Lyra was broken. After she heard what Sunset said she quickly left the room, ran downstairs and ran almost all the way to her home. As soon as she got home she locked to doors behind her and collapsed on the floor. Her world was crumbling around her and the walls were closing in fast.
Bonnie wasn’t gone, she was dead. The love of her life was dead. Just thinking of the word dead tore her heart into smaller and smaller pieces. Not only was Bonnie dead, she was murdered. Not just murdered, but murdered on the order of Sunset Shimmer. She had seen firsthoof what happened to those who Sunset gave an order to kill. Celestia only knew what horrors her beloved had experienced at the hooves of, most likely, one of her friends.
The horror began to set in. It was one of her friends who had killed her wife, and that good for nothing bitch Sunset Shimmer tried to placate her and “take her under her wing” after it was all over. This was unreal. She wanted to rage and cry and scream all at the same time. There was no other choice. Sunset had to die. There was no second option. She couldn’t continue to exist after what she had done to Bonnie.
Then Lyra started thinking. If she brought down Sunset, then another pony would take her place and the circle would just keep going. She had to take them all down. She couldn’t play how they played; she wasn’t good enough or strong enough. She had to do something else. Something that could end up getting her killed if she wasn’t lucky. She didn’t care though. Her life was forfeit without Bonnie in it. She would start in the morning, now she decided though it was time to cry herself to sleep and hope to dream some kind of escape from the horrible nightmare that she had found herself in.
Across town Octavia sat up at her apartment, smoking a cigarette on her balcony and looking down on the city below. She could never sleep anymore. The pills that she was on had seen to that. She also wasn’t ever hungry anymore either. Good for her figure if nothing else, she supposed. She had come to really appreciate the magic that opiates could bring. Maybe they made her a little more…irritable than before, but there was nothing especially wrong with that.
They were going to try and open up the club for the first time tomorrow night, and she was worried. Not just if anyone would come, but if something else had happened. She had heard from Sunset that Sweet Peach was dead and they didn’t have the proof that they needed that Neon was behind the shooting. She was sure that while at least now a full out war would be postponed, it was only a matter of time before these things happened. The killing of Vinyl’s parents had set off the last one and by the time it was over, dozens of ponies were killed, with Sunset coming out as the victor.
She was sure that if things came down to it and they had to hit the mattresses then there was no doubt that Sunset would emerge a winner again. She was the best at what she did and all of the other families knew it. Anyone who had dared to even consider hitting her operation since the last war was quickly reminded of that power. Until now no one inside Sconoscutio would have ever dared to strike out against her, unless they had some kind of hidden ace up their sleeves. That was what had her worried. Even though she was sure Sunset would come out ahead, that didn’t necessarily mean that she and Vinyl would.
Sunset had told her and Vinyl that they were to meet up with her tomorrow evening at the opening of the club to discuss their next move. She was ready for whatever Sunset had to say, she just hoped that they didn’t have to go to war. At least not until she had her affairs in order and could go on the lam if need be. They were just starting to make some real bits and she wasn’t going to give that up, not for anything in Equestria.
She turned and looked at Vinyl and Rose, cuddled up and sleeping on the couch with the TV still on. It was another thing that she wasn’t happy about that was glaring her in the face. She wasn’t worried yet though. She knew that in the end that Vinyl would be hers. That was on the back-burner for now though. Now there was business to do, and most likely bloody days on the horizon, at least for the foreseeable future.
She lit another cigarette and swallowed two more pills. She was up to the 80 milligram ones and they still barely had any effect. Another problem that would need solving soon, but that could wait. Instead she just sat back and let the cold and bitter wind blow through her fur. At least for now she could have some peace.
The sun came up on another cold winter morning in Canterlot. Sunset was already up, dressed in a thick black coat and walking towards the uptown location of Pony Joe’s Donuts. She had a very important meeting to attend and was going over exactly what she was going to say. She stepped through the door, giving a slight nod to the stallion behind the counter and continuing past the other customers into the back of the room.
In the back room there was an old unicorn who, although he started out as a light orange color, was now mostly grey. He had deep lines in his face and a long scar down his neck. Hit was sitting, eating a donut and smoking a cigar and reading the morning edition of Canterlot Today. He looked up and gave a slight smile to Sunset.
“Sunny.” He said in a deep and gruff voice, raising his cigar to her. “It’s good to see ya kid. It’s been too long. What’s the urgent business?”
She smiled back to him and took a seat at the small table across from him. “Sandy. It’s good to see you too. You haven’t aged a day since we last met.”
Sandy Shores gave out an equally gruff chuckle. “No need to flatter me anymore kid, you're one of the bosses now. What’s on your mind.”
Sunset sighed. “It’s Neon. I found out that he was the one behind the attack on my club. His people made off with most of my product and over ten thousand bits. Something has to be done about this.”
Sandy's smile had quickly turned into a frown. “Are you sure it was him?” He asked, his eyes focusing hard on her.
“100 percent sure.” She answered. “I was in the process of getting the proof from the dearly departed Sweet Peach. Unfortunately for me he was able to get to her before I could.”
He leaned forward and put both front hooves on the table. “So you don’t have any solid proof then?” he asked.
“If I did the kid would have been dead already.” She said, darting her eyes at him. “Listen.” She started. “I know he’s your brother’s godson but he is out of control. Aside from all that he stole from me, his men put Vinnie in the hospital and almost got her killed. His actions are inexcusable and I will not tolerate them.”
“Listen, Sunny.” Sandy started as he took a long puff from his cigar. “I believe you, but you have no proof. Like it or not he’s made just like us. You can’t just kill him without the council approving.”
She scoffed loudly. “You and I both know that the only reason he was ever made was because of who his father was. He’s a coward and I made my bones when he was still in diapers. He inherited his crew and can’t even earn on his own so he has to come after me. He crossed a line when he tried to fuck with me. One way or another Sandy, I’m going to put him in the ground.”
He sat up straight and extinguished his cigar with his magic. “You can’t do that without council approval and they won’t approve it without proof. Unless you want to go to war you need to think about what you are saying here.”
She shook her head. “That’s why I’m here Sandy. I need to know that if it comes down to it that you will be in my corner. You were my father’s right hoof and he gave you your family. I’ve known you since I was a foal for Celestia’s sake. I can’t do this fight without you.”
He sat for a few seconds without responding and took a drink of his coffee. “I’m sorry Sunny. If a war comes I can’t take your side without proof that he was behind it. This will most likely get us all killed. You know that I respect you and that I believe you, but I can’t take the chance.”
She was about to speak up when he continued. “However, if you are able to get some proof of him going against you and get it to me then I’m sure that the council would approve it without any trouble. No one there likes him, but he is a decent earner and, like it or not, he’s a member. Those rules have been around a lot longer than we have and will be when we are gone.”
She let out a deep sigh. “I really hoped you would get behind this with me Sunny, but I understand. I won’t do anything until I get proof. He knows that I’m on to him though so he might strike again. If that happens then we are going to the mattresses and it’s going to be an all-out war.”
She paused for a second before continuing. “With that said, I need you to know that I won’t forgive anyone who doesn’t side with me if that time comes. Anyone who stands between him and I will end up in the ground. I hope you choose wisely.”
Sandy chuckled again. “I don’t doubt it kid. Don’t worry. I’ll always be on your side. I just need to make sure our asses are covered before we go too deep. Also there is something you might be forgetting.” He finished, cracking a wry smile.
She sat up. “I’m listening.” She said.
“Well.” He started. “Just because Neon is made doesn’t mean that everyone in his outfit is protected. Really it’s only him. His crew hasn’t been around long enough for him to make anyone else official. Why don’t you just find one of his top guys and catch him with his pants down. That would send a message and at least get him to back off for a little bit. You just have to make sure that there is nothing linking it back to you.”
Sunset smiled. She loved the idea and couldn’t believe that she hadn’t thought of it herself first. She knew that his foalhood friend who they called “Skag” was his most trusted adviser. If she could take him out of the picture then she would either force him into his place or get him to strike out again, and then she could justify the hit on him.
“Thanks for the advice Sandy. I’ll certainly take it into consideration.” She said as she stood up and pushed in her chair.
He smiled to her, taking a sip of his coffee. “Just be careful kid. He’s as dangerous as he is stupid. If you don’t handle this delicately then we could all end up in the ground.”
She turned to him as she was walking out of the room. “Sandy, please.” She started with a smile. “Delicate is my middle name.”
This got an actual laugh out of the old stallion and he sputtered on his coffee. Sunset left him with that and started to plan her next move. She needed to put someone on Skag so they could follow him until the time was ready. She needed an expert hoof and someone who she knew wouldn’t get made as one of her crew. She knew exactly who to call.
That pony, as it turned out, was already out and about on that cold morning. She was heading towards the back end of the palace where the Equestrain Federal Royal Guard Command was located, intent on starting a grand plan of her own. She entered the door to find a guard in a black suit seemingly napping behind the front desk.
“Excuse me, sir.” She said, tapping his shoulder. He awoke and shuffled around, looking like he had been caught by his boss. When he finally came to attention he stared her down.
“Can I help you miss?” He said, using his magic to straighten out his suit.
“I sure hope so.” She said. “I need to report some information on organized crime in the city. I think I can be a great help to our city and put these ponies away for good.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like you have quite the story to tell miss. Just give me your name and I’ll have an agent out to see you as soon as we get a chance.”
She smiled in return. “No problem, My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and I do have quite the story to tell, and that’s only the beginning.”
As Lyra told her tale and Sunset plotted, Vinyl and Rose arrived at the club, meeting with LP and Velvet, to get ready for their grand re-opening. They had another shipment in that Sunset had fronted from her suppliers. They had a big night planned and they were expecting a full house. Whether it was from return customers or just ponies looking to check out the scene of the largest massacre in over a decade in Canterlot, they would be coming in droves.
She had felt better, well, mostly better that is. Her chest still hurt like hell when she would try and smoke or do any serious stretch, but her stitches had healed and she was fine. She was more than excited to get things back in business. As far as she was concerned, getting shot had actually worked out pretty well for her, all things considered. She got to relax for a bit, found a new relationship and love with a beautiful mare, and managed to get herself basically sober from drugs and alcohol in the past months, something that she was actually enjoying a bit.
It was the first time she had been to the club since the shooting and looking around from the front door she got a chill down her spine. There was no blood and the bullet holes had all been sealed and painted over, but something just seemed off about the place. It didn’t matter though, a job was a job and she had work to do. She gave Rose a peck on the cheek and headed into the office.
When she was alone again she scanned around, hoping that they hadn’t found her stash. She lifted a panel off of the side of her desk and found her small safe still in the place it was before. A huge smile crossed her lips. She put in the combination so fast that she got it wrong the first time. As soon as the door cracked open she pulled the large bag of white powder out and placed it on the desk. She grabbed the phone and called downstairs, calling LP and Velvet up to meet her.
They came in and closed the door behind them. She gave them both a big smile. “Big bro, Velvet. It’s good to be back. We’ve got a lot of work to do before tonight and I’ve got something here that should help us out.”
She motioned to the table where six lines were cut from the powder, two for each of them. They both lit up in return and joined her at the desk. She passed them each a straw and raised it into the air.
“Here’s to a good night and endless more to come. Let’s make some money and have some fun!” She said, moving the straw at them to accentuate her point.
“Here, here!” they both cheered, and bent their heads down to the table. Two quick sniffs later and they had all the energy that they needed to get things ready for the night and then some. They all left the room and quickly got to their respective tasks. It was going to be a big night and everything had to be on point.
Back at the Equestrain Federal Royal Guard Command it was starting to get dark. Lyra had been there almost all day. She was talking with the head of the Celestial Special Investigations Unit, a tan Pegasus named Earth Song. They were already hours into their conversation and it was finally coming to a close, with Lyra happy with the results.
“So here is how this is going to work Misses Heartstrings.” He started. He picked up a small gold chain that had a pendant in the shape of Bonnie's cutie mark on it. It had just been delivered from the lab only minutes ago.
He held up the chain and she grabbed it in her magic. “One of our guys is going to teach you a spell that will turn this on. As soon as the chain is activated it will record everything to a database that we have here in our office. Once you use the spell again it stops. It’s all pretty straightforward.”
She put the chain on. A tear came to her eye just seeing her beloved Bonnie's cutie mark but she was able to keep it together. She sniffled. “How long do I need to do this for exactly?" She asked.
Earth Song had pulled some paperwork from his desk and placed it in front of her. “That can be hard to say. Months, maybe years even. You are the closest thing to the inside to Il Cavallo Sconoscutio in decades. We need you to sew yourself into their inner circle and do whatever they ask. If one day you can get yourself made we can get information on their leaders and bring them all down. Is this something that you think you can do?”
She thought for a second. Years were a long time. Years that she would have to look Sunset in the face and smile. Years that she would have to continue in the business that got her wife killed. She put the thought away though. It would all be worth it, just to bring them all down.
She hardened her face. “Yes sir. I do have one question though.”
He smiled. “Go on.”
She started again. “What if I have to beat, or even kill other ponies? If I disobey Sunset there is no way I will get anywhere, aside from the fact that she wouldn’t trust me for long after that.”
His face turned cold. “Unfortunately that is what we in this department have deemed as a necessary evil. We will try and intervene if we have to later, especially if any serious damage is to be done. That being said though, at first you will have to go through with it to get into their inner circle. Is this something that you can do? You are the best chance we have of bringing these scum down for good.”
She thought long and hard on this. Ponies would have to die for her to get her revenge. Of course, they wouldn’t exactly be innocent ponies, and if she didn’t do the job, someone else would. She took the phrase necessary evil to heart and made her decision.
She took a deep breath. “Yes sir.”
Earth Song’s face brightened. “Thank you Misses Heartstings. You have no idea how much good you will be doing for your princess and your country. From now on you can’t be seen anywhere near this area and we will only contact you if it is absolutely necessary. We look forward to your reports. Good luck, you are doing Celestia’s work out there.”
She smiled in return and shook his hoof. She went out to the main hall and in a few minutes she had learned the simple spell to activate her necklace and was on her way. When she had gotten home she saw that she had fifteen missed calls and three messages on her answering machine. She was needed by Sunset for a big meeting tonight at The Hop. Everyone in the crew was coming and they were going to be some big announcements made. Then there would be no better time to test out her new gadget. She went off and brushed her mane and then headed for the club.
Just two hours later the sun was down and, just as they had hoped, the grand re-opening of The Hop was a massive success. The entire place was full and there was a line outside all the way to the end of the street. Lyra made her way past and walked straight in the front door, hearing some commotion from some of the ponies in line behind her.
The music was pumping, and the dance floor was packed from wall to wall as it always was when Vinyl’s friends were playing a set. Rose waved her over. They smiled and hugged across the bar. “Lyra! It’s good to see you!” Rose shouted over the blaring music.
“You too!” Lyra shouted back with an actual smile on her face. She knew Rose was innocent in all of this and had no ill will towards her.
“Where is everyone?” She asked.
Rose didn’t hear so she asked again louder. “Oh!” She said. “I was supposed to tell you. They are all upstairs, they have been waiting for you for something. Sunset and Fleur are here too and a couple other ponies who I didn’t recognize.”
“Okay.” Lyra shouted. “Thanks Rosie.” She said and made her way towards the back office.
First she headed to the bathroom and washed her face. “Okay Lyra.” She said to her reflection as she cast the spell to turn on the recording necklace. “It’s go time.” She gave herself the most determined look that she could muster and went back out and headed for the office.
When she opened the door she saw Vinyl and Tavi’s desks pushed together and the ponies all sitting around the table, with Sunset at the head. Along with her was Fleur, Vinyl, Octavia, a bright yellow mare with curly brown hair that she had met before but couldn’t remember and a tall and lanky deep red stallion with orange hair and a scowl on his face that she had never seen before.
“Sweet Celestia Lyra.” Vinyl called as soon as she opened the door. “Where in the ever-loving fuck have you been all day? I’ve been trying to call you.”
Lyra smiled sheepishly and took a seat at the empty space between Octavia and Fleur. “Sorry about that.” She said. “I was checking up on some ponies who thought they had Bonnie recently when they were in Ponyville.”
Sunset spoke up then. “It’s not a problem. How did it go dear?” She finished with a smile.
Lyra’s rage grew deep inside her but she did her best to keep it together and put on a disappointed face. “Unfortunately they were mistaken. They showed me some vacation photos and the mare in them had a different cutie mark. No worries though. I’m sure I’ll find her eventually, wherever she is.”
Sunset frowned. “That’s too bad dear. Well for now anyways we have business to attend to.” She motioned to the yellow mare. “I believe you have met my associate Berry Shake here. She runs my restaurant front on the east side of the city.”
Lyra shook her head in agreement. “Nice to see you again.” She said with a smile.
Sunset continued. “This handsome fellow is Silver Sheen. Let’s just say he takes care of my money handling and assets.”
Silver Sheen blushed slightly and nodded to Lyra. “It’s nice to meet you ma’am”
Lyra smiled back. “You as well.”
Sunset then faced the rest of the group. “Now that introductions are out of the way, we have some business to attend to.”
They all nodded and she started. “I’m sure by now all of you know what the situation is with Neon Lights. I’m also sure you know that the evidence that I tried to get the dearly departed Sweet Peach to gather didn’t exactly pan out. I went and met with the north-side family leader Sandy Shores today. I’m sure most of you are familiar with him, he is a dear family friend and was with my father during his tenure as leader of this crew.”
She pulled out a cigarette from her pack and lit it, taking a slow drag. “He informed me that without proof that Neon hit us, any attempt on his life would ultimately lead to war and we would be on our own against the other three families in the city. It would most likely end with all of our deaths.”
Vinyl put her hoof down on the table. “That’s bullshit auntie! That filthy little weasel doesn’t just get to walk away from this. He almost killed Tavi, Lyra and I! There has to be some way to get around this, and if there’s not then I say we hit the mattresses. Fuck them! We can’t be disrespected like this!”
Silver Sheen shook his head. “I agree with Vinyl fully. If we appear weak then it’s only a short time before any other crew thinks that they can get away with hitting us. Sanctioned or not, something must be done about this.”
Sunset spoke up. “If you would let me finish Vinnie, I was going to say that I have a solution.”
Vinyl blushed slightly. “Sorry auntie. You know how I get sometimes.”
Sunset smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. Anyways as I was saying our friend Sandy gave me a good idea. Neon only got his badge recently, which means that he has no right to appoint anyone else as full members. An attack against them technically doesn’t violate the full rules, as long as no one can prove that it was us. We are going to play the game that he is playing.”
She had their full attention now. “Here is what we are going to do. I made some calls today and found out the location of the home of his second in command. An earth pony that they call Skag.”
Fleur chuckled. “Who in their right mind would want to be called something like skag?”
Vinyl looked over to her. “We can’t all control the nicknames people give us, can we White Widow?” She started laughing.
Fleur huffed. “Point taken I guess. You wouldn’t want to know the nicknames some ponies have for you.”
Before Vinyl could say anything back Sunset started again. “Stupid name or no, I know where he is. He is hiding out on the south-east side of town on Liberty Avenue in a small apartment complex. From the information I received he lives in 27B. We are going to get him, and we are going to do it tonight.”
They all stared at her. “So, what’s the plan then?” Tavi asked, lighting a cigarette of her own.
“The plan” Berry started, “is that one of us is going to go out there and wait for him to come out of his house. We have a pony on the inside who is going to call him from a payphone and ask to meet him. When he comes out we will have someone waiting across the street. They will then walk up behind him and gun him down with this.” She picked up a small sawed-off shotgun from under the table and set it down on it.
“That’s not all.” Sunset said. After the job is done, we are going to leave this on his body.” She levitated up a small microphone with wires coming out of it.
“What’s that?” Lyra asked.
“It’s a phone tap,” Sunset said, putting the microphone on the table next to the shotgun. “It’s similar to the one he knew we had Sweet Peach put in her phone to get to him. I’m sure he will get the message.”
“Then what?” Tavi asked, putting her cigarette out.
“Then.” Sunset started, doing the same with hers. “We wait. He will either get the picture and know that he needs to set things right and give us what he stole, or he will try to come at us again, but this time we will be ready and have proof to bring to the council. After that it’s only a matter of time before he is in the ground.”
“So who is going to be the one to do it?” Fleur asked, looking around the room.
“Well.” Sunset started. “It needs to be someone that Skag would never notice. Not only that but it needs to be someone that isn’t already much of a well-known associate of ours, that way we have deniability if anyone sees the shooter. So with that in mind, the job falls to you Lyra.”
Lyra’s heart sank. She desperately wanted to say no but in her mind she kept repeating the phrase “Necessary evil.” over and over like a mantra inside her head. She took a deep breath. “Okay.” She said, looking at Sunset.
“That’s my girl.” Sunset said. “I’m very proud of you Lyra. Bonnie would be proud too.” Lyra was sick to her stomach just hearing her say those words. She wanted to reach across the table at that moment and put the barrel of the shotgun in Sunset’s face, damn the consequences, but her logical side got the better of her and she just smiled back in return.
“Are you sure you can do this Lyra?” Octavia asked, giving her a concerned look.
“Of course I can. Those bastards almost killed me too. I want to see them in the ground as much as anyone else. I’m willing to do my part around here like the rest of you.”
Sunset smiled wide at her. “That’s what I love to hear. Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you are paid well for this. I won’t forget this favor either.” She slid a piece of paper across the table to Lyra. “Here’s the address. Put on a hoodie and wait for him outside. He will be getting the call in about an hour. As soon as he goes down, drop the wires on him and run to the next intersection. I’m going to send Silver with you to pick you up.”
Lyra grabbed the piece of paper with her magic and put it in her pocket, trying not to shake at the thought of the task ahead. “I won’t let you down, Sunset” She said as she stood up.
Sunset smiled once more to her. “I know you won’t. Call me when it’s done” She said sweetly.
She went to leave and Silver did too, putting the gun and wire in a briefcase and carrying it out of the door with them.
“One last thing dear.” She heard Sunset call out. She turned to the room to look at her. “I want you to tell him that Sunset Shimmer says hello just before you pull the trigger. I want his last thoughts to be of how much they had fucked up in messing with us.”
She nodded and they left. As they walked out she could hear the meeting continuing without them. She had no idea if she was going to be able to do this right, but she was going to try as best as she could. This was her way to get inside her inner circle and start getting the real information. She was ready.
They walked out of the club and down the snowy street to a black car parked in the alley. They got in and after a few attempts the car sputtered to life and took them out into the city. There was a hoodie in the backseat, Lyra took off her coat and scarf and put it on.
Just over forty minutes later they were at their destination. The street was pretty much empty and they were in the middle of quite a few apartment complexes. She got out of the car, carrying the briefcase with her and went down the street to wait out near his door. It was easy to spot so she got herself settled in and started waiting.
She didn’t talk much with Sheen on the way over. Mostly just pleasantries until he asked her if she had ever done something like this before. She told him that tonight would be her first and he reassured her that it was easy. All she had to do was take a deep breath before she pulled the trigger and make sure that when he went down that he wasn’t getting back up. It wasn’t the thought of that that disturbed her as much as what came next, when he told her that every time gets a little easier.
She didn’t want to be that pony, but she had no choice, she had to avenge Bonnie, and this was the best way she knew how. If some other scumbags had to die on the way then she didn’t care. At least that’s what she kept telling herself as the minutes passed by. The anticipation was the worst part, she just wanted to do it and get it over with. Her mind began to race at all the things that could go wrong but before she could focus on any one of them she saw his door open.
She took a deep breath. It was go time. She kept repeating her mantra nonstop in her head. “Necessary evil. Necessary evil. Necessary evil.” She pulled the hood of her hoodie up, opened the briefcase and grabbed the shotgun with her magic while stuffing the microphone wire in her hoodie’s pocket. She trotted up behind him as soon and as soon as he got out of the street lights she shakily raised the shotgun.
She froze. Her mantra wasn’t working anymore. She didn’t think she could do it. Suddenly she pictured Bonnie's face. She knew what had to be done. Nothing would stand in her way.
“Skag.” She called out, her voice shaking.
He turned towards her, staring her straight in the eyes. It was the moment of truth. She raised the barrel of the shotgun. “Sunset Shimmer says hello.” She said and she could see his eyes widen with the realization of what was about to happen. Then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. The bang was massive and the gun shook in her magic as her ears started ringing.
She opened her eyes to see Skag convulsing on the ground with a good chunk of the left side of his face missing. He was choking on his own blood and trying to stand up, flailing his legs around. She put the barrel of the shotgun to his forehead almost instinctively and squeezed the other trigger.
What was left after his face after that was something horrible and unrecognizable. There would be no way he was getting up after that.
She sat stunned looking at the blood pouring from the snow until she snapped back to what was happening. She quickly dropped the wire on his corpse and started sprinting towards Sheen’s car. Slipping in the process and almost dropping the gun.
She turned the corner to see him already coming towards her. He stopped quickly and she hopped in the back seat. She threw the gun down and exhaled for what seemed like the first time since she shot Skag. "It's done" She said louder then she had realized, her ears were still ringing. Then they took off into the dark bitter night.
Half an hour later they were back at Bonnie’s bakery where Sheen dropped her off. She had been visibly shaken and silent the entire ride there. Only answering the one question Sheen had about how sure she was that he was dead. After she stepped out of the car Sheen rolled down his window and looked at her.
“You did a good job tonight kid.” He said. “Sunset will be proud. I'll let her know it's taken care of, you just get some rest.”
She thanked him without even realizing it and turned to unlock her door. As soon as she was safely inside her own house she quickly locked the door behind her. She did the spell to turn the recorder off and then sat down hard against the door, sliding down to the floor.
“Necessary evil. Necessary evil. Necessary evil.” She started saying to herself, no louder than a whisper. “Necessary evil. Necessary evil. Necessary...” She couldn’t continue. She broke down sobbing, thinking about what she had done. Picturing Skags final seconds alive and how it was her that did that to him.
She got up and ran to the kitchen, barely making it to the sink in time to throw up in it. She fell down to the floor again and continued to cry until she fell asleep, hoping that somewhere out there, Bonnie was looking down on her and understood that she was only doing what she had to.