//------------------------------// // Chapter Sixteen // Story: Agent of Chaos // by Li_Time //------------------------------// Chapter Sixteen Applejack I woke up to find Kincaid sittin' at the table and cleanin' his gun. "So, you're finally awake," he said, not even looking up. "Get some food, take a shower, and get dressed. We have work to do." "Straight to work, huh?" I said, gettin' out of bed. "Just like on the farm." I went into the kitchen area and looked into the fridge. Most of the meat was replaced with fruits and vegetables. Thank Celestia, somethin' I can eat. I piled up on everythin' and took it to the table. Kincaid looked at me as I started to ate. "You're going to eat all of that?" he asked me. "Of course I am," I said. "I got to get my strength up. Need as much energy I can get." I could feel his eyes on me as I ate. It was really creepy, but I tried to ignore it. I was almost done when he spoke again. "I've never seen a girl eat that much." "This is nothin'," I said with my mouth full of apple chunks. "Ya should see me when we have our annual apple pie eatin' competition. I'm still rainin' champion." He chuckled a bit as he watched me finish eatin'. "Ya know, ya can tell me what yer plan is while I'm eatin'," I pointed out to him. He smirked at me. "I'm taking you to someone who is looking for your friends," he said. "Someone ya know?" I asked. Really, I wanted to know if this person was a murderer like him. "We've done business together," he said. "He's a good man. He'll be fighting to protect you and this city." I could tell he was tellin' the truth, but I had a feelin' he wasn't tellin' the whole truth. “Ya hired him?” “No,” he said, “but I know he’ll be searching for them. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s found them already.” “What makes ya think that?” He pulled out a business card and passed it to me. It looked like he had it for a while, but it was still clearly legible. HARRY DRESDEN-WIZARD Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment. I looked at it, flipping it over to see an address and number, but they were both crossed off. “Ok, so, he’s a wizard,” I said. “But what does he have to do with my friends?” “He gets involved,” he said. “He also has lots of connections in this city. Someone is bound to contact him if they found one of these ponies. Or one of those dragonequus. Either way, there’s no way he’ll not be involved.” I looked at the crossed out address on the back of the card again. "Why is the back of the card crossed out?" "He doesn't have an office or that number anymore," Kincaid said. "So, how ya rackin’ ya gonna find him?" I asked as I pulled on the boots that I had worn the day before. "I have connections too,” he said. “And I’m skillful in tracking people also.” “Then why aren’t ya lookin’ for my friends?” I asked. “You’re not paying me,” he pointed out. “You’re lucky I’m doing this much for you. Besides, you’ll be in better hands with him. You made it clear last night you don’t approve of my work.” “Ya sayin’ he’s better?” I asked. “Didn’t ya tell me that it’s kill or be killed here?” “And I stand by my words,” he said. “But he won’t go killing to get money or for the fun of it. He’ll kill to protect the one’s he love and he’ll die protecting him.” That actually sounded really noble. He would die to protect his friends? It sounded like Hero. “Harry Dresden,” I said softly. “He would still kill though.” “If it meant saving someone, yes,” he said. I frowned, crossing my arms. “Well, it’s still disgustin’. Killin’. Why not just talk it out?” “Mrs. Apple,” he said. “Do you have family?” “Well, yes,” I said. “I have an older brother and a younger sister. Than there’s Granny.” “And what would you do if someone threaten them?” he asked, liftin’ his gun and pointin’ at me. Knowin’ what that thing was now, I didn’t like it bein’ pointed at me. However, somethin’ sparked in my head. That gun was pointed at Granny Smith...Big Mac….Applebloom. I growled, slammin’ my fist into the table and standin’ up. I saw him smirk as he lowered the gun. “Just as I thought,” he said. “And he would do the same for his friends and his daughter.” I watched as he tucked the gun away under his coat and lifted a larger gun. He set it on the table as well and put the guitar case next to it. He opened it and set the gun inside before closing it again and lifting it. “You ready?” he asked me. “What do you need that for?” I asked, eyein’ the gun. “In case I need it. There’s still that case we might have to defend ourselves.” I glared at him. “Mrs. Apple, you have my word that I will not kill anyone today.” “Ya best not,” I said as I grabbed my hat and put it on. “Let’s git-r-done.” He nodded and walked to the door. I watched him for a moment before I followed. The place was larger than I thought. It brought back memories when I stayed with my aunt and uncle in Manehattan. When I stepped out into the city, I felt like a little filly, far away from home. Truth was, I was far away, farther than I ever been from home. Kincaid lead me to what he called a car. It looked like a boxcar to a train, or a closed carriage. However, it didn't have anyway to be pulled. After gettin' in, I watched him slip a key into the side of a wheel base and turned the key. The machine came to life. It surprised me, and I looked around at it. "How does this thing work?" I asked him. "Combustion engine," he said. "Has a motor in the front that uses fuel and little explosions to make it run." It was interestin' to learn about it, not that it would do me any good when I returned to my world. Then again, if I wanted to visit Hero, it might help. Shoot, I'm thinkin' like I was goin' to stay here long. It would be great to see him again, but I'm here on a mission. I looked out the window at the city as we went to where ever we were goin'. The place looked nasty. I knew cities could get a little messed up and dirty, but this was the worst. I wouldn't want to stay here any longer than I needed to. No wonder Hero was such a tough guy. On top of being the first prince in centuries, he had to live in a world with killers and mean looking folks. These people did not look friendly, and they looked like they rather stick to themselves. It seemed so odd being in a place like this. It felt like a dream but I was wide awake. On top of that, I felt useless. I had been here for a day and haven't done a thing. I like to work. I like to get my hooves dirty. Just sittin' around doin' nothin' was irritatin'. I just hope now I'll be able to do somethin' to help my friends. We came to a stop after a while and looked over at him as he turned off the machine. I started to get out but he stopped me. "Wait here," he said as he grabbed the case from the back. "Why?" I asked. "Got to make sure he's here,” he said. "And ya need that thing?" I asked. "It can be helpful," he said and he closed the door of the machine and started to walk away. I didn't wait. I got out and started follow him. "Suit yourself," he said, not even looking back at me. "I'm tired of sittin' around doin' nothin',” I said. “I'm here to help find my friends and that's what I'm gonna do." He nodded in understandin' and led the way. Though, he didn't really lead me down the sidewalk. He lead me down alleys and behind the buildin's, as if he didn't want to be seen. I wanted to say somethin' but I felt that he knew what he was doin'. So I kept my mouth shut. He stopped behind a building by the fire escape ladder. He set the case down and jumped up to the ladder with ease, grabbin' hold of it. He jerked at it and it slid down, makin' it easier to reach. He jumped down and grabbed the case and hopped back up, climbing up the ladder. I jumped up, grabbin' hold and pullin' myself up the ladder. We went all the way up to the roof. The buildin' wasn't too big to begin with, and the roof was sloped, but we had a view of a large church across the street. I looked around as I got a feel for standin' up there. "Does this guy often hangs out on rooftops?" I asked him. "No," he said. "But this has a good view to spot him." "You mean he's in that buildin'?" I asked. "Potentially." He set the case down and opened it, pulling out the gun. "What are you doin'?" I asked, frowning at him. "Using the scope to get a better view," he said as he positioned himself just behind the peak so he could see over it. He held the gun up and looked through what looked like a small telescope mounted on top. I didn’t like it. It felt like he was aimin’. I looked from him to the church and back. “Is that thing really necessary?” I asked him. “Yes,” he said. I looked back at the church, wonderin’ what I should do. Then I saw a man step out of the church wearin’ a long black leather coat. “Hero?” I questioned myself. Then I heard an odd sound come from the gun. It sounded like a muffled thump noise. I looked and saw the man fall back and roll over. It hit me. Kincaid shot him. “No!” I shout as instinct took over. I spun and kicked at Kincaid. He was fast though. He turned to me and used the gun to block my kick, but I was strong enough to make him stumble back. I kept kickin’ at him, but he continued to block me. Suddenly, I heard a yell from across the street and a rush of air whipped past me. Kincaid looked like somethin’ hit him and sent him off of the roof. I blinked in surprise and went over to the edge. I saw the man walking towards Kincaid as he landed on the ground and lifted the gun again. I could tell now that it wasn’t Hero. As I realized this, I realized somethin’ else. This guy was Harry Dresden...and he was the Winter Knight. Kincaid had mentioned that Twilight would more than likely appear near someone with magic, but he also said that she would appear near the Winter Knight if she were to appear near anyone with magic. So why would she appear near the Winter Knight and not a wizard like Harry? Unless he was both. “Arctis!” Harry shouted, thrustin’ his staff forward at Kincaid. I could see the runes on his staff glow blue and what looked like a mini blizzard blew out of the end. It hit the gun and I saw it freeze. Kincaid quickly dropped it before it froze to his hands though. I jumped down at this point and kicked at him again. He ducked down and whipped around, sweepin’ my feet. I wasn’t expecting it, so he caught me off guard. In return, I caught him off guard too. A woman with rainbow colored hair rushed him from behind, tacklin’ him. From her speed and her hair, I knew it was Rainbow Dash. I felt a grin spread across my face. I started to push myself up as I watched her fight him. Rainbow Dash was a black belt back home, and it seemed to translate well into this world. She was kickin’ tail. Kincaid tried to get the upper hand by jumpin’ back and pulling out the handgun he had under his coat. “Forzare!” I heard Harry shout and the gun flew up into the air. I noticed a man running up quickly from behind, so I took my chance and jumped back in the fight, kickin’ at Kincaid. I was strong, but I didn’t know fightin’ like Dash did. I did know how to kick though. I spun and kicked at him, I swingin’ my foot around at him. Kincaid jumped back, but I was expectin’ it. He jumped right into the man who was runnin’ up and the man grabbed him and slammed him into the ground. “Shit!” he called out. The man pulled out a knife, puttin’ it to Kincaid’s neck as he pulled him up. “Wait,” Kincaid and Harry said at the same time. I saw the man look at Harry. I couldn’t help but stare at him. He was very attractive and it made me want to know him more. However, Hero popped back into my mind and those thoughts quickly faded. “I wasn’t going to kill him,” the man said. I heard footsteps behind us and I looked to see others running up. Despite their human looks, I knew them as Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy. “Not unless he tries something funny,” I heard the man say as I hugged my friends. “What the hell, Kincaid? You could have just called,” Harry said. I looked around at them as Dash joined us. “Are you alright,” Dash asked me. “I’m fine, Sugarcube,” I said. “I can’t believe I trusted that man.” I looked back at the three men, glarin’ at Kincaid. “I didn’t want to make it too easy for you,” Kincaid was sayin’. “Besides, I wanted to make sure you stay dead this time.” “Why are you trying to kill me?” Harry asked. “Because you hired me to,” he said. “Wait, you hired him to kill you?” Dash asked Harry in surprise. Was Kincaid tellin’ the truth? It sounded like it, but how could I trust him? “It’s a long story,” Harry replied. “Kincaid, I’m calling it off.” “I can’t do that now, Dresden,” he said. “It’s a matter of pride. You survived. I can’t let this go unresolved.” “Hell’s bells, Kincaid,” Harry said. “Let it go. You killed me once. It wasn’t my doing that brought me back. Besides, I’m too busy to die at the moment.” “I’ve noticed,” he said, looking at my friends and I. “A dragonequus is in town.” “So you come to kill me instead of trying to help stop this Outsider?” Harry asked. “Trust me, Dresden,” he said. “You would be dead by now if I was really trying. I knew you had spells in that duster of yours. Plus, it was clear you had on a vest.” I saw Harry looked down at himself, but since we were standin’ behind him, I couldn’t tell what he was lookin’ for. “Let him go,” he said after a while. “Harry?” the man holding Kincaid questioned. “It’s alright.” The man let Kincaid go and I readied myself to attack if he tried somethin’. I felt the girls next to me get ready also, though I felt that some were more scared than others. Even Pinkie seemed scared of the man. That wasn’t very Pinkie like of her. “Dresden,” Kincaid said. “We’ll talk after Halloween. Until then, you best get rid of this thing.” “Ya, sure,” Harry said. I watched Kincaid as he picked up his guns. He tucked them under his coat and walked away, leaving me with my friends and these two men. I relaxed and we started to hug again. Now that the action was over, we could smile again. “Applejack, what happened?” Twi asked. “Why were you with that man?” “It’s a long story,” I said. “I’m just glad ya’ll are alright. Where’s Rarity?” “We haven’t found her yet,” Fluttershy said. “Umm, ladies,” Harry said. I looked over at him. “We better get going. Someone was sure to have seen and heard the commotion. Plus, we need to find Discord.” “What? Ya’ll are lookin’ for Discord first?” I asked. “We have an idea of where he is,” Harry said as he started to walk back towards the church. I started to follow with my friends. “If we can find him, he could be helpful to find your friend.” “Wait, who are ya?” I asked, lookin’ at the man who had helped us. “Harry Dresden,” Harry said. I frowned, knowin’ who he was already. I wanted to know who this other guy was. Then again, I didn’t tell him I knew who he was. “That guy following us is Thomas. And that feeling you’re getting near him is natural.” I blushed a bit, getting a warm feeling as I looked at Thomas. I thought of Hero again and looked at the girls. “Umm, where’s Hero?” I asked them. Twilight frown as she said, “Well, he’s not here. And it’s unlikely that we’ll even see him.” I frowned also but nodded. I was still hopin’ that he would be here somewhere. After meeting Kincaid, I had accepted the fact that I might not get to see Hero. “What’s the plan, Harry?” Thomas asked. “And where’s Molly?” “Probably in a veil,” Harry replied. As we reached the church, a woman stepped out and walked towards us, puttin’ somethin’ away. Walkin’ next to her was a man walkin’ with the aid of a cane. “Or she had a call.” “You alright boss?” the woman asked. “What happened? Who’s this?” “I’m Applejack,” I said. “I’m a friend.” “Awesome,” she said. “I’m Molly. Nice to meet you. So, that leaves one more girl, right?” We nodded. “Great. I know where she’s at.” “You do?” Harry asked as my eyes widen. I had a feelin’ that my friends had a similar reaction. “Ya,” she said. “I just got off the phone with Murphy. Apparently, Mrs. Gard called yesterday and left a message. But Murphy didn’t got it until a little while ago. She said that a Rarity is at Marcone’s Estate.” “Perfect, we can kill two birds with one stone,” he said. “Oh those poor birds,” Fluttershy said. “Why would you want to kill them?” I tried to hold back a chuckle. “It’s a figure of speech,” he said. “It means we can accomplish two things at once. We can get your friend Rarity back and find out more on Discord.” “Well, it’s still an awful thing to say,” she replied. I started to giggle as did the other girls. “Harry,” the man who walked out with Molly said. “I don’t think you and these girls will all fit in the minivan.” “Who’s that?” I asked Twilight. “That’s Michael Carpenter,” Twi said. “He is Molly’s father.” “Here’s the plan,” Harry said after a moment. “Thomas, you take Molly, Fluttershy and Pinkie. I’ll take Twilight, Dash, and Applejack.” “Great, where are we going?” Thomas asked. “Marcone’s estate,” Harry said. “Awesome, let’s go,” Thomas replied with a grin. “Harry,” Michael said. I could tell that he wanted to say something, but he decided against it. “May God go with you,” he said instead.