Colt Blooded killers
By: Fluffy Catman
The Badlands. In Equestria this area is known as a place where many evil lies. People think the Changelings come from here when rather they come from beyond this place. The badlands are what few call home. those few are the baddest of the bad. Among these few is Merc, Mask and Bug. They are a mercenary group with a bad attitude. They are not well respected in the Badlands but soon they will be known all throughout equestria.
Merc, Mask and Bug were sitting at a table in the "spilled cider" saloon betting some of their job payments against each other on a game of poker using stolen cards from princess celestia's military reserve in the badlands. Merc placed a four pair of queens down. "You guys think you can beat me?" Merc asked. Merc was the oldest and the leader of the team. He kept this team running through moral and strong courage. He was the earth pony of the team. Bug looked at his cards then threw them down on the table. "Son of a…" Bug was a pegasus and the quickest of the group. Sometimes he goes by the name of sparky but his team never calls him that. Merc laughed and looked at Mask.
"WHat about you buddy?" Mask Had a horn hidden under the mask he used to talk. He worked as the precision stallion. Very silent and very deadly. No one but his team knows why he wears this mask which he uses to only talk through emoticons. Mask looked at his cards through his black visor and back at Merc. Mask revealed his cards. A royal flush. Merc looked at Masks cards then back at his. Merc growled and handed over his bet. "LOL" came up on Masks mask. Bug was laughing and pointing at Merc.
"Well How about that. The quiet one is the one who wins honestly," A female voice said. Merc turned and saw a mare in a hood walk up to them. The hood coated over her head. Merc narrowed his eyebrows. "Do you need something?" Merc asked. The mare sat down and looked at the cards. "Deadly and psychic, I might have a little crush. I need somepony dead," She said. Bug looked at her. "We don't do that," Bug said. The mare lifted a brown bag full of bits that seemed as heavy as one of them alone. "This is a big bounty." Merc opened the bag and looked through it. He felt and tested the bits. He nodded. "For a price we will." Merc put the bit he was testing back. "Who's the target?" Merc asked. The bag of bits disappeared. "I knew you'd see things my way. You'll get paid when the job is done." A picture floated up and put itself cleanly on the table.
A purple mares face was on the picture with a small cutie mark rendering on the side that looked like a purple star surrounded by smaller white stars. "Her name is Twilight Sparkle. I want her dead and nothing less. Do you understand?" Merc looked at the picture then chuckled. "Lady, this is easy money. She can't be that important to anything," Merc said. The mare looked in his direction. "You have no idea." Merc shook his head. "Alright. Where was she last seen?"
"Canterlot. Good luck." The mare left them and the picture at the table. Merc watched her leave. He thought. This was a mare that lived in canterlot. A place full of important people. Something about this contract just felt weird to Merc. He looked back at his team and saw Mask looking intently at the picture. "Hey, Mask. You good dude?" Bug asked
"3" came up on Masks visor. "Oh come on man. You barely even know her," Bug responded. ":(" Mask said. Merc stood and waved them to leave. "Come on. You can sleep with her body or masturbate to her picture later. We have a job to do." Merc said. He grabbed his knife. Bug put on his mask which looked like just a metal plate with eye visors over a ski mask. Mask shook his head. "/3" appeared on his visor as he put the picture in one of his many tactical pockets, grabbed his hoof made rifle and left with his team. These mercenaries didn't know it but they were about to get in way more than what they were paid to do.
The three had gotten out of the train and looked around. This target was going to be hard to find if their employer paid them this much. They saw a poster on a pole and read it. "Twilight Sparkle is giving a speech today in Canterlot royal gardens. All who can attend are invited. 8 o'clock to 9." Merc looked at Mask. "Take a picture and copy it on your visor. we gotta get somewhere, set up and come back later when the speech is being given." Mask looked at the poster and the image repeated on his mask visor. "Image copied" MAsks visor said in a small box. Merc nodded and led the team to a small building with a good view of the center of canterlot gardens where they thought Twilight would give her speech. Mask was setting up his rifle and looking around the area. He saw her in the window.
Mask spotted Twilight so he zoomed in and enhanced the vision of the visor. He watched her movement intently as she was talking to one of the guards. Mask started moving as if he was speaking to a guard himself. his movements matched with hers almost too well. Mask stopped and just watched. "Mask! You done setting up, bud?" Merc asked. Mask quickly unzoomed and finished setting the rifle up. He looked at back at Twilight and sighed under his mask. "I'm Srry," His visor said in green letters. Mask left the building and met his friends.
"Alright. I want to make this kill public so all can see it. This is a big job boys. You better be ready for anything," Merc said. Bug saluted and mask nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"CPT."
Merc put red tape over the building with a sign that said, under construction. They walked off to find somewhere to stay while they waited for the night to come. During this time Mask was waiting outside a small hotel in the city. Merc came out to him and softly jabbed Mask in the shoulder. "Hey kid. How you feeling?" Merc asked lighting a cigarette. "I…" Came up first on masks visor. "I CNT." Mask looked at Merc. "I know man. I really do. do you know how many beautiful maidens i probably had a shot with but i had to put a shot in their head? This job doesn't have to be easy. it's only for the strong. These strong have reasons. What's yours again? it had to do with a farm?"
Mask nodded. "MOM"
"That's right. you're mom lives on a farm in badlands. Is she a strong enough reason?" Merc asked again leaning against a pillar at the front of the hotel. "YES," Masks visor said. "Good. Gear up, kid. We leave in five." Merc put out his cigarette and trotted back inside to find Bug. Mask looked into the sky and shook his head at the stars. Under his visor he sighed. "May celestia have mercy on my poor soul."
Mask was at the top of the building holding his rifle close and the trigger in the field of Masks magic. "Get ready. I see her coming close to the stand," Merc said over the radio. Bug was behind Mask relaying orders to Mask. "Do you have a clear shot?" Merc asked seeing Twilight get up to the mic. Mask nodded to bug. "We're clear, sir. Mask's got a line." Bug said through his radio. Merc watched with a patient eye. "Ok. Take the shot." Merc said. Bug looked at Mask. He wasn't doing anything. He watched through a magic field that zoomed in to Twilight with a small crosshair pointed at her horn.
"Hey, Mask. You hear Merc?" Bug asked. Mask looked over at Bug. "Take the shot. Now." Merc said again. Mask looked back through the zoom in field. He sighed. His magic started to pull the trigger back. Twilight lifted her wings up. Mask saw this and pulled the rifle up shooting the round into the air. The loud blast was heard and all the ponies started to panic. "She's a princess?!" Merc asked himself as he left the scene as well with the other scared ponies. "Fall back, we have to keep from being caught," Merc said in the radio. Mask nodded. Bug and Mask jet out of the building trying to keep out of sight. Merc caught up to his friends and they started to leave when a small blockade of guards stopped them. "Stop right there!" Mask pulled out his rifle. "No! Drop it mask," Merc said. Mask looked at him and dropped it.
The guards grabbed Mask's weapon and arrested them. "This is not gonna be good." Merc said as the guards lead them away.
Marc, Mask and Bug remained quiet in their cell. Merc was examining the walls and noticed that some bricks seemed to be loose and they could easily escape. Merc was about to slowly push a brick out when the cell door opened and princess celestia entered. "You three owe me an explanation. By your actions i take it you're from the badlands but why are you here?" Princess celestia asked. Merc, Bug and Mask bowed. Merc spoke, "Your majesty we are nothing but killers we were hired by a mare in the badlands to kill Twilight Sparkle. We had no idea she was a princess. That is our only restriction." Merc said.
"Who would do that?" The princess asked. Merc shook his head. "I don't know, i just know she really wanted Twilight dead. This was a high paying job," Merc responded. The princess thought but to no conclusion. She could not guess of anypony who would want Twilight dead. "I must return to my chambers. My guards will keep a close eye on you." Princess celestia said. She walked out and closed the cell door. "Guards, make sure these three are under close observation until my return." Princess said as she left. The guard saluted.
Merc looked at his team and nodded. "Alright, let's go," He whispered. Mask and Bug stood in front of Merc acting as if they were just talking while behind their cover Merc started pushing out bricks. "Hey Merc, aren't we on the sixth floor?" Bug asked. Merc realised this and kept pushing out the bricks. He made a hole small enough to crawl through and pushed out enough to hold on to. Merc crawled out first and held on to the pushed out bricks. He shimmied over and Mask crawled out next. Bug crawled through and flew just over his friends. Mask grabbed on to one of his front hooves and Merc grabbed on to the other.
Bug gently flew his friends to the ground. They ducked behind a bush and tree's as a guard came by with a light spell looking in front of him. Merc was in the bush and saw the light looming near him. Merc gently and quietly backed away from it. The light got closer and closer. It barely touched the tip of his nose when it moved and the guard left. Merc sighed in relief and got out. Mask got out from behind the tree and Bug flew down from one of the branches. Merc nodded and pointed towards the gate. "Come on, we're almost out of here," Merc whispered happily. The three quickly trotted over towards the door and opened it. They went through and Mask and Bug stopped in their tracks as Merc closed the door quietly and turned. He stopped in a shock as well. "Glad you could join us, you three," Princess celestia said. She was standing there with Twilight, some other ponies and solar guards. Merc was surprised. They were expected, they knew they were gonna try and get out. This impressed Merc.
"You expected us?" Merc asked. Princess celestia nodded. "Of course, You are very well trained to escape prison but i knew the only way out of here quietly was the front door. Always expect the unexpected as you say, Mr. Merc." Merc raised a brow with a slight smile. "So you expected us. What does that mean?" Bug asked looking at the guards. "You told Princess Celestia here that someone hired you to kill me and we have no idea who that could be but you are all professional killers with some extraordinary tracking abilities." Twilight said. Merc shrugged. "I don't know how you could tell that, the way we found you was because you had posters all over Canterlot." Merc said. Celestia pulled out a guard report with her magic and passed it to Merc. Merc looked it over.
Situation: Hostage
location: Badlands
Name: Solarsword
Solarsword and many other ponies had been captured and held in the badlands. Going undercover Arrowflash went to the badlands to help and accidentally found a group of three ponies. These ponies were hired killers and offered to help no charge. One had a scruffy goatee and a red vest with a white T-shirt. His name was Merc, the leader during the invasion he continued to say "Expect the unexpected," As some of the kidnappers would jump out from behind the corner. One wore a green vest that had a number of pockets on it. Upon making it to the place Solarsword was being held he put on a ski mask with a green faceplate on it. His name was Bug, interesting name. The final one wore a complete body suit that held multiple pockets, a mask that covered his entire face and it seems he only talks using it. The other two seemed to call him Mask. They tracked and found the base at a strange number of coordinates and rescued Solarsword without my help. End Of Report.
Merc sighed. "I remember that, it was no problem but i still wish we had charged him," Merc said putting down the report. Celestia brought it back to herself. "Yeah of course but it felt good to help somebody for once," Bug said with a smile. Mask brought up a recorded kill count on his visor and showed it to his friends, 47 Hostage caretakers killed, it said in a box with a black background. Merc and Bug chuckled. "LOL" came up in the box next to the kill count on Mask's visor.
Princess celestia looked unamused. They stopped laughing and cleared their throats. "We request your assistance given your impressive record in the field all three of you specialize in," The princess said. A unicorn guard brought out Masks rifle. "This is an impressive weapon. Did you make it yourself?" She asked. Mask stood forward. "YES," Mask said. "It seems quite interesting. What does it do?" Celestia asked. "MAY I?" Appeared on Mask's visor. The princess nodded and gave Mask the rifle. The Guards got more tense. Mask pointed it up and at the princess. "Put it down! Now!" One of the guards yelled. Mask kept it up. Princess Celestia seemed calm.
Mask pulled back the lock and loaded a round in. "Don't you even think about it!" Another guard yelled. Merc and Bug were scared as well. Mask shot, the bullet cut through the air and blew three apples off of a tree 500 yards away. The guards tackled Mask. "Guards, stand down, now," Princess celestia said. The guards saw the tree and what had happened When the guard noticed where mask shot they saw how far he managed to nail them. The apples were not only shot through but the round cracked every single one of them and busted them leaving the top of the apple barely left on the tree. They got off of Mask and he gave the rifle back to the princess. "Very impressive," The princess said looking over the weapon again.
"We will let you go with your weapons and equipment we caught you with as well as a little extra if you promise to find and bring who ordered your contract to justice," Twilight said. The princess nodded. "Knowing your reputation and perfect case record i expect this job to be finished easily." Celestia turned to walk away when Merc stopped her. "Ma'am, we're killers though, not police," Merc said. The princess nodded. "I know and should you kill this pony it has to be under the circumstances of no other choice." Celestia walked off and left the three in the hooves of the guards. Twilight looked at them. "Guards, get them some comfortable rooms. We need them at the top of their game if they're gonna work as royal contractors," Twilight said. The guards looked at twilight shocked but followed orders. The three were given rooms inside the castle. Merc looked out and at the moon.
"It's been a busy night and we're getting more than what we bargained for. This better come out in our favor," Merc said as he lit a cigarette. Mask was watching the moon in his room. The moons rays reflected off his visor. He tilted his head and sighed. The picture of Twilight opened up on Mask's visor. He laid back in his bed and fell asleep with his full suit still on.