//------------------------------// // Part Thirty-Six // Story: The Princess and the Kaiser // by UnknownError //------------------------------// Flurry crept along the snowbank, moving glacially slow to avoid the snow crunching under her boots. Duskcrest waved her forward, prone beside a tree with binoculars in claw. Barrel Roller laid beside him, peering through a rifle scope. The alicorn, clad in an all-white uniform like the rest of the strike team, slid along the snow to the edge of the tree line, stopping next to the pony and griffon. “There are five patrols of four,” Duskcrest whispered slowly, “an unknown number in the barracks, and a pair in each guard tower.” “Agreed,” Barrel mumbled. The stub of his right ear twitched as he focused on the rifle. “I can’t get the cloud scouts any closer without raising the alarm.” Flurry scanned up and down the snowbank, eying the prone griffons and ponies laying against the freezing ground. The moon was partially obscured by the clouds tonight, and a few scattered snowflakes drifted from the mountains into their valley. “I don’t think we outnumber them,” Duskcrest whispered again and offered Flurry his binoculars. She held them in her hooves, avoiding using her magic, and studied the fence surrounding Ironbend. She considered casting her night vision spell to see better, but the glowing eyes would be too easy to spot in the dark. Ironbend was a small mining village before the war, barely three hundred crystal ponies digging up iron ore to be shipped to the Crystal City for processing. The Changelings had converted it to a prison camp. They fenced off the village with barbed wire, demolished most of the outer buildings, and placed several guard towers along the perimeter. Flurry observed a pair of changelings in the nearest guard tower, the southeast corner, trade a cigarette between them. She moved down to the buildings, several long wooden bunkhouses with snow piled around the walls and along the roof. They were made of wood and cheaply built, probably by the ponies forced to live in them. One building near the middle was mostly clear of snow; it stuck out as the only original crystal building still standing in former town. The windows were closed and shuttered for the night, but they faced the bunkhouses and the mine. Flurry spotted a radio antenna jutting from the roof, with the glow of another cigarette underneath it. She looked to the west. The train station was on the opposite side of Ironbend, also fortified and cleared of snow. Most importantly, a train engine was parked along the squat crystal station. Flurry saw several figures patrol along the platform and along the engine, but light poured through the windows of the station house with a jaunty tune in Herzlander drifting in the wind. Flurry lowered the binoculars. “Crystal building’s the guardhouse,” she guessed. “More at the station.” She passed the binoculars back. “They had ponies loading the train before nightfall,” Barrel whispered. “We’ll need to hit the station hard, then push to the guardhouse. The majority of the garrison is there.” He pointed to the roof. “Have squad four ready their bazooka to hit the antenna,” Duskcrest rolled over on his back and gestured to another griffon behind him. “Squads three and five hit the station, the rest leap through the fence and take rooftops.” He glanced at Flurry. “We’re all fliers; we need a unicorn to cast the detection spell.” “They’ll notice,” Flurry warned, “and I can’t aim the spell to cover an area. It comes from my horn.” “Suggestions, Princess?” Flurry licked her lips, chapped from the cold night air. “Do we need to take the barracks?” “What do you mean?” “I can just blow it up.” Barrel thought about it. “We could salvage equipment.” “Lives are more important,” Duskcrest countered. “We’ll lose more than we’ll gain. Blow it.” “Okay,” Flurry agreed. “I need to get in range to charge up the detection spell. I’ll go invisible, take the southeast tower, then blow the barracks.” Twilight’s changeling detection spell was an advanced anti-illusion spell, stripping away a changeling’s natural shapeshifting abilities. Depending on the power put into the spell, it could reveal a single changeling, or sweep through an entire block. Flurry could put enough power into it to cover several blocks and short out illusions for a few minutes. “How long will we have?” Flurry eyeballed the size of Ironbend. “Seven minutes once I cast it. I’ll have to recast it again after that.” Barrel Roller didn’t look thrilled with the plan. The pegasus frowned and jabbed Duskcrest with a wing. “It’s not necessary to risk the Princess.” “She’s deadlier than the entire group,” Duskcrest hissed back. “I’ll take what advantage I can get right now.” Mountain bandit, Flurry smiled. I wonder what his ambushes were like, before all of this. The alicorn slid back down the snowbank and crouched behind the tree. She unzipped her white jacket and shrugged off her rifle, setting it against the tree carefully. “What are you doing?” Barrel whispered back to her. “Invisibility spell doesn’t work on clothes,” Flurry mumbled back, removing her pants and holster. “You can’t go in there unarmed,” Barrel protested. His voice carried slightly in the trees and he cringed, snapping back to the fence. "Cloth doesn't stop bullets." Flurry tapped her horn with a roll of her eyes, then lowered her head into the snow and jabbed the pink spiral into a snowbank to hide the light. The snow glowed a soft blue as Flurry faded out of sight. She cast her muffling spell for good measure, then crept silently through the trees. “On your signal,” Duskcrest called softly. The other pegasi and griffons readied their rifles and submachine guns. A few nodded at the hoofprints that soundlessly crunched into the snow beside them as Flurry cleared the trees. She flapped her wings to get airborne and nimbly glided in the cold wind drifting down from the mountain. Flurry expected to feel something. This was the first time she’d been home in the Crystal Empire in years. The last time she set a hoof in her territory, she killed the pilot chasing Rainbow Dash across the border. She didn't feel anything when she joined Duskcrest, Barrel, and the small advance force at the tunnel entrance. Kristoff had been so proud of his support beams and smooth trail, and Flurry agreed that the pillars placed along the tunnel were impressive work for two days. They had a rough road from Evergreen to the mountain path into the Crystal Empire. The next step was connecting the path to Ironbend. It would still be a hard push to move everyone. She thought about Rainbow. The mare was furious she was left in Evergreen to plan the upcoming air assault. The alicorn circled the two-story guard tower from above for one pass. It didn’t have a ladder; the guards were expected to use their wings. The Changelings inside finished one cigarette and flicked it out into the snow with a burst of green magic, then the one on the left pulled out a fresh pack. Flurry cut through the drifting smoke with a wing as she silently landed on the flat roof, disturbing the snow. “Wind’s picking up,” a guard commented in Herzlander. “The mountains are always cold,” the other complained. “I’m sick of being here.” Flurry stepped off the roof, silently landing in the tower just behind the pair of soldiers. They were both in the standard black uniform of the Changeling Hegemony, slightly ruffled and covered in a dusting of snow. The one on the left had set his submachine gun on the floor and removed his helmet, using it as an ashtray while he puffed on the cigarette. The guard on the right was slightly shorter than his comrade; he hooked his front hooves on the railing and stared out into the forest, rifle slung by his side. They both looked a few years older than her, but not adults. Flurry moved for the one with the cigarette first. She rushed him with two fast steps, then reared back and savagely threw her left hoof into his muzzle. His cigarette went flying as his muzzle crunched inwards, shattering his fangs along with most of his teeth. He dropped to the floor, trying to breathe through a collapsed muzzle, and failing. The second guard turned as his partner was seemingly assaulted by thin air, then flailed his hooves as he felt Flurry seize his back leg with an outstretched wing and yank him off the railing. Flurry threw herself atop the changeling with a muted grunt, driving the air from his lungs, then brought her front hooves down on his helmet. There was a sharp clang and a crunch as her bare hooves impacted the metal, then a spray of blood on the floor of the tower. The first guard spasmed, then stilled; his solid blue eyes stared upward at the ceiling. Flurry paused and listened, turning her ears around. She only heard the wind, and smiled grimly at the bodies. The alicorn crouched out of sight, then dispelled her illusions. She slid the submachine gun over and inspected it. It was a short, stocky model, older than the ones from Blackpeak’s armories, but clearly Changeling made and designed. She put her right hoof on the elongated trigger. She retrieved two stick magazines and a long-handled grenade from the first body, then slung the rifle strap around her neck and set another grenade aside. Flurry looked towards the two-story barracks. It was an easy shot from halfway across Ironbend. Her horn lit up with a pale blue light as she charged the laser. A patrol of three changelings stopped under the tower. “You two better be up there and not at the poker game!” a deep, dual-toned voice shouted in Herzlander. Flurry braced the submachine gun in her front hooves and crawled to the open edge of the tower. She looked up and released her spell. The blue laser shot across the rooftops, slicing through the crystal walls on the second floor, and Flurry jerked her horn down and added more power. The beam arced with wild belts of flame and the building exploded into a shower of crystal shards. The guards underneath her screamed at the blast. Flurry leaned down from the tower, braced the gun against her shoulder and emptied the magazine into the changelings below. Their backs were turned to her, staring mutely at the destruction in the center of town. They crumpled into the snow before they could ready their weapons. She stood up, charging her horn with a bright blue light, then released the detection spell while she loaded an unused magazine. It swept through Ironbend, and the alicorn noticed some flares of green magic along the fence from the patrols. Gunfire erupted from the forest. Flurry watched as the guard tower to the north exploded in a direct hit from a bazooka. She shouldered the rifle and laid on the floor of the tower, aiming into the village. A patrol rounded the bunkhouse nearest to her tower, a group of four changelings flying low for the train station. Their wings buzzed with effort, but their heavy black winter coats and guns slowed them down. Flurry’s first shot took their leader in the throat, and she cycled the bolt and fired again, striking the next changeling in the side. She didn’t hit the others; they flew too erratically and took cover behind another bunkhouse. A flare went up into the sky, illuminating Ironbend. The griffons and pegasi charged from the forest with pumping wings and leapt over the fence with a strong flap. They landed atop the roofs, firing down into the alleyways where the Changeling soldiers were sheltering from the hail of gunfire from the forest. A griffon fell from the sky with a pained shriek, but Flurry grabbed him with her magic and set him down near another squad. A long peal of machine gun fire came from the train station. Heavy weapon. Flurry Heart grabbed a grenade with her teeth, wrapped the submachine gun’s strap around her neck, and leapt down with a flaring horn. Her bubble shield formed around her as she flew just above the ground and along the fence. Two bullets pinged off while she made for the station. She passed Duskcrest firing two silver-plated revolvers around the side of a bunkhouse into an alleyway. There was a screech as he killed a changeling with a headshot. At the station, the windows had been blown out and the Changelings inside braced a heavy machine gun in the window frame facing the forest. The gun kicked up massive puffs of powdered snow as it sprayed the forest and the advancing soldiers. Flurry pumped her wings and barreled towards an open window from the other side. A shotgun-wielding Changeling spotted her bright blue shield and the machine gun quieted. Flurry narrowed her eyes as the gun reappeared in the window she was aiming for, and the two changelings crewing it braced themselves against the floor. The gun sounded like a buzzsaw, and Flurry’s horn prickled from the sudden stream of bullets ricocheting in every direction. For a moment, she was forced back and had to stop and flare out her wings to stabilize the shield. The magic crackled, then Flurry pushed forward with an angry glare. One changeling leapt away, but the triggermare kept firing until Flurry smashed through the wall and window, knocking the changeling back with the severe blunt force of her shield. The machine gun’s long barrel bent sideways on impact and exploded. The triggermare, a changeling in a cleaner black uniform with silver bars on her shoulders, shrieked in pain upon contact with the alicorn’s shield. Bright blue flames engulfed her uniform, and the changeling rolled wildly on the crystal floor. None of the two dozen changelings in the station moved to help her. They instead peppered Flurry’s shield with gunfire, sending ricocheting bullets in every direction. One changeling was struck in the eye and sprawled back onto a table. Flurry unslung her machine gun, flapping her wings to stay airborne. She scanned the room, surveying the Changelings surrounding her shield. One drew a pistol in green magic and fired wildly while she struggled to reload with her hooves. Flurry's horn sparked. The shield began to crackle and arcs of lightning swept across the surface as her horn burned. Several grenades flew through the open windows, landing among the Changelings. One bounced off Flurry’s shield and landed at the hooves of a changeling reloading his submachine gun. He had the time to look down with an open-mouthed gasp of terror before it went off. Flurry winced at the explosions and her ears pinned back, feeling the force reverberate through her horn. When the dust cleared, a squad of pegasi peered through the windows with rifles at the ready. A few of the changelings had taken cover behind desks and tables, but nearly the entire room was dead. The alicorn spat her unused grenade out. “Surrender or die,” Flurry growled from her shield. One changeling rose from behind a desk with bloody hooves raised above his head. His helmet was missing. “Surrender!” he said in accented Equestrian. With his example, a few more crawled from their hiding places, all wounded. Flurry glanced at the still burning body of the gunner, now mangled beyond recognition from a grenade. “Sorry!” a stallion apologized, shouting through the window. “I saw the shield and figured you could use a hoof.” “I was fine,” Flurry supplied, “but I was about to blow the building.” Her horn winked out and the lightning around the shield faded away. The alicorn listened to the distant gunshots outside and frowned at the prisoners. “Leave your weapons and get out onto the platform,” she commanded in Herzlander. “We are injured,” the first changeling protested. Flurry noticed a bloody black armband around his right foreleg. He swallowed as Flurry stared at him and licked his fangs. “Drag them,” Flurry said, then switched to Equestrian and called over her shoulder to the squad leader. “Shoot any that can’t make it out, and shoot them all if they resist.” “Yes, Princess,” the stallion nodded. Flurry left the way she came in and flapped her wings towards the distant gunshots near the destroyed barracks, submachine gun in hoof. The guard towers were burning, and some had already collapsed into the snow. A lone gunshot sounded behind her as she flapped away.