//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 Questions in North Bay 
// Story: True Black 
// by Leonofsweden 
//------------------------------//


True Black
Chapter 12
Questions in North Bay


3th of April


Black Star and Lightning Strike came over the last crest of a seemingly endless line of hills; finally they could see the bustling city of North Bay in the distance. The spirits of every pony in the company picked up and consequently so did their speed towards the city and its promise of their first hot meal in two days. Just before they arrived at the city gates, they ran past a hill where two black clad ponies were busy deconstructing a stage of some sort. A shiver ran through Lightning when she realized they were two of the city's hang ponies, and what they were taking down was the gallows. That meant that pit below was now full, and that the gaping hole a few hundred meters away, was the new location of the dreaded stage. The company had slowed to a trot now; finally they made a halt at the side of the road outside one of the city gates. Lightning Strike inspected the condition of her troops; they were all quite tired from the long run but otherwise okay, but she couldn't afford to cut them any slack right now.

“Okay, listen up! I want two ponies monitoring every gate in and out of this city at all times. Those not on lookout duties will set up a makeshift camp here outside the Elite City gate, and then secure food for the rest of the company. When that is done with, rest as much as you can if you're not on monitoring duty. While you take care of this, Vexillarius Black Star and I will gather information from the city guard. Stay sharp out here everypony! We don't know when we will be called into action!” Lightning strike ordered, then made a sharp turnabout and trotted off with Black Star.

As Black Star and Lightning Strike trotted through the so-called Elite City gate of North Bay, their spirits were quite high. Especially Black Star since she believed they would be able to track down Lobo within hours of arriving there; such a large wolf could not move unnoticed through any city, not even one as big as North Bay. Word would undoubtedly spread, and they knew exactly where to look for those rumors. The two quickly made their way through the elite district, with all its fancy houses and very clean streets where only the rich and powerful were able to live or even move about. From there they came in to the merchant district of North Bay. Here the streets were a lot livelier and not as wide or well-kept, but still clean, since no merchant wanted it to look dirty or unkempt outside their store. It just wouldn't be good for business.

After asking for some directions, they made their way to the heart of North Bay, and the city guard compound. It was a massive Bastion meant to inspire awe and fear in any who thought about causing trouble. The two of them trotted through a set of massive iron gates, and stepped out onto the inner courtyard of the Bastion. One heavily armored door clearly led down into the dungeons. Beside the door waited the black wagon for whoever would be next to take their last ride to the gallows on its hard, black, wooden floor. Off to their left, another entrance was marked as the entryway to the barracks, and to their right was the door they were looking for. It was finally decorated, and above it hung a sign which spelt out “North Bay city guard command center” in gilded letters. They opened the door and stepped in; inside they found a small waiting-room with a bored looking city guard stallion waiting behind a desk. Behind the stallion was a spiral staircase leading both up and down through the building. There was also a wooden door leading into the rest of the building on the first floor. Along the walls in the waiting area, benches were placed; on them sate pony´s waiting to have their grievances or complaints heard by the attending guard pony. Lightning and Black Star trotted up to the board looking stallion behind the desk.

“Have a seat, and we'll get to you when we can,” the stallion said without looking up from the paperwork he was obviously not very interested in.

“I believe whoever is in charge will make time for us,” Lightning said in a sharp voice. The stallion gave a quite frustrated sigh.

“Look, have a seat, and… and... wow!” the stallion said as he finally looked up to see who was addressing him. He pushed the report he was pretending to read away from himself, and stood up brushing his mane back with a hoof.

“You should have said you were from The Officers Club. Are you two here with Sharp Edge? Or do you have an appointment with one of the officers?” the stallion asked, and looked longingly at the two of them as he came around his desk with a sweet smile on his face. But his smile started to fade as he got up close to the two beautiful mares. They were giving him quite cold looks, something a mare from The Officers Club would not do. The stallion stopped in front of them and carefully gave each one a closer inspection. The unicorn had a pearl white coat, jet black mane and tail with blood red streaks running through them. On top of her head was a long and sharp looking horn. The Pegasus’ body was golden yellow with a two-tone blue mane and tail. His eyes widened a bit when he realized how immaculate and functional their black armor was. That did not look like a make-believe strip of armor at all. It slowly dawned on him that the two mares standing before him were definitely not tail-lifters from The Officers Club at all. Which meant… the whole stallion went rigid.

“Sorry… I… Eehhhh… Oh crap.” He took a breath to calm himself. “How may I help you, miss!?” he said a bit too forcefully, while he stood to attention in front of Lightning Strike. He was now sweating bullets, since the two mares were still glaring at him, most likely having realized just what he had implied, when he thought the two of them were from some sort of officer’s club.

“I am Decurion Lightning Strike of The Grand Army. And this is Vexillarius Black Star, my second-in-command. We're looking for information about a black Wolf who might have been seen around your city.” Lightning Strike said coldly. The stallion gulped. Not only were these mares from The Grand Army, but they were also quite highly placed upon the command ladder as well.

“Wolf? No… Wait yes!” the stallion suddenly blurted out quite enthusiastically, realizing he might have information that would save his tail, despite this little embarrassment.

“I believe captain Iron Rod had a run-in with a large, black wolf two days ago,” he said. Lightning Strike and Black Star looked quite pleased with this bit of news. Even though they could not be sure it was Lobo, it was a fairly high probability that it was.

“Where is this captain Iron Rod now?” Lightning strike wondered.

“Right this way, Decurion,” said the stallion while turning around smartly, and led the two mares up the staircase. They came to the second floor, where he turned left down a corridor.

“If you would follow me please, I think I saw his wife walking past just five minutes ago, but he will surely see you anyway,” the city guard hastily said, as if Iron Rod had a choice in the matter. They walked to the third door down the hall. Here the stallion stopped and knocked insistently on it.

“WHAT IS IT?!” shouted an annoyed voice from inside the room.

“Captain Iron Rod! You have a Decurion, Lightning Strike of The Grand Army, here to see you, Sir!” the stallion shouted through the door. Lightning Strike didn't bother waiting for a reply and simply shoved the stallion aside before she opened the door and stepped in to Iron Rod's office.

“There are rumors flying around about what happened to Cherry Tree and that new mare you were supposed to be bringing… in.” said a fancy but provocatively dressed mare as Lightning and Black Star entered. She glared at the two of them for barging in on her conversation. The mare was a light brown unicorn. Her dark blue mane was tightly tied back into a nicely made ponytail with light blue ribbons at the back of her head, two of which sensually fell down the side of her face and were then tied back into her ponytail, framing her features very nicely indeed. This brought to light her sharp, blue eyes even better. Her dark blue tail was full and well cared for; it also had the same light blue ribbons tied into it which gave her an even more refined look. The air about her was very much that of a noble pony, but since she was married to captain Iron, she would most definitely not be one. The mare in question turned back to the captain after she had given the two new arrivals an appraising look.

“Find whoever is spreading these rumors and shut them up. Otherwise more of the mares and stallions at the club will start getting stupid ideas into their pretty little heads, and that's not good for business. We'll talk more about this when you get home.” she said as she headed towards the door. When she walked past Lightning Strike and Black Star, they both felt a shiver run down the spines, as they met the cold, calculating blue eyes of this mare. She stopped and gave them both a sweet smile mixed with a seductive look. It was easy to see that she somehow had a position of power and influence within North Bay, and she was use to ponies fearing her and her influence.

“I've never understood why beautiful mares join The Grand Army… You could both live a life in absolute pleasure and luxury, instead of being out there crawling around in the mud for no good reason. Such a waste…” she stated with a sigh and then continued out through the door and down the hall.

“You have to excuse Sharp Edge; my wife has been a little stressed lately since she lost a few of her… employees.” Iron Rod said and motioned for Lightning Strike and Black Star to sit down in front of his desk. The grey stallion with his white mane and tail was looking curiously at his two visitors.

“So what can I help a Decurion from The Grand Army with?” he wondered.

“I understand you had a run-in with a Wolf,” Lightning Strike said. At this Iron Rod stiffened a bit, as the memories of said Wolf came to the forefront of his mind.

“Yes… A beast of a Wolf interrupted an execution two days ago.” he replied with a frown.

“Interrupted an execution?” Black Star wondered out loud. Iron Rod nodded.

“We were executing a pair of murderers when a black Wolf jumped up on stage. He killed our unicorn executioner, and then freed the criminal we had not hanged yet, running off with him into the woods.” he said and tried to gauge the reaction of the two mares. Lightning turned to Black Star who was looking quite confused while she was thinking. Finally she shook her head.

“That doesn't make sense, why would he save some pony from being hung? We know he hates us, well most of us anyway… What precisely happened?” Black Star asked.

“Like I said, we had just executed the pony, Bright Sky, when this Wolf jumped up on the stage and killed one of the executioners by ripping her horn out of her skull; he then freed Zig Zag and ran off with him before we had a chance to stop them. There's not much more to say…” Iron Rod said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“So he witnessed this mare, Bright Sky, being executed. And then decides to rescue her husband from sharing her fate? That doesn't sound like something he would do at all.” Black Star said thoughtfully.

“Sorry… but there is one mistake in that sentence… Zig Zag wasn't Bright Sky's husband… he was her colt, and the youngest murderer every in North Bay´s history. At least that we know of,” Iron Rod said as a matter of fact. Both Lightning and Black Star were now staring at Iron Rod.

“WHAT!!!” they both burst out simultaneously.

“You were executing a KID!!! Well that explains everything… I'm surprised Lobo didn't rip you all apart. It's been his job for… I don't know how long, to protect the pups of his own species,” Black Star said, quite appalled by the thought of executing a little colt by hanging.

“Oh yeah… We would have been more than capable of capturing him if he hadn't fled. We were twelve city guards against one Wolf, and therefore I would say the odds were pretty much in our favor,” Iron Rod countered. Black Star was now eyeing him curiously.

“Twelve guards for an execution? That sounds a bit excessive… What exactly had the two of them done?” she wondered.

“They killed two of our fellow city guards,” Iron Rod stated. Now Black Star was looking even more baffled.

“A mother and her little colt, killed two city guards??? You want to try that again without the bullshit?” Black Star said with a look that clearly stated she did not believe a word of it. Iron Rod reclined a little bit in his seat.

“Look, you have to take the circumstances into account. The two guards were there to bring Bright Sky in for evading taxes. She offered to do some… favors, in exchange for them to make the problem go away. During the act, she and her son killed the two guards in cold blood,” he said defiantly. Black Star was now glaring at him.

“Are you sure you want to stick to that story?” she wondered. Iron Rod was now glaring back at her.

“I don't know what you're on about, but that's what happened,” he answered fiercely.

“So let me get this straight. This beautiful, young mare made a deal with these two guards to have her tax records swept clean, and then killed the same two guards that were supposed to help her get out of losing everything she has, and on top of that, being tossed into a forced labor camp? There are some serious holes in your logic there, captain. I would suggest coming up with a new cover story,” Black Star said with contempt.

“How do you know she was beautiful?” Lightning Strike wonders offhoofedly, while looking at Iron Rod with murder in her eyes.

“Believe me… She was most likely quite the looker,” Black Star said and glanced towards her marefriend. Iron Rod was now staring dumbfounded at the two mares in front of him.

Who the hell do these two think they are! Coming in here making my life difficult! How dare they visit my city and start pushing me around!!! Iron Rod thought furiously.

“Do you mind if I have a look at the records?” Black Star suddenly asked coldly.

“What?” Iron Rod said shocked.

“The records that show she wasn't paying her taxes,” Black Star clarified. Iron Rod was now starting to look quite pale. Black Star only smirked at having caught him so red-hooft in his lies.

“Don't bother trying to come up with an excuse; I think I already have a clear picture of what's going on here, so was it you… no… probably some noble pony wanted to have his way with her? Because I'm really having trouble seeing you as the brains of this little outfit. You're just a grunt, aren't you?” she wondered. Iron Rod had once again gone back to just staring angrily at Black Star, willing her to shut up, but it was Lightning Strike who now spoke up when the implications of what Black Star said finally settled into her.

“You and your sleazebags buddies killed an innocent mare, because she wouldn't lift her tail for you?” she asked, having serious trouble containing her fury.

“No! She wasn't innocent… look she was already on board with working as a tail lifter for us. The two guards that were killed tried to get a free ride. She resisted, her kid walks in while it was happening and kills one of the guards, and then she killed the other. All in front of the street full of witnesses. They would both be alive today if no pony had seen them do it. Working for us grants you quite a lot of protection, if you don't buck up too badly that is. In this case my hooves were tied,” he stated defensively.

“Look, captain… we're not here to sort out your domestic issues within North Bay, no matter how much I would like to drag you out and hang you by your own entrails from the city wall. We just don't have time to deal with this right now. Besides, even if we kill you, your replacement would sit in that chair in a matter of hours, so what's the point? Now tell us what you know about the Wolf that disappeared with the colt,” Black Star said, cutting off Iron Rod who was getting ready to fire off more explanations and excuses for what had happened. Black Star could clearly see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out how to best handle the situation. He gave a frustrated mumble.

“Alright… All we know is that he disappeared north, most likely along the coast. Unfortunately, the storm yesterday made it impossible for us to search for them. But now he could be anywhere between North Bay and the borders of Feliniss, or even Rapture for all I know,” Iron Rod said, looking nervously at the two mares, seeing that they had not been very impressed with this information.

“Is that all?” Black Star asked disappointedly.

These bucking mares are turning into a big problem. I'll just have to make them understand who it is they're messing with. Make them see just how many ponies I have got covering my back, heck… once they realize I even got a few North Bay noble pony's protecting me, they'll most likely run for the doors with their little tails neatly tucked between their legs. He thought confidently, and felt himself relax a bit.

“Yes… that's all.” Iron Rod answered while he tried to loosen his sword from its scabbard discreetly with one hoof. Before he could even blink, Lightning Strike had knocked him off the chair, onto the floor, and she was pressing a dagger’s blade against his throat. Iron Rod stared up at the enraged mare with pure terror in his eyes. She looked coldly down at him, as if she was watching a worm. She slowly took the blade away from his throat, whilst still pinning him to the floor. Leisurely, Lightning hid away the dagger in its hiding place, just below the neck lining of her black armor. She gave a disgusted snort.

“You’re a laughable excuse for a city guard! You actually thought you stood a chance against either one of us, let alone both? You're so lucky I just didn't slit your throat! But unfortunately, Black Star is right; we don't have time to deal with the bureaucracy that would ensnare us if we kill you!” Lightning screamed straight into Iron Rod's face, which had gone just as white as his mane.

“Ooooo… look you made him wet himself,” Black Star said and giggled a bit sadistically.

“You have got to be kidding me?!” Lightning cried out and jumped off Iron Rod as if he carried the plague. He immediately crawled as far away from the two of them as he possibly could in his little office, ending up in the far corner of the room. As he turned back towards the two mares, which would most likely be frequently featured in his nightmares from now on, he saw them both standing at the door looking at him.

“Thank you for your cooperation, captain; it will be noted in our report to headquarters,” Lightning Strike said and walked out. Black Star meanwhile smiled sweetly back at him.

“Have a nice day, captain. I hope you die screaming,” she said, giving him a wink as she followed Lightning. Iron Rod just couldn't stop shaking. He had never been so scared in his life, and he had been in some pretty rough situations. Cautiously he managed to get up on all four hooves again, feeling the wetness running down his legs he groaned.

At least no pony has seen me like this… Iron Rod thought just as two dark silhouettes walked in through the door. He screamed loudly and collapsed back to the floor, shielding himself with his hooves, thinking it was Lightning Strike and Black Star coming back to finish what they started. Instead, when Iron Rod looked up, he saw his second-in-command Short Sword standing in the doorway together with his elder’s son Iron Helm, who had just joined the city guard this morning. Both of them were just staring at him, jaws hanging agape.

Perfect, the two of them just had to come and see me now… Iron Rod sulked as they both rushed forward to help him up.


****


Lightning and Black Star were slowly making their way out of North Bay. They hadn't said much since leaving Iron Rod, who they both suspected was still lying in his little corner trembling. They were slowly making their way through the crowds of ponies, towards the more southern of the two intersections between the merchant district and The Elite District.

“I feel like I need a long, hot bath after being in the same room as that creep…” Black Star finally said.

“What are you complaining about? You never touched him, did you!” Lightning countered with a grunt of disgust. Her whole face contorted as he thought about Iron Rod, who was clearly part of the seedier side of North Bay society.

“I should've cut his throat!” she hissed and looked towards Black Star, who seemed to have her attention caught on something else. She had a far-off look in her eyes, and her horn was glowing faintly. Finally Black Star looked back at Lightning and motioned for the two of them to go down a less crowded street.

“We both know that wouldn't do much damage to the organization he works for. Somepony else would've taken his position within a matter of hours. Even if he thinks he’s a big fish, it’s only because he’s swimming in a very small pond. Furthermore I think…” Black Star’s horn flashed in a dark aura. “that you know more about what goes on in North Bay than your husband does, am I right?” Black Star asked a stunned looking Sharp Edge, who had just had her invisibility spell disabled by Black Star. Though it didn't take long for Sharp Edge to compose herself again, slowly she took a couple of steps towards the two other mares.

“As a fellow unicorn, I must say that was a good cloaking spell. Unfortunately for you, I'm highly attuned to black magic. I could sense your magic presence the moment we walked past you back there,” Black Star said with a smirk as Sharp Edge stopped in front of them, looking less than happy. She had realized that they were on an almost empty side street, with no easy escape route available to her. And since one of her intended targets was a Pegasus, simply outrunning them wouldn't be possible either. If they caught on to what she had planned to do to the two of them, they would kill her on the spot. Hopefully a city guard patrol would not be too far off if this turned ugly.

“Really now… That was quite rude, just unmasking me like that,” Sharp Edge said and took on a mischiefs look, as if she was just about to play a joke on them. Both Lightning and Black Star could still see that she was sweating a bit under that fancy outfit of hers.

“So am I right? That captain back there would have been replaced quite swiftly if we killed him, wouldn't he?” Black Star asked coldly, making sure Sharp Edge understood she was not interested in idle chitchat. Sharp Edge started to have a bit of trouble keeping her smile in place.

“Yes, he would have… Although I'm glad you didn't, even though he's a bit of a dolt; he is quite finely cut, if you didn't notice. The fact that he looks good enough to marry saves me a lot in bribes to the city guards,” she answered.

“So you're the boss of this little operation?” Lightning asked and took a step towards Sharp Edge. She, however, held her ground, while shaking her head.

“Oh heavens no, I am just… what did you call it, a grunt. I’m simply the supervisor of the Officers Club, making sure business runs smoothly and that the customers are… well taken care off,” Sharp Edge said sweetly.

“So you run a brothel is what you're basically saying,” Black Star stated. Sharp Edge looked like she had been highly offended.

“The Officers Club is not some lowly brothel! It's much more than that. My family has been running it for generations; we provide any entertainment you can dream of to those who can pay for it. Lovemaking, in all its forms, is of course a big part of the business, but we also have all kinds of prize fighting for example, even to the death if you paid well enough. And of course there are all sorts of betting, on anything you can think of, and some you don't want to, quite a few of the bets the nobles have amongst themselves are quite… sordid.” Sharp Edge said with an evil glee. Both Lightning Strike and Black Star once again felt a chill run down their spines, while they kept a wary eye on the mare in front of them. She had gotten very confident all of a sudden. And the reason why was heard just behind them.

“Miss Sharp Edge! Pleasure seeing you again, it's been far too long.” said self-assured male voice. Lightning and Black Star both looked back; there stood a sand-colored unicorn. His body was soft and rounded, not that he was fat, but he had most likely never seen a day of physical labor in his life. His main and tail was both dyed silver. Draped across his back was a silver, comfortable and warm looking mental; hoof-stitched into it was the family crest, a ship with full sales against the sunrise. His silver shoes finished off his ensemble. Tired looking brown eyes watched the two of them, without any real spark in his gaze. On his upper lip he spotted a small moustache, and under his chin a small goatee could be seen. Not to break away from his ongoing theme, they were also dyed silver. If somepony didn't know any better, they would think he was trying to get some point across. Sharp Edge smiled a warm and pleasant smile, which looked truly genuine. Most likely because there were four guards standing at attention behind the noble pony.

“Why if it isn't Lord Silver Pot! What an honor to see you here amongst us lowly commoners. What brings you out this wonderful day? Is it something I can help you with?” she said lovingly. Silver Pot brightened up when the beautiful mare focused her attention on him, and she hadn't called him Young Lord, which he hated. It reminded him that it was still his father who was the head of the family. And after his father, there were two elder brothers and one elder sister to get past in order for him to succeed his father when the old bugger finally died. Which, to put it frankly, was unlikely to ever occur. And one of his elder siblings might be careless enough to have an accident, but not all three; they were all of the Silver Seas noble line after all, so they knew how to watch their own backs. Silver Pot was studying the two mares that were with Sharp Edge. They were, quite frankly, breathtaking, but he was a bit disappointed when he noted that the black armor they were wearing was not the strip off kind. He himself would have enjoyed slowly peeling of them. So the two of them were most likely not the latest edition to the stables in The Officers Club. He gave a disappointed little sigh, and then looked at the crests on their helmets raising an eyebrow.

A Decurion and a Vexillarius from The Grand Army… Silver Pot thought.

“My, my Sharp Edge. You're certainly keeping fine company this morning. May I enquire who they are?” Silver Pot asked and smiled at her two companions.

“My pardon´s Lord Silver! Let me introduce you to Decurion Lightning Strike and… I'm sorry I never got your name my dear.” she said sweetly and looked at Black Star.

“This is my second in command Vexillarius Black Star, and unfortunately we are both hard pressed on time. It was a pleasure meeting you Lord Silver Pot, but since you're here now, I believe we can entrust Miss Sharp Edge safety to your capable hooves.” Lightning Strike said with a somewhat forced bow that Black Star followed more smoothly.

“I would be delighted to keep her company, and I did have an enquiry for you, Miss Sharp Edge, about what happened to certain… entertainment I had wished for.” Silver Pot said with a bit of annoyance in his voice. All of a sudden Sharp Edge didn't look so comfortable with being left alone with young Lord Silver Pot. Content with the knowledge that Sharp Edge was most likely about to have some trouble, Lightning Strike and Black Star trotted off feeling a little better for knowing it.


****


Avarice was trotting through the camp, feeling quite good about how things were turning out. With no small amount of satisfaction, he had seen to it that all ponies that could possibly be a hindrance for him in the future, were now stationed in this camp, together with some of his most loyal ponies. There were a total of twelve targets that need to disappear, before he left this Celestia forsaken camp and went after Black Star, so that they could catch the fugitive spirit, and then finally get around to making him immortal. Avarice smiled brightly at the thought, when he suddenly heard a shout of alarm off towards his left. A few seconds later, several ponies came rushing by with a Pegasus slung across one of their backs. From the side of the Pegasus jutted a crossbow bolt.

“I don't know what happened! It just went off and…” Was all Avarice could hear while they rushed past him. He could see that the unlucky victim of the accident was Offshoot, Lightning Strikes favorite Scout. And one of the ponies on his list, Offshoot had just truly been unlucky. He bumped into Avarice outside of Neighjing, where Avarice was making some under-hooved purchases and enquiries, when Avarice was supposed to be somewhere else entirely. It had been many years ago, and so far Offshoot had kept his mouth shut about what he saw and heard that day, mostly because he knew what would happen to his loved ones if he talked. But now Avarice was moving into the final phase of his plans, so he could no longer take the chance that something from his past would come back and ruin it all now. When the ponies carrying Offshoot disappeared into the medical tent, Avarice realized this was a perfect opportunity to say hi to an old friend. A few fond memories began to play in his head as he made his way over to the now more or less deserted observation tents, stopping in front of the one he had secured for his colt-hood friend.

This one deserved my private attention after all. Avarice thought as he swept the canvas aside. He could now see her sleeping soundly on a makeshift hospital bed. He smiled and walked in, still gazing at her. Thorn had always been so beautiful while she slept, and it would seem time hadn't changed much about that. The bright pink Pegasus with a purple mane and tail rested with bandages covering her torso. Using a quick spell, Avarice muffled all sound coming in and out of the tent so that the two of them would be able to talking freely. He then walked up to her, and as his shadow fell across her face, some primeval sense towards danger quickly woke her up. She blinked repeatedly before her eyes finally focused on him.

“A… Av… Avarice???” Thorn stuttered with her pink eyes wide in surprise.

“Hello, Thorn.” he said in a soothing voice. Thorn watched him warily, knowing full well one could never be truly sure what Avarice was up to just buy the way he looked or behaved. When she noticed the crest on his helmet, Thorn once again had a puzzled look flashing across her features.

“Wow… You've certainly come up in the world, I remember when the two of us ran on the streets of Bridlelon, dodging guards and picking saddlebags,” Thorn said and smiled sweetly at Avarice. He chuckled happily and sat down beside her bed.

“Yeah… Those were the good old days, weren't they. Just you and me against the world,” Avarice answered and put his hoof under her chin, giving it a loving caress. Thorn relaxed quite a bit and smiled up at him. She tried to get up, but winced when her painful ribs reminded her why she was in bed to begin with.

“Here, let me help you with that…” Avarice said and covered her torso in his magic. Slowly, the pain Thorn felt started to fade away; she eased down into the bed contently, and started breathing a lot easier.

“Thanks… My ribs were killing me.” Thorn´s uttered happily. Avarice nodded and carefully patted on her chest.

“I can believe you, being used as a pony shield does not sound like a pleasant experience,” he said with a wicked grin.

“Don't remind me… If I ever get my hooves on that Wolf I'll buck him right in the nuts!” she said, grimacing at the memory, or at least the few memories she had left of the event. Thorn looked up at Avarice again.

“Enough about me, how did you become so high and mighty?” she wondered.

“Years of planning, and painstaking work,” Avarice answered.

“Well, do you think you can help your old mare-friend out? A promotion and some extra pay would be nice,” she said and winked at him. Avarice just smiled, but didn't answer.

“Come on Avarice, for old time’s sake. We've had more than a couple of wild nights together. I don't think there's anypony else who knows you as well as I do, from back in the day. I would even bet a month’s pay that most ponies nowadays think Avarice is your real name.” Thorn said with a chuckle. Avarice turned away with a deep sigh.

“And that's the problem, my dear…” he said as he watched the exit. Thorn all of a sudden got a very uneasy feeling.

“You know my past, what I have done and who I really am… and unfortunately for you, I also know what you will do with that information once I reach my true goal.” Avarice said and turned back looking Thorn straight in the eyes, and his eyes were now cold, so very cold. Thorn tried to get up, only to find that her body would not respond anymore. She looked back up at Avarice, fear plainly written across her face, as she comprehended what was the most likely outcome of her situation.

“Avarice please! We can make a deal! Honestly... I'll do whatever you want! I won't tell anypony anything!!!” Thorn screamed while Avarice levitated Thorn’s own dagger out from amongst her armor in the corner of the tent. He looked back at her a bit sadly.

“I know you won't,” he said and placed the dagger over her heart. Thorn was now thrashing her head back and forth, desperately trying to make her body move.

“Avarice please! Please! Please don't! Please… Avarice… ” Noticing that begging for mercy wasn't getting her anywhere, Thorn started screaming.

“HELP! HELP! ANYPONY! HELP! PLEASE HELP ME!!!” she screamed through her tears.

“Don't worry, Thorn. I have numbed your entire body. You won't feel a thing.” Avarice said tenderly.

“Fuck you, Avarice!” Thorn roared and then gritted her teeth.

“You know something, Thorn… You are the only pony in my life I almost loved… Do you have any idea how special that makes you?” Avarice wondered and stole a quick kiss. Had she not been so completely cut off guard, Thorn would have chewed his face-off, but now all she could do was look up at him completely bewildered and horrified.

“Thank you…” Avarice said while he plunged the dagger into Thorn’s heart. Her eyes became as big as saucers as she watched the blade disappear into her chest. Like Avarice had promised, she didn't feel anything. Her body just shook once, then her head fell down on top of the pillow, and just like that, Thorn was dead. Avarice side, and then stole another tender, and longer kiss then earlier. Slowly he made his way around the bed, gently stroking her still form as he went. Once on the other side, Avarice dumped Thorn´s body out of the bed; she landed with a thud on the ground, face down in the dirt. Her back-hooves still tucked inside the sheets on top of the bed. It now looked like she had tried to reach for something, and then taken an unlucky stumble, landing on her own dagger. Satisfied with Thorn´s new position, Avarice removed the sound muffling spell, and trotted out of the tent. He walked a couple of meters and then sat down, taking a few deep breaths. The air was crisp and clean, the skies were clear, some birds were singing off in the distance, and nothing seemed out of place in the world.

It is a great day to be alive… Avarice thought with a serene smile across his face. He then started to make his way back towards the command tent, whistling a happy little tune as he went.


****



Thanks to Meeester for the Pre-read/Edit