//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Tribunal // by Carnifaxy //------------------------------// Las Pegasus was a city of sin and waste deep in the desert. Enterprising pegasi had thought to build a place to indulge in frivolity and gambling and it wasn't long before investors of Canterlot poured bits into the project. A city of luxury and delight, far from the eyes of the princesses? It was perfect. Regardless of the hows and whys, the city was still well ordered and laws enforced but that didn't stop every hustler and ne'er-do-well from dropping in every so often to make some quick money. There were those that applied their talents in a much more fair and honest means, usually entertainers and stage magicians. Jack Pot was one such magician who could go from one gambling hall to the next and be welcomed, not once doing any of those confidence games that lesser practitioners of sleight of hand would do to scam their audience. Normally the stallion worked alone, but recently he had a partner by his side. “The Humble and Helpful Trixie thanks you all for your patronage!” The unicorn in her cloak and hat of stars called out to the crowd of the plaza where she and Jack Pot had set up, their show coming to a close. “Mares and gentlecolts, a round of applause for my dear assistant and daughter! Truly my shows have been even greater than before with her help!” The crowds cheered as Trixie and Jack Pot smiled to one another and with one last trick Trixie tossed down a smoke bomb and with a flash and pop the two unicorn magicians vanished behind the stage. They both broke into giggles and hugged one another. “Another marvelous show father! Trixie is glad she came to visit you! Now if only mother would come by once in a while. She doesn't say it, but she does miss you.” Jack Pot smiled as he nuzzled her. “I just haven't had reason to go back to Canterlot. All those folk act too good for the rest of Equestria even when they come here to gamble fortunes away. But it's true, my little firecracker, I miss her too. Maybe we'll make the trip together, go to Vanhoover first to see the sights?” “That would be great father! But first!” Trixie's horn glowed as she pulled forth a couple of brooms. “We must clean up our act!” The evening was much like any other, bright lights illuminating the city like a beacon. On another other night it would not be much of a problem, but tonight it lured Equestria's enemies directly towards it. Normal changeling modus operandi was to infiltrate, take out important persons, and cause chaos as chain of command broke down. Las Pegasus was the direct counter to the usual methods. While anti-changeling charms developed after the failure of the wedding were not always foolproof, the organizations running the businesses across the desert city were swift to adopt them and to constantly use them as employees and customers filtered in and out. Even before then, paranoia of rivals and of betrayal within was rife and more than one changeling scout found themselves gutted in an alley. Not that the 'authorities' shared such with Equestria at large. It would be bad for business. Trixie and Jack Pot settled in for the night, playing blackjack and trying to outwit one another, each victory and defeat seeing chocolate coins being passed back and forth. “Are you counting cards, firecracker?” Jack asked with a discerning eye. “Of course Trixie is! Why, she learned it from you after all!” “Attagirl!” After another victory for Trixie, she opened up one of the chocolate coins and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes wandered across the little room, seeing all the awards and trophies her father had earned over the years. “Trixie would like to leave for Vanhoover tomorrow, father.” “Hm? Tomorrow? Well I could get tickets right in the morning, most folk don't leave for Vanhoover on Tuesdays.” He tapped his chin. “You're worried about this war business, aren't you Beatrix?” She nodded solemnly and subtly pulled her cloak tighter around her. “There's nothing to worry about firecracker, Las Pegasus is in the middle of nowhere, there's nothing anyone would want with us. Changelings don't even use bits!” The old, outdated air raid sirens began to sound. They were rough second-hand purchases from Stalliongrad that had been stored away in crates for far too long and barely worked. Tested once a year to see if they still made any sound. Trixie bolted upright but her father put a hoof to her withers to try and calm her. “Relax, they're just testing the sirens. Give it a minute and they'll stop.” “But what if they don't stop?!” There was a knock on the door and Jack turned his head to it with an ear perked up. “Yo, Jack! The guards say they saw changelings coming from the south, a lot of them! We're getting everyone out of here, now!” “Ah dammit! Give me a minute Hoss!” “We ain't got a minute!” Trixie was shivering as she started to rush to pack what she could. Jack shook his head as he ran into his room to look for anything he wasn't willing to lose. Once he had his attire on he went back to his daughter and motioned for her to follow. “Just like when you were a filly, stick close to me at all times Beatrix.” “Yes father!” The door opened to reveal the big, bulky earth pony that served as Jack's assitant and bodyguard. “We're getting everyone to the train yard and out of here!” Hoss said as he let Jack and Trixie go first to bring up the rear. Already the sounds of fighting could be heard over the din of the sirens, shouts from pegasi in the air as well as panicking unicorns shooting off errant bolts of magic into the carapace-filled sky. “The train yard is too far, we'll never make it before the changelings get us!” Trixie said as she kept pace with her father. Jack Pot turned to look at her with a grin. “Come on now firecracker, just think of it like running from an angry crowd! We're both good at that!” “I ain't!” Hoss said as other ponies in the hotel were beginning to panic. Outside of the hotel wasn't as bad as it could have been, the fighting freshly started. Changelings swarmed across the night sky in attempts to overpower what pegasi defenders there were. Unicorns on the ground and in the buildings fired off, some changelings being struck and falling to the ground only to be replaced by another. Jack Pot nudged Trixie to get her out of her trance while Hoss already began the run toward the train yard. “C'mon firecracker, we gotta go!” Running through the sandy streets of Las Pegasus was harrowing as changelings buzzed in the air. Many swooped down to try and pick up ponies off of the ground. Unlike Canterlot where they infiltrated and replaced many ponies, here was an upfront assault and their attempts to overwhelm met stiff resistance where the various bosses managed to group up with their crews. It wasn't the best defense, but it was better than nothing. Jack Pot, Trixie, and Hoss kept on their path to the train station when several changelings dropped from the sky toward them. Hoss reared up and clapped his hooves against a couple of them while Jack Pot conjured up mirror images to confound his attackers to allow him to press on. Trixie's horn flared and several magical firecrackers flew off and popped point blank in front of some changelings, blinding and deafening them. The trio continued to fight their way through the streets toward the train yard. Resistance across the city was steadily breaking and reforming as the gangs used their knowledge of the buildings and streets to evade and ambush the changelings when they flew too low to the ground. The train yard was utterly swarmed by the buggers, workers fighting valiantly but ultimately being overrun. Just as three changelings were dragging the ticket mare out of the booth did Hoss' hooves connect with two of them and the third was blinded by a flash of light before father and daughter bucked it right into the wall. “This ain't good, the trains are the fastest way out of town!” Hoss said. “That's why they targeted them first! If they can get control over the trains... Sweet Celestia...” Trixie helped the poor mare back to her feet. “Where are the supplies for the trains? Ropes, fuel, everything?” “What're you planning Trixie?” Her father asked with concern. “We give Las Pegasus the biggest show it'll ever see!” Gathering everything was easier said than done. Trixie and Jack Pot pooled their power together to spark off grand illusions to distract the changelings while Hoss bashed up some and carried supplies into the train station's enclosed rest area. Each run out was fraught with danger, but they also returned with an extra pony or two to help fortify their little base. As Hoss put down a barrel of coal with the others Trixie carefully cut her cloak for a makeshift bandage around her father's foreleg. “What're we gonna do?” One of the engineers asked as he tied a length of rope around the handles of the front doors to seal them off as best he could. “We need more coal!” Trixie said as she looked over what they currently had. “Or, no. We can use the coal that's in the trains coal carts. But we need to get black powder somehow!” “There's dynamite in the locked storage in all of the train engines!” The engineer said. “They all use the same key, I got mine right here.” “Perfect!” “Firecracker, hold a moment. You're not gonna use dynamite to enhance your firework spell are you?” Trixie puffed her chest out. “You're damn right I am! We need to drive the changelings off, so we need to fill the air with smoke and explosions!” The booth mare fidgeted as she used what scant medical supplies remaining to daub some blood off of Hoss' face. “But what about all the pegasi?” She asked. “The air is thick with changelings, any pegasi will be flying low to the ground or around the buildings. It's basic pegasus combat training, even for militias and thugs!” The engineer walked toward the rear of the rest station and peered out the window, seeing black bodies buzzing. “It's no use. Can't go two hooves outside without one of those bugs in the way. We'd need support, reinforcements!” “Father! Trixie needs you to cast an enhanced voice projection asking for help! It will draw more changelings, but it will bring more ponies to assist as well, and we have no other options!” Jack Pot nodded. “I can do that easily, you can count on me dear. Oh, I can use the speaker system too, I can reach all over Las Pegasus that way!” With his horn glowing he took to the microphone and spoke into it as he channeled his spell. “Ponies of Las Pegasus, changelings are trying to gain control over the train yard! If they do they'll spread all over Equestria, we can't let that happen! Otherwise who'll come to spend their hard-earned bits here?” Some soft chuckles rippled through the resting area at Jack's little joke while they worked to keep the windows and doors secure from the beating masses of changelings. Glass began to crack even as they attempted to board up the windows desperately. The engineer looked out the entrance door window and started to untie the rope around the handles. “We got ponies coming this way, and lots of 'em!” As soon as he finished the doors burst open as dozens of ponies rushed inside, a few unicorns walking in backwards as they shot off several stun bolts into the mass of changelings trying to claw their way inside. Hoss and some other earth ponies rushed to the doors and bucked them shut, then hold steady as the ropes were tied back around. “Jack, you old son of a mule! What's yer plan?” One of the new arrivals said. Trixie cleared her throat as she stood on her hind legs. “Step one of the plan is for all unicorns not myself or my father to shoot at as many changelings as possible. Pegasi are to try and whip up as much wind as possible, and earth ponies are to keep both groups safe!” “And what're you and Jack gonna do, filly?” “We're going to light the tenders on fire to fill the air around the train yard with too much smoke for them to remain in the air!” The crowd murmured and looked to one another before an older pegasus stepped forward. “Is that all? Sounds easy enough. I'm on the weather team around here, getting enough wind to keep those buggers away should be easy enough for old feathers like me to do it!” “Step two,” Jack continued, “is once the air is full of smoke Trixie and I are going to use explosives to dazzle and confuse as many changelings as possible.” “Step three! With all this rope we can weave some nets to tie up a lot of changelings at once, and we're going to need to do so to keep them out of the fight!” With the plan set they had as many unicorns as possible lined up at the back windows and door, horns charged with magic. Once the word was given they were opened and a barrage of multicolored bolts flew out into the teeming masses of the invaders. Screeches could be heard as dozens tumbled out of the skies, colliding with others, then crashing to the ground. The changelings attention was thus diverted to the rest station and they swooped down to swarm around it, firing off their own bolts of magic. The unicorns inside had cover while the changelings outside did not. As soon as a dozen of the insectoids reached the back doors they were blown open by a terrible gust of wind from the pegasi inside, wings flapping hard to push out a cyclone that sent the invaders tumbling about. Any that did manage to get too close were knocked senseless by the solid hooves of an earth pony. Right before the next changeling charge Trixie and Jack Pot both threw out several smoke bombs that were swiftly followed up by another unicorn barrage. With the path obscured the pair ran forward, the engineer's key safely tucked under Trixie's hat. Gathering their magic they took control over the smoke of the bombs, dragging it along to keep them mostly hidden and to allow the pegasi to blow out another harsh gust at the changelings. Several trains in the yard were being worked over by the changelings though few seemed to actually possess the knowledge to get them up and running. Even so, fewer still were aligned properly to the tracks leading out of the city. The unicorns threw a smoke bomb into the engine compartment which caused several of the buggers to flit out in coughing fits. Just as one tried to swoop in to nab Trixie a barrage from the rest station flew in towards them, stunning the changeling as well as providing cover from the rest. “Father, light the tender up! I'll find the dynamite!” Jack Pot nodded as he sparked his horn at the coal, causing a few to ignite. Not enough for a big plume of smoke, the embers needed time to properly catch. Trixie rummaged around through several of the locked compartments before finding a bundle of dynamite. “Success!” She exclaimed before suddenly shouting in shock as a changeling flew in through the open window and collided with her, wings buzzing and green goo leaking from it's maw. “Hold on firecracker!” Jack shouted as he ran forward, horn lowered. He slammed into the bug, stabbing through where its jaw connected to the rest of its skull. The changeling gurgled and collapsed, Trixie panted with her eyes wide. “Y-you killed it...” He swallowed and nodded. “I'm not losing you to these things Beatrix.” Several more changelings flitted into the engine cabin, wings buzzing. Trixie held up the stick of dynamite and her horn flared, drawing on the explosive power inherent in the dynamite. There was a loud bang and flash directed outwards and away from her and Jack Pot. The explosion was greater than she had anticipated, the entire cabin of the engine room in front of them blown to shreds, along with the changelings. The force caused the coal in the tender to scatter and burn greater than Jack's initial sparks did, causing smoke to billow upwards into the sky. The pair of unicorns were flung back into the metal work of the engine, both crying out in pain. “T-that was bigger than Trixie thought!” She hissed out as she stumbled up to her hooves. “Dynamite is powerful stuff firecracker, nothing like the fireworks we use for our shows!” The buzzing of wings increased and the pair looked to the remaining sticks of dynamite and the other trains. “Change of plans father. We blow the train engines.” “All right, let's do it.” Pain lanced through them with each step, but they galloped along nonetheless. Equestria was counting on them. Fighting across Las Pegasus intensified as groups took to barricading buildings, daring the changlings to assault. The biggest hotels that held dozens of ponies were marked as the biggest targets, after the train yard. However, once the first train engine was blown to smithereens did the changeling swarm redirect to try and regain control. “General Carapace, they are putting up greater resistance than our projections showed!” The big changeling hovered above the swarm as he watched the battle below unfold. His bright green eyes turned to his subordinate and he nodded. “I knew Las Pegasus would be a tough hive to invade. The ponies living here are paranoid criminals. But that is why I was chosen to lead the assault, we must take those trains!” At that a second explosion rippled from the train yard, another engine going up in smoke. With a clacking of his jaws Carapace began to descend to the yard. “Have the others pull down those buildings. Snuff out all resistance. I will take care of the saboteurs!” Trixie limped into the third train engine, wincing with each step as the fresh bite to her croup bled, a changeling fang still embedded in her. Her father hurriedly pulled the tooth out and used part of her cloak to dab up the blood as best he could as she put a stick of dynamite into the engine. The buzzing outside began to diminish and she let out a sigh of relief only to feel Jack Pot start pulling her out. “We gotta go, something's not right-” The roof of the engine cabin tore open with a terrible screech and the pair looked up to see a large changeling above them. The mandibles dripped with viscous goo and it casually tossed the jagged metal aside. “Two little ponies causing all this mess. We need these trains, it'd be best if you surrendered now. I'll just put you in pods, not kill you.” Carapace dropped down into the engine cabin, and Trixie and Jack Pot jumped right on out. At that moment the dynamite in the furnace exploded, sending twisted metal out in a burst. The changeling general screeched as his shell was perforated. Trying to avoid the angry bug, the two unicorns tried to run back to the rest station where the defenders were still warding off the errant drone trying to get close. They had gotten past the first train they wrecked when Carapace flew right into Jack Pot, hooves grappling and fangs sinking into his back. He collapsed with a scream of pain and Trixie turned to face them. “Father!” “R-run Trixie, go!” Carapace hissed as he started to pump venom into Jack Pot, his wings buzzing rapidly to begin ascent. Trixie ran right toward the pair with tears in her eyes as her horn flared with one stick of dynamite in her magic grip. She jumped up and channeled the spell, using the force of the explosion to rocket her up into the sky. Jack Pot and Carapace both watched as she arced up and down towards them, hooves stretched out. The changeling tried to juke to the left but she still managed to clip his wings, making him and Jack fall roughly to the ground. Trixie rolled and stumbled, landing in dust. She tried to get up but shouted as she collapsed. “My leg, I broke my leg!” She screamed as she rolled onto her side, body shaking. Carapace let go of Jack and turned his attention to the crying mare, mouth open and hissing as he began walking on over to her. Jack tried to crawl over, his own hind legs numb from the venom that was pumped into his system. His horn glowed then sputtered as his concentration broke. “Boss!” Jack looked over to see Hoss galloping at full speed. Carapace too turned, jagged horn glowing. Right before Hoss could even get close he was blasted by the green bolt of changeling magic and stumbled into the dirt. When he turned back to Trixie she was panting and sweating, her front leg twisted unnaturally. The changeling's eyes widened as he saw the stick in her telekinetic hold. Her gaze was unsteady, her teeth grit together as she lit her horn.