War In The Dark

by Lyraah

Act V: Perception

War In The Dark

*** Perception ***

***

---

Amethyst swiftly started up her vehicle and drove down the street. She took a left and rounded another corner to the car park. Amethyst tore through the tunnel and swerved into the main parking area. She made a hard U-turn and stopped the car in front of an exit.

Amethyst got out of her car and trotted towards the vehicle that she had prepared the day before. It was draped with a crude cover but upon revealing the car, it was a beautiful sedan. The special thing was that this was the same model as the one Hooven uses. It'll do for some switcheroo. Amethyst marveled at the beauty and licked her lips, she'll miss this car.

Stalker had just retrieved the diamond from the vault and was making his way to the car park to meet his boss.

Somewhere in the streets, Hooven's car was just making a turn and now fast approaching the car park. There will be an interesting clash, but Amethyst has a back-up solution.

"Arghhhhh, stop this riiiiiiinging..." Minuette grumbled while trying to jimmy the lock with a bobby pin and tension wrench. She focused her magic and randomly jabbed at the lock. Minuette hadn't picked a lock before, but she had seen ponies do it in movies. She herself knew that she would be here for a very long time, unless somepony were to catch her first.

Minuette stabbed the lock aimlessly and was starting to give up when the door clicked open. She stared between the lock and her tools, blinking. Minuette wasn't expecting it to work! Or did it?

The door swung open to reveal a very flustered mare, she stumbled through the doorway and right into Minuette. Both mares gaped at each other, not moving a muscle. "You, you you you..." Maya pointed at the unicorn, her muzzle wide with shock.

Minuette did not hesitate, she lifted her hoof and delivered a punch to the side of her face. The strong impact rendered Maya on the floor and unconscious. Minuette hissed and shook her hoof. That hurt more then it should! Minuette thought to herself before leaving the knocked out mare.

Stalker had just exited the elevator, the case rested on his back. All he needs to do is to keep the diamond safe and to deliver it to the boss, where he'll keep it more safe, right? That was simple, probably not.

He trotted towards a familiar sedan in the middle of the driveway, peering over to see a shadow in the dark vehicle. That was it, he was going to pass the case to Hooven and all would be fine.

He cantered briskly and got to the side of the car. Without hesitation, he unlocked the car door only to see Amethyst sitting casually, waiting for him.

"Thank you." She reached our her hoof to receive the case. Stalker glared at the mare and yelled, shirking the case away.

"Who are you?"

Amethyst lunged forward and grabbed Stalker by his collar. She pushed herself from the vehicle and slammed him onto a concrete pillar, but Stalker wasn't giving up without a fight. He swung his hoof as Amethyst blocked it, with a twist, she slid under the thrusting hoof and bucked her foe in the side.

Stalker collapsed on the hard floor, clutching his side and gasping for air. Amethyst sauntered forward and brought her hoof down on the fallen stallion.

That could be smoother, Amethyst thought as she floated the briefcase to her side.

---

Hooven's car tore through the car park, rumbling over a few speed bumps. The car was thundering along when the wheels exploded with a gust of air. There were spikes on the road and the chauffeur hadn't realized until it was too late.

The car slid to a stop as the tires went flat. Clover got out from the front seat to check the tire. "How did that happen?" She looked at the punctured tire and rasped.

Hooven instantly knew something was wrong, after pondering for a moment, he ordered the chauffeur to drive immediately. The car was still mobile, but it skidded uncontrollable and slowly.

Amethyst set the case on the front seat and got in the driver's side. She switched on the ignition and rode back towards the exit. Amethyst knew that she wasn't clear, yet. The diamond was so close to being in her possession, she only needed to drive away quickly and unnoticed.

Amethyst turned a corner, only to see another car skidding along. As the two cars passed, Hooven and Amethyst exchanged a glance as the vehicles went their separate ways. Amethyst blew a short breath of air as she remained calm under the pressure.

Hooven got out of the car, only to see Stalker lying on the middle of the driveway, unconscious. Clover flew over to him and knelt down. "Wake up, hey!" She shook the body. Hooven rested his hooves on the car door as he caught sight of the rest of his guards scampering into the car park.

"Go after her, now!" He ordered, slipping into the vehicle. The others complied with a unanimous bark and scrambled to their vehicles.

---

Amethyst's car swerved the corner and thundered out of the car park. She drove the car down the street, leaving a gust of wind behind it.

Minuette was waiting for her. She saw the car rolling at high speeds; as if trying to escape somepony, and concluded that that must be Amethyst. And she was determined to hunt her down if that's the last thing she'll ever do.

Minuette revved up her vehicle and gave chase.

Amethyst rested her hoof on the wheel, relaxing and peering down the streets nonchalantly, as if on a cruise. She shot a quick look at the silver case and made a 'too bad' expression.

For about five minutes, Minuette followed behind her closely. She tapped on the wheel impatiently, frowning in spite at the thought of this sly mare getting away. "Deceiving me and then getting away? Nuh-uh, not a chance." She spat.

Amethyst noticed she was being followed rather closely too, and peered through the rear-view mirror. She saw Minuette shaking her hoof behind the wheel with malice and smiled. Amethyst slowed down the car, causing Minuette to do so too.

"That's for deceiving me!" Minuette hissed and stepped on the pedal. The car shot forward and rear-ended the other vehicle. Amethyst was jerked forward. She looked back and frowned.

Further down the street, a van stopped in the middle of the road as the back door flapped open. Several ponies armed with pistols scrambled out, guns aimed down the road.

Amethyst flinched and swerved her car out of the way. Minuette stared down right at the group of ponies as they appeared into sight. Gunfire showered her vehicle as she yanked the wheel to the other side, ducking under the dashboard.

Amethyst and Minuette backed their cars so that they are positioned parallel to each other, perpendicular to the road. The gunshots rang out relentlessly, sparking off both vehicles in a cacophony of loud cracks.

Another van pulled up from where the two cars came from, blocking off both ends of the street. Ponies emerged and too began firing upon the two mares. Miraculously, the position of the two cars provided a shield between both sides of the fray.

Amethyst and Minuette clambered out and into the gap between both their vehicles. Both mares brushed their fur against each other as they jumped into the other vehicle. Minuette dived into Amethyst's car while Amethyst squirmed into Minuette's.

Amethyst tossed the briefcase onto the passenger's side and pulled out her pistol, blindly firing a few shots down the road. Gunfire continued to hail as Minuette kept her head low.

"You're good, I'll give you that. I fall into your trap time after time." Minuette gave the purple unicorn a patronizing look and said.

"I could say the same for you. You actually managed to follow me. But we're both in deep trouble this time." Amethyst gave the other mare a quick look before firing off her gun again.

"You must have a way out of this." Minuette asserted.

"Play on and we'll see."

Minuette sprawled on the seat, peering into the underside of her vehicle (not her own vehicle). She spotted something that may either be useful in a sense but can also potentially kill the both of them.

She tried to get Amethyst's attention on her proposed plan. "Psst, psst." Amethyst was too busy trying to pick off the attackers to hear. "Eh! I have a plan!" Minuette finally yelled.

Amethyst turned around and flopped herself so that half her body dangles out of the car. Her eyes trained onto what Minuette was pointing at. There was gas leaking from the bottom of the vehicle, dripping into a puddle on the asphalt.

Both mares knew exactly what was going down. They nodded in unison and closed their respective vehicle doors. Amethyst reversed her vehicle and lined it up on the road as Minuette pulled forward, driving her car towards the attacking ponies.

Amethyst aimed her pistol out of the window and fired a few rounds at the trail of petrol. It lighted up immediately, flaring into a huge flame burning through the trail quickly.

Minuette peered back to see the path of fire licking hungrily towards her car. She pushed the pedal and accelerated slightly, carefully not to get too close or too far from the trail. "She could have waited for a second before lighting that!" Minuette kept her hoof on the gas.

Amethyst kept her head down, wary of the attackers behind her while treading on the reverse. Her car swerved erratically as the attacking squad dodged out of the incoming vehicle. Amethyst slammed her hoof on the accelerator and the car shot forward in a cloud of smoke.

As her car slowly approached the van, Minuette ducked under the dashboard with gunshots still hammering the metal machine. She fumbled one of the compartments and found a heavy wrench tucked deep inside. With a strong yank, Minuette pulled the tool free and proceeded to wedge the accelerator with it.

The car rolled forward as Minuette kicked the door open, falling onto the hard ground. The open door provided cover from an otherwise direct hit from the bullets. Minuette looked back frantically as bullets whizzed past her head. She was lucky to survive without taking any shots, yet.

Amethyst's vehicle pulled up beside the unicorn as she hastily dove into the back seat of the car. Amethyst followed the empty vehicle as it made its way towards the blockade, a trail of fire still dancing wildly in the cold wind. The empty vehicle served as a shield against the merciless firing.

Amethyst stopped her car abruptly when the empty car stopped suddenly, blocking their route. Minuette shook her tail impatiently and leaned towards the driving mare. "Give me your gun, I'm gonna fix that."

Amethyst stared at the blue unicorn in uncertainty, but in a situation like this, we gotta work together, right? She pulled out her gun and tossed it to Minuette, who quickly scurried out into the affray again.

Minuette rushed towards the empty vehicle, firing a few shots at the attackers. They dove to the back of the van, taking cover from the sudden assault. Minuette took this split second opportunity to lean into the driver's side, using her magic to readjust the wrench on the accelerator.

The car began moving again and the gunshots showered once more. Minuette scampered back to Amethyst and got back into the safety of the car. Amethyst smirked as the unicorn tumbled onto the seat, panting. "Nice work."

"Yeah, yeah. We make a good team, eh?" Minuette huffed, righting herself.

"Almost." Amethyst said, cocking her head.

The trail blazing vehicle rolled steadily towards the van as the ponies stared at each other, not knowing what to do. They knew that constant firing won't help and the car may blow up if they approached. The squad gaped at the car until it about ten metres from them.

As the ponies are still thinking about their next step, Amethyst made a hard turn and rounded the empty vehicle, the tires screeching loudly. The attackers returned fire immediately, but were only able to get a few shots off the side of the car before it drifted past a corner and down the far end of the street.

"We should run!" One of them yelled, pointing to the incoming vehicle. The others quickly holstered their guns and galloped away to the side of the street, taking cover behind walls.

"Has it gone off yet?"

"No idea, the trail is there, but-"

The car gently nudged the side of the van before coming to a stop. The fiery line of gas was evident that the car may explode, but after a while, it hasn't. One braver pegasus flew up into the air to check on the status.

She threw up her hooves and shouted down the block, "Celestia damn it! Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what the hell?" She signaled her squad to have a look after making sure it was safe.

The gas line was disconnected; doused when the car squashed over a can of soda. The contents of the can fizzed over the gas as flames continued to burn. The car won't blow up, but the two perpetrators have escaped with the diamond. They will have a lot to answer for, Hooven will be furious.

---

"Been a long time since you've had any real action, am I right?" Amethyst smiled, keeping her hooves on the wheel.

"Thanks to you." Minuette cracked, resting her hooves on Amethyst's seat. She pointed to the metal case on the front seat. "What did you steal?" Minuette tilted her head in curiosity.

"An artifact worth tens of millions, taken from that creepy mafia guy." Amethyst expounded.

Minuette nodded and lost herself in her thoughts for a moment before realizing that she could do something right now... She tugged on Amethyst's shoulder, saying. "Hmm, You know what? Our places seemed to be switched." A grin crept up the sides of her face. "I was driving..." Minuette rested the pistol on the unicorn's shoulder, "... and you had the gun."

Amethyst never broke her smile, but she was not expecting that. "Unappreciative, I see. Did you forget how you managed to escape the building?"

"Yeah, that's right. But without me then, you probably won't have survived that ambush." Minuette counteracted, feeling confident all of the sudden. "But you could say that we circumvented the situations pretty well, given our hooves."

"Well, you wouldn't survive out here unless you're on guard against those who would harm you." Amethyst sighed, her tone was casual and relaxed.

"Well said, anyways, would you happen to know where's the nearest police station?" Minuette quipped, keeping her pistol lounging on the unicorn's shoulder.

"Of course." Amethyst admitted calmly, her expression was flat and indifferent. "Old rules; you win the game if you manage to deliver me to the police station."

"Alright." Minuette raised both her brows, accepting the challenge wholeheartedly. She was certain that the mare had nowhere to run now.

Minuette wrapped her other hoof around Amethyst, for a locking embrace as she continued driving. Amethyst gladly accepted the hug, taking it as a sign of affection. Keeping both forehooves on the wheel, she put the pedal to the metal and sped up her car significantly.

The car thundered through the street in a blur as the dashboard flashed from the glaring lights.

"What the hell are you doing?" Minuette snapped, peering back as the streets hightailed past her in a flash.

Amethyst kept her poise and braced herself, swerving into a bus depot. Minuette hung onto the seat tightly, at a loss at what the crazy unicorn on the wheel is trying to do.

Amethyst swung the car directly in the path of a divider. Minuette's eyes went wide as she took cover behind the seat, shielding her face from imminent impact.

CRASH!

The car collided with the divider, shattering concrete and leaving a nasty dent in the hood. The airbags activated, absorbing much of the shock as Amethyst faceplanted into the soft pillow. Minuette was flung onto the seats, and she laid on her back, dazed.

Amethyst shook her head, trying to pull her limbs free of the wrecked metal. Her vision blurred and watered as smoke poured from the engine. Reaching for the metal case, she tossed it out of the side window, shattering it and landing on the hard ground.

Minuette blacked out from the sudden impact but regained consciousness quickly. She tried to pry herself free, but can't seem to feel her legs. She lifted her head lazily and tried to pull herself upright.

Amethyst took a quick glance at the unicorn and slumped on her seat, coughing. Minuette swiveled herself and bucked hard at the door. It flung open easily. Minuette rolled onto the asphalt, sputtering and reaching for the briefcase. She mustn't get it! Minuette thought as she forced her unwillinging body to budge.

Amethyst saw what she was trying to do and crawled out of the car from the passenger's side. Her cognitive abilities were declining, and her body protested. She felt blindly for the case and managed to lay a hoof on it, only to be swiped away by a swing of Minuette's leg. The case slid under the car and over to the other side.

Amethyst shook her head tersely and clambered back into the vehicle. Minuette did the same, following the mare, trying to keep herself awake.

Amethyst weakly nudged the driver's side door open and tumbled on the road once more. Minuette vaulted through the window, landing on the ground with a crunch. Ignoring the pain, she crawled after Amethyst, who had caught sight of the case and was now crawling towards it.

Amethyst painfully pushed herself onto all fours, legs still wobbling and shaking. Her head throbbed, pulsing like a dull hammer bludgeoning her forehead repeatedly. Her vision was flickering to and fro, and she was having a hard time keeping the case in her sight.

Minuette crawled towards her persistently, flinging herself upwards and pulling the purple unicorn by her coat. Amethyst fell backwards, plunging into the ground again. She pulled the bottle of pills from her pocket and rolled it on the road.

Amethyst tried to get up again, but her legs gave way suddenly and she slumped on the ground, panting. Minuette scampered to the case and hugged it protectively. But her possession was short-lived, Minuette blacked out and lay on the ground, unconscious, still hugging the case like a pillow.

Groaning in pain, Amethyst blinked and dragged herself towards the case. That was a horrible idea, she thought to herself. Never doing that again. She stretched herself and tried to shake the stars from her head. Amethyst managed to disperse the worst of her flailing and trotted towards the unconscious mare.

Amethyst plucked the case from the unicorn's hooves and limped away with it, leaving Minuette in the middle of the depot.

What a mess. Amethyst managed to force a smile as she walked away from the wreckage. The ambulance will be here shortly, for everypony in the immediate vicinity would be awoken from their slumber.

Author's Note:

Welp.