Seventeen - A Roaring Flame
Time to ponder had always been abundant in the gray stallion's life, although it was never something he was thankful for. It had been a very long time since Artemis could relax without need to fret or worry about his goddaughter. So long, in fact, that he had all but forgotten what a calm mind felt like. Months ago, he had imagined it to be nothing less than heavenly. But ever since Daring's most recent adventure had begun, he wondered what his brain would do with itself in the absence of worry. He guessed that he would have to take up a complex hobby or something similar to occupy his thoughts.
Artemis groaned on the edge of his captain's chair, tapping a hindhoof relentlessly against the floor with his forelegs crossed. He banged his head against the back of the chair once, craving anything that would slow his racing thoughts.
With a short breath through his nostrils, Artemis gave into the building pressure in his skull. He pulled up a small tote bag from the left of his chair, setting it on his lap. He reached his hooves into its depths, finding a small red and white box. Grimacing at himself, the stallion flicked the top of the container open, dipping his muzzle low to retrieve a short cigarette between his lips. He grunted scornfully, finding the lighter and using both hooves to ignite the tobacco. Artemis pushed open the window to his left, blowing out a steady cloud of smoke into the cool night air.
"She goes in there after the curfew, in the same walls where a demigod and Celestia knows what else lies, and expects me not to worry," he murmured to himself, his only source of relaxation gripped in the corner of his mouth.
As the nicotine took over, the stallion allowed himself a long sigh, reaching a hoof up above the viewport of the cabin. He flicked open a small compartment, finding a square of laminated paper. He flipped it over, revealing an old photograph. Artemis had no answer as to why he kept it, for it had brought more pain than happiness.
"Sometimes I wonder how you two would handle this..."
Centered in the middle of the frame was a filly, only six years old at the time. Even at such a young age, Daring's grayscale mane had been no neater than now. The filly's bangs dusted her wide, bright rose eyes, beaming upward at the two ponies cradling her in their forelegs.
The young couple sat on a large, white blanket, smiling up at the camera. One was a mare, grinning cheekily with the slightest quirk of her brow. She wore a long, thick mane of jet black, brushed off to one side and flowing over her shoulder like a waterfall. Her coat was a color not too many could accurately describe, but to Artemis, it had always looked the faintest of browns, yet not enough to be called beige. She wore a dark green pocketed vest, its collar flared upward to match her defiant personality. While she had never showed it off to the world with things like makeup or feminine clothing, Compass Rose had a beauty unlike any other. She was unique, in all shapes and forms, from her outspoken nature to her modest pulchritude. Daring had acquired a fair amount of traits from both of her parents, but it always seemed as though she took after her mother the most.
While Daring received a fair amount of her personality from her mother, she inherited her passion from her father. The stallion had a short, yet lean build, hardened after years of digging through tombs and climbing the most treacherous of peaks. Contrasting from his family, North Star had a coat of deep blue, wearing a short-cut mane of gray streaked with white. Around his neck was a black scarf, its ends hanging over his broad shoulders. The stallion's eyes were a stealy gray behind his glasses, giving off a cold and calculating air. His expression was nearly emotionless, had it not been for the subtle, yet proud smile he was wearing.
"Hehe, you'd probably be able to keep her at hoof's length with that old glare of yours, huh North?" Artemis mumbled to himself, a fond smile on his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a long, slow drag of the relaxing smoke, expelling it through his nostrils and out the window. "Or Rose would distract her with another one of her grand stories of travel, studying wildlife all over the world."
With another chuckle, the stallion replaced the photo back in its compartment overhead, leaning back to enjoy the remainder of his cigarette. He leaned his head out the window, flicking the filter with his tongue to shake the ash free. "But then again, I'm not her father, and she is no filly anymore," he concluded to himself, leaning back restfully into his chair. “At least she’s got that riflepony to look after her.”
Just when Artemis felt the remainder of his tense muscles loosen, there was a hard, rushed knock on the other end of the airship. The stallion lifted his ears, alert and listening intently. There was only a second of silence before a gruff, muffled yet demanding voice came from the bay door of the cabin. “Canterlot Guard, open up!”
The airship had been landed for half an hour at this point, and they waited until now to question him? “In the words of an old friend, bullocks.”
An annoyed grimace churned the stallion’s face as he stood to his hooves with a groan, spitting the cigarette out the window. He crossed the length of the cabin, hearing a few more impatient knocks. Artemis walked into the bay and pulled the lever on the right wall. The floor ahead creaked, the far end lowering to form the ship’s entrance ramp. As the floor descended, one of the four stallions guarding the front gates came into view, his expression unsurprisingly stern. The guard was a tall unicorn with a strong build, sporting lean muscles in the parts of his body not covered by his rather ornate armor. If memory had served him correctly, the rounded metal shoulder pads meant that he was a commander. He had a deep coat of brown, his combed-back mane and goatee a dark shade of blonde like Braeburn’s, although lacking the second tone.
There was a low thud of the wooden ramp hitting something metallic. Artemis quirked a brow as he spotted another guard shaking his head, readjusting his helmet as he walked out from under the lowering ramp. He was a pegasus with a coat of deep gold, his brown mane cut short and barely visible underneath his helm. Strapped to his back over his white and gold armor were a pair of saddlebags, along with a round canteen. The pegasus’ tail had been cut short as well, trimmed at its end in a fine line.
“Oh, did I get you?” Artemis mused without sense of actual concern. “Good thing you have a helmet. Now how may I help you gentlecolts this fine evening?”
Artemis walked down the ramp. The two guards raised their brows ever so slightly at his quip, pausing for a beat before moving on. “May I ask what you’re doing outside after curfew?” asked the taller unicorn guard.
“Well I don’t know about any curfew, good sir, but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that I am inside, while you are the ones outside,” Artemis said coyly, innocently wrapping a foreleg around the other with a tilt of his head.
“So you are not aware of the nationwide eight o’ clock curfew that Princess Celestia put out a notice for yesterday?”
“I’ve been out of the country,” said the gray stallion, motioning to the craft around him. “Is justified ignorance a crime nowadays?”
The guard didn’t answer his jibe, but instead took a few steps to the right, craning his neck upward to look at the side of the airship’s balloon. “Just how long have you been... away, sir?”
The calculating tone in the brown stallion’s voice sent a dreadful chill down Artemis’ spine. In their conversation, he had forgotten that the ship he was staying in bore the cutie mark of a well known pony. “Not too long, perhaps a few days.”
The taller guard looked to his pegasus comrade, exchanging an unreadable look. His horn lit up with a pale yellow light, his magic surrounding his saddlebags. One of them opened, allowing a thin, unraveling scroll to float in front of the unicorn’s face. “So you mean to say that this ship wasn’t in Baltimare yesterday at dawn?”
Before Artemis could answer, the guard passed the scroll to the pegasus, whom quickly asked a question of his own. “This ship is the Navigator, currently registered to a Miss Daring Do, is it not?”
“It—”
“And according to the registration, the Navigator’s pilot is listed as a Mister Artemis Trotson; lead conductor of Western Equestrian Line. Would that happen to be you?” asked the pegasus, holding his unblinking gaze along with the unicorn. He spoke with promiscuous, even animated tones, as if talking was an enjoyable activity regardless of the conversation. But for his next sentence, he lowered his voice significantly, adopting a more hostile tone. “If I were you, I would keep in mind that this ship sticks out like a giant green flag in the sky before I answered.”
Artemis hesitated, lacking a retort for the moment. He held the guard’s gaze, his mind racing to try and figure out what exactly they were trying to extract from him. They weren’t just hassling him; they had a reason for their questioning, but what could it have been? Everything they did that could have been considered illegal was in Mesoequestria, far outside the Guard’s jurisdiction. But in Equestria, they hadn’t done a single thing wrong. What were they after?
A grin of mirth cracked Artemis’ face, followed by a chuckle in his throat. “Yes, that is me. Now may I ask what you two need? It’s rather nippy outdoors and I’d like to abide by your new law I’ve heard so much about.”
Without answering again, the unicorn rolled up the scroll and deposited it back into his bags, exchanging it for a slip of parchment. The gray stallion watched it carefully, noticing its corners worn with age. The guard turned it around, revealing a photograph on its other side and showing it to Artemis, whom held back his reaction to wince at the sight of it.
“Good, then would you mind telling us the name of the pony in this picture?”
Artemis’ blue eyes locked on the photo, finding a fearful looking, retreating unicorn with a coat of cyan. His small form was galloping away down an alley from the pony that took the picture, his instantly-recognizable cutie mark in full view. Artemis could have sworn that he felt a bead of cold sweat form underneath his sleek black mane, hoping to Celestia that it was only his imagination.
Despite the block of ice forming in the pit of his stomach, the keen stallion merely quirked a brow, raising his eyes to give the unicorn guard an unamused look over the parchment. “I’ll go out on a limb and guess that you’re looking for this pony. Either that or you’re trying to patch up a romantic misconnection. You know you can put an ad in the paper for those nowadays.”
“I’ll ask you to be cooperative, Mister Trotson.”
“Did he give you those eyes and walk out of the coffee shop?”
“Excuse me?”
“Some ponies can be such teases.”
“That’s enough, Mister Trotson,” the unicorn demanded, although without raising his voice to a yell. While he was daring, Artemis wasn’t about to risk imprisonment further. However, he never let his facetious grin leave his face or even falter, especially after spotting the agitated twitch in his left eye. The pegasus guard, on the other hoof, didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. He merely watched the back and forth with a semi-interested expression, reaching a hoof back to withdraw the canteen from his back and taking a long swig. Meanwhile, the unicorn kept the photograph in front of Artemis, his glare hardening even further. “This pony is named Azure Spark, and he is wanted throughout the country. He is considered to be a highly dangerous threat.”
“What, this little guy?” asked Artemis, pointing a hoof to the picture. “Doesn’t exactly look like the dangerous type, if you ask me. Looks pretty frightened, actually.”
“Wouldn’t you be afraid of being put behind bars for the rest of your life?” asked the brown stallion. His previously flat tone gained a little more depth, and if Artemis wasn’t mistaken, a little more personality.
“What do you believe this pony did?”
“Oh, nothing much,” said the pegasus with an air of sarcasm, his expression that of feigned amusement. “It’s not like he burned down an orphanage on Hearth’s Warming Eve. No, this little guy only filled a room full of Canterlot Guardponies with bullets before dropping the gun and fleeing the scene. You know, just good ponies that devoted their lives to keeping the world a better place. But I guess in the eyes of ponies like you, it’s a fairly thankless job, huh?”
The brown unicorn leaned his face an inch or two forward, grabbing a firm hold of Artemis’ attention. His face was hardened, his brow furrowed and his amber eyes piercing. “In other words, my ponies; ones that I trained and served with. So before you spout another jibe or joke, think of just how fast I will throw your flank behind bars for interfering with an Equestrian Guard investigation.”
Artemis had spun webs of his share of justified lies and deceit many a time in the past, but never before had somepony pounded on his mental walls with such force. It was beyond difficult to not let one single change of expression or nervous tick slip by under the looming unicorn’s gaze. But even through it all, one part of their story raised the brightest of red flags upon reaching his ears: ... filled a room full of ponies with bullets... Bullets? That didn’t add up. Azure was a talented magician, but no riflepony.
During their flight to Ponyville from Baltimare, Bullet Tyme had recalled the events that occurred in the chambers Daring had been kept prisoner. He mentioned Azure taking Braeburn’s rifle with his magic and pointing it at him, and Bullet was very clear about the unfamiliarity he did so with. To assassinate a room full of trained Guardponies with a gun, one would have to be highly-skilled, which the cyan unicorn was evidently not.
“While I do respect and sympathize with your position,” Artemis began, choosing his words a little more carefully now. “I’m failing to see what this pony has to do with me and my ship.”
“Well then lemme connect the dots for you, Arty. A unicorn bearing a strikingly similar description was seen entering your ship yesterday at sunset. Let’s read ‘em off, shall we?” said the yellow pegasus with a thick layer of snark, opening his saddlebags with a hoof and withdrawing another slip of parchment. “Short build, light blue coat, mid-length teal mane and tail, yellow eyes and a cutie mark of twin cyan starbursts over an arcane circle of violet. All the pieces starting to fit together, Mister Trotson?”
With that, Artemis had no means of stopping the twitch in his left hindhoof, unable to keep it from grinding absentmindedly into the wood of the ship’s ramp. The pegasus watched his face with an air of what looked like pure amusement, as if the interrogation was nothing more than a joyful game that he loved winning.
“I don’t recall being summoned for questioning or interrogation,” Artemis spoke carefully, his voice stern. “The point is that I don’t know who in Equestria gave you that information, but let them know that I would recommend a good pair of glasses.”
“And I would recommend you find a darned good lawyer,” the unicorn shot back, pausing for a moment.
While the taller guard let his words sink in, Artemis’ gaze was caught by the pegasus to the left. His stance had faltered, his legs locking just in time to keep his balance. The yellow pony’s eyes were now lidded and hazy, his expression sickly. The brown unicorn stopped mid-word in a sentence that Artemis wasn’t listening to as his attention was also caught by his comrade. Before anypony else could say a word, the pegasus fell to the ground on his side like a sack of bricks, his eyes rested shut.
As if a fire had been lit underneath his hooves, the unicorn guard snapped to attention. He kneeled on his hindlegs, lifting the unconscious pegasus to his haunches and shaking him vigorously. “Hey! Come on, soldier, wake up!”
Abrupt as the scene was, Artemis was only startled momentarily before glancing down to something sparkling in the pale moonlight. In front of the slumbering pegasus was his canteen, spilled across the dirt with its contents reflecting light in a way that water certainly did not. He descended the ramp, bending his head down low to sniff odd fluid. When a familiar, subtle odor wafted through his nostrils, Artemis looked right back up to the unicorn attempting to revive his partner.
“This is supposed to be water, correct?” he asked quickly.
“What? Yes, of course.”
“And let me guess, every last one of you guards is required to take one of these canteens to avoid dehydration, right?”
“Yes, from our station in Canterlot. What’re you getting at, Trotson?”
Artemis picked up the canteen, dumping out its tainted contents on the ground. “Your water supply’s been drugged.”
Aerial Ace shook atop the ledge she was crouched upon, her quivering hooves threatening to fumble her Auberti Marechester. In the stunned silence, her short gasps could be heard, her breath visible in front of her parted lips in the cool autumn air. Braeburn froze on the spot as his adrenaline slammed into a brick wall and ultimately ceased. He thought of zero reasons as to what the young shooter from Los Pegasus was doing all the way over in Canterlot.
“You little brat!”
Braeburn’s attention turned back down the street, toward the enraged form of the injured bandit. With a sharp flap of his wings, the makeshift splint and bandages flew from his wing, revealing a dried, infected-looking wound. Daring Do readied herself, her stance wide and her wings flared in preparation for takeoff. The stallion’s face contorted with agony and frustration as he threw himself into the air, soaring haphazardly toward the horrified filly.
Attacking another stallion was one thing, and striking a mare was another. But to direct violence towards a ten year old filly was a move that Braeburn would never forgive. Every fiber in the earth stallion’s being roared to life with a red hot anger, his body working beyond his reaction time. Before Daring could move to intercept the bandit, Braeburn’s lasso was already sailing through the air. The lariat found its mark around the blue stallion’s shoulders, and its wielder tightened the slack with a snap of his neck. Braeburn widened his stance and yanked on the rope with all his might, ripping the pegasus out of his trajectory. An intense heat rose to life behind his emerald eyes, his face distorted with rage.
Braeburn roared through the length of rope between his teeth, bringing the pegasus down as hard as he could. The bandit’s shoulder collided with the cobblestone street, a sickening crack echoing throughout the entire block. But even still, his anger had yet to be satisfied. Braeburn leaped backward, allowing the length of rope to tighten once more. He leaned forward before throwing his head backward, yanking the bandit toward him by the shoulders. The pegasus screamed as he skidded across the stone ground, his trail marked with short streaks of red. His momentum ceased at Braeburn’s hooves, who sheathed his rifle to kick the stallion onto his back.
He pressed a forehoof to the stallion’s heaving chest, applying heavy pressure. Braeburn bared his teeth in a fierce snarl, growling into the bandit’s face as he dropped his end of the rope: “Unless ya’ want me to snap yer neck like a dry twig, you’ll tell me exactly where Sure Shot is.”
The turquoise pegasus seethed in agony, but still found it in him to crack a wicked grin. His injured wing was bent at a horrid angle, his side bearing several cuts and gashes from being ground against the cobblestone street. “My sister is on her way there right now. And let me tell you something, Colt of the West: you and your friends are about to face a world of agony by standing in Sure Shot’s way.”
His defiance lit a fire under Braeburn’s coursing blood, bringing it to a rolling boil. He supported himself with the hoof on the bandit’s chest, using the other to free Thumper from its sheath. He twirled the weapon around his hoof, striking the pegasus across the jaw with the rifle’s steel butt plate. When the stallion’s head was thrown to the side, Braeburn turned the barrel of the gun to the cheek of his prey, racking a cartridge into the chamber. “Where are the guards, and where is Sure Shot? Talk, or Ah’m giving Whinnshire a new coat o’ paint.”
To Braeburn’s enragement, the pegasus laughed again. He looked up to his captor with rebellious eyes, reveling in the anger he was inciting. “Your rage is truly exciting, it is! No wonder the boss wants you on his side! You draw so much power from your anger, you do.”
The riflepony felt his eyes squint ever so slightly, his ears lifting to listen more intently.
“You think that you’re some hero in all of this, do you?” cackled the turquoise pony. “You liken yourself to a source of pure light in a field of darkness, yet you are nothing more than a rook in a game of chess. You are more than a mere pawn, but you’re still just a piece in Sure Shot’s game.“
Braeburn scowled. “Why tell me such a thing?”
The pegasus’ face contorted with pure amusement, allowing himself a long, hearty laugh into the night sky. The riflepony’s ears clamped to the sides of his head, attempting to block out the sound that was sending him over the edge. A low buzzing rang throughout his head, vibrating his skull at a maddening frequency. With every millisecond of insane laughter, Braeburn’s grimace intensified, baring his gritted teeth more and more. He tightened his grip on Thumper’s trigger, pressing the barrel further into the matted turquoise fur. The bandit tamed his cackle after a moment, craning his neck to shove his muzzle into Braeburn’s. His eyes effortlessly pierced into his captor’s, grinning like a mental ward patient. “Because it is too late. Sure Shot thinks I know not of his plan, but it became all too clear the moment I met you, it did. You played right into his hooves the second you made it your self-righteous duty to go after him. All the pieces were there, and all I had to do was put them together. Don’t you get it, young riflepony? You were helping Sure Shot by throwing him behind bars! You were the beginning of the entire plan! You alone inspired Sure Shot’s way to the world he envisioned!”
The earth pony rose to his hindhooves, standing over his prey in a bipedal position, Thumper’s barrel pressed between the pegasus’ eyes. He held the weapon in a single hoof, the rear stock cradled in his shoulder. His tall, lean build quivered with rage, wanting nothing more than to keep his promise. “Enough!”
“Why, Braeburn Apple? Is the dark truth too much for Appleloosa’s incorruptible hero?!” the bandit cackled, slowly rising into a kneeling position. He stared around the steel barrel against his brow; eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “If you did not wish to hear it, you would have scattered my brain across the street by now! Listen to what your body is telling you, Colt of the West!”
“Ah said enough!”
“Aha, yes! Is that anger not ripping you apart inside?! Are you not feeling everything you knew about yourself slipping away with every passing second?!” yelled the pegasus, laughing aloud between his words with high-pitched cackles.
His pupils shrunk to pinpricks, penetrating Braeburn’s resolve like a needle through skin. The buzzing escalated into a high-pitched ring, shaking the earth pony’s eardrums and sending his heart rate into high gear. The bandit’s words ground against everything he was like a coarse stone to melting ice, tearing away until he found his core. “Remember who you came from, riflepony! Do not forget just what you are!”
“THAT’S IT!”
“Braeburn!”
Thumper’s trigger didn’t have a millimeter to go before engaging the hammer when his hoof ceased its movement. The riflepony froze on the spot, caught on the edge of his mental limits. If it hadn’t been for the desperate tone in the mare’s voice, Braeburn would have kept to his threat. His blazing emerald eyes slowly turned to his left, finding the mare he loved staring at him with large, frightened eyes. But what struck him the hardest was the small, white filly in his marefriend’s embrace, tears in her young blue eyes. The moment he looked at her, Aerial uttered a tiny squeal of fright before hugging Daring around the shoulders, hiding her face in her chest.
Braeburn stared through a blood-red veil at the two, standing fearfully at the bottom of the museum’s wide staircase. He was right there, a fraction of a second away from ending a life in front of his marefriend, not to mention the young filly that had no business being here. When the bandit’s giggling rang throughout his head once again, Braeburn snapped his attention to the stallion pressing his brow against Thumper’s barrel. While he couldn’t lift himself from the ground, the pegasus showed no fear or regret.
“Look at that. You are really clinging to that last scrap of resolve, aren’t you?” he sneered. “If you’re letting somepony like me do this to you, then your downfall will happen very, very soon. But cheer up, you can always say that you were stronger than that pathetic father of yours back in the day.”
Do it.
No, Ah can’t!
Would he do the same fer you?
He’s not me… he’s a criminal. A black-hearted, low-life scrap o’ trash.
Right, so what good are you doin’ the world by keepin’ him alive? He’s only gonna come back again if ya’ let him live!
That may be true…but Ah ain’t no executioner.
“Look at the struggle on your face,” snickered the turquoise pegasus in a slow, amused drawl. “I have never seen anything quite like you, riflepony. Let me congratulate you and your petty morality for surviving this long. But in the end, your struggle is nothing more than foalish, it is, even if it has provided me with a wealth of amusement.”
Braeburn exhaled a long, shuddering breath through his nose, closing his eyes as his weapon lowered toward the ground, inciting another drawling laugh from the bandit. In one slow motion, Braeburn fell back to all fours, sheathing Thumper on his back.
“Ohh… that’s disappointing,” said the pegasus. “Looks like I won’t get to see you walk off the edge.”
“Daring, take Aerial inside. Make sure Minerva’s alright,” Braeburn said quietly.
“Minerva’s fine, I checked on her,” he heard her say.
“Just take her inside. Please.”
“What? Brae, what’re you gonna do?” she asked, dread rising in her voice.
Braeburn turned his head back toward his marefriend, opening his eyes. Aerial still shook in Daring’s hold, hiding her face from the world. “Don’t worry. He won’t die.”
Daring hesitated, searching the stallion’s face. “R-right,” she muttered, looking down to the filly in her hooves. “Come on… Aerial, was it? Don’t worry, everything’s okay. I’ve got you.”
The riflepony didn’t watch the two depart the street, but looked back to the stallion on the ground. Braeburn leaned his head down to his prey’s level, glaring at him through emotionless, lidded eyes. He offered the blue pony a small, curt grin. “One thing you should learn about my family is that we ain’t got an edge to walk off of.” He bent his neck low, picking up the end of the lariat around the pegasus' shoulders. “You were right, Ah am the light in the darkness you ponies are tryin’ to spread… and Ah will never burn out."
The bandit cracked a smile, opening his mouth to retort only to receive a heavy blow across the jaw. Without so much as an utterance, the turquoise pony's head collided with the stone, instantly void of consciousness. Braeburn grimaced, wrapping the length of rope around the stallion. He bound his legs and wings tight against his limp form, running a length between his jaws.
Taking a quick look at his immediate surroundings, Braeburn spotted a dumpster in an alley to the left of the museum. Making a mental note not to forget its location, the stallion dragged the unconscious pegasus over, throwing open the lid and heaving him into the container. He may have had to go without a tool to combat Sure Shot with, but at least now that pegasus wouldn't be showing up again to hinder their progress. He could notify the Guard about his location once this mess blew over.
Braeburn climbed the stairs and entered the museum, taking a short breath before crossing the threshold. He looked up to find the trio of ponies gathered at the bottom steps of the foyer’s wide, grand staircase. He wasted no time in crossing the gap between them, trotting between the rows of glass cases and smaller exhibits. Daring sat on the steps next to the older mare he recognized as Minerva, pressing a small towel to her shoulder. The white fabric was stained red under her maroon hoof, but didn’t look as if it was spreading. On Daring’s right was Aerial Ace, looking fretful and anxious. On her back was her shortened rifle, sheathed and leaning over one side of her body.
“I have to go! They need me out there!” the filly whined, her tiny form still shaking from head to hoof.
“Aerial!” Braeburn exclaimed, trotting over to the group. Aerial turned around, her eyes widening with fear at the sight of the earth pony. She took a quick step back, huddling close to Daring. “Hey, come on now, it’s alright.”
Braeburn slowly approached the filly, crouching down to her level. He did his best to erase any traces of the previous altercation from his demeanor, wearing a kind expression. He briefly glanced over to Minerva with a look of worry, relieved once she nodded reassuringly. “Aerial, what in the hay are ya’ doin’ here? Where are yer parents? ”
“Th-they…” the filly started, looking as if stringing words together was a monumental task. Her large blue eyes were brimmed with tears. “My dad got a job here. W-we moved here a couple of days ago. B-But they were taken by a couple of big guys with guns! They took my parents but left me behind. I left the apartment to try and chase after them, but they were gone! I need to find them!”
“Whoa now, you ain’t goin’ out there,” Braeburn said firmly.
“But they need me!”
“We’ll find them, Aerial, don’t worry,” the stallion said, standing up to his full height as he turned his attention to Daring and Minerva. “Minerva, ya’ didn’t get shot, did ya’?”
“No, just grazed,” the older mare said with a grimace. “Once they got the journal, that blue one out there shot without looking. They were in a hurry, that’s for sure. I’ll be fine.”
Daring took the opportunity to speak next. “I hate to make this awkward, but Brae… just who is this?” The archaeologist gestured to Aerial, whom looked between Braeburn and Daring.
“Right, sorry,” Braeburn said. “Daring, this is… well, Equestria’s Best Young Shooter; Aerial Ace. Ah reckon you already got acquainted.”
“Well yeah, but I wanna know just how you know each other,” said Daring, her expression flat. “You know her parents too, right?”
“Yeah, Ah met them the day Sure Shot broke outta Dodge,” answered Braeburn, wondering where she was going with this. Judging by the look on her face, these questions had some sort of reason. “His ponies had the two o’ them held hostage.”
“And lemme guess, you saved them, right?” asked the mare. When Braeburn nodded, she continued: “So Sure Shot knows that you know her parents. You saved them once, you know their daughter… Darn it, he’s making sure you go after him!”
“What? Why would he need to do that? He already knows we’re tryin’ to stop him,” said Braeburn, cocking his head back in confusion.
“Yes, but according to Azure, Sure Shot is not one to trust things like chance or fate. He needs to be absolutely certain that you’re going to be where he wants you.”
“Then going after her parents is a trap,” Minerva concluded, joining in on the theory.
“Yeah, but we ain’t got a choice,” said the riflepony, looking down to the filly. He lowered himself to his haunches, right in front of the young pony. “Aerial, we’ll find yer parents and bring ‘em back in one piece, that Ah promise you.”
Aerial allowed herself the smallest of smiles, bringing up a hoof to wipe her eyes. “A-alright… but Braeburn… did you k-kill that pony out there?”
Braeburn shook his head with a smile. “No, but Ah can tell ya’ one thing: he ain’t hurtin’ nopony no more. Now Ah need you to do me a favor and stay here with Minerva. She needs somepony to stand guard while we’re gone, and Ah can’t think of anypony better suited fer the job than Equestria’s finest riflefilly. Can you do that for me?”
Aerial gave him a bright, determined grin. “Yeah, I can do that.”
Braeburn smirked, patting her on the head as he rose to a standing position. “Alright Minerva, yer in good hooves here. Daring, let’s find her parents and bring a stop to this.”
The mare nodded, following Braeburn toward the door on the other side of the foyer. But before they departed, she turned her head and waved with a hoof. “Take good care of her, Aerial! Minerva’s a good friend of the family!”
Minerva and Aerial bid their goodbyes and wishes of luck as they exited the museum, closing the large doors behind them. As they descended the staircase outside, Daring looked around, searching for something in the empty street.
"Where's..."
"Knocked out in a trash can," said the stallion. "We'll have him taken care of later."
With that, Braeburn broke into a measured gallop, following the path that Day Break exited the scene with. Daring followed him, flying through the air beside him. “Ya’ know, we might be running headlong into a pretty nasty trap.”
“Ah know.”
“One that could kill us.”
“Sounds about right.”
“So you’re not scared?”
Braeburn quirked a brow as Daring pulled a few hooves ahead, leading them down a narrow alley. “O’ course Ah’m scared. Ah’ve been scared outta my mind ever since this whole mess started. But we got my Pa, Day Break and Azure out there heading right for Sure Shot. That, and Ah ain’t letting that filly become an orphan, no matter what happens.”
Daring’s rose eyes gleamed in the moonlight, her trademark grin returning to her face. “Good, that’s the mindset we need to be in.”
“You needed to make sure?”
The pegasus snorted. “Brae, when a mare sees the stallion she loves show how good he is with kids, she isn’t exactly about to let herself die.” Daring looked to her coltfriend with a loving, yet determined smile. “We’ve showed the world that we’re an unstoppable team already, so let’s do it again and end this already.”
When a pegasus grows up in a city, they learn how to fly through crowded streets, cramped buildings and congested skies. Even though Fillydelphia was half the size and density of Canterlot, Day Break still felt at home in her pursuit. The lack of pedestrians granted the two fliers an edge over each other, but the fleeing mare’s vibrant coat in the semi-darkness of the night granted the pursuer an additional edge, not to mention the pink mare’s injured wing. Day Break had years of flight experience under her metaphorical belt, alongside her time as head of Fillydelphia’s Weather Patrol.
So how in Equestria was this pony losing her so easily?
The pink mare flew clumsily, yet quickly high above the streets, turning every corner in the blink of an eye. Day Break pounded her wings as hard as she could, losing her will to pace herself as the gap opened farther and farther. Down below, Bullet Tyme and Azure Spark galloped at a measured pace, making contact and teleporting every time they fell too far behind. Luckily for them, it was difficult to lose sight of the two brightly-colored pegasi above. Day Break wondered just where in the city this bandit was heading, for it had only been so long since they last met over the eastern ocean.
Several windows flew open on either side of the speeding pegasus, her peripheral vision spotting a few curious and fearful heads poking outside to catch a glimpse of what was going on. But no matter how much Day Break dared to scope the streets, not once did she spot anypony that wasn’t Bullet or Azure. The citizens of Canterlot must have been taking their new curfew very seriously, especially with the alarming lack of guards.
“Ah’m sorry, Ah thought you were a Head Weathermare!” Bullet yelled sarcastically from the street below.
“I’m trying!”
“Then catch her already!” the stallion retorted. “We can’t let ‘em get away with that book!”
Day Break furrowed her brow, squinting with determination at the pegasus ahead. She grit her teeth, throwing every last drop of her will into her pounding wings. The yellow mare bolted ahead, predicting the fleeing mare’s sharp turn to the right and around a tall clock tower. She tucked in her wings for the briefest of moments, her tail grazing the corner of the looming building. She emerged on the other side, gasping in fright as a large pink blur barreled toward her face.
A sharp ringing vibrated throughout her skull as a pair of hooves impacted with her left cheekbone. Day Break cried out in shock and pain, feeling her body fly backward with building velocity. Her eyes clamped themselves shut as she fell, her forehooves covering her face. She couldn’t think from the pain, nor could she formulate a way out of her fall. As the milliseconds flew by, the mare could only brace herself for the impact.
But Day Break never felt herself collide with anything hard. Her ringing ears heard a sparking sort of noise, like a muffled crash of lightning. In the same instance, she felt herself pulled out of her trajectory by something warm and soft. Before she knew it, the pegasus was no longer falling, but completely still, supported by something panting heavily.
Day Break cracked her right eye open, her left stinging from her swelling cheek. Her vision immediately caught a pair of large, worried yellow eyes against a coat of teal. She found her body supported in the pony’s forelegs, her legs curled close to her body. She cast her glance around to see that they were atop a roof, at least ten stories from the ground.
“Are you okay?” asked Azure Spark, his voice laced with concern.
The pegasus could only stare at him through her wide, ruby eyes. The pain in her cheek throbbed dully, but Azure’s caring hold seemed to significantly lessen the intensity.
“Day Break, say something!”
“I... Yeah, I-I’m fine,” she managed to sputter out, her mind putting itself back together as quick as it could.
Azure slowly lowered the mare to her hooves, sitting her down by the shoulders. “Stay here, I’m going to take her out of the sky.”
Before the mare could reply, Azure disappeared in a flash of light, appearing for brief instances on the rooftops ahead in a staggered trail. Day Break could only stare at the spot he previously occupied, feeling her face heat up with every passing second of hesitation. “Wow, totally not the time for this.”
The pegasus shook her head, banishing the fleeting thoughts from her throbbing skull. She spread her wings and took to the skies, wincing from the pain in her cheek. When the warm trickle of blood ran down her jawline, Day Break found her anger racing through her veins. “Alright, no more miss nice mare.”
With newfound adrenaline, she threw her forelegs out and rocketed across the night sky. Up ahead, her ruby eyes spotted Bullet on the ground below, falling behind in the wake of Azure and the pink pegasus. The unicorn darted across the rooftops, his image only visible for fractions of seconds before teleporting again. Day Break fought to close the gap, her eyes locked on the soaring mare ahead.
But before she could be reached, the pursuit was intervened.
Azure Spark leaped off the edge of a high rooftop, teleporting before gravity could overtake him. The unicorn reappeared inches above the fleeing pegasus, his forelegs lashing out to grab a hold of the mare’s neck. Day Break watched in awe as the stallion coiled all four of his legs around the Windburg, throwing his body to the right and ripping her out of her course.
The mare yelped in fright at the sudden weight as she was yanked toward the ground, the two ponies spiralling out of control toward the ground far below. Day Break’s eyes flew open with shock as they plummeted, her heart racing as she dove to follow. She turned around the corner of a tall apartment complex, her wings burning with exhaustion as she attempted to beat Azure and the pink mare to the street. She closed the gap as quick as she could, biting her lip in trepidation once she was only meters away. As she approached the two falling ponies, Day Break threw out her forelegs in hopes to catch them.
Another bright flare of blue light took the yellow mare off guard, the close proximity forcing her eyes shut. Her body acted on pure reflex, turning herself around the spell and toward the ground. While she was no Wonderbolt, the weathermare’s inner eye was keen and rather competent. She steadied her hooves, landing at a long skid across the cobblestone with her eyes clamped shut. Her ears perked up to the sound of another spell, cracking her eyes open to spot Azure pinning a grunting and writhing pegasus to the ground a mere seven yards away. His horn was glowing and at the ready, aimed down toward his prey’s contorted face.
To Day Break’s horror, the journal the pink mare had been clutching was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the area around them, finding that they had descended to the edge of a large town square, circular and lined with various bazaars and stands, all closed for the night. Before she could keep looking, Azure’s voice caught her attention.
“Enough!” the unicorn grunted, his chest heaving with heavy breaths.
The Windburg struggled briefly, up until she caught sight of Azure’s winded form above her. Her scornful grimace quickly turned into a smirk, snickering at the glowing horn aimed between her eyes. “Oh Sparky, you were always worth a few yucks, weren’t you?”
With a wicked grin, the pink mare quickly tucked her muscular hindlegs close to her body before unleashing their wrath upon Azure’s stomach. The unicorn’s eyes flew open, the breath in his lungs forced out of his mouth as he was launched a meter or two into the air. Day Break watched in utter shock as the unicorn’s limp form rose into the air before falling down to the cold stone in an agonized heap.
The Windburg rolled to her hooves, turning her head toward the frozen yellow pegasus. The pink mare cackled, flaring her wings and readying herself to pounce. Only moments before, she was confident, ready to take vengeance for the heavy buck she received to the cheek. But after witnessing the events of the past few moments, Day Break couldn’t move, her body paralyzed with fear. The bandit growled with an insane grin, driving her hooves into the ground and leaping toward her prey.
The pink mare flew no more than a few hooves before a thundering shot rang out, echoing down the narrow street and into the circular town square. Day Break’s ruby eyes flew open as her attacker’s right shoulder erupted with a horrid mist of dark red. The yellow mare’s ears folded back as quick as they could at the blood-curdling sound of the most divine level of agony she had ever heard.
She took a few instinctive, fearful steps back as the bandit hit the ground on her side, a foreleg clutched around her right shoulder. The wounded pegasus cried out into the stone ground, her face twisted beyond recognition with every horrid emotion a pony could muster at once. Day Break stood there, her limbs frozen and her breath caught in her throat as she watched a torrent of blood flow from underneath the mare’s pink hoof. Her constricted ruby eyes traced the flow of a network of tiny crimson rivers forming between each cobblestone, moving quickly toward her own hooves. She folded her ears down as tight as they would go, but nothing could block out the sound of such high, tormented screams.
As the bandit writhed face-down on the street, a tall, brooding stallion walked into Day Break’s vision, his steps slow and eerily calm. The large barrel of a Marechester hovered over the wounded pony, pointed directly at the back of her skull. “Day Break, look away.”
“Ah get that ya’ know this city by heart, but just how d’ya know which way to go?”
Braeburn galloped behind Daring Do, flying a few meters from the ground down the streets of Canterlot. She peeked around the corners of every building, searching for any clue that would lead them to their destination.
“And why in the hay are we stickin’ to the main roads?” Braeburn called ahead to the pegasus. “Ah can’t imagine Sure Shot or his ponies stickin’ around in plain sight!”
“What do they care where they are? There aren’t any guards!” Daring called back, darting back and forth to scout the intersecting streets. “Sure Shot wants you to find him, right? Well then why would he go out of his way to make that difficult? Wherever they’re keeping Aerial’s parents, it’ll be somewhere we can find them relatively quickly.”
Daring stopped in midair above a large, open intersection, her head turneding to the left to peer down a smaller road. Braeburn caught up with her, panting lightly as he stopped at her side. He traced her gaze, immediately spotting what had grabbed the pegasus’ attention. The road was a dead end, its sidewalks lined with older, worn down buildings. Unlike the rest of the lavish city, no lights were turned on behind the windows, the lack of illumination allowing their eyes to be attracted to the scene ahead.
Atop the stoop of a large abandoned manor at the end of the street were a pair of dark-colored stallions, standing on either side of something large underneath a black expanse of fabric. At only twenty yards down the road, Braeburn and Daring were instantly spotted.
Before either of them could react, the sound of magic filled the air, echoing across the surfaces of the withered buildings. Braeburn looked behind him, finding a translucent, shimmering wall of vibrant yellow magic quickly rising at the intersection, rapidly climbing a few hooves over the rooftops before finally ceasing. After only a few seconds, their only way out was blocked off by the wall of golden energy.
Braeburn looked back down the street, finding a dark yellow unicorn mare exiting the front doors of the manor, wearing a relaxed, yet cocky grin. Her mane was a bright shade of gold, long and elegant with a plethora of waves and curls flowing over one shoulder. Her horn was still alight with magic, despite having completed her spell. Braeburn was only curious for a brief moment before she walked over the wide threshold of the manor, carrying something in her wake.
Two pegasi floated behind her, bound back to back to the same plank of wood by a thick rope. While their eyes and mouths were covered by two lengths of cloth, Braeburn instantly recognized them.
“Is that—”
“Yeah, that’s them alright,” Braeburn growled, ripping the brass rifle from its sheath and taking a wide stance crouched on his hindlegs. The three bandits didn’t so much as blink as he aimed his weapon, but grinned malevolently.
“Oooooh, is that the weapon that took Master Ahuitzotl’s tail?” cooed the unicorn, standing her hostages up on the end of the stake they were tied to. Her voice was of a higher, foalish tone, yet devilishly smooth and elegant. “It’s really very shiny.”
"Just where in the world does Sure Shot find these ponies? An insane asylum?" Daring spoke in an undertone.
"Ah don't know, but it sure seems like he's got a whole lotta ponies on his side," said Braeburn, keeping his eyes locked on the scene ahead.
Vapor Trail and Autumn Breeze made no movements whatsoever, yet hung limply from their binds. As if they were a garden rake, the yellow mare floated the couple down an alleyway to the right of the manor, leaning them against the wall.
“My name is Golden Barricade, and I’ll be your... well, let’s say hostess, to our fine show this evening,” said the mare theatrically, smiling brightly all the while. Just as Braeburn went to call his warnings, Golden Barricade motioned to the two darker stallions, whom both nodded as they tore the black sheet from whatever it was concealing. Braeburn and Daring shifted their positions, attempting to take in the large piece of equipment.
A long circle of cylindrical tubes bound by steel bands stood on an axle between two large wooden, spoked wheels. At the other end of the reflective barrels was a thicker steel cylinder, a hoof-crank protruding from its side. The two stallions maneuvered themselves behind the device, angling it right in Braeburn’s direction.
“Tell me that’s not a gun,” Daring murmured to his right, her wings spread in preparation.
“Daring, she left the skies open. Get outta here,” Braeburn said, keeping his stance.
“Do you seriously think I’m leaving you here?!” she hissed. Braeburn grit his teeth, knowing that she would never do any such thing. Azure mentioned that the Windburg pegasi were sent to kill him in some kind of blinded scheme to make him join Sure Shot. So were these ponies sent in the same fashion? This wasn't making any sense. How in the world did Sure Shot expect to gain Braeburn's partnership like this? Why was he sending skilled ponies to their deaths over it? A dark sinking feeling in his chest told him that he might find out soon enough. His time to think started to run out as one of the bandits turned the crank on the rear of the device. The barrels began to turn, a high, winding noise emanating from it.
Braeburn’s heart thudded heavily against his chest, not knowing what was going to happen next. All he knew was that this struggle had gone on for far too long, and that he was going to do whatever it took to get himself, Daring, his father and everypony else out alive. If that meant his weapon would need to take the lives of those standing in his way, then he had no other options. These ponies may not have known about their leader's apathy toward their lives, but they were still his followers. Braeburn was not about to forgive their choice.
The riflepony opened the action of his weapon, pulling back the lever on the side of its brass receiver. With a sharp metallic clack, the side plates flicked open away from him. Braeburn closed the action, loading a reflective crimson cartridge into the chamber.
“Brae, what are you doing?” the pegasus grunted under her breath.
“They came to my town, raised all sorts o’ heck, harmed the ponies closest to me... all without redemption. This has gone on far too long,” the riflepony growled. Without giving Daring another look, Braeburn aligned his sights with the center of the revolving barrels. “Ah’m ending this tonight.”
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Nothing wrong with a little dark
so he will be using another one of those dragons breath rounds on the Gatling gun seems appropriate I hope Arial's parents won't be caught in the crossfire
Vigilante justice, epic action, mysterious conspiracies/plots, mild comedy, dark moments, touching moments, adorable romance... this story has EVERYTHING.
Two words:
F*** YEAH.
I would have been all for the dark stuff. It can be an adventure and intense.
I like gatling guns FAR too much.
Wonder what this is about Azure...
Well, that's one Windburg twin that most DEFINITELY won't be a problem anymore.
This is like, the sixth time this story as been featured. What's your secret?
2781933 When a batch of story updates comes in on the site, the ones with the best ratings (for that time period) get featured for a little while.
Good god, Bullet!
Ahh, I was wondering where the previously mentioned Gore was. So you ended up toning it down?
When you're done this DiveBomb. You should do a 'Cowpony & Aliens' story using Brae and Daring, and your own OC. I think it would be interesting, I'm not saying that you just take the plot from 'Cowboys & Aliens' I mean come up with your own plot that uses Aliens, either Human Aliens or Weird ass Alien Aliens.
Is it weird that, between your Riflepony series and Ponky's The Sisters Doo, my head canon has made Daring Do real and shipped her with Braeburn? Cuz that happened. Even though there is no Daring Do x Braeburn outside of this.
2783228 Well that's because no one is dumb enough to ship those two besides me XD
But thanks!
So an old fashioned hand (hoof) cranked gatling gun versus Braeburn and the Dragon's Breath rounds.
DIS GON BE GUD!
I'm waiting for the serious gore. Call me twisted but I love it in a story like this.... What's wrong with me?
Bring on the PAIN!!?
Well, I think Braeburn's given them enough chances by now, definitely. Time to end this madness, one well-aimed shot at a time. Looking forward to the next chapter!
Aww, but I wanted dark...
Good job with the story so far! I read both this and TITW and I loved them both. Your characterisation of Braeburn is well done, and you manage to pull off his morality struggle very convincingly. I can't really find anything to fault with your writing. I'm waiting with anticipation for the next chapter! Keep up the good work!
finally it comes ,out great chapter though
p.s i just signed up, ive reading this story from the start I LOVE IT!!!
Aw meng, I at least expected Breaburn to shoot (pardon my french, no offense to any french) one of that bastard's fucking limbs! Somewhere non-fatal at least... then again there was a filly there, but that'd make it even better XD nah but still love the touch of dark. If only you had those "deleted scenes" ;~;
So, about those deleted scenes... either hit CTRL+Z a bunch, look in the recycle bin, or re-type them. I really want to see them, now.
Another excellent chapter, though I am filled with sorrow that it took me so long before I had time to read it. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Wow ive blasted through the whole riflepony works in 2 days! This story is unbeliavably, undeniably , unputdownable! But crap now i actually have to wait for more chapters!
Awesome!
Brae needs some more incendiary rounds. Perhaps some explosive shots would come in handy.
At least he has once thing going for him. He's the Eragon to Sure Shot's Galbatorix. Sure Shot wants him captured and recruited. Can't do that if Brae is dead...
I tried to read it, I really did, but its devolving again into dark territories, and to be honest I have to dealt with that shit everyday in real life, so having to deal with it as well on the internet is too much.
Once its finished I will try to return, given that I'm still looking forward for my happy ending.
Did pump action come earlier than gatling guns? Or is it just a preference, cuz I guess there could be some difficulty pumping with a hoof. And damn, that means no revolvers either. Oh well. Pistols and hooves just don't mix well, unfortunately.
On the plus side, I congratulate you for not giving everyone bottomless clips.
2832408 Funnily enough, I am covering those topics in a guide I'm writing for incorporating guns in ponyfics, so stay tuned for that! And thanks!
2832727
I like reading about Hollywood gun mistakes. I also like griping about it whenever someone fires 7 shots froma a revolver that clearly has 6 barrels.
Wait, are you also addressing how/if ponies can use pistols/handguns? I haven't figured it out myself beyond an oversized grip and maybe adding a front grip, which makes it more like a submachine gun to be honest (I see the Uzi more as a machine pistol rather a smg.)
2833777 Yes, I will be covering that and more, with illustrations where they are needed.
2827440
Gentlecolts
Right behind you.
Hey I love the story, but its never updated. But take all the time you need its a great story and it doesn't need rushed. But for peats sake your killing me with all the damn suspence!!!!!!!
I've been trying to reduce the amount of dark content I indulge.
I may have to pass up on ever finishing reading this story...
Darn it these chapters end with such cliffhangers! I admit though. Not enough happened in this chapter to leave me satisfied. Didn't even have as many feels as at least the last chapter had. If this ends tonight, does that mean this story is coming to an end? That's bad and good. Either way, keep up the good work. I want to see how this finally comes to an end. Keep up the good work.
He's loaded a dragon's breath cartridge. Someone's gonna get it up the arse!