Chapter 6-2: Open Air Irritation

Latvi gingerly touched his black eye and hissed through his teeth. “That was unnecessary.”

I smirked back. “I can’t believe it took you two whole minutes to realise that McCoy wouldn’t let you harm me while you were trying to get this thing on me. You were practically shrieking by the time you figured it out.”

Latvi shot me a sideways glare and shifted slightly, no doubt trying to relieve some discomfort caused by the pistol he concealed under his jacket. Even with a magic-dampener on my horn he wasn’t taking any chances. He wanted everything to appear normal as we travelled down the boulevard, with ponies and the occasional buffalo guard passing on either side of us, as if we were two unicorns out for a stroll... to a slaver base.

Like I use my horn anyway. I’ve just gotta find a way to get around the gun before we reach the East gate. I am not going back to Plottawa.

“You can’t seriously think it’ll be as simple as killing her boyfriend and suddenly she’ll run to you?”

“Be quiet!” Latvi had regained his composure but still bit the words out. “It’s going to happen regardless of what you say. Dent will die and I will have Lithu back again.”

The cracks were definitely showing now. Latvi was so careful in other things but around Lithu he was acting like, well, like the lovestruck idiot he was. More importantly, though, it made him distracted. If I could set him off at the right time...

“Really, what is your plan? Get rich and retire with Lithu to someplace nice? As simple as that?”

He smiled at the thought. “Essentially. I was thinking Tenpony Tower. Have you heard of it? A real high-class establishment far south of here. DJ Pon3 operates out of there, you know. Very metropolitan. Even if my nest egg ran out, a pony of my talents could do very well there with what I know.”

I spotted something out of the corner of my eye.

That could work.

“So... you don’t want to take over the Wasteland or raise an army?”

His bleach-blonde mane shifted as he cocked his head, suspicious. “...No. Why do you ask?”

Not yet. I kept my peripheral vision trained on what could be my best chance to get away from Latvi and go warn Dent.

“It’s just that I’ve spent my time outside the Stable dealing with important ponies like Peanut and other organisation leaders who, for the most part, have not been friendly to me. You haven’t been friendly to me but you’re just in it for the money. The whole thing’s pretty simple. It’s a nice change.”

Apparently unsure of how to take my words, the scientist had resorted to irritation. “If you have a point to make...”

Thirty steps.

I pushed on, ignoring him. “It’s just that, well, y’know, would she be happy with that?”

“Would she be happy with what?”

Twenty steps.

“Well it’s just that, compared to these ponies who, aside from the whole unfriendly aspect, have really made a name for themselves. You’re just looking to disappear.”

His jaw was firmly set in anger now. “So what?”

Ten.

“Is Lithu going to be happy being with a pony with so little ambition?”

My face exploded in pain as his hoof caught me just above the eye, sending me stumbling. I tried in vain to stay on target for my plan.

He didn’t strike me again, probably not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the street. “I have no ambition? Me? I reach into history and take its secrets for my own.”

Shaking my head to clear the stars, I saw that I was only a step or two away from the hooded figure I’d been watching.

Almost there. Just a little closer. “So you’re a thief, is that it?”

“Of course not, I rarely even lay a hoof on these recovered treasures. I have associates for that.”

I was standing right behind the hooded figure now, who thankfully was paying us no attention.

I’m about to change that. “You don’t need your touch on stolen items to be a criminal, Latvi! In fact, I think I’ve come across one of your flunkies before, isn’t that right...” I grabbed the hood and yanked it down, raising my voice as I finished, “GHOUL?!”

“AAAAGH! HELP!” The earth-pony mare, who I had mistaken for the ghoul that stole my rifle when I first came to Lethbridle, continued shrieking and pulling away, dragging me with her as I, in my surprise, failed to let go.

We were halfway up the street and all eyes were on us before Latvi’s angry shouts snapped me out of it. I released the terrified mare’s hood and sprinted past her, “Sorry! Sorry!”, before turning down down a side street and bolting. I couldn’t risk a look back to see if Latvi was following but I hoped his comment about sending others to do the grunt work meant that he lead a more sedentary lifestyle. My hectic fortnight of constant travel had me much better prepared for a mad dash like this.

As the citizens of Lethbridle flashed by on either side I dodged into and out of the crowds, keeping my head low to avoid being followed and taking extra steps whenever I could. I vaulted over railings, slid between stalls, bounced over barrels and careened around carts.

After a few minutes of this my chest was tight and I was sucking in air as fast as I could. Finally I spotted a guard stallion loitering outside a tavern, nursing a nighttime beer. It wasn’t Nightcap’s place. In fact I had no idea where I was. Rushing up, I barely slowed in time to avoid going down in a heap with him. “Where is Deputy Dent?”

Annoyed at having his refreshment interrupted, he eyed me levelly and casually lowered his drink. “Who wants to know?”

“I do, badge boy!” I did not have time for this, “There’s a hitman after him! We have to find him!”

My choice of words may have been hasty. The guard narrowed his eyes at the insult and brushed off my words. “That’s not funny, filly. Go home and work on your pranks some more. I’m busy.”

“You’re getting drunk on the job, you halfwit! Ugh, nevermind, where’s Chief Rockhaunch? I’ll talk to him.”

That got a reaction. He gagged on his mouthful. “Pleh! Whoa there! You can’t just go see the chief whenever you want. Who do you think you are, talking like that?”

“I AM TRYING TO SAVE DEPUTY DENT, JACKHOLE!” I was getting a lot of mileage out of that one.

Unten, svara.

The guard was really riled up now. “Jackhole?! That’s it! We’re going back to the station!”

“Thank you, finally!”

~~~~~~

“THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!” I struggled against the stallion and two female corporals as I resisted going back to the cells.

“I...umph....don’t care what you meant! You don’t get away with...stop struggling, damn it...get away with calling me a jackhooooo!” I’d gotten a hind leg free and nailed him right in the groin. He went down whimpering as one of the corporals began hollering for assistance. Most of the male officers gathered were content to watch, cheer and take bets rather than offer any help.

“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?” The thunderous bellow shocked the formerly raucous room into silence.

Oh, thank Celestia. “Chief! Chief Rockhaunch! I need to talk to you!”

The sturdy, oaken-furred buffalo seemed genuinely shocked to see me. “Wha? Li’l Stronghead? What are you doing here?” He motioned to the corporals, “Let her go.”

The two corporals immediately released me, to jeers from the male crowd, for which the mares immediately began berating them. I ignored all this and rushed up to the chief, grabbing him around the horns. “Where’s Dent? He’s in danger!”

My hooves didn’t move his horns one inch, he stared back with quiet, but bemused, intensity. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a griffon mercenary named McCoy out to kill him!”

Immediately Rockhaunch was all business. “McCoy? Of McCoy’s monsters?”

I really didn’t like how easily he recognised the name and the accompanying edge in his voice. “Yeah, him. Latvi, he works with Dent’s girlfriend Lithu, he sent McCoy after him!”

I covered my ears as Rockhauch roared to the entire room. “WHERE IS DEPUTY DENT???”

It seemed like the precinct had never heard their chief raise his voice before. I certainly wasn’t going to forget anytime soon. The startled guards exchanged glances and murmurs as they wilted under Rockhaunch’s glare. Finally somebody at the back hesitantly spoke up. “I-I think he was spending the night at his girlfriend’s place over on Farrier’s Way?”

The buffalo looked back to me. “It’s not far. Let’s go!” He was halfway out the door and already barking orders, “Squad Four, with me!”

I took a moment to have the two corporals remove the magic nullfier on my horn before tearing after them.

~~~~~~

Half of Squad Four had peeled off to secure the research facility by the time we arrived on Farrier’s Way. Standing outside of a multi-storey apartment building was a huge crowd. The residents had evacuated. It soon became apparent why as an explosion blew out the windows on the 4th floor.

“MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!” Rockhaunch began bulling his was through the crowd as only a buffalo can. Even with all the chaos, ponies shifted themselves fast when he was bearing down on them.

I followed along in his wake until we neared the front of the crowd. These ponies had nowhere to go so even the Chief’s imposing form couldn’t budge them. “Damn,” he roared over the noise, “I can’t move freely inside, too small for buffalo!”

Damn damn damn! Dent will be helpless in there. I have to get to him!

If Rockhaunch couldn’t get through the crowd then I stood no chance. I looked around for another route but most of my vision was blocked by buffalo.

Maybe? If I can’t get through, and Rockhaunch can’t get through, could he get me through?

Twisting my hooves into his fur for grip, I hauled myself up the chief’s mountainous physique. My shoulders were burning by the time I scrambled onto his back.

“What are you doing back there?” The buffalo was turning his head this way and that to try to get a better look at me.

I shuffled up to his head and yelled into his ear. “Chief, can you get me past the crowd? I can get in and help Dent!”

“I can’t send you in there alone!”

Another explosion made us duck before I could respond. “Then follow when you can! I can slow McCoy down until you get there!”

He remained unconvinced. “Snowflake, you’re just a civilian! He’s a trained killer. What can you do against him?”

I hated the amount of times I’d had to play this card. “I’m Red Ice! I can keep him busy long enough for you to get some backup. Dent can’t fight in there and Lithu’s in danger. You have to let me try!”

“I... you’re Red Ice? But even so...” The battle between his Guardsman morals and the reality of the situation played across his face for precious milliseconds before he nodded, “alright. I’ll get you in. Just do what you can to keep him busy. He’s extremely dangerous. I’ll work on getting you some help as soon as I can.” He squared his shoulders, “Ready?”

I braced myself and nodded. With a mighty heave, the Chief launched me over the heads of the open-mouthed crowd and in through the open entrance. I landed hard in the hallway, rolling and skidding until I came to a stop in a cloud of dust and splintered door.

Picking myself up, I glanced around until I found the stairwell. I ignored stealth in favour of speed, hoping that McCoy would be too preoccupied to see or hear me coming. Charging up the stairs onto the second floor, I almost tumbled back down again as my hooves stepped in something slick and I skidded into a wall. Levering myself off the wall, I lifted a hoof to see what I’d stood on.

It was red, and glistened in the low light. It didn’t take long to find the source. Dripping down the stairs from the 3rd floor landing was the blood of a unicorn mare with a bleach-blonde mane. She was groggily staring back at me from her prone position, one eye closed as the crimson liquid seeped from a three-inch gash along her forehead.

“Esto!” Picking my way carefully up the stairs to avoid the blood pools, I squatted down next to her, “Are you okay? Can you move?”

Shaking her head, the scientist’s low rolling voice came out strained. “I’ll live but I can’t move. I-I fell, my... my legs...”

A quick glance showed them lying at irregular angles. I nudged her reassuringly. “Stay as still as you can. Help is on the way. What about Dent? And Lithu?”

Wincing, she turned her eyes to the ceiling. “Up... up there. But be careful. The griffon... he is so strong!”

I nodded grimly. “I know. I’m going to stop him. Hang in there. We’ll get you all out.”

Giving her one last uneven smile, I mounted the next set of stairs. McCoy’s voice floated down as I climbed. “Give it up, li’l lady. I don’t wanna kill you but you can’t protect him forever. You’re gonna get hurt or worse if you don’t clear out of here now. I’m only here for Dent.”

A voice that would otherwise be soft and sweet answered him in quavering tones. “Why won’t you leave him alone? He has done nothing to you!”

McCoy was polite, almost apologetic in response. “I know he hasn’t. This is not personal... for me. He is who I have been contracted to kill and I won’t stop until I have completed my assignment. There was no word either way on whether you survive so if you continue to hinder me I am going to have to take you out too. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.”

Frightened sobs were the only retort.

Gritting my teeth, I padded up the final flight of stairs. Peeking around the corner, I saw a long corridor with apartments spaced along either side. The battle signs were obvious, bullet holes in the walls, crumbling plaster from the explosions, the window at the corridor’s far end was completely gone, leaving a gaping hole with cold air blowing in. The lights were flickering weakly but I could see well enough.

Halfway down the corridor, leaning half out of a doorway, was McCoy. Amazingly, even amongst the chaos, a lit cigar was held between his lips. He was aiming his two-handed rifle at the end apartment on the other side of the hallway. Out of that door was floating several chairs. As I watched Dent shoved his head around the doorway and let loose a burst of wild spray from his automatic rifle, causing the griffon to duck back inside his own cover, his hasty counter-shot striking one of the makeshift shields.

The low light played to my favour as none of the fighters noticed me. Ducking back behind the corner, I suddenly found myself stymied as to what to do next.

What now? If I don’t get to them soon they’re both gonna die, but there’s no way I’ll make it down the corridor before he fills me full of bullets.

A crash of collapsing wall was met with another frightened scream from Lithu.

Come on, come on! Do something, Red Ice! People are counting on you, Snowflake! Do something right and help somebody for once in your miserable life!

A bullet bit into the wall near my position as Dent let off another volley. It was no good. He was hampered by the floating shields as much as he was protected by them. He also couldn’t move without leaving Lithu open. McCoy, on the other hoof, could move around, take the time to line up his shots, and was patient. Eventually Lithu’s magic would fail or Dent would run out of bullets. Help might get here before them but it seemed unlikely they’d make their way through the crowd outside fast enough.

Esto won’t hold out forever, either. This needs to end now! I scanned the corridor, searching for any sort of clue to help me. If McCoy noticed, he gave no sign. He was calmly lining up his next shot, bracing the rifle against the doorframe.

Judging by McCoy’s age and scars, he’d had decades of experience in killing people. He was obviously very good at it, and very used to it. He knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn’t half-insane like the Raiders I’d fought with Bosco, Schwarzwald, and Wings.

I’ll worry about her later. I have another griffon to deal with first.

Suddenly a thought popped into my head. Can I do it? Back then it was a reaction. Can I do it by choice?

A short, controlled burst was fired from McCoy’s rifle, followed by a strained grunt from Dent.

Gonna have to find out.

Touching my glowing horn to the wall, I stilled myself and focused as hard as I could. It took a few seconds for a response come from my horn, but finally the space around me was lit by a faint, glacier-blue glow.

YES! Spreading from the point where my horn touched the wall, an expanding streak of ice slithered across the vertical surface. It was not smooth, it coiled and twisted, and slow as it was it still took every ounce of concentration to keep it moving. Sweat was already breaking out on my forehead but I pushed more into the effort. Gradually the speed of the spread increased... and quickly went out of control.

NONONO! Please, go for the gun! I don’t care how you get there just reach it, and soon! I have to save them! I didn’t know if my thoughts made any difference or it just found a path of least-resistance but at that moment the ice-snake reached the crease between wall and ceiling and shot along it, faster than I could run. I almost lost my hold on it as I struggled to keep it in my sights.

Flashing past door after door, the frozen fissure drew ever closer to the doorway where the griffon was standing. His head perked up and twisted around just as the ice stabbed down from overhead. “YOU?! I-Guah!!!” He cried out and jerked his claw away.

I could have wept for joy. In the half-second he’d been looking at me, the ice had slithered down the doorframe and swarmed over his gun, fixing it in place and jamming the barrel. Even better, the cold had made it brittle. When he jerked away, the trigger went with him, frozen to his palm, while the rest of the now-useless rifle remained attached to the wood.

“DENT! DENT! He’s lost his gun. Shoot him now!”

The buffalo didn’t need telling twice and opened up with every gun he could fit through the door. What remained of the gun-cicle exploded in the barrage and the leader of the Monsters was forced further back into the apartment he’d invaded. The buffalo deputy saw an opportunity and hollered back at his unseen girlfriend. “Babe, plug that door up. Shove everything you can in there!”

Lacking our view of the situation, Lithu remained confused and hesitant. “But what if-”

“DO IT!” I screamed at the same moment Dent roared “NOW!” over the thunder of his weaponry.

She “Yeep!”-ed as the air became hazy and the floating shields, along with the fallen rubble and debris, slammed up against the doorjamb, temporarily sealing the griffon inside.

I beckoned with my hoof fitfully. “That won’t hold him for long. We have to go now!”

The lovebirds apparently agreed. Dent came charging out of the apartment with its owner clinging to his back for dear life. He was not the easiest fit in the narrow corridor, especially burdened with a battle saddle, but he moved on adrenaline and made it down the corridor in 10 seconds.

“Get Esto!” I yelled as the two passed, “I’ll cover you!”

“You don’t even have a gun.” The beech-furred deputy slowed and looked to head back to me.

“JUST GET ESTO! He wants you, Dent! You get to safety and we win!”

“Just do as she says!” Sobbed the scientist from her perch. We all started as a window shattered in the apartment where we’d trapped the griffon.

“No time, move!” Neither argued further. Dent rumbled down the stairs while I looked down the corridor. From the hole where the window had been I saw night sky.

Night sky which was suddenly filled with pissed-off griffon.

And he’s still smoking that damn cigar!

He glared at me for a second or two as he hovered in place, smoke curling from his nostrils. “As soon as I kill the buffalo, I’m going to end you, Red Ice!”

“But there’s no point anymore,” I pleaded desperately, “Latvi’s gone! He’s not gonna pay you! Please don’t do this.”

He slammed a fist against the wall. “Griffons. Don’t. Break. Contract! Until I hear it from Latvi himself, I won’t stop until I finish the job.”

I made one last-ditch effort. “Then kill me first!”

Even with how obviously tempted he was, he shook his head. “It’s not that easy. Your time will come.” With a flap of his wings, he dropped out of sight.

Alarmed, I turned and bolted down the stairs, I reached the second floor and spotted Dent and Lithu gingerly carrying Esto towards the front door on the floor below. Lithu saw me and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by more glass breaking. She turned to look down the first floor corridor and her eyes widened.

He’s there! With no time to waste, I vaulted over the bannister and bypassed the stairs entirely, landing in front of Lithu as she fled with the others to the front door. I turned away from them and looked down the corridor.

Not 5 paces from me, flying full-speed, was McCoy. “OUTTA MY WAY!” He swung his claw, with frozen trigger still stuck on, in a ferocious open-palm strike that caught me under the chin and blasted me back into, and through, the wooden railing bordering the stairs. The rapid-cool trigger was pulverised against my jaw. It was not painless.

I could only lie there amongst the splinters, winded and seeing stars, as screams and gunfire erupted around me.

I had a blurry vision of a furious McCoy giving me a death-glare as he shot past me, and up the stairs, followed by countless ponies. The shooting continued, but quieted a little as the guards chased the mercenary higher into the building.

Immensely relieved, I moaned and rolled over onto my side, feeling liquid dribbling out of the side of my mouth.

Oh, lovely. I’m drooling. What a triumphant image this i-no, wait, that’s blood. Even better. I coughed and a few drops of red splashed across the floor, along with a tooth.

Chief Rockhaunch’s burly form cast a shadow before me. “Snowflake? You okay?”

I just moaned and coughed out a little more blood. “Dent?” I managed at last, “Lithu? Esto?”

“All fine, thanks to you.” His rumbling voice reminded me of Buff for a moment. I found some comfort in it as he knelt down and gently checked me over.

“Mc-” I coughed, again, “McCoy?”

Rockhaunch stood up again. “Gone. Took of flying after we started shooting. Dent, Lithu and Esto are surrounded by my best people. He won’t get near them.”

The stars before my eyes re-emerged as I shook my head too quickly. “He won’t stop.”

“Maybe,” sniffed the chief, “but not tonight. It’s over.”

I still had my doubts as the medics arrived.

~~~~~~