A white pegasus with a short cropped blonde mane and a cutie mark of stage with a spotlight overhead, by the name of Stage Drama, paced back and forth in a large office waiting news to arrive. This process continued for several minutes while all the pegasus could do was worry over the situation in Canterlot.
When news hit him that Canterlot was invaded by the Storm king's forces and his Number one client, Songbird Serenade, along with the entire city were taken prisoner. At first he went to the Equestrian Military, but unfortunately was denied an appointment. The Captain of the Royal guard, Shining Armor, held an emergency open conference stating that any and all action will be considered in retaking Canterlot and the safety of the princesses was first priority.
Last Drama heard from his connections in the guard were plans were being postponed until more intelligence could be gathered on the enemy forces. Since the royal guard were being delayed and prioritizing the princesses. Drama's personal priority was to find Songbird and get her out of there. One of Drama's contacts recommended a third party private agency. 'Easy, efficient and off the books and mercenaries do anything for the right amount of bits' they said supplying Drama with directions and notification of his arrival.
Drama was a bit skeptical when he had to travel to the outer edges of Manehattan, he was down right terrified when he located the building he was informed of labeled with giant letters 'The Ruined Kingdom' and all the intimidating species that lurked around the area. Ponies, Gryphons, minotaurs, changelings, diamond dogs, dragons, felines, yaks, Hippogriffs and the list went on!
He received many glares and eager looks from the populace, probably already knowing he is here to hire somecreature or creatures. He was filled with worry when he passed brutish, rugged mercenaries as he entered the building and was greeted by a smiling, innocent-looking secretary earth pony, with light purple coat and wearing a black pin stripe suit dress, sitting behind a desk. On her Desk was a type writer, which she was currently working with, a desk lamp and a large stack of folders filled with forms and papers. Drama couldn't help but think this pony looked completely out of place with all the ruffians right outside. "Mr. Drama," The pony just looked squarely at him. "We've been expecting you, please just call me The Secretary."
Thus brings us to Drama's current predicament as he explained his situation to the secretary pony, who listened intently and processed his explanation. "Of course, Mr. Drama. Here at The Ruined Kingdom we have all types and manners of personnel to tackle any opposition that our customers want dealt with." The secretary stated as she reached down into her desk, pulled out a file drawer and seemingly grabbed files at random.
"Now," She started as she turned her attention back to Drama. "I am not going to sugar coat it, we are aware of the situation in Canterlot so right off the bat your request is being flagged as RED ECO." Drama was about to ask for clarification but was beaten to it. "Rather Extremely Dangerous Experienced Contractors Only. Which means that if you want to proceed with your request you will be hiring personnel that are qualified for the situation, and they can get rather expensive but it shouldn't be an issue with Songbird Serenade's Manager."
The secretary pony finished cheerfully as she continued to look through and sort files and papers on her desk. Drama felt a small sensation that she was trying to imply something but waved it off and just wanted to get this awkward meeting over with. "Yes, yes I just need Songbird rescued as soon as possible. Can your mercenaries make it happen or not? I don't care how much it cost!" He stated slightly frustrated. The Secretary smiled at that last bit and nodded.
"Of course Mr. Drama though we prefer the terms Contractors or operatives, keeps us at a professional standard from the common riffraff you find in bars and what not," she quirked, Stage Drama didn't understand the difference but decided to roll with it to avoid and issues. "Now as you've seen most of our personnel are right outside as you saw on your way in here." She stated as she motioned her hoof towards the window.
"Now we have two options, one We can process your order, review our profiles manually and assign suitable operatives to you within the next two to three business days depending on who is available and interested." The Secretary stated to Drama, who was bewildered at the amount of time it would take to hire these mercenaries.
The Secretary noticed the look plastered on his face and quickly followed through. "Or Option two, I can flip that red switch on the wall," She said as she pointed her hoof towards said wall and on it Drama noticed was a set of color coded switches that he didn't notice before. green, blue, yellow, red and black. "Which will turn the lamp posts outside red for all the personnel to see and any interested will walk in here, ready to work on the spot and you can pick whoever you want." She finished with a smile.
Drama couldn't help but get chills down his spine at her smile. This secretary appeared so innocent but had and obvious over shadowing malice to her. "Our chairman always prefers that our customers know that options are available and optional." She added quickly as she trotted over the switches on the wall. "So which shall it be?" She asked as she hovered her hoof over said switches.
Drama pondered over his decision and came to the conclusion that the quicker he had Songbird rescued the quicker he can stop worrying about this entire ordeal and get back to relaxing in his suite and planning appearances. "Go ahead and flip the switch, let's see what we have to work with." Drama answered as he motioned her to carry on. The Secretary smiled and pushed the red switch down. "Wonderful." Almost instantly Drama noticed outside the window the area glowed with a red hue.
Most conversations halted and every creature gazed at the lamp posts with the majority returning to their conversations and daily activities while few began to make a small trek to the main office. Drama gulped and held his composure as he watched creatures of all shapes and sizes enter through the door.
A minotaur, a gryphon, two felines, a trio of changelings, a hippo (surprisingly), a dragoness, a yak, several ponies of all kinds, yet the ones that entered last caught Drama's attention the most, a duo of a species that he's never seen before. A male and female from the looks of it, they both stood on two legs and had two arms and hands like the minotaurs but that's where the similarities ended, they had no snout or beak only flat faces.
The female entered first and had some features resembling the changelings. She had parts of her body such as her legs covered in an sleek insect like carapace. her forearms and hands were covered with the carapace as well as parts of her torso and head resembling a type of helm or crown covering he red mane that was slicked back.
Drama couldn't also help but notice this female's chest was well endowed similar to female minotaurs. And her choice of attire was scantily clad, mainly exposing her pale midriff and portions of her shoulders and chest. Her most defining and disturbing feature, to Drama, were four spider-like appendages protruding from her upper and lower back with the tips ending in a sharp point.
The male was the last to enter and towered over mostly every creature in the office, even giving the minotaur a run for his money. Drama looked over the male and took in the image. aside from his facial feature he looked like a heavily armored troll, with his shoulder guards being large, round and covered in studded spikes. Slung across his back was a massive, wicked looking ax, draped beneath the weapon was a red cape with a dark insignia Drama didn't recognize. 'Clearly not the symbol of any of the princesses, maybe from a far away land?' He thought as he felt small thuds the creature made with every step.
The secretary caught wind of Drama's gaze and broke into excited cheer at a familiar face. "Darius! Good to see you again! Somepony said you were dead, you look good." The Secretary chuckled as she greeted the armored behemoth while all species formed a side by side line. "Darius" merely grunted as he stood next to his female compatriot. "Elise, I trust you've been keeping yourselves out of trouble?" The secretary asked as she walked down the row, eyeing all the participants.
"Why of course, Miss Secretary. Darius and I strive to be civil members of the equestrian society," Elise answered in a sultry yet sarcastic tone. The Secretary frowned at her response. "Can it smartass or I dock your pay again and make a charitable donation the Manehattan foster homes." The secretary said as glared at Elise. Elise hissed in agitation but immediately quieted down. Drama bit back his chuckle, last thing he needed to do was accidently anger one of the mercenaries.
"And Darius what did I tell about walking around armed? That ax has gotten you in trouble with the guard too many times, you're lucky you're one of the chairman's favorite employees." The secretary scolded as she continued examining all the participants. "I would've left you in the dungeons considering all the bits you've cost this company and just piling me with more paperwork." Darius only grunted aggressively while the secretary finished up scolding the others down the line, all the while Elise chuckled, "Oh, how the 'Might of the Trifarix' has fallen." earning a deadly glare from Darius.
Drama couldn't help but overhear and wonder what the 'Trifarix' was. His attention was snapped back to the secretary as she waved at the present personnel. "Now then you all came in here looking for work, as you know the request has been flagged as RED ECO and Mr. Stage Drama here," The secretary motioned to said pegasus who sheepishly waved at the small crowd. "Is your potential employer. Now the request is Search and rescue, I'm sure your aware of the situation in Canterlot being invaded by the storm king's forces. The rescue target is one Songbird Serenade." Just hearing her name perked up some heads, "Yeah I thought that would get your attention, I'm looking at you Star Glass, we all know you're a fanboy." The secretary joked as she pointed out one of the unicorn ponies, who blushed and tried to hide it while his comrades wolf whistled and called him out.
Drama was kind of surprised to find out Songbird had fans even among some of these mercenaries, goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover. "Moving on," The secretary called out returning their attention to her, "Mr. Drama will be choosing whoever he sees fit out of you lot," The secretary stated as she stepped aside and stood next to Drama while he looked over the every creature himself. If Drama was going to be honest he didn't really know who to pick. He was slightly leaning towards the minotaur or the one called Darius first of all, he was unsure how to decide.
So with that, Drama decide to just ask about the last two at the end since they had roused his curiosity the most. Drama looked directly over to Elise and Darius, "So if you don't mind me asking, what are you two exactly?" Drama asked, he slightly froze when Elise looked back at him directly, Drama made the mistake of looking directly into her eyes. A feeling of dread loomed over him as his instincts were telling him to proceed with caution. However it was the secretary who spoke up. "These fine specimens are Elise and Darius, according to them they were accidentally transported to our world via magical summoning or something. Both are very effective at their jobs and hold the highest record of contract completion, also they aren't the only ones they are 8 more just like them in Equestria but Darius refuses to reveal their locations." The Secretary stated as a matter of factually.
Drama couldn't help but ask, "There are more of you?" Looking at Darius, who's stony expression was unamused before speaking. "What they do is their business and not my concern." He gruffly stated, which prompted another question from Drama, "Then why is she with you?" pointing a hoof at Elise, who only chuckled knowing the hand of Noxus was not fond of questions. Darius threw a quick glare at Elise, "To solely keep an eye on her and making sure she doesn't run rampant on you inferior species." He growled menacingly.
Elise looked less than amused, "Oh please Darius, I've already told you there is literally more than enough magic in the air itself to sustain my beauty and sate my ... urges," She said, scoffing at his claim. "And Quite frankly I'm offended that you treat me like a monster with HIM running around freely." She hissed as she gave him the cold shoulder. "Honestly I feel like you just enjoy being around me." Elise added earning several murmurs and subtle nods from the other mercenaries. Darius was about to retort, but the Secretary stomped her hoof to get everyone back on track. "OK, back to the current task at hoof, Mr. Drama we are not here for a Q&A, please continue with your decisions." The Secretary said, Drama flinched slightly at the Secretary's assertiveness, moved on and spent the next several minutes looking over the other mercenaries.
Once done Drama looked at the secretary and nodded, "I am going to go with the obvious choice and take those two," Pointing at Darius and Elise, "And--' Before Drama could finish choosing all the other operatives groaned and proceeded to leave the room one by one. Shortly after only the Secretary, Drama, the two humans and a changeling were left. "Wait, why did they leave?!" Drama asked feeling insecure about his decision.
The secretary's calm composure slightly cracked as she nervously chuckled before turning to Drama, "Riiiiight, I forgot to mention that even though They have a high success rate, they-- well Darius-- has trouble working with others, more notably squad mates returning dead or worse." she explained joyfully, "but luckily we have at least one other operative with some stones," She said trying to sway to the brighter side of things as she pointed to the changeling that just stood there and appeared to stare timidly at the floor. "That or he really needs the bits." She said under her breath. Drama was not inspired at all and regretfully pointed at the said changeling, "Fine I'll take whoever at this point." He sighed as he handed a quill and contract fetched by The secretary and signed away.
"Thank you for purchase of services and we do hope to keep your business with The Ruined Kingdom, now you may continue with the rest of your day, I'll take care of the rest." The secretary said while escorting Stage Drama out towards the way he came in, he stopped shortly past the doorway and turned back to the Secretary. "Now you will notify me as soon as Songbird is safe, right?" He asked just wanting some reassurance. "Yes sir, you have some of the Ruined Kingdom's finest operatives that know what they're getting into and you will be notified once we secure your package, unless she is dead before our operatives can get to her, but other than that you have nothing to be worried about." The secretary answered with a smile.
Drama couldn't help but look past the pony to see Elise and Darius looking down at their changeling comrade. Elise crouched down next to it and lightly poked at it's head several times. The Changeling's head snapped up, "I'm awake!" It startlingly shouted in a raspy voice, it quickly looked around in confusion at the less occupied room before looking back at Elise. "Is the hiring event over?" The Secretary looked from Drama to the changeling and back to Drama, her smile twitched before she slammed the door shut. Drama's mind was struggling comprehend if things were going well or not for Songbird's sake.
Author's Note
Welp, here's my first shot a story, hope ya'll enjoy it. More chapters are coming.
The Departure and The Mission
The Manehattan national sky-port was busy as usual with airships of all kinds either docking or departing with cargo being goods, guards, or traveling creatures. The way the sky-port operated so flawlessly was one of the best qualities it took pride in. Darius; however, couldn't care less at the moment as he was trying to pry a resisting changeling from a guard rail, while being yelled at by The Secretary and Elise only watching in amusement from the boarding ramp. Several passersbys were watching the scene in interest and worry, some already having notified sky-port security out of concern for the poor creature.
"I'm not going! It's a death sentence!" The Changeling shrieked as his hooves were tightly clamped around the rail. "Kreq, you will be fine, now stop resisting and get on the ship, you are causing a scene!" The Secretary half shrieked, trying to reassure the changeling. "Darius, just let him go!" she pleaded, while trying to keep her composure. "If I let go, the coward will try and fly away." The former general sneered as he kept one hand gripped tightly to the changeling's hind leg while reaching back for his ax with the other. "I do not tolerate cowardice, if you were under my command you would be executed for such insubordination." He growled as he pressed the blade against Kreq's throat, "Now let go before I start to use force and rip off your leg."
"You see?! It's not the mission I'm worried about, it's him!" Kreq shrieked as he winced at the touch of the blade. The secretary could only face-hoof at the stupidity of the situation, becoming more agitated by the second. "Listen you idiots! This is the Ruined Kingdoms first major celebrity contract and I refuse to let you botch it up!" She yelled, glaring at the two only to be ignored.
"Fine! We'll compromise, Darius as an incentive if you return with Kreq alive, I'll see to it that the chairman will review and possibly renegotiate the terms of your debt." She fumed, glaring Darius in the eyes to make her message clear. "Kreq if you obey Darius throughout and IF his final report is positive about your performance you will receive a bonus, happy?" The Secretary sneered, earning a look from both operatives. Kreq pondered over the offer then released the post, "Deal." He chirped, In turn Darius released Kreq and shouldered his ax. "Agreed." He grunted as he left to board the ship followed shortly by Kreq. Elise was perplexed as both males strode past her onto the small airship, "What about me?" She asked.
"Do not start with me." The secretary snapped, jabbing a hoof at Elise. "Now get on the ship and takeoff, undoubtedly I have to deal with sky-port security shortly." Elise only scowled as she boarded the ship. The Secretary let out a deep sigh as the operatives disappeared into the small, poor excuse for an air ship. The ramp was retracted, the hatch shut for the ship to momentarily take off. 'I need a raise.' she thought, watching the ship disembark and take off into the sky. "Excuse me, madam? We have several questions for you." The Secretary turned to see several sky-port guards standing behind her.
Several hours had passed after taking off from Manehattan, Darius was currently standing towards the bow of the small airship, leaning against the railing as he gazed at the countryside below. Pure and green, it was relaxing to not stare at a bloody battlefield or burning city for once. Darius had been enjoying the quiet journey so far, the wind gently flowed past him as clouds rolled by. It was times like these where he could be temporarily at peace and his mind would reflect on things, whether it was previous matches in the fields of justice, a siege campaign in the name of Noxus or the political rabble he had to deal with as the Might of the Trifarix.
He took a deep breath, inhaling the cool air as he continued to take in the view. Darius perked up slightly as he heard light foot steps approach from behind him. Years of combat and assassination attempts had increased his awareness of his surroundings. it was a curse sometimes especially when he tried to sleep and the tiniest rodent would disturb him and put him on edge.
Darius shifted his head to look behind him and saw it was Elise approaching, "Shouldn't you be piloting the ship?" He asked. Elise took up a spot next the noxian general, "I let Kreq takeover, 'said 'he really wanted to pilot'." She answered, Darius looked past Elise towards the helm of the ship and spotted said changeling behind the wheel waving excitedly at him. Darius huffed in annoyance and returned to sight seeing. Elise following his gaze over the majestic landscape, she also couldn't help but notice a something wrong with the scenery. "The Sun, it's been hours and hasn't moved from it's place." She pointed out, Darius looked up at the bright orb fro a brief moment. "This world's sun and moon are controlled by the princesses, It not moving only proves that something is wrong in Canterlot and something has happened to Celestia." He confirmed.
He couldn't help but think that this job was more complicated than a simple search and rescue, sure there would be obstacles and enemy forces they would need to get through, but he felt that there was something else he couldn't quite figure out. "Darius," The noxian snapped out of his thought process and looked over to the arachnid woman. "Is it true what the secretary said? Do you really know where everyone else?" Elise asked, "Are they alive and well?" Darius couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her concern. " ... Of our assigned team, I've lost track of our marksman about 3 months ago, our support settled down and took over a farm from some elderly ponies. I believe our mage is with him, and if it wasn't for that job I would have never known you were in that bloody forest." He grumbled, reminiscing on how he found Elise, Who chuckled lightly at first then turn into full blown laughter.
"I remember! I've never seen you run so fast before, that giant ursa was furious," She laughed, holding her sides. "The look of pure fear on your face!" She gasped as Darius glared at her. "Damned request was clear enough, how the hell is anyone suppose to kill an adult ursa? it's hard enough to kill a juvenile as it is!" He growled remembering the mix up of the job and the scolding from the secretary. Elise calmed herself from her fit of laughter, "I do miss that forest though, only place that felt real and free." she stated and tried to get back to the original topic, "And what of the other team?" She continued. "I haven't heard much of the others, I've managed to keep in contact with one of their fighters but that's it." Darius replied, he brow furrowed at remembering. "Which last I heard from her, she was supposed to be serving one of the princesses." He couldn't help but wonder about her condition if the capital was invaded, but drifted to another matter that earned his attention. "I am curious though, Why are you concerned with the others all of a sudden? you've never asked about them before."
Elise was caught by surprise at the question, "I am not concerned about them," She quickly stated, "This is a long flight and i'm just trying to pass the time." she shot back, pushing of the guard rails. Darius couldn't help but smirk, it was good to see that Elise expressed human habits from time to time. If there was hope for her surely there was hope for him, he became distracted when a bell sounded off. Both of the runeterrans looked back at the helm of the ship to see the source was Kreq, "We are approaching our destination, on the horizon straight ahead." He called out. Darius paced towards the bow of the ship and gazed in the distance, He instantly noticed a lone mountain peak surrounded storm cloud formation. "Elise, get back on the helm. Kreq, Bring me the spyglass!" he ordered, as he continued to stare out at Canterlot in the distance, the way the storm clouds loomed over the capital reminded him of Noxus.
Kreq fluttered over with the spyglass in hoof and held it out, Darius took it and used it to get a better inspection of what they were going to be dealing with. Darius sneered as he spotted at least a dozen of the storm king's ships circling above the city and several battalions of storm creatures marching through the main plaza of the city. Many ponies were shackled or caged and herded by the storm creatures, but couldn't see anything else past the plaza. Darius grunted in the anticipation as he was unsure of what kind of challenge this job would provide. He scouted the nearby area below and spotted rugged countryside, "Elise, take us down to the hills off starboard side!" He called back, putting away the spyglass as he felt the airship begin to descend. He retreated below deck to prepare their gear while he waited for landing.
Darius was gathering supplies, provisions and a tourist map of Canterlot into a pack and tossed it to Kreq, who grumbled about being used as a mule as he fastened the pack to his back. "Why did we land so far from Canterlot again?" The changeling asked as he adjusted his wings to wearing the backpack. "To many airships in the sky, plus with it being daylight they will see us coming." Elise explained as she examined the end of her claws keeping their sharpness up to her standards. "It will be easier to go in on foot, and once we get within the capital's limits, we will infiltrate through the storm drains beneath the city." Darius finished as he made sure his armor was secured and holding. Kreq processed this information for several moments before chipping in to the plan.
"Well if we're going on foot we should go in from the southwest of the city, horrible vantage point, easy to sneak along the cliff-side." He said, earning a look from Darius, "You know this how?" Kreq grinned menacingly, "I've invaded the capital before." Darius was about to question him before recalling the events of a changeling invasion a while back. "Right, the royal wedding incident. Just goes to show these ponies lack of military strength." He grumbled.
Darius walked over to the the dining table where his ax rested, "I'll have to hear the details one day, if we survive." He said reaching out and gripping his iconic weapon. He glanced it over before shouldering it, while Elise was setting 'security preparations' and appeared to be talking to her hand. "Now remember, you're in charge until we get back and deal with anybody that shouldn't be on board." She cooed, Kreq couldn't help but wonder why was she talking to her hand? His curiosity was quelled when she knelt down and placed her hand on the ground, a wicked looking spider scurried out and disappeared under the table.
Elise noticed Kreq's expression and simply explained, "Just making sure no one tries to steal the ship while we are away." Kreq just accepted her answer as he finished gearing up while Darius climbed back above deck. He surveyed the hills that surrounded them before taking a running start and leaping from the edge of the ship. He briefly soared through the air and landing on the ground with a heavy thud dropping to one knee, his armor clunking heavily from the impact. Elise and Kreq followed shortly behind as he rose to his feet and proceeded walking towards cliff-side capital of equestria.
The trio walked for a long while in peace and quiet with Darius in the lead, Elise in the middle and Kreq bringing up the rear. Aside from Elise grumbling about being in the sunlight too long from time to time, Darius was fond of the silent travel until Kreq felt the urge to speak. "... So ... are you fans of Songbird Serenade?" He asked, continuing with his march Darius answered with a quick "No."
"Oh... just in it for the bits then, ye?"
"That's why we're all here."
"Technically I'm not supposed to be here, If I'd been awake, I'd have walked out with the rest when you two were chosen." Kreq corrected unaware of the angry sneer forming on Darius. Elise had been around Darius long enough to know when he was patience was getting tested, she slowed her pace to match the changeling and leaned down to his level. "It's best to keep quiet for now, if you want to stay in good health." She quipped as she patted Kreq on the head before returning to her spot. Kreq frowned and sighed as he looked into the distance, confirming they were only half way there and still need a lot of ground to cover. He hung his head and returned to the silent march.
Darius quickly rushed towards the cliff-side directly below the capital, the mist from the waterfalls and the dark clouds over head provided some cover as he signaled the others follow, Elise and Kreq burst from the nearby woods and made a break towards him. Kreq flew overhead and landed on the ridge high above Darius, Elise reached the cliff and immediately scaled the rocky wall with ease catching up with Kreq. Darius waited below, scouting the area until a thick rope was dropped next to him. He gripped the rope and gave it several strong tugs before climbing up as well.
Once he reached to top of the ridge Elise held out a helping hand pulled the aging noxian to his feet. "If the info was accurate there should be a storm drain directly behind that waterfall!" She shouted, pointing to the target spot along the cliff-side. Darius looked up ant the dome like under structure of the capital then to the waterfall on the their right. He squinted and spotted the the steel grate hiding beneath the water. Removing the grate shouldn't be an issue, what concerned the hand of Noxus was the force of the waterfall, the steep ledge, and the long fall back down below if things went awry.
He took a deep breath, and prepared himself as he approached the waterfall. He took a step forward and was instantly drenched, the force of the nature staggered him slightly and tried to drive him off the ledge. His vision was hindered and had to reach out blindly for the steel grate. Once he felt the bars in his grasp he tightened his grip with both hands and grunted as he pulled. The grate creaked as the old, rusted metal was pried from the opening. Darius stumbled slightly trying to keep his footing as he flung the grate past him. The grate hit the rocky edge with a loud clang and vanished below. He reached out and grabbed the drain opening, regaining his balance and sighing deeply. 'Thank the spirits they didn't see that.' He thought as he found his footing. He stared down the opening that led into a tunnel which in turn led into the capital.
Darius walked back out from under the waterfall and signaled at the waiting Elise and Kreq. "It's clear!" He shouted over the waterfall. Both insects, in Darius' eyes, nodded and moved in. Darius watched as they vanished from view behind the waterfall, He looked up at the dark sky and spotted an incoming storm ship, this one much larger and more regal standing out from the rest probably a flagship carrying someone or something important. He didn't wait to be spotted and entered the drain, Darius grumbled in frustration as he forgot to anticipate that these drains were built for ponies in mind as he had to hunch over and walk at a half crouched pace. He caught up to the others and couldn't help but notice Elise having the same issue as him while Kreq was unaffected. He tried his best not to stare, which became easier as the further they traveled in the darker it became.
Darius sloshed behind the others at a much slower pace due to the darkness for a while, he found some relief in the shape of light pour in the tunnel through another grate that led into the streets of the capital. He knelt down on one knee next to Kreq and rummaged through the pack he carried. "Kreq shed some more light, I still cant see a damned thing in this tunnel." Darius grunted, Kreq nodded and focused on his horn causing it to glow a neon green and lighting up the dark tunnel. "Is time taking it's toll, Darius?" Elise chuckled earning a menacing glare from him. Darius sneered at the arachnid woman as he was finally able to see clearly and found what he was looking for, pulling out the 'blueprints' of the capital that The Secretary provided.
He unfurled the tourist map and held it against the wall for all to see. Both changeling and spider queen both deadpanned at the 'map' and looked back at Darius. "Don't look at me like that, it's all the secretary gave me!" He growled as he jabbed at the colorful brochure, returning to the task at hand. "OK, we entered through the South west side of the capital, so we must be underneath here," He began pointing at their current location. "The closest exit is right below the business district, From there we surface, deal with any opposition in the immediate area," He continued explaining, "Once we secure the area, we will divide and search for our target. Elise, you go south, Kreq, You will go east and I'll head north." He said earning a nod from both. "When she has been located and safely retrieved, fire of one these flares to signal the rest, and meet back here." He finished as he held 3 red bamboo tubes in his hand he passed one to Elise, pocketed one in his belt and placed the final one back in Kreq's pack. "Try not get yourselves killed." He grumbled as he took back up his crouch stance and continued down tunnel as he pressed his hands up against the grate and pushed outwards.
He slowly lifted the grate and peeked out from underneath into the streets of Canterlot. He spotted many Ponies in chains either shackled to the wall or being herded off by storm creatures. shortly only one storm creature remained guarding the area. 'Lucky me.' He thought as he quietly pushed the grate aside and motioned to Elise. Darius held the grate in place as she climbed out of the drain and spotted her target. Many nearby ponies eyed the duo but remained quiet not to give them away. Elise quietly made her way towards the lonely storm creature before breaking into a deadly sprint . The guard didn't have enough time to react as Elise leaped on the guard, jabbing her sharp fingers into it's back and piercing out through it's chest. "Shhhh." Elise whispered as the creature let out gurgled grunts. Ponies looked away and held back their horrified screams as the creature fell over dead, its dark blood oozing all over the ground as Elise pulled her arm free from the corpse.
Darius looked around before setting the grate down and climbing out next. He scanned the ponies nearby to see if one of them was their target while Kreq made his way to the surface to join the others. "No matches here, move out and search." Darius ordered. Elise and Kreq nodded with the former taking off instantly, a dark mist covered her as her form shifted and morphed until a giant, armored, wicked black widow took her place. Several nearby ponies whimpered in fear as she scaled the closest building and disappeared along the rooftop. Kreq stared astonished at where Elise was last seen. "Huh, I heard the tales but never believed them." He said as he looked to Darius as he stepped over to the body of the storm creature and studied it for several moments before his body warped and changed into an exact duplicate of the deceased.
Kreq picked up the spear and shield that once belonged to it and raced off to the Eastern part of the city. Darius gripped his ax as he was about to take off north when a random pony called out to him. "Hey, big guy! Aren't you going to help us?" A mare sporting an electric blue mane and purple tinted sunglasses called out. Darius rolled his eyes in annoyance hoping to avoid encounters like this. "No," He answered bluntly as he prepared to head north, he looked back at the shackled pony. "But if you are still here when we get back maybe we'll set you free." He added as he took off, not letting the pony waste anymore of his time. "Well, at least you're honest." He heard the mare grumbled as he departed to the next street and began his search.
Darius groaned in frustration and he quickly dispatched another storm guard, he roamed the city at a quick pace, analyzing ponies left and right ignoring their pleas to help them, none matching the description of Songbird. He looked back at the trail of bodies and terrified ponies, abandoning subtlety long ago. He occasionally ducked into alleys to avoid units of storm creatures and quickly finished off any stragglers or lone guards. . He also couldn't help but notice the number of looted festival stalls and food just sitting around. He wondered what was exactly being celebrated until he passed a giant banner and stopped in his tracks, "Friendship Festival" it read.
Darius frowned in disapproval. "Damned ponies celebrate anything." He grumbled to himself as returned to his search passing through alleys and covering each street. Darius lost track at how many ponies he had come across and was starting to dread that their target was dead or worse. He approached a 3 way intersection looking ahead the road to his left went straight to the palace and the road to his right led back into another portion of the city. What caught his attention was a series of cages running the the city path along the cobbled road.
He quickly crossed the street towards the cages, checking the area before crouching next to the closest one that was occupied peered through the bars. He spotted the pony cowering on the opposite side of the cage away from him. This pony was a Pegasus with a blonde and black mane which hid her eyes and sporting a pink bow in her mane, a vanilla colored fur, wearing a black apparel with two gold studs around the collar and more specifically a cutie mark of a cloud with multi colored hearts dangling below it.
Darius glared at the pony who heavily matched the target description, he leaned in closer with a cold expression, "What is your name?" He asked as he hefted up his ax for her to see, "Do not lie to me." The pegasus trembled slightly as she struggled to answer him. "S-songbird Serenade, my Name is Songbird Serenade." She stated. Darius felt a wave of relief wash over him as the search was over. He put his ax away and relaxed as he was about to give her a brief explanation of the situation, hopefully to calm her nerves. "Ms. Serenade, My name is Darius, myself and several others have been hired by your manager Stage Drama to rescue you." Darius noticed her hesitation at the mention of her manager. "Stage Drama? Stage Drama sent you?" She asked uncertainty.
Darius looked around to make sure the street was clear, before walking out to the front of the cage. "Yes." Darius simply answered as he examined the lock on the cage door. "Well that's nice to hear and thank you, but what about everypony else?" she asked. "They are not part of the arrangement, now stand back." He ordered as he gripped his ax tightly. Songbird didn't have chance to respond as she watched the massive biped lift his ax above his head and slam it down on the against the cage.
The ax cut though the lock like butter, but not as quietly. Darius wretched the cage open and waved for Songbird to get out. "Move now, that wasn't exactly subtle." He said as he looked around for any incoming storm creatures. "Wait, we can't just leave! What about the princesses? what about the city? We can't just leave them behind!" She said, distraught at the idea of abandoning so many ponies in the storm king's grasp. Darius sighed heavily at the bombardment of questions as he reached into the cage and grabbed Songbird by her one of her forelegs, tossing her onto the cobbled street. "We can and we will." He stated coldly, "The Equestrian Military is going to deal with the Storm Empire invasion. Besides We're being paid to rescue you, not liberate an entire city." Songbird's ears perked up at that last bit of information from the hairless, heavily armored ape creature. "Okay then, How much to liberate the city?" She boldly asked as she stood back on her hooves, brushing herself off. "... Excuse me?" Darius responded, raising an eyebrow at her question.
Songbird stamped her hoof down and repeated her question, "How much do i have to pay to get you to free this city?" she huffed. Darius smirked slightly at her dauntless approach, "Listen, it's not a matter of money, it's a matter of manpower," Songbird tilted her head in confusion, "Right, dealing with ponies, it's a matter of numbers. There are only 3 of us currently in the city, mind you the other two are still looking for you. While it's probable, it's more than i want to deal with. So right now is not the time for this conversation." He said as he reached into his waistband and pulled out the flare, aiming it at the sky. "But what about the princesses? They can help If we free them! I saw them taking away Princess Twilight into the Palace!" Songbird said trying to get Darius to change his mind, but was only aggravating him. "Keep your voice down, someone will hear you." He sneered, but right before he could fire the flare, a series of events occurred that Darius had never experienced before in his life.
First, his entire surroundings began to glow, like veins flowing with blood, the capital began to glow brightly before the light suddenly drawn towards the palace. Darius also took note that the buildings and streets were becoming dull in color as the glow flowed away. Songbird shifted uncomfortably as she looked around in fear as she tried to process why this would be happening. Secondly, From the balcony of the palace a lightning bolt could be seen blasting from the inside. Not much else could be seen from where they stood, but what happened next deeply disturbed Darius. The sun which was fixated in the sky for the past numerous hours, unexpectedly shifted in the sky before swapping places with the moon multiple times before taking it place back in the sky.
"What in the 9 circles of hell..." Darius trailed off as he stared into the sky and could only watch as day and night switched back and forth constantly, before finally setting back down to day. "I don't suppose you know what that's about?" He asked, looking back at Songbird, who looked terrified at the phenomenon. "No, not really," She said shaking her head. "But only the princesses control the sun and moon, aside from that I don't know." Darius looked back briefly at the sun and pondered over his next choice of action. He buried his ax into the cobblestone, startling Songbird, pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and sighed deeply. "You are going to triple my price." He simply stated aloud. Songbird looked around before realizing he was talking to her and smiled weakly. "Huh?" she quirked. "You are going to triple my price." Darius repeated, as he turned to Songbird and knelt down to her level.
"I will accept your request and free the princesses, mainly because my weekend will be ruined if I don't deal with this myself." He growled as brushed aside her mane and glared straight into her eyes. Songbird stared back at him and couldn't help but stare at the scar that vertically traveled across his left eye. "B-but what happened to needing numbers?" She stammered, as she looked tried to hide her nervousness . "I have faced worse odds and survived, Hell, I've fought and slain an elder dragon and Baron gnasher by myself," He stated proudly, reminiscing in the memories of glorious combat/near-death experience. "I don't care how long it took, the point is I did it." He added out of nowhere.
Songbird had no idea what a Baron gnasher was, but slaying an elder dragon, was something else entirely, 'He must be on terrible terms with the dragons.' she thought. "So to be perfectly clear, You will stay next to me until this is over. If things go terribly wrong, take this flare," He said as he shoved it into the collar of her tunic. "Fire it off and run towards the Western part of the capital and hope that the rest of my team will find you along the way." He said as he rose back to his feet. "Wouldn't it just be easier for me to fly away?" She asked as she fiddled with the flare before tucking it away. Darius shook his head and jabbed a thumb at the sky. "No, too many Storm ships, you would be shot out of the sky." He answered.
"Now if we just had some type of--" Before Darius could finish his sentence, A faint cry could be heard in the distance, "Guards!" followed by a horn blaring. Darius instinctively grabbed Songbird, covering her muzzle, and rushed into the nearest alley. Not a moment later a small group of storm guards charged past towards the alarm. He couldn't help but smirk at his luck as he stuck his head out and surveyed the area before emerging from the alley. "Well, that was convenient." He muttered as he released Songbird, the sound of fighting and weapons clashing could be heard much further down the road. "Surprised they didn't spot my ax, storm empire needs to better train their infantry." He said to Songbird as he walked back to where he left his weapon and yanked it from the ground. "Now, move." He ordered as he broke into a sprint, Songbird nodded and followed suit keeping by his side as they ran down the road towards the palace.
The unique pair passed many ruined shops, homes and even more shackled ponies along the way. Darius glanced down at Songbird as they ran, He could sense the resentment in her for leaving them behind. 'Damned pony is too caring.' He thought to himself as they reached the end of the road and cut right spotting the single large stairwell that lead to the courtyard of the palace. Darius took point and hastily marched up the stairs, spotting a pair of storm gourds mirroring him by rushing down the stairwell readying their spears and shields.
Darius made a stop motion with his hand to Songbird. "Wait right here, I'll handle this." He said as he brandished his ax with both hands, and he rushed up to greet them. "You should have brought more!" He bellowed, winding up his ax behind him. The pair of guards leaped down towards him, one trying to bash him with its shield while the other jabbed at him with its spear. Darius sidestepped the spear and swung his ax with full force. The head of his ax cleaved through the shield of the first guard and buried into its chest with a sickening squelch, it let out a weak yelp as it's fellow guard roared and rammed Darius with its shield in retaliation. Darius grunted in pain as he was pushed back and slammed into the curb wall along the passage, pinning him between rock and shield. He had forgotten how strong this things were in a full on fight, He grimaced as he watched the storm guard reared back its spear hand and jab forward.
Darius turned his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the tip of the spear. He grinned at the guard's mistake as he saw his opening, he reached over the shield and bashed the guard's face with his right hand. The guard was dazed long enough for Darius to squat down and wrap his arms around the guard's small legs and lifted with all his might, the top heavy creature flailed wildly as Darius flung it over the curb wall. It's shrieks could be heard for a few seconds, then silenced by a sickening thud. Darius leaned over the short wall and eyed where the guard landed, a puddle of its blood began to form beneath it. "Well, that's settled." He sighed as he went back to the first guard and pulled his ax from it's chest. As a result the body tumbled down the stairs towards Songbird, who panicked at the sight and flew into the air to avoid collision.
She gulped, trying not the vomit at the trail of blood the guard's body left behind, Darius noticed her reaction to the ordeal and had to remind himself that she's a civilian. "Come on!" He shouted for her to catch up as he shouldered his ax and proceeded up the stairs. Songbird snapped out of her daze and quickly flew towards him landing by his side. "Calm yourself, first time bloodshed can be overwhelming " He said. Songbird looked up at Darius before shaking her head, "It's not the first time I've seen killing ... but it's something I'll never get used to." Darius raised an eyebrow at her response, "Well if you're around me too long, you just might." The pair walked in silence until they reached the top that lead into the courtyard.
The courtyard was vast and open with ivory pillars all around the outer edge of the yard, from their viewpoint, you could see the palace towering over them and a large balcony extending out towards the yard. Darius was more concerned with who was currently occupying said balcony, A light purple alicorn, collapsed on the ground, a dark magenta pony, who's horn appeared to be broken, and the last creature Darius hoped to see, the Storm king himself and in his claws he held a very familiar wooden staff embedded with a glowing crystal at the top. "So that's why he wanted the damned thing." Darius grumbled to himself, earning a quizzical look from Songbird. He was spotted as soon as he saw them by the magenta pony. "Intruders! Guards, Seize them!" She called out, almost immediately more storm creatures burst from with the palace halls armed with shields and spears and surrounded the oddly duo.
"Good! I get to cut down more of you bastards!." Darius cursed as he readied his ax and tightened his grip on it as he braced himself for combat, Songbird shuffled closer to Darius not wanting to go back into a cage or worse. "Sire, restore my horn and I will deal with this nuisance myself." The 'unicorn' Eagerly requested as the Storm king stepped closer to the edge of the balcony, "Yeah, yeah, hang on Tempest." The king said, ignoring Tempest's request. "... I know that thing. You There! Where have I seen you before?" The storm king called out as he leered down at Darius. Darius stepped forward and glared at the storm king from below, ignoring some of the guards as they broke off from the rest and ran to deal with something far behind him. The storm king continued to leer down at Darius in confusion before it clicked in his memories. "I know you!" The storm king blurted, "Dramakes? Drapes? er, Drums? what was your name again?" The storm king asked as he struggled to remember, tapping his right horn with the staff.
Darius clenched his teeth in annoyance at the idiocy of this king, honestly how was he not dead yet? "It's Darius! As a reminder: Abyssinia, the insurrection and Mount Aris." Darius said, naming occurrences only the Storm king and seemed to understand. Several guards could be heard shouting 'Halt" behind him. He looked back to see 5 ponies, a baby dragon, and a feline were at the courtyard entrance with some of the guards currently holding them at spear point. Darius ignored the new arrivals and turned back to the Storm king. "Mr. Darius, how do you know the storm king?" Songbird asked in a low voice. "We've done business." Darius said without any more elaboration.
"Right, right, it's coming back to me!" The Storm king laughed as he recollected past events. "You're that mercenary that decapitated one of my battalion commanders for 'retreating'!" The storm king called out, earning a shocked looks from songbird and the newly arrived group behind them. "By the spirits if only I had 10 more like you this whole conquest thing would be so much easier!" He laughed clapping his claws together, "Why'd we stop hiring you? Tempest, why'd we stop hiring him?" He asked, looking at at said pony.
Tempest was taken off guard, "Forgive me, sire, but I've never seen that creature before." She said, hastily bowing towards him. The Storm king glared at tempest before remembering another detail he'd hoped stayed forgotten, which only further soured his mood as he looked back to Darius. "Right, Strife was the one that kept hiring you, wasn't he? Well, due to circumstances he had to be dealt with." The storm king said as he twirled the staff in his hand and relished at the memory of throwing that cloud monstrosity overboard. Suddenly a thought sprang to the king's mind, "That brings up a very critical question, ... why are you here?" He asked glaring down at Darius.
Darius took a deep breath and met the Storm king's gaze. "I was here on private business, but now everything is far more complicated and of course you would be at the center of it all." Darius growled, pointing directly at the fool of a king. "Lucky for you, I'm getting a hefty paycheck out of this. Now I'm going to say this only once, Release the princesses and hand over the staff." Darius demanded. There was an eerie silence throughout the courtyard, only the wind could be heard as everycreature present was taken back by the boldness of the biped.
The storm king's blank stare turned into a sneer at the noxian as he raised the staff above his head, "No, this power is mine! All mine! Now taste the wrath of the storm king!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. The crystal in the staff began to glow brightly as lighting shot from it into the sky, the clouds began to darken and sway in the sky. Darius recognized a tornado formation all too well, thanks to a certain wind spirit. The winds began rapidly increase as debris started to fly through the air as clouds began to funnel down toward the palace, "Move them hooves, ponies!" Darius looked back at the entrance to see the feline ushering at his comrades to take shelter. He looked at the fleeing group then down at Songbird who was huddled close to him.
Darius acted on instinct and grabbed Songbird by the collar of her tunic, "Keep her safe!" He roared and flung her with all his might towards the fleeing group. Songbird's world turned upside down as she sailed through the air and grunted in pain as she felt herself hit something hard before tumbling to the ground. She quickly regained her senses as she laid sprawled on the ground next to a pink pony with a curly mane, She looked back in horror at the courtyard and caught one last glimpse of Darius before he was obscured from sight by the raging winds.
Author's Note
Well, Sorry about the delay. Been busy with work and life and honestly forgot I started this story to begin with, lol. I was just cleaning my pc when I remembered the file and was like, 'oh, right that's a thing I was supposed to do.' Well anyways here's the second chapter, while im currently half way through with the third.