Chapter 1: Apprehension and Evasion
(New and Improved Super Special Sombra Edition)
“There she is! After her!”
“She’s going down the alley!”
We watched as the perpetrator galloped into the darkness of the city’s alleyways. It was difficult to tell what she looked like considering the height of the rooftop I was standing on and how late at night it was. That, and she was wearing a dark cloak. And she was a unicorn, too, considering the frequently glowing aura on her head and following barrage of ice and snow
Then again, we already knew who she was; the squad read up on her file before taking on this crazy marehunt. Her name was Diamond Dust. Special talent: ice-based magic. Considered armed and dangerous.
To be honest, I was ticked off. Don’t get me wrong, I was up for chasing down a perp. It’s just when work decided to get in the way of my private life, it ground my gears.
Thing is, my sister and I were supposed to hang out with a few friends back from our West Hoof days. Well, my West Hoof days; Lightning Dust never fancied a career in the military. Probably wouldn’t have made it anyways; she was too stubborn for Royal Guard material.
But I digress. Tonight was important, since we hadn’t seen our friends since graduation. Ugh, and it was going to be at Club 456, one of the hottest clubs in the city’s entertainment district. But no, I had to get dragged into a marehunt tonight out of all nights.
I sighed in disappointment.
“You, too?” asked Lieutenant Cloud Kicker.
The mare on the run leapt over a few barrels before knocking them down with her magic. “Yeah. I was really looking forward to seeing them.” I said. “Airheart and Dusk Watch are never in Canterlot.”
“And you’re never in Ponyville, either.” she quipped.
I shrugged. “Can’t help it if I’ve got a lot going on.”
“Well, when you do have the time to break away, come on down and visit us.” Cloud said teasingly, nudging my side. “Seriously, take some time off and spend a weekend down there. Nice little village in the valley. Simple, relatively quiet, plenty of friendly ponies to--.”
A cry from below cut her off. We looked down to see one of the gendarmes on her side. Both her front shins were pierced through by ice jutting from the cobblestone, effectively pinning her in place. Another guard quickly tended to his comrade while the others continued their pursuit of Diamond Dust, who had ran deeper into the labyrinth of alleys.
I glanced at Cloud. “You ready for this, Lieutenant?”
She winked. “I’m on your six, Sergeant.”
With that, the two of us spread our wings and took off.
We had to fly relatively close to the rooftops to make sure we didn’t overshoot our quarry. Even with the moon and the streetlamps as our sources of light, following her proved to be a challenge. That didn’t mean it was impossible, though. Our training prepared us for that.
The guard ponies were close behind Diamond again. The ex-Guard erected a thick wall of ice to slow them down. Like that would do anything. She slowed her pace, probably to conserve her energy.
One of the guards, a unicorn herself, charged up a ball of flame at the tip of her horn. She launched it at the barrier. We all watched as the fireball struck the wall, blowing it to pieces and flinging shards of ice every which way. It was like an action scene from a motion picture: terrifyingly spectacular.
That sent Diamond running again.
It didn’t take very long to close in on her. Diamond eventually ran herself into a dead end, face-to-face with a brick wall. Cloud and I took that opportunity to land behind her and effectively eliminate her only means of escape.
She turned to us, face still hidden beneath the hood of her cloak.
The sound of armored hooves rang out from behind us. Good, the rest of the unit had caught up. Hopefully the numbers alone would’ve been enough to convince our quarry to stand down.
If ‘negotiations’ failed, brute force was another option. Having seen what Diamond did to that one guard earlier, though, we had to tread lightly when it came to it. Having a throw-down with her could do more harm than good.
Then again, Diamond was hopefully not stupid enough to take the alternate route.
I held out a hoof to the unicorn. “Easy there.” I said gently, doing my best not to prompt Diamond into lashing out at either one of us. “Let’s not make this any harder than it has to be.”
As if her previous felonies and assaulting a gendarme weren’t enough to screw her over already.
“Please,” Cloud said just as calmly. “Just come quietly, and nopony else gets hurt. Okay?” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others slowly moving forward.
Diamond took a step back. “Sorry, but I don’t take orders from you anymore.” Her horn began to glow an ice blue.
Suddenly, the ground under my hooves began to feel very slippery. I looked down to see a patch of ice quickly forming and rising at a point in the center. My breathed hitched when I realized what she was going to do.
Too late, though. As I moved to dodge it, a narrow icicle shot up with a shlick and cut my side through a gap in my armor. I could barely register the pain as another, blunter formation struck me from an angle, sending me up and down to the ground
It was a hard landing. My side, the injured one, hit the cobblestone first, eliciting a pained grunt from me. Sure, I was wearing armor with some padding and enchantments, but the additional weight was still enough to give me a good bruise.
The others fared the same, more or less. All of the guards had been pushed, save for myself, Cloud, and the pyromancer from earlier. Another wall of ice shot up from the ground. It blocked off the alley and effectively cut us off from the unit. That left only the three of us against Little Miss Icicle.
Okay, so negotiations were effectively over. It was time to get physical.
Being pegasi, Cloud and I had the advantage of three-dimensional movement. The other, Corporal Midnight Sun and the sole unicorn of the unit, had the fire magic to compete with Diamond’s ice magic.
Even three-on-one, it wouldn’t be a simple takedown. The mare was known for her tactical genius in addition to her magic. Diamond was sharp and no doubt had a few tricks up her sleeve. We needed the numbers to overwhelm her, which meant the wall of ice behind us had to go.
“Corporal Sun! Take out that obstruction!” I barked, as I steadily rose to my hooves.
Diamond raised a hoof at us. “A meaningless effort,” she said with great confidence. “I have transmutation circles scattered about the district. You destroy that wall, and it’ll bring itself back up.”
Midnight shattered the wall as ordered. The other gendarmes were set to pass through when two circles on either brick wall glowed an ice blue and crackled with energy. The ice then reformed itself at such speed, barely anypony had taken a step forward. The wall was just as thick as the previous one.
What the hay? She played us?
Why did we get stuck with mostly earth ponies? Seriously, were there not enough unicorns in Canterlot to be spared for this? High Command, I am disappointed.
“I wasn’t bluffing.” Diamond snarked. She then gracefully discarded her cloak and made a ‘come hither’ motion with her hoof. “Now, catch me if you ca--!”
Cloud cut her off as she rammed into Diamond, sending her down into the cobblestone.
I closed in on the pair, ready to jump in when Cloud needed assistance. Or when Diamond left herself vulnerable. Whichever came first. As long as my injury didn’t get in the way. That would complicate things.
Meanwhile, Midnight took the initiative and destroyed the transmutation circles with two successive flashes of orange. I could feel the bursts of hot air that followed. Such a contrast to the cool night.
“Get off me, damn it!” the Diamond commanded as Cloud tried to immobilize her. A simple takedown had escalated into a brawl. The two rolled over multiple times in a tangle of limbs, fiercely exchanging punches and kicks. Cloud’s helmet came loose at one point, skidding into a corner.
Diamond jabbed her horn at Cloud and nearly gouged out her eye, but the latter jerked her head to the side to avoid the blow. It was barely enough, though, as the horn left a paper-thin cut on her cheek. Our perp then blasted a coating of ice over Cloud’s exposed side, trapping one of her wings.
Cloud looked down in surprise and tried to free herself.
Diamond took advantage of the distraction and levitated the pegasus off her. She then forcibly threw her my way.
Cloud and I shared the same wide-eyed, dumbfounded expression as she careened into into me. There was plenty of force in the impact to send both of us into the wall. My injured side flared up in pain and I hissed. Sombra-dammit, that hurt!
I looked over to Cloud. She was on her side, unmoving. A couple trickles of blood glided down her face.
C-Cloud?
I feared the worse and felt cold dread in the pit of my stomach. Then it melted and took shape into something blazing hot, fiery, and fierce. Just the sight of Cloud lying there limp on the cobblestone set me off into a rage.
I flared my wings out and propelled myself at the unicorn, roaring in fury. Somewhere, somepony called my name, but it was barely even noise to me.
Diamond’s eyes went wide like saucers as I rammed her. We then slammed into the wall, eliciting pained gasps from us both. My helmet was knocked off in the process, making a metallic clatter as it hit the ground.
To be honest, I can’t remember what happened after that; the next few moments went by in a blur. All I recall is that somehow Diamond was forced up on her hind legs and pinned against the wall as I had one of my wing blades poised against her throat.
“Sergeant!”
I felt a hoof on my shoulder, driving me to whip my head around. Domino, the earth pony Captain of the Twelfth Precinct, looked at me sternly. His gaze bore into me like a drill.
“Stand down,” he commanded. “It’s over.” His tone went firmer. “We need her alive.”
The anger slowly simmered down. With one last death glare at our perp, I let out a sigh and moved my wing away from her throat.
As Captain Domino and a couple other guards properly restrained Diamond Dust, I rushed to check on Cloud. She was being tended to by an earth pony in olive green armor, who had wrapped a temporary bandage around her forehead. She was responsive, making conversation with the white dappled stallion.
A weight was lifted off my chest, seeing Cloud alive. Thank Sombra, she’s alright.
I knelt down, laying a hoof on her shoulder. “Y-you okay?” I cringed. That was stupid question. Or maybe it was the adrenaline wearing off and my wound coming back with a vengeance.
“I’ll be fine, Flash,” she assured. “It takes more than that to keep a Kicker down.” Cloud steadily got to her hooves and put on a confident grin, staying true to her boast. At least for three seconds before almost collapsing.
I moved in to catch her, a decision I’d (somewhat) regret as another jolt of pain flared in my flank. Cloud took notice of the discomfort. “Not sure if I can say the same for you.”
Hopefully she didn’t notice my pinkening cheeks. “I-it’s just a flesh wound.”
The medic transferred Cloud to his shoulder from mine. “I’d better check it out, Flash.”
I waved him off. “No thanks, Shephard. I’ll be fine.”
Shephard remained skeptical. “Don’t play games with me.”
“Seriously. I’m fine.”
Cloud added her two bits. “You sure? Unless I gained a few pounds while I was gone, that looked like it hurt more than it should of.”
“Stings a little, yeah, but like I said, I’m gonna be fine.” And you haven’t gained an ounce since then.
“Well, in that case...” Shephard conceded as he steadied Cloud to her hooves again, this time with success. He then produced a syringe from his kit. “This’ll shut your ass up until we get back to the precinct.”
I quirked a brow. “What are you--?” The needle was in my backside in an instant. There was only one word I could shout that expressed my surprise, annoyance, embarrassment, and mild satisfaction all at once.
“Fuck!”
It didn’t take too long to escort Diamond out of the labyrinth. Once out, we were greeted by the sight of a military carriage.
It looked much like an ordinary carriage, but was outfitted with armored plates, especially over the wheels. It had an extended interior, allowing more ponies to fit inside, be it guard or detainee. A pair of supply chests, one on each side, were built into the frame where the doors would normally be. Instead, the door was in the back and operated like a ramp when opened.
A unicorn clad in red armor and wearing a jeweller’s eyepiece had her face scrunched up in concentration as she sat by one of the supply chests, idly tinkering away at something in her telekinetic field that was too small for me to see. A miniature flashlight, also in her field of magic, hovered over her, providing illumination for her project.
I found her rather cute.
The mare looked up from her work to see us approaching. She immediately reached into one of her saddlebags with her magic.
“Finally got her,” she said as she pulled out a syringe, “And I thought I’d wasted my time fine-tuning the-- Cloud, are you okay?” the cutie gawked, nearly losing her grip on her tools.
“I’m fine, Star.” Cloud assured, laying a hoof on the dappled unicorn. “Just a bang to the head. Nothing serious.”
“You sure?” Star didn’t seem convinced. Neither was I; I still worried she had suffered more than a concussion. But Shephard was the one who knew pony anatomy like the back of his hoof. If he said Cloud would be okay, then his word was good enough for me.
Still didn’t deter that lingering fear, though.
Shephard walked by. “Don’t worry about her, kiddo. She’s in good hooves.” He took a fleeting glance at Cloud’s backside.
Star set her sights on the earth pony. “Eyes up.”
“Relax. He’s just inspecting the troops.” Cloud teased.
I took a look at what the young guard had been working on. They were two gemstones, each about the size of a pea. They were different than your usual gemstone suited for decoration, as each was a sphere intricately cut into decagonal pattern, maybe more. In the center of each was a hollow space that contained components so small one would need the jeweller’s eyepiece she wore to see them adequately.
“What are those?” I asked as Midnight got our prisoner to stand up against the carriage and checked her over.
Star took another cautious look at Shephard before answering. “These,” she explained, “are tracking gems. They’re designed to be planted on somepony and act as a beacon.”
“How do they work?”
“Normally, I use a pair of tracers inscribed with runes. Once secured, I can mentally ping their general location. Not exactly the most precise and they last only about a month. That is, if properly taken care of.”
She scrunched her face again as she did some complex maneuver with her tools. “These, on the other hoof, require genetic material, such as hair or blood, stored in the tracing matrix to operate properly. Once the material is secured inside, I can use my gem to maintain a connection with the other and keep tabs on whoever’s tagged. They’re more accurate and last much, much longer since all the components are inside the gem. It can also be operated by non-unicorns, so that’s another plus.”
She stopped for a moment before resuming her tinkering. “Well, that’s how it’s supposed to work. It’s a prototype design I’ve been working on over the past few months.”
Cloud chuckled softly. “It’s the cadet’s special talent.”
“You know us Kickers,” said the cadet, grinning proudly. “Jacks of all military trades.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I was very much impressed with the young cadet and her ingenuity. Cute and brilliant.
Diamond leaned her head down towards me, totally ignorant of the conversation. “You know, I’m a mare of many assets and I can be very generous to my allies.” She said, her tone seductive. She whipped her tail lightly against my leg.
I turned and matched her expression. “That is a very tempting offer. In the meantime, I have a little gift of my own.” I slapped a pair of cuffs on her rear fetlocks. “Receipt not included.” Another set to her front fetlocks. “No returns or exchanges.” That grin turned into a smirk that would have given my sister Lightning a run for her money. “Sorry. Company policy. But you already knew that, right?”
That elicited a priceless glare from the perp. That glare distorted to a cringe as she let out a loud hiss.
Cloud, Midnight, and I looked to find the cadet’s syringe in one of Diamond’s glutes, drawing in a minute amount of blood. It was then magically removed and brought back to its owner. The cadet continued to fiddle with the tracking gems, injecting both with the newly-acquired fluid.
The cadet looked up, unphased. “What? I said it needed genetic material.”
Diamond grumbled. “You could have used a strand of my mane.”
“Blood works better,” the Kicker rebutted nonchalantly, though there was a hint of smugness in her tone.
Midnight cleared her throat. “In front.” she commanded to the cryomancer. Diamond did as instructed and was guided to the back of the carriage. She’d be held inside until we reached the precinct.
“... Anyway, you’ve never met each other, have you?” Cloud asked.
“Can’t say I have.” Of the years I had known the Kickers, I’d never really met many of them. Sure, I’ve most likely worked with a few of them in the Royal Guard, but I didn’t really know many on a personal level. The only Kickers I was well acquainted with were Cloud and her aunt.
Doctor Wind Kicker. I knew her through the counseling sessions we’ve had. Back during my time at West Hoof, I was suffering … delayed parental abandonment issues. Look, I don’t want to talk about it; it’s a touchy subject.
I held out a hoof to the cadet. “Sergeant Flash Sentry. Nice to me you.” I flashed a grin and winked.
The young mare shook the offered hoof. “Cadet Star Kicker.”
Aaand she was back to work. So much for the charm ...
“Pleasure to meet you.” There was a lingering silence, then a string of hushed expletives coming from around back. I pressed on. “So, a cadet and a Kicker, huh?”
Star nodded. “Cloud’s my cousin on my mother’s side. And I’m currently attending West Hoof. Final year, actually.” She did another look-over of the twin gems before taking off the jeweller’s eyepiece she was wearing. Star grinned in satisfaction as she admired her work. “Done. Time to test them out.”
Cloud accompanied Star to oversee the planting of the tracking gem. I was about to follow when Domino stopped me. The tall earth pony looked me down with firm orange eyes. “Sergeant. A word with you.” He motioned to the alleys and I followed as instructed.
His voice was at a whisper, but the disappointment in his tone spoke volumes. So did that piercing caramel glare. “What in Tartarus was that?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“You know Sombra-damn well what I mean!” shot Captain Domino. “Earlier, back in the alleys. You about slit her throat. What were you thinking?”
“Diamond Dust was a threat, sir.” I explained diplomatically, a stark contrast to the internal quaking in my horseshoes. Domino had that effect on everypony when he got pissed; he gained quite the reputation during his younger years as Lieutenant Commander. “I had to restrain her and there was little time to think analytically. It may have not been the most rational tactic, but holding a blade to her neck kept the target stationary until she could be successfully apprehended. Sir.”
He shook his head in disappointment. “The others beg to differ. You lacked self-control out there, Sergeant. You’ve been under my command for the past two years, and I have never seen you lose your cool on duty.”
His tone then softened. Not much, but it was noticeable. “What happened out there, Flash?”
I thought back to the encounter with Diamond and had to admit it. I did lose control. It wasn’t typical of me to let emotions take over and direct my actions. Normally, I kept a tight lid on them and maintained the image of an orderly soldier.
Tonight demonstrated otherwise. I hung my head in disappointment.
As for what set me off … I harbored a crush on Cloud. We’d been good friends for years and, well, I cared for her. A lot. Just seeing her-- or anypony close to me, for that matter-- getting hurt like that called for vengeance.
I sighed. “I’m just having an off night, sir. It’s not an excuse for screwing up and I understand that. I will do my best to handle things more professionally.”
I wasn’t going to reveal the secret of my crush. That would’ve been embarrassing to tell anypony, let alone my commanding officer. Think about it: me and Cloud? A couple? When Tartarus froze over, maybe. Besides, if I were to get intimate with her, it wouldn’t have gone any further than a one night stand.
The mare has her own set of ‘banging rules’, believe it or not. One of them was to ensure a romantic relationship was not on the table. After all, Cloud was the kind of pony who preferred to not be tied down by commitments. Instead, she opted to be more open to intimate affection.
In theory, we could have banged. As long as I sucked it up and dealt with the fact there wasn’t any exclusivity involved. Still didn’t do anything to dowse that flame in my heart, though.
Domino opened his mouth to reply when we heard the crackling of energy. It was accompanied by a glowing blue light in our peripheral vision. There was a shout and the carriage along with the area around it was covered in a massive cloud of steam.
“Gah!” I shut my eyes. “What the hay was that!?”
“Don’t know, kid.” Domino coughed.
I made the mistake of inhaling and about puked from the stench. “Oh dear sh--!” I hacked, covering my nose with a wing. It stank terribly; it smelled worse than an outhouse.
“Flap your wings and clear out some of the steam.”
I did as commanded and used my wings to fan out the thick cloud. It was initially difficult, considering how hard it was not breathe in the stench and get distracted.
At least I wasn’t on my own. I could hear Cloud’s wingbeats up ahead, doing her part to clear out the, er, cloud.
“Oi!” the captain called out. “What in Tartarus happened?”
The cloud was beginning to disperse on its own. Midnight was easier to see, as was the rest of team. Domino went to speak with the rest of the squad. Meanwhile, I quickly ran to the back of the carriage to find out what had happened. What greeted me was my comrade sitting on her haunches and nursing her horn. The cuffs I put on Diamond Dust earlier discarded next to her.
“Hey. You okay, Midnight?” I asked worriedly as I helped her up.
Midnight smiled weakly. “Yes, thank you. Just got struck on the horn is all.” Her minute grin faded when she took notice of the cuffs. She retrieved them, by hoof, and began inspecting them. “Damn, she broke the locking mechanisms.” Midnight tossed them to me and I took a look as well. Yep, she was right.
“What happened?”
“I was loading her onto the carriage.” she explained. “Next thing I know, she generated the steam, somehow broke out of her cuffs, and disappeared.”
“She’s loose?” I asked. Midnight nodded solemnly. I cursed under my breath. “How did that happen? You checked her over completely, right?”
“I did, and even if I didn’t search her, Diamond was still cuffed and her magic nullified by the inhibitor ring.” She pointed to her horn. “No hooves. No spells.”
I let out an annoyed grunt. “She had to escape somehow … maybe she performed alchemy?”
Midnight paused for a moment in thought. “Maybe; it doesn’t require use of the horn to be utilized,” she explained. “Rather, it relies on transmutation circles. Diamond’s horseshoes had them, too.” She displayed the underside of her hoofguard to emphasize her point. “What concerns me is I took them off her. She lacked any tattoos as well. So there is no way she could have made use of alchemy.”
Midnight gripped her helmet, groaning in frustration. “But she had to have some method of escape!” Midnight insisted, making a wide gesture, “Unless she wasn’t bluffing about having multiple transmutation circles sprinkled throughout this part of Canterlot ...” She trailed off. Her amber eyes widened and her mouth slowly fell open as if she had just experienced some kind of epiphany.
I copied her motions, the idea of what could have happened slowly dawning on me, too. If Diamond Dust was serious, and there were transmutation circles placed all over the area, then there had to be one right where we were standing. As if the ones in the alley weren’t proof enough. And if it was here, she could have activated it to set off the steam cloud. Thing is, it would had to have been small enough to be concealed, enough to be overlooked by the untrained eye.
But that didn’t explain how the cuffs were junked.
Maybe she froze whatever moisture intermingled with the cuff’s inner-workings and shattered them from the inside. With the components damaged, the locks and screws failed and Diamond could’ve slipped out of them.
It was a long shot, considering she had to be fucking brilliant to pull that off, but it was the only plausible explanation. And if that was indeed the case, Sombra knew what else was in store for us.
Midnight activated a flashlight spell. “I’m going to retrace my steps.” With that, she began hunting for the mystery circle.
Meanwhile, Captain Domino and the two Kickers were coming our way, the former talking to the cadet. “Cadet, you sure your tracking gem is planted securely on Diamond Dust?” Domino questioned.
Star nodded. “It is, sir. Identifying her location now.” The few of us waited eagerly as she closed her eyes and concentrated, zeroing in on Diamond’s location. The gem, which was in her hoof, began to hypnotically pulse with an ice blue aura. It took a few seconds before Star opened her eyes. “She’s heading east. And she’s not too far.”
“Captain.” I said. “Corporal Sun and I have a theory on how the prisoner escaped.” I proceeded to explain how Diamond Dust may have planted a transmutation circle and used it for cover as well as her presumed method for breaking out of the cuffs.
“Seems feasible.” Domino commented.
“Still one question, though,” Star commented. “Where did she get the water to produce that much steam?”
She had a point. There weren’t any nearby water sources large enough to amount for a sizable cloud of steam. It hadn’t rained for the past few days, so there weren’t any puddles. Nor were there any containers near us that could have been filled with water.
Think, I mentally commanded myself. Think, think, think …
There was a yawning silence before Midnight offered another explanation, still scanning the street. “Maybe the carriage is parked over a marehole?” We all looked at her, eager to her more. “The first circle has to be small enough to remain relatively undetected. If Diamond Dust applied remote alkahestry, she may have used that circle to relay an alchemic signal to the one on the marehole cover. And we all know what’s in a marehole, right?”
Cloud licked her lips, grinning impishly. “Big things, small things, wet things, hard things ...”
Midnight nearly fell over at the quip. Figures. She was always uptight with anything related sex, even innuendos.
Star and I facehoofed, letting loose grins and snickers.
Captain Domino, however, wasn’t amused in the slightest.
“Now’s not the time for comedy, Lieutenant.”
The lavender pegasus was taken aback from his lack of laughter. “Just trying to lighten the mood, Captain.”
“As you were saying, it leads to the sewers and storm drains,” Star answered for Midnight, having finished her snickering fit. “Plenty of water to create a cloud of steam, perfect for a concealed escape. And it explains the stench, too. Blegh.” She crinkled her muzzle and stuck out her tongue in disgust.
Sharp, that one. And did I mention cute?
“Yes,” the corporal agreed, “That sums it up. Though I still have to find the first-- ah, found it.” She motioned for us to take a closer look. Lo and behold under Midnight’s light spell was a transmutation circle no bigger than a bit.
“I’ll check the marehole cover for the other one.” I offered.
“You do that, Sergeant.” Domino said. He turned to Star. “Where is Diamond Dust now?”
I signaled the unicorns harnessed to the carriage with a whistle, then motioned them to move it forward. The clopping of their hooves and the creaking of carriage were the only noises as the cadet reactivated the tracking gem. Once the carriage had moved, I took a look at the marehole cover. Yahtzee! Etched in the metal of the cover was the other transmutation circle. That confirmed Midnight’s theory.
Diamond sure as Tartarus wasn’t kidding when she said she had this district booby-trapped.
“She’s still close. Maybe three blocks over.” There was a pause as Star intently stared into the gem. “Huh,” she said, perplexed. “She’s stopped.”
“Holing up?” Cloud asked.
“Probably baiting us, if you ask me.” Star commented.
I rejoined the group. “Well, the linked circle theory works out. There’s one on the marehole cover.”
“In that case, we ought to disperse.” Midnight advised. “But practice caution. Sombra knows how many more circles she has planted.”
“Aye,” agreed Domino. “The quicker we catch her, the sooner we can put an end to her plans. Whatever they are.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s roll.”
It didn’t take long for us to catch up with our quarry. Diamond Dust was close, hiding within a cluster of shops that were closed for the night. The problem, though, was none of us could find our evasive mare where she was supposed to be. Star’s tracking gems were telling her she was right here.
And yet, no Diamond. Something was up.
Worse yet, the moon was steadily being overtaken by cloud cover. That left the cruddy backstreet lamps and light spells as our sources of illumination.
We split into groups to cover more ground. Domino remained with the bulk of the unit to scout out the immediate area. Star and Shephard took a squad to search the sewers. That left Cloud, Midnight, and I in one of the branching alleyways behind the shops, where the trash was left out for pick-up.
I’m getting sick of alleys now.
Honestly, I was surprised Cloud volunteered to continue with the hunt, even against Shephard’s advice. I mean, come on, that looked like a nasty concussion. But she was insistent she was alright and refused sit it out.
Kickers. Always trying prove something.
Then again, I was one to talk.
I could still feel the wound on my side, but it was more of a discomfort than a constant pain. And it itched. Probably should have let Shephard check it out properly. Yet, I refused treatment, too. Whether it was due to it being a trivial issue or, dare I say it, trying to be strong for Cloud, I wasn’t sure. At least, in my mind.
In my heart, though, it was definitely the latter.
As we searched through alleys, my thoughts drifted back to Diamond Dust. What was she planning to do with all those transmutations circles she claimed to have set up? Freeze over Canterlot? She had the ability to relay signals from circle to circle, so that was a possibility, if a remote one.
But that would do a lot of damage to the city. Maybe even render it structurally unsound and send it careening off the edge of the mountain it’s built on. Was that it? Freeze over Canterlot and destroy it?
Why though? What could she gain out of it? So many possibilities stampeded through my head. Was it revenge for whatever got her kicked out of the Guard? Was it a terrorist plot? Or was Diamond Dust simply insane?
Something in the back of my mind said none of the above. There had to be more to this.
Then there was her power. The way she performed alchemy and how often she was able to pull it off was beyond the abilities of any unicorn. Well, there were exceptions like Sunset Shimmer and Trixie Lulamoon, both of whom had been given the honor of studentship under King Sombra, but Diamond was nowhere near that level of skill. She had to have used something to amplify her power, like an amulet or a potion or something.
My head started to ache. This mystery was totally out of my league. Dammit, I’m a cloud trotter, not a magician!
“Hey,” somepony said, driving me out of my thoughts. Cloud looked at me with a concerned expression. “You okay?”
“Er, yeah. Just got a lot on my mind.” A moment of silence, save for the sound of me opening a creaky dumpster. Nothing in there but trash. Surprise, surprise. I left the dumpster. “How about you? Looked like you took a nasty hit back there.”
Cloud made a sound of amusement. “I’m fine.” She repeated, rapping a hoof against her chestplate. “Like I said, it takes more than that to take out a Kicker.”
I nervously sidled up to her. “Just, uh … try to be a little more careful, okay?”
“I thought I was supposed to be the mare worrying about her handsome stallion.” Cloud cracked.
My cheeks began to burn. “Er, what? I, um …” Crap, there I went again, stuttering like some young colt talking about his crush.
Oh, right.
I coughed, biding time to change the subject. Back to the marehunt. “So, uh, any idea why Diamond’s alchemy was that strong?”
Midnight peeked around a corner. “It could be a number of things. Being naturally skilled at alchemy is one; she is a higher level magus. But the reports state Diamond is a mid-level Beta.”
“And that definitely wasn’t Beta level handiwork,” said Cloud.
“Yes, which leads to another possibility. She could be utilizing an accessory, such as an amulet or a necklace, to boost her power.”
“Diamond wasn’t wearing one, though. So it would have be something--” I wound my hoof around, searching for the right word, “--consumable? Like a potion?”
Midnight nodded. “Most likely.”
“Any idea how concentrated it would have to be?” Cloud asked. “I’d imagine not much considering she’s high up there on the scale.”
“That, I am unsure of, Lieutenant.” Midnight said, looking away dejectedly. She hated it when she didn’t have the answers; it hurt her studious pride. “All I can surmise is Diamond Dust will be a force to be reckoned with in the arts of alchemy if she uses it again.”
The metallic pitter-patter of water hitting our armor reached our ears. The three of us looked up to see the sky completed blanketed by clouds, blocking out the moon. Rain was starting to fall.
“Great,” I deadpanned, “She’s gonna have a field day with this.” Of all the days it could rain, it had to be on the one where an icicle-happy ex-Royal Guard was on the loose. Now we had to worry about her tossing frozen raindrops at us like daggers. Or turning snowflakes into throwing stars. “This day just keeps getting better and better.”
“Hey, Flash,” Cloud nudged my side with a half-grin. “Stop bitching and stay frosty.”
I couldn’t help but crack a grin of my own at the pun. “Wilco.”
The three of us moved forward as we kept ears and eyes tuned for any signs of Diamond Dust. With the rain starting to fall more heavily, though, listening for the sound of hooves on cobblestone became much more difficult. And sighting her through the curtain of rain became less of a walk in the park, too.
Something metallic clanged against the ground.
My heart raced as I flinched. “You heard that, right?” Stupid question.
Cloud and Midnight remained stock still and silent, listening for the sound again. For a few long moments, nothing followed, save for the rain slowly growing heavier. That was going to make things harder, with all that rain ringing against the gutters.
We then heard several grunts and another clang of metal. It sounded like a trash can tipping over up around the bend.
One shared look between us and were off investigate.
Well, we were about to, if it wasn’t for the limping form emerging from around the corner. It stepped into the the dim light of a dingy streetlamp, revealing itself to be Diamond Dust.
A beaten and battered Diamond Dust, leaning to her side. She was nursing her foreleg, which had a deep gash along its length it. There was another wound, a clean cut on her cheek, not unlike Cloud’s.
The three of us got into battle ready positions, wings flared/horn glowing with magic. The mare looked up at us with unfocused eyes, breathing heavily. She looked ... drained. Like all that energy, all of that boisterous and prideful spirit, had simply vanished, leaving behind something barely more than a shell.
Several moments passed between us before the pale blue unicorn collapsed.
I instantly bolted towards Diamond. The alarm bells ringing in my head warned me not to get near her. I ignored them, though; she may be a troublemaker, which was putting it mildly, but she was still a pony who needed help.
The others followed without a word. Upon reaching Diamond, I could see her condition was worse close up. Aside from her previous injuries, she was bruised pretty badly, particularly around her abdomen and face. One of her eyes was blackened and swelling.
I grimaced. What in Sombra’s name happened? How the hay did somepony give her a good beating when none of us were able to. Not that I would beat a mare, mind you.
But it wasn’t time to ask her questions. “She needs a medic.” I stated.
Midnight gave her a quick once over with her hooves, then another with her magic. “She’s clean. No contraband.” Midnight levitated Diamond Dust up, allowing Cloud and I to place her restraints.
Cloud proceeded with the Marenda Rights as we made our way back to the carriage. “Diamond Dust, you are under arrest on charges including assault of a gendarme and treason. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to an attorney ...”
I felt relieved. Diamond Dust, former gendarme, had at last been captured. Once again, another threat was thwarted by the actions of Canterlot’s prestigious Twelfth Precinct.
I couldn’t wait to tell Lightning Dust and the others about this.
But that wouldn’t happen. When we returned to the precinct, things took a turn for the unexpected.