Incompetence From Royal Guard Kills Dozens
__________________
By: Quill Pen
__________________
PONYVILLE--- Ponyville has been struck with great tragedy. The terrorist organization known as the League of Justice enacted their twisted ideology against the peaceful, tourist attraction. The Royal Guard have reported that they got word of the attack at the last minute, but also claimed to be unprepared for the devastation of said attack.

Luckily, though, the Equestrian Investigation Bureau is working where the supposed defenders of Equestria have failed. Under the guidance of Director Brisk Wind, the EIB is working tirelessly around the clock to find any leads to the League of Justice and their whereabouts. Captain Shining Armor has stated that he is willing to work with the EIB to ensure that the LOJ is rooted out from Equestria.

But we must ask ourselves, how much longer can we rely on the Royal Guard’s to protect us? Especially if they are being led by a stallion who allowed the changelings to attack Canterlot, criminal lords to take over our cities, couldn’t prevent Prince Blueblood’s assassination and now failed to stop the attacks all over our fine nation?
With the incompetence running rampant under Captain Shining Armor, we can only hope that Director Brisk Wind and the Equestrian Investigation Bureau can restore order and stability to our nation.
Continued on Next Page

Fluttershy is trying to enjoy the warm weather by feeding her chickens with Big Mac keeping her company, or as much company as the reserved stallion can give. He may be at her cabin, but he’s so quiet that he’s almost invisible. He does help her out whenever she asks, but he’s not one for conversations and he does what is asked so quickly and efficiently that the most Fluttershy can say is a quick, one or two word praise that he replies with a nod or one word answer. Due to the amazing work of the two, everything had been completed a lot earlier than Fluttershy had expected, so now all she has to do is feed her chickens. Thankfully Big Mac did not leave, so now the massive stallion is relaxing in the shade, waiting for her to ask him of something while diligently keeping an eye out for any trouble.

A couple of minutes of peaceful silence pass before Fluttershy notices a trio of pegasi stallions wearing suits and badges landing gracefully in front of her cabin. The lead pegasus, a beige pony with a slicked back, dark gray mane and slightly grayed eyes, flashes a pleasant smile and greeting, which Big Mac meets with a paranoid glare. Fluttershy, noticing Big Mac's unpleasant look, stops feeding her chickens and stares at the three uneasily.

A beige pegasus approaches her while the other two stay back, with one casting an uneasy look at Big Mac and the other remaining stoic. When the beige pegasus is at the fence surrounding the chicken coop, he places his front hooves on the fence and leans in a little while Fluttershy steps back, shielding her face with her mane.

“Pleasant morning, eh, Miss Breeze?” says the beige stallion.

Fluttershy feels the hairs on her mane crawl from just hearing his voice, and her throat goes dry when she sees faint markings slithering out from under his hooves. In an attempt to get some moisture back, she swallows her spit and nods for the sake of appeasement.

“It is a good day, Mister... um...”

The stallion chuckles. “You may call me Agent Bolt, Miss Breeze.” He taps a badge hanging from his breast pocket. “I am with the Equestrian Investigation Bureau, personally sent by Director Brisk Wind to investigate a vigilante known as Mare-Do-Well.”

Fluttershy's muscles tighten and her pupils turn to dots. “Oh, um, I-I don't know anything about Mare-Do-Well.”

The stallion's easygoing smile becomes more unnerving, and Fluttershy gulps when she notices his pupils are pulsating. Behind him, Big Mac has approached the two agents and is studying them without saying a word. From the looks of it, he is studying their badges, and the two pegasi become increasingly more uncomfortable from his staring.

“Really? You wouldn't be lying to me now, would you?” asks Agent Bolt.

“Um... N-No... No, sir,” stammers Fluttershy.

Big Mac suddenly snorts and stomps towards Agent Bolt and Fluttershy, barking: “Fluttershy, get away from him!”

The severity of his voice makes Fluttershy jump and she reels back, kicking up some grass along the way and shivering when Big Mac stomps next to the EIB agent.

“Interfering with government work is not a good idea, civilian,” says Agent Bolt, his smile now contorted to an aggravated scowl and barely giving the earth pony titan a glance.

“It ain't a good idea impersonatin' government folks, either,” retorts Big Mac. “I'm gonna have t' ask ya t' take you and yer cronies and get outta here before things get ugly.”

Agent Bolt wipes his muzzle, making a quick sniff, then he turns completely to Big Mac and tilts his head up so he can look him in the eyes. Fluttershy extends her hoof, wanting to call Big Mac and put a stop to the growing tension, but her words get stuck in her throat, so all she can do is squeak his name.

“Do you think you can boss agents of the EIB around?” remarks Agent Bolt.

“Ya must think I'm stupid 'cuz I live out in the country, but I know a fake badge when I see one,” counters Big Mac.

Agent Bolt narrows his eyes. “Observant one, aren't you?”

Big Mac blows hot air from his nose and paws the grass. “I ain't gonna repeat myself. Go away or else yer gonna get hurt.”

“Big Mac...” whispers Fluttershy, her voice shaking with her body when she spots a red glow coming from underneath Agent Bolt's hooves after he cracks his neck and flexes his wings.

“Well, it looks like somepony's going to get hurt, but it won't be me,” says Agent Bolt.

“But, Pinkie, where will you go?” Cup Cake asks while helping Pinkie Pie pack up some of her belongings in a cardboard box.

“I don’t know, but I can’t stay here,” says Pinkie Pie dolorously.

Cup Cake shakes her head subtly and picks up one of the blenders to pack away, but Pinkie Pie forces a giggle and gently rejects it and tells her that the blender will be her parting gift. Cup Cake chooses not to argue with the pink mare and sets the blender on the now desolate dresser, which is also staying behind. A couple of minutes of grim silence passes by before Cup Cake suddenly stops packing and embraces Pinkie Pie in a loving, yet grieving, hug, and stifles her tears. Pinkie Pie returns the hug, also crying softly.

“If this is about what happened to Spike...” begins Cup Cake.

“It’s more than that,” says Pinkie Pie softly.

“What do you mean?”

Pinkie Pie doesn’t know how to answer that question. How can she tell one of her oldest friends, her mentor and surrogate mother, that she was responsible for Spike’s death and that a group of assassins is coming to hunt her down for interfering with their business. Pinkie Pie doesn’t know how to tell Cup Cake that she has to leave because she just put everyone she knows in danger. Everyone in Ponyville just experienced what this dangerous group is capable of and how far they are willing to go to get their job done. Now she’s the job, and she can’t stay for everyone's sake.

When Pinkie Pie is about to give a vague answer to Cup Cake’s question, her phone rings. Both mares look at the communications rig. Pinkie Pie tries to ignore it, but the phone still rings. And rings. And rings. And rings. Finally after a minute of ringing, Cup Cake marches towards it, grumbling colorful words and unenthusiastically answers it.

“Hello, who is this?” asks Cup Cake, greatly annoyed.

There is some chatter on the other end and Cup Cake and the stranger exchange some words for a few seconds before she hands the phone to Pinkie Pie.

“It’s for you,” says Cup Cake says with some worry.

“Who is it?” asks Pinkie Pie while carefully taking the phone.

“He wouldn’t say.”

Pinkie Pie hesitantly puts the headset on. “Hello?”

“Am I talking to a Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie this time?” asks a stallion on the other end with a bit of a teasing tone.

“Who is this?”

“You ran into some of my colleagues when you defended the corrupt from justice. Perhaps you know one of them as a unicorn able to manipulate the earth under her hooves.”

Pinkie Pie’s pink coat pales and her knees suddenly feel like they are made of jelly. She knew the ones responsible for the attempted assassination would find her eventually, but she wasn’t expecting them to find her this soon.

She looks at Cup Cake and asks her to leave with a shaky, nearly impossibly to hear voice. Cup Cake reluctantly nods and leaves the room without saying a word and closes the door behind her. When her footsteps fade away Pinkie Pie stares straight ahead, choking on her fear.

“Who am I talking to?” says Pinkie Pie, barely able to speak from the bulge in her throat and her speeding heart.

“I really don't feel like giving out my name, but I do have a friend of yours that would love to speak to you,” says the stallion.

There is some movement on the other end, followed by the stallion ordering someone to speak. Pinkie Pie’s mind races to figure out who the stallion is holding, but when she hears whimpering her heart races. She knows that voice, and when the stallion yells at her to speak, the pony on the other end lets out a terrified squeak. Pinkie Pie slumps to the floor with her hoof pressed against her mouth and closes her eyes. Tears roll down her cheeks and she mentally murders herself for making Fluttershy a target for these ponies.

“P-Pinkie?” stammers Fluttershy on the other end.

“Fluttershy, I’m so sorry,” cries Pinkie Pie quietly.

“Okay, that's enough. She heard your voice,” says the stallion theatrically.

There is screaming and begging and sobbing on the other end, followed closely by the sound of a body being dragged across the floor. Pinkie Pie collapses against the rig and puts her hoof to her mouth, shoulders buckling and tears flowing past her shut eyes as she cries in her hoof.

“Let her go! She has nothing to do with this!” sobs Pinkie Pie when there is some more screaming.

“On the contrary, she does. She is guilty by association and unless you want another one of your friends killed because of you, I'd suggest you get your tail to Miss Breeze's abode in no more than forty five minutes,” states the stallion. “And just so you are aware, if you bring the guards or anypony else with you, you can expect a bloodbath.”

“I can’t make the run in forty five minutes!”

“Fifty minutes then. That is all your getting. If you are not here in that time, you can expect to find your friend dead and the bodies of those you care about start staking. I suggest you leave right now, lest you want to be responsible for the death of more of your friends.”

Pinkie Pie slams the headset back on its perch and runs out of the Sugar Cube Corner, ignoring Cup Cake’s barrage of questions and the ponies that stop and stare at her as she bolts down the road.

The sun is already setting, and the trip to Fluttershy’s cabin is undeniably long, but Pinkie Pie knows she can make it in what many would deem an impossible time if she goes full speed. She plans on doing that, but not without picking up a couple of things at the hardware store first. After confusing the customers and employees with pink blurs, missing items and a stack of I.O.U's on the counter, Pinkie Pie zooms towards Fluttershy's cabin with tape around her hooves and her steps a bit awkward.

By the time she reaches it, the cabin is shrouded in darkness and many of Fluttershy's animals lay dead on the ground, and near the fence of the chicken coop is a pool of blood being absorbed by the dirt. From the looks of it, the victim has been dragged inside the cabin, which has its door wide open, and the cabin is completely dark and still. Even the tree it is built into looks dead. The sight makes Pinkie Pie's pupils shrink and her throat becomes dry as her heart bashes its cage like a terrified beast wanting to escape.

'Don't go in there. Just run,' says the voice in her head.

Pinkie Pie ignores the voice and enters the cabin. It is nearly pitch black inside, save for what moonlight enters the windows, her eyes dart around in search for any movement until she hears a sniffling. She tries to turn on the light, but the light switch doesn’t work so she cautiously walks further inside towards the source of the noise.

She steps on something warm, wet and fluffy, and reels back with a mortified gasp when she realizes that what she stepped on had once been Angel, who was stomped flat. She looks up, feeling sick in her stomach, and sees that the place is ransacked. and she can smell death that matches perfectly with the eerie silence. As she gets farther inside, the sniffling and whimpering gets louder, and she spots two figures huddled in the back corner. Pinkie Pie squints her eyes and is barely able to make out that the figures are Big Mac and Fluttershy.

Big Mac is lying on the floor, bloodied and unconscious, with Fluttershy hugging him and crying. She also looks like she’s been attacked, but not as severely as Big Mac. The closer Pinkie Pie gets to her, the more she sees that Fluttershy’s mane is a mess and that she’s covered in mud with some blood mixing in from a scratch on her head.

“Pinkie, I-I’m sorry,” sniffles Fluttershy when she looks up and sees her friend staring at hr.

“No. No, I’m the one that’s sorry, Fluttershy. I... This should’ve never happened to you,” says Pinkie Pie as she hurries over to her friend's side.

“They-They were going to kill him. They-They already killed Angel and-and I just couldn’t...”

“So, at last we got the face of Mare-Do-Well,” says the stallion that called her.

Pinkie Pie jumps to face Roar Shock dressed as his EIB agent persona as he materializes out of the shadows with his escorts by his side. None of them are showing any signs of pouncing, much to Pinkie Pie’s amazement.

“So, you figured me out. I guess I didn’t try hard enough to hide my identity,” says Pinkie Pie with a threatening edge to her tone as she walks closer to the beige pegasus.

“No, not really,” remarks Roar Shock with a mocking shake of his head.

“So, is this the part where you guys kill me for meddling with your business?”

“Well, that all depends. Do you want to cooperate and accept my challenge to a duel, or are you going to be difficult and die tonight with your friends?”

Pinkie Pie cocks her head, blinking in confusion. “You did all this just to challenge me to a duel? That's... pretty terrible and stupid and you should feel bad.”

Roar Shock shrugs. “What can I say? I enjoy the stage and theatrics. There is just a magic in those that we all crave.”

The pegasus slides next to Pinkie Pie and wraps his hoof around her shoulder for a one arm hug, and she tenses up and glares at him out of the corner of her eye as her mane deflates. She then glances at his hoof that he linked around her and notices strange marking coming from the bowl and fading near his ankle.

'Punch him in the throat!' urges the voice in Pinkie Pie's head.

“And now that we are talking about stages, I'm thinking that the EIB construction site at the edge of your cute little town in... Oh, let's say two weeks will suffice for a death match arena,” continues Roar Shock as he rolls his eyes to the ceiling.

“Does your boss know that you’re doing negotiations with his enemy?” asks Pinkie Pie, giving Roar Shock a harsh look with a raised brow.

Roar Shock laughs obnoxiously and pats Pinkie Pie on the back, making her stumble a bit and shoot a glare at him as he trots in front of the door, blocking her way out. The guard that isn't bogged down keeping watch over Fluttershy and Big Mac moves slightly and keeps his eyes locked on her. Pinkie Pie feels her body buzzing and her muscles dying to move, and her eyes flick between each of the three pegasi, watching how they move and observe her and their surroundings. She can hear their breath's and heartbeats, and her mind blurs as it plays scenario after scenario of what can possible happen. Two of the pegasi seem normal, but when she looks at Roar Shock, her internal warning alarms go off and bang pots and pans in her skull, ordering her to avoid confronting him at all costs.

“Does my boss know? Oh, yeah, he knows alright!” says Roar Shock loudly. “He would be a terrible boss if he didn't, and he's actually loving the idea of this duel because he really wants to test one of his recruits. Perhaps you know her? Trixie Lulamoon.”

“Trixie? Trixie’s with you?” asks Pinkie Pie after thinking for a few seconds. She does not remember much about Trixie, aside from her being completely desperate for attention and then getting blamed for a rampaging Ursa Minor.

Roar Shock tilts his snout up snobbishly. “The one and only. I myself am giddy to see how a fight to the death between a former showmare and an Element will go, because no matter the outcome, I will still be happy.”

“So she’s been trained to become a monster like you?”

Roar Shock huffs. “Monster? Really? Grow up, Pinkie. I am not a monster, and neither are my sons and daughters. We are monster hunters. We hunt the real villains. Those criminals and all those public servants they have in their pocket. You know, like Mayor Ivory Scroll, who abuses her power with the help of the Grizelda Mob?”

Pinkie Pie narrows her eyes and Roar Shock sighs and rolls his neck while flexing his wings, then he stares at the clock. His eyes bulge, then he squints and leans a little bit closer, then resumes a more normal stance and blinks a couple of times.

“Oh, well, would you look at the time? It is getting late, and I get back home to the kiddos,” says Roar Shock. “So, let's wrap this up before I talk you to death. Construction site. Ten hours after noon. Friday two weeks from now. Agreed?”

Pinkie Pie takes a deep breath and nods. “Agreed.”

“Good, that was easy,” says Roar Shock with a smug smile. “But to prevent any interference you must Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony about what is to happen. That goes for you too, Miss Breeze.”

Fluttershy squeaks and shrinks further behind Big Mac’s wrecked body.

“Do you Pinkie Promise to keep this to yourself?” asks Roar Shock, his tone light, but threatening.

“I promise,” says Pinkie Pie.

“Let me hear you say it.”

Pinkie Pie is silent and Roar Shock nods towards the guard next to Fluttershy. The escort knocks her on her to the ground and then presses their hoof against her head so that she can’t look at them. Pinkie Pie takes a step forward but the pegasus increases the pressure on Fluttershy’s head, making her cry and beg in pain and thrash on the ground as she tries to push him off.

“Let me hear you say it,” repeats Roar Shock, his tone becoming more grim as Fluttershy's painful cries grow louder.

'Let me at 'em!' shouts the voice in Pinkie Pie's head.

“Pinkie, please don’t do it!” begs Fluttershy.

“Shut up!” snaps the pegasus holding her hostage.

The pegasus stomps on Fluttershy's side, making her gasp explosively and curl up on the ground, coughing sharply and pressing her hooves against her side. The pegasus then steps on her head and wing and squeezes them against the hardwood floor. Something cracks and Pinkie Pie screams for him to stop over her friend's agonizing wails, watching with murderous rage that makes her body tremble when she sees blood pooling from underneath the Element of Kindness.

“She's not going to do it,” says Roar Shock as he taps his hoof and stares impatiently at the clock. “How disappointing. Just kill them both.”

The free guard snaps his hoof holster up and grabs his pistol, but before he can even aim, there is a pink blur that zooms in front of him and socks him right in the chest with a metal orb held to the Element's hoof bowl via tape. There is a loud collection of snaps and the pegasus flies back into a nightstand, breaking it upon impact, and he falls to the ground, coughing blood and wheezing for air as his shifting brushes splinters and shard of glass over the floor.

The second pegasus swears and tries to bring up his weapon, but by the time his hoof holster is within mouth reach, he is face to face with a mare's whose pink coat has darkened and whose mane has become completely flat. Then he gets a metal ball to the muzzle that shatters his teeth and crushes his nose, dousing his face in a thick layer of blood.

The stallion backpedals from Fluttershy and howls in pain, kicking his legs wildly as he presses his gushing wound, and Pinkie Pie clambers on top of him and starts wailing on him.

“You! Do not! Hurt! My friends! You meanie!” screams Pinkie Pie with each punch while Fluttershy begs her to stop while simultaneously trying to crawl away from the brutal scene, watching with disbelief and terror as the pink pony's hooves and face are splashed with speckles and streaks of red.

Every punch from Pinkie Pie is met with a crack and a cry of agony from her victim, and she's too caught up in her assault to notice her ear buzzing for the first second or two. When she does notice, though, she turns and barely deflects a sparking punch from Roar Shock. As she deflects the punch, she notices a glowing symbol in the bowl of his hoof. It looks like two omegas crossing over each other, with one inverted and the other facing the proper direction, and coming from those are thick lines that snake around his hoof and fade at his ankle.

The deflected punch goes into the wall, cracking and scorching it, and the pegasus snarls and buckles when Pinkie Pie slams her hoof down on his skull. When she goes for another punch, Roar Shock bats his wings to push himself away so she punches the floor, then he rams her into the wall hard enough to shake and dent it, and he slams his glowing hoof into her chest.

Pinkie Pie's eyes snap wide open and screams in agony as an electrical current goes through her body, making her feel like buzzing knives are slashing at her lungs and heart and makes her fur stand. The two's shadows are like sharp, sporadic dancers that move along the walls with the red light, magnifying the insanity in the pegasus and the resurgence of fear in the earth pony. When Roar Shock pulls his hoof away, Pinkie Pie slumps to the ground, coughing and gasping for air with short, scratchy breaths while smoke rising from her chest. She curls up on the floor and clutches her injury, feeling the warm of blood mixing with the cold of sweat all over her body, and she looks past her flat, sweaty locks at Roar Shock as he inspects his dimming hoof. She is both terrified and confused about what he is since he appears to be a pegasus, but is using magic in such a way that not even a unicorn can.

“Stupid medication made my curse is not nearly as strong as it could be,” claims Roar Shock with a shake of his head. “Nonetheless, this attack should have ripped you apart considering what it did to that red oaf, so you're lucky. However, as for your cute friend over here... How lucky do you think her broken body will be?”

“Wait...” coughs Pinkie Pie, her hoof weakly extending towards Roar Shock as he takes slow, meticulous steps to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy whimpers and shakes her head, and uses one hoof to drag herself away as her wing hangs limp and blinks blood out of her eyes as Roar Shock steps closer to her.

“Please, don't do this,” whimpers Fluttershy weakly, hoof extended and tears soaking her coat along side her blood.

“Blame your friend, Miss Breeze,” says Roar Shock, ignoring the begs from Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. He then kicks Fluttershy's barrel and presses her down so her back is to the floor and his hoof is crushing her neck. Fluttershy gaks and wheezes and tries pushing him off, but he proves to be too strong and increases his pressure as his face twists to an angry, blood-craving sneer. “She could have just said her little promise and nopony would have gotten hurt, but now it looks like I'll just have to kill all of her friends. Starting with you.”

“Wait! Stop! I'll do it! I'll do it!” cries Pinkie Pie. Roar Shock and looks at her, and she continues with quivering lips and a shaky voice as trails of tears soak her cheeks. “Please, don't hurt her... I'll do what you want.”

Roar Shock removes his hoof from Fluttershy's neck, letting her gasp for precious air and massage her neck.

“You will?” he asks skeptically.

Pinkie Pie nods and after sitting up with some struggle, she reluctantly says with the motions: “I... I Pinkie Promise I will do your challenge... Nopony will know.... Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Roar Shock grins, his teeth gleaming like polished blades in the dim light. “Good, now your turn Miss Breeze.”

The pegasus allows Fluttershy to get up and she also does the Pinkie Promise with the motions.

“Thank you ladies, it was a pleasure talking to you,” says Roar Shock with a smile. Then he looks at his two fallen escorts. The one with the crushed ribs has stopped moving, but the one with the broken face is whimpering, and seeing such a sad sight, he sighs rubs his forehead. “Well this is awkward. My two guards are here, unable to move because somepony was difficult, thus jeopardizing everything.”

He sighs, walks over to the discarded pistol and picks it up with his mouth, then looks at each guard before putting one round each in their heads. Fluttershy shrieks with Pinkie Pie over the gunshots and they hug each other while Roar Shock spits out the weapon and kicks it aside.

“Oh, relax, you aren't meant to die today,” says Roar Shock dismissively. Then he walks towards the door and stops when he is in the entrance and looks at the two terrified mares and flashes a toothy grin. “But, if you two will be so kind as to figure out a way to explain the mess without breaking our agreement that would be wonderful. Thank you and have a good night, ladies.”

Then he walks away and closes the door behind him, leaving Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Big Mac alone in the dark cabin. When they see Roar Shock's silhouette fly past the window, Fluttershy’s grip tightens around Pinkie Pie and she weeps into her fellow Element's shoulder. Pinkie Pie closes her eyes and hugs her friend as tight as she can and rocks her like how a mother would when comforting her daughter, and she runs her hoof through her mane, also crying.

“I’ll fix this,” sniffles Pinkie Pie. “I promise I’ll fix. You’ll see.”

Fluttershy shakes her head without removing her face from Pinkie Pie's shoulder. “N-No! You-You can’t do what they want! They’ll kill you!”

“Fluttershy, don’t worry, I'll think of something. I’ll stop these ponies, no matter what it takes.”

Author's Notes:

Edited 6 Nov 2014