Intruders (Patreon)

  Broken Beaker groaned and slowed raised his head off the desk he'd been resting it on in my Equestria dreamscape. Squinting in the dark at his desk clock he was eventually able to deduce that it was 3am.  

 
  Ugh. If I'm going to sleep I should just go to bed. Thought the unicorn stallion. Besides I've already finished the latest batch of devices tonight, just like the client had asked. Until I get further orders and payment I can sleep in until midday. 

  He had just begun to rise from his chair when several things happened simultaneously. First he was aware of large area spell suddenly enveloping the area immediately outside his wards which set off the outer most ward. Second was his interior wards tripping just as a unicorn mare materialized in front of him levitating a small, cylindrical object which she let go of with her magic just as teleported again out of eyesight. The object seemed to tumble in slow motion as Broken Beaker's brain suddenly went into tachypsychia mode. Frantically reached out with his mind to grab the cylinder. Then his world vanished in a flash. 

  Out in the hallway Quick Silver and Blood Feather could not hear the detonation of the stunner but they saw Phoenix's silence bubble convulse through their goggles as it contained the sound of the detonation. That was the visual cue they were waiting for. Quick Silver slammed the plunger down on the detonator setting off several small blasting charges simultaneously around the doorframe. Even before the door started falling the earth pony had already rushed forward, turned and kicked the door down with one, well placed kick. 

  
  Rushing in she found the unlit room full of smoke and dust stirred up by the stunner. Through the haze her goggles could make out the silhouette of a unicorn stallion staggering aimlessly around. Before the suspect could realize that she was there she charged forward and tackled him to the ground. Blood Feather entered just a second or so later. Strapped both her front legs were 20ga. double-barrel leg guns. Seeing that Quick Silver had already apprehended the suspect she called out. 

  “Phoenix! We got him! Securing the room!”  

 
  I second or so later the unicorn rematerialized. “Good!” She said while shaking her head. “The bathroom door absorb most of the concussion but not all of it. Everyone else okay?” 

  “Fine here!” Said Blood Feather. The mare flew outside and quickly returned with a kerosene lantern. “Phoenix can you check the gas in the lamps and the kitchen before I turn on this lantern?” 

  A few minutes later it was confirmed that no gas was leaking, although all the lamps in the main room had shattered from the explosion. In quick order the lantern was lit.  

 
  Broken Beaker was lying on the floor next to the sofa. His back legs were bound together and front legs were shackled. Locked to his horn was a damper ring. His ears were ringing to the point of near deafness and his vision was full of swirling colors. Also his brain felt like he'd been headbutted by a minotaur. This was not his night. 

  Slowly he regained more and more consciousness and he didn't like what he was hearing. There was three mares in the room now and they were discuss him. Feigning unconscious he tried to determine who they were? 

  The earth pony was currently speaking. “Phoenix you've got ten minutes to search for information before we have to leave with him. Maybe you can come back later but we don't want to be here when the local constabulary patrol comes back through this area. Maybe they won't notice the broken glass on the sidewalk, but I don't want to count it.” 

  “Fine, fine!” Said the unicorn that was rummaging through Broken Beaker's desk. “Why don't you and Blood Feather start moving him down the stairs. I'll follow you down once you've brought the carriage around.” 

  Broken Beaker's heart was now pounding. These mares didn't sound like they were constabularies so he wasn't under arrest. Then who were they? Were they enemies of his client? Had his client decided to silence him now that his latest assignment was done? Whoever they were he didn't want to leave with them! He needed to even the odds. 

  Opening his eyes slightly he looked down at the shackles. Standard constabulary issue so he knew how to open those. The inhibitor ring would be more difficult but not impossible. The binding on his lower legs would take a few seconds with knife that was in the bottom right drawer of his desk. 

  But before that could happen he needed to whittle down the competition and buy himself some time. The earth pony was an unknown threat, but the pegasus had two leg guns, and the unicorn had some form explosives that she was not afraid to use. Well two could play that game! 

   Slowly turning his head the stallion looked under the coffee table in front of him. Good! They hadn't search the entire room yet and were fixated on his desk! Still strapped to the bottom of the coffee table was one of his personally-made explosive devices. 

  Along with traditional unicorn magic he'd taken a keen interest in zebra alchemy. Seeing that his line of work made one enemies he'd stashed several these grenades of his own design around his apartment. Fortunately most ponies expected a unicorns to attack with magic, so he'd taken the time learn how to hoof toss practice versions of them around his place. It would be tricky with the shackles but the chain between them weren't that short.  

 
  When all three mares had turned their heads away from him he lunged under the table. In one motion he ripped the device from its crude scabbard and threw it their direction. The device was about the size of a goose egg. It had trigger mechanism that either had to be held in place by the scabbard or by magical force or hoof pressure. If not two seconds later it detonated.  

   
  The mares heard the noise behind them. Spinning around they realized their mistake as the dark metal orb arced toward them. Quick Silver grabbed Blood Feather and violently threw her through an open doorway and followed her a fraction of a second later. Phoenix recognized what the device had to be, but at the same time she realized she didn't have a teleport ready. Frantically she threw up hasty force shield as the room vanished in an explosion. 

 To be continued.