Troubles Arc
Within a couple days of receiving word, the Elite Three of the “Fire Breathers”, that notorious band of unicorns, had already found their target.
Princess Essenta was by no means a careless mare, they’d learned, but she and her friends were no match for the expert tracking skills of the Elite Three. The mares’ trails were picked up a couple days south of the Great Canyon Bridge that had just gone up. They reasoned the princess had the kind of money to cross with no questions asked. The three were sure whatever gold and silver the princess and her friends carried wouldn’t be missed once the job was done.
They had their suspicions of who their client might be, but they truly didn’t care. Their boss Radulf told them who to find and what to do about her. It was their only concern.
Because of the two unicorns, the little mage apparently skilled, they kept quite a distance from the little party. They couldn’t afford to be found out. Dealing with a fight was just too much hassle… They had their orders and they would follow them. They’d never received bad intelligence or failed. They would see neither this time.
The princess and the two unicorns were easy enough to recognize. It was the two Earth ponies they’d picked up somewhere between the Dale and the Canyonlands that concerned them. Still… they were just a couple of Earth ponies. They died just as easily as anypony.
They’d seen the girls sparring over lunch but thought little of it. They were mares… what did they know of fighting? The first unicorn, upon their learning of the additional mares, called in.
The crystal ball they carried with them glowed, “Yes? Have you made initial contact?”
“Yes, Radulf. It wasn’t difficult to find them. There is no mistaking… it is Princess Essenta and the two unicorns described… They’ve picked up a couple of Earth ponies since the Dale. We can’t say anything about them, yet, other than one is rather tall. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was of the Mazan.”
Radulf considered, “Well, that shouldn’t be a problem for any of you.”
“When do you want the job done?”
"Let them get away from the canyon a few more days. Update me once that happens. You are not to engage them in any fashion without my expressed word. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. We will maintain our watch from a distance and contact you when things develop further.”
Radulf smiled, “Good… See this through, and we will be handsomely rewarded. Just do your jobs and it should be fine.”
The crystal ball faded out. They had their orders and continued to track the company.
The Elite Three followed their orders exactly but ran into some trouble. They were not to go within a certain distance of any established settlement. The mares had come too close to the town of Renata.
They were afraid their leader would be most upset about this but couldn’t fault them.
“I didn’t anticipate the princess and her companions would go near Renata. It is at least a day’s travel out of the way. Keep a distance away from the settlement and notify me once they leave.”
It was a great relief Radulf understood this. Some things were just unforeseen. Why go out of the way when there are other towns just up the road? The minds of mares made little sense though. They’d do their job.
What they hadn’t expected, was to wait from a Monday evening until the next Monday in the morning…
They’d kept Radulf updated, seeing nothing, and were simply told to wait. To just wait and follow procedure.
Once the mares emerged, the three stallions were surprised to see another Earth pony and even some little Pegasus. Both were… obviously young. This didn’t bother them, though. They’d robbed, raped, or killed just about any kind of mare or filly imaginable. It was just another small obstacle in obtaining the princess.
Radulf was pleased, “We must still be cautious. Wait until the mares are a couple days away from Renata. Once you feel ready, make contact once more, and receive final instructions. Do not engage until then. Understood?”
They understood, certainly. Still stuck following these seven mares for a couple days, they’d seen nothing remarkable. It would be easy… and they might even get a special… treat for their trouble.
The princess was strictly off limits, but any of the other mares would provide them good sport. And what a selection! Compared to what they were used to, it was an intoxicating prospect. None of them had ever had a Mazan before… To sully her virgin warrior’s pride as they watched the lights leave her eyes…? They could hope. It never hurt to hope.
The time to strike came on a Wednesday night. Deciding that night would be it, they contacted Radulf.
“Coat darts with “Long Sleep”… You are to make your way around the camp until all seven are unconscious. Once they are, go in. Make no mistakes. Identify the princess. You are to bring her to me, secured and unconscious. I will take things from there. Kill the rest. Make it quick… and no sport! That is a direct order. I’m sending you a little something that should… help clean things up. It should make itself seen momentarily by way of the crystal ball.”
The first stallion nodded, “Understood. We will carry out your orders.”
“Good. You may proceed, otherwise, as you see fit. Remember… the princess can fight. And the mage is not to be underestimated. But you’re capable of disabling anything she may have established as a barrier.”
The stallion nodded, “We will contact you when finished and out of the area.”
The crystal ball faded out. The three unicorns were quite disappointed they’d have no chance to taste any mare that night but knew they had more than enough of them back from where they came. Radulf's harem wasn't the prettiest thing, but it satisfied.
Dusk was soon approaching. The stallions put on all black and made ready. It was just another job. They just had to do it, no messing around… This kind of stuff was routine to these three.
But they lacked some rather important information, as they stalked to where the mares camped. They knew nothing of the power of the two larger mares. They knew nothing of the new additions from Renata. And they had no idea on Earth what had just gone on during the weekend at the Renata Sparring Grounds.
If they’d kept a closer eye on things, they may have turned back. But they’d followed their orders and had never run into trouble before.
It was unknown the planned, routine murder they were accustomed to might prove more eventful than anypony had anticipated.