Oriana's eyes widened at the frozen Humans and Ponies all around her. She had heard legends and stories about the horrifying power of Blood Magic, but to see it right in front of her was a different creature. The power to hold an Alicorn in place was something along the orders of magnitude associated with Discord. She lifted her right forehoof to run, but a quiet voice caught her attention, "Don't move." Oriana froze in place, recognizing the voice instantly.
The shadow-like wolves and Pegasus mare who abducted baby Merlin and the other people in the house had been caught in the second and third circles that froze everyone else, but not one of them were affected by the Blood Magic. Midnight Haze had completed a Blood Spell to make them immune to it. She hadn't been trying to teleport, she had been preparing.
The hooded apparent leader of the Bloodmages was striding around examining the various Humans and Ponies, "Move quickly!" he ordered to his subordinates, "We cannot afford to take our time. The rest of these Humans cannot match our power, but I do not wish to give them any opportunity to test their mettle against us. Our predecessors made the mistake of underestimating others. That is a mistake I do not plan to make. Focus on the Humans wearing the robes. You Abominations that aren't carrying any Humans yet, pick out one Sorcerer and bring them to one of us. Bloodmages, when an Abomination comes to you with a Sorcerer, put them to sleep for ease of transport. Once every Abomination has selected one, dispose of the rest. Oh and you three with crossbows, feel free to use these armored officers for target practice. We won't need them so let's see if we can find any weak spots in the armor. After you finish with them, execute the Unicorns with the Arch Magister." He turned and faced the Pegasus mare, "Midnight Haze, take care of the tribalist Unicorn Arch Magister." He then turned his eyes to Luna, "The Alicorn is mine."
*
Artex began whispering while the hooded figure continued issuing orders. He had to force himself not to avert or even move his eyes when he heard the twangs of crossbows and the clangs of crossbow bolts hitting armor, 'Ignore it and hurry up. We know the Kavim can't see well in the dark and I'm hoping the others can't either.'
*
Captain Joyner watched and listened in horror, completely helpless as a crossbow bolt spiked through the neck of officer Henderson and another pierced the side of Rose Thorn. Henderson gurgled and fell over stiffly while Rose Thorn silently toppled onto her side. A third crossbow bolt zipped straight into the Captain's own breastplate seconds later, knocking the wind out of him. The bolt managed to pierce the chest plate, but the chain beneath it, changed a lethal blow into broken ribs instead. The Captain was thrown to the ground, still unable to move. He could move his eyes well enough and motion mercifully pulled his attention away from the heartless, methodical slaughter of his officers, 'The Zebra, the Emissarial staff member, she just shifted her weight... and Dan just clenched his fist... they can move!' had he been able, he might have grinned, 'What are you planning?' Mike watched and listened to Dan and the Zebra, trying block out the sounds of his officers being executed. He opened his screfula and hoped something would happen soon. Another twang of a crossbow and he heard a gasp of air and a gurgling death rattle from another of his officers. He forced his mind to be calm, even as impotent tears of rage cascaded down his face.
*
The wolves with empty mouths approached and began sniffing the Sorcerers. They sniffed at Night Flare especially. One by one, they bit down onto the hem of the Sorcerers' robes and dragged their limp bodies to the waiting Bloodmages. The Bloodmages sprinkled droplets of blood onto the Sorcerers and with but a word, the Humans were asleep. Despite the interest of the wolves, Night Flare was not among those chosen by the wolves.
*
Midnight Haze smiled darkly as she trotted up and slapped Catalyst across the face, "Who isn't good enough now Unicorn?" she spat the word like it were vulgar, "Only Unicorns can study magic in the School. Only Unicorns this, only Unicorns that, I thought we were all equal! Where was that equality when I tried to enroll huh!? I was laughed out of the application process!" she turned and exposed her haunch, "My cutie mark is for magic and YOU tribalist Unicorns rejected me! You rejected my mark, my special talent! I wasn't a Unicorn and I wasn't good enough!"
She slapped the Arch Magister again then reared back on her hind legs and grabbed the black mare by her head, "You see them?" the Pegasus mare asked as she turned Catalyst's head to the cloaked figures of the Bloodmages and the Grand Magus, "More than half of us have magic based cutie marks, but we weren't Unicorns so we weren't good enough to be allowed to study at the School! Here's a nice little bit of information for you: nearly all of us applied to study in the School, even the ones of us who aren't Ponies. Some took their own lives because of you Unicorns, but most came to us." she let go of Catalyst's head and stepped back, "You tribalist Unicorns, your elitist School For Gifted Unicorns..." she pressed her face right up against the Arch Magister's, "Remember your history? Remember the massacres that the Unicorn royal families perpetrated against those who were merely curious about Blood Magic? You Unicorns just couldn't stand the idea that anybody else could use any sort magic, so you lied and claimed that they modeled themselves after the Balzak! They were just curious! They were scholars! You and all your kind, every single Unicorn..." she grit her teeth and hissed into the Arch Magister's face, "Well guess what: you made us."
Midnight Haze reached her head into her saddlebags and removed a knife, then spat it into the tiny hairs on her right forehoof, "You Unicorns," she stabbed the knife up to the hilt into the Arch Magister's armpit. Catalyst screamed in agony through her closed mouth, unable to vent her pain in any other way.
"You Unicorns... you tribalist, hateful, greedy, selfish, murdering scum... we use your blood because it is sweet irony and revenge all rolled into one." she twisted the knife and Catalyst again screamed in her closed mouth, "This is for all those murders... how does justice feel?"
*
The Grand Magus trotted up to Luna and drew a knife from his saddlebags then transferred it to his right forehoof, "Good evening, Unicorn." he casually sliced the tendons in the back of Luna's right foreleg. Luna cried out in pain but her cry was muffled by her own closed mouth. The Grand Magus ignored her cries and continued speaking as if he were discussing the weather, "If you're wondering why I called you a Unicorn," he sliced the tendons in the back of her left foreleg, eliciting another cry, "It's because you and the other Alicorns swallowed the lies of the Unicorn royal family. Thus we view you as equally vile as they are." Luna's forelegs could not support her and she fell forward onto her chest, her hind legs were still stiff and straight.
The Grand Magus placed the knife back in his bags and removed a flask then pressed it against the wounds in Luna's legs, "You claim it is your place to rule and enforce the laws and justice. Most of your subjects have no idea of the massacres and secret assassins you employ." Luna grunted furiously but the Grand Magus was not concerned, "Oh come now, don't bother denying it. You and your sister trained the Arch Magister as an assassin to frame us for crimes we never committed. You have to finish what the Unicorn royal family started..."
* * *
Oriana nodded one final time. She was ready. Artex suddenly yelled, "Roll Initiatives mother fuckers!"
All eyes turned to the elected Emissary and Oriana dashed away unseen, as fast as her legs would carry her, hidden by Artex swishing robe. Artex threw out his hands toward the downed officers. Captain Joyner felt a tug against the clothes he was wearing under his armor as he and Rose Thorn were suddenly flung backwards through the air. They hit the ground and rolled briefly before Mike scrambled to his feet and took a knee, 'Numerous threats at varying ranges. I need to even the odds.'
The Captain looked up just as Oriana shoulder-checked Chris and knocked him out of the circles. Mike's eyes zeroed in on the three bipedal figures who leveled their crossbows at Dan. Mike reached for the weapon he kept hidden in one of the pouches on his belt and took aim with the Gyrojet pistol. He gripped the pistol in both hands and sighted down the first target, keeping wary of the target and beyond. He exhaled and zeroed in on his first target.
*
Oriana shoved Chris' armored form as far and as fast as she could, pushing him toward the edge of the circles. A furrow caught her right forehoof and sent her and Chris tumbling through the plants. She picked herself back up and bolted toward New Humansville as fast as her legs could take her yelling loudly for help then entire way. Artex had told her to go for reinforcements.
*
The three armed figures fired their crossbows and three lives were snuffed out just as Mike emptied his magazine, tracking from target to target in quick succession. The figures holding the crossbows were revealed to have been Diamond Dogs as their hoods were thrown backwards off their heads. Their backs and the backs of their heads burst outward, throwing blood, gore, and brains out with force. Mike ejected the first empty magazine and pulled the next one from a pouch on his belt. His movements were swift and smooth, practiced precision made manifest.
*
When the Diamond Dogs fired their crossbows Artex had been their target. Fortunately he had been looking right at them when it happened. He had already opened his screfula in anticipation of needing to use his magic and his preparation was rewarded. As soon as he realized he was about to be fired upon, he stretched out his left hand and used Control and Plants. The wooden shafts sped right past their intended target and right into one of the wolves, passing completely through the first one and embedding in one behind it, killing both instantly. Artex looked back only to see the three crossbow wielding Diamond Dogs put down by a series of Gyrojet rounds. Satisfied, he turned to the apparent leader of the Bloodmages.
The leader had not been idle. By the time Artex turned back to him, he threw out his left foreleg and peppered Artex with a series of blood droplets. Artex was violently thrown off his feet and flung like a rag doll across the field. His limp body bounced and skidded across the ruts and rows of growing crops until it came to a stop more than half a League away. The Grand Magus then turned his attention toward Mike, "Kill that Human!"
Seeing that the situation was devolving, the other Bloodmages began throwing blood at the Sorcerers and remaining C.W.G. officers as quickly as they could. Within seconds, five Sorcerers and the last three standing officers were dead. Some had their blood boiled or frozen in their own bodies, some had their skin melted as if the blood that hit them was sulfuric acid, and some were tossed around wildly, their bones breaking and shattering from impacts. Every one of them was helpless to defend themselves.
*
The wolves turned their attention from the Sorcerers, dropping them to the ground, and focused on the Captain. The command of the Grand Magus was not to be ignored. The one holding Tina Pho kept a hold of her though. He was under special orders. The wolves charged the Captain even as he slapped home the new magazine and chambered the round, 'I have to hold until the others get here.' He took aim at the closest wolf and aligned his sights on its head then began a steady stream of precision firing, knowing the wolves would almost certainly reach him before he finished them. The first wolf dropped with two bullets in its head. Mike then calmly switched targets as a loud yell echoed from behind the Bloodmages.
*
The Captain was unable to see it happen, but the earlier noises of the evening had caught the attention of a certain outcast and the Changelings under his care. Mario and the Changelings had attacked from behind as soon as they found the Bloodmages.
Mario swept his staff at the feet of the last bipedal figure, charging in close. The blow landed against the figure's legs, but it kept its balance. Mario pulled back his staff and began pummeling the figure with a steady stream of furious blows, trying to keep it occupied and land a deadly hit.
The other Changelings barreled into the remaining Bloodmages snarling and hissing and shrieking as they attempted to grapple and bite the cloaked figures.
*
Chris surged to his feet with a yell the second he regained the use of his arms and legs. He had already opened his screfula when he realized what the Zebra mare was trying to do. He began creating portals as quickly as he could manage, targeting everything that he could safely target. He dared not try to hit Midnight Haze for fear of hitting baby Merlin and he was not overly concerned about the busy Grand Magus, but everything else was fair game. He first fired off three portals on the wolves charging Captain Joyner, decapitating each in turn. His attention was stolen by the flashes of red light and screaming coming from the C.W.G. officers and Sorcerers. Without another thought, he realized he needed to give the others a chance to defend themselves. His eyes went to the two glowing red lines in the dirt only a couple of Fathoms away and he took a step toward them.
*
A second bellowing yell echoed through the field, from the Captain's right moments later, and the next wolf in line to attack the Captain fell to the ground missing its head. The third, fourth, and fifth wolves also suffered the same fates in short order, but others around them were getting closer and closer by the second. Not willing to question good fortune, Mike switched targets and continued his steady rhythm of firing.
*
The Grand Magus heard the sounds of battle and knew the situation was about to spiral out of control. He dropped the flask he was holding and backed up, lowering himself into a ready stance. His eyes bulged as three of the Abominations charging the Captain were decapitated in short order. He quickly made the connection between Chris and the dead Abominations, "Retreat! Fall back!"
Realizing the kind of damage Chris could inflict, the Grand Magus decided to get rid of the problem before he left. He reared up on his hind legs and threw out one foreleg, sending a spray of blood droplets toward the armored man and a second foreleg toward Luna. If he couldn't use her blood, he would set it aflame within her body.
*
Chris saw the Grand Magus rear up and knew what was about to happen, even as the stallion threw out his forelegs. Chris threw up a pair of portals with the entrances in front of the Grand Magus and the exits right behind him. Chris' right foot hit the two glowing red lines of the circles and broke them.
*
The second Night Flare felt his body freed, he weaved his magic into the spell for which he was named, "Shield your eyes!" His Night Flare spell slammed into place in his outstretched hand, pointed toward one of the bipedal Bloodmages who had been killing his Sorcerers.
The Diamond Dog Bloodmage barely had time to see it coming before his body was engulfed in an inferno of light which burned away his cloak, fur, and skin leaving behind nothing but exposed and burned muscle.
*
The Grand Magus' eyes bulged as he registered what Chris had done. He quickly fell flat on his stomach and the blood missed his body by widths measured by hairs. Thinking quickly, he spun his body in the dirt and spilled his blood into the circle, snapping it into place. He muttered a few syllables and in an instant he was gone.
*
A masculine voice called for a retreat, but Mike was too busy trying to keep the wolves back. He would have taken shots at the Bloodmages, but the wolves blocked his line of sight.
*
The call to retreat came and the Changelings quickly discovered that the cloaks served multiple purposes. The Kavim Bloodmages slipped out of their cloaks, throwing the fabric onto their attackers then teleporting away before the raging Changelings could recover.
The Bloodmage that Mario had engaged took a solid hit to the crotch when it dropped its defenses, but the hit was worth it. The figure slashed at Mario with foot long, razor sharp claws, breaking the man's staff and forcing him to jump back or fall victim to the claws. The Bloodmage swept one clawed foot in a circle, crouched, uttered a few syllables, then vanished.
*
Mario and the Changelings rushed the wolves that were swarming Captain Joyner, while the other Sorcerers began weaving spells of their own, even as the Bloodmages began flashing away from the field. Midnight Haze let go of the Arch Magister, knelt down, and swirled in a circle. She touched the wolf carrying Tina Pho and dripped a drop of blood onto the circle then vanished.
* * *
The sounds of running feet foretold of the arrival of the rest of the Community Welfare Guardian officers. Princess Luna regained control of her body and immediately lit up her horn in a fraction of a second. Every single remaining wolf was instantly caught in levitation fields, "Cease your attacks!" she bellowed, hiding her pain as the rest of her body collapsed onto the ground.
Captain Joyner placed the Gyrojet gun back into the pouch on his belt and yelled to his officers, "First priority: triage the wounded! Second priority: transportation of the wounded! Hord, select twenty officers and take these wolves into custody! We'll deal with them later! Eduardo, get the wounded Bloodmage to Bobby and keep him alive long enough for us to... interrogate him!" Mike looked down at his own chest, "We lost a lot of people tonight."