Death Rides a Pale Mare

by totallynotabrony

Chapter 9

It had been a while since Pale had been to Las Pegasus. She didn’t usually receive tasks in that part of Equestria.

It seemed that most of the ponies in the city at any given time were tourists milling amongst the flashing neon buildings. It was easy see that a bloom could be catastrophic. One errant twitcher at, and the Blight could infect hundreds. Worse yet, some may take their unwanted souvenir home with them to all parts of Equestria.

Like Cloudsdale, Las Pegasus was primarily a cloud-based city, but the infrastructure had been upgraded significantly to accommodate all types of ponies. And accommodate them it did. When Pale stepped out of the airship terminal in the early evening, there were nothing but crowds as far as her eyes could see, packed all along the main avenue that comprised the city’s iconic strip.

The night weather was warm, but comfortable, specially kept that way to draw more visitors and keep the nightlife alive. It worked. Even at night, the city was busy and crowded. Perhaps especially at night.

Pale tightened her jaw. She did not like crowds, least of all because of their impact on her work. Perhaps the city was busier at night than it was during the day - it was Las Pegasus, after all. She braced herself set off into the throng.

It wasn’t going to be easy to locate her target. She had thought about the alternative already, that she could simply wait until he had gone home from Las Pegasus. As a careless tourist bumped her in passing, she thought perhaps she should have.

Pale kept to the main street, weaving between groups of ponies. All the buildings on either side were lit up, each trying to outdo the others. Advertisements for hotels, restaurants, and shows were everywhere. Magically-enhanced voices of showponies and music came from all directions. Carnival rides operated in the background.

Pale kept her eyes and ears moving, though there was little chance she would spot the earth pony named High Roller. He had a reputation for enjoying the finer things, and would likely be enjoying them rather than walking the street.

She stopped at the first hotel she came to, a place called Gladmane’s. The lobby was big enough that it could probably fit somepony’s house inside. Every single surface sparkled. And it was hardly out of the ordinary for a hotel in Las Pegasus.

Pale tried to spin the most polite and persuasive request for information she could manage to the receptionist. At any rate, it didn’t work: there was no guest on file named High Roller. Pale left and kept trying places down the street. Eventually, one of the desk clerks confirmed that he was a guest.

“What’s his room number?” Pale asked.

“I’m sorry, I can’t give that out,” said the clerk stiffly, turning up his nose. “We ensure the privacy of our guests. However, I can ring him, if you would like.”

“No thanks,” said Pale. She walked deeper into the hotel.

It was less a place to sleep overnight and more a destination in its own right. It had a spa, a theater, two restaurants, a bowling alley, and an arcade. Pale had to keep reminding herself who she was looking for. There was too much to look at. If it weren’t for her height, she would have an even more difficult time seeing over the crowd. It didn’t help that the building seemed to be designed as a maze, difficult to locate an exit.

The arcade was even more confusing than the rest. The dinging machines, flashing lights, and darkened room only made it harder to navigate.

Focused on looking for somepony, it didn’t occur to Pale that she might also be watched. A large stallion wearing a jacket and sunglasses appeared at her shoulder. His stare was obvious and she turned to him.

“We don’t appreciate loitering,” he said.

“I’m looking for a friend.”

“How do I know that? You could be looking for somepony to pickpocket. If you’re going to stay, you’ve got to play.”

Discretion was the better part of valor. Pale dropped her eyes and nodded, turning to the nearest game in the arcade, a claw machine.

The coin she put in activated the machine. Pale had never played a claw game before, but the controls seemed obvious. She didn’t win anything, though.

Looking around the room, Pale tried to find some other way she could spend money slower, to make her limited supply last longer. The beverage bar in the lobby seemed the most likely way, with a better view of the entrance, too.

Pale bought some juice and sat on a stool. She was always watchful, but having time to observe passers-by in greater detail let her mind wander.

Coming in the door was a mare with crammed traveling saddlebags was starry-eyed and staring. Probably her first time in Las Pegasus. Possibly her first time outside of wherever it was she came from. Likely central Equestria. An east or west-coaster was more likely to have experienced big city spectacle before.

The elderly stallion on a stool at the other end of the bar didn’t look at anything but the glass of water in front of him. It had either done him some wrong, or he was fuming about something else. Being Las Pegasus, it was probably the latter, and also probably involved a substantial amount of money spent.

The mare sitting beside Pale kept sneaking glances at her, but pretending she wasn’t. Pale turned her head, her look lingering long enough to show she’d caught on. Wearing a concealing cloak was better than showing her true self in public, but still was out of the ordinary. It was far from the first time Pale had been stared at.

Just then, she saw High Roller come into the lobby, heading for the front door. He wore a tuxedo and seemed to be in a good mood. The bags under his eyes showed he hadn’t much sleep, and his jacket was wrinkled as if he’d been in it for a while. Las Pegasus could do that to you. Pale slugged the rest of her drink and got up, heading after him.

He followed a long, somewhat meandering path until he found a hayburger stand and got a bite to eat. Pale hung out within sight of him, most of her attention devoted to avoiding passers-by.

High Roller finished his late night meal and walked away, carrying a bottle of cola. Maybe he was using food and caffeine in an attempt to stay awake to see even more of what the city had to offer.

Pale followed him, idly wondering if the reckless behavior twitchers displayed could be related to partying and spending money. However, as High Roller left the brightly lit main street, the beginning of a plan came to her mind.

Her target stopped at an overlook at the edge of the city. The moon showed the expanse of land under the cloud base. The railing of the overlook ran right to the edge. High Roller stood there for a moment, finishing his drink. He tossed the bottle over the side.

Pale checked her back and then walked up to him. He turned, instantly apprehensive of the cloaked figure approaching. “Can I help you?”

Pale grabbed him by the collar, but he went limp instead of trying to jerk free. “Hey! Uh, is this a robbery or something?” Apparently his appetite for risk only applied to resort games. He fished in his pocket. Pale heard the jingling of bits.

A sudden idea came to her. “Keep your money. I want your hotel key.”

The strangeness of the request crossed his face, but he gave it to her. Then, Pale jerked him towards her, getting her shoulder under his chest, and heaved him upwards. He realized instantly what she was doing, but by that time his back was already bent over the railing. He started to shout, but it was cut off by coughing as he fell.

Pale looked over the edge at the ground far below. The tactic worked even better here; flightless creatures did not need to be restrained.

With his money still in his pockets, foul play was harder to determine. Pale took his key and went back to the hotel, slipping in a rear entrance and going up to the room number engraved on the key. His suitcase was there, still packed. The bed was unused. He really had partied hard.

Pale mussed the bedsheets and bathroom towels. She then picked up the suitcase and took it with her. Down in the lobby, she dropped the room key in the express checkout box and left the building. Behind a different hotel, she tossed the suitcase into the dumpster.

With that done, she turned to a more personal reason for coming to Las Pegasus.

The city was largely one big entertainment district, but the locals had to live somewhere. Pale passed a couple of neighborhoods full of small, unassuming houses. It was getting later at night, but not quite so late that all the residential streets were empty.

A couple of older, presumably retired, ponies sat out, enjoying the temperate weather. Some of them mended laundry or peeled potatoes or some other busy work. A few gossiped with neighbors.

Pale didn’t know exactly where she was going. She had never been there before. However, she was confident she would know it when she found what she was looking for.

Turning a corner, she came upon an older mare sitting on her stoop and knitting. Pale paused, and then stopped. Their eyes met.

Pale had never seen her before, but she knew her. After a moment, the mare smiled in recognition and got up, tipping her head towards the house. She opened the door. Pale stepped inside and the mare followed her in, closing the door. Then, in a flash of magic, she dropped her disguise.

Pale smiled. “It’s good to see you, Nan.”

“You too. It’s been so many years.” The changeling stepped forward and the two of them embraced.

Pale’s nanny had done a lot more to raise her inside the hive than any other. Certainly more than her actual mother. Nan had left the hive some time after Pale.

Pale had never asked her why. Perhaps it had something to do with Chrysalis’s treatment of Pale. Perhaps it was a more direct conflict with Chrysalis and how she ruled. Nan was old enough to remember the previous queen.

“What are you up to these days?” Nan asked.

“This and that.”

Nan nodded as if Pale hadn’t just dodged the question. “How about some tea?”

“That sounds great.”

Nan busied herself in the kitchen and came back just a minute later with the tea set. She sat down at the table across from Pale and served each of them.

Pale took the cup and held it in her hooves. While she waited for it to cool, she said, “I suppose you’ve heard what happened in Canterlot. Do you know anything about it?”

“I’m surprised,” said Nan, holding her own cup. “I thought even Chrysalis had more sense than that. But I consider my exile quite effective if I didn’t hear anything about the attack until I read about it in the newspaper. I hadn’t heard anything afterwards, either, until just now when you asked.”

Pale considered it. She didn’t know what she’d hoped to gain by visiting Nan. Why did Pale care what her mother did? All the better to avoid her, perhaps. At least by visiting Nan, Pale...well, got to visit Nan.

“It makes things different,” Nan lamented. “Most ponies had never even heard of changelings before.”

“But now all they know is that changelings are bad,” finished Pale. “How are you doing?”

“No problems,” Nan reassured her. “I’ve been here for years. Has it been years since I’ve seen you? Surely not.”

She paused in thought. “Oh! And speaking of the last time I saw you, I have something for you.”

Nan left the room and was back in a moment. She unwrapped a torn scrap of cloth, revealing a brass button inside.

Pale hadn’t seen it in years. As she reached out to take it, the memories came back.

---

She concentrated hard, the tickle of magic on her forehead. The small pebbles on the floor of her mother’s chamber made only feeble movements.

Her mother let out one of her many noises of disgust. “Really?”

“I’m trying!”

“After who your father was, this is unacceptable.”

“Who was he?” young Pale had asked. Her mother had rarely mentioned him at all, let alone provided any details.

“Apparently even less important and talented than I thought.”

“Where is he?” Even young as she was, Pale knew she was pressing her luck with the questions. “What was he like?”

Her mother opened a small box on a shelf and threw to the floor a scrap of cloth with torn edges. A shiny button was sewed to the center. “That’s all there is. Nothing more. Now, never mention him again.”

She stalked out of the room. Nan, who had been standing quietly nearby, stepped forward. “Well, back to learning. Try again.”

This time, Pale tried to lift the button with magic. She actually managed it. It felt different in her grasp than any of the stones or other practice objects she’d tried.

“Good job! said Nan. Pale took a closer look at the button as it hovered in front of her. There was a strange seal on it. It was an interesting decoration, she decided.

---

Pale looked at the button resting on her hoof, reviewing every detail of the design, even though she recalled it perfectly.

“I remembered you liked it,” said Nan.

Pale looked up. “Did you know my father?”

“No. You probably know as much about him as I do: very little.”

Was he still out there somewhere, or was this piece of fabric and single button the only thing left of him?

Did it matter?

Pale put the button into her pocket. “Thank you.”

They hugged again, longer this time. Nan sighed happily.

When they parted, Nan said, “It was so good to see you. Come visit me anytime.”

“It was good to see you, too.”

Nan showed her out. After the door closed, Pale stood on the stoop for a moment, breathing. She blinked a few times and headed for the airship terminal.

A parasprite hovered nearby. Pale gave the insect a look and kept walking.

Comments

[BlueNinja]

The night weather was warm, but comfortable,

Ah, the joys of fictional universes. Las Vegas is warm, or comfortable, but rarely both. Nothing like being outside at midnight when it's still 100F.

She did not like crowds

Somebody page Ezio, he needs to give Pale lessons.

She didn’t win anything, though.

Nobody ever does, really. You should have gone with Plinko.

the glass of water in front of him. It had either done him some wrong,

Yes, it refused his spell to transform into vodka.

The mare sitting beside Pale kept sneaking glances at her, but pretending she wasn’t.

Is this a witness she's going to have to murderize?

“Keep your money. I want your hotel key.”

And now I'm left wondering how many security cameras/spells Las Pegasus has. Because once they find him dead over the side, it'll only take one question to the desk clerk or the floor manager, and they'll be looking for Pale.

Pale took his key and went back to the hotel,

Or find her on security footage entering his room an hour after time of death.

The city was largely one big entertainment district, but the locals had to live somewhere.

Fun fact, the real Vegas is more like 10% casinos.