Through Narrow Roads

THARN

Playing Blackjack was much like waging war, Tharn reasoned; you had to know when to give up and when to trudge on, and you couldn't be afraid of taking either chance. There was also something on the line; here, it was a few bits, while lives and cities were common wagers in the game of war.

"Ante up, my friends!" called Syphys, the current dealer. Tharn had only just met Syphys, but he had taken a liking to him rather quickly. He was obnoxiously boisterous, complete with an insubordinate attitude and a mouth that never shut; just the kind of changeling Tharn enjoyed. A good soldier by Black Hive standards, and a great one anywhere else, he could certainly make up for his less than flexible attitude, that was for sure. Sighing, Tharn pushed in the pathetic amount of money he had left on the table into the center pile.

"I didn't expect my final stand to begin so soon after my promotion," Tharn grumbled as he leaned back in his chair and awaited the newest hand to be dealt. The other three players broke into laughter and, despite his recent loss of funds, Tharn couldn't help but join in. Their banging on the table almost knocked the lamp in the center of it almost topple over, though Syphys was able to catch it before it fell.

It had always been said that the Equestrian sky was the greatest of them all, and that the stars swam across the sky with an elegance unmatched throughout the entire planet. Tharn, after arriving in Equestria and pitching camp on the top of a sizable hill, couldn't think of any other statement he could agree more with at the moment. It truly was beautiful, even among the chatter of the large masses of soldiers at the camp and the occasional clang of steel. A perfect place to lose all of your money at.

The cards came around at a steady pace, and one down card and one up card eventually found themselves across from Tharn; the up card was a ten. This was, as Tharn had joked earlier, his last stand; if he won, he would win the pot and stay alive a little longer. If he lost, he would be completely cleaned of funds and then publicly shamed by his friends as he leaned back in his chair and watched his friends get richer than him. Lady Luck hasn't helped me yet.

"Okay, you can look at your cards now. Best of luck to none of you," Syphys proclaimed; with that, the round had began. Tharn peaked at his cards and tried his absolute best not to roll his eyes at the horrible hand he had been given.

A six and a ten. Wondrous. In Blackjack, almost nothing was worse than the dreaded sixteen; busting was only moments away, but simply staying on the sixteen usually didn't warrant a winning hand. Should the cards be two eights, Tharn could have split the decks; they weren't, however, and he was left with a hard sixteen. There were some folks who played under the surrender rule, where one would lose half the money they wagered, though these were not those type of people; the Black Hive never surrendered.

Tharn gazed around the table and didn't like what he saw. Shypys had an king as his up card, whilst the other two players,Thrax and Dio, both had queens as their up cards. Really? Now had to be the time the universe decided to do something that unprobable?

Tharn looked down at his hand again, and then back up a his fellow players; he didn't get much from them. They're soldiers, after all, and they're trained not show emotion. Why did I play blackjack with professionally trained killers again?

He simply had to hit; that was out of the question, as a sixteen would be much too low to win the game. However, if he got anything above a five he would be done, and that wasn't uncommon in blackjack. Lady Luck obviously did not respect the life choices of Tharn the Changeling, though that would stop him from trying.

"I assume we're good, then? Dio, you first. Hit or stay?" asked Syphys, a grin on his face.

Dio mimicked the expression and leaned back in his chair, raising his arms in the air. "No, I'll stay."

Dio the Changeling was one of the most trustworthy and reliable friends Tharn had ever known; naturally, because of this, he was probably the the biggest lying cheat that had ever put a hoof on a playing card deck. Not surprising that his playing card tactics reflect his battle tactics. All changelings may be shifty bastards, but Dio's the shiftiest. Tharn wouldn't ever want to see such confidence in a game of blackjack, but having it come from Dio was extraordinarily worrisome.

"Alrighty then, boss, looks like you're up. You want be to clean you out, or are you gonna do it yourself?" Syphys, too, sounded confident, which only served to put Tharn even more on the edge.

"You'll need to do this for the sake of the game and you'll want to do this after I take all your money; hit me." With a laugh, Syphys tossed him a card from across the table. Reaching out to retrieve it, Tharn turned it over to reveal an ace, exactly the card he didn't want.

Obviously, I can't use the ace as a ten, or I'd bust; That would bring up my total by one, and I could stay here. Dio's confidence trick seems to be working, as I'm not too inclined to do that. I suppose I'm just gonna have to-

"Hit," said Tharn as he leaned back in his chair once more. Raising his eyebrows, Syphys threw him yet another card from the deck; much to the relief of Tharn, Lady Luck had decided to prove her kindness.

A three! That should do it. Now, to sit back and wait. "I'll stay, thank you." With those words, Syphys' countenance faltered ever so slightly, something Tharn was grateful to see.

"Very well then. Thrax, that leaves you. Hit or stay?"

Thrax was the type of soldier that didn't need to actually fight you; he had you beat from the moment you laid eyes on him. Thrax was probably the best soldier in his squadron, but not in the way that soldiers were generally considered good; rather than using brawn, Thrax was probably the most intelligent being Tharn had ever laid his eyes upon. There wasn't a situation that was too much for Thrax to handle, and no enemy that he couldn't decipher; precisely why he was currently the richest player at the table.

"Hmm...hit me," said Thrax. Syphys passed the card over to him, and what happened next was nothing short of a miracle. Rolling his eyes, Thrax flipped over his card to reveal that he had a king, a seven, and the up card queen; a total of twenty seven, and a number over twenty one.

"Bust. I suppose the odds were eager for something new." A collective groan escaped the lips of everyone else at the table, which prompted Thrax to respond with a chuckle. Once everyone settle down, Syphys grabbed a card from the deck and brought it over to himself.

"I'll hit, for the good it'll do me...or not." flipping the card over, Tharn saw that his prayers had once again been answered; he had drawn a king, which, when paired with his up card king and a two, created a total of twenty two. Tharn immediately turned his head to Dio, who still had that confident look on his face.

"You ready?" asked Dio.

"As I'll ever be," replied Tharn, and they both turned over their cards.

Defeat did not come to the Black Hive often, and it had never come to them during the duration of Tharn's service; however, blackjack was a completely different story. Like one of his daggers easing its way into an enemy's back, Dio's hand effectively ended Tharn; the up card king was paired with the equally deadly ace of spades, totaling up to the flawless twenty one, just coming away with the victory.

"You hear that? That's the sound of the drink you won't be able to afford," said Dio as he mimicked the drinking from a flagon, complete with sound effects. As the whole group laughed, Tharn laughed along, despite his recent loss in fortune. As he looked to the left, however, he saw a very familiar shape approach the camp; Tepes had returned.

"ATTENTION!" screamed Tharn, drawing out the command. Everyone, including his fellow blackjack buddies, immediatly turned towards the direction of the approaching figure and brought their hooves to their brows in a salute. Tepes stopped at the edge of the encampment and pointed towards Tharn.

"Co-Leader Tharn, to me; we need to talk in private. The rest of you, continue what you were doing but don't get comfortable; we'll be having a meeting soon. Dismiss."  With those words, the clang of steel resumed and the boisterous yelling continued. Tharn gave his goodbye's and followed Tepes to the tent at the edge of the encampment where the both of them slept. It was smaller than the larger tents, as it only housed two, and it was a dark green as opposed to black in order to discern the leaders lodging from the regular ones, if it's massive size didn't already.

When they entered the tent, filled with only two cots and two chests filled with their gear, Tharn zipped up the flap behind him and sat down on the ground across from Tepes, who had pulled tea out of somewhere and was currently taking a sip of it. Seeing that Tepes wasn't going to be the one to talk first, Tharn gladly took up the role.

"So, what did Chrissie want? Some military outpost or a strong town?" Tepes sipped on his tea for a few seconds before answering.

"No, actually. She wants Canterlot, and we're the first step in helping her take it. Care for some tea?" The air was silent for a few seconds before Tharn was able to get any words out.

"Wait wait wait, Canterlot? Like, the thriving capital of Equestria with one of the best millitaries in the world Canterlot? Why the hell would you ever accept a contract like that?" asked Tharn, the confusion obviously apparent. In response, Tepes set down his tea and began to rapidly explain the situation.

"We won't be among her invading army, I can assure you. Our job is to capture a Princess of Equestria, Mi Amore Cadenza. Cadenza will be in town for her wedding, as she is marrying the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor. We capture Cadenza and hand her over to Chrysalis, thus making her able to imitate Cadenza up to and on the wedding day, so she can lower the gates of Canterlot when its least expected and invade the city."

That's so stupid it may actually work, thought Tharn as he stared blankly into space; a stare he kept when asking his next question.

"How do you propose we pull off this job? Cadenza is like to be surrounded with countless guards at all times, if not most of the time, so when do you wish for us to strike?" Tepes set down his tea and stood up, his head just barely missing the top of the tent.

"That's where you come in. Tomorrow is Monday and we'll do the job on Saturday. You and two of your choice will travel to Canterlot tomorrow and likely get their on Tuesday if we're lucky, as we don't have too much time. I want you to develop a dossier Cadenza, with no room for error; if she's always surrounded by guards, let me know. If there is a window where she isn't, let me know. I want her favorite shops, hobbies, everything you could possibly get on her so we can do this right. We'll arrive on Friday and get the job done on Saturday. Sound good?" Dusting himself off, Tharn got up to meet Tepes at an eye level; they were both about the same height.

"Yes, it's a good plan, but I do have one more thing to ask. This seems like a rather big heist, and I know you wouldn't accept this if something other than money was thrown in with it, so I ask you; what is Chrysalis going to give you?" asked Tharn. Tepes gave a what was considered a rarity around the Black Hive; a smile.

"Money is included; ten thousand bits; but I demanded something else. I requested that the Changelings take Rigid Pass for us, as it would be a tremendous strategic military standpoint for the Black Hive." Tharn gave a confused look.

"The Rigid Pass? I don't think I've heard of that before." Tepes' smile grew wider, and it was then that Tharn caught on to the schemes of his fellow co-leader.

"I would hope so, as it doesn't exist. Oh, and one more thing before you go; make sure that, by the end of the job, Canterlot knows something is planning on attacking them; we wouldn't want the conquest to be to easy, we would we?"