Upon Wings of Sacrifice (Rewrite)
Chapter 9: Deeper Into Trouble
An MLP: FIM fic by The Rated PonyStar
Edited by Mr. Minimii and Apple Cinnamon
Formerly edited by: Fernin, Halcyon and Clavier
Artwork done by: alfa995
***
It was official. In some past life of hers, Rainbow Dash had done horrible things, and the universe was trying to make her pay for it. She didn’t even bother hiding her shock at the fact that her real name had been revealed, and by a commander in the guard. She thought about escaping, but lowered her wings when she realized the futility of such an act. Even if she did manage to escape, Commander Blackwing would just spill the beans to every guard in Grydon, and she’d be a wanted mare. Not to mention this would bring even more problems to Equestria if they thought she was a spy acting under Princess Celestia’s orders, and that was the last thing she wanted.
“How did you know?” asked Rainbow Dash, seeing no point in beating around the bush.
“You mean besides the fact that I recognized your face in the papers years ago, when you defeated Nightmare Moon, or the other numerous evil forces around the world?” pointed out Blackwing as he pulled out a book from his armor. He threw it towards Rainbow who caught the book, and looked at it. It was the cover to Daring Do and The Stone Army; one of her favorites. “A few of my privates happen to like pony literature, and I remember seeing the name ‘Daring’ somewhere. Wasn’t hard to figure out the rest.”
Commander Blackwing was now circling Dash like a buzzard finding a dying animal in a desert. Gritting her teeth, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes. “If you think I’m spying on Grydon, I—”
“I know you’re not,” interrupted Blackwing. He stopped in front of her and smirked. “Princess Celestia and Luna are smarter than most give them credit for. They wouldn’t sent an Element of Harmony as a spy. No, you guys are just the heavy hitters who deal with the world destroying forces that normal soldiers can’t handle. I’d imagine Princess Luna would have sent one of her Lunar Guards, most likely from the legendary Deathwatch division, to spy on us. Plus, you stick out too much to be a spy.”
Rainbow Dash huffed at the an insult, but calmed down. “Well, why do you think I’m here, then?” asked Rainbow Dash, hoping that he knew nothing of the Eye of Exchange.
Shrugging, Blackwing answered, “Could be any number of reasons. Maybe you really are here to meet your friend, Gilda. Or maybe you're looking for the four thieves who killed your fellow Element, which I express my sympathy towards.” He shook his head. “Either way, I don’t care. Not my problem. Now, as a commander of the Grydon military, I should report you to my superiors and have them decide what to do with you.”
“W-what?! But I’ve done nothing wrong!” shouted Rainbow Dash, stomping her hoof.
“Besides fake your identity, which is grounds for a security risk? There is also the fact that you were seen coming out of a bar with a convicted murder, theft, and weapons dealer, Toma Calo, who is known to associate with mob bosses. It’s enough to get you arrested for an investigation, or deport you.”
Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches, defeated. She couldn’t believe it. Not even one hoof into Grydon, and she failed. Tears threatened to fall at the idea that Applejack would never come back to life, and that all her mistakes would never go away. I failed... I failed everypony...
“However, I’m not going to do that to you,” said Blackwing, instantly making Rainbow Dash raise her head in shock. “If you do something for me.”
Resisting the urge to facehoof, Rainbow Dash thought, First the criminals and now the guards. Am I just a big tool for everypony to use?! I bet he wants me to spy on Lightfeather and his gang...
“What do you want me to do...” groaned Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes.
Commander Blackwing’s face was as solid as stone as he walked straight up to her and glared at her eye to eye. It was like looking into pair of daggers that promised nothing but pain should she piss him off. “I need you to watch over Corporal Silvia, and make sure nothing happens to her.”
“W-what?” asked Rainbow Dash.
Backing off, Commander Blackwing continued, “Corporal Silvia has been suspected of trying to do her own investigation into the assassination of Colonel Volken, ignoring my orders otherwise. And despite my efforts, she’s continued to do so. She’s always been stubborn...”
“Okay, so what does this have to do with me?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“For some reason she trusts you, and I know that she’ll try to rope you in her investigation,” said Blackwing. “What I want you to do is watch over her. Make sure nothing happens to her. I can’t do anything since she and I don’t have the best relationship, but you can make sure she doesn’t get herself killed.” He sighed. “If you do this, I’ll keep your identity a secret, and see about getting you out of Grydon without any trouble.”
In the blink of an eye, Rainbow Dash suddenly found a sword inches from her neck. She didn’t even gulp as she looked into the burning gaze of the commander. “But if anything happens to her—anything at all—I will send you back to Equestria in a casket. Understand?”
“Y-yeah,” answered Rainbow Dash who sighed in relief when the sword was pulled away. She quickly thought about her options, and realized she didn’t have a choice. ”Geez, what are you, some kind of concerned stalker?”
“No, just a concerned father,” answered Blackwing.
Rainbow Dash’s mouth dropped. “What... the what?”
“You may go now,” said Blackwing before he took to the air and flew out of the warehouse.
Rainbow Dash was left to her own stunned thoughts before she shouted, “Hey! Wait! I don’t how to get back to my apartment!”
***
The trip back to her apartments was not a happy journey for Rainbow Dash. Granted, she yelled out loud to herself, earning a few stares along the way, but she managed to make it back to her street just near mid-afternoon. Touching base with the ground, Rainbow Dash was still disbelieving in her luck. She was trapped in a port with a killer on the loose, was going to be fighting for mob bosses, and now a commander of the guard wanted his daughter protected from harm.
And I’ve only been in this city for three days! thought Rainbow Dash. There was only one good solution to this: a long nap.
Entering the abandoned apartment inn, she spotted Tender Point reading one of the books in the lounge, and greeted her with a smile. Tender got up and, to Dash’s surprise, hugged her. “Thank you. I know I’ve said it before, but this really means so much me. I just wish I could repay you...”
Rainbow Dash smiled. At least some good is coming out of this.
“Relax, Tender,” reassured Rainbow Dash, “I’m doing this ‘cause you're my friend, so don’t worry.”
Tender nodded and walked back to her seat, where she levitated a plate of cookies from the coffee table. “Do you want some? We can chat a bit ‘till we need to go to bed.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m gonna get some sleep; it’s been a long day,” said Rainbow Dash, making her way up the stairs. In fact, when she thought about it, it had been a long time since she really relaxed and just zoned out, letting the world fly by. If it wasn’t for the flying limit the guards had going around, she would have taken a cloud instead, but a bed would have to do.
She entered her room and dove onto her bed, bouncing on it a bit before laying her head on the pillow. Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine the soft, warm grass of Sweet Apple Acres with the sun shining down on her tummy and the cool wind blowing in the breeze. The farm was one of her favorite areas to take a nap. Not just because it was where Applejack lived, but because it felt like a piece of paradise.
Paradise. That was where Applejack was now. Probably with her own set of white wings and maybe even a halo if they had those up there. She was most likely bucking apple trees with all her past relatives, including her parents, no longer suffering the troubles of the mortal world, and was as happy as she could be. A thought soon entered Rainbow Dash’s mind that made her feel uneasy. If she brought Applejack back, wouldn’t it mean she was taking her away from Paradise?
What if Applejack was happy where she was? What if Applejack hated her for tearing her away from her parents and eternal happiness? Would her wish do more harm than good? Was she just being selfish?
No, we need her back. She has to come back. She would understand.... right? thought Rainbow Dash, shifting her weight in the bed. But... she’s at peace... do I have that right to take her from it? To let her come back to life only to one day die again? Rainbow Dash wished Twilight was here, or anypony she knew for that matter. She had never thought about such things before, thinking it wouldn’t matter to her. Then again, I never thought I’d be on a journey to revive somepony from the dead.
“Augh!” screamed Rainbow Dash into her pillow. She couldn’t even find some way to take a nap peacefully. She cursed her restless state and sighed. “Why? Why can’t anything be easy?” She stared at the ceiling, almost begging for an answer from it. When she received none, she sighed again and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep once again.
This time she began to slowly doze off, and soon enough she found herself in a deep sleep.
***
A loud thunderous roar caused Apple Bloom to almost jump out of her bed, her four hooves shaking from underneath the covers. Closing her eyes, the little filly tried to calm her thumping heart as sweat dripped down her brow towards the soaking sheets. A bright flash from the windows nearly blinded her as a crack of thunder ripped through the air. Apple Bloom quickly rushed out of her room and galloped through the darkened hallway, her hoofsteps silenced by the heavy rain.
Reaching the farthest door, Apple Bloom pushed it open and rushed in. “Applejack! Ah had a... a...”
Suddenly, the storm outside seemed to matter little to Apple Bloom as she stared at the empty bed with her dull, disillusioned eyes. Her little hooves squeaked across the rickety wooden floors, dragging herself towards the bed. Halfway there, Apple Bloom glanced to her left and saw a frame of her family all smiling under the shade of a big apple tree with a picnic blanket right under them. She wiped her eyes with one of her hooves before arriving at the mattress.
Lifting herself up, Apple Bloom rested her head on the pillow as she turned her head towards the damp window beside the bed. Though the watery glass she could see a hill carrying three graves in the distance that made her heart sink deeper into her chest. Closing her eyes, the vague scent of her older sister’s honey and oats flavored shampoo filled her nostrils. It was funny. She used to hate that smell, but Applejack always used it every morning. Curling herself, Apple Bloom did her best to stop her teary eyes from leaking, trying to ignore the memories that she had with this bed.
“Apple Bloom?”
With a silent gasp, Apple Bloom froze up. She soon relaxed upon hearing the familiar loud hoofsteps that entered further into the room. Turning around, she saw a concerned Big Macintosh who looked a little too awake for this late at night. The two siblings kept their focus on one another, the rain blasting against the windows being the only sound echoing around them.
With a small sigh, Big Macintosh asked, “Couldn’t sleep either?”
Apple Bloom merely shook her head before scooting over, letting her brother sit beside her. Once he was comfortable, he wrapped his large foreleg around his little sister and let her rest on his hulking side. His warm fur brought a bit of color back to Apple Bloom’s face as she nuzzled closer. The silence returned as another bolt of lightning crack in the atmosphere, sounding like a cannon going off in a battlefield. Apple Bloom hugged her brother tighter as he gently rubbed his hoof through her mane.
“Did ya have a bad dream?” asked Big Macintosh, nuzzling his sister’s forehead.
Nodding, Apple Bloom muttered, “Ah saw Rainbow Dash...”
She glanced at her brother, who urged her to continue. With a shiver, Apple Bloom continued, “She was flyin’ away and Ah went after her. Ah kept screamin’ for her to stop... but then... she caught on fire...”
Apple Bloom sniffled as Macintosh slowly wiped the tears from her eyes with his large, but tender hoof. “Ah screamed... Ah just... Ah screamed so loud it felt like mah throat was on fire, too. Then Rainbow began to fall. Ah tried to help her, but soon she was nothin’ but ashes in mah hooves!”
Burying her head into her brother’s chest, Apple Bloom cried hysterically as her warm, salty tears damped Macintosh’s red coat. He held onto his sister, letting her sob in his arms as he rubbed her back. Soon, the eyes dried up as Apple Bloom slowly lifted herself away from her brother and turned her gaze towards her back hooves .
“Ah’m sure Dash doesn’t hate ya, Apple Bloom,” insisted Big Macintosh. Apple Bloom scoffed at the idea. “Trust me. If anythin’, Ah think she thinks we hate her.”
“But ah don’t hate her!” snapped Apple Bloom. “At least... not anymore... what Ah said... Ah was just...”
“Ah know,” murmured Big Macintosh, nuzzling his sister. “Ya didn’t mean it. It’s okay.”
Apple Bloom could just envision her sister’s glaring eyes scolding her for her outburst. “Ah hurt her best friend and... Ah hurt Scootaloo as well. Ah was just so angry that she died... she must be disappointed in me...”
“Ah know for a fact that AJ never felt more proud to have ya as a little sister than anypony else could,” said Big Macintosh. “Sure ya made mistakes, but that never stopped Applejack from lovin’ ya any less than before.”
Sniffling, Apple Bloom looked at her brother with a small smile. “Really?”
Big Macintosh nodded before his sister nearly knocked him off the bed with a huge hug. “Thanks, big brother...”
“It’s no problem, little sis,” said Big Macintosh. He then turned Apple Bloom’s face toward his. “What do ya say we sleep here tonight? Like the three of us used to do years ago?”
Apple Bloom nodded as the two of them wrapped the warm covers over their bodies. Apple Bloom turned to her brother to say goodnight, but a thought occurred to her. “Hey, Big Mac? What about mah dream?”
“It’s just a dream, Apple Bloom. They come and go,” assured Big Macintosh. Apple Bloom, however, was still nervous as her worried eyes glanced over towards his confused ones.
“But... how do ya explain that to a dream ya had for three nights in a row?”
***
A series of knocks immediately woke Rainbow Dash who shot up from her bed and quickly checked on Tender Point. The frightened unicorn was already awake, holding the sheets close to her as she turned to Dash, whispering, “Who is it?”
Rainbow didn’t know. It could be those thugs trying to get Tender Point, or it could be the guards again. Thieves were out of the question since what kind of a thief knocked on your door? Unless it’s a really stupid one, but I’m not willing to take that chance.
Slowly making her way towards the door, Rainbow Dash turned the knob and opened the door, ready to attack the intruder. It turned out it was a guard, but not one she was expecting at all. “S-Silvia?” stuttered Dash, who stepped back and let the griffin in. Tender Point saw this and quickly hid behind her bed.
“Sorry to rush into your room at such a late hour, Daring, but I need your help,” said Silvia, who noticed Tender Point’s tail shaking near her hiding spot. “Who’s the scaredy cat?”
“She’s Tender Point, my roommate and friend,” explained Rainbow Dash who walked over to Tender Point and helped her up. Tender slowly rose from her spot and looked at the griffin for a quick second before turning away.
“It’s alright, Tender. She’s a friend. We can trust her,” urged Rainbow Dash.
Tender Point didn’t say anything, nor did she look in the griffin’s direction, which seemed to annoy Silvia a bit. Not wanting her griffin friend to feel insulted, Rainbow Dash quickly said, “She’s just shy. And with that whole experience with the guards and all...”
The intense look on Silvia’s face waned a bit, but she still scoffed. “Whatever. Listen, Daring, I came here because I need your help. I think I found a lead on who the assassins were that killed Colonel Volken!”
This raised both ponies’ ears in alarm as Rainbow Dash smacked herself to be sure she was hearing this right. The proud and daring look on Silvia’s face made it clear that she wasn’t joking, and Rainbow Dash didn’t know if she was glad or worried about this information. “Wait, are you serious?! You actually know where they are?! How?!”
“Well, it turns out there were these two griffins who were getting really drunk. I recognized them and followed them for a bit based on instinct. I was about to give up ‘till one of them started mumbling about how they felt they deserved more credit for helping out with the operation in getting Volken killed. The other said not to talk so loud or else their assassin friend would have both their hides,” told Silvia, earning two dropped mouths from both ponies. Silvia puffed out her chest and continued, “They’re in some big hotel at the moment, probably getting even more drunk as we speak. This is our chance to nail them and get more information on who their third partner is!”
“Wait, what about the other guards? Didn’t you go to them with this info?” asked Rainbow Dash. Even she wouldn’t go after these guys by herself without some type of backup. Unless she was really confident, then, yeah, she would totally kick their flanks.
Silvia growled and smashed her claw into the wall, earning a yipe from Tender Point. “I tried, but the damn idiots told me they needed more proof! Not to mention I’m suspended off duty ‘cause of my jerk of a commander, so my word isn’t worth a tail feather! But I know I’m right about this, Rainbow, and I could really use your help! I’m doing this either way, with or without you, but I could really use a good buddy to back me up.”
Rubbing her temple, Rainbow Dash tried to think of her options. It was true that these two griffins did help them lead to where the assassin was, then it would lead to his or her eventual capture and an end to the lockdown. I wouldn’t have to fight for those gangsters. But if they were wrong, it was only going to lead them into more trouble. But I can’t let Silvia go alone, not just because her father threatened me, but she’s still my friend.
Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded. “Let’s go get these sorry jerks, and make them regret ever being born.”
“Wait!” shouted Tender Point, grabbing Dash by the tail with her telekinesis. “You shouldn’t go! It’s too dangerous, and the guards already are on your back! Don’t do this, Daring! Please!”
Sighing, Rainbow Dash whipped her tail out of the magical grip and turned around, facing Tender Point. “Look, Tender. I know you're worried, but I’m gonna be fine. If this turns out to be real, and we manage to find the assassin this way, we could get out of here without having to do our... other activities,” hinted Rainbow Dash. “And I never let my friends go off into danger without me. It’s just who I am.”
“But...” started Tender Point, but Rainbow Dash interrupted her.
“I’ll be fine. Trust me. I’ll see you later.”
Rainbow Dash walked over to Silvia and nodded. “Let’s do this.”
Grinning, the two exited the room and closed the door, leaving a silent Tender to herself.
***
Although it would take longer, Silvia convinced Dash that they would walk to the hotel to avoid any of the patrols. When asked how she knew how to avoid them, Silvia slyly admitted that she nicked one of the patrol schedules for the area before anyone noticed. The two made tracks, Silvia leading them, as the stars shined above. Looking up at the moon, Rainbow Dash sighed and remembered that there was soon going to be a meteor shower if she remembered correctly. Twilight had made an effort to remind them of each shower that came by, and they would gather at night to see it.
It was one of the few times Rainbow Dash was willing to sit still for a long time, if only to enjoy the wonders of the night sky with her closest friends. Were the girls still going to go to the shower despite being two friends short—one dead and the other gone. Or were they going to skip it this time?
“Bit for your thoughts?” asked Silvia, bumping her on the side.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “N-nothing... just thinking about home...”
“Miss it?” asked Silvia nonchalantly.
“Yeah,” muttered Dash, ears bending behind her. “I’ve been to Grydon before, a long time ago, but I wasn’t leaving much behind when I did. Now... It’s different: I had friends, a filly who looks up to me... and... somepony I cared about.”
“Is he hot?” asked Silvia, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, she was,” corrected Rainbow Dash with a smirk, but then frowned, “but she died, and it was my fault.”
“Sorry to hear that,” said Silvia, wincing. “I lost my mom when I was a hatchling. Sucks growing up without one. And my dad?” She scoffed. “He’s always too damn busy with his job. Never was around that much when I was growing up, even during the holidays. Ancestors, my uncles were better fathers than him. So I joined the military to show up the bastard, not that he ever cares.”
Rainbow Dash wanted to say she was wrong, but kept silent. If your father didn't care about you, how come I’m stuck playing bodyguard? She also didn’t buy Silvia’s reasons for joining the military. Probably wanted to find some way to connect with her dad...
“Oh, here we are,” said Silvia, stopping.
Rainbow Dash looked up at the ‘hotel’ to see it was anything but. It looked like most of the other buildings in the area, prison looking and had seen better days, but it was covered in bright neon lights for price deals, advertisements, and such. There were a few ponies and griffins out by the entrance to the lobby, smoking or engaging in small talk, yet all seemed quiet.
“Okay, let’s get in there and bust these guys. This is gonna be a piece of cake,” said Silvia, grinning as she stepped forward.
No sooner upon following her, a bright light followed by a large, booming sound blinded Rainbow Dash while knocking her off her hooves. The explosion echoed in her mind as she shut her eyes and felt rubble smash against her body, thankfully small enough to avoid serious injuries. Falling to the ground, a good gap away from where she once stood, Rainbow Dash felt her head smash against the pavement and groaned. A loud, and annoying, ringing started playing in her ears as she covered them with her hooves. Her body ached as she slowly opened her eyes, staring into the night sky that seemed to now be on fire.
Someone then called out her name; it was distant, but she heard it. Soon enough, Silvia, with blood dripping from her beak, ran up to her and helped her up. The ringing prevented most of it from being heard, but soon it disappeared for her to catch the ending
“... they must have activated a bomb! Come on! Let’s go!”
Upon hearing the world ‘bomb’ Rainbow Dash was up in a split second, shaking her head to null the painful headache the explosion had given her. She rushed after Silvia, taking in the carnage for the first time, and nearly halted in horror. The civilians that were outside of the hotel, as well as those who were unfortunate to be caught in the blast nearby, were now spread across the pavement. Some were still alive, screaming for help while they clutched the stumps of their missing limbs. A few were fortunate to escape undamaged, but held their heads while wincing in pain, suffering from the same side-effect as Rainbow Dash did.
The hotel itself looked like it had been turned inside out while a dragon had just engulfed in flames from the inside. Fires were on all the floors, some windows and chunks of wall completely blow apart, making the residence look like a giant block of swiss cheese. Rainbow Dash felt her heart sink at the sight of burning bodies leaping out of the windows to their doom; she dared not look where they land, for she was sure her stomach wouldn't be able to handle the sight. At no point did Silvia make any effort to slow down, which bothered Rainbow Dash a bit, but she realized that the crooks who caused this were trying to escape this very moment, and she wasn’t going to let them get away.
Not after all this destruction and death.
With a desire to see justice done full hoof, Rainbow Dash galloped even faster, catching up with Silvia. They jumped through the flames of the burning entrance and looked around the lobby, noticing more bodies while others were fleeing in panic. Silvia growled. “Damn those terrorists! How are we gonna find them in all this chaos?!”
Rainbow Dash looked around and tried to think before noticing a stairway leading to the upper floors. An idea came to her as she turned to alerted Silvia. “Listen! I’ll fly up to the top of the building, there are enough clouds around for me to form up and make a big rain cloud to help douse these flames! You start heading up and, once I’m done, I’ll join you by searching from the top and heading downwards! Maybe one of us will catch them along the way!”
Silvia nodded. “It’s the best plan we got at the moment! Good luck and stay safe!”
Silvia made her way to the stairs, pushing the panicking crowd out of her way while Rainbow Dash made tracks back for the entrance. She made sure to kick the door down and fan away some of the flames before turning around and shouting, “Hey! Unless you chumps want to end up like a dragon’s barbecue, get the hay out of here, this way!”
Her words managed to reach some of them who, in turn, alerted others to the exit, and all of them made their way for it. Rainbow Dash was already outside and making her way for the roof. When she reached the top, she carefully analyzed how big the hotel was for the size of the cloud she would need to fight the fire. Looking above, she cursed at what she had to work with. There wasn’t enough to take the fire completely out, but it was better than nothing.
Taking off at her usual mach speed, she started gathering as many clouds as she could, careful not to dissipate them. It took her only a few seconds, at her speed, to form the rain cloud she needed and directed towards the burning hotel. After placing it right where she needed it to be, Rainbow Dash flew high into the air before coming down and kicking the cloud with just enough force to cause it to rain.
Her plan worked for the most part, with the water quickly dampening the flames on the higher floors as well as most of the middle ones. However, the lower ones were still on fire. She was about to go get more clouds when she noticed someone bursting out of roof doorway, looking around in a panic. Rainbow Dash’s mouth nearly dropped when she recognized him, it was Baldy One, one of the guys who tried to hurt Tender Heart. Baldy One noticed her as well and quickly fled away.
“Oh no you don’t!” cried out Rainbow Dash, flying after him.
She tackled him in mid-air and forced him downward, leading to an abandoned alley. Rainbow Dash let go and allowed the dazed thug to crash land on top of a dumpster. Moaning, he tried to get up, but Rainbow Dash was already on top of him and pounded him in the face. “Alright, you jerkplot! I’m gonna make sure you stay away from Tender Point or else!”
“W-wait! Please don’t hurt me! I need to get out of her or else I’m dead!” shouted Baldy One, who looked like he had seen a ghost. “They’re coming for me! You have to let me go, in the name of everyone of my ancestors that ever passed on, please!”
“What are you talking abo—”
Before Dash could talk any further, she felt someone drag her by the tail and throw her against the wall. Looking up she gasped, and barely moved her head in time to avoid a punch from a pissed of Lucion. Rainbow Dash turned her head and noticed that Baldy One was using this opportunity to escape and ran down the alley.
Glaring at the idiot who had hindered her attempts to save her friend, Rainbow Dash kicked Lucion in the face before taking him by the head and smashing him against the roof. “What the buck is your problem?! Why did you attack me like that?!”
“You were attacking an innocent griffin you featherbrained whorse! It’s bad enough you tricked my boss into thinking you were decent, and now you’re beating us up?! I hope that hotel had all the ponies in there burn!” cried out the racist griffin before he was shut up with a kick to the head.
Rainbow Dash cursed and tried to catch up to the griffin with her wings, but when she turned around the corner she was stunned once more. Baldey One was dead, lying there on the ground with foam in his mouth. She flew over to his body and quickly noticed the three needles in his neck. Looking up she quickly noticed a shadowy figure on a roof before it disappeared in a black smoke. Dash flew up, batting the smoke away with her wings, only to see no one there.
Dash looked around for any sign of it being a pony or griffin, but came up shorthoofed. She went back down to the corpse and shook her head. Even if he was a criminal, the horrific and painful expression on the griffin’s face showed that his death had been anything but pleasant. With respect, she closed his eyes, careful not to touch the foam from his mouth.
“Rainbow!” shouted Silvia from above, who landed nearby. “I saw you flying in this direction. One of the two guys is dead and...” She paused and stared at the body in shock. “... and it looks like the other one is, too.”
Rainbow Dash blinked and pointed at the body. “Wait, it’s him?! He was one of the two guys?!”
Silvia nodded, but then growled as she noticed the method that killed him. “And it’s clear that they were killed by the assassin.”
“H-how do you know that?”
Silvia pointed to the needles. “Because this guy died the same way the Colonel did.”