//------------------------------// // Betrayal - Squinty Mudmane // Story: Flarity Group Collab // by Jondor //------------------------------// Written by: Squinty Mudmane The tolling of a great bell echoed through the dark night, the sonorous sounds emanating from the great tower of the city hall and carrying to all corners of the Grand City of Veneighzia. Twelve times it chimed, and only once the last note had died away did the music from the San Maresé Concert Hall resume. Violin virtuosa Mademoiselle Octavia Harmonique had come all the way from distant Prance at the behest of Doge Pantaloni to captivate the attendants of the annual Grand Masquerade Ball with her beautiful sonatas and haunting melodies. For the past half hour, she had been working the magic of her instrument, keeping everypony attending the event spellbound; everypony except the two mares standing on one of the secluded outdoor balconies at the rear of the concert hall. One was a canary-yellow pegasus with a modest yet graceful green dress that accenuated her slender body. Rich pink mane fell down around her, framing her face which was largely hidden behind a turqoise mask shaped to look like butterflies flew along its sides. Only her eyes and her mouth was visible, upon the lips of which a hesitant, nervous smile flickered. The other was a svelte unicorn with a pristine white coat, luxurious purple mane hanging in curls around the black mask with silver filigree outlining. She wore an elegant crimson, almost see-through dress, and she looked at the other mare with a hopeful smile. "What do you say, my darling?" she asked in a breathy voice, standing little more than a hoof’s distance away from the pegasus. "I do not wish to pressure you into anything you yourself are not completely sure of, but I cannot lie about how much my heart desires you." The other mare blushed furiously and bit her lower lip. She looked away for a moment, but when she returned the gaze, her eyes were full of longing and smouldering desire. "I… Yes, yes, I do. I want this more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life." She swallowed and took a deep breath, before leaning closer and lowering her voice. It shivered just slightly as she spoke. "Th-there’s a secret entrance at the back of the mansion, hidden behind a wall of foliage. It leads to a trapdoor at the back of the wine cellar. Even the servants don’t know about it. The guards only come around that section of the mansion once every hour on the mark, so you’ll be able to slip in unseen. My room is on the top floor, the third door on your left as you come up the stairs." She gulped again, but the hesitation was gone from her voice. A flirtatious smile played across her lips. "I’ll be waiting for you in bed. Don’t be late." The unicorn returned the smile warmly and caressed the other mare’s cheek lovingly with a hoof. "Believe me, my love, I won’t be." The pegasus left out a tiny soft moan at the contact, and the unicorn leaned in, placing her other hoof around the neck of her companion. She looked into those beautiful cyan eyes and brushed a strand of pink mane out of the other mare’s face. "Thank you for trusting me, Fluttershy," she whispered as she leaned in close for the kiss. The pegasus melted into the unicorn as their lips met, her expression one of love and pure, innocent trust, and the unicorn felt a pang of guilt as she slid her thin dagger from its hidden sheath on her right hindleg in a shimmer of magic. The haunting melody of Mademoiselle Octavia reached a peak as the drug-laced blade plunged into the canary mare’s side beneath her left wing. She kept her lips locked with the pegasus, kissing her deeply and hungrily even while the pegasus’ body went limp as the toxin entered her bloodstream and coursed through her. The drug was designed to still paralyze all muscles save the ones used to breathe, but even as her body went limp, there was still a look of utter shock and disbelief crossing the pegasus’ delicate features. She held the kiss until the yellow mare’s eyes closed. Gently, with all the tenderness of a lover, she laid her down on the floor, getting out thin silk ropes to bind the other mare's limbs. "I’m sorry it had to be this way," she whispered softly as she enveloped the pegasus in a shimmer of magic, levitating the limp body into a crawlspace in the rafters of the concert hall. With her eyes closed, the pegasus looked almost as if she was sleeping, though Rarity knew she was still conscious, if unable to move. "Please forgive me, my lovely Fluttershy," she said as she readied the hatch to close once more. "Your father will be very cross when he discovers who you have let into his home. I'll be sure to leave a note telling him where I have hidden you." She had been courting the shy pegasus for three weeks, taking care to earn her trust, slowly and gently winning her heart. Her efforts had borne fruit at last; the riches and secrets of the family vault hidden inside the mansion of Fluttershy’s father were as good as hers now, ripe for the taking. Her employer would be pleased beyond measure. And all it had cost was the happiness of one of the few pure souls left in Veneighzia, one that Rarity had grown more fond of than she wanted to admit. She shook herself from her melancholic reveries and wiped the moisture from her eyes; such was the nature of the game she played. Sentimentality and regret could come after the job was completed, not before. There was still one thing left to do tonight. Rarity leapt from the balcony, using her magic to soften the impact as she landed on the street below. As silently as a ghost, she disappeared from sight and faded into the night. Inside the concert hall, the violin music finally came to an end, leaving behind a single sad note that lasted almost a full minute before it too died and faded away. She spared one last look to the hidden treasure she was leaving behind to seek out one of mere gold and jewels, and her heart was torn. Perhaps she could commit two heists tonight. She cursed herself for a fool; it might be time to retire if she was getting this soft. She decided there and then that she would return for the pegasus, and hoped that she wouldn't mind being fabulously rich in a city far away from here.