Mist walked the streets of Manehatten, mentally going over the list of stores she had left to check. It had only been a few days since Suri had been brought to justice, but the clan had been busy. Mist had been tasked with scoping out any valuables worth stealing from the plethora of jewelry stores across the city, the legwork was taking a toll on her, and she felt exposed, paranoid in her typical civilian disguise. She knew both heroes and villains lived in the city, Sunset lived in the city.
Mist knew she wouldn't win in a straight fight. So, upon her request, Right was tailing her, out of sight, and she was grateful for the backup.
She reached her destination, a popular jewelry store in the heart of the city and walked inside. She told the cashier she was looking for an expensive gift for her grandmother, who was notoriously difficult to shop for and the shop worker was more than happy to assist. It was funny really, the lie was that these pieces would ever find their way to her grandmother. Mist glanced around the store, took note of the alarm wards discretely placed around the store, and wrote down the names and prices of the more notable necklaces. As much as she gravitated towards sapphires, the clan needed variety if they were going to make any money selling these pieces in Penumbra's auction house.
Mist thanked the store clerk, promising she'd return tomorrow with her family to coordinate gifts and left the store. Standing off to the side by the front window, Mist took a moment to catch her breath.
The world was tinted teal, she was telekinetically dragged into the nearby alley and around the back of another building. When the world stopped flying past her against her will, Mist was face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see.
"Hello Lillian," Sunset said, looking smug. "We're going to have a little chat..."
"Or you'll what, torture me? Sell me out? You do anything and the guild will have your head." the pegasus stated and her sass had Sunset slam her against the wall.
"I don't care about the guild," the unicorn snapped. "What I care about is getting those elements and you're going to help me."
"No." Mist said as she saw Right creep up behind Sunset, readying a swing of his metal baseball bat.
Sunset whipped around, Mist was yanked in front of the unicorn like a shield, her chest sharply protesting the sudden movement.
The mage sneered at the Toppat. "One wrong move and I burn her to a crisp!"
"You need me alive and you know it," Mist drawled, unimpressed. She smirked as she saw Sunset's eye twitch. "I'm not helping you."
Right was quick, far faster than what either of the ponies expected from him, he rushed at Sunset, aiming his bat at the mare's horn. Mist was lurched uncomfortably and momentarily blinded by her captor's sudden teleport. Blinking, she found herself still suspended in Sunset's magic.
And on top of the roof of a skyscraper.
Sunset walked into her line of sight. "Now then, we're going to talk and come up with a plan to steal the Elements, if you keep being difficult, I'll make your life a living nightmare," Sunset stated as her magic tightened around Mist's chest. "You don't want to be in more pain, do you?"
Mist looked sharply at her. "That's not funny Sunset, you have no idea how bad my condition is." She grimaced as the pressure increased, her mood and opinion of the mare in front of her quickly souring. This was bad, she needed a way out, but her hat was in the ship and her earpiece had been dislodged when she'd been slammed against the wall. Talking Sunset down was impossible.
"Well Lils? What do you say?" Sunset asked with a knowing smirk.
Mist braced herself. "No."
She expected the blast of magic to the chest, she snarled as she was dropped onto the roof. Her chest burned, the foreign magic wreaking havoc on her weakened state. Another blast sent her clean off her hooves and knocked the wind out of her as her back impacted a ventilation shaft with a dull bang.
Sunset loomed over her, disgusted. "Look at you, so frail you can't even put up a fight. You're nothing without me, so how about you use your brain and accept my offer."
Was she serious? Mist was flabbergasted. After all this time, Sunset's opinion of her was that low? Mist smiled ruefully as the wind picked up, growing in strength by the second.
"What's so-"
Mist snapped her wing out towards Sunset, a blast of wind barreled into the unicorn, knocking her off balance. With a flick off her wings, Mist was airborne, gliding on thermals off her own creation she got as far away from the madmare as possible, riding the wind as she weaved around buildings. She was very much in pain, but the wind in her feathers, heeding to every minor adjustment of her wing, filled her with a sense of freedom and power.
She landed out in the open on a busy street, a sharp stab of burning pain coursing up her chest. Mist looked around, her memory of this section of the city hazy at best and she was in so much pain that she debated giving up and going to the hospital. She knew there was a safe house nearby though, she would just have to reach it. With her movements sluggish, her mind feeling like it was covered in cobwebs, and every little thing accentuating the agony she was in, Mist dragged her hooves as she walked down the street.
No one batted an eye at her as she forced herself to keep moving. That was the thing about combat magic, only curses and elemental spells left any signs of damage. Raw blasts of condensed magic, like the kind Sunset hit her with, left no physical signs of the attack, it was all internal as it invaded her body, flooded the area like a poison, and in her compromised state she couldn't fight it off herself.
Mist was pulled from her thoughts by a shadow flying overhead and landing in front of her. Seeing Gabriel in civilian attire would always be strange for her. The older pegasus peered down at her.
"You were attacked." he noted.
"Yup." she groaned.
"Hold still." he commanded and hefted Mist onto his back. Gabriel took to the air, carrying her with ease.
"Sorry." Mist said weakly.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Gabriel replied evenly. "You were ambushed."
"I'm better than this though," Mist weakly complained.
"That may have been the case a year ago, but not anymore," Gabriel stated. "and what do you plan to do about it?"
"Lord Sombra holds an open court every new moon, I was going to go see him then, weigh my options." she admitted.
"Are you certain?" Gabriel looked back at her as they landed outside the bar. "I can grant you an audience with him sooner."
"You don't need to, I can wait." Mist said as Gabriel carried her to the back of the building to an employees only area. She slid off his back and sat on the nearby couch, her mentor walking over to a cabinet in the small kitchen to pull out a first-aid kit.
He dropped the kit on the seat beside her. He watched her with a critical gaze as she opened up the first-aid kit to treat her injury. "Lillian, this is no game, she could have done far worse. I am concerned for your safety."
Mist removed her shirt and applied some gel to her chest, the substance already starting to break down the unfamiliar magic in her system and soothing the pain. "I don't need to be told I'm weak thanks, Sunset did a good enough job informing me..."
Gabriel sighed, sounding weary. "I only want to help. I take no satisfaction seeing you like this."
"I know, me either, " Mist replied as she put the tub of gel back where she found it, pausing as she picked up a roll of bandages. "... I might need some help."
Gabriel nodded and grabbed the roll with a wing, sitting down as Mist moved her forelegs and wings out of the way. Her mentor bandaged her chest clinically as he spoke. "You're considering vampirism?"
"It's the one option I'm most familiar with," she replied. "... I know your circumstances weren't normal but, what was it like for you, when you- you know?"
Gabriel glanced up at her, the eye patch over his right eye and the steely gaze of his left an intimidating visage. "Painful," he said briskly. "I didn't have the luxury of a proper Rite of Transformation, the strain I was given was experimental, however I made the most of my situation, became something greater, and even compared to other vampires I am unique. You have the benefit of living in an age where potential vampires are given the strain of vampirism that suits them best."
"I just want to make sure I'm... well, not doing the right thing, but the best thing," Mist admitted. "I miss being able to pull my own weight."
Gabriel stepped back as he finished securing the bandage around her chest. "Any difficulty moving or breathing?"
Mist stood up, carefully walked around in a circle, and sat back on the couch. "Bit uncomfortable, but otherwise fine."
Her mentor nodded curtly. "I'll inform your friends of your whereabouts," he looked at her seriously. "I'd suggest you think about my offer to introduce you to Lord Sombra sooner."
"Don't suppose you could drag Sunset to Canterlot for me? Have Princess Celestia deal with her?" Mist asked.
Gabriel smirked. "Now why would I do that? She's your problem, not mine."
"I'll pay you?"
"To deal with Celestia's brat? No amount of money in the world could convince me to take that job." Gabriel said. "If you wanted her dead, I'd be happy to offer my skills."
"No, I don't want her dead, just want her to rut off." Mist grumbled.
"My offer still stands." her mentor replied casually.
Despite the recent scare with the attack on Mist, things were going smoothly for the Toppat Clan. Several teams had already reported success at stealing from jewelry stores across the city, the upgrades to the airship's engine and propeller were proving to be worth the investment, and what made Reginald proud to be Clan Chief, was the fact they were making headlines. Reginald smirked as sat in the pilot seat, a newspaper in his lap.Toppat Clan Capers! Mysterious New Organisation Leaves Police Baffled.
The article went on to explain the clan's sudden wave of thefts across the city, leaving behind calling cards within display cases that clearly stated the clan's motive. It had the ponies running around like headless chickens and Reginald loved it. He checked the controls before putting the airship on autopilot, they have started on the path to success but work never ceased. The Toppat Chief stood up, leaving the newspaper behind as he walked out of the bridge and headed to the infirmary.
Sunset's ambush had a lingering affect not just Mist Veil, but on his Right Hand Man. His second-in-command prided himself on his ability to carry out a mission, and while he could handle the taste of defeat better than anyone, Right wasn't the one suffering the consequences.
In the years they'd worked together, the times Reginald had been badly hurt while on a mission was few and far between, but every time it had happened, his friend took it personally. Reginald hardly saw him outside of the infirmary, the crew thought Right had been ordered to oversee Mist's recovery, but no such order had been given. And Reginald, up to his eyeballs in plans, meetings with the crew, and paperwork had let Right do as he pleased.
It certainly seemed to help his First Pony, the two got along well, and it meant Reginald could work without Right needlessly hounding him about whether he ate, or slept. Which he did, thank-you-very-much... He just didn't have time for three meals a day or eight hours of sleep.
He entered the infirmary, his second and third-in-command looked up mid-discussion. He smiled politely. "Just checking up on you two, everything alright in here?"
Mist, confined to her bed for the time being, nodded. "Yeah."
From his seat, Right casually raised a brow at him. "You look like shit Reg."
"I most certainly do not!" Reginald scoffed. "I've been busy, we're making headway with the store robberies."
"That's good." Mist said as Reginald pulled up a chair.
"So, what have you two been up to?" he asked.
"Been goin' over what to do 'bout her role in the clan," Right explained and gestured at Mist. "Can't exactly 'ave her out in the field in this state, an' with that Sunset girl runnin' around it's too dangerous."
"I'm not having her killed, but we can't leave her to her own devices," Mist added."Granted, I could stay on the ship, but what would I even do?"
Reginald had already thought of the possibility. "While it is true you already have an advisory position within the clan, your work on the Suri case was excellent. I believe it would best to have you as our trump card for any large-scale operations that rely on stealth and keep you away from the action."
He took a moment to observe her, she had regained more of her colour, her fur closer to white than gray, and her mane looked more vibrant. He could see both her frustration and tiredness in her face, the dark bags she had under her eyes doing little to hide that fact.
"Still, that's a bit of a ways off," Reginald added. "We've only just started after all."
"What's next?" Mist asked.
Reginald and Right Hand Man shared a look, the Toppat Chief grinned as he looked back at Mist. "Once we have sufficient funds tucked away, the clan's main priority will be establishing a secret base!" Reginald's grin turned sly. "Your priority, once you've recoverd, is to decide whether you want to continue seeking out a way to return to your former glory."
Mist sighed. "I guess I can't exactly keep going on like this..." she ran a hoof through her mane. "I'll talk to Gabriel, he's offered to help."
"We're not forcing you girl," Right spoke up. "Jus' worried 'bout you."
Mist looked at the two of them flatly. "I get it, because I'm an important assest for the clan's success."
Reginald... Didn't know how to respond to that, she wasn't wrong but it was more complicated than that.
"No, 'cause we're mates," Right drawled. "Isn't that right Reg?"
Thank goodness for Right's straightforwardness, Reginald thought as he nodded, sitting back in his seat comfortably. "Indeed, finding trustworthy individuals when you reach our level of power in the clan is a fruitless endeavor ninety percent of the time. And any friend of my Right Hand Man is a friend of mine."
"See? You're stuck with us." Right said with a small smirk. "You're a Toppat, you're our mate, an' we don' turn our back on our mates."
"I can't remember the last time I had a friend besides Sunset," Mist mused. "...Cool, I guess?"
"Again, we're not forcing you to go through with anythin', Jus' sick of life shittin' on you is all." Right reiterated.
Reginald watched as Mist slowly nodded, he knew whatever cure she sought was drastic, but surely it was better than living like this. "Why are you so hesitant?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"It's still trading one set of limitations for another. This," she said, motioning to her chest. "I know how to manage, to live with. It sucks arse, but I'm used to it at this point."
"You've got the clan, we'll help you out." Right stated.
"True, but the clan is still getting back on it's feet, I'd prefer to wait until we have a larger presence in Equestria before going through with anything if a last resort scenario is no longer feasible." Mist argued.
She had a point but unlike the rest of clan, Mist had other avenues available to her. "What about your mentor? You said he'd be willing to help you?" Reginald asked.
"Yeah, guess I'll see what strings he's willing to pull for me, my hooves are tied either way." Mist agreed.
Reginald stood up, stretching. "I'd best get back to work."
To his surprise, Right stood as well. "Mind if I join you? Need to stretch my legs for a bit."
"Not at all."
"Talk to you later." Mist said as they left.
Right walked beside Reginald, his boss smirking at him.
"You know I really am glad you two get along," Reginald idly commented. "You've certainly been a good influence on her."
"So?" Right said flatly. "Cut to the chase Reg, what is it?"
His boss was grinning like the Cheshire Cat and Right wasn't surprised at what came next. "Oh, I've heard a few rumors about you two stargazing on the bridge, chatting in the cafeteria. The crew are gossips after all."
"You better not be buyin' into that nonsense..."
Reginald rolled his eyes. "Hardly, can't I just appreciate thay my best friend has a social life?" He grinned at Right. "Honestly, the rumors are rather humorous really, at least these are preferable over the ones about you and I."
"I suppose," Right conceded. "Listen, there's somethin' I've been meaning to tell you, 'bout the bloke in the brig..."
As Right explained, he watched Reginald grow steadily more furious by the minute, until the man had to stop and stare at the floor, gaze hard.
"Bastards," he muttered. "No point in making a big deal about it now."
"What do we do with the prisoner?" Right asked.
Reginald looked thoughtful, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "... Have Mist be responsible for him, it will keep her busy until things settle down enough for her to leave the ship. Supervise her when you have time."
"Will do," Right nodded and steered Reginald towards the cafeteria. "Reg, you still look like shit, you're goin' to get some actual food in you, an' take a nap."
"I still have-"
Right cut off his protest. "Leave the work to me, I know I've been stuck in my head a bit since the ambush. The girl doesn' need me hoverin' around her, an' you look worse than she does."
"...Very well, I suppose we've both been out of sorts." Reginald reluctantly agreed.
"We're both idiots Reg, jus' have different ways of goin' about it."