The Dead Stallion's Hand

by Lord Zalgo

Counter-Attack

Fluttershy was quietly humming a tune to herself as she was walking towards Ponyville to do her shopping and the sun began to rise across the town. The saddlebags on her back contained her shopping list and a generous amount of bits in case the clerks raised the prices without telling anypony again. She reached the edge of town as she saw ponies beginning o set up their stalls in the distance. However, before she could get far enough into town for anypony to spot her, a hoof wrapped around her muzzle and pulled her into an alleyway. She tried desperately to scream and escape, but the pony who grabbed her was a stallion and easily overpowered her. She couldn't even see who it was. Suddenly, a muzzle came close to her ear.

"I think you're gonna be very useful, lassie." A deep voice whispered with a thick Coltic accent.

---

Celestia and Luna watched as the mysterious pony approached their thrones, knowing what it was that he wanted and why he was there.

"It's done. Everypony has been warned. Everypony except one. Let me go to Ponyville. Please." The pony said.

"...We know why you want to go there and we understand. We really do. But, we're unsure on whether or not we should reveal you too soon." Celestia said with a hint of guilt in her eyes and voice.

"I'm nopony's trump card, Princess. I've done as instructed and all the necessary steps have been taken. Cloud's been warned and now he's up to his eyeballs in protection and you yourselves are keeping an eye on Shining Armour. You know what Tartan is willing to do and you know that there is nopony in your military that can match him. Nopony you can spare, anyway." The pony said.

"...But, you can." Luna replied, more like a statement than a question.

"You know I can. It will only reveal me if I'm caught. Not you, not our mole, just me." The pony said with finality. Celestia sighed after a moment of silence.

"As much as I dislike it, you are best suited for the mission and... I just want Twilight and her friends to be safe. Especially after last time..." Celestia trailed off at the end.

"There was nothing you could do, Tia. It happened nearly a year ago. Please, let it go." Luna implored. Celestia nodded weakly as the pony slightly bowed and walked out of the throne room.

---

The pony walked off of the train onto the platform of Ponyville Station and scanned the crowd for any kind of abnormality. He threw his hood over his head as he was wearing a hooded jacket under his trench coat. Scanning the crowds and looking through the town, the pony then began to think to himself.

'He hasn't revealed himself yet. What's taking him so long? ...Maybe he's been gathering up his supplies. Regardless, I have to wait for him to make a move.' The pony deduced in his mind. After another look around, he saw a tavern with a sign saying 'The Prancing Parasprite'.

'Well... One drink won't kill me.' The pony said as he walked towards the tavern and entered. He walked straight to the bar and took a seat.

"What can I get you, sir?" The bartender asked politely.

"Just a shot of whiskey, please." The pony replied in kind in a gravelly voice. Whilst waiting for his drink, a mare sat in the seat adjacent to the pony. She had a bright orange coat, blonde mane and tail that were tied into ponytails, green eyes and a cutie mark of three red apples. She was also wearing a black fedora with a brooch pinned on it. The brooch was a large red jewel in the shape of an apple. The hat's dark colours clearly clashed with the mare's bright colours, but the mare didn't seem to care. She had bags under her eyes and a slight gruffness to her voice as she ordered some cider. The pony turned his head slightly to talk to the mare.

"That hat seems out of place on you." The pony said simply. The mare looked at him and glared slightly.

"This hat is one of mah most treasured possessions. Go to hell." The mare replied simply.

"Why's that?" The pony said, his throat closing up slightly as he spoke.

"...It used to belong to the only stallion Ah ever loved. Who ah ever will love." The mare replied.

"I'm sorry. How did he go?" The pony asked.

"Ah don't wanna talk about it."

"Do you ever wish he could come back?" The pony asked. The mare turned to him.

"What kinda question is that?!" She asked him incredulously.

"I know what you're going through. I was separated from my true love for what felt like the longest time. But, now that I could actually see her again... I've been gone for so long, I don't know if she'll be happy to see me." The pony explained a little pathetically.

"...Well, if she really loves you, then she'll always be there t' welcome you back." The mare said earnestly.

"...Thank you. That brooch suits you, though." The pony changed the subject.

"Thanks. It was a present given to me before... y'know." The mare said, sighing.

"I know. I was there when I bought it." The pony replied in a different, non-gravelly voice. The mare turned her head so quickly to him, one could swear she nearly broke her neck. The pony slowly lowered his hood to show the unkempt, unshaved face of Phoenix Fortesque. He fully turned to the mare as she stared at him so hard, her eyes were practically bulging.

"I'm sorry it took so long to come back, AJ." Phoenix said with a hint of shame. She slowly reached a shaking hoof forward, her expression not changing, until her hoof delicately met his face and ran it lightly over his jaw.

"It's... It's really you..." Applejack whispered in disbelief as a wide smile was starting to spread on her face.

"Yeah... I couldn't get out of where I was. It took the princesses a few months to-." Phoenix's words were cut off by Applejack's lips pressing themselves to his own as tears streamed down Applejack's face. Tears began to bead in Phoenix's eyes as he kissed her back, releasing nearly a year of longing in one simple action. A minute or so later, they pulled away for breath before wrapping their hooves around each other as if there were no tomorrow. Both of the thinking the exact same thing. It had been a long time since either of them had felt so...

Complete.

They pulled away from the embrace to look into each other's eyes with wide, loving smiles; but the moment was interrupted by a loud voice coming from outside.

"Never was one for discretion! Twilight Sparkle! Where are ya, lass?!" Phoenix and Applejack looked outside to see Tartan Pepper standing next to a large pile of explosives.

"If ya don't come out, your friend goes bye-bye!!" Tartan yelled, drawing attention to the mare who was strapped to the explosives.

"Fluttershy!" Applejack said in shock.

"We've got to get her away from him. He's enough of a bastard to kill her for the fun of it." Phoenix said seriously.

"What does he want with Twilight?" Applejack asked. Phoenix closed his eyes for a second.

"He plans to deliver her to the Boss." Phoenix replied after reading Tartan's mind.

"Who's-?"

"I'll explain later. Do you think you can distract him and keep him talking?" Phoenix asked.

"Yeah. It looks like the others are comin' anyway. What're you gonna do?" Applejack asked as the rest of the girls were running from the distance.

"I've learned a few tricks. I'm going to get Fluttershy." Phoenix replied. Applejack nodded and ran from the tavern and joined up with the girls to confront Tartan.

"Invisium." Not one second after Phoenix said that word, he vanished from sight completely. Now completely invisible, he silently moved toward Tartan and Fluttershy. He kept his distance at first, but slowly started to edge closer.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Twilight demanded as she reached a suitable distance from Tartan.

"I want my pay. And if I have to drag you to Canterlot meself to get it, I'll bloody do it." Tartan replied antagonistically. Phoenix finally reached the pile of explosives to see the crying Fluttershy strapped to it. Phoenix couldn't hear her due to the fact she was gagged, but he could plainly see the tears streaming down her face and the terror in her eyes. Phoenix made himself visible again once he was hidden by the pile. Fluttershy turned her head to see Phoenix and her eyes shot wide open. Phoenix motioned with his hoof for her to stay quiet as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a seemingly normal pack of playing cards. However, when he removed one from the pack, they were clearly different from regular cards. They were made of Darksteel and were just painted to look like playing cards.

He then started to use the card like a knife to cut the rope that was binding her. He quickly glanced to see everypony still distracting Tartan. Once he cut one of the ropes, Fluttershy was able to move her forehooves, allowing her to help Phoenix with the remaining ropes. After the ropes fell to the ground and Fluttershy moved; Phoenix then turned his attentions to explosives. He looked over the pile studiously for a moment before deducing that every explosive was connected by a single signal receiver in order for them all to detonate at once. Repeating his previous action, Phoenix began to cut through the wire connecting the bombs to the signal receiver. Once he cut through it, he turned back to Fluttershy with a smile. After a few seconds for dumbfounded disbelief, she smiled back at him. He then took her hoof.

"Instantarium" Phoenix said. Not one second later, both he and Fluttershy disappeared. In the same instant, both of them reappeared behind the girls, meaning Tartan was the only one that noticed.

"What the?! But-! How the hell did you do that?!" Tartan yelled. The girls all turned to see who he was talking to only to openly stare wide-eyed as Phoenix walked past them and stopped in between them and Tartan. Tartan tried desperately to detonate the explosives, but no matter how many times he hit the transmitter, the explosives were completely disabled. Suddenly, a black aura surrounded: Tartan, the ropes that held Fluttershy and the pile of bombs. Phoenix then tied Tartan to the pile of bombs in the same way that Fluttershy was.

"I'm a Fortesque. It's what we do." Phoenix said as he lifted the pile of bombs incredibly high in the air.

"Crepitus." Phoenix said before a fireball was emitted from his horn and shot towards the floating bomb pile and caused it all to explode in the sky, not harming anypony in Ponyville. However, Tartan definitely didn't make it out. Phoenix finally turned around to see his friends gawking at him, clearly in shock about many things.

"I suppose I have to explain now, don't I?" Phoenix asked them sarcastically, already knowing the answer.

Author's Note:

Darksteel is an indestructible metal from Magic: The Gathering. I've never played it myself, but it sounded cool so, I used it for the cards.

Comments

[Vandristine]

WHAAAAAT! You play Magic? Favorite planeswalker? Favorite Guild? Favortie card?

[Lord Zalgo]

5537193
I did say that I don't play Magic myself. Sorry to dash your hopes there.