The three Swords I - Sweetie Belle

''Did you hear that?''

''Hear what?''

''That.''

''Oh yes, that is a precise description.''

''You both shut up, I heard it too. Around the corner.''

With a light sing, the blade slid out of its holster on Sweetie Belle's waist. She held it close to her leg and felt how the Tonfa weighed her arm down. The weapon had the shape of a branch; a straight blade, a little longer than her forearm, and a wooden handle on the top side, vertically on the blade, was wrapped with a red cord.

She heard her heartbeat in her head, how it pounded. It was this moment when she was most excited, the moment before the fighting, the calm before the storm.

Sweetie Belle reached with her free hand to the small bag on the side of her upper leg, and felt the outlines of its content beneath the rough surface of the fabric. They were still there and ready for use. Brushing away a strain of curly light pink hair, that was hanging before her one eye, she took a deep breath and pulled the zipper to her chin for the last time.

She wore a jumpsuit of black and gray polyester and carbon fiber. Her shoulders, elbows, waist and knees were covered with protectors of a lighter but more resistant version of carbon shells. The zipper started at her belly button and ended close beneath her chin. A pair of sunglasses, fixed with a rubber band to the back of her head, and lots of small pockets strapped all over her body completed her skin-tight gear.

''Alright, I'm going to move in first. Then Spike follows while you and Rarity give us cover,'' she whispered and took a quick peek around the corner.

The corridor they were moving along to the first turn was pitch black, and she could just so see her companions. They were somewhere in the outskirts of a suburb of Detrot, a mansion near a small forrest. It was so insignificant that it was only marked on a handful of maps, which was one reason they had arrived there by sundown. Now the sun was down and the dim orange light had vanished to solid blackness.

As soon as they had broken the lock at the front door, they had felt that something was wrong. Just the piece of evidence they had needed to know that they were right. The mansion possessed a labyrinth of small rooms on the first floor, connected by corridors, three major halls, and another maze of rooms in the upper stories. The group was now assembled above the center hall and yet they still were to encounter a single soul. It was like the whole house was empty. Local records stated that the owner neither passed away nor that he was out of town though.

Several paintings hung on the walls, displaying scenes from a stormy sea, a meadow at sunset, mountains heavily covered in snow and other scenes showcasing Mother Nature. A long carpet ran along the floor and swallowed the small noises they made while moving.

The house was old, presumably built half a century ago, or longer. The stairs had creaked with every step they took on them, causing them to curse quietly under their breath, thankful for every time they left a staircase. And still, they hadn't come to a single living person.

''No, it's too dangerous. What if we are right and they really are huddled together around the next corner?'' asked Twilight. She tried her best to keep her tune down, but it still sounded so loud in the silence all around them.

Spike smirked and leaned in closer. ''Then we do what we always do: slice them up and send our regards to the princess,'' he boasted and winked at her.

Twilight frowned and shot him a scolding look. ''Spike, this really isn't the time to be joking. They grow in numbers with every new mission. Rarity, could you please support me here?''

''I am sorry, Twilight, darling,” the white-coated mare replied. “But I can't seem to see why this would be a bad plan. It is uncouth and not very ladylike, but it works very well.''

Twilight sighed and shook her head. ''Fine. But if anyone gets hurt, you have yourselves to blame. Let's move out.''

Sweetie Belle shot the dragon a grin and he answered with one of his own. They got into launching position, Sweetie Belle with the weapon on her left, and her right on the floor. Spike focused on a point on the opposite wall and she could almost feel the heat through her armored clothing as he flexed his muscles as a warm-up.

Keeping his gaze fixed, he nodded rhythmically. By the third time, they both jolted forwards. Sweetie Belle rolled over her shoulder, came to her feet, let her blade whirl on her side, and drew one of the shurikens out the bag on her leg, ready to throw.

Spike jumped straight at the wall, clawed into it and took two quick jumps, before he whirled into a wild flip, rocketing straight at his opponent.

Had there been an opponent to rocket at.

The end of the corridor lay out of sight, it was too dark. Rarity and Twilight turned around the corner, Twilight already aiming with the crossbow on her wrist, and four of Rarity's handle-less, tear-shaped blades circling her torso in x-shape while she held two others in between her middle and index finger and her thumb.

A moment passed and they all loosened up.

''So much for that. What now?'' asked Spike. He sounded unnerved.

''Well, the way I see it, we move on,'' replied Twilight. ''There are four doors ahead of us, and any is as good as the next.'' She shrugged. The fact they still hadn't made contact made her suspicious too.

Sweetie Belle walked on to the first door on the right and turned the knob. It was locked. ''There goes your theory about this one being as good as the next.'' Suddenly, her gaze shot downwards and she lifted her foot.

Twilight grunted and waved in a general direction. ''Then try the next one.''

Instead, Sweetie Belle raised her arm and positioned the tip of the Tonfa between the lock and the door frame. She pushed in gently and with a yank to the side, broke the door open. She slowly opened it wide enough to see into the room behind, then quickly pulled back.

Twilight tilted her head. ''Sweetie, why did you-''

''Because there is blood on the floor.''

Immediately, the group stood by her side and readied their gear again. Pushing the door wider open, Sweetie Bell held up three fingers and counted down. When the last finger fell, then so did the door.

Sweetie teleported a short distance and sunk her blade into the sinewy neck of the first ghoul. She yanked it out quickly and dodged the flailing arms from the two others that tried to get her into their embrace, where they would flex until her backbone broke. She rolled to the side, swiped a pair of legs from the ground, and stuck her Tonfa straight through the chest of the fallen ghoul. A moment later, it burst into gray ashes.

The room was bigger than it had looked from outside. It was empty except for the pieces of furniture that lay broken on the walls, remnants of a table and some chairs. A crowd of growling, tottering and reeling figures looked straight at the door. Their fur showed bare parts, where the skin shimmered through, and they had dark rings around their eyes. Many had wounds, scratches, bruises and what else.

Seeing herself surrounded by five opponents, she took the second tonfa from its place on her side and started rotating them slowly along her hips. She reached into her pocket with her magic and grasped the four shurikens, letting them spin around at chest height. They were around the size of her hand and had the shape of three leaves connected in the center, a black and silver ornament on each edge.

Two of the ghouls closed in from opposite sides, swaying and faltering. Sweetie Belle retracted the blades to her arms. She ducked under one arm of the enemy in front of her and sliced his side open with a sudden strike. The ghoul turned and made his upper body vulnerable, and Sweetie Bell landed an uppercut from his crotch to his neck. A sound like rustling leaves and the ghoul was gone.

She heard a sound like a moan from behind and saw the other stumbling towards her, the remaining three following suit. She concentrated and sent the shuriken flying. Two borrowed themselves in the heads of the duo behind the foremost ghoul, and they burst into dust. Sweetie Belle teleported again and stood right before the last of the trio. Her blades snapped around, and the long part was now an extension of her arm. She rammed the tip into the gut of the opponent in front of her and shoved it upwards until they exited his body on the back and sliced him up. From the weight of his arms, the two parts that were severed sunk down and before he touched the ground, the body of the ghoul was already gone.

Sweetie Belle turned around to the last of the squad and let her neck bones crack. She assumed a boxing stance and moved her finger, provoking her enemy to come get her. He willingly took the invite and staggered towards her. Sweetie waited until the ghoul reached out with one arm to strike, evaded at the last moment, drew her leg upwards in a spin-kick and caught the arm. Following in the motion, she pierced the ghoul’s chest with her tonfa, battling to keep her balance, while directing the shuriken to swarm around him, ripping his clothes, as well as flesh, apart. Like confetti, pieces of flesh flew around and burned up just like sparklers on a morbid birthday cake.

Shooting her work an approving smile, Sweetie turned around to see how her teammates were doing. Just at that moment, she watched Spike lift a ghoul up by his shoulders and then rip him into two. The two halves formed a puddle on the floor and trembled in small spasms afterward.

Rarity reached over her shoulder and drew another knife from there, threw it and hit an opponent right in the eye. He, like the others, turned to ashes.

Meanwhile, Twilight was with her back to the wall and shot bolt after bolt from her crossbow. She had taken down a good handful already, but when she tried to shoot a ghoul that was uncomfortably close, the string loosened no arrow. Her eyes went wide and she quickly pulled the magazine off her left wrist, dropped it to the ground and reached to the bag on the small of her back. It was too late, though. The ghoul had reached her, his arm grasped Twilight's shoulder. He pulled her in and she stumbled.

Suddenly, the chest of the ghoul bulged and he threw his head back. Then, he was lifted off the ground as Spike held him up. His hand was buried in the back of the ghoul up to the elbow and he held him up even higher until his arm was fully extended. The ghoul squirmed and flailed, but Spike opened his jaws and released a stream of emerald fire that burned the ghoul around his arm, and he dropped to the ground as the flesh that held him up melted away.

''Thank you,'' Twilight sighed in exasperation, and Spike nodded with a toothy smirk.

When there was no movement anymore, the group gathered in the center of the room. Sweetie Belle, Rarity and Spike were breathing heavily.

''Alright, good job everyone. Twilight, how many did you count?'' asked Spike, his arms in his hips.

Twilight's eyes shot from one corner to the other. ''Sweetie Belle got seven, I got thirteen, Rarity took down twelve and you neutralized fifteen. That makes forty-seven,'' she replied and looked gravely at him. ''Ten more than the last time.''

Sweetie Belle scratched her cheek. ''So what does that mean?''

Twilight looked at her and thought about it for a second. ''That there's something bigger on the way to us.''

''Very well then,'' Rarity clapped her hands together. ''Then let's get back home, I don't intend to stay here any longer than I need to be.''

''She's right, you guys,'' Spike agreed, and grabbed Rarity's waist, spinning her around and pulling her into a wild kiss.

Twilight and Sweetie looked demonstratively into different directions, but when they took longer than five seconds, Sweetie snorted. ''Oh, come on, get a room for yourselves!''

Rarity and Spike broke off, both chuckling. ''We will, don't worry. As soon as we are home,'' Spike grinned and planted another kiss on Rarity's mouth, who gave a little squeal.

Twilight sighed. ''You know, it's fine that you are dating and stuff, but for Sweetie Belle and me it's still a little odd.'' Sweetie Belle nodded.

Yeah, 'stuff', especially, she thought, trying to block out her upcoming vivid imagination as to what kind of stuff.

Annoyed, Rarity and Spike parted. ''Party poopers,'' grumbled Spike, and they left the house.