Chez Madrassa, Middle City, Coltenhagen
2 Years Before the Shadowbolt/Wonderbolt War

Rat woke to the gentle tug of Tenshi’s wing as she pulled him closer. Moonlight from the window strewn across the sheets as the kirin mare hummed in contentment. Unsurprisingly, Rat felt as though he’d drank a glass of wheat flour with a side of sand. To speak of his life for the past two decades was a challenge. To make love to a mare and satisfy her thoroughly was another challenge. To do both at the same time and bring said mare to her peak at least five times throughout the evening was quite exhausting. As he reached for the mug of water on the bedside table, Rat suddenly felt the wing across his chest tighten more.

“Don’t go…” whispered Tenshi plaintively. “Please, Shirogane… Not yet…”

“I’m just getting a drink of water,” rasped the stallion with a chuckle. “I’ll be back in a moment…”

“I know I cannot keep you, Shirogane,” sighed Tenshi. “No more than I could stop the sun from setting or the moon rising. But please stay a little longer.”

Rat nearly spat the water back into the mug at the mare’s declaration. There was a tone of finality in her voice that left no room for doubt. Had any other being, pony, god, or demon, told him that, Rat would have dismissed them as insane. But Tenshi was not any other being.

“How do you know you can’t?” asked Rat, moving back into the bed with a frown.

“I may walk beside you now, but I know in my heart that I will not be the one beside you at your end,” smiled Tenshi sadly as she wrapped Rat back into her warm embrace. “It’s not something I think or remember, but I trust this as sure as fact, dearest Shirogane… You have already met your true beloved. I can feel it in your soul.”

“You mean Daring?” frowned Rat. “I mean, we had good times together, but…”

“No, Shirogane…” giggled Tenshi. “You have not made love to her yet. You have not even learned her name, but you have met her twice now…”

“I have?” asked Rat thickly before chastising himself for such a foolish question.

“Twice before, you have met, and twice more will you meet again before you love her, Shirogane…” smiled Tenshi. “It will be a difficult road for the two of you, but you will stand together. This I know in my heart, and this is why I cannot keep you, Shirogane.”

“Fate can be defied, in my experience,” replied Rat.

“If only it were fate, Shirogane…” sighed Tenshi. “No, if this were merely a thought in my head, I would fight to keep you. But this is the same feeling in my heart as the day that I gazed upon the Imperial Family, when I knew I would cripple the Wyvern Emperor’s son. The same feeling as the day that I looked upon the Wyvern guards, when I knew my father would sacrifice himself to help me escape them. The same feeling as the day I stepped into the Chez Madrassa, where I felt that a silver-eyed warrior would grant me a gift more precious than life itself but never return. No, my darling Shirogane; we cannot defy this, regardless of how we wish to. But I will be fine, my dearest. And so will you. But please, hold me close, Shirogane. No more passion, but take comfort in my embrace…”

“If you insist…” whispered Rat as he pulled the Angel closer to him.

Black Market, Middle City, Coltenhagen
2 Years Before the Shadowbolt/Wonderbolt War

Rat slipped through the crowd unnoticed as he made his way through the Shadow Bazaar. The crew had set a rallypoint there, just in case they were separated. Of course, for security, they had not named an actual location, just in case of capture. Thankfully, there were only so many places Tank could hide.

“Miss me?” snarked Rat as he slipped into the sidestreet where they were hiding.

“Good fucking grief, Boss!” hissed Cloak. “What did you do?! Hekate is swarming the city for us! We’ve got six figure bounties! Each! Yours is seven!”

“Only six?” snarked Rat. “I’m disappointed in you all. Even with Firebrand being a cheapskate, I expected eight figure bounties for all of us…”

“Rat this is serious, dammit!” snapped Dagger. “We got fucking played-”

“I know,” interjected Rat. “I know who the traitor is, but we have to get the proof from Firebrand. Worse still, HTB is making a huge move on the Underworld. They’ll seize control of everything if we don’t stop them.”

“No pressure, right?” snarked Arclight.

“Hawk, what’s the city look like as far as exfil goes?” asked Bane.

“Damn HTB have all the gates locked down tighter than Void’s asshole,” reported Hawk. “And they’re using slings, not crossbows, so whoever the leak is, they know exactly how to beat our armor.”

“Well, flying out of the city isn’t an option,” mused Rat. “What about the waterways?”

“Sure, we could do that,” chuckled Bane mirthlessly. “If we wanted to spend the next fifty years trying to find our way out. Because that’s what we’d be doing if we didn’t have a map or a guide.”

“Well, Mr. Intel-Colt,” deadpanned Cloak. “How do we get those if you don’t know them already?”

“Say ‘please’...” whispered a voice as a shadow dropped behind Bane and held a wicked blade to his throat.

“FUCK ME IN THE KEYHOLE!” swore Cloak as he fell backwards into a dumpster. “CONTACT!”

“Hold!” demanded Bane. “Not a threat...I think…”

“How reassuring,” deadpanned Dagger.

“How sweet, darling,” the mare purred as she removed the blade from Bane’s jugular. “You only occasionally think of me as a threat? I feel like I’ve let my mentor down now…”

“The worst ‘threat’ you present is a nasty case of blue balls at best, and shameful release at worst, Chroma,” quipped Bane, as he discreetly pressed a blade into her side.

“You know… I think that isn’t actually a dagger and you’re truly happy to see me this time, Charon,” retorted the mare with a playful smile, though she’d been pouting before.

“Wrong blade, Chroma, but I will say I am glad to see you,” countered Bane as he stepped out of Chroma’s grip and put his weapon away. “I have need of your services.”

“Really?” the mare purred again, green eyes lighting with devilment. “Have I finally gotten through that thick cranium that I’m not a child? Well, I am most certainly ready for you, even though this caught me by surprise. I must admit, I didn’t picture our first would be a live performance, though...”

“...Hey, Boss? Are we sure that Hex doesn’t have any living family out in the world?” asked Cloak. “Because a sheboinking impulse like that has to be hereditary…”

“Chroma…” sighed Bane in exasperation.

“Oh fine,” sulked Chroma. “I heard… I can help. You already knew I spent my first months here exploring the tunnels… And the catacombs underneath the citadel…”

“I’d love to go spelunking in her tunnels, no mistaking that,” muttered Clover as she bit her lip. “How the local playcolt hasn’t already drilled them wide open, I have no idea…”

“He thinks I’m too young for him,” Chroma answered, rolling her eyes heavenward, having clearly heard the quiet comment.

“Oh! Uh…” blushed Clover. “Sorry, miss. Didn’t realize I was speaking-”

“You could if you wanted too,” Chroma murmured, sidling up next to the other mare with a sly grin on her face. “I mean… A girl has needs too… And Bore-on there hasn’t given me any satisfaction, despite the countless Companions he’s tended to so freely. It’s a wonder he hasn’t sired anypony yet…”

“First off, I am careful, because I don’t want those mares to deal with unwanted burdens,” protested Bane as Clover’s knees gave out and she sank to the ground in a squeaking blush. “Second, I have given my reasons for not indulging yet-”

“Oh, ‘yet’?” asked Chroma with a devilish grin.

“Slip of the tongue,” countered Bane.

“I have a better place for it to slip, love…” smirked Chroma. “If not several…”

“...And your reason for not sheboinking her through the floor is?” asked Cloak.

“I’m not a foal-fooler…” deadpanned Bane, rolling his eyes.

“And I’m not a foal,” deadpanned Chroma, green eyes flashing angrily.

“You might as well be,” grumbled Bane as he peeked out of the alley to make sure the group hadn’t drawn unwanted attention.

“Wait, how old are ye, lass?” asked Clover warily.

“Does age really matter in this line of work? Seriously???” sighed Chroma, exasperated.

“How close to the line are ya, lass? It’s a simple question, and a hundred steps is a hell of a difference from a hundred miles…” countered Clover.

“Two weeks and five days,” grumbled Chroma.

“...Bane, ya feckin’ clamjammer… She’s almost a year past the age of consent in Equestria and ye still haven’t painted her walls white yet? You leave that field fallow much longer and you’ll see it tended by another plow,” scolded Clover before muttering to herself. “Probably by me...”

“Soon to be two in Cloudsdale. My mentor wouldn’t let me try for an apprenticeship until then,” sighed Chroma before fixing Clover with the highest form of bedroom eyes possible. “Save us a room, ‘love’? It’s never too late to till the fields...”

“... I’m sorry, Patch, dear girl…” squeaked Clover. “That won’t be washing out anytime soon…”

“Well… That’s another one for my Seduction 101 Bingo card… Never thought I’d get the corner ‘cause orgasm with words alone’ square...” chuckled Chroma. “Now… C’mon you lot… I’m not getting you out of this gods-forsaken city just standing here and flirting you all to little deaths.”

“That was a ‘little’ death?” asked Cloak as he lifted his pack. “I’d say little Clover had a ‘Grand Finale’ and then some…”

“Learn Prench, you uncultured hack,” grumbled Dagger. “It’s slang for ‘orgasm’...”

“... Oh…” replied Cloak as he carefully stepped over a conspicuous puddle.

“Ok now that one wasn’t me…” protested Clover.

“And how do we know that?” smirked Hawk.

“... Because these suits are water-tight…” sighed Clover.

“... Gonna try to ignore that comment when I hear sloshing in the next few minutes…” muttered Hawk, wings twitching.

“If you’re all done coming, shall we get going?” asked Chroma, tapping a hoof impatiently.

“We’ll need to make a stop first, actually,” mused Rat. “How far is it to the Olympia?”

Main Lobby, Olympia, Coltenhagen
2 Years Before the Shadowbolt/Wonderbolt War

“Three minutes…” whispered Rat to Bane.

The two stallions made their way to the elevator, smirking slightly at the HTB guards that now stood powerless to halt their advance. Rat took a moment to straighten his tie in the reflection of a nearby soldier’s armored faceplate before sauntering mockingly over to the elevator. Bane frowned at Rat, but refrained from speaking until the elevator closed its doors.

“Rat, you do realize that the whole point of HTB’s plan involves spilling blood on Consecrated Ground, yes?” sighed Bane. “And that your actions might set one of these tin cans off early, right?”

“Oh please,” scoffed Rat. “Changeling worker drones have more free will than those meat cans down there. Besides, we need to give the others as much time to finish their job as possible.”

“Too much time and the target slips away,” argued Bane. “You said yourself that we have a tight window for this, and if we fail, the traitor- wait… You know who the traitor is already, don’t you? And you were considering letting them go, even after what they did?”

“Look, they may be a traitor, but they were still family once…” countered Rat. “It’s hard enough to condemn strangers to death… It’s even harder when it’s one of our own.”

“Is it one of your crew?”

“What?! No, of course not!”

“Then let them to their fate, Rat,” frowned Bane. “They had no compunctions about sending every single Shadowbolt to their death, including your crew. Turnabout is more than fair play…”

“Let’s table this,” dismissed Rat. “Right now, we need to save your hometown…”

The doors opened on the elevator as they reached the Mytikas Lounge, revealing Firebrand and Zeus enjoying brandy and cigars at the bar. Bane drew out a bronze cestus, the firelit glint on its surface matched in his eyes. Zeus frowned at his trusted agent and set down his glass.

“Charon, what is the meaning of-” began Zeus.

“General Firebrand of The Hekate Torch Bearers, you will stand down your soldiers now. Your attempted takeover of the Underworld has failed,” accused Rat.

“Hmmm…” smirked the General as he pressed a button on his sleeve. “It seems the game is given away early, then, yet not early enough to stop the wheels from turning...”

The nearby Olympian Myrmidons suddenly clutched the backs of their necks as the devices hidden in their shirt collars electrocuted them on the spot. Firebrand simply raised his hooves and laughed as Bane stalked forward.

“All you’ve done is simply thrown me under the wheels of the carriage that is our master plan, dear Descent, if that’s your true name…” cackled Firebrand mockingly as he took a long drag from his cigar.

“What the devil is he talking about, Charon?” asked Zeus.

“He’s planned to detonate charges on the surrounding building so they collapse into the Olympia and crush everyone inside, leaving HTB to sweep in and take control of Coltenhagen and the entire criminal underworld,” explained Bane quickly.

“Very astute, Mister Charon, but I’m afraid you won’t get to revel in your small victory than I would my total victory. We only have a minute left now… Goodbye, gentlestallions…”

Seconds ticked by, then a minute, then a minute more, and nothing changed on the Coltenhagen skyline. Firebrand frowned in confusion before grabbing a crude box radio from his belt.

“Overlord to Ashfall One, do you copy?” barked Firebrand. “...Ashfall Two, do you copy? Can anyone from Ashfall hear me?”

“...You are Roaming. To call your Mobile Carrier, or any other callsign, purchase a calling PIN by pressing 1 now…” mocked Chroma over the radio.

“... Ashfall Beta, remote detonate charges now!” snarled Firebrand.

“...We’re sorry, this callsign cannot be reached as dialled. Please take the radio and shove it up your arse, ya dusty dry cunt…” snarked Clover.

Firebrand blinked, saying nothing as his mouth worked in shock. A new voice came over the radio.

“Y’ello? Firebrand Pizzas? I’d like a large pizza with no anchovies, please! Stuffed crust! Extra thick! And remember: Thirty seconds or it’s free!” giggled Cloak gleefully.

Firebrand simply stared at Rat in outrage and confusion while the stallion chuckled.

“It was a near miss, but thankfully we knew your plan in advance to disarm it,” smiled Rat.

“...Well, in that case…” sighed Firebrand before draining his glass.

In a swift motion, Firebrand lunged forward, breaking his glass into a jagged edge as he moved to rip open Zeus’s throat. Bane kicked the glass as he dove in, shattering the makeshift weapon before striking the final blows. Three precise strikes to the chest, and it was over. Firebrand gasped before falling backward. Rat knelt by the general’s side.

“Your briefcase,” demanded Rat. “Where is it?”

“...Room 315… Right side of the closet…” coughed Firebrand as blood coated his mouth. “You’ll deal with your traitor that cocked this up?”

“That’s not your concern,” sneered Rat, standing up and letting the stallion drown in his own blood.

“...Charon… What have you done?” asked Zeus softly.

“What I had to…” sighed Bane. “You know he wouldn’t have stopped.”

“You’ve still spilt blood on consecrated ground…”

“He would have spilt yours.”

“And you could have stopped him without bloodshed.”

“... I know. And I am prepared to accept responsibility for my actions. I am loyal to the Olympia…” bowed Bane.

“...No, I don’t think you are…” smiled Zeus. “And I don’t think you have been for a long time. Rest in peace, Charon. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Bane.”

“...As you say, sir…” replied Bane.

Zeus turned to Rat, bowing his head lightly in acknowledgement. “I owe you and your crew a debt of gratitude. It will not be forgotten.”

Before Rat could say a word, the elevator chimed and disgorged a full squadron of Myrmidons led by Athena.

“Zeus! What is this-”

“Horrible treachery on the part of Hekate, Athena,” explained Zeus solemnly. “Firebrand managed to slay my security detail and mortally wound Charon before dying before me.”

“Charon was wounded, sir? He looks fine-” questioned Athena.

“-Mortally wounded, yes. Dreadful business, but he will be remembered fondly,” dismissed Zeus. “On an unrelated note, have you met Descent’s associate, Bane? I really must credit them with saving my life and stopping Hekate.”

“...Of course…” grumbled Athena, glaring daggers at Bane. “I must say that it’s a pity that Charon died after killing Firebrand. I would have needed to kill him three times over for spilling blood on consecrated ground…”

“A shame he didn’t survive, then,” replied Bane, nodding briefly. “You certainly won’t be seeing him again…”

“...See that we don’t, Mr. Bane…” growled Athena, brown eyes sparking dangerously.

“Well, we best be going,” interjected Rat as he tried to prevent Bane from making more of an ass of himself. “To Room 315, and then rendezvous with the crew and Chroma at the west building…”

“Good gods above, this lot’s been fucked…” gasped Clover.

“Eeyup…” confirmed Cloak. “And-”

“-’Not in the fun way’ we know…” sighed Dagger.

“Well… he’s not wrong…” commented Arclight.

Tank glanced at a HTB officer attempting to crawl away before nonchalantly stepping hard onto the hapless stallion, before looking away innocently. Rat had to admit that this Chroma did good work, and all without killing on top of it all. The flirting was a little bit much, but the results that Chroma brought to the table almost made up for that one piece completely. Clearly, this mare was not the average freelancer, but what organization could lay claim to such rigorous and specific training, Rat couldn’t say.

Chroma sat off to one side on a bench near a window, nonchalantly admiring a pocket watch with visible gears that she decidedly had not had anywhere on her before this had all started. She looked up as Rat and the rest entered, smiling at them over the heap of unconscious guards that she’d piled in the center of the room. “I’ve already picked over what they had on them,” she informed them casually, waving dismissively at her work. “Anything still there is fair game.”

“Boss? Can we keep her?” asked Cloak.

“You can’t afford me, darling,” smirked Chroma, slipping the watch into a pouch as she left her bench and approached the motley group.

Cloak said nothing, but still pouted expectantly at Bane, like a five pound puppy begging for a ten pound steak.

“Only freelance, Cloak,” smirked Bane. “Chroma, I’ll put in a good word for you, if you ever need something to occupy your time…”

“I’d much rather have someone to occupy my time,” retorted Chroma, eyeing Bane like an especially sweet, cream-filled dessert.

A particularly violent sound, akin to an umbrella opening in a windstorm, signalled Cloak and Arclight receiving much expected pokes in the eyes.

“...dammit...” swore Hawk as he attempted to fold his wings.

“Alright, as amusing as it is to see how far Bane can stick his hoof into his throat, we do have a job to do,” chuckled Rat. “It’s been a pleasure, Miss Strike…”

Chroma pouted at Rat, then shrugged and sauntered from the room. “Don’t be strangers now. Charon’ll know how to contact me if you need me,” she said, with a meaningful glance at Clover as she walked past the mare, nearly brushing against her.

“Stranger than what?” smirked Dagger, as she watched a peeved Phantasm drag a catatonic Clover to be carried by Tank. “Cloak’s the strangest one here…”

“Oi!” snapped Cloak. “I resemble that remark!”

Author's Note

Big thanks to Witching Hour for the use of ~~REDACTED FOR SPOILERS~~ ( )
But yeah, coming up on the home stretch for Arc 5 here. Who is the Traitor? We'll find out...