Within seconds everything was chaos. Pin caught sight of Squall leaping into the air, narrowly avoiding the two gryphons falling down on him, he heard a scream from Lightning Bolt when the third gryphon landed on his back. Instinctively he pushed to the right and into 8-ball, taking him out of the way of Lighter’s shot. The orange stream of magic missed his face by inches, setting his fedora on fire.
Rolling over 8-ball, Pin landed back on his legs. He shook the burning hat off his head, then shot a needle at Lighter, but the chubby unicorn was already moving backwards, looking for some cover to shoot from - the needle caught him in the shoulder, but failed to do much lasting damage.
Just great, Pin! he thought angrily. So smart of you to start a scene in the middle of enemy turf!
He saw a shadow above; Cotton Candy had been attacking with the gryphons, but Lighter’s shot got in her way. She was now hovering above 8-ball, waiting for another opportunity. There was a long blade attached to the cannon of her right front leg, too long to walk with but great for stabbing with all her weight if she could fall down on her prey. Pin shot a needle at her, hoping to bring her down to the ground, but she swatted the projectile aside with her wing. She was about to dive down at Pin when a gryphon sent flying by Squall’s kick collided with her side. Pin tried to use the opening, but just then Lighter shot at him, forcing him to duck.
All around, ponies struggled with one another. 8-ball had managed to recover his club and was now teaming up with Fish, trying to get a large black gryphon off Lightning Bolt’s back. Swirl rolled by, blinded by custard and wrestling with a dark earth pony, his teeth clamped hard on his enemy’s ear. Chip was on his rear legs, exchanging vicious blows with an enemy zebra. Thunderbolt flew towards an enemy unicorn, but got hit at the last moment, the concussive blast of force sending him flying across the battlefield. The unicorn focused for another shot, but that made him a standing target for a second - Pin put an end to his casting by sending a long needle through the pony’s eye.
There aren’t that many of them, we just need to organize.
Pin pulled out a knife and swung it across the side of an earth pony Mallet was fighting with. There wasn’t much force behind the blow, but the pain proved enough of a distraction; the pony flinched away and turned, too late realising that this set him up for a croquet mallet to the face. Turning his attention up, Pin saw Squall trying to fight two gryphons at once. However, after the initial successful kick, he couldn’t land another one, the two predators covering each other while taking quick swipes at the pegasus, hoping to get him tired in a war of attrition. Pin threw the knife, catching the wing of one of the griffons. As the thug swayed in the air, Squall grabbed his other wing in his teeth and spun him around, before slamming him like an oversized sap into his companion.
Pin returned his attention to the ground. The tide of the fight seemed to be turning. The unicorn turned around, trying to find the most pressing target. He was about to take care of Lighter, when suddenly he saw Candy Floss staring at him. The pegasus was standing over Thunder Cloud, her blade red with his blood. Pin had just enough time to register that she must have struck while Thunder Cloud was still incapacitated from the shot he took, when Candy Floss pounced at him. She flew straight at him at ground level, the blade on her leg set to go straight through his heart.
Pin shot a needle. It went through her ear, but she didn’t even seem to notice. He started a dodge, but wasn’t quick enough, only managing to shift slightly to the left. They collided and he fell backwards, the blade sliding off-centre with a grinding noise and tearing a bleeding gash under his left foreleg. Candy Floss landed on top of and face to face with him. She grinned at him, all the while struggling to free her blade from his coat. “This time I’ ve got you, Pin!”
“No,” he grunted, struggling with his hooves to keep her blade trapped, his magic searching frantically for something to use as a weapon. Sudden pain of rolling over something metallic told him that the tear in his coat had caused him to drop some things from his pockets. This particular item was a pipe. Pin shifted and bit into Candy Floss’ shoulder, preventing her from pulling away. Then his magic swung the pipe, slamming it into her temple. Repeatedly. For a moment there was nothing else, just her angry screams and swatting wings and the rhythmic thumping of metal against bone, until suddenly Pin realised that the latter was the only sound left.
With a grunt of pain, he rolled over, pushing the body off him. Around him the night was growing silent again. He could see Chip standing over him. He too was grunting with pain, but he could stand on his own. Not everypony was so lucky.
As he got up, instantly dropping the bloodied pipe to reach for a roll of bandages, Pin was welcomed by a rather sorry sight. Of all the Pool, only Mallet, Squall and Fish didn’t seem to have any fresh injuries. 8-ball was leaning against Fish, his eyes slightly misty and his neck red from the chin to the collar, where a griffon’s claws had caught him. Swirl and Chip bore various cuts from their enemies’ weapons. Lightning Bolt and Thundercloud did not move, sprawled among the other bodies littering the street. Pin took only a moment to examine them and confirm his fears before moving to ensure that his boss would see another day.
Squall had been standing over the body of Lighter. He flew up to get a better look of the situation before landing in the middle of the group.
“We need to get out of here, fast,” he said. “We were lucky there were only so many of them. We won’t get lucky again.”
“No,” said Pin, turning away from 8-ball and pulling off his coat to see to his injury now. “Luck has nothing to do with it. Look at them.” He pointed around the crossing. “Gryphon, gryphon, gryphon, zebra. Only three ponies among them and only one actual Candy. Their main force is elsewhere. These guys were just here to hide and close the trap behind us. They moved when it turned out we would not go further. Floss must have gotten impatient. The rest of the gang is probably waiting at the factory to make sure we don’t get past them to destroy it. They wouldn’t abandon it to pursue us, unless they’re sure they can get us all…”
Pin paused, staring into space.
They moved there as soon as they were warned we’re coming. Because Lighter told them. Smarts, you…
The night was suddenly illuminated by a pillar of lilac flame. Everypony turned to look at it, staring as the flame rose and then faded.
Pin was the first to regain control. “Squall!” he barked. “Get the boss out of here. Go to the hotel.”
He threw the coat over his freshly bandaged chest, wincing as several needles fell out of the pierced pocket. “I’ll go and see what’s happened.” He then ran down the street, ignoring the pain of his injury, leaving the baffled Squall behind.
***
The factory building looked like a warzone. The brick structure had little that could still burn once the initial inferno subsided, but the blast had shattered all the windows, covering the courtyard with broken glass. Pin looked around, searching for enemies. He had already seen several ponies moving around the block, but they were mostly security guards from neighbouring businesses, now running frantically to make sure no burning debris landed among the property they were guarding. The fire brigade hadn’t arrived yet, though Pin suspected they’d be here any minute.
This left the possibility of Candies waiting in the courtyard. Pin almost expected one to jump out at him screaming, but nothing happened. Carefully, levitating a single needle to defend himself with, he trotted towards the gate. It was half-opened and obviously charred from the inside. Holding his breath, Pin poked his head inside. He instantly regretted the decision.
It took him a moment to calm his breath. Once he could focus again, he pulled the door open, releasing some of the smoke. Then braced himself and walked inside.
Whatever had been standing in the main hall before turned into unrecognizable mess of charred chunks. The other things were all too recognizable. Pin stumbled among the burned bodies, counting them and trying to take note of every unusual coloring or visible cutie mark. This explained the lack of guards outside. Nopony would like to be caught and forced to explain this kind of mess. Suddenly Pin stopped. He moved closer to the centre of the room, to one particular body. There was little left of it that wasn’t blackened, but the built suggested one significantly older than the others, and the few feathers that were left had an unmistakable bubblegum pink color.
“Yes, that’s Candy…” sounded a voice somewhere above Pin. The unicorn turned to see a familiar silhouette of an earth pony standing atop the nearby stairs.
“We got her, Pin. The war is over,” said Smarts with a smile. Then he swayed and tumbled forward, falling all the way down before the surprised Pin could catch him.
“Smarts!” Pin ran towards the earth pony, almost stumbling over a body in the way. “Are you alright…” he shouted and just as he did he realized what stupid a question it was. There was a red trail marking Smarts’ way down the stairs, one that couldn’t possibly have resulted from the fall itself.
“Khe... “ coughed Smart’s weakly. He tried to get up, but was obviously failing and after a moment gave up with a shrug, slumping onto the floor. “Stupid ceiling window… I thought the blast wouldn’t reach that far…”
Pin crouched next to Smarts, trying to ascertain his injuries. The earth pony was covered with soot and small cuts, obviously not having been far enough from the explosion. The blood mixed with soot made both his fur and the coat he was wearing a smudged shade of brown. It was only when Pin lit up his horn to get more light that he found the source of the bleeding, two large pieces of glass stuck deep in the earth pony’s back.
“Damn. Don’t move, Smarts,” he said, reaching for his medical supplies, only to realize that after patching up himself and 8-ball he had barely any left.
“Not enough bandages for that one… is it?” whispered Smarts from the ground.
“No,” answered Pin, shaking his head. “It’s not just the blood loss either. You need a real doctor, not me. I’ll just try to patch it up enough to get you to the hospital.”
“Don’t...bother,” said Smarts, turning his head to look up at Pin.
“What? Don’t be ridiculous,” said Pin, unrolling his last roll of bandage.
Smarts coughed feebly and a drop of blood appeared in the corner of his mouth. “I’ve been… leaking all over the place… I’m past the feeling cold thing… warm and fuzzy. And you’re injured. You can’t carry me…”
Pin tried to turn Squall around, before giving up and using a small knife to cut his coat open and get to the wound. He turned the bandage in the air, thinking of how to secure the shards and stop them from moving around. “There should be some paramedics with the fire brigade. They’ll be here any minute. Keep talking to me.”
Smarts tried to sigh at that, but instead just shook briefly. “As you wish… I’m… was just holding up to see who shows up… should’ve been Squall. I’m lucky it’s you…”
“Lucky?” Pin was trying to stop the bleeding, but even with the shards plugging the wounds, there was still more than he could block with what he had. It was also increasingly obvious to him that the bleeding was worse on the inside. He turned away from his work to look down on Smarts “How is that lucky!? What the hay were you thinking!?”
“I got in just fine… distracted the lab guy and set stuff to blow… but then they turned up early and I couldn’t get to the door… They’d find it… if they saw me.”
“You knew it was here… of course,” said Pin. “The dog could track the drugs too. Why didn’t I think of that… Why didn’t you just tell me? Why make the whole, idiotic ruse?”
“To impress… You wanted the war won so badly… I thought…” Smarts continued whispering, but he made no efforts to turn his head anymore.
Pin stared down on him. “Impress!? What the… What the hay!? What’s the point of winning the war if you end up dead!?”
Smarts tried to chuckle, but only ended spitting more blood. “What’s… the point… of living… if you can’t be free?”
Pin froze, his eyes widening. He stood like this for good three seconds. Then he leaned in and punched Smarts in the face. “You asshole… You did this on purpose!”
Smarts didn’t even flinch or try to shield himself. “I didn’t…”
“You didn’t!?” Pin screamed, sudden tears welling in his eyes. ”How could you not!? How could you go with this absurd plan and expect to survive!? It was a suicide from the beginning! You can’t tell me you hoped your luck would save you from... all this!”
“I…” Smarts was talking so softly now, Pin had to stop shouting and lean closer to hear him “Didn’t come here to die… just… be free… I hoped… if I’m the big hero… you’d reconsider… but…”
“Your luck ran out at the last moment,” finished Pin.
“No…” said Smarts. “It never… failed me… but there are things… luck won’t solve… no matter how…” He had to stop for a moment, struggling for breath. “I came here… to be free… and… now I am… If that’s how it went… it just means… you’d never let me go.”
Pin opened his mouth to say otherwise, but the words got stuck in his throat. Would I really? It’s a rule. Nopony leaves, ever. Could I make an exception if I were the boss like he said?
His train of thought stopped rapidly when he saw Smarts’ eyes - empty and unblinking. Swearing loudly, he pushed the earth pony, turning him to give him easy access to his barrell. He took a deep breath and pressed hard. He was answered by the sound of glass cracking.
Swearing again, Pin slammed his head downwards, pressing it into Smarts’ motionless barrel. He stayed like this, shaking slightly, until the rumble of thunder above told him that the fire brigade had arrived with a storm cloud.
***
Pin stopped at the door to a small house and knocked hard. Almost immediately the door opened, casting light from the inside on his silhouette. A white mare examined him from head to hoof. “Please come in. The boss is already here.”
Walking inside, Pin saw most of the team in the waiting room. Only 8-ball and Squall were missing. The white mare returned to her work, helping them with smaller injuries.
Pin looked around. “Where’s Squall?”
“Flew somewhere as soon as he left the boss with the doctor,” answered Mallet. The rest just nodded.
Pin turned towards the nurse. “8-ball?” he asked.
“The doctor is seeing him now,” answered the mare.
Sighing, Pin took his coat off, putting it onto a hanger. Underneath his bandage was beginning to leak blood. It had held for a time, but the vigorous movement caused the bleeding to resume, and with no adrenaline left to make him oblivious to pain, Pin would squint each time he took a step.
The nurse started preparing to help him, but by the time she was finished, the door to the doctor’s office opened and out walked 8-ball. Behind him, the doctor said “Remember, you’re paying extra for night service. I should’ve been asleep for hours.”
8-ball stopped to turn and smile at him, only to freeze suddenly when he remembered his injured neck. “Yes, yes, I will,” he said softly before finally noticing Pin. Instantly his cheerful demeanour was gone. “Report,” he said. He was still whispering, as if afraid to move his throat too much. The nurse looked at the two of them and quickly left the waiting room.
“Smarts is dead,” answered Pin.
There was a moment of awkward silence while 8-ball looked expectantly at Pin.
Finally something clicked in Pin’s mind. “The factory blew up, killing Candy and her entire crew. There might be two or three Candies left in town. The rest are common thugs. They’ll follow whoever‘s the strongest,” he said.
“So,” said 8-ball. “The war is won then. That means we’ll have the police at the hotel again in the morning. Nothing we couldn’t handle.” He then saw the expression in Pin’s eyes and hesitated a little until his eyes flashed with understanding. “Ah… It’s sad we’ve lost Smarts though. Boys like him don’t appear everyday. Now, go to the doctor and come back to tell me everything once you’re stitched up.”
***
It was still the same night when they got to the hotel. Squall was walking around the lobby. “The little bastard is gone!” he barked towards the group as soon as they entered. “I’ve checked everywhere, but he just disappeared. I’ll bet Smarts had warned him not to show himself after he helped in his little stunt.”
“Smarts is dead,” said Pin. “He died blowing up the pixie dust lab. He killed Candy and most of her clan. The war is over.”
Squall stopped, gaping at Pin in silence. 8-ball pushed past, smiling at them both in turn. “Let us go to the penthouse. The lobby is not the right place for such talks.”
“We’ll have to find the kid anyway…” grumbled Squall under his breath, but he followed the others. What was left of the Pool could fit into the elevator. Though nopony said anything, it was obvious that none of them missed the fact.
Finally they arrived at the penthouse. Just as promised, it had been renovated on time,. Now the apartment bore no signs of the past struggle, except perhaps for being conspicuously empty; there was furniture, quite similar to what they used to have there. But there weren’t yet any signs that the apartment was lived in, all the little details that would give it life. It almost felt like decorations in a theatre. The ponies started taking off their coats, putting them on the hangers by the entrance.
8-ball walked through the room until he reached the new pool table. He walked around it, taking his usual spot at the far end. The rest approached, stopping on both sides of the table with Squall taking his place last, right opposite his boss.
“We have gathered here today,” started 8-ball, still speaking in whisper, “to celebrate our victory in the war as well as to celebrate the memory of the Pool members who died for it and to divide the duties anew for the time when we work to rebuild our strength.”
He was answered with a murmur of approval.
“As most of you already know, It was Pin who discovered the location of the enemy drug lab and the name of the spy in our ranks. He used this knowledge to get us our victory, misinforming the spy to lure the enemy force into the lab while his underling Smarts broke in there in secret to rig it to explode. It was a daring plan, dangerous and requiring utmost care to coordinate. It didn’t go without losses either, three of our number dying in battle this night. But in the end the battle that was supposed to be our end saw the Pool’s power reborn and its enemies crushed.
“For that, I’ve decided to nominate Pin as my official second in command.”
This time the murmur was louder. Pin saw everypony looking from 8-ball to him and back. He saw Squall’s jaw clench and made an effort to keep his from doing the same as he bowed his head to 8-ball.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” he said.
8-ball returned his nod before continuing. “You and Squall will now concentrate on recruitment. Find us some new talents to work with. You will also share Lighter’s work among each other for now. Fish, you’ll have to take care of the girls until we find a replacement for Smarts.”
“Yes, sir,” said Fish.
“Now, with that out of the way,” said 8-ball, “our fallen. We weren’t able to recover their bodies, but most of them received or will receive funerals nevertheless. Mallet, I know it’s not your job, but keep an eye on it and keep me informed. We will be there when the time is right. You’ve made a list of names, Fish?”
Fish produced a piece of paper and passed it in his mouth. 8-ball took it and straightened it on the table with his hooves. Then he started reading and after each name the ponies would stomp their hooves once. The list was long, but not overly so. Not everypony who worked for the Pool was a member - many were just hired thugs, paid little, told less and not expected to be very loyal. This treatment was reserved for the family.
Pin allowed himself to be swallowed by the moment, faces flashing before his eyes as each name was read. It was sad, of course, but it made him feel like a part of the group, allowed him to forget, just for a moment, that he was playing a game with them at 8-ball’s request.
Then the list reached the current date and the final three names. Pin felt Squall tense up at the names of his brothers in arms. Then the final name came, with all the weight behind it; the one who deserved to be here in his place, the one who didn’t deserve to be a part of this at all.
“Here,” said 8-ball, pushing a glass along the wooded rim of the table.
Pin caught it with his hoof mechanically, only now noticing that the speech had ended. Everypony was now holding glasses full of yellow liquid. The glasses rose into the air and after a moment everypony drank.
Pin squinted at the taste, slightly more sour than he expected. “That’s not cider,” he said to 8-ball.
8-ball smiled. “No,” he said. “Orange juice. I was looking into expanding the menu at the hotel. We got a whole crate from the Oranges in the negotiations. I should visit them again after things calm down, to settle things. I heard they got a new kid at home, some niece or something. You think I should buy some toys for her when I pay them a visit?”
“No, I think you’ve done enough harm,” said an old raspy voice.
Everypony turned at once. The old, grey unicorn stallion was standing in the corner, beside the dartboard. There had been no flash of teleportation, no sound to herald his arrival; suddenly he was just standing there, looking over the room with disgust.
As one, everypony reached for weapons, with the exception of Pin, who found himself unarmed, his last needles left in the coat, and 8-ball, who tried to grab the pool cue and nearly tore the stitches on his neck.
Squall pounced forward, landing in front of the intruder with his wings wide, intent on keeping him in the corner. “Who are you!? What are you doing here!?” he growled.
The old stallion turned his gaze upon him slowly, almost lazily. “What I should have done weeks ago. I hoped some of you would prove better, but that’s as many second chances as I can give.”
Squall rushed forward, pushing the unicorn onto the wall and putting a hoof blade to his neck.
“I asked you a question! Who are you!?”
The unicorn looked into his eyes calmly. “A monster like you. That’s one too many.”
And then he took a breath, exhaled and went limp, falling down like a ragdoll and cutting his neck on Squall’s blade as he fell.
Everypony stared in confusion. Squall prodded the body with a hoof. “He’s dead. What’s going on?”
He reflexively wiped the blade on the unicorn’s coat. Then he gasped and stumbled, his eyes widening.
“Move back!” shouted Pin. Everypony stepped away and towards the walls as Squall fell to his knees and then started thrashing on the floor, his mouth opened in a silent scream and his eyes rolling up in their sockets.
Pin moved towards the coat rack, as quickly as he dared, shaking his coat to get the last couple of needles out. The rest just stared, not sure whether to try to help their comrade or to rush to the exit.
“Hey!” shouted Swirl, pointing at Squall, his voice suddenly breaking as if he had seen a ghost. “L… look!”
Everypony’s eyes followed his pointing hoof. It took them a moment to realise what they were seeing; Squall’s rump was going blank, his cutie mark fading into nothing. As it disappeared completely, the pegasus’ body went limp.
“What’s... just happened?” asked Mallet.
Swirl kept pointing at the body, saying something frantically in his native language.
8-ball stepped from behind the table, but kept at a distance from the two bodies. “Nobody touch that. I don’t know what magic that was, but I don’t want to find out. Pin, go get me…”
He almost jumped when the body in front of him stirred to life. Squall opened his eyes and took a deep breath before rising up. He opened and closed his wings, and seemed to flex his muscles one by one, looking around with a slightly absent expression.
“Hey, Squall, you ok?” asked Mallet, walking closer.
“No, don’t touch him!” shouted Swirl. “He’s a…”
Squall’s front leg lashed out in a quick jab and he blurred for a split second. Swirl’s words disappeared in a surprised gurgle as the striking hoof somehow connected with his neck, crushing the larynx.
Squall turned, his face now coldly focused, staring at 8-ball. Mallet tried to swing at him, but Squall just blurred again, the weapon passing through where he was supposed to be standing. Then he appeared right in front of 8-ball and a split second later a small drop of blood appeared out of nowhere in the air between them. As it splashed on the floor, 8-ball gasped and fell, clutching his chest.
The rest attacked all at once. Pin launched three needles, one after another. Squall dodged the first two with little effort. The third was about to hit him in the face, but disappeared as it touched him. Pin looked at Squall in confusion until he heard a body fell - Chip collapsed forward, the end of Pin’s needle visible through the short mane at the base of his skull.
That left Fish and Mallet. As they charged, Squall bucked with his both hind legs, blurring as he did. For a moment he seemed to be in two places at once; somehow his left leg and right leg managed to hit Mallet from opposite directions, one striking the right side of his neck while the other hit his face from the left. There was a soft crack and the earth pony fell like a rag doll.
As Fish swung his hoof blade, Squall blocked, for the first time in the fight, swatting the attacking limb aside before it could reach him. Fish kept attacking with both front legs, but the other pegasus kept defending with an air of effortlessness, as if he was just rehearsing a well known choreography. Then he struck back at Fish, boxing his ears with his wings and then appearing above him, landing on his back and causing him to face-plant into the carpet. Before Fish could start getting up, a vicious punch hit the back of his neck, the edge of the horseshoe breaking the base of his skull.
Pin stood as though petrified. Even if he had any more needles, seeing one get used to kill Chip drained what remained of his will to fight. To his right, Swirl was just finishing choking to death. 8-ball was dying on the floor in the middle of the room, his eyes still opened wide in surprise. The others were dead already. Squall, or whatever he was now, slowly turned in his direction.
Pin’s shoulders slumped. “Do it,” he said, looking at the ground. “I deserve it.”
The pegasus tilted his head, his emotionless expression suddenly replaced with curiosity.
“What did you say?” he asked.
Pin kept staring at the ground. “I said I deserve it. You know what happened, what I did. This is why you left me for last, didn’t you? ‘Cause I’m the most despicable of them?”
Seconds passed and the pegasus kept looking at him curiously. Finally, he asked,
“So, you think feeling guilty can change anything?”
Pin shuddered. He expected a quick death, not moralizing. He looked Squall in the eyes. “No, I don’t think it can change anything. But it can stop more of the same from happening ever again.”
The pegasus smiled with sadness, his stance relaxing. “You’re so wrong, it’s almost funny.”
He folded his wings and stepped back, then looked around the room. One after another, the bodies started disappearing. To his surprise Pin realised that for all its apparent viciousness, the attack had spilled only a few drops of blood. Within seconds the room looked as if the fight had never taken place, the only two ponies left being Pin and whatever Squall was now.
“You know,” said the pegasus, “if he tried to just run away with his girl, I would have helped them disappear. But I can’t make smart choices for everypony. I’ve seen how that works too. Nothing ever changes. That’s why it’s true, I do despise you. You remind me of my own youth, of what I did while trying to fix the world. But even though it never works, we are compelled to keep trying, aren’t we?” The voice was Squall’s, but not the manner of speech. It was still hard, but much calmer in a way that made the pegasus seem very old.
“Get to the point,” said Pin through clenched teeth.
“Well, if death is your idea of atoning for your deeds, you can do it in a more productive way,” said the pegasus matter-of-factly. He was now standing next to the pool table, a box of pigments that hadn’t been there before standing on the table top. The pegasus looked at the box with focus and Pin could see dots of color appearing on his rump, slowly forming the pattern of a cutie mark, a black storm cloud with yellow lightning across it.
“What do you mean?” asked Pin.
“Serve me,” answered the pegasus. “There are days when even I can’t be in enough places at once. You can make yourself useful. I promise, you will die at the end.”
Pin stared at him. “You’re crazy. Who are you really?”
The pegasus walked up to him, the box of pigments disappearing to wherever it had come from. “I’m the one who’s left to clean up the mess whenever her Celestial Majesty messes up, making sure her clockwork realm keeps working, while staying out of her sight. Have you never looked upon the ponies in the streets, the houses in the clouds, colorful flowers and cheerful faces and thought: Wait, all this beautiful fairy tale, it can’t be real if there are guys like me? Well, I’m the one who makes it possible. So, are you in? Or would you rather die now and call it a day?”
It wasn’t so much the message, but the tone it was spoken in that caused Pin to slump to the floor. He was shaking, his stomach squeezing painfully at the passing adrenaline rush. His mind was still racing, trying to make sense of what was happening around him. All the while the other pony just stood there, looking at him with a curious expression.
Pin didn’t know how much time passed before he finally picked himself up. “I… I’ll try my best,” he said.
The pegasus smiled. “Ok then. We can go when you’re ready. No need to pack, unless there’s something you want.”
Pin looked around the room. He briefly considered walking to his apartment, but discarded the idea. He then moved towards the coat rack.
The events of the night had costed him most of his needles, making holsters useless. Either way his coat was torn and bloodied; Pin’s brief cleaning effort at the doctor’s home didn’t even get rid of all the soot.
Looking through other coats, he took the one that was the least damaged, then he took the bits he could find from the others.
As he was turning to tell his new boss he was ready, Pin was touched with a sudden thought. He reached to his own coat for the sunglasses. After a moment of fumbling he found them in his left inner pocket, the last item that didn’t fall out after Candy Floss’ blade ripped through it. He was about to put them on when he realized that they were damaged, one glass shattered and missing. He made a gesture to throw them away before stopping himself, folding them gently and putting into his pocket.
“I’m ready,” he said.
The pegasus emptied the rest of the coat rack, then put a hoof on Pin’s shoulder. “Good. Now, don’t resist, unless you want me to drop you half way there.”
Pin felt something surrounding him, something that felt nothing like his own magic. There was a brief moment of overwhelming wrongness and then the penthouse disappeared.