“I feel ridiculous.”
“You look ridiculous,” I said to Snow, now disguised as Glossy Finish. Snow and I were walking to the latest fight, side by side; I could feel the heat from her body against mine, and my wing was draped over her shoulders.
“Vanity was wearing this disguise and I’d bet you didn't say anything to her about it,” she whispered in my ear.
“This disguise was an improvement for her,” I said.
She snickered loudly. “I didn't mean it how it sounded,” I said and bumped her flank with mine.
She bumped me back. “You know, I was thinking since we talked. That maybe, just maybe, we could have something new.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Our old relationship is gone. There is no getting that back, agreed?” I nodded. “So we build something new.”
“How?”
“A new first date would be a good start,” she smiled at me.
I grinned at her. “I’ll have to top the last one. Maybe win you an even bigger stuffed bear.”
“Well you don't have to,” she smiled. Her expression suddenly turned serious. “We’re here.”
This round of fights was taking place in an abandoned casino outside Las Pegasus. It was a fairly large structure, but the years hadn’t been kind to it. There was a neon sign over the doors, but most of it was broken and it now only read “Fl—go.” There was a single guard hanging in the shadows next to the door.
“Grey Iron,” I stated to the guard. He nodded and allowed us to pass.
“Go straight to the left in the lobby, then down the stairs to the dressing rooms. Level B2,” he instructed as we passed.
I nodded and we headed straight there, passing through what had been a huge game floor. I glanced at what might have been a blackjack table once briefly, then walked on and down the stairs. Bob and Weave were at the bottom of the stairs, directing fighters to separate rooms.
“Ah! Astral. Good to see that you are better. Our employer was impressed with your performance at the last event,” Weave greeted me.
“Of course he was, my stallion is a true fighter,” Glossy Finish boasted.
Uh-oh. That wasn’t in character for Glossy. Would that make them suspicious?
“No kidding,” Bob nodded. “Your stall is over here, she may accompany you this time. All fighters are entitled to a coach or some kind of support. We will come to get you when it is your turn.”
We entered the small booth and closed the door. Snow and I noticed an observation crystal in the upper corner of the room. Likely to check to see if anypony is juicing before a match.
Snow hugged and nuzzled me and started whispering in my ear. “How did you and Vanity avoid suspicion?”
“You mean she didn't tell you?” I whispered back.
Snow laughed like I’d said something funny and exclaimed rather loudly, “No!”
“We acted like a couple stupidly in love.”
“You mean you two kissed?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“It was her idea. I hated it but that was kinda essential for us as a cover.”
She scowled at me: big uh-oh. “Was she any good?”
“A little aggressive. I think she tried to use her tongue at one point.” I said, rubbing the back of my head.
She seemed to forgive me after a moment, looping her forelegs around the back of my neck. “I am gonna have a word with her. But in the meantime, I think we need to sell the appearance of ‘stupid in love,’ yes?”
We were close, close enough for me to feel her breath on my chin, her heartbeat through her hooves. Her eyes looking up at me with a passion, a look I thought I’d never see again. When our noses brushed together, instinct took over for us both.
That was a kiss I had been longing for for a long time. It wasn't aggressive, or underwhelming, it was perfect. Time just seemed to stop: for a little while, all that mattered was her and me.
For a moment, I felt like pushing her up against the wall, which told me that it was time to part and get back to work. “We must control ourselves. We don't want to give them a show, now do we?”
She blushed but smiled at my comment nonetheless. “I can't wait for this operation to be over and done with,” Snow sighed heavily resting her head against my chest.
This was as good a time to tell her as any. “I’m gonna accept Nassor’s offer to join the R.B.I.,” I admitted. “Which means moving to Canterlot.”
Snow nodded. “With how you were reading that manual I figured you might. But what about—”
“I’m getting my mother’s house,” I interrupted. “That was gonna be your next question, right? Where we were gonna live?”
“I thought it belonged to your brothers and sister?” she asked.
“None of them want it and are signing it over to me, which means it’s mine,” I grinned.
She smiled briefly and then glanced around. “This really isn't the time to the talking about this. You need to get ready for your fight.”
Oh, yeah. The fights. “Okay, what do I need to do?”
“Well…”
I was on the canvas again. My first fight had gone off with little trouble, the two after had proved to be a little much for me, but I had made it into the third set of fights.
However, I could tell this was the one I was gonna lose. I was spitting blood after biting my tongue, I was missing a tooth on my left side, and I was fairly sure I had a concussion due to the fact my ears were ringing.
I didn't want to lose, but I didn't think I had a choice in the matter. I stood one last time just as the referee shouted nine; the crowd around the raised mats cheered loudly. My vision blurry, I saw my opponent advance on me again. He threw two body shots which I managed to block, but his next punch got me in the head and knocked me down. Hello again, floor.
I did my best to get back to my hooves, but my muscles had had enough and refused to go lift me up. I heard Snow yelling over the crowd: “Stay down! Stay down!” When the count reached ten, I allowed myself to black out.
Next thing I knew I was waking up in the little room underneath the casino with Snow casting her magic on me to heal my injuries.
“You should have stayed down the second time he knocked you down, but no, you had to keep getting up and putting yourself through more punishment,” she was snapping at me. “If you are putting yourself through this because you think you deserve it, you are oh so wrong.”
“I’m doing it because I’m trying to get this operation to succeed,” I muttered.
“Oh thank Celestia, I was worried you had gone into a coma,” Snow said, taking a breath.
“What are we doing back here?”
“I don’t know. The fights are over and the winners have been declared, but they said that their boss wants to talk to us once you woke up.” She swallowed nervously. “I've been doing my best to mend you, but there is only so much my magic can do.”
I gently took her shoulders. “I need you to take a deep breath. It won’t help if you are freaking out. We need to be calm when they come to talk to us.”
“I can’t be calm, I don’t understand how can you be so calm. You are a few beatings away from permanent brain damage, you’ve probably got a concussion, and they’re going to be coming back, possibly with their boss any second now.” She was pouring magic into her mending spell almost frantically now, so much that it was starting to hurt a lot more than it should have.
I sat up, painfully, and steadied her with my hooves and wings. “Snow!” I whispered harshly, looking her in the eyes. “Calm down. We still need to get out of here. I need you level-headed and in character, if we hope to get out of here.”
She took a breath and nodded. “Okay, okay. I’ll do my best. You just look like you fought a dragon.”
“Feels like it,” I groaned.
Knocks resonated from the door. “Are you two lovebirds decent?” Weave asked.
“And is he alive?” Bob added.
“I’m alive! No thanks to the beast you put me up against,” I shouted at them.
They opened the door and entered, suspicion plastered on their faces. Four griffin mercenaries entered the room with close range scatter-bolt crossbows slung over their backs and long knives at their hips. They stood between us and our exit.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, already trying to think of an escape plan. There was only one, going through all six of them, and there wasn’t much chance of that.
“No, nothing is wrong. However, our boss was very intrigued by your fighting style, and decided he wanted to speak to you.” Weave explained. “We are to take you to him.”
“Lead the way then. I want to thank him for the fights, they were… educational,” I said. Yeah, educational in how much pain I can tolerate.
Bob and Weave left the room first. We followed them and the four griffons followed us. With my injuries, we moved slowly and “Glossy” used the opportunity to get close to me to talk.
“This wasn't part of the plan,” she whispered.
“Get that tracking crystal into your mouth and swallow it,” I instructed.
We made our way outside to a carriage pulled by armored mercs. It was dark out with the moon far in the eastern sky, leading me to conclude it was early morning. We entered the carriage, which had darkened windows, and it started to trundle off; I heard the flapping of the griffons’ wings above us. I saw Snow flare her magic and put the tiny tracking crystal into her mouth, gulping it down.
I felt a small flicker of relief in my gut. If nothing else, she’d be found first if things went south.
That just left me to worry about me.
The only light was the glow of Snow’s horn doing her best to mend my injuries with what little magic she had left. Judging by the carriage going up a steep incline, we were headed into the mountains. It seemed like hours and eventually light even cracked through the covers on the window.
I heard Weave call the carriage to a stop. Bob opened the carriage door with a grin on his face. “Welcome to Grey Iron.”
Glossy and I stepped out of the carriage and took a look around the base as we followed Bob and Weave. Halberd was at this far longer than we expected. It was a few uniforms colors away from looking like an exact copy of an Equestrian Army base, with an armory, guard posts, and a barbed wire fence perimeter. There was even housing for the merc families. No children to be seen though. Higher up on a cliff there were a few airships anchored to a dock.
“The General and the Commander are in here,” Weave said as he and Bob stopped outside the door to a small brick field office. Our griffon escort and ourselves entered and found ourselves facing two ponies, both sitting behind a desk.
Halberd. He looked confident and was smoking a cigar. His commander looked like a bigger and younger version of himself.
“Astral Strike and Glossy Finish?” Halberd’s commander asked. He even sounded like him. Maybe his son?
“The same,” I answered.
“You put on a hell of a show last night. Dishonorably discharged, right?” Halberd himself asked me.
“That I am,” I nodded.
“I still love him,” Gossy gushed. Too thick, Snow!
“I figured that, even without Bob and Weave telling me. Your fighting style screamed military or guard.” He took a breath. “I find myself pressed to spin up my time schedule due to unforeseen pressure. So I need promising soldiers who aren't afraid to do questionable deeds.”
“What kind of ‘deeds’ are we talking about?” I asked.
“The kind that pays,” the commander said, sounding excited. “Anything that requires security, the Grey Iron is the group to contact.”
“Sounds profitable,” I said, feigning interest.
“It is.” Halberd turned away to look out a window. “However, before I can trust you with anything further I need to be sure you are who you say you are. Please remove all clothing and jewelry and put it on the floor in front of you. Both of you.” He said this in a tone that left absolutely no room for argument. I hesitated for a moment, and I heard the griffons behind me reaching for the knives on their belts.
I had little to remove. But I purposely avoided the wing-ring. Snow avoided the ring on her horn. It didn't take him long to notice. “Wedding bands too,” he grunted.
Snow and I exchanged glances. The game was up.
“Seize them!” the commander barked. The four griffons moved in and held us down, two each. Halberd got close to Snow’s face and removed the ring on her horn. He grinned as she changed back.
“Such a pretty face,” he purred. “I could name my own price for you.”
“Don’t you touch her!” I shouted, struggling futilely.
“Relax, son, I’m not gonna hurt your friend,” Halberd cackled, stroking Snow’s face. “No one likes damaged merchandise.”
Snow glared at him, but I could see she was shaking.
Halberd’s commander smiled and removed the ring on my wing. As my coat changed, I slid my head backward, and as my face changed to my true face, I headbutted him in the nose, breaking it. One of the griffons holding Snow moved over to me to hold me down further.
“Private Strider!” Halberd laughed.
“I’m a sergeant now,” I grumbled beneath the weight of the griffons.
“Congratulations,” Halberd said sarcastically. “You know, breaking my son’s nose wasn’t very nice. I think it’s time we educate you on what happens when our pegasi slaves misbehave.” He nodded to the griffons holding me down.
While the biggest two griffons held me down, one of the griffons grabbed hold of my left wing and pulled it out until it was fully extended. I watched as he then grabbed a talon full of feathers and grinned at me wickedly.
My heart leapt up into my throat as I realized what he was going to do. “NO!” I screamed, trying to scramble out from beneath my captors. “NONONONO!”
His grin widened and he yanked out a bunch of my feathers. The pain was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced; it felt like my entire wing was on fire. I screamed and stopped struggling, glaring up at Halberd.
“I learned from my mistakes,” he sneered at me. “I wonder if you can learn from yours.” He nodded to the griffon to continue.
I yelled, cursed, and tried to fight to keep my feathers; Snow started screaming too, begging them to stop, but there was nothing either of us could do. One clawful at a time, the griffon yanked out all of the feathers on my wing. It was a mercy when I finally passed out from the pain.
I woke up with searing yet cold pain in my wings. I dared not look at them. I found that I was locked in a small cage that was barely big enough for me to turn around; the roof was too low for me to even stand up.
Snow! I looked around and spotted her in the cage next to mine. She was studying the lock on her cage, her teeth gritted in a show of fear.
“Planning an escape already? We’ll be out in no time then,” I joked.
“Oh, Strider!” Snow cried, looking close to tears. “Thank Celestia, I was getting worried. You lost a lot of blood, and if they don’t give you bandages or something, I’m worried you’re going to get an infection.”
I finally looked at my wings and nearly passed out again. They were pale pink and looked like naked chicken wings. Some blood still dripped from a few of the broken shafts. “They’ll grow back in time,” I said trying to reassure myself.
“Strider, I’m scared,” Snow whispered, gripping the bars. “How do we know Nassor or Vanity will be looking for us?”
“Vanity’s probably already sounded the alarm after we’ve been gone so long,” I said. “If they haven’t already started looking for us, they will be soon. And they will find you.”
“How long has it been for us?” Snow asked.
“Since we left the motel room? I wager almost twelve hours.” I reached through the bars and held Snow’s hoof. “Snow, it’s gonna be okay. They’ll find us.”
Snow swallowed and squeezed my hoof. “I hope you’re right.”
I hope I’m right too, I thought.