//------------------------------// // Chapter 38: Chasing a Ghost // Story: The Tale Of A Lost Wolf // by Solaris Night //------------------------------// "Achoooo!" The sneeze slightly scared the guard mare that was walking along side Trider and she gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Bless you." she said. "Thanks." he replied wiping his nose with his hand. Their exchange was brief and they immediatelly returned back to their duty of patrolling the hallways of the giant palace. Today Trider had the pleasure of guarding the Canterlot castle while both princesses were away on some royal business. Thankfully it was only for today. "Hey where is the bathroom?" he asked his partner. "You're currently on duty, so act like it!!!" she berated him before picking up the pace. "It must hurt having that stick in your ass all the time!" he shot back, before following her. Unbeknownst to them and the rest of the ponies in the castle, a large figure observed from atop a roof of one of nearby buildings. He brought down his binoculars, revealing his ashen green eyes that seemed to be devoid of any emotion. He reached inside one of the pockets of his grey armour and pulled out a small pink crystal. "Phantom to Mastermind, I'm in position." he mumbled into it. The crystal glowed in sequence to the voice from the other side. "Good." the stallion on the other side of the communication said. "Proceed as planned and remember, do not raise suspicion." With that said the crystal stopped glowing. Phantom harrumphed and crushed the crystal in his hand. He slowly stood up and put away the binoculars. "Employers don't change no matter the world, huh?" He lifted his balck helmet and raised it to eye level. He could see the reflection of his scarred and older than he actually was face. His graying hair was pulled back into a long ponytail that reached the middle of his back. He wore a bandana on his forehead that hid a large wound that was only slightly visible, from the beneath the cloth. "Show time." he thought and put the helmet on his head. Once it was in place he flipped a small switch on the side of it. Lights illuminated his visor, creating the image of a skull. He pushed a few buttons on his wrist, before turning his gaze back to the palace. He watched as pegasus guards flew across the sky, watching out for any intruders. Phantom reached down and pulled out a shingle. He threw it at one part of the wall where it exploded on impact. The sound drew the attention of every guard and as they went to see what happened, Phantom aimed his fist at the tall wall. A small metal arrow shot from the bracelets on his wrists, dragging along a thin metal wire. The arrow flew until it hit the wall and it embedded itself into the stone. Phantom tugged a couple of times to see it it was solid and seeing it was, he took a small step back before he swung across. He smashed into the wall, but he barely flinched from the impact. He quickly began to climb up, by smashing small holes into the wall so he could get a grip. On the way he picked up the arrow and in just a few seconds he was over the wall. Once he reached the top he without hesitation jumped down onto the ground which was several feet below. He grunted when he hit it, but he immediately recovered. He quickly hid in a bush and began to observe his surroudings. He saw several guards patrolling the vicinity and a couple more in the sky. He rached for his bracelet again and pressed another button. His armor began to change colors until he completely blended in with the environment. He slowly stepped out of the bush and ran over to a tree that was nearby. Although he was camoflauged, it didn't mean he was invisible. If he stood still not even the most skilled soldier would be able to spot him, but when he moved the suit warped the the light around him, giving the appearance of a disturbed water surface. Slowly but surely he made his way over to the entrance to the palace and once he was within reach he sneaked in through the window. Once inside he pulled out a sheet of paper and looked at it. "This way." he mumbled and headed down one of many hallways. He managed to avoid all of the guards and castle personnel. He was about to round another corner when he saw another two guards approaching. He pushed his body against the wall and remained as still as he could. "I told you it was the second door on the right!" the female guard shouted. "I didn't think it was possible to get lost in a castle, where nearly every door and hallway is properly marked, but you proved me wrong." "Well so-rry, I can't help it if everything looks the fucking same." replied the other guard, this one clearly male. Phantom prepared himself in case he had to get violent. After a couple of seconds the two guards came around the corner and passed by him. One of them was a unicorn mare with blonde mane and light green coat. But what caught Phantom's attention however was the other guard. He wasn't a pony, instead he looked a lot like a human, with the exception of having wolf ears on top of his head and a tail. Phantom observed him closely, as he remembered that Mastermind told him about the alien. "So that's him huh?" he wondered. All of a sudden Trider stopped and began to turn his head. His ears twitched and Phantom began to sweat under his armor. "What's the matter with you?" the mare asked the Kanisar aggravated. Trider didn't respond, instead he took a deep snif and turned his head to where Phantom was standing. The two, unbeknownst to Trider, locked eyes and the man began to slowly reach to one of the handles on his belt. Trider stared at the spot where Phantom stood for a couple more seconds, before he turned around and began to walk again. "Nothing, it must've been my imagination." The two strolled down the hallway, slowly distancing themselves from the invisible man. Once they were far enough Phantom released the breath he was holding. "Close."he mumbled, before walking around the corner and down another hallway. He wandered the palace for a several more minutes, before he found himself in front of a heavily guarded steel doors. "Seven huh." he said above a whisper. He reached inside one of his pouches and took out three small metal balls. He threw them from behind the corner and they tinked across the marble floor. The guards looked at the marble like things, before they stopped. One of them stepped forward to inspect what they were before they opened up and released a cloud of smoke. They coughed violently as the smoke filled the hallway and Phantom immediately jumped into action. He took out the two handles and with a click two medium long blades jumped out of them. He soon reached one of the guards and with one swift swing he slashed through her armor, killing her instantly. Not wasting any time he lunged at another guard piercing him through the heart. The guards realized what was happening and the pegasi extended their wings and blew the smoke away. Now exposed Phantom stared at the guards that stood in front of him and they glared back. "Surrender or we will-" The guard didn't get to finish his sentence, as Phantom instantly closed the distance between them and crossed his blades. With a single movement he pulled his swords like scissors and decapitated the stallion. The guards waatched in horror as the head of their comrade hit the floor, before the body followed suit. Phantom slowly turned towards them, unfazed by what he did. "Next?" Suddenly all of the guards jumped him hoping to take advantage of numbers. Phantom expertly avoided their attacks while trying to land a few blows himself. One of the guards swung his sword at him and he blocked with his own. In the corner of his eye he saw that one of the pegasi was trying to dive bomb him, so he quickly dropped his blade, making the guard stumble, kicking him away and then jumping out of the mare's way. But while she flew by him, he drew his other blade and cut through one of her wings. She fell to the floor and screamed in agony. "Prim!" another guard shouted, before tackling the intruder. Phantom struggled against him both of them trying to overpower the other. While they were struggling with each other another guard tried to sneak behind the man in hopes of surprising him. Phantom, however, spotted him and mustered up more of his strength. He increased his grip, pulling the guard toward him and then throwing him at the other one. The two clashed and fell to the floor. Phantom raised his sword and swung it down. Before it could reach it's target however, a blast of magic hit his sword and he dropped it. Looking toward the source he saw a unicorn guard pointing his glowing hand at him. "Put your hands up and get on your knees!" he shouted. Phantom continued to look at him, before he began to slowly raise his hands and he put them behind his head. "That's right,nice and easy." the guard continued to prompt him, but he failed to realize that the man was fumbling with one of his bracelets behind his head. "Now get down on your knees!" Phantom however quickly brought his hands back forward and the guard shot his blast. The attack grazed the man's shoulder, but he still managed to aim his hand and press a button on his glove. An arrow shot from his wrist and it hit the stallion directly in the throat. The guard grabbed his throat and began to gurgle, choking on his blood. Phantom heard someone approaching him from behind and he quickly turned, blocking another guard's attack. With one swift motion he wrapped the wire around his arm, before jumping behind him, pulling his arm along and binding him. He then pulled on the wire and pulled the arrow out from the stallion throat, spletteing the blood across the walls. He then procceded to wrap the rest of the wire around the throat of the guard he ahd in his grasp. He began to pull more and more, slowly choking him. He was suddenly interrupted, when another guard swung his dagger at him. He successfully dodged his assault and placed the wires so he had one hand free. He kicked one of his swords into his hand and he impaled the guard onto the wall. He tried to focus on the guard in his grasp, but he heard a faint thwip. He quickly turned around, just in time to use the stallions body as a shield for the arrow that was about to hit him. He watched as his body began to disintigrate in front of him, leaving staring at the mare, whose wing he cut before. She held a longbow in her arms, an arrow already in it. "This is for my friends you bitch." she cried out and released the arrow. Phantom however didn't dodge it, instead he caught it out of the air. The mare stared at the man, her eyes wide from fear. He took a step forward and began to slowly approach her. She tried to run, but the only way to escape was behind Phantom. She moved back as much as she could until she hit the metal door she was guarding. "Stay away!" she cried, as she watched the skullfaced man approach her. He soon reached her and he looked into her teary eyes. "Nothing personal kid." he said softy. The mare stared at his helmet helplessly, when she suddenly fel a sharp pain in her stomach. She looked down and saw blood where the blade from his wrist protruded. She gazed back at his face and tried to speak, but she had no energy left and as darkness enveloped her vision, she fell to the floor. Phantom stepped away from her corpsea dn he picked up his weapons. When he was done he approached the door and inspected it. "Now then, how did he say to open it again?" he muttered to himself, as he tried to open it. Suddenly all of his instincts went off and just in the nick of time he avoided a fist that slammed into the door, creating a dent in it. Reacting quickly he spun his body around and tried to deliver a kick to his assailant's gut. But he was stopped when his leg was grabbed before it could connect. "Heh, I knew I smelled something rotten back then." Trider spoke and glared at Phantom. "I just wish I'd realize it sooned." The armored man reached for one of his blades and slashed at the Kanisar's face. Trider quickly released his leg as to avoid the sword that swished inches away from his face. Phantom took advantage of that and kicked him away from himself. Trider quickly picked himself up and the two were now facing off against each other. "Who are you and why are you here?" the Kanisar asked. "My name's Phantom and that's all you're getting out of me." the man responded. "We'll see about that." Trider dug his feet into the ground as he propelled himself at the man at blinding speed. Phantom however sidestepped his charge and swung his blade down, intent to cut his head off. Trider however focused his Ki into the palm of his hands and used them to propel himself in the opposite direction. The blade struck the ground and created a large slash mark in it. Before he had a chance to draw it back Trider balsted him with another Ki attack and the impact made Phantom release his grasp on his blade. He slightly stumbled from the force of the blast, but he quickly regained his senses. He pulled out his other blade, prepared for another clash. Suddenly sounds of hoofsteps echoed thorughout the castle and Trider smiled victoriously. "The cavalry's here." He turned towards Phantom and spoke in a condescending tone. "As I see it you have two options. One is that you surrender and we take you in peacefully or two, I beat the shit out of you, leaving you alive just enough for others to drag everything out of you." Phantom looked between the Kanisar and the hallway from which the hoofsteps started to grow louder. "i prefer option three." he said and pulled out another small ball. He threw it at Trider, but before it even reached him it detonated and created a blinding light. Trider cried out in pain at the sudden brightness, while Phantom ran past him and down the hallways. In the distance he saw the other guards approaching and they all looked angry. "Freeze!" one of them shouted, but he didn't listen. Instead he continued to run towards them. "Activate Flash Mode." he spoke. His helmet gave off a small beep, before he felt a burning sensation go through his body down to his legs. Sparks of electricity enveloped his legs, as he sped up. In an instant he ran past the guards and disappeared behind a corner. The guards stared at where the intruder was one second and was nowhere to be seen now. "Split up. He couldn't have gone far." All of the guards began to search the castle, trying to find the elusive infiltrator. Meanwhile Phantom tried his best to stay out of the Royal Guard's grasp. He used nearly every trick he knew, just to reamin hidden. He was currently resting in one of the closets, catching his breath. He pulled out a small opal and eyed it. "Can't use it here I guess." he grumbled, putting it away. "I'll have to get outside." He slowly opened the door and peeked outside. He saw no signs of ponies or the alien, so he walked outside in his camo. "Better to just book it." he thought and headed over to a window. He looked outside and saw it was about a couple hundred feet to the ground and that the skies outside were littered with pegasi. As he pondered his plan he failed to notice someone approaching him at high speed. "Found you!" the figure shouted and punched Phantom. He skidded across the floor until he came to a halt nearly fifty feet away. He rubbed the spot where he was hit, as he slowly stood up. "You really don't know when to give up." he growled and shot Trider a venomous glare. "It's one of my charming qualities." the Kanisar grinned and cracked the vertebrates in his neck. "Now then you what will it be? Option A or option B?" "Let's go with B." Phantom replied drawing his blade and also pulling out a large hunting knife from his boot. "That way I'll at least have the pleasure of killing you." "Many tried." Trider said, summoning his Spirit Claws. "None succeded." "Then I'll be the first." With that said the two charged at each other, clashing with tremendous force. Phantom swung his sword and knife around, while Trider blocked them with his claws. Neither one of them gained or lost any ground on the other, their strength and speed were on par. "You're pretty good." Trider praised, as he dodged a lunge. "You're quite skilled in CQC. Do you have a military background?" "You could say that." Phantom replied. The two continued to exchange blows, until Trider decided for a gutsy move. As Phantom swnung his sword, Trider caught it in his hand, gripping and not letting go of it. Phantom tried to pry his blade back, but the Kanisar wasn't about to let go, despite the large gash that was now on his palm. Phantom tried to stab his opponent with his knife, but he wasn't able to, because the Kanisar kept out of his reach. Trider then smiled and placed more pressure onto the blade, until it snapped in half. "Sorry for breaking your toy. I'm sure we can find you some other- Woah." He managed to jump back, just in time to avoid another blade that flew past him. He looked at Phantom and saw that a long blade protruded out of his wrist. "You're just full of surprises." "And you're just annoying." Phantom grunted as he put away his knife. "If you continue to stand in my way, I'll just have to get serious." He placed a hand onto his helmet and spoke. "Activate Killer Mode." Suddenly his body was encased in sparks of electricity, as patterns appeared all over his body, giving the impression there was some sort of ciructry beneath his skin. Trider prepared himself, but even then he wasn't ready for Phantom's drastic increase in strength. The man jumped at the Kanisar, before he could even react, and delivered a powerful kick. Trider was sent flying into a wall where he then collapped onto the ground. "This is where you die." he threatened, as the blade in his other wrist jumped out. Trider picked himself up, but he was too slow to dodge Phantom's first attack. The blades ripped through his armor and left two large wounds on his chest. Trider cried out in pain and Phantom charged at him again. This time however Trider managed to avoid his attack, but not his follow up. The kick hit him in the head and he busted thorugh a wall. While he was picking himself up, Phantom slowly walked up to him. "You can't win." "Funny." Trider chuckled as he dusted off the debris. "That's exactly what everyone who ever tired to kill me said, right before I kicked their asses." Phantom decided to finish it once and for all and ran at the Kanisar with tremendous speed. But before he could reach him, he was blown away by a sudden burst of energy that came from Trider. When he looked back at him, Phantom saw that he now had White hair and his eyes were a calm neon blue. The two stared each other down, before they clashed once more. While Trider's strikes were stronger, Phantom's were faster and far more precise. Their fight was so ferocious that they never stayed in the same place for long, as they bursted through walls of the castle. Eventually they reacehd the other side of the palace and Trider seemed to have the higher ground. As he was being pushed back, Phantom accidentally miss a step and Trider immediatelly took advantage of that. Closing in he ducked beneath the man and then delivered a powerful uppercut. The strike was powerful enough to knock off Phantom's helmet and send him flying through a window. As he fell Phantom reacted quickly. he shot the arrow into the side of the castle exterior and managed to slow his descent. He still hit the ground hard and he remained lying on the ground, as he fought through the pain. He heard a loud thud and when he looked up he saw Trider standing a few feet away. "Still alive?" he said then whistled. "Impressive." He then lifted his hand and showed Phantom the helmet that he knocked off before. "Lookie a souvenir." he said eyeing it with admiration. Phantom gritted his teeth and pushed himself up. "Give that back." he growled loudly. Trider smirked, but when he saw Phantom's face his smile disappeared. "You." he said in astonishment. "You're a human." "No shit." Trider's eyes flashed in anger for a second, but he managed to remain calm. "What are you doing here? Are you trying to take over this planet as well?" "What the hell are you talking about?" Phantom asked in confusion. "Don't play dumb!" Trider shouted, his teeth gritted. "You know what your kind did to my people and my planet." "Ah I see." Phantom sighed. "Listen here kid. I am the only human here as far as I know. And I was dragged here through some spell or some shit." "And? Do you think that means anything to me?" "It should. As I was told that spell reached through space and time." he explained. "Where and when I'm from, the furthest my people have went is our moon." "I don't believe you." Trider grunted. "We're taking you in and you will tell us everything you know." he said, emphasizing his statement by waving his hand through the air showing of the oncoming guards. "You don't have to." Phantom sighed, as he fumbled with a few metal balls in his hands. "We are enemies after all." The orbs fell to the ground and released smoke. "That won't work!" Trider shouted and began to charge in. But he was stopped when a loud bang echoed across the courtyard. The Kanisar felt a sharp pain sear through his shoulder. He dropped the helmet and grabbed his bleeding shoulder. Out of the cloud shot a small metallic disk with a metal wire on it and it attached itself onto the helmet and dragged inside the smoke. "Clear the smoke!" one of the guards shouted and the pegasi guard flapped their wings. Once it was gone they saw Phantom putting on his helmet and placing his gun onto his belt. "Until next time alien." he saluted Trider before smashing a small crystal and disappeared in a flash. "He has a teleportation gem. Find him, the range on those is short, so he couldn't have gone far." While the rest of the guards ran all over the place, Trider stood still gripping his wounded shoulder. "Dammit." he mumbled. "DAMMIT!!!" He smahed his fist into the ground, creating a small quake. Meanwhile Phantom ran into one of the alleways outside the castle walls and pulled out an opal. It glowed softly and he spoke into it. "Rafel bring me back!" Suddenly behind his back opened up a portal and the green head of the imp looked through it. "Come, come!" he said in his raspy voice, waving his hand to follow him quickly. Phantom said nothing, he just jumped thorugh the portal before it closed. "You bring the item?" he asked the man. "No. I ran into some trouble." Rafel looked at him with horror. "Oh no, no, no. If you not have it, you make Master angry." he said frantically. "I'll handle it." Phantom shook him off, before disappearing deeper into the lair. After several minutes he arrived at the main room, where he and the rest of the group met up to discuss strategy. He opened the door and walked inside. He saw that at the moment only Mastermind and Chrysalis were present, plus another pony who was tied up and gagged. "Welcome back Rydell." Phantom immediately shot him a venomous glare and the stallion laughed. "I'm sorry. I mean Phantom." he corrected himself. "Did you bring what I asked you to fetch?" "No." Rydell answered firmly, showing no fear. Mastermind didn't react to his answer, but Chrysalis seemed to be both pleased and displeased by it. "I see." the stallion finally spoke. "Mind telling me why?" "It was that alien you told me about. He found me out and meddled with my business." "So let me get this straight. Not only did you not bring me the amulet, you were also caught and now the Royal Guard know that somepony wants something from the treasury?" "Yes." he answered calmly. Mastermind took in a deep breath and everyone expected him to lash out. But instead he just shook his head and smiled. "Oh well, at least all of this wasn't in vein." "What do you mean?" Phantom asked curiously. "You weren't the only one I sent to retrieve something." he turned to Chrysalis and gave her a warm smile. "And she succeeded." "What did she get?" "Him." Mastermind said and pointed toward the tied up pony. "And I'll have to give you some credit. Thanks to your screwup she had an easier time getting him out." The Changeling Queen and Phantom exchanged glares, before he spoke up. "And who is he?" "No, no. That's enough questions. You will both leave me, so I can speak to our friend here. In private." Chrysalis stood up and bowed to him, before she left the room. Phantom lingered for a few minutes, before he too turned aruond and left. Once they were gone Mastermind turned to the stallion that was tied up. "Well then doctor, why don't we have a chat." he said and removed the gag. The stallion coughed a few times, before he spoke up. "Who are you? Why am I here? What do you want with me?" he asked rapidly. "Easy there doctor. I won't hurt you. I just want to talk business with you." said in a calm tone. "What business?" the stallion asked him warily. "There is a war coming my dear doctor and I want you to help me in it." he began explaining in a smooth yet energetic voice. "Recently my collagues have obtained a few of your creations, after you were imprisoned. And I have to say I am rather impressed by your intellect. So I have to ask you." He leaned in closer. "Will you help me bring down the rulers of Equestria?" The stallion tried to see if he was playing him for a fool, but when he saw the determination in his eyes, he immediatelly knew he was for real. "Gladly." he answered. "Those princesses have caused me so much grief, that I'll gladly help you, if it means having my revenge." "Excelent." Mastermind said snapping his finger. The rope disappeared and the stallion stretcehd his body. "You start immediatelly." "You should know that I'm primarily a biologist and a genetic engineer. Those other creations of ine were more of a side project." "As long as it helps us in conquering Equestria, I'll gladly accept anything you give me." A dark and sinister smile suddenly appeared on his face and it made the other stallion sweat. "In fact I am glad to hear your choice in profession, for I have a rather big project on my mind." He snapped his fingers again and a large folder appeared. He handed it to the stallion and he skimmed thorough it. "This." he gasped. "This is insane, but yet ingenious." "Can you do it?" Mastermind asked, clearly expecting a positive answer. "Yes. But I will need a lot of materials and funds. And time. Especially time." the stallion answered after a long thought. "And you shall have it." he said and faced the stallion. He took his hand and the two shook. "I'm glad to have you onboard Dr. Gene Slice."