Having been located by the Guard and Wonderbolts and extracted from the hills to the south of the homestead, they flew Shining back to the FOB for treatment and transported his Guard unit alongside Deka's squad back to base. Rainbow and I would have immediately joined them, but she agreed to accompany me to Coltchester in order to find Velvet somewhere safe to stay.

After being flown into town by a group of guards, I sit in the rear of the cart alongside Velvet as Rainbow is inside one of the cities orphanages, speaking to the staff on my behalf to try and house Velvet. Looking down at the young Unicorn in question, she mostly remains silent as she rests against the top of my legs, only moving occasionally as she shuffles her forehooves underneath her muzzle.

Running my hand through her mane, I rest my head back as I think back over the day's events. We were able to escape the Diamond Dogs and were able to provide the information of the cave network to intelligence officers, allowing a future military operation to take place in order to clear out the large group which were clearly residing in the network below. By finding and clearing any tunnel networks located, we reduce the Dogs effectiveness at rapidly manoeuvring around the terrain and our troops.

Resting my head back against the wooden frame of the cart, I idly sway my feet from side to side as I keep my eyes closed. After the engagements and routinely running around, it was safe to say that I was exhausted. Usually, it wouldn't be an issue and I could keep going for longer, but having to do all of that without any food in your stomach and constant high-stress situations surfacing at every turn, it soon takes it out of you.

"John?" Velvets timid voice pulls me from my idle thoughts. Opening my eyes, I lower my head to look at her. "What going to happen?"

"Happen with what?"

"To me."

I briefly remain silent before running my hand through her mane. "Rainbow Dash is inside seeing if they have room for you. They'll give you a bed to sleep in, hot food and friends to play with."

"I-I don't want to go there..." Velvet remarks as she sits up.

"Why not?"

"I don't know anypony. I'll just feel out of place like I don't belong." Velvet pauses before looking directly into my eyes. "Can't I stay with you?"

I can't help but feel something tug at my heartstrings from her request. "I'm sorry, Velvet, it's not safe to stay with me. I'm often in dangerous situations and we can't let you stay in the base with us. I'm sorry, but you can't stay with me." I would be lying if I said that it didn't make me feel like shit for crushing her request, but I can't exactly take in kids I find alone whilst on duty and take personal responsibility for them.

As her expression drops, I wrap an arm around her and pull her close. "I'll tell you what. How about I give you an invitation to come to mine and Luna's wedding? You'll get to meet her and enjoy a few days in Canterlot."

This quickly turns her frown upside down as she looks at me wide-eyed. "Really!?"

I chuckle softly at her enthusiasm. "Really. I'll make sure you get an invitation. And I'll tell Luna you had my back here. I'm sure she'll personally want to thank you." Velvet quickly jumps up and throws her forehooves around my neck, hugging me tightly. As I keep a hold of her, I turn my head to the side and notice Rainbow stood outside the door of the orphanage alongside a pale green mare.

Velvet seems to realise that my attention is elsewhere as she pulls away, quickly following my gaze. "Do I have to go?"

I nod my head, "It's what is best for you. You'll get a new home and somebody who can take care of you." Keeping a hold of her, I cautiously rise to my feet before stepping off the cart and onto the floor below. Kneeling down, I place her on the floor so that she is standing alongside me. "You'll be okay, Velvet. They'll keep you safe. Besides, you’ll always have me as a friend."

Velvet gives me one last hug, taking hold around my legs before releasing me. Without another word, she steps towards the mare with hesitation as Rainbow steps past her to join alongside me. Reaching the mare and the door to the orphanage, Velvet turns to me and give me a small wave. As I return the gesture and wave her goodbye, she steps inside with the mare before the door closes.

"You gonna be alright?" Rainbow asks as she climbs into the cart.

"Yeah," I respond as I quickly follow her. Lying down in the centre, I run a hand through my hair. "Let's just head back home. I need a shower, some grub and a proper night sleep."

As Rainbow kicks the side wall to signal the Pegasi towing us to begin moving, she slumps down alongside me. "So... you gonna tell me what was up with your eyes?"

"I guess I owe you that much. Discord and Tirek fucked with my head, making a... docile version of myself who was stronger but would listen to any instruction they gave me. Discord recently gave me control as the influence cannot be removed, so now he only follows my orders." I clear my throat as I turn my head to her. "Basically, he makes me a 'super soldier'. Faster, stronger and more agile."

"That is awesome," Rainbow remarks with enthusiasm. "But, are you sure you can trust anything Discord tells you?"

"I don't trust shit he says. But, it's better than the alternative. Anyways, I have something more important to discuss." I turn my head to Rainbow as she looks at me in confusion, "What the fuck was that thing you did earlier?"

"Oh, that was my sonic rainboom," Rainbow brags as she exhales on her forehoof before rubbing it against her flight suit.

"So you weren't taking the piss when you said you could do it. You broke through the sound barrier," I exclaim as I sit up. "That shit should be impossible."

"Hardly," Rainbow scoffs. "Did you see me do it?"

"Yeah-"

"-Then it's possible."

"I don't know how. Maybe this world has different laws of physics? Fuck if I know."

"Eugh!" Rainbow exclaims as she throws her hooves out. "Don't be an egghead and talk about physics!"

"I'm not being an egghead," I respond. "I almost failed science at school, so I don't give a shit about it. Anyways, you handled yourself well out there. Especially for a weekend warrior," I mock as I look at her with a grin.

"Thanks. I think it’s more of a miracle that you didn't get hurt for once."

"I know!" I respond as I look over myself with exaggeration. "I'm sure I'll find a couple of holes once I take off this uniform."

"Something tells me Princess Luna won't be thrilled if you turned up at your wedding full of holes."

"Nah. She'll live." Lifting my hand, I slowly run my fingers of the scare alongside my eye. "I'll get Twilight to clear this up for the wedding. It isn't exactly the most attractive looking thing in the world.”

The two of us remain silent for few moments before I decide to speak up again. “Why haven't you joined the Wonderbolts full time?"

Rainbow shrugs, "The main Wonderbolts are only a small squadron, the only way to get in now is if one of them was to quit and their space opened up. So until then, I'll be in the reserves."

"You know, I reckon you'd be great as a full time member. In fact... I reckon you'd be amazing in the army." Rainbow's eyes quickly snap onto mine. "I know the Wonderbolts is your passion and dream, and I won't get in the way of that, but I think someone like you would be a great asset. If you're interested."

Rainbow doesn't hesitate in her response, "Don't get me wrong, I think being in the army would be pretty cool... but my heart wouldn't be in it. I always have been and always will be a Wonderbolt, reservist or regular."

A grin quickly surfaces on my lips as I scratch my chin. I guess that's why she's the element of loyalty. "I respect that, Rainbow, but the offer will always stand. If you ever feel like it, then come and see me. But, I'm sure you're already at home in the Wonderbolts and they'd take a big hit if they lost you. So long as you do what makes you happy, that is all that matters."

Looking out of the opening behind us as we begin to leave the town, Rainbow removes the goggles from over her head. "You reckon you're ready?" I look at Rainbow in confusion, prompting her to continue. "To become a Prince? Married to Princess Luna and having your own family."

"...I reckon so. Being a dad is kinda scary, but I suppose it's better while I'm still reasonably young. No good being a dad in my forties where I can hardly do anything with my kids."

"And becoming more involved with the formalities of being in the royal family? It doesn't exactly look very fun to me."

"I'm not getting married for 'fun'. I figure... It's time for me to step down. Leave the army and actually have a normal life." I release a chuckle as I think about what I just said. "Well, as normal as I can get by being a Prince."

"It's hard to picture you not walking around in a uniform," Rainbow remarks. "I think I've seen you in them more than any other clothing you own. You practically live in it."

Exhaling slowly, I pinch the bridge of my nose before rubbing my eyes. "I'm tired, Rainbow. So tired of being carted off to conflict, being forced to take others lives for the 'greater good' of the world. I've done three tours back home, and this is my third tour here. Six combat tours. It's about time I think about packing up. Why should I continue? I'll be in the wealthiest family, the biggest and best home around... I won't have to have a job like I did throughout the rest of my life. I love the army lifestyle, but we eventually need to move on."

"Retiring in your twenties? Most ponies would love that opportunity,” Rainbow comments with a soft chuckle to herself. “But I can see that you don't really agree with it. Your fighting with yourself, fighting for both sides of that argument.”

She's right. Although part of me wants to settle down and pack everything in, I just don't think I can. This is all I have ever known throughout my adult life, the army. Whether I like it or not, my entire life has been tailored around it. Even when I finally had some time off due to injury, I found myself trying to do any kind of work. I can't sit idly, I need to be active. And the best place for me to do that was in the army.

"I-I don't know. Life is complicated. I miss the days of being a teenager, where I did fuck all and could just play on the xbox, play football, get drunk and not worry about any responsibility."

"You still do nothing but get drunk," Rainbow chortles as she makes a gesture of knocking back a drink with her hoof.

"Okay, smartarse. I know thats what I still do... on occasion." I close my eyes as I lay back and rest against the wooden floor of the cart. "Guess I won't be getting drunk when I'm a dad."

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Sunday 24th August 2014
22:51
Day 42 on Deployment

Keeping low as I move towards the edge of the ridge, I come to a stop and lower myself onto my belt buckle alongside Chaser and Janine who are observing the area below through their binoculars. Looking over the location below us, I can make out the movement of silhouettes around an old damaged stone building built into the natural wall of the adjacent ridge just over four hundred metres away. Nothing separates us from them apart from a long and barren section of desert as we maintain our observations of the group.

"Any sign of her yet?" I ask Janine as I take hold of my own binoculars from around my neck.

"We had a significant amount of movement in the window on the top floor, second from the left."

Scanning the building, I move my binoculars to find the window in question. "Was she there?"

"It's difficult to say. There are a few females among them, but I wasn't able to identify any of them."

We've been out here for two days, acting on intelligence the Guard was able to collect in the reservation. We had learnt that one of the Lieutenants of the Diamond Dog's used this derelict home as a base for her operations. The intelligence was mostly just word of mouth, so we weren't willing to just dive in until we had some sort of confirmation.

Hearing someone else crawling up to my left I quickly glance over to see Gabrielle as she comes to a stop. "She'll be here. The Dog they got this info from is the worst liar you've ever seen. In the off chance that he was wrong, we could still have some fun and wreck the little gathering they have. There's bound to be something of use in there, intelligence or otherwise."

"We've got time," I respond as I return to scanning the guards and their patrol routes.

"What was it you called her?" Chaser asks. "The nine of diamonds?"

"Yeah," Gabrielle answers him.

"Why?"

"It's just a... ranking system of high-value targets. Like a deck of playing cards. Two of clubs is the lowest, the ace of spades is the highest."

"Makes sense, I suppose."

"It does. I bet even John knew about it," Gabrielle says.

I nod my head before lowering my binoculars. "Yup. Though I never had the privilege of hunting any of the deck down in Afghanistan. Even if they were there, it wasn't exactly my job."

"Yeah, but you got the ace of spades in the civil war by killing the General."

"True." I turn to Gabrielle with a grin, "Don't they usually have a bounty on their heads? I never saw a penny of that reward."

"Not here. Your world had rewards for them?"

"I heard that. Whether it was true or not is a different issue. As I said, it wasn't my job."

"Wait," Janine interrupts. "We may have her."

This causes all of us to quickly snap our heads towards the building and previously stated window. Looking through my binoculars, I quickly find a female Diamond Dog stood inside the room talking to a group of three. She's got a distinctive burn scar along the left side of her neck, giving us something easy to identify her. Looking away and reaching into my pocket, I pull out my notes from the intelligence report and find my earlier scribblings stating that our target has a burn scar on the left of her neck, along with a section of her right ear missing.

"Anyone able to see her right ear? Is it damaged?"

After a brief pause, Chaser nods his head. "Yup. The tip looks like it's been nibbled on." Turning his head to me, I can see a childish grin appearing on his muzzle. "And not the good nibbling on the tip."

I can't help but chuckle, "You're an old man, yet are somehow a child at the same time." Putting my binoculars away, I begin to move back away from the edge of the ridge. "How you wanna handle this, Chaser?"

He looks at me in surprise as the others begin to follow me. "Me? You're the senior ranking officer here. Aren't you taking command?"

"Nope. Me and Gabrielle only came here to assist in observations. It's your Section. I wanna see how you command them in the field and how you'll utilise the team."

Once we're away from the edge and out of sight, we all get up from the floor and begin to walk towards the small camp we had set up further back with the rest of Bravo Section. "I propose that you and Gabrielle make your way onto the ridge directly above them without being seen. From there you'll be able to fire directly down on them as we begin a series of rapid strikes, keeping their attention on us while being a hard to hit target. We clear the exterior before you join us down below to clear the building."

Nodding my head in approval, I reach down for my helmet from my webbing and unclasp it. "Sounds good to me. We'll need either Janine or Georg to help get me other to the other side in all this kit."

"I'll do it," Georg quickly volunteers as he climbs out of his tent with a shotgun in his grasp. "I can get you there quickly."

"I'll wait for you to act first before firing on them," I inform Chaser as I place my helmet on my head and secure it.

"We'll wait for Georg to return before moving in," Chaser confirms. "We'll have a plan of attack sorted by the time he's back and ready to go."

Tightening my rifles sling so that it's held tightly against my chest, I hold my arms out to either side as I wait for the two Griffins to take hold. With Georg grabbing hold of my left arm and Gabrielle of my right, they quickly begin to gain some elevation as they hold onto me tightly. Being high enough so that we shouldn't be spotted, they glide towards the opposite ridge while keeping the movement of their wings to a minimum to reduce the likelihood of being noticed.

We soon reach the other side where we land with ease. Gaining my footing, I unsling my rifle and cautiously move towards the edge over the building below. "Georg, get back to the others," I whisper to him. Nodding his head, he once again gains some height before returning to the other side.

Gabrielle and I take up positions and aim our weapons down below, picking out our targets. Picking out the largest and most heavily armed Dog, I have no issue getting a clear shot while being overhead. As we wait patiently for the others to begin the attack, I notice some rapid movement in the shadows to the right side of the compound.

Following the movement, I aim from my SUSAT to briefly make out the figure of a dark coloured pony before it disappears into the shadows. "Who the fuck is down there?" I mutter quietly to Gabrielle.

"What are you on about?"

"I saw someone. A pony, I think. Down in the shadows by the break in the outer walls."

"...I don't see anyone," She replies as she scans the area herself. "You sure you're not being paranoid?"

"I'm telling you, there was someone down-" As I talk, the figure quickly moves through the broken wall and presses its body against a series of wooden crates alongside a guard. "Now you see them?"

"Dummes Pony," Gabrielle hisses under her breath.

Softly scoffing, I try to get a closer look at the pony. "I think that's the first time I heard you speaking in German."

"Griffonian," Gabrielle corrects me.

"Meh, tomato-tomatoe." Lowering my rifle, I instead switch for the more powerful optics of the binoculars. Getting a better look at the pony below, the first thing I notice is the unfamiliar armour. A tight fitting black jumpsuit with dark grey armour plating covering the back and the top of the joints of the feminine yet strong figure below. Her coat is a dark purple with a mohawk styled rose mane. The main thing that stands out to me is the disfigured horn, the tip appearing to be completely missing, leaving only a couple of inches from the base.

"Who the fuck is she and what the hell is she doing?" I murmur as I watch her creeping around the crate towards the absent-minded Dog. Reaching the Dog, quickly rears onto her hind legs and grabs hold of the dog, throwing him onto the floor alongside her. Before it can react, she swings her forehoof down on the Dog's throat, likely collapsing its windpipe as it quickly ceases moving.

As she drags the Dog out of sight, I turn to Gabrielle who seems to be giving an approving nod to the ponies performance. "She seems to know what she's doing. She ain't one of yours?"

"I know everyone in the SOG. She ain't one of mine. Besides, the army was told to stay away from here while we were operating. That and I don't recognise the armour she has." Rubbing my chin, I let out a sigh. "She'd better not fuck things up for us."

"We ain't got time to worry about her," Gabrielle states as she cocks her rifle. "Chaser and his team are coming in."

Following her gaze, I stand up and wait on the edge as I shoulder my rifle. As Bravo section fly low over the open terrain, they begin to fire off at any targets they see as they carry out numerous strafing runs, turning back as they fly over the target location.

Turning my focus down below, the Unicorn stays in position as many more Dogs quickly rush out of the building with any weapons they could find. Once they all run past her without even noticing her, she runs inside the building and out of sight. One of the Dogs turns last minute to catch a glimpse of her, lifting his paw to point and to call out her position to the rest.

Firing at the cluster down below with a short burst, one of the rounds punctures his skull, travelling straight down his body as he collapses on the spot. As the other rounds scatter around the group, they scatter and duck behind any cover they can, unable to identify where they are being shot from.

Gabrielle soon joins in, firing a single yet powerful shot down at the group. The bullet hits one directly on the top of his spine, eliminating him instantly as he collapses over one of the crates. As she reloads the rifle, the rest of the group finally look up to notice us, quickly realising that the crossbows and muskets they have would not have the range and power to reach up.

As I aim through my SUSAT, I line up the sight with an oil lantern resting on the crate alongside them. Firing a single shot into it, the glass shatters as the round rips through the cheap and weak metal. The oil within quickly splashes out over the crate, the flame igniting ti liquid and quickly engulfing the wood they were using as cover.

As they all frantically scatter from the crate, I fire off another burst at the largest group. Two targets drop from the automatic fire, bullets tearing through their backs, leaving them squirming on the floor.

Moving to the right of the ridge to get another angle on the group, I lose my footing from a sudden shockwave down below. Regaining my composure, I look to the crates which were previously alight. To my surprise, they have been completely destroyed as a heavy plume of smoke bellows from the remains.

"Must have had some explosives in those crates!" Gabrielle exclaims as she fires off another shot.

"Then they should have learnt fire safety! Don't put a flame source next to something explosive!" I chuckle as I fire off the rest of my magazine at another group positioned around the gates. The rounds rip the weak wall and the targets apart, sending debris, dust and blood flying.

"I should get you down there," Gabrielle says as she steps up to me while I replace the empty magazine. "Who knows what that Unicorn below was up to. I bet she wasn't considering us coming and wrecking the party."

Pressing the bolt release catch and forward assisting the cocking handle, I pull the rifle close to my body. "Reckon you can get me down safely?"

"It'll be fast and it won't be graceful, but I can do it."

"Okay, if you say so." Holding my arms out, she slings her own rifle and takes a hold of my arms. "Once you're done, get back up here and stop any Dogs from coming in behind me. I'll clear the building, find the target and that Unicorn. Agreed?"

"Sounds good to me." With a heavy beat of her wings, we shakily lift from the ground before rapidly moving over the edge and down below. I find myself kicking my legs wildly out of instinct as we descend a little to fast for my liking, closing in on the floor. It's only at the last minute that she beats her wings rapidly, slowing the pace right down and releasing me just above the floor.

"Quit being so dramatic," She states with a slight chuckle. With that, she climbs once again and returns to her previous position.

Running towards the open doorway of the building, I slam my back against the wall and reach into my webbing. Drawing my bayonet, I fix it to the end of my rifle and quickly enter the building. I immediately freeze as I find myself face to face with a rifle being pointed between my eyes. Acting on instinct, I plunge my bayonet forwards into the abdomen of my target, only for the steel to bounce off to the side, knocking the form in front of me off balance.

As it falls to the floor, I left out a sigh of relief as I realise that it isn't a threat, yet find myself in a state of confusion to find that the Dog has been turned into stone. "W-what the fuck?" I ask out loud before turning to the rest of the room, only to find a group of three Dogs laid out in a state of unconsciousness.

"You're getting overconfident and sloppy," Davies tells me in my head. "You could have easily ended up with your brains blow out."

"Now ain't the time," I scold him as I move to the bottom of a set of stairs, another Diamond Dog laid out with a broken neck. Quickly peeking around the corner, I bring my rifle up and slowly climb the staircase. Reaching the halfway point, a bullet punches the wall at the doorway at the top of the doorway, followed by the sound of someone being hit with a heavy impact.

As the sound of the fight upstairs stops with a heavyweight collapsing against the floor, I remain stationary in an attempt to listen for any movement. Hearing no movement, I cautiously climb the last steps and wait at the opening of the door. Taking a deep breath, I quickly enter the room, flicking my rifle to the left and right to scan for any targets.

Finding myself all alone in the room, I find the source of the heavy thud, a Dog laid out on the floor with a knife lodged in his throat. Stepping closer to investigate, I come to a stop when I hear movement to my right. Quickly pivoting, I find something quickly being propelled at my head, causing me to instinctively open fire. The sound of gunfire and shattering glass fills the room as a large cloud of dust and debris quickly materialises.

I find myself being bombarded with small rocks and debris, knocking me off balance as I lift my hand to shield my face from the bombardment. Stepping back, I'm instantly charged as a figure runs through the cloud on my right before sweeping for my legs. Collapsing backwards and impacting with the floor, I'm able to make out the Unicorn as she attempts to strike for my head with her forehooves.

Rolling towards her as she rears onto her hind legs, I grab onto her hind legs and continue to rolls so that she is knocked onto her back with myself on top. Bringing my fist back, I take a swing for her head as she brings her forehoof up to block my strike. Using all her strength, she is surprisingly able to throw me overhead so that we are both lying with our heads against one another.

As she climbs to her hooves, I mimic her actions and grab my rifle which is resting against my chest. Bringing it around and taking aim at her, she pivots her body to kick out with her hind legs, knocking the rifle from my hands. Before I can react further, she moves to the side and kicks out with a single hoof, delivering a cheap shot against my crown jewels.

Shouting out in anguish as I collapse to my knees, I'm able to grab her leg as she kicks out once again. Pulling her in close I jab out with my elbow and strike her against the muzzle. With her close against me, I notice arcs of magical energy rushing through her shattered horn, causing my eyes to widen. With the force of a charging bull, I find my grip faltering as I'm thrown from her and hurled at a rapid speed to the far end of the room.

My back collided with the wall, sending me crashing through the weak structure and into the next room as stone and wooden fragments rain on top of me, the room filling with a large cloud of dust. Spluttering violently as a sharp pain shoots through my back, I hear her calling out to me from the next room in a calm yet assertive voice. "Stay out of my way. This bounty is mine."

Throwing the shards of debris from my dusty body, I force myself to my feet as pain continues to course through my back and jewels. Swinging my rifle around to my back, I reach into my holster and draw my pistol as I step back into the room with her. Unclasping my helmet, I hold it by the straps as I find her standing in a defensive stance, ready to strike again.

Moving my head to the side, my stiff neck gives an audible click as I glare at her. "You really don't wanna fuck with me, sweetheart. Most people who do have a habit of ending up dead."

Her eyes narrow as we glare at one another, waiting for the other to strike first as the sound of fighting outside continues. Twitching the helmet in my hand, I bring it back and throw the weighty object directly towards her. As she quickly dodges to the side, I aim my pistol and fire off a single shot.

Her movement is too fast and rapid for me to keep track, causing the round to go wide and hit a bookshelf which was positioned behind her. Charging for me once again, she is able to close the distance before I can line up the iron sights with her. Jumping forward, she brings her body back to force all four of her hooves into my body armour, knocking the wind out of me as she used the momentum of the movement to somersault.

Before I can recover, she shows off her agility once again by sliding between my legs as she kicks out against the rear of my left kneecap, causing me to fall to my knees. Moving far too quickly for me to counter, she strikes against my right elbow in an attempt to disarm me. Despite her forceful strike, I'm able to keep a hold of the pistol as I attempt to turn to face her.

Seeming to premeditate what I'm about to do, she wraps her forehooves around my neck in a chokehold and begins to clamp down on my windpipe. Feeling the pressure against my airway, I lunge backwards and use my full weight to my advantage to crush her underneath me. Despite my heavyweight, she is able to keep hold as she kicks out to change our positions, rolling me onto my chest and forcing my grip on my pistol to falter as she climbs onto my back and continues to strangle me.

As I feel my air supply being cut off and my eyes beginning to close, Davies shouts out to me in my head. "Grab the leg joint and push it upward for fuck sake!"

Listening to his instruction, I grab onto her right forehoof and jam my free hand onto the joint. With it in position, I keep her hoof in place and push with all my might against the joint, working against the anatomy of her joints. The moves work as she lets out a pained scream as she finally releases her hold and her body is brought over my head. Gasping frantically for breath, I slam my fist into the side of her head in two powerful impacts.

Feeling that I'm finally getting somewhere, she once again uses her magic to her advantage as I'm forced against the floor with a powerful shockwave. Rolling across the filthy floor, I only come to a stop when I impact against a battered liquor cabinet, taking out the front legs and causing the weight of the heavy furniture to land on top of me.

Groaning in pain, I push against the cabinet with all of my strength in an attempt to remove the heavyweight. While doing so, I glance at the Unicorn as she climbs to her hooves, stepping over my pistol and lifting it with her magic. With the extra motivation of not getting shot with my own pistol, I'm able to lift the cabinet enough so that I'm able to roll out.

As her head snaps towards me and she brings the pistol to aim at me, I sprint at her with as much force as I can muster. Passing the pistol before it is able to lock onto me, I wrap my arms around her and lift her as I rush forward, bringing her off her hooves as I carry her. Moving across the room, I slam her back against a wooden door on the far end, tearing it from its hinges as we both fall to the floor from the impact.

Hearing the pistol clattering to the floor in the room behind us, I lift myself onto my knees and punch her in the abdomen where her armour offers no protection. Despite being winded, she lifts her rear hooved from between my thighs and presses them to the side to knock off my centre of gravity. To my surprise, she swings her head forward and impacts her jagged horn against my forehead.

Knocking me back, her magic collides against my gut in a series of rapid strikes with enough force to test the strength of the steel breastplate. As I go to punch her again, electrical sparks travel through her damaged horn before colliding with my gut. My body immediately convulses as I feel the magical energy surge through my muscles, causing me to slump to the side and spasm to the same effect of a taser.

Once my body stops involuntarily twitching, I roll onto my hands and knees and watch as blood drips from my forehead onto the dusty floor below. Fighting through the torture my body has been put through, I climb to my feet as she simultaneously stands on her hooves. The two of us pivot and simultaneously charge one another.

Taking a page out of her book, I lower my body and slide tackle her, attempting to strike against her leg to knock her down. Unfortunately for me, she preempts this move by jumping over me and kicking my face concurrently with her hind hoof. Groaning, I climb to my feet again and quickly grab my rifle and swing it around to take aim at her.

Firing a warning shot, the round penetrates the floor between her forehooves as I shout at her, "That's enough! You move or if I see a glow from your horn, I'm gonna blow your fucking brains out!"

She looks at me with curiosity, considering her options. "Is that so?" She says with confidence between breaths. "If you were, then you would have done it by now."

Taking a step closer I line up the sights with her head, allowing me to examine her closely. She looks at me with a hatred, yet seems to study me with her opal blue eyes, a large scar across her right eye. "You wanna test that?"

Copying my action and taking a step closer, her expression remains motivated, "You would have done it by now."

I lift my free hand to wipe the blood flow from my vision as I keep my rifle pointed at her, "Do you really know who you're fucking with?"

"Do you?" She responds as her eyes narrow.

"Just outside this building is a group of highly trained soldiers. Even if you somehow beat me, you'd never get past all of them."

"I've faced worse-"

"-Yet here you are," I state. "Having lost the fight and with your life in my hands."

"Again, you wouldn't shoot me. I've seen your kind before," She says as she paces to the side. "You're all about honour and glory, fighting for what you think is right. And you don't kill somepony who you've beaten... it isn't your way."

"You don't know me."

"I know you are with the Equestrians... that's enough. They are weak and always have been-"

"-They're your own kind."

She scoffs with disgust, "I may have come from this nation but they are not my kind. They are weak and I am strong." She glances to her side, revealing a passage which was previously hidden behind a bookcase leading into the ridge this building was built against.

"They're not weak."

"...They are, but not like they were before. Now they've gained some strength. A new military with fancy new toys." She pauses as her focus comes to me again, "I heard that some primate had gone to war for them and killed the General in the Griffin Empire's civil war. That'll be you. I could actually have a use for you."

I laugh sarcastically, "A use for me? I'd never do anything for you."

"Oh, I bet you will." Turning to me, she leans against the central desk which has a small box sat on the surface with papers burning within it. "You have no idea where your target has gone. It's obvious who you were after. Now, you have no idea where she has gone."

I eye her curiously as she continues. "I know where she'll have gone, but I'd not share it with the likes of Equestria. But, you're not truly an Equestrian, and you can handle yourself in a fight. So... I have a proposition for you."

"And that would be?"

"You come with me, and only you. You help me claim my bounty and in exchange, I'll give you every bit of documentation I've captured from her other safehouse." I open my mouth to interject only for her to cut me off, "And don't play smart. It's all hidden away and only I know where it is. I'm also the only pony who knows which tunnels to follow and where to go once you get out the other side."

"So, I help you kill her so you get your payment... and you give me the intel?"

She nods her head with a smug grin, "Easy as pie, right?"

"And how do I know you ain't fucking with me?"

"You don't... but I always keep up my end of the bargain." She steps up to me as I lower my rifle slightly. "So... partners?"

She could be lying. She may have nothing at all and capturing this target alive would be the payoff we need. Going with her could end badly, especially when it's just me, she did just try to kill me.

"I need that Diamond Dog alive."

"That ain't happening," She replies sternly. "I need her dead for the bounty and it's the only way this is gonna go down."

"Then you haven't got a deal-" I lift my rifle again and point it directly at her head "-And you're coming with me."

She chuckles as she shakes her head, "Maybe this will sweeten the pot." She glances down at her jumpsuit before her eyes flick to me once again. "I'm gonna be getting something to show you I'm not lying, so don't get too excited and shoot." With that, she pulls the neck of her jumpsuit away from her fur with her magic and quickly retrieves a small piece of paper before holding it in front of me.

As I grab it with my free hand and examine it, she begins to explain what it contains. "You're looking at a list which was drawn up of their next potential attacks. As you can see from there, they have chosen one of the twenty-three targets to assault. Now, you'll never be able to defend them all with the large numbers they have dedicated for the attack. But... I have the rest of the documents buried away which shows the location, date, time and the numbers they have for the attack."

Fucking hell... this information would be too big for me to ignore. Without this deal, there could be no way of us figuring out what she knows. This will save lives.

I release a sigh as I lower the rifle and rest it against my chest. "...It seems that I have little choice."

She chuckles as she steps towards the passage, "I knew you'd see reason. Now, get rid of the rest of the soldiers. If I see any of them following of even suspect any of them of tagging along, then the deal is off. You have five minutes or I'm going by myself." Leaning against the wall of the passage, she gestures to the door with her forehoof. "Better be quick."

Rolling my eyes, I step back into the previous room and retrieve my helmet and my pistol before returning it to its holster. As I make my way down the stairs, I quickly reach into a small medical pouch on my webbing and take a small bandage and begin to secure it around my head in an attempt to stem the flow of blood. As I make my way outside, I find the rest of Bravo Section as they finish up securing the compound.

I can't believe I'm doing this.