The Mark of Duty

I decided to tell Alice as soon as I walked back in. And if you were curious I was right. "WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE MEETING WITH THE PALE PONY TONIGHT?!" I made a calming gesture with my hands and gestured to Sunset's room. Alice took a moment to right herself. "So you say you're going to guard the homestead, and then right after that you leave?"

I flinched. "Uh, a target of opportunity? They were in view of the house, and you know where the stashed weapons are. I trusted you to stay put for a minute or two."

Alice began rubbing her forehead, walking back and forth. "So you just fucked off to confront them? All on your own?"

I shrugged. A deep planner I was not. "Yes. It was the simplest course of action. You were still here and able to guard Sunset, meanwhile, I knew I could safely stand against whatever threat they posed."

Alice began rubbing her eyes. "Fine. But if you run off for anything again without a backup I swear to God I will beat you within an inch of your life." I opened my mouth for a smartass comment, but Alice cut me off. "And if you say something stupid about being able to take me you should know that I'll get Sunset to help, and you know as well as I that you can't bring yourself to hit her."

I sighed, acknowledging the truth as she spoke. "Indeed. I will stay here then, but fair warning, Shining Armor is coming over later for the full story of last night."

Alice ran her hands through her hair, letting out a long breath. "Okay, so let me go over the facts real quick." She held out a five fingers. "You met with a group watching us alone." A finger dropped. "We have a cop showing up after meeting with said group." Another finger dropped. "We have a wounded member of our little band." Her thumb tucked into her waiting palm. "I only have weapons I've never formally used at my disposal." Her middle finger stood proud as the last digit standing. "And you're an asshole. That sound about right?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Er, yes. That is an accurate summation of events."

Alice sighed, running her hands through her hair for a moment before sighing. "Okay then, I've got a plan that will at least keep me happy. Since you have a token I should be able to show up with all my stuff instead of just what the Trader left me. Send me home, and I'm going to come back with my security blanket. I'll also get us some inconspicuous backup so we can keep something close to a guard on Sunset if something like this comes up again."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that plan. It sounded solid, but having a colorful pony in my little house might not keep me as moderately under the radar as I would have liked. But, in the same breath, I had royally pissed off Alice, and this would probably go a long way in keeping her calm. "Okay then, Go home Alice." She nodded, blue lights breaking of her body as she disappeared.

She pointed a finger at me as she left. "And call me back in ten minutes, not a second later." She disappeared without a sound, leaving me alone for ten minutes. I looked around my house. Clint was looking at me curiously, no doubt trying to figure out what happened in his own doggy way, my Tv was turned on to some mind-numbing daytime tv, and I had nothing productive to do for the foreseeable future. I moved to Sunset's room, deciding to at least check on her while awaiting the timeline for Alice's return. I peeked through the door, finding Sunset on her stomach. Her blanket was balled around her in a messy lump that consumed her legs, and her back rose and fell in the gentle rhythm of sleep. Clint dived in as soon as the door was cracked, laying at the foot of the bed.

I nodded at her slumbering form, moving out of the room and back to the living area. I sat on my reinforced chair, leaning back as I grabbed my phone from the table. I sent a quick text to Shining, asking him when he would arrive, before going to an age-old tradition of timewasting. Phone games. I sent several birds to a fruitless death against pig adversaries before I received a text back. I'm heading out right now. Since Twilight was at her house last night I hope you have a damn good explanation.

I nodded, doing the quick math for how long it would take for him to get here. If he was working today the station was only a few minutes away, so I would have to call Alice while he was here. On the other hand, his house was all the way on the other side of the park, and traffic would turn the drive into a half-hour trek at this time. Which might have been worse, if he didn't see her come in and we were stashing some ridiculous amount of toys she decided to bring along we might get more uncomfortable questions than we could answer. I couldn't really do much as I waited for Shining Armor to arrive. Especially since my main business partner had disappeared to an alternate dimension, probably to grab enough weaponry to take down a Brood Lord.

I moved to my room to pick up my journal, only to remember I had all the relevant information memorized. I walked to my room, pulling Amberly off of her plaque. I ran my hand over her sleek form and checked her over. Her action was smooth and swift, the crack of the bolt closing crisp and loud. I hauled the bolter over my shoulder and began a lazy walk to the table. My dining room was just barely an actual room. A partition behind the couch and a swap from carpet to linoleum being the only true transition between the two. I let Amberly fall onto my table as gently as I could manage. With the sort of calm reverence that I reserved for the holy writ, I pulled forth consecrated oil from a toolbox I kept in the corner. I began disassembling and cleaning while keeping a mental eye on the time.

Cleaning a weapon can be a spiritual experience, and not in the literal method one might associate with a techpriest. It was familiar, calming, and most of all, important. I had been with Amberly since day one, with the only constant in my life coming close being my Melta-gun Celestia still had tucked away in Equestria. My hands faltered, but the oil I held stayed still. The motions honed by decades of repetition refusing to budge more than a centimeter. I began the second set of rites, hearing and then ignoring a click from behind me. I held the cog of the Omnissiah, saying my prayers as the oils did their work. I remembered a theory that the only reason these prayers were said was to give the oil time, but even with knowledge shoved in my head I was unsure.

With the rites and prayers finished, I lowered the cog. With a nod I reassembled Amberly, working the action a single time before sliding the magazine home. "This weapon... is clean." I held it up, smiling softly at the bone-white body of my bolter. I ran a finger softly over the scope. A cough interrupted me from my quiet moment, and I turned to face it. Shining Armor was in my living room, looking at me with a raised eyebrow as I was inspecting my weapon. I lowered Amberly, grabbing my cog from the table and looping it back around my neck. "Ah, good afternoon officer. One moment."

I briefly checked on Sunset and found her still peacefully sleeping, Clint at the foot of her bed with his ears perked up. I nodded and left with the door cracked, making sure Clint had an escape route if he needed it. I moved to my chair, sitting down. I gestured to the couch as I spoke. "Sit friend, we have much to discuss."

Shining Armor nodded, still in his pristine uniform as he sat down. I took note of everything I could. The first latch of his two-stage holster was undone, and his hat was at a high angle. I smirked at him and leaned back. We sat in tense silence for a moment before Shining spoke up, his voice hotter than normal. "Okay, you have a sister living with you, the government on your side, and a body-double of my sister. I was fine with most of this as long as nothing major happened, but-" He held a hand out towards Sunset's door. "She turned into a demon and blew up part of a school, and despite hiding it in the paperwork; that opens a whole new can of shit that I need to be in the know about."

I chewed on that. He was asking a lot of me, and my explanation would be far-fetched no matter how I worded it. The tenth minute passed, and I smiled. "I know what to do friend, but in order to begin you have to make a promise." He looked at me through lidded eyes. The type of eyes that would make one doubt their intelligence when they were pointed at you. Tsunami had hit me with the same look many a time. I flashed my teeth as my grin expanded a bit. "This doesn't leave this room. No cops, no friends, just you and me."

He grunted, leaning back for a minute. Time passed slowly before he nodded. "Fine. Fill me in, but if it's to bad I will spread this story as far and wide as possible."

I got up, moving to my entertainment center and pulled out Alice's tags. "Of course, let me get Alice here and her arrival will start the story." I held up the tags tapping them a few times. "Alice times up. Drop in hot." There was a crackle of purple fire that smelled like death, black and green flames licking the ground in front of my feet. They jumped up, sending Shining over the couch as I saw a glint of blue metal. The flames fell quickly, leaving a suit of Mjolnir Mark VI armor. The helmet looked custom, with a ridge around the scalp that looked like a headdress from the Victorian era. There were several white markings, which looked vaguely like an apron. What confirmed it was Alice though was the symbol on the chest. In the blue, a white rabbit stood tall, a golden pocket watch held tight in his paws. She looked at me and turned to Shining Armor's head as it peeked up from the couch. On her back, a Sniper Rifle that was almost her size rested, and an Smg rested on her hip.
Alice reached up, removing her helmet and smiling. "Okay Marxie, let's get serious."