The flight to Canterlot was a silent one for Wolf. He stood in the right corner of the chariot, looking into the distance, while the others were talking amongst themselves. The wind in his face was a hated and loved sensation for him. It was exhilirating. But it also made him remember the many times he got stuck with every FUBAR assignment they could think of. The glow in the distance was getting brighter every minute. They would be arriving soon. He looked out the side onto the landscape below.
Wolf sharpened his knife as he looked out the open bay of the chopper. A large city rested in the distance, the former capital of the area. Scattered bursts of tracer fire lit up the sky. The others in his chopper were chatting idly as they closed in on the drop zone. One of them took a picture out of his wallet. He showed it to the rest of his squad.
"That's my daughter, Janet. She turns two next week."
The trooper next to him placed his arm around him.
"Don't worry man, you'll be back home in time to see her."
Wolf didn't say a thing. He just looked at his knife before placing it back in it's sheath. One more orphan, he thought. Wolf quickly dismissed that thought. If he was thinking like that, then the Spinar had already won.
"How can you be so sure Hal? You know the bugs don't take prisoners..."
"Sean, you got nothing to worry about! We got the Wolf with us!"
And with that he pointed at Wolf, who was still staring out of the chopper.
"Stay focused." He hissed.
Most of these men were recruits. Fresh out of basic. What the hell was HQ thinking, trying to take back a city with a force that's 60% greenhorns? And they all counted on him...Hundreds of soldiers, riding on his every decision. It was a burden he was used to, but he hated it nonetheless.
The whipping of additional chopper blades reached Wolf's ears as the smaller buildings of the city came into sight. Another chopper showed up right outside the bay of his. The troops waved at him. He returned their gesture. A voice cracked over the intercom.
"First wave inbound. Operation Liberator is a go."
"Thirty seconds out. Stand by."
A loud whine snapped Wolf out of his trance as he traced the projectiles fired from the ground.
"Fireworks!" Pinkie Pie yelled into the air, jumping up and down on the chariot amidst 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the rest of the girls. A blinding orange flash as one of the fireworks exploded just twenty feet away from the chariot.
"That was too close!"
The chopper next to his exploded, and turned out of control, spirraling down to the ground spewing orange flames.
"We've got flak! We've got flak!"
"I'm hit! I'm hit! GA 2-7 going down hard!"
"Break formation! Evasive maneuvers!"
Wolf was forced to grab onto the handhold as the chopper banked hard left to avoid Spinar AA fire. The pilots expert maneuvers saved them many times over. Or so they thought.
An explosion right outside their left bay door sent shrapnel flying into the troop bay. Screams of pain errupted from the men inside.
"Sean! Wake up man, wake up!"
Wolf looked at the trooper named Hal, shaking the corpse of his lifeless friend.
"Think of your daughter man! Sean! SEAAAN!"
The shockwave of another explosion rocked the damaged chopper. The picture of Sean's two year old daughter fell from his hand, and gently floated towards Wolf. He looked at it, to see the girl's face half covered in her fathers blood.
"Son of a bitch." Was all Wolf could mutter.
After finishing their course through the fireworks, one of the Pegasi pulling the chariot spoke up.
"It's a bit windy tonight! Gonna be a rough landing!"
Worried murmurs eminated from the girls. Wolf was unfazed. He had his fair share of rough landings.
Two loud clangs echoed through the troop bay as Spinar infantry fire hit the inside of the chopper.
"LZ is hot, repeat, LZ is hot. Get ready to hit the ground running Marines!"
The chopper descended into an open square amidst a hail of gunfire.
"Pile out!"
Wolf jumped out of the chariot first. Rainbow Dash followed. The others came out after recollecting themselves. As everything was in order, they moved towards the checkpoint at their landing pad. After the incident with the Changelings, Canterlot security was increased dramatically. The two Royal Guards stationed there looked at them, then cleared them through security. Then they noticed Wolf approaching. They hadn't received any instructions concerning him.
"Hold it right there."
One of them extended his hoof to stop Wolf's advance. Wolf grabbed it in midair.
"Hooves off."
"You're not going anywhere until you're cleared."
"Get out of my way."
"Is that a threat?"
"No. Just some advice."
"Oh ho, tough guy eh?"
"More than you know."
From behind the gate, Twilight watched as the guards and Wolf prepared to go all in. A familiar voice rang in the air.
"Twilie!"
Twilight turned to face her brother. He was wearing the same suit he wore to his wedding.
"Glad you could make it little sis."
"It's good to see you too Shining, but, you might want to clear Wolf back there. I don't think the guards posted there know what they're getting into."
"You sure we should let him in Twilie?"
The murderous look she shot him was a perfectly clear answer.
Wolf reverted back into fighting mode as the guards did the same. The second before all hell broke loose, Shining yelled to his men.
"Stand down!"
The guards turned to face their superior.
"Captain, sir! Are you sure about this?"
"Stand. Down. Let him pass."
The guard muttered to himself as he raised the gate.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this..."
Wolf walked through the open gate, stopping for just a moment to look the guard in the eye. He huffed as he walked away. The others just stood there looking at him. Wolf straightened his collar.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."
5 minutes later, Royal Gardens.
As soon as they reached the gardens and gazed upon what rested there, Wolf rolled his eyes. Hundreds of tables with pure white sheets on top of them. Waiters buzzed around the garden like bees in a hive, carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres, bottles of fine wine and champagne, trying to get them to the guests as fast as possible. The guests themselves were wearing all kinds of fancy clothing, obviously trying to compete with each other for who would wear the most expensive piece.
"You see one aristocrat, you see them all..." Wolf muttered.
"Bunch of back-stabbing hypocrites."
"What was that Wolf?" Twilight asked.
"Watch yourselves out there girls. And be careful what you say. There's nothing these vultures would like more than to get some good dirt on all of you."
"Dirt?! Where?!"
Wolf could only roll his eyes again as Rarity began hyperventilating at the mere mention of dirt.
A Royal Guard stepped up to Shining Armor and whispered something in his ear.
"All right, I'll on my way." Shining Armor replied to him.
"Well girls, I've got some matters to attend to, you go on, and I'll meet you later."
And with that, Shining Armor left. The girls practically ran into the gardens, leaving Wolf alone. The speed with which they left was so high, that it even took Wolf a few seconds to realise that they were gone. Panic set in.
"I'm alone?! With these...these..."
His fear was so great, he could barely mutter the words.
"...Rich people."
Wolf had been to all sorts of high class events before, but always with a familliar face, be it a general, one of his handlers, or a close friend. But to be alone among the upper class citizens? Where every mistake was as discreet as an earthquake? He'd much rather face a full Spinar invasion force. At least there, he'd know what to expect. After gathering all of his courage, Wolf finally made what could be the worst mistake of his life.
He went in.
Wolf's first destination was the buffet table. It was the least crowded area. He walked toward it as quickly as possible. Wolf's eyes darted back and forth at the ponies staring at him. He was used to the stares, but they were usually from the common folk, which were easily the most bearable. At least their behavior would change if they got to know you. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the buffet table. Wolf quickly poured himself a glass of red wine. He took a quick sip. At least he remembered how to drink wine. That was a start.
"I have to say, I've been here for every single gala, and I've seen everypony here. But it's the first time I've ever seen you. What's your name?"
Wolf was startled by the sudden appearance of the fire-maned pegasus at his side. He noted the bright blue colors of her uniform. After a short, awkward pause he answered.
"Wolf."
"Well, Wolf, I'm Spitfire. Proud Captain of the Wonderbolts, the best flight team in Equestria."
"Yeah...in Equestria..." Wolf muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Wolf turned to face her.
"I mean no offense ma'am, but the best flight team I've ever seen are the Blue Angels. Seven hundred years old, and they were better than ever. Every new batch of pilots is always better than the last. I'm damn proud to have been trained under them."
"You fly? How can you do that without wings?"
"I don't need wings...not when I've got a couple dozen Phoenixes in my hangars..."
Spitfire decided to change topic, as she didn't quite understand what Wolf was saying.
"So, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a troubleshooter. I find trouble..."
Wolf took a quick sip of his wine, then looked at his glass.
"...and shoot it."
Spitfire ignored that last remark.
"Well, if you can fly, I might just have to challenge you to a race sometime."
Wolf smiled, then faced her once more.
"Be careful, I might just take you up on that."
"Anytime, anywhere."
Meanwhile, back at the Guard post...
Noises form the Gala aside, things were quiet at the gate. It was a bit chilly as well, but they didn't care. They were Royal Guards. The best of the best. The elite. A bit of cold at night wasn't enough to stop them.
"I am so...bored..."
"Yeah...me too...I hate guarding a gate...I didn't sign up for this..."
A thunderous voice yelled at them.
"Stow it you too! You should feel honored that you have such an important job! Now sit up straight and stop your bellyaching!"
They immediately snapped to attention. They both responded.
"Yes sir, Sergeant!"
"And if I ever hear you complaining again..."
They both resisted the urge to roll their eyes at their Sergeant's usual threats.
"You'll be cleaning soup kitch-"
A flash of red temporarily blinded them as an arrow went through their leaders head.
They both stood there, stunned, unable to fathom what they just saw.
"What the hell was that?!!"
"Where's it coming from?!"
"I don't-"
Cut off by a magic arrow to the throat, he felll to the ground, desperately trying to gasp for air, drowning in his own blood.
"Oh no, oh no oh-"
The third and final guard fell over dead, a black glowing arrow through his heart. The guard post was silent once more.
Four whisps of pitch black smoke appeared from nowhere and gently hovered above the ground. They came crashing down to the ground. The smoke swirled and from inside emerged four Unicorns in black cloaks. They examined the surrounding area, not missing a single detail, not making a sound. Once they were certain it was clear, the lifted their head up in the air and waited for the right time. Not yet....Not yet...Now.
They sent up four red sparks in a box formation just as another volley of fireworks was launched from the platforms above. Within moments, six Pegasi and three more plumes of smoke, one larger than the other two, were heading to the gate. The pegasi landed first, their hooves kicking up dirt from the ground. Like the Unicorns that arrived before them, they donned pitch black cloaks. The last three plumes of smoke came crashing down. From the two smaller ones emerged another pair of Unicorns. From the largest plume, emerged another Unicorn, but this one was not alone. Standing at it's side was a black Alicorn filly. He looked at her, and asked her.
"Are you ready, my future Queen?"
"Yes, Lord Night..."
He smiled.
"Tonight, we set in motion the fulfillment of your destiny."
And with that, they set off towards the celebration in the Royal Gardens high above...
17 minutes later, Royal Gardens...
Wolf laughed as Spitfire finished a funny story of hers.
"So what about you? Got any stories worth telling?"
Wolf's laughter died down at that particular questions.
"Plenty of them. But you'd need a pretty strong stomach to hear them..."
Something strange caught Wolf's watchful eye. He noticed an unusual number of ponies going behind the stage where the classical orchestra would be playing in a bit. One of them, was the most noticable. A black Alicorn filly. He turned to Spitfire immediately.
"I'm sorry Spitfire, I'm gonna have to cut this short, I need to go talk to someone..."
She threw her head upward to get her fiery mane out of her face.
"All right then. Catch you later."
Wolf muscled his way through the crowd as he frantically searched for Twilight. He must have been looking for at least a few minutes before he finally found her sitting next to the Princesses. He ran up to her.
"Twilight! I thought you said Nyx was with her friends!"
"I did! Why, what happened?"
He just nodded, before answering her.
"Nothing, just stay here..."
And then he ran off into the crowd again, leaving Twilight staring at him, confused.
"Is everything alright Twilight?"
Princess Celestia's voice startled her.
"Yes...I think so..." She replied.
A few seconds later, Wolf had managed to get in front of the stage.
Backstage...
"Let's finish this..."
The patterns on the floor grew bright red as the six Unicorns surrounding the alicorn in the middle of the peculiar patterns began muttering a spell. The small filly slowly began lifting in the air as their muttering had evelved into chanting. A low hum grew louder and louder as magical energy was gathering...
From outside...
The entire celebration was cut short as an explosion from the stage shook the entire platform the Royal Gardens were built on. A bright red flash nearly blinded everyone there. The sheer force of the explosion sent Wolf flying into a table fifty feet away. The entire crowd panicked as they moved away from the stage. As Princess Celestia was already mortified by the explosion and who might have been hurt, an all too familliar laugh froze the very blood in her veins...
End Chapter 41
( My original plan wasn't to end this here, but I'm short on time and I can end it here, so here we are!)