“Well, Mister Trotson, it seems as though you’ve been entangled in quite the spider’s web.”
“Is that how you put it? I imagine that would imply my presence in such a mess to be the fault of another, not my own.”
Artemis followed the brown unicorn guard down the streets of the seemingly deserted capital, their pace slowing and quickening around every corner. Only a few lights were on behind the windows of the buildings around them, the occasional pair of eyes peering through their drawn blinds. As they had feared, not one other guard or any other pony occupied the streets or alleyways. Whenever the unicorn stopped to knock on a door, the residents of the apartments claimed to see nothing. However, their words had been quick and shaking, doing everything they could to end the conversation and return indoors.
“Odd,” Artemis noted aloud as they descended the steps of yet another home. “You’d think anypony would jump on the chance to help a Guard Captain with his investigation.”
“One would think,” the guard agreed, leading them down the main road. “But when faced with chaos behind a veil of shadows, ponykind is quick to remain in the light where certainty is right at hoof.”
“And that’s your explanation of why nopony wants to help stop these guys?”
“Oh no, it was merely an explanation for their shifting eyes and trembling hooves.”
The gray stallion quirked a brow as he walked beside the guard, eyeing him closely. “I would be remiss if I did not comment on your change of character. A dramatic one, at that.”
“If any officer of the law attempted to extract information without any sort of guise, I assure you that Equestria would be a very unsavory place,” said the unicorn, his previously stoic tone now graced with an indescribable, unconfined flair. He did not speak eloquently, but precisely, pronouncing every word as it was intended. “You were kind enough to tell me of your endeavors, and I believe you. No further questioning required.”
Artemis blinked several times, looking to the ground as he trotted. “That seems a little easy, um... Mister Guard Captain.”
“You may call me Case.”
“That sounds like a surname.”
“Indeed it is,” Case said simply. "Objectivity outweighs all in my mind. Right now I have my focus set on making sure Princess Luna is alright. If your story is true, then her life could be in danger while Princess Celestia is absent."
“I am no soldier, Mister Case,” Artemis said. “So why would you need me to tag along?”
“Because you have yet to finish telling me of Azure Spark, Sure Shot and just what is supposed to be occurring this dreadful night,” answered Case, his voice calm even as he quickened his trot, forcing Artemis to follow suit. “So pray tell, Mister Trotson, just what exactly makes you believe that Azure Spark didn’t murder my soldiers?”
“Well, let me ask you a question, then. What caliber rounds were found in the bodies of your soldiers?” the gray pony asked as they turned the corner down a main road labeled Canterbury Lane.
“.44 Magnum through the chests of every last one of them,” said the unicorn, his tone darkening and lowering an octave or two. “With no discernible marks to aid the process of identifying the gun used.”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that each guard in that room received such a large round in the same place, quick enough to finish before any panic could arise?”
“We have no record of Azure Spark,” Case said simply. “His past and his experiences are unknown to us. Two witnesses testified and recalled his description. When we found him, he fled. Are you saying that he was not the killer?”
“You may know nothing of who he is, but you do have a picture of him.”
“And?”
“Azure Spark is a scrawny pony, to say the least,” Artemis continued. “When I first met him, I thought he was a teenager. You said that the bullets were untraceable, that means they were forged illegally and were fired by a gun that leaves behind no marks in the magazine, the receiver, the chamber or the barrel. Not to mention that the .44 Magnum is an incredibly powerful round; one that delivers a very heavy recoil. Are you telling me that tiny little pony took the time and the money to have such a weapon made, chambered for a cartridge that could quite possibly throw him on his flanks with a single shot?”
Case was silent as the looming, pearly white towers of Canterlot Castle came into view, its violet and yellow rooftops high above the surrounding structures. Artemis watched the guard as he chewed on his words, looking down to the ground as they trotted down Canterbury Lane. After a few moments, Case shook his head and laughed aloud.
“Tell me, Mister Trotson: just why haven’t you pursued a career in investigation?”
“I prefer the life I live,” Artemis said simply. “It may be stressful and sometimes dangerous, but it’s also exciting without being a constant burden on my brain. Plus, I get to be with the only family I have left.”
“An acceptable answer, if there ever was one,” Case nodded. “You mentioned earlier that Sure Shot fires a rifle chambered for the .44 Magnum. Do you think that he was the killer?”
“Azure Spark has a very specific, yet highly-desirable talent. Not too many unicorns excel in his field of magic,” said the gray stallion.
“So instead of taking the time to convert Spark, he took the lives of the guards himself,” the unicorn finished for Artemis. “Sure Shot framed him, forcing him to run.”
“And right into his alleged ‘protection.’”
“Horrifically cruel, yet undeniably brilliant.”
“Indeed.”
Case turned his head to Artemis as the castle gates drew closer, his bronze eyes narrowing into his. “Trotson, if what you claim is true, then expect my recommendation to the Canterlot Investigative Service.”
“Didn’t I say that I didn’t want any part of that?”
“It’s good to have options,” said the unicorn. “However, you are under my custody until this case can be verified, and my objective is to assure Princess Luna’s safety. Come now, quick march!”
The barrels of the long weapon turned faster and faster, the grin on the bandits’ faces growing as the whine of gears heightened in volume. Braeburn’s heart pounded relentlessly against his chest, milliseconds from pulling the trigger. His sights were aligned and his morality was all but depleted. Whether it was the lack of sleep and nutrition or something much simpler, he was ready to turn these ponies into cinders.
Braeburn felt his body fly through the air, the wind knocked clear out of his lungs. Something wrapped itself around his torso, carrying his body out of the street and through a closed window. The stallion braced himself an instance before his back hit the glass, shattering it without so much as hindering his trajectory. Braeburn closed his eyes as he felt himself impact with a wooden floor, rolling across its surface as the brass rifle flew from his grip. He ended up on his back, another pony holding him down as something roared to life in the alleyway.
The stallion’s ears folded back on reflex as what sounded like hundreds of gunshots fired outside at once. Braeburn cracked his eyes open, finding a lock of gray and black hair draped across his muzzle. Daring kept him pinned to the floor as the weapon kept firing; impossibly quick and devastating rounds tearing through the wall of the abandoned home. Glass and drywall flew in all directions, as if small explosives had detonated throughout the building. Braeburn’s ears were filled with the high-pitched whine of bullets whizzing through the air, ricocheting off the few surfaces that weren’t instantly torn apart.
After what felt like several minutes, the gun ceased its fire and the air was still. No sooner had the rounds stopped did Daring push herself upward with her forehooves on either side of the stallion’s head, her rose eyes glaring down at him. “Just what in the blue heck were you trying to prove out there?!”
“Okay, Ah wasn’t quite expectin’... that.”
“What were you expecting to come outta that thing, kittens and good times?!” Daring exclaimed. She reached over to his left, finding the brass rifle and shoving it into his chest. “We need a plan.”
Braeburn went to reply, but was cut off by Golden Barricade’s theatrical voice. “My stars that was incredible! Did you two see that? It was like a maelstrom of angry wasps! Well, wasps that can tear through solid concrete as if it were made of butter. If they’re alive then congratulations to them, sincerely.”
“Alright, I really don’t like her,” Daring scowled, her eyes turned in the direction of Barricade’s voice.
“Well that’s good, then ya’ won’t mind if Ah burn her alive,” Braeburn grunted. He moved out from under the mare, sitting up to his haunches when the sight of Daring’s face caught his attention. He froze, staring with bewilderment at the horror-struck look his marefriend wore. She sat on her haunches as well, forelegs curled slightly to her chest. But her eyes were what alarmed him the most. They were wide and fearful, as if Braeburn had grown a second head. “What?”
“I... Braeburn, you...”
“Look, we can’t spare them no more,” he said firmly. “They chose their paths, Daring. It ain’t pretty, but we can’t afford to let them live when they’re tryin’ to kill us. You know that. You saw what Ah had to do to get you outta that hole in the ground.”
“I know, but...” she trailed off, her eyes flicking between him and the gun in his lap. “I just... I guess I’ve just never seen you like this. That look in your eye...”
Braeburn sighed through his nostrils, his gaze traversing the devastated room around them. He leaned forward, briefly pressing his lips to hers before looking her in the eye. “Ah don’t like it no more than you do. But until this is over, Ah ain’t showin’ those fiends an ounce o’ mercy. Ah reckon you know exactly what Ah’m talkin’ about, especially if Ah mentioned Ahuitzotl.”
Daring recoiled, looking as if she were about to retort in a harsh manner. However, she closed her lips, her eyes falling back to the brass rifle. She wore a solemn expression as she bit down on her bottom lip. “Right... you’re right.”
The mare leaned forward this time, planting her own kiss to his lips. She let herself linger, their eyes falling shut in unison. When they broke apart, Braeburn was relieved to find a brighter look on her face. “I love you.”
The riflepony allowed himself a small smile. “Ah love you too.”
“Well, I guess the gatling gun was a truly revolutionary piece of equipment,” came Golden Barricade’s voice, breaking the two of them out of their stupor. “It had no problem killing two ponies through a building! Truly marvelous, if I do say so myself.”
“Oh yeah,” Daring groaned, looking as though she had forgotten their situation just as Braeburn did. As they got to their hooves, the stallion disengaged the rifle’s Dragon’s Breath function, closing the side plates along with the action. “Yeah, I’m all for shutting that mare up.”
“You two,” said the unicorn outside. “Why don’t you go in there and retrieve the bodies. Master Ahuitzotl will be very pleased indeed.”
“That’s twice she’s referred to Ahuitzotl as ‘master,’” Daring noted aloud, keeping her voice down. “If anything, wouldn’t she be calling Sure Shot that? And for that matter, just where is Ahuitzotl?”
“Ah’m more concerned ‘bout Aerial’s parents,” Braeburn replied, looking to their surroundings. To his left was a short hallway, leading to a living room of some sort. He didn’t take the time to absorb the finer details of the bleak apartment, for his attention was caught by one of the bandits outside through the window. He grabbed Daring by the hoof, dragging her into the hallway. He made a gesture over his lips, telling her to keep quiet. The stallion peaked around the corner, spotting the dark pony gazing through the massive hole the gatling gun had created. Cradled in his foreleg was a short-barreled lever action shotgun, a Marechester Model 1887 by the look of it.
“There’s only one of ‘em,” the beige earth pony whispered.
“Barricade’s smarter than she looks, then,” Daring muttered back, huddled close to the wall next to her coltfriend. “She said she would send two when she actually still has one of them behind that gun. She’s being careful...”
Braeburn pulled his head back a few inches, making sure he wasn’t spotted. The bandit cast a confused glance around the room before leaping over the broken wall. As soon as his hooves hit the floor, Daring drew the long knife from the scabbard on her chest. The stallion looked over quick enough to see the straight black blade, its silver edge reflecting the ambient moonlight.
“Brae, go after the gunner. I’ll cover you.”
Out of absolutely nowhere, Daring turned on a hoof around Braeburn, spreading her wings and bolting through the air. Before he could call after her, the deed had been done. The pegasus cried out, dashing just above the floor with her blade poised and drawn back.
With the quick, high note of flesh being penetrated, the stallion was thrown back against the demolished wall. Daring was crouched low on her hindlegs, holding the handle of her knife against her victim’s chest. The black stallion choked, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He dropped the weapon from his hoof, letting it clatter on the floor.
Braeburn was beyond speechless. He didn’t know what to think or what to do, so he merely stood there in the threshold of the hallway. Meanwhile, Daring ripped the blade from the dark pony’s chest, stepping aside to let him collapse next to his weapon. She stood up straight on all fours, flicking the blood from her blade. She looked at her coltfriend, wearing the same expression that she did when she made her promise to end Ahuitzotl’s life; the same dark look in her eye. “What are you doing? Go through the apartments and get the gunner already! I’ll distract them by air.”
The riflepony shook his head, breaking himself out of his stupor. “Wh-What?! You can’t do that! You’ll get torn apart by that thing!”
“Hey, I was trained by Rainbow Dash, remember?” Daring grinned. “As long as you don’t keep me waiting out there, they won’t be able to land a single shot.”
“Blackhoof?” called Barricade’s voice. “Did you find them? …Well, it appears those two want a little more of a fight. Let’s oblige them, shall we, Graystone?”
“Brae, go,” Daring whispered sternly. “We’re not getting out of this alive any other way. Trust me.”
Braeburn grit his teeth, furrowing his brow as he regretfully sheathed the brass rifle. He knew she was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. He nodded once, turning around on a hoof and bolting down the hallway. The stallion galloped through the apartments, each one separated by a pair of doors and a few hallways. He ran as fast as he could, pushing his limits once he heard the gatling erupt with a new hail of rounds.
Toward the far end of the apartment building, Braeburn came to a stairwell. He climbed it at a steady trot, skipping every other step to quicken his ascent. Once he reached the third and uppermost floor, the stallion burst through a metal door and out of the stairwell. He found himself in a hallway, lined with doors leading to various flats. To his right was a closed window, foggy and nearly opaque with age. Through the glass, Braeburn could barely make out the neighboring building, another window maybe a yard away.
The riflepony stepped back, rearing onto his hindhooves and unsheathing Thumper. Without needing to take aim at such a close range, Braeburn fired two rounds from the hip, shattering both panes of glass. Through his adrenaline, the stallion’s ears blocked out the majority of the thundering shots echoing off the close walls. Shards of broken glass remained in the corners of the windows, but the openings were still large enough for even a taller stallion like him to fit through.
Braeburn sheathed Thumper on his back, taking another few steps back. He adjusted his cowpony hat, tightening its fit before galloping at full bore towards the shattered window. The stallion dove forward, straightening out his body to squeeze through the openings he had created. He kept his eyes closed, trying not to look at the narrow alley he leaped over. Braeburn grimaced as he felt something sharp graze his foreleg, directly below the mantle of his duster.
Landing in a somersault, Braeburn rolled to his hooves and bolted through a new hallway. At the other end was another window, this one still not quite clear yet still enough to allow a pony to see. The sound of the gatling gun’s rapid fire grew louder with every stride down the hallway, bringing a little more peace to his mind. As long as they were still firing, that meant that Daring was still alive. The stallion approached the glass, looking through to find the large stoop of the manor down below to the right, Aerial’s parents still leaning against a wall in the alley to the left.
Down below, Golden Barricade’s smug gaze darted back and forth, following every direction Graystone pointed the weapon. The floor shook with every shot the gatling fired, freeing small clouds of dust from the old carpet and ceiling. Braeburn bit the corner of his lower lip as he unsheathed the brass rifle again. But just as the end of the barrel cleared its scabbard, the yellow unicorn’s orange eyes whipped over to glare directly at him.
Braeburn’s draw had been heavily practiced for the majority of two years, yet it wasn’t as quick as the trained unicorn’s spell. The riflepony tore his weapon from his scabbard and fired, only to have the round ricochet off a large square of golden magic after shattering the window to pieces. The stallion immediately turned out of view, standing on his hindlegs with his back against the wall to the left of the window. He expected a spell to fly through the window frame after him, but none had come.
The stallion’s chest heaved as his mind raced, attempting to find a way to take out Barricade and the gunner. Engaging a unicorn with a rifle was daunting enough, and this one seemed to have a special talent for creating defensive barriers. If she knew even the general direction from where he was shooting from, the task would only waste ammunition. Without knowing of the mare’s talent, he couldn’t depend on her running out of magical energy. Time was also an issue, especially with the mare he loved dodging rapid gunfire just outside. He needed to take action now.
Braeburn bit down on the receiver of his rifle, grabbing a hold of the window frame and leaping through. The cool night air hit him immediately, along with the eyes and glowing horn of the enemy below. As he fell from the third story window, Braeburn aimed his weapon, although with an empty chamber and an open action. Golden Barricade summoned another thin wall of magic, just as the stallion hoped she would.
Adjusting his orientation, Braeburn landed on his hindhooves, a full story above the ground. His legs buckled, absorbing the shock from the fall. Just as the unicorn’s horn dimmed, the riflepony leaped off the spell, landing in a roll upon the wide stoop of the manor. As quick as a flash, Braeburn rose into a crouch as he loaded a Dragon’s Breath round into the chamber, pointing the weapon right in the face of Golden Barricade. He grimaced as the end of the barrel pressed against a solid, translucent wall of yellow magic, glittering in the pale moonlight.
On the other side of the spell, Barricade’s horn was alight, a malevolent grin spreading across her smug face. Behind her, the pony called Graystone ceased firing the second Braeburn landed, fighting to turn the large weapon on its spoked wheels.
“From what I’ve heard, the fire from that weapon is as wild as it is deadly,” Barricade sneered. “I have no doubt that it’s powerful, but then again, so are my barriers.”
Graystone had the gatling turned halfway towards the beige stallion.
“Fire is truly a savage beast,” continued the unicorn, her confidence unwavering. “But can it be contained by my magic, I wonder? Are you willing to risk burning alive from the blowback if my shield holds strong?”
The bandit stallion had only about thirty degrees to go before the gatling was pointed at its new target, and it was closing in fast. Braeburn flicked his eyes to the skies above, his heart skipping a beat as he failed to find Daring. He looked back to Barricade’s grinning face, loathing the entire situation. His only choice was to fire, but the outcome was completely unknown to him, as well as the unicorn. Yet her confidence never faltered, even with the possibility of being incinerated in the blink of an eye. He had no time to think, for the gatling was only a few inches away from pointing at him.
Braeburn grit his teeth, praying to Celestia that Gunmetal Grey’s invention would hold strong.
“Goodbye.”
Azure Spark watched as Day Break forced herself to move, her quivering legs taking her backward a few steps and away from the wounded pegasus. Bullet Tyme pressed the barrel of his Marechester against the back of the mare’s head, tightening his hoof around the trigger. Despite his words, the yellow pegasus couldn’t so much as blink, let alone turn her head away from the scene.
The Windburg whimpered beneath the stallion, clutching her shoulder while tears streaked her grimacing face. “N-no! Please don’t!”
“Ya’ had yer chance,” Bullet hissed. He said nothing more before straightening his stance, closing one eye in preparation for the organic debris that would soon follow.
Azure flinched violently as a shot rang out through the night, yelping in shock. However, the sound hadn’t come from the empty town square they were near, but from somewhere much farther away. Only a second or two went by before a section of the cobblestone street next to Bullet’s hindhoof exploded upward at a diagonal angle. Shards of rock flew, along with a small plume of white dust.
Everypony jumped with varying degrees of shock, Azure leaping backward several hooves behind Bullet Tyme. Once the debris cleared, he spotted a short, deep gouge cut into the stone. Before any of them could voice their concern, a low guffawing echoed through the night. Azure looked up, his yellow eyes widening as they fell upon a dark purple earth stallion, his gaunt features framed by his matted black bangs. The pony walked on the edge of the open square, facing the street they occupied. Strapped to his back was his rifle, the black wood of its rear stock poking out from behind his shoulder.
Following him was another earth stallion, short and sporting a rather lean body. Every muscle under his orange coat was properly proportioned to his small frame, but was toned and looking ready to snap into action with the briefest of warnings. He wore a short mane and tail of dark yellow, combed backward in a way that emulated the wind rushing through it. Azure barely had time to take in his features, for his eyes snapped to the journal between his teeth, dread flooding through his veins. He walked with long, confident strides, looking at the three of them as if they were ants.
They stopped roughly ten yards away from them, looking past Day Break as though she weren’t there and smirked right at Bullet Tyme. “Well now, I haven’t seen this side of you in far too long,” cackled Sure Shot. “How I have missed that look on your face, Bullet. Such a carnal expression shows the truest version of a pony.”
“B-Boss!” shrieked the pink mare on the ground, using her uninjured foreleg to drag herself forward. Her now unprotected wound bled profusely onto the stone, Day Break and Azure wincing horribly at the sight. “Help me—GAH—Please!”
Bullet Tyme flicked the barrel of his rifle upward, aiming for the purple stallion. Another shot rang out through the air, soon followed by another upheaval of stone and dust right next to the riflepony. Sure Shot only grinned.
“Eagle Eye certainly is quite the shot, isn’t she?” he said jubilantly, lazily gesturing to the skyline to his right, completely ignoring his whimpering follower. Azure cast a glance in the direction of his hoof, finding a tall clock tower a block or two away, looming over the portion of the city they were in. The semi-darkness of the night, coupled with the distance, hid the position of the mare, but judging by the angle of the shots, the bandit leader didn’t seem to be lying. “Ex-sniper for the Equestrian military; given the title of ‘finest marksmare in service.’ Yet despite her efforts, poor Eagle Eye was dishonorably discharged for taking out an enemy nation’s leader.”
“Do Ah look like Ah care ‘bout yer mindless followers?” Bullet grunted, keeping his sights on the purple stallion.
Sure Shot chuckled again. “Well you should, for any wrong move will be rewarded with a .30-06 caliber round through the temple. Not to mention Burst, here.” He paused, gesturing to the silent pony beside him. “Who happens to be a world-class sprinter. And oh look, he has Cunning the Colt’s journal. How fortunate.”
The purple stallion then turned to the pony named Burst, tapping him on the shoulder twice to catch his attention. “Burst, Portare il giornale al caro principessa Luna per lei ... decifrare, vero?”
Burst nodded, and quicker than a blink of an eye, he nearly disappeared from the street, bolting around the corner of a building and out of sight. Azure’s jaw nearly dropped, blinking several times to see if his mind had been playing tricks on him.
“Ah yes, while being quicker on his hooves than anypony in our country, he speaks not a word of Equestrian. His language is a beautiful one, so I was more than happy to learn it as quickly as I could. However, there are times when I find that some of my words are lost in translation,” Sure Shot explained. “But I digress. Bullet, be a dear and lower the weapon. I don’t imagine you’d want to be killed by a pony you could not see.”
“How brave, lettin’ that misguided filly protect you from a distance,” Bullet growled. “If you were a stallion, you’d call her off so Ah could show you what a real riflepony can do.”
“Ah, but that isn’t my business here tonight,” Sure Shot replied, gesturing for the middle-aged stallion to drop his weapon, glancing up at the clock tower in the distance.
Bullet Tyme hesitated, his body frozen for a moment with his gun locked on Sure Shot. But after a beat or two, the older stallion reluctantly complied. Once the Marechester was set on the ground, the bandit leader’s piercing orange eyes fell upon Azure Spark. The cyan unicorn felt himself take a half step back, lifting an apprehensive forehoof a few inches from the ground. Sure Shot didn’t glare loathingly at him, in fact, his lopsided grin and lax stance didn’t change in the slightest. In his peripheral vision, Azure caught sight of Day Break glancing back at him, trepidation filling her ruby eyes.
“Oh Sparky, look at where your little stunts have put you now,” he chided. “Now as much as your talents would prove to be useful to me again, I did promise to kill you. Unfortunately for both of us, I am a pony of my word.”
The world around the unicorn seemed to slow down as Azure’s legs trembled with fear. He watched with wide eyes as the bandit leader’s lightning fast hoof hooked into the lever of the rifle on his back, wrenching the weapon from its sheath as he took up stance. Sure Shot’s right hindhoof slid forward across the cobblestone street, while the other went backward underneath him. With Eagle’s sights on them, Azure was defenseless. Nopony could help him again, and it seemed as though Sure Shot controlled every aspect of the situation. There was no way out, and his only option was to take the bullet and die as planned.
But then again, Bullet Tyme, Day Break, Braeburn, Daring and Artemis had done so much to keep him protected, all simply because Azure chose the right path instead of the easy one. He was not about to let that effort be in vain. Sure Shot’s draw was fast, but the unicorn’s magic was faster.
Azure Spark pulled himself back down into his own head, his horn flaring with a bright, cyan light. His yellow eyes narrowed on the purple stallion, screwing his brow with determination. With a flash of pale blue and a tinge of violet, the unicorn disappeared; a .44 Magnum round whistling through the empty space his head occupied only milliseconds before.
With a bellowing roar, Azure appeared directly in front of the riflepony, reinforcing the end of his spell with an explosion of kinetic energy. Sure Shot’s previously steady form flew backward and into the town square, mere hooves above the cobblestone. The unicorn wasted no time before teleporting again, his ears picking up a massive round penetrating the ground in his wake. He appeared with a spherical flash of pale blue light in the middle of the square, facing a recovering Sure Shot five yards away.
The purple stallion rolled across the stone, ceasing his momentum at a skid on his hindhooves. Before Eagle Eye could so much as cycle a new round into her weapon, Azure’s horn lit up, fizzling with violet and blue sparks. Overhead, the result of the unicorn’s efforts manifested itself in the form of a thin, translucent circle, growing in diameter in the air to the left and leaning at an angle. Like a raised hoof used to block out the sun, the shield hovered high over the edge of the square, placed between them and the clock tower.
Sure Shot’s orange eyes lit up with a crazed fury, the barrel of his Marechester snapping upward in the unicorn’s direction. Azure teleported again, appearing between Day Break and Bullet Tyme. Before either of them could so much as flinch, he reared onto his hindlegs, placing a forehoof to both their shoulders. In a flash of light, the three of them emerged in a ground level apartment, right in the living room of somepony’s home.
On the other side of the room were a trio of ponies, who had violently scampered out of the way. It was a young couple, both cradling a small foal behind them. Their eyes were wide and utterly fearful, the stallion taking stance in front of his wife and son.
“Who are you?! What’s going on?!” yelled the stallion, his voice shaking.
“Sir, I apologize for the intrusion, but there’s about to be a firefight outside,” Azure said back quickly. “If you have a basement, I would suggest you go there now until this all blows over.”
The mare cowered behind her husband, clutching their son in her forelegs. The stallion, meanwhile, was not easily moved by Azure’s words. “Just who in the hay are you?”
“Do you all want to die?!” Azure found himself yelling, much to the fear of the family. “I said get somewhere safe, now!”
Without another word, the couple scooped up their son and bolted out of the room, the sound of a door slamming and multiple locks turning coming from the hallway. The unicorn watched them leave, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
“Azure! What in the hay are ya’ doin’?!” yelled Bullet’s haggard voice from behind.
“Saving your lives. Now go, get out of here!” Azure yelled back, turning around to face him. “That barrier is keeping her from hitting you guys too. Stick to the alleyways and get the book.”
“Azure, don’t do this!” Day Break pleaded, although at a tone that tore at the unicorn’s heart. He looked to her, finding her expression anxious and crestfallen, her ruby eyes wide and glazed.
“Boy, that pony’ll end yer life quicker than a swatter to a fly,” Bullet said flatly. His volume and intensity then began to raise with every word. “You bring me back there so Ah can finally end that pony’s life!”
“And what if you don’t?!” Azure found himself barking back. “What if he puts a bullet straight through your head and we lose one of the only ponies we have that can help end this?!”
Bullet through his face right into Azure’s, his small eyes glaring into the unicorn’s. “Ah’m the one responsible fer that maniac, now step aside so Ah can at least try to make up fer it!”
Despite the drastic difference in height and build, Azure Spark stood his ground, his yellow eyes locked on Bullet’s. “No, I will not,” he said in a slow, guttural voice. “If that Burst gets away with that book, Sure Shot’s ponies will have it decoded it by dawn. Day Break needs firepower and offense with her, not evasive and defensive spells.”
“But if—“ Day Break started, but Azure cut her off with a raised hoof.
“Look, Sure Shot will kill you if you pursue Burst, unless he has somepony distracting him,” the unicorn said, his throat dry from yelling more than he was used to. “With my magic, I can do that far longer than either of you could. Not to mention he wants me dead anyway.”
The cyan pony offered a reassuring smile. “Braeburn and Daring Do are the reasons I was able to find the good in myself again; the bravery I never thought I had. You two are far too important to them to lose. If I can do anything to pay them back, it’ll be to keep you two alive!”
Neither Bullet Tyme nor Day had a retort to his statement, but merely stared at him in disbelief. “Thank you… for everything that you’ve done for me.” Unable to look either of them in the eye for a second longer, Azure Spark disappeared in another flash of spherical blue light.
Appearing atop the building he was previously inside, Azure only stayed long enough to make sure his barrier was still in place, along with Sure Shot. His image was only visible for fractions of a second at a time, appearing briefly on the rooftops of the buildings approaching the circular town square. He traveled toward his destination with short bursts of magic, conserving his energy rather than depleting it by teleporting longer distances. After a moment or two, Azure Spark emerged in the center of the urban clearing, ten yards away from Sure Shot.
You all showed me something I never thought I deserved, and displayed bravery in the most bleak of situations.
The riflepony smirked, baring his teeth to utter a hearty chuckle. “You can’t be serious.”
Azure widened his stance, narrowing his eyes on his enemy and tightening his brow. He looked over to the road that he, Day Break and Bullet Tyme previously occupied, finding the pink mare on the ground. Her head was rested on the ground, her cheek dipped in the pool of dark red around her front. The pegasus’ entire form was still, showing no sign of breath nor consciousness.
I think it’s time I paid you all back.
Sure Shot laughed aloud now, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. “Sparky, have you forgotten the number of far more skilled unicorns I have taken down? Do you believe your special talent gives you an advantage against me? Well as amusing as that is, I simply do not have the time to play with you. Do the both of us a favor and don’t delay the inevitable here.”
“You’re not immortal,” said Azure, mustering his bravest and most confident voice.
Sure Shot cocked a brow, his grin unwavering. “Excuse me?”
“You’re not impenetrable. You’re nothing more than an earth pony with unusual rifle prowess,” the unicorn said, his jaw stiff with mounting anger.
“Sparky, compared to you, I might as well be a god,” Sure Shot replied casually, as if the words held no weight to him.
“Then I guess it’s time to make God bleed.”
Sure Shot racked a new round into his weapon as he aimed it, still not quick enough to match Azure’s magic. With a guttural roar, the unicorn teleported out of the path of the speeding bullet, reemerging a mere hoof or two behind the riflepony, releasing another burst of kinetic energy at the end of the spell. Once again, Sure Shot flew bodily through the air, this time skidding across the cobblestone on his hooves before his body could hit the ground.
The purple stallion replied with a trio of lightning-fast shots, nearly as quick as Braeburn’s. Azure was prepared, teleporting every time his eyes fell upon the rifle pointing in his direction. His veins pumped faster than they were meant to, his heart pounding against his chest. The unicorn’s mind spun like a tornado in his skull, striving to find a way to fight back. There had to be a way to bring an offense to this game, even with the cyan pony’s finite abilities.
Azure knew Sure Shot; he knew how he fought and he knew how he defended against unicorns. However, even with all the spellcasters the riflepony had slain, not one of them had used anything but projectile magic. Azure had to be creative and use his one talent to his advantage. The unicorn knew his own words to be true; Sure Shot had to have a weakness of some sort, even just an offense that he would never see coming. There had to be something.
Azure’s reflexes took over as Sure Shot fired off another round at him, sidestepping the whizzing bullet once the barrel was pointed at him again. But when the purple stallion cycled a few more shots, the unicorn was forced to leap to the side and into the portal of another teleportation spell. He exited the spell several yards behind Sure Shot mid-jump, landing on the other side of the portal. As soon as his hooves touched upon the stone, the cyan pony’s mind lit up with realization.
“Well, look at that,” Sure Shot, his grin smaller than usual. He stood straight up on his hindlegs, digging into his vest to load his weapon with new cartridges. “Eight rounds; an entire magazine emptied. I’ll give credit where it is due. You are a speedy little squirrel, aren’t you?”
He was vulnerable, at least to the untrained eye. Most ponies were open to physical attack while reloading. However, Sure Shot was not one of those ponies. He was nearly as dangerous now as he was when firing.
As the eighth round cleared the cartridge gate, the riflepony faced him again. “While bullets aren’t a factor to me, I am not a wasteful pony. Consider this second round to be the last.”
You have means of offense now. Make it count.
Azure broke into a full gallop towards Sure Shot before he could lift his gun. By the time he did, the unicorn was building speed past a quick trot, disappearing in the wake of a thundering shot. Azure emerged in a flash of cyan light on the other side of the town square, now reaching a full gallop around the edge of the square. The unicorn dodged another flurry of rounds, building momentum with every short-distance teleportation. His lungs began to burn from the effort, but he didn’t stop.
Every spell granted him a burst of acceleration, building more and more until his hooves couldn’t keep up with his speeding form. He galloped at full bore around the perimeter of the square, narrowly avoiding every last whistling bullet. Azure then leaped into the air, ceasing to exist right before the apex of his arch. When he reformed, the cerulean unicorn flew hooves over the ground, turning over to drive his hindhooves into the riflepony’s side with a bellowing roar.
With a croaking gasp, Sure Shot skidded several meters across the cobblestone on his back, somersaulting backwards onto his hindhooves. Azure’s mind ignited with a fresh wave of adrenaline as he spotted a thin line of red streaking the ground where his enemy had slid, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. It seemed as if Braeburn’s applebucking lessons had certainly paid off. While he lacked the muscular strength to fight properly, he had the conservation of momentum to assist him.
Azure wasted no time in teleporting away from the spot where he landed before Sure Shot could even align his iron sights again. Flashes of cyan light marked his trail across the square, leading the unicorn toward his opponent in a staggered line to avoid fire. The unicorn’s horn began to burn under the rapid succession of his spells, yet he paid no attention to it. He began to build speed again as he approached the earth pony, who never fired another shot, but kept his sights on the brief images of the blue pony. Azure teleported once more and made his move.
The unicorn leaped into the portal of his spell, appearing in mid air directly behind Sure Shot. He moved to repeat his previous strike, but was stopped as a massive, unseen force collided with the side of his head. Azure cried out in pain as he was thrown clear out of his trajectory to the left, hitting the ground like a burlap sack of bricks. The unicorn rolled across the stone, his limbs flailing around him like pinwheel. Once his body finally came to a stop, the world continued to spin around him, his head feeling as if a one-ton weight was resting on his right temple. He felt a hot trickle pour down the same side of his face from under his mane, the scent of blood and sweat filling his nostrils.
He lay there on his front, his body unresponsive to the distressful signals his brain was sending it. Azure felt his heart pound against the stone beneath him as his ears picked up the sound of slow, measured hoofsteps, accompanied by a throaty chuckle. His brain screamed at him to move, yet his limbs hadn’t the strength to push past the agonizing throbbing in his skull. As Sure Shot approached him, Azure opened his eyes, finding the bloodstained rear stock of the black Marechester resting on the ground in front of him.
“Well, at least you can say you put up a valiant effort. You know, in the afterlife,” the riflepony said quietly, lacking his usual sneer or condescension.
Come on, move, move, move! Azure screamed inwardly, pleading for his body to listen. It hadn’t been long enough, Bullet Tyme and Day Break needed more time.
“I must say, it has been a long time since I’ve tasted my own blood. It is almost a little invigorating, to be entirely truthful,” Sure Shot drawled, the sound of clinking metal resounding in the unicorn’s ears. “You know, for a moment, I thought you had come up with a plan that would actually hinder me. Brilliant work, but you became predictable immediately. In the end, you just failed to realize the gravity of the situation.”
Azure’s lidded yellow eyes peaked upward, looking past the barrel pressed into his mane next to his horn. Sure Shot was on his hindhooves, holding his weapon in one hoof. The cyan pony heard him say a word that turned the slowing gears in his head, one that would buy him more time. He looked back up toward the purple stallion, grinning against the trickle of blood pouring down the side of his face.
“Gravity,” he repeated in a croaking voice, throwing his hoof out to wrap around the riflepony’s ankle. “Good idea.”
Cyan light erupted from Azure’s horn, forming a sphere of magic around them for the briefest of moments before they disappeared with an echoing crash of energy. Once the two stallions manifested again, the unicorn found himself above Sure Shot, gravity pulling them down to the square meters above the rooftops. Azure dove head first toward the disoriented earth pony, facing the stallion that brought him there.
The wind rushed through Azure’s mane, throwing his eyes open and reawakening his dreary mind. Adrenaline coursed through his body, dulling the pain in his skull and reddening the corners of his vision. He screwed his brows together, baring his gritted teeth out of the corner of his mouth. As Sure Shot swung his rifle around, Azure Spark bellowed a challenging and loathing roar right toward it.
The riflepony executed another flurry of rounds, to which the vengeful unicorn merely dodged again and again, accelerating with every teleportation. The two plunged toward the ground below, mere seconds from impact. Azure dodged every last shot until the bandit leader’s magazine ran dry. He went to make his move when Sure Shot dove a hoof into his vest, quickly withdrawing a light blue crystal.
Use it, I dare you.
Turning around in the air, the stallion whipped the item toward the approaching cobblestone. The gem shattered against the ground, a low, booming drone forcing Azure’s ears back. As if the unicorn had just conjured it, an orbular light erupted from the pieces of the spell gem, expanding to the size of a pony. Sure Shot tucked his limbs close to his body and dove into the blue light head first, disappearing along with the spell in a flash of white.
Ten hooves above the ground, Azure spotted his opponent emerging from another flash of white light, slowing his retained momentum by skidding across the stone on all fours. His horn flared, disappearing right before his body hit the ground. Sure Shot didn’t have time to bring himself to a stop before Azure reformed in a burst of orbular magic, soaring through the air toward the back of the earth pony’s head.
“SURPRISE!” he roared, turning over above the ground to throw his right hindleg out, driving the front of his hoof into the base of Sure Shot’s neck.
The riflepony was forced from his hooves, Azure’s high-momentum strike sending him flying across the square. Sure Shot hit the ground at a rapid somersault, tumbling limply as every part of his body made heavy, audible impacts with the cobblestone. The unicorn nearly tripped over his own legs as he landed, gathering balance on his hooves as he watched his enemy roll head over tail.
Once the dark stallion’s momentum ceased, he found himself crouching on his hooves, still clutching onto the receiver of his weapon. Blood poured from his parted lips, uttering sharp breaths through his gritted teeth. The riflepony snarled, a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat as his piercing eyes fell upon Azure. His pupils constricted to mere dots within his orange irises, his face contorting with rage. The blue unicorn felt his adrenaline slow to a dead stop at the sight, biting down on the corner of his lip as trepidation flooded through his being.
Azure had no time to react to his fear before Sure Shot dove his hoof into his vest, withdrawing another spell gem and smashing it on the ground into a hundred pieces. The unicorn’s eyes grew wide as the bandit leader was suddenly directly in front of him. Azure only saw a blur of movement preceding another blow to the same part of his head, throwing him to the ground. He cried out in agony, rolling across the cobblestone as he clutched the point of his skull that had been impacted twice. He landed on his side, no sooner receiving a heavy kick to the stomach. Azure felt his eyes fly open along with his jaw as his breath flew outward from his lungs, blood spurting from between his lips.
Curling himself into a ball, Azure gasped for air, his brain slowing down to a stop as it pleaded for oxygen. His entire body throbbed with pain, his skull threatening to crack under the pressure. While he couldn’t move, a small part of the unicorn’s brain remembered just who was standing over him. He tried to direct energy to his horn, but recoiled as a hot, searing pain ignited within the very core of the bone. On the edge of his awareness, he felt a few small, fizzling sparks float out of the tip of the appendage. He had used too much of his magic too quickly, without the reserves to back it up. Azure bit onto his lip, forcing his eyes open through the pain.
He found himself on his back, limbs spread out as if he was lying on a comfortable bed. Above him was Sure Shot, trails of dark red running down his face and chest, his purple fur ruffled in varying places. He was panting slightly, his body recovering from the punishment it had been put through. He looked tired, his stance lopsided on his hindlegs, swaying ever so slightly. His eyes were focused on the unicorn’s chest through the sights of his rifle, holding it in one hoof just as before. Azure looked over the shoulder of his enemy to find that his barrier had completely disappeared, leaving behind not one trace of its existence. Even if Sure Shot dropped dead right there, he hadn’t the magic left in him to conjure another way to avoid the deadly sights of Eagle Eye.
The unicorn felt the corner of his mouth lift into the ghost of a smile, coughing blood onto his chest.
“You truly surprised me, Azure Spark,” said Sure Shot, gathering his composure. “However, I promised that I would take your life.”
The unicorn could only chuckle, coughing in the back of his throat. “And yet... you still lost.”
The riflepony raised a brow. “And how is that?”
Azure let his eyelids fall a little, struggling to keep them open. “I served... my purpose...”
Sure Shot eyed him for a moment before glancing up at the moon’s position high above. He shook his head a little, looking back down to his victim with an expressionless face. “That you did.”
The unicorn smiled to himself, letting his eyes fall shut as his muscles relaxed against the cool cobblestone. He felt the steel barrel of Sure Shot’s rifle press against his forehead, yet he never flinched or even worried. The blue stallion held onto his contented smile, taking in what he knew to be his final breath.
There was a flash of light, and Azure Spark knew no more.