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Half-cock slowly nodded her head at Long Shot’s comment in my Equestria dreamscape. She’d learned from experience that
if Long Shot said she saw something, no matter how small, far away, or concealed it was, she was almost always correct.

"Okay Long Shot. Next question. Look around see if ya can spy any more drakes."

The earth pony seemed to look nonchalantly around at the countryside for the couple of minutes. Then she shook
her head. "No I am not aware of any other drakes, and the one I spotted hasn’t moved from their location."

Half-cock rolled her lollipop back and forth for a couple of seconds making a sharp clack a clack sound. Then she sauntered over to Squall who was talking with the griffins and the two intel ponies. As she approached the group she whistled twice and the pegasus stopped talking and looked at her.

"Everypony keep acting like y’all are just discussing the investigation with Squall here, but Long Shot has spied a drake watching us up on that ridge about 800yds behind me. It appears ta be alone."
The griffins tensed a bit and the intel ponies looked alarmed but remained still. Finally Green Leaf spoke up. "Okay what do we do about it?"

Squall growled. "Whether it had anything ta do with this it’s a trespassing on clan territory! And it a might know a thing or two!" She glanced over at the slope. "I kin git up there without it seeing me if ya want me ta Half-cock."

The unicorn looked at the violet pegasus. "Ya need us ta do anything ta keep it distracted?"

The pegasus casually glanced at the slope again."Well Long Shot. If ya can git yer rifle tagether sneaky like and git in ta a good shooting position ya kin give me some cover fire if I need it. Half-cock if ya Sun Claw, Sighing Trees, and Star Feather kin protect the intel ponies I should have this."

The sand color unicorn shrugged her shoulders cause her dark rust red mantle sway back and forth. She then slowly rocked her head from side-to-side cracking her neck. Her bunsen burner blue eyes peered out from beneath the shadows of her deep brim hat. "No problem Squall."

The pegasus moseyed over to Long Shot and the earth pony casually leaned over and whispered the location of the drake. Squall glanced out the corner of her eye at the location and nodded her head. With that accomplished she sauntered over behind a temporary lean to that the intel ponies had erected and unslung her carbine and unbuckled her canteen/cartridge belt. From a satchel she’d brought Squall removed a complete set of short, studded, steel war-shoes and began to put them on. Sighing Trees joined her. The griffin’s face showed concern.

"Squall. Are you sure you don’t want some help? Even if its a young drake they can be very dangerous!"

Squall tapped at the various different color scales sewn on her leather vest with a front hoof. "I’m familiar with how dangerous they kin be. Just be ready ta move in when ya git the signal from my team members."

As the mare began donning the shoes the griffin noticed for the first time that the pegasus’s hooves were shod with heavy steel horseshoes. Most pegasi didn’t shod their hooves or if the did they wore lightweight aluminum shoes. These shoes would be more at home on a hard working earth pony.

With war-shoes donned the pegasi quickly strapped two additional items to the front war-shoes. They were steel tubes that at one end ended were cut and folded to form triangular spikes, at the other ends were safety pins with wire pull rings.

The tubes each housed 28GA shot shell. Punching the armor-piercing spike into a target would fire the shell’s payload of #4 shot into the target, and since they would be fired while in physical contact with the target much of the expanding gas from the shell firing would go into the target as well.

The mare checked that the safety pins were firmly secured, then she placed her goggles over her eyes. Glancing over she saw Long Shot sitting behind a tree assembling her rifle. The two mares eyes met and Long Shot nodded her head. Then Squall headed off, quietly slipping through the brush until she got to place where she could take off unseen by the drake.

Growler peered from behind the boulder at the clearing below. The drake was too far away to hear anything but the arrival of the ponies along with griffins had caught its attention. he’d had seen the fire in the clearing a few days ago. Apparently some griffin encampment had burned down. Growler wanted to snag some trinket from it as proof of his trip into enemy territory. However for some reason griffins had been very interested in this site and hadn’t abandoned it.

He was hiding behind some boulder that was hidden under a large live oak tree. He’d entered the griffin territory several days ago on a dare from his group of drakes. He needed to steal something from the griffins and bring it back as proof he’d done the deed. If he didn’t return by tomorrow night he’d lose the bet.

He’d staked out several other locations but had gotten cold feet every time. Now he was desperate to get his claws on anything. His attention was so focused on the clearing below that he didn’t hear the sound of onrushing of wind until suddenly he found himself in cloud blinding dust and debris. Instinctively he closed his eyes. He then felt another gust of wind buffet him and then the air went still. Slowly he opened his eyes to find a violet pegasus mare standing on ground glaring up at him. In a gravelly voice the mare spoke.

"Yer trespassing on clan lands! I’m gonna be nice and give ya a chance ta surrender now! Ya gonna take it, or are we gonna have ta git messy?"

Growler looked down at the mare. She was a rather feral looking thing with her battered bowler festooned feathers and her rough leather vest, and even though Growler wasn’t even a young adult dragon he figured he weighed at least 4 times more than this lanky mare. Also he was pretty sure his scale would blunt any kicks this pony could do. Besides he’d heard the stories from other drakes how except for their princesses the pony were a joke in a real fight.

The orange-red drakes eyes settled again on the mare’s bowler. It had snakeskin hat band with a large, oval centerpiece of either garnet or dark red glass set in silver. Combined with various feathers sewn to it the hat looked like something a griffin would wear. Yes. That would work as proof just fine, and he would’ve taken within the griffin lands. He grinned and addressed the mare.

"Tell ya what little pony." He purred menacingly. "Give me your hat and you won’t get hurt." He started to extend one of his clawed paws toward her–.

Squall suddenly stepped forward and spun on her back right leg while driving her left back leg and hoof up with all her might into the gap at the back of drake’s lower jaw. Besides cracking Growler’s lower jaw the Mare-in-Waiting connected with an acupressure point on the drake’s body. Suddenly his entire whole body went limp.

As the drake started crumpling to the ground Squall sidestepped her toppling foe. Before he’d even hit the ground the mare had vaulted on his back. In quick succession she punched the drake on either side of his head. Her target was a pressure point located behind each of his horn. Suddenly Growler’s world whited out.

Having bought herself several seconds Squall used a special curved stud on each of her war shoes to hook the pull rings and yank the safety pins out arming her main weapons. she cocked back her right front leg and readied a punch aimed at the base of the drake’s skull where it joined the spine. Then she screamed.

"Ya Move, and I’ll kill ya! Ya do anything other than what I tell ya and I’ll kill ya! Got it!

Growler’s vision returned although his limbs still wouldn’t move. He looked up into the mare’s eyes. Terror filled him. Ponies were suppose to be timid creatures. What was this creature who’d laid him so low so easily? There was no timidness in eyes of the violet mare. These were eyes filled with as much fury and rage as any dragon. The drake was certain she wasn’t bluffing. If he didn’t yield she’d kill him in an instant. He went limp and admitted defeat. Squall acknowledged her foe’s surrender and let loose a series of sharp, piercing whistles.

Long Shot lifted her head from the stock of the rifle. She’d taken up position behind a brush with her rifle cradled between a pair of crossed shooting sticks that she was using as a rest. She’d hadn’t seen the whole interaction, but she’d seen Squall’s initial dust cloud in her scope reticle. Then she’d seen the drake’s head snap back from her kick.

Long Shot called out even before Squall’s whistles reached their ears.

"She got him!" Yelled the earth pony.

To be continued.

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Posted previously at: 2019-06-23T16:50:13