Blazing Capes

by TJAW

4. Debut Performance

Marked Target

So several days came and went that week. I’ll spare you the boring shit that filled most of it, and give you the highlights.

On Tuesday, I quit my job as a janitor. I took a dump in each and every urinal, knowing that they’d have to hire a new janitor just to get those out, and jacked the intercom with the help of one of the smarter students, who was a nice colt actually, so I could berate the staff.

On Thursday I had a date with Gilda. I called a cab, we went to Ganon’s and had a few.

The family business came up in our conversation, and I told her the legal stuff was still a bit hazy, which was true, if misleading. The thing is I liked her, and I didn’t want it to be about the money I’d come into. All in all, we had a good time. We said goodbye and each took our own cabs home.

I took a nap on my bed in the penthouse level of the Target Enterprises building. I have to say, it was really nice to not be in that shitty apartment anymore. I had all the things that had made my last place home, like my Xbuck 360 and memorabilia, and all the roominess and luxury of a penthouse.

At 10 PM the receptionist called me and told me that Cue wanted to see me down in R&D. I rolled out of my bed and fell onto the floor, getting on my feet and heading to the elevator. The ride was quick and Cue was there to greet me when I got to the basement.

He led me to a room filled with, well, gadgets and cars and stuff. One of them looked like an F-117 on wheels. I stared at it like a really deep painting, because I considered the design a work of art. Cue must’ve caught me staring, because he ambled over to me and tapped my shoulder.

“It’s not done,” He deadpanned.

“Oh. Okay.” Obviously I was disappointed, because that thing looked really cool. “What kind of stuff does it have?”

“Oh you know, ejector seats, tire shredders, machineguns, oil slick, smokescreen, tacks, advanced ELINT suite, the usual stuff.”

I contorted my face into a confused expression. “Since when is all that standard?”

He shrugged. “Since the last place I worked.”

“Okay…”

He led me to some room, and I saw my finished costume for the first time. It was awesome-looking. Just like I’d imagined it, but even better. The undersuit was navy blue, and the lightweight composite plates that dominated the suit and mask were slightly lighter; deep blue to be exact. That was good, no flashy neon blue or bright blues.

The armor bore a single yellow-orange fireball atop a black circle on each flank, where my cutie mark would be. On the chest, the same symbol was found. The rest of the chest section was actually black, giving the impression of a tactical vest despite the lack of pouches. The hooves were the same black as the chest. The eyes were cool, too: polarized golden lenses.

“I added in a fireproof mask to hide your muzzle and keep you warm, and you can pull it up to use it or down if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, cool. Wait, is that a cape?” I specifically remembered asking for no cape. Although the black cape did look pretty sick, especially since it had the fireball emblem on it.

“It retracts automatically, whenever you want it to. I put it in in case you changed your mind. It becomes rigid on command, allowing the user to glide across rooftops. Specifically, it forms an inverted trapezoid, an upside-down pyramid with the tip cut off, and the wider part is towards the front when it activates.”

“Thanks. Any gadgets?”

Cue gave a smug grin and nodded. “Grappling hooks, spray-on explosives with remote detonation, various visor functions, and a utility belt carrying all sorts of fun little gadgets. Trackers, remote cameras and listening devices. A data ripper to extract information from computers without laying a hoof on them; three terabyte storage. A gas mask that when attached to a slot on the chin extends to cover the mouth, creating a complete seal with the suit to protect from the full spectrum of CBRN threats. The same mask also doubles as a rebreather. A few dozen tiny canisters, each containing knockout gas, tear gas, smokescreens, etcetera. There’s more, actually, but I get the feeling you don’t want to hear about them.”

“Yeahhh… Can I have a manual instead?”

He gave me that grin again. “You won’t need one. The lenses on your mask double as a heads-up display, or-”

“HUD, yeah I play video games, I know what that is.”

“Yes, well your HUD is linked to your suit, naturally. If you so much as hover a hoof over a part of your utility belt, the device there will be displayed, along with information regarding that item. Now, I’ve heard you were a crack shot with a pistol.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, so?”

“I’ve got several calibers of tranquilizer darts, and self-suppressing ammunition too. Some of it combines the two.”

“Ah. You’re telling a superhero to carry a pistol?”

“Well, Superstallion took weapons to his final battle with the Cyborg after he’d been rejuvenated from his supposed death, and his powers hadn’t fully returned.”

“Yeah, and it didn’t do him much good; Cyborg just made his own face appear from them by warping the metal somehow. Plus, if my powers are weakened by cold, a gun won’t be much use.”

“Polymer doesn’t have that problem. And the Foalbrique Nationale Five-Seven utilizes polymers extensively; even the steel slide is encased in polymer. As such, I’ve had one custom made for you. It accepts a miniature suppressor I designed for it, has yellow tritium-illuminated night sights, and can fire any 5.7x28mm ammunition, tranq or not. Your utility belt can hold five spare magazines, each carrying thirty rounds. Because those extended magazines are only slightly longer than the normal twenties, they aren’t very cumbersome.”

I sighed. I really didn’t want to break with tradition on this. “Look, maybe I’ll pack heat some other time.”

So we talked some more, and I put on the costume for the first time. It took about five minutes of fumbling to get it on, but I figured it’d probably get easier as time went on. Once I had the whole thing on, I pulled on the mask, leaving only my muzzle unobstructed.

The HUD came on, displayed as a sort of amber color. Suit integrity, motion tracker, visual filters, equipment, the like. The suit only added a little bit of bulk, but it made me look more muscular without being anatomically correct.

“I’ve hooked the suit up with a cloned sim-chip from your cell phone, so you can still receive and make calls. There’s zero possibility of anypony tracking your movements via your pseudo-cellphone, either. There’s also a second line to be used for hero-related duties, in case you ever need to provide somepony a way to contact you; the number comes up on command, like much of the HUD’s information.”

At hour later, at the top of Federal Stall, I watched as cars, buses, and taxis went by. Ponies, griffons, diamond dogs. I was listening to police chatter, my cape billowing in the wind. Yeah, I decided to use the cape, since the ability for it to become a rigid pair of wings would be extremely useful. Over my muzzle, I wore the other mask. Not the gas mask, the fireproof navy blue fabric one. Wow, I'm really not conveying the dramatic thing very well.

“All units, we have an armed robbery on Ponnie and Clydesdale. Suspect is fleeing, believed to be headed for the docks.”

Showtime.

The Great and Powerful Trixie

After she heard about the robbery, Trixie began to bound across rooftops, her skillfully enchanted cape allowing her to glide the extra distance between buildings. Below her, the police raced to apprehend the thieves, each eager for a bonus or a promotion that they foresaw themselves receiving if they succeeded.

It was almost a shame Trixie would beat them there; it had taken weeks, but she had recently set up a teleportation grid. By enchanting certain locations, she can create a sort of node. Then, that node can be used to travel instantaneously to another node of Trixie’s choice. However, only a powerful magic-user like Trixie can activate or even detect these nodes, and they require a great sum of magical energy to be created, which is why it took so long to create the network.

Upon reaching the nearest nerd- uh, node, Trixie activated the portal and leapt through. It always felt strange going through them, but not in the same way as she felt about that other node- uh, nerd. Why didn’t Twilight Sparkle return Trixie’s letters?

Stop laughing! What do you mean, Twilight is- Of course Trixie doesn’t read tabloids! How was she supposed to know Twilight- Never mind. Trixie is over her anyway, and she had been for a while when all this happened.

Anyway, Trixie emerged from the portal to find that several police, supported by a SWAT team, were already in a firefight with a couple dozen gangsters. A policegriffon’s head sprayed blood, and Trixie traced the shot back to a griffon wielding a sniper rifle. Trixie despised firearms, so loud and crude, messy and smelly. Magic was clearly a superior form of combat anyhow.

It was clearly up to Trixie to save the day.

Lieutenant Stainless Steel

After Falco’s head popped, a lot of the boys started panicking. Granted, they weren’t SWAT like me and my team, but they should’ve held their composure. Panicking under fire is a great strategy if you want to die, but not much else.

“Everypony, heads down! Get to cover and hold position!” I roared. The guys trust me, and it showed then. They did what I told them, and I galloped to cover behind the SWAT van. "Gross, not that position!"

It was heavy shit raining down on us, and we were all scared. Back in the Sabers, they taught you it was okay to be afraid, in fact it was good; nature’s own warning system. But the key was to not let it dominate you. I was under control, and most of the guys under my command were good too, but the blue-shirts were on the verge of panic. I needed a miracle when a gravelly voice that sounded like Stable Snake came through my earpiece.

“There’s a sniper on the crane tower, south side of the boom. He’s using a 7.62, probably armor-piercing rounds judging by the report. He won’t be able to hit your people if they move to the abandoned hospital to your west.”

“Are you crazy!? We were just taking fire from there a minute ago!” I thought I might’ve been crazy at the time, hearing some video game character’s voice over the radio.

“I already took care of them. You’ll find all five of them at the bottom of the stairwell, tied up with their guns a few yards away. Get your wounded inside, scavenge some ammo.”

I didn’t have a choice. It was either trust him and take a chance, or we’d all die.

“Everypony into the hospital, double time!" They started moving, slowly. "No, that means double your speed, not your travel time!”

Fear made them obedient, thankfully; they took whatever chance they had, and they had enough in me to follow my orders. I led the charge into the hospital, bucking the doors in myself and turning on the flashlight on my carbine. I moved inside and swept the light around until I found the targets. All five of them, just like the stallion said.

“Five scumbags incapped!” I shouted out. “Get everypony in here!”

Another scumbag fell down from a few floors up, landing on the others. “Make that six. No more in here, the sniper’s mine.” I looked up and saw that the railing had been broken, probably where this guy’d fallen from. The drop-in had slight scorchmarks on his chest, too. I pulled out a zip-tie and secured him.

The wounded and regulars started piling in first while my team brought up the rear. I signaled Sergeant Cutlass to follow me and we raced up the stairs, heading to the roof.

I was gonna catch this guy, whoever he was. I could hear a set of hooves on the stairs above me, so I kept on. When we reached the roof, I saw the rear end of the stallion who must’ve been assisting me. A billowing black cape with a fireball on the back, and a blue mask with golden eyes were all I saw. He glanced at me and then looked straight ahead before making a huge leap, his cape practically turning into a perfectly trapezoid-shaped wing, and he glided towards the crane.

I fired a burst at him and Cutlass did too, but I don’t think we hit anything.

The Great and Powerful Trixie

Within a minute of the griffon’s head erupting in a geyser of blood, the police rushed into the nearby building. While Trixie made her way to the crane, she kept an eye on events behind her. It seemed that the six ruffians had been taken care of. A caped figure clad in blue and black rushed to the rooftop behind me and leapt off after a pause, gunfire following him.

As he sprang from the rooftop, his cape formed a sort of wing, like Trixie’s does. Not only that, but he jumped with incredible vigor, allowing him to glide in front of her. Trixie does not like being passed.

Marked Target

A caught a glance of two of the cops I’d saved. And they were both pointing assault rifles at me. First-timer bonus, I guess. After that, I leapt with all my might, and my cape transformed into a wing. I held my forelegs out parallel to the “wings” and felt the wind buffet them.

It was surprisingly easy to control, and with the force I’d used to jump forwards I was travelling at a high speed. As I closed on the crane, I noticed a mare gliding on the same path as me.

I remember seeing her picture in the paper; the Mysterious Mare Do Well, a very gifted unicorn mare. But with that stupid-looking hat’s air resistance, it’s no wonder I passed by her.

Landing on the crane, my cape returned to its normal state, and I rushed to the sniper. I’d tagged him on my HUD earlier, and he was outlined in orange. It was a particularly bulky griffon. He heard my hoofsteps and turned to fire a burst. My motion tracker showed the MMDW had landed behind me, but I focused on the bird.

He emptied his entire magazine into me. Every bullet hit, actually, but my powers protected my suit completely. While he reloaded, I formed a fireball around my forehoof and threw it at him with a stylish yell, making him drop his gun. So he drew another one. At least he had the sense to carry a backup.

“Don’t come any closer!” The bird yelled. “This is a Hock 18C; it’s loaded with Spark Industries 9mm ‘Scattershot’ ammunition, making it a mini-shotgun firing at 1100-plus RPM. It’ll blow you the fuck away, so back off asshole!”

I gave a single, derisive laugh. “Okay, so you empty a whole mag from your rifle to no effect, and you think that some measly BBs are gonna kill me?”

“Back away, amateur. The Mysterious Mare Do Well will handle this!”

That big-headed moron tried to push me away. I pushed her back, but not before the thug flipped his shit and opened up. I covered the heroine and took fire until he was empty. After that, I covered the ten yard distance between us in a few heartbeats and bucked him off the side, sending him plummeting to the ground. I heard the distinctive snap of a broken wing when he hit the concrete fifty yards below, and he was moaning at that wonderful frequency that meant he was still alive.

“You’re still not catchin us, pigs!” Some thug blared over a loudspeaker.

“Dammit, they’re getting away!”

“I’m not good enough with my pyrokinesis to hit a target that far away…” I said.

“Are you just going to stand there like a fool?” The masked mare inquired.

I cracked my neck. “Nope.” I trotted over to the rifle and picked up the mag that was laying on the floor. I slammed it in and chambered a round. I still knew how to use an EBR.

So I rested the barrel of the gun on the frame of the crane and sighted down my scope. The driver was about to make a right turn. If I fired then, the shot would pop the tire and make him flip the van. So I did exactly that.

I got a clean shot, and the van flipped fantastically, landing upside-down.

“The getaway vehicle flipped. No scumbags in sight. Do me a favor and don’t shoot at me next time, Lieutenant,” I said over the radio to the SWAT officer.

After I put the rifle down, unloaded it and ejected a round by cycling it manually, I turned to see her still standing there staring at me. Or at some graffiti I didn’t see. Fuck, I don’t know, she had lenses over her eyes, maybe she was derp-eyed!

“For the record, Misty, the pyrokinesis, strength, speed, invulnerability and marksmanship are all mine. The only thing the suit gives me is that gliding.”

“That was… Impressive. I never thought I’d see a superhero use a sniper rifle,” She sounded somewhat impressed. Good, I care too much what my peers think of me.

Oh, and a fun fact: one of my biggest pet peeves is improper terminology.

“That wasn’t a sniper rifle, it was a Mk 14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle!” I corrected her.

“It's still a sniper rifle. It had a scope, didn’t it?”

“You can put lipstick on a pig,” I retorted as I walked away, preparing to depart. “But that doesn’t make it a classy mare.”

“Because you saved the Mysterious Mare Do Well, she’ll let you take credit for this one. Next time, you'll have to work for it. What’s your name?”

“Alright, mister guardian alicorn. You got a name for me to give my boss?” The SWAT lieutenant said over the radio.

“Blue Blaze,” I answered them, using the most dramatic enunciation I could.

Comments

[TJAW]

Back on track
I hit the sack
It's been too long, it's good to be back

Yes it's let loose
From the noose
That's kept it hangin about

Marked Target's gonna fly
His bounty'll go real high
Forget the hearse, Sabers never die!

Gilda's got nine lives!
Cat's eyes!
Abusin' every one of them and runnin' wild

'Cause they're back
Yes, they're back
Well, they're back
Yes, it's back

Well they're back, back
Well he's back, blue and black
Yes, it's back in blue 'n black!

Black Death is back in the back
of a Cadillac
Number one with a bullet, she's a power pack

She's got a gang,
With a bang
They'll have to catch her if they want her to hang!

And Trixie's back on the track
And she's beatin' the flak
Nopony's gonna get her on another rap

So don't look at her now, she's just makin' her play
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of her way

'Cause they're back
Yes, they're back
Well, they're back
Yes, it's back

Well they're back, back
Well he's back, blue and black
Yes, it's back in blue 'n black!

[ALLoftheponies]

YAY!!!!! New chapter!!!

[ALLoftheponies]

I love this. Nice job (once again).

[Cades]

1718987
I love you. Fuck regulations.

[Reisentanith]

This is a good Fic so far, and I can relate to the Battle Rifle Sniper Rifle argument. also Will we be Seeing Iron Mare as Spark Industries was mentioned?

[TJAW]

1738866
That's actually a reference to my Crysis fic, as I've recently been creating a web of references between my stories. Crysis and this one explicitly mention Halo, the Republic Commando one mentions Halo music and Target Enterprises.

But Iron Mane might make an appearance, because I never explicitly stated where my iteration of Cauldron is. And if he does, then it'll be because you had the idea. Then again, I've been trying to keep the heroes and villains original, rather than direct adaptions of real ones, so the whole thing is iffy.