//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Loving in the Sunlight, Fighting in the Moonlight // by bahatumay //------------------------------// "Tailing is boring." "Tailin' is important. It's also educational." "Oh, yeah?" Rainbow challenged. "What have we learned?" "That this guy ain't our target." "What??" Rainbow demanded. "We’ve been following him for, like, hours! Why not?" "Too small. Ah want somethin' a bit bigger than a little drug dealer fer our first message." "Little??" Rainbow spluttered. "He just sold to five at once!" "This dude barely started sellin’. Ah want somepony with a larger market than young ponies that we can scare off as soon as he turns the corner." Rainbow Dash grinned behind her mask. "But that part is so much fun," she said. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Just keep looking.” * * * “Tailing is boring.” “Tailin’ is important.” “Still boring.” * * * “Tailing is boring.” “Tailin’. Is. Important.” * * * “Tailing is boring.” “Rainbow, so help me, if’n you don’t put a sock in it, Ah’m gonna fold you in half and tie you up in a knot so tightly you’ll be able t’ lick yer own cutie mark.” “Hmm... I might be ok with that, actually. Especially if you're watching." There was a sound of two impacts. One was the sound of hooves on pony. The other was the sound of pony on wall. * * * “Tailing is boring.” “Well, then you’ll be happy t’ know that Ah’ve picked our target.” Rainbow threw her hooves into the air. “Thank Celestia! We’ve been sneaking around for, like, a week!” “...Rainbow, it’s only been three days.” “Feels like a week.” “Well, ya did enough complainin’ t’ last us two. Now come on.” Applejack quickly explained her plan, to which Rainbow readily agreed. The two vigilantes jumped down off the roof and landed on a fire escape, where Applejack pointed out the stallion that was to deliver their message. Rainbow vaguely remembered from their many nights watching. “All right. You know what you're doin'?” Applejack asked. “Like the back of my hoof,” Rainbow said flippantly. “So, not real well, then.” “Just watch,” Rainbow challenged. Flapping her wings silently, she descended upon the stallion, quietly landing behind him. She briefly stretched before lowering herself into position. It was time to send a message. "Bet you think you're pretty tough, don'tcha?” she growled. He spun around and stared at the pony that looked (and sounded) like she had stumbled out of a costume party gone awry. "Who are you?" he demanded. "I am Mare-do-well, and I am here to say that Manehattan has had enough of the likes of you." The stallion paused. "You're a dramatic little haridelle, aren't you?" The pony tossed her mane, or she would have, had she not been wearing a cowl and large hat. "The word you're looking for is convinced, determined, and 116% awesome." The stallion was unimpressed. "That's like five. Now piss off, you tweaker, you're gonna scare away my customers." "I'm not good with math. What I am good with is cleaning up this city and, lucky you, you're the first piece of trash I get to take out." It finally clicked in his mind what she was trying to say. "...are you threatening me?" The masked pony threw up her hooves in mock celebration. "Congratulations! You finally get it! Smiley, show 'im what he's won!" She took a step sideways, as if to become another pony, and changed her voice to a lower range, imitating the voice of a stallion. "Well, Mare-do-well, he's won an all-expense paid trip to the ER! But if he reforms, he also gets the grand prize of never seeing you again!" It was at this point in the conversation that the dealer had decided he had had enough, and drew his knife and slashed widely, intending to slice through her mask and hopefully a vein. The problem is, in this section of town, most fights had been resolved with a show of force. Rainbow Dash was a mare that preferred agility. She had blocked the strike with one hoof and popped him in the face with the other before he had even registered that she had moved. It wasn't a hard hit--pegasi weren't known for brute force--but it was enough to set him back for a bit. He blinked in confusion, and could have sworn that the faceless mask turned up into a smile before the mare hit him again. Enraged, he slashed again at the masked pony, but she ducked the swipe and jabbed him again. Furious, he slashed repeatedly at her, but failed to land a blow. She danced around, just too quick for him. Either through skill or by sheer luck, he eventually managed to land a scratch. The mare flinched and looked down. "No more than a scratch," she jeered. "And I was so sure I'd picked a good messenger." He swung again, but he was figuratively blind with anger, and she took full advantage of that. She flipped her cape into his face, blinding him literally this time. Before he could recover, she bucked him in the face. When his world had finally come back into focus, she was gone. Glancing around, he realized that he was alone in the middle of the street. Crazy pony... Prolly overdosed on speed or something. He turned to head back to his house, but he hadn’t taken three steps when he froze. The masked pony was sitting on top of a dumpster. Just sitting there, menacingly. And then it spoke. "Ah'm always watching, you know. Even when ya think Ah ain't." And with that message, she jumped off, turned, sprinted down an alley and disappeared into the darkness. That was... mildly disturbing. The stallion shook his head and continued home. He didn’t live all too far away, and his eyes soon met the familiar sight of his home street, his apartment building, and a purple shadow on top of the building that looked just like a pony wearing a large hat. He did a doubletake, but the rooftop was empty. Shaking it off as paranoia, he walked inside, mumbled something to the pony behind the desk, and climbed the stairs up to his apartment. He froze as he saw a piece of paper taped to his door. Printed on it was a stylized M, much like the one on the strange mare’s chest. It was a slight comfort to him that the door was locked still. With practiced teeth, he drew his knife and reached for the key. It then occurred to him that he could not do both at the same time, being an earth pony and not a unicorn. Setting down the knife, he pulled out his key, unlocked the door, picked up his knife, opened the door, and stepped inside. The living room was empty, thankfully. Of course it would be. It’s not like that crazy crackhead could find his apartme--sweet Celestia she was laying on the table! Mare-do-well shifted, letting her cape fall and expose more of her clothed flank. “I’ve been waiting for you,” she cooed, patting the tablecloth as if in invitation to join her. Now thoroughly convinced that he had accidentally inhaled some of the drugs he sold, he turned and sprinted towards his bedroom. Instincts took over, and he dove inside the closet, breathing hard. Safe. Safe again. A hoof gently trailed down his cheek. “All Ah’m sayin’, Sugarcube, is sometimes it’s all right t’ be afraid of the dark.” The stallion screamed and burst out of the closet. Desperately seeking an escape, he found one in the form of the window in his living room and launched himself out amidst a shower of glass and another scream. He landed painfully on the ground, but fear drove him to quickly stagger to his hooves and dart off into the night, leaving behind what ever money and product he'd been carrying. * * * Two quivering ponies entered their apartment and shut the door. The earth pony bolted it securely and placed a chair in front of the door. The pegasus led the way to the bedroom, and as soon as that door closed, both burst out in giggles. “That was awesome! The look on his face was priceless!” Rainbow laughed. "Ah didn't think he'd actually jump out the window!" "We were all like, rawr, and then he was like, ahh! and then he was like, crash!" Applejack finally managed to stifle her laughter. "I think the message got sent loud and clear." “The legend lives! We are awesome!" Rainbow cheered. "Hoof bump!”