Chapter 8
Trixie and Black Flame were packing their stuff to leave the next morning for Ponyville. Part of their plan was to find the Alicorn Amulet and then Emerald. After Emerald was eliminated, they'd effortlessly overpower Ponyville and claim it as their own. It, to them, was a foolproof plan.
"Darling, where am I putting your papers?" Trixie called out to him from his room. He was out in the living room packing the stuff in it.
"Just put it all in a box, we'll deal with it when we get there." He told her. He finished up with the room and went back to the room with Trixie. She looked up at him and smiled when she heard him come in.
"Well, it's about time you came in here and helped me."
He came up beside her and gently pulled the stuff out of her hooves. She looked up at him in surprise. "Don't worry about the stuff right now. I want to focus on you for once." He said provocatively. She grinned in understanding.
"Oh, my…now?"
He pushed her back on the bed. And climbed on top of her. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Yes…now."
They finished packing later that day.
"Rainbow Dash, it's not what it looks like. I swear," Emerald tried to say, jumping off the bed to approach her. He knew the others probably wouldn't approve of this relationship, knowing that Emerald was new, and they hardly knew anything about him.
Rainbow Dash took a step back and glared at him. "What kind of pony do you think I am, huh? I'm not stupid," she said angrily. "I'm older than you. I know exactly what's going on."
Emerald and Fluttershy looked sheepishly at each other.
Rainbow Dash's expression of anger disappeared, and she raised an eyebrow. "And I gotta say – that was fast."
That caught both Fluttershy and Emerald off guard.
"Wait – I thought you were mad? Aren't you?" Emerald asked, muddled.
Rainbow Dash put an arm around both of them and pulled them against her, smiling. "It's fine, guys. I understand you got a little – excited." She laughed. "On the other hoof, I want hush money." Her smile faded to a serious scowl.
Fluttershy and Emerald gave each other concerned looks.
"Uh, that's…fair. How much are we talking about? I mean, just until we're comfortable sharing it with everypony else," Emerald asked, worried.
"Um, well, actually...I wouldn't mind telling the others. They could help us out whenever we needed it. But if you don't want anypony to know..." Fluttershy murmured.
"It's not them knowing that I'm afraid of; it's the rebuttals I'd get from them," Emerald said, burying his face in his hooves.
Rainbow Dash laughed again. "No worries, guys. I just need ten bits a day to seal my lips."
"TEN BITS?!" Emerald yelled. "Are you on drugs, lady? I have to be able to provide for myself, I can't be spending all my money on…silent Rainbow Dash."
"Can you be a teeny bit more reasonable, Rainbow?" Fluttershy requested.
She shook her head in annoyance. "Alright, alright…nine. But Tank needs a few things, and I need a way to make the money to do so."
Emerald collapsed on the floor, moaning. "What have I done?"
Fluttershy pushed away from Rainbow Dash and hugged Emerald. "It's okay…it's not your fault."
Rainbow Dash felt bad, so she said, "Alright, no cost. But I better not catch that again…or anything worse." She made gagging noises. "I'd puke."
Emerald sat up. "I don't know what you're insinuating, but that's a bit too personal, and not likely for a long time anyway."
Fluttershy nodded but said nothing.
"Okay, but remember this: You hurt my friend, I hurt you. And it won't be pretty," she warned him.
"I would never do that, not for anything or anypony," Emerald promised. He looked over at Fluttershy, who flashed him a quick smile.
"But you understand me, right?" Dash asked.
"Yes," he replied stagnantly.
"Good."
"Wait…why were you over here in the first place?" Fluttershy suddenly asked.
Rainbow Dash looked startled. "Uh…no reason. See ya!" She flew out of the bedroom and out the front door.
Emerald sighed a long and heavy sigh. "Sorry about tonight."
She hugged him. "It was just fine." She let go and looked him in the eyes. "We'll do this again, right? The date, of course, not the…you know…unless…" she let her voice trail off.
He laughed softly. "Yes, I know what you meant. And I guess we might as well tell the others, since you believe they can help us if we needed it. Anyway, you should go home before Angel tears up your kitchen again."
She smiled, remembering earlier that night when she'd told him about Angel destroying the kitchen and living room looking for food, but mostly in rage that she wasn't home yet. "Yeah, you're right."
"Do you need me to walk you home?" Emerald offered, walking with her to the front door.
"No, I'll be fine. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
He opened the front door. "Yeah. Um, be safe and sleep tight."
"Thanks. Bye." She continued to look at him as she walked out and down the road.
Emerald took his time shutting the door, until she was out of site, then he shut the door and locked it. He turned around and crumpled onto the floor. "Damn…I'm in love, aren't I?"
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Blade, Dark Storm and Grudge stood on a rocky plateau near Ponyville, watching the moon rise higher and higher into the night sky. They travelled there on hoof instead of train or carriage to minimize their chances of being identified.
"Any signs of him yet?" Blade asked, not taking his eyes off of Ponyville.
Grudge smacked the ground with a hoof, sending up a cloud of dust. "We haven't gotten close enough to know. But by daybreak, we'll be in Ponyville. And then we hunt him down."
"Remember, Black Flame gave us plenty of bits for our expenses, so he won't be accepting any excuses," Blade said.
"And neither will I," Dark Storm muttered. He stood behind them in the dark.
Grudge sneered. "Just because Black Flame appointed you above us, doesn't mean you got the right to be bossy."
"We can make our own decisions. Besides, we were told to split up anyway, our odds of finding him are better," Blade said, stepping closer to the edge of the cliff.
"I don't care what your opinions are. I'm not Black Flame, so don't talk back to me. He may allow talking back every once in a while, but with me, it won't be tolerated. You do as I say, because Black Flame told you to. So shut up and listen. After we get there and find out where he lives, we split up. Then I notify Black Flame, who will be here sometime this week. And it is he who will dispose of Emerald. We are simply defense and surveillance for his plans. Now we need to get a move on if we want to get there before sun up, so quit chatting and let's go."
"Arrogance only gets you hurt, Dark Storm. Don't do it," Grudge said rudely.
"Quit screwing around and let's go," Blade said, already heading down the mountain.
Grudge followed not long after.
Dark Storm sighed. "I hate this job." Then he followed them down.