//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven - Plausible deniability // Story: Fairlight - The Frozen Heart // by Bluespectre //------------------------------// CHAPTER SEVEN Plausible deniability In the armoury, Snap was looking nervous. “You want what, again?” I sighed. “It’s all on the list, Snap, read it again.” “I don’t need to!” she snorted. “I can’t give you all this! What are you doing, going to war?” I could feel my neck twitch in frustration. “Give me the items on the list, or I will come in there and take them myself. If you don’t like it, take it up with Brandy.” “Brandy? Brandy said you can have all this?” Snap snorted loudly. “Buck off, Nox, you’re taking the piss.” “‘Brandy’ said he could have it, Snap.” The armoury mare’s jaw hung open as the dappled silvery coated senior agent walked up to her booth. “I would appreciate you giving agent Nox what he needs to accomplish his mission, is that clear?” “Yes, Sir!” She snapped a salute and disappeared into the bowels of the armoury. Brandy spoke to me quietly, “Nox, I don’t know what you’ve got planned, but try not to destroy half of Manehattan while you’re at it, eh?” “No, Sir,” I replied smartly. “I’ll be very selective.” He cocked an eyebrow at me and chuckled quietly, “I like you, Nox, I like your style. By the way, what happened to that little foal you brought in here? I never saw him.” “Oh, your namesake?” I shrugged. “He’s with one of the team in the guest quarters. We’re keeping him here until we get news of the whereabouts of his family. Poor little guy.” Brandy stopped and stared ahead of him, “What? My namesake?” I nodded. “Yeah, his name’s Brandy Snap apparently.” “Brandy Snap?” The dappled officer never flinched. “What’s he look like?” “Like his name,” I replied. “A caramel coloured foal with-” The older stallion looked like he'd seen a ghost. “A white mane, like cream…” I frowned in surprise. “I thought you hadn’t met him, Sir?” “Oh, I would say so agent Nox,” Brandy said calmly. “He’s my son” I was nearly floored. “What?!” Brandy sighed. “My wife and I split up some time ago. Carnation couldn’t handle all the hours I worked in the agency, a problem which a lot of us in this profession have to face sooner or later. Work always comes first, eh?” He closed his eyes, adding, “Flax, my daughter, was due to start school soon…” He suddenly span round, taking me by surprise and put both of his front hooves on my shoulders. “Fairlight, find my family… please. The mistress trusts you, and so I trust you. I can see it in your eyes, you can do this, I know you can. Look, If you need anything let me know, we’ll be standing by.” Brandy stepped away, “Are sure though, absolutely sure you don’t need somepony to go with you on this?” “I am, Sir,” I replied. “Tingles is still too weak and when the time comes I don’t want to be worried about anypony getting caught in the crossfire. I’m going to need all my focus to do what needs to be done.” “Collateral damage?” he asked winking. I nodded. “Collateral damage.” The silver dappled stallion clapped me on the shoulder, “Good luck, Nox, may the goddesses bless you. I’ll have the backup a heartbeat away.” “Thank you, Sir,” I replied. I watched Brandy walk away. He was standing tall, but there was a droop to his ears that spoke of the turmoil that had gripped his heart. A turmoil I had inadvertently put there. I simply hadn’t made the connection between the two Brandies. The young one hadn’t known his father’s name though, and I suspected that his parents had separated not long after he’d been born. There was a clatter and bang of equipment followed by heavy breathing emanating from the armoury door. Snap, sweat dripping from her forehead, held up my list, pointing to it. “Here! It’s all bloody here!” she gasped heavily. “Good luck lugging this lot around with you. Are you plumb crazy?” I gave her my broadest grin, “Oh hell yeah, you better believe it.” On reflection, maybe Snap had a point. Despite all my bravado, the harness and equipment straps along with all the packs and gear, was damned heavy. Still, I had no intention of using it all in one go. No, I had planned this down to the last detail, factoring in contingencies and preparing myself mentally. Luna had also come through for me in spades. My pilot, ‘Loofa’ as he was known to the agency ponies, hooked himself into the cockpit and stretched his wings. The stallion’s goggles made him look a bit like some sort of bizarre giant bug, but the guy came well recommended by Brandy so I was confident I’d get there in one piece. My gear loaded I settled back for the journey, patting the pannier containing a full load of vacuum flasks. There was well more than I needed, and kindly donated by the citizens of Equestria too apparently. That was very thoughtful of them. I wondered if they knew? Probably best to dispense with that chain of thought… We soared out over the Manehattan skyline. It was 2:00am. According to my calculations we’d be there in around twenty minutes. Give or take a few minutes to get myself set up and we were looking at around half two. And then it was showtime. Or at least the opening act. I felt surprisingly alert, and was twitching to get to my destination. How much of that was down to me, or the spirit, I didn’t know. I didn’t care either. I sat back and let my mind wander, thinking back to what had happened down in the depths of the ocean. That voice… Who was that? It wasn’t the spirit, and it wasn’t my own, so… who? Well, whoever or whatever it was, I was alive now thanks to them. And I was doing what I was born to do – helping ponies who couldn’t help themselves. “Coming up on the target now, boss,” Loofa called. “I’ll bring us in.” I checked my watch – five minutes ahead of schedule. Loofa really was quite the pilot. I checked my equipment, slipped on my sunglasses, and moved quickly and quietly along the deserted street. Eleventh and Mane was nothing special, it was just a bog standard street in a bog standard area. The sorts of ponies who’d normally be out at this time of night, or morning I suppose, were your typical ‘bog standard’ run of the mill piss heads. There would never be enough wheat beer and spirits in the world for these night owls. Fortunately for me the only ones I saw were collapsed in doorways three sheets to the wind and snoring merrily. In truth I don’t think they’d have noticed me if I’d been dancing past them in a jesters costume complete with bells and floppy hat. But you couldn’t take chances. With my special operations gear, black and figure hugging, my rubber shoe covers muffling any sound, I moved like a ghost. There were only a few steps up from the street to the front door, and I stopped to take stock of the situation. There were no identifying marks on my equipment or clothing. There were no names, nor anything that could be traced back to my employers. It was a precaution; plausible deniability if this all went to shit. Tonight, it was just me. Moving through the shadows I glided up to the front door and tried the handle. It was locked. Sensible. A quick tap with my telekinesis and the lock clicked open, a handy little trick Mitre had taught me years earlier that involved learning about tumblers, pins, levers, and all sorts of knowledge we’d stolen from the locksmiths guild. Goddesses, if he could see me now he’d think I’d lost the plot completely. Still, I’d like to imagine he was proud of me, but we’d see. The next time I met him he could tell me himself. I took a breath and pushed. The door opened on surprisingly well oiled hinges with little more than a swish. It was only the soft sound of the bottom edge brushing against the deep pile carpet, but sounded deafeningly loud in the silence of the night. Once inside I pushed the door to, placing a wedge under it in case I needed to get out quickly. So far so good. I poked my head around the first corner, checking each room in turn. They were all dark, except… Damn, the kitchen light was on. Right, plan ‘B’ it was then. I sidled up to the edge of the door. The light inside was uncomfortable against my now night adjusted eyes, but I could still make out a chocolate coloured filly stuffing herself with goodies from the fridge. She was probably just starting middle school judging by her age, but it was hard to tell for certain from this distance. The young pegasus was a little pudgy thing too, and boy could she eat! Sandwiches and cakes were consumed in short order, the girl almost grunting as she troughed through the fridge’s contents. She never heard me enter the room. “Nopony ever tell you that you could end up with diabetes from eating all that?” I asked pleasantly. The girl choked and sputtered, cake and sandwich components spraying out from her like a furry firehose. I’d timed the expected scream perfectly, and magicked a piece of tape over her mouth. Her forelegs and hind legs were next. In no time at all I had the treat filled creature trussed up like a Hearthswarming present. Now for phase two… I heard the landing light come on and hoofsteps coming closer and closer. My visitor sounded a little flustered too. “Cocoa?” the female voice called out. “Where are you girl? Why aren’t you in bed? Goddess dammit, if you’re stuffing your face again, I swear…” The voice stopped by the kitchen door. “Why’s the light off? Are you sleep eating again?” She flicked on the switch and took in the sight of her daughter bound up and seated on the kitchen table. “Oh my feathers! What the-” She stopped when I pressed the pistol to the back of her head and froze. “Good evening citizen,” I smiled pleasantly. “I’d like to have a little word with you if I may.” She turned to look at me, taking one look at my eyes and shrank back in fear, “D… D… Demon!” she squeaked. “Yeah, I get that a lot,” I said taking a bite of the sweet oak cake that I’d salvaged from the chocolate coated piglet. “Mmmm hmmm! That’s some good eatin’ there, miss...?” She coughed and kept looking between the girl and myself, “Ma… my name?” “Yeah, you do have one don’t you?” I asked. “I mean, it would be a first to not have one I suppose, but I’m guessing your folks followed normal convention right? So…” I examined my pistol, clicking the safety on and off for effect before leaning towards her grinning. “What’s your bucking name?” “Cinder!” she gasped suddenly. “My name’s Cinder!” I nodded. “Thanks Cinder, that’s very good of you to tell me so nicely.” “What do you want?” she choked. “Please, I don’t have anything, just don’t hurt us… please!” “Now why would I want to hurt you, Cinder?” I asked calmly. “I mean, a mare who can make such good pies and all? No, I tell you what, I want you to use this here and call Jingo. Tell her to come here. As quick as she can.” I lifted the comms device I’d recovered from the filly’s pocket and passed it to her. “Here you go, Cinder, Cocoa has a hotline to the watch doesn’t she? Isn’t that clever!” I leaned over and mussed the filly’s hair. She started crying in fright and I saw Cinder take an instinctual step forward to console her. “Ah, ah, ah!” I admonished, waving the pistol. “Let’s all keep calm and keep this cool. Mother Cinder, do call Jingo and ask her to come here will you. Tell her Cocoa can’t sleep and wants to see her big sister, there’s a dear.” I copied the line from a play I’d heard on the radio, the ‘Sinister Butler’. It came across quite well I thought. Cinder certainly thought so. She picked up the device which Tingles had told me she’d seen Cocoa using when she’d been at the watch house with her older sister. I guessed it wouldn’t be on the same frequency as the one the watch generally operated. After all, Blaze was still a stickler for protocol even if she was a crooked cop now. Her suck up pal, Jingo, would no doubt want to keep conversations with her family private, and certainly wouldn’t want to piss off the boss. The big beige mare’s eyes were staring at me as she spoke into the communicator. “Jingo? Jingo it’s mum. Can you hear me? Oh goddesses, please answer...” A moment later, “Mum? what are you doing up this early, is something wrong?” “It… It’s…” Cinder looked at me with terrified eyes. I finished another sandwich, waving my other hoof at her to continue. “Cocoa can’t sleep,” Cinder said quickly. “She’s having nightmares. Can you come home, darling? Please?” Jingo’s voice sounded resigned, “Okay, mum. Look, I’ll be about twenty minutes or so. I’m off duty shortly anyway so I’ll ask the sergeant if I can get away a bit early. I’ll be round as soon as I can, yeah?” I smiled at Cinder, nodding. Her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. “Sure baby, just… don’t be long, okay?” “Okay mum, see you soon.” Cinder put down the comms device and opened her mouth to speak. I moved over and stuck a piece of tape over it, trussing her up like Cocoa. A few moments later the two of them were locked in the bathroom and sleeping peacefully, courtesy of one of the agency’s little knock-out sprays. Wouldn’t want to use that on a windy day! I trotted back downstairs and made myself comfortable as I waited for the star attraction to arrive. Twenty minutes, eh? I leaned back and stretched my legs. I hated waiting, but if there was one thing I knew, it was that pegasi could cover distances in the blink of an eye. From here to the watch house would be, what, two or three minutes by air? I heard a thump outside. Bang on time, the front door opened and Jingo trotted in. She noticed the light on in the kitchen and- “Who the buck are you?!” she nickered in surprise. “Where’s my mum and sister?” “Oh, Jingo. Jingo, Jingo, Jingo… You really do have a bad memory don’t you?” I waved my pistol at her, “Pull up a seat and let’s have a nice little chat you and I, eh? Your mum and sister have already told me soooo much about you!” Jingo’s eyes narrowed and I saw her taking in everything around her, no doubt looking for anything she could use as a weapon. “You rat!” she snarled. “Where are they? What have you done with them? If you’ve hurt them-” I waved a hoof. “Yeah, yeah, I get the idea; bloody vengeance and all that jazz. No. I want to speak to you, Jingo, that’s all. And you needn’t worry about your family either. Cocoa and Cinder are perfectly safe and they’re both unharmed. Mind you,” I said picking my teeth with a bit of card off the table, “I imagine you’ll be wanting to see them again, sooner rather than later. Don’t you?” “You bucking pig! What do you want?” she hissed. I leaned across the table and pushed Jingo into the chair, keeping the pistol trained on her. “I’ll tell you what I want, Jingo, I want answers, answers to questions. I don’t like what I hear and maybe, maybe Cocoa goes away, maybe mummy too, eh? How’s that sound to you?” “You don’t scare me!” Jingo’s eyes flashed dangerously, and I had no doubt that if I so much as took my eyes off her even for a second, she’d be on me. “Is this some sort of stupid game to you? I don’t even know who you are!” I smiled, and bowed sarcastically before her. “Allow me to introduce myself, my dear. Perhaps you will recall a certain young stallion, looked rather like me I suppose: fit, lean, a budding officer in the Manehattan watch. Imagine his surprise when his wife is raped and murdered before his very eyes. Quite the shocker wouldn’t you think? But wait, there’s more! Oh yes, his friend and comrade is shot dead beside him, and for added effect, our young hero is shot down too!” I leaned towards her and snarled, narrowing my blue eyes at her. I was really starting to feel the power bubbling within me now. “Am I ringing any bells now, you little bitch?” Jingo looked like she’s seen a ghost, the colour draining from her indigo face. Her eyes were a lovely shade of violet, and it was hard to equate such lovely features to the dreadful things she’d done. “Captain… Fairlight?” she breathed. “But… But you’re dead! We… We buried you!” “Yeah well, death just isn’t what it was anymore,” I said dismissively. “Sometimes when things get boring in the afterlife, you have to come back and take care of things here. Speaking of which, Jingo, you’ve been a busy girl haven’t you?” “I… No. No, you can’t be him!” Jingo sputtered. “You’re… He’s dead!” She shook her head and let out a huff, doubting her own eyes. “You don’t look like him either, so I don’t know what your bucking game is pal, but-” I released a little of the power and felt it sweep through me. The mares fear was tingeing the air with its scent and was tantalising my taste buds, making my teeth itch as they grew. I was hungry, so… hungry... and all I had to do was lean forward and take this mare as easily as plucking fruit from a tree. She looked… delicious. Jingo looked like she was going to pass out as my wings broke from my back and stretched out across the kitchen before settling back down on my flanks. My eyes burned blue, my teeth elongating into razor sharp fangs and the white mist began to swirl, forming thick clouds around my hooves. I smiled, my tongue running over my teeth as I salivated, staring at her with a hunger I knew she could sense. The mare lifted her hooves off the kitchen floor and out of the mist. She opened her mouth, pointing at me. Go on, I thought to myself, say it… “Demon!” Jingo’s shriek of fright echoed around the kitchen. “You’re a demon from hell!” I shrugged and breathed out a fined mist which made her huddle in the chair for warmth. It wasn’t enough to harm her, but it had the desired effect. Before me the mare’s teeth began to chatter. I advanced on her. “Jingo,” I murmured. “My dear, dear, Jingo. You want to see mummy and sis again don’t you? You want me to go away don’t you?” “Y… Yes!” she babbled. “Please, don’t… don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt my family… please…” “Then tell me Jingo,” I said quietly. “What did you do with the foal and the mare you kidnapped from the waterfront?” She shook her head furiously. “I don’t know what you’re-” I released a blast of cold, just enough to make ice form on her fur. She cried out in fright and tried to jam herself between the table and the wall. “Don’t lie to me, Jingo.” I didn’t raise my voice, but rather let it carry upon the icy fog that was rising ever higher. “If you do, I may bring Cocoa in here for us to… ‘play’ together. You haven’t seen me when I feed, have you my dear girl? It’s not pretty I’m afraid. Your sister is such a small life, so frail… I suspect she’s tender too.” I smiled, running my tongue over my teeth. “Succulent… barely a mouthful.” It was probably the thick mist dripping from between my teeth that did it, but whatever it was the effect was instant. The smell of urine hit my nose full on. Crying silently, Jingo quite literally pissed herself in terror. “I’ll ask again,”I tried. “Last chance, Jingo. Where are they?” “Oh Celestia, Luna, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” The mare held her muzzle in her hooves, her eyes tight shut. “Jingo? I’m getting hungry now, I won’t ask again.” “They’re in the statue,” she breathed. “The statue in the bay.” I hissed in anger, “You’re lying! Why would they be there?” She was scared, but I was banking on her love of her family to override any fear of the criminal gang she was associated with. “Gates takes them there until night time,” she said quickly. “Then they’re taken by barge up river to a warehouse in New Baltimare. There’s a portal there where they send the merchandise through for… for sale.” “When are they planning to move them?” Jingo was turning paler by the minute, I’d have to ease off on the magic before there was any lasting damage. “B… Before dawn,” she shuddered. “They’ll be taking the… them… up river…” “Jingo, who was the unicorn with you when you kidnapped the ponies?” I asked. She shook her head. “I… I don’t know. She never said her name, she came… came through the portal from the other side. She was… probably a… hu- human…” She was going to black out any second. “One last thing, Jingo,” I said, looking her in the eyes. “Who is behind all this? You know, don’t you?” Jingo shook like a leaf, the cold chilling her to the bone. “Blaze…” she gasped past chattering teeth. “Blaze is… Bl… Blaze… In charge… she...” That was enough. I pulled the magic back in and used my normal magic to warm her up. I wanted to frighten her, not kill her. She just sat there and shook feebly. Part of me felt sorry for her, but after what she’d done the other part thought she could freeze to death for all I cared. Still, she had been truthful, of that I was certain. She’d believed her friend and master, Blaze, was the orchestrator of this performance, but I knew all too well that there would be far more behind the scenes that we hadn’t seen yet. Blaze may have been the one in charge on a local level, but she was still only a puppet, and where there was a puppet, there was a puppet master. All I could do for now was cut the strings and follow them to their source. I pulled on my TED, “Team windfall, mission complete. One to pick up, two for tidy up.” Received, moving in. ETA, sixty seconds. Good enough. I slipped out the shocker from my pocket and leaned forward, looking Jingo right in the eyes. “You won’t remember me, but I’ll remember you, you bucking traitor.” A bolt of blue lightning flashed up and down the mare, making her shake violently before collapsing on the floor. For good measure I taped her mouth and legs together too. The agency ponies would be here any moment and I would need to be on my way. Pausing for a quick swig from my flask I patted the unconscious Jingo on the head. “Nighty night, Jingo. Don’t have any nightmares.” Brandy was racing up the steps as I was leaving. So much for being ‘incognito’. “Any news, Nox?” he asked breathlessly. I nodded, “She’s a gold mine, Sir. Have a chat with her, you’ll find she’s quite compliant. There’s two more in the bath. Don’t think they’ll know too much though.” “Did she know anything about my daughter?” he asked. “What about her and Carnation?” I could hear the fear in Brandy’s voice and my heart went out to him. But there was little to tell him right then. “They’re being kept in the statue on liberty island,” I replied adjusting my gear. “I’m on my way there now.” Brandy closed his eyes for a moment and let out a pent up breath. No doubt the poor fellow had hoped for something that would give him something to cling to, even if it was only the faintest glimmer of hope. “I’d ask if you wanted backup, Nox, but I think I already know the answer.” He placed a hoof on my shoulder and nodded with a sigh, “Goddess speed you on your way.” “Thanks, Sir.” I paused. “Oh, and try the pie. Jingo’s mum makes belting pastry” Okay, so that may have been a bit thoughtless. Brandy’s family were facing horrors beyond imagining, and here I was making wise cracks. I despaired with myself at times, but I hoped that my making light of the seriousness of the situation would help him in some way to feel confident I would have his family, estranged as they may be, back soon. I knew all too well how it felt to lose the ones you loved, but how I would feel if they simply turned round to me one day and said they simply didn’t want to be around me anymore… I don’t know. We all had out burdens in life, but thank the gods that wasn’t one of mine. I snorted loudly, mentally blowing all the negative thoughts out of my body into the cool air. It was an old trick I’d learned as a colt. Bad things had always had a disturbing habit of sticking in my mind, slowly building, fomenting and maturing until they became a monster not even the blessed haven of sleep could dispel. Many nights I had lain awake, unable to sleep because of the innumerable insubstantial worries and concerns that had been waiting for me to let my guard down so they could begin clamouring for my undivided attention. Closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, and snorting them out may have be a childish way to deal with the problem, but there was no denying it worked. Besides, I doubted I would have been able to afford a psychiatrist on my meagre salary in any case. I leapt into the sky chariot and Loofa shot up into the air like a firework on Nightmare Night. Tonight though, I would be bringing a nightmare to the bastards on the island and, I hoped, light and hope to a little foal called Brandy Snap. Everything was ready as best as I could make it; my life energy was flowing, my weapon loaded, and the spirit was rumbled contentedly in the background. It knew what we had set out to do this day, and it sat there, smiling quietly to itself. Waiting. We flew low over the river and hovered just off shore, keeping the moon to our front to avoid being silhouetted. It was a precautionary measure, and since I was going into what was essentially the unknown, I would take any advantage I could. I unbuckled my restraining belts as Loofa brought us in to hover just above the waves, his wings keeping a steady beat. “You sure about this, boss?” he whispered. I nodded, “Yeah, I’ll send up a flare or radio in when I need back up. Keep your hooves crossed for me buddy.” Loofa smiled, watching me as I rolled off the back of the chariot into the freezing water. Thank the goddesses the floatation suit worked as planned. Plummeting to the bottom of the sea was something I’d done once already in this lifetime, and it was an experience I didn’t especially wish to repeat either. I began to swim steadily towards the shoreline. I’d practised the manoeuvre time and time again back in the watch, back when I’d fancied a posting to the river patrol. It had never happened of course, Meadow had been so worried my potential drowning out in the bay I had scrapped that idea almost immediately. Still, it was fun to practice and got me out of the office for a few hours to lark around. Unsurprisingly however, the reality of rolling off a hovering platform into freezing water was a hell of a lot different from doing it near shore on a nice warm summers day. Here it was almost pitch black apart from the pale illumination cast by the distant moon and stars. By contrast, the artificial lights of Manehattan across the water reflected a myriad of colours upon the rippling glassy surface. It was all quite beautiful in its own way. If I had time, I’d have to come back here with Tingles for an evening flight. Yes. Yes, I’d like that. I was getting closer now, and I refocused my mind on the job at hoof. Paddling for all I was worth, I was making some decent headway. The current here was strong, but I knew the right approach and had studied the island some years earlier when I’d planned to bring Meadow here for a trip out. Tonight, ironically, I wasn’t here for pleasure, but if Gates was here then I certainly wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I’d smash its bucking teeth in. Growling with effort I ploughed on until my hooves began to touch bottom, kicking up the fine gravel that made up the narrow shore of the island in little plumes. A few more strokes and my hooves dug into something a little more solid. I breathed a sigh of relief and hauled myself out, feeling the water pouring off my wet suit. By the looks of my surroundings I was exactly where I’d intended to arrive, and thankfully, I was alone. It was certainly an odd feeling being stood there on the deserted shore of the solitary island that carried Manehattan’s most iconic statue. The impossibly gargantuan stone mare towered high above me, her beautifully carved eyes paying silent witness to the lone figure far below her, and to what was yet to come. Normally this most incredible of places pulled in visitors from all over Equestria, and yet here I was, armed, and hunting the worst kind of scum this country had ever produced. If there was ever a finer example of the word ‘irony’ I don’t know what it was. I pulled the suit off and checked the rest of my gear was free and ready to hoof. Flying here as a vengeful wendigo may have been tempting, but I was all too aware of how I would have stood out for miles around on a night like this. It wasn’t worth the risk. What those scum would have done to the ponies they’d kidnapped once they knew they were under attack, didn’t bare thinking about. Away from the gravel shoreline, the rocks I had to navigate were slippery and difficult to climb. My overshoes gripped well enough of course, but the slick surface was little more than a mass of dark shadows in the moonlight and made progress treacherous. The last thing I wanted was a broken leg or fetlock here - I’d be right royally screwed then. And not in a good way. Jingo had said the kidnapped ponies were in the statue, but I decided to make a sweep of the area before rushing in there headlong. What I didn’t need, nor the kidnapped ponies for that matter, was their prospective rescuer needing to be rescued himself because he’d missed something important. What I had in my favour though was that the island was very well documented. The only large building there was the visitor centre, and it was completely shrouded in darkness. Considering the late hour it wasn’t all that surprising, but I knew for a fact they’d recently installed security lighting due to the problem of couples sneaking onto the island at night for a romantic canoodle or two. The island approaches were deadly if you didn’t know what you were doing, especially after dark, and tragedy had nearly struck several months before when a young couple were found clinging to the rocks and barely conscious by the staff heading there to open up for the day. That had been the end of that. Security lighting and, so far as I knew, a security guard, were now a permanent feature on the island. But right now there was no light to be seen, and certainly no sign of any security guard either. Perhaps he or she as in the statue itself keeping warm? I’d keep my eyes open for them just in case. I strained my ears, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Everything was deathly quiet here except for the gentle lapping of the waves on the rocks below. Had Jingo lied to me? Sent me on a wild goose chase in the dead of night? No. No, I’d seen the fear in her eyes and there was no doubting the sincerity in her words. I checked through the windows of the visitor centre, finding the place locked from outside and like the rest of the island, silent. Other than a few storage sheds and the magical generator building it left only one place to check - the statue itself. If there were no guards here then they were either so cock sure of themselves that nopony could find them, or they’d already gone. Taking a gamble I released the spirit’s energy and felt my wings snap out from the slits cut in my suit. I never dreamed I’d ever have a need to wear pegasi clothing, but here I was all the same. Unfortunately the figure hugging flight suits weren’t really intended for those of a bigger frame and I’d had to tailor it myself, with a debatable degree of success. It certainly would win any fashion awards but seemed to work well enough though. And so with a few hard beats of my wings I ascended up the shadowed reverse of the statue until I was able to land on the back of its head. My eyes scanned the area, but still no sign of any movement. Other than the large magically powered torch the statue held in her left hoof, the only other light was from the ones inside the huge tiara that the statue wore. It was rather cleverly used as a viewing area for visitors to see Manehattan in all its rather dubious glory. If need be I could try to smash my way in and flashbug the ponies inside, if there were any, but there was no guarantee I’d be able to break the glass. I remembered the visitors guide proudly proclaiming that the numerous magical wards on the statue gave it incredible strength against the possibility of external damage from storms and so forth. There was another way in though, but it was one you could see from miles away. The torch held in the gargantuan pony’s hoof was not far away and filled the area around it with the flare from its magical fire. I shaded my eyes against the bright glare, straining to see any signs of movement. I was about to give up when I saw something moving. It could have been no more than a trick of the light of course, the flames flickering around in the wind caused shadows to leap and dance wildly. But… Yes! There, silhouetted against the flickering light was a solitary figure of a pony. He, or she, was walking slowly around the base of the torch, occasionally looking out into the night. One of the security guards maybe? I keep silent, watching for anything that might give them away. Patience was key here. As I watched they too a draw on a cigarette, and then flicked it off the edge of the railing. What happened next gave the game away. Standing on his hind legs the stallion put his forehooves on the railing, swinging a long metal firearm over his back, and began to urinate. There was no doubt in my mind now, this was a lookout for the gang working out of here. Not a very effective gang either judging by inattentiveness of this fellow, but that was all to my advantage tonight. I took a breath, steadying my nerves. My suit covered most of my wendigo features, but the mist rolling off my haunches was a dead giveaway and unfortunately was something I couldn’t do much about. My leathery wings would likely be heard or seen at this distance too, and considering the fact I was here on a rescue mission, going in there like some avenging spirit of the north was out of the question. I let the magic seep away, my wings retracting into my back as my body returned to normal. Tonight, I would do this the old fashioned way. The spirit didn’t complain, but I’ll admit the loss of the wendigo’s magic was deeply unpleasant. Part of me felt almost naked, vulnerable, and all too aware of my mortality clinging here like some tick on the giant statue’s back. I hadn’t given it much though until now, but letting the magic flow through me felt extraordinarily comforting, like a shield I could use to protect me from any harm. In some respects that was indeed what it did, but did I really need a magical security blanket at my age? I shrugged. It didn’t hurt to have some assistance at a time like this, and thankfully I had just the thing. I reached into my satchel and took out the small bottle I had kept with me since my last trip to see Aunt Pewter. Quickly, I popped off the cork and took it down in one slug. Gods, it tasted rank! I winced, fighting down the sudden urge to empty my guts over the side of my precarious perch, but thankfully the nausea last no more than a few second. Damn it, why hadn’t she warned me? It was supposed to quieten my movements and make me less visible, and for the sake of the ponies in the statue I sure hoped she hadn’t been exaggerating. If there were any ponies in there. Grasping the edge of the statue’s robe I edged my way down and landed at the base of its outstretched foreleg. So far, so good. I began to carefully shimmy towards my goal, freezing stock still every time I detected even the slightest movement from the guard rail around the torch. Inch by torturous inch, I made my way along and up, my hoof covers giving a welcome grip on the slippery smooth surface. Thank the gods it wasn’t raining. The wind was ferocious up here, and goddesses help me, it was a long way down too. If I slipped I may not have a chance to get my wings free before I either smashed into the rocks or the freezing waters below. Pushing the frightening thought away, I concentrated all my attention on my goal. The figure of the platform was moving away now and disappeared around the other side, giving me the opening I was looking for. Carefully, I unclipped the line thrower from my pack, took aim, and fired it over the railing. With luck he wouldn’t hear the grapple catch. Keeping my hooves crossed, I watched as the grapple swung around the metal rail and snagged. A quick tug showed it was fast. Wasting no time, I hooked up the winder and hit the switch. Good grief, I remembered this from training, and how much I’d hated it! The thing wrenched at me and I was yanked along and up, only to end up dangling just below the walkway. I had to act fast, the pony would be coming round any moment. Unbuckling myself from the confines of the harness, I hooked my forelegs over the top rail and hauled myself over, laying flat and motionless until I could make out the silhouette of the pony. He wasn’t far away, having stopped to look out over the water. The view was amazing from up here, and the way the wind snatched at you and the flames from the magical fire of the statue’s torch, really added a touch of the dramatic. Suddenly the pony turned, yawning, then looked up at me, his eyes going wide in shock. Any lingering thoughts that he may be an official guard disappeared in that when he yanked the rifle from his back and levelled it at me. The magic from his horn flared briefly, the firearm skittering across the platform while his body toppled over the guard rail and fell silently down into the black waters below. He’d never seen the knife flying towards his throat, nor had a good look at his killer either. So much for the non-lethal option then. If only he hadn’t turned when he had, if only he’d just stayed where he was even for a… I closed my eyes and huffed. Mercy was a luxury I couldn’t afford tonight. They hadn’t shown the girls any, and if it was down to a choice between risking their lives and killing a few scumbags, there was no contest. For now at least, morality was off the menu. The door to the interior was open, lit internally with small lanterns leading down to the viewing gallery and, with any luck, the missing ponies. Fortunately for this mission I’d brought along a contingency plan - the latest magical energy weapon from the sick and perverted mind of Doctor Bunsen, aka, the agency’s very own ‘mad scientist’. By Celestia’s randy arse, she’d excelled herself this time. The case it was in clicked open smoothly and the pieces inside, beetle black, slid and snapped into place with a precision I could only marvel at. I was a dab hoof in the garden and half decent in the DIY department to be sure, but making something this was way above my skill level. That wasn’t to say that I couldn’t show my appreciation of such a magnificent piece of equipment though. I’d have to make sure it got back safely, and with as few scratches as possible. I popped open the top cover and inserted the red crystal. It was a lot larger than the PDW’s I noticed, but then they had to be for this baby. Finally, I was ready. Easing my way down the stairs I began to pick up voices, indistinct and echoing, but definitely Equestrian. Several of them too by the sounds of it, all talking at once. I used it to my advantage. The tightly twisting nature of the staircase meant I had to get a lot near than I would have liked, but the heated arguments were acting as the perfect diversion. I reached the last step, pressed myself against the wall, and deployed a small mirror on a stick to peer round the doorway that led to the inside of the statue’s head. Tilting the mirror I was able to see all I need to. It was brilliantly lit inside the viewing area, but fairly cramped. Several stallions and a couple of mares were pacing back and forth before a huddle of bound and terrified ponies. Most looked like they’d been beaten, and sported numerous cuts and bruises. Standing over them their animated guards all sported firearms of various types, which was not a good combination considering the heated argument that was being held between two of the meanest looking ones. “I told you to leave them alone, Nelz, you dumb twat!” one of the mares snapped. “They’re going to be worthless if you beat them half to death. You do know what that means, right? No money! Not for me, not for you, not for anypony, and all this work will be for bucking nothing! Gods almighty, how dumb can you get?” “They’re useless anyway, look at the state of them!” the male replied angrily. “Half of them are so weak they’ll never make the trip up the bloody river, let alone the portal jump.” He paused, a slow sneer spreading across his face. “What’s your problem, girl? Afraid to watch a stallion letting rip, is that it? Getting jealous are you?” The other males laughed and hoof bumped the big cyan male. The mare wasn’t impressed. “You ‘let rip’ fat arse, and you’ll rip her to pieces.” She gave a derisive snort. “If Gates finds out, he’ll do the same to you for costing him money.” The stallion paused, thinking for a moment, and then spat on the floor in contempt. “Buck off, Prissy, she can take it. Bet you could too eh? Wanna try me baby? I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at me...” “You take a step toward me you bastard and I’ll take your stinking louse ridden head off,” Prissy hissed. “Ooooh! Look at her boys, the big girl in the room! Tell you what, ‘big girl’, you sit your sweet arse down there, shut yer mouth, and watch how a real stallion can ride a pony, okay?” The cyan male, overflowing with self confidence, dismissed her out of hoof as he turned his attention to the group of huddling mares. Prissy fell into a fighting stance but backed off when two of the other males levelled their weapons at her, laughing and chuckling to themselves. If was in their overshoes I would have been watching my back after this episode; Prissy’s eyes never left them, not even for a second. Emboldened by the apparent acquiescence of the only dissenting voice amongst his party, the smirking Nelz walked over and grabbed the hind leg of one of the foals in his teeth and began pulling her away from the others. An older female whom I presumed was probably the child’s mother, shrieked behind her gag and flailed her bound legs impotently. To Nelz however, the mother’s distress only seemed to add to his enjoyment of what he was planning on doing next. He flung the foal across the floor and stood over her grinning, “Awww… Mummies little girl, eh? Ha! Don’t fret darling, old Nelz will make you a mare tonight. And maybe… How about my friends here too?” He leered over his shoulder to his companions. “I’ll soften her up a bit for you first, boys.” The foal struggled and cried, but the big male, impossibly big for her, held her down on the ground effortlessly. He smirked up at the female guard. “I heard the first inch is always the worst, Prissy. But don’t worry, you’ll get yours soon enough.” “You piece of shit, Nelz,” Prissy snorted. “Gates will gut you for this…” “Ha! Really?!” The stallion barked out a spittle drenched laugh. “That stinking walking corpse you mean? He just wants to buck her himself before he sells her to those pink ape scum. Don’t give me your high and mighty bullshit, girl, you’re just a bucking street whore and you should be grateful you’ve hit the big time with the Harpies. Now shut the buck up, this little bitch has this coming.” He straddled the foal and readied himself, his tongue lolling out in anticipation. It was time. “Hello everypony!” I called merrily. Each and every pony turned to face me in surprise. “Is this a private event? I must have missed my invite.” “Who the buck are you?” Nelz shouted in surprise. For a big lunk he was surprisingly nimble and was quickly on his hooves, kicking the foal to one side like she was no more than a furry hoofball. The girl squealed and coughed, tears pouring from her innocent eyes. When I had been her age, like so many others, I had believed in the monster under the bed, or the one lurking in the wardrobe. As I got older, such foolish thoughts of youth were things to look back on and laugh about over a few drinks with your friends. Nopony really took it seriously. When I joined the Watch, that innocent world view changed. There really were monsters in the world, and not just the ones in the deep forests and swamps, but here, lurking in the darkened shadows of a place where a pony should feel safe. She probably thought she had been. I think it was that moment, the look of pain on the young foal’s face and the leering grin of her attacker, that finally broke me. The spirit within me flared like a supernova, and I welcomed it, channelling the anger through my body as the white fog seeped from my haunches and spilled out across the floor. I took off my sunglasses and gave them a good long look at my blue eyes as I swept my gaze across them. With a bow I smiled up at Nelz, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am the gate crasher, the party animal, the unexpected guest who nopony invited. And tonight fillies and gentle colts…” Standing on my rear legs, I stretched out my forelegs, the flashbugs dropping onto the ground before me. I howled out my defiance and laughter into the room as the ponies watched the flash bug casings split, and the angry cries from within rise in furious outrage. “IT’S PARTY TIME!” The flashbugs exploded. Screams and shouts emanated from the frightened ponies, their captors desperately trying to see their attacker and falling to the hail of energy bolts rattling from my energy rifle. One by one the ponies fell, shrieking, lost in bursting fountains of blood and fur. The stink of burning flesh was sickening yet also horribly exciting. I could feel my fangs itching from the anticipation. Goddesses this felt good. I felt so alive! Suddenly there was a deafening sound of gunfire that sounded like a hailstorm from hell in the tight confines of the statue. One of the stallions had managed to get off a burst of fire that nicked my ear and muzzle before I walked over to him and sent his brain matter spraying out in a fountain of steaming fragments. I moaned in ecstasy, breathing in his escaping life force, healing my wounds and sending strength and determination into my limbs. There must be more for me here. There must be! And then I saw him. Nelz was scrabbling away from me, crying and gibbering like a drunken lunatic after his third bottle of gin. His hind leg had been blown off, the wound near cauterised by the energy blast. He was wreathed in an acrid blue smoke, and the burning stench from the hole in his chest that played in my nostrils, rather than turning my stomach, only heightened my level excitement. “Goddesses take you, you demon,” he wheezed. “Go back to the pit! Go back to hell!” I laughed, breathing the wind of the frozen north across his vile body. He shivered and whimpered at its touch, flinching away from me. “Go back to the pit?” I whispered. “Why would I want to do that when I can play here with you? Oh Nelz, you disappoint me. A big pony like you, I thought you wanted to play with the little foal?” “NO!” the cyan stallion gasped. “No, I didn’t mean it! I wouldn’t, I swear!” I could imagine Gates and Melon Patch begging like this. I could see them in my mind’s eye, screaming, begging and pleading for their lives. It would be futile. Mercy was for the weak. “Too late, Nelz…” I breathed. “Far, far too late. Time to pay the piper…” He shrieked as I lunged forward, my fangs biting deep into his neck, pulling and tearing. His dying gasps filled the room along with his spraying viscera, and I revelled in it all. I tasted his blood, the iron in it was tantalising, the life energy swirling out as I breathed it into my dripping maw. It filled me, taking me to a new level of ecstasy I would never have believe existed. But then, something always spoils the fun, doesn’t it. A shot rang out and clipped my mane, but it didn’t matter. All it meant was there was one more delicious flavour for me to sample tonight. Turning slowly I looked into the wild eyes of Prissy whose pistol was shaking so much in her magic, she was lucky not to shoot herself. “Go away you… you monster!” she stammered. “Don’t hurt them!” I stopped advancing and regarded her in my blue eyed gaze. “Don’t hurt them?” I sighed and rustled my wings. “Weren’t you going to give them to your friend Gates, Prissy? Or have you forgotten so soon? Perhaps you think that’s a better alternative do you? Raped by Nelz, raped by Gates - decisions, decisions, decisions.Well? What’s it to be?” She backed away, tears filling her eyes as her pistol fell to the floor with a metallic clatter. “NO!” she cried. “Please… Luna, Celestia, forgive me. I never meant to hurt anypony! I… I thought it was a way off the streets, to get a few bits for a new life. A chance to start again. It didn’t seem real at first, and was all just a bit of fun. I didn’t know I’d be getting involved with things like… like this. But before I knew it I was up to my fetlocks in it all and there was no way out! Can’t you see that? You can’t leave the Harpies. Nopony leaves the Harpies!” She stomped a hoof and tossed her mane defiantly. “Kill me if you want demon, gods know I deserve it, but please, leave the foals alone I beg you.” I looked down at her and hissed, my mouth opening in a toothy grin. Before I knew it I had my foreleg around the mare and in an embrace. She was shaking uncontrollably. “There is a place for you, Prissy. Not here, but there is a place where you can be more than you have become. Much, much more.” I released the power and felt myself returning to normal, the cold and anger fading away, warmed by the light in the mare’s eyes. I took out my shocker and sent her gently to the floor. “Sleep it off, Prissy, it’ll all be okay in the morning.” The ponies behind me were shaking in fear, and more than one had pissed themselves from fright. I couldn’t blame them, in the reflection from the window the bloodied, blue eyed stare of a pony I barely recognised anymore looked back at me. What the bloody hell was I becoming? I took out my knife and they tried to back away until they saw me cutting the binding of the foal Nelz had wanted to rape. “It’s alright little one,” I said kindly, “I’ve come to save you and your mummy. You’re going home soon.” The foal was nervous, but still stepped forward and gave my foreleg a tentative nuzzle. “Thank you mister pony,” she said in a squeaky voice. I mussed her mane with a hoof and smiled at her, “You going to help me untie everypony like a big filly?” “Yeah!” she shouted clopping her hooves. In a few short minutes I’d cut the bindings of all the mares, fillies and foals, with ‘help’ from my tiny assistant of course. I looked over the assembled ponies, binding cuts and setting broken limbs as best I could. Those bastards had really done a number on them. I tapped my TED, “Brandy? Nox… I’ve secured the merchandise. Area may still have hostiles. The top of the statue is secure. One in custody, three to clean up. We need medics here, there’s injured ponies and foals.” The headset crackled and Brandy’s voice came back, “Received. Units on route now.” One of the mares, sporting a black eye and split lip, walked over to me slowly. She was a sleek, ginger coated, middle aged earth pony with a golden yellow mane. “Sir?” she asked meekly. “Please, did you say… Brandy?” I nodded. “What’s your name, miss?” The mare bobbed her head and said the name I’d hoped to hear. “Carnation.” I picked up the little foal by her hooves who squealed in delight when I plopped her on my back, “I don’t suppose your name is Flax is it, little lady?” “Yeah!” came the excited squeak. I smiled at the mare, “Your son is safe, Carnation. He’s safe and well at the agency facility waiting for you. You’ll be reunited as soon as we can get some transport for you, a hot meal and some medical attention.” A wave of relief washed over her, softening her features as she sank to her haunches. “Oh, thank Celestia! And… thank you, mister… Nox?” She reached forward and hugged me, and I could feel little Flax hugging my neck from behind too. “You’re a good pony, Mister Nox,” Carnation said into my ear, “Celestia bless you.” I’m not so sure she would somehow. I took Flax off my back and noticed the others staring at the bodies scattered around the room. “Carnation, can you take care of the others for me please? Brandy Wine and the others will be here soon, they’re bringing medical supplies and will take you to your son.” She nodded. I turned to the door, “I’m going to see if there’s any more of these characters around, but I suggest you tie up Prissy there, just in case. I think she may have saved Flax in her own way. She’s a good mare at heart.” Carnation didn’t seem so convinced, but nodded anyway. Trotting down the long spiral stairs, I could see all the way to the bottom of the hollow copper statue. It reminded me of the inside of a light house and had nowhere a pony could readily hide. Unfortunately that also meant that neither could I. If anypony was at the bottom looking up, they would have spotted or at least heard me in a heart beat. Mind you, if they hadn’t heard all the racket we’d been making in the head they would have had to have been stone deaf. That left me with only one conclusion: the only members of the Harpies on the island were the ones in the statue. Any others were likely to be… I paused, listening to sound of the waves echoing around me. Even here inside this massive construction of magic and metal, the waves in the bay made their own music. Thousands of ponies sailed past here every in boats and ships of every size and… Oh, no…How could I have been so stupid? I pressed my hoof to the communicator. “Brandy! What’s your ETA?” “We’re five minutes out,” came the reply. “Medevac units are following us in. Situation?” “They were due to be transported tonight, the barge hasn’t arrived,” I said quickly. “Has anything come in about that through agency channels or the watch?” There was a pause. “Stand by one” A tense minute went by before Brandy came back, “Negative on that. No reports.” “Understood.” I reloaded my energy rifle, or ‘pulse gun’ as Bunsen had called it. Whatever it was called, it did the job. I tapped my TED, “Loofa, you nearby?” “Check that boss,” the pegasus replied. “I’m around two minutes flight from your position.” I nodded. “Received. Can you do a sweep of the northern approach and see if you can spot any river traffic heading your way in?” “Wilco,” Loofa replied. “I’ll give you a shout back if I see anything” Memories of the carnage at the wharf hurtled through my mind. Dawn had been cut in half by one of those multi barrelled ‘gun’ things. One that had been hidden in the roof section of a river barge. A barge coming up the river at night… I tapped the send button. “Loofa? If you spot the barge, keep your distance and do not approach or engage. It’s probably heavily armed.” A moment later, “Understood. Will maintain distance and call in any activity” I closed my eyes and nodded to myself. “Received. Out.” I leaned back against the cold stone plinth of the statue and breathed out a sigh of relief. It was times like these I wished I’d had my pipe with me. Some of that wonderful tobacco Star Beard had would have hit the spot. Gods, I could almost taste it now… Abruptly a shot from up the stairs echoed loudly through the statue. Buck! I must have missed one! But how? Fairlight, you bloody fool! Running as fast as my hooves would take me, I charged up the stairs and burst into the viewing area, my heart thundering. What I saw was the last thing I expected. Carnation stood in front of an unconscious Prissy, pistol in her mouth, fending off a vengeful mob of angry mares. “Get back!” she bellowed around the weapon’s firing mechanism. “I won’t warn you again!” “What are you going to do then, Carnation? Shoot us?” one of the mares snarled. Her eyes were fixed on the unmoving Prissy with murderous intent. “Have you forgotten what these scum did to us? What they did to you? It’s only by Celestia’s grace that any of us are still alive!” I had to defuse the situation quickly before things got irrevocably out of hoof. Confidently, I walked over and took the pistol from the unresisting Carnation who immediately flopped down onto her haunches like a rapidly deflating balloon. She hung her head and let out a pent up breath, Flax huddling behind her as every eye in the room shifted to me. “That’s enough please, ladies,” I said calmly. “You’ve got foals here. You don’t want them to see any more horror than they already have tonight.” The black and white mare who had been facing down Carnation turned her attention to me. “You!” she bellowed. “You’re that monster who came in and shot those ponies down, like… like they were nothing! And what you did to that big blue stallion… Great Celestia! You’re as bad as them!” I sighed, sitting on my haunches. Damn it all, I really would have liked that smoke now. “Yes, you’re probably right.” I looked at her from under my brows, weariness heavy in my voice. “I’m not the best pony in Manehattan by a long shot. So, if you like miss, I can leave you here until the authorities turn up. I’m not sure if there’s any more of these guys around out there, but I’m certain you’d be able to handle them by yourself. Not sure about the others though.” I motioned towards the other wary mares, some of whom were hiding their foals behind them. One of the little ones trotted up to her, a lemon coloured unicorn around the same age as Flax. “Mummy? I’m frightened, I want to go home!” The mare nuzzled her daughter and rounded on me. “You see? This is what you’ve brought us to. The children are scared witless. They’ll never be the same after this!” “Ringo! Shut up for Celestia’s sake and sit down with the rest of us,” an older chocolate coated mare said with an authoritative tone. “There’s been quite enough out of you tonight already. We’re all dead on our hooves here, so do stop haranguing our rescuer will you?” Ringo snorted and stomped a hoof in anger but mercifully backed down. I wasn’t so sure about the daughter though. The little tike who was sticking to her like glue, stuck her tongue out at me as she took cover behind her mother. Cheeky little sod. The TED crackled back into life a moment later. “Nox? Brandy. We’re at the base of the statue.” Judging by the silence in the room, everypony was straining to hear what the officer was saying. “What’s the situation up there,” he continued, “we thought we heard gunfire.” “The situation’s under control,” I replied. “One of the mares knocked a weapon and it went off accidentally. Noponies hurt.” I gave Ringo a meaningful look and she shook her mane, turning away with a huff. “Come on up, there’s a couple here who want to meet you.” He didn’t reply. Seconds later the thunder of hooves up the stairs announced the arrival of a suited and panting Brandy Wine. He rushed forward and scooped up his jubilant daughter who whooped in happiness to see him. The agency pony showered her in kisses and squeezed her until she squeaked, “Daddy! Not so tight!” Her father laughed and put her down gently, turning to his ex-wife and half lifting a hoof before putting it back down, a sad look crossing his face. “Carnation… Are you alright?” “Yes, Brandy,” she replied softly. “We’re both okay. This pony says that Snap’s with you?” “He’s safe at the facility,” Brandy confirmed. “Come on Carny, I’ll take us there. There’s a carriage waiting outside.” Quietly the three of them filed out as a stream of suited agency ponies and medics poured into the room to collect the others and, no doubt, to clear away the evidence of tonight’s events. Walking past me with the two females, the stallion clopped me on the shoulder. “Thanks, Nox. I mean it… Thanks.” “You’d do the same for me, Sir,” I said with a smile. He nodded and took a breath, the weight of the world visibly fading from his worn expression. “I would.” I followed them down the stairs and out into the chill night air. Flax, full of the innocence of youth and acting as if the whole thing had been some sort of planned adventure, all but leaped into the carriage. Her mother followed, allowing the agency members to strap them in. “The barge is still out there, Sir. Loofa’s looking now.” I checked my gear, watching Brandy adjusting the straps on his ex-wife’s harness. “With your permission, I’d like to search myself and take any pegasi you can spare.” “You already know the answer, Nox,” Brandy said quietly. He reached forward and kissed Flax on the top of her head, checked her straps and turned to his wife. “I’ll be along soon.” The officer motioned to one of the pilots, “Make sure they get a hot bath, food, and have the medics check them over too. They can use my room.” He stood and watched as the carriage lifted off and quickly vanished into the night. “You still here?” Within minutes, myself and four agency pegasi were flying up and across the river, checking for any water traffic. The others had night vision goggles to help them, but I relied on my wendigo eyesight. The goggles made everything a bizarre colour anyway, and the blasted things gave me banging headaches too – something I didn’t need distracting me tonight. One of the pegasi flew up alongside us and pointed at something. Up ahead of us I could see what looked like a pegasi flitting around in the light cloud, dodging this way and that. Suddenly a brilliant stream of orange lights streaked up from the surface of the river. No… not the surface, from a barge, a black painted barge which was almost invisible in the darkness. A second later, the rattling whine from the barge’s weapon rolled out across the river. My PDW crackled, “Glad to see you, boss! These guys are NOT happy to see us.” I was momentarily angry with Loofa for putting himself in danger. I’d lost too many comrades to these damnable devices already, but I reminded myself that I didn’t know the full circumstances and, more importantly, right now he needed my help. Those on the barge did too - help to the other side. I stared hard into the night and could just about out several ponies on the deck firing up at Loofa. Amongst them was... a yellow pony; a weasly little earth stallion by the looks of it, shouting orders and waving at the speeding pegasus animatedly. I couldn’t tell for certain, but it looked like he had a black mane and matching tail. I rubbed my eyes. It was so hard to make out at this distance, but… yes… YES! I hit the PDW, “This is Nox, we’re taking fire from the barge. Unlikely to be any innocents on this one boys and girls. Weapons free, we’re going in hot.” I unleashed the spirit’s full power into my being, holding nothing back. The excitement it felt at being unleashed, at the delicious anticipation of battle brought a smile to my lips. I didn’t mind; Its cold rage, its desire for revenge and to send the souls of the damned to the other world, mirrored my own perfectly. Gates… The bastard was there, and before this night was out, I’d spit the bastard on my father’s sword. It was fitting somehow, but it could never be enough. Not until the head of his warped friend, Melon Patch, sat on a spike next to his. Even then, as some of the more poetic types would say, there were some wounds that would never heal. Still, you never knew until you tried, and I was always keen to try something new. I felt my teeth itching as the barge came into range, and we swept down like avenging angels upon the vessel. Ponies ran back and forth on the deck, shooting at Loofa who was unwittingly acting as a decoy. They never saw us coming. Our weapons screamed out torrents of green magical energy across the deck, chewing through wood and flesh alike. Cries rang out across the river, pulling me in closer like a fish on a line. I hoped he hadn’t been killed in that pass. Not yet. “Bar Bell, take opposite position from Loofa, the two of you provide ranged cover,” I ordered. “Roger.” I waved a hoof, “The rest of you, with me.” The spinning barrels on the top of the wheel house spat yellow death at us which I answered with a bolt of pure blue energy from my horn, turning the damnable contraption into a flaming eruption of molten slag. Exploding ammunition from the wrecked gun popped and fizzed, sending shards of metal across the deck as yet another hazard, but at least the damn thing wasn’t sinking. And it was onto this maelstrom of crimson and green fire that I landed, wreathed in clouds as white as the first snows upon the mountainside. Around me the deck of the barge was a mess of splintered wood and dead and wounded ponies. Those who were beyond help were being despatched without quarter by the agency suits, whilst the others were stunned with shockers for later interrogation. None of that however, interested me. There was no sign of my quarry, neither amongst the living nor the dead. Where the hell was he? Below decks maybe? Hiding like the rat he- I saw the flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye and ducked behind the main superstructure just as the stallion’s rifle fired. The bullet missed me, but I could feel the wind shriek as it tore by only inches from my head. Quickly, I reloaded my pulse gun and peered around the corner when another loud bang coincided with chunks of wood smashing out of the corner I was taking cover behind. “Gates!” I shouted, “GAAATES!” My heart was hammering, the spirit singing its howling song of death through my soul. “I’m coming for you! I’M COMING FOR YOU, GATES, I’M COMING TO KILL YOU. YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, YOU BASTARD!” Heedless of the shots I rolled out from cover, keeping my wings in tight and firing my weapon along the length of the barge’s deck. Green light reflected off the dark painted wood, then winked out. The shout of pain from the other end was all the cue I needed. Screaming in mindless hatred, a broiling comet of white fury made flesh, I charged at the downed yellow creature. I wanted to watch as he died, to look him in the eyes as the light of life finally went out. I would hound him into the other world if I could, just to see him die again, and again, and again… The stallion before me tried to lift his firearm just as my horn flared and a blast of energy blew his foreleg off, sending his weapon flying over the side of the barge with a splash. I was breathing heavily now, but not from effort. No. I had never felt such excitement in my life, such overwhelming anticipation that burned away any sense of caution I may have had left. I didn’t care. All I wanted, everything I had endured, had lead to this singular moment. Mist poured from my jaws, my eyes narrowing. I was so hungry... The stallion screamed in terror as he tried to crawl away from me, but a hard kick brought him to gasping halt. It was so pathetic I could have laughed. My nostrils flaring, my tongue snaked out over my teeth, readying for the feast. I stood over him and smiled. “At last… AT LAST!” I bellowed in triumph; my prey was before me, and I would… What? No, that couldn’t be right. I inhaled, tasting the air and expecting the rotting stink of the foul beast from the cabin. That smell, the reek of cheap cologne, soap, and… Dear goddess, it was completely different. Letting the haze of anger subside, I examined the terrified creature. Yellow coat, black tail and mane…cutie mark of a pear… “Where’s Gates?” I snarled, “WHERE?!” The wide eyed stallion whimpered, “He… He’s not here! Sent us instead, I… I don’t know where he is! I swear, I don’t know!” The male watched me, trying to escape by crawling away. I slammed my hoof down on his mangled stump of a leg, eliciting a scream of pain. “What’s your name, scum?” “Crumble!” the forlorn creature gasped. “Pear Crumble!” I nodded slowly. “Say hello to the afterlife for me, Pear Crumble.” He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. After all, I expect it’s rather difficult to speak with no head. Behind me, one of the agency ponies let out a gasp. “Celestia, Nox! What the hell did you do that for?” Pausing, I shook my mane. I didn’t even bother to look round at him. “Pony traffickers? Drug pushers and murderers? You know why, agent.” I walked away, but he didn’t follow me. Below decks the barge’s hold was empty. For one horrible moment I wondered if I’d been wrong, if perhaps there really were prisoners on the barge when we’d attacked and I’d risked injuring or killing the innocent in my fervour to find Gates. Mercifully nopony had been in here, although there was plenty of evidence of previous use. Scuff marks, dents in the wooden walls... and chains. Lots and lots of chains. And there was one thing more that was unmistakable – the smell of piss and fear. I grimaced, leaving that vile scene as quickly as I could. It brought back a torrent of memories I’d wanted to keep buried, of cages with foals in them, a tiny broken body, and the wide eyes that had seen terrors beyond imagining. If I had my way we’d burn the whole damned thing. Still, at least we’d recovered a couple of prisoners from the evening’s operation and a batch of those ‘gun’ things. Not a bad haul considering, but more importantly a successful rescue of ponies due for ‘transport’ into a world of nightmares. With any luck we’d find out where this barge had come from, where it was heading, and where the portal was. Doubtless one of the Harpies gang members would know, and they’d soon be singing like a canary. Then… Then we’d have them. The prisoners were lined up against the superstructure being treated by the medics whilst several transports were brought up alongside. The bravado and attitude I’d seen from the Harpies thugs in the statue had vanished, burned away in the sudden brutality of the assault on the barge. Some had been shot, others simply looked dazed. All except one. “And what are you supposed to be?” the voice wheezed. “You a princess?” the stallion chuckled, letting out a rasping cough. I span round and locked my eyes on him. He was a mint green earth stallion with white patches and a short black mane no more than a couple of inches long. I didn’t recognise him. “What’s your name?” I hissed. “Ooh! Very dramatic!” the stallion sneered. “What are you going to do with me name if I give it to you, mmm? Steal my soul? Take me back to your nest and feed me to your young? Hah!” I don’t know what the hell he thought I was, but I didn’t have time for his bullshit. “I’ll ask you one time, filth, where is Gates?” “Gates?” The stallion shrugged, pulling a half amused face. “How should I know? Why, miss your little coltfriend do you?” He winced as the medic bandaging his chest wound shifted him over slightly. “Damn it, you cock! Watch what you’re doing!” I leaned down, making sure I had his full attention. “Listen to me, you little prick, I want to know where Gates is. You tell me, and I let you live. You refuse, and I’ll pull your life essence from you until your soul screams for death, do you understand me?” The stallion huffed and looked away, “Get stuffed, you wouldn’t dare-” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Quickly I was on him, my teeth locking round his throat, the medic yelling out in surprise. “Get off me!” the stallion shrieked, “GET THIS THING OFF ME!” “Gates...” I hissed. “Gates...” “Nox!” One of the officers appeared behind me, “Let him go for Celestia’s sake!” “Gates...” My jaws ached with anticipation. I applied a little more pressure to get his attention. I could just take a little, just a taste. It would get his attention, certainly, but what it would do to him I wasn’t sure. And I didn’t care even in the slightest. The stallion’s eye went wide as saucers. Everypony began shouting at once now, but I was beyond listening. The spirit was calling to me, hungering. We had fell well today, but the need never quite went away. Never… The pistol pressed against my temple was the only thing that stopped me right then. I opened an eye and looked at him. It was the medic. “Let him go, Nox. This isn’t the way.” But it was my way. I could taste the fear, thick in the air, the reek of the half washed creature in my jaws and the way he panted for breath. None of them deserved to live. Not even once of them. “We don’t know where Gates is.” A mare, her foreleg in a sling and missing half her mane, shouted over to me from amongst the prisoners. “None of us do.” She peered at me, but not with fear, but rather with resignation. “His orders are passed down through his lieutenants, and then to us. I’ve only ever seen him once when he came to check up on the new operation, but that was it.” I released the stallion. “Who is your Lieutenant?” I stood to my full height, my full attention on the mare. “Where is he?” “Which bit of him?” the mare asked with a sniff, motioning towards the water. I went to take a step towards her but the officer intervened, standing between us. “That’s enough, Agent,” he said firmly. “We’ll find out everything we can from them back at the facility.” Damn it all! Sonone of them knew where Gates was then, did they? I shouldn’t have been surprised really. He’d left them to complete this little delivery run on their own whilst the sneaky little rat behind it all had stayed safe and secure back in his nest. And how things had changed! Once nothing more than a hired thug and a killer, it seemed our boy Gates had risen through the ranks and now had his own stooges to do all his dirty work for him. Had his murder of Meadow, Mitre, and his attempted murder of myself, given him the boost up the ranks of the criminal underworld to where he was now? It wouldn’t surprise me, shit always did float to the top. I walked away, lost in my own thoughts. There were so many questions that still needed answers, but right now I needed a bath to wash the stink of these vile creatures from my hide. The TED came to life in my ear, “Nox? Brandy. You were right about Jingo, she’s spilled everything. I don’t know what you said to her, but it did the trick. Agents are at the watch house now to arrest Blaze. Get yourself back to the facility and cleaned off, I want you there when we have a little heart to heart with our new guest.” I tapped the communicator, “Understood.” Damn it, I would have liked to have been there for that, but Brandy had the situation in hoof and Blaze wasn’t going anywhere. Besides, I was starting to feel a little fatigued. Gods, when was the last time I had a proper nights sleep? Loofa landed next to me, a tired smile on his face, “Sky chariot isn’t far boss, want a lift back?” I shook my head, “No thanks my friend, I want to get a bath sooner rather than later. I’ll be quicker flying myself.” “Fair dos,” he shrugged. He looked me up and down, cocking an eyebrow. “That’s some trick you’ve got there, boss. You kinda look like an alicorn you know, apart from the dragon wings, blue eyes, and white fog thing you got going on. Scared the shit out of me, I can tell you!” “Alicorn? Goddess forbid!” I felt a shudder run through me at the thought. “Hey, what happened with that one who was seen in the city a while back?” “Oh, him?” Loofa chuckled. “He was promoting some god awful film about doughnuts apparently. Hot glued a plastic horn on his head and ended up in the hospital having to have it removed, the bloody idiot.” I chuckled, “Give me a shout when you’re off duty next Loofa, I owe you a drink and I don’t know about you, but I could murder a salt lick.” “You got it boss!” he replied with a smile. I shook out my wings when a niggling thought struck me, “Loofa?” “Yes, boss?” “What’s your real name?” “Soap Dish”, he undid his flight suit and showed me his cutie mark, sure enough, it was a bar of soap, “Mum and Dad didn’t have much imagination. I know, hard to believe isn’t it?” ‘Soap Dish’…Good grief, another poor sod named after things found in the house. These names ran in trends too. One year it had been kitchen utensils, another farm implements and so on. I wondered how many foals were walking around called ‘Fish Slice’ and ‘Colander’. I met twins once called “Salt” and “Pepper” too. The parents should have been publicly flogged. “So why ‘Loofa?’” I asked perplexed. The sky blue pegasus shrugged. “Ah… Well, you see, I had this marefriend you see, and one day we were, um... we were in the shower, and she thought my… that is, my…” “Yes?” I asked intrigued. Loofa sighed. “She thought I was a lot… er… bigger than she’d expected, and told her friends that I was the same… um, ‘size’ as the loofa in the shower. Anyway, you know what mares are like, and the name stuck. I don’t mind really.” I stood there with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. As wrong as it was I felt a sudden urge to look for myself, and just as quickly stopped. Oh goddesses! Damn my inquisitive mind, there were some mysteries in this world that should forever remain just that. Bollocks to it, it was time to go anyway. I huffed and gave my wings a stretch; I was so totally not jealous. Unfortunately though, having a shower would never quite be the same again.