“Yeah I know where that pony is, but yer not gonna like it.” The information broker was a pony covered in layers upon layers of clothing, and carrying so many secrets he had been attacked often. Blood Eye pulled out two gold coins, and handed them over to the broker.
“Word is, Dark Hoof is hiding him behind her family until she can claim the bounty herself. She’s locked herself up tight too, the only way to get in is if you happen to have connections inside the family.” Finished speaking, the broker handed Blood Eye a slip of paper, showing the location of the main building, before turning to leave.
“Wait!” Once more, the orange mare approached Blood Eye, who was starting to grow suspicious. The mare walked over to the broker and held out a gold coin.
“I-I don’t have a lot of money left but can this buy me information? I really need to find a pony.” Blood eye opened the slip of paper and quickly memorised the location before tossing it into her mouth, removing the evidence. The broker took the bit, and shrugged noncommittally.
“It won’t get you a lot missy, but it will get you some.” The broker watched as the mare slowly pulled out a picture of three fillies, and pointed to the light gray, almost white filly in the middle.
“I’m looking for Sweetie Be-” The information broker quickly shut her up with a hoof, stuffing the photo quickly back into the mare’s cloak before speaking quietly, Blood Eye raising her head in curiosity.
“Listen here kid, saying that name could very well get all three of us killed. That mare is one of the most wanted ponies in this city. That’s not mentioning who she is connected to.” Releasing the mare, the information broker stepped back and quickly glanced around. Giving a sigh, it seemed they hadn’t been overheard.
“Y-Yeah but I know her from before, we used to be friends. If you could just tell me where I could…” The orange mare trailed off and sighed, realising she wasn’t going to get any more of of the broker. As she looked to the ground, the broker and Blood Eye shared a look, and a second coin was tossed to the broker.
“She is being hidden by a large mob family, but they might just let you in if you can prove you know her. You can’t go alone however, they would eat you alive. Blood Eye here is a gun for hire, if you can afford her services.” Motioning to Blood Eye, the information broker leapt into the shadow of the alleyway, and vanished.
“Well, in that case can I hire you? Not for a finding mission but for a bodyguard.” The orange mare pulled out a small sack of coin and held it out cautiously, watching it quickly be taken and opened as Blood Eye looked at the money inside. There was very little, not even worth a single hour of bodyguard work, but that wasn’t considering the payoff at the end.
“Very well.”
“You’ve gotta believe me! I have proof, just look at this picture.” The orange mare held up the picture from before to the guards, who snatched it and tore it into two pieces, much to her dismay.
“And I said, there is no way you know the boss’s second-in command, now get lost.” The guard pushed the orange mare away, who fell to the ground, wings flaring as she grunted in pain. Blood Eye watched the guards share a glance, and pull out a small device used for talking over distances.
“What’s that, you do know her? Alright boss, we’ll send her in.” Hearing their words, the orange mare stood up and brushed herself off. The guards stepped aside to let them pass, and they both walked inside. Blood Eye knew the real reason they had been allowed in, but kept her mouth silent.
They were led down a large white corridor with guards lining the corners. Blood Eye saw the mare glance into one of the room and miss a step as she turned away from the sight of the man being tortured. Blood Eye entered the elevator, and waited for the thug to press the button. They began to descend.
“I can’t believe it, I didn’t think this day would come.” The thug glanced to the orange mare as she spoke, before stopping the lift and motioning them out. As the door closed behind them, they were left in a large white room with painted on windows and a single desk with a chair in the middle. The chair rotated, and a pony became visible.
The very light gray colored pony had curled hair that was a light shade of purple, and a light shade of pink. The eyes were a bright green, and she was wearing the top half of a suit with a green tie. Leaning forward, the pony regarded the orange mare, and smiled pleasantly.
“It’s you, I thought I’d never see you again after the Pulse! How did you get to Manehattan?” The orange mare trotted forward, wings opening as open joy covered her face.
“Sweetie Belle! It was a tough journey to get here but I’m glad I finally found you.” The orange mare took another step forward, and all the thugs around the room reached into their pockets and pulled out a handful of small metal spikes. Sweetie Belle saw this and waved her hoof, they withdrew and the orange mare approached the desk.
“I’m glad I found you too, so did they kick you out of the white due to your dodo status?” Sweetie Belle’s voice took on a slightly scornful tone before she laughed, her voice soft and sweet. The orange mare paused, before giving a small smile and shaking her head.
“Nono, I left the white to come find you! Apple Bloom has been missing you terribly, won’t you come back with me?” Slowly moving around the table, the orange mare froze as the light in her friend’s eyes suddenly turned to ice.
“You think I would want to go live there? Besides, where were you when I was lost and alone, desperately trying to fend for myself in the darkness?” Her voice cracked and she slammed her hooves on the table, causing the mare to leap back in fright. Sweetie Belle calmed down a moment later, and turned her attention to one of the thugs, who stepped forward. Blood Eye recognised this as her target.
“I assume this is what you are here for Blood Eye, so let me make a deal. Pay me half the bounty, and leave her here and you can take him.” Sweetie Belle motioned to her thugs, who quickly moved to stop the target from escaping.
“Wha-But you swore protection! Your leader swore my protection!” The target struggled vainly for a moment, before slumping in defeat as Sweetie Belle stood up and moved to the other side of the table, the orange mare backed up slowly to stand beside Blood Eye.
“And you expected us to remain loyal to you?” Sweetie Belle raised her head, and laughed to the roof. The orange mare watched this and concern grew on her face, which quickly grew as the cold stare from before returned, and Sweetie Belle fixed her eyes on the orange mare.
“I don’t share bounty.” Blood Eye spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, but somehow audible to everyone in the room. Sweetie Belle’s ears perked, and she sighed, approaching the target as disappointment showed on her features. Reaching into one of the target’s pockets, she pulled out one of the small metal spikes that had been aimed at the orange mare earlier, holding it in her magic.
“You know, these small metal spikes are called bullets over here. Most ponies simply throw them at the opponent, however unicorns can take it and increase it’s speed to phenomenal proportions. All it takes is putting it in your magic, aiming, and using the right spell and…”
Sweetie Belle stepped back from the thug, the bullet held in her magic as it faced directly at the target’s heart. With a simple blink, it vanished from view, and a large sound filled the room as it implanted itself in the wall behind the target. The thugs released the target, who fell to the ground, dead. The orange mare covered her mouth, eyes going wide as she turned away from the scene.
“Therewego, my half of the bounty. Since you get half the amount if you bring them dead, it is a real pity you weren’t up to my suggestion Blood Eye. Now, not only do you have to protect your orange friend, you have to carry a dead body to the person who filed the poster.” Sweetie Belle tossed the body at Blood Eye’s feet, and returned to her table, and looked to her thugs as she sat down, putting her hooves together.
“Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends!” The orange mare spoke up as Blood Eye put the dead body over her back and under her cloak, using the cloak to keep it tied on firmly. There was a battle brewing and she would need all hooves free. The blood could be washed off later.
“You are joking right? Do you realise how much pegasi are worth over here? Even flightless pegasi are worth a lot, and I’m not going to let the chance to get that much money simply walk away.” Sweetie Belle turned to her thugs, who were already reaching for their bullets. Quite a few of them were magic wielders. Blood Eye turned and looked toward the elevator as the orange mare turned to her, expecting Blood Eye to help her escape.
“Attack, try not to kill them, both are worth a lot of money.” Sweetie Belle waved her hoof and all thugs began to fire their spikes, aiming for hooves instead of any vital points. Blood Eye was quick to leap directly at the elevator, slamming her back hooves hard enough into the door to cause a hole, leaping to the side and thrusting the doors open, revealing the shaft and the elevator above them.
Blood Eye leapt over the gap, and pulled herself up to the maintenance ladder as she began to scale the elevator, leaping onto the top of the carriage. Pulling off the top, she looked inside as an orange form gasped for breath behind her. Leaping inside, she quickly disabled the thugs, and pressed the button for the top floor. The orange mare felt the elevator shudder, and quickly hopped inside.
They were about halfway up before the elevator shuddered to a halt, and began to shake as a groaning sound began to echo. Blood Eye leapt once more onto the top, and looked upward as a pony miles above them used magic to break the cables. Leaping toward the nearest set of doors, Blood Eye quickly opened them as once more the orange mare followed behind.
The room was filled with many thugs, but there was visible light from the windows and Blood Eye smiled, they had made it above ground. Dodging the various bullets, she leapt into a air duct and paused for a moment before quickly moving through the duct and began looking for an empty room. Once more, she noted the fact the orange mare had kept up, despite the wheezing breaths she was taking.
Leaping out into a room, Blood Eye looked out the window and saw she was very close to the top of the building, and opened a window, leaping onto the thin ledge around it. As she began to make her way around, she looked at the building adjacent and narrowed her eyes. They weren’t high enough to make the jump. Turning, she made her way back, seeing the orange mare about to follow, and pushed her back inside and out of Blood Eye's way.
Opening the door, she saw thugs were quickly narrowing on her position, and leapt through the narrow hallway into the next room, the orange mare quickly followed. Jumping once more into the air duct, she began to make her way down the corridor,looking through the grating for any sign of an emergency exit. Blood Eye spotted the sign, and slammed her hooves into the side of the air duct, breaking it and sending them into the corridor. Blood Eye rapidly opened the door and began to dash up the stairs as sirens began to sound, guards coming through the door after them. Jumping out onto the roof, Blood Eye leapt toward the edge and looked down at the other building, it would be close.
Blood Eye glanced once to the orange mare, who had followed her well despite the entire situation, and grabbed her hoof, and leapt off the building. Time slowed as she descended, and Blood Eye realised that while they would make it, she was going to hit a ridge and get seriously hurt. Grabbing the orange mare, she pushed the mare up slightly, meaning that both would instead sail through the windows of two separate floors and survive more or less unharmed.
Blood Eye leapt to her feet and quickly dashed out of the room, heading for the emergency stairs and descending to the first floor, breaking out of the building through a back door and into the alleyway. Quickly feeling her head, she noticed the blood and knew she had various cuts from the glass shattering on her.
Suddenly, she turned as a hoof made contact with her face and she fell to the ground and she began to get thrashed by a pair of thugs who had noticed her moment of weakness. Curling into a ball, Blood Eye waited for the thugs to finished beating. When they were done she would launch a counterattack. However, as they continued she began to wonder if they were going to actually stop as the pain began to register.
Clang, the sound of head meeting metal resounded through the alleyway four times, and the thugs quickly collapsed in the alleyway, an orange hoof was held out for Blood Eye. Blood Eye brushed it aside and stood up, checking her body over for any serious injuries. Other than the cut on her forehead, she had only a few bruises. Checking the body on her back, she was satisfied it was in good condition as well. With that done, she glanced toward the orange mare, and opened her mouth.
“What’s your name kid?” The orange mare blinked, shocked that Blood Eye had actually spoken, and quickly began to respond.
“I’m Scootaloo.” Blood Eye nodded once as Scootaloo spoke, and quickly turned as the sounds of sirens began to sound, and the trample of feet began to get louder. Leaping into the darkness, Blood Eye escaped with ease.
The orange mare keeping up every step of the way.