To Serve In Hell

by CoffeeMinion

Chapter 6: Marked for Death

Rarity stared wide-eyed at the cloaked stallion holding Sassy upright. The breath froze in her chest as she waited for blood to pour from the crimson line on the unconscious mare’s throat.

But none did.

A slow giggle rippled through the stallion’s shoulders, building toward high and grating laughter.

Rarity’s coat stood on end. Rainbow Dash stepped up beside her. Their eyes met for a moment before Dash looked toward Scootaloo’s prone figure.

The stallion’s breath ran out. He paused, turned his head toward Rarity and Dash, loudly sucked in more, and threw his cloaked head back in a laugh that was even louder and harder than before.

“Oh!” he shouted through the laughter. “Oh, your face! The look on your face!”

Rarity pointed a trembling hoof at the cloaked stallion. “What…is… the meaning…”

He tossed something hoof-length and shiny toward them. Dash recoiled, but Rarity stood motionless, watching as it landed and began to roll towards her. She looked closer, noting its cylindrical shape and small, angled, red tip.

“Is this…” Rarity swallowed, fighting to maintain her composure. “A marker?!”

The stallion’s laughter cut off abruptly, leaving an oppressive silence.

“Not workin’ for ya? Maybe not direct enough?” He reached into his cloak with his free hoof, then pulled out an actual knife. He gave it a twirl, affording Rarity a clear view of its blade. “I’m okay with ‘cutting’ to the chase.”

Rarity forced her dry throat to swallow. “Please, I do not wish to see her harmed.”

The stallion raised his knifepoint to the corner of Sassy’s mouth. “Oh, you say that now, but we both know she’s gonna have a big ol’ grumpy frown on her face when you start finding where the bodies are buried. Metaphorically speaking… or realistically speaking… or both?”

“All right, that’s enough clowning around,” Dash said, stepping forward. “I don’t know who you think you are, but if you don’t lose the knife right now—”

There was a blur of motion. Dash jerked back with a shout, then raised a hoof to the knife protruding from her shoulder armor.

“Sergeant Dash!”

“In my defense, she told me to lose it,” the stallion said, drawing out another knife with this free hoof and pointing it at Dash. “No, you wanna know who I am? I’m the guy who could’ve put this through your skull if I didn’t think you were worth keeping around. So make no mistake: that was just a warning. Try something again, and you ain’t gonna get a flesh wound.”

Dash cursed as she pulled out the knife. A thin trickle of blood worked its way down her armor.

Rarity took a breath. “Please, then, let's remain calm. Nopony needs to be harmed… any further.”

He snorted. “Now that's funny.” Then he gestured toward Rarity with his blade. “You might not be fond of getting your hooves dirty, but that’s not how the world outside these walls works. Ponies starve to death, or fight over scraps, and most are too afraid to breathe a word against the one who stole the ponies we loved and ruined everything else!”

“Lower your voice!” Rarity hissed. “Your blasé attitude toward caution has already cost us somepony dear tonight!”

“And we’ve all lost ponies we cared about,” Dash said.

The stallion groaned. “And now we’re gonna stand around talking about our feelings instead of killing one of Nightmare Moon’s top lapdogs!” He raised his blade, and sighed as he danced its point a mere hairsbreadth away from Sassy’s neck. “This is what I get for trying to be spontaneous for once. I could’ve just recruited you in person, but noooooo—” he touched the knife onto the red ink staining Sassy’s throat “—I had to try to make it fun!”

“Wait, please,” Rarity said, trying to remain composed despite the hammering of her heart within her chest. Her mind searched feverishly for any combination of words that might save Sassy from an untimely end. “It occurs to me… if the ponies I’ll soon meet are disreputable… it might be advantageous if I have a ‘lapdog’ of the Nightmare close at hoof. To barter, for information, or favors.”

Dash grabbed her shoulder. “Rarity, what are you talking about?!”

The stallion paused. “So you want me to believe that you object to watching her bleed out, but you’d hoof her over for all kinds of torture if the price was right?”

“Y… yes.”

“Works for me!” He sheathed his blade and dumped Sassy face-first onto the stone floor with a dull thud. “You better keep her on a short leash, though. I’ve got too much on the line to let some two-bit leather queen muck things up before you even get started.”

Dash stepped towards Scootaloo, shooting glances both at Rarity and the stallion. “I can’t believe this. Rarity, I know you’re not the Mistress’ biggest fan, but… you’re talking about treason!”

“Yeah, she is,” the stallion said. He moved closer, his gait predatory, like a cat. “And I don’t think you’re gonna do anything about it. In fact, I think you’re gonna help us, when the time comes.”

“W… why?”

He pointed at Scootaloo. “Cuz you just got a fresh reminder of what’s down in Tartarus. Or should I say, who.” He leaned in, pressing his hooded face close to hers. “And maybe you can understand, not everypony’s quite as fortunate as you are, having gotten someone back.”

Before she could reply, he whirled on Rarity. “Important detail!” he shouted, stepping close enough to both violate her sense of personal space and tease her with vague outlines of his form in the cloak’s shadows. “You don’t tell them that we talked. You don’t tell them that you saw me. In fact, that letter’s all you know. Otherwise this whole thing goes… kablooie.”

Rarity took a step backward, in spite of her resolve. “I see. And, what if they compel me on the subject?”

He turned, walked to the edge of the stairs, and heaved himself up onto the railing. “Well in that case, lie like a rug and throw ’em your pet lapdog!” He started laughing as he began to overbalance.

Rarity felt a sensation of pins and needles on her coat as she watched him fall over the edge, and failed to resist the urge to canter over and peer down after him. She searched the long, empty darkness of the spiral staircase, and listened for a telltale sickening crunch below.

But all was silence.

“Who was that lunatic?!” Dash asked, stepping up next to her.

Rarity bit her lip. “He could have killed us. He certainly could’ve killed Sassy. But he wants our help instead. I think… he must care about somepony in Tartarus.”

Dash tried again to wipe the blood off her armor. “Yeah, he’s warm and fuzzy like that.”

“Forgive me, Sergeant Dash. Are you all right?”

Dash’s muzzle crinkled into a deep frown. “I’ll live, but I don’t like this. Suddenly you’re all eager to hitch your wagon to some rando who shows up spouting treason and making threats?”

“His abilities to disappear and move without detection don’t seem random,” Rarity said, furrowing her brow. “But then, neither does his skill with a blade. And earlier, when I asked you if the Alicorn and Dragon were the only trespassers you’d seen, what I didn’t share was that this stallion had appeared to me down in the dungeons as well. He came to tell me that he’d planted the letter among my effects… and he must have significant connections among those who’d defy the Nightmare to procure such a thing.”

“I guess,” Dash said, prodding at her wounded shoulder. “But what’s his plan? And isn’t she gonna know about it, anyway? Can’t she spy on his dreams?” Dash went silent, her face turning from blue to an ashen grey. “Is she gonna spy on ours now?”

“All the more reason for the Overseer to live, and to foster her belief that she is in control,” Rarity said. “Don’t worry about me; the Mistress has known about my inclinations since the beginning. And as for you, well… just be yourself. I doubt she’d consider you her most zealous subject as it is.”

Dash furrowed her brow. “Great, so my saving grace is being lazier than a sack of manure?”

Rarity touched a hoof to her shoulder. “It doesn’t matter now. Look after Scootaloo, and try not to destroy the castle while I’m away.”

“I’ll try,” Dash said, looking uncertain. “So how are you gonna get Sassy-pants outta here without explaining all this?”

“She said she keeps a bag packed in her chambers. Perhaps you’d be a dear and help me carry her down to a cart? Then could you take the keys and fetch her bag? I’m sure we’ll only be a moment, and Scootaloo will be just fine in the interim.”

Dash grumbled, but gripped one of Sassy’s forelegs and heaved it up over her shoulders.

The pair began to work their way down the darkened stairs, Rarity with her horn lit, and Dash with wings flapping hard as she struggled to control Sassy’s descent.

---

High up in the darkness of the tower antechamber, Scootaloo’s eyes slowly fluttered open. Her vision swam, unfocused. Her breathing became sharp and rapid. And as she saw the world around her, she screamed.

Comments

[Skye Mist]

Oh thought she was dead for a minute. Now I'm 99.9% convinced that that's Cheese Sandwich.

[Raistlin]

7530294

He became the Equestrian Joker.
All it took was one bad daynight

[Skye Mist]

7530310 Oh god...

[MisterNick]

So it's Prince Blueblood... he's not the hero we deserve but the hero we need!

[Just_Me123]

Well, but for the fact that "Mare Do Well" was, well, a mare... unless whoever is under the mask is good at faking sounding like a stallion somehow...

Or are we in a crossover with Spider-Pony? jk

[sporklasagna]

I'm in the process of rereading. I had previously guessed it was Cheese Sandwich, and then later on I wasn't so sure. But I definitely read his lines in Weird Al's voice. Which is a bit morbid for him, but hey!

[redmar]

I'm still not sure if my guess about Discord is right but his attitude to killing ponies would fit him. If it is Discord it would be strange if he cared about anybody in Tartarus. Though given his chaotic nature there's no way to be sure.

[CoffeeMinion]

9885617
I love making people guess.

All I’m going to say is that it’d be an awful shame to go to this much trouble to envision a dark alternate take on the universe and not do something with Discord!

[ZanarNaryon]

Rainbow is a pretty rubbish soldier i gotta say, you'd think Nightmare Moon's honor guard would be trained to handle assassins, though I guess her heart's not in it

ALSO RAINBOW DON'T LEAVE A TRAUMATIZED KID ALONE WHAT THE HELL