Her name was Scootaloo

by FaelaArts

Target 3: Let's Get Wanted, Dead or Alive

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Target 3: Let's get(Aka: Rumble)
Wanted, Dead or Alive.

Scootaloo entered the tavern, and watched as ponies glanced to her. Turning straight for the notice board, they looked away. Ponies had grown used to her presence by now. Blood Eye appeared a moment later, no one bothering to glance. Ponies knew the orange one meant Blood Eye was close behind.

“None of these look even close to the amount we need for the rent. I really don’t want to dip into my savings, what do you think Blood Eye?” Scootaloo stepped aside as Blood Eye scanned the posters expertly, before leaning back and looking toward the bartender.

“If you are looking for bigger game, you want the higher bounty board. You have to tell the bartender a secret message.” Blood Eye looked around the tables, noticing a particular pony sitting in the shadows. What was the information broker doing here?

“Okay, let’s do one of those. What’s the secret message?” Scootaloo followed Blood Eye’s gaze, before they headed for the counter. The barpony smiled, and exchanged the typical greeting.

“We want a suicide mission.” Blood Eye’s words silenced the room swiftly, and you could feel the eyes staring at her back. The barpony nodded, and motioned toward one of the bunnies, who quickly came to man the register while he led Scootaloo and Blood Eye into a back room. Scootaloo examined it, and noticed it was a simple storage room.

“There’s the list there, just tear it off when you’re done looking and bring it to the counter. And don’t think of trying to take any of my wares. All of them have magic traps to vaporise you in an instant if you try. ‘Course you know that Blood Eye.” The barpony turned and left them alone. Scootaloo approached the board.

“Woah, even you are on here.” Scootaloo put a hoof to the picture of Blood Eye, who was worth nearly a million bits. There were some that were worth nearly ten times that on here. Scootaloo gulped, and slowly moved her hoof toward the less pricey side of the board, her hoof coming to a stop on one particular poster. The price was nearly double the amount needed for rent, which was a substantial amount, but that wasn’t what had caught her eye. It was the picture, and how familiar the stallion in it was, despite the fact he was obviously fully grown now.

“We’re taking this one,” she decided, grabbing the poster and turning to Blood Eye. If Blood Eye had anything to say, she once more kept it to herself as she led the way out of the storage room. Taking the poster from Scootaloo, she slammed it onto the counter and locked eyes with the barpony, who had returned to work at the counter.

“We’re taking Rumble.” Once more, Blood Eye managed to get the entire tavern to pause on their very breathing. The bartender shook his head sadly, but nodded and put the poster under the counter. Blood Eye glanced to Scootaloo, who blinked and deposited two bits. The information broker came forward, and quickly gave an envelope to Scootaloo, taking the two bits straight from the bartender’s hoof. Depositing another two bits, Scootaloo pocketed the letter and turned to Blood Eye.

Upon exiting, Scootaloo opened the letter.

Nice job kid, aim for the top as they say. You’re not exactly in the best place to be receiving information at this time, so I’ve written it down for you. Eat it after, my words are for you alone.

Rumble’s taking care of a small family up north. Just tell Blood Eye to take you to the Thunder Ready hideout. Assuming you make it out alive kid, remember that after this lil’ job you’ll be the one with a bounty on ya head. That’s gonna draw some big names after ya. Good news is most of em are wanted themselves. Bad news is most of em are on the list you just plucked a poster from.

Good luck kid, you’re gonna need it.

p.s: Swiped the catnip from your bag while I passed, thanks kid.

Scootaloo ate the letter quickly, cringing at the taste. Really, the information broker could have made an effort to at least make the ink somewhat edible. Checking her bags Scootaloo was not surprised to find the catnip was gone, as the broker had spoken. Blood Eye waited patiently, and eventually Scootaloo was ready to go.

“Let’s go to Thunder Ready’s hideout.”

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Scootaloo crouched in the alleyway, watching the security around the building. Glancing to the roofs, she was glad to see none of the scouts had spotted her yet. It didn’t look like there would be an easy way in undetected, so they would likely have to enter via the front door and wing it. Glancing to Blood Eye, Scootaloo was half tempted to ask if she had any ideas, but held her tongue. It might count as her entire bounty if she asked for help, that couldn’t happen.

Breathing in, Scootaloo stood up and waited for the guards to spot her. Blood Eye followed her out into the street as she approached the stationary guard at the entrance and waited for him to acknowledge her.

“Tell Rumble his old friend Scootaloo is here to see him.” Scootaloo saw the guard turn toward what looked like a mirror of sorts, and three beeps came through the walkie talkie on his belt. Gruffly, he motioned toward the door, stepping to let them in.

“Third door on the left.” After they passed him he returned to his position, slamming the door behind them. Scootaloo heard the barely audible click as the door locked behind them. Gulping, she continued forward, and opened the door he had said to open. Surprisingly, it led into a spacious room, and all the other doors also seemed to lead here. As Scootaloo stepped in, closely followed by Blood Eye, she wondered why he said this door, just as a cage slammed around them.

“Forgive the rude introductions my old friend, but I get many people after me, and my family these days.” A large, buff stallion with a bluish gray coat, a two-tone dark gray mane and tail, and purple eyes entered from a different door, looking them over. Rumble looked to Scootaloo with a hungry expression, it only growing more pronounced as he looked to Blood Eye.

“Your family? But Thunderlane’s on the white.” Scootaloo bit her lip and reared back as Rumble smashed into the cage, his eyes burning into her’s with a righteous fury.

“My brother abandoned me to the black. When he never came for me, I made a new family, one that looks after it’s members. Anypony not a part of our family is the enemy, and that includes you.” Rumble blinked and his eyes returned to normal, calm but with a hard edge to them. Scootaloo could tell Rumble wasn’t joking, this was what he believed. Looking to his sides, her eyes widened as she gasped, eyes widening with horror.

“Y-Your wings!” Scootaloo barely made out the stumps where the wings had been on her old classmate’s body. Rumble glanced back to them, and jiggled them as she held in her lunch. Scootaloo could tell her horror merely amused him.

“Cut them off my dear. You see, Pegasi are the lowest scum of the low on black. To actually be considered as a pony and not a bottom feeder, you have to be either Earth or a Unicorn. The wiser Pegasi cut off their wings, and no one but another Pegasi would notice.” Rumble glanced to Blood Eye before returning his gaze to Scootaloo, and smirking at the wings clearly protruding from her back.

“B-But,” she stuttered, unable to form a proper sentence after seeing what she had just seen. Really, Rumble was correct, no one but a Pegasus would notice the fact the shoulder blades were slightly more prominent than on anypony else. Scootaloo turned as she saw the room begin to fill with ponies. Quite a few of them were mutilated Pegasi to her displeasure.

“Now that we have the introductions out of the way, let’s get down to business. I had a tip off an orange Pegasus would be coming to try and claim my bounty. The tip off also stated a certain Blood-Eyed individual was following said Pegasus around like a puppy dog.” Ruble spat at Blood Eye’s feet, who didn’t move an inch. Scootaloo saw the ponies begin to pull out peculiar devices. They looked like slingshots, but automated to fire on a button. Each one was filled with those spikes Sweetie Belle had shown her earlier.

“You see my dear, Blood Eye’s bounty is enough to feed us for over a year, even dead. And family comes first. So I’m afraid you two must die to preserve my family.” Rumble turned and nodded to the ponies, and they began to aim. Scootaloo could tell Blood Eye was to be their first target, but she would be closely followed. The cage, it looked like it might be able to be lifted up…

“Fire!” Rumble motioned toward the cage as Scootaloo ducked under the first volley and pulled the cage up and over them, releasing them. Looking to Blood Eye, she was relieved to see not a single one had hit her somehow. Turning, she began to dive for the thugs shooting. Seeing her diving for them, all changed their target from the one who had yet to move, to the one already on the offensive.

Scootaloo leapt out of the way of most of the bullets, but one scraped her neck as she leapt past, sliding into a kick and knocking over the group of thugs. Diving onto one of the slingshots, she quickly began to knock them away before the thugs could retaliate. Finally, it descended into a fistfight.

Dodging a punch aimed for her cheek, Scootaloo pushed one of the thugs into the majority of the group, twirling around and kicking the one she had left alone unconscious. Giving a flap, she backflipped over another thug and used her wings to spin her in the air so she was facing his back, and she slammed her hoof into his head, knocking the second one unconscious.

Searing pain entered her leg as a spike embedded itself into her front hoof, and she turned to see Rumble had started to fire on her, expertly aiming despite the thugs around her. Scootaloo felt someone slam into her from behind, and struggled vainly to get free as they began to pin her down. Gritting her teeth, she flared her wings and flapped as hard as she could, flipping the group over and leaving her on top. Kicking another head, she rendered a third unconscious.

Diving down to dodge a bullet from Rumble, Scootaloo tried to hoof one thug in the face, but missed as one came from the side and aimed a kick at her stomach. Rolling with the impact, she saw one of the thugs dive for the bundle of slingshots, and her eyes widened as she realised the others were also making an effort to regain their slingshots.

Pain lanced through her back as a bullet sliced through the skin close to her spine. Scootaloo cursed her stupidity for forgetting that Rumble was there. Dodging one thug diving for her, she used him as a diving board and dived for the guy who was just beginning to aim his slingshot. Seeing her coming, he cried out and fired on instinct, hitting her in the shoulder.

Falling to the ground, Scootaloo winced in pain and quickly tried to get back up to fight. However, her limbs weren’t responding, and she realised then that there must have been something in the bullets to make her limbs go numb. Turning, she caught Blood Eye’s gaze, and raised her head, wincing as pain shot through her as Rumble fired again.

“He-lp,” she choked out, collapsing as her body refused to obey her. Scootaloo was amazed her eyes were even staying open, but she was glad they did. If they hadn’t, she wouldn’t have seen Blood Eye in action, let alone prove why she had such a high bounty. Blood Eye bowed her head once, and all eyes turned on her as they saw her crack her joints in a way that was obviously preparing for a fight. The thug with the slingshot was the quickest, and he fired just as she let out a slow breath of air.

Blood Eye was on the guy in an instant, bullet in her mouth as she slammed her hoof into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. Turning, she pirouetted and tossed the bullet with her mouth at Rumble, disarming him as he cried out in pain. Turning, she faced the final five thugs.

Diving under a kick, she knocked one into the wall, leaving a large dent as he gasped for breath. Leaping into the air, she aimed a kick at one, knocking him out instantly. Two dived for the slingshots and fired at Blood Eye, who caught them once more with her mouth and returned them right back. Turning on the final thug, she stood on two feet, and slammed her hoof directly into his face. Turning to the one she had knocked in the wall, she slammed her hoof into the side of his head, and then kicked backward at the first thug she had winded, knocking him out soundly.

Rumble had finally picked up his weapon, and was aiming to fire. However, he only had time to widen his eyes as Blood Eye was on him. Rumble was quick though, and back-flipped out of the way of Blood Eye. Turning, he fired three shots at where an attack could come from, and then dodged out of the way as Blood Eye leapt over his shots and aimed a kick at his head.

Leaping around to her back, Rumble tried to punch her in the back, but found Blood Eye mimicked the action and felt hooves connect with his body. Grunting, he didn’t bother turning and instead tried to buck the form behind him, knowing Blood Eye was likely going to spin around if he tried to face her.

Sadly, Blood Eye predicted this, and merely leapt onto his back and punched him in the back of the head, causing a headache as he tried to shake her off. Rumble still stood however, and he roared loudly as he stamped down, and charged Blood Eye, the headache eliminating all conscious thought from his mind.

Blood Eye leapt once more onto his back, and kicked him once more, knocking him out. Blood Eye’s ears flickered as the sound of alarms rang through the compound. Turning to their target, Blood Eye grabbed the large stallion and tossed his body over her back, approaching Scootaloo quickly. However, Scootaloo’s eyes finally stopped obeying her and began to close, just as a hoof grabbed onto her own.

Comments

[the other sans]

Y-You’re wings

1. Your.