sunset crept through the alleys of Ponyville, sticking to the darkness to ensure her stealth as she observed the enemy movements. They were attempting to set up a base of operations, and seemed to be testing a radio to see if the waves could pass through the portal. She moved on, focussed on finding the pony hostages and defeating Tirek second. As she moved, she found where the cages had been taken to. The very centre of the town was guarded in every direction, and behind those guards, ponies were weeping, and shouting, and banging on the bars that kept them trapped. Some unicorns attempted to use magic, but none seemed to be competent enough with magic to provoke their captors. Thankfully. She noticed the cage with Twilight and her friends inside and clenched her fist. Seeing the pony versions of her human circle made Sunset feel angry. It was almost like Tirek was declaring war on her personally, but of course, she knew that that wasn't the case. He didn't even know she existed, which she was going to use fully to her advantage. Sneaking past the guards, Sunset approached the cage with Twilight inside. She couldn't risk making too much noise, so she instead crouched down and dipped her finger into the dirt on the ground, writing, "Twilight, don't say anything. Don't draw attention. This is Sunset Shimmer." Twilight gasped, before looking around to ensure they weren't being watched. Using her magic, she picked up a stick and wrote, "What's going on? What are you doing here? Who are these people?" Sunset wrote, "If you can believe it, it's our world's Tirek. Yeah, he's real." Twilight bit her lip. "Yeeeeah, we fought this world's Tirek recently." "… We'll come back to that. Anyway, they've come to take over Equestria, and they're serious. You were smart not to fight them, but we need to get you out of here before their backup comes, or worse." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What worse? And how did you know I told everypony not to resist?" "Because you're the only one they'd listen to unconditionally. You remember that super weapon I showed you before? The nuclear bomb? They have one." "That's bad. What's your plan?" "If I open your cages, can you teleport everypony here?" "I'm a magical prodigy, but I'm not a god!" "What about the Elements of Harmony?" "They don't exist anymore." Sunset had to restrain herself from grabbing Twilight and shouting. When Twilight seemed concerned by the lack of response, Sunset composed herself, and wrote, "Pardon?" "Long story. I do know of a way out, though. There's a sewer entrance in the square. If you open the cages, we can sneak out when the guards aren't looking." "We'll need a distraction… And I think I have the perfect plan! When you hear the signal, have everypony QUIETLY escape." "Wait, what's the signal?" Twilight received no response. "Hello?" Suddenly, the lock on the cage clicked open. Rainbow Dash was about to rush outside, but a message on the ground suddenly appeared. "Quiet. Wait for the signal, then quietly head for the ponyhole. The Royal Guard will handle things here. – Twilight." The girls all turned to Twilight inquisitively, and she simply chuckled sheepishly under their gazes. "T-Trust me, it's for the best." Sunset wrote the same message for every cage before magically picking their locks. Thankfully, nopony blew the plan by escaping too early, but that's what she expected considering everypony surrendered on Twilight's word to begin with. Simply pretending the message was from Twilight gave them hope, and hope was what she needed to keep these ponies from acting recklessly. With the last cage opened, Sunset left the square and headed towards two vehicles parked just down the street. A few grenades had been carelessly left nearby. She grinned. Time for some collateral damage. Bon Bon raced up the tower, dispatching foes swiftly with her pistols and dodging the storm of bullets that showered her from above. She heard shouting on the floors above, and knew that the troops there were trying to reach their friends in the town. Thankfully, her micro-jammer tucked away in her pocket solved that issue. As she reached the middle of the tower, she was greeted to a hulking man in a white tanktop, his muscles bulging through the fabric and tearing it as he stomped towards the young agent. "This is what's been killing my comrades? Hah! Never send a boy to do a man's work!" The brute threw his fist at the agent, but he missed as she dodged to the side and pointed her guns at the man. However, a sweeping arm knocked her aside, forcing her to drop her guns and leaving her unarmed as she watched her weapons slide away. "Now we fight fair!" the man said, jumping up and falling down towards Bon Bon. "Very well. I'm up a little melee…" Bon Bon pushed herself up and jumped aside. After the man landed, she jumped up and onto his shoulders. He stumbled about, reaching behind the grab her, but before he could do anything, Bon Bon swung a fist down on his neck, and then another, and a flurry of punches soon forced the brute to fall to the floor. She finished by grabbing the sides of his head and twisting it. Hearing the sound of bone breaking, Bon Bon released the man and allowed his body to fall to the floor. As she jumped off, she reached into her jacket for a pair of shades and put them on. "Take a break…" As the last pony made its way into the sewer, thanks to the explosion Sunset had caused as a distraction, Sunset made her way through the town in search of Tirek. She found him at a large palace made of crystal that she was sure wasn't there before. Regardless, she drew her pistol and aimed it at him. She could end this with one shot. She fired. Tirek bellowed, swatting a fist in the air and catching the bullet. As he opened his hand, the crumbled-remains of the bullets fell to the floor, and he glared in Sunset's direction. "Your magic cannot hide you from me, wench." Sunset gulped. The attention drawn to her had rendered her spell useless, and now, all eyes were on her. Then, all guns were on her. Quickly, Sunset erected a barrier to deflect the incoming barrage of gunfire. Casting another spell, Sunset created a whirlwind, and fired at the troops, causing it to circle around her and take out any soldiers within a twenty-foot radius. Tirek grunted, and held out his hand. A gemstone was embedded into his palm! He fired a blast of magic, shattering Sunset's barrier instantly. Then he fired a second blast, forcing Sunset to jump back. The ground where she had stood became a smouldering crater as the magic hit it. Sunset teleported away, only to find that Tirek was already pointing his hand in her new direction. "I can smell the magic, pony." Sunset froze. A blast of magic raced towards her, and she was sure that she was going to die.