BaronEngel
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As the hammer comes down
🕑 Added 2018-12-14 01:17:56 +0000 UTC Several things happened simultaneously when Last Thing activated her controllers in my Equestria Dreamscape. Time is on my side
First, she set her portable time anchor to that exact moment in time. If at some point in the future she wanted to she could return back to that moment in time. As she progressed forward in the operation and objectives were accomplished she'd create a new anchor point. Effectively creating an instant, advancing, save point from which she could work from.
The second device to go online was her temporal-throttle. This permitted her to either slow time around her or accelerate herself within the existing time stream.
With these devices and her primary time anchor in Canterlot the mare had been able gain a degree of control over the curse that tormented her since birth. Princess Celestia had taken her in and given her a place in the world. Had given her future worth living for, and saved her from the insanity of possibly being lost in the currents of time forever.
Her activation of her chronological devices also triggered several other objects she'd concealed around the park. Hidden in bushes on either side of the path were a half dozen large fireworks mortars that suddenly unleashed a salvo of bombs up into the nighttime sky where they detonated in a series of blinding white flashes and thunderous roars.
The fireworks did exactly what Last Thing wanted them to do. Instinctively Blank Check and her gang's gaze was drawn upward as the bombs suddenly rocketing up into the evening sky where they were promptly blinded by the flashes of the bombs.
While their attention was elsewhere the mare quickly stowed her controllers back on her harness. She could activated and control them inside their pockets but she'd used them the same a stage magician will use a wand or handkerchief to misdirect the viewer's attention.
Pulling back momentarily on the temporal-throttle time around her seemed slow to a crawl. She could only do that for a few seconds at a time, but that was all she needed. From the top pouch of her harness she levitated the small grenade-like glass sphere filled filled with a reddish orange liquid and a large clasp-style inhibitor ring. These floated toward Blank Check's face. The as ring started to close around the crime boss's horn Last Thing yanked the detonator pin from the sphere. Then slamming the temporal-throttle forward the Mare-in-Waiting rocketed away.
For Blank Check it was as if the sphere simply appeared out of nowhere. Before she could do anything it detonated with a small bang that was almost lost amongst the roar of the mortar bombs. However it's effects were devastating. The fluid in the sphere was a hot pepper cooking oil called Dragon's Tears. The crime boss screamed in pain as her eyes and nostrils were filled with this fine aerosol of pepper oil. Mercifully for her a fraction of second later the inhibitor ring locked on her horn. The mare's body convulsed as purple lightning leaped from the ring. She then collapsed in a heap on the ground.
From point of view of the ponies in the front row it seemed as if the Mare-in-Waiting had vanished before their eyes. At the same time their guardian and employer had suddenly screamed and fallen to the ground. Most of them weren't effected by the pepper oil. Although Gnash hissed in pain as a little of the pepper oil got in her eyes.
"Shit!" Screamed Flash Point. "Where is that bitch! Find her and—"
The mare's words were cut short by a thunderous detonation behind her. Last Thing had set off the of the smaller bundle of 5 sticks of dynamite with the carton of nails at the back of the gang. The explosion vaporized 4 ponies and another half dozen ponies fell to the ground screaming from their wounds. Several ponies had raised forced bubbles but the violence of the explosion had either breached their magical barriers or left them stunned and staggering on their hooves. Mingled in with the screams of injured ponies was unnaturally fast sound of kicks and blows being landed on targets.
Out of the corner of his eye Snap Shot caught a movement. A faint blur in the dense ground fog. It snaked amongst the trees at unnatural speed. Spinning to his left he rapidly fired 4 shots from his pepperbox. He growled in frustration as he saw his shot strike behind his fleeting target. Leading much further ahead he fired his other weapon. The 3" single-shot beast boomed and sent its deadly payload on its way.
Developed as an anti-griffin weapon it was designed to neutralize airborne foes. It launched projectiles similar to the mortar bombs; however its shells weren't designed to just make bright, pretty lights and noise. The shell detonated just where he expected his target to emerge. The ground erupted and the bark on the side of a nearby tree was stripped off from the charge of blackpowder and shrapnel.
The unicorn stallion kept his pepperbox pointed where the shell had detonated. He was sure he'd hit the target but he wasn't taking chances. With his levitation he quickly broke up the action and ejected the fired shell casing. Still scanning the area with the pepperbox he began loading a new shell in the launcher.
Suddenly for brief instant he registered the presence of Last Thing. Her face mere inches from his. In that tiny fraction of a second his brain processed two bits of data. First was a look of maniacal glee in the eyes of the Scale Bearer. The other was glint of steel sweeping upward to this throat.
Last Thing's telekinesis slammed one end of her double ended fighting knife into Snap Shot throat. The blade punched through his trachea and into one of his vertebrae severing his spinal chord.
As Snap Shot collapsed to the ground Last Thing grabbed his pepperbox with her own telekinesis. The large earth pony stallion Hooves was just starting to register her presence when she spun the pepperbox his direction and fired it rapidly 6 times into his the face.
Prophecy had been knocked to the ground when Blank Check's limp body hit her. The world was fading in an out of focus. It felt like she'd lost all control of her talent. Simultaneously she was seeing dozen of variations of the current scene unfolding in her mind.
She saw the Scale Bearer burst into flames and die screaming in front of her as Flash Point laughed.
She felt herself thrown through the air as her body was ripped to shreds from shrapnel as another bundle of dynamite detonated near her.
She saw Blank Check yelling at her to stay close to her as they galloped off for the ship. Behind her the sounds of continued fighting.
The young mare vomited. Rising to her hooves again she looked up. Before her was the Scale Bearer pirouetting in a cloud of blood from the opponents she'd just attacked. Everything was moving in slow motion. Snap Shots body was crumpling to the ground while Hooves's head erupted as multiple projectile disintegrated his skull. Then the mare just seemed to vanish.
"Ya fucking bitch! I'm going ta burn ya ta a crisp!" Flash Point's horn suddenly erupted in flames as the mare launched huge jet of flame where the Scale Bearer had been a fraction of a second before. The tree and surrounding bushes burst into flames.
The mare frantically started looking around for her foe. Hearing a series of quick popping sounds Flash Point turned to see a couple canisters sailing through the air toward Screaming Wind who was weaving in between the trees looking for their foe. The canisters detonated on either side of him and the griffin plummeted to the ground. Before Flash Point could even finish processing this Black Tail fell out of the nighttime sky. The bat pony had 4 steel darts embedded in him.
Flash Point thought she saw movement in the trees and she sent another geyser of flame that way. Thinking she heard something behind her she spun and set some more bushes on fire. Hearing something meaty hit the ground she turned to find Gnash lying motionless. Sweet Talk was nowhere to be seen. The only other pony Flash Point could see was Prophecy who was standing motionless and petrified with fear.
"Damn ya! Ya fucking bitch! Where are ya?! Where are ya?!" The mare started firing jets of flame randomly. Soon the immediate area to either side of the pathway was on fire.
Flash Point was panting now. Her eyes frantically searching the flames for her foe. Then she saw the Scale Bearer about 30ft away. Another geyser of flame began to erupt from her horn. Without appearing to move the Scale Bearer was suddenly right in front of her. In one sweeping motion Last Thing's steel encased hoof smashed into Flash Point's horn shattering it. The unicorn was still pumping magical energy into her horn when this occurred. Flash Point was engulfed in a conflagration of her own making. She fell to the ground as a screaming mass of flames.
Prophecy was the only pony left her group standing. A few seconds ago there had been 25 ponies in her group. She stood with eyes closed trembling uncontrollably. Suddenly she heard the Scale Bearer's voice.
"Don't fight me. Don't resist me. Surrender now. I don't want to hurt you."
Prophecy opened her eyes and met pale silver blue eyes of the Scale Bearer standing in front of her.
Then all of the sudden things went off script and the two mares vanished.
To be continued.
Edit. If you are interested this song captures the mood of this scene. After the Flesh
Comments
McClaw
They locked eyes and got lost.
Generic Avatar
And then strips a gear...
ColdSilverD
As the save scrub? Yes. I'm very guilty of the practice, which is why I find it hilarious.
Baron Engel
Are you referring to Last Thing?
DocSpit
"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'..."
Vet
Prophecy is no scrub. She’s a powerful mare yet untapped. She is just misguided and lost. I sense Celestia had a hoof in this. She would recognize the value of a precognitive.
Baron Engel
In a way she's literally gaming the universe because she has no other choice.
ColdSilverD
OMG! She's a save scrub! And they both vanished? Interesting....
Baron Engel
This is why the only mare to really challenge Phoenix at sparring was Last Thing, and even then it ended up more or less a draw.
Dorian Inman
Aw dang! LT sure is something else! Wicked mare, absolutely wicked! I do hope they're okay though...
