> You Can't Always Speakeasy
>  by Jeweled Pen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“So that's the one?” asked a small brown pegasus wearing a pristine blue police ponies uniform. Her purple mane was slicked back and hidden under her cap. She softly sipped her coffee as she looked through the one way glass that separated her from the other room.

A larger, green coated unicorn nodded from besides the mare. He was wearing a similar blue outfit, though his uniform was wrinkled and unkept, with his messy brown hair sticking out from under the cap. “That's her,” he said as he looked into the room. The room was small and square, the only thing in it was a small brown table, chair and a light that hung in the center of the room. Sitting in the chair was a small unicorn mare with a light pink coat and red long mane. She was wrapped tightly in a big brown blanket as she trembled and held it close, as if it could protect her from the world.

“Really? How did a little thing like that pull it off?” the pegasus asked as she pulled out a folder and glanced inside. “Have they even found all the pieces yet? I hear one of the captains nearly threw up when a hoof dropped on top of him.”

“Most of them were found,” the stallion said as he sipped his coffee, ignoring the extra comment. “You'd be surprised what you can do when you're afraid for your life. I've seen a few worse things happen in my time on the force. After you've had a few cases, you might too.”

“Still... where'd she get the knife?” the pegasus asked as she closed the folder.

“Don't know,” the stallion said with a shrug of his shoulders. “One of the ponies there were probably going to use it on her. Sometimes they use ponies like that as merchandise, sometimes they just use them.”

The pegasus cringed. “What's her name? Do we know what her connection to them was?”

“No idea,” the unicorn said with a sigh as he set his coffee down on the nearby table. “She had some ID on her, but it didn't match. Asked her about it, she said she had a run in with some poison joke a month or so ago. Hadn't worked up enough bits to buy the antidote. She won't be needing it now,” the pony grumbled as he took a seat at a nearby table.

“What do you mean?” the mare asked as she looked inside the room at the trembling pony.

“Her lucks gone and run out,” the stallion said with a shrug. “She killed a lot of them tonight and whichever family they belong to isn't going to be happy.”

“We need to move her to a safe house then! She's-”

“There's no use in that,” the old pony said with a sigh. “Isn't a safe house out there any more that can protect a girl like that. Besides, short of the princesses coming down and telling us to do it, no way we'd be able to get permission. Mare like that isn't important enough.”

“We can't just toss her out there!” the pegasus snapped as she slammed her hoof down.

“No, that's exactly what I'm going to do,” the pony said as he pulled out a cigar and moved it to his mouth.

“You can't smoke in here,” she reminded him bitterly.

“I know, but it still feels nice to chew on the end. I'm going to tell her to hide,” he muttered as he chewed on the end of the cigar. “Files and paperwork will say everypony was dead. Got her showered and all the blood washed off so she won't draw much attention on the way home. Maybe if she has the alicorn's luck, she can go somewhere nice and find a new job. Maybe wait tables or something. Maybe, just maybe, they'll think she's dead and won't come looking.”

“That's a lot of maybes,” the mare mumbled as she glanced back into the room. “What if they were connected to King?”

“These days, maybes are all anypony can get. If they were connected to the King, she's as good as dead. Listen, rookie, I know you come into this job looking to change the world, but that's not how it works. It's like a sinking ship. You can't save everypony, so you save those you can. Then you let those you can't drown. Her? I'm throwing her a life preserver, but the sharks are already circling. If you go and get yourself involved, a whole lot of other ponies you could have helped are going to end up drowning or shark bait.”

“That's a rather bleak way of looking at it, sir,” the pegasus mumbled as she watched the mare for a few more moments.

“It's the way the world works now,” the older pony said as he got up and walked towards the door. “Just keep away from the sharks and avoid being crushed by the waves, and you just might be able to save a few ponies from drowning. I know it's hard to accept, but it'll get easier.”

“Fine,” the mare muttered as she turned her gaze down, eyes narrowed.

The older pony sighed as he shook his head. “So, rookie, what was your name again?”

“Scootaloo, sir.”

“Well, Scoots, let's go throw this mare her life preserver. May Celestia have mercy on her soul.”
> Chapter 1: Luck
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sun spread slowly over Manehattan, once one of the greatest cities in Equestria, now called the rotten apple. Many of the streets, once kept tidy and neat, were now covered in trash and muck. Buildings that once sparkled like silver were now so coated in dirt, grime and graffiti that the original paint could no longer be seen.

The streets were filled with angry workers as they slowly made their way through the city. Factories that had been shut off for the night came alive and began to spill their thick smog into the air, poisoning the sky with their toxins. Stained clouds hovered over the city, occasionally blocking out the sun, as weather ponies set about preparing the days weather.

In one of the many run down and over crowded apartment complexes, a loud phone rang over and over. A small pink hoof reached out from under the brown blankets of the nearby bed and grabbed the phone, before pulling it under the covers. “Hello?” a soft mare's voice asked.

“Note! Where the hell are you?!” an angry stallion's voice burst from the receiver.

“I-I... I'm at home. There was, I-I mean, Mr. Buckle, I just got back from the police and-”

“I don't give a damn! You're late, if you're not here in thirty minutes you're FIRED!” A click signaled the end of the call.

“B-but I can't come in, t-the police said, I... sir? Mr. Buckle?” the voice squeaked before sighing. Slowly the phone was put back on its stand as she let out a groan. The blankets were kicked off as the light pink unicorn crawled out of bed.

Note groaned as she crawled over to the bathroom and turned the water on as hot as it could go. After a few seconds of waiting she stuck a hoof under it and let out an annoyed sigh. “Wonderful, hot water is out again... bucking land lord needs to get the damn thing fixed.” She splashed some water on her face and made her way back to her room. She picked up an orange skirt and slid it on, letting out a sad sigh. The skirt was so short that it actually made her feel more naked than being actually naked, just barely covering the top of her plot. Next came the little white saddle that went on her back, complete with drink holders on the side and the word 'Plots' written across in big, pink letters. Ironically, an outline of a book was behind the word. She glanced outside before sighing and gripping her cloak, tossing it on and darting outside.

She glanced in her money pouch, groaning at the small jingle of coins. “Going to have to hoof it,” she grumbled as she galloped down the street, her horseshoes clattering against the cement with every step. She dove and weaved around the crowds, occasionally angering a pony as they waved a hoof at the darting pony.

“Watch where you're going, yah psycho!”

She ignored the angry ponies and soon she stopped outside a tiny building situated neatly between two business buildings. The windows were covered in grime and a large faded picture of a mare's purple plot hung over the door. She let out a sigh as she put on a smile and stepped inside.

Instantly the smell of smoke mixed with deep fried vegetables filled her nostrils. Wooden tables were set up across the floor, at least a dozen, each of them filled with ponies attempting to yell at each other across the din. Most were either naked or wearing yellow vests, ponies who worked hard for few bits. The food wasn't the best, but it was cheap. Not to mention the five mares who walked through the diner, smiling dopey little smiles and fake-giggling when they were forced to forcefully knock a stallions hoof from their plot.

“NOTE!” a loud voice yelled out, making her cringe. Across the room was a large red stallion, wearing a brown vest and glaring at her so fiercely she wanted to climb into a pit and disappear.

Note whimpered as she slowly trotted to the stallion, her head hanging. “S-sorry, Mr. Buckle. But I have a-”

“I don't want to hear it, get to work!” he roared, making her tremble. “You're an hour late, that's coming out of your breaks!”

“Y-yes sir,” she whispered as she grabbed a pen and pad. “W-which-”

“Tables twelve through sixteen. GIT!” he ordered.

She sighed and slowly trotted towards the booths, forcing a smile as she tried to keep calm. Her and the others had a special name for the booth tables, plot pinch alley. She wasn't surprised that within an hour her cutey mark was sore, her plot was redder and her hooves ached. Mares at Plots were best known for walking away so they received dozens of small, tiny orders at each table. Just so the ponies could get their food, pinch the mare as she left, then order another small thing when they got back. Fortunately the crowd began to thin out as stallions went back to work.

One of her coworkers, a blue pegasus mare with a shiny purple mane, walked up to her as she struggled to get the last of the dishes. It was common practice for guests to leave the dishes up against the wall in the booths, forcing the mare to lean over the table for one last pinch. “Dear, are you okay? You look like tartarus,” asked the mare with concerned eyes.

“It's... it's just been a long night, Aqua,” Note mumbled as she dumped the dishes into the cart.

“Oh? You have a hot date?” Aqua asked with a raised eye brow. “He keep you up all night?”

“Ugh,” she grumbled. “I'm not interested in any of that. I had a run in with...” the pink mare looked around for a moment before sighing. “Can... can you keep a secret?”

The pegasus' eyes went wide as a grin formed across her lips. “Ohhh, yes, tell, tell.”

“Well I... I had a letter for an audition,” she mumbled as she started scrubbing the table with a rag. “It was... it wasn't really an audition. I mean, I thought it was legit. Looking for entertainers. It was one of those rings they've been mentioning on the news. One of those sla-”

“No no no!” Aqua squeaked as she backed up and looked around. Nopony was within hearing range. “I don't want to know anything about that!” she hissed.

“But I thought-”

“I want to know gossip, not things about... those! Are you trying to get me killed?! Why are you even here? If you escaped something like that you should be with the police!”

“I, but they, I was-”

“No, I don't wanna know any more! Lah lah lah lah!” the mare sang as she quickly moved to another table. Within a few moments Note saw the pegasus whispering to one of the other girls.

She glanced at the table and slowly scooped up the tips. “Wonderful, eights bits for five tables. Bunch of lousy cheap skates,” she grumbled as she shook her head and marched to the back. She tossed the tips into a large jar before sitting down for a moment to rub her feet. The moment her flank hit the chair she nearly dropped. The previous night, talking with the police, lack of sleep, running around and then dealing with the customers struck her at once, making her wobble and roll back, laying against the wall.

“Oh Luna, give me strength,” she groaned as her eyes closed. “Just close them for a second...”

“Note, are you trying to get fired?” a voice said as she felt her side shake.

The unicorn quickly sat up and opened her eyes, “What? I'm awake! I'm here, what's going on? What?” she asked as she frantically looked around. A yellow earth pony, with a light blew mane, giggled softly. “I was just, sorry Sundrop,” Note mumbled as she shuffled her hooves.

“Get up, Buckle will be back here soon to divide the tips for the lunch rush. If he catches you sleeping he'll tear your ears off. Did you finish your tables?”

“Yeah, they're fine,” Note grumbled as she looked at the tip jar, barely managing to cover the bottom of the jar with their pooled tips, and shook her head. “Did it always used to be that low after a rush?”

“No, back before the prohibition the tips were a lot better,” the earth pony mumbled as she moved her cart to the sink and dumped them in. “Nothing made a pony part with their bits faster than cheap beer. We didn't have to give half the tips to the manager then, either. With all the problems going on, only way to make a decent amount of bits is working at one of those bits and saddle joints.”

“Ugh,” Note grumbled as she got to her hooves and started towards the dining area again, but soon found the door blocked by the large red stallion.

“Note, go watch the front and tell the others to come back while I divide the tips,” Mr. Buckle snapped as he glared at her.

“Yes sir,” she grumbled as she nervously slid by him, the pony blocking the doorway so effectively she had to rub against the wall to get out. She told the other girls to head out back and then stood at the front counter. It always got very dead after lunch, namely since most their customers tended to be at work. So the mare just grabbed a wet rag and started wiping down tables that were already clean.

A light jingling brought her attention to the door. “Welcome to Plots how crggal!” her tongue froze in her mouth as she caught sight of the unicorn walking in. He was tall with a glistening gray coat. His hair was black and slicked back with so much oil she probably could have deep fried the bananas in it if she lit him on fire. His hoof moved up to gently rub one of the buttons on his black suit, a suit that likely cost more than she could hope to make in a year. She clenched her jaw as she glared at him. “Ironback? What in tartarus are you doing here?!” she hissed.

“Now now, is that any way to talk to an old co-worker?” he asked as he took a seat. “I've just come to check on our little... investment. Making sure you're working hard to pay off that little debt you owe.”

“I don't owe you shit!” she growled as she trembled with rage. She wiped the table so hard she threatened to remove the coating.

“The law disagrees,” the stallion said as he tapped the table. “Now, where's that wonderful Plots service I hear so much about? Come now, bring me a menu and some coffee. You wouldn't want me to complain to your new boss, would you?”

She grit her teeth as she stomped over to him and dropped a menu and cup of coffee in front of him. As she turned to storm off she felt a light smack on her cutey mark, cringing. “Don't touch me,” she hissed.

“Or what?” Ironback asked as he opened the menu. “If you're so stressed, maybe you should try coming back to work under me. It's not like you're getting any auditions, now are you?”

She growled and shook her head. “I... I'll have you know I just got an audition the other day. I'm expecting a call any day now.”

“Oh hoh?” he asked with a chuckle. “Did you go see them last night? Surprised you managed to make it back here.” The stallion lifted the coffee to his mouth and took a sip. “I don't see why they didn't just... snatch you up.”

Note froze in mid step, her face paling. “S-snatch me up?” she squeaked.

“Oh yeah, pretty thing like you. Could make a lot of money,” he said as a grin spread across his face. “Especially with that little mouth of yours. Such a lovely... voice.”

She gulped and nervously looked towards the back room. She let out a sigh as her horn glowed. “Buck it.”

“Huh?” Ironback looked up just as the pot of boiling hot coffee shattered on the table in front of him, covering his lap in the liquid as he let out a howl of pain and rage. Note ran out of the building, slamming the door behind her before the others could come and see the commotion.

------

Note slammed the door of her apartment open, her breathing ragged as she dropped to the ground. Her vision spun as little white spots flowed across her vision. “B-breath. D-deep breaths. Okay. Gotta leave, gotta... gotta...” her words trailed off as her horn flickered. She stared at the entrance to her room, the door shut like she had left it. “No no no no...” she whimpered as she backed up.

She turned around and darted back. She barely made it out of the apartment when a gun went off behind her. She didn't hesitate to keep running, flying down the rickety old stairs of the complex so fast she thought they might pull out of the wall. She heard hooves galloping after her as she soon burst into the lobby and ran out the door. She looked left and right, trying to think before closing her eyes. Her horn glowed red for a moment before she squeaked. Her eyes popped open as her mane practically stood on end. “Left it is!” she gasped as she galloped down the road.

Her heart pounded in her chest as sweat made her uniform stick to her body. Every muscle in her legs screamed for her to stop, but she couldn't. She galloped through streets and alleys, occasionally stopping as her horn would glow, before continuing again.

After a few blocks she stopped and hid behind a dumpster, panting. “O-okay. Lost them. I thi-” her horn sparkled again as she shook her head. “No no no no!” she looked around for anything to defend herself, eventually picking up a small, jagged piece of wood as she looked towards the alleyway entrance she came through. She gulped as she hid with her back against the wall.

It wasn't long before she heard the sounds as the hoofs clopped across the cement. They came closer and closer as the board quivered in her magic. She saw the pony's shadow as it stretched out across the ground. Then it stopped. The shadow disappeared as the pony turned around and walked off.

“Whew...” she whispered.

A moment later the wheels of the dumpster shrieked as the wall of metal flew into her. She was sent to the ground, sprawled out in... what she hoped was only mud. She tried to get to her hooves, but soon felt something long and narrow placed to the back of her head.

“Easy girl,” said a new stallion's voice as a hoof gripped her by her saddle. “My boss would like a few words with you. Why don't you-”

Heat enveloped her as the alley way over her head erupted in an inferno. A moment later she felt a hoof on her back, tugging her to her hooves and along the ground.

“Move! Bucking move it, mare!” a stallions voice said as flames erupted behind her again. At the opposite end of the alley a carriage was waiting. She dove into it, head first, as whoever was with her jumped in behind her. “Move, move!”

“On it!” another voice said as she felt the carriage moving. She gulped and glance back at the stallion as he got off her. He chuckled and held out his hoof. “You can call me Knight,” the unicorn said as he helped her up, but didn't let her hoof go. His coat was a dark red, with a bright orange short mane. He was wearing a dark brown suit with a fedora, a small lighter attached to the side. He brought her hoof up and gently brushed the muck away before giving it a soft kiss. “A pleasure to meet such a mare as you.”

“Who are, what is, why was, where am... I-I...” Note squeaked as her hoof was released. She took a seat and tried not to cry as she looked around frantically.

“You're a very lucky mare,” he said as he sat down across from her. “You've caught the eyes of the King.”

“King?” she asked nervously. After a moment she paled. “Not... oh please oh please don't kill me I'm sorry I didn't mean to I was just scared I panicked!”

Sirens began to fill the air as a number of police vehicles passed them. The stallion merely smiled as he reached out to pat her head. “Easy, darling. Nopony's going to hurt you. Just sit back and relax.”

She nodded nervously as she closed her eyes and leaned back, trying to relax, but soon found it impossible. All she could imagine was the carriage slowly dragging her off to tartarus, or possibly worse.
> Chapter 2: Relax
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Note closed her eyes as she tried to focus on something, anything, other than what awaited her. Before long she started gently humming.

“What's that? Sounds familiar,” Knight asked as he turned around in his seat, reaching for something behind it.

“Huh? O-oh... ummm... j-just a little nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me when I was a foal,” Note whispered as she poked her hooves together. “I-I try singing them when I-I'm stressed or... terrified...” she whispered. “I-I'll stop.”

“No, no, feel free. Ah, found it,” the stallion's horn glowed as he tugged out a bottle of wine and glasses.

Note's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “T-that's illegal! Where did you get that? Are you trying to get arrested? I... I'm actually lecturing my foalnapper about the law,” she mumbled as she face hoofed.

“Heh, relax. Here,” he popped the cork as it bubbled out and made a mess all over the floor. “... don't tell anypony I spilled that,” he muttered as he poured some into a glass and hovered it over to her. “Sorry, it's kinda cheap, but it should take the edge off. Make the next part easier too.”

She took it and sniffed the glass. “Next part?”

“Yeah. I uhhhh, I kinda need you to strip. Whoa, hold on!” he yelled as he put his hooves up defensively. After a few moments he lowered them. “Heh. Usually the ladies toss the drink in my face when I say that.”

“... I'm really trying to not get shot,” she mumbled. She downed the wine before holding the glass in her lap. “Are you all... do you plan to...”

“No! N-nothing like that!” the stallion said as he reached out to brush her mane back. “I assure you. I would never dream of doing anything to a pretty little mare that she didn't desire. I just need to check to make sure nothing on you has any tracking enchantments. We're about to hit a dump point and I need check by then. So, please strip.”

“Are you... do you have to watch?”

“If I didn't expect you to try jumping out of the moving carriage, no. Sadly, I'll ummm, try to keep it professional.”

Note nodded as she tossed the glass to him and closed her eyes. Her hooves reached up as she began to gently sing to herself. “Stop little foal and don't you sob, I'll keep you safe cause that's my job. None of the monsters will touch your hair, because that's something I wouldn't bear. I'll keep you safe throughout the night, because nothing can face your mommy's might. If... if you ever feel any fear, know m-mommy will be r-right here...” she trembled as she finally removed the last of her clothing and dropped it on the floor.

“It's fine...” the stallion mumbled as he picked them up and began going through her things. “I'm sorry, but it's just what we have to do.” He picked up her wallet and flipped through it. “You have a nice voice though. And... huh? Who's this?” he asked as he motioned inside the wallet.

“Me,” she said and, despite how stressed she felt, she couldn't help rolling her eyes.

“But-”

“Poison joke,” she said curtly.

“What? Why woul-”

“The cure is expensive and I don't have insurance.”

“Oh, I ummmm, I see...” he then blinked a few more times. “I don't get it.”

“My voice is still the same,” she said as she tried to not grind her teeth. “As well as my coat...”

“Oh! Heh, in that case it's kind of funny. Heh he... errrr... right. Moving on,” the stallion mumbled as he avoided looking at the glaring mare. After a few moments he put them back on the chair next to her. “Nothing, err, tracking your stuff. I uhhh, you look really good though, if that helps. Well, I mean aside from the mud and... errr... I think we have a coat in her somewhere. Better than that muddy uniform.” His horn glowed as the cabinet above her head opened.

A few bullets rolled out and landed in her lap, making her lock up. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she trembled. “I-I'm sorry, please don't kill me, I-I didn't mean to be rude, oh please, I'm sorry! I-I never wanted to, I was scared, they said they were going to-”

The stallion silenced her by putting a hoof against her lips. “Hush. We're not going to just shoot you, I promise. So long as you behave, and don't cause any trouble, you'll be fine. We don't have any intentions of selling you off to the diamond dogs, either. Just relax. Here,” he said as he dropped a small black cloak onto her lap.

She gulped and slowly wrapped the cloak around her, huddling in one of the corners of the carriage. “Why does... does King want to see m-me?”

“You should know that. Especially after last night. It's not every day a little mare takes down... how many was it? Police report said ten.”

“That... sounds about right...” she mumbled as she pulled the cloak tighter. It was warm and the seat was starting to feel very comfortable, especially after all that running.

“Exactly,” he sighed. “I knew some of those guys. Dumb, not very good with magic, but they were tough. How did a little girl like you take them out with just a knife?”

Adrenaline began to pump through her again as she looked around for somewhere to flee, but the small area offered nothing. “I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't w-want to hurt any of your friends, I just, I was scared and, and they were going to... I-I got lucky. T-they were all... separated. Distracted... I got them by surprise.”

He snickered as he reached out and patted her head. “Easy girl, they weren't my friends. Ponies like that are well... King would have had us eliminate them eventually. Saved us a job. Didn't look like you got them all by surprise, though. Judging by the gun shots and the way some of them were cut into-”

“C-can we please not... not talk about it? Please?” she begged as she closed her eyes. “I don't... you weren't there. You have no idea what it was like.”

“Okay, okay, just relax,” he mumbled as he reached out to brush her mane back. “Listen, you've had a long day. We'll be there soon, but once we get there you can take a nice shower and get some rest, okay? King is probably dealing with some other business still.”

She nodded and, true to his words, the carriage stopped soon after. The door opened as the stallion slowly helped her out. She looked around and let out a sigh. They were in a small, empty garage. He led her to the back-right corner and tapped three times. After a few seconds the cement, despite appearing completely solid, began to shift as a large rectangle moved up to the side. It revealed a long stair case going underground.

“After you,” Knight said as he motioned down.

Note held the cloak closer as she began walking down, her hooves trembling. “Jackrabbit hopped along in his coat, on the way to see his new friends' boat,” she softly sung to herself as she began walking down into the darkness, the only light was the occasional torch. “On the way he met Froofroofox who asked him for help with a box. He leaned in close to help the canine, as he smelt something quite divine...”

“Easy girl,” the stallion said he he patted her cloaked form. “It's going to be fine.”

She heard a loud boom from above, she imagined the exit closing behind them. Trapping her in. Too frightened to sing out loud, she began to lightly hum as she touched the bottom step and walked out into the new room.

It was a large, underground open area. Round tables with chairs were set up all over, and a large bar, complete with stools, stood at the opposite end of the cavern. On the right wall a number of newspaper clippings were hung, and against the left wall a small stage, with a few musical instruments, were laying unwatched. There were only two ponies in the room, both earth ponies.

“That's Rook,” Knight said as he motioned to the massive black stallion behind the bar. “Don't worry about him, he's as nice as can be. Wouldn't hurt a fly.”

“KNIGHT!” the stallion bellowed as he slammed a hoof on the counter. Note gulped as she stared at his arms, she was quite certain she had seen thinner trees. “You're late!” His green mane was cut short, though it fell along his neck perfectly parted and combed, albeit thin.

“I ran into some complications,” Knight said as he moved to hide behind Note.

“They better be good,” the other earth pony said as she got up from the table. She wore a bit red cowpony hat and her coat was a bright yellow. As she turned to look at them, her poofy red mane had to be pushed out of her eyes. “Oh? That dah girl your King was goin' on about?”

“Indeed it is!” Knight said as he darted forward and quickly took the mare's hoof, placing a kiss on it. “My deepest apologies, lady Applebloom. Had I known you were here, I would have ensured we traveled with an ever greater haste. I hope negotiations went well?”

“Yeah they did... Spark,” the mare said flatly.

“Hey! I-it's Knight here. Ixnay on the name...they.”

“Ah don't give a darn about your lil fancy nicknames,” Applebloom said as she rolled her eyes. “The deal is simple. Eight barrels of fresh apple cider this weekend. Pick 'em up at the normal place.” She then shoved past him and move in front of Note, who tried to make herself as small as possible.

“H-hi,” the mare squeaked as she stared up at the earth pony.

“Who-eee girl, yah look like yah wrestled with a pig, an lost,” she leaned in and sniffed, cringing. “Smell like it too. Knight, why yah gabbin about out here when yah got this poor girl tah take care of?”

“B-but I was,” the stallion objected. “I-I just got distracted by your beautiful face and Rook's troll-like mug.”

“Hey!” Rook snapped angrily.

“Mmmm hmm, sure yah were. Come on, hon,” Applebloom said as she turned back towards the bar. “Ah been here a few times, ah'll show yah where the showers are. Spark, ah swear if yah try to peep ah'll tan your hide.”

“I-It's Knight! And I'd never, ever do such a despicable thing!”

“Whateva. Go talk tah King. Come along, ummm... what's your name?”

“Note...” the unicorn mumbled as she followed after the mare. Within a few minutes she sighed happily as nice, almost scolding hot water moved down her body. “It feels like forever since I've had a real shower,” she called out.

“Well, dun worry about Knight. Ah'll make sure he behaves,” the earth pony said as she stood outside in the hall.

“Thanks,” she mumbled as she started lathering up. “My last place didn't really... have a working shower. I had to use buckets and well, it was just a pain. Drain barely even worked and had to heat the water up myself sometimes. So uhhhh... do you work for King?”

“Nah,” the mare said with a snicker. “I'm one'a the Apples.”

Note shrieked as she slipped on the tub, crashing to the ground. After a few moments she tried to pick herself up. “Y-you're one of the Apples?! Oh Luna, p-please don't shoot me, I-”

“Oh, knock it off,” the mare said with a roll of her eyes. “Ah don't know what paper yah been readin', but next tah none of what they say about us is true.”

“B-but the Daily Equine says-”

“Dah Daily Equine is run by a buncha silver tongued snakes that wouldn't know the truth if it came up and kicked them in their over paid flanks,” Applebloom snapped.

“I-I'm sorry, I just... sorry...”

“It's okay, ah'm getting' used to it. Ah'll admit a lot of us aren't on the right side of the law anymore, but it's not like we had much choice,” she grumbled. “We'da lost the farm if we kept lettin' them make the rules. Even now it gits harder each day.”

“I-I see... so I... errr, nevermind. I ummm... I'm almost done, is there a towel out there?”

“Yeah, hold on.”

A moment later a white puffy towel was hung on the shower door. Note shut off the water and began drying herself off, letting out a content sigh as she stepped out. “You know, I feel good enough right now I could almost forget I've almost died... I don't even know how many times in the last day.” She tossed the towel on the counter and smiled. “How do I look?”

“Like yah haven't slept in days,” Applebloom chuckled. “Ah haven't seen bags under the eyes like that since mah sister tried to buck the whole orchard on her lonesome.”

“... Fine,” Note grumbled as she yawned and moved a hoof to her mouth. “You don't think they'll let me sleep before they... shoot me, do you?”

The earth pony rolled her eyes. “Ah'll show yah where they have some cots. But then ah really gotta go. Mah sis is still waitin' tah hear about the negotiations.” She led the unicorn through the tunnels, soon taking her to a small room with three suspended cots. “Have a nice sleep.”

Note dropped on one of the cots, barely able to toss the towel off before she lost consciousness. Before long her mind was flooded with visions of fire and shattering glass, surrounding her on all sides.  She tried to run, but the heat enveloped her on all sides, blocking off every exit as it came closer and closer. A sudden gunshot tore through her mind as she sat up, her eyes wide and heart pounding. She looked around frantically, and to her horror Knight was sitting on the cot besides hers.

“Sleep well?” he asked.

Note looked down, a blanket was now covering her. “K-kinda... I uhhh... I was just... how long was I out?” She ran a hoof through her mane, it came away drenched in sweat. She felt a little nauseous, her stomach doing little flips.

“Well, it'll be dawn in a few hours. So I'd say-”

“DAWN?!” the unicorn shrieked. “You let me sleep that long?! I'm going to be late for... for... nothing... really... right. No job. Mafia trying to kill me. Debt and... oh Luna,” everything came back to her at once as the room began to spin.

She started to fall backwards, as Knight jumped to his hooves and quickly caught her. “Easy girl. You okay? When's the last time you had something to eat?”

“I... ummm... Yesterday before... no, wait. Day before yesterday now? I had a sandwich... from work,” she squeaked.

“Heh, yeah, that'll do it. Come on, we have time until King and the others get back. I'll see what I can scrounge up,” he said as he pulled her to her hooves and led her through the halls. A few torches were lit up, but the tunnels were empty.

“Where is everypony?” Note asked as she looked around. The only rooms they passed, as few as there were, seemed to be store rooms, filled with barrels, bottles or crates.

“Left. What, you didn't think we stayed here all the time, did ya? The others need their sleep too.”

“Aren't there dozens of you though?” she asked as they entered the bar section. “I-I've seen the papers. They say King has an entire army...”

“Heh, don't believe everything you read in the papers,” he said as he walked behind the bar and rummaged under the counter. “How do sandwiches sound?”

“Fine,” she mumbled as she walked over to the newspaper clippings on the wall. Unsurprisingly, almost every one mentioned King and his attacks. Dozens dead, valuables stolen and property destroyed. She was so busy reading that she shrieked when she felt a tap on her back. “P-please don't do that.”

Knight snickered as he held out a large sandwich, filled with daisies, tomatoes, lettuce, a few olives and even a rose. Just the sight of it made her drool. “Sorry. Enjoying a little light reading?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled as she took the sandwich in her magic and admired it. “Wow... ummm... so how many of these are true?”

“All of them, to an extent,” he said as he motioned to one. “See that? Dozens dead in a hijacked medical shipment for Plot Co, police chase through the city?” He rolled his eyes. “No security, the only two on it were a couple of over-worked ponies working unpaid over time. We knocked the two poor saps out and took the truck. Wasn't filled with medical equipment either, just illegal booze. By the time they realized what happened the truck was already torn to bits and sold for spare parts.”

“A-alchohol? But that's illegal, why would Plot Co ship that?” she asked before taking a bite of her sandwich. She trembled as the amazing taste filled her mouth, making her knees tremble as the deliciousness soared through her.

“You'd be surprised how many illegal 'shipments' come through this city on a day to day basis,” the red-coated unicorn said with a chuckle as he motioned to another one. “See? 'Fire in Tailswisher Labs'? We weren't anywhere near it, probably burned down for insurance money or some other stupid reason. We stole a pretty sizable... well, let's just say there weren't too happy with us at the time, so the blame fell on us. A lot of the bigger companies aren't too happy with us right now. King likes to target them.”

“Why?” Note asked as she took another bite of the sandwich, her tail happily swishing behind her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten something so filling.

“They have all the best stuff,” Knight said with a chuckle. “Besides, they can afford to give some of it up.”

“If you're doing stuff like that, there must be a lot of you,” Note mumbled as she popped the last bit of the sandwich into her mouth, letting out a content sigh, before gazing sadly at the empty air where her meal once hovered.

“Nah. We're still pretty small. We just have a lot of... allies. Like Lady Applebloom. Few other groups. We do some favors for them, they do favors for us. Give us a little extra muscle for those special jobs.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Note asked softly as her voice quivered. “D-does it not matter? A-are you all going to kill me anyway to keep me quiet? S-so it doesn't matter what I know?” She tried making herself as small as possible.

He smiled and patted her head. “I've told you a dozen times, Relax. Nopony cares about this. We're not the ones going out of our way to hide these things. You don't have to instantly think we're going to start shooting you, just because we tell you a few things. Do you really think I'd have gone to all the trouble of saving you, if we just intended to kill you?”

“W-well, no, but I mean... sorry,” she whispered as she hung her head.

“Just relax,” he mumbled as he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. “You're safe, I promise. We have no intentions of hurting you in any way...”

She nodded and bit her lower lip “O-okay... how long until King gets here?”

“He's been here the whole time,” a gruff voice said from the entrance. Both ponies jumped and whipped around.

Standing at the foot of the stairs was a large pony, his entire body hidden under a large black cloak. The only thing Note could make out was the unicorn's black horn, which was poking through a hole in the hood.

“S-sorry, I was just, we were just-” Knight started.

“I don't care,” King said as he walked towards, and then past, them. He headed down the hallway. “Girl, follow me. Knight, stay here.”

“Yes sir,” the stallion mumbled obediently.

Note gulped fearfully as she followed after the cloaked stallion. Every step made her hooves shiver and her gaze fall lower and lower. When the stallion finally stopped, she was gazing so intently at the floor that she slammed into him.

“Watch where you're going!” the stallion growled, his grating voice echoing through her head.

“S-sorry...” she squeaked as the stallion walked into a small room. All that was in the room was a cheap wooden table, a few chairs and a lamp. A small folder was tossed on the table as the cloaked pony took a seat.

“Sit down.”

Note quickly darted to the closer seat and plopped down, her entire body shaking. “P-please... I-I'm sor-”

“Okay,” King interrupted, “this is how this is going to work. You're going to tell me what I want to know, and then we'll decide what to do from there.”

She nodded slowly as the folder was opened.

“Note, stage name Majestic Note,” the stallion read off.

“Y-yes,” she squeaked softly. “Y-you see I'm a singer a-”

“I haven't asked any questions yet. Don't interrupt me.”

“Y-yes sir, sorry sir...”

“Born in Fillydelphia, only child. Went to Fillydelphia high, graduated with a B- average.”

“H-how do you kn-”

“I told you not to interrupt me,” King snapped. Note trembled as she swore she saw a green glow under the hood. “Now, as I was saying. Only magical talents is weak telekinesis, able to hold up to eight objects at once, but only a three pound limit per object. No known other magics, correct?”

“Y-yes sir...” Note whimpered as she crossed her legs. She struggled not to wet herself as she watched the stallion go through her history.

“Got a job working as a receptionist at Bitsmart headquarters. Spent an unusually high amount of bits per month on dresses from a... Carousel Boutique. Especially considering you were apparently a stallion before this poison joke incident.”

“H-how did you know that? M-my financial records are private, they weren't for me they were for a friend!” Note shrieked as her face turned bright red. They turned even redder when she felt a slap across the face, the other unicorns horn glowing.

“I told you not to interrupt me. Now, as I was saying. After the incident, you were fired from your job. Apparently you attempted to sue them, but were forced into arbitration. After which, you owed them a few thousand bits. Following that you got a job working at Plots. A week and a half later, we come to last night. You, for some reason, went to meet with members of the Goldenshot family. Where you, a tiny little mare with no combat training, no military history, tartarus, you don't even have a concealed weapon permit, managed to kill ponies. Nothing I've found even hints at how you could do such a thing. I want to know how.”

Note just shook in her seat, wishing she still had the cloak from before. At least she could pretend to hide in it.

“Well?”

“I... I don't... I don't know... I just got luc-”

“BULL SHIT!” the pony's voice boomed as he stood up in his chair, slamming both hooves down on the table. Note whimpered as she saw the steel horseshoes on them. The legs were dark purple and trembled with rage. “No pony is that lucky! Listen, Note, you may think you can try pulling a fast one on me and get away with it. But you're hiding something and you're going to tell me. I've managed to find all that information on you in just one day, and all I needed was your ID and equestria number. Don't think I won't find what I want to know.”

“I-I'm sorry! I-I'm so sorry, I just, I just don't know! I got lucky! I-I caught them by surprise, t-they didn't think I'd put up a fight! T-they were separated a-and I picked them off one by o-one!” Note screamed as she cowered in the chair.

The cloaked unicorn sat back down and let out a sigh. “Don't tug me around. You're going to tell me. Don't think you won't. All that is going to change is how long it takes.”

Note whimpered as she stared at the ground.

“You're afraid, I understand that,” King said as he closed the folder. “But you have no choice. The Goldenshot family will kill you, if they find you. If you try to run home, they'll follow you. Now, I can protect you... but only if I trust you. You can either try to earn that trust, or you can give it up. Either way, I'll find out what I want to know.”

“I... I can...” Note said weakly as she trembled. “I-if I tell you, d-do you... do you p-promise n-not to hurt me? A-and that you'll l-let me go?”

“No,” the stallion said as he sighed. “I can only promise I won't harm you. That is all.”

The mare trembled as she bit her lower lip. “I... I can... I can s-see the future.”

“... I told you not to tug me around. Don't insult my intelligence,” King growled, as she swore his eyes glowed green from under the hood.

“I-it's true! I-I can! J-just a little bit,” Note said weakly as she cowered, the chair rattling. “Just... just a little bit. A-at most a minute. B-but, sometimes I get visions. W-when danger comes I-I can just see it. I... I knew w-whenever they were going to jump at me. W-when they were going to c-come around each corner. W-where they were going to s-shoot... I-I saw it all before they e-even knew they would d-do it. I-I ambushed a-a lot of them, t-took them by surprise. It's... it's the only reason I-I'm alive. I-I swear I'm telling the truth.”

King hummed for a moment as he watched her from behind the hood. Every second she waited she felt the icy fear of punishment coiling around her heart. Finally he let out a chuckle. “You're telling the truth, aren't you?”

“Y-yes,” she squeaked.

“Interesting,” the stallion mumbled. “The official status on seeing the future is that it's impossible. Even the princesses can't do such magic. The only thing I've heard similar to such magic, is an unlikely rumor of time magic hidden in Canterlot. Yet, you claim that you can do this impossible feat?”

“Y-yes,” Note squeaked as she tried not to burst into tears.

“Only a minute though? That's not very useful,” the stallion muttered. He got up and began pacing across the room, back and forth. The pink unicorn gulped nervously, each step making her stomach do flips. Finally, he stopped. “Well then. You have three options. Assuming you can prove this little... talent of yours.”

“W-what a-are they?” she squeaked.

“The first is simple, I let you go,” he said offhoove. “I'll get you out of the city, you can go home. Then, in a few weeks they find you and kill you and whoever you're with. Well, or worse.”

Note whimpered. “T-they might not find me though, I-I mean-”

“Oh, they'll find you. You're not well hidden. It took me only a few hours to find all that I did, even with your poison joke problem. Sure, it might take a few weeks, but they'll find you. They are very good at that.”

“W-what are my second a-and third options?”

“Second is easy,” King said as he moved behind the table. “I keep you safe and you work for me. Maybe after a few jobs I'll even get you the antidote to poison joke, as a bonus. Assuming you do a good job.”

“And... and the third option?”

The stallion let out an exasperated sigh. “I tie you down in one of the back rooms. Keep you alive. See how much we can develop that little spell of yours. Three choices, little mare.”

She gulped softly. “I... I want to go. Go home,” she mumbled.

“Very well. I'll have Knight take you to the train station. You can-”

“Really?” she squeaked softly. “Y-you're just going to let me go? No extra threats, nothing?”

“I told you not to interrupt me,” King snapped. “Yes. That is what I told you, was it not? If you wish to march into death's maw so happily, I won't stop you.”

Note gulped as she looked at the ground. Finally after a few moments she spoke up again. “I... will they really find me? Are you certain?”

“They've already found you once. What makes you think it will be so hard a second time?”

She chewed her lower lip as she rubbed her hoof against her foreleg. “F-fine. I... I'll work with you. I mean, I-I'll help you. I won't... I won't have to k-kill anypony, w-will I?”

“No,” King said as he walked from the room. “Just leave that to Knight and Rook. Welcome to our little family, Note.”

As the mare slowly walked from the room, the door shut behind her. Even though it closed gently, she swore she could feel it slam, rattling through her bones. She watched the cloaked figure walk through the halls as she let out a soft sigh. “What am I doing?” she whispered to herself. “What am I going to do?”
> Chapter 3: Try
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“The princess of hearts,” Note said in annoyance.

Knight flipped over the top card of the deck. True to the mare's words, a pink alicorn stared back at him. “Fine. That's twenty-five of twenty-five. But how about-”

“Seven of spades, pink joker, eight of clubs and I swear if you make me do this one more time I will club you in the head with it!” she snapped as she glared at him.

The stallion flipped the cards, each one exact. “Spoil sport. Come on, it's fun,” he said as he leaned back and adjusted his hand. The two were sitting in a cheap rickety old carriage, with Rook sitting outside in the seat. Note was wearing a dark blue dress that flowed along her back, with blue glass bracelets above her hooves.

“How long do we have to wait?” she asked as she glanced out the window. Even the nearby street lights had been broken long ago, leaving the candle in the carriage the only remaining source of light.

“She'll be here, relax. Bishop is one of the best.”

“Uh huh,” Note said with a hmph. “I bet you just like checking out her plot.”

“Oh?” Knight said as he reached out to take the unicorn's hoof in his own. “Are you jealous?” He softly stroked it.

“W-what? N-no! O-of course I'm not! I'm not even really a mare, why would-”

The stallion leaned in and hushed her with his hoof. “Oh now, dear. No need for that. I care not if you are mare or stallion. I see the beautiful maiden within your heart...” he said as he reached out and tapped her chest.

Note's face turned red as she shrieked, closed her eyes, grabbed him by the collar and shoved as hard as she could. He let out a startled yelp as he hit the door and a moment later the knob buckled under the pressure and popped open, dropping him on the ground outside. “Ow...” he groaned. Dirt covered the back of his coat.

“Oh by Luna's... I-I'm so sorry,” the unicorn mare said gently as she covered her mouth. “I-I didn't mean to, I just, I thought you were going to, I-I'm so sorry!”

“What? No, no no,” Knight said with a chuckle as he got up. He shook his body, trying to get off as much as he could. “Do not worry, my little mare. I could never be mad at you.”

“Will you two please knock it off?” Rooks gruff voice came from above. “You're making me retch.”

“Oh, I don't know,” a mare's voice said from the shadows. “I think it's adorable.”

Note shrieked as she looked about. “S-someponies here!”

The sound of three collective face hoofs pierced the night.

“She must be the new girl,” the voice said again as a dark green coated pegasus walked into the meager light from the carriage. She had a sack on her hip, hiding her cutie mark. She ran a hoof through her short, red mane as she gave Knight a wink. “I hope you've been taking good care of her?”

“Of course!” the stallion said proudly as he puffed out his chest. “Note, meet Bishop. One of the finest members of our group.”

“A pleasure to meet you d... hmmm?” the pegasus stopped as she gripped Note's hoof and nearly dragged her from the carriage. Bishop gazed into the unicorn's eyes as her own glowed green for a second.

“You... you're under some kinda enchantment, ain't yah?”

“Y-yes,” Note squeaked as she stared into those eyes. Those big, green, mesmerizing eyes. Her eyelids began to feel heavy as she struggled to keep them open.

“Oy!” Knight said as he got between the two of them, pushing Note back into the carriage. “None of that now.”

“Awww, I was just having a little fun,” Bishop said as she puffed out her lower lip.

“King doesn't want her drained,” Rook said from above.

“Ugh, fiiiine. I wasn't going to do too much,” the pegasus grumbled as she motioned to her hip. “Numbers are in there. Another big rig. One driver and three security personnel hiding in the back.”

“Heh, another truck?” Knight said as his magic opened the hip bag and pulled out the papers. “When will the companies learn, flaunting your wealth by using actual engines is just going to draw attention?”

“Yeah, just be careful you two,” Bishop said with a roll of her eyes. “These guys have real weapons. You take this too casually and not one of you will survive.”

“Relax,” the red unicorn said as he flipped through the papers. “Me and Rook can take care of a couple security ponies. We got our new secret look out, too.”

Note gulped. “I-I'm not going to have to shoot any pony, am I?”

“Nah, relax. Just leave the fighting to me and Rook. I take it you won't be joining us?” he asked Bishop as he wiggled his eyebrows. “If you'd like to catch a bite after this...”

The pegasus burst into laughter as she spread her wings. “Nah, not this time. Maybe later though. Bye!” she took off into the air, disappearing over one of the buildings.

“She seems... nice,” Note mumbled as her cheeks flared. “She has pretty eyes.” Her eyes lingered where the green plot had been seen last.

“Yeah, I wouldn't look into them to much. Rook, you ready?” Knight asked as he hopped back into the carriage.

“Hmph, yeah. Where to?” Rook asked as he hopped down from the roof and latched into the shaft.

“Twenty-seventh street, corner of Silk avenue. We'll intercept it outside the abandoned Donut Joe's.” After a few moments they began moving. The unicorn glanced to Note and smiled, “You look nervous. What's wrong?”

“Is this all going to be okay?” the mare asked as she looked outside the window. “What if there's not enough room in the carriage?”

“Nah, don't worry. We've done this a dozen times. We take care of the driver and drive off in the truck.”

“What about the carriage? Won't they track it to your group?”

The stallion burst into laughter. “Nahhhh. That's stolen too. Nice little irony, we use their carriages to steal their booze.”

“You steal a lot of things,” Note grumbled before sighing. “Not like I can really object. I'm an accomplice...”

“It's fine. Not everypony is so quick to accept this line of work,” he let out a sigh as he gazed out the window. “Though, you'll eventually understand that most of these companies are criminals too. The only difference is, they have the power to make their actions legal.”

“... Trust me, I already know that,” she muttered as she glanced at him again. “So, how did yo-” The carriage suddenly came to a stop, whipping her head back into the wall. “Owwww... why does he have to always stop so quickly?”

“Heh. It's what he does. So, how does this work? Your ummm, future sight stuff?”

She sighed, “Well, it takes a second or so to cast the spell, and then I can see into the next minute or so. It's kinda like... dreaming? It all flashes by so rapidly, it only takes a few seconds, but it feels as if I took my time and know everything that's happening.”

“Wow, must be nice to have in a fight.”

“Not as nice as you'd think,” she grumbled. “I tried taking karate classes years ago. I only ever see the initial attack, if a pony realizes I'm moving aside, they'll readjust and I don't have nearly enough time to cast the spell again before I get pounded.” She instinctively rubbed her eye. “You never realize how long a few seconds are until you get hurtled into the mat about fifty times. It's good though when somepony tries to ambush me! It kinda... activates on itself when I'm in real danger. Saved my life quite a few... actually, before this week it had only saved me a few times.”

“Well, still nice,” the pony said with a smile as he patted her head. “Why didn't you try to win the lottery or something?”

“Even if I could, do you have any idea what might happen to me?” Note asked as she nibbled her lower lip. “This kind of magic isn't supposed to exist. I've heard the stories about ponies with contraband dark magics being picked up in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. What if my magic was deemed the same?”

“I see,” Knight got to his hooves. “You hear that? One of those big truck engines. They'll be here soon.” Far off in the distance she could hear a low rumble.

Note nodded as she looked out the window. Rook was standing on the nearby sidewalk, the only pony out. Most of the buildings were in the same state of repair as her apartment had been. A few ponies were hanging outside, hunched down and smoking some strange herb. The carriage was parked outside a one time diner, the windows now shattered and boarded up, the only remaining letters hanging over the door an O, Y and S. She closed her eyes as her horn glittered for a second. “It'll stop at the end of the street, best time to make your move.”

Rook nodded as he moved behind the carriage, hiding himself from view of the road. After a half minute a massive white semitruck, with a trailer, slowly drove down the street past the carriage. It had no emblems or signs, the only marks were a few spray painted tags from juvenile ponies.

The moment the brake lights came on Rook was on the move. Before the massive vehicle had fully stopped, he jumped up onto the side of the door, gripped the handle with one hoof and shattered the glass with the other. He held the gun in his mouth, aimed at the driver. “Move an ah shhoot,” he said around the metal weapon.

Note's horn crackled as she stared at the back of the truck. “They're going to come out from the back once the truck stops for a few seconds, two on the left, one on the right. It'll slide up. They... oh Luna. Y-you get shot, b-but you get them all in your explosion.”

Knight nodded as he jumped from the carriage. His horn glowed as the lighter in his fedora shot into the air. The flame was tiny as he held out his hoof. It slowly began to grow as the fire pulled free from the lighter and circle around him in a ring of flame. He held out his hoofs as the now raging blaze shot out and seared across the bottom of the gate, melding the metal together. After a few seconds the flame died, though the metal glowed bright red.

Within seconds Note heard a yowl of pain from the back of the truck, followed by pounding on the door. “Welp, that should do it,” the inferno-gifted stallion said as he motioned to her. “Shall we?”

“I... right, yes,” Note said as she hopped out from the carriage and followed him to the truck cabin, glancing back at the trailer. The passenger door opened as Knight helped her inside. “Where's the driver?”

“Tied up in the carriage,” Rook said as he turned the key. “He'll be fine.”

“... How do you know how to drive something like this?” the mare asked as she slid into the back, glancing at the poor tied up pony besides her. Rook didn't answer so she just glanced out the window as the world raced by. “Do you think those ponies are okay in the back?”

“Probably,” Knight said with a shrug. “They'll try to kill us as soon as we let them out, though. It's gonna be a fun time.” The pony chuckled as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a cigar and slid it in his mouth.

“Please don't,” Note said quickly.

“Hmmm?”

“It's not good for the lungs or... anything,” she mumbled.

“Ah, fine. Guess yah gotta keep that voice of yours in tip top shape, eh? Don't think yah ever told me, why did a mare like you come to Manehatten and get mixed up with ol' Goldenshot's boys anyway?”

Note closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall. “It's a boring story.”

“We got time. This old rig doesn't even have a radio,” Knight said. Rook gave a grunt, making the unicorn sigh. “Right, fine, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”

“I thought there would be job opportunities here,” the mare finally said as she chewed on her tongue for a moment. “You know, one of the big cities. Sing, get my voice out there. I used to hear all these great stories about how beautiful the city was. I even got a job accepted at Bitsmart before I came. I really should have read the contract closer...”

“Oh?” Knight asked as he rummaged through the glove box. “Score, gum! Want some? It's spearmint.”

“No,” Note said quickly. “It was a pretty crummy job. Most the 'benefits' that were mentioned turned out to be nowhere near as good as they said. Job hours were crap and I was constantly getting yelled at. Most my coworkers were nice though. Probably the only good thing about it. Bosses were complete asses.”

“Mmmm hmmm?” Knight said as he popped two pieces of gum in his mouth before offering one to Rook, who took a slice.

“Yeah. Got that crummy little apartment. Was cheap, not a lot of questions asked and I made enough I could probably move out after a while. I sent my tapes out, but didn't get many responses,” she grunted. “Then I got hit by the poison joke. I thought my boss was intolerable before, always making crude comments even when I was a... well... it got worse then. He tried to outright rape me in one of the closets. Only reason he didn't succeed was because one of my coworkers barged inside.”

Knight froze in his seat, his hoof moving to rub his lighter. “I see... did he try a second time?”

“I didn't give him a chance to. I went straight to the boss over him. Next day I was fired. I tried going to a lawyer but... court day comes up, turns out the contract I signed specifically said I wasn't allowed to sue. I had to go into something they called arbitration. They got to chose the third party to... settle,” the mare said as she made air-quotes with her hooves, “our disagreement. In the end I lost all my savings to the lawyer who refused to do anything, said it wasn't worth the time and effort fighting against the contract. I then got hit by the fees for the arbitrator, apparently the contract stipulated I had to pay it, not them. They just got to choose it,” she growled as she banged her head back. “It wasn't until a week later that I found out I wasn't the first time this had happened. Ironback apparently did some extra things for the bosses, so he was untouchable.”

“Noponies untouchable,” the stallion mumbled as he glanced out the window, lightly stroking the lighter. “He won't be botherin' you any more. As far as he knows, you're dead.”

“... Probably not,” she mumbled. “I think he set me up to be... kidnapped. Just, the way he was talking to me last time... I think he gave those ponies my address and told him about my singing. After wards he was talking to me like... so I dropped boiling hot coffee in his lap and ran.”

“W-what?” Knight asked as he tried not to laugh. “That's hilarious! Think you burned his junk?”

“I hope so, he deserved it,” Note mumbled with a smile. “Actually, it was probably the best part of that day. Shame I was too afraid and panicked to enjoy it.”

“Oh? But what about meeting me? Wasn't that better?”

“... Nope, definitely dumping the coffee in his lap,” the mare said quickly. For the first time she heard Rook let out a little snort of laughter. “So, you never told me. What brought you into this line of work?”

“Easy. I used to be a firefighter, didn't work out,” Knight mumbled as he stroked his cigarette.

“You? But you're so good at making them! How would you be able to put them out?”

“Heh. I'm an expert at making them and putting them out,” he let out a low whistle. “Making it's a hell of a lot easier, though. But, maybe one day I'll show you what I can do.”

“So, why'd you stop?”

“It just wasn't the job for me,” he mumbled. “Now, if you wanna know a real fun story, Rook joined by- GAH!” the stallion let out a cry of pain as the earth pony smacked him in the jaw. “W-what did you do that for?!”

“None of her business, or yours, why I'm here,” the stallion muttered. “Besides, we're almost there. Enough talking.”

“B-but you hit me... i-it really hurt...”

Note smiled as she reached up and rubbed his back. “There there, when we get out maybe Rook will kiss it better?”

Knight whipped about and shook his head. “I think I'd rather have my jaw torn off. However, if you want to kiss it better...”

“If you two are going to make out,” Rook growled, “wait until we're done with the job.”

“You're just jealous because you want her to kiss you better,” Knight said with a smirk. “OW! Stop hitting me!”

The earth pony shook his hoof a few moments before driving through an open gate and into a large, run down warehouse. Outside it had the words 'Condemned' painted on the side. The once polished metal that made up up the structure was now old and rusty, with a number of holes through the side. As they came closer, the large metal doors slowly grinded open and the truck drove in. Even with the lights of the truck on, Note couldn't see anything, just the concrete ground. She nervously hunched down in the back seat.

“W-why aren't the lights on? Is something wrong?” she asked softly.

“No. If you're worried, why didn't you just look in the future?” Knight asked as he turned back.

“Because I... oh... I hadn't actually... thought of that. Hold on,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes. Her horn glowed for a moment. As soon as they opened she quickly covered them. Lights suddenly turned on, blinding them as Knight let out a curse.

“Every Luna damned time!” he yelled as he kicked the door open. “King, turn those off!”

“Just making sure everything went according to plan,” the stallions gravely voice responded. As Note uncovered her eyes she saw a large tower of lights, most of which were aimed at the cab window. King was standing with half a dozen ponies, all wearing suits and fedora's. The warehouse was almost completely empty, aside from stacks of rubble pushed to the side and three rather large carriages. “It did go according to plan, correct?”

“Mostly. We have three ponies locked in the back. Need to unseal it, I flash fired the door,” Knight said proudly.

“... Of course you did,” The pony growled as he walked towards the back. “Come along.”

It took a few moments for the door to be opened and, thanks to Note's spell, nopony was hurt as the security ponies tried to shoot wildly at them. Faced with the superior numbers they quickly gave up. Before long the four were in the back of a carriage and heading through the city, the hollow compartments filled with alcohol.

“So, who were those other ponies?” Note asked softly. She was sitting besides Rook, across from Knight and King.

“We have many friends,” their boss said with a shrug. “They help us out and we give them a share. They also pay us a hefty sum depending on the size.” He lightly patted his side, though even sitting his entire body was shrouded in the cloak.

“Oh... what about the truck? Won't they get caught with it?” the mare asked softly.

“No,” Knight said with a snicker. “Most of them are plain like that these days. Makes it harder to identify who they belong to if there is an accident and suddenly a few hundred gallons of booze gets dumped in the middle of town square. Chances are by the time any pony even starts looking for it, the thing will be little more than scrap.”

“So then, how did the new blood do?” King asked as the hood opening moved towards the mare. She instinctively shivered.

“She did fine,” Knight said quickly as he gave her a confident grin.

“I wasn't asking you,” King growled.

“She was fine,” Rook mumbled. “Inexperienced and not the best lookout yet, but she didn't panic or run screaming into the night. I really expected she would.”

“And her spell?”

“Did okay, stopped Knight from getting shot. Would have been nicer if he had.”

King chuckled before leaning back. “Well, I guess that works then. I suppose we'll need a name for you...”

“Let me guess, Pawn?” Note asked sarcastically.

“I was thinking Queen.”

“W-what? Queen? But, you said your King and... and...” her cheeks turned bright red. “It's because of those outfits I ordered, isn't it? I-I told you they were for a friend!”

“Don't be upset, Queen,” Knight said with a chuckle as he reached out to take her hoof and bring it to his lips. “No matter what happens, know you'll always have a knight here to protect you.”

Note turned bright red as she tugged her hoof back. “F-fine, w-whatever. Not like I care... oh! Does this mean I get to see under the hood now?” the mare asked as she reached forward to try and grab King's hood.

The stallion's horn glowed and she was shoved back so hard the carriage shook. “No pony. Touches. The hood. Understand?”

“Y-yes sir,” the mare squeaked, a small glow around her chest pinning her to the seat. “I-I'll never touch it again, please don't kill me...” The magic finally let her go as she crumbled in the chair, gasping for air. “S-sorry.”

“Which brings me to our next point of business. You wish to sing, do you not?”

“Well, yes. Not that I can do it now,” Note grumbled as she poked her hooves together.

“Not necessarily. We have most of the equipment set up at the bar for a band, adding a singer would be easy. If you wa-”

“I'll do it!” Note shrieked as she sat up. “When?”

“Heh, tomorrow. We have some decent supplies so we'll be opening the bar tomorrow. It's only a few nights a week, but if people like it you can keep singing.”

“Eeeeeee!” the mare squealed as she lunged forward and... hugged Knight. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

“W-what? Why are you hugging me?” the stallion asked before smiling and hugging her back. “Not that I mind.”

“Because I'm really happy and I have to hug somepony or I'm going to burst! Also, because I was afraid King would throw me out of the carriage if I tried to hug him,” Note let out another squeal of delight, so high pitched the three stallions were forced to cover their ears.

“By Luna's over spanked flank, don't do that again!” Rook snapped once he could hear again. Every pony turned to stare at him. “What?”

“I've... never heard of that expression before,” the pink mare said softly.

“He does it from time to time,” Knight said with a sigh. “You should have heard him the time he dropped a glass jar of pickles on his feet. I'm pretty sure the string of colorful words he used involving our fair princesses would have gotten him incarcerated.”

“Screams and curses aside,” King growled, “just choose some songs for tomorrow and do what you can. I don't expect much aside from not driving our customers off.”

“I'll get right on it! I'll have a bunch of really good songs ready by tomorrow!” the giddy unicorn squealed before looking up at Knight. “Oh, right, ummm... you can stop hugging me now.”

------

Note trotted back and forth through her room, nervously chewing on her lower lip. The room was new, with light brown carpeting and flower wall paper. A small bed and desk were the only furniture. On top of the desk was a small sheet of paper and a pen. A light tap on her door made her turn around as the door opened.

“Hey, Queen. Ready for tonight?” the stallion asked.

“Yes! No! I don't know! I-I don't know how I should do this,” Note squealed. “What if they hate me? I-I mean, what if I'm not good? What if I suck?” she whimpered as she gripped the paper in her magic. “I have five in mind. I-I thought I could start off with some old classics, then one of Sweetie Belle's softer love songs such as 'My heart belongs to a horse' and then end with one of my own.”

“You'll do fine,” the stallion said with a smile. “Worse comes to worse, you start a riot and we start shooting ponies.”

“WHAT?!” her head whipped up so fast she felt a twinge in her neck.

“Relax, I was joking. I have a surprise for you,” he moved to her bed and pulled out a small black package from behind him. He lightly put it on the bed. “Think of it as a good luck gift.”

Note gulped as she moved over to the parcel and slowly began unwrapping it. She let out a shrill shriek as the paper moved away and revealed a beautiful red dress, sparkling with sequins. Around the lower hem rubies, cut like roses, were lined in in rotation, one high then one low. “This... is...”

“Yup, a Rarity original,” the stallion said with a smile. “I thought if you're going to go out on stage, you best look dazzling. Right?”

“Knight!” she shrieked as she dashed over and hugged him. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you! T-this must have cost a fortune!”

“For a good cause,” the stallion said as he hugged her back. “Does this earn me a rub of the ol' cutie mark? Oy!” Knight keeled over as she jabbed him in the stomach.

“Bad. It does however earn you a kiss,” Note said as she leaned up and... kissed him on the cheek. A moment later he let out a happy sigh. “Heh, you're easily satisfied. Wait outside and I'll change, okay?”

“Sure, madam Queen,” the red stallion said as he turned and trotted out the door.

The pink mare sighed as she stroked a hoof along the dress. “Best. Friend. Ever,” she whispered as she slowly unfolded the dress. With another happy squeal she slid it on over her head. The soft fabric came up to just below her neck and had a few holes for her hooves to slide through. It went down to chest level at the front and went lower as it moved back, nearly touching the ground near the back. The light gleamed off the dress, sparkling like jewels.

“I-I can't believe this...” Note squeaked as she looked down. “K-Knight, how do I look? Do I look good?!” she shrieked as she couldn't stand still, trotting in place.

The fire caster popped his head through the door and let out a soft whistle. “You look beautiful... come along now,” he said as he motioned her forward. “It's time for your debut.”

She nodded as she trotted out with him and headed down the hall. Before long they came out to the bar. Soft sound filled her ears, over on the stage she saw a small band playing the violin, a clarinet, a small portable piano and finally a saxophone. The bar only had three ponies in it aside from King and Rook. “Where is everypony?” she squeaked.

“They'll be here, just relax,” Knight said with a grin. “I'm going to go help the others, you get on stage and knock them dead.” He reached out and gave her a little push. As she trotted off he moved behind the bar and glanced to King. “Still wearing the cloak, huh? You know we'd probably get more guests if you didn't constantly hide yourself like that.”

“That's not going to happen,” the pony's gravely voice answered.

“Fine, fine,” the red stallion glanced to the stage as the music stopped, with Note chatting to the band. “So... did you find out what I asked?”

“Yes. Bishop did a little investigating,” King mumbled. “This Ironback definitely takes care of a number of jobs for his bosses. Hitting them won't be too hard. However, I think you're taking this a bit too personal.”

“You know we'll have to deal with him eventually,” Knight mumbled as he took out one of his cigarettes and lit it. “Can't risk him finding out about Queen over there.”

“No, we can't,” the cloaked stallion grumbled. “But that's because of business. I don't like you taking pleasure out of it. It makes you too sloppy.”

“Relax, it'll be fine. I've never let you down before, King. Me and Rook can handle anything needed, and with Note keeping look out-”

“Note won't be there,” the stallion said firmly.

“W-what?” Knight asked, nearly dropping the cigarette from his mouth.

“Too risky. I'm going to try developing her spell here, having her go with you might get her identified. She did use to work for them. Bishop will be your look out.”

“What? Why Bishop? She-”

“Already knows how to resist your charms and will be able to keep you focused on the job,” King growled. “At the end of the day, Knight, this is a job. The only difference is, we get paid better but if we mess up, we die. So start taking it seriously.”

Soft music began filling the air as the two looked to the stage for a moment. Note had begun, her gentle notes floating through the air. Sadly, most the current guests were too drunk to notice. “I am taking this seriously,” Knight mumbled as he glanced back to the cloaked stallion. “It's not just about payback. We can make a lot of money off these.”

“Yes, we can,” King agreed. “Only if we take this seriously. If you see the guy vulnerable, feel free to kill him. But don't go out of your way to get to him. Understand?”

“Yes sir, I understand...” The red stallion glanced up to the stage. “She does have a nice voice though. A bit sorrowful, but gentle on the ears.”

“Good. Ponies drink more when they're sad. I'll be in the back, working on some things. Come get me if you need me.” The stallion turned and walked down the hall, leaving the two behind to serve drinks.

Note tried her best to keep her voice steady as she lightly swayed from side to side. The music flowed around her and at times she felt as if she couldn't breath. The words flowed out like water, though midway through the song she felt her mouth dry out. She began to shake as her first note was missed. She struggled to get by, though in the chorus she missed another note. As the final word came from her lips her entire body was shaking and sweat coated the inside of her dress, though fortunately the fabric seemed amazing at whisking it away.

“T-thank you,” she squeaked as she walked off the stage and made a bee line for the bar. Behind her she heard the band start again. “I-I can't do this!” she said to Knight as she put her trembling hooves on the counter. “I-I've never sung in front of a crowd before!”

“Huh?” the pony asked as he smiled at her. “Come now, you sounded wonderful.”

“B-but I can't!  I've just never... I've only ever done recordings! No pony has ever responded! I can't do this! I-I'm shaking so bad I just... I just can't!”

“Easy girl, easy,” he patted her hoof and smiled. “You look beautiful and sound majestic. In fact, I've already had two ponies come up and ask me who the amazing new talent is.”

“R-really?” she asked as she looked around. “But there are only like... five ponies here now.”

“I know. They just loved your singing so much. You sound amazing. Go on, you can do it.”

“... You're lying,” she mumbled as she hung her head. “Just to make me feel better, aren't you?”

“What? No! I'd never!” Knight said quickly.

“I appreciate it, really I do. But I'm terrible, I know it...”

“Nah, he's telling the truth,” Rook said as he washed a few glasses with his rag.

“R-really?” Note asked as she looked to the large earth pony. After a moment she shook her head and giggled. “Wait, no. You wouldn't... w-wow... I... I'm getting fans! Ponies like my singing! I'll go right back up as soon as they finish this set.”

After she left Knight let out a soft sigh and smiled to Rook. “Thanks for covering me back there. I knew you cared.”

“Hmph. Don't read too much into it. If I hadn't I knew I'd be listening to both of you whine and mope for the next few hours,” the pony said gruffly as he poured four mugs of thick sweet apple cider. “Take these to the corner table. Greenback and her husband just walked in.”

“On it!” the stallion said as he scooped up the drinks and trotted towards the table.

------

Note wobbled to the bar and sat down with a groan. “S-something c-cold,” she croaked out. Hours had passed as the bar had filled up finally and was only now beginning to die down again.

“Your throat okay?” Rook asked as he poured her a mug of cider and plopped it in front of her.

“Y-yes...” she managed to choke out. “I-I've just never sung like that before. How long was I up there?”

“Three, maybe four hours, including the breaks. Might want to add a few more songs to your repertoire,” the pony said with a chuckle. “But nopony threw any bottles of booze at yah, so it didn't go too bad.”

“Thanks,” she grumbled as she took a gulp of the drink. Her cheeks turned red as the icy cold beverage cascaded down her sore throat, the sweet nectar stroking her tongue and the fizzy bubbles tickling her nose. “W-what... what is this... this amazing drink?”

“Sweet apple cider,” Knight said as he popped up behind her. “Best drink you'll ever touch in all of Equestria. You sounded great up there. Best take good care of your voice before we open again.”

“Open again?” she squeaked pathetically. “H-how often does this place open?”

“We only have one of these speakeasys about twice a week. One early in the week, one near the end. Keeps us from drawing undue attention to ourselves. Rotate locations sometimes as well. You'll get used to it as we go.” Knight reached up to pat her head. “Gives you time to rest that beautiful voice and for us to make sure our supply isn't too dented.”

“Oh, well, that's good then,” she said with a smile before taking another deep drink. “Does that mean we have another job tomorrow?”

“Me and Rook do. Boss wants you to wait here and work on your spell,” the stallion said as he reached over the counter to grab himself a mug of cider.

“What? Why? Did I do something wrong? Was I a bad look out?” she squeaked as she put her drink down and looked to him, chewing on her lower lip.

“What? Nooo! You were an amazing look out. The best! Stopped me from getting shot.”

“You coulda done a better job. Next time just let him get shot,” Rook added.

“Shut up,” Knight said before smiling to Note. “It's just a few minor jobs, don't worry. Just keep practicing that beautiful voice of yours and everything will be fine. I know looking forward to your next little concert will make me want to come home all the faster.” He reached out and gently brushed her mane behind her ear. “Okay?”

Note blushed as she nodded slowly. “O-okay... T-thanks. I... I'll do my best.” She looked up and then reached up and gave the stallion a tight hug. “Thanks for everything,” she whispered before letting go and trotting off to her room.

“She's gonna hit you pretty hard when she finds out what you talked the boss into doing,” Rook grumbled.

“Nah, she'll never find out,” Knight said with a confident smirk. “Besides, what's the worst that can happen?”
> Chapter 4: Violence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Note gulped nervously as she paced outside a large doorway. She glanced up and down the hall, but they were empty. “Come on, Note, you can do this. Nopony is here. Nopony will know. King never directly forbade you from entering, he just said I shouldn't. Just one little peep,” she mumbled to herself as she poked the door knob.

“But what if King finds out and gets angry?” she whined as she turned her back to it. “No, no! He even said he didn't really care. I'm sure whatever is in there is harmless. Heck, I bet he only said I shouldn't go in here or the other rooms so he could make me squirm and guess. Hmph. That's definitely something he'd do. Okay. Let's go.”

The unicorn reached out and popped open the door as she held her breath. Nothing happened. She didn't hear anything. Didn't see anything. It was completely silent and still. “Oh, that's all?” she mumbled as she stepped forward and started breathing. She let out a shriek of fright as the smell slammed into her nostrils and practically pile drove her into the ground. She jumped back as her eyes watered from the rotting stench. Her horn glowed as she slammed the door shut and retched on the ground, quickly losing the bagel she'd had for breakfast, before crawling away. After a few moments she stared at the door and shook her head.

“K-king is an evil, sadistic b-bastard... he did that on purpose. I just know it,” she groaned as she slowly got to her hooves and moved to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face as she tried to purge the memory of the stench. She spat into the sink a few times, trying to lose any trace of that smell from her body. She hopped into the showered and began cleaning up.

After a long, steamy she stepped out and headed to the bar. Grabbing a dust bin and broom she headed down to clean up the majority of her mess, fortunately the ground was mostly stone and dirt, her room the only actual carpeted area, so the mess was quickly cleaned. Once she was done she took a seat at one of the tables. “I'm so borrrrred,” she whined.

She had been trapped down here for almost a week. Everyday King would come down and work on her spell with her until she felt like she would almost pass out. She'd been able to extend her vision to nearly an hour, though it was difficult, exhausting and made her horn throb for a while. Still, after lessons she was able to talk to the stallion and was finding him to be quite interesting. That or the days were so boring that she'd have found a rat interesting.

Night time was always the best, Knight made it a habit of visiting her and they'd talk until he was forced to head out with Rook. He always came back to see her after the job was done, and they'd talk until he had to leave.

Note was also getting better at singing. She'd written a half dozen songs since arriving and made sure to cycle at least eight different ones a night. While most the guests didn't seem to care, a few approached her after and told her how beautiful her voice was. A few had even approached her for far most noble reasons, which she had respectfully declined. Her ego was being helpfully inflated though.

Unfortunately, it was Wednesday. She still had a few days until she could do any singing and was basically given free range to investigate her new home. She'd already explored almost every inch, aside from a few rooms King had told her to stay out of(now she knew why), and had found that there was a lot of storage for alcohol, but nothing to actually do.

With no better options she had resorted to doodling on napkins, writing down strange little sayings like 'A penny in the pocket is worth two in the gutter' or 'Never grab a bird by the tail feathers' or even 'I'm a griffin trapped in a napkin factory, send help.' As she finished her doodling she glanced towards the clock and let out a soft groan. “Hurry uuuuup! Ugh. I'm. So. Borrrrrred!” she whined as she banged her head on the table. “This is all a plot by King, I know it. An attempt to drive me insane! But it's not going to work, you hear me?! I'm completely sane! Lots of people talk to themselves! It's normal!”

She let out an annoyed grunt before she slowly moved behind the bar. All of the drink serving equipment was there, but dismantled. She picked up two small metal tubes. “Hmph. I've seen him put this together a few times, how hard can it be?” She stopped and put it down. “Maybe I should check...” Her horn lit up as she cast her spell. After a few seconds she took a step back, her face pale. “No no no no noooo. Not doing that. Nevermind. King would outright kill me!”

Dejected, the mare made her way to one of the tables and sat down. She glanced towards the exit before shaking her head. “No. Even if you knew how to trigger the door, King would probably get pissed. If he wanted me out he'd have shown me how to... get out. Ugh. I hate this. I'm not just some prisoner. Oh, who am I... huh?” she sat up as she heard sounds echoing from the stairs. The tunnel worked as an amplifier, so they could hear whenever any pony came by. She got to her hooves and darted to the bottom of the stairs. “About time! Maybe I can ask King about a few books or something,” she grumbled as she closed her eyes and cast her spell again.

She watched as the next few minutes passed by. The sounds above disappeared and a moment later an explosion tore through the roof of the staircase. Rubble dropped down, burying her as she tried to run away. As she watched the rocks crushed her, making it impossible to breath as blood dribbled from her mouth, the lower half of her body almost completely flattened. A few of the sharper bits of rock and fragments of metal were lodged into her chest. She stared up as ponies began walking down through the rubble, a gun was leveled at her face and the last thing she saw was the flash of gunpowder before darkness.

She reappeared in the real world, her entire body shaking as she backed away. “W-who? What? Why would, AHHHHH!” she screamed as she turned and ran. She darted down the hallway behind the bar, stopping only a moment to grab one of the knives from behind the counter. A second later she felt the ground shake as dust and rocks filled the room behind her.

“Go go go! Kill anything that resists!” a stallion's voice called from behind her. She kept running, looking around wildly. Nothing offered her the sense of security she wanted.

With only a few seconds to hide, she galloped past her room and looked under her bed. “No, too obvious. They'll find me. There's just... just one place.” Holding her breath as best she could, she dove into one of the horrible smelling rooms. She gently closed the door behind her as she looked around. The room was completely dark. She tried groping for a light switch on the wall, but felt nothing. Her lungs began to burn, pleading for air as she struggled to hold it as long as she could. Behind her, she could hear the ponies banging down doors and yelling. With no other option, she slowly began moving through the room towards the opposite side.

Unable to hold it back, she finally took a soft breath. It felt like she got punched in the face, the stench assaulting every sense she had, she could almost hear how bad it was. She managed to barely avoid retching as she slowly walked across the floor.

After a few moments the ground became wet and sticky, she tried not to imagine why. Suddenly something was in front of her and caught her hoof, tripping her up. She stumbled forward and hit a whole pile of whatever it was. She collapsed on said pile as more sticky wet gunk coated her. She went completely still, surrounded on all sides as she tried to not imagine what it could be. The smell was almost unbearable as she struggled to not pass out. After a few seconds the door behind her creaked open and a small beam of a flashlight coated the room.

“Mother of Celestia,” the pony in the door turned and lost his lunch, the sound nearly breaking her control of her own desire to retch. Unfortunately, the pony's movements made the beam shine directly in front of the hiding pony. 

She stared into the eyes of a long dead corpse, its mane long since fallen out and eyes glazed over and gray. She couldn't help herself. The bile rose in her stomach as she tried to scream, both sounds mixing together to form a crescendo of gagging, retching shrieks. It didn't take long for more beams to fill the room and her to see that the things she had tripped over and landed on were corpses, long deceased and some leaking fluids. She got to her hooves and backed away, so panicked she didn't hear the words yelled behind her. The last thing she remembered were the bodies staring up at her, before the stiff blow to the back of her head.

------ 

Note groaned as her eyes slowly opened. Her body hurt all over and her head felt as if if had been split open. She tried to reach a hoof up to rub it, but found it couldn't move. She shrieked as she tried tugging her hoof away, but something had it trapped. She tried to look around, but she couldn't move her head either and she could could see only blackness.

“HELP!” she screamed as she tried moving and shaking her head. She heard a light clank as she finally realized her hooves were shackled down. She tried to use some magic, but her telekinesis couldn't budge whatever held her. “Somepony, help me! Anypony!”

“Nopony is coming to help you,” a voice said. An all too familiar one.

“I-Ironback?” she squeaked softly as her entire body began to shake. She felt some pressure on her head as vision returned, the blindfold lowered from her eyes. She looked around as best she could without moving her head. She was inside a small stone room. The pony of her nightmares stared back at her, though rather than a confident smirk he looked angry. She gulped nervously.

“I warned you the first time,” he growled as he reached up a hoof and backhoofed her. She couldn't even move her head with the blow, the device holding her head in place cutting into her horn. “I told you if you tried anything again, I'd have to make an even bigger example of you.”

“I-I, what? What are you talking about? I-I haven't done anything!” Note whimpered, a moment later a second blow making her cheeks bleed.

“I'm in a lot of trouble, thanks to you and your little friends,” he growled. “To think, I finally track down their hide out, and you're found? How did you even get them to help you? Start using your body in the proper way?”

“I-I don't know w-what you're talking about, please, I-I never did anything to you! I-I just want to go home, pl-” she was silenced as a blow hit her in the stomach, knocking the air out of her.

“When I'm done with you, you're going to wish I'd just sold you to Goldenshot,” the stallion growled as he stepped out of the room. “But first, I think it'll be best to have you cleaned up. Don't worry, these ponies are professionals. You won't be the first slave they clean.”

“W-what?” she asked as the stallion walked from the room. A moment later two more ponies entered the room, carrying a soapy bucket and a toilet brush. She tried to block out what happened next as they cleaned the gunk from her body. She closed her eyes and hummed her mother's songs as the coarse brush dug into her skin, rubbing parts of it raw as the two ponies cleaned her.

When they finally finished she was unstrapped, her entire body felt as if it was rubbed raw. Even worse was the humiliation at their abuse and shame when she looked up and saw Ironback watching from the window.

“E-enjoy the show?” she snapped as she was slowly led from the room, glaring at him.

The stallion backhoofed her once again, so hard she crumbled to the ground. He then glared back at her as he reached out and gripped her by the horn, forcing her to look up. “Listen, Note. You're mine. Don't you dare raise your voice to me. Understand?”

“Y-yes...” she squeaked pathetically as she tried not to cry.

“Yes, master,” he said as a wicked grin formed on his lips. He forced her head back as he pushed her horn. “Say it.”

“Y-yes master!” she shrieked as tears started to flow down her face.

“Good,” he said as he released her. “Be thankful I'm letting you keep the horn. I happen to like my mares with something to hold onto. Now get up.”

She slowly got up and hung her head. “Why... why are you doing this? I-I'm sorry I-I talked to your boss, but y-you took my job for it. Wasn't that enough?”

“You think this is about that?” he asked with a chuckle. “No. This is about hijacking my shipments. You've got me in a lot of trouble with my bosses thanks to your little thefts.”

“I-I don't have any idea what you're talking about! Please, this is all a big mistake! L-listen, just let me know, I'm sure the others are looking for me right now. I-if they find out you foalnapped me they'll-”

“They'll what?” the stallion smirked as he reached out and gripped her horn again. “They'll come here, looking for you? I'm counting on it. These are some of Goldenshot's best. Your little friends are going to get slaughtered if they try a damn thing. They will, too. I've made sure they'll have no problem tracking you down here.”

She whimpered as she stared at him, chewing on her lower lip. “But... but...”

He moved in and whispered in her ear. “Then... when they're dead... it's going to just be me, and you. I'm going to take every single problem you caused me out of your hide. When I'm done you'll wish you'd just let me rape you in that linen closet. Tartarus, with a body like that you'd have enjoyed it. Now though? I'm going to enjoy watching you writhe and scream.”

Note stood there and trembled. She looked into his eyes, so cruel and merciless. She slowly chewed on her lower lip before lifting her right hoof and taking a swing at him.

Ironback caught her hoof in his own and twisted it, toppling her over onto her back. He then drove his other hoof down on her chest. “Now now, if you want me to start now, I have no objection,” he laughed as he let her hoof go. He gripped her horn again and forced her onto her stomach before slamming a hoof down on her back. “Perfect, now let's see what that little body of yours can do.” He moved over her, holding her pinned with one hoof as she struggled to crawl away.

“S-stop! Please! I'm sorry! I didn't-” she was cut off as he slammed her head into the ground.

“Keep your mouth shut for now. Don't worry, I can use it later,” he growled as he positioned himself.

The building suddenly shook as something crashed below them. The stallion let out a curse. “Damn it, couldn't wait a few more minutes?” Slowly Note felt the weight coming off her back. He grabbed her by the neck and dragged her besides him. “Come on, let's go say goodbye to your little 'friends'.”
	
> Chapter 5: Jump
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Ironback dragged the struggling mare down the stairs as he growled. “What's going on down here?” he snapped. The walls were bare, covered in cheap brown wallpaper. The floor was soft wood, the carpeting long torn out. As Note got a view of the room she saw what she imagined had once been an ice cream stand facing the front of the building, though the treats and freezer units had long since been removed and replaced with metal to make a nice cover. There were no windows on the side of the building, just a bunch of boarded up hole. Well, aside from the part that had been taken out by a large van that had slammed into the front of the building.

Over a dozen ponies were down here, each armed with a tommy gun on their backs, or held in their magic or mouths. Most were hidden behind the cover while two more had gone forward to investigate the vehicle. Note whimpered as she watched.

“Your friends are dumber than they look. Coming in the front like this? They'll be dead in seconds,” Ironback said with a chuckle. Unfortunately, with the numbers and equipment on their side, she couldn't help but agree.

“They're dead,” one of the ponies yelled as he pulled open the side door and yanked out the body. It was a gray-coated pony she didn't recognize, lacking a mane. The armed pony stepped back and shook his head. “Holy tartarus. The smell is horrible!”

“Anypony else in there?” Ironback yelled out, while keeping a firm grip on Note's back.

“Don't think so. Passenger is dead too. For a long time by the looks of it... huh?” the two ponies climbed inside as they flashed their lights into the back. “The hell? It's full of-” Suddenly the two were pulled into the back seats as their screams flowed out.

“SHOOT IT! Blow it to tartarus!” Ironback yelled. Instantly the ponies complied as bullets flew through the air, slamming into every side of the vehicle and turning it into a metallic version of swish cheese. After a few moments the shooting stopped. “There, go check it out. Careful this time.”

Two more of the ponies walked forward, guns ready. Rather than looking in the back they yanked the back door off its frame, the bullets having damaged it beyond repair. “By Celestia... this smell. Ironback, you're gonna wanna see this.”

“Come on,” the stallion growled as he dragged Note forward, keeping her in front of him. Soon they could see the back of the van. It was filled with bodies. “You recognize any of them?”

“N-no,” Note whimpered.

“Hey, I know some of these. They were part of Coppertooths gang. Before they... disappeared,” the nearby stallion mumbled.

“Start yanking them out. Whoever is hiding in there is probably- Celestia's mane!” Ironback yelled as he took a step back. The nearest corpse suddenly jumped from the van onto the nearest armed pony. The stallion tried shooting, though he only managed to graze it in the side before the body was on him, tearing out his throat with its teeth. More of the bodies were starting to move as Ironback held Note and started dragging her back behind cover. As they passed the front of the vehicle bullets began to shoot out. She caught a glimpse of two corpses, one missing half its head, shooting with the tommy guns they stole.

“Shoot them, shoot all of them!” the stallion yelled as he kept dragging her along towards the back. Suddenly screams could be heard as an explosion rocked the building. Smoke flooded from the back door as the business pony let out another growl. “Damn it, come on!” he moved past the stairs and headed through the door, keeping his head low.

The entire back of the building, once a kitchen, was in flame. The ponies that had been inside weren't moving and Note could see where many of them had been caught in the explosion. Ironback tried making his way to the back door, but soon found his way blocked by an inferno. The intense heat made her stumble, and she was actually happy when he started dragging her back the way they came.

The undead ponies were slowly making headway towards the entrenched gun ponies. Even when their limbs were blown off, they would just keep crawling towards them. The stallion let out another curse before running upstairs. “Damn it, Note! I swear when this is over I'll make you pay for this. Do you have any idea what Goldenshot is going to demand in compensation for all this?!”

Within moments they were back on the second floor, the ground coated in glass from shattered windows. There weren't any ponies as far as she could see, even the two who cleaned her were gone. He kept dragging her towards the back, ignoring her cries of pain as the glass slashed at her hooves.

“Shut up!” the stallion growled as he shoved open a door near the back and grinned. Inside was a window that looked out over the street. “I hope you're ready to jump, you-”

“Let her go,” an angry voice said from behind them. The heat suddenly intensified as the two turned around. Knight stood a few feet away, fire circling around his horn.

“Knight!” she yelled as she tried to make a run towards him, but was quickly yanked back and felt something pressed to the back of her head.

“Don't come any closer or I'll shoot!” Ironback yelled.

“Put that gun away,” the fire controlling unicorn said with a growl as he took a step back. “You've already hurt the lady enough. If you lay so much as one more hoof on her, I'll make you beg for death.”

“I said stay back!” her ex-boss growled as she heard the gun cock. Knight froze in his steps. “Good. Why are you doing this? Is it money? Is that what you want? I can give it to you! Do you want power? I have plenty of that!” For the first time, Note could hear fear in the unicorn's voice. “Note doesn't have any of that, why do you go to such lengths for her?”

“A true knight always protects the queen,” her friend said as the fire dissipated from his horn. “I'll give you one chance, and one chance only. Let Note go and never both-”

Note was deafened as twice the gun was shot by her ear. She trembled as she awaited the feeling of death, but no pain hit her. She then saw the two holes in Knight's chest, blood dripping from them. She was quickly shoved to the side, into the wall, as Ironback walked forward, gun hovering up.

She watched, helpless, as the stallion moved up to her friend, gun poised. They talked, but she couldn't hear a word. All she could hear was a soft ringing. She let out a sob as she stared at the two. Ironback had won. He'd kill Knight and take her away. After everything he'd done to her, he was right. He had the power. He had control. She was just... weak. She had almost nothing. And she was about to lose even that.

She watched as the gun was raised to Knight's head, the stallion clutching his chest and struggling to breath. Her tormentor standing over him like an angel of death. The last thing she heard was a snap as the calming sounds of her mother's songs filled her mind.

------ 

Note slowly got to her hooves as her horn flashed for a moment. A confident grin flashed on her lips as she moved towards the victorious stallion. He turned for a moment, a confused look on his face as he said something, though she couldn't hear it. A moment later he began screaming as the gun fell from his grasp. At least, she assumed he was screaming as she jammed the shard of glass into his right eye. Her horn continued to glow as seven more shards floated around her head. She stabbed and pulled them out over and over as the pony screamed and lashed out wildly. She easily moved out of range, after each of his strikes her horn glowed for a moment. She watched every move he made, long before he could make it.

One of the longer shards drove past his head and into the throat of one of Goldenshot's men, as the pony charged up the stairs. Ironback stumbled back, his good eye wide and fearful as his mouth moved. Her hearing was beginning to get better, though she still couldn't make out what he was saying. “Hush now, quiet now,” Note sang gently as she moved closer, a shard embedding itself in the stallions back hoof. “It's time to lay your sleepy head...” A shard embedded itself in the stallion's side.

A confident grin flashed on the stallion's face as suddenly the gun was raised in front of her face and he pulled the trigger. It didn't make a sound to her as the stallion stared at it, pulling the trigger again and again, but the gun's bullets were spread across the floor. “Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed...” she whispered as two of the shards jammed into the stallion's throat. Ironback clutched at his throat as he fell to the ground, thrashing about. She continued singing her song as the edged glass stabbed into him, again and again and again, even when he no longer moved.

“Let the joy of dream land...” she trailed off as she finally realized he was dead. She shook her head before running to her friend. “Knight? Oh, I'm so sorry! I just, I was, are you okay?” she asked as she nudged him with a hoof. He mumbled something, but it took a few seconds before her hearing cleared enough for her to make it out.

“Y-yeah, ow... t-think he missed anything too vital. Think yah could help me up?” he asked as she quickly moved besides him and let him put a hoof over her. Behind her, she could feel heat as the flames quickly spread through the building.

Note glanced to the window and then to him. “Are you going to be okay to jump?”

“N-not really...” he groaned as he put a hoof to his bleeding chest. “N-not like I have much choice. C-come on.” She held him as best she could as they dashed towards the window. Her telekinesis opened it as they came closer and together they leaped out into the night. She looked down before letting out a scream.

She expected to see cement under them. Instead she saw dozens of the undead ponies, gathered and shuffling about. The two landed in the midst of them, softening the landing. Note screamed as loud as she could as she awaited the inevitable devouring of their soft pony flesh, but it never came.

“E-easy,” Knight groaned as he smiled to her. “T-they're on our side. P-pretty nice once you get used to the smell. Come on, l-let's get to the carriage...”

“Where is it?” she asked quickly as she struggled not to think about the horde of undead surrounding her.

“A-a block or so down. Don't worry, t-they'll likely meet us part way, just get me to an alley,” he groaned as he leaned on her. Together they shuffled off down the street, the building burning behind them as the dead ponies tore into it, and anything unfortunate enough to still be alive. She got him a block away before dragging him into an alleyway, taking a deep breath. “Okay, just wait here, I'll get the others.”

Before she could leave, the mare heard something above and quickly looked up. Bishop dove down, landing in front of them. “Are you two okay?” the pegasus asked as she quickly looked them over.

“Y-yes. Knight was shot, he needs a doctor. Where is everypony?”

“They'll be here in a moment,” Bishop mumbled as she moved forward. “Queen, put Knight down and keep watch. You won't want to see this.”

“Keep watch? Why?”

“Just do it!” the pegasus snapped.

Note nodded as she quickly walked a bit away. Her horn glowed as she cast her future seeing spell. After a few moments she glanced back and gasped. The pegasus was now completely black, without any fur. Her wings were long, green and jagged, shaped to points and dug into Knight's chest wounds. Small black holes were spread throughout the pegasus' body.

“You're... you're a changeling,” Note squeaked.

“And you're pointing out the obvious. There, got them. Knight, how yah feeling?” Bishop asked as she yanked her shifted wings out, two bullets clattering on the ground.

“Like tartarus...” he groaned.

“Good. We'll get you some healing soon. First, I need to stop the bleeding. Hrgk. Ptoo!” The changeling spat some thick black goo onto the chest before rubbing it in.

“Ewwww,” Note groaned.

“Oh, shut up,” Bishop grumbled as she returned to her pegasus form. “It's a cure my mother used to use whenever we got hurt. Besides, it'll stop the bleeding.”

“What about infection?”

“Trust me, that's not an issue,” the mare said with a grin. “Now, when we peel it off, the scream he's going to let out will be. About time!” she hissed as a large black chariot pulled up. It was pulled by Rook, though he was hidden under a black cloak. The door popped open and the two mares helped drag Knight inside, before it took off.

Note looked around and smiled at the lone pony sitting in one of the corners. “King, you came too!”

“Of course. Who do you think was controlling the corpses?” the stallion grumbled. His horn glowed green.

Her mouth fell open. “You're... you're a necromancer? But... but that magic is illegal. How can, but that's... how...”

“Lots of things are illegal. Especially the things we do. What's your poin- hey!” the stallion tried pulling back, but it was too late. Note embraced the pony in a big, tight hug. “Let me go!”

“No! You big softy! You got everypony together to come save me! I knew Knight would, but I wasn't sure the rest of you cared so much,” Note said as she leaned in and pushed the hood back. She froze as she stared into those big, green, very angry eyes.

“I told you. Not to. Touch. The hood,” the mare growled.

“Y-you're a... you're a... you're a mare!” Note squeaked, before getting shoved back into her chair.

King quickly flipped the hood back over her head. “You're point?! You have an interesting way of saying thank you!”

“I-I'm sorry... I was just... I was going to give you a kiss on the cheek, as ummm... sorry...”

“H-hey, don't I get a kiss?” Knight asked with a grin.

“Kisses aside,” King said as the fire-manipulating stallion gave a low moan. “After tonight, I've decided to give you a choice. None of those ponies will be after you now, with your old boss dead.”

Note nodded slowly as she watched the hooded pony. “How did you kn-”

“You'll probably be fine if you want to return home,” King interrupted. “I doubt they'll come after you. We've managed to make out rather well with some... re-appropriated items, so I guess it wont hurt to let you go. So, here,” King grumbled as a small bundle dropped into Note's lap.

“What's this?”

“The cure for poison joke. Just take a long bath with that stuff and you'll be back to normal. We'll get you out of town and you can head home, where you'll be safe.”

Note nodded as she clutched the bundle before looking up. “What if... I don't want to leave?”

“Hmmm?”

“What if I want to stay here? With all of you? Can I?”

“Yes!” Knight said quickly as he raised a hoof, moments before cringing and clutching his chest. “Owie...”

“If you desire to stay with us... I see no reason why not,” King said as she leaned back. “You aren't completely helpless in a fight it seems. Very precise with shards.”

Note cringed as she looked out the carriage window. “I... I don't want to think about it. I don't want to fight... I just want to sing, and look out. Keep Knight from getting shot.”

“Don't worry, Queen,” Bishop said with a smile. “You're one of us now. You'll get used to Knight getting shot.”

“Oy!” the stallion grumbled.

The unicorn smiled as her horn glowed for a moment. “Yes... I am. You know what? I think I see a bright future ahead for us. All of us.”