//------------------------------// // New Sweater // Story: The Watchful Eye // by Mr Anomalous //------------------------------// Marked Golden Mind bid his close friend, Filthy Rich, a fond farewell and left, his own home the newest objective set in his sights. Golden smirked to himself. Both he and Filthy were relatively wealthy, but the two of them each gained their profit in very different ways. Filthy, despite his first name, was a far more . . . honest stallion. Golden was not. It's not like he killed ponies or utterly devastated their lives or anything, but he was still lacking in the "moral" section. The green-coated and golden-maned unicorn eventually reached his manor outside of Ponyville, its yard protruding slightly into the Everfree Forest. Most unicorns, especially rich ones, were appalled at the idea of living in such a town. Aside from the Elements of Harmony and the new Princess, the town was't very . . . desirable in the minds of most nobles. Golden, however, didn't care. He liked the solitude, and the ponies here were far more . . . vulnerable. Again, Golden smirked at his most recent grab for money ('How clever it was!) - and he entered his dark lobby. Another thing a bit odd about Golden was that, despite his wealth, his race, his greed, and his large manor, he was a relatively humble pony. Bragging was not something that he was oft found doing. He didn't even have any servants. In fact, Golden had the entire manor to himself, and that's the way he liked it; quiet. Golden hummed happily to himself, a pleased grin pulling at the corners of his mouth as he hung his coat and trotted into his kitchen, an afternoon tea on his mind. He then stopped and gasped. The kitchen was clean, just as he had left it. Not pots or pans were out of place, no stains on the floor, and no rodents were to be seen anywhere, just as he had left it. The only difference was that on the far end of the cooking room and above the sink, three massive, sloppily painted "I"s dripped in red paint. They appeared to be the roman numeral for "three." Golden closed his mouth, scolding himself for his gaping, and began to look around the kitchen, a stern look on his face. "Alright, who's there? Anyone?" No. No one. Golden had never had something like this happen before. No one had ever vandalized his home, inside or out, and he knew not how this vandal had gotten inside in the first place; only Golden had the key, the windows were high and the front door thick. There really was no way someone could have gotten inside his dwelling. Golden froze. Was it . . . that monster? The one that everypony had been speaking of, some praising, others slandering? If it was, then this was new. The monster had only ever attacked those about to commit a more serious crime. Golden Mind was guilty only of minor extortion. And also, the marks above the sink, what could they possibly mean? Golden eventually pulled himself from his thoughts and cast a spell to see if he could find another set of heartbeats. None. Whoever, whatever had invaded Golden's home, it had gone now. Golden Mind was both relieved and unnerved. The unicorn decided to try and sleep on it, to decide what the best course of action to take in the morning. As he trotted upstairs to his quarters, however, a figure in the shadows crawled from its spot, silent. The glint of two lenses shone briefly in the light, and then it was gone. - - - "Are you sure about this, Rainbow?" "Yes. It's been way too long, and . . . and I've got to move on . . . ." Rainbow's mate simply sat on his haunches and stared off into the distance for a while. Eventually he took in a breath and sighed. "Alright. You're right, Rainbow. We both have to move on. I'll go see if I can get my job back, too. See you in a bit?" Rainbow's face lifted in an expression of happiness and she swiftly kissed her stallion and then dashed out of an open window. Still, Tempest sat on the floor, pondering. The incident had occurred a rather long time ago, considering, but . . . he wouldn't have blamed Rainbow if she never went anywhere ever again. But she pulled herself out of it. It was going to be a long time, Tempest knew, before Rainbow would be entirely guilt-free, if ever, but progress was being made. Tempest smiled to himself, proud of his wife, and finally dragged himself to his hooves; he had a job position to reclaim! - - - Several miles away, up the steep slope of a tall, lonely mountain, and amid a city, one that seemed carved from the very stone of the peak, Princess Twilight Sparkle did something quite similar. She pondered. This new creature . . . he was very, very difficult to figure out. It was clear that he meant to do good, but his methods were far too drastic. The death penalty hadn't been executed for decades in Equestria, mostly because there was no need. Yes, there was crime, but very rarely did it escalate to something worth too much attention. This visitor, however . . . what he did was disgusting. These ponies were not innocent, but they did not, by any means, deserve what had been brought to them. But then there were the rescues. Yes, all about the Ponyville/Canterlot area, potentially fatal accidents had been averted simply because of this strange being's interventions. This creature had to be stopped, but the question was how? It was blindingly fast, thus far seemed immune to most magics, and was an expert at hiding. Twilight was pulled from her thoughts as a guard stuck his head inside of her personal study and said something about Princess Luna needing her for . . . something. Twilight only sighed and shook the thoughts from her head. The thing needed to be caught, yes, but, as of now, it could wait. - - - Rarity hummed a tune that even she could not remember the origin of as she finished up her work hours. Today was Friday, and that meant that she only worked 'till noon! Rarity giggled in positive anticipation at all of the fun and interesting things that she had planned. Who knows, maybe she would even get into a little bit of trouble . . . . But it was all ruined as the Element of Generosity opened up her spare wardrobe, a work-in-progress hanging, suspended in the air with her magic to her side, and the strange figure was revealed. The thing barely fit into the wardrobe, and it stood, hunched rather awkwardly, it's glass eyes looking straight at Rarity. If she had known any better, Rarity would have said that it looked a bit guilty. Instead, she screamed, all of the rumors coming flooding into her mind. "Get back!" she exclaimed, hastily levitating a broom for use as an impromptu weapon, "I'm innocent, I made it up to her, remember, remember?" The creature had exited the small wardrobe and was now avoiding the swipes coming from Rarity. Finally, it grabbed the broom, wrenched it from her grasp, and threw it across the room. Then it held up both of its hooves, or whatever those things were, and lowered itself in a gesture of peace. Rarity, who had been searched for another weapon, lowered the dinner plate gently back onto the table from whence it came and stared, wearily and curiously at the strange beast. It was not attacking her, but what else did it do? Rarity recalled the beast messing around with Rainbow Dash. "Well, what are you here for? What do you want?" In response, the beast waved awkwardly, then stood up straight, gesturing to his dark hoodie. It was filthy. It was caked in mud, what Rarity realized with a shiver was blood, and an all manner of other stains, not to mention the fact that it was tattered and torn in many places. Rarity's pupils grew suddenly. Did this strange alien want her to make something for it? "Do you . . . do you want a new jacket?" The beast's demeanor went from cautious to happy and it began to nod excitedly. Before she could stop herself, Rarity asked, "What's your budget?" Uh-oh. She had literally just asking a psycho-murdering alien thing how much money it had. But much to Rarity's surprise, the beast slung its bag around to its front and began to rummage through it. A couple of blades, some old cloth, an empty soda bottle or two, and an old pornographic magazine were all hucked out and onto Rarity's floor. Eventually, the beast withdrew a pouch. A jingly pouch. Rarity pursed her lips. "Can . . . will you let me take your measurements?" The alien gave Rarity a thumbs-up and then trotted over to the mirrors in the main room and stood atop the elevated platform, spreading its arms and freezing. Rarity went into auto-pilot and took out her measuring tape. What the hell was she doing?