Apprehension and Evasion
“There she is! After her!”
“She’s going down the alley!”
I watched as the perpetrator galloped into the darkness of the city’s alleyways. It was difficult to tell what she looked like considering the height of the rooftop I was standing on and how late in the evening it was. Well, she was wearing a dark cloak; that much was obvious. And she was a unicorn, too, considering the glowing aura on her head and the summoning of ice from out of nowhere thereafter.
Then again, I already knew who she was; the squad read up on her file before taking on this crazy marehunt. Her name was Diamond Dust. Special talent: water and ice-based magic. Considered armed and dangerous.
She had been a member of the Royal Guard until a few years ago, when she was revealed to be feeding sensitive intelligence to a terrorist cell in Canterlot. A group of radicals, to be exact. Radicals who were against Princess Celestia as the sole ruler of Equestria.
The group was captured and soon disbanded, but Diamond Dust managed to evade apprehension by the authorities and left the city. Nopony’s seen her ever since being branded as an enemy of the state.
That is, until she suddenly showed her fact to the gendarme patrol. Now we were hot on Diamond Dust’s hooves.
To be honest, though, I was rather agitated. Don’t get me wrong, I’m up for chasing down a perp. It’s just when work gets in the way of my private life like that, I get ticked.
Thing is, my sister and I were supposed to hang out with a few friends back from our West Hoof days. Well, my West Hoof days; Lightning never fancied a career in the military. Anyways, it was important, since our friends were leaving for Trottingham later tonight on business. Ugh, and it was going to be at Club 456, one of the hottest clubs in the city’s entertainment district. With DJ P0N-3, too. But no, I had to get dragged into a marehunt tonight out of all nights.
I sighed in disappointment.
“You, too?” asked Cloud Kicker.
The mare on the run leapt over a few barrels before knocking them down with her magic. “Yeah. I was really looking forward to seeing them.” I said. “Airheart and Brolly are never in Canterlot unless it’s due to weather related business.”
“And you’re never in Ponyville either.” she quipped.
I shrugged. “Can’t help it if I’ve got a lot of things going on.”
“Well, when you do have the time to break away, come to Ponyville and visit us someday.” Cloud said with benign sarcasm. “Seriously, take some time off and spend a weekend down there. ‘S a nice little place. Simple, relatively quiet, plenty of ponies to get friendly wi-”
A cry from below cut her off. We looked down to see one of the gendarmes on her side. Both her front shins were pierced through by ice jutting from the cobblestone, effectively pinning her in place. Another guard quickly tended to his comrade while the others continued their pursuit of Diamond Dust.
The rogue in question turned away from the scene and ran deeper into the labyrinth of alleys.
I glanced at Cloud. “You ready for this, Lieutenant Kicker?”
She winked. “I’m on your six, Sergeant Sentry.”
With that, the two of us spread our wings and took off.
We had to fly relatively close to the rooftops to make sure we didn’t overshoot Diamond Dust. Even with the moon and the occasional lamp as our sources of light, following her proved to be a challenge. That didn’t mean it was impossible, though. Our training was proof of that.
The guard ponies were close behind Diamond Dust again. The ex-mage erected a thick wall of ice to slow down our ground-pounder comrades. She then stopped and turned to presumably admire her handiwork.
Psh, like that wall would do anything.
One of the guards, a unicorn herself, charged up a ball of flame at the tip of her horn. She launched it at the barrier. We all watched as the fireball struck the all, blowing it to pieces and flinging shards of ice every which way. It was spectacular, just like an action scene from a motion picture.
That sent our perpetrator running further into the labyrinth.
It didn’t take very long. Diamond Dust eventually ran herself into a dead end. Cloud Kicker and I took that opportunity and landed behind her. She turned to us, face still hidden beneath the hood of her cloak.
The sound of armored hooves rang out from behind us. Good, the rest of the unit caught up with us. Hopefully the numbers alone would be enough to convince our quarry to stand down. Brute force was another option, but having seen what Diamond Dust did to that one guard, I wanted us to tread lightly at this point. Having a throw-down with her could do more harm than good.
Also, I never hit mares, even if they had an aggressive streak like this one. It’s just not right. Now when it comes to stallions, I’ll tackle them in a heartbeat. They can suffer a little punishment.
I held out a hoof to the unicorn. “Easy there.” I said gently, doing my best not to prompt Diamond Dust into lashing out at either of us. “Let’s not make this any harder than it has to be.”
As if the charges of terrorism and assaulting a gendarme weren’t enough to screw her over already.
“Please,” Cloud said just as calmly. “Just come quietly, and nopony else gets hurt. Okay?” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others circling around. Any moment, and they would tackle her senseless.
Diamond Dust took a step back. “Sorry, but you’re going to have to work for it.” Her horn began to glow an ice blue.
Suddenly, the ground under my hooves began to feel very slippery. I looked down to see a patch of ice quickly forming and rising at a point in the center. My breathed hitched when I realized what she was going to do. I leapt to the side as a narrow, pony-sized icicle erupted from where I was standing with a shlick. Any slower, and I would have been skewered.
It was a hard landing, having jumped off of ice. My side hit the cobblestone, eliciting a pained grunt. Sure, I was wearing armor with some padding, but the additional weight was still enough to give me a good bruise.
The others fared the same, more or less. A few of us were pushed closer to our quarry by other icicles that had shot up from the ground, while the remaining guards were forced back into the alley.
Another wall of ice shot up from the ground. It blocked off the alley and effectively cut off most of the unit from us. That left only three of us against Little Miss Snowflake. Being pegasi, Cloud and I had the advantage of three-dimensional movement. The other, the sole unicorn of the unit, had the magical prowess to even that end of the playing field.
Okay, forget negotiations and forget being a gentlecolt. It was time to get physical.
I couldn’t risk just us against her, though. This mare was known for her tactical genius as well as her magic. Diamond Dust was sharp and no doubt had a few tricks up her metaphorical sleeve. We needed the numbers to overwhelm her, which meant the wall of ice behind us had to go.
“Corporal Sun! Take out that obstruction!” I barked as I got back to my hooves.
Diamond Dust raised a hoof at us. “Do what you want, but it’ll be of no use,” she said with great confidence. “I have transmutation circles scattered about the district. You destroy the wall, and I can simply bring it back up.”
Midnight Sun, the corporal, shattered the wall as I ordered. The other gendarmes were about to pass through when two circles on either brick wall glowed an ice blue and crackled with energy. The ice then reformed itself so fast, barely anypony had taken a step forward. The wall was just as thick as the previous one.
Why did we get stuck with mostly earth ponies? Seriously, were there not enough unicorns in Canterlot to be spared for something such as this? High Command, I am disappointed.
“I wasn’t bluffing, you imbecile,” Diamond Dust snarked. She then gracefully discarded her cloak. “Now, I did say you would have to work for it.” She made a ‘come hither’ motion with her hoof. “So, catch me if you ca-!”
Cloud cut her off as she rammed into her. The two tumbled to the ground and engaged in a typical street brawl, only replacing unrefined punches and slaps with military techniques. I could see some krav pega tossed into the mix. Attempted, that is.
I closed in on the pair, ready to jump in when Diamond Dust made herself vulnerable or when Cloud needed assistance. Whichever came first. As I did so, I called out orders to Midnight Sun. “Destroy the transmutation circles.” Two successive flashes of orange and bursts of hot air soon followed.
“Get off me, damn it!” the mage commanded as Cloud tried to immobilize her. The two rolled over several times in a tangle of limbs, fiercely exchanging punches and kicks. At one point, Diamond Dust jabbed her horn at Cloud and nearly gouged out her eye, but the latter jerked her head to the side to avoid the blow. It was barely enough, though, as the horn left a paper-thin cut on her cheek. Our perp smirked and blasted a coating of ice over Cloud’s exposed side, trapping one of her wings. Diamond Dust then bucked her off and into the wall with strength a unicorn shouldn’t have. The layer of ice shattered and left Cloud a heap on the ground. She didn’t get back up.
I turned cold.
“Officer down!” One of the others cried out.
At that moment, something happened. That cold feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach began to melt and take shape into something blazing hot. Just the sight of Cloud lying there limp on the cobblestone set me off into a rage.
I flared out my wings and propelled myself towards Diamond Dust, letting out a yell all the while. She turned to me and her eyes went wide as I collided with her. The both of us then slammed into the wall, eliciting pained gasps us both. My helmet was knocked off in the process, making a metallic clatter as it hit the ground.
To be honest, I can’t remember what happened after that; the next few moments went by in a blur. All I recall is that somehow Diamond Dust was forced up on her hind legs and pinned against the wall, while I had one of my wing blades poised against her throat.
“Sergeant!”
I felt a hoof on my shoulder, driving me to whip my head around. The unit’s commander, an earth pony by the name of Domino, looked at me sternly. His gaze bore into me like a drill.
“Stand down,” he said. “It’s over.” His tone went firmer. “We need her alive.”
The anger slowly simmered down. With one last look at our perp, I let out a sigh and moved my wing away from her throat. Domino rushed in and slapped an inhibitor ring on her horn. Once I retrieved my helmet, the two of us flanked Diamond Dust and we set off for the main street. A quick glance behind me showed Cloud up on her hooves, the blow she took having no lingering effect on her. She seemed to be in good shape. That was a relief, enough to put me at ease.
It didn’t take too long to escort the prisoner out of the clusterbuck of alleyways. Once out, we were greeted by the sight of a military carriage.
The pony who had been pierced through the shins earlier was sitting on the rear, her wounds being tended to by a medic. She seemed to be taking it rather well; it didn’t look like the holes in her shins were bothering her too much. Must have been given something to numb the pain.
Another guard, a unicorn mare, had her face scrunched up in concentration as she stood by the supply chest, idly tinkering away at something in her telekinetic field that was too small for me to see. The mare looked up from her work to see us approaching. She immediately reached into one of her saddlebags with her magic.
“Finally, you got her,” she said as she pulled out a syringe, “And I thought I’d have wasted my time fine-tuning these.”
I took a look at what the young guard had been working on. They were two gemstones, each about the size of a pea. They were different than your usual gemstone suited for decoration, as each was a sphere intricately cut into decagonal pattern, maybe more. In the center of each was a hollow space that contained components so small one would need a jeweler’s eyepiece to see them well, which she happened to be wearing.
“What are those?” I asked as Sun got our prisoner to stand up against the carriage.
“These,” she explained, “are tracking gems. They’re designed to be planted on somepony and act as a beacon.”
“How do they work?” I watched Sun put on a pair of gloves and search Diamond Dust for hidden items.
“Normally, I use a pair of tracers inscribed with runes. Once secured, I can mentally ping their general location. Not exactly the most precise and they last only about a month. That is, if properly taken care of.” She scrunched her face again as she did some complex maneuver with her tools. “These, on the other hoof, require genetic material stored in the tracing matrix to operate properly. Once the blood, hair, or whatever is secured inside, I can use my gem to maintain a connection with the other and keep tabs on whoever’s tagged. They’re more accurate and last much, much longer since all the components are inside the gem. It can also be operated by non-unicorns, so that’s another plus for efficiency.”
She stopped for a moment before resuming her tinkering. “Well, that’s how it’s supposed to work. It’s a prototype design I’ve been working on over the past few months.”
Cloud chuckled softly. “It’s the cadet’s special talent.”
“You know us Kickers,” said the cadet, grinning proudly. “Jacks of all military trades.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I was very much impressed with the young cadet and her ingenuity.
Diamond Dust leaned her head down towards me, totally ignorant of the conversation. “You know, I’m a mare of many assets and I can be very generous to my allies.” She said, her tone seductive. She whipped her tail lightly at my face.
I grinned as I finished searching her. “That is a very tempting offer. In the meantime, I have a little gift of my own.” I slapped a pair of cuffs on her rear fetlocks. “Receipt not included.” Another set to her front fetlocks. “No returns or exchanges. Sorry.” That grin turned into a smirk that would have given my sister Lightning a run for her money.
That elicited an annoyed huff out of the mage. Her face then distorted as she let out a loud hiss.
Cloud and I looked to find the cadet’s syringe in one of Diamond Dust’s glutes, drawing in a minute amount of blood. It was then magically removed and brought back to its owner. She continued to fiddle with the tracking gems, injecting both with the newly-acquired fluid.
The cadet looked up. “What? I said it needed genetic material.”
Diamond Dust glared at her. “You could have used a strand of my mane.”
“Blood works better,” the Kicker rebutted nonchalantly, though there was a hint of smugness in her tone.
“... Anyway, you’ve never met each other, have you?” Cloud asked.
“Can’t say I have.” Of the several years I’ve known the Kickers, I’ve never really met many of them. Sure, I’ve most likely worked with a few of them in the Royal Guard and I did meet several of them three days ago at Major Gust’s funeral (may she rest in peace), but I didn’t really know many on a personal level. The only Kickers I’m well acquainted with are Cloud and her aunt.
Doctor Wind Kicker. I knew her through the counseling sessions we’ve had. Back during my time at West Hoof, I was suffering … delayed parental abandonment issues. Look, I don’t want to talk about it; it’s a touchy subject and I’m still not over divorce.
I held out a hoof to the cadet. “Sergeant Flash Sentry.”
The young mare briefly diverted her attention from her work and shook it. “Cadet Star Kicker.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” There was a lingering silence as I did one last check of the prisoner. I then handed her off to Corporal Sun, who proceeded to remove Diamond Dust’s horseshoes. Ignoring the eloquent string of expletives coming from the mage, I pressed on. “So, a cadet and a Kicker, huh?”
Star nodded. “Cloud’s my cousin on my mother’s side. And I’m currently attending West Hoof. Last year, actually.” She did another look-over of the twin gems before taking off the jeweller’s eyepiece she was wearing. Star grinned in satisfaction as she admired her work. “Done. Time to test them out.”
Cloud went with Star to oversee the planting of the tracking gem. I was about to follow when Domino stopped me. “Sergeant. A word with you.” He motioned and I followed him a short distance from the carriage, near the alleys.
His voice was at a whisper, but the disappointment in his tone spoke volumes. So did that piercing caramel glare. “What in Tartarus was that?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“You know damn well what I mean!” shot Captain Domino. “Earlier, back in the alleys. You about slit her throat. What were you thinking?”
“Diamond Dust was a threat to the others, sir.” I explained. “I had to restrain her and there was little time to think analytically. It may have not been the most rational tactic, but holding a blade to the neck kept the target stationary until she could be successful apprehended. Sir.”
He shook his head in disappointment. “The others beg to differ. You lacked self-control out there, Sergeant. You’ve been under my command for the past two years, and I have never seen you lose your cool on duty.”
His tone then softened. Not much, but it was noticeable. “What happened out there, Flash?”
I thought back to the encounter with Diamond Dust and had to admit it. I did lose control. It wasn’t typical of me to let emotions take over and direct my actions. Normally, I kept a tight lid on them and maintained the image of an orderly soldier. Tonight demonstrated otherwise, I frowned in disappointment.
As for what set me off … I have a crush on Cloud. We’ve been good friends for years and, well, I care for her. A lot. Just seeing her- or any of my friends and family for that matter- getting hurt like that really rustled my jimmies.
I sighed. “I’m just having an off night, sir. It’s not an excuse for screwing up and I understand that. I will do my best to handle things more professionally.”
I wasn’t going to reveal the secret of my crush. That would be embarrassing to tell anypony, let alone my commanding officer. Think about it: me and Cloud? A couple? When Tartarus freezes over, maybe. Besides, if I were to get more intimate with her, it wouldn’t go any further than a one night stand. Maybe two.
The mare has her own set of ‘banging rules’, believe it or not. One of them is to make sure a romantic relationship is not on the table, or something to that degree. After all, Cloud’s the kind of pony who’d rather not be tied down by commitments. Instead, she opts to be more … physically affectionate with those she holds dear without restraint.
In theory we could do the dirty dance. As long as I suck it up and deal with the fact there won’t be any exclusivity involved. That still won’t do anything to dowse that little flame in my heart, though.
Domino opened his mouth to reply when we heard the crackling of energy. It was accompanied by a glowing blue light in our peripheral vision. There was a shout and the carriage along with the area around it was covered in a massive cloud of steam.
“Gah!” I shut my eyes and covered my nose with a wing. “What the hay was that!?”
“Don’t know, kid.” Domino coughed. “Flap your wings and clear out some of the steam. We’ll find out then.”
I did as he commanded and used my wings to fan out the thick cloud . It was initially difficult, considering the steam stung the parts of me was not covered by armor. That included my eyes, leaving me to blindly flap for a few moments. It stank terribly, too; it smelled worse than an outhouse. Eventually, we were able to see more clearly and began moving forward in the sizable gap I made. As I pushed aside bits of the cooling steam with a wing beat or a hoof, the captain called out to the squad.
“Oi, is everypony okay?”
A voice replied from beyond. “We’re fine, sir.” It was Corporal Sun.
The cloud was beginning to disperse on its own now. Sun was easier to see, as was the rest of team. Domino went to speak with the other squadmates. Meanwhile, I quickly ran to the back of the carriage to find out more about what just happened. What greeted me was my comrade sitting on her haunches and nursing her horn. The cuffs I put on Diamond Dust earlier had been discarded next to her.
“Hey. You okay, Midnight?” I addressed the corporal as I helped her up.
Midnight smiled. “Yeah, thanks. Just got hit on the horn is all.” Her minute grin faded when she took notice of the cuffs. She retrieved them, by hoof, and began inspecting them. “Damn, she broke the locking mechanisms.” Midnight tossed them to me and I took a look as well. Yep, she was right.
“What happened?”
“I was loading her onto the carriage.” she explained. “Next thing I know, Diamond Dust creates this steam cloud and she’s gone.”
“She’s loose?” I asked. Sun nodded solemnly. I cursed under my breath. “How did that happen? You checked her over completely, right?”
“Twice, including both cavity searches.” We heard an amused snort from Cloud, but ignored it. “Even if I didn’t do any of that, she was cuffed and had an inhibitor ring.” She pointed to her horn. “No free hooves. No magic.”
I let out an annoyed grunt. “She had to escape somehow.”
Midnight paused for a moment. “Well, she did perform alchemy, which doesn’t require use of the horn to be utilized,” she explained. “Remember, back in the alleyway? She used transmutation circles.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, she did. Her horseshoes had them, too.” I displayed the underside of my hoofguard. “Thing is, I took them off her. So there is no way she could have made use of alchemy.”
“There has to be!” Midnight insisted, making a wide gesture, “Unless she wasn’t bluffing about having multiple transmutation circles sprinkled throughout this part of Canterlot ...” She drifted off. Her amber eyes widened and her mouth slowly fell open as if she had just experienced some kind of epiphany.
I copied her motions, the idea of what could have happened slowly dawning on me as well. If Diamond Dust was serious, and there were transmutation circles placed all over the area, then there had to be one right where we were standing. As if the ones in the alley weren’t proof enough. And if it was here, she could have activated it to set off the steam cloud. Thing is, it would have to been small enough to be concealed, but noticeable all the same.
But that did not explain how the cuffs had been rendered useless.
Maybe she’d frozen whatever moisture was intermingled with the cuff’s inner-workings and shattered them from the inside. With the components reduced to nothing, the locks and screws would fail and Diamond Dust could slip out of them. Then she’d be home free.
It was a longshot, considering she had to be outlandishly brilliant to pull this off, but it was the only plausible explanation. And if she did indeed go great lengths to make all of this happen, Celestia knew what else was in store for us.
Midnight activated a flashlight spell and began hunting for our mystery circle. Meanwhile, Captain Domino and the two Kickers were coming our way, the former talking to the cadet. “Cadet, you sure your tracking gem is planted securely on Diamond Dust?” Domino questioned.
Cadet Kicker nodded. “It is, sir. Identifying her location now.” The few of us waited eagerly as she closed her eyes and concentrated on zeroing in on the convict’s location. The gem, which was in her hoof, began to hypnotically pulse with an ice blue aura. It took a few seconds before Kicker opened her eyes. “She’s heading east. Just passed Wing’s Curios & Things.”
“Captain.” Their attention was soon directed at me. “Corporal Sun and I have a theory on how the prisoner escaped.” I proceeded to explain how Diamond Dust may have planted a transmutation circle and used it for cover as well as her presumed method for breaking out of the cuffs.
“Still one question, though,” Cadet Kicker commented. “Where did she get the water to produce that much steam?”
I admit, she had a point. There weren’t any nearby sources of water large enough to amount for our sizable cloud of steam. It hadn’t rained for the past few days, so there weren’t any puddles. Nor were there any buckets or barrels near us that could hold more than a gallon or so.
Think, I mentally commanded myself. Think, think, think ...
There was a pause before Sun offered another contribution to the case, still scanning the street. “Maybe the carriage is parked over a marehole?” We all looked at her, eager to her more. “The first circle has to be about the size of a bit to remain relatively undetected. If Diamond Dust applied remote alkahestry, she may have used that circle to relay an alchemic signal from it to the one on the marehole cover. And you all know what’s in a marehole, right?”
Cloud licked her lips. “Big things, small things, wet things, hard things ....”
Sun nearly fell over at the quip. Star and I facehoofed, letting slip a grin and a snicker. Captain Domino, on the other hoof, wasn’t amused in the slightest. Not one bit.
“Now’s not the time for comedy, Lieutenant.”
The lavender pegasus was taken aback from his lack of laughter. “Just trying to lighten the mood, Captain.”
“As you were saying, it leads to the sewers and storm drains,” Star answered for Sun, having finished her snickering fit. “Plenty of water to create a cloud of steam perfect for a concealed escape. And it explains the stench, too. Blegh.” She crinkled her muzzle and stuck out her tongue in disgust.
Sharp character, that one. Definitely a jack of all military trades.
“Yep,” the corporal agreed, “That about sums it up. Though I still have to find the first-- ah, found it.” She motioned for me to take a closer look. Lo and behold under Sun’s light spell, there it was: a transmutation circle no bigger than a bit.
“I’ll check the marehole cover for the other one.” I offered.
“You do that, Sergeant.” Domino said. He turned to Star. “Where is Diamond Dust now?”
I signaled the unicorns harnessed to the carriage with a whistle, then motioned them to move it forward. Silence followed as the cadet reactivated the tracking gem and I took a look at the marehole cover. Lo and behold, there was the transmutation circle. Diamond Dust definitely wasn’t kidding; she had this area of the city booby-trapped.
“Just passed Little Celestia’s. Three blocks over.” There was a pause as Cadet Kicker intently stared into the gem. “Huh,” she said, perplexed. “She’s stopped.”
“Holing up?” I asked, rejoining the group.
“Probably baiting us, if you ask me.” Sun commented. “Celestia knows how many more circles she has planted.”
“Either way, she’s a threat to the populace.” Domino rebutted. “And we’re not going to get anything done if we continue standing around.” He soon began sounding off orders. Cadet Kicker would lead the way, while Cloud and I provided aerial assistance. Neighkita was sent to gather reinforcements in the form of other gendarme squads that were passing by.
Hopefully we would catch Diamond Dust off guard and take her down for good.
It didn’t take long for us to catch up with our quarry. Diamond Dust was still hiding by the eatery. More specifically, the alley where the trash was set aside for pick-up. The problem, though, was none of us could find our evasive mare where she was supposed to be. Star’s tracking gems were telling her Diamond Dust was right here.
Worse yet, the moon was steadily being overtaken by cloud cover. That meant less light to work with, and left light spells and the cruddy backstreet lamps as our sources of illumination.
We split into groups to cover more ground. Domino remained with the bulk of the unit to scout out the immediate area. Meanwhile, Cloud, Sun, and I went into one of the branching alleyways behind the shop.
I’m getting sick of alleys now.
As we searched through every square inch before us, I could not help but become distracted. What was Diamond Dust planning to do with all that alchemic graffiti she claimed to have? Freeze over Canterlot? She had the ability to relay signals from circle to circle, so that was a possibility, if an absurd one.
But let’s say that was her goal. What would she possibly gain out of it? I mean, that would do a lot of damage to the city. Maybe even render it structurally unsound and send it careening off the edge of the mountain it’s built on. Was that it? Freeze over Canterlot and destroy it? I guess Diamond Dust was beyond pissed when she lost everything to the authorities. She’s out for blood isn’t she? Royal blood.
Something in the back of my mind said otherwise. There had to be a more practical motive for this than petty vengeance.
That, and for a unicorn to possess such incredible power was practically impossible. Well, there were exceptions like Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, both of whom had been given the honor of studentship under Princess Celestia, but that was beside the point. Diamond Dust would need something to amplify her magic, be it a brew of some sort or an ancient artifact.
“Hey,” somepony said, driving me out of my thoughts. Cloud looked at me with a concerned expression. “You okay?”
“Er, yeah. Just got a lot on my mind.” A moment of silence, save for the sound of me opening a creaky dumpster. “How about you? It looked like you took a nasty hit back there.”
Cloud made a sound of amusement. “I’m fine.” She rapped a hoof against her chestplate. “Takes more than that to take out a Kicker.”
I left the dumpster. “Still, a unicorn shouldn’t be able to put that much force into a buck. Only earth ponies. If I had to guess, she’s using some sort of a muscular enhancement spell.”
Sun peeked around a corner. “Doubt it. Those spells are dangerous, even for remarkable mages at or above her level. They could potentially deform or mutate the muscular structure.” She turned back around and faced me. “Besides, she didn’t show either side effect.”
Which tosses that theory out the window. “Okay then,” I said neutrally. “What about a potion?”
The ebony unicorn tapped a hoof to her chin. “I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of performance-enhancing solutions. It would explain the increased strength as well as her heightened magical ability. She’s a borderline Alpha-Beta, but even she would need something to give her the boost to conjure those ice walls.”
“How concentrated would it have to be?” Cloud asked. “I’d imagine not much considering she’s high up there on the scale.”
“Not much, Lieutenant.” Sun clarified. “Just a mild dosage and Diamond Dust will be a force to be reckoned with. Magically and physically.”
Then we could hear the metallic pitter-patter of water hitting our armor. The three of us looked up to see the sky completed blanketed by clouds. Rain was starting to fall.
“Great,” I deadpanned, “She’s gonna have a field day with this.” Of all the days to rain, it had to be on the one where a terrorist proficient with ice-based magic was on the loose. Now we had to worry about her tossing frozen raindrops at us like daggers. Or snowflakes into throwing stars. “This day just keeps getting better and better.”
“Hey, Flash,” Cloud nudged my side with a slight grin. “Stop bitching and stay frosty.”
That cracked a smile out of me despite the poor choice of words. “Roger that.”
The three of us moved forward as we kept ears and eyes tuned for any signs of Diamond Dust. With the rain starting to fall more heavily, though, listening for the sound of hooves on cobblestone was made a more difficult task. Sighting her through the curtain of rain became less of a walk in the park, too.
Something metallic clanged against the wall. We flinched, remaining still and silent to listen for the sound again. For a few long moments, nothing followed save for the gradually worsening weather. Then we heard grunts and cries emanating from another side street up ahead. One look shared between us and were off investigate.
Well, we were about to, if it wasn’t for the limping form emerging from within. It stepped into the the dim light of a well-weathered lamp, revealing the mysterious figure to be Diamond Dust. A beaten and battered Diamond Dust. She was leaning to her right side, nursing her left foreleg. It had a deep gash along its length it. There was another wound, a clean cut on her cheek not unlike Cloud’s.
The three of us got into battle ready positions, wings flared and horn glowing with magic. The mare looked up at us, breathing heavily. She looked positively drained. Well, she was roughed up a bit, that was obvious. But it was like all that energy, all of that boisterous and prideful spirit, had simply vanished, leaving behind something barely more than a shell.
Several moments passed between us before the pale blue unicorn collapsed.
I instantly bolted towards her. There were alarm bells ringing in my head warning me not to get near her. I ignored them, though, as I dashed over to the fallen mage. The others followed without a word. Upon reaching Diamond Dust, I could see her condition was far more apparent. Aside from her previous injuries, she was bruised pretty badly, particularly around her abdomen and face. One of her eyes was blackened and swelling slightly.
I was about to ask her what had happened. I could not help but wonder how the hay somepony gave her a good beating when none of us were able to. Not that I would beat a mare, mind you. But it wasn’t the time nor the place just yet to ask her questions.
Midnight gave a her once over with her hooves, then another with her magic. “She’s clean. No contraband. But she’ll need immediate medical attention.” The Corporal levitated Diamond Dust up to eye level, allowing Cloud and I to place her restraints.
Cloud proceeded with the ‘arrest and rights’ dialogue as we made our way back to the carriage. “Diamond Dust, you are under arrest on the charges of assaulting a member of the Royal Guard, treason, and terrorism. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to an attorney ...”
As I followed behind them, I heard a noise behind me. Even with the persistent pitter-patter pounding against my helmet, I could hear a buzzing noise. It sounded alive, like wings fluttering. Letting curiosity get the best of me, I turned my head back to see … nothing. Just the empty alley in it’s dank, dim, decrepit glory.
I couldn’t help but have the feeling we were being watched. There was something in that darkness, observing us like the prey we were, waiting for the instant our guard would be down and we were vulnerable to be picked off in moments. Still, there was nothing there I could see.
And still yet, that feeling clung to me like a tax monkey. It just wouldn’t go away until I did something about it.
“Sergeant!” I about jumped when Cloud called out my rank. “Let’s get a move on!”
“R-right.” I rushed back to my comrades. “On your six, Lieutenant.”
Little did I realize from then on, everything changes.
