Chapter 62
“I’ll be completely honest with you, babe,” Scamp began as they all walked down a mostly deserted street, dilapidated buildings all around them. “This place is a lot worse than you made it sound.”
“We’re just in the bad part of this city,” Mallogory chuckled, walking in the middle, “if you want beautiful, then you should’ve been watching the scenery outside the train.”
“I was a little preoccupied,” the mare laughed, slugging her wife in the hip.
“I don’t know,” Spark spoke up, a grin on his face. “I kinda like it. Sure it’s a bit run down and dead looking, but it’s got a charm to it.”
The two women looked at each other, sharing a knowing smirk.
“What?” he asked, tilting his head at them as they continued down the street.
“Sometimes your father shines through when you speak,” Mallogory teased, causing him to frown.
“I know that’s supposed to be an insult, but I’m taking it as a complement,” he declared, causing them both to laugh.
“I rest my case.”
He huffed, but before he could make another comment, Mallogory came to a halt.
“What is it?” he asked, stopping right behind her, eyes scanning the area.
“I believe we’re here…” she said, nodding to a building ahead that had a sign that read ‘Beltosh Armaments & Repairs’.
“I expected more,” Scamp muttered, getting a nod of agreement from her wife.
“Yes… something’s wrong here. This place should be… bigger, and in a better part of town,” Mallogory said as she began to walk towards the building quickly, throwing caution to the wind.
“Hey, don’t just-” Scamp began, but it was too late as her wife picked up her pace, running to the building. She let out a groan and took off after her, closely followed by Spark.
“Don’t just rush in!” Scamp hissed as she caught up just as Mallogory reached the door. “Take this slow.”
Reluctantly she stopped at the door, taking a deep breath. “Yes, you’re right. If anything, I don’t want to panic them by bursting through the door.”
“I’ll go first,” Scamp said as she took a step forward, followed by her wife taking a step back.
Carefully she pushed the door open and walked in, eyes scanning the empty and dusty store. A bell rang above her, causing some movement to be heard deeper in the building.
“Um… coming!” a female voice called out, sounding a bit… strange.
She walked in, followed by the other two who stayed right behind her.
After a moment an older Kejtdra woman stepped out and walked up to the counter, covered in sweat and a fake smile plastered on her face. Scamp took notice of her disheveled appearance immediately, seeing a strange look in her wide eyes, the smile doing nothing but making her look more out of place.
“Welcome to Beltosh Armaments & Repairs… I’m sorry but we’re close today due too… repairs,” she said, not really looking at them as her eyes kept darting to the door she’d just come from.
“Mother?” Mallogory said from behind Scamp, causing the woman to snap her head at them, fully taking them in for the first time.
“Mallogory?!” the woman yelped, seeming both shocked and scared at once.
Mallogory began to take a step forward, but Scamp, who knew her wife was tunnel visioning on her mother, held out a hoof and stopped her.
“Somethings not right,” she whispered, snapping her wife out of her trance.
The woman behind the counter had a mix of emotions on her face as sweat continued to bead up all over her skin.
“Mother, what is it?” Mallogory asked in a low tone.
“Mother?” a different voice called out as a large number of Kejtdra began to walk out of the doors around the shop, filling up the room and surrounding the trio. The speaker was a large man with two swords across his back, and a bulky seat of armor attached to his body. “I thought your kids were all dead, Liz? You dirty liar, you.”
The older Kejtdra woman did not speak as she locked eyes with Mallogory, seeming to beg her to just leave.
“What is this?” Spark demanded, taking in all the men around them. At least fifteen people were stuffed into this tiny shop, making it impossible for them to leave.
“You’ve done walked into the hornets nest,” the man laughed, smirking at them as another man came out, a rifle in his hands as he pointed it at Liz. “Normally, I’d let you walk, but you called her mother. Which makes you a part of this.”
“A part of what, exactly?” Scamp asked, staying calm as she mentally prepared herself.
“Sir, I think these are the parents of Shayla Beltosh,” another man said as he held open a notebook, going over what they’d found out from the owners of the shop.
At the mention of their daughters name, the two women had a visible reaction, causing the large man to smirk.
“I think you’re right, Keto,” he drew his two swords and pointed one at the trio. “So let’s just play nice together and all go take a seat in the other room.”
“Mallogory,” Liz began, getting a lot of looks from the men around her. “Run!” she yelled as she slammed her hand down on a button that had been hidden on the table, causing a bell to ring as the lights went out. The only light came from the mostly obscured windows, meaning the majority of the room was hidden in darkness.
Instead of listening to Liz the group exploded, dashing into the men around them.
Screams filled the room as guns went off, illuminating things momentarily as the images of Scamp and Mallogory ripping through the Kejtdra haunted those that were not engaged yet.
It didn’t take long before everything went quiet, leaving just a single person talking.
“Damn it!” the large Kejtdra yelled as he stood in the middle of the room, not hearing anything anymore. “Keto? Hectar? Jayco?!” he yelled, getting no response from any of his men.
“Fuck!” he yelled as he twisted around, trying to pick out movement in the mostly dark room around him.
Something moved behind him so he spun around, holding his swords up, but something slapped against his wrist, causing him to drop his swords.
Then the lights came on, revealing his hands had been cut off right at the wrist. His eyes went wide as he yelled in pain, but then Scamp dove over the counter and nailed him right in the face with a hoof, knocking him unconscious.
“Whew,” she let out a sigh as she looked around, seeing all the dead and unconscious Kejtdra that now lay around the shop. Liz just stood there, eyes wide in shock as she took in the scene before her.
“Spark, restrain the ones who are still alive,” she commanded as she walked over to Liz, her wife doing the same as she jumped the counter and wrapped her mother in a hug. “We need to talk,” she said simply, getting a nod from the confused woman who was currently being hugged by Mallogory.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Any questions?” Nova asked as she stood at the head of the table, all eyes on her.
“One question,” Louie said as he sat leaned back in his chair.
“Yes, Lou?” Nova asked as she turned her attention to him.
He threw a hand up, “so our plan is to expose Champion as a murderer who not only killed the Princesses, but also a lot of other people, right?”
“That is correct,” she confirmed, causing him to throw up his other hand.
“Why don’t we just focus on killing him? There has to be a way to stop him for good, why go through all the trouble of exposing him?”
“Because,” Roxxy interjected, a bit annoyed, “Champion is obsessed with his image, and wants the people to love him. Taking that away from him is the first step in defeating him.”
“Sure, but what if it just makes things worse?” Louie asked, getting a few looks from the others. “I think we should focus on-”
“Louie, we can’t kill him,” Roxxy said sternly. “He’s too powerful. The best we can do is break him down and then hopefully trap him in another dimension.”
Louie clearly didn’t like this, but looking at Nova he saw her give him a reassuring look.
“I know my brother,” Nova said firmly, getting everyone's attention. “If we take away all the love and admiration he’s gained, and make his deeds known to the world, then it’ll cause a breakdown. That will be when we can handle him, when he is not thinking clearly. Our goal,” she said as she placed an item on the table, “is to trap him in a specialized dimension, made just for him. Once he’s there, he’ll never be able to escape.”
“Before you ask, it’s unlikely he’ll enter it on his own,” Roxxy added, hooves crossed. “He’s able to sense when someone is being deceitful thanks to his super senses, so trying to trick him into entering right now would just end in all of our deaths. So we have to play this… carefully.”
“I really do not like this,” Louie muttered, “but I’ll back it.”
Everyone else gave their agreements as well.
“I shall hand out all assignments,” Nova said as her horn began to glow, levitating out a few folders to each person. “This is it. Once we leave this room, there is no going back. This plan must go exactly as planned, or everyone we know and love will die. Is this understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!” everyone said at once.
“Good luck,” Nova said with a nod as she took a step back, causing everyone to stand up.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Four more were arrested in the Everfree Forest, ma’am,” Captain Hefthoof, second in command of the Inquisitors, said as he stood before his Chief's desk.
“I’m assuming no one on our list?” Strawell, Chief of the Inquisitors, asked as she looked through a folder.
“No, ma’am,” he answered, placing down four pictures. “We have yet to locate any of our Most Wanted.”
“Hm,” Strawell glanced over to the four pictures, seeing no one she was interested in. “Very well. Anything else, Captain?”
“That is all, ma’am,” he said, giving a salute as he took a step back and walked out of her office.
She sighed as she began to focus on the files before her, but the building shook a bit, causing her to raise from her seat and stand at attention.
A few moments later her door opened as Champion himself stepped in, a scowl on his face.
“So tell me,” he said in a low tone as he closed the door behind himself and walked right over to her cabinet where she kept her personal wine. “Why did I wake up this morning to the news that you, YOU, held a press conference telling the world that Nova has returned?”
Strawell stood firm, unwavering. “You appointed me to hunt down and capture all Bronies and their associates,” she said sternly, causing him to growl as he broke the seal on one of her bottles and poured himself a drink. “Nova is at the top of our Most Wanted list. It is in our best interest for the world to be on the lookout for her, so she’ll have nowhere to hide from us.”
“That was not your call to make,” Champion said coldly as he drank her wine, frowning as he poured it out on the floor. “I gave you one job; to do as you were told,” he then turned to face her fully, eye twitching, “you went behind my back.”
“I did my job, My Lord,” she replied as she held his gaze, still standing at attention.
He suddenly punched her desk, sending it flying across the room where it crashed through the wall, flying out into the offices beyond. Yet she didn’t flinch as she stood there.
As they stared each other down, her phone began to ring, causing both of them to look down at it as it lay on the floor.
She saw the caller ID and gave a nod, “if I may, My Lord?”
He growled but gave her a nod.
Strawell bent over and grabbed the phone, clicking accept.
“Strawell,” she answered sternly.
“We’ve received a report of a sighting of one of our Most Wanted, ma’am,” the Inquisitor on the other side of the phone said.
“Send the details to my personal computer,” she commanded as she hung up, eyes never leaving Champion’s. “My Lord, I apologize for stepping above my station, but we have a sighting of one of our Most Wanted. If this concludes our meeting, I’m required elsewhere.”
“Chief Strawell,” he growled, getting right up in her face as his eyes began to glow, “do not cross me again. You are my DOG, you do what I say. If I didn’t order it, then you do not do it. Do you understand me?”
“Clearly, My Lord,” she said, her expression never faltering as he leaned back, eyes returning to normal.
“Now, go do your job,” he commanded as he walked out of her office.
She didn’t move right away, just stood there at attention. Once the building shook again she allowed herself to relax.
“Ma’am?!” Captain Hefthoof yelled as he rushed into the room, having heard the yelling but knowing better than to enter without being asked.
“It is fine, Captain,” she said as she began to move her chair back into place and sat down. “Have a new desk brought up, if you will.”
“Yes, ma’am!” he said as he saluted and left the room.
She let out a sigh as she looked at her personal computer, which had landed on the ground a few feet away. It flashed as a file was sent to her. Slowly an image began to appear of one of the ponies on the Most Wanted list.
That interaction with the King did not sit well with her, as it went against her previous views of him. But that did not matter, what mattered was bringing those responsible for the death of the Princesses to justice.
No matter the cost to herself.
ooo000<^>000ooo
Scamp held out a cup of tea to Liles as he sat in his chair, his face pretty swollen from the beating he’d received before they’d arrived.
“Thank you, Scamp,” he said as he took the cup, sipping from it.
She gave him a nod as she looked over at the four tied up Kejtdra, who were all still unconscious.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” Liz exclaimed as she and Mallogory sat together on the couch.
“I’m sorry but,” Scamp said as she stood in the middle of everyone, “why were they here? And why are they after Shayla?”
“Them?” Liles asked, glaring at the restrained men. “They work for Rig Fandan, and apparently Shayla’s gotten on their bad side.”
“Yeah, she tends to do that,” Scamp replied, unable to not chuckle at this. She glanced at the four unconscious men, ready for them to wake up so the interrogations could begin.
“Your daughter is a lot like you used to be, Mally,” Liz chuckled, causing Mallogory herself to smile. Then she smirked, “actually speaking of that…”
Mallogory raised her eyebrow, “why are you-” her eyes went wide. “No.”
Liz jumped up and took off running, giggling with glee as she did so.
“Mother no!” Mallogory yelled after her as Liles bellowed with laughter.
“Get the photo albums on the top shelf as well!” Liles called after her, causing Mallogory to groan.
“Scamp, go stop her,” Mallogory begged, but was met with her wife smirking at her.
“I don’t know, I kinda need to see these photo albums if you’re reacting like this.”
After a moment the older woman returned, holding five large photo albums.
“We’re starting with baby pictures!” she announced, causing Mallogory to groan loudly.
Scamp herself was clapping her hooves excitedly, a wide smile on her face.
“This is cruel…” Mallogory grumbled as everyone gathered around Liz.