//------------------------------// // Case Ten, Chapter Nine: ...and Switch // Story: Ponyville Noire: Kriegspiel—Black, White, and Scarlet // by PonyJosiah13 //------------------------------// A golden shimmer flashed through the air, smacking the grenade like it was a tennis ball. The metal sphere bounced off the concrete floor; the incoming gunponies scattered before it like a wave, diving for cover. "Move!" Trace barked, pulling Red behind his Commander. Flash shoved Twilight behind the car that he'd been abducted in as the others all dove for cover. Daring flew over a parked blue Chevroneigh and crouched down next to Phillip, both of them covering their ears. The grenade exploded with a roar that seemed to shake the building down to its foundations, dust falling from the ceiling. The light tore through the darkness of the garage in a blinding flash; as the echoes of the explosion faded away, the sound was replaced by screams of pain from a couple of the gunponies laying on the ground. Daring's hoof snapped to her holster as she looked to Phil. His face stony, he drew his own pistol with a nod. As one, they popped up from behind cover, weapons snapping up to their eyes as they opened fire. The attacking Disciples were forced to retreat, sending wild shots back at them as they ran for cover. A purple and a golden wall blossomed before Phillip and Daring, bullets pinging off the shield. Turning, Daring saw Trace and Twilight's horns alight, Trace opening fire with his own weapon while Twilight remained crouched behind the car. The trunks of the Commander and the cruiser popped open. A purple aura pulled two Trotsons, two shotguns, and a Summerfield rifle out of the trunks, placing them into Trace's, Red's, Flash's, MacWillard's, and Wheellock's hooves. "Good to have you on our side, Sparkle!" MacWillard grinned, adding his weapon's voice to the chorus of gunfire. "Now keep your head down!" "Stay down, Twilight," Flash repeated, pushing Twilight's head down. "Don't need to tell me--" Twilight's protest was cut off by a scream that blended with Trace's, both unicorns falling to their knees. A gash had been torn through the dual shields, like a rip in a cut of fabric. Bullets tore through the gap, pinging against the concrete floors and sending everypony ducking back behind cover. A black blur swirled through the air; a trio of swords glimmered in the low light, the black suns etched into the blades balefully glaring at its victims. Trace and Twilight screamed again as the Swords of Asocrac cleaved through the shield as easily as if it were paper. A grin spread across Roaring's beak as he sped for Phillip, his swords ready to cleave his head from his shoulders. A golden streak slammed into the pirate, sending both Daring Do and Roaring tumbling through the air. They crashed into a steel pillar, both of them splitting apart with grunts and curses. Daring drew back with a gasp, narrowly avoiding the tip of the blade as it cleaved through the air. Her gun snapped up to the target, along with every other gun. "Skit!" Roaring snarled, retreating from an onslaught of bullets. He vanished into the darkness of the garage. A salvo of bullets forced the detectives back into cover, diving back behind the cars. Twilight gritted her teeth, straining with effort, but her horn only shot out a few impotent sparks. "My magic!" she gasped. "I-I'm out of magic!" "Then stay down!" Red barked at her, slapping the trigger of his shotgun with a bark. A Disciple grunted in pain and tumbled to the ground, their weapon skidding across the ground. "Flank 'em!" Trace barked, rising from behind the front of his vehicle. The distinctive bark of a rifle mixed with a clanging of metal as a bullet ricocheted off his hood. Trace ducked down with a gasp. "Sniper, left side!" Wheellock warned, pointing at the thestral crouching next to another pillar, working the bolt of his weapon. She knelt next to Flash behind the Skymouth, raising her rifle to her shoulder. Another round zipped past her ear and she dropped with a gasp. "I can't get a shot!" she reported. Phillip started to lean out from behind cover, only to duck just as another bullet smacked into the wall behind him. "Right side!" he shouted, pointing at another shape half-hidden behind a parked truck. "Move up! Cut 'em in half!" Star Cluster barked, urging his remaining four Disciples forward. They marched forward in a line, shouldering their weapons with venomous grins. The metal singing of blades clashing together came from the darkness. Roaring emerged, a sword in each talon and a third in his tail. "No one escapes Roaring twice!" he declared and shot for the blue Chevroneigh. Phillip and Daring's eyes widened as the pirate charged towards them, bellowing all the way. His heart racing, Flash glared around at the battleground; in his panic, the scene seemed to slow down, every movement seemed to slow to a crawl. Five gunponies closing in. Roaring with his swords, torpedoing for Phil and Daring. Two snipers covering them all, rifles at the ready. And a flickering lamp over the sniper on the left side. Desperation bid his hooves to move. Flash raised the shotgun, the bead sweeping over the lamp, and he pulled the trigger. The shotgun barked, kicking back into his shoulder. The bulb shattered in a shower of sparks. The thestral beneath howled in surprise and pain, flinching. Wheellock rose up, her rifle smoothly flowing to her shoulder. The scope went up to her eye, crosshairs gliding over the target's forehead; her lungs automatically took in a deep breath, then exhaled smoothly, forcing all the air from her chest. Thud. Wheellock's heartbeat sounded in her ears. The thestral looked up, shock registering in his yellow eyes. Thump. Wheellock's hoof squeezed the trigger. The gun kicked in her hooves and a .30-03 round pierced the enemy's skull. He sprawled to the ground, the surprise on his face remaining in death even as blood ran down his cheeks from the hole in his forehead. A whistling pierced the air as two boomerangs arced through the air. The second sniper grunted in pain as one struck her head, the other knocking the rifle from her hooves. Her comrades froze at the sudden counterattack, eyes turning to track the spinning weapons. They paid for it when a hail of bullets and buckshot cut them all down, falling with screams as their blood pooled out onto the concrete. "Die!" Roaring snarled, swinging his cutlasses down at Phillip and Daring's heads. Both detectives leaped away at the last moment, the cursed blades slicing through the metal of the car. The pirate leaped after them with a roar, blades whirling like a dervish. "Phil! Daring!" Flash cried, raising his weapon. But the trio were all moving too fast for any of the officers to get a good bead on any of them, brown and gold and black blurring together in a deadly dance. Flash's heart leaped to his throat as one of the Swords of Asocrac missed Phillip's neck by less than an inch. Phillip tossed his trilby into Roaring's face; the griffon snarled as he was momentarily blinded, swiping with both talons but striking nothing but air as Phillip vaulted over the hood of the Chevroneigh. He grabbed the two dropped boomerangs, panting as he did so. "Skitstövel!" Roaring spat, stabbing with his tail. Daring dodged to one side, gasping as the cutlass sank into the concrete wall next to her neck all the way up to the hilt. Roaring twisted the blade. Daring flung herself to the ground as the blade sliced through the wall, leaving a deep scar where her neck had been a moment before. "Fuck off!" she barked, snapping her leg out. Her hoof sunk into the first mate's family jewels and she grinned at the snarl of pain that escaped his throat. She quickly rolled out of the way to avoid a pair of blades coming down like a guillotine. Snarling in rage, Roaring looked up at the sound of a whistle, his cutlass snapping up. The boomerang clattered to the ground, cleaved in half, and Roaring sneered at the surprise flickering across the stallion's face. A gun click behind him. He turned to see the griffon police officer raising a Trotson towards his head. Roaring ducked, snarling as a burst of hot lead soared over his head. His tail snapped forward, cleaving through flesh like butter. Blood flew and the traitor screamed. "Mac!" Wheellock wailed in horror as the griffon sergeant fell, his weapon tumbling away from his grasp. Blood spewed from the tunnel carved through his waist, pooling around his body. Wheellock and Trace's horns lit up and a pair of golden auras tugged MacWillard out of reach of the whirling blades, pulling him to the safety of Trace's Commander. "Stay with us, Mac," Trace said through gritted teeth as Red hauled a first aid kit out of the trunk. The pegasus gritted his teeth as he handed Trace rolls of gauze, staring helplessly up at the ongoing battle. Roaring spat out a curse as he slashed with both cutlasses, missing Phillip as the detective backflipped out of reach, taking cover behind the car once more. "Stay still!" he barked, whirling and stabbing with the sword in his tail like a scorpion's stinger as he swung the swords in both talons again; the crunch of the sword piercing the car's chassis mixed with a startled yelp from both detectives as they both narrowly dodged his attacks. Roaring threw himself into the air, arcing over the car. Beneath him, he saw Phillip's .38 Filly Detective Special rising, trying to track his form. The sword in his tail stabbed down at Phillip. Phillip threw himself aside, tumbling across the concrete back to his hooves. His wrist flicked and pain spread across Roaring's tail. He roared as he involuntarily released the sword in his tail, his eyes instinctively tracking the boomerang as it returned to Phillip's hoof. Two bullets zipped past Roaring's head. A glance aside revealed the wrong end of another .38 revolver staring down at Roaring, Daring Do scowling at him as she adjusted her aim. Completing his flip, he landed, bracing off his back paws to launch himself at her-- A warmth grew across his right arm. The gem on the ring began to glow red. Roaring's heart sunk into his stomach. Juvel! The two pegasi and the gold unicorn were raising their weapons towards him; the mare's face was alight with rage, burning through the scope of her rifle. This many guns on him...it wasn't supposed to go like this. Those Disciple idiots! It was all their fault! The red light flared in his view. Roaring growled, forcing the wave of desperation and fear back into itself, converting it into determination. A way out appeared before him. He kicked off the ground, wings pushing him forward. He seized his key around the neck, pulling her around in front of him. The small purple unicorn screamed as two of his swords leaped to her throat. "Twilight!" Flash cried, horror splashing across his face even as he aimed his shotgun at Roaring. The first mate of the Silver Talon glared around him. Trace was crouching down next to the wounded MacWillard; the griffon was fading in and out of consciousness, feebly trying to press down on the bloodied bandages around his waist. The other five were all aiming their weapons at him, varying degrees of fear on their faces. His shield shuddered and whimpered in his grasp; he felt her rapid breath against his chest. "Move, sköka," Roaring spat, tugging Twilight along the wall, past the scar that he'd dug into the stone. The barrels of the weapons swiveled to track him, but he felt no fear; none of them would dare fire as long as he had the mare as a shield. "Let her go!" Flash demanded, sweat running down his hooves as he tightened his grip around his weapon. His hoof hovered over the trigger but he dared not touch it. Twilight stared back at him, frightened tears in her eyes. "I will," Roaring growled. "As long as you don't do anything stupid." "Got somewhere else to be?" Daring taunted as he passed by her, keeping her weapon on him even as she backed out of his range. "That jewelry looks real nice on you, by the way." Roaring spat at her, lifting the blade in his left claw from Twilight's neck to point it at Daring's face. "You'll get yours, Daring Do. You and your partner--" The kusarifundo whipped through the air, wrapping around Roaring's right wrist. Daring dropped her weight and sidestepped with a grunt, pulling the sword from Twilight's neck; Twilight immediately threw herself to the ground, covering her head and rolling out of the way. The distinctive crack of a Summerfield rifle echoed through the parking garage. A hot lance stabbed through Roaring's left shoulder and he screamed as the sword flew up into the air. His cry turned into a roar as he pulled his right wrist free from Daring Do's grasp, the cord tumbling to the ground. His shoulder burned with pain as he slammed the left claw onto her shoulder, claws digging into her flesh and drawing a gasp of pain. Roaring's right wrist whirled for his target's neck, the metal whistling through the air. A hoof caught the second sword as it spun towards the ground. "No!" Phillip screamed. Blades whipped towards their targets. Blood flew through the air, soaking into the black suns. Something cold grasped Roaring’s upper left arm, the icy touch seeping up his limb to his chest. He stumbled, blinking in confusion as he tried to process the sight before him.  His left forelimb had been sliced off midway up the upper limb, blood spurting from the stump. He glanced down to see his arm laying pitifully on the ground in a pool of his own blood. His own sword was held at his neck, his own blood already soaking into the blade like the metal was a sponge. He looked up to meet Daring Do's glare, his heart sinking into his chest when he saw that she was unharmed. The other officers spread out, covering him with their weapons from every angle. The red glow of the ring on his right finger remained in the corner of his gaze, mocking his helplessness. "Nice shot, Wheellock," Daring said to the young unicorn mare, not taking her eyes off of Roaring's yellow irides. "You're out, aren't you?" Phillip said, his voice as even as his aim despite the flickers of fear and concern in his stormcloud gray eyes. "Yeah," Daring admitted. "Least I got a sword out of the--" An orange light cut through the dark like a rising sun. The ponies had just enough time to see a sphere of orange magic rushing towards them before it exploded with a crackling roar. Howls of pain sounded off the concrete walls as ponies and griffon were sent flying, tumbling across the cold concrete. Panting and gasping from pain, Phillip looked up to see Star Cluster stalking towards them. The traitorous unicorn was hunched over, stained with the blood of his comrades. Hate burned in his eyes, which also shone with tears. Motion blurred in the corner of his eye. Phillip looked up just in time to see Roaring flying away, tying his green headband around the stump of his limb. The glowing gem on his talon winked as he flew out of sight. “Wandj—!” Phillip started to cry, but the call only made it partway out of his mouth before another surge of orange lighting attacked him. Every nerve in his body became alive with agony, the pain so great he couldn’t even scream. He collapsed to the concrete floor, muscles convulsing as he fought for control. A turn of his head revealed that the others were all laying sprawled around him, dazed and groaning, smoke rising from their singed bodies. “You ruined everything!” Star howled, increasing the power of his lightning spell. “You ruined all of our lives, mine and my friends! We had good jobs, we had power, we had fucking respect! And now we have to ally with these scumbags and dig for every scrap we get! And you just fucking killed them all!” He stood over Phillip, snarling in hate.  “It’s all your fault, Finder,” he snapped, giving the helpless stallion a harsh kick in the ribs. “You and this little fuck. And you’re gonna die for it now. Painfully.”  His horn flared again and Phillip was forced down to his knees by the crushing pain, howling out his pain. Daring groaned as she tried to rouse herself. MacWillard and Wheellock weren't moving; MacWillard's talon had slipped from his bandages. Twilight and Trace were trying to ignite their horns, but could only form impotent sparks. Phillip turned and met Flash's eyes. Flash was sprawled across Red, trying to force himself to move, but his limbs moved as slowly as though gravity had increased its hold upon him a thousandfold. Flash looked back at Phillip, desperation and fear glowing in his blue irides. And once more, deep inside Phillip's chest, thunder roared. Snarling, glaring up at Star, Phillip pressed his hooves on the ground and pushed himself up. Every inch of his muscles screamed in protest, but the thunder inside him drowned out their cries. Panting and growling with every breath, he forced himself forward. One step, then two, then three.  Star Cluster took a slow step back, his eyes widening slightly. “The hell…?” he muttered, his horn glowing brighter as he forced more energy into the spell. The agony redoubled itself and Phillip nearly buckled beneath the weight of the magic lightning, knees buckling and collapsing.  Get. Up!  Inch by inch, he pushed himself harder, shoving the pain into his gut and letting it mix with his rage, turning into fuel. His gaze bored into Star Cluster as he staggered forward step by step.  His eyes widening in disbelief, Star Cluster retreated, crouching down as he poured what little remained of his magic into the spell. “Stay back!” he cried. “Stay the fuck back!”  He took another step back, but his hoof fell upon a pool of still-warm blood and he slipped; his spell wavered as his concentration was broken and his foe lurched forward. With a desperate gasp, he launched a punch at Phillip. His hoof slammed into Phillip's own hoof. The crackling of bones mixed with Star's cry of pain as he fell to his knees, his spell cutting off like a switch being thrown. A punch slammed into his jaw, sending pain exploding across his head. Something seized him by the throat, cutting off his air and lifting him fully off the ground; choking, flailing in desperation, he looked up at a pair of stormcloud gray irides full of fury. A moment later, another blow struck him in the face like a train and Star Cluster was sent flying back, blood flowing from his freshly shattered nose to fill his mask and a howl of pain rising from his throat as he skidded back. Looking up through tears of pain, his eyes instantly focused upon Phillip Finder. The earth pony's chest was heaving with breath and shoulders were slumped in exhaustion and pain, but he was standing fully tall, gray eyes full of fury. Finder let out a growl like the winds of an approaching cold front and started to approach him again, his steps slowed by pain but as sure and unstoppable as a storm.  "No!" Star Cluster wailed in despair, closing his eyes and channeling his magic just as Phillip's hoof reached for his throat. His hoof found the twitching foreleg of one of his comrades, who returned his grasp with as much strength as he could muster. With a burst of orange light, he vanished, leaving Phillip grasping nothing but air. Phillip snarled, glaring around but spotting nothing but dead and dying Disciples. Adrenaline faded away, allowing exhaustion to seep into his bones. The sound of approaching sirens allowed a small seed of relief to blossom in his chest. He turned and limped back to the others. "I'm okay, I'm okay," Daring reassured him as he approached, groaning as she forced herself back up. "Ow." "Flash?" Phillip called. "I'm good," Flash said, feebly raising a foreleg as Twilight bent over him, grasping his other hoof and shivering despite the relieved smile on her face. "Just gonna lay here for a bit." Phillip scanned the others, the blossom of relief growing when he saw Twilight, Trace, and Red nodding back at him. A visual check confirmed that the worst that any of them had were some magical burns and scrapes; no bullet wounds. His gaze then turned to MacWillard. The griffon was laying on the floor, his eyes closed, completely still; Wheellock was kneeling next to him, gently shaking him. Phillip's heart dropped, nearly crushing his relief. "Is he--?" he called out, fearing the answer. The gold griffon cracked open an eye. "Can't get rid of me that easily," he said weakly, a feeble grin spreading across his beak. The relief in Phillip's head rose once more and he sat down with a long sigh. "Just hang on, Mac," Wheellock said, squeezing her talon as the approaching sirens increased in volume. "You're gonna be okay."