A Convenient Arrangement

by Juntao112

Chapter 7

Canterlot, with its storied history and proud traditions, was the cultural and political capital of Equestria. It had some of the finest universities, banks, museums, and theaters in the country, which made it an ideal place to go on a date. Granted, there was a small amount of awkwardness if your date happened to belong to a species that had previously attempted to level the city and enslave its population, but it was still a better alternative than Ponyville, or the frontier towns.

There were many ways to reach Canterlot. The most common method was by train, which offered in express, regular, or overnight options. Carriage travel was an old standby, and luxury airships lines had started up recently. Being a pegasus, however, offered a far cheaper and faster mode of travel than any of the commercial services — flight.

The wind was strong at their backs that morning as Thunderball and Adjutant flew into Canterlot. True, it was a bit chilly, but a simple grey sweatshirt addressed that problem. Adjutant, for her part, seemed perfectly content with her chitin; Thunderball supposed she was used to cold desert nights. At any rate, the cold was a small price to pay for the magnificent sights along the way; the lush plains and forests of Equestria beneath them, the open skies above, and the snow-capped Canterhorn looming in front.

They glided onto a landing pad carved out of the Canterhorn cliffside for pegasi travellers. Thunderball tightened his hood to prevent recognition from the crowd, while Adjutant stretched her wings and folded them neatly behind her, oblivious to the stares they were receiving.

"So, this is Canterlot!" She looked around at the towers above them curiously. "I must admit, it is far more majestic than the stories I was told. I can see why Chrysalis was willing to launch and invasion for it."

The onlookers tittered among themselves, but Adjutant paid them no attention.Thunderball fought the urge to plant his ironshod hooves into his forehead and made his way into the city. He wracked his brain for something to talk about, out of concern that another comment from her might upset the civilians — the last thing he wanted was for their date to cause an incident. Princess Twilight would kill him, and Princess Celestia would be disappointed.

"You know, I grew up around here. Five blocks down, three to the left, if I remember correctly. Dad worked as a postal clerk for the local office." He swallowed nervously. "I spent my free time roaming about the streets, getting into all sorts of trouble."

Adjutant leaned in so that her head was against his shoulder. "What was it like?"

"Pretty fun! Canterlot's filled with hidden gems that you'd never hear about if you weren't a native. There's a great jam and jelly shop on the corner of 14th and Sunset, a fantastic antiques store tucked away between the warehouses on the far side of town, and this amazing park on the roof of that apartment building to our right."

"So, what did you have in mind for our little excursion into this city of wonders?"

Thunderball hooked his tail around hers and pulled her down an alley to their left. They wove their way through boxes, barrels, and trash cans until they came out on a quiet street. Adjutant barely had time to take in her surroundings before she was pulled to her immediate right, into a small two-story building.

The temperature inside was frigid, even cooler than the mountain air outside. Adjutant looked around curiously; whatever this place was, it had not been designed with comfort in mind. The source of the cold was soon apparent: a giant pond of frozen water in the middle of the floor.

Adjutant could not think of any earthly reason for it. "What's this?"

"It's called ice," Thunderball smirked.

She hit him with her tail. "I know what ice is! Why do you have so much of it here? Have I been taken to an ice factory?"

He winked at her and pulled her over to a counter, where a brown earth pony with an ice–cube on his flank pulled out two sets of bladed boots. For a moment, Adjutant thought they were weapons, but she soon realized that the placement of the blades would have made walking impossible.

Thunderball quickly strapped on his pair and helped her into her own before gliding onto the ice and motioning for her to follow. Adjutant lowered her head to the ice and poked it with her horn, sending a chill through her nerves. She gingerly stepped onto the ice; her blades cut thin grooves into the surface and threatened to slip out from under her. Her wings unfurled and lifted her off of the ground just before she planted her face into the ice.

"Is this some sort of sport?" Adjutant growled, as she gently set herself back down.

As if to taunt her, Thunderball glided forward and circled her as if he was flying. "I suppose you could say that. Though I think of it as fun."

Her abdominal muscles ached from keeping herself upright on the slippery surface. "How in Tartarus are you doing that?"

A thin spray of ice covered her side as he came skidding to a stop beside her. "Set one side's blades perpendicular to the other, then push off."

Adjutant took in a deep breath, dug in with her skates, and did as he said. Dry air rustled through her hair as she soared over the ice. It felt like flying; she closed her eyes and relaxed, losing herself in the sensation. When she opened them again, she found herself bearing down fast on the edge of the ring.

Her wings reflexively deployed to slow herself down as she turned sharply to avoid smashing into the sides. The shift in momentum and velocity caused her to spin around out of control. Adjutant beat her wings in an attempt to clear the edge safely, but found herself flying horizontally instead.

Thunderball's warm body caught her before she smashed into the wall, and guided her back into the center. "Don't get ahead of yourself," he grinned. "It takes a while to get a feel for the ice."

"I know that," she snapped. "I was merely...performing an advanced aerial maneuver."

His smile deepened. "I'd hate to stop you, but I'd appreciate if you'd skate with me and keep me company."

Adjutant laced tails with him again. "Only because you asked nicely." She leaned forward and inching past him. "Well? What are you waiting for? Stop holding me back and move!"

---

The weather had turned overcast by the time they left the skating rink, with rain clouds covering the sky. A light drizzle started as they walked out onto the street, sending ponies scurrying for cover. Adjutant hummed merrily to herself as she strolled down the streets of Canterlot with Thunderball in tow, utterly unfazed by the precipitation that bounced off of her cheating and rolled off of her gossamer wings.

"So, where to next?"

Thunderball tightened his hood and tilted his head to the right. "There's a soda fountain a few blocks south of here that has the most amazing lunch specials. My treat."

Adjutant nodded, signalling for him to lead on. They walked through the empty streets in a content silence, as the drizzle turned into a rainstorm. The monotonous sound of water hitting the streets was soothing, and Thunderball found himself oddly at peace with the world.

Clip-clop. Splash.

Someone was behind them. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he realized this was the perfect setup for an ambush.

Several figures came out of a nearby alleyway, cutting off their retreat. Thunderball's eyes darted around as he assessed the situation.

The hostile who had approached them from behind was a unicorn mare. She stumbled towards them, as if drunk. Intoxication in the middle of the day suggested a habit of substance abuse. Her stance resembled that which enlistees were taught in basic training. Possibly ex-military, with a dishonorable discharge for alcoholism. At the very least, trained by someone with military experience.

An earth pony twirling a sling kept to the back. The three unicorns in front of him were levitating nets in front of them. He glanced above to see two pegasi circling overhead. Likely spotters, but they would be fully capable of joining a fight. This was a well organized attack, especially considering that his decision to come to Canterlot was spontaneously made yesterday morning. Planning of this nature implied that this was not just a band of ruffians out to commit petty crime or acts of bigotry. Given the effort and resources needed, this was likely to be some sort of political statement.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Adjutant lowered her horn as they drew closer. "What is the meaning of this?"

Thunderball rustled his wings in an attempt to generate a static charge, but the moisture in the air made that impossible. He'd have to be moving much faster–

A bullet whistled through the air; Thunderball dodged to the left and felt it smash into his jaw with a sickening crack. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth as he reeled from the shot. Nets stretched out above them; Adjutant caught one and flung it back, ensuring a unicorn in the process, but failed to dodge another. Thunderball continued moving to the left and let a net sail past him.

There was no time to think. He jumped up into the air and spun around, shaking the water from his body. A familiar cackle of static electricity rushed across his skin as he dove down into the middle of the group. The unicorn in the net was unfortunate to have Thunderball land directly on him. His screams of pain echoes in the streets as as electricity flooded through his body and swept across the cobblestones.

The other ponies jumped aside as one of the pegasi dove down to intercept the wave of electricity. It ran up her hooves and into her body as she caught the blast and pushed it back out at him. Thunderball ducked as a lightning bolt tore past him and the unicorn mare at his rear. A window shattered from somewhere down the street, indicating that the lightning bolt had found a mark.

A leg sweep quickly knocked the pegasus off balance and send her falling face–first into the pavement. Thunderball launched himself forward and was careful to step plant a horseshoe on the back of her skull as he dove towards the earth pony. Another bullet flew out of the sling, but the pony's aim was off; Thunderball heard a metallic ding as the bullet ricocheted off of a streetlamp.

He landed in front of the earth pony, who promptly tried to punch him. The blow landed on Thunderball's chest; he twisted and let it roll across his ribs. The punch carried on past him, leaving the earth pony vulnerable to a swift punch to the solar plexus that left him doubling over in pain. Thunderball grabbed the earth pony's neck and pulled, sending the pony flying in to the middle of the street.

The momentum from the throw carried him back around to face the others. Two of the unicorns had taken cover behind a cart and were exchanging magical blasts with Adjutant, who had rolled behind a barrel. The remaining pegasus had yet to join; it was likely that they needed at least one lookout. That left the drunk unicorn mare.

Where was she?

A high-pitched ringing filled his ears as the air pressure around him suddenly changed, the way it did when an inexperienced or intoxicated magic user cast a teleportation spell. Thunderball turned around just in time to see the mare telekinetically thrusted at knife at him. His wings propelled him back, but the knife followed him, stabbing at him like the needle of a sewing machine.

Thunderball's back legs clattered against a round metal cylinder. The smell filling his nostrils suggested that it was a garbage can. He stepped to the side as the knife bore down on him and threw the can at the knife, catching it in a healthy layer of refuse. The window of opportunity was slim, so he lowered his head and charged at her before she could free the weapon.

She grabbed him by the shoulders to swing him into a nearby wall. Thunderball responded by clutching her forelegs and planting his rear hooves on the wall so that he could pushed off of it. The maneuver sent her flying back into a streetlamp, but her grip was firm and Thunderball soon found himself wrestlingwith her on the pavement. They stood upright with their forelegs locked together, neither capable of unbalancing or overpowering the other.

A bead of energy built up on the tip of her horn; Thunderball's front hooves were locked in a grapple which negated his main method of disrupting her spell. He quickly spread his legs and swiped her back right leg with his tail; a thin red line appeared on her upper thigh, right across her common digital extensor tendon.

The leg gave way beneath her weight as Thunderball pushed her back. The shot intended for him went wild as he grabbed her throat and smashed her head into the cobbled streets beneath them. Her eyes rolled into the back of her sockets from the force of the impact.

Shadows filled the streets as the air filled with pegasi. Thunderball crouched on the ground and looked up. How many of them were there?

"EVERYPONY STAND DOWN! NOW"

A member of the Royal Guard, in golden armor that shone despite the rain, dropped down into the middle of the fight , with a half a dozen others in tow. The remaining two unicorns tried to make a run for it, but a lightning bolt struck the pavement right in front of them, courtesy of another guard in the skies above. The slowly raised their hooves and turned to face the guards.

Thunderball squinted through the rain; the lead pony looked terribly familiar. "Lt. Sentry?"

Flash Sentry turned around to face him. "Captain. Would you kindly stop throttling the mare beneath you so that we can arrest her?"

Thunderball looked down and suddenly realized that he was crushing her windpipe. He immediately released her and stepped back towards the guards. "Sorry, I…"

The taste and smell of copper in his mouth and nostrils was suddenly all Thunderball could think about. He choked on blood and saliva as his muscles suddenly turned numb. For a moment, he teetered on four quivering legs before they gave out. Flash Sentry drove forwards and caught Thunderball before he could hit the ground.

"Silent!" Flash shouted as he straightened Thunderball's body to a more comfortable position. Something peeked out at him from within Thunderball's tail. Flash parted the strands to reveal a black metal blade tied to Thunderball's tail hairs.Flash raised an eyebrow. Tail blades were an assassin's tool. "I trust you have a permit for that concealed weapon, Captain?"

Thunderball swallowed nervously. "It would be foolish of me not to."

"Hm." Flash gave the blade a hard look. Hiding lethal weapons on the body was a felony offense. "I suppose it would be."

For a moment, Thunderball looked as if he might faint again. "I'm not...we're not in trouble, are we?"

After an eternity, Flash Sentry brushed his hoof against Thunderball's tail, covering up the blade before another guard hurried over with an umbrella. "Don't worry, a shopkeeper called us in. She saw the whole thing."

Thunderball's glanced around the street. "How's Adjutant?"

Flash shuffled out of the way to show a guard cutting Adjutant out of her net. She leaped out of it and ran to Thunderball's side. "You're hurt! You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine." His legs were still twitching sporadically, his voice was shaky, and his body trembling uncontrollably, but he felt as if he were on top of the world. "Never felt better. I could really go for some carrots right about now."

Adjutant carefully laid his head on her lap and looked at him with concern in her eyes, while Flash shook his head.

"Ignore him, ma'am. Adrenaline does that to ponies. We'll have the medic check him out once she's done with the others, and then you two will be free to leave." Flash then turned to the white pegasus who was patiently holding an umbrella by their side. "Silent Knight will escort you around for the rest of your visit."

"Silent, eh?" Thunderball grinned like a maniac and cocked his head towards the young pegasus. "Do you have a cousin named Dark in the 82nd Airborne?"

Silent saluted him sharply. "Sir, yes sir! Do you know him, sir?"

"I think I kicked his flank in a bar fight once," Thunderball chuckled.

Silent Knight looked over the remains of the street and the ponies being escorted away by the recruits. "I can believe that, sir."

Adjutant gently stroked his mane as she examined the injuries dotting Thunderball's body, the guards rounding up their assailants, and Silent Knight beside them. "So what now?"

Thunderball threw a tired foreleg around Adjutant and pulled her closer to him. "How about we finish our date at that soda fountain on Oakwood and Vine?"

She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Anything you want, my dear."

Author's Note:

Silent Knight belongs to Anzel. Read about his adventures in the Royal Guard here! Ask questions about what it's like to serve in the Guard on his blog! Check out his Deviantart account!

Comments

[Digodragon]

I find it to be a nice story of stubbornness learning to find love... oh and the other one is Adjunct. XD
Haha, but seriously this was a nice short story. The humor is good.

[Anzel]

Great chapter, I really enjoyed it! Thank you so much for including Silent Knight.

[Not so New Brony]

I've been wondering lately, are the bullets mentioned in the story actual bullets from guns or are they magical in nature cause I haven't seen any mention of a firearm..er firehoof? God ponywords are confusing sometimes.

[Juntao112]

5379436

The term for the projectile a sling shoots is, in fact, a bullet. Lead bullets for slings predate firearms by over a thousand years, having been in use since the days of the Roman Empire.

[Juntao112]

5505106

The plot thickens, as they say.

[Not so New Brony]

5505106
5505169 Huh, is Derpy/Ditzy's reputation for her destructive bum that widespread cause I think I've only seen it in a brief comic somewhere and that's it.

Also, Juntao,

[Perteks]

Why it didn't show in my fav list uhh? Now just by luck I found you continued and even made sequel xD

[Iron Sky]

Is this still updating? I've had in on my completed bookshelf since chapter 5. Only noticed the new chapters because the sequel linked back to it.

[Juntao112]

5557088

Definitely done now.

[Iron Sky]

5557126

Good to know.

Just asking for the sake of my obsessive compulsive library management.

Moving on to the sequel now.

[nocara]

Awww that is it? This story was getting so juicy ;p

[Carapace]

I'll admit, it took me a little bit to appreciate this fic. The dialogue felt stiff, at first, but then it grew on me and I realized that it fit perfectly for both characters, given how much they rely on manipulation and trickery. Good on you.

[tsaukpaetra]

Nice!