//------------------------------// // Mind War // Story: The Journalist // by redspark //------------------------------// Chapter 26 Mind War 1 Hour Before… The moon shone lightly above Lower Canterlot as cloaked pony advanced towards a dark building. Her whole body was covered by a dark cloak, leaving no side to see her color or even her mane style. Her hoofsteps echoed silently in the inhospitable Lower Canterlot roads. As she got closer to the door, she changed direction towards a window. She then jumped straight into it. The window had been open, so she entered without breaking it. As soon as she landed she adopted a battle stance. There was nopony there. She relaxed her muscles as her breathing, which had been pretty labored throughout the walk, began to slowly relax. She then took the cloak´s hood off, revealing who she was. Her light blue and white-striped hair reflected the small moon light that managed to get inside the dark room. Serena looked around the room once more, making sure there was nopony approaching. After listening for a couple of minutes, she walked towards a door. She had the whole maps of the building memorized inside her head, which made her missions always easier. She remembered how many times she´d needed to sneak inside a building. She had lost count by now. As she opened one of the doors, which she knew led to her destination, she began to wonder why she was doing this. And as she wondered about that, old memories flooded her mind. She remembered her very first assignment as Time Keeper´s agent. She had needed to get inside a Canterlot police department building and take some important papers. She had never thought before what she would need to do, and what she would dare to do, in order to get her prize on that mission. That night was alive in her mind, and she was sure it would never go and leave her alone. She had sneaked in as planned and was retrieving the papers when a guard entered the room she was in. He had immediately ordered her to surrender herself and tell what her business was in there. She had been given specific instructions to do what was necessary to get those papers, so she did exactly that: what was necessary. She then fought against the guard, immediately knocking him out of action. She had just finished getting the papers when two more guards showed up. The almost defeated her, but that was when she saw the small shining blade in one of the guard´s uniforms. It was a knife, and she had never really thought of using one, but at that moment it was instinct that kicked in. She pushed the guards off her, managing to retrieve the blade. The guards then prepared to attack her once again. The one that still had a knife had retrieved his and was in a battle position. They ordered her to surrender immediately, but she remained silent. The two jumped at her. She managed to clock the guard´s attacks, because they were earth ponies and so they only attacked her with hoof. She had tried to attack them with magic, but they were to fast, so she took the knife with her magic and tried to fend them off. When she felt the sharp pain of a knife piercing her legs, she didn´t thought twice, in fact, she didn´t even thought of it. As soon as she realized what had happened, the two guards where on the floor… dead. She would never forget it. She had always thought that the world was different, a world with no killings or anything, which was as most ponies thought it was, but that night she had realized the truth. The world wasn´t all sunshine and happy smiles everywhere, but cold-blooded ponies that hide inside those fake smiles, waiting to pounce on you one way or another. At least in Canterlot, that is. She was now upon a corner of a long hallway. She stopped and peeked around. Two shadow ponies stood guard, though they seemed slightly distracted. She smiled. It would be easy. After making sure her cloak was well fastened, she jumped in front of the ponies and knocked them out with magic blasts. The two fell hard against the floor. She walked slowly, passing beside the two crumbled ponies and finally at a door. She placed her hear on one side and listened. She could hear three ponies on the other side talking. The door didn´t allowed her to know what they were talking about, but at least now she knew there where ponies inside. She prepared to enter when a pony walked from behind her. Serena turned around and stared at the now-confused-pony. He then shouted intruder and the three voices on the other side of the door stopped talking. The door opened, revealing a two Pegasus and a unicorn. Serena smiled after making sure her cloak was not going to fall on the fight. She couldn´t let those ponies see who she was. She then stood facing the three foes, leaving the other to his flank. The four shadows attacked. She ducked as the one from her back and a Pegasus crashed against each other. The other Pegasus and the unicorn remained trying to hit her. While the Pegasus tried to strike blows from the limited air space, the unicorn threw magic blasts at her. She easily stopped the blasts, but the Pegasus was a really bothering her. As soon as she stopped one of the blasts, she jumped as the Pegasus flew by trying to hit her. She moved her hoof so fast the Pegasus didn´t have time to react as he fell down against the wall and then the floor. Serena didn´t stopped to see what happened to the Pegasus because as soon as she landed another blast was going straight at her. She stopped it and then turned around to stop a hit from the other Pegasus and earth pony, which had finally managed to stand up after their crash. Serena stopped another magic blast as she moved one step back. They were slowly tiring her. She needed a change of strategy. Just as soon as that thought cossed her mind, she noticed that the unicorn had retrieved from a cloak he was wearing a metal tube… One if the things Time had invented. She didn´t stopped to stare at it, but rather, knowing what it could do, she prepared to act fast. As soon as she heard the click of the trigger, she moved behind the earth pony, pushing him as she did. A sharp cry was hten heard as the pony fell. Serena knew what had happened, but she didn´t looked. Instead, she concentrated in trying to distract the unicorn, not letting him load the tube. As she was sending a blast at him, the Pegasus jumped and knocked her over, stopping her spell. She made a backflip using the inertia from the push and as soon as she was right again, she faced her foes. That´s when she realized that the tube was loaded. She made a protective shield as the tube clicked and the thunder of the bullet coming out sounded. She felt a sudden drain of energies as the bullet shattered the shield into millions of tiny magical pieces like glass. She gasped at the sudden loss of energy and watched as the pieces of magic evaporated. She then looked at the two. The Pegasus was already upon her. She managed to stop his first attacks, but finally a hit got its mark. She went against a wall, and she felt another hard punch at her stomach as the Pegasus hit again. She needed now a change of plans. As the Pegasus prepared to land her another blow, she caught her secret weapon from inside her cloak with her magic. As the hoof approached her belly, she retrieved it and quickly sidestepped, cutting the hoof as it missed her by inches. The Pegasus groaned as a cut appeared on his arm. Serena then stood in defensive position, the small knife she had in front if her with her magic. She noticed the unicorn loading the tube. “Not this time.” She thought as she threw the knife. She felt as she let go of the magical grasp and heard the whistling sound of the knife cutting through the air. The unicorn had just finished loading when the knife pierced his stomach. He shouted as he fell down, the tube thing making a soft, metal-like sound as it landed. The Pegasus tried then to get the tube, but as soon as he got it, Serena had retrieved her own special “gun”. It was way smaller, and surely had less power than the one the unicorn had used, but still she knew it´d work. She magically pulled the trigger. It made a softer and less metal sound as the bullet left the tube. As soon as that happened, the fight was over. She kneeled against a wall, trying to regain her breath. It didn´t took her long. She finally moved on to the room she had wanted to get in before the fight. She looked around, trying to see if there were any hidden foes, but she saw nothing. Her hoofsteps echoed slightly as she made her way through other hallways, this time evading shadows at all costs. She wasn´t strong enough at the moment to make another encounter. She finally arrived at her destination: a dark metal door. That´s when she began to question what she was doing. Why would she do it? She couldn´t betray her boss like that, could she? It would be terrible, and she knew what he did to those who betray him… she´d even made some of the punishments herself, and she knew it wasn´t something she´d want to have ever. So then, why was she? Serena was the most trusted by Time Keeper, and now she was betraying that trust and was actually going to help their enemies because she felt she needed to. What was she going to do? She was going to free Sun Seeker. After some more minutes of indecision, she opened the door. Inside it was well-lit, with bare walls and only a bed and a table with a chair. Serena ten noticed the yellow Pegasus laying on it. The Pegasus stood up and stared at her. “What do you want?!” She snapped at her. Serena was taken aback by the anger in the Pegasus voice. She had never seemed to her like of those that could get angry. Then she remembered she probably looked like one of her captors due to the cloak. She pulled the hood off. “I came to get you out of here.” Serena said. Sun Seeker stood motionless at Serena. She knew Sunny wasn´t going to take it easily when she arrived at her prison to rescue her… it was obvious, especially since she had been the one that had helped her capture… in some sense. “Liar.” She managed. Serena shook her head. “No. I am being truthful. This is something I know I must do, even though I don´t want to. You don´t want to be here, nor with your uncle, so I came to mend my wrong in spying you all for him.” She said. Somehow, deep inside, that apology made her feel happy, in a way she had not felt in a very long time. Sun Seeker shrugged and stared directly into her eyes. Serena waited. “Why should I trust you.” She said flatly. Serena smiled slightly. “Because you must. Else, you´re going to remain here.” Sunny looked down. “Fine, but I will not let you out of my sight.” Serena nodded agreeing to the terms. She walked outside, closely followed by Sun Seeker. “What now?” She asked Serena. “Now.” Serena said. “You follow me.” The two walked slowly across the hallways, trying to go through a faster way out, but Serena wasn´t sure if it was the safest. She was in fact going to the main entrance. As the two where going around a corner, they heard a shout. “There she is!” said a male voice. Serena then looked back and saw seven ponies running at them. “RUN!” she shouted. The two ran as fast as their legs could carry them, until finally Sun Seeker decided to fly instead. She managed to gain some distance, but waited as she began to leave Serena behind. “Faster Serena!” She said. “Run faster!” “I… can´t…” Serena said between grasps. She was heavily tired, and this run wasn´t helping. She knew that soon her legs would fail. She looked at Sunny. “I´ll stop them and give you time, you fly for the entrance.” Sun Seeker shook her head. “No! I will not leave you behind, not after rescuing me!” Wow, what a mind changer… Serena thought amused. Not many minutes ago she was angry at her, now she didn´t wanted to leave her. “Aright.” Serena said. The two kept going on as fast as they could. Finally they reached the entrance hall of the building. In there, seven ponies stood in front of the door, making guard. Serena´s spirits fell hard against the floor as she realized their way out was barred. Sunny, instead of allowing down, she gained speed and knocked two over. She was up and in the air as soon as the other five reacted. She was now flying at a window and breaking it. The night sky was outside, freedom from her uncle and this horrible ponies. As she prepared to jump outside, she saw Serena below. She was nodding at her, urging her to go. Sun Seeker shook her head. Serena smiled and closed her eyes as the air around her began to sparkle with energy. Sun Seeker stared in amazement as the air began to feel strange and heavy and a flash of light appeared where Serena was. As soon as the light faded, Serena was gone. She had used a teletransportation spell. Sun Seeker smiled and jumped into the air, laughing as she heard the ponies behind curse angrily. She then headed to the ponyhoods headquarters. The would be SOOOOO happy to see her… * * * * Serena appeared in her own bedroom. As soon as the light was gone, she collapsed to the floor, her eyes closed tightly. She smiled when she realized she was safe once more, and had fulfilled the mission. She stopped as soon as she remembered what she had done. She had defied Time Keeper, her boss, and the most powerful stallion in all of Equestria. She shivered at the thought and tried to stand up only to find that her legs refused. She sighed and breathed in and out slowly as her heartbeat subsided and her breathing became less labored. She finally managed to stand up, but as soon as she did, blackness covered his eyes and the sounds became distant echoes. She groaned as her sight returned, the blackness fading away in tiny dots. Her hearing took longer and she was left with a dizzy feeling. So much for considering herself a strong pony. Finally she managed to get a cup of coffee loaded with lots of caffeine. She sat on her bed and drank it pretty fast, and still when she was done he eyes felt heavier than rocks. She yawned and pulled the bed sheets off, tucking herself in them. After some minutes her thoughts returned to her dilemma. She had defied Time Keeper and aided Sun Seeker´s escape. She smiled. A great peace felt on her insides. A peace she had not felt in a long time, and now, seeing Sun Seeker free once again with her own misdoings righted, had appeared in her heart. She didn´t regretted her decision. She knew it was for the best, and with such thoughts she went to sleep, closing her eyes and wondering what was going to be Time´s face the next day… A smiled crossed her lips at the thought… The battle