//------------------------------// // Crescendo // Story: Ace of Hearts // by blowngasket //------------------------------// Chapter 13: Crescendo Five... The countdown began, taking deep breaths to calm the already jumpy nerves. Catacomb loved the feeling, the possibility of death always made one feel more alive then ever. Four... Time was beginning is slow crawl. Even though it was going at the same speed it always had, the feeling of its passing wasn't all there. Adrenaline was flowing through the entirety of his being, the fight or flight reflex going crazy with each breath. Three... The defining moment in every man's life is when a situation comes up that could change their world. Will they run, will they fight. This decision was intoxicating, like a drug. Catacomb wanted to be high as a kite on a breezy sunny day. Two... The nerves started to calm down, a moment of pure relaxation. Catacomb wondered if this was the same for Perry whenever he fought. How different were they, really, when he loved the pulse of battle possibly as much. One... Everything that had just become calm had now suddenly excited, fired off all at one like a cannon, aiming right for the brain, giving it one last reasonable chance to back out of certain danger. Catacomb simply took this shot to the head, and grinned. ---------- ---------- ---------- A group of eight sat around a large table, all of them dressed up, though nothing more of them looked civilized. They shouted and cheered, chugging down their large mugs filled with delight. It was a good night, as they had already succeeded in grabbing the first of six targets to be set for life. Earl worked behind the bar, constantly making sure their drink glasses were full. He would rather not cause trouble for the rowdy group, as it could spell out badly for him. All the other patrons were forced to leave, much to their anguish. The decision became pretty easy, however, when one of the goons began brandishing a sizable gun. Earl knew what it was, but a few of the previous customers didn't, until three bullet holes in the ceiling later. He knew they were celebrating, but he wasn't sure for what. It would most likely be bad business to ask, so he kept out of it. "Hey, Barkeep. Another round here. Make it snappy!" one of the younger men of the group yelled out. He nodded, taking out more mugs and filling them to the brim. He made his way, needing two trips to deliver it all. "Say, where is Lucky at?" he asked, looking at the group. "Dunno, said he was going to check on Tiny. Probably smoking, knowing him." another one said, leaning back in his chair and taking a swig out of the mug. "More booze for us, I say." another one said, raising his glass in cheers. "I think this is the start of a great..." he never got to finish his sentence. The entrance to the bar, a solid wooden door, was quite literally blown off its hinges, flying against the back wall. All of them jumped, watching the smoke from the entrance start to clear. "YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT. YOU ALSO HAVE THE RIGHT TO RESIST ARREST. PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE ALL RESISTING ARREST!" a loud, booming voice spoke from beyond the cloud of smoke and dust. The group all started to draw their guns, aiming for the cloud. They were caught off guard when a loud crackle resonated into the building, followed by a fireball striking the table, blasting it to pieces and knocking them all back. "Pulled weapons, looks like resisting arrest to me." The figure walked through the door, Catacomb walking in with both guns aimed towards the group. "Who in the hell are ya?" one of the men said, coughing slightly. "Don't talk to it, shoot!" another yelled out, as they promptly fired on Catacomb. He quickly dived behind the bar, dodging the barrage of bullets heading his way. Earl watched from his new spot behind the bar as well as Catacomb rolled next to him. "Are you out of your mind, MY BAR!" Earl yelled as bullets sailed above and into the thick wood of the bar. Catacomb aimlessly raised his gun and fired another fireball, not sure if he hit or not, and not really caring at the moment. "Relax, put my damages on Celestia's tab." Catacomb grinned, firing a few more fireballs at the group, watching the bright flash of the impact and shrapnel from whatever he hit fly above. He looked over quickly, pulling his head down at the slew of more bullets. "Two down, six to go." One of the goon taken down was nothing more than a charred body, made extra crispy from a direct hit The other was skewered by a shattered table, the pieces sticking out of him soaking in his quickly leaking blood. "ARE YA GONNA GIVE UP YET?" Catacomb yelled from behind the bar. He laughed at the collective no, and opened the unused gun barrel, setting it on a specific round, and closing it. He sat there taking a deep breath, and getting ready to jump, when he noticed another figure walking into the door. "Excuse me, gentleman, but have any of you seen my friend?" he asked, drawing in stares from the group. They quickly laid their sights on him and fired as he ducked back outside. "I will take that as a yes." he said from outside the bar. "Hey Perry!" Catacomb yelled waving happily with one hand towards the masked man. Perry leaped back inside and roll behind the bar. "Nice moves, slick. Didn't think you could do subtle." Catacomb said, grinning. "Why of course I can be subtle, but what about you? This place is disastrous looking. Couldn't you have toned down the destruction." Perry asked as Catacomb did a quick check over the bar. Tables have been flipped to be used as barricades, the group currently consisting of six men still firing on them. "How many bullets do these guys have?!" Catacomb asked loudly, half hoping to get an answer. "I mean, come on! It's like they are pulling them out of their asses!" "Still not as bad as the demon incident." Perry responded jokingly. Catacomb laughed, nodding in agreement. Earl, ducked down as low as possible, was staring for the longest time at the duo as they maintained a conversation under heavy gun fire. "Enough talking, my bar is being destroyed! Do something!" he yelled at Perry and Catacomb, who shrugged and nodded. "Perry, how is the ol' magical thing going for ya?" Catacomb asked, double checking to see if his gun was set on the right shell. "Don't think I can do anything that will kill them instantly, but that would be boring anyways." Perry said, chuckling a bit madly. "Don't worry. I already have two in my custody, that's good enough for getting information." Catacomb stopped to fire a few detainment shells from his other gun at the group, hitting only tables, but succeeding in eliminating them as cover as the group moved behind the biggest one. "Use one of your fancy spells to deflect the bullets while I charge the shot." "What are you planning?" Perry asked, a sense of sick enjoyment heard from the tone he spoke with. "Just some party favors..." ---------- ---------- ---------- "Who the hell is that guy?" one of the men asked, all of them huddled behind the thick table. "I dunno, but we can't keep dealing with that rune guy. He already took out Bub and Lickin." Another said, slightly worried. "I'm almost out of ammo here!" "Keep it together! Just because this didn't go as planned doesn't mean that we are giving up that easily." The leader of the band said. "Did I hear you're giving up?" Catacomb asked from behind the bar. "Are ya crazy? You have no clue who you're dealing with. Get em' boys." They all got out from behind cover and started to walk towards the bar. Perry and Catacomb were already standing, waiting for them. As the went to fire, Perry put up his hand. "Gravity Well." The bullets that went at them made a beeline into the bar instead. As Perry focused on his gravity distortion, Catacomb had taken aim, rooting his feet firmly into the ground and holding the gun with both hands. He pulled the trigger, as the gun started to spark with magical energies, before letting out a loud pop. The men stopped shooting, looking at Catacomb, almost laughing. "What...that's it? It was a dud!" The leader of the small group said confidently. "Rush them!" They were all about to charge, but the room started to get darker and darker, until there wasn't a shred of light. They all stopped, looking around, eyes filled with confusion and fear. "Wh...What's going on?!" he said, as everyone stood around in the dark. Catacomb smiled from the veil of darkness, taking a small bit of pleasure at what he was about to do. "Night Light." ---------- ---------- ---------- Spike quickly made his way through the town, heading towards the gun fire. He wasn't sure what he would do, but he had to do something. The townspeople have already fled the area, afraid of what terrors were going on inside the bar. He gulped and walked towards it, but was suddenly stopped as the area around the bar started to grow abnormally dark, the light posts in the surrounding area even losing some of their flicker. He watched, unsure of what to do at this point. He couldn't proceed into the dark. Even for someone trained that would be dangerous. The light returned, and suddenly and brightly, as a large pillar of light shot through the side of the bar, going upwards into the sky. Spike watched the beam, sailing away from civilization and into the sky itself, lighting up the town as if it was daytime, only for a moment. After the glow vanished, Spike came to his senses and ran as quickly as he could, more curious now on what just happened. He walked through the door, though not necessary at this point, the huge hole in the wall would have been just as fine. Looking on the scene, he could see Catacomb and Perry behind the bar, along with the bartender. Catacomb was implanted into the back of the bar, covered in liquor from the impact, holding out his rune gun as the tip and barrel were glowing red, most likely from magical overcharge. He had a huge smiled planted on his face, most likely from the excitement. Perry was laughing and pointing to Catacomb, obviously thinking his current position was hysterical. The bartender, on the other hand, looked like he was in tears. Finally, were what looked like parts of legs left over on the other side of the bar. Spike wasn't sure if he wanted to know what happened to the owners. "M...My bar...my beautiful bar..." Earl turned towards Perry and Catacomb and started to scream. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT TO PAY FOR THIS MESS?!" He asked. Perry stopped laughing, both him and Catacomb looking over at him. Then they both burst into laughter, causing the bartender to become more infuriated. Spike's attention was drawn away, though, as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking towards the hand, he could see Celestia standing next to him. "P...Princess Celestia!" Spike yelled, surprised. The commotion in the bar stopped as the remaining people turned their heads towards her. Earl quickly got up and ran over to her, then bowing. "Princess Celestia, these two came into my bar and started a fight with a gang of thugs. Things exploded, and people died! The damages...I don't think I can afford it." Earl finished. Celestia looked down at him and then back at Perry and Cata, who were pointing fingers at each other. "It will be alright, sir." She said, looking down at him with a soft smile. "I will have a construction crew come in and repair the damages, no charge." Earl looked more than ecstatic, quickly speaking a thank you a second. Celestia nodded, and walked past him and into the wreckage of the bar. "You two...on the other hand..." Catacomb quickly scurried out of his wall hole and hopped down, standing next to Perry. "Celestia, I swear to you that there is a really good explanation." Catacomb said, looking at the less than amused Princess. "Then it would be wise for you to tell me." she responded, looking at him with a gaze gained from years of experience, that would make lesser men soil themselves. "Even better, le'ts have this fellow tell ya." Catacomb said, grinning as he pulled out one of the glass balls in his pocket. He threw it against the wall, smashing it and freeing the target inside. He appeared in a puff of smoke, looking around in a daze. "This fine gentleman here should be more than enough to convince you that this damage is justified." "Well, at least you only destroyed one building..." Celestia sighed and looked down towards the sitting man. "Good evening, sir. I hear from my associate that you and your friends were up to something that justified him using a...forbidden spell. Is my assumption correct?" "I swear I have no idea what the hell is going on!" he quickly exclaimed, looking frightened, staring into Celestia's eyes. "Ok then, my mistake. I shall leave you in their hands for questioning then." Celestia looked over to Perry and gave a slight grin. "By the way, Perry. Your request to keep your license to kill has went through and you have been reapproved, as long as you don't go on a massive killing spree, like the one in which the entire warehouse of criminals was turned into a giant blood pool." The man's eyes went wide at the statement as he watched Celestia leave him with them. He looked over at Perry and Catacomb, who were both laughing quietly, and then back to Celestia. "DON'T LEAVE ME WITH THEM!" he pleaded, crawling towards Celestia. "I'll tell ya anything ya want..." "Oh come on! Way to go and be a killjoy." Catacomb said, pouting slightly. Perry silently walked towards a leftover corner of the bar and sat there sulking. "Look what you did..." Catacomb said, pointing to Perry. "You made him sad..." "PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS DECENT DON'T LEAVE ME WITH THEM!!!" he yelled out in terror. Celestia turned around, smiling her usual motherly smile and knelt down, gently patting him on the head. "Don't worry, I will not leave, just tell me why you and your friends are here in this quiet town." Celestia asked kindly. He nodded looked at her. "It was a job. Our leader, Dante, sent us to gather these girls. The Elements of Harmony. Apparently there's a certain customer who wants to purchase them. We already have one, she is being kept at a cruddy apartment building, off Mane and Trottingham. That's all I know, know don't leave me with them...I feel like the masked one might eat me..." He looked back at Perry, who was listening to the entire confession. He simply shrugged, prompting a look from Catacomb. "Wait, seriously?" Catacomb asked, more that concerned. "Can't say the thought never crossed my mind. Why do you think I avoid meat in general." Perry said, chuckling. "I might want more..." "Anyway..." Catacomb said, obviously trying to steer the conversation into a brighter realm. "You're going to take us to her, you understand?" "Ya crazy?! My boss would kill me!" he responded instantly. Catacomb simply laughed at the comment. "You're serious...you're afraid of your boss at this point." he said, looking down at the thug. "No seriously. He isn't someone to mess around with. He didn't get where he is today by being kind and forgiven. I don't think you fools really know what you're getting into." He looked at Perry, Catacomb, and Celestia, and sighed. "I want full immunity, and a new identity." "Aren't ya asking for a bit too much. You already gave us what we needed to know." Catacomb said, looking away towards Perry, who's attention was drawn towards the wreckage, walking around and almost basking in the devastation. Spike followed, looking slightly squeamish at the sight of charred bodies and missing limbs. He gulped, looking over at Catacomb and Perry, making a mental note to never get on their bad side. "It will be done." Celestia said kindly. Catacomb's head snapped towards her and stared. "Really?!" Catacomb and the thug both said in unison. "Of course I will expect complete cooperation." she added, getting a nod from him. "Well, nothing much more to lose at this point. The name's Lucky Strike." He held out his hand formally. Celestia gladly accepted it and shook back. "Now, as for that apartment." ---------- ---------- ---------- "No...freakin...way..." Lucky said, looking inside the run down apartment. In front of his eyes were three nearly naked men, save for their undergarments, and the captive sitting at a table. Catacomb looked over Lucky's shoulder, and chuckled. "Ok, I think I got a handle on this." He walked in towards their captive, Pinkie Pie, sitting across from all the other men, holding their clothes. "They wanted to have some fun, and watch you undress..." he said to Pinkie. "Yup!" She responded, strangely cheerfully. "So someone came up with the bright idea of strip poker." Catacomb continued, adding more to the story. "They weren't very good at it. I tried to help them out and told them when I was bluffing, but they didn't listen." She said, looking over at the men, who in front of none other than Princess Celestia herself, could not find the words to describe their embarrassment. "And that leads us to where we are now." Catacomb said, nodding triumphantly at his correct observation. "I would beat the living hell out of ya lot, but the shame you all are probably feeling is doing a good enough job, so I will be easier on ya." He quickly pulled out a rune gun and shot it at them all, and within seconds they were all inside those little glass spheres. Pinkie looked at Catacomb and whined slightly. "Aww...I was winning!" she pouted, looking towards the ground. Everyone stared at her blankly. unsure of how to actually respond to this. "Pinkie...you realize you were being kidnapped and held against your will, right?" Perry asked, his head slightly tilted in confusion. "I thought it was just a super special secret party!"