//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Got Your Six // by Revel Montaro //------------------------------// Lady Purity Brilliance forced her smile to stay bright and perky, keeping her head high as she nodded to guards and other nobles as she walked passed them to enter the hotel ballroom. The hotel staff had already followed instructions and taken the time to set up tables for the nobility as well as a hastily built stage and high back chair of honor for Princess Twilight. Purity had been explicit in her instructions on where she wanted the stage placed. With a perfect line of sight from the skylight windows and as close to the center of the room as possible. The Grand Royale ballroom was located deep within the hotel itself making it ideal for the day's event because of the sensitive nature of what was to be discussed. Not that she anticipated heavy resistance, but it brought a much needed sense of security. The room itself was well adorned with five crystal chandeliers, freshly waxed wooded flooring, and a soft, easy on the eyes peach color of different shades. It was welcoming and yet still full of opulence. Unsurprising considering Duke Brand had approved the décor himself. The old dead bastard always did have an eye for the fetching. Probably why they had begun fooling around to begin with. As Purity stood between the council's table and the main entry door her peers and fellow nobles quietly took their places. Some kept their noses and heads high as they took their seats while others, far too many, filed in and kept their eyes downcast. Nervous anxiety obvious in their movements and gestures. She would have scolded them further, but it was unlikely to help at this point. In truth, things were not going entirely according to plan ever since she had taken the leap and explained things to her fellow nobles. Her closest allies, those that stood to benefit the most, had thrown in their support for the plan without further questions. While she had expected a few nervous holdouts she knew in her mind the only way the plan was going to succeed legally was if all, or at least an overwhelming majority of the nobility back the referendum to have the princess removed and the current monarchy dissolved. Even with all that, law scholars would no doubt begin to tear through every book and scroll of the past law apart analyzing every detail and interpretation of the words written more than a millennium ago. Unfortunately, without Gilded Brand and his knack for coercing many of the others to his way of thinking, Purity had to resort to threats to get many of her 'guests' to sign the referendum. That would make it more difficult to hold up in court with so many witnesses should it come to that. To make matters a bit more dire, her cousin had informed her just this morning that the “Mage’s Bane” poison that was essential to ensuring not only the princess was removed, but act as a deterrent against future threats was a limited batch. When Purity pressed her cousin on the issue Eve hesitantly told the truth and explain to the volatile councilmare that the poison was experimental, based on an ancient vial that had been procured from Celestia’s private vault for dangerous magical items by a guard who had been looking to score some extra coin. Despite her best attempts, Eve Radiance had not yet been able to successfully reverse engineer the formula. That meant that there was only a bare minimum of Bane available and had to be distributed sparingly. If Gil was still alive he would have tried to save face for her, argue that stress and difficulties at home had caused her to have a minor breakdown or something. It would have been embarrassing and given him a much stronger position of status for which to hold over her. Of that Purity had no doubt. Another reason she was glad he was dead. The thought of the last strangling gasps he choked out all while she had pleasured herself with his dying form brought a genuine smile to her face and a needed measure of calm. No, there was no going back. The guards she wanted were in place, the nobility would back her play or stay silent to objection, and if all else failed she had both a sharpshooter with poisoned arrows and a poison coated dagger hidden nearby. This was going to go her way, one way or another. Only two loose ends remained. The dragon should be taken care of by Flag Staff and her mercenaries and Raven Inkwell, who she was going to take care of in just a moment. Purity had chosen her place of standing for a specific reason. While it did give her a chance to greet each member of the council and member of the guilds and lesser nobility, it also allowed her to see the approach of one Lady Raven Inkwell. Purity suddenly wished she had brought a flask of brandy, but it was too late to focus on such. She steadied her nerves one last time and hailed the approaching personal assistant to the princess. “Raven! Darling! Good morning, my I have a moment of your time before we begin?” The cream colored mare arched a suspicious eyebrow, turning to look back at Twilight who was lingering behind as usual to greet all the ponies who wanted to say hello or catch her attention. It was not an unusual happening whenever they traveled to other areas of the city. Raven considered refusing the request, but since the entire undertaking had been requested and spearheaded by the nobility it could be in her and Her Highness’s best interest to hear what the councilmare had to say. With a nod, Raven agreed. Purity gestured to a set of doors opposite of the second floor stairs that led to one of the hotel staff rooms lounges. “Admittedly, Lady Brilliance, I have found this entire undertaking unusual,” Raven began as she stepped into the unoccupied staff lounge. “Normally I am dealing with Duke Brand when there is a call for emergency session of the council requiring the princess to attend. I suppose the only saving grace of this is that we had only a few public events scheduled for the day. Twilight had planned to use the spare time reading. Relaxation time, as you know, is a luxury.” “Oh, that is good,” Purity said with small laugh, her magic extracting the poison coated knife from where it was hidden in the folds of her dress while the older mare was distracted. “I forgot to mention that. The duke will not be joining us for any functions ever again.” Raven paused her thoughts, about to turn when she felt a sharp pain in her flank next to her cutie mark. Raven’s fight-or-flight instincts kicked in as she cried out and jumped back. Her eyes widened when she found a knife sticking out of her side right before Purity’s magical aura ripped the blade free with a trail of blood. “Have you gone mad?!” Purity smiled broadly, sliding the bloody blade back into the waiting scabbard without bothering to clean it. Raven growled as she hobbled to a chair to steady herself, a cold numbness spreading quickly from the stab wound. She focused her magic on the wound to make the bleeding stop only to realize that no matter how hard she focused on the basic healing spell no magic was gathering in her horn as the trail of precious life fluid stained her right leg red, beginning to pool on the carpet. “Wha… what have you done to me?!” Purity giggled again. At least the poison was as fast acting as her cousin had assure her. A true pity they did not have more. Still, there was something that made the white unicorn feel all warm inside at the sight of the long time princess assistant staggering about from shock and blood loss, completely defenseless. At least this part was going according to plan, she thought. A moment later, Flag Staff entered the room from the hotel staff entrance on the opposite side of the lounge. Raven started to hobble towards the guard when her fogging mind clicked back into focus at the sight of the unicorn stallion in Tempest’s black armor. “Wha, what is going on here?!” “Nothing for you to worry about as long as you don’t interfere.” Despite her situation Raven sneered in defiance. “PRINCESS! RU-” A flower vase caught Raven across the face, knocking her glasses off and staggering the brown maned mare. Flag Staff finished the scuffle with a hoof to Raven’s other cheek, sending her to the ground in an unmoving heap. “Stop the bleeding and secure her. She knows many secrets and may still be of some use. I would rather decide her fate when this is all over.” Purity paused, tapping her chin. “I take it there were no problems subduing Twilight’s pet dragon?” Flag Staff smirked arrogantly. “Caught him completely by surprise. He’s secured and under guard back at the other hotel. Probably would have been better to just end him, but you said not to.” “He is a close friend of the Dragon Lord and can be used as bargaining chip if necessary should the other princesses attempt to interfere later. You had him gagged, yes? Don’t underestimate him just because he is young. I have heard many stories about that dragon, especially his feats in the Crystal Empire. We don’t want him sending any clues or messages to anypony.” Flag Staff rolled his eyes, but bowed to his benefactor. He could tell that she was in no mood for questionable loyalty, plus she did just take down Lady Inkwell with a poisoned dagger. “He’s not going anywhere or warning anypony. However, I have a concern. A few in fact.” “What are your concerns? Speak quickly, the princess will be wondering where her advisors are soon enough.” “That satyr and his band of mercs were supposed to be here after the princess arrived to help reinforce the hotel in case there is any dissidents in the ranks. I’m not sure if he just overslept or if something is delaying him.” Purity pulled Flag Staff closer with her magic so that they were nose to nose. “Do you think that mowhawk bitch escaped?! Tell me the truth!” Normally, Flag Staff would have relished being close enough to a beautiful mare to smell her breath, but there was something unstable in those wide orange eyes. “There is no way she is not a broken corpse. As I understand those two had a history in the Storm Guard and he wanted her more dead than you do. But I had guards check on Flash Sentry earlier to try and detain him only to find him missing from his quarters and the EIS office was also empty. I have no idea where their director and agents are. I doubt the hoofful of them could cause much trouble, but they will not fall in line. I guarantee that.” Great, Purity thought, more unexpected snags. “Then it is imperative that I bend the knee of Miss Sparkle quickly. The sooner she is broken the sooner I make all of this legitimate. In the meantime, get your lackies in place and go watch the front door. The show is about to begin.” Purity turned and marched back to the ballroom. She paused at the door to regard the two ponies standing by with polearms in hoof. “No pony disturbs this proceeding, understood? I do not care who they say they are or who they represent. No disruptions.” They both saluted. She stepped in and the doors closed behind her with a powerful click, a light magical barrier snapping into place. Purity’s eyes lingering on the pegasus guard standing by with a crossbow over his back. He gave her the faintest of nods. With one last toss of her mane, Purity stepped forward and pounded her platinum shoe on the provided table to gain the attention of all the ponies gathered. The nobility and council members all fell silent. The princess, who had assumed her usual position at the head of the room on the provided stage was looking about, her expression one of pure confusion, a hoof scratching at the side of her head, slightly tipping the crown that was still slightly too big for her head… physically and some would say, metaphorically as well. “Thank you all for coming on such relatively short notice,” Purity began with well practiced flourish. “If there are no objections I would like to jump straight into the heart of the agenda so that we can get this wrapped up and go about our day.” “Um,” Twilight began, holding up her hoof, “I have a small objection to starting just yet in that my personal assistant appears to have gotten lost, or was pulled away for something. Plus, I usually conduct these meetings with Spike so that he can observe or transcribe them. If we could just give them a few more minutes I would really appreciate it. Oh, and it appears Duke Brand is missing too. I know he would never miss this if it was as important as you say, Lady Brilliance.” Purity flashed her most insincere smile she had in her arsenal. “I’m afraid you are late to hear the news, MISS Sparkle, but Duke Brand is no longer with us. He passed on the other night. His son, Prince Blueblood has assumed his rank, title, and positions of authority and I am now the speaker for the council as well as the guilds.” Twilight raised an eyebrow and scratched the side of her head nervously. There was something about the atmosphere of the room that was setting off warnings in the back of the princess’s mind. Duke Brand had apparently died, but no public announcement had been made yet they were back in session like it was just another day? The guards around the room were not the ones she was most familiar with and they were all eyeing her far more than they were watching the entry points or windows. Lastly, the nobility themselves were shifting about, several unwilling to look her in the eye as if they knew something or something was about to happen, but were too afraid… no, too ashamed to say a word. Twilight stood from her seat and unfortunately, as she expected, the guards all became more nervous, gripping their weapons tighter. Something is very wrong here. Where is Raven? Where is Tempest? “Lady Brilliance,” Twilight said in her most commanding voice, standing as proudly as she could, wings spread, golden crown reflecting the early morning light, casting a rainbow sheen, “tell me what is going on, immediately! I do not like this!” Purity could tell from the way Twilight had flared her wings and her horn began to glow with subtle power that she was ready to fight or teleport. If the princess escaped she would have no choice, but to flee. Things were escalating quickly. “Be calm, child. It was I who called this session in order to present you with this, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight took the letter in her levitation magic and brought it closer to read. She quickly skimmed the declaration and citation and gasped. “Is… is this some sort or prank or joke? Because if it is, it’s not funny in the least! You want to have me removed because Celestia and Luna did not... did not ask for permission of the council to appoint a new ruler? Are you serious?!” Purity smiled again, running her hoof through her mane, fluffing the natural curls. “The princesses of the sun and moon were granted their positions at the consent of the rulers of Unicornia, Pegasopolis, and the Earth Pony Union. That consent was made under the understanding that the formed tribal council would be consulted on all matters of state. The change in leadership was not agreed upon by the council and furthermore, I have the signed names of the nobility, councilors, and merchant's guild. This near unanimous list states that you, Twilight Sparkle, are not worthy of your position! You must abdicate immediately and allow the crown of Equestria to pass back to those that ruled it before! The descendants of Unicornia.” Twilight's jaw fell open and she pressed her back fully into the chair with slumped wings, on the verge of a panic attack. A throat clearing sound caught everyone by surprise, diverting the attention of the room and dispelling Twilight's thought from swirling further in on themselves. Fancypants cleaned his monocle and smoothed out his mustache, narrowing his eyes at Purity. “I apologize for the interruption, but I cannot allow this farce to continue without objection. You, Lady Brilliance, lured us to the duke’s home under false pretense, made poorly veiled threats against us and our families, and force us to sign a document that does not take into account that the land that was once old Unicornia is now a barren wasteland in south. Equestria as we know it today was founded by all three tribes on the basis of unity. I cannot stand here in good conscious and watch you brow beat a wonderful, young pony who I consider a friend into agreeing to this farce and travesty. Do with me as you will, but my soul is clean and my head will be held high.” Twilight felt her racing heart begin to slow as her brain began to catch back up with her whirling emotions. She smiled at the dull white stallion who gave her a sad, apologetic nod. A moment later another stallion broke rank and stood, though not quite as tall as his colleague. “She threatened to have us all thrown in the dungeon once she was crowned queen of the nation! I'd be willing to bet she had a hoof in the duke's death as well!” Purity turned back to the seated nobles and pointed her hoof at Fancypants. Without a word, the crossbow guard moved and the only sound heard over the grumbling and whispers of the floundering nobility was a twang and whistle of a bolt being fired. Fancypants stumbled back out of chair to the floor and looked down to find his favorite suit and jacket beginning to turn a darker shade, white coat darkening to crimson. “I… say… that was… quite a nice shot.” Fancypants tried to stand, but stumbled back to the floor, two nobles risking the ire of their fellows to help drag him to the back wall out of the line of fire, but the damage had already been done. A crossbow bolt was sticking out of his chest. Twilight gasped in horror then narrowed her eyes, grinding her teeth as power surged through her alicorn body to the tip of her horn. Purity, without turning, used her telekinesis to unsheathed her dagger again, letting it fly back at incredible speed. Twilight, now blessed with pegasi sight saw the dagger’s approach and raised her shield to deflect it only for the blade to pass through her barrier and bite deep into her flank just above her cutie mark. Twilight cried out as she stumbled back into the makeshift throne chair that had been provided. The sitting nobles all gasped, but dared not move as the guards throughout the ballroom sprung into action to take up position between their benefactor and those who were now deemed a threat. Purity slowly walked up onto the stage, a wicked smirk on her flawless face. Twilight scrunched her face in concentration and tried over and over again to conjure a spell even a basic telekinetic hold of the blade to remove it, but nothing was working. Fear gripped her heart as she realized she could not cast a single spell, her entire hindquarters going numb as a trickle of some foreign viscous gel mixed with the rivulet of blood that began to dye her purple fur crimson. “How?! This… what is this? It's like Grogar’s Bell! You took my magic!” Purity stepped up to Twilight and placed a hoof on the base of the dagger and pressed down, sinking the blade deeper. Twilight cried out as tears stained her face, her entire body shaking in fear. The white unicorn leaned in closer and quietly said, “Fine, we’ll do this the hard way.” ---------- The trek back to the barracks had been far easier than it should have been given the number of ponies in their party and the distance they had to cover in the emerging morning light. Avoiding the citizens waking up to go about their day who paid little attention to their surroundings was one thing. However, even the guards who were on patrol and on guard around the guard barracks failed to spot the thestrals as they timed their stealthy advance. Sour Sweet poured on her flirty charm and practiced bubbly character to distract the two guards at the gate so well that Tempest probably could have stolen their armor and weapons right off their backs and they would not have noticed until they felt a draft. It was actually pathetic, she thought, and was added to the mental list of problems the captain would have to address and correct once the entire ordeal was over. Once Flanker confirmed that the coast was clear the thestrals rushed their personal barracks. The large thestral lieutenant opened the door and stepped to the left in case it had been booby trapped or an ambush had been waiting for them. Sugarcoat immediately took the right side. The two had volunteered to go first to searched about silently until both their ears turned to the sound of things being moved about and muffled voices. There were intruders in their private sanctum. Flanker pointed with a wing for Windblade and Sugarcoat to move forward while he circled around through the lavatory and wash facilities in the back, taking one more thestral with him for backup. The others all crammed together in the entryway keeping an eye out for patrols and if they had been followed. Sugarcoat and Windblade stepped in unison without so much as creaking a single floor plank. They would have just hovered, but there had not been enough room to approach the back rooms together. As they walked they found that the personal effects of every footlocker at the ends of the beds had all been broken into, much of it just tossed on the floor. While she did not keep anything of real value at the barracks, Sugarcoat still growled at the gall that someone had dared pilfer their effects like poaching grave robbers thinking they were all dead. The two younger thestrals spotted Flanker and Sharp Cut coming up from the other side. The lieutenant gave them the signal that their side had been cleared. He pointed at the door where their extra weapons and tactical gear were stored and was the source of the muffled voices. Flanker yanked the door open and Sugarcoat ducked in low, rolling and trapping one trespasser against the wall, pinning his face against the wall. Windblade had gone high, using his wings and jumping over Sugarcoat’s roll to trap the other unwanted guest on the floor. Flanker entered next, securing their flanks and scanning incase there had been another intruder. To his disappointment, the trespassers were in fact their fellow guards. “Oh, horseapples!” the one guard squeaked out. “They’re still alive!” “YA THINK?!” Flanker grunted. “Bag and gag them. We’ll let the captain deal with them later.” Flanker stuck his head back out and said just above a whisper. “Gear up. Take only what you need.” By the time Tempest had reached the thestral barracks the bat ponies were already leaving with the same silent efficiency they had snuck in with. Flanker was the last to step out. He turned his yellow eyes to his captain and signaled her that they were moving towards the hotel. Tempest nodded in turn and made a beeline for the front gate. She found Sour Sweet had in fact charmed one of the guards into letting her try on one of their helmets, claiming that it matched her armor well. Do these idiots not realize she is in stolen armor? What, do they think she’s a birthday entertainer or something? The time for stealth was mostly over. Tempest sent out a shocking bolt of lightning that caught both guards by surprise and sent them to the ground sprawling and groaning. Sour wasted no time tossing the helmet aside, tying both of them up together with practiced ease. It still blew Tempest away how well an earth pony could tie knots without magic. “The thestrals are already on their way to the hotel. We need to hit that front door at the same time the flanking teams are securing the perimeter.” Sour Sweet nodded, taking a moment to eye Tempest’s lingering injuries. “You okay to run?” “I’ll feel it tomorrow, but I’ll make damn sure there is a tomorrow to regret it.” “Good enough for me.” The guard captain and EIS agent galloped side by side away from the palace grounds shouting to citizens moseying about to move as they approached. It no doubt would have drawn attention if not for their allies clearing the way ahead of them. Flash Sentry landed next to them a block before the hotel falling into stride on Tempest’s opposite flank. Once in view, Tempest spotted two guards standing outside the hotel along side a porter. They had not spotted her yet and she was not entirely sure she could bolt them without hitting the innocent pony in the middle. At the same time, it would not do to have them alert their fellow guards inside the lobby just yet. Considering their blitzing charge even a few seconds of warning could make all the difference as far as opposition readiness. Tempest groaned inwardly as one of the guards turned to the sound of their hooves clomping on the stone road. His eyes grew wide and he alerted his partner who did a double take before beginning to send power to his horn for a basic energy blast. The blast however only struck his fellow guard as a thestral swooped down and smashed the two together while managing to avoid the frightened hotel worker. The commotion also served well at clearing the street as six more thestrals landed and rushed the lobby the moment Tempest announced their arrival by smashing through the glass front doors. The Grand Royale had a beautiful, spacious lobby. Two small fountains flanked the massive central staircase that led up to convention/meeting rooms and a mezzanine lounge. If one looked up from the center of the lobby they would see a peculiar sight of architectural design in the form of a large round window that was part of the bottom of the pool that took up most of the third floor above. Some found it impractical and a structural weakness, but Duke Brand had insisted because he knew some guest would come far and wide to be able to swim down just to look at the lobby and wave. Tempest, however only gave it the barest of a glance to ensure there was no waiting enemy or drowning princess in the window. “I don’t know the layout of this place,” Tempest growled, “where’s the ballroom?” Sour Sweet pointed to the hall just beyond the central staircase. “Down that way, around the central courtyard and it will be set of double doors that point towards the palace.” “HALT, TRAITORS!” Tempest turned back to the mezzanine. What she saw made her blood boil and horn burn with magical sparks. Flag Staff propped himself up on the rail pointing at the thestrals, ordering followers to battle. His dark eyes shrank to pinpricks when he spotted the mulberry unicorn down below. “Impossible.” “There’s a dead pony wearing MY armor.” Flash firmly pressed his hoof to Tempest’s shoulder, her eyes turned to him, horn still bleeding raw energy. On any other day he may have flinched at the death glare she leveled at him. But not today. Flash was tired from having been up most of the night, his body pumping extra adrenaline to keep him sharp. He was truly exhausted, but would not let it show, he was hungry, but refused to think about it. Pain and fatigue were for later. Today was not a training day. Today was what they had trained for. The princess was in danger and that was all that mattered. They were outnumbered and the enemy had the princess. Now was not the time for blood thirsty revenge. Tempest saw all that and more in those big blue eyes. “Get to the ballroom and save the princess. Leave that son of whorse to me.” Tempest's primal brain wanted to argue, wanted to snap at her subordinate for speaking to his superior in such a way, but there was something in his posture, the tone of his voice, even the way his breathing was superbly focused. The pegasus to her left was battle ready to slaughter any foe in his way and it was fiercely intimidating and profoundly attractive at the same time. Tempest reined in her power and emotions, finally nodding her agreement. “Squad A with Sentry, squad B with me!” Flag Staff turned back to the guards that were behind him on the mezzanine. “The thestrals are coming to assassinate the princess! The lap dog of the Storm King is leading them! Hold your ground with your lives! Go! Go! Go!” Flag Staff ran back from the lobby down a separate corridor. Tempest charged forward for the hallway that ran along the glassed off courtyard with Sour Sweet and three other thestrals a step behind while Flash and three thestrals took to the air to meet their fellow guards on the second floor. The guests and hotel staff that had been gawking at the exchange all regained their senses of self preservation and ran away screaming the moment crossbows, wingblades, and spears came to bear. Through the glass, Tempest could see Flag Staff running along the opposite second floor corridor above the courtyard. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the telltale sign that he was casting a spell, but could not tell who or what he was aiming at. A moment later, the spell discharged and every corridor in the hotel began to wail like an old airship battle klaxon. Guards, who had apparently been stationed along the route to the ballroom began to emerge from corners and conference rooms. Tempest skid to a stop as Lieutenant Hardy Spear emerged and held his polearm weapon up in his magic in a blocking defensive posture. They held one another’s gaze for a moment, each trying to gauge the other’s resolve. “Surrender, Tempest Shadow. This doesn’t have to get messy.” “If you are siding with Flag Staff and Purity Brilliance over Princess Twilight, yeah, it does.” Tempest felt a tap on her shoulder from Sour Sweet, but did not dare avert her gaze. “We have a problem. They packed this hotel with at least a full company of guards and I’m betting most of them don’t like you even if they are not on the take. That warning siren riled up the whole hornet’s nest.” Tempest grunted in acknowledgment. They didn’t have the numbers for a sustained engagement, especially if they became flanked. Spearing ahead was their only option. Tempest took a deep breath and drew herself up as much as her sore muscles would allow. “I’m only going to say this once to you, to all of you. Move, follow, or run for your life because I’m getting to that ballroom and saving the princess even if that is over your dead, charred bodies.” Tempest’s horn burned with gathering power and she aimed it at the squad standing before her. “Choose.” --------- Purity had retrieved the ‘official’ documents that she wanted Twilight to sign, including one for her abdication when the klaxon rang out through the ballroom. The guards all searched around for an immediate threat, but did not see one. They finally turned back to the noble currently standing over the princess for guidance. “Don’t just stand there gawking at one another, go send somepony to find out what is going on out there!” The guards whispered amongst themselves before finally a half dozen all followed the pegasus sergeant who was armed with the poison tipped ferronite bolts out of the ballroom. The two guards at the door turned around. “Report!” “No idea, sarge. From what I understand, Flag Staff and a couple of the other officers all had a spell that would send the hotel into lockdown if it came under threat.” Sergeant Twist Turn growled. This entire undertaking was becoming less favorable by the second. Still, the noblemare had just sunk a blade into the princess while they, her guardian protectors stood around and did nothing to stop here. They were all in the deep end now. He was not sure if that traitor Tempest Shadow got loose or if it was Flash Sentry or those creepy thestrals, but if they got through and stopped Lady Brilliance they would all be in Tartarus or worse. Sergeant Turn removed one of the three remaining poisoned bolts he had left and passed it to the lead private who also had a crossbow. “When you see who is leading the charge you fire this straight into their heart, you hear me soldier? I’m going to go check the perimeter and get a better vantage point of the ballroom from outside. I find out any of you foals turned tail and ran I’ll kill you myself.” The guards all saluted as the sergeant exited down a side hall towards an emergency exit. --------- Flanker stomped down hard on the helmet of another guard, checking to make sure he was no longer breathing. So far, they had done well, only losing one soldier so far to injuries that they would likely survive, but that was all hinged on if they managed to pull a victory out of such a suicidal mission. Thankfully, most of the guards who he had seen engage his troops seemed hesitant to do more than just repel or go for wounding blows instead of kills. He made mental note to take that in consideration later. Those that tried to kill him and his fellow thestrals on the other hoof… Flanker stomped his bloody hoof down one more time just to be sure. Sugarcoat landed next to him, perched on the guard rail, sparing only a quick glance to the gore on the stone rooftop. “So far perimeter resistance has been light, more likely the bulk of the forces are inside the hotel.” “I know you are concerned about our other teams, but we help them better by ensuring they won’t be taken by surprise from here. Once we have the perimeter we can start breaking in windows and move to assist.” “Understood, sir.” Sugarcoat pointed to a vaulted section of the hotel that had glass windows lining the wall just under the roof panels. “They wouldn’t let me land long enough to take a look, but I’m pretty certain that is the ballroom.” “Then let’s go have a peek, shall we.” “On your wing, sir.” The two thestral leaped from their perch and maneuvered in such perfect unison that it would have likely impressed the Wonderbolts captain, Spitfire, had she seen them in action. Flanker smirked to himself. Perhaps when he tired of being a guards he would sit down with the good captain and see about getting on their team for shows. They certainly could benefit from the variety and the quality training he had to offer. Two more guards appeared on the roof, emerging from an access door. Flanker pointed and Sugarcoat understood, no further commands needed. They had each selected a target, but quickly had to break off when one of the guards raised one of the new multi-shot repeating crossbows and fired three bolts in quick succession. Sugarcoat twisted to the right and folded her wing while doing a mid-air barrel roll. When she snapped them back open she was below the roofline and falling, but a few quick flaps and a updraft later she rose where she hoped the guard was still standing. Much to her pleasure and disappointment at poor discipline, the guard offered his face as he looked over the edge to see what happened to her. Her armored hoof connected with his chin at high velocity. His jaw broke instantly and shattered a number of teeth. Blood flying from his face as the guard was thrown back and fell to the ground unconscious. The second guard reloaded his crossbow and turned to fire when he was trampled by the thestral stallion. Flanker confiscated the crossbow and fired two shots into is hind legs. He then punched him out to silence the screaming. Flanker approached the windows and pressed his face to the glass while Sugarcoat kept watch. Her eyes spotted four more thestrals bouncing from roof to roof, quickly closing the distance, but also still engaging the occasional pegasus. Where were the others? Flanker growled and banged his hooves hard on the glass, catching Sugarcoat’s attention. Her commanding officer was not prone to such physical outburst. “Sir?” “I can see the princess. She’s on the ground. The guard is surrounding her, but facing outward. A white unicorn is standing over her. I… it’s hard to tell through the tint, but I believe she's injured.” Flanker wrapped the heavy repeater over his back and took a small run at the glass only to bounce off, a shimmer of some magic rippling across the entire row or windows. “The windows have a shatterproof charm on them?” Sugarcoat nodded her approval despite the difficulty it presented to them. “At least somepony was doing their job.” Flanker shook his head and worked his sore jaw in his hoof for a second. “Right. Plan B. We secure the stairs.” Sugarcoat nodded and followed her lieutenant. As they approached, the door opened once more and Sergeant Twist Turn already had his crossbow up and ready. Flanker knocked Sugarcoat over the side and out of the line of fire, she cried out in protest, calling out her lieutenant’s name. Flanker tried to swing his crossbow around for all the good one shot would do. The first bolt struck Flanker in the side of his helmet and tore most of his left ear off. The second bolt glanced off his shoulder guard and bounced away while the third tore through his wing and sank deep into the gap between his hindquarters and abdomen. Flanker grunted and cried out, stumbling back to protect his wounds. Turn secured the loading mechanism and reached into his quiver for more bolts, carefully avoiding the poisoned ones. Those were for big targets or charging unicorns. He was honestly not sure what it would do to a thestral or pegasus. Probably nothing good. “I just want you to know, I never liked you. I always thought you were a freak for wanting to be the first to be turned into one of those things by Nightmare Moon. You're a disgrace to your heritage. A pegasus should be happy just the way they are. Time to correct a mistake.” Flanker flashed his fangs and growled. Sugarcoat recovered from her roll and snapped her wings open gaining altitude to swing back around on Sergeant Turn. She spotted the stallion engage the self lock on the roof door before slamming it closed. She could not make out what he was spewing to Flanker, but it was unlikely to be anything good considering he was reloading his weapon. The powder blue mare hissed and dove before he could finish off her commander. Turn glanced up and tried to fire, but in his rush Twist Turn had not secured the bolts correctly and they jammed. The sergeant rolled with the thestral’s attack, barely avoiding her gauntlet blades and dove off the roof. He banged on the crossbow mechanism as he fled attempting to clear the jammed bolt. Sugarcoat extended her gauntlet blades and gave chase.