//------------------------------//
// Chapter 36: Escape! 
// Story: The Enforcer and Her Blackmailers (Enhanced & Augmented) 
// by scifipony 
//------------------------------//

Celestia shrieked, jumping away, tripping herself, landing on her side and ineffectively fluttering, unable to launch into the air as she struggled like a wren hit by a tennis racket. She avoided the flames but struck her left wing. With her weight, she'd probably stunned a nerve.

For good measure, my little pyro-pony set the topiary of dancing mares behind her ablaze as well as the wooden pergola the grapes grew on. As the flames roared to life, he shouted, "Run! I'll keep her occupied."

I galloped away. "Why?"

"Her answers!" I heard through the gum. "Even Saddle Ranger would've called horse apples on those!"

An obscure comics reference, naturally. "Don't get yourself hurt. I don't want to lose you, again."

"Reaalllly?" he answered, smugly. "For you, anything."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, comics nerd."

I heard him laugh theatrically, manically, as I found a clear view headed east. I teleported toward a glossy tile roof, presumably the gazebo. I exited through a cloud of my frost steam, still galloping, then leaping two hedges forced to do a steeple chase. I slowed, pain of pulled muscles reeling me back to my senses.

I'd seen mansions smaller than this gazebo. The edifice was a pavilion complex. It boasted multiple open rooms separated by white and purple painted walls, all topped with a green-tiled roof. Gold gilt the edges of beams and sparkled with the orange of the horizon from motifs of hearts and dancing mares. Considering the walls, and obvious pantries and serving kitchens in between, I could not see through the building.  I saw glass greenhouses to the south, with hints of ferns and purple butterfly orchids inside.

Streak set down beside me, pointing a hoof into the pavilion. She said, "Somepony's inside. I saw magic shoot up toward the dome just before Citron's fire." She glanced nervously toward the center of the gardens. 

"Good work. Too bad you can't throw a javelin like that constable threw at Running Mead."

"If I had one, I'd probably skewer myself. Long distance hauler, remember?"

"A pony can wish!" I trotted to the steps, and into the dusky interior. "Lieutenant of the guard, was he? Report out loud anything you see so Citron will know."

"Uh-huh." I heard her wings flapping, then, "There's that purple—guess she's just a small filly—marching up."

"The runt?" Celestia's personal student? The one who'd opened a gateway all the way to Tartarus? And carved a chasm along Alicorn Way from the Luna Tower all the way to edge of the cliff over half a league away? Could she sense magic the way Celestia and I could? 

My eyes widened. Sensing Celestia years ago, in the middle of a boulevard across from the restaurant I sat in, had been easy; her sensing me while invisible might have been harder. Could I sense a regular unicorn like Shining Armor casting Shield? I waved my horn around.

I got nothing. 

Maybe the stallion couldn't read ambient magic, either! I paused, casting Don't Look Don't See Don't Hear. Oddly, the darkness and shadows did not make that easier. Vague details flit and pulsed in motes and ripples of grey. What my eyes might notice and what this Shining Armor might notice might be different enough to break the spell's verisimilitude. I imagined the patter of my horseshoes fading into the background of the twittering early morning birds and the rustle of leaves. My perception, maddeningly, remained unaffected by the spell and I couldn't tell if it worked except by others' reactions.

I found a tea urn that momentarily convinced my stuttering heart it was an owl nesting on a stack of rose-motif tea cups in a servant's bay. I rushed by. I had to find my target before Princess Celestia tracked me down. By the occasional grunts over the gum, I could tell they still played tag.

Or... maybe she figured Shining Armor could take care of himself?

A girlish voice asked loudly, "Shiny? BBBFF? Where are you? I know you're here."

BFF? Was "Shiny" Twilight's coltfriend? She was my age, after all, and might have a stallion she rode. Made sense that Shining Armor might have taught her how to walk through his Shield. I'd seen the purple filly enough times, usually surrounded by books that weighed as much as she did. She had to be a high level unicorn, at least scholastically, possibly higher level than me. 

According to Sunset Shimmer, the runt had no practical experience—

I heard hoof steps against the plank floor. That way! I trotted quickly, figuring that I'd rather chance a lieutenant in the guard to an overpowered magical generalist, and get it over with before Celestia decided to stop toying with Citron.

I decided not to ask nicely for him to stop as I'd promised.

Past stacked cherrywood tables and chairs, I heard steps. A little closer, I saw a white stallion with an annoyed frown on his face look both ways out of a catering kitchen, not seeing me at all.

Beside him were stacked silver steam trays, blue-decorated white porcelain tureens, and wicker bread baskets. He had a blue-streaked mane and blue hooves that picked up the color of the dawn. The fellow wasn't very big; unicorns were rarely as massive as earth ponies. Closer, I realized he was my size, which meant small for a stallion, but he made it up with large bones and beefy broad muscular shoulders and haunches. He massed one and a half pony weight, easily.

I continued my stalk, going no faster than necessary to keep in mind my surroundings to maintain my spell, sparing a few brain cells to queue a quick draw Levitate. I figured I'd be close enough that targeting errors of 20% wouldn't matter.

A standing pony's rear legs are the easiest to sweep. With the back pointing sesamoids, you can collapse him so he's suddenly forced to sit. If you wheel your hindquarters around—this takes a lot of practice—you can fit under his breast and neck, shove sideways across the closest leg, and throw him on his back. My teachers in the gang had tried to teach me to finish by striking his exposed stallion parts, but I'd never been able to execute on that. I'd first learned to fight as a prizefighter in the arena; there were strict rules against such things!

Blue eyes sparkled as they looked past me through the building. He thrashed his tail and nodded as he stepped toward Twilight's side of the pavilion.

Shoot! 

You had to trip a pony moving forward, which took more effort, folding him painfully to his fore knees and if possible down on his chin. A unicorn ought to follow through with a magical grab to the head. This couldn't injure your opponent directly, but if it prevented him from recovering as his chin sped toward the ground, you improved the chance of a KO. Strong fighters might instead sweep on through to his back legs, but his knees and momentum meant you needed to do even more, like barreling under him, at which point you took damage from his haunches. Still, you could hook his stomach pushing upward and, with all your strength, throw him over. Fore stomps to the hindquarters or stomach ought follow. 

I'd done something like this to Celestia.

I'd once done this to a street fighter masquerading as a park ranger. Because of our relative momentum, I ended with my horn in his stomach as I did a bull throw. I'd been in fighting shape then. He'd shown me the carrots in his breakfast a moment later. Really disabling. Disgusting, too.

He crept slowly away, trying to be silent, showing me his carefully lashing tail. 

I had the advantage of not being seen. Ambush. 

With this very same spell active, I'd managed a surgical strike to a pegasus' wing—and subsequently thought I'd murdered the miscreant. Blue Lightning had later called me the "perfect assassin." He'd speculated I could even kill Celestia. 

I curved around to Shining Armor's right. That changed the angle of light and darkness enough that I could see strong muscles flex below the fur of a hard flank that could smash my muzzle in with one buck.

This was why I avoided his rear hooves, and a reflex kick.

Well, I now knew Celestia could detect my illusion spell—so killing her wasn't happening, and who besides Carne Asada would think killing day and night would be a good idea? This spell wasn't perfect; none were. I'd learned the hard way—I had to always assume that my magic wouldn't let me directly harm ponies, and to hope for the best when I really needed it. 

I leapt, turned with my momentum, and aimed a buck at his shoulders.

Then, as with my attempt on Blue Lightning, the spell broke. Shining Armor got to look (his head jerked my direction), see (his eyes widened in shock), and hear (my hooves resounded on the floorboards as I spun). He jerked away, but a second wasn't enough time for him to sufficiently react.

My shoulder screamed at me from the stress. Muscles quivered. I lost my stance as I shot my legs back. I still planted my hooves in his shoulder with a meaty thud, but slid into him. My right rear leg folded from the pull I'd gotten throwing Celestia. He went down hard, still thrown over on his side by the buck and the mare who followed with momentum meant for the buck but not converted from backward motion. 

His head bounced like a coconut.

We slid together, my forelegs scrabbling for purchase as I went, with me ending up sitting on the side of his chest. I cried out as all my muscles went into spasm, or the agonizing snapped-elastic feel made me think they had. His topmost rear leg was flung back, exposing his stallion parts. As he flexed his neck and his tail twirled for balance, I quickly got that his hitting his head hadn't knocked him out. I felt muscles move under my flank.

This guy was a beast!

Fear might have made me execute the murderous gang strike that moment, were I capable of it.

Instead, I grabbed a steam tray in my magic. I tossed it and ducked my head. My magic detected my intent. Metal still struck him, but it glanced lightly off bone and slid away.

"Ow! What are you doing—?" 

"Canceling your Shield spell!"

I caught a porcelain soup tureen and wielded that.

He brought up his forelegs. He struck the tureen before I could strike him. Bad move. My magic hadn't slowed it, yet. The porcelain popped into shards that crashed around us. I heard a bone crack.

He balled up, hitting his head again, bowling me over onto the sharp shards with his sudden movement. I got stabbed in my flank and upper back for my trouble, but he looked down for the count.

"Is the dome still there?"

Citron and Streak spoke over each other. "Princess's on her way." "It flickered big time, but it's still up."

"Shoot!" I said, worried I'd have to beat him bloody and really not wanting to risk killing him. I didn't like to hurt ponies, especially ones that hadn't attacked me or somepony first.

He hadn't.

I reached over and flicked his horn. He groaned.

"Now?"

"No difference." 

"Shoot!"

With a moan, his training reasserted itself enough that he flexed his neck to look at me. From the way he blinked, not lighting his horn, I knew how he felt. I'd been beat a year ago to within a hoof length of my life, or the hoof strike to my head had made me feel that way. I'd lost my magic for hours. Maybe him?

I'd never be so lucky. 

His Shield presented persistence codicils. That accounted for the layering and thickness, and likely strength. Streak had seen magic from here. If it required refreshing—

"What have you done to MY BROTHER!" 

The runt. The cute little filly who couldn't run without tripping and hurting herself playing hoof ball. Twilight Sparkle.

A steam tray and lid whizzed past my muzzle. I scrambled back in shock, cutting myself further. Both hit a post with a loud Clang! The metal crumpled to half its length, before clattering apart and bouncing away.

I worked to bring up my shield, with its quarter arc barely enough to hold back a pony. I saw all the trays and tureens rise off the sideboard, together. Dozens of forks and knives rose to escort them.

She was a beast.

I needed Teleport, and I needed it now, but the sight shocked me. I cringed behind the curved apparition. Could I whirl it around to counter attacks from all sides?

Were I her, I'd attack from all sides. 

I didn't trust her magic was limited the way mine was. I wouldn't bet my life, but it seemed I had.

"Stop!" the Princess shouted with ear splitting volume. "Stop right now, young lady!"

"Ugh!" escaped the runt's mouth. She looked to the princess who stood wings flared at the edge of the pavilion. A couple soup tureens crashed to the floor, bursting. Twilight glared at me, and the utensils vibrated.

"I mean it," Celestia warned. "That's neither a friendly nor an appropriate response, Twilight."

"But, but— my brother!"

Celestia glanced to me, to Twilight, to Shining Armor, and back to Twilight. "She's not going to hurt him further, is she?" She speared me with expectant eyes.

I reflexively shook my head, and felt sweat drip down. True. I'd done what I could to break his shield. Further violence served no purpose. 

The serving items slid back to the sideboard, but not the silverware. They shook as if levitating them now taxed her reserve of splendors. "I am not making friends with her. There's no magic in friendship!"

I chimed in nervously. "Friends always leave you in the end. Friendship is overrated. "

"And takes time away from studying. HEY!" She frowned angrily at me, the purple and red stripes in her mane looking grey as if the color had drained out of her, leaving her bloodless. Her eyes seemed to glow red, but that was a Kirlian reflection off her ruddy aura off the silverware. 

Celestia observed, "You both have lessons to learn."

"I'm letting go of my Shield," I stated, eyes more on the sharp utensils than than the petite pony.

As mine faded (in deference to a quick draw Levitate), she tossed the silverware into a sink. It clattered and clashed. She would have rushed to her brother's side, but the princess wisely levitated the ailing stallion beside her—likely saving the frogs of an oblivious Twilight's hooves from being cut on porcelain shards.

"Friendship," I sneered and felt my lip curl. "Sunburst got his cutie mark and abandoned me. My one best friend and soulmate. Look Princess. Look at the pony at your hooves. Look well at what I am capable of. Evil. Do you really want me as a student next to her. Friendship. Really? You don't want me as a friend. I'm just a little bit evil. I always end up hurting ponies. Let me go and you'll never see me again."

Twilight immediately fussed over her brother, patting his face, trying to get him to focus. His head moved, but wobbled. Definitely punch drunk. Celestia shifted to keep me and him in view, then let her magic drop into him. It wasn't a special spell, nor was it one I knew from the numbers I sensed.

I might be a little exhausted and injured to be able to read magic well.

I noticed Shining Armor's cutie mark: a dark blue shield emblazoned with a huge six-point star resembling the one doubled on Twilight Sparkle's flank. Three white stars formed an arc, or perhaps a dome, over the shield. No-brainer as to what his special talent was, or that the two ponies were siblings. I'd have to study siblings and twins one day to see the frequency of similar iconography in their marks. 

One day.

Fat chance of Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle letting me probe them with my magic.

My best hope—against my normal reality that everything was far worse than I understood—was that Shining Armor's spell would fade or suddenly fail. To take best advantage of that, I needed to be in a position that Citron and Streak could simultaneously touch me the moment I teleported. I started by levitating away the five porcelain shards embedded in my hide. I intentionally whimpered when I pulled the only big one out. Blood immediately flowed in a rivulet from my shoulder down my leg. I felt my body cool as it registered blood loss. As I slowly picked my way past the broken pottery, I positioned myself so that neither could miss that I bled. I used Levitate to apply pressure to it and another cut, using the excuse to keep the spell spun up.

I stopped at the edge of the pavilion, outside of physical striking distance from the pair. I judged that Celestia trusted Shining Armor's spell would hold, which didn't bode well for me. I think it kept her from reacting to my proximity to escaping.

She told Twilight, "He's got a concussion, but I don't think it's that bad. Minor crack in his scapula, though." She gently petted his mane as he looked like he was going to try to sit up again, then looked at me hesitantly.

Not apologizing, Celestia! I said, "I'm too exhausted to heal him right now."

Twilight looked up with a small gasp. "She's a doctor?"

"In training. Dr. Flowing Waters taught her the fundamentals."

In training? I asked, "What else are you going to bribe me with?"

With no hint of sarcasm, she answered, "Practically anything you want. Avoid the subject we aren't discussing, however."

Yeah, the curse. I zipped my lips with my hoof and a what-the-fudge frown.

"Ask. I made you the Earl of Grin Having. Only two dukes in Equestria hold sway over more land. There's a city up north I'm hoping to grant Princess Cadence, but currently she's landless. It will be smaller than Grin Having. Prince Blueblood has only a block in Manehatten. I'd love to make you his teacher, to see what you could make of the do-nothing." She looked down at the white stallion. "Shining Armor, too. His hoof-to-hoof training seems to be lacking."

Twilight's purple eyes widened. "No. You can't be serious!" 

Serious, or not, she scooted on her bottom so she was between her brother and I. Her horn lit, too. Ok, not entirely dumb.

Celestia said, "Everything I've observed about Quincy, and what he told me of you, makes me think you've plenty to contribute."

I growled. "You'd never give me real power!"

"You collect the third coin of all taxes in Grin Having. Lots of bits translates to lots of power."

"You're missing the point."

"Which is?"

"You're a princess. An alicorn, too. I'm an earl. We are not peers," I said, waving a hoof rapidly right and left, deny any equivalence. "Even at my potentially most powerful, no pony army will carry out an order you countermand."

"You focus too narrowly. The world is not black and white. You are a Hero of Equestria, and I will train you. Equestria needs heroes, right now, or haven't you noticed the monsters and the border raids recently?"

"I know about that Prince of Storms because I know who sold him the keels for his airships, and I saw you with a giant glowy illusory map of Mount Aris in the middle of the street before you flew off. Do you think about security at all?"

"On Alicorn Way?" She gasped. "I remember! I sensed startling magic that day. Another puzzle piece falls into place. Yes, Starlight, those barbarians are an example of how I fight evil. The world is changing. Wouldn't you rather be the solution, or are you going to run away again?"

I sat down, hard. I hurt. I was exhausted. And I was so done with these horse apples! 

"The runaway card, really?"

"You ran away from Grin Having."

"Yes. Yes, I did. Nopony would teach me magic!"

Twilight gasped. She got it!

Of course, there was the wanting to find Sunburst, who could help me learn all those stupid things I couldn't get through my hard head. 

Celestia scoffed. "You could have fought it. You were a bright filly. Maybe a bit too soft and sensitive. Did anypony take a switch to your behind for not doing as told? I know you never protested." She flared out her wings. "Never did a hunger strike! You never just started learning magic, refusing to learn anything else until we had to concede."

I looked at my hooves. "You're right. I had to learn the hard way to be tough."

"Well, it worked. I admire that about you." I felt my face warm, as she went on. "Then you ran away from the Syndicate. Best I can piece together now that I know you are Gelding, you ran the organization for at least a month, maybe even during the half-year before the incident in Hooflyn."

"Yeah, for a few weeks, and I did my best to keep from knowing the criminal business of the enterprise. Only so much I could do, running it without knowing the particulars, through delegation. There's a difference in degrees of wrong between being a bodyguard and running a crime syndicate."

"Do you think I run Equestria, Starlight? Really?" Her mouth dropped in a momentarily outraged smile. "The peerage and the bureaucracy will tell otherwise. I say what I want; they figure out how. You didn't want to get your hooves dirty?" She scoffed again. "No. No! You lost your nerve! Didn't you? You could have reformed the organization from the top."

My face burned. "Mobsters don't like change that will affect their bottom line, or their power over other ponies. They'd have killed me first."

"I'm thinking you're too smart for that. Do you think my hooves aren't dirty?" 

Twilight gulped audibly. We both glanced at the littlest pony at the same time. Her eyes went like saucers.

I answered, grinning, "I absolutely believe your hooves are dirty. You haven't been upfront with your student, have you?"

"I've taken a more—" She paused, which made me think about her curse again. "—friendly tack with Twilight. Thanks to you Starlight, I expect some interesting questions from my most faithful student." She looked down pointedly at the purple runt. 

Twilight nodded uncomfortably, though she murmured, "I like tests."

Celestia speared me with her purple gaze. "You are doing it again, Starlight."

I jumped back to my hooves and wobbled. Blinking, I looked around. Citron had parked himself on a lawn outside the pavilion, near a tree he could take cover by, but close enough to charge in. I had not heard or seen his approach, but then I'd been occupied by the company, pain, and exhaustion.

"Running away?" I asked. 

"You have made it perfectly clear how you feel about me. Are you or are you not running away from what you feel is your duty?"

"I hate you!" I screamed, causing her wings to flare. "You took advantage of my parents' death to make an earl so you could completely manipulate my life! Did you take Sunburst away, too? He went to your school! You did, didn't you?"

She folded her wings and frowned at me. "It's good to let the anger out, Starlight. But Sunburst? He's a part time librarian now. I'm surprised he didn't send you a letter since he's been one since before you ran away. Your generation—unfriendly, the whole lot of you!"

"A librarian?"

Twilight interjected, "Librarians are the best!" probably trying to defuse the fight between the parent figures in her midst. Sunset was right. Naïve.

I shook my head. I used that to hide my subvocalizing. "The shield?"

Streak said, "I think it's dimmer. 20%?"

Citron said, "Less."

I sighed. Did it matter? What was the worst she'd do to me? Lock me in a dungeon? More likely, nag me day and night, or pile on homework. I needed rest. 

I said,"As Streak pointed out, it takes two to agree to a deal. I don't agree to being your student." I poked the auroras and stars newly decorating my rump. "I got this cutie mark I never wanted last night, and what it is telling me has nothing to do with you! Cutie marks and their insidious magic are a totally different thing, and I need to figure that out, not becoming a so-called hero that's going to be subverted by—" 

I growled. A curse. Why was I complying about saying the word? Twilight? No, I was simply too exhausted to care. 

"Yay, you, Princess!" I waved my hooves at my surroundings. "You've trapped me. Can't escape now, but it's useless. Better to teach Twilight Sparkle to be friendly. Maybe there is magic in friendship! She can save the world with it... from you."

I shook my head, rolling my eyes. "Everypony thinks you'll do something special for the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration. All this gathering together of heroes you're doing, your school expanding with its stupid motto 'Equestria Needs Unicorns!', accepting even criminal students like me in. Maybe the curse will rain down darkness on us all. Obviously, that's what your curse is waiting for!" 

I found myself looking out at the pre-dawn—still dark blue, purple, and orange—lingering over peaceful gardens with silhouettes of trees and sunflowers, leaves rustling in a breeze. 

"Perfect example." I pointed, waving my hoof dramatically. "Like that. Refusing to raise the sun seems pretty evil to me. In a little less than two years, the celebrating and cursing will be over and you'll let me go. Fine! I'll freeload! I'll stay!"

A crackling noise, like kindling catching in a fireplace, made me look back at the princess. My first thought was I'd succeeded nicely in making her very mad.

I could not have been more wrong.