Fallout Equestria: Tales of Chicacolt

by volrathxp

Chapter 2: It Started With a Dame

It started with a dame.  The kind you read about in those old detective stories, that show up on your doorstep, crying their hearts out.  The kind with a flank that just won't quit and a sparkle in their eye as they tell you about their problems.  The kind that stab you in the back when you ain't lookin'.  The kind a guy could die for.

Yeah... it started with a dame.  She was a real looker, too.  White unicorn.  Light blue mane and tail with a cute little pink stripe through it.  Name of Sassy Smiles.  Cutie mark of a microphone and some music notes.  She wore a little red dress that sparkled in the night.  Said she was some sort of lounge singer at the Atomizer bar.

“Detective?” She said.  I glanced up from my newspaper.  She was standing in the doorway.

“Ma'am,” I said.  “What can I do for you?”

Me, I'm an uptown kind of stallion.  But enough about me...

“I need your help...” She  said.  I narrowed my gaze at that.

“What kind of help?” I asked.

Sassy had a problem.  A big one.  The kind of problem that doesn't go away with a shot of whiskey at your local watering hole.  You see, her filly had gone missing.  Sassy suspected foul play.  Nopony would listen to her, though.  That's why she came to me, I suppose.  She said she'd heard I was the best at what I did.  I wasn't gonna argue her point.  I was the best at what I did.

“I'll pay you anything,” She said.  “Anything, just please find my daughter.”

“It ain't gonna be easy, you know that right?” I replied.  The mare bowed before my hooves.

“I'm begging you, I don't care what it takes...” She said.  I put down my paper.

“Alright.  Two hunnerd caps,” I said.  “Two hunnerd caps and I'll find the filly.”

Sassy told me her and the kid had been up near Filly's Pier when somepony had abducted poor little Sunrise Smiles.  I had asked Sassy why anypony would wanna take the kid, of course.  The mare was certain that her old boyfriend, a unicorn by the name of Rock Crusher, was responsible.  Apparently the stallion had connections with the Hellraisers, and maybe wanted a little revenge after Sassy kicked him to the curb.  I cringed a bit at the mention of the raider gang.  If the filly was in their hooves, it wasn't a good thing.  They were well known for the disrespect they showed mares, even young ones.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” The mare said.

Filly's Pier.  If there was ever a wretched hive of scum and villainy in this fucked up town, that was it.  Home to the chem addicts, the unwanted, and the undesirable, Filly's Pier used to be one of the most popular places to visit before the war.  It was also home to one of Equestria's naval bases.  Now it was just a filthy hole in the ground where a pony went to get their fix.  Why Sassy was there, with a filly no less, worried me deeply.  If I was gonna get some answers as to little Sunrise's whereabouts, I was gonna have to go to the Pier.

It was getting dark when I got to the Atomizer, a bar on the less-miserable outskirts of the Pier.  I'd made a few calls on the radio transmitter, hitting on an informant who wished to remain anonymous.  Said he had information about the filly, and wanted to meet with me.  To be fair, I was a little on edge.  I'd been in this kind of situation before, and didn't trust it worth a hill of beans.

I pushed open the door to the Atomizer, not giving the bouncer the time of day.  He grunted, letting me by without any issue once I flashed my credentials.  He pointed towards the bar.  The Atomizer was a dingy, grungy affair.  The floor was covered in vomit and dried blood, the product of one too many sickly drunken bar brawls.  I stepped carefully as I could and rested my hooves on the bar.  The bartender was trying too hard to look sexy, a worn-out mare that looked half my age under the makeup and cheap jewelry.

“What'll it be, mister?” She said, her eyes half-lidded.  I could tell that she'd been hitting the chems.  She smelled like cheap booze and drugs, and looked like it to boot.  Her black mane was scraggly and unkempt, and when she opened her mouth I swore that I would die from the stench.  I forced a smile.

“Shot of whiskey,” I said.  The mare nodded, grabbing a bottle out from underneath the bar.  She poured the shot and I took it, downing it in one gulp.  The liquid burned as it rolled down my throat, but I didn't mind.

“Getcha another?” The bartender said.  I shook my head.

“No thanks.  I've got business,” I said.  “Lookin' for somepony.  Filly.  Name of Sunrise Smiles.  Heard of her?”

“Sorry, never heard of her,” the mare replied as she went back to washing her glasses.  I shuddered when I realized that the water she was using to wash them with was dirtier than the glasses.  It figured that the bartender didn't know the filly, though.  Either she'd been paid to say that, or she didn't really know.  I supposed I was letting my paranoia get to me.  Didn't matter, though.  I turned around, scanning the dingy bar for my informant.  A dark gray earth pony sat in the back of the room, staring at me.  He glanced about and motioned for me to come over.

I trotted over and sat down at the table.  The earth pony shifted his eyes left to right, almost like he was expecting something to happen.  He finally settled them on me.

“You the guy?” He asked.  I nodded.  “You're lookin for that filly, aren't ya?”

“You know where she is?” I said quietly.

“You didn't hear this from me,” the earth pony said.  “But I was here the other night.  Saw the whole thing.  That mare, I'm guessing it was her mother... arguin' with this big son of a bitch.  Filly was here too.”

“What were they arguing about?”, pulling out a notebook.  I started jotting down some notes on it.

“Don't rightly know.  Mare was real mad,” the other pony said.  “Said a lot of real nasty things to the stallion.  Stallion got even madder.  Told the mare she could take her shit and leave.”

“Where'd they go after that?” I said.

“Mare grabbed the filly and left.  Not soon after, stallion left too,” he said.  “I crawled into the bottle and left later that evening.  Was on my way back home when I saw the mare again.  She didn't have the filly with her.  I don't remember much else, but I remember it was strange that she didn't have the filly.”

“Interesting,” I said, scribbling down a few more notes.  I replaced the notebook into my jacket's pocket.  “Well, you've been pretty helpful.”  He hadn’t.  The paltry pile of caps I pushed across the table reflected that, but he was happy enough to see them.  “I'll let you know if I need anymore information.”  I wasn't planning on it.  The stallion nodded, glancing around shiftily.  I grimaced.  “Hey, buddy.  You alright there?”

“Huh?  Me?” The stallion said.  “Yeah... yeah I'm alright, I'm alright.”  I rolled my eyes at this.  I stood, adjusting my coat.  I turned and headed for the door.  It was going to be a rough night.  I needed some more concrete dirt.  I needed to actually go into the Pier.  I pushed open the door to the bar, stepping out into the night.  I trotted up the road, heading towards the gates to the Pier.  You see, a long time ago, somepony thought it would be a bright idea to build a settlement in that part of the city.  To reinforce this, they drug out a bunch of old pieces of metal and skywagons, turning them into a gate that blocked off the Pier from the rest of the city.

Well, at least that was the intent.  I grimaced as I came up to the gates.  They were broken and rusted now.  Just like everything else in this rotten city.  I could see the lights from the chem bars and the Ministry of Morale's hub in the distance.  After the war, the old Morale hub had been turned into the city's most fiendish place to get whatever you wanted.  Sex, drugs, morally ambiguous pursuits.  They were all available at Morale.  The Hellraisers ran the place, the only place in the entire city that was ran by a gang of raiders that didn't devolve into ripping intestines out and using them as decorations.  It was there I needed to go.  I made my way down the Pier, glancing around and keeping a close eye on my surroundings.  Thankfully, it seemed the chem heads and drunks were all in the bars tonight.  No sign of trouble.

The bouncer in front of Morale wasn't a happy one.  The minotaur stood tall over the crowd itching to get in, barking at the ones who couldn't pay the gate fee.  I flashed a bag of caps at the minotaur, who in return growled under his breath and pointed inside.  I stepped past him, grinning.  Loud music assaulted my ears as I stepped into the hell that was Morale.  Two fillies strutted past me, looking way too young to be in a place like this.  Hell, they didn't even have cutie marks yet.  They wore glow sticks in their manes and silky lingerie, flaunting everything and then some.  I shuddered at the thought of it.  The bar was stocked to the brim tonight, filled with drunken ponies and even a few griffons.  They laughed boisterously amidst the booming thud of the DJ, making lewd propositions here and there to the waitresses.  Guards patrolled the upper balconies, dark SMGs and shotguns easy to miss in the bizarre light.

I asked a few questions here and there.  Most of the waitresses knew who Sassy was, which interested me greatly, but claimed to have never seen her little filly.  I didn't bother with the chem heads.  They mostly sat around looking at the ceiling anyways.  The drunks were even worse.  They made up wild stories about how the filly had jumped off the Pier.

“Little filly, yellow coat, red mane.  You seen her?” I asked.  The earth pony at the bar grunted.

“No clue, pal.  Now would ya leave me alone?  I'm busy here,” he replied.  I grimaced.

“Yeah, real busy,” I said turning away from the bar and heading back into the crowd.

I hated places like this.  They always left a sour taste in my mouth.  I glanced around.  No sign of Sunrise Smiles, after all.  I grimaced.  Maybe this had been a bad idea.  I decided that if I was going to find anything, I'd have to dig deeper.  Poke around in the parts of the Pier that tended to poke back.  I headed towards the back of the bar, trying to keep to the shadows.  A hard thing to do amidst the lights and craziness of Morale.  I was pleased when I saw one of the guards leave his post to deal with a squabble among two drunks.  I slipped through his door, feeling pretty happy with myself.  The hallway was dark, dimly lit by bare bulbs dangling from wires overhead.  I was worried there'd be more guards, but it seemed to be devoid of anypony.  I trotted forward, looking around for something, anything that pointed to where the little filly had gone to.

I pushed open a door halfway down the hall.  It was a bedroom.  Strapped to the bed was a young earth pony filly.  She had tears in her eyes, looking up at me with fear on her face.  Her legs had been spread open and tied in position.  It was painfully obvious what she was there for.  I almost threw up.  Sick bastards.  Still, maybe this was the filly I'd been looking for?

“Mister?  Please don't hurt me,” the filly whimpered.  I grimaced.

“Easy, sweetie, easy.  I'm not here to hurt you.  What's your name, kid?” I asked.  The filly shook with tears as I closed the door behind me.

“It's... it's... Daisy,” she said.  I nodded.

“Kid, I'm gonna get you out of here, just trust me.  But I need a little help,” I said.  “I'm looking for another filly that might have been picked up and brought here.  Her name's Sunrise.  Have you seen her?”  The filly quivered and finally nodded.  “Do you know where she is?”  The filly nodded again.

“She's... she's upstairs,” she said.  “In the nicer rooms.  We were in the same pen together.”

“Do you know the room number?” I asked.  The filly shook her head.  I sighed and trotted over to the bed.  I slipped a knife out of my coat and cut the filly's bonds.  She jumped off the bed.

“Thanks, Mister,” she said.  I narrowed my gaze at her.

“Don't mention it kid,” I said.  “Can you get out of here on your own?”  The filly nodded.  “Then get going.  And be careful.  If you fit into the crowd the guards shouldn't notice you.”  The filly peeked her head out of the door, and made her way out.  I grimaced, and followed her into the hallway.

The stairs led up to the nicer part of Morale's seedy back rooms.  The suites up here had been converted from the offices they were using materials from a nearby Stable.  The familiar logo that belonged to Stable-Tec adorned the beds that sat in each room.  Not every room was empty as I peeked in.  Some of them had ponies engaged in... less than desirable situations.  None of them noticed as I made my way down the hall.  Where was Sunny?  She had to be here!  She just had to be!  A door at the end of the hallway wouldn't budge open.  It was locked.  Grimacing, I yanked out a bobby pin and a screwdriver and went to work.  I hoped that there was nopony on the other side.

A soft click meant success, and I gently pushed the door open.  This particular bedroom was absolutely luxurious.  In the center of it was a massive king sized bed with four wooden posts that extended upwards.  Laying on the bed was a yellow filly with a fiery red mane.  She was asleep.  I closed the door gently and made my way to the bed.

“Sunny?” I said quietly.  The filly turned over, her eyes opening.  The blue orbs widened as she saw me.

“Who... who are you?” She said.

“Calm down,” I said.  “Are you Sunny?”  The filly nodded.  “I'm gonna get you out of here, alright?  Your mom hired me to find you.”

“Momma?” Sunny said.

“Right as rain, kiddo,” I said.  “She's been worried sick about you.  Are you alright to move?”

“Yeah... I can move,” she said, hopping off the bed.  “But what about the bad ponies.  They told me to stay here and wait for them.”  Alarms began to go off in my head.  If they had intentionally put Sunny here, then they knew I was coming.  I heard hooves in the hallway.  Shit! I thought.  How could I have been so careless!

“Sunny, you gotta trust me right now, alright?” I said.  “Hop onto my back and stay as low as you can.”  The filly nodded, jumping onto my back at the withers.  She clung on for dear life as I pulled out my revolver from my shoulder pocket.  “And close your eyes, sweetheart.”  The door burst open as I clicked the safety off, revealing a pink unicorn raider stallion floating out a pistol.  His mane was glued up into mohawk.  A crazed look crossed his face.

He didn't get a chance to fire.  I tongued the trigger of my revolver, the retort of the blast kicking back into the roof of my mouth.  I grunted and fired again.  Both shots hit the raider square in the face, leaving a gaping hole where his brain had been.  He dropped to the ground with a *thud*.  I heard shouts in the hallway.  Shit shit shit! I thought, frantically looking around for an exit.  The window was half open, revealing a fire escape on the other side.  I stowed the pistol and made for the window, slamming it all the way up and hopping into the night.  The ancient fire escape creaked under the combined weight of the filly and me.  It emptied out into a dark alley in between Morale's multiple buildings.

“Hold on!” I shouted, starting down the rusty metal.  It shuddered and groaned as I neared the bottom.  I grimaced.  The fire escape only went down so far.  I was gonna have to jump the rest of the way.  I wasn't too happy with that fact.  As good as I was, even I wasn't a competition jumper.  A dumpster sat a few feet away.  It was open.  I grinned as I heard the shouts from above me.  I leaped off, the filly screaming in my ears as we landed in a pile of trash.

“You alright?” I said, groaning.  The filly on my back grunted in response.

“I'm... I'm okay,” she said.

“Alright, keep holding on, Sunny.  We're gonna get out of here,” I said.  I climbed my way out of the dumpster, flopping onto the ground.  I took a whiff.  I was not going to smell good at all after this.  I was really going to need a shower, if I could find a working source of non-irradiated water.  My mind was racing with the possibilities.  How in the hell did the Hellraisers know I was here?  How did they know I was coming?  I'd been careful to not let myself be seen, but looking back now I began to wonder if it was just one big trap.  Shouting from the fire escape drew my attention, as did the gunfire.  I began to beat street, the filly clinging onto my neck as my hooves hit concrete.

“Get him!” I heard from behind me.  I glanced back for a moment, seeing a group of Hellraisers charging down the alley after me.  Shit! I thought frantically, taking a fork to the left.  The next alley led past a power station door.  I pushed on it, opening the door with ease.  I dove in, slamming the door closed behind me.  I made my way over behind one of the ancient terminals, setting Sunny down on the ground.

“Stay quiet,” I whispered.  I held my breath for what felt like an eternity as the roaring sound of hooves pounded right past the doorway.  I nearly burst into laughter.  Hellraisers, I thought.  Not exactly that bright.  I breathed a sigh of relief, turning to the filly sitting next to me.  “Now... while we've got a moment to rest... do you know what that was all about?”  Sunny shook her head.

“I don't remember much, mister,” she said softly.  “I was with Momma, and then somepony knocked me out.  I woke up in that room.”  I grimaced.

“Dammit,” I said aloud.  The filly looked up surprised.

“Mister?” She asked.  I coughed.

“Sorry kid.  It's not every day I'm chased by crazy raiders,” I said.  “I'm not sure what the hell is going on.  They knew I was coming for you, but how?”

“I don't know,” Sunny said.  “Mister?”  I glanced down at her, raising an eyebrow.  “Are we gonna get out of here?”

“Sure as sugar, sweetheart,” I said, giving the filly a grin.  “Come on.  Let's go see if the coast is clear.”  I stood, walking as softly as I could towards the door.  I pushed it open quietly and glanced up and down the alley.  Nothing.  I grimaced.  Nothing meant something was gonna happen.  The Hellraisers could be here at any moment.  I motioned to Sunny.  The filly trotted over to me.  “Okay, here's what we're gonna do kid.  I want you to keep on my tail at all times.  If things go bad, I want you to run as hard as you can and get yourself out of here.  Can you do that for me?”  Sunny nodded.

“Mister... you're gonna get out of here too, right?” She said.

“We both are,” I said.  “Now let's go.” I pushed open the door and stepped into the alley.  Sunny stayed right behind me as we started galloping down the narrow passage.  I glanced about, wondering why we hadn't been spotted yet.  The Hellraisers might be stupid fucks, but they were persistent.  It wasn't going to take long before they were back on our tails.  I stopped at the edge of the alley, poking my head out to see if there was anypony around.  Nothing.  Good.  Okay, I can work with this.  I can get this filly out of here.  The exit isn't that far.  I could see it from here.  Once we got out of Morale I could get the kid back to the Atomizer and get in touch with her mom.

I should have known it wasn't going to be that easy.  Shouting from down the second alley drew my attention to a group of Hellraisers.  They had their guns drawn and their eyes were wide with bloodlust.  I have to admit, I was really starting to get sick of the fucks.  I started running, Sunny keeping time right next to me as bullets flew through the air behind us.  We were lucky they were such piss-poor shots.  I panted hard as we ran, my years in the business catching up with me.  I knew a long time ago that one of these days I wouldn't be able to do this job anymore.  I just hoped I'd be able to finish this one.  Little Sunny Smiles deserved that much.

The shouting stopped as we made our way through the front gate of Morale.  We ran for a few more feet and stopped.  I turned around, noticing that nopony was chasing us.  What in Equestria was going on here?  Why weren't they chasing us?  I needed answers, and the only pony I knew that was gonna give them to me was an old friend of mine.  I'd been having these weird feelings ever since I found the filly.  Like I'd been set up.  Thoughts flashed through my mind as I realized just who could have done it, too.  I didn't like those thoughts.  I looked down at Sunny.

“Come on kid.  For right now we're sticking together until I get to the bottom of all this,” I said.

“What about Momma?” She said.  I grimaced.  I knew she was going to ask.

“Kid, we're not out of the woods yet.  We might be out of the limits of Morale, but we're still in the Pier,” I said.  “It's dangerous, and its also night time.  We gotta lay low and get out of here in the morning.”  The filly sighed, and then nodded.  “Good.  Now follow me.  His place is just over on the other side of this next set of buildings.”  We moved silently, the quiet of the Pier piercing through the night sky.  I kept an eye around me, hoping and praying that we wouldn't hit any trouble.  Thankfully though, nothing happened.  We came to a small warehouse building on the western edge of the Pier.  I stepped up, rapping on the locked door quickly.  The door lock clacked open, and the door opened slightly to reveal the beaked mug of a griffon.  A sour expression crossed his face as he saw me.

“Oh, it's you,” he squawked.  “What do you want?”

“Trap,” I said.  “I need a place to hole up, and I need some answers.”

“Buzz off,” the griffon said.  “I thought I was done with you.”

“Trap, please,” I pleaded.  “This ain't negotiable.  Whatever business we had between us, this is bigger than that.”  The griffon named Trap sighed, pushing the door all the way open.

“Come on in.  Who's the kid?” Trap said, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up.  He took a big puff and motioned for us to follow him.  I prodded Sunny forward, smiling.  Iron Trap was an old, old, old friend of mine.  We used to work together.  Things didn't always go well for us.

“Her name's Sunrise Smiles,” I said.  “Trap.  Somethin' big is goin' down.  The Hellraisers had this filly holed up in Morale.”  Trap grunted.

“Hellraisers always got fillies, mares, colts, you name it up in that shithole,” he said.  The griffon led us down the long hall and let us into the tiny office.  Sunny jumped onto the couch against the wall and curled up.  She let out a yawn.  I nodded at Trap.  We stepped out into the hallway, letting the filly get some much needed rest.

“This one was different,” I said.  “They knew somepony was hired to find her.  They knew I'd be there.  So what do you know about it, Trap?”  Trap sighed, putting a claw up to his face.

“Look, I don't know much, but I've been hearing chatter about the Hellraisers.  There's this particular one, name of Rock Crusher,” he said.  “You pissed him off, something fierce by what I hear.  You put one of his best friends seven feet underground.”

“I don't remember that,” I said, glancing away.  “I've made a lot of enemies in my time.  You know that.”

“Yeah... you and me were enemies, once,” Trap said.  “But none of them were as fucking pissed as Crusher.  Word on the Pier is that he put a hit out on you.”

“What's that got to do with the filly?” I asked.  Trap shrugged, ruffling his feathers.

“Don't know,” he said.  “I didn't even know about her until you brought her here.”  I grimaced.

“Something's not right Trap, and I got a bad feeling I know who's behind it,” I said.  Trap nodded.  “I'm sorry for barging in on you.  I know you don't exactly like me much anymore.”

“As far as I'm concerned, we're square,” Trap said.  “You're tryin' to save that filly.  I can respect that.  Just... be on your way in the morning and don't come back.  I don't need the Hellraisers banging down my door after your tired ass.”

“Fine,” I said.  I yawned, catching the eye of the griffon.  “What?  It's been a long night.”

“Then get some shuteye,” Trap said, pointing at the office.  I nodded, turning away and pushing open the door to the office.  I slumped onto the couch next to Sunny.  She glanced up at me.

“Mister?  What's wrong?” She said.

“Nothin, sweetheart,” I said.  “You alright?”

“I'm... I'm scared.  Will I see my Momma again?” She said.  I sighed.  I knew I needed to tell the kid sooner or later.  I had hoped to confront Sassy Smiles first, find out if she was really involved in this before.

“Kid... I don't know if your Momma is a good pony or not,” I said.  “I think she set this whole thing up.  She sold you to those bad ponies to get to me.”  The little filly gasped softly, tears filling her eyes.

“That's... that's not true.  Momma loves me!” She shouted.  I placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Listen.... Sunny... I was hired to keep you safe and get you somewhere safe.  If your mom truly isn't involved in this, then you'll go home.  But until then, I promise you I'm going to keep you safe from the bad ponies,” I said.  “But that means you gotta trust me.  Can I count on you to do that for me?”  Sunny hesitated, but nodded anyways.

“I... I can do that,” she said.  I smiled softly.  Kids.  They grew up so fast in the Wasteland.

“Pinkie Promise?” She said after a few moments more of silence.  I raised an eyebrow at this.  Like all the ponies familiar with the Ministries and their failures... I knew about the Pinkie Promise.  I sighed, performing the familiar motions.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” I said, remembering to close my eye for the last motion.  “I will do my best to protect you.”

Sunny smiled, obviously pleased.  She laid her head down, yawning and drifting off.  The next minute I knew, she was sleeping deeply.  I yawned again, resting my head on the old ruined couch.  Pretty soon, sleep came and took me off to dreamland.

Soft light filtered into the tiny office, and I shook my eyes open.  Sunny slept peacefully next to me, snoring softly.  I stretched out, rolling off of the couch.  I stood, cracking my neck.  I hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time, and I still hadn't had one the night before.  I kept waking up to make sure that Sunny was alright.  Every time I woke up, the filly was doing just fine.  I don't know why I was so worried.

Of course, life had a funny way of reminding me of just how bad things could be.  I could hear shouting from outside the window.  I glanced outside of the dirty glass pane.  The sky was overcast, and down in the Pier below I could see ponies.  Not only that, they were raiders.  Hellraisers! I thought frantically.  They fucking followed us!  How in the hell did we know we'd be here?!  I needed to get Sunny to safety.  I shook the filly, waking her.

“What's going on?” She said groggily.

“We gotta go, kid.  Trouble,” I said.  The filly's eyes widened as she heard the shouting too.  Banging from outside the office told us that we didn't have any time.  They were right on top of us.  I scanned the room, seeing an air vent.  “Kid... get in the air vent.  Get in there and get the hell out of here.  And don't go back to your mom, alright?  Get yourself down to Theater.  The MMMM will take you in.”

“What about you, Mister?” Sunny said, tears forming in her eyes.  “Aren't you comin' too?  You promised to keep me safe!!”

“Kid, you gotta go.  There's no time.  I can't follow you,” I said.  “I don't want to break a Pinkie Promise,kid, but you gotta go!  If you can get free, then you'll be fine.  You're a strong filly, now go!”  The filly nodded, charging over to the air vent and pushing it open.  She started to close it behind her when she looked back.

“I... Thank you,” she said softly.  “I'll... I'll never forget you.”  I nodded with a sharp grin.  Sunny pulled the vent closed.  The door burst open, and several large burly raiders entered the room.  They brandished all sorts of weapons.  A massive grey unicorn pushed his way in behind them.

“Well, well... lookee what we got here, boys,” he said, his voice deep and ominous.  I turned around.  I grimaced.

“Rock Crusher, I presume,” I said.  The unicorn chuckled.

“Boy you got that right,” he said.  “You know what I've been through, lookin' for you?”

“I can only imagine,” I deadpanned, rolling my eyes.  “You stay up all night?  You look a little tired.”

“Shut up,” Rock Crusher said.  “You don't get to talk.  Boys, grab this bitch, this marelicker.  He's gonna get his just desserts for fucking with the Hellraisers.”  The two earth ponies on each side of him started forward, grabbing me by my forelegs.  I grunted, struggling as they dragged me out of the office and out into the day.  It had started to rain.  Off to the side I could see Iron Trap.  A sharp grimace was on his beak.  My blood began to bubble and boil at the sight of him.  Of course.  That's how they found us.

“Trap!” I roared.  “How much did they pay you, huh?  How much?!”

“Enough,” the griffon said.  “Enough.”  I glared at him.

“Some friend,” I retorted, growling.  Rock Crusher stepped up next to the griffon, floating out a huge fat sack of caps.

“Thank you for your... assistance,” the unicorn said, a mad grin on his face.  “Boys... knock this fuck out.  What comes next is gonna be a surprise.”  I had just enough time to think about how much I hated surprises, before the hoof hit the back of my head and spiraling stars sucked me into the black.

I woke up... must have been several hours later at least.  I groaned.  I couldn't feel my legs.  I couldn't feel much else.  My tongue was a dry scrap of hide in the desert of my mouth.  My eyes opened into darkness.  I couldn't see anything at all.  I found my thoughts drifting to Sunrise Smiles.  Did the filly get away?  Was she okay?  A light blared through the dark, blinding me temporarily.  I couldn't move my torso, but I could at least look down.  My legs were... they were... encased in concrete!

“Told you it'd be a surprise, lover,” a deep voice said from beyond the bright light.  It shifted slightly away from me to where I could see two shapes.

“It's a grand surprise, my dear,” a silky smooth voice replied.  It was a voice I'd heard before.  Sassy Smiles.  The mare came into view, a grin on her wicked face.  “You got him, Rocky.  All for me...”

“All for you, baby,” Rock Crusher said, stepping up next to her.  He drew the mare into a deep kiss.  Sassy moaned as she broke the embrace, sighing.

“...set...me....up...” I mumbled.  I was having a hard time trying to get out any words.  Sassy chuckled, her laugh a siren song.

“Of course I did, you stupid pony,” she said.  “You killed my brother, after all.”  My eyes widened.  “You remember him?  No, of course you don't.  It's just a job to you.”

“Sick... sick... bitch,” I choked out.  “Used your own fucking filly to do your dirty work.  You disgust me.”  Sassy rolled her eyes.

“Please,” she said.  “I was more than happy to get rid of little 'Sunny'.  Such a whiny little brat.  Always going on about 'Mommy this' and 'Mommy that'.  Luna, it was annoying.  Besides... it doesn't matter.  We haven't found her yet, but we will.”  I nearly breathed a sigh of relief.  So Sunny had gotten away.  I let out a chuckle.

“You'll never find her,” I said, laughing.  “She's safe, and you'll never get her back.”  I was rolling inside myself in joy.  The kid was free.  She was going to live.

“Well... maybe if you tell us where she is...” Sassy said, her velvety voice ringing in my ears.  I growled under my breath.

“Fuck you.  I'm not telling you shit,” I said.  Sassy snorted.

“Was worth a shot.  Rocky, he's all yours,” she said, trotting back to where her lover waited quietly.  Rock Crusher came into view.

“Dames.  Gotta love em,” he said, looking back at Sassy for a second.  “Anyways... here's the part you get to be surprised about, you stupid fuck.”  His horn lit up, throwing a switch on the far wall.  Something opened up beneath me, Rock Crusher’s horn held me upright, and I groaned as I was suspended in midair.  The concrete on my legs was pulling me downard, and Rock Crusher’s magic held me in place.  I glanced down, my eyes widening.  The murky black waters of Lake Mareigan awaited me.  Rock Crusher laughed.  “How well do you think you can swim?”

“Go to hell,” I hissed.  Rock Crusher grinned at me, the picture of smug satisfaction.

“You're going first,” he said.  His horn cut out, and I felt myself falling.  I hit the water with a splash, the concrete dragging me down.  I struggled, but fell below the surface.  The murky water stung my eyes and I tried to hold my breath.  I tried to move my legs.  I couldn't.  My lungs were burning by this point.  A few bubbles escaped my muzzle.

As the pain grew, all I could think of was Sunny.  The little filly who got away.  My final triumph.  The one I broke a Pinkie Promise to save.  She got away.  She’d be safe with the MMMM...

And to think... it all started... with a dame.