//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Death Rides a Pale Mare // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// The cave was an excellent headquarters for a secret guild of assassins. It was quiet, secure, and difficult to locate. However, it made for a substandard place to live. No mailbox. No natural light. No running water other than that which trickled through naturally. Dark and cold as it was, the cave still had its lively moments. The residents tried to offset the atmosphere with the company. That was perhaps easier said than done when all of them were assassins. Pale sat at the table in the common area, reading a two-day-old newspaper the Jolly Mule had brought from Canterlot. Jolly himself was over at the stove, humming and creating something that smelled delicious. A young unicorn named Tietack sat across from Pale, leaning forward with his elbows on the table to read the backs of her pages. Jolly came over to the table, hefting the frying pan. “Omelettes?” He didn’t wait for a reply and filled their plates. Jolly typically used poison in neutralizing twitchers, which gave Pale slight pause every time she ate something he made, but the taste was always worth it. He certainly knew the finer foods, as his prodigious belly attested. Jolly tousled Tietack’s mane. “Eat up, kid.” “Come now, he’s a gentlecolt,” corrected the Lying Mirror as she entered the kitchen. Tietack rolled his eyes good naturedly as he ate. Mirror was an older earth pony, usually draped in fabrics and bangles. Pale had never had a grandmother, but she supposed Mirror projected a similar attitude. She didn’t get out of the cave as much in her old age, but that was why she had taken an apprentice, Tietack. Even appeared and sat down beside Pale. Jolly served her. “Thanks,” said Even, smiling. She turned to Pale, her expression going businesslike. “I saw Piper in the hallway. He says we’re going to Ponyville.” Pale nodded. “It won’t be easy, either. The Summer Sun Celebration is coming up, ponies will be staying up all night, and Princess Celestia herself is going to be there with her guard.” Even winced. “On top of that, a particular pony who lives there that seems to have a knack for spotting new faces.” She held up a folder labeled Ponyville taken from the library. Inside the folder, and others like it in the library, were maps, pictures, and information constantly updated over the years. It paid to be well informed. “We have plenty of time for this one,” said Pale. “I wouldn’t mind going to the Summer Sun Celebration,” put in Jolly. “I just got back from a trip, though.” “Lucky us,” said Even. She nudged her tablemate and winked. “Though I wish sometimes Pale would take a vacation.” Pale shrugged and finished her breakfast. On the way out of the cave, the two of them met the Wandering Shadow and the Patient Whisper coming in. Shadow was a petite griffon, black with white-tipped feathers. She seemed to take more after a cat than a bird, being quiet and lithe, but often distracted. That was where Whisper, the breezy perched atop her crest, came in. She was his transportation, as he had no wings. Under his excellent strategy, the two of them had been undertaking successful missions for years. “How was Manehattan?” Even asked. “It’s always a good time,” said Shadow. “We’re going to Ponyville after a stallion named Alfalfa Fields,” said Pale. “He just came home from Manehattan. I’m guessing that’s where he picked up the Blight.” “It’s rather possible there is a connection,” said Whisper. “And if so, the source of Mr. Fields’ infection in Manehattan has been slaughtered.” His tiny voice made it sound as if it wasn’t murder. After swapping information, the two groups said their goodbyes and parted company. “Good luck!” called Shadow. Pale and Even quietly entered Ponyville the night before the Summer Sun Celebration. According to a flyer stapled to a pole, the next day’s festivities would lead to the townsponies staying up all night until the dawn. Consequently, all of them were getting their rest this night. The dark streets were deserted. Their target, Alfalfa Fields, made his living with a small business that harvested and distributed hay of all kinds. His house was nearer to the outskirts of town, which made sense because it was basically a barn. Judging by the earthy scent noted when Pale and Even passed by, it was also where he stored the hay. Pale said nothing as they canvassed the place, letting Even work out the approach for herself. The two of them studied the area, taking a look through the building’s windows and noting the other structures and houses nearby. As late as it was, nopony was around. Even murmured under her breath. “Young guy, no evidence of children, likely single…” Pale only caught about half of it. After a few more minutes, Even seemed to come to a decision, finalizing her plan. The two of them paused in the darkness, looking at the building. After a moment, Even said, “The easiest way would be for you to sneak in and stab him in his sleep.” Pale nodded. Even went on. “But the way I’m going to do it is by crushing him under a haybale.” “Interesting,” said Pale. “We’ll have to wait until the shop’s open, though,” said Even. “That’ll be hours from now, but I don’t think we have a chance of getting a hotel room when so many ponies have come to town for the Summer Sun Celebration.” She was probably right. The two of them ended up sitting on a public bench beside the small stream that passed through Ponyville. In the dark, Even told Pale the details of her plan. “In the morning, I’ll go in. I’ll try to be there as early as possible so Alfalfa Fields won’t have time to rearrange anything. I’ll place an order and when I take out my purse to pay, I’ll have a coin fall out and roll across the floor behind the counter. When he bends down to get it, I’ll grab the pitchfork, levitate it to the hayloft, and lever a bale out and down onto his head.” “What if he doesn’t go after the coin?” Pale asked. “Then I’ll ask him to. It would be rather impolite for him to refuse.” “A twitcher getting close to blooming won’t be polite.” “True, but according to Piper, he’s not that close.” Pale accepted the answer and asked the next question. “What if there are other customers?” “Hopefully there won’t be, as early as I intend to arrive. If there are, however, I’ll simply have to try again, coming back for another order later. This is not a restaurant, and all the tourists from out of town staying in hotel rooms likely won’t be shopping for groceries.” “He shouldn't be close to blooming...but what if he does?” Even grimaced, but replied, “Then I’ll stab him with the pitchfork as quickly as I can. Hopefully I get the angle right so it will look as if he fell on it.” Pale considered the plan for a moment. “You’re right. The easiest thing would be for me to stab him in his sleep.” She could barely make out Even’s brief smile in the darkness, and that was more than the lame joke merited. “How would you do it?” Even asked. “If I had to make it look like an accident, I’d probably put him in some kind of chokehold and drag him to a position where I could make him fall on the pitchfork,” Pale said. “It would be a little easier if I caught him asleep.” “I considered a lot of possibilities, but wrestling never crossed my mind,” said Even. “Particularly against an earth pony stallion.” Pale shrugged. “If my magic worked, I might try something similar to your plan.” She saw Even’s eyes go to her forehead. The darkness and Pale’s mane hid the remnants of her horn. Even sat back. The two of them waited in silence, and watched the sun rise when it came. There were ponies that claimed Princess Celestia did it a little differently every day. Pale wasn’t sure about that, but she appreciated the spectacle either way. She wasn’t really able to surround herself in color, and only rarely able appreciate it. Watching the sunrise was a rare treat. Eventually, the town hall bell struck seven. Even got up, squared her shoulders, and headed for the hay shop. Pale accompanied her, but only as far as the door. The front of the store was organized with merchandise, but there were a few things out of place, as if they’d simply been dropped there the day before. A pad of paper beside the cash register was covered in scribbles and the edges were frayed. Somepony had been fidgeting. Alfalfa Fields hadn’t even put out the open sign when Even walked in. He still gave her a smile and asked her fancy. Even took out her purse. Exactly as she had planned, a single gold bit slipped out and bounced to the floor, rolling away. Alfalfa turned, already reaching for it. Even lit up her horn, magic silently lifted the pitchfork leaning against the wall up to the hayloft, slipped beneath the heavy bale resting above Alfalfa’s head, and tilted it over. The impact was a complex sound, partially the tightly-packed grass thumping, partly the floorboards creaking, and partly Alfalfa’s skull splitting. The loose coin shot out from under his hoof, spinning across the floor. Pale glanced up and down the street and then came in. “Nopony’s coming.” Even nodded and stepped around the counter, kneeling to check the victim’s pulse. The two of them watched as the spinning coin came to a stop, balanced perfectly on its edge. “W-wow,” said Even, eyes wide. “I didn’t plan that part of it.” She reached out almost hesitantly and picked up the bit. She looked at it for a moment before stowing it in a separate pocket of her purse. Pale turned and opened the cash register. “We can’t do that,” said Even. “It’s got to look like an accident.” Pale nodded and closed the drawer again. Her protégé was even planning for afterwards. Not that it was a contest, but Even seemed to pick up the task more intuitively than Pale had at first. Of course, that could simply be because Pale’s methods of dispatching twitchers were admittedly crude in comparison. Satisfied that Alfalfa Fields’ heart had stopped, Even got up. They couldn’t rob the register, but nopony would probably notice a few clover candies missing. The two of them stepped out into the morning. The town was starting to come to life for the day. “Shame we can’t stay for the Celebration,” said Even. Pale agreed. Shame about a lot of things. But not Even’s first kill. It had gone perfectly.