//------------------------------//
// Forging a rescue - Part 1 
// Story: With Blood and Swords 
// by FALG 
//------------------------------//

I woke up around ten to twelve. Quickly, I grabbed a pouch full of bits I had prepared.
I put my sword at my hip, my retractable blades concealed by metal gauntlets, and a hoof-made armor for my torso (it had flat broken pieces of other ruined devices, all sewed at the front covered with cloth, to make some kind of plate armor).
I put on my greaves, and waited some time to think.

I looked at my night table, to a little sachet of leather, and opened it. There was the feather that Fluttershy gave me that day at the Gala.
I stroked the fragile little feather and put it back in the sachet, I added it a string so I could wear it as a collar.
"Hold on Fluttershy, we're coming for you." I whispered while putting the little bag on my neck.

I grabbed my hood, and fastened it to completely cover my face.

And with all resolve, I left the house.



I went to the library, all five of the ponies of the group were up, I could feel something different in the air.
"I'm here." I made notice of my presence.
"Good, let's overview the plan, Flare." Twilight said.

The plan was this: Twilight, Rainbow and I would go to Anvil, anonymous, to find the Guardians headquarters and rescue Fluttershy.
Twilight and I would sneak in, while Rainbow would remain outside, only to appear when called.
Once we found at least two ponies with Guardian clothes or armor, we'd deal with them and dispose them of their clothing, to remain unsuspected.
"But Twilight would be easily recognized, she's a mare!" Rarity said.
"I already though that, once Flare takes out his primitive armor..."
"Hey! It took me quite a while to find the right plates for this!" I said.
"Anyway, once you take it off, you'll give it to me so I wear it under the Guardian's clothes, that way they won't suspect that much."
"But the guardians aren't stupid." Rainbow said.
"But they're not smart either, they rely on quantity rather than quality. They can't remember all of the faces they see everyday, so we'll try to blend with low ranked soldiers." Twilight explained.
"That's right! And once we got a cover we can sneak to other rooms to find Fluttershy." I said.
"Exactly. But we'll have to act like them, we can't force their soldiers or officers for information, they might rise an alert."
"Wait, what's my part in this again?" Rainbow came in.
"You'll wait until I command you to enter. With your speed you'll find us easily, I'll call you when we need backup, or when we find Fluttershy and need some transport to get out as quickly as possible. And once we are safe, I'll use a transportation spell back here to Ponyville." said the unicorn.
"But whay don't cha' use that spell to get ther' in da' first place?" Applejack asked.
"I have to explore the place to do that, I don't know where Anvil is; and even if I guessed, I could end up anywhere but there. The spell will have to be charged longer than normal to get us back here though."

"Wait, what are we going to do while you go to Anvil?" Pinkie asked.
"You'll wait here, in case something happens, or that you find some new information. Be sure to write me a letter and tell Spike to send it to me." Twilight ordered.
"As you wish dear." Rarity said.
"Any other questions anypony?"
We looked at each other and shuffled our heads in denial.
"Okay then, let's go!"
The three of us left the library, off to Anvil.



Twelve hours later:

I was exhausted, we walked for quite a long while. At least Twilight brought some supplies to help us cope with the tire.
We arrived at the town, it was bustling with activity.
"Now, pay attention to any Guardian guard; after defeating the assassins they surely took control over all Anvil." Twilight whispered to us.

After walking around for some minutes, I saw a couple of Guardians talking to each other. An idea came to me.
"Hey, you keep going, I'll eavesdrop those two Guardians, maybe I can find something interesting." I said.
"We'll go with you." Rainbow suggested.
"No. They'll notice, I'll go alone, you two keep searching the town." I ordered.
They nodded and kept walking.

I fastened my hood and put it over my head to cover my face. Then I reached at a nearby bench and heard the conversation between the two.
"I can't believe assassins are still active." one of them said.
"They're not, our lord missed killing this last one. He was sure that that guy... what was his name again?" the other said.
"Um, Swift? Something like that?"
"Yeah, he was sure that Swift was the last one; guess he missed one more."
"He should have desserted before the attack, we killed them all in that place."
"Maybe, I can't find another reason."
"Hey did you check the mare they brought to lure the guy here?"
"Oh yeah, what a shame, she's gorgeous."
"But they don't have anything on her right? They will let her go after they kill this dude?"
"Maybe, I really don't know what they do with the prisoners."
"It would be a total waste to kill her, she's just beautiful."
"I am in luck actually, today I was assigned to guard the room where she is."
That caught my attention above everything else.
"You got one hell of a luck you know that?"
"Oh I do know man. Well I have to keep patrolling this streets, I'll see you around."
Then both ponies separated and went their way.

I followed the one that was in charge of guarding Fluttershy, and after some time Twilight and Rainbow catched up with me.
"Found anything?" Rainbow asked.
"See that Guardian there? He's assigned with guarding the room where Fluttershy is being held, we can't lose him." I said.
"I'll follow him, you two find two guards to dispose them of their clothing." Twilight ordered.
The pegasus nodded, and went to another direction, with me following suit.
"Let's see some rooftops, maybe we can take some guards by surprise and knock them out." I suggested.
"Sure, you go there, I'll go the other way." Rainbow said.
Then she trotted away.

I found a dead end alley and searched around to find some platforms to stand on. After some minutes I managed to get to the roofs.
I moved quietly, trying not to make much noise. Until I found a guard.
I looked around, and once I made sure there was nopony else in sight, I hit the guard in the middle of the head.
"Ow! What the..." was his only response, as I quickly punched him right in the snout.
He stumbled, and would have fallen off the edge if I didn't grab him by the red doublet. I pulled him up and punched him again a few times in the face, until I knew he was unconscious.
I disposed him from his clothes (the doublet and a metal capeline), and hid him somewhere hard to be found.

Once dressed as a Guardian, I came down from the rooftops as carefully as I could, and got out from the alley of before.
I walked around until I found Rainbow with a bag on her back.
"Let's give these to Twilight quick." Rainbow ventured.