Wildcard grunted as he approached the ruined building, it looked like it was once a place that saw ponies of every shape and size moving about. The stallion entered what was once the main door of the building and began to quietly make his way inside. It had been a good while since he fought the two siblings back at Ponyville, and he was still pissed off about his loss to them. He snarled and rubbed softly at the wound at his side where he had been shot. He pulled the bullet out after he had fled and found a small, decrepit maintenance shack that still had all of its tools and some old, but still sterile magic supplies inside. The stallion managed to use a pair of rusty pliers that day to remove the bullet and then he had put a magic bandaid over it to stop the blood from flowing, along with healing himself slightly from the bandaid’s magic.

It had been several moments before Wildcard entered a doorway and stepped into the room beyond. The room looked different when compared with the rest of the building that he had seen up to this point. Where the vast majority of the rooms had been debris filled and destroyed, this one was pristine and clean, a round table with three comfortable, padded leather chairs sat at three opposite sections of it. He raised his right eye ridge as he walked over to the chair that faced the door and sat down. He didn’t know just how long he would have to be waiting for anyone else to show up, as the soft sounds of taloned feet stepped against the cold and cracked floor of the building.

The figure came into view as the stallion watched, he had recognized the black and heavy armor with the star on their shoulder. He gave a sigh of disgust as the Black Star merc sat down on the chair opposite of him.

“Ugh, fucking great.” Wildcard said with a disgusted tone in his voice. “Let me guess, you received a summons from him, too?”

The Gryphon gave a nod as he snarled, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the Pegasus. “Yes… I got a summons from Mr. Fantastic, as well.”

The two stared at one another in a deafening silence for quite some time. The silence had gone on for several moments before it was broken, a door that had been hidden in the wall opposite the doorway that the two had used to come inside opened. The Pegasus Raider and the Gryphon mercenary both turned their heads to look.

An Unicorn in a black suit stepped out of the darkness behind the door and approached the table. His cold blue eyes scanned the two before he conjured a comfortable chair behind him. He sat down, causing his clothes to crease with each motion. His golden coat was hidden by the suit. He looked at the two that he had summoned and glowered at them.

“So, do you both want to tell me why neither of you have found Stacked Chip and brought him to me, yet?” He asked in an agitated tone.

Wildcard took a deep breath and held it a moment before he exhaled. He looked at the stallion and gritted his teeth. “I didn’t get him yet, because I had to deal with some trouble in Ponyville… I was attempting to kill them, so that I could get the map that leads to where this Bat Pony that you are looking for, went into hiding. But I got my flank kicked by the snot nosed brats.”

The golden coated stallion slowly turned his head and locked eyes with the Gryphon. The Black Star mercenary shivered a bit as he then straightened up at attention. His tail feathers stood upright as he fixed his black armor. “Sir, my men and I were on our way to scout out the last location that he was seen at, where we ran into resistance.” He had hoped that the stallion believed him, but his hope faded when he saw his expression harden.

“So, what you both are telling me… Is that both of you imbeciles, you ignorant boobs… You motherfucking ignoramuses, couldn’t even find a single Bat Pony?!” He shouted in an enraged tone. His tail thrashed behind him as he slammed his front hooves on the table. “I, Mr. Fantastic, am not paying you two to go galloping through the daisies on a midsummer afternoon… What I am paying you for, is to bring me Stacked Chip alive! If you can’t fucking do that, then why should I keep you around instead of sending my robots out there?” He asked them as his voice deepened, his heart filled with malice and rage from the memory of Stacked Chip, Emerald Song and Fang’s escape from the Frozen North. Their escape from his hooves…

“Y-yes sir! I-I swear that I will bring Stacked Chip to you alive! Whatever you want, sir!” Wildcard said with a nervous tone in his voice. His hooves trembled as he felt his body shake violently, he felt like he would have crapped his pants, he was hating himself for not having worn his brown pants today. “Unlike our Black Star Captain here, I at least have the skill-”

“Hah! You have skill? Don’t make me laugh!” The Gryphon said as he stood up from his chair. He had grown used to being yelled at by his sergeant during his training. His voice took on a mocking tone as he glared at Wildcard, his wings spread menacingly as his talons opened to reveal his razor sharp nails. “How about you just sit back and let me deal with him. I can snag him before you can think about doing it yourself!”

“Now, hold on just a damn minute!” Wildcard shouted as he pointed at the Gryphon, but once again, he was unable to get more out before he was cut off. This time he was cut off by Mr. Fantastic.

“Axe-Stone Beak, Wildcard…” The Unicorn stallion said with a grunt. “I am giving you both this last chance. If neither of you have brought Stacked Chip to me, alive. I will kill both of you…” He paused as he looked at the both of them, the tone of his voice was full of anger and frustration due to the both of them. “You have two weeks to get him and to bring him to me. If you cannot fulfill that goal, then you know what will happen to you.”

Mr. Fantastic stood up and turned around, his tail flicked softly as he walked to the open door and the darkness beyond, only to vanish into the blackened depths within. The door then slid shut behind him with a resounding and soft click.

The Raider and the Black Star Mercenary left the room silently and made their way out of the building. They calmly made their way down to the cracked and long since ruined street where they looked at one another, the Raider having calmed down enough to where he could get his hooves to stop shaking.

“You’d better stay out of my way, Axe-Stone Beak…” Wildcard snarled. “Otherwise I’m not going to hesitate on blasting your brains all over the battlefield.”

“Likewise to you, Wildcard.” The Gryphon said as he spread his wings in preparation to take flight. “We should work together and plan out an attack, as well as to figure out their objective.” Axe-Stone Beak said with a calm and collected tone in his voice. “We will have to work together, especially if those little brats are involved…”

“...” Wildcard didn’t say anything as he spread out his own wings and took to the sky. The Pegasus stallion waited for Axe-Stone Beak.

The Gryphon smirked to himself as he saw that the Pegasus realized that he was correct and lifted off of the ground. He flew up to the stallion’s height in the air and lead him towards Tenpony Tower.

Footnote: Text files found!
Dossiers revealed: Wildcard, Axe-Stone Beak and Mr. Fantastic are now able to be read. All text files will be located in Interlude 3.

Author's Note

I would like to apologize about how long this chapter took to get out. The main reason for its delay, is due to a job that I got with a ttrpg company. I cannot go into detail, but those that are in the know, know the gig. I have also been dealing with trying to find a new job, as well as am trying to move out of California, along with dealing with the stresses those bring.

I am going to be putting this story on hiatus until my side-gig is finished, as I don't want to start the side-gig and wanting to see it through until its end.

All of that aside, I hope that everyone is enjoying this story thus far, and I will be bringing you all a much longer chapter, when I get back.