//------------------------------// // Bad Bargains // Story: Brighter Horizons: A Trial of Shadows // by Destiny Chaser //------------------------------// The sleek airship cut silently through the low hanging clouds, the fading rays of the setting sun casting a dull sheen off of the craft’s black envelope containing the gas bags which kept the ship like hull of the flying machine in the air. The only sounds it made being the occasional creak from the rigging accompanied by the slow, metronomic beat of the large twin propellors at the aft of the dark ship aptly named the Nightingale. Secret Threshold checked his vest watch for what must had been the fifth time that hour, the sapphire lens of the luxury mechanical timepiece reflecting back to him the disappointment clearly visible on his scarred visage, a reminder to the steel grey pegasus not only that they were behind schedule, but also, of the cost of being careless in his line of work. Even though it had been almost ten years, he could steel feel the phantom twinges of pain in the remnants of his right wing caused by the spiked mace that an irate diamond dog had raked across his body, marring his hide and crippling his wing in an old deal gone wrong. That Secret Threshold had been a young, foalish stallion; overconfident in his abilities and lacking foresight. Now he was far more shrewd, more experienced, and more cautious than ever, a quality that was growing increasingly necessary in the vast underworld of creatures simply trying to make a dishonest bit in the world. It was absurd really, the Royal Guard had almost overnight become inexplicably more aggressive, more capable, and seemingly more confident than it had ever been in recent memory. They had always been a problem, but a manageable one, easy enough to predict and deal with. But now, they were completely unpredictable, and relentless in their behavior, acting more like a pack of timberwolves than a herd of ponies. The results of this sudden change in tactics spoke for themselves. He had lost more colleagues and work associates in the past three months than he had in the last three years. It wasn’t all bad, many of his competitors in the smuggling trades had been conveniently taken off the table for him, opening up more streams of illicit revenue for him. But at the same time, that meant there were fewer fish in an ever shrinking pond to hide among, making it more than likely, sooner rather than later, that his own number would be up, and it would be his turn to sample the Equestrian penal system, or worse. And it was all thanks to that wretched creature from another world that the Princesses employed, that human. Human… Secret grit his teeth in revulsion. One could hardly speak its name among the denizens of the underworld without evoking a cadre of reactions, ranging from vitriol and hatred to an almost superstitious kind of fear. Like he was some kind of monster who would leap out of the dark and gobble them up like frightened foals if even mentioned carelessly in conversation. That impression wasn’t helped at all by the rumors that swirled around the human like flies around carrion. He had heard them all, things such as that it drank blood, enslaved monsters, courted a changeling, and even wielded a piece of Celestia’s very sun as a weapon. He of course had scoffed at most of them, but the one rumor he didn’t dismiss, was the rumor that the human enjoyed the special protection and very affections of the Night herself, the one who could haunt a pony’s very dreams, Princess Luna. Threshold took that rumor deadly serious. It was one of the primary reasons why somepony hadn’t gone and done everypony the favor of eliminating Celestia’s favorite pet monster. That wouldn’t do, not when cold vengeance could suddenly find you anywhere and at anytime, even in one’s sleep. And in a world where criminals were already a superstitious lot, no pony wanted to deal with a nightmare like that; a danger from which there was no protection. The other reason being the apparent monster of a mare that followed him practically everywhere like some grim, meat-eating shadow. A hired assassin that somepony apparently had the stones to send attempted to eliminate the human a few months prior; but before he could even pull his weapon, the fanged beauty had tackled the poor fool to the ground, horribly mauling him almost to death before the human could call her off. After that, any remaining contracts, few that they were, vanished. The human was a monster, protected by other monsters, and no pony wanted to deal with that, no matter the offered bounty. After all, what good was money if you weren't around to spend it? "Sir, I talked to the engineer, he should be able to shave some time off of our arrival by tweaking the engines." Secret Threshold nodded to the white coated, blue maned pegasus that was his second in command, "Very good Cold Front, and see to it that everyone is ready for the rendezvous. The last thing I want is for some surprise intervention from the Guard to catch us unawares." He said, his Trottingham accent crisp on his tongue. Cold Front grunted in response before turning and heading back below decks. Secret Threshold watched him go before tucking his watch back into the black vest he was wearing. He had made sure to hire extra hooves for this job. The client they were meeting was a mysterious figure from outside of Equestria who had been making a name for himself in the last few months. He was very secretive, and rumored to be quite dangerous; but he paid well, and that was all that mattered to ponies like Threshold. But just to be certain of always having the upper hoof, he had hired a large squad for this run. After all, one can't be too careful. He assured himself again, flexing his bad wing as a reminder. He felt the deck vibrate slightly under his hooves as the power increased, the ship surging forward towards their destination. Night was approaching, and with it, both the protection and uncertainty it offered. The Nightingale hung low, only about twenty feet above the abandoned quarry on the edge of Western Equestria. The area was once very profitable and popular for both rock farmers and diamond dogs alike. But the gradual migration towards the towns and cities over the past generations and the general loss of interest in the old trade had seen this mine, like so many others, gradually abandoned over the years. Making it a perfect location to meet for less than legal activities but also, for ambushes. Secret Threshold had ordered the floodlights to be lit as they made their final approach, lighting up the grey and red stone of the empty quarry with a mishmash of sharp angles and ghastly shadows. And there, standing in the middle of the quarry with a few ponies of his own, stood the hooded and cloaked figure of the centaur known only as Vangar. "Well met, Secret Threshold," came the creature's gravely voice, his breath visible in the cold night air, but not else could be seen of his face from within his shadowy black hood save the gleam of eyes which shone with a blue glow in the impenetrable darkness, only adding to his already ominous appearance. He stood more than six feet tall, towering over most creatures Secret had ever met; his head and upper torso were covered by his tattered black cloak, but his lower four limbs were visible, an almost charcoal-like black in color. "I trust you were not followed?" Vangar hissed while steepling his black gauntleted fingers before him, "The Guard has been quite the nuisance these days." Secret Threshold wasn't a pony who could be accused of being easily intimidated, but there was something about meeting a centaur that just set his skin to crawling. He felt slightly bolstered by the over dozen mercenaries at his back armed with various weapons, which stood in stark contrast to the mere two bodyguards Vangar had brought with him: a hulking white earth pony with a black mane and sporting an eye patch, and a black pegasus with a red mane armed with both a crossbow and wingblades. But Secret wasn't fooled. He knew that the fact Vangar had only brought two associates with him meant that this centaur must feel overwhelmingly confident in his own strength, which was likely very great indeed, and mysterious, given the extreme rarity of Equestrian encounters with centaurs and their strange magicks. Secret cleared his throat, "Ahem, well met Vangar, and you needn't worry, I was not foaled yesterday. I have taken extreme precautions to ensure that our encounter will not be rudely interrupted. I was very eager to finally meet one such as yourself; and if we can come to terms, I believe that a very lucrative future awaits us both." The centaur's eyes momentarily flashed, a pregnant pause passing before Vangar responded, "Indeed. Now, show me, friend, what do you have to offer? I was told that you carry only the best." Secret frowned slightly, trying to hide his unease, "Come now, you should know that a wise pony never shows his hoof without some guarantee." Vangar remained silent, the eerie glow of his eyes unmoved. Secret knew it was a gamble to push his luck with a new client, especially one as mysterious as a centaur, but by Celestia, he wanted to establish some level of control in this deal! For too long he had been feeling hounded by events that seemed beyond his control, it was time for some semblance of normalcy. After a few more heart pounding moments, with the sound of some of Secret's ponies beginning to shift nervously on their hooves, the centaur finally moved. Slowly raising a hand and with a sharp snap of his fingers, a decent sized chest appeared in the air in a flash of yellow magic, the aura holding it in place before slowly setting it onto the ground. Another glimmer of magic threw the lid open, revealing a stunning amount of sparkling gold. "Guarantee enough for you, pony?" Vangar said, bemusement in his voice. Secret smiled, allowing the faux pas now that he had seen that Vangar was good for the gold he was rumored for. "Quite," Secret replied, motioning with his head. At his direction, a pair of earth ponies brought forward a wooden crate that they quickly set down and wrenched open with a pry bar. Secret reached in and pulled out one of the black, gleaming crossbows within. "The latest in Germane tech," he said while hefting the weapon, "Strengthening enchantments, warded against interference, and the new assist mechanism allows for rapid reloading with the new detachable box magazine. In short, you have five times the firing capacity of anything that even the Guard is presently using these days. Not easy to obtain, but exactly what any aspiring warlord or arms merchant would be willing to pay through the muzzle to have." Secret was not normally in the realm of trafficking weapons, but the dramatic changes brought about in the smuggling routes in recent weeks meant a change of tactics if one was to stay relevant and profitable in today's market. He was about to hoof the weapon off to one of his assistants so that they might demonstrate the item's capabilities to their potential customer, when he was distracted by the clatter of hooves of somepony racing down the gangplank, clearly in a hurry. Secret turned the ire of his glare on the small orange unicorn pushing his way through the assembled mercenaries that was the ship's wireless operator, furious at being interrupted in the midst of his presentation; he would be sure to have severe words with the upstart later, and maybe teach him a good lesson about the perils of interrupting key business moments in the future with an impromptu flying lesson once they were back at altitude. "Pardon me my good sir, but it seems that a matter requires my urgent attention," He said to Vangar. "Take your time," the centaur grunted in reply, clearly annoyed. "What?" Secret hissed under his breath at his underling. The young, wirey colt named Short Wave winced under the verbal lance, but trembling, gathered his nerve, holding up a folded paper in his quivering light green magic. "Ur-urgent tel-telegram on the wireless, s-sir, just came in!" Secret angrily snatched the missive, causing the small unicorn to practically yelp, and quickly unfolded it: VANGAR WITH THE GUARD *STOP* GUARD REINFORCEMENTS 20 MINUTES OUT *STOP* BE CAREFUL *STOP* -A FRIEND Secret Threshold remained completely calm, betraying not a single emotion, slowly reading the message through three times. He wasn't sure if he believed what he was reading. After all, it could be a trick, a competitor trying to foul up his business. But then again, thanks to the Guard, he didn't have many competitors left now did he? But no, it began to make more sense. A mysterious centaur who had been taking the underworld by storm? The sudden fall of so many prosperous ponies? It was all too convenient. This was a setup. Besides, there was the cardinal rule that Secret always followed, one that was carved into his character like the very scars on hide: Caution. It was the main reason besides his wits that had made him last as long as he had in this dangerous enterprise, and he wasn't about to throw that cardinal rule out now for the mere temptation of some gold, gold that could be as good as his anyways after eliminating this arrogant threat. Pulling out a pen from his vest, Secret hastily scribbled down a note on the paper, as if he were simply signing off on some form before shoving it back into Short Wave's chest. "Fine! I'll deal with this later. Now get back to your post, and don't you dare ever interrupt me at a time like this again, do I make myself clear?!" Short Wave glanced down at the paper at the hastily scribbled ink which read: 'Tell the helm to prepare the ship for immediate departure!' Looking back up at his boss, the unicorn quickly bowed his head, "M-my apologies sir, I'll get back to my post right away!" He said before turning and scampering off. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Secret couldn't help but smile slightly in admiration at how well the young colt had taken the hint and played along. Good lad, I'll have to see to rewarding him later if we get out of this. He thought before turning back to face his 'customer.' "Trouble?" Vangar asked. Secret smiled, subtely tapping his rear hoof twice on the ground, the pre-established signal to his mercs of a deal gone bad. "None that can't be swiftly dealt with, I assure you," He cooly replied, hefting the lightweight weapon in his right hoof, settling the stock against his shoulder. "Oh, pardon me, I had nearly forgotten. I was about to give you a demonstration of the product." Swiftly raising the weapon right at the centaur's head, he squeezed the trigger, and fired. Secret Threshold stared in disbelief at the seemingly impossible before him, his iron-clad sense of manner and decorum, grilled into him by years of drill and practice being the only thing keeping him from openly gawking, and barely at that. The centaur had not been but ten feet in front of him, the metallic twang of the crossbow's immensely powerful drawstring still ringing in his ears; he had aimed right at the creature's face, a dead shot, impossible to miss. And yet, Vangar was not dead; the enchanted, magic-piercing bolt cast at the center of the creature's face faster than the eye could blink, rather than punching a hole straight through his head in an expected spray of blood and brain matter was instead somehow inexplicably, frustratingly, caught in the monster's hand, the quivering barb of the tip not an inch from his unseen nose. For the span of about three heart beats, both groups stared at each other. "Well," Vangar sighed, his voice no longer gravely, but clear and strong, "Buck it." Secret Threshold quickly overcame his shock and immediately racked the crossbow for another shot with the auto-assist, only for the weapon to be blasted out of his hooves in a bright burst of blue magic caused by a mana-charged arrow fired from long distance by an unseen archer. At the same time, the top half of the centaur's body suddenly detached from its lower four legs, the torso leaping clear to land on two long legs that emerged from the bottom of its heavy cloak; the hood was thrown back to reveal none other than Celestia's pet monster, the human known as Flash Skies. "Evenin'," he quipped, a mischievous grin on his face. He was instantly joined by his three companions, who took fighting positions: the large white earth pony, the black pegasus, and a particularly deranged looking white unicorn that the human had apparently been sitting on whose lower half appeared to have been painted black. "On behalf of their Majesties Princesses Celestia and Luna, I graciously accept your surrender, Secret Threshold." Two more arrows streaked out of the distant darkness in quick succession, trailing beams of light, immediately wounding two of Threshold's ponies, the only other ones who had also been holding crossbows, just as they had begun to raise them; the two equines fell to the ground with cries of pain, arrows sticking out of their shoulders. The remaining mercenaries quickly leapt into action, spreading out rapidly as they raised various weapons with cries of alarm. "KILL THEM!" Secret Threshold screamed while falling back into the crowd as his mercenaries surged forward. "Guess we'll add resisting arrest to the charges?" Flash sighed while whipping off his cloak. He spun in a half circle, flinging the garment at a charging griffon with yellow feathers and wielding an axe with both claws, but not before giving the garment a powerful charge of static electricity so that it clung to its hapless victim like flypaper, the unfortunate fellow falling to the ground in a tangle of muffled screams and frustration. Flash leapt back to gain space between him and the charging mercs, his disguised teammates following suit as he drew out the spear Shadowbane from behind his back, expanding the haft to its full size with an impulse of his will before igniting the enchanted spearhead in a blaze of white light brighter than the noonday sun. Two more of the attacking group fell to the ground, a pegasus and an earth pony, covering their eyes in cries of pain, while the nine remaining, much to Flash's surprise, seemed to only flinch but kept charging. Well, that's certainly new, they're learning! Flash thought before shouting a warning to the others, "They got wards, spread out!" He quickly extinguished Shadowbane, realizing that it would be a pointless waste of energy at this point and instead blocked a slash from another griffon's talons with the spear's haft. "Lumen! I need you to-" "GAAAHHHHH!!!!" Lumen Dawn screamed with manic fervor, charging wildly like a rabid badger at a pair of poor unicorns who immediately balked at the sight of the apparent mad pony coming at them with murder in his eyes, throwing up barriers in a desperate attempt to shield themselves from the veritable torrent of spells being launched at them by the demented battle mage. "Shine! 死ね! SHINE!!! 死ね!!! SHINE!!!!! 死ね!!!!!" Flash never knew that his executive officer could speak Japonese, but he made a mental note to perform a welfare check on him later...much later. "Was this part of the plan, boss?!" Slipstream shouted as he took to the air, the pegasus loosing a bolt from his own crossbow at the other pegasus flying up to attack him; it dodged the shot and slashed with hoof blades, knocking the weapon from Slipstream's hooves. He extended his wing blades in response while moving to avoid a brown griffon with black head-feathers that was circling around to flank him. "Plans change!" Flash shouted as he twisted away from another strike from the griffon's fast talons, "Goal's the same! Subdue these guys, catch Threshold before he gets away!" Flash knew that was going to be easier said than done, reinforcements were still minutes out. Meanwhile, Sugar was tangling with another earth pony and a club-wielding diamond dog; and while Lumen seemed to be more than a match for his two unfortunate opponents currently scrambling to stay out his way, he was still held up. At the same time, his own opponent, a large red griffon with burnt orange plummage, wasn't exactly a pushover. He hit hard and was fast enough to keep up with him; Flash wouldn't bet on winning in a contest of pure strength with the lion bird. That, and the fact that his black talons were tipped with steel made the human suddenly feel very self-conscious of the fact that he was only wearing a light hauberk of black mail instead of his full armor which his previous disguise had not allowed. Another long range arrow from Sharp Shot buzzed overhead and struck down one of the earth ponies he had blinded earlier as the poor sap began to stagger back to his hooves. This arrow had a blunted tip, but was charged with a stun-spell; Flash prided himself that his team was able to avoid bloodshed when possible; he hated having to hurt ponies. But at this point, bloodshed was becoming increasingly more likely if they wanted to catch Threshold before he escaped. The infamous pegasus had already reached the gang plank and was clambering to get aboard his ship as quickly as possible. Flash hissed as one of the griffon's strikes glanced wide off of his weapon and clipped his shoulder, the harsh tug on his hauberk and the slight burning in his shoulder telling him that he'd been lightly wounded. "Ha!" The griffon boasted, his voice holding a rough, coastal accent, "Is this the legendary human I've heard so much about? The terror of Equestria?! You're not so toug-ACK!" Flash had feinted to his right as if stumbling, and when his opponent tried to capitalize on what he perceived to be an error, Flash had spun left with the force of a tornado, smashing Shadowbane's indestructible haft upside the bird's head and knocking him senseless. An immediate followup with a leaping knee to the underside of his chin put his opponent down for the count. An avian shriek and the sound of tearing cloth told Flash that his earlier victim and finally freed himself from his blankety prison. Flash didn't even have to turn as the stunned squawk that followed a second later told him that another one of Sharp Shot's arrows had found its mark. The sound of the airship's engines sputtering to life drew Flash's attention; he crouched down, preparing to sprint for it. "I'm going for the ship! Somepony go-OOOH!!!!" His words were lost as a bright yellow envelope of magic suddenly surrounded him and yanked him backwards, right into the path of an oncoming bolt of green magic fired by one of the unicorns engaging Lumen Dawn. The glowing outline of Sunset Shimmer's cutie mark instantly flared to life on the human's forehead as the permanent protection charm placed on him by her when he was a child activated, causing the deadly bolt to deflect harmlessly off of a barrier of red magic that flickered momentarily visible at the point of impact. "Lumen?! What the hay do you think you are doINNNG?!" Flash tried to ask before being flung back and forth as Lumen deflected more incoming bolts of magic, using the human's protected body as a shield while simultaneously firing back at his opponents. The normally prim and proper noble who would almost never so much as even break a smile out of place now cackled madly with the glee of an escaped lunatic who had been handed the keys to the asylum, "Ah! HA! REJOICE human! I have finally discovered a USE for you!!!" "Lumen! Put me down! I am not your personal buckler! You can't just-" "ThehumiliationsIhavesuffered!Havingtobesomepony'sflankforoveramonth!I'llmakeyouregretthefirsttimeyoueverevensomuchasjaywalked!SHIIINEEE!!!! Trying not to feel sick from being jerked around like a marionette, Flash looked up to see Secret Threshold's airship slowly but steadily rising away from them; it was already 60 feet off the ground and climbing. At the same time, he saw Slipstream dart through the air between him and the ship, being tailed quickly by his pair of opponents, and was struck with inspiration, one that he hoped he wouldn't regret. "LUMEN! THE AIRSHIP! THROW ME!" Lumen Dawn cut down one of his opponents, causing the other to lose his nerve and run only to be violently struck in the back of the head with a particularly intense stun spell. He looked up at Flash, the crazed look on his face flickering with a second of genuine surprise before being replaced with a savage, bloodthirsty grin; the yellow magic enveloping his horn flared with shocking intensity, I may not live to regret this... Was Flash's final thought before Lumen spun on his hooves a full 360 degrees, winding the human up like he was a hammer throw at the Equestria Games. "SHINEEEEE!!!!!!!!" Shine?! Flash's mind questioned before he was launched with explosive force face first towards the ascending airship at an absolutely eye-watering speed, his face rippling and his limbs trailing like ribbons; he was pretty sure a mach cone was forming in front of him. Fortunately, it seemed that his crazed battle mage was still able to quickly read his intention, aiming him right at the other pegasus chasing Slipstream; a two for one. The pony didn't even have time to be surprised as Flash tucked and flipped, smashing into the side of his head with both feet and spring-boarding off of him, launching him up towards the ever ascending airship. Sorry cousin, Flash relented with slight remorse while rocketing up towards the starboard edge of the ship. He condensed Shadowbane down to its reduced form, reaching out with an over handed grip and stabbing the spearhead into the side of the wooden hull right as he lost his upward momentum. "Gah!" Flash gasped as he swung back and forth, nearly losing his hold on the spear. Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself up along the hull of the ship, reaching up with his left hand and managing to grab on to the edge of the deck. He barley had time to look up before somepony stabbed a vicious looking grey trident at his face, forcing him to fling up his left arm and catch it on his vambrace in a shower of sparks. "Well I have to admit, you're just as tenacious as your famed reputation suggests human, but don't you know when it's time to call it quits?!" Secret Threshold laughed while thrusting forward with the weapon, almost pushing the human overboard. Flash grabbed the neck of the trident and yanked it towards himself, trying to pull it out of the crippled pony's grip; Threshold growled in surprise but held firm. "Sorry, not part of the job description!" Flash yelled over the blowing wind. He grimaced as a white pegasus with a blue mane and tail charged at him with a wicked halberd. Thinking quickly, Flash managed to uncurl his forefinger from the trident and released a small burst of lightning at the other pony, the arcing energy knocking him off of his hooves. Secret Threshold responded by thrusting the weapon forward, knocking the human over the side so that he was hanging only by his right hand which clung desperately to the collapsed haft of his magical spear still embedded in the hull. Flash hung on for dear life, the twisting air currents preventing him from reaching back up again. Secret Threshold appeared above him, a malevolent grin on his face, "You know my strange friend, you and I both have something in common!" The pegasus shouted over the wind, raising the trident over his head. "We both come from the same tribe, and yet neither of us can fly!" Thrusting at his face, Flash was forced to let go of his weapon, falling backwards through the air. Reaching out with his hand, he attempted to pull himself back up towards the hilt of his weapon by using the magnetic field that he had built up within it over time, only for it to yank lose from the hull and fly instead into his hand with a smack. "Cheerio! Happy landings!" Secret Threshold shouted after him. Flash twisted over as he plummeted towards the hard ground roughly 200ft below, too high for him to land without serious injury. Thinking quickly, he expanded Shadowbane's haft back to its full size with a movement of his will. With only 50ft left, he focused on the air around him; reaching out with his weather and flight magic, he channeled the power through the enchanted spear and with a mighty swing towards the ground, created a blast of wind that cushioned his fall so that he landed hard, but safely. Slipstream landed next to him, a concerned look on his face. "Flash! Are you alright?" He asked. Flash glowered up at the escaping airship, "I will be as soon as we bring down that ship!" Slipstream looked doubtfully up at the departing craft, "That's a long shot boss, even for you." Flash glanced at Shadowbane, knowing that the magnifying effects that the weapon afforded would easily allow him to hit the craft with a lightning bolt, but it would likely be too much. He needed to disable the ship, not obliterate it, and that called for range more than power. Mind racing, he grinned as an idea came to mind. Looking at his friend, he said, "Alright Slips, let's try the ol' 'alley-oop.'" Slipstream sighed, "Alright, but remember what happened last time? I don't want the backlash to fry my feathers again." Flash waved him off, "Ah don't worry, I've gotten better control since then!" Slipstream rolled his eyes but trotted casually into position behind his friend. "So," Flash said, planting his spear in the ground and rolling his shoulders in preparation, "Did you take Natarra to that griffon restaurant I told you about? The one with all the meat selections? I figured it would be right up her ally." "Yeah, not yet. She seems pretty shy about going out in public when she's away from the island." Flash locked both his hands together, pointing his fore and middle fingers up towards the airship as it sailed away, "Maybe you should take Rose with you? I mean, she seems to get along well with her, might make your marefriend feel a bit more relaxed?" Slipstream frowned, "You really think Rose wants to casually hang out while she's grounded? Kind of an awkward situation to be in. How long are you going to leave her like that anyways?" "I'm thinking about it," Flash said quietly after a few beats of silence. "I have to know I can trust her." Slipstream frowned at that, but let it go. The air hummed with power as the human drew deep upon his reserves, drawing the lightning his body naturally produced into one massive charge that he focused into the tips of his fingers. Slipstream turned about, "Ready?" "Ready!" Flash replied, "And...Now!" Slipstream gave a gentle yet firm buck with his rear hooves into the middle of the human's back, the pegasus channeling his own weather magic through his hooves and into his friend as if he were kicking a charged thundercloud. Flash felt the surge of power from his friend's hooves go through him, letting it hit the power he had built up in his fingertips like a billiard ball on a pool table, amplifying its current. With a brilliant flash and a crackling boom of thunder, an enormous lightning bolt erupted from his fingertips, arcing through the sky in an instant and striking the stern of the Nightingale with tremendous force. There was another burst of light as the energy blasted the ship, destroying both engines and slicing a large gash through its envelope, damaging several gas bags. The ship shuddered and lurched as it began to rapidly descend back towards the ground, trailing smoke and falling debris. "Hah! Bullseye!" Flash shouted with a swing of his fist, "Told you I'd get it!" "Nice shot," Slipstream agreed, "Guess I get to keep my feathers after all." "Hey, that was one time!" "Comin' from the guy without wings to worry about, ya dodo." Slipstream muttered under his breath. "I heard that!" Flash said, but he couldn't help but grin. After months of work and weeks of planning, they had finally bagged one of the most infamous and long running illegal smugglers in Equestria. It had been close; taken time, effort, and lots of bodies, but a major threat to civil stability who had been active for far too long was about to face Equestrian justice. "What do you MEAN he's not here?!" Flash shouted at Sugar Rush, his hardened staff sergeant actually wincing slightly under the verbal onslaught. The temporary glamor charm that had changed the large earth pony's mane and coat black and white had been removed, leaving him in his much more familiar brown and blue appearance. Sugar's ears splayed slightly, his dark red eyes glancing to one side, "I'm sorry Kapitan, I will have the guard perform another sweep of the surrounding area." He said before saluting and stepping away at a brisk pace, shouting orders to some of the Royal Guard reinforcements that had arrived shortly after the Nightingale had been brought down. The ship was intact, though the hull had been badly cracked and its superstructure damaged by the impact of a relatively hard landing. Half a company's worth of ponies were now crawling all over it, searching its holds and securing any crew they discovered for questioning. "Boss, you're bleeding!" Slipstream exclaimed, pointing to the trickle of blood dripping from under his right sleeve, but Flash ignored him, too upset to care about a scratch while months of work were crumbling before his eyes. Flash clenched his fists in growing frustration, it didn't make any sense. "He couldn't have just vanished into thin air!" He grumbled out loud. "Actually, he probably did," Lumen Dawn said trotting up behind him, his horn glowing with a low light, "I discovered trace elements of a teleportation spell in and around the ship's bridge." Flash turned to the white unicorn, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "Can you trace it?" He hurriedly asked. Lumen frowned, appearing as if he swallowed something unpleasant. "Unfortunately...No, sir. Whoever cast it knew what they were doing, and managed to thoroughly cover their tracks." He paused, tapping a hoof to his chin in thought, "That would take some doing," he murmured in thought before glaring up at Flash, "Not just any pony can conceal their spell prints from me." Flash knew the proud pony only said that partly to assuage his own wounded pride, but he had to agree. Lumen, for all of his more insufferable flaws, was truly a superb mage. If he was actually admitting that he couldn't trace the spell, then whoever cast it was darn good, and careful. Flash turned about in anger, the good mood he had earlier on what had seemed a total success now completely gone. He noticed the pegasus known as Cold Front sitting on an overturned crate and being tended to by two medics. It immediately struck him as odd that a pegasus, one who would have had plenty of time to escape a slowly crashing airship, was somehow captured still on board. He stomped over towards the pony, his temper fuming. "You!" He accused at the pony who snapped his gaze to the approaching human, his blue mane held up by the bandages wrapped around his forehead. The two medics sprang aside as Flash grabbed onto the collar of the torn vest that the white pegasus was wearing, nearly yanking him up off the crate. "Where is your master?! WHERE IS HE?!" The pony whimpered in reply, tucking his forelimbs to his chest, "I...I don't know! I, I can't re-remember!" Flash gave the pony a rough shake, "Cut the bullspit!" Flash snarled, "Don't give me that amnesia act, you were up there with him! You almost carved my face off up there, don't think I don't remember you!" The pony seemed to be on the verge of tears, his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish out of water; something wasn't right. The confused, fearful look in the pony's ice-blue eyes were not the cold hard eyes of a hardened professional that Flash recalled seeing not twenty minutes earlier when this same pony was trying his utmost to put a halberd though his head. He seemed genuinely traumatized by something. Flash noticed the bloodstain on the pony's head dressing, "Please sir! We're not done yet, he took a pretty serious knock to the head!" Said one of the medics, a light green mare with pleading brown eyes. Why didn't he just fly away?! Flash thought angrily as he relented to the mare with an apologetic nod, the thought adding to his immediate frustration. "Sir, we found the ship's wireless operator, he had this on him!" Flash spun around as a pair of guards in gray steel armor approached him, a quivering young orange unicorn held between them. One of the guards held out a slip of paper which Flash immediately recognized to be a wireless printout. The technology was relatively new in Equestria, and by relatively new, bleeding edge. Only the wealthiest of ponies could afford this latest luxury of instant communication that didn't rely on magic, instead, transmitting messages by horse code using invisible electromagnetic waves. Operators for this technology were rare, and those with the knowledge to maintain such a set at peak performance, even rarer. Which meant this little unicorn who looked barely old enough to be out of primary school was probably not a hardened criminal, but an enthusiast who had likely just received his first big break in a field where few were hiring his types. Flash's eyes widened as he saw the contents of the message, a cold pit forming in his gut. He glared at the unicorn who flinched under his gaze, "Where did you get this?! Who sent it to you?!" He demanded. The pony's lower lip trembled and for a second, Flash thought he would answer until he noticed the defiant glint mixed in with the fear clearly visible in the pony's light green eyes. Dang, that's some loyalty little guy, Flash thought with begrudging admiration, About to wet himself in fear of the scary hooman, and yet won't sell out his boss. Threshold must have given the kid his first real job in something he loved, he mused, noticing the colt's yellow lightning bolt cutie mark. Despite his great alarm at the message's disturbing content and the mounting pressure of his growing frustration with the entire situation, Flash forced himself to smile, "What's your name, my little pony?" He sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to sound more gentle. The pony swallowed nervously, "Sh-Short Wave, sir," he stuttered. Flash gave friendly smirk, "Nice to meet you Short Wave, my name's Flash Skies. You must be a pretty smart colt to know how to operate a wireless set at such a young age." The pony gave a small, bashful nod and seemed to stop shaking as much. Flash waved the slip of paper, "Personally, I don't know a whole lot about this fancy new tech, but tell me, in your professional opinion, is it even possible to know where a transmission originates from?" Short Wave was silent for a moment his eyes flicking back and for in indecision before looking up and meeting Flash's eyes. "M-maybe, with the right equipment, yeah. I actually had a theory on how to do it that I've been working on, but I haven't been able to test it because no pony was really interested in helping with it." Flash smiled as the watched the pony become a little more bold when speaking about his passion, "Dang, you really are a smart one if you're thinking up stuff like that on your own!" He said, actually getting a small smile from Short Wave in response. "Well," Flash began, standing up straight and waving the telegram at the two guards, "These big tough guards will probably just want to throw you in a cold cell with the rest of those scary looking mercs we just bagged." The color drained from Short Wave's face. "But personally, I think that'd just be a waste of some great talent. You see, I have all this new fancy tech back at my headquarters that we're trying to get up and running for the longest time, best that money can buy! But we just can't seem to get it to work right all the time. In fact, I've been searching all over for somepony who might just be smart and skilled enough to help us with that, I think you might just be that pony. Whaddya say, can you help us out?" Short Wave's mouth hung open, clearly shocked at his sudden turn of fortune. It was obvious that he found the idea of having a job where he could work to his heart's content on all of his dreams far more appealing than going to prison. He hung his head in shame, "I, I never wanted to be a bad pony, mister. I, I just wanted to be able to work, that's all. But nopony would ever hire me, except Mr. Threshold that is. I didn't realize what he did until it was too late to say no. I'm, I'm sorry..." Flash noticed his team mate Sharp Shot come up next to him out of the corner of his eye, the little tan unicorn's blue eyes scrutinizing the scene before him. Flash nodded to the two guards who took a step back, giving the Short Wave some space; he then reached down to playfully ruffle the little pony's brown mane, "I don't think you're a bad pony Short Wave, and sometimes we can get caught up with the wrong crowd." He said while getting down on one knee. Short Wave looked up at him, a mix of fear and gratitude in his shimmering eyes. Flash held up the telegram, "But please, these are bad ponies, and if we don't stop them, they're going to hurt a lot of good folk. Please, can you help me to stop that from happening?" Short Wave glanced at the message and shook his head, "I don't know where Mister Threshold went, and I don't who sent that message sir, honest I don't! It came in as soon as we landed on a broadband frequency, meaning any pony listening would have gotten it too." So we're back to square one, Flash groaned internally. "But, if you give me time, and if I can bring back some of my equipment from the ship, then, then I might be able to help figure out where the transmission originated from!" Flash raised an eyebrow, "How close, can you give me a number?" He asked, praying that it would at least be a general direction of some sort. Short Wave frowned in thought, clearly running through some mental calculations that Flash knew he could never understand, "I dunno, maybe the building it originated from? Sorry, I wish I could do better, but all I would have for now is the wave length to work with. It would be a lot easier if I could get access to the serial number records at the Hall of Inventions, all the new wireless sets produced have to have them, and there aren't that many. Then I could probably find not only the machine, but who it was that even sent it!" Flash had to make a serious effort to not bear hug the little guy in gratitude right then and there. "Sharps?" He asked, the unicorn snapping his gaze up to him, "Take our new friend here back to headquarters and show him the ropes, make sure he has everything he needs to do his work. And keep him safe, he's a good pony." Sharp Shot saluted sharply before looking at Short Wave, the mute pony tapping a quick, 'Let's go,' in horse code on his black breast plate with his hoof. Short Wave looked practically in awe at the revelation that he had just happened to meet another pony who actually spoke his language. He hurriedly followed after Sharps, almost prancing with joy, his previous fear gone; jabbering energetically to Sharp Shot about how excited he was to meet him and all the ideas he had, but not before casting a look of deep gratitude over his shoulder at Flash as they walked away. Flash smiled back and gave him nod, I think Sharps just made a new friend, he smirked to himself; few ever really felt comfortable around the enigmatic little specialist save him and his teammates. He sighed with some relief, Well, thank God this whole night won't be a- "Total loss? Is that what I'm hearing Captain Skies?" Came the haughty, billowing tone of the one pony he had been hoping not to see tonight. Flash sighed inwardly, "General Iron Shod," He said while turning and rendering a salute to the beechwood colored earth pony with a proud salt and pepper handlebar moustache. The old general was sporting a long, dark green greatcoat and field cap, a corncob pipe was clenched between his teeth. The pony returned his salute, a disappointed look in his grey eyes. "You told me this was going to be a breakthrough operation my young friend," he said looking dismissively as his soldiers escorted away Secret Threshold's hired thugs, "If I merely wanted to incarcerate a group of no-good scraggly mercenaries, I could have raided Kludgetown again." He said, taking a draw on his pipe, puffing a small cloud of sweet smelling smoke. "I backed this operation as a favor to the Princesses, one last investment of political capital spent on my peers before retiring. I expected something better than," he paused, taking another disappointed look at the wrecked airship, smirking, "Whatever this was." He said with a waving gesture of his pipe. "Maybe if you'd attended a few more of my lectures while in the academy and spent less time haunting Carillion Lance's salle, you'd have had more appreciation for the finer points of a properly executed encirclement? Care to explain why you jumped the fence early and didn't wait for my reinforcements?" Flash grit his teeth, biting back the retort he wanted to snap back at the pompous pony. True, he was technically not under Iron Shod's chain of command, answering only to the Princesses themselves and could right properly tell the old general to stick it where Celestia's sun didn't shine if he wanted to. But at the same time, he knew that it would reflect poorly on himself and his teammates. After all, Celestia was trying to get him to play nice with others, even if old schoolers like Iron Shod were so set in their ways that a petrified tree seemed more modern. Ponies in the officer corps like Iron Shod had long been opposed to Flash's team of specialists from the very start and never wasted an opportunity to loudly voice that disapproval and in some cases, even go so far as to thwart his efforts within the rest of the Royal Guard. By taking Celestia's suggestion to incorporate some of the more traditional elements of the Guard into the final phase of this particular mission, he had hoped that they would see the merits of working together for future operations; and perhaps even salve some of the bruised egos that had resulted from the meteoric rise in fame and success that Flash's team had until now enjoyed. Flash cleared his throat, "Respectfully, sir, I didn't go early in an attempt to cut you or your brave ponies out of the operation. Our cover was somehow blown right when we made contact with the target," he said, allowing the general to see the telegram in his hand. "Hmph," Iron Shod scoffed after looking at the message. "Well then, it seems the answer is obvious. You have a leak in your house, Captain Skies." Flash felt his temper spike again, a vein throbbing on his temple. Lumen Dawn and Slipstream, who had moments ago stepped up next to Flash as he and the general spoke, also bristled at the insinuation. Flash nearly threw the accusation right back at the smug officer, but held back because in reality, that same dreaded suspicion had been steadily growing in the back of his mind ever since he first saw the telegram. Absolutely no pony outside of his own teammates and the Princesses themselves knew about the nature of this mission, so vital was the secrecy of his false persona; the only exception being Iron Shod himself. Even his own mother didn't know and they were able to read each other's minds! And as much as Flash disliked the old steam engine and his prehistoric methods, he knew that Iron Shod was unquestionably loyal to Equestria and would never compromise a mission or the safety of good soldiers just to make the human look bad. This pony would bleed to keep the sun rising in the morning. Flash knew it, and so did Iron Shod. So who could it be? Flash knew Lumen Dawn personally hated him, but he would never compromise the team, even if only for the sake of his own code of honor as a noble as well as his own personal success. Slipstream was one of his oldest friends, and Sharp Shot and Sugar Rush were some of the most trustworthy ponies he had ever met. That left only one pony who could have possibly leaked the info. The one, very unhappy bat whom he had grounded and left riding a desk back at headquarters. And she was the only one who had, in fact, already deceived him once. Rose Dust, Flash thought with a grimace. He didn't want to suspect the thestral, but logic and prudence demanded that he list her as a prime suspect for the time being until they figured out what actually happened. Iron Shod removed the pipe from his mouth, "Perhaps you and your team of 'specialists' should withdraw for now, Captain Skies; leave it to me. I'll assume command of the continuing investigation into Secret Threshold's whereabouts through the more, traditional channels of operations. It seems your unconventional methods have proved inadequate for now, I suggest you return to base to regroup and reassess your strategy. I'll be sure to send you updates on our progress." An audible crack was heard as Flash clenched his fist. He took a deep breath and slowly released it, remembering the techniques Princess Cadance had taught him for controlling his temper ever since he was a foal. "That's a generous offer, sir. But this is still my operation, my mission, not yours, and I will continue to run it as I see fit." Iron Shod let out a disappointed sigh, but instead of getting indignant as Flash expected him to, he simply smiled as only an officer watching a rival's command blow an inspection could. "You're absolutely right son, this isn't my operation. This isn't my command, this isn't my mission, and this most certainly isn't my leak. "I am here, by request of the princesses, to offer my experience in an advisory position as a senior officer. I have done so, and as it seems, am firmly rebuffed. Therefore by your own insistence this is entirely your engagement, your mission, and your very great honor to present the results to the Princesses and Attorney General Ivory Scales. He really was looking forward to meeting Mr. Threshold..." Flash wasn't sure which was worse, the fact that he was being made to feel like a scolded school-colt, or, as much as he hated to admit it, that he knew, deep down, that the General was right. This was his mess, whether it was his fault or not. For now, maybe the best thing to do was to return to headquarters, lick their wounds, and figure out what in Tartarus was going on. Swallowing his pride, he met the General's eyes, "Perhaps you're right, sir. I'm going to return to Canterlot for now, please inform me of any new developments," he said while rendering a salute; his shoulder twinged. A twinkle of delight seemed to go through Iron Shod's eyes, "There's a good lad," he said while returning his salute. "I'll be sure to do my best to see that not all of your hard work goes to waste, son. And see to that shoulder Captain! I'd hate to see one of our best and brightest sidelined by youthful stubbornness." Flash nodded and turned, forcing himself not to scowl at the impressive amount of criticism and backhoofed praise that the old stallion had managed to cram into one sentence. Lumen Dawn and Slipstream followed him. "Boss, you don't really think Rose, I mean, she would never..." "I don't know Slips," Flash darkly admitted, "But I'm sure as hell going to find out." He idly wondered how a word from earth had randomly slipped into his lexicon, but pushed the thought aside as he focused on the much more important and unpleasant business ahead of him. The night was deepening, and the way forward, dark.