Strike 51- Panic at the Gala
When Lightning Strikes- Panic at the Gala
Power Pony HQ (Maretropolis)
Inside the main hall of the headquarters that was the home of the power ponies, the group of heroes happened to have some… visitors today. Detective Whooves, also known by his undercover name of Time Turner, from the Maretropolis PD and also a mare named Bon Bon who was part of the Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria… or SMILE for short. It was originally suppose to be a conversation between Twilight, Time and Bon-Bon, but since Lance happened to be there at the time, the Masked Matterhorn invited him back into the conversation.
“So, you’re the Azure Striker…” Bon Bon said, examining Lance thoroughly.
“Yes I am,” He replied respectfully as he looked at both the detective and the agent before looking at Twilight. “What brings the both of you to HQ? Anything we can help you with?”
“I was in the neighborhood and saw Detective Whooves walking up to the building, and thought that it would be fun to pop in with him. Plus, I wanted to speak to you about the team you’re trying to assemble.” Bon Bon said calmly.
The Adept nodded his head before looking back at her before putting his hands in his pockets and speaking. “You mean QUILL then…”
“I suppose so. QUILL, MIST, what’s next, am I right?” Bon Bon asked, failing at humor. She then cleared her throat and asked, “It’s hard enough keeping track of the existing five or so super powered teams. Why make another?”
“Well, after the events that occurred most recently in Sun Fransokyo… I’ve received news that there are going to be more ponies and individuals who would be adepts like myself. I wanted to make a team to help those who have recently discovered their powers and also help them both understand what they can do… and have them use what they can do for good purposes. The power ponies can’t tackle everything by themselves, so I just want to do my part to help.” The Adept told them… before then asking something. “Sorry, did I confuse you? I know it was a lot to take in but-.”
“I get it. But making a new team separate from the Power Ponies seems a bit far fetched.”
“Not exactly separate… We’ll still be associated and Twilight said that she can help us however she can. I just want to be able to figure out a way to help those in need without those who do gain such abilities being scared of what they are capable of and see themselves as monsters.” He sighed. “It’s a little complicated and my friend Aurora and I are working everything out right now.”
“Alright… Well, anyways, I’m sure Time Turner has something important to say. Right Detective?”
“Oh right…” The detective spoke up before looking back at Lance for a moment. “Mr. Walker, are you familiar with the Grand Galloping Gala by any chance?” For a moment, he looked at Twilight for a second before turning back to the detective and shaking his head.
“Nope, can’t say that I have. I would think though with the words Grand and Gala that it’s some form or royal party or celebration?” He assumed off the top of his head.
“That is… partially right. The grand galloping gala is an annual royal celebration that is help at Princesses Celestia in Canterlot. Since it occurs in less than a few days, I was asking Twilight here if she and her friends were going right around the same time that you happened to walk into the room.” The detective pointed out, causing Lance to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment because of his ill timing.
“Well, to respond to your question Detective,” The alicorn then said as she looked back at the earth pony. “My friends and I will be in attendance at the gala. In addition to that, Princess Celestia has also invited Lance to join us too. I was wanting to tell him later, but since the subject came up, I thought it would be better to inform him now.”
“Wow… Thanks for telling me, Twilight. Now I need to make sure I have the right clothes for the event or else I’m going to have to ask Rarity in order to help me with making a suit.” The Adept sighed a little in embarrassment. “But since you did bring up the subject, will you be going to the event, Detective?”
“Yes, but not as a guest,” The stallion replied back to him. “I was asked to be a part of the security team for the event tonight and oversee the festivities so things don’t exactly get… out of hoof so to speak. The last few gala’s have been known to have things get a little out of control, but with all the current incidents going on, Princess Celestia has asked some of the police cheifs from across Equestria and some of the members of the guard to come up with a special security force for the evening.”
“Ah, I see…” Lance replied as he looked back at them and noticed Bon Bon excusing herself from the room for a brief moment as he looked back at Detective Whooves. “Well, I hope you do enjoy your time there nonetheless. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”
Bon Bon left the tower and placed her hoof against her ear. “Bug’s been placed. You hearing this?”
“Yes… This info may not exactly be a lot, but it can be of use.” A mare’s voice spoke to her as Bon Bon noticed that Detective Whooves was actually finishing up his conversation with the two heroes. “I believe all the preparations are in place. If it’s time to take action, then we can take it from here, Agent Drops.”
“Good, I need to get home or my roommate will ask questions.” The mare replied. “My turn to make dinner… Heh…”
“Good… Then I’ll take it from here.” She heard the reply back, confusing the earth pony for a moment.
“Wait… Shouldn’t there be a separate handler for the field?”
“Agent Drops, the mare that you are talking to is the handler for the agent that the ICA has selected for this assignment. The only reason why I am actually in contact with you is because you are the client and the board has permitted me to have direct communication with you.” The mare explained to Bon Bon. “Now that I have all the information that I need, I can be able to brief the agent we’ve selected and commence the contract. Do you understand?”
“Yeah…” Bon Bon grumbled as she trotted away from the tower. “Agent Sweetie Drops out.” She then pulled out her earpiece and tossed it into a nearby trashcan.
Shortly after the conversation with the client had ended, the mare that was originally talking to her continued her trot to one of the main rooms of the facility that belonged to the ICA (International Contracts Agency). In that room was one of the handler’s best agents that had just returned back to the facility for a short while. To prepare himself for the next briefing that he was about to receive.
The thing though about this agent was that the handler could not find any records of his past. The only trail she found was something about a doctor in Romanea, but that only lead to nothing. Still, what had him be one of the best agents in the ICA was not because of his past, but because of the wide range of skills in his possession. Making him just as deadly as a lethal dose of poison.
As the handler approached the stallion, she took into account his visual appearance. Had no eyebrows, no mane and no tail with a cutie mark of a strange insignia. But he always dressed rather sharp. Preferably going on assignment with a particular suit for the occasion. One with a white dress shirt and a red tie to match, as he was wearing right now. As she approached him, he said nothing… and just listened to what the handler had to say as she pulled up a series of images while she was speaking.
“Good evening 47… Your next assignment will take you inside the grounds of Canterlot Castle, where the annual Grand Galloping Gala celebration is to be hosted.” She explained while bringing up a few images of the location… and of one pony in particular. “Many ponies are set to attend this event, including your target Charming Fortune. As his name suggests, he is a rich millionaire and business mogul, but what he uses his assets on is an entirely different story.”
Not long after saying that, the images changed once again, this time to a place that was unfamiliar to the agent and also not the streets of Canterlot. “Mr. Fortune is an important link to one of the most secret government facilities across Equestria. The Black Box site known as the Zero Zone. According to our files, even though it's description claims to keep some of the most dangerous criminals and supervillains off of the streets, recent incidents involving sightings of these alleged felons poses a different story and one that the ICA and our client, are looking into.”
The images cycled once again to the target, but now with one more mare added to the mix this time. “Your job is to terminate him, but only after he meets with Canterlot Lawyer, Lauren Order. Their conversations may provide insight into what has been going on and also how the Zero Zone and some of these incidents are connected.” This was of course, followed by the potential risks that could hinder his success with the contract. “You must be cautious though. Security is higher than usual and also, some members of the Power Ponies, including the Adept known by his hero name "Gunvolt" are also in attendance this evening. It is also confirmed that Lauren Order will have a personal escort with her throughout the course of the evening, but no confirmation as to who or what her escort will be.”
Now was the final recap for the briefing before the handler left the agent and allowed for him to get himself ready. “Two objectives, a very public event... but that hasn't stopped you before. I'll leave you with time to prepare... Good Hunting, 47.”
Canterlot (Evening of the Gala)
“Why do I have to wear a crummy dress…?” Ash groaned, squirming in her silky silver one piece dress.
“Tonight’s suppose to be a formal gathering from what I have been informed Ash… I’m not a fan of it either, but we’re just going to have to go with it.” Lance sighed as he stretched his arms and tried to have himself feel comfortable in the dark navy suit that Rarity had tailored for him a few days ago. Sure he was thankful for the seamstress coming up with it on such short notice, but with the fact that he was not wearing any clothes that were rather… roomy like with his suit, he still felt as if his clothes were rather… foreign to him.
“Oh, don’t be a downer about that. Both of you look amazing!” Both of them heard Lumen from behind them as she sat down on Lance’s shoulder. “You guys are lucky to get to go to the Grand Galloping Gala. Especially since you two were both invited by Celestia herself!”
“To be guards…” Ash grunted. “Where are the others at?”
“I believe they’re inside… and actually, Twilight told us that we were invited as guests. Detective Whooves was one of the ponies invited to be part of the security force tonight.” Lance clarified for her. “Also, I heard from Spike that Twilight’s taking a date with her… and honestly, when he told me, I was surprised because of the way he acted around me when I first met him.”
“Oh… Why were we all invited?” Ash asked, looking at her watch. “And why is this line so long!?”
“Excuse me, sir,” One of the guards spoke up, looking at Lance and Ash as they turned to face him. “Would you happen to be Lance Walker?”
“That I am… this is Ash, she’s my friend and a companion with me tonight.” The Adept replied shortly afterwards.
“Right this way please…” The guard insisted as the both of them happened to follow the stallion to a side entrance that was next to the main gate where everypony was coming in at as he opened the door for them. “Enjoy your evening.”
“Finally… I wonder if anyone we know is here. Besides our team.”
“Depends on the definition of ‘know’.” The Adept replied back to her before looking to see if there was anyone at the party that he could recognize from outside. “Maybe they’re inside the castle right now, I can only see…” Yet, it was then that he noticed someone that he did know… not just as an ally or friend though. “Holy crap.”
“Lance!” Aya shouted, waving to her nephew. “Didn’t know you were invited too!”
“Me neither,” He said, excited to see her as he and Ash walked over to her before giving her a hug. “God, it’s been too long since I’ve last seen you.” That was when he took a look around and a question formed in the back of his head. “Is the rest of your team here or just you?”
“Well, some. The rest had to stay home and protect New Yoke. How about your team?” Aya asked. “They all here?”
“Yeah, we got the Cutie Mark Crusaders covering us since they got enough members to keep an eye on both Centrail City and Maretropolis,” The adept replied back as he looked back at the crowd. “Hell, from what Spike told me, Twilight has a date with her tonight.”
“Well, that’s sweet. Bet Mist would love to figure out who.” Aya giggled. “I’m pretty sure she and Posey are here. We got four new members since the last time… Oh, I heard you fought a demon!”
“Well, there’s a bit more to the story then that… It was a demon yes, but not one in a physical body. It possessed a mare we met in Sun Fransokyo named Octavia and really gave Aurora, Applejack and a few of us over there a hard time…” The Adept paused for a moment to think through what exactly he was going to say next before speaking once again. “Hey, can I ask you for some advice on something?”
“Depends. Dating’s not my area of expertise, really.” She said with a hushed voice.
“I wasn’t going to ask about that.” The Adept then sighed at Aya’s teasing as he noticed Ash wander off to go get some food from the buffet table.
“Alright, seriously, what’s up?” Aya questioned.
“Well, about what you mentioned with the… demon incident,” He started off, thinking the words over inside his head before telling her. “One question first… Have you met Bayonetta at all?”
“... Yeah. Why?”
“So you know who she is then… Alright, this may make things easier.” Lance then sighed for a second before speaking up. “First off… Bayonetta was there during the demon incident and we had to fight together to get the situation under control. Afterwards, we had a discussion, reunion and all that, but one thing she told me near the end really caught me by surprise… There’s going to be more Adepts.”
“Sounds like business will be booming…” Aya said with a tired look.
“Yeah… The main point is that because of what I was told, Aurora and I are forming our own team. Twilight’s helping out with it and I already got the name, but I was wanting to ask about… well… leadership advice.” He then explained to her fully.
“Alright, I only have three things to say. Three things that are the foundries of leadership. One, your team depend on you to lead them. Two, trust and truth. Three, a level head.” Aya stated. “Other than that, I’ll need questions to answer.”
Lance chuckled at the last part, but then heard something that caught him by surprised. “Lance… You’re not going to believe this…”
“Lumen, I’m a bit busy right now…” He mentally told her as he tried to form a question for Aya. But what she told him next soon brought all of that to a halt.
“Lance, it’s Lauren Order! She’s here…”
That… had Lance stop what he was doing and look behind him. Scanning the crowd to see where the mare could possibly be… and unknowingly confusing his aunt in the process. “You serious, Lumen-?”
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Aya asked, a look of worry donning on Aya’s face.
“Yeah… I just noticed something that caught me off guard,” The Adept said in the moment, before asking Aya something. “Hey, have you ever heard of a mare named Lauren Order?”
“Nope. Why?”
“It’s a long story, but let me explain…” Lance then told her as he began to inform Aya on the situation regarding her. “Lauren Order is one of the best prosecution attorney’s and lawyers on Celestia’s court… but there’s another side to her… Are you familiar with one thing back home called ‘suicide squad’?”
“No. Sean was more interested in those things.”
“Well, let me give you a small briefing…” He said, while he mentally told Lumen to keep an eye on her for if she does anything suspicious. “The whole point of the suicide squad is that it’s composed of some very bad people who are capable of doing some good. In the DC universe, it involved a lot of bad guys, including Deadshot, Killer Croc and Harley Quinn. If they follow by the rules, they live. If not, they die… Now think that concept… and apply it here. Lauren Order is the one who runs it, based on what we know, and it’s comprised of former villains that were said to be locked up and also displaced… including… dad.”
“Who’s next, the family dog...?” Aya sarcastically quipped with a shrug.
“ … Aya, you’re not taking this seriously… Dad has a bomb implanted in him and to where he has to go on missions and do what she says or else it goes off like a grenade… and through the two times I’ve encountered him… He’s tried to kill me twice.” The Adept told him. “Now… to cut to the chase… I reacted just now because I overheard that Lauren Order was attending the event tonight.”
“First, I have no sympathy for the man who abandoned you. Second, what are you going to do about it?” Aya asked. “You can’t go arrest her. If you could, the police would’ve gotten her.”
“That’s the thing… I don’t know, but I’m having someone keep an eye on her. Try to figure out the reason why she’s here first and not draw up any red flags.” Lance replied, looking back at her for a moment before sighing. “But for now, let’s just act casual and enjoy the evening.”
“Fluttershy, are you sure that you wanted to bring your new companion with you?” Twilight asked as she looked at the pegasus and the small cat that was resting on her back. “I know that you are comfortable around animals, but I honestly didn’t think you would bring one with you.”
“I-i just thought that Smoky would keep me c-company tonight. T-that’s all.” The pegasus squeaked as she looked back at her friend… and also her date tonight. Comet Tail, AKA Reaper.
“You know that your friends are here, right?” Comet Tail asked in his monotone voice. Not too long ago, Twilight snapped him out of his depression… Mostly.
“I-i know, it’s just that… you have a date with Twilight so Smoky’s kind of… like… my date… tonight.” She said, her face forming a blush around her before she looked back at her friends for a moment. “Please excuse me for a moment…”
With that, Twilight and Reaper watched to see her friend head on out to where the food was served while she looked back at Reaper in confusion for a moment before shrugging. Yet, she soon happened to notice a familiar face trot nearby as they turned around and noticed her. “Mist? Is that you?”
The mare stared at the two, a look of pure shock on her face. Comet Tail, on the other hoof, looked on in amusement. “She looks surprised… Maybe she needs some breathing room.”
“Possibly… Mist is somepony we met out in New Yoke with the hero team that’s there named MIST. I honestly did not expect for her to be here tonight though,” She said on the side. “Maybe we’ll have the chance to talk to her later then.”
While this was going on inside the ballroom, outside of the room, Fluttershy herself was needing a chance to catch her breath. She honestly thought it was a bad idea to bring Smoky with her. But it wasn’t like she had any other choice. The contract she was in meant that they were bound to one another… and that one could not stray far without the other behind her.
“Something feels wrong, mistress.” Smoky said, popping his head out of Fluttershy’s purse.
“What do you mean?” She said, looking down for a moment before feeling somepony bump into her. “Oh gosh! I’m really s-sorry about that, miss!”
“It’s alright,” An all too familiar voice to Smoky replied to her as she brushed some dust off her shoulder. “Would you happen to know where Celestia’s garden is by any chance?”
“U-uhm y-yeah. Out the back door and i-it’s to your left.” Fluttershy replied before asking something. “W-what’s your name?”
The other mare just smiled for a moment as she looked back at Fluttershy for a moment. But her reply soon made the fur on Smoky’s back stand up. “Lauren… Lauren Order. Have a good evening, ma’am.” Before Fluttershy could say anything, she looked to see that the mare had already left… before she was even able to ask if she wanted to guide her to the garden.
“Order… Just my rotten luck.” Smoky grumbled. “Figures… She must have Tafiir.”
“Who?” Fluttershy whispered as she went to a place where she could look at Smoky and talk to him without anyone noticing her. “Smoky, who is Tafiir?”
“Another Servamp. There are two of them who work for Lauren, Tafiir is one of them.” Fluttershy gulped for a moment, scared to ask the follow up question that popped into her head at the time, but finally got around to saying it.
“A-and the o-other?”
“He’s a retard who can’t do anything useful… They only keep him around is because he’s immortal and they can’t figure out how to kill him…” Smoky said, smirking to himself at the thought of the Servamp he was thinking of. While he was thinking that though, a stallion walked past the two of them and in the same direction of the garden. However, unlike most of the stallions who were there, this one did not have any eyebrows and showed no emotions. But the look on his face would intimidate anyone at first glance. He also seemed to be dressed as a waiter as he passed on by.
Someone that would make Fluttershy even more timid… but make Smoky rather… curious as to who they were.
“I think that guy’s not supposed to be here…” Smoky stated. “Want me to kill him?”
“N-no!” Fluttershy squeaked, her tone though being serious as she glared at Smoky. “You can’t just k-kill someone based on s-suspicions! He may be part of the s-staff here tonight!”
Smoky leaned against his paw. “I’m pretty sure he had the look of a killer…”
“T-that could just be how he normally looks! You can’t judge somepony based off of what they look like, Smoky.” Fluttershy glared at him before thinking of a different question to change the topic. “Now I h-have a question… if it’s possible that Tafiir is here… do you think he knows y-your with me?”
“Pretty much. Unless he was asleep, he knows.” Smoky said.
“W-would he… come a-after us?” Fluttershy then asked, a little worried.
“I think he’s on a fixed assignment. Guarding Lauren. So we should be fine.” He said, causing Fluttershy to breath out a sigh of relief as he looked back at him.
“So he wouldn’t… well… wouldn’t pay attention to you, even if he knew you were there?” The Pegasus then asked for the last time, thinking something over inside her head.
“I’m sure… At most thirty one percent sure.” Smoky replied. “But the two of us could handle him.”
“W-well… um…” Fluttershy said, looking back at Smoky. “What if w-we don’t need to f-fight him… b-but just keep an eye on L-lauren? If s-she’s going to the garden, then m-maybe she’s-.”
“Fluttershy!” Both of them heard as they happen to see Lumen go over to where they were as she was trying to catch her breath. “D-did you…… s-see… Lauren Order come through here?”
“Y-yeah… W-why?”
“Well, Lance wanted me to keep an eye on her since he’s talking with Aya. Which way did she go?” Lumen then asked the two of them. “Oh hi, Smoky cat… how are you?”
“It’s just Smoky… You know I’m not a cat.” Smoky grumbled.
“Oh come on… can’t I just mess with you a little bit?” A grumble from the cat was all Lumen needed to hear in order for her question to be answered. “Nevermind… So… back to what I was asking you guys…”
“Royal garden. Be careful, she has a-”
“Thanks, Mr. Kitty!!! You’re the best pet anypony can have!” Lumen said, ruffling Smoky’s ears before flying off towards the garden without a care in the world.
Smoky watched with tired eyes. “I hope Tafiir eats her soul…”
“Smoky!!” Fluttershy snapped once more… before realizing what he said. “Umm… can he actually do that?”
“I’d be pleasantly surprised if he could…” Smoky replied.
Over the course of the evening, many ponies were there for being able to have fun, meet new people, and enjoy themselves. But for Lauren Order, her reasons for being at the Gala were not the same reasons as everypony else. For her, it was strictly business… and the pony she needed to talk to was here tonight as she approached the garden and began to wait for him. They were suppose to meet at the top of the hour. But, given the personality of the client in which she was meeting… he would normally be late.
He only showed up five minutes after their scheduled meeting time. A beige Earth Pony with a brown mane and dark green eyes trotted up to her, wearing a black suit with a blue tie.
“So sorry I’m late, Laurry!” He almost shouted.
“You know, I think I’ve asked you before to not call me by that nickname and for you to keep your voice down.” Lauren glared at the earth pony as she looked back at the earth pony. “There’s a reason why I called you here for a meeting. This is not like college when we were just classmates.”
“I still think of you as a dear friend, Order. So, why’d you call me here? What do you need?” Charming asked.
Lauren cleared her throat for a moment before she got specifically down to business. “We had an incident at the main facility for Task Force X. We’re still working on figuring out and tracking down who's responsible, but from we can tell, a security breach at the facility lead to two Task Force X members being… eliminated.”
“Please, tell me I have to get you a new asset, because I’m already having trouble keeping Clayton in line. There aren’t enough prisoners in the Zero Zone.” He said, groaning a bit.
“I wasn’t finished…” She told him coldly, looking at him with a chilling glare. “I don’t want you to get a new asset… but I want somepony else to stop interfering with my work. It was shortly after the incident that Dr. Hailstorm showed up, uninvited no less, and tried to cause more problems with Anarchy. I don’t want to deal with that mare or the ponies that are with her anymore because they will be the downfall of this whole project if it falls apart.”
“Hailstorm’s… A big fish to catch. You know what she’s done, right?” Fortune asked. “What am I going to do?”
“Just tell Clayton. He’s sure to have something that could deal with this issue… besides, if he doesn’t, who else would have to explain what else happened at my site.” She then told him, catching him by surprise. “Because this wasn’t just an ordinary accident that you can easily shrug off… this was cover for something bigger that affects both myself and him too.”
“Alright… I’m not the middle stallion though.”
“One more thing…” The unicorn then told him as she used her magic and pulled out a photograph for Charming to look at. “I want you to bring this to Clayton and have him look it over. The accident at my site was cover for a hacker who identifies themselves as “Sombra” to access information at my facility. Even went as far as leaving a message to remember them by. I’ve tried to look into it, but any lead I get one moment ends up being terminated. If Clayton knows a way to find out who they are and track them down, that will be one less thorn in my side.”
“Clayton’s got friends, but he’s still just a warden. I think I know someone else though.” Fortune said, pulling out a phone and searching through the contacts before texting the number to Lauren. “Should help. Master hacker if you’ve ever seen one.” The unicorn looked at the number for a moment as it reached her phone before looking back at him.
“Appreciated…” The Lawyer said before looking back at him. “If that is all that needs to be discussed then I believe we are done here. You should get a drink and have a look at the stars while you are here. I heard that the view from the top balcony is a view to die for.”
“Thanks. Hey, you should relax a bit too. I think your job’s gonna go to your mane.” Charming joked, trotting off. “Oh, and the number’s free of charge!” Lauren Order just rolled her eyes for a moment as she watched him trot off back to the party. Along with a bald headed stallion following shortly behind him.
“Thanks… Jerk.” She sighed for a moment, getting up for a second as she went to pick up her bag as well. “Tafiir? How are we doing?”
“Depends. There’s a lotta hostility in the area, from Sleepy, to that Lance guy… Hard to keep track.” A tiny porcupine said as it’s head peaked out of her bag.
“I mean immediate threats.” she clarified. “The Azure Striker and the rest of them know that it’s too early to try and come for me right now. I mean anything else other than that.”
Tafiir tapped his chin. “... Huh, that waiter had a dark presence… Stink of death all over him.”
Now that caught her surprise for a moment. “Which one? There are numerous ones around the event.” She asked as she looked around the outer patio, only to not see either Charming or anypony else that was outside.
“Bald stallion, a bar code on the back of his head. He stinks of a killer. I think he went inside a little after Charming.” Now Lauren’s heartbeat was racing up a little as she motioned towards the crowd. Looking for any possible signs of the stallion in question, but to no avail as she looked around.
She could see Twilight Sparkle talking with a member of MIST named Mist, she could see several other members of the Power Ponies that evening enjoying themselves, Lance Walker talking with Aya Brea and even the mare she just passed earlier walking over to them. But no signs of Charming at all. The mare needed to find her friend before something bad happened to him.
As the earth pony himself looked out over Canterlot and began to drink out of a wine glass, he could see the stars twinkling above his head before sighing to himself. Making himself feel at ease as the alcohol went through his system. Perhaps tonight was a night to die for, he thought to himself.
Perhaps it was…
It was only shortly after this though that he felt something suddenly wrap around his neck as he gasped for air. Choking on something thin that was around his neck. Yet… struggle as he may like, what was choking him soon lead to the fatal snap of his neck as all the air he had was deprived of him.
A silent kill… Now though was the challenge of getting out of here… unnoticed.
“So is that everything that you found out, Lumen?” The Adept asked his companion as he returned to him. She had just filled him in on all of the information that she had overheard before coming back to Lance as the party itself was drawing to a close. Many of the guests from earlier were leaving and the only ones that seemed to be left were a few of the well known nobles in Canterlot, Aya, Mist, and Posey along with Twilight and the rest of her friends that came with them this evening.
“Yeah, pretty much… Whatever it is, it’s some kind of mess that Lauren Order’s trying to clean up back at her place-.” She said, before turning around to notice something. “Hang on… something’s… not right.”
“What’s wrong?” He asked, looking around to see if something was out of the ordinary.
“It’s Lauren Order… She just came back in… but not as composed as she was earlier. Something is really getting under her fur if it’s making her look that worried.” Hearing what Lumen said made Lance assume that something was going on that did not quite feel right with the current situation. His assumption was proven correct the moment they saw her go upstairs and begin searching the rooms on the second floor.
It wasn’t clear as to what she was searching, but from the looks of things, she seemed rather… fixated.
“Hey, something on your mind?” Twilight Mist asked. Breaking his concentration for a moment as he looked back at her.
“Oh hey, Mist… Didn’t notice you there.” He said, scratching his head for a moment. “I was just… thinking. That’s all.” For a moment, there was a small bit of silence while he was trying to think of a question in order to ask Mist and change the subject. Then, he figured it out. “Did you have fun tonight? Get the chance to see Twilight at all?”
“Y-yeah…” Mist replied. Though… the tone of the reply seemed… off.
“Mist, are you okay?” Lance asked her for a moment, noticing the change in voice and expression as he took a moment to sit down. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“Oh, it’s nothing…” Mist replied, “Only saw my grandfather and grandmother on a date… Possibly first one.”
“Actually… Twilight’s helped reform Comet in a way and… well…” Lance sighed for a moment before thinking something through and then whispering a question to Mist. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Yeah… I pretended to be a normal pony for four years.”
“Well… here’s the thing,” He then replied, a bit of sweat coming down his neck as he looked at her. “After Aurora and I were done in San Fransokyo, she came home early to find them together… and alone… Remember when I told you about Pinkie and how you said that Surprise will be born?”
“Oh gosh…” Mist’s eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.
“Think that… but instead of Surprise… it’s you.” Lance told her, sighing a little as he looked back at Mist. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but-.”
Mist raised her right foreleg. “Stop… It was, but trust me when I say this. It doesn’t matter to me. Unless all of my friends are okay, it doesn’t matter.”
Lance paused for a moment, but then understood what she meant as he looked back to her and smiled. “I’ll make sure that they’ll be okay, Mist… I promise.”
“I know you’ll keep it. Now, let’s try to enjoy this party, I’ve always wanted to meet Princess Celestia.” It was in that moment that Lance had an idea… and also happened to notice the Princess of the sun not far from where they were standing. Now he only had one thing to ask her in that moment.
“Why wait?” The Adept told her, having her follow him as the two of them walked on over to where Celestia herself was standing. “Princess Celestia, it’s good to see you this evening.”
“Same to you, Mr. Walker.” The alicorn replied at first. “I’m glad that you were able to make it along with Twilight and her friends.” It was then that she happened to notice the pony standing next to him as her focus was now towards her. “Why hello… Who do we have here?”
“T-Twinkle Mist!” Mist lied. If she went with Twilight Mist, there would be many questions she didn’t want to ask.
“What a lovely name, Twinkle…” She replied, before asking her a follow up question. “Did you enjoy the gala tonight?”
“I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it, Princess.” She replied proudly, making the alicorn chuckle a little bit in response.
“Well, you certainly do remind me of Twilight, that is for sure.” She said, before smiling and using a hoof to rub her mane. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you two… but even so, I must retire for the evening. Good night, you two.” With that, she soon trotted upstairs alongside her sister and a couple of her guards as the two of them noticed the rest of their friends outside. When going to join them, one of the guards that was there at the time almost bumped into Lance. But before he could say anything, the guard’s cold gaze had him stay silent as he trotted away from the castle grounds.
“What’s that guy’s deal-?” Lumen asked… followed by her, Lance, Aya, Twilight and her friends, Smoky, Comet Tail, Posey and Mist heard the screams that came out from the second floor of the castle.
“What was that?” Twilight asked, sounding rather concerned as Lance looked back at Aya for a moment.
“Only one thing… trouble.” The Adept said as he looked back at the castle and heard all the guards mobilize inside the castle as they responded to the situation. “Should one of us go look inside or-?”
“Not it.” Smoky announced. Causing Lance to look at him for a moment as the cat peaked his head out of Fluttershy’s purse.
“What do you mean, not it?” Lance then asked him. “What are you talking about?”
“I call not it. Meaning not bothering to go.”
“Smoky, do you know what’s going on up there?” Fluttershy then asked, looking back at him while everypony else was mostly talking amongst themselves.
“No, why would you think I’d know what a scream meant?” That was when some of the guards came out and began looking around the premises before a familiar face, Detective Whooves found them.
“Oh thank Celestia you guys are here and okay… Everything was going fine, but now we got a major problem.” The detective told them as he looked back at everyone outside.
“What kind of problem?” Lance then asked, looking back at the detective as he sighed deeply. What he had to say next though caused everypony’s blood to freeze.
“Somepony at the gala tonight was murdered.”
As he walked away from the castle, the scene behind him slowly slipped into chaos as the stallion who was known as 47 slipped into a darkened alleyway. Removing any trace of the armor he had used in order to escape and properly disposing of it. Once it was done and he was far away from the castle itself, he tapped his right ear once with a hoof and then spoke up. “It’s done.”
“Well done, 47. The money has been wired into your account… We will be continuing to look into the Zero Zone with our client, but you have made this task much easier.” The mare on the other end of the line replied as she spoke up. “The more that we find out on the situation, the more we can prepare for the next step. In the meantime though, there’s another task you can take on that’s still within Equestria’s borders.”
The stallion stopped for a moment and took some time to process it while he gotten himself a train ticket and proceeded to leave out of Canterlot. But after a short amount of time, he then spoke up. “Do continue…”
At this stage now… the mare that was sitting behind him… kindly obliged his request and quietly gave him a manila folder with the label classified on the front of it. “Certainly… back in the day, there used to be a militant terrorist organization named Iron Hoof who were composed of mercenaries, arms dealers and many other known criminals. They used to be quiet and in the shadows, but quickly drew attention to themselves when they demanded a ransom and held a young girl hostage. Unfortunately, the mayor of Maretropolis never gave into those demands and they killed the poor filly on live television…”
“And what does this have to do with right now?” He questioned, going through the files and coming across a particular profile.
“Your target is a former high ranking members of Iron Hoof, which fell apart when their leader was captured and sentenced to die… Ironically, that case in court was the first case that Lauren Order had prosecuted in… and in turn, made herself recognized for putting the killer to justice.” The mare informed him before continuing. “And in turn, made her first enemies. The first target, a stallion named Morningstar, has been running one of the most vicious gangs in Manehattan and is planning on going after individuals who may have signs of special abilities or powers. The other target, is a mare named Silk Thread, a member of the Manehattan police department and also Morningstar’s mole into all police activity inside Manehattan and New Yoke as a whole.”
Processing this now, it was then that he remembered that this train was one that was heading straight towards Manehattan. The location where the targets were. But at the closest stop the train arrived at, all the mare did was take the manila folder, putting it in her purse and walking towards the door of the train before saying a final goodbye. “Good luck, 47.”
End Strike 51
Stats
Page generated in 0.029 seconds
Total duration
1,018 users online
1,745,336 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Oh shit... Hitman...
8107691 And it's just the beginning